Fallout Equestria: Survivor's Guilt

Chapters

Prologue: At the End
Chapter 2: Metropolis
Chapter 3: The Big Easy
Chapter 4: Sin City
Chapter 5: Stable 13
Chapter 6: Crystal City
Chapter 7: The Looming Threat
Chapter 8: A Better Life Underground
Chapter 9: Stable-Tec
Chapter 10: Home
Chapter 11: Secrets
Chapter 12: Shadowplay
Chapter 13: Crusader
Chapter 14: Devil You Know
Chapter 15: All Fall Down
Chapter 16: Storyteller
Chapter 17: Heroes and Villains
Chapter 19: Totality
Chapter 20: Explanations
Chapter 21: Hybrid
Chapter 22: Fight the Future
Chapter 23: Betrayed
Chapter 24: The Golden City
Chapter 25: Underground
Chapter 26: Rising
Chapter 27: Changes (Part 1)
Chapter 27: Changes (Part 2)
Chapter 28: 21
Chapter 29: Ante Up
Chapter 30: Rolling Thunder
Chapter 31: Noir
Chapter 32: The Doomsday Clock
Chapter 33: Shockwave
Chapter 34 (Part 1): Perspectives
Chapter 34 (Part 2): Perspectives
Chapter 35: Dream of the Sky
Chapter 36: Wasteland Soul
Chapter 38: Force of Nature
Chapter 39: Stormbreaker
Chapter 40: Redemption Blues
Epilogue: After the War
Afterword: Gambit's Goodbye
Chapter 1: The Remnant
Chapter 18: I'll Always Be There For You
Chapter 37: Some Things Never Change

Prologue: At the End

War... war never changes...

Funny, you know, I never really gave that phrase much thought when Ponies said it during the Great War. As the war raged on, things didn't go very well, the fact is... we had already lost from the beginning.

The war with the Zebras was bad, it pushed us all to extremes that we believed that we'd never be forced to. Even the best of us, were torn down by the war, forced to do things that we'd have never imagined.

Me and my friends, we thought we were doing the right thing, we thought we could save Ponies... not just Ponies, everything from the coming fire. That's why we built the Stables, that's why we set out to do everything we could to make sure that Equestria would be preserved.

And the Ponies we trusted with it... sometimes it worked out sometimes it didn't...

By Celestia, I still miss the old days, from before the war, when all I had to worry about was my friends and having to get our Cutie Marks. Funny really, after all the time I spent earning mine... I lost it...

I, didn't think I'd still be alive after all this. I almost wasn't, but, somepony special to me saved my life.

I just wish that I could tell her thank you... see her one more time...

00000

There was a cough, after a few moments of silence there was a groan. An orange colored Pegasus with a purple mane looked up at the cloud covered sky with a pained look in her eyes.

Scootaloo, the first Dashite, the former Vice President of Stable-tec... was dying. She had been exiled from the clouds because she rejected the Enclave's ideals, and she was dying for her trouble.

She just barely managed to speak again, she was recording a message in hopes that someday, somepony would be able to listen to it, and maybe

“If you find this… there’s a shack marked on it. I traced Rainbow Dash to there. I think she’s living there… or was recently. Wasn’t there when I looked. But I’m headed back. Going to wait there… hope she returns. I should be there for her. Like she’s with me. Somepony should be there…”

Scootaloo coughed again.

“Just want Dash to know… we didn’t all… She’s not alone.”

Scootaloo took off her PipBuck as it finished recording and she placed it under the rock in the secret place hidden under it. She took a deep breath and started to make her way back towards the shack.

She coughed again, looking at her hoof, there was blood, she kept fighting on though. She just wanted to get back to the shack so she could hopefully see her idol again.

"Come on Scootaloo, you can make it..." she said, trying to move forward more towards the shack. She knew she was dying, but she just had to hope that somehow... maybe she could see Rainbow Dash, one more time.

The Pegasus kept walking, but eventually she just collapsed, she couldn't go any further. She looked up, she could see the shack from here, but, it was just too far away.

She reached into her bags and took out a photograph of her and a dark blue Pegasus Stallion and a young filly with light blue fur and a purple mane and tail.

"Sky Walker, Cloudy... I'm sorry..." she said weakly, remembering her husband and daughter, what were they going to think of her? She had been exiled from the clouds... from her family... all because she just wanted to do the right thing. "Stay safe..."

She sighed and closed her eyes, she'd just rest, for a little while.

00000

There was a fluttering of wings above the ground as Scootaloo laid there unconscious. A set of cyan hooves landed and the Pony folded her wings at her side.

"Scootaloo!" Rainbow Dash said and rushed forward and picked up the orange mare in her forehooves. "Come on Squirt, wake up, please don't die on me..."

"Rainbow... Dash?" Scootaloo asked, her eyes flickering open as she looked up the mare with her purple eyes. "You made it..."

"That's right Scootaloo, I'm here, you're going to be okay, I promise," Rainbow Dash said, wishing she had some medical supplies.

"Good, bye Rainbow Dash..." Scootaloo said weakly. "Thank you... for being my big sister. Please, don't..."

Scootaloo's eyes closed, her breathing was starting to slow, but she was still alive. Rainbow Dash held her close, there wasn't anything she could do for her little sister, she couldn't help but cry.

00000

210 Years Later.

"Hey what's in here?" A stallion asked as he pushed through the wall of a building.

"No clue," his companion, a Pegasus mare said as she poked her head in. "Looks like an old Ministry facility."

The inside was still falling apart from the apocalypse, but it was relatively intact. There were a few bits of old equipment lying here and there, but nothing that was too obviously valuable. The two ponies were Scavengers, Ponies who searched the old ruins for anything valuable.

"Not really much worth scavenging," the mare said. "Looks like a Ministry of Awesome facility used for storage."

"Yeah, lets take what we can..." The stallion said as he removed a tarp and stepped back, shocked to find a strange, pod device under it with a Pony inside it, the stallion brushed some of the dust off and looked inside. "Tawny, come look at this!"

"What is..." Tawny said as she galloped over to the pod and looked inside it in with a gasp. "There's somepony alive in here..."

"Lets get out of here, this place gives me the creeps," the Stallion said.

"Wait, no, we should check the terminal out," Tawny said as she hacked into the terminal, a minute later information popped up on the screen.

Subject: Unknown
Status: Alive.
Medical Condition: Healthy with a slight mutation from Radiation
Stasis Status: Power 3%

Open pod? Y/N.

Tawny looked at her companion for a moment before turning back to the console. "The pod is going to fail, we should at least try to save whoever it is in there."

"I don't know, we don't know who it is, they could be a killer or something," her companion pointed out. "We should just let it fail, its for the best."

"I don't think so, they could be anypony, maybe we should at least give them a chance," Tawny said as she looked at the terminal for a long moment. "They might need help, we should at least give them a chance."

"Tawny, this is highly irregular," the stallion said and Tawny just shook her head before hitting the Y key.

The pod hissed as it started to open up, there was a slight stirring from inside as the inhabitant opened her purple eyes.

"...leave me here Rainbow," a voice from inside said.

The two ponies exchanged a long glance as they were trying to figure out what to do about this.

00000

Back then, I didn't know what to expect from the outside world, but I was about to take my first steps into the outside world.

Rainbow Dash... you didn't have to save me... but thank you, for your sacrifice. I'll never forget what you did for me.

I just hope that I'll be able to make you proud, even if you're dead... I'm still going to be the best Pony I can be. I just wish you could be here with me...

I've got a lot to answer for, a lot to make up for. And even today... there's still wars to be fought.

And war... war never changes.

But Ponies do.

Chapter 2: Metropolis

"Without heroes,
we are all plain people
and don't know how far we can go."
-Bernard Malamud

"So, you're what, a Stable Dweller or something like that?" The head of the caravan Aluminum Can, an Earth Pony mare asked as she looked at me curiously. We were on the front of the wagon and talking while I kept a careful lookout.

"Yeah, something like that," I said as the caravan moved along the old road towards Manehattan, it was a plausible enough explanation for me I guess. "I'm just trying to see more of Equestria, you know?"

"Yeah, I know what you mean, I grew up in Seaddle, but I always wanted to see more of the world," Aluminum said with a smile. "So when the Queen's Gambit Caravan Company started to expand, well, I couldn't resist."

"Seaddle huh?" I asked curiously, I hadn't been to Seaddle much outside of the construction of Stables like 9 and 14. "What was that like?"

"Not too bad after the Great Schism ended," Aluminum said, which got a look of confusion from me. "Its what they call the conflict between the Steel Rangers and Applejack's Rangers about 9 years ago, Seaddle was their battlefield and a lot of ponies got caught up in it."

"What happened?" I asked, I remembered the Steel Rangers from the war, but I had no idea what she meant by Applejack's Rangers.

"A former Steel Ranger named Nova, she helped stop the Steel Rangers and their Elder," Aluminum said. "Nice pony, we crossed paths a few times when I was running caravans with my Dad."

I listened to her talk a bit more, I had to wonder how many stories there were in the Wasteland. I knew about Littlepip (I had gotten the rest of her book while I was in Junction Town) sure, but there could be a lot more stories out there.

I thought back to what I had heard about successful Stables, one of them was Stable 26, that actually gave me a lot of relief. Looking back, I had gambled on Stable 26 by having the dwellers build their own society. I was lucky I guess that it had survived, I wondered if I'd get to meet the pony who left it someday.

If I ever could even figure out what to do with my life at this point. I was in Equestria, but it was all so, unfamiliar to me.

We went on in silence.

00000

I looked up from the book I was reading when the wagon came to a stop all of a sudden. I glanced out, but we weren't anywhere near Manehattan from what I could see.

"What's going on?" I asked Aluminum, who was starting to move the wagon towards the side of the road.

"There's something going on up ahead," Aluminum said and gave me a pair of binoculars. "Looks like another caravan was attacked."

I raised the binoculars to my eyes and saw just what she was talking about. There was a wagon that was turned over on its side and dead bodies lying around it. I narrowed my eyes when I saw something familiar, ponies dressed in black insect-like Power Armor.

"Its the Enclave," I said, which made Aluminum's eyes go wide. "They must've attacked them on the road."

"What are they doing here? The Enclave hasn't been this close to Manehattan in years," Aluminum whispered back. "At least none of the Generals that have shown up."

I frowned a little Calamity had mentioned something about the 7 Wonderbolt Generals. One of them had been killed 8 years prior during an attempt to take over the Crystal Wasteland and another was seen around Minneapolis, but that left 5 unaccounted for.

Could these soldiers answer to one of the other Generals, or was there something else going on here?

My eyes suddenly went wide when I saw something I didn't expect. Moving into view, dressed in heavily modified Power Armor was a towering pony with armored wings and a horn. It was an Alicorn, there was an Alicorn with the Enclave! What in Tartarus was going on here?

The Alicorn's head suddenly snapped and it felt like despite the helmet, she was looking right at me. I lowered my binoculars and shuddered. After a few minutes the Enclave soldiers took off in some sort of airship.

"Lets check this out," Aluminum said and eased the wagon forward after she was sure that the soldiers were far enough away.

I didn't say anything as we approached the destroyed caravan. The ponies were lying dead around the destroyed wagon. We climbed off our own wagon and started checking the wagon, the Enclave had picked it clean.

"Check the cargo manifest, it should be in the strongbox and wouldn't have any value to them," Aluminum said as I opened up the strongbox.
Inside was a piece of paper with a list of names and words. The Caravan had been hauling food and medical supplies from Manehattan to a settlement called Gildacross. I frowned a little at something and I double checked the number of bodies.

"We're missing two ponies," I said, which made Aluminum look up. "There's two more names on the manifest than we have bodies."

"Weird, let me see that," the Earth Pony said and took the manifest, reading it over. "Yeah, you're right, I know this caravan, good bunch of ponies. It looks like we're missing a passenger named Caramel Corn and the Caravan owner's dog Schooner."

"What do we do with their bodies?" I asked as we started packing up the wagon.

"There's not much we can do here, I'll send word to the company they worked for," Aluminum said as she climbed onto the front of the wagon.

I took one last look around and was surprised to see a dog had arrived on the scene and was whimpering at the corpse of one of the ponies, nudging it gently. This must be the dog that had accompanied the caravan Schooner.

I finished securing my gear and trotted over to the dog who growled at me and snapped at my hoof when I tried to reach for him.

"Okay, I'll leave you alone," I said with a sigh, I rummaged around in my bags and took out some food I had brought with me and set it out. "Here, its for you when you get hungry."

The dog just looked at me before I went back to the wagon and climbed on and we started up again towards Manehattan.

00000

After traveling a couple more days and through parts of the ruins of Manehattan, I was surprised to find myself looking at the familiar sight of a Ministry of Arcane Science Hub.

"Welcome to Tenpony Tower, the shining jewel of the Manehattan ruins," Aluminum said as we pulled in for a stop in front of the main door and are greeted by ponies dressed in uniforms. "Thanks for the company Wanderer."

"You're welcome," I said with a smile. "I hope to see you around."

"You too," Aluminum said and waved as I entered the tower.

It wasn't like anything I had seen yet in the Wasteland, it had clearly been populated for a long time. There were ponies moving in and out of the rooms that made up the shops and other places around the tower.

It didn't take long to find the local office for the Followers of the Apocalypse, and I was greeted by a Unicorn mare who gave me a smile.

"Can I help you Miss?" She asked as she looked me over curiously.

"Uh, yes, Velvet Remedy told me that there's a pony here named Focus who might be able to help me out," I said as I looked around curiously. "Is he in?"

"Oh sorry miss, Focus had to travel to one of the Settlements in the city and he won't be back for a few days," the receptionist said regretfully. "I could send word to him if its important."

"No, its fine, I can wait if I have to," I said with a shake of my head, I didn't want to impose. "I'll find a place to stay in the Tower I guess."

"Of course, sorry for the inconvenience," the receptionist said with a smile as she made a note. "I'm sure that Focus will be happy to meet with you as soon as he gets back."

I nodded and trotted out of the office and started looking around the area. I was constantly amazed at how ponies had managed to rebuild after the Megaspells, I had to wonder how much of that really was from the Stables and how much of it was just good old pony ingenuity.

Did it really matter though? We had survived as a species, and from what I had seen so did many others. That was ultimately our goal with Stable-Tec, and I was happy to know that we had succeeded.

That didn't change the fact that I had left it to burn.

I sighed and stopped by a restaurant, I got some food that was little more than pre-war food that had been scavenged and re-purposed. I sat down at one of the tables and started to eat.

"Excuse me," a mare's voice said and I looked up surprised to see a blue-grey Unicorn mare with an orange mane and tail glaring at me... and she was wearing a Stable Jumpsuit, from Stable 66, uh-oh. "You're Scootaloo aren't you?"

"Uh, maybe, who's asking?" I said with a gulp, I didn't like where this was going, how did she know who I was?

The Unicorn didn't reply, instead she swung her hoof at me catching me off guard as it connected with my muzzle, sending my hat flying. I didn't even have time to think about what I was doing, I hit her back as hard as I could.

Before I even realized what was happening, we were being pulled away from each other by ponies dressed in security barding.

"Let me go! Its all her fault, everything that happened to Stable 66 is her fault!" The mare screamed at me and the security ponies. "Its all her fault!"

I just stood there in stunned silence, I knew that it was going to be inevitable that I encountered ponies that felt like this, but it hit me harder than I thought it was going to.

As security took us away, the Stable Mare kept glaring at me, the hatred in her eyes was clear.

Dear Celestia what had I done?

00000

I stared up at the ceiling of the holding cell that they had put me in and sighed.

Stable 66 had been one of the Stables we had constructed here in Manehattan, it had been populated with the societal elite of this part of Equestria, the rich and the famous, ponies who had been accustomed to comfortable living. Maybe it wasn't one of our better ideas, but we had built it to be too small so families would have to double up.

Stable 66 had been similar in principle to what I did with Stable 1, to deal with the ponies that had fueled the war. I didn't sabotage it, but the Stable had been built to force them to come to grips with the new reality.

I guess it lasted this long, but what had happened there?

I wound up being in the holding cell for a few days, it wasn't too bad but it got lonely, and really more than anything else it left me alone with my thoughts. Equestria was different from what I remembered, but I was trying to get used to it.

"You're free to go," a voice said and I was surprised to see the guard opening the cell door. "You can pick up your personal effects at the Security Office on your way out."

"Wait, why am I being freed?" I asked with a blink as I got up and headed to the door.

"You got bailed out by a friend, she's waiting for you outside," the guard said.

I blinked a little at that, I didn't have any friends in Tenpony Tower except maybe Aluminum. I walked out of the cell and past the Unicorn Stable Dweller who glared at me as I trotted past. I tried not to think about her as I headed for the front of the security office.

I stopped by the desk at the front and picked up my saddlebags and my hat. I trotted out of the security office and was greeted by a grey Unicorn mare with a spiky blue mane with a cloak covering most of her body.

"Hey there Wanderer," she said with a smile as she offered me a hoof. "I'm Homage, I heard about you coming here from Calamity, and, well... I had to see for myself."

"Its, nice to meet you Homage," I said with a weak smile as I shook her hoof, it was strange actually she kind of reminded me of Vinyl Scratch, only grey. "Thanks for helping me out back there."

"Eh, they would have let you out eventually anyway once things were worked out with the NCR," Homage said with a shrug as we started walking together. "The fighting charge was minor and they should've let you go the next day."

"So they were holding me because of who I am..." I said with a sigh.

"That's one thing you don't have to worry about legally, at least in any areas affiliated with the NCR," Homage said. "Legally, you and any other survivors can't be held accountable for any of your crimes during the war, including the Stables. Its considered time served if you're still alive I guess."

That, actually did make me feel a little bit better. At least I wasn't about to spend the rest of my life in prison because of the Stables, I'd just have to deal with my own conscience for the rest of my life.

There was something else that was bugging me though.

"What do you know about the mare who attacked me?" I asked.

"Oh, you mean Arc Light?" Homage asked and I nodded. "Not a whole lot, I asked around about her. She showed up about a day before you did and said she was from a Stable when anypony asked."

I sighed and tried to think about what to do next. "So where are we going now?"

"There's somepony who would like to meet you," Homage said with a smile, I blinked a little at that, but just followed her.

00000

We left the public areas of Tenpony Tower and I found myself in a more private area. It was pretty much empty as we passed by a fountain and finally stopped at a room with a light that said "ON AIR" over the door.

"A radio station?" I asked Homage curiously.

"Yep, DJ Pon3, he's been on the air since after the megaspells fell," Homage said.

I blinked a little at that, DJ Pon3 was Vinyl Scratch's stage name, and I knew for a fact that she had been in Stable 29. Did somepony else take up the name and become a Ghoul or something?

Homage actually chuckled a little when she saw the look of confusion on my face before she turned serious. "Scootaloo, I'm going to trust you with one of the biggest secrets in Equestria, do you promise to not tell anypony?"

"I promise," I said and tilted my head a little, I had to wonder what kind of secret was so important that I had to be sworn to secrecy.

Homage smiled and nodded, a few minutes later the light went off and she told me to wait outside for her before she went through the door.
There had been a DJ Pon3 ever since after Vinyl made it into Stable 29? It was actually kind of a shame, we had been considering moving Vinyl and Octavia into Stable 27 in the south but it hadn't gone through yet, so they wound up in 29 when the bombs fell.

From what I had read in The Book of Littlepip, it may have been better if we had made it work after all.

"Scootaloo, you can come in," Homage said as she opened the door again. "Just remember that you have to keep everything you see in here secret."

I nodded and Homage let me in. I found myself inside the radio station's broadcast center, which had an elaborately designed computer in it. I blinked in surprise when I saw a Zebra mare with her mane tied into a braid who was dressed in a cloak similar to the one that Homage wore.

"Hello Scootaloo," the Zebra said with a smile, I wasn't really sure what to make of this as she offered a hoof. "My name is Xiraia, I'm DJ Pon3."

"DJ Pon3 is a Zebra?" I asked confused, that was certainly not what I had expected at all.

"Oh, I'm just the most recent," Xiraia said with a smile. "Its been passed down from pony to pony ever since Vinyl Scratch's nephew took the title."

"Well, that does explain a lot," I said and smiled a little. "Its an honor to meet you Xiraia."

"Likewise Scootaloo," Xiraia said as we shook hooves. "Do you mind if I ask you a few questions? I just want to get to know you a bit more, maybe if we have to I can help you with Wastelanders that don't quite understand what happened with you."

"Okay, I guess it couldn't hurt," I said, and paused a moment. "Just, one thing, that mare Arc Light, can you get her released?"

"That's a strange request, but I'll see what I can do," Xiraia said with a nod before gesturing for me to take a seat as she took out a recording device. "Are you ready?"

"As ready as I'll ever be," I said and Homage gave me a reassuring smile as Xiraia activated the device.

"Okay Scootaloo, this is to give you a chance to tell your side of the story," Xiraia said as she gave me a nod. "Now because of The Book of LittlePip and Ruby Starlight's account of the war with the Empire, a lot of ponies have heard parts of your story. I think we'd like to hear it from you though, what happened that lead up to the creation of the Stables?"

I took a deep breath and started to talk. "During the war, Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and myself started Stable-Tec to help create new technology for Equestria. Not for the war effort, but to help ponies in their day to day lives. When it became obvious that the Megaspells were going to be a danger to Equestria, we started developing the Stables themselves. They were constructed for the purpose of preserving life, Ponies, Zebras, Griffons, Changelings, Deer, Buffalo... any species that we could give a chance to survive, but..."

I paused a little, what I had to say next was going to be hard to admit, especially if this was going to be broadcast all over Equestria. What I was going to have to say wouldn't be easy to hear, but it was the truth.

"Are you okay Scootaloo? We can stop if you want," Xiraia said.

"I'm fine," I said with a shake of my head. "The Stable experiments were included as an effort to help learn from the mistakes of the past. That being said, we made a lot of mistakes... the experiments hurt ponies either directly or indirectly, and for that I'm sorry. In our efforts to try and help Equestria, we wound up doing a lot of harm. I can't change my actions, but I promise everyone listening to this that I will spend the rest of my life trying to make up for my actions and that of my company."

"Thank you Scootaloo, I'm sure you'll do fine," Xiraia said reassuringly with a smile.

I had to admit that it actually did help a lot to say that out loud. I had no idea if anypony would ever actually hear this interview, but just getting it off my chest actually helped a little.

Xiraia asked me a few more questions about the war before she started asking about my foalhood. That surprised me a little but I answered them to the best of my ability. I was surprised to learn that she knew about me being raised in an orphanage, but I guess that had been learned from one of the books she had mentioned.

"Well, that was very good, thank you Scootaloo," Xiraia said as she shut off the recording finally.

"How do you feel?" Homage asked as she looked at me.

"Honestly? A little better, I just have to hope that ponies listen," I said with a sigh and the two mares nodded in agreement.

I still had a long way to go before I really made up for my actions, but at least I was trying.

00000

Before I went to get my hotel room, I was surprised when Homage gave me another book, this one was called Ruby's Story, and she said that I'd find it interesting. She also gave me something I didn't expect, my old PipBuck, I hadn't exactly expected to see it again, but she said that the Dashites would understand.

I slipped the PipBuck onto my leg as my health showed up and my S.P.E.C.I.A.L. stats all appeared (we probably could've come up with a better name for that):

S: 5
P: 6
E: 7
C: 4
I: 5
A: 8
L: 6

Well that wasn't too bad I guess, pretty much what I had before the cloud cover was formed. I flipped through the screens, all my equipment was there, then there was of course the radio stations including DJ Pon3's radio station.

I then turned to the book that I had gotten and opened it to begin reading. I quickly understood why it had been suggested, Ruby Starlight was from Stable 26.

Thank goodness they had survived, I know I hadn't given them the easiest job in Equestria, but they had survived long enough for its ultimate goal to be realized. That filled me with hope that Equestria had a chance.

Of course it was a bit awkward because the pony who had left the Stable wound up in the middle of a war, but I had no way of knowing that was going to happen.

I turned the radio on and listened to the music as it filled the room while I continued to read. Maybe I should meet Ruby sometime, she sounded like an interesting mare. Though, she did remind me a little of Fluttershy and Velvet Remedy.

As I read, a stallion's voice that I suppose was DJ Pon3 came over the radio. "Here's DJ Pon3 coming at you with the latest news for the day. Rumors are abound from ponies in the north that are in contact with the Crystal Wasteland and Crystal City that a new threat has arisen from the Changelings, who have been quiet for the last 200 years. The NCR has stated that until these reports can be confirmed, any expansion into the Crystal Wasteland will be put on hold."

The Changelings? That made me wonder a bit, during the war the Changelings had sided with Equestria against the Zebras under Thorax, but I had no idea what was going on since then.

I really did still have a lot to learn about the new Equestria.

I laid back and closed my eyes, letting the music playing from my PipBuck fill the room.

"Strangers
Broken hands align
Drift on the frozen face of time."

00000

The next day I found myself walking around Tenpony Tower once again. I sighed and stretched my wings a little, they were probably more likely to attract attention than anything else, but I did see a few other Pegasi around.

I noticed that they didn't have the familiar brand, that might mean that even if the Enclave hadn't been defeated completely, there were still Pegasi that had broken off from them, that at least filled me with home for the future of Pegasi.

"Excuse me," a mare's voice said from behind me and I turned to see Arc Light look at me, she brushed her mane back and sighed. "I, wanted to apologize for before, Stable 66 has always blamed you and the others in Stable-Tec for our situation. When I realized you were still alive, I kinda lost it."

"Its okay, how did you know it was me anyway?" I asked, it had been bugging me on and off for the last few days.

"Your disguise isn't that good," Arc Light said with a roll of her eyes as we started walking together.

"What happened in Stable 66?" I asked, getting a surprised look from Arc Light.

"Our Overmare recently died, and her daughter took over she, wasn't exactly the most stable of ponies," Arc Light said with a sigh. "66 is in a state of chaos right now, I couldn't take it anymore, and my best friend, well she left too, I've been looking for her ever since."

"I'm sorry..." I said, and I meant it, the Stables, even 66 were built to save ponies and I had hoped that enough of them had survived. "What's her name?"

"Caramel Corn, we grew up together in the same quarters, she's a good pony," Arc Light said with a sigh. "She just, couldn't handle what was going on in Stable 66 anymore I guess. The last I heard she was on a caravan heading to Gildacross, I was planning on leaving the other day to head that way."

I paused a little, it took me a moment to remember how I knew the name Caramel Corn. And then it hit me, she had been the missing pony from the Caravan we had found... this wasn't going to go well.

"Arc, me and a pony I was traveling with found her caravan on the road to Manehattan," I said with a pause. "Almost everypony was killed, but Caramel Corn, she's missing."

An anger flashed in Arc Light's eyes again and she stormed off, I sighed, she needed time to cool down. She had only one clue to where her friend had went, and then I had taken it away from her.

I had no idea what I was going to do now. This certainly wasn't helping how I felt about the whole thing, in fact it probably made it worse.

Maybe there was some way I could help her.

00000

A few more days passed with no more word from Arc Light, I mostly just tried to learn more about Equestria so I wound up reading more than anything else. I talked with Xiraia on occasion, she was always willing to talk at least, Homage had left a couple of days after we met.

Finally, almost two weeks after I had arrived at Tenpony Tower, Focus returned from his business in a nearby Settlement. Honestly I was kind of nervous, I hadn't actually talked to a pony like this since I was a filly, the war didn't really give me a lot of chances.

So, that's how I found myself sitting in a chair talking to a yellow Unicorn pony with a purple mane and looking at me behind a pair of glasses.

"Don't worry Scootaloo, there's no judgment to be had here," Focus said as he gave me a reassuring smile. "So, what seems to be the problem?"

"Ever since I woke up, I've been having these, dreams on and off," I said with a sigh. "Nightmares really, of my life before the Megaspells, and then it always ends in a Balefire detonation. I'm, left alive, but, it's like my mind is torturing me for it. When I wake up I'm in a sweat."

Focus listened carefully to what I had to say as he took notes. He took a deep breath and sighed after I had finished and set down his paper and pen.

"You feel guilty for having survived, even if you don't show it, that's what's going on subconsciously," Focus said. "I've heard that this has been common in ponies that survived the Apocalypse, both Fluttershy and Ditzy Doo suffered from this, and still do to an extent."

"Is there any way to help?" I asked.

"There's not a lot we can do, no," Focus admitted, which made my ears droop a little. "You're having anxiety attacks in your sleep, that's what's causing you to wake up like that. There's no easy way to get around it and it's likely to stick with you for the rest of your life. The best I can suggest is to find your virtue and your place in the world, perhaps atonement for your past actions will help as well."

My virtue? I knew what he meant by that sure, something that defined who I was as a pony, like Rainbow Dash's and loyalty. I had never given it a lot of thought growing up, I didn't truly fit any of the ones from the Elements of Harmony, but there were other examples of virtues.
So then which one was I?

"You come from a different time than all of us, Scootaloo," Focus said, making me look up at him again. "Is it possible you feel guilty about what you did with the Stables?"

"Most of the Stables weren't supposed to fail at all," I said with a sigh. "We made mistakes sure, but the only one I purposely designed to fail was Stable 1, and that was only supposed to be temporary. Do I feel guilty for making the Stables like I did? No, I don't, but I do feel guilty that so many of them failed."

Focus nodded in understanding. "My parents came from Stable 19 out in Fillydelphia, thankfully it was opened before Red Eye started moving in on the Fillydelphia Stables."

"Stable 19, that was about experimenting with population growth, foalless couples only at the start," I remembered, I had memorized every Stable Experiment over the years. "Well, I'm glad they made it."

"Yeah, me too," Focus said with a smile, then he paused a little. "I, doubt you'll be hearing this from a lot of Stable Dwellers, but I want to say thank you. You saved lives, a lot of ponies wouldn't be here if it wasn't for you."

"You're welcome Focus... that actually helps a little," I said with a weak smile. "Do you have any other suggestions about what I can do?"

Focus looked thoughtful for a long moment before nodding. "You should head south to Neigh Orleans, there's another doctor in the Followers down there who I've heard can help with nightmares. In the meantime, I can give you some drugs that can help keep your sleep dreamless."

"That might help I guess," I said with a shrug, I just had to hope that I could figure this out. "It was nice meeting you Focus."

"You too Scootaloo, stay safe," Focus said and I headed out.

00000

"You're going where?" Xiraia asked as I was gathering up my gear and supplies that I had bought while I was in Tenpony Tower.

"The local headquarters for Stable-Tec," I said as I finished securing my rifles into my Battle Saddle. "There's something there I need to check out before I leave the city."

"Relating to the Stables then, what is it?" Xiraia asked me curiously.

"Its, something personal I need to look into," I said with a sigh, I didn't want to tell Xiraia the whole truth yet. "Can I ask you something?"

"Of course, anything," the Zebra said with a nod.

"Have there been any reports of Stables being broken into or failing unexpectedly lately?" I asked, it was a strange question.

"Well, other than 66? One or two sure, but they all seem pretty isolated, 23 and 91 I believe was the last ones that I know of," Xiraia said. "They were found by scavengers, totally empty, ponies, equipment, everything they could take, it wasn't Raiders."

"23 and 91? That's interesting..." I commented, she wasn't kidding, 23 was a control Stable on the outskirts of Vanhoover and 91 was an experiment that had leadership of the Stable change every week in Mareizona. "Well, I'll stop by on my way out of the city."

"You should talk to Arc Light first," Xiraia said, which made me pause a little. "You're both searching for something, its worth at least trying."

"I'll talk to her," I said with a nod and started out.

00000

"You want me to what?" Arc Light asked as she looked at me perplexed.

"Come with me, at least to the local Stable-Tec building," I said as I looked at her for a long moment. "I know its a strange request and you don't have any reason to do so..."

"I need to find Caramel Corn and I lost the best clue I had already," Arc Light said with a shake of her head. "What reason would I have to go to a Stable-Tec building?"

I paused for a moment and thought about it before reaching an answer. "I can't promise she'll be there, but I know one thing. You want to know about Stable 66 right?"

"Yeah, I would," Arc Light admitted. "Stable 66 is the only home I've ever known, and I want to learn more about why its there and why my ancestors were picked."

"Well, we'll have the files there, lets go check it out," I said with a nod. "Are you up for it?"

"Yeah, but don't think this makes us friends, as soon as we're done here, we're parting ways, got it?" Arc said.

"Got it," I said with a roll of my eyes, this was going to be a long day.

I was really starting to miss the good old days.

00000

The trip to the Stable-Tec building didn't take long at all, it wasn't too far from the Ministry of Arcane Science building that had been turned into Tenpony Tower at least. I looked up at the 4 story building that still stood in the shadow of the Ministry of Awesome hub for Manehattan.

If they weren't dead for at least 200 years, I'd have to have a word with the ponies in charge of city planning because that was terribly ironic in retrospect.

"We should be careful," Arc Light said as she made sure the rifle strapped to her back was secure. "I came by here on my way to Tenpony, there's, something in there."

"Great, well, nopony ever said this was going to be easy," I said with a sigh as we started making our way into the building, and a scent hit my nose that nearly made me recoil.

Something in this building was decaying or rotting and it had been for a long time. Arc Light didn't seem to like it either, but we moved forward, keeping our weapons at the ready as we walked past several corpses of dead ponies.

Or, at least what we thought were dead ponies, as Arc Light walked too close to one of them it began to stir and tried to take a chunk out of her leg, only to bite into her PipBuck. Arc Light yelped in surprise, but stumbled as she tried to shoot the zombie pony.

I didn't hesitate, I leveled my rifle at the head of the creature and tugged on the trigger, sending a bullet into the skull of the undead pony, sending blood and brains flying.

"Are you okay Arc?" I asked as I trotted over to the Unicorn to help her up.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Arc Light said as she tried to brush the blood out of her Stable Barding, there was another growl from deeper inside the building. "Great, looks like he has friends."

As more of the Ghouls started to pour in, I couldn't help but think of Ditzy Doo. These weren't like her, they were long gone, was this what would happen to all Ghouls, even Ditzy?

This was going to be a really long day.

00000

"What in Celestia's name were those things?" Arc Light asked as we made our way upstairs, this time keeping an eye out for more Ghouls.

"Ghoul Ponies, I think," I said. "I met one before heading to Manehattan, but these Ghouls, they were... different than she was."

Arc Light listened as I told her what I did know about Ghouls, which admittedly wasn't a whole lot. I had to admit that I didn't quite understand it either, the Ghouls were like something out of those old the Trotting Dead comics that I used to read before the war, only, you know, radioactive.

"Wow, the outside world is crazy isn't it?" Arc Light asked, and I couldn't exactly disagree with her on that.

"Okay, the office should be just up here," I said as we entered the main office area where another zombie ghoul tried to jump us before we took it out.

Of course just our luck when we actually got to the door to the manager's office, it was locked.

"Well, that figures, looks like it was locked from the inside," Arc Light commented. "Do you have any experience with picking locks?"

"I, didn't really have much luck with getting a Lock Picking Cutie Mark," I admitted, rubbing the back of my head. "We could go down the hall to the security office, there should be an override on the terminal there."

Arc nodded as we headed that way, it didn't take long to find it and I started working at the terminal. Thankfully one advantage to being the former Vice President of Stable-Tec was that I could override any security easily enough with my password.

"Scootaloo... I can get a lot of answers from the computers, but I want you to tell me something," Arc Light said as I kept working. "Why did you put my ancestors in Stable 66?"

"You have to understand Arc Light, it was a different time," I said with a sigh. "I wanted to save Ponies, Stable 66 was supposed to level the playing field you might say. It, seemed like a good idea at the time, the idea being that when it opened, Ponies from it would have a better understanding of things and be able to contribute to Equestria."

"That's, not really what I expected, we all thought it was more out of revenge," Arc Light said.

"I won't lie, it may have been a little," I said with a sigh. "I made a lot of mistakes during the war Arc Light, Stable 66 was one of them. I'm not going to ask you to forgive me, but at least give me a chance to prove myself."

Arc Light thought for a long moment before nodding in understanding. "Okay Scootaloo... I'll give you a chance."

I smiled and finally finished, unlocking the remaining locked doors in the building. We headed back to the main office.

00000

As we pushed the door open, there was a shot over our heads, thankfully it missed, but we moved behind the walls anyway.

"Blasted Ferals, you won't get at me!" A raspy voice shouted from inside the office. "This is my office, mine!"

"Another Ghoul?" Arc Light asked looking at me.

"Sounds like it," I commented with a sigh, the pony must have thought we were Ghouls too, so I called out to them. "We're not Ferals, we're just here to try and find information."

"Ms. Scootaloo?" The voice asked perplexed. "You're still alive? Are you sure you're not a Ghoul?"

"Its a long story, I'm coming in," I said as I carefully moved inside, inside there was an Earth Pony ghoul with rotting flesh, but I could still recognize her green coat and yellow mane. "Lemon Lime, its good to see you again."

"You too ma'am," Lemon Lime said with a smile as Arc Light entered behind me. "And I see you've got a Stable Dweller with you."

"Arc Light, meet Lemon Lime, she ran the Manehattan HQ back during the war," I said.

"Uh, nice to meet you," Arc Light said.

I trotted over to the terminal at Lemon Lime's desk and started working on it to try and get the information I wanted while Lemon Lime and Arc Light talked. I pulled up the status for the Stables, and frowned a little, a lot of them had gone dark, but it was hard to tell why.

I glanced up at the two talking ponies and entered a new command which brought me into the more secure Stable Network. I had to make sure that the, systems in the special Stables were still online after this long.

14: ACTIVE.
26: ACTIVE.
48: ACTIVE.
78: ACTIVE.
97: ACTIVE.
117: ACTIVE.

I took a deep breath, that meant that their secret hadn't been uncovered. That made me feel a bit better at least. I downloaded the information to my PipBuck and exited out of it and called to Arc Light. "Okay Arc Light, I'm done, go ahead and take a look at what you want to."

Arc Light nodded and took my place as I looked at Lemon Lime. "How long have you been in here?"

"Since, about, 100 years ago," Lemon said with a sigh. "I was trying to find Licorice mostly... I knew she made it into a Stable, but I didn't know which one. I hoped I could find an answer here, but... yeah."

Licorice, that was Lemon Lime's daughter, she was a good pony, but I remembered that she and Lemon had a falling out. Last I heard she had been placed in Stable 27 to the far south.

"Stable 27," I said, which made her look at me curiously. "She was made the Overmare of Stable 27, it was one that was inhabited entirely by mares. I don't know if she made it into the Stable or not, but odds are she did."

"Thank you Scootaloo, that takes a lot off my withers," Lemon Lime said with a smile and hugged me gently. "I shouldn't have treated her like I did... maybe this is my punishment."

"It'll be okay, the best I can suggest at this point is to go south, you'll find Stable 27 in the jungles to the south," I said with a smile. "Go, find your family."

Lemon Lime nodded and smiled before heading out of the office. I watched her go with a sigh, but it certainly at least helped me feel a little better.

"Where is she going?" Arc Light asked as she came up to me.

"The same place we both are," I said, getting a strange look from the Stable Dweller. "To find our families."

00000

Arc Light had downloaded all the files she could find on Stable 66. There wasn't a lot to go on for her, but it at least was going to help her out. I wished that I could give her a better answer, but for now she would have to settle for what she could find.

The next day I was packing up my equipment as I was preparing to leave for Neigh Orleans when there was a knock at the door. I opened it and was surprised to see Arc Light waiting for me, also all packed up.

"I thought you said you didn't want to travel with me anymore," I said with a surprised look on my face.

"I'm looking for the Enclave," she said simply. "There's rumors that one of their warlords has set up shop in Neigh Orleans, so I want to look into that. You're heading that way, I figured we could travel together, strength in numbers you know?"

I actually smiled at that and offered her a hoof. "I'd be glad to have you join me," I said with a nod. "I promise, I'll help you find Caramel Corn."
Arc Light nodded and we headed out of Tenpony Tower. I looked back up at the large tower as we started walking out of the city.

Soon we were joined by another companion, Schooner, the dog from the caravan. I had never really been one for dogs, but I had to admit, there was something about this one that made me not want to leave him behind.

And from there, we stepped out of Manehattan, and into an uncertain future for all of us.

LEVEL UP!
Perk Received: Cloud Watcher.
Details: As a flightless Pegasus, you've always looked up to the sky and dreamed of flight. You gain a boost to your movement speed on the ground and using self-propelled gear, but you cannot achieve flight.

Chapter 3: The Big Easy

Author's Note

There will be spoilers in this chapter for Wasteland Jewel, fair warning.

Chapter 3: The Big Easy

"Men heap together the mistakes of their lives
and create a monster they call destiny."
-John Hobbes.

"This is DJ Pon3 coming at you with the news from around the Wasteland," DJ Pon3's voice said over my earbuds. "I've had a rather interesting guest here in my studio recently a pony only known to the Wasteland as the Wanderer. She's a brave mare who has ventured out into the wide world hoping to find herself a place. If you ever cross paths with her, don't hold anything against her, she's just another pony like all of us, and tell her DJ Pon3 says hello."

We had been traveling for days by this point, DJ Pon3 had played that message on occasion. It was weird to hear yourself being talked about on the radio, but I had gotten used to it.

About a week after leaving Manehattan we were camping out, having set up our tents and a fire. I opened my copy of Ruby's Story and read it to myself while Schooner ate his dinner next to me.

"You know, I don't think I've ever seen you fly," Arc Light commented, causing me to look up at her, she was working on something on her PipBuck. "Kind of strange given that you're a Pegasus."

"I can't, its a rare genetic condition that keeps my body from producing enough magic to achieve flight," I admitted with a sigh. "It tends to run in families, but it usually skips a few generations for some reason. My daughter for example could fly perfectly fine."

"Oh, you have a daughter?" Arc Light asked surprised. "What happened to her?"

I paused a moment, that was a tough question to answer, especially because truth be told I still had no idea. "I don't know, she lived above the cloud cover, and that's really all I know for certain," I said with a sigh. "I can just hope that she lived a good life, and didn't hate me too much for leaving her behind."

"I'm sorry," Arc Light said. "That can't be easy for you."

"It's not... I miss her a lot," I said with a sigh as I thought back to the picture of my family still in my bags. "What about you, did you leave any family behind in Stable 66?"

"No, my parents are both dead," Arc Light admitted sadly. "My father was an engineer who died when I was a filly and my mom died not long before I left the Stable."

"I'm sorry Arc," I said.

We continued to eat in silence before it was time for bed.

00000

As the ruined cityscape of Neigh Orleans came into view, it struck me how much the city had changed since I had been there years ago. The buildings were crumbling even from this distance, but I could recognize the city in any state.

I checked the map on my PipBuck, Stable 26 wasn't too far away now but I figured I could visit there later. In the meantime I was following the marker to a settlement that Focus had called the Quarter.

Even as we walked there was still signs of the war with the Crimson Empire here and there from 5 years prior. I suppose this meant the Firerain had been dealt with as well since we could still see the sun.

As we started to enter the ruins of Neigh Orleans, we had to navigate past several ruined buildings as well as flooded sections of the city that had once been where ponies lived and worked.

Arc Light actually seemed interested with what we were seeing. I guess that made sense if you spent your whole life underground then everything would be new to you.

I guess it was all new to me too, even the familiar places felt different.

I remembered this area of the city as we approached the settlement, the old Prench Quarter, I guess that was why they called in the Quarter.

"State your business here," the pony dressed in what looked like Stable security barding asked as he looked us over when we entered the settlement.

"I'm here to talk with the Followers," I said as I adjusted my hat a little. "I heard there was one here who could help with... nightmares."

The guard nodded, that seemed to satisfy him as we headed into the town. There were a few ponies here and there dressed in military uniforms as well as the same security barding I had seen before, even some ponies dressed in normal Stable barding with the number 26 on them.

"These are Stable Dwellers?" Arc Light asked curiously as we stopped to let a pair of foals cross our path, playing a game of tag.

"They're from Stable 26 yeah, it's just a little ways north of here," I said with a smile, a few of the ponies watched us curiously. "They must have settled here after the Stable fully opened."

"Fully opened? What sadistic experiment did you put them through?" Arc Light asked, which made me cringe. "Sorry, I'm still getting used to this."

"It's fine, I deserved that," I said with a groan. "But no, Stable 26 was actually not given an experiment at all, at least not a traditional one. I left the inhabitants instructions to build their own society and government from the ground up without any interference from Stable-Tec. The idea was that after awhile, an inhabitant would leave to prove that the Stable's inhabitants could survive."

"Well, it looks like it worked," Arc said and I nodded as we kept walking.

As we went past an alleyway, I was surprised to hear a soft whimpering. I turned and looked, surprised to see a small Pegasus Filly that couldn't be older than 4 years old looking at me, she was red colored with a gold and red mane and let out a small eep before hiding.

"Are you okay?" I asked softly, trying not to scare the filly as she looked out at me again, I offered her a hoof. "Where's your parents?"

"I... don't know, I got separated from my momma and sis," the filly said quietly. "All the ponies are big and scary..."
I smiled gently, she reminded me a little of Cloudy, only less energetic. Poor kid, maybe there was some way I could help her.

"Well, where is your momma? Maybe I can help you find her," I said, the filly looked at me for a moment before taking my hoof. "Its okay, my name is Scootaloo, but everypony calls me Wanderer, what's yours?"

"S-S-Sunny Sky," she said as she came out of hiding.

"Okay Sunny, it's nice to meet you," I said with a smile as we started to walk and look for her parents.

Arc Light looked at me and Sunny curiously but didn't question it as we started walking around town. I was amazed at how many ponies there were living here, but it made sense given the original population plus ponies that moved into the settlement.

"Sunny!" A mare's voice called out and we all looked up to see a blue Pegasus mare dressed in light armor and wearing a pair of goggles galloping over to us and picked Sunny up.

"Momma!" Sunny said more energetically than before as she hugged the older mare, me and Arc Light hung back and I smiled a little.

"Don't scare me like that, I'm just glad you're okay," the older Pegasus said, she was crying a little as she hugged her daughter before turning to look at me and Arc. "Did you two find her?"

"Yeah, we found her," I said with a smile and a tip of my hat before offering her a hoof. "I'm Wanderer, this is Arc Light."

"I'm Bluesky, its nice to meet you both," the blue mare said with a smile as she shook my hoof.

Wow, I really did seem to be meeting a lot of Wasteland heroes on this trip didn't I?

00000

"Ruby should be home with Sapphire in a bit, but until then you two can make yourselves at home," Bluesky said as we entered the building that she and her family called home.

"Thanks Bluesky," I said with a smile as I sat on the old couch and looked around, there were a few pictures here and there, mostly of Bluesky and a pony I could only assume was Ruby. There was also pictures from during the war of ponies I didn't really recognize other than mentions in Ruby's book.

"So Sunny told me the craziest thing," Bluesky said as Arc Light went to get some food. "She said you told her that your name was Scootaloo, but that's crazy, right? Or did you have strange parents?"

I paused a moment. "No, Scootaloo really is my name," I said, she didn't seem to be an Enclave agent so I could probably tell her, so I removed my hat. "Yeah, I'm really Scootaloo."

"Oh my gosh, I have a million questions!" Bluesky said excitedly as she jumped to her hooves.

And she asked a lot of things about me, mostly about how I was still alive, no real surprise there. She also asked about my life before and during the Great War, I got the impression that she likely knew some of this already, but she definitely seemed to enjoy hearing about it from me.

I did surprise her a bit when she learned that I had a daughter before I was exiled, I guess that hadn't become common knowledge which made sense.

"Well, I'm sorry you don't know about your family," Bluesky said with a frown. "I'd tell you if I knew anything, but I barely know anything about my own family."

"Why all these questions about me anyway?" I asked curiously as Arc Light came back into the living room.

"My mom was a Dashite, she was exiled before I was born and wound up in the ruins of Horseton," Bluesky said, ah, yeah that made sense. "She told me and my sister about you and the other more well known Dashites, and I was curious."

"Probably better stories than I got," Arc Light said with a chuckle as she took a seat.

"So, you and Ruby got married huh?" I asked Bluesky who nodded. "That's great, but a bit of a spoiler for Ruby's book."

This just got a laugh from Bluesky. "Well, there's probably going to be a lot of those around here, don't worry about it."

This was actually kind of nice, it gave me a chance to just relax a little before I had to worry about dealing with my nightmares again. It turned out that Sunny and Sapphire were twin fillies, as Bluesky told me at least, I guess they had found that spell that Twilight had used.

I sighed a little as I thought back to Sweetie Belle. It wasn't common knowledge but the two of us had been, close while we ran Stable-Tec. We had never gotten a chance to make it anything special, but we had even considered having a foal once the war was over if we survived.

Yeah, that didn't exactly work out for us, and I hadn't really thought I'd find love again, needless to say I was wrong. Still... I really missed Sweetie Belle, more than almost anypony else.

"We're home!" A voice with a slight accent said as the door opened and shut.

"We're in the living room, we have guests," Bluesky called out.

A blue Unicorn filly about the same size as Sunny trotted in and hugged Bluesky, that wasn't really anything unusual. What was unusual however was who walked in next.

She was a red color with a white mane and tail dressed in a white coat over Stable 26 barding. But what drew my attention was the fact that she had both wings and a horn, I didn't have to guess who this was, but I was shocked when I realized what it meant.

Ruby Starlight was an Alicorn.

00000

"I'm sure this is a lot to take in," Ruby said as we moved upstairs to her private office. "Believe me, I was surprised too."

"How did this happen?" I asked curiously, I really needed to finish reading her book didn't I?

"It's, kind of a long story," Ruby said with a shrug. "It was something that happened at the end of the war after I gathered together fragments of a spell and, well, here I am."

I had to admit I was curious, but I got the feeling that she didn't really like talking about it very much so I let it pass. It wasn't like I couldn't learn about it from other sources anyway.

That being said I was curious more than anything, did this mean that she was an ascended Alicorn like Twilight was instead of an IMP Alicorn? That was pretty rare even before the war.

Ruby was definitely something special.

I told her about what I had been experiencing and she listened intently as I told her what was going on. When I told her that Focus had sent me here from Manehattan she chuckled a little.

"Well Scootaloo, the good news is that I think I can help you deal with the nightmares," she said. "It's kind of, complicated, but I promise it won't hurt you."

"What is it, some kind of spell?" I asked curiously, I hadn't heard of anything like this except for Luna's dreamwalking.

"Something like that, just lay down and close your eyes," Ruby said and I nodded and laid down on the couch and closed my eyes. "Allow yourself to drift off to sleep, don't worry Scootaloo, you're safe here.

I drifted off to sleep, though I swear I saw a glow of red.

000000

I blinked as I realized I was back in my nightmare version of Ponyville. I sighed and just sat on the ground, I knew how this was going to end, there was no point in fighting it anymore.

This was my punishment, maybe it was the one I deserved... to be trapped forever away from my friends and loved ones until I died and went to Tartarus. Wow, that was a depressing thought...

"What troubles you, Scootaloo?" A voice said behind me as the world around me froze, one that I knew, but didn't think I'd ever hear again.

I turned around to see the regal form of Princess Luna, she wasn't wearing her royal finery, but it was definitely her.

"Your majesty," I said with a bow. "I thought you were dead."

"The same could be said of you Scootaloo," Luna said as she placed a hoof under my chin. "You do not have to be so formal anymore, I have no real authority in my current state."

"Your current state?" I asked curiously.

"I, am not Luna, not really, I am more an echo of her, a fragment that was placed in the subconscious of Ruby's ancestor," Luna said with a sigh. "I have no physical body anymore."

"Oh, wow I'm sorry," I said, that really put all of my problems in perspective didn't it? "So, I guess you're how she's going to help me then?"

"Of course," Luna said with a nod. "I would like to see your nightmare play out first."

I frowned, but nodded as the world around us started to move again. I had to stay strong, so I watched it play out as well, watched as the flames of balefire consumed the town and burned the ponies I had grown up with. I could tell that it pained Luna just as much as it did me, and as the flames faded the dreamworld froze again.

"I see, I understand," Luna said before looking at me. "Scootaloo, I am truly sorry for what happened during the war. We all made mistakes, perhaps Fluttershy was right and we should have tried harder to reach a peaceful solution."

"Well, you know what they say about hindsight," I said with a shake of my head. "I survived when my friends didn't, that's probably why I keep having these dreams."

"Perhaps, but I think there is something else," Luna said, which made me look at her strangely. "You are still looking for something, not family, not atonement... something else, something deeper."

"Are you always this cryptic?" I asked with a groan.

"I am sorry Scootaloo, I wish that there was more I could do for you," Luna said with a sigh. "You did not deserve this, nopony did, the fate of Equestria was my fault alone, can you forgive me?"

I looked at her for a long moment, could I forgive her? She wasn't wrong, but at the same time, I was trying to find forgiveness, I couldn't look for that if I wasn't willing to give it could I?

"Luna, I forgive you," I said with a smile. "Will you forgive me for what I did and what I tried to do?"

"Scootaloo, you made mistakes, but you tried to do the right thing," Luna said with a smile and wrapped a wing around me. "I forgive you, but remember that no matter what you do, you are a good pony."

I don't know if it was because Luna said it, or just because it was what I needed to hear, but that helped me feel better. I hugged Luna and smiled as the dream around me started to fade.

"Do not worry Scootaloo, you still have a long way to go before you're recovered, but I have faith in you," she said, and with that she vanished into the ether and I woke up.

00000

I looked up at the ceiling of Ruby's home office, I still felt a little sweat, but for the most part I felt fine. I didn't know exactly how that worked, but talking to Luna actually did help a little.

"Any luck?" Ruby asked as I looked over at her.

"Yeah, a little bit," I said as I sat up and stretched my wings out. "I can't believe Luna is still alive, well, kind of."

"Yeah, it surprised me too, imagine finding out you have a princess living in your head," Ruby said with a light chuckle. "It certainly comes in handy with ponies, kind of a shame that it's limited to just when I can use the spell."

"That's okay," I said with a shrug as I got to my hooves. "It was nice meeting you Ruby."

"You too Scootaloo," Ruby said with a smile. "How long are you and Arc Light planning to stay in town?"
"Probably just a few days, and Arc Light is looking for some sort of, Enclave Warlord or something that she heard made their home here," I said with a shrug.

"Sorry, I can't help you there," she said with a sigh. "Though, if you want to stay for dinner, maybe Bluesky can help you, or if you want to ask around."

"Sure, that sounds great," I said with a smile. "We'll find a place to stay in town and join you this evening?"

"Sounds good, dinner should be at 1830," Ruby said with a nod.

"Okay, see you then," I said and went to go talk to Arc Light downstairs.

00000

"This is DJ Pon3 coming at you with a news report," DJ Pon3 said over my earbuds as we walked out of the hotel. "News reports are coming in from around Equestria of unusual activity being carried out at night as ponies seem to be vanishing under unknown circumstances. Authorities have no idea who is behind these kidnappings, but paranoia is starting to run rampant in the settlements that are affected. If anypony out there has any information on these incidents, please don't keep it to yourself."

That was weird, it didn't sound like the Enclave's M.O., but there wasn't really much I could do other than wonder.

"Any idea what we should expect here?" Arc Light asked as we headed back to the house. "Just a normal dinner, right?"

"Yeah, of course," I said with a light smile as we knocked on the door and Bluesky welcomed us into the house.

Soon enough we were seated at the table with me sitting next to Sunny as Ruby passed out the food and took her seat.

"So, you're from a Stable like mommy?" The Unicorn filly Sapphire asked as she looked at Arc Light's Stable barding.

"Yeah, I am," Arc Light said with a sad smile. "I'm from Stable 66 up in Manehattan, I've been traveling with Scootaloo here since we left Manehattan."

"Cool," Sapphire said.

"Scootaloo, I wanted to ask you some questions," Ruby said, making me perk up curiously. "About Stable 26 I mean, why did you pick my family?"

"Your ancestor was Star Heart and her family right?" I asked and she nodded. "Her father, Haze, after his sister died in battle, he started to question the war. I, kind of knew him and Gold Leaf a long time ago, so when I made the Stable, I made sure he was on the list for 26, he fit the requirement anyway."

"You knew him?" Ruby asked curiously. "When?"

"Before I moved to Ponyville, I lived in Neigh Orleans," I said, which got a surprised look from Ruby and Bluesky. "I was born here actually, after I lost my parents I was shipped around a lot before finally winding up in a foster home in Ponyville. I knew Haze and Gold Leaf in the orphanage here, they were good ponies."

I remembered back to them, it was actually kind of nice to know that their family had survived for this long. They would be proud of what Ruby has accomplished.

Just two more friends I'd never get to see again.

"Well, I'm glad it all worked out," I said. "Stable 26 was important to me, and I'm glad it all worked out. You did a great job Ruby, you made this settlement possible, and you helped Equestria a lot. That's more than anypony ever could've asked of you, and you performed admirably."

"Thank you Scootaloo," Ruby said with a smile as a blush creeped over her face, it was strange but it was still visible despite her red coloring. "I did my best really, but I'm not anything special."

Bluesky just laughed a little, I couldn't help but chuckle too, even when she was an Alicorn she was humble, I liked that.

"So, Ruby said you're looking for the Enclave?" Bluesky asked, looking at Arc Light.

"Yeah, the Enclave may have taken a friend of mine so I'm looking for any clues about where they took her," Arc Light said and I nodded in agreement. "There's a rumor that one of their Generals is in this area."

"Well, I don't know anything about Generals, but you might want to try Lakeview," Bluesky said with a shrug. "Its a settlement almost entirely populated by Pegasi, many of them are Dashites, they might know something."

"We'll check it out," I said and Arc Light nodded in agreement. "Anypony in particular we should talk to?"

"I'd try Shimmering Skies," Bluesky suggests. "She's in charge over there."

We nodded and continued eating, it was going to be an interesting few days at this rate.

00000

"So, what can you tell me about the Enclave?" Arc Light asked as we got situated in our hotel room that night.

"Really I can't tell you more than you've heard from anypony here," I said with a sigh as I slipped out of my coat.

"Yeah, but you had to live under them right?" Arc asked.

"I lived under them in the early days yes," I said with a shrug. "They were just starting to gain power among the Pegasi, they didn't rule them, at least not completely. They really just took advantage of the growing thoughts and feelings among the Pegasi about what had happened, and not to mention the eclipse."

"The eclipse?" Arc asked.

"Its something Twilight told me once when I met her daughter, something she learned about while she was in another world," I said, which got a strange look from Arc. "Long story, but this other world's sun and moon acted differently than ours, so sometimes they would, overlap or something. I think Equestria experienced one, but the Pegasi didn't know what it was so they panicked, and the Enclave took advantage of that, insisting that the Princesses had forsaken us or something."

"Geez, sounds like a real piece of work," Arc said with a shake of her head.

"Yeah, well by then I was living in Coltlumbia with my husband and daughter," I continued. "I started to speak out you know? After Rainbow Dash left, I felt we had a duty to go back to the surface and help ponies. The government didn't like that, so they arrested me for treason, branded off my cutie mark, and exiled me."

I didn't realize it at first but I was starting to cry as I told the story. This was the story of how I had lost my family, even if I found any surviving family, I'd never get to hold my little filly in my hooves again.

That was probably the hardest thing to accept.

"Well, it seems it grew back," Arc commented as she glanced at my flank.

"Yeah, I don't know what's up with that either, probably related to the magical stasis I was in, I guess it had some sort of healing effect," I said with a shrug as I climbed into bed and pulled the covers over me.

"Scootaloo..." Arc said and trailed off for a moment. "I hope you find what you're looking for."

"So do I Arc, so do I," I said with a yawn. "And I hope you find your friend."

Arc didn't reply, instead the room was filled with her light snoring. I smiled and drifted off to sleep not long after.

00000

When I opened my eyes I was surprised to find myself looking up at an unfamiliar ceiling and the feeling of warmth against my body. I looked down and was surprised to see Sweetie Belle resting against me sleeping peacefully.

What was going on? Was my whole life up to this point just a dream and I was waking up? Or was something else happening?

"Scootaloo, are you okay?" Sweetie asked as she looked up at me confused. "You seem more tense than ususal."

"Sorry Sweetie, I've just been, stressed out lately I guess," I said, I was still trying to process what was going on here, but I didn't want to ruin it so I just hugged her. "I'm so glad to see you again Sweetie Belle."

"What are you talking about, you just saw me a few hours ago," Sweetie said and gave me a kiss on the cheek. "Come on, Cloudy will be up soon, lets go get breakfast ready."

I blinked a little and followed her, I took a look out the window and everything was so, normal. There was still a few signs of the war here and there, but things actually looked like they had almost returned to what it was like before the war.

It was everything I had ever wanted, then why did it feel wrong?

"Scootaloo, I know things haven't been easy for you since the war ended," Sweetie said as we started to make breakfast. "The Doctor said you're starting to make progress, are you still having those dreams?"

Before I could answer there was the sound of hooves running and I was hugged by a pair of small forelegs. I looked down and smiled at the little blue Pegasus filly with a purple mane looking up at me and hugged her gently.

"Hey Cloudy," I said as I held my daughter, tears starting to stream down my face as I did. "How'd you sleep?"

"Great!" Cloudy said with a smile as she kept hugging me, Sweetie Belle hugged the two of us and smiled.

"You're going to be just fine Scootaloo, I promise," Sweetie said as she nuzzled me gently. "Your family is here for you."

I didn't care if this was a dream or not, this was the best dream I had ever had. I just wished that it didn't have to end.

"Come on, lets go see what your aunt Rainbow Dash is up to," Sweetie said with a smile as we headed out of the house.

00000

When I woke up the next morning back in the Quarter it was disappointing, I even pinched myself to make sure I wasn't dreaming. Of course the fact that I woke up to Schooner licking my face also probably should have been a hint that it was real.

"Are you okay Scootaloo?" Arc Light asked as we left the Quarter, I hadn't really been very talkative since we left the hotel.

"Honestly? I don't know," I admitted, I was still thinking about the dream I had the night before, it felt like my subconscious had been mocking me with that. "Just, thinking about something is all."

We kept walking towards Lakeview, luckily it wasn't too far away from the Quarter. As we reached about the halfway point though, Schooner stopped and growled.

"What is it boy?" I asked as I checked my EFS, there was definitely something around here, I readied my battle saddle and glanced at Arc Light who levitated her rifle out.

"What is it?" She whispered to me.

"I don't know, keep an eye out for anything" I answered and we started to walk forward carefully, the bars on my EFS were yellow for the moment, so I just had to hope that it wasn't going to turn red and attack us.

As we moved farther along however our luck didn't hold as the ground below our hooves started to shake and we pulled back just in time as some, thing burst out of the ground. It was like nothing I had ever seen before, it looked vaguely like a crab only with long claws and a hard shell.

It was followed by two more, and even when I entered S.A.T.S. to get at them, my bullets just wound up hitting their hard shells and doing barely any damage. That figured really, we couldn't even hurt these things.

"What do we do?" Arc Light asked as we kept shooting.

"I have no idea, I don't know how to fight this thing!" I said with a groan, why did we have to run into this now?

There was a sudden shot from above and the crab monster turned into, a puddle of goop? That was unexpected, the other crab looked up which gave me a window to take it out with a few well placed shots to the head.

"You two really should be careful," a voice from above us said as a pony landed near us, a Pegasus dressed in beaten up Enclave power armor, she looked at us through the insect-like visor. "You must be new here, most ponies know to avoid this stretch of Canal because of the Sand Crabs."

"Uh, yeah, sorry we're from up north," I said. "I'm Wanderer, this is Arc Light, we're on our way to Lakeview."

"Are you with the Enclave?" Arc Light asked, which made the pony let out a laugh.

"I was, I went Dashite a few years ago, a lot of us did," she said. "We're just trying to make a home here, and the Enclave doesn't really understand that."

"Well that's good," I said with a smile. "I'm glad there are ponies out there that don't agree with the Enclave's policies."

The armored pony nodded and we went on towards Lakeview.

00000

The trip to Lakeview was pretty uneventful, we passed through an overgrown park area, thankfully our guide seemed to know the best route through the park. When we left we found ourselves on a street where there was a gate with ponies keeping an eye out.

"Ma'am, I'm glad you made it back in one piece," the guards said with a salute as we approached the gate.

"Its no big deal, I can handle anything the city can throw at me," our guide said with a chuckle as the gates opened. "Anything happen while I was gone?"

"Just the usual caravan passing through," the guard said as we walked into the settlement itself onto the market street.

"You've done a nice job around here," I commented as I looked at the market.

"Yeah, we have, the last few years have been good to us," our guide said as we reached a building labeled town hall and she lead us into an office. "So, what really brings you here? You don't look like traders and we don't get guests very often from the north."

"We're, looking for information on the Enclave," Arc Light said and I nodded. "We think they may have taken a friend of mine. We came this way because there's a rumor that a General has made their home somewhere in the city, and we were directed here."

The strange mare paused a long moment before removing her helmet, beneath it was a golden colored mare with orange eyes and a short lighter gold mane. There was something about this mare, even if I didn't know who she was, there was something about her that commanded respect.

"My name is Shimmering Skies, I run the settlement here," she said and offered a hoof for us to shake. "I'm also a Dashite, I was... under the General that you're looking for so to speak."

"Really, where are they?" I asked, I hadn't heard of any stories of the Enclave attacking the city, so something about this was weird. "I mean, nopony seems to know where they are."

"The Enclave learned from their mistakes," Shimmering said. "And since General Marigold was killed, some of the Generals have moved more underground, well except for Cloud Chaser, but even he's gone quiet from what little I've heard. I'm sorry Arc Light, I can't really tell you much more than that."

I sighed a little, making sure my hat was secure, it seemed this trip was a dud from the Enclave perspective. Maybe at the very least we could get some more intel on them.

I was surprised to see Shimmering Skies looking at me curiously. I wasn't sure what could've attracted her attention so much, but I backed away a little, I wasn't sure if she was ready to know who I really was yet.

"So, you're the Wanderer huh? I've heard about you from Pon3's broadcasts," she says. "I'm sure you don't want to give away your real identity, but I have to admit that I'm curious."

"Everypony has secrets," I said with a shake of my head. "My secret is, too big for just anypony to know, at least for now."

"I understand," Shimmering said with a nod. "There are some secrets the world isn't ready for yet, something I know all too well."

I looked at her curiously for a moment, but I wasn't about to pry as she removed her armor, I spotted the very familiar Dashite brand on her flank as she stretched her wings out.

"Why did you turn on the Enclave?" I asked curiously.

"After Sunshine and Rainbows, the Enclave started to clamp down even more, its what caused events like the Coltlumbia Rebellion and the Civil War that followed," Shimmering explained with a sigh. "Then there was the selection of the President and the formation of the Wonderbolt Generals. Since then, things have gotten too desperate and the Enclave is trying to take over the Wasteland, many of us didn't agree with that, and well, even with the Enclave Remnant, the Dashite policy still stands."

"Yeah, that is certainly a pain in the flank," I said with a groan, remembering when I was branded, which got a strange look from Shimmering.

"Interesting choice of words," she said, crap, me and my big muzzle. "Are you a Dashite too, Wanderer?"

"Its, complicated, and part of the reason I want to keep my identity a secret," I said with a sigh. "Lets just say I left a long time ago."

Shimmering nodded in understanding. "Well, Dashites are welcome here for as long as you want to stay, as are Stable Dwellers."

We smiled and headed back out of her office.

00000

We spent a few weeks in Neigh Orleans before I went to talk to Ruby again, there was one place I wanted to go while I was here to make sure that everything was in order.

I had to take a trip to Stable 26. Arc Light said that she wanted to stay behind in the Quarter, I guess I understood, which is how I wound up standing in front of the Stable door with Ruby.

"What are you looking for here?" Ruby asked as I opened the door using my Stable-Tec override code.

"Its, complicated," I said with a long pause. "Its probably nothing really, I just need to check on something that was placed in your Stable."

"You placed something in Stable 26?" Ruby asked curiously. "What was it?"

"Nothing you should be concerned with," I said as the door opened. "Its probably nothing anyway."

Ruby nodded and we headed in, it was kind of strange to see the Stable empty, but I was actually happy here. It meant that Stable 26 had worked, I had given it the best chance I could, so the fact that it worked filled me with confidence that I had done the right thing all those years ago.

Still, it was kind of creepy to walk through the empty hallways and rooms. The Stable was completely empty other than the equipment, it was like walking through a ghost town.

"What was it like growing up here?" I asked Ruby.

"It wasn't too bad," Ruby said with a shrug. "The Stable's council always made sure that we were taken care of. Especially after what happened to my parents..."

"What happened to them?" I asked, I knew that they had died but Ruby never really went into detail in her book.

"There was an accident with the air filtration systems, they, saved everypony else in the Stable, but it cost them their lives," Ruby said sadly. "I was still young at the time, friends of my parents took me in and, well, you know the rest."

I nodded as we entered the Council office, it was a little bigger than your standard Overmare office with a table at the center. I took a seat at a terminal on the desk off to the side and started typing.

"I saw the memory orb of your parents' accident..." Ruby said, which made me pause a moment. "Scootaloo, I'm sorry... it couldn't have been easy for you to carry that around with you for so long."

"It wasn't," I admitted with a sigh. "I manged to deal with it for awhile, having Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle helped but when the war started up... well it didn't help any and a lot of those memories were brought back up."

"Oh," Ruby said with an understanding nod.

I finished inputting the commands and brought up the lines of code from the terminal for what I wanted and then the information.

TIME SINCE LAST ACCESS: 211 YEARS, 2 MONTHS.

Well that's good, it meant it hadn't been accessed since last time I was here, which was a few months before the Megaspells fell. I continued to scroll down, checking the information.

FAILSAFE PROTOCOL: ACTIVE.
PROTOCOL ZETA: OFFLINE
KEY: INTACT

That just confirmed what I knew from the Stable-Tec building, well at least that meant the computer wasn't just messing up, that was a good sign.

STABLE NETWORK: STATUS UNKNOWN.

Well, that wasn't good, but there was nothing I could do from here.

"What's Protocol Zeta?" Ruby asked looking over my withers.

"Nothing you should worry about, just something I wanted to check on," I said and closed up the terminal. "Lets get back to the Quarter."

Ruby nodded and we headed out of the Stable.

00000

Another two weeks passed, it was actually kind of nice to be in the Quarter, like for the first time we really could settle down. That being said, I was starting to feel a bit antsy and so was Arc Light.

After all we still had to find the Enclave, and I wasn't any closer to finding the answers I was looking for here. So we were discussing where to go next when the radio suddenly changed to DJ Pon3's voice.

"Ponies of the Equestrian Wasteland, this is DJ Pon3 coming at you with a special news bulletin. The Enclave Remnant under General Bluejay has taken control of the city of New Pegasus following the death of Mr. Rider. The New Canterlot Republic is starting to mobilize their forces to move onto the city, but there is little hope of them getting there in time. The status of the ponies living in New Pegasus is currently unknown. Pray to Celestia or whatever deity you believe in that the Enclave can be stopped in time."

"Looks like we know where we have to go next," I said as I looked over at Arc Light and she nodded in agreement.

It didn't take long to get ready, we bought the ammunition and provisions we were going to need before setting out to the north. Our next stop was the train station, and hopefully after that New Pegasus.

It was time to get answers from the Enclave.

LEVEL UP!
Perk Received: I Prefer to be Called a Hacker, Rank 1.
Details: You've developed your skills with terminals to the point where terminals have a harder time keeping you out. You can now hack advanced terminals.

Chapter 4: Sin City

Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.

Chapter 5: Stable 13

"It is a wise father who knows his own child."
-William Shakespeare.

It wasn't exactly a short walk to the wilderness from New Pegasus, it would at least take a few weeks to get to the edge of the Wilderness and then get to the Dayrunners through a wild area of Equestria.

As we neared the Wilderness, according to my map we still had another three days trek before we reached the tribe and had stopped for the night.

"Thank you," Arc said with a smile as I gave her some food and something called Opal Fuse that Rain had given me and I sat down next to Schooner. "So, what's so important about Stable 13?"

"Stable 13 wasn't really a standard Stable," I said as I started eating. "We gave a couple of Stables to the Ministries, and Stable 13 was given to the Ministry of Arcane Science under Twilight Sparkle. Her former student Starlight Glimmer was in charge, and in part it was meant to test a spell that would allow you to get a mare pregnant using the DNA of a pony of either gender."

"So, two mares could have a child together?" Arc asked, her ears perking up a little. "That's, actually not a bad idea, I guess it worked if there are inhabitants who survived."

"Yeah, it and Stable 27 were the ones that worked on it," I said as I scratched behind Schooner's ears. "But Twilight was up to something else with it, I don't know the exact details, but she brought in a lot of specialty equipment for the Stable, stuff that we didn't use anywhere else."

"I see," Arc said. "So, you don't know huh?"

"Yeah, sorry," I said rubbing the back of my head. "She kept the whole thing a big secret, maybe we'll find out when we reach the Dayrunners."

She nodded and we kept eating in silence before going to bed.

00000

We traveled for a few more days until we reached the Dayrunner tribe that was built on the crest of a large hill in the middle of the wilderness. I noticed the same NCR flag that I had seen in Junction Town flying above the village as we approached the gate.

Two ponies dressed in NCR military fatigues looked at us closely but let us through without issue. Before we left Sterling Silver had sent word here that we were on our way, so it was time for my first look at tribal society in the Wasteland.

It, actually was pretty ordinary, the ponies were dressed in strange lightweight armor and had markings on their bodies, but I could recognize a lot of the basic ideas. Ponies still lived, made friendships, fell in love... the only difference was how their culture was.

Things didn't always have to change I guess.

"The General is waiting for you inside," one of the guards said gesturing to a makeshift hut and we entered.

Inside dressed in an NCR uniform was a dark blue Unicorn mare with a short black mane and curled tail that I swear reminded me of Rarity's. She looked up at us with blue eyes and a smile.

"Welcome to the Dayrunners you two," she said with a slight accent before offering both of us a hoof. "I'm General Midnight Sparkle, Ambassador Sterling Silver said you wanted to talk with Cipher?"

"Yeah, we have a data file that was captured from the Enclave," I said and raised my foreleg to show my PipBuck.

"I see," she said and looked at me for a long moment. "Well right now Cipher is in Stable 13 helping untangle some computer systems. You can either wait for her to return or head there, its up to you."

I paused a long moment, I had a feeling that I was going to have to go there eventually anyway, maybe I should just get it over with. There was a weird feeling I had, like there was something waiting for me in that Stable, something that I was destined to find.

Midnight Sparkle, I knew the name from Ruby's book, she was a Ranger Colonel who had fought in the war with the Crimson Empire. more importantly, she was a direct descendant of Twilight Sparkle, probably the only one along with her daughter.

She was ultimately a good pony, and I trusted her.

"Okay, we'll go to Stable 13," I said and looked at Arc Light. "If you're okay with that I mean."

"Hey, no problem, can't be much worse than 66," she said with a shrug.

Schooner barked happily, that was good enough for me, I guess we were all going to Stable 13.

"Alright, just let me get some things together and we can go, meet me at the gate in an hour," Midnight said and we exited the house.

"Its amazing how many different ways ponies have survived," Arc commented as we looked around the village.

"Yeah, Stables, Settlements, Tribes, we're a resilient species," I said with a smile as I watched two foals run by, playing a game with a ball. "Some things will certainly never change, no matter how bad it gets."

"Yeah," Arc said with a sigh. "I hope the ponies in Stable 66 are still okay."

"I'm sure they are," I said with a reassuring smile. "So is Caramel, you'll see them again someday."

"Thanks Scootaloo, I hope you're right," Arc said looking at her hooves.

"Me too Arc..." I said, looking up at the sky for a long moment. "Me too."

00000

Midnight met up with us at the gate an hour later with her gear and we started off towards Stable 13.

"So, there are ponies still living in Stable 13?" I asked curiously, I knew Midnight had been born there but I didn't think there were still ponies there.

"Oh sure," Midnight said as she lead us into the forest along a well beaten path. "The Dayrunners were founded by ponies that tried to make it into Stable 13 after it was closed so we hold it in high regard. Both Tribals and dwellers call it home still."

"So its still functional?" Arc asked and Midnight nodded. "Well, I'm glad that some Stables out there didn't fail."

"Yeah, it wasn't easy, but we've made it," Midnight said. "The NCR has been helping as well, Cipher is one of the ponies they sent here and she's acclimated to life here well enough."

We walked on in silence for awhile longer as the terrain got a little rockier. This area had become really overgrown in the 211+ years since I had come here to check out Stable 13, but I could recognize the basic area.

We stopped in front of a large cave entrance that lead further inside. Midnight turned and looked at me for a long moment, which made me pause. What was it she was going to ask me?

"Scootaloo," she said with a long pause. "There are things in Stable 13 that won't be easy for you to learn, things that are... secret to the rest of Equestria because of their nature, and what the Enclave would do with it. You both have to promise me that you won't tell anypony in Equestria until the Enclave is out of the way."

"We promise," I said and looked at Arc Light who paused a moment before nodding.

"What is it?" Arc asked curiously.

"You'll find out soon enough," Midnight said as we walked into the cave.

After a minute we came face to face with the large gear shaped door of Stable 13. Midnight input a code into the console, and after a moment it started to open with a screech.

It was time to see what was waiting for me in Stable 13.

00000

This was the first time I had ever been in a Stable that was actually being lived in. Sure I had visited them before the war, but they had always been under construction and Stable 26 had been empty for a few years.

Stable 13 still had ponies living in it, either dressed like the ponies from the Dayrunners or in Stable 13's jumpsuits. A few said hi but for the most part they just kept working around the Stable while we went past and down the stairs.

When we reached the main server room for Stable 13 a Unicorn pony dressed in a jumpsuit looked up at us. She was colored a light green with a white mane with green streaks in it and smiled when we came in.

"Can I help you?"

"Are you Cipher?" I asked and she nodded. "Rain Runner said you might be able to help us decrypt some files we took from the Enclave in New Pegasus. Can you help?"

"Hmm, Enclave huh? I've never tried to crack their encryptions before," Cipher said and gestured to the terminal she was working on. "Do you mind uploading it?"

"Sure, no problem," I said as I hooked a cord from my PipBuck into the terminal and uploaded the files. "How long do you think it'll take?"

"I'm not sure," Cipher admitted. "Like I said I've never tried to decrypt Enclave files before, what's on these?"

"Its, genealogical records," I said, getting a look from Cipher. "Its a long story, but I'd appreciate it if you could decrypt it. Whenever you have a chance I mean."

"I should be able to get on this tomorrow," Cipher said as she examined the files. "What do you want this for anyway?"

"They, might give me answers on any family I have out there," I said, adjusting my hat a little and looking down. "It would mean a lot to me if you could help."

"Its okay Cipher," Midnight said.

"Alright, I'll get on it as soon as I can," Cipher said with a smile. "I'm glad to help, you'll just have to give me enough time, okay?"

"Okay, we can wait," I said with a nod before we headed back out and into the atrium.

Out of curiosity I checked out the radio on my PipBuck, I wasn't surprised to find NCR Radio though there was also another radio station called Crystal City Radio. Out of curiosity I switched over to it and listened in as the voice of a stallion came over my earbuds.

"Hey Crystal Wasteland, this is Voice with a new report on the ongoing situation with the Changelings," the voice of a stallion said over my earbuds. "The Crystal Crusaders have returned from their recent encounters with the Queen's forces with an unexpected report. It seems that there's been something of a coup in the Changeling forces with the second in command General Arachne taking power. Mayor Vanilla Cream has said that the Changeling threat is being taken very seriously, and assures us all that they will be dealt with as soon as possible."

That had been the second time that I had heard about the Changelings in the Crystal Wasteland. It wasn't a lot to go on, but it was starting to worry me, what if they moved south? Would we have to fight the Changelings here too?

"Hey, isn't that the orchard?" Arc asked curiously as she looked through the door into the Stable's orchard.

"Oh yeah..." Midnight said as we went inside, she looked at me. "Scootaloo, I'm not sure if you're ready for this but..."

Before she could finish the sentence as we walked into the orchard I saw what looked like a rough headstone. That was strange to me, Stables were supposed to burn the corpses, why would they bury one?

As I looked closer however, my heart fell when I saw something familiar on it. It was a cloud with a tri-colored lightning bolt coming out of it, and under that was a name and words.

"Scootaloo, what's wrong?" Arc Light asked me as she walked up next to me, tears were starting to well up in my eyes.

RAINBOW DASH
BELOVED MOTHER AND HERO
MAY YOU NEVER BE FORGOTTEN.

00000

I looked up at the ceiling of the room that I had been given in Stable 13 as I thought things over, it was a few hours later and Arc Light had gone to look around the Stable. I hadn't really had much faith that Rainbow Dash was out there somewhere, Rainbow was a lot of things, but immortal wasn't one of them.

Even so, it hit me hard, especially because the last thing I remembered was her face. I didn't know for sure, but maybe that meant she had saved my life back then.

I'd never get to thank her... I'd never get to tell her just how much our time together meant to me. Rainbow Dash was dead, and even with everything that was happening... that hurt me more than anything else.

I never felt more alone in the world than I did right that moment as I just laid there crying. My friends, my family... now my big sister, they were all dead and no force in Equestria was ever going to bring them back.

What was I going to do now? Was there even any point to living? Equestria would probably be better off without a pony like me. I don't know how many lives had been lost in my desire to save lives... and I wasn't even sure if it was worth it anymore.

The door to the room opened and I looked up to see Arc Light looking at me worriedly.

"Scootaloo, are you okay?"

"Honestly? I don't know," I admitted as I sat up as Schooner jumped onto the bed next to me and I petted him gently. "I'm sorry, I just... it just hit me that I'll never see Rainbow Dash again. She was always there when I needed her most growing up, and... I just feel alone all of a sudden."

"I understand Scootaloo," Arc said with an understanding smile. "You and I really aren't that different, we both lost the ponies we care about... I'm sorry about Rainbow. I promise that I'll do everything I can to help you get through this."

"Thank you Arc," I said and hugged her gently. "I don't know what I'd do without a friend like you."

"Go crazy maybe?" Arc suggested with a grin.

I smiled a little at that, Arc was a good pony deep down, that much was clear to me. I still had ponies that cared about me, Arc Light and I had already become friends despite everything that had happened. It meant a lot to me that she cared enough about me to comfort me even after what happened to her home.

I just hoped that would never change.

"Come on, I've got a surprise for you, something that might help you feel a lot better," Arc said, which surprised me.

"What is it?" I asked.

"Trust me, you'll see soon enough," she said with a smile and took my hoof, pulling me out of the room.

00000

As we walked through Stable I got a few new looks from the inhabitants as I followed Arc Light. Based on some of the signs, I suspected we were heading for the infirmary.

We reached the Infirmary and opened the door. I looked around inside, the only pony was a white Unicorn pony with a mane with shades of blue, pink, and yellow, dressed in a Stable 13 jumpsuit with a lab coat over it.

"Hey Doc, here's the pony I told you about," Arc said.

"Yeah, I'm Scootaloo," I said, offering a hoof to the doctor who's eyes lit up and she smiled.

"Spectrum Flash," she said with a smile and shook my hoof. "And I'm happy to finally get to meet you Scootaloo, my family has been waiting for you for a long time."

"Your, family?" I asked.

"Yeah, that's why I was coming to find you in the first place Scootaloo," Arc said. "Spectrum is Rainbow Dash's last living descendant."

"Yeah, Rainbow Dash never gave up on you Scootaloo," Spectrum said. "She knew that the pod would be opened someday and hoped that you'd make it to Stable 13, so she passed down things to give you when you arrived. I'm sorry that Rainbow herself couldn't be here to see you, but she loved you very much."

"So she did save me after all..." I said sadly. "I owe her my life, I just wish there was some way I could see her one last time."

"There are a few things she left behind for you," Spectrum said. "I know its not the same thing as seeing her, but she thought they'd help you at least. When you're ready, I'll let you see them."

"Thank you Spectrum," I said with a small smile. "This means more to me than you know."

"You're welcome," Spectrum said. "Just let me know when you're ready and I'll give you access to them, okay?"

"Okay, sounds good," I said with a smile as we headed back out of the infirmary.

I wasn't alone in the world, I had my friends, and I had Spectrum... I'd never truly be alone again.

00000

"Are you sure you're ready for this, Scootaloo?" Arc asked, it was a couple of days later and we were looking at Rainbow Dash's grave again. "We can wait a bit longer if you want."

"No, I'm ready," I said with a sigh as I stood next to the grave and looked at it for a long moment. "I just, want a chance to say some things before I do this."

"Okay, I'll leave you two alone," Arc said and stepped back.

I looked at the grave for a long moment, I was going to cry again and I knew it, but I had to say something. Even if it was only to Rainbow Dash's grave, these were things that I felt like I should say to her.

I just wished that I could tell it to her in person.

"Hey Rainbow Dash... yeah, I finally made it here after 211 years. There's so much I wish I could tell you, before we met I had a husband, and a daughter, I left them behind when I was exiled by the Enclave sadly, and I don't even know what happened to them. I've been trying to fin any surviving family I might have in Equestria, but I haven't had much luck yet."

I paused for a long moment and looked behind me back at Arc Light.

"I've made a new friend, her name is Arc Light and she's from Stable 66. She, actually punched me when we first met, kind of a strange way to meet, but we've gotten closer. I've been trying to help her find a friend that was kidnapped by the Enclave but we haven't had much luck, but we're still going to try."

I sighed and looked up at the ceiling for a long moment as I thought about what I had to say next.

"You saved my life Rainbow... if you hadn't found me I probably would've died in that forest or best case scenario at your shack. I wish I could see you one last time, your family seems nice, Spectrum is a good pony, you'd be proud of her, she reminds me a lot of you actually. She's loyal, brave, smart, and she wants to help ponies."

I took one final look at the gravestone and smiled.

"I hope I make you proud Rainbow Dash, you were the best big sister I ever could've asked for, I hope wherever you are, you're smiling down on me. Maybe someday we'll see each other again, until then, I'll do everything I can to stay awesome and be the best pony I can be, just like you taught me."

I placed a flower that I had gotten from the forest outside and set it on the ground and went to meet with Arc.

It was time to find out what Rainbow Dash left behind for me.

00000

"So, are you sure you're ready for this Scootaloo?" Spectrum asked, we were in her quarters at the moment. "This might not be easy for you."

"I'm ready," I said as I took a seat behind the terminal in her quarters. "At least I hope so."

She nodded and put in the tape that she said had Rainbow Dash's last message on it. There was a moment before the green tinted image of Rainbow Dash appeared on the screen, she was older than I remembered and dressed in the jumpsuit of a Stable 13 Dweller, but it was definitely her.

"Hey Scootaloo, I hope this message finds you well, I know that odds are by the time you come to Stable 13, I'll be long gone so I wanted to leave behind these messages for you. I had wanted to bring you back to Stable 13 to begin with and hope that you could be healed, but your condition was too severe. I put you in the safest place that I could and hoped that it would do the job. The stasis chamber was specially made so that it would heal you at the same time, it was still experimental, but if you're here then it worked."

I smiled a little at that, even to the end Rainbow Dash was the spirit of loyalty. She had put me above even herself, she had put Equestria above herself.

I just wished that the Enclave could understand that.

"I don't know what you're going through now, but I know you're going to make it. You were always the best part of my life Scootaloo, you grew up to be a great pony. I've seen the results of Stable-Tec's work, I don't know if all the Stables had these... experiments you created, but I'm sure you had good reasons to do it. I'll probably never know what they are, but you should never beat yourself up for it. You gave ponies a chance to survive, and that's what matters, if you ever doubt yourself for any of your actions, remember that."

I was surprised by that, but she had spent the rest of her life in a Stable so it made sense that she knew more about it than anypony else. I may have saved Rainbow's life with Stable 13, and since she had the access information it must've been easy for her to get in here.

But Rainbow still had one more thing to say.

"I know your memories became distorted because of the memory orb process, but there's something I wanted to give you. In addition to these recordings, I asked the Overmare Starlight Glimmer to create several Memory Orbs of some of the times we had together, it should help with your memories."

"I hope that whatever world you find yourself in is better than the one I left. You're the most awesome pony I've ever known Scootaloo, this is your chance to be the hero I know you can be."

"Now get out there and be the best pony you can be."

The recording finished and I looked at Spectrum. "Thank you... that helps a lot but... how am I supposed to access Memory Orbs?"

"Don't worry Scootaloo, we already thought of that," Spectrum said and takes out a strange piece of headgear. "A Recollector was left behind in the Stable, are you okay with this?"

"Yeah, I am," I said as I took the Recollector, I needed to see what it was that Rainbow left behind for me as she gave me an orb. "As ready as I'll ever be."

I put it on and connected with the Memory Orb and the whole world went white around me.

00000

I nearly gasped in surprise when I saw the ground so far below me, I was flying, I was actually flying! I mean I wasn't controlling my body since I was re-living Rainbow Dash's memories, but still, it was one of the most amazing sensations I've ever felt!

"Rainbow Dash!" A voice called up to my host and I looked down to see, myself when I was just a filly, but it was me.

"Hey squirt!" My host said and few down to land next to the younger me. "Did you have a good time the other day with my parents?"

"Yeah, I had fun, they're really nice," the younger me said with a sad smile. "I just wish I had a family like that sometimes, you know?"

"I know what you mean, Scootaloo," my host said as she hugged the younger version of me softly. "What about your foster parents?"

"They're okay I guess, but its not the same," the younger me said as she hugged my host tightly, burying her muzzle in her chest as she started to cry. "You and your family are the best thing that ever happened to me I just wish that... you know..."

"We could be your family for real?" My host asked as she stroked the younger me's mane gently. "Its okay Scootaloo, I understand. I promise that I'll do everything I can to help you."

"Really?" She asked as she looked up at me.

"Really," My host answered and nuzzled her gently. "You're the best little sister I could ask for Scootaloo, I promise that whatever happens, I'll always be there for you."

Young me smiled and let go. "Thanks Rainbow, I feel a lot better," she said and picked up her scooter and rode off.

My host watched her go thoughtfully as if she was coming up with a plan. Whatever Rainbow Dash was going to do next was something that was fuzzy for some reason, but I knew this was what she wanted me to see.

"I'm going to make sure that you're happy Scootaloo," she said to herself with a confident tone in her voice. "I'll do everything in my power to make sure that I can."

She took off again and flew off towards Cloudsdale, and with that the world went white again.

00000

As I entered the second memory, I blinked a little when I realized that I was in a familiar place again. I was in Rainbow Dash's parents' house, I had visited it enough times that I recognized it even after all these years.

"Rainbow, I couldn't be prouder of you for what you're doing," a familiar voice said as my host turned around to see her dad Bow Hot Hoof looking at her with a big smile. "I know she's going to be happy."

"Yeah," my host said with a smile. "Its been a long few months, but Twilight's been a great help in getting it done. What matters now is that she gets to be happy, and this is the best chance of it happening."

She paused for a long moment as she thought about this. "Dad... I'm not even sure if I'm ready for this... can I take on this big a responsibility?"

"Rainbow, I've got a lot of faith in you, so does your mom," her dad said with a smile as he placed a hoof on my host's shoulder. "The fact that you're so willing to help out Scootaloo means that you're going to do fine. Besides, you've got us and your friends backing you up, you'll be okay."

My host smiled and hugged him gently. That had helped her a lot at least, I could feel the boost in confidence that it gave her. "Thanks Dad, that means a lot to me."

I honestly had no idea exactly what they were talking about. I was starting to wish that I had never tried to have my memories messed with because it had done nothing but give me more trouble than before.

Why had I forgotten so much? Whatever had happened here was likely one of the most important days in my life, but I couldn't remember what happened. Rainbow Dash must've realized this, so she wanted to give me the ability to remember it like she did.

"We're home!" A mare's voice said as Windy Willows came in with the younger me running up and hugging my host.

"Hey squirt, did you two have fun?" My host asked with a smile as she ruffled young me's mane.

"Yep, we went all over Cloudsdale, it was so cool!" Young me said excitedly. "Thank you so much, all of you."

"Anything for you," Windy said with a smile as they all hugged the young me. "But there's something else that Rainbow has for you. Rainbow?"

"What is it?" Young me asked, looking at my host curiously. "Is it a present? I'll bet its something awesome."

"You're right, it is," my host said and took some papers out and gave them over to young me. "Read them and you'll see."

"Lets see..." Young me said as she started to read the words before her eyes went wide. "These are... adoption papers?"

"That's right Scootaloo," my host said as she wrapped her wings around young me. "I've been working to get this for months... so I could adopt you as my daughter."

I was stunned, Rainbow Dash had adopted me? This was really the most important thing that she had wanted me to see?

Now it all was coming flooding back to me, when I was just a filly she had adopted me to give me a chance to be happy. She had sacrificed a lot to take care of me, and it had been why she wound up not going on that mission with the Wonderbolts to take on the Gem Pirates.

I had lost my parents growing up, Rainbow Dash had become the mom I had always needed, and her parents loved me unconditionally as their granddaughter. It had been the happiest years of my life leading up to the war.

They were my family, my real family... and I had forgotten about them just because of a stupid spell.

"Thank you," young me said crying as my host and her parents hugged her. "Thank you so much, all of you."

"You're welcome Scootaloo," my host said.

"Welcome to the family Scootaloo," Bow Hot Hoof said with a smile. "We're glad to have you."

"I'm glad to be part, thank you," young me said through her tears and hugged them more.

I smiled to myself and the world turned to white once again. I had finally gotten a chance to see my family once more, that was better than anything else I could've asked for.

I just wasn't sure I wanted to see what was going to happen next.

00000

When I connected with the third Memory Orb I found myself in a cloud house again, but this one was Rainbow Dash's in Ponyville. She was packing up her things as she got ready to leave.

"You're really going aren't you?" A voice said from behind my host, she turned to see me again, but this time I was older, I had to be at least 18. "You're going to fight the Zebras."

"I'm sorry Scootaloo, but this is something I have to do," my host said as she turned away, starting to cry a little. "Its something that I have to do, for Equestria."

"Then I'll go with you!" Younger me shouted, trying not to cry. "Equestria needs ponies to help with the war, I can fight too!"

My heart sank at that, I never had even gotten the chance to do that. Not long after this I went to a recruiting station to join the army, but as soon as they found out that I was flightless I was rejected.

They said that a handicapped pony could never serve in battle. Once again, my stupid wings had gotten in the way of what I needed to do. But still, that drove me to make Stable-Tec with my friends.

I had helped Equestria in my own way, back then that was all the world could ask of me wasn't it?

"Scootaloo, your place isn't in battle," my host said as she just cried more as she walked over to young me and hugged her gently. "We don't just need soldiers, we need ponies that can stay behind and help on the homefront. Keep doing what you do best Scootaloo, be with your friends and help ponies. That's the most we can ask of you, promise me that you'll do that."

"I promise," young me said with a weak smile as she hugged Rainbow Dash. "Just, stay safe out there okay? I don't want to lose you..."

"I promise," my host said sadly as she hugged young me. "I love you Scootaloo, you're the best daughter I could've asked for."

"I love you too mom..." Young me said. "I'm going to be the best pony I can be, and I'll do everything I can to make sure that Equestria is safe. I promise you."

"I know you will, I believe in you," my host said as she slipped on her saddlebags. "I'll come home as often as I can."

"I just wish you didn't have to go now..." Young me said sadly.

"Me too Scootaloo... me too," Rainbow said as she gave young me one more hug before heading out the door.

As she started to fly off, she was still crying.

I could feel her regret, even if she believed that this was the right thing to do, she still wished that she could've stayed with me.

I wished she could too... maybe then things would've gone differently.

But I didn't have much time to dwell on that as the world around me turned white again as the memory orb ended.

00000

When I connected to the fourth memory orb, I found myself once again in the air. This time however there was a strange green glow to the ground below me and the sky was covered with clouds.

That meant that this memory was after the megaspells went off, and as I saw the dying forest below me, I knew exactly where she was. There was only one place she could be going to now.

As she flew over the forest she looked down to see a familiar orange and purple colored pony. She froze for a moment and flew down.

"Scootaloo!" She said rushing over to my unconscious body and cradling it in her forelegs. "Come on squirt, wake up, please don't die on me..."

"Rainbow... Dash?" I said weakly as my eyes opened and I looked up at my host weekly. "You made it..."

"That's right Scootaloo, I'm here, you're going to be okay, I promise," my host said, briefly looking back to her by now mostly empty bags.

"Good, bye Rainbow Dash..." I said weekly. "Thank you... for being my big sister. Please, don't..."

She closed her eyes, she was still breathing, but she didn't look like she was going to wake up again. I could feel my host start to cry more, she knew that if she didn't act fast she'd lose me forever.

She gathered my unconscious form up onto her back and flew off as fast as she could. She checked on me every so often as she headed north, but was starting to realize that I wasn't going to make it to her intended destination.

She changed direction until she reached the storage facility that I had woken up in. I remembered now that this was a Ministry of Awesome facility that had been kept under wraps, it was probably how the Enclave had never found me.

She set me into the pod and looked down at my body sadly.

"I'm sorry Scootaloo... I wish I could've spent more time with you," she said crying more. "This is your only chance to make it out of this alive... I promise someday, you will wake up... and Equestria will be better for it."

She watched the pod close up and placed her hoof on the glass.

"Good bye Scootaloo, be safe, and hope you wake up in a better world than the one you left."

She flew off towards the north again, and to Stable 13.

00000

The final memory orb wasn't a normal one, it was something I recognized as a Black Opal, which meant it had been made with a recollector instead of like with the normal Memory Orb making process.

We were in a set of quarters in Stable 13, instead of being from Rainbow Dash's perspective, but I was at least in a mare's body (I couldn't imagine being in a Stallion's body, thank Celestia).

Rainbow Dash was seated in a chair across from me, she looked a lot older than she had before and was dressed in the Stable 13 jumpsuit. She gave my host a reassuring smile as she leaned back.

"Mom, are you sure about this?" My host asked, I was in Rainbow Dash's daughter's body then.

"Yeah, I'm sure Iris," Rainbow said with a smile. "This is something that I want to leave for your older sister, if she ever comes here."

"Okay," my host said with a nod. "Just don't make it too weird, okay?"

Rainbow nodded and cleared her throat before she began to speak. "Scootaloo, I know this is a lot for you to take in, but I wanted to leave these messages for you. There are so many things I should've told you, things that I wanted to say, but I knew that you wouldn't understand until your memories were restored."

She paused for a long moment as if she was trying to figure out what to say next. It was as if what she had to say was hurting her, I could feel the sadness in my host as she watched her mother speak.

"You were always one of the strongest ponies I ever knew, if I had gone though half the things you did I'd have gone insane a long time ago. You're brave, you stayed strong no matter what, and for that I couldn't be prouder than I am now. I know you made mistakes, but you did a lot of good too. I have faith that whatever kind of world you wake up to, you'll be able to find a way to survive."
She smiles and closes her eyes.

"I wish I could see you again but I'm old... I've seen and done a lot of things in my life, but my daughters are most important to me. I wish you could meet Iris, something tells me you two would get along great, but you probably have your own family now."

I looked around a little, there were pictures on the wall that I could see of Rainbow Dash with a young filly with a yellow coat and rainbow mane. I smiled a little to myself as I saw another picture of me and Rainbow Dash when I was just a filly.

She never forgot me.

"Good bye Scootaloo, stay strong and help Equestria, I know you're going to do great things."

She closed her eyes and smiled as the world around me turned white again.

00000

"Look who's finally awake," Spectrum said as I looked up at her after I finished the Black Opal. "Did that help you any?"

"A little," I said rubbing my head, I felt the most rested I had been since I first arrived in the Wasteland. "I just, wish that she could've told me herself."

"Don't worry Scootaloo, I understand," Spectrum said with a smile. "I'm just glad that I was able to give you these messages, and I have more."
She took out several holotapes that had Rainbow Dash's cutie mark on them and gave them to me.

"Thank you," I said a bit surprised but I put them away anyway.

"She recorded a bunch of these for you, motherly advice and everything in case you ever needed it or just wanted to hear her voice," Spectrum said with a smile.

"Thank you," I said and hugged Spectrum tightly. "I'm glad I got to meet you."

"Me too Scootaloo, just don't tell anypony I'm here," Spectrum said and I nodded in understanding, if the Enclave knew she existed they'd try and use her.

"I promise I won't," I said with a smile and a nod. "I hope someday you'll be able to leave the Stable."

"Me too," Spectrum said, and we just shared a hug for awhile.

It was good to know she was out there somewhere.

00000

A couple more days passed before we were called rather unexpectedly to the main server room where Cipher had been working. The green and white Unicorn looked up at me with a tired smile.

"Did you find anything?" I asked as Arc Light and Midnight came in behind me.

"I did, and I've got some good news," Cipher said. "I decrypted the files and I've been working with another pony to sift through all of it, but I found exactly what you wanted, come take a look."

I walked over next to her and was surprised to find that there was a whole family tree starting from me and Sky Walker, going all the way down through the generations. Most of them had deceased next to them, though strangely there was one that was still encrypted, but there was three names that caught my attention

Highwind - Harmony
|
Serenity.

"Her current status is unknown in the files, but Midnight here was able to shed some light on this," Cipher added and Midnight nodded.

"During the war we met with a pony from the Crystal Wasteland who said she had found and adopted a Pegasus filly named Serenity after a battle with the Enclave Remnant," Midnight said. "And the military records of her parents do say that they served in the Crystal Wasteland under General Marigold before she died."

"Well that's great!" Arc said. "You found your family Scootaloo, now what are you going to do?"

"Well, I'd like to meet her," I said. "So, the Crystal Wasteland?"

"Yeah, there's a bit of a tricky thing there," Midnight said with a sigh. "We're supposed to keep anypony from going much farther north than here because of the Changeling situation. I'm sorry Scootaloo, but until that's over, you can't go there."

My heart fell with that, but I didn't have much of a choice, I just had to hope that they won't last much longer.

00000

A few more weeks passed, we helped around the Stable and the village before the news finally came that we had been waiting for.

The Changelings had been defeated by a group called the Crystal Crusaders, ponies that had banded together in order to save the Crystal Wasteland from the Changeling invasion and had stopped the General in charge of their forces.

Another two weeks passed before we were finally granted permission to go. We started gathering up our food and dressed warmly as Midnight came to our house.

"You'll be accompanying a caravan that we're sending north to establish trade with Crystal City," Midnight told me. "The pony you're looking for is their mayor, she should be able to help you out, I hope."

"Thank you Midnight," I said as we shook hooves. "You've been a great help, I just wish there was some way we could repay you."

"Just do your best out there, and if you ever run into the Enclave, get them good for me," Midnight said with a grin.

"We will," I said with a smile as I looked at Arc and Schooner. "Are we ready to go?"

"As ready as we'll ever be," Arc said with a nod, and with that we left the Village and started north.

I put in the first of the holotapes Rainbow Dash had left for me, and started to listen.

"Hey Scootaloo, I'm here to give you the best advice I can about life. I knew from when you were a foal that you were destined for great things in the future, who knows maybe someday you'll be even more awesome than I am. No, you're already more awesome than I am, you're stronger than I ever could be Scootaloo. Stay strong, and keep us close to your heart, and you will change the world."

LEVEL UP!

Perk Received: Hunter of the Past.
Details: Your quest to learn more about your family and the past has given you a better understanding of the world around you. You gain an extra point in perception and intelligence.

Chapter 6: Crystal City

"There is no formula for success,
except perhaps an unconditional acceptance
of life and what it brings."
-Arthur Rubinstein

It was cold.

Yeah, I'm not really sure what else I was expecting, I mean we were in what was left of the Crystal Empire after all. I swear, I could even feel it through my cold weather gear as the caravan we were traveling with headed north towards Crystal City.

I wound up talking with the head of the Caravan, a pony named Caps Stash, who told me what little he knew about the Crystal Wasteland.
Apparently this had been the first target of the Enclave Remnant when they came out of hiding almost 10 years ago. A General named Marigold had tried to take over but had been stopped by a cyberpony mare and the forces had been pushed out of the region.

More recently there had been the reports I had heard about the Changelings making their return in the Crystal Wasteland to attempt to take things over. Trade had pretty much ceased to the north out of paranoia over the take-over, but they had also been stopped, this time by a group of ponies calling themselves the Crystal Crusaders.

You know I had to wonder about that, did they name themselves after me and my friends or something? I made a mental note to learn more about them once I made it to Crystal City at the very least.

"You take me to the nicest places," Arc Light said sarcastically and I chuckled a little at that as I looked over at her. "How do ponies live in this place?"

"The same way they live everywhere else," I said with a shrug. "One day at a time and working together to survive."

"Yeah, I suppose you're right," Arc commented as she shivered a little bit. "Was it like this before the megaspells?"

"A little," I said with a shrug as I checked my PipBuck's map, we were still a little ways away from Crystal City. "Most of it was kept warm with the Crystal Heart, I wonder whatever happened to that."

"So what do you think Crystal City is like?" Arc asked.

"Who knows, maybe its made out of an old Buckball stadium or something," I commented.

"That's an odd thing to say..." Arc said and I just shrugged as we continued towards the city.

00000

Crystal City was built around the old Castle at the center of the Empire's capital with a few more buildings being used as well as a wall constructed around the city.

When the caravan arrived we got out of the wagon and started out into the city as I adjusted my hat a little. I noticed that a lot of ponies were giving me weird looks and whispering to each other.

"Do I have something on my face or something?" I asked looking at Arc Light.

"No, maybe you're going to get punched again," Arc said. "Is that going to become a recurring thing or something?"

"I have no idea," I admitted and stopped to talk to one of the inhabitants. "Excuse me, we're looking for the mayor's office, can you tell us where that is?"

"Uh, just go to the old castle, its towards the top," the mare said looking at me strangely before heading off, muttering something to herself.

"Geez, what did you do to these ponies?" Arc asked.

"Honestly? I have no idea, the Stables in this area were relatively benign," I said in confusion. "Lets see if we can find the mayor."

Something about this city felt weird to me, it wasn't even hate or disgust that I saw when they looked at me it was almost... excitement? Like the ponies were happy to see me instead of angry or just ignoring me.

Something about this was strange, looking back I probably should've questioned it more when I arrived, but I just let it pass. It was probably nothing anyway, its not like I had been to this part of Equestria in the last 200 years.

"I'm going to go see about getting us somewhere to stay while we're here," Arc said as we entered the large castle. "Try not to cause any trouble, okay?"

"Hey, I don't cause trouble, it finds me," I said and rolled my eyes as I started heading up the stairs towards the mayor's office.

00000

"I'm sorry ma'am, but Mayor Cream isn't in the city right now," the receptionist said without looking up at me. "She traveled to Ponyville with her daughter and the Crystal Crusaders a few days ago."

"Darn it, how long until they return?" I asked, I was a little disappointed, but I could wait if I had to.

"The train should arrive tomorrow," is the answer. "If you need to talk to somepony, you can talk with Butter..."

That's when she looked up at me and her eyes went wide when she got a good look at me.

"But... how? You left with... how are you here?" The Receptionist asked.

"What are you talking about?" I asked confused, something about all of this was weird and I was going to get to the bottom of it. "Is this related to how everypony has been treating me?"

"I think I can answer that Scootaloo," a mare's voice said from the door and I turned to see a white Unicorn with a yellow mane with a pair of cybernetic hind legs. "Do you mind coming inside?"

I nodded and entered, it was a pretty nice office with a few pictures here and there of who I assumed was the mayor with other ponies. I took a seat across from the desk as the cyberpony mare sat down nearby.

"I'm sorry for the reception you've gotten, that had to have been confusing, my name is Butterscotch Candy," she said with a smile and offered a hoof which I shook. "So, what are you, a clone of the original Scootaloo?"

"No, I'm the real thing," I said, I was still a little confused but I told her my story and she listened and nodded.

"Can I see your hind legs?" She asked and I blinked a little but moved my coat so they were visible. "Okay, I need to explain something. The reason why ponies have been reacting to you like this is because you've been here before, well you from another world, you, Sweetie Belle, and Apple Bloom stopped the Changeling Invasion."

I wasn't really sure what to make of that, it made perfect sense though based on the way ponies had been looking at me. This was the one place in Equestria where nopony would look at me like a villain.

And I had no idea what to think about that.

"So why are you looking for my sister?" Butterscotch asked.

"Its, a long story," I said as I told her how I had wound up here and the files that we had taken from the Enclave.

"I see, well I don't know what Vanilla is going to say to that," Butterscotch said as she looked a bit surprised. "Serenity is part of the family but she's a bit... wild, especially since the Changeling invasion."

"I guess some things run in the family," I said with a light chuckle.

"Oh you have no idea."

00000

The next day I had come back to the Mayor's office to wait for Vanilla, but honestly, I had no idea what I was going to say.

I had traveled around Equestria for over a year now trying to find out what had happened to my family. After all this time here I was, waiting to talk to the pony who had taken in my descendant after the death of her parents, and I had no idea what I was going to tell her.

Was she going to be worried that I was going to take her away? Would she be afraid of how Serenity was going to react? I had come so far to try and find the filly, I couldn't take her away from the family she already had... I know that I wouldn't want the same to be done to me.

I wished that Rainbow Dash was here to help me, or Twilight or, anypony really that could give me some advice. I had worked so hard to get this far in my journey, I had friends and allies, but I wasn't sure how much help they'd be.

I closed my eyes and took out my earbuds and tuned into DJ Pon3's station and listened to music for awhile before the door opened.

"Butterscotch said you wanted to talk to me?" A mare said from the door and I looked over to see a yellow colored Unicorn with a white mane and a pair of cybnernetic wings and a metal spine looked at me curiously.

"Yeah, I'm, well its a long story," I said. "I'm looking for Serenity, I'd like to talk to her about... well its a long story."

"I see," Vanilla said as she looked at me strangely. "Why do you want to talk to my daughter?"

I paused for a long moment before removing my hat, if I was going to do this I might as well be completely honest. Vanilla gasped and covered her muzzle with her hoof when she saw who I was.

"I've been looking for her for awhile now... she's my descendant and I've been wanting to find any of my surviving family ever since I woke up."

"But, how?" Vanilla asked. "You are Equestria's Scootaloo right? How are you still alive?"

"Rainbow Dash saved me, she put me in magical stasis so that I would be healed," I said sadly. "I just woke up last year and I've been traveling around since then in hopes of finding answers about what happened to my family. I found genealogical records from the Grand Pegasus Enclave which said that Serenity was my descendant, I brought them with you if you want to check."

Vanilla took a look at the records when I gave her the holotape that Cipher had given me. She sighed lightly when she finished reading the files and gave it back.

"This is a lot to take in," she admitted. "I found Serenity when she was just a baby after the Enclave left her behind in Stable 81 and I've been taking care of her ever since. She's a good kid, but she's in a, fragile position right now because she had become close to the Crusaders and the other you."

"So, you're worried about how she'll react..." I said and nodded in understanding. "I, can wait if I have to, I don't want to hurt her."

Vanilla paused for a long moment before sighing a little. "Serenity has never really known her family... I can't promise that she'll want to meet you, but let me talk to her at her apartment."

"She has her own apartment?"

"Yeah, its a long story."

00000

Vanilla lead me through the halls of the castle and stopped just before one hallway. She asked me to wait while she went to talk with Serenity. I closed my eyes and waited for her to return.

This was more nerve wracking than anything else I had experienced before, going into battle was a piece of cake compared to what I was about to do. It was weird, but this was what I had come here for.

Was I doing the right thing?

"She's ready," Vanilla said as she poked her head out of the room. "Come on in."

I headed into the apartment, it was actually pretty nice, the pony who lived here had made sure that it was all set up so a filly could get to everything easily.

"Scootaloo, is that you?" A small voice asked and I looked to see a gold Pegasus filly with a short messy red mane and tail looking up at me curiously. "I, thought you went back home, how'd you get back so fast?"

"Serenity... this is our world's Scootaloo," Vanilla said, which made Serenity's ears perk up in surprise. "There's, something she wants to tell you."

"What is it?" She asked looking up at me.

"Serenity, before I was exiled from above the clouds, I had a daughter," I said, rubbing my foreleg a little. "I've spent my time looking for any descendants she had and..."

"And, I'm one of them?" Serenity asked as tears started to well up in her eyes. "You're my ancestor?"

I nodded slowly as she looked between me and Vanilla. "I, need some time to process this," she said and walked into the adjoining bedroom.

I closed my eyes and started crying... I had no idea what to do now.

00000

"So, it didn't go well?" Arc asked as we sat down for dinner.

"Yeah, I guess she's still recovering from the Crusaders leaving," I said with a sigh. "Honestly, I don't know what to do."

"Well, what if you were in her position, what would you want the pony to do?" Arc asked.

"I'd want to have time to adjust and process what they told me," I said with a light sigh as I took a drink of Opal Cherry. "That's what I'm gonna have to do I guess, I'm honestly worried about her."

"I know," Arc said with a sigh. "But if she's anything like you, then I think she'll be okay, just give her time."

"Yeah, I know," I said as I took a bite. "Honestly, I don't even know what to do when I'm done here. I might stay in Crystal City, but we still have to find your friend."

Arc paused for a moment. "Scootaloo, if you want to stay in Crystal City with your family, don't let me stop you. I can find Caramel Corn on my own, we can always come visit you or something."

"We'll see I guess," I said with a shrug. "Honestly, I'm still not sure about this whole thing with the Enclave still out there. I'd like to keep traveling with you, but we'll see I guess."

"Okay," Arc said. "So, why don't you tell me more about life before the war?"

"Oh the stories I could tell," I said with a smile as we finished eating and put our food away before we started talking.

We exchanged stories long into the night about our respective foalhoods. I couldn't help but smile a little at the stories of Arc and Caramel getting into trouble with their parents and the Overmare growing up.

I was starting to see why Arc wanted to find this mare so badly, they had been closer to each other than most friends ever could be. They reminded me a bit of me and the other Crusaders, best friends that could transcend time and distance.

It was actually nice to know that even if I hadn't given Stable 66 the best of conditions that they had still managed to thrive and be happy for a time. I knew that if anypony could track down the Enclave and find Caramel, it would be Arc.

Maybe, just maybe, my journey was finally over.

00000

"Good night Arc," I said as I laid back on my bed.

"Good night Scootaloo," Arc said and drifted off to sleep, I smiled and closed my eyes and fell asleep not long after.

I blinked and looked around, it took me a moment to realize that I was back in my office at Stable-Tec. There was a few notes on my desk of possible experiment ideas for Stables and lists of ponies for various stables.

There was a knock on the door. "Come in."

"Hey Scootaloo," a familiar voice said and I looked up to see Rainbow Dash walking in dressed in her Shadowbolts uniform. "Is this a bad time?"

"No, its fine," I said with a smile as I got up and trotted over and hugged her tightly. "I haven't seen you in forever."

"Yeah, sorry, I'm only back here for Eureka's experiment," Rain said, and I frowned a little.

Rainbow Dash had been the first of the Ministry Mares to supply her, genetic material for Project Legacy during the war. This was my memory of when she had come to talk to me about it.

Why was I dreaming about this all of a sudden?

"Oh yeah, Project Legacy, he said you had agreed to that," I said with a slight shake of my head. "I don't understand it honestly, it feels too much like he's trying to use eugenics or something, why did you agree to this?"

"Its hard to explain Scootaloo," Rainbow said with a sigh. "I've seen a lot during this war and I'm not immortal, as awesome as that would be. Project Legacy is going to give ponies in the future a chance to survive if the worst happens, to help ponies that need it. I'm not saying I agree with Eureka's ideas, but I understand that they're needed sometimes."

"Yeah, I guess you're right," I said and added with a chuckle. "Kind of funny really, guess this means I'll have a little sister out there somewhere."

"Yeah," Rainbow said with a light chuckle before giving me a hug. "I'm sorry I haven't been there for you, but I'm proud of you. You and your friends have done great things for Equestria's future, a lot more than the rest of us have."

"If you say so, sometimes I wish that the war would be over tomorrow so this whole thing would've just been a waste of bits," I said as I hugged her back. "Do you know what I mean?"

"Yeah, but that's not likely to happen," Rainbow said with a sigh. "Just promise me that whatever happens you'll keep yourself safe Scootaloo. I care about you and I want you to be okay."

"I promise," I said and released the hug.

"Just remember Scootaloo, family is the most important thing, no matter what."

I opened my eyes at that moment, Rainbow Dash's words still ringing in my ears. I laid back and smiled a little, glancing over at the sleeping Arc Light.

It was strange, but that dream felt like it was exactly what I needed, I smiled and closed my eyes, going back to sleep.

"Mmm... Caramel... right there..." Arc muttered in her sleep before I drifted off to sleep again.

I really didn't want to think about what she was dreaming about.

00000

A couple of days passed before Vanilla said that Serenity was ready to talk to me again. I found myself standing outside her apartment.
I had to wonder a bit about that for a moment, how did a filly her age get an apartment and was living on her own? Did Vanilla approve of this, or did she just give Serenity her own space?

I was thinking way too much about this, was I trying to put this off? I took a deep breath and knocked on the door. After a moment Serenity opened it and looked up at me with a smile.

"Hey Scootaloo, come on in," she said and let me enter. "I'm sorry about the other day its just, it was strange to think about you as being family after all the time I spent with your human world counterpart. She, was like my big sister, and I've really been missing her a lot."

"Its okay, I completely understand," I said with a soft smile as we sat down on the old couch. "Serenity, I'm sorry for all of this I really am, I didn't think about how you might react when I found you."

"Its okay, I, kind of understand where you're coming from," Serenity admitted as she rubbed the back of her head a little. "After I found out I was adopted, I started thinking more and more about my family. I mean I didn't exactly go on a journey around Equestria looking for anypony, but I just, wanted to know."

"Yeah, I get that," I said with a sad smile. "What was she like? The other me I mean."

"She was brave and strong, but at the same time she was kind and caring," Serenity said with a sigh as she leaned over and picked up a picture of herself with ponies that looked like me and my friends. "She helped me a lot, gave me the confidence I needed to come out of my shell and help save Equestria from the Changelings. She ultimately just wanted to help keep Equestria safe, and she did."

"You miss them don't you?" I asked sadly as I wrapped a wing gently around the filly.

"Yeah, I do," she said with a sigh. "I know they're back home, but sometimes I wonder if I should've gone with them."

"What about Vanilla and Butterscotch? They seem to care a lot about you," I pointed out. "Wouldn't they miss you?"

"Yeah, probably..." she said with a sigh. "I don't know, sometimes it feels like Vanilla's too protective of me."

"Yeah, I had a foster family that tended to do that," I said with a nod. "But its just because she loves you."

"I know, but I wish she wouldn't treat me like a foal so much, I helped fight off an invasion, I have my cutie mark for crying out loud, but I'm still treated like a foal."

Yeah, she definitely reminded me of myself when I was her age. I guess that you had to grow up fast in the Wasteland, even if it meant that things weren't easy for your family. I had always been independent, you had to be when you grew up like me, but I had never done anything remotely close to what Serenity had.

I wondered what she would do later in life if she had already done this much when she was just a filly.

"You don't have to grow up so fast you know," I said. "Though I have to say, you've got a really nice set-up here."

"Yeah, this used to be the Crusaders Apartment so its kind of big," Serenity said with a shrug. "I know its a bit strange, but I just want to hold onto some part of them."

"I completely understand," I said with a smile as I ruffled the filly's mane gently. "You're lucky Serenity, you have ponies that love you and care about you, even if they don't always show it. I wish I had a family like yours growing up."

"You lost your parents too?"

"Yeah, when I was just a little filly, I had to be on my own for most of my foalhood," I said with a light sigh. "I made friends, good ponies who didn't care about me being an orphan or being flightless. When Rainbow Dash adopted me, it was the happiest day of my life, but I let it go. Family is the most important thing in the world, but its not about blood, its about the ponies that care about you and the ponies you care about. I know I'm not the same Scootaloo you knew before, but I promise you that I'll do my best to be there for you like she was."

Serenity looked at me thoughtfully for a moment before she smiled and nodded. "Thanks Scootaloo, that helped a little bit."

"You're welcome Serenity," I said and hugged her gently, Serenity waited a moment before she hugged back. "I couldn't be prouder of you for what you've done."

"Thanks Scootaloo, that really does mean a lot to me."

We just stayed there for a long moment as we held the hug. It felt right somehow, and I was just glad to have found her.

00000

That night, the dream came back to me.

It had been months since I had last had the burning Ponyville dream, it had started to become more infrequent as I spent more time, but tonight it came back, with a vengeance. This time I saw the ponies I had met in the Wasteland, the ones I had made friends with, worked alongside... burning in a massive burst of energy.

I screamed as I bolted upright, it took me a moment to realize that I was in Serenity's apartment in Crystal City. She had asked me to spend the night and I had been willing to do so, and I was breathing heavily.

"Scootaloo, are you okay?" The filly's soft voice asked as she came into the room, looking at me worried. "I heard you scream."

"I'm fine, I'm sorry if I woke you up," I said, my heart was racing a mile a minute right now, but I was calming down.

"Its okay, I was awake anyway, I... sometimes have nightmares," she says, rubbing her foreleg a little.

"Its okay Serenity, come here," I said and pulled the filly in close, hugging her gently. "You can tell me about them."

"They're about the Changelings," she said quietly. "Its always about them, they try to grab me or my friends and family..."

I frowned a little as I wrapped my wings around the filly. Sometimes it was easy to forget that despite what she's done, she was still just a foal deep down, and even if she was strong enough to survive, the experience of fighting the Changelings had affected her more than she would want to admit.

The situation in the war with the Zebras had never gotten so bad that we had to use foals to fight each other. The fact that even foals had seen war in the Wasteland was distressing to me, but there wasn't anything I could do about it other than try and comfort Serenity.

After all, war may never change, but it will change a pony, in ways that you can never truly understand.

"I'm sorry Serenity," I said as I nuzzled her gently. "I promise that you'll be okay, its not going to be easy, but you'll get through this. I'll be here to help you as best I can."

"You really mean that?" She asked, her red eyes brightening a little.

"I do," I said with a smile as I pulled her in close. "Like I said earlier, family is important, and we're family."

"Does this mean you'll stay in Crystal City?"

"Well, I've really got nowhere else to go, Arc Light seems willing to go and do her own thing, so honestly... I might," I said with a nod and a smile. "I'd love nothing more than to stay here."

Serenity smiles and snuggles up to me, looking thoughtful for a moment before asking a question.
"Did you have a nightmare before?"

"Yeah, I did," I said with a light sigh. "I've been having them on occasion, usually of ponies I know dying in a Megaspell. Its, been hard on me ever since I woke up from stasis, but they're not as frequent as they used to be."

"Okay," Serenity said and yawned. "Tomorrow, there's something I want to show you, okay? Its really cool."

"Okay Serenity, I can't wait," I said with a smile and nuzzled the filly as she drifted off to sleep.

I smiled a little, Serenity reminded me a bit of myself when I was that age and of Cloudy. She was a sweet filly who ultimately just wanted to help others, which was why she had fought the Changelings.

When given the chance to save the world or live like nothing was wrong, it was the strongest of us who would put aside our own fear and do the right thing. I was happy that my family line had produced such a brave filly.

I laid her back on the bed and laid down next to her, draping my wing over her protectively as I drifted off to sleep.

I slept better than I had in years.

00000

The next day we were heading down a street in Crystal City, Serenity was riding next to me on her scooter wearing a faded Crusader cape. A few ponies waved to us with smiles, after all the weird looks I got from the rest of Equestria, it was actually nice to find ponies that liked me.

"So that's one of my Red Racer scooters isn't it?" I asked curiously, I recognized the model, it had been one of the last ones my company had produced.

"Yep, that's right," she said with a smile. "The other Scootaloo fixed it up and used it during the Changeling invasion, she gave it to me before she left."

"Well, I'm glad its still working," I said. "I haven't been on a scooter since before the war, I admit I kind of miss it sometimes."

"Well, you never know," Serenity said as she did a trick, her wings buzzing a little as she propelled herself along. "So, how are you liking Crystal City?"

"I like it," I said with a smile. "Its one of the more interesting places I've been in the Wasteland, I'm glad its recovered so well."

"Yeah, but it seems to be a magnet for trouble sometimes," Serenity comments. "The Enclave, King Sombra, the Changelings... I'm almost afraid to ask what's next?"

"Wait, King Sombra came back?" I asked curiously, this was the first I had heard of that.

"Oh yeah, long story there, I was still little when it happened, but he tried to take the Crystal Wasteland over, but he was stopped, barely. We're still kind of dealing with all the aftershocks of that. Heck, even the Changelings was a result of them having made a deal with him years ago to help them recover from the Enclave."

The Enclave, it always seemed to come back to the Enclave no matter where I went. With two of their Generals now dead, it seemed like they were going to start to become more desperate to execute their plan.

What was their plan though? They had tried to take over several parts of Equestria by this point, but to what end? It almost felt like they were preparing for something big, but I couldn't figure out what it might be.

And somehow not knowing scared me more than anything else.

"We're here," Serenity said as we stopped in front of an old storefront that hadn't been re-purposed yet. "Come on, its just inside."

I smiled a little and followed the energetic filly in through the door. I was surprised a bit to find out that we were in an old toy store, some of it had already been cleared out but Serenity was heading towards the back.

I smiled a little when I saw what she was heading for, it was a set of old Red Racer scooters that had been set up on a display. They were old, but they actually looked like they were almost in working condition.

"I know its kind of silly but I thought, you might like one," Serenity said rubbing the back of her head sheepishly. "Is that okay?"

I smiled a little and gave her a hug. "Its more than okay, thank you Serenity, this means a lot to me."

Serenity smiled and hugged back, we let go after a moment before going to try and decide which one to use.

00000

"So you and Serenity seem to really be hitting it off," Arc said as I was working on restoring the scooter I had picked.

"Yeah, she's a good kid, she kind of reminds me of myself when I was her age," I said as I kept working.

"I know, that's what worries me about her," Arc said with a light chuckle.

"Very funny Arc," I said as I rolled my eyes and kept working. "Serenity's a smart kid, she's not going to cause that much trouble... I hope."

"Where is she now anyway?"

"I think she said something about a patrol," I replied. "She said that she goes around town every so often just to check things out. Given what happened here with the Changelings I don't really blame her."

"Yeah, me neither," Arc said with a sigh. "I've been talking with Vanilla a little bit, it sounds like another train is set to arrive in a week to head back south. I was going to get a ticket, I figured you'd want to stay awhile longer."

"Yeah, just at least for now," I said. "Honestly, I'm thinking about settling down here permanently. I know we discussed it before, but I'm not sure what else there is for me out there."

"Yeah, I know what you mean," Arc said as she levitated a wheel over to me. "Whatever you do, I'll respect your decision, I don't want you to be unhappy on my account."

"I know, that means a lot to me," I said with a smile as I fit it into the scooter. "Besides, I wouldn't want to keep you from finding your marefriend."

"She's not my... I just have a..." Arc said and blushed deeply, making me laugh at her reaction. "That's not fair Scootaloo."

"You really need to stop talking in your sleep then," I laughed as I finished tightening the screws on it. "Does she know?"

"No," Arc admitted with a light sigh. "And if I don't find her, I'll never get the chance to tell her how I really feel."

"Its okay, I get the feeling you'll find her," I said as I finished working on the scooter and tested it out. "I believe in you."

"Thanks," she said with a nod. "Come on, lets go find Serenity."

I nodded and wheeled it out, looking for the small Pegasus filly.

00000

"Hey Scootaloo!" A gold and red blur said as it sped past me and Arc.

"Huh, so that's what that feels like..." I said, shaking my head clear. "Hey Serenity, hold on a sec."

Serenity came in for a stop and looked over at us and smiled. "Oh cool, you got it finished," she said as she came over to us.

"Yeah, I'm a little rusty to be honest, but I've got it all fixed up," I said with a smile. "Its as good as new now, so here's hoping it'll stay together."

"Yeah, it looks good," Serenity said as she examined it.

"So, what is it about scooters anyway?" Arc asked curiously. "It just seems a bit, strange to me is all to be so attached to them."

"Well with me it was always kind of an alternative to flight," I said with a shrug. "It keeps my wing muscles strong and honestly its fun, its just always been something I've been good at."

"Yeah, same here," Serenity said, flapping her wings sadly and my heart fell a little. "Vanilla thinks it might be something related to my body's magic or, something."

"Oh, I'm sorry..." Arc said, cringing a little. "That can't be easy for you."

"Yeah, but I'll be okay," Serenity said, putting on a brave smile that I knew all too well. "Though I admit, it would be nice to be able to fly."

"Yeah..." I admitted and hugged Serenity gently. "I've got an idea, how about we race? First one to the castle wins."

"You're on!"

I grinned and climbed on my scooter and the two of us raced off towards the castle, our wings pumping to propel us past startled ponies.
I didn't care who won at this point, it was exhilarating to feel the wind rushing past me as we weaved back and forth. I hadn't felt this alive in years, it was good to just be able to ride once more.

We finally pulled in for a stop right at the castle's front door laughing. It was the best experience I had since waking up as Arc trotted up to us.

"Hey, who won?"

"I did!" We both said in unison before laughing again.

00000

It was the next day and I was seated at the local cafe reading my copy of The Book of LittlePip when I heard the sound of hooves approaching.

"Do you mind if I join you?" Vanilla asked as I looked up to see her.

"No, go ahead."

"Thanks," she said and pulled the chair out, taking a seat across from me. "I wanted to thank you, you've really been helping Serenity lately."

"No problem, helping ponies is what I do," I said with a smile as I put a bookmark in and set it back into my bag. "She's a good pony and I'm glad to help her out as best I can, I just wish there was more I could do."

"Its fine, you're doing great, Serenity hasn't been this happy since the Crusaders went back to their own world. She always saw them as family and... well, I know I'm not exactly the best mother in the world."

"You're doing fine, you raised a filly who couldn't stand by and let innocent ponies get hurt," I said reassuringly. "You should be proud of her."

"I am, its just, I don't know what to do," Vanilla admitted, she looked a little uncomfortable for a moment. "Honestly, I'm worried about what'll happen to her if... something happens to me."

"I know what you mean," I said with a sad nod. "The best advice I can give you is to make the most of the time you both have together. She cares about you, even if she doesn't always show it."

"I know, I know," Vanilla said. "Do you think I'm being too hard on her?"

"Maybe a little, I mean she's still only 10, but she's seen more action than most ponies her age have in the past," I said. "You can still worry about her, but maybe give her a little more freedom. You're still her mom, she'll always come back to you when she needs you."

"Thanks," Vanilla said, then added with a chuckle. "Besides, its not like I haven't gotten into my fair share of trouble, especially after I left Stable 81."

"Oh, why'd you have to leave?" I asked curiously.

"Uh, well, long story short you guys didn't give us enough material to repair our water purifier so I, wound up using the Stable door," Vanilla said sheepishly.

"You, used the Stable Door to fix the water purifier?" I asked in disbelief.

"Yep."

"The thing that kept the horrors of the Wasteland out of the Stable."

"That's the one."

"You know that was kind of a dumb idea right?"

"I'm painfully aware of the fact, yes," Vanilla said with a groan. "For a smart pony I sometimes do dumb things."

"Hey, everything turned out okay in the end," I said with a smile. "You're doing a good job from what I've seen, you've got nothing to feel sorry for."

"Thanks Scootaloo, that really means a lot," Vanilla said with a smile. "So, you're thinking about hanging around here for awhile?"

"Yeah, I don't really have anywhere else to go at this point," I said with a shrug. "I mean you don't mind do you? I don't want to impose."

"No, no, its okay," Vanilla said. "It would make Serenity happy, and that's all that really matters to me."

"Thanks Vanilla," I said and gave her a light hug.

"I'll leave you to read, it was nice talking to you again," Vanilla said and got up, walking off.

I smiled a little and opened the book back up. I put the earbuds back into my ears and started listening to DJ Pon3's voice again.

"In other news, reports from around Equestria are coming in about a new group of Alicorns calling themselves the Nightmare Society have been kidnapping ponies from settlements and Stables around the Wasteland. There are reports from the south of an Alicorn traveling around the area trying to take on the Society, but our information isn't very clear. Well, if you're out there listening, I wish you the best of luck in taking them down, the last thing we need is another Goddess around here."

I frowned a little, but at least it was being dealt with, I kept reading as the music filled my ears.

"Oh well I'm the type of buck who will never settle down
Where pretty mares are well, you know that I'm around
I kiss 'em and I love'em 'cause to me they're all the same
I hug 'em and I squeeze 'em they don't even know my name."

Seriously, did this song keep coming up on purpose or something?

00000

A few days passed, I met Serenity's friends that still lived in the area, I was surprised to meet Ash who was... well he looked kind of like Sombra, but I didn't want to pry.

Then there was Vex, he was a Changeling, but he was nice enough, apparently he had decided to go against the leadership of the Changelings during the invasion and helped the Crusaders.

It was strange to think about it, if I had been here sooner I may have gotten to see Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom again, kind of. Then again I also would've met the other me, that would've gotten a bit confusing.

The night before Arc had to leave to go back to NCR territory we had a party, not a Pinkie level party, but a nice little party in itself. It felt like I was losing a member of my family, but I knew Arc was going to be okay.

I had no doubt she'd find Caramel someday.

That's how we all found ourselves at the train station to see her off. The train was set to leave soon and we were saying our goodbyes.

"Are you going to be okay out there Arc?" Serenity asked as she hugged Arc.

"Don't worry kiddo, I'll be just fine," Arc said with a smile as she ruffled the filly's mane gently. "You need to keep an eye on your grandma though, you know how old ponies get."

"Hey, I'm only 41!" I protested, which just got a laugh out of Arc and Serenity, I couldn't help but join in too.

"Take care of yourself Scootaloo, I expect to see you again someday," Arc said as she and I shook hooves.

"You too, and make sure I get an invitation to the wedding," I said with a smirk, making Arc blush deeply. "Seriously though, I can't wait to meet her, bring her home safe okay?"

"I will," Arc said with a smile.

As she was about to climb on the train there was a sudden sound that made us all pause. It was music, not like any music we had heard before, it was, almost militaristic in its melody, and it was coming from every radio and PipBuck within hearing distance.

"What in Tartarus..." Vanilla said as the three of us checked our PipBucks, there was no reason this should be going off right now.

The music stopped after another minute and a voice came over the radio. It was a mare's voice, cold, but commanding, as if every syllable was being peppered with confidence and charisma.

"Hello Equestria, this is President Winter Breeze of the Grand Pegasus Enclave, and I'm here to give you a message."

LEVEL UP!

Perk Received: Calming Presence.
Details: You have a knack for helping ponies calm down and telling them what they need to hear. You gain a boost in your speech and barter stat.

Author's Note

Vanilla Cream and Butterscotch belong to my good friend FaultyScrewdriver and appear in his fic Fallout Equestria: Surviving Light, check it out sometime, its great.

Chapter 7: The Looming Threat

"The Enclave is you, America.
The Enclave is your sister, your aunt, your friend, your neighbor.
And, well, yes... the Enclave is me, as well. Haha aha.
As your President, it's my responsibility to preside over our great democracy."
-John Henry Eden.

"My dear Equestria, the Enclave has returned better than ever before," the voice of the Enclave's president said over the radio. "You may have heard of our past actions, but I am here to tell all of you that things are different now. The Enclave is here to help Equestria, we offer aid to any settlement, tribe, or Stable in the Wasteland."

"At the cost of their freedom I'm sure," Vanilla muttered but she looked as surprised as the rest of us. "This is, unexpected to say the least."

I looked around and was surprised to see Serenity was actually hiding behind Vanilla. The usually brave filly was shaking like a leaf. She was terrified of the Enclave... and I didn't blame her.

"Our world has become a ruined place, while there are ponies who have been trying to rebuild, they do nothing but stave off the greater problem. Corruption, disease, starvation, the New Canterlot Republic and its allies does little to stop this inside and outside of their borders. The Enclave offers you all an alternative, food, water, and stability to all those who want it."

Was it possible the Enclave was suddenly changing their tune? Something about this whole thing felt weird, I wasn't sure if I wanted to believe what this, President Winter Breeze was saying or not.

At least, until she continued speaking.

"There is of course the matter of the traitors that call themselves Dashites. Traitors and terrorists who want to disrupt the established order of the Enclave. Just as bad are those who harbor them. The NCR harbors such individuals and allows them free reign over their territory. But that is the least of their treachery, they have given one of the worst of these traitors, a war criminal who's actions caused many deaths..."

"Uh-oh, I've got a bad feeling about this," Arc said as everypony looked over at me.

"That's not possible, we've been careful, how could the Enclave know I'm still alive?" I asked, but I was dreading the answer.

The only other pony she could mean was Fluttershy, but I had a feeling it wasn't the case... and that scared me.

"I am speaking of course about the former Vice President of Stable-Tec, and the pony behind the Stable experiments, Scootaloo. She has been living among you for the past year under the alias of the Wanderer, the NCR and DJ Pon3 have been aware of this fact since then, perpetrating the lie to the inhabitants of Equestria. The Enclave doesn't believe in such deceptions, so we are bringing the truth to you. This is President Winter Breeze, signing off."

There was a long moment of silence as we processed what we had just heard. The Enclave had just made their move.

And it scared me.

00000

"Serenity, you can come out," I said at the door to Serenity's bedroom, it was an hour later, the train ride had been cancelled so Arc Light and Vanilla were trying to figure out what was going to happen now.

Which left me to console the terrified 10 year old filly.

"Serenity, please, I promise we're going to keep the Enclave from hurting you," I said, trying to sound reassuring.

"You don't know that..." she said from behind the door. "They're going to go after you too, you heard what she said. And if it ever got out that I'm related to you... ponies are going to hate us..."

"Serenity, it'll be okay," I said and sighed a little, she was just a filly and didn't deserve to be subjected to such things. "Me and Vanilla will do everything we can in order to make sure that you're safe. You're one of the strongest Ponies I've ever met, we're going to make it through this, together."

She doesn't say anything for a long moment, I wasn't even sure if I believed everything I was saying. Serenity was going to be in for a hard time, but I knew that she'd make it through it.

She had a lot more of me in her than just my DNA, there was a spirit to her that went beyond just that. I had worked hard to find her, and I was going to make sure she stayed safe, no matter the cost.

The door opened and I smiled a little as Serenity hugged me tightly. I smiled a little and hugged her back, wrapping my wings around her protectively. It didn't matter that we had been born centuries apart, we were family to each other, and that was all that really mattered.

"Thank you Scootaloo," Serenity said as we continued the hug, she smiled up at me a little. "Did you really mean what you said?"

"Every word," I said and ruffled the filly's mane gently. "I care about what happens to you Serenity, and you really are a strong pony. Never change that and you'll do just fine."

"Thanks," Serenity said as her smile widened. "So, what do you think we're going to do now?"

"Honestly, I have no idea," I admitted. "I'm sure your mom and Arc will have something figured out soon."

"Yeah, I'm sure you're right," Serenity said with a smile and I nuzzled her gently. "I just hope the Enclave can be stopped again is all."

"Me too Serenity, me too," I said with a smile as I ruffled the filly's mane a bit before smirking a bit. "Come on, lets go race again, you still owe me a rematch."

"Okay!" Serenity said happily as we gathered up our stuff and headed outside.

00000

That evening, we had our answer, and I admit that it wasn't one I expected. A shadow fell over the city, when I looked up into the sky, I was surprised at what I saw.

It was a massive metal ship like I had never seen before in all my years. It was as big as a city and housed on its back was a transparent dome, with clearly visible buildings inside. It was a flying city, not entirely like Cloudsdale or Coltlumbia, more like a massive airship with a city built into it.

This was certainly not what I had expected to see in the Wasteland, I mean I had heard rumors of such a ship being built as a mobile military base, but it hadn't ever been put into service.

So then how was it here?

We went to a cleared out area that had been designated for a landing zone as an aircraft came in for a landing. Several ponies dressed in armor came out lead by a green Unicorn mare with a darker green mane and tail that was dressed in formal wear.

"Mayor Vanilla Cream?" The green mare asked as she approached us, looking between us.

"That's me," Vanilla said as she offered a hoof to the green mare. "Welcome to Crystal City."

"Thanks, I'm Councilmare Jade from Nomad City's Ruling Council," Jade said with a smile as she shook Vanilla's hoof. "We were asked by the NCR to pick up ponies who can help with the current crisis as well as any Dashites to keep them safe from the Enclave."

She looked at me and I cringed a little. "Especially in the case of Scootaloo, you're to be taken back to Junction Town with the mayor here."

"What about me?" Serenity asked as she looked up at Jade. "I want to help as best I can."

"She's with us," Vanilla said speaking up in Serenity's defense. "She's my adopted daughter, and the Enclave won't like me anymore than anypony else. I want to make sure she's safe."

"She can be a great help, we'll make sure she doesn't get into trouble," I added and Jade nodded.

"Alright, just be careful, we don't need you getting lost in the city," Jade said with a sigh as we all climbed aboard the craft as it flew off towards the massive airship.

00000

"Hey out there in Nomad City, this is DJ Journeyer coming at you with the news," a stallion's voice came over the radio as we approached the city. "With Equestria still reeling from the Enclave President's speech, it seems that Ambassador Brass from the NCR has relayed a message to the council asking for our assistance. We've picked up some new arrivals in the city, so lets try and give them the proper courtesy. It seems that even the Wanderer who DJ Pon3 has been talking about is among them, nice to have you aboard Wanderer."

"How does he know these things?" I asked, looking at Jade.

"Who knows really, he seems to know how to learn anything whenever he needs to learn it," Jade said with a shrug. "We'll have to get you three some quarters in the temporary housing district, while that's being set up you can come to my place."

"What is Nomad City?" Serenity asked curiously, I admit I was curious too, I was vaguely aware of it, but I didn't know how it got here.

"Its the Ministry of Awesome's last great project other than the SPP Towers," Jade said. "It was never finished before the Megaspells went off and remained hidden for 200 years. After the Enclave Civil War, the rebels stumbled across it and working together with ponies from the surface finished construction on the city, its been flying around Equestria ever since and we help wherever we can."

"Cool," Serenity said with a smile as the craft came in for a landing, we all climbed out and into the hangar, after a quick check over we walked out of the hangar and out into the city itself.

It was amazing, Nomad City wasn't like any other city I had seen in the Wasteland it was like a piece of Equestria had been preserved under the city's dome. The buildings were intact (though some looked like they were undergoing renovation), and it genuinely felt like I had stepped back into the old world in a weird way.

Of course we were sitting on top of a massive airship so it wasn't quite the same thing, but hey, it was something. They lived in comfort, but unlike the Enclave, they saw that it was their duty to help Equestria.

I was a bit surprised to see more than just ponies, there were Zebras, Griffons, and I don't know how many other species making their home in the city.

In a way, it felt like I was home again.

"Welcome to Nomad City," Jade said with a smile as we started walking down the street.

00000

As we walked down a street in what Jade called the housing district, it was a pretty ordinary looking neighborhood like something from before the war, it was really nice. We finally stopped in front of a rather ordinary looking two story house in the district.

"While we get everything set up for you in the Temporary Housing District you can stay at my house with my family," Jade said as she started to unlock the door. "It shouldn't take long, but it at least gives you a place to stay."

"That would be nice," I said, Vanilla and Serenity nodded in agreement. "As long as we aren't imposing or anything."

"No, no, of course not, we take in surface ponies all the time," Jade said with a smile as she got the door open. "In fact my..."

"Mommy!"

A small white Unicorn filly with a green mane that was slightly curled ran up to us, hugging Jade tightly. The older Unicorn smiled and hugged the filly gently before she turned and looked at us.

"Pure Heart, meet Vanilla Cream, Serenity, Arc Light, and Scootaloo, they'll be staying with us for a little bit," Jade said with a smile. "This is my daughter Pure Heart."

"Its nice to meet you Pure Heart," Vanilla said with a smile as Serenity looked at the other filly curiously.

"Come on inside," Jade said as Pure Heart released the hug and we started through the front door. "Is Star home from work yet?"

"No, she's still at Security HQ helping get things organized," Pure Heart said as we entered the foyer as the door shut behind us. "She should be here once everything calms down."

Geez, how many mares in the Wasteland were into mares?

"She'll be really looking forward to meeting you Scootaloo," Jade commented, which made me look at her strangely. "You'll see."

"Well, I look forward to meeting her then," I said. "She works for Security then?"

"Oh yeah, she's a pretty high ranking member of Security, Mommy Star is really cool!" Pure Heart said with a smile.

There was a hum as Nomad City started to move forward slowly, after a moment it seemed almost like we were on normal ground. We were on our way back to central Equestria.

00000

"I have to admit I wasn't imagining anything like this existing in Equestria," Arc commented as we sat in the living room, I smiled a little as Serenity and Pure Heart talked with each other.

"Yeah, we live in comfort, but we make sure that we do our best to help Equestria," Jade said with a nod.

I smiled a little, they almost felt like the anti-Enclave, they lived in the sky in comfort but they did what they could to help. It really was like a little piece of pre-war Equestria in the Wasteland.

Maybe this kind of thing was better than Stables.

"We've mostly been working out of Hoofington recently," Jade continued. "Its been recovering slower than the rest of Equestria so we're helping the factions out there as best we can."

"What's been..." I started to say when we heard the door open.

"I'm home," a mare's voice said as a purple Pegasus pony with a navy blue mane trotted into the living room, she was pretty ordinary looking dressed in Security barding, what surprised me though was that one of her wings was cybernetic but I wasn't going to question that.

"Mommy Star!" Pure Heart sand and galloped over to the Pegasus and hugged her tightly. "How was work today?"

"Exhausting, the Enclave really threw us for a loop," Star commented before she looked over at us and her eyes went wide. "Uh, Jade honey, why is Scootaloo sitting in our living room?"

"I was in Crystal City so I came up here with Vanilla," I said as I got up and walked over, offering a hoof to the mare. "Its nice to meet you."

"I'm Shooting Star, its an honor to meet you," Star said with a smile as she shook hooves with me. "Sorry, I heard about what Winter Breeze said, but I didn't expect you to be in my house."

"Don't worry about it, I'm still..." I started to say before my eyes fell on Star's flanks where the Dashite brand was. "Oh, I'm sorry."

"Its okay, its better than being in the Enclave," Star said with a sad smile. "I served under General Cloud Chaser in Whinneyapolis, but I couldn't take it anymore so I went Dashite. Its how I wound up in Nomad City, and how I found an amazing family."

I smiled a little as Jade and Pure Heart joined the Pegasus and hugged her. It was a nice family moment, though it made me wish I was back home in Coltlumbia with my own family, or in Ponyville with Sweetie Belle.

As we returned to our seats, a question occurred to me.

"Star, do you know anything about Winter Breeze?"

Star paused for a long moment as if she was thinking about what to say. "Not a whole lot honestly," she finally said. "Nopony in the Enclave does really, she started out as a low level government official, the Secretary of Education I believe. When the Civil War started, she was the last one in the line of succession that wasn't killed or joined the rebels, her history is a bit of a mystery to anypony outside the Generals and her Inner Circle."

"So, we've got a President who keeps to herself, interesting," Arc Light said thoughtfully. "What is she, a supercomputer or something?"

"Who knows really, I don't even know where she's based out of," Star said with a shrug. "She's a bit paranoid, but she keeps the Generals in check."

"So much for honesty, she won't even be honest to her own citizens," Vanilla said with a shake of her head. "So what's the plan?"

"When we reach Junction Town we'll figure it out from there," Jade said with a sigh. "The NCR is getting as many allies as they can for this, we're looking at a full scale war with the Enclave."

I sighed, this was going to be a long trip.

00000

"Wow, this is a nice place," Arc said as we looked around the suite that had been arranged for the five of us at the Equestria Grand Hotel.

"Yeah, this is great!" Serenity said as she jumped up on the bed with Schooner, petting the dog and giggling a little as he licked her face.

It was a really nice suite, it really was like an old fancy hotel room. I smiled a little, it was nice to see Serenity happy again, she had really connected with Pure Heart while we were chatting, the two were becoming fast friends already.

"Scootaloo, can I talk to you in the other room?" Vanilla asked.

"Sure," I said and followed the cyberpony into the other room, she shut the door and sighed a little. "Is everything okay Vanilla?"

Vanilla paused for a long moment, I got the feeling that she was trying to figure out how to put this and honestly it worried me a bit. Something felt off about this whole thing to be honest, sometimes it felt like she was actually trying to distance herself from Serenity even if she cared about her.

Why would a mother do that to a 10 year old?

"Scootaloo, this isn't easy for me to say," Vanilla said with a sigh. "I need to talk to you about something, mother to mother."

"What is it?" I asked, though I was worried about what she was going to say.

"It, hasn't been easy for me lately with everything that's going on, the truth is I've been, hiding something from Serenity," Vanilla admitted, then it clicked in my mind what she meant. "I have a tumor, and because of my cybernetics it can't be operated on. The doctors give me two years, at best."

"That's why you let her be more on her own, you want her to learn to be independent for when you're gone," I said and she nodded sadly. "Honestly Vanilla, I think you need to tell her. Its not going to be easy on either of you, but if you push her away, that's what she'll remember for the rest of her life. Be there for your daughter, if you don't it'll eat away at you as much as any disease would."

I paused for a long moment before looking down at my hooves.

"Believe me, I know."

Vanilla placed a hoof on my shoulder and gave me an understanding nod. "Its okay Scootaloo, I'll talk to her tomorrow, just promise me you'll be there with me, okay?"

"I promise," I said with a nod. "I'll be there for you whenever you need me."

"Thank you," Vanilla said before heading back to the bedroom.

I sighed and entered the adjoining bedroom where Arc Light was already asleep, but I didn't feel much like sleeping right now. I put my earbuds in and took out a holotape Rainbow Dash had left for me and put it in my PipBuck before hitting play.

"Hey Scootaloo, I've been thinking a lot about everything that happened before and during the war between us lately. I always did my best to take care of you and I have no regrets there, but sometimes... sometimes I wonder if I could've done more. Sometimes it felt like I was still just being your big sister instead of the mother you needed me to be. The war just made it worse and not to mention the Ministries and Stable-Tec. I'm truly sorry about that Scootaloo, I hope someday if you have a foal of your own you'll be a better mother than I ever was. In the meantime, stay awesome and remember that your mother will always love you, no matter what."

As it finished I closed my eyes and drifted off to sleep.

00000

As Vanilla talked to Serenity the next day I was only half listening as she told Serenity what was going on. I kept thinking about Cloudy and what had happened to her, the records we had recovered from the Enclave hadn't yielded much information other than that she had grown up and gotten married and died of old age.

I still hoped she didn't resent me for it.

"You... you're really going to die?" Serenity asked, snapping me out of my thoughts as the filly looked at her mother sadly.

"I'm sorry Serenity," Vanilla said as she hugged the filly gently as she cried into her. "I promise I'll be there for you as much as I can but, I know this won't be easy for either of us."

Serenity just sat there for a long moment, hugging her adopted mother as she cried. My heart went out to the filly, she had lost almost every family she had ever known, and now she was going to lose the mare who raised her in a couple of years.

"Serenity, I know things aren't going to be easy for you two," I said, finally speaking up as the filly wiped her tears away. "Treasure the time you have together if its two years or two decades, what matters is that you have each other. I know I wish that I could've had more time with my family."

"Okay, I will..." Serenity said with a weak smile. "I love you... mom."

"I love you too Serenity," Vanilla said as she hugged her gently. "Come on, lets go see your friend Pure Heart."

Serenity nodded and we headed out of the hotel room.

00000

We arrived in Junction Town that evening, the war meeting was scheduled for the next day so me and Arc Light were settling into our hotel room when there was a knock on the door.

"Scootaloo Dash?" The uniformed mare on the other side asked as she sized me up.

"Yes, that's me, can I help you?" I asked, I was worried all of a sudden.

"President Grimfeathers wants to have a word with you in her office," the soldier said, she looked at Arc Light as she approached. "Just Scootaloo, the President was very insistent."

"I'll be fine," I said.

"Okay, just be careful."

I nodded and followed the NCR soldier through Junction Town past a statue of a mare in a park area and into the main government building for the NCR. I wasn't quite sure what to expect as the soldier talked to somepony inside the President's office before allowing me inside after relieving me of my weapons.

President Regina Grimfeathers was a female Griffon with dark wings that looked like she had seen more than her fair share of combat. She was seated behind her desk, but what surprised me most was that she was accompanied by Midnight.

"Scootaloo, I'm glad I finally got to meet you, I'm just sorry it wasn't under better circumstances," Regina said as she offered me a claw which I shook.

"Likewise Madam President," I said with a smile. "Is everything okay?"

"We, have a concern about the recent broadcast from the Enclave," Regina said and nodded to Midnight. "This is sensitive information, but General Sparkle here felt it would be prudent to write you in on it given, the nature of it."

"The Enclave's broadcast reached everywhere in Equestria, which isn't anything unusual," Midnight said before continuing. "Except for the fact that it was also broadcast into the Stables. Not even the MASEBS system is powerful enough to do that, in fact there's only one thing in Equestria that's connected across Equestria and in the Stables."

A chill ran down my spine, I knew exactly what they meant, and I didn't like it. "You mean, the Enclave is hijacking the Stable-Tec All Clear signal? But that's impossible, you'd need the code and..."

"One of the leaders of Stable-Tec or their descendants," Regina finished, folding her claws and looking at me sadly. "I need to know everything you know about any ponies related to either yourself or Apple Bloom."

"Serenity didn't do this and she's the only still living descendant I have that I know of," I said with a sigh. "As for Apple Bloom, its... something I promised her I wouldn't tell anypony."

"Scootaloo, this is a matter of national security, we can account for the whereabouts of the descendants of the Apple Family from Stable 2 but we need to know if there's anypony else out there," Midnight said. "Apple Bloom would understand."

I paused a long moment before sighing a little. "Apple Bloom had a son, she gave him up for adoption when he was just a baby after his father died in the war. The only thing I know for sure is that he was on the list for Stable 48 out near Reino."
Regina and Midnight exchanged a long glance before Midnight spoke up again.

"Scootaloo, Stable 48 has gone quiet," she said somberly. "It occasionally sent scouts out up until a few months ago, we don't know what's happened in there."

My blood ran cold at that revelation, what had happened to Stable 48?

00000

The next day the Typhon arrived after having traveled from the south and the west in order to pick up more ponies that could help us out. I was making my way through the town when I saw a familiar Pegasus Ghoul looking up at a statue at the center of a park.

"Hey Ditzy," I said as I came in for a stop next to her, she turned and gave me a smile before writing on her chalkboard.

"Hey Scootaloo, its good to see you again," she wrote before erasing it and writing again. "Did you have any luck?"

"Yeah, it turns out I have a descendant who lives in the Crystal Wasteland," I said. "How's it been going with you?"

She erases the chalkboard and writes on it again. "About the same, I'm glad you found what you were looking for."

"Me too," I said with a soft smile. "Even with everything that's going on its, nice to know that some things worked out. So where's Silver Bell?"

"She went to talk with the caravans that are arriving in town," Ditzy wrote then added with a shake of her head. "There have been less coming into the NCR since the speech."

I sighed a little, I hated that the NCR was in this position in part because of me. The Enclave was turning good ponies against the best chance Equestria had at recovering from the war. The Enclave seemed to be making a lot of good promises, but I had no idea if they were even being honest.

And honestly I had no idea if I really wanted to know, something about all of this felt really weird to me.

I spotted a familiar dark blue Pegasus with a rainbow mane and smiled a little. I thanked Ditzy for her time before heading over to talk to Rain.

"Hey Scootaloo, its good to see you again," Rain said with a smile as she waved at me when I approached. "How was your trip up north?"

"Great, I met my distant granddaughter Serenity, nice kid," I said with a smile. "Thanks for pointing me towards Stable 13, you really helped me out."

"Anything for family," Rain said with a smile before looking uncomfortable for a moment. "Did you, find out about, you know..."

"Rainbow Dash adopting me?" I asked and she nodded. "Yeah, I saw the memory orbs she left behind for me. Did you know?"

"Yeah, I did," Rain admitted, rubbing her foreleg. "I met Spectrum Flash while I was there, she asked me to keep it secret if I ever met you. She was worried that if you found out before you could see the Memory Orbs it wouldn't help, I'm sorry I didn't tell you the whole truth."

I paused for a long moment, Rain Runner was my sister through adoption, and I had always hoped that if I had a sister she'd be more honest with me. At the same time though I understood why Spectrum had asked her to keep it quiet.

"Its okay Rain," I said and offered her a hoof. "Family forgives each other right?"

"Right," she said with a smile as she shook my hoof. "Thank you Scootaloo, I'm glad you're my sister."

"I'm glad you're mine too Rain," I said with a smile as I hugged her gently. "So how did it go with the Project?"

"Oh it was crazy, it turns out they wanted us to access a Megaspell locked away in the mountain near New Pegasus," Rain said with a shake of her head. "If he had access to it, he could've dominated the Wasteland, thank Celestia we stopped it."

"Indeed," I said with a nod. "Did he have any other ponies he had created?"

"Err, yeah, quite a few," Rain said, shifting uncomfortably for a moment. "We're trying to get them and the ponies that they already created integrated into normal society, or well as normal as you get in New Pegasus."

"Well I'm glad, I hope you get it all worked out," I said with a nod as I checked the time on my PipBuck. "Its time for the meeting, lets go."

Rain nodded as we headed towards the main building where the meeting was to take place.

00000

I was a bit surprised by the gathered group when I arrived and took my seat. A lot of the ponies that I had met over the course of my journey were there including Ruby, Midnight, Xiraia, Calamity, Velvet Remedy, Jade, Shooting Star, and Vanilla. But at the same time there were others I hadn't ever met including a Unicorn dressed in Applejack's Rangers Power Armor standing next to Midnight.

On the table in front of us there was a map of Equestria with Xs over the Crystal Empire, New Pegasus, Whinnyappolis, and Trotson.

"Thank you all for coming, for those who don't know me I am General Midnight Sparkle, the commander of the NCR Rangers," Midnight said. "We have a serious problem on our hooves at this point. We've encountered the Enclave four times at this point since the end of the initial conflict with them, each time under the command of one of the Seven Wonderbolt Generals, we don't know anything about the President other than what Lieutenant Star has told us."

"Which admittedly isn't much," Star said with a sigh before telling the group basically what she had told me before on Nomad City. "Winter Breeze is an enigma I'm afraid, there's some rumors she was in Seaddle during the Great Schism, but that's about it."

"Curious, she doesn't seem familiar to me," the Applejack's Rangers member said through her mechanically distorted voice. "I guess we didn't cross paths."

"So, that's what we don't know, what do we know about the Enclave's activities?" I asked as I looked the map over again.

"Yeah, three of the Generals are still under the radar," Midnight said with a sigh. "Two of them are dead and the other two that are known have vanished."

"One of them isn't even in Equestria," Star said, making everypony look at her. "General Stardust, she's been based out of the Zebra Lands for years. The other Generals aren't particularly fond of her, but she's apparently made contact with one of the tribes and convinced them to help her. I have my doubts that she'll ever be called back, but we don't know what she'll have at her disposal if she does."

Xiraia's eyes narrowed at that revelation, what followed was a series of words in a language I didn't understand.

"Xiraia, what's wrong?" Ruby asked as she looked at the Zebra DJ worriedly.

"If the Zebra Lands are being invaded, there is only one Tribe that would ally themselves with them if it benefited them," Xiraia said. "The One."

I'm admittedly not an expert on Zebra culture, and by the looks of it neither was anypony else at the table. I vaguely remembered that the Zebras had 13 Tribes, but what did she mean by the One?

I vaguely remembered a letter from Dinky mentioning a history teacher at Luna's academy that knew about this kind of thing. Where was he when I needed him?

"We'll worry about that later if it becomes important," Midnight said. "In the meantime we don't have the capability to reach the Zebra Lands with enough force and fight the Enclave here, we'll have to worry about them later."

She looked at everypony around the table for a long moment as if trying to figure out what to say.

"Things aren't going to be easy for us, the Enclave isn't wrong about one thing, since the end of the war with the Crimson Empire the NCR has been mostly focused on internal matters and not on helping Equestria. We can build our defenses up, but we will have to do more than just that. Velvet, what is the status of the Followers' relief efforts?"

"Well, we've established contact with Terra Nova and Haven, so we're making progress in the south and northeast, but only to a point," Velvet said. "Even so, some of the settlements that we've made contact with have already started to ask us to leave."

"And then there's the matter of the Enclave's propaganda," Vanilla added bitterly. "We're going to have to counter that somehow."

"DJ Pon3 will be able to help," Xiraia said. "I'll get him to address many of the Enclave's points as well as announce that the NCR will be helping more. I'm sure it'll be easy to get Voice, Windtalker, and Refuge to do the same."

"What about Scootaloo?" Ruby asked as they all looked at me. "What do we do with her?"

There was a long pause as the group tried to figure out what to say. I was suddenly very nervous, what would they do to me?

"We can't turn her over to the Enclave," the Ranger said. "If we do we'll be no better than they are."

I really liked that mare.

"Then, what do we do with her?" Midnight asked

"I need to investigate Stable 48," I said with finality in my voice. "If Apple Bloom still has any descendants left in the Stable, we have to be certain about what happened there, especially if the Enclave is involved somehow."

"We'll have some Rangers from New Pegasus meet up with you in Reino," Midnight offered. "Do you have any idea why the Enclave might be interested in Stables all of a sudden?"

I paused for a long moment, it was hard to figure out just how much to tell them. 48 wasn't just an ordinary Stable, it was also a Stable connected to Protocol Zeta, and keeping that locked away took priority over anything else.

Was it possible that the Enclave knew about Zeta somehow? That would be the worst case scenario if they could figure out where the Stables were that had the locks, but even so getting into it wouldn't be an easy task.

That was one secret that deserved to stay buried.

"Alright then its settled," Midnight said after there was no further arguments, she took a deep breath. "The Enclave Remnant may be the greatest threat we've faced since the Goddess was defeated. At this point they have nothing to lose and everything to gain, we've backed the Enclave into a corner and a cornered animal is when it is the most dangerous. Prepare the troops, ready the airships, and prepare the people, united we stand, divided we fall."

We nodded as we were dismissed, I had to go find Arc Light and Schooner so we could get ready to go.

I just had to hope that we weren't too late.

00000

"So, you want to go checking out another Stable?" Arc asked as we met up near a restaurant in Junction Town. "We seem to be visiting a lot of them don't we?"

"Yeah, well 48 might be important to the war effort if we can figure out what happened with Apple Bloom's family," I said with a shrug. "Really, it might be a dead end, but its worth checking out at least."

"I see," Arc said as she shook her head a little. "Are you absolutely certain that this is where we need to go next?"

I thought for a long moment, Stable 48 was a good distance away because it was in Reino but getting there wouldn't be much of a problem. At the same time though, I had no idea how the Stable Dwellers there would react. There was ultimately only one answer I could give, and even if it wasn't the best option, it was what we would have to do.

"Yeah, it is," I said with a nod. "Stable 48 needs to be investigated either way, especially since it seems to have gone quiet. If there's nothing there, then we can just go back to Central Equestria and regroup. You don't have to come with me if you don't want to."

Arc thought for a long moment before shaking her head. "I'm with you all the way Scootaloo, lets just hope we're not on a wild goose chase. So what can you tell me about Stable 48?"

"Stable 48 was intended to experiment with how society was structured," I said with a sigh. "Every pony at birth is placed within one of the divisions in the Stable: Administration, Medical, Security, Food Services, Science, and Breeding, along with the possibility of members of them being able to leave the Stable after so many years to recon the area around it."

"Wait, Breeding?" Arc asked.

"Yeah, Mares and Stallions would be picked based on their genetic profile for the purpose of, reproduction every spring," I said. "The purpose of which was to keep the population in the Stable maintained. Given that it was sending out scouting parties a few months ago, I don't know what happened there."

"Geez, sounds like a real winner," Arc said with a shake of her head. "Sounds a bit iffy to me really."

"We had precautions, ideally as many Stables as possible were given the chance to survive," I said, rubbing the back of my head. "Well, here's hoping at least, right?"

"Yeah," Arc said with a shrug. "Its worth a try at least, I hope we find some answers there."

"Me too," I said with a nod and looked up at the sky. "Me too..."

00000

"Aww, why can't I go too?" Serenity asked as I was getting my stuff packed up in our hotel room. "I can fight, why do I have to stay?"

"Serenity, I don't doubt your ability," I said as I hugged the filly gently. "I would love nothing more than for you to come with me, but I've got a special job for you."

"You do?" Serenity asked with a cute tilt of her head as she looked up at me.

"Yeah, you're a Crusader too right?" I asked and she nodded. "Then I'm putting you in charge of Crusader operations here in Nomad City and Junction Town. Your job is to protect your friends and family in the event of an Enclave attack, do you think you can handle it?"

"Yeah, I can handle it," Serenity said with a smile as she hugged me tightly. "Just promise me you'll come back okay? I don't want to lose you again..."

"I promise I'll be back," I said ruffling the filly's mane gently. "Be brave for me, okay? Help your mom and your friends out wherever you can, they're your family too no matter what."

Serenity nodded and released the hug. "I promise I will, I'll be the best pony I can be."

"I know you will be Crusader Serenity," I said with a smile as I saluted and she saluted back. "Now go play with Pure Heart, she's been waiting for you for like 10 minutes."

"Okay!" Serenity said and ran off as Vanilla entered the room.

"Hey Scootaloo, I see you managed to talk her out of running after you," Vanilla said with a chuckle.

"Yeah, don't worry about it," I said with a chuckle. "She's a good kid, you did a great job raising her."

"Thanks, I tried my best," Vanilla said with a sigh. "I just wish she'd listen to me more is all."

"She just wants to do what she thinks is right," I said as I put the last of my ammo and supplies away. "In my experience, nopony ever chooses to be a hero, instead they get chosen."

"Yeah, tell me about it, I just left home to find a new door," Vanilla said and shot me a look. "Not one word, I get that enough already."

"Okay, okay, I won't say anything," I said with a chuckle before turning serious. "Keep her close Vanilla, I don't know how bad things are going to get, but just in case... make sure she's safe."

"I always try to," Vanilla said with a nod. "Just come back alive, okay?"

"I will," I said with a nod. "I'll see you when we get back."

With that I headed out of the hotel room to go meet up with Arc Light again.

00000

As I walked down the street towards the transport area for Junction Town, I ran into Ruby Starlight who looked like she was looking for me.

"Hey Ruby, is everything okay?"

"Scootaloo, I need to ask you something in private before you leave," Ruby said quietly, I looked at her strangely but nodded and we went into one of the nearby alleys to talk. "Why are you so insistent about going to Stable 48, is it about what you were looking at in 26?"

I paused for a long moment as I looked the Alicorn in the eye. This wasn't going to be easy, I knew she likely suspected that there was something going on here, but I didn't know how much I should tell her.

Of all the ponies in Equestria, Ruby was one that I was sure I could trust. She was a good pony, but she understood the necessity of secrets and the risks of exposing them to the world.

"Yes, it is," I said with a sigh. "I can't tell you more I'm afraid, this is something that needs to stay buried for as long as possible. If this got out, the consequences for Equestria could be dire on all sides. I know its hard to understand, but this is something that I have to make sure that history doesn't wind up repeating itself. Please, don't tell anypony about what I did in Stable 26, okay?"

Ruby paused for a long moment, considering what I had said before nodding. "Okay Scootaloo, I trust you, if you say that it needs to be kept secret, I won't question it."

"Thank you," I said with a smile. "If it comes to it, I promise I'll tell you everything."

"Okay, I'll see you later," Ruby said before walking off, I watched her go for a minute before heading for the landing zone.

I climbed aboard the Vertibuck that was to take us west towards Reino. I put my earbuds in my ears and closed my eyes, listening to the music as the raspy voice of a Stallion was heard singing.

"What have I become
My sweetest friend
Everyone I know goes away
In the end.

And you could have it all
My empire of dirt
I will let you down
I will make you hurt."

LEVEL UP!
Perk Received: Rad Filly.
Details: Because of a mutation to your body from radiation you gain more of a resistance to radiation. Regenerate 2 HP per 200 Rads.

Chapter 8: A Better Life Underground

"Sign up now and prepare for the Future!"
-Stable-Tec Slogan.

"Hey everypony out there, its DJ Pon3 coming at you with the latest news. The Enclave has been reported around Equestria with their promises of helping the Wasteland. But don't be fooled my little ponies, the Enclave has no interest in the greater good other than their own. I've got assurances from the New Canterlot Republic that they will be doing their best to help Equestria. The Enclave doesn't change ponies, they'll kill you or enslave you. Its your choice."

"We're coming up on the Mohoofe," one of the mares we were traveling with said, I lowered my earbuds and looked down at the desert that stretched out for miles. "We're going to do a fly-over of Stable 48 before we head for Reino. Keep an eye out, we don't want to get ambushed."

"Okay," I said and Arc nodded.

Looking out again I could see the bright lights of New Pegasus still in the distance. How long had it been since we were there to stop the Enclave? It felt like a lifetime ago but it couldn't be more than a few months.

Now here we were again, heading towards another potential battle with one of the most dangerous enemies Equestria had ever faced.

We flew on for awhile longer before the landscape below changed to a mountainous area. Just below us was an old road that snaked through the area leading up to a group of old buildings.

"Mount Lilly Ski Resort," I said out loud. "Stable 48 is under the main building down there."

"You built it under a Ski Resort?" One of the Rangers asked.

"Hey we had to..." I started to say before there was a glint and a shadow flying above us. "Did anypony else see that?"

We were all on edge all of a sudden, we had no idea what it was if it even was anything. We drew our weapons and one of the Rangers took the minigun and started scanning the skies and ground.

For a moment we thought it had been our imaginations before there was a crackle of energy as a massive bolt hit the Vertibuck's wing sending it spiraling towards the ground. I cursed my non-working wings as we grabbed hold of whatever we could, hoping to survive the crash.

I shut my eyes tight but was surprised to feel the Vertibuck starting to stabilize a little bit. I opened them again to see Arc Light's horn glowing orange as she struggled to stabilize the falling craft.

She managed to hold it for a few minutes, but eventually she couldn't hold it anymore and the glow faded. There was a sickening crunch as the Vertibuck hit the mountainside and the world went black.

00000

"Ugh, my head... how much did I have to drink last night?" I said with a groan as the world slowly came into focus.

"She's awake!" A mare's voice said as Schooner jumped up and licked my face. "How are you feeling?"

"Like I got kicked in the head by Big Mac, what happened?"

"We were shot down by the Enclave," the medic who had been accompanying us said as she bandaged up a broken leg on another Ranger. "We're lucky we managed to make it out of that alive thanks to your friend here, but we're in bad shape."

"How far to Reino?" I asked as I struggled to get to my hooves.

"About, six hours if we don't run into any trouble," the medic said with a sigh. "Arc Light went to scout the area ahead of us, are you able to walk?"

"Yeah, I'm okay," I said getting to my hooves. "Are we going to be able to move them?"

"We don't have much of a choice," the medic said as she outfitted a stretcher to carry the Ranger with. "The Enclave is only half the problem in these mountains, the local wildlife is just as dangerous."

Oh great, something else wanted to kill us out here, this just wasn't our day.

"The way ahead looks clear," Arc said as she came back to the clearing where we were getting ready. "We better move fast, I have no idea how long it'll be clear."

"Understood," the medic said as she finished securing the wounded Ranger. "Lets get going, you two keep an eye on your EFS."

We nodded and started walking together into the forest towards the town in the distance. It was quiet in the forest as we kept walking, I felt more on edge than ever as I kept an eye on my EFS.

A few hours passed, we crossed the road to Reino after awhile and started walking in the trees along it. Just as things seemed to be going okay though, a red bar appeared on my EFS' compass.

We stopped and eased our way forward slowly, I gulped when I saw what it was. It looked like a bear, but it was much larger and it let out a roar.

"Yao Guai!" One of the Rangers said, that was enough for me as I lined up my shots at the monstrous bear's head, we shot at it but the shots just seemed to make it angrier, that figures really.

The Yao Guai lumbered forward, knocking me out of the way with a swipe of its massive paw as it went for the wounded Ranger. As we tried to regroup and the bear started to bear down on the wounded pony, two shots rang out, hitting the creature in the back of the head, sending blood and brains splattering.

"Ponies, can't handle one oversized bear without someone coming to save your flank can you?" A gruff female voice said from above, I looked up to see a Griffon looking down at us, she was dressed like an NCR Ranger with a tan body and a white head with the feathers around her eyes and the top of her head dyed blue.

"Captain Firebright, I didn't expect to see you here," the medic said, clearly recognizing the Griffon.

"Yeah well, when you didn't check in they sent us out to look for the lot of yah," the Griffon Captain said as she looked us over as her eyes fell on me and Arc. "And you two must be the VIP's, Captain Henrietta Firebright, call me Henry. Now come on, lets get going before that monster's big brother decides to take a shot at us."

We nodded and started walking again.

00000

The Enclave seemed to have lost interest in tracking us so we took the road the rest of the way to Reino. I looked at our new Griffon escort curiously, I had met a few Rangers since I had woken up but most of them had been ponies.

"Take a picture, it'll last longer," Henry said when she caught me looking at her.

"Sorry, I just was curious is all," I said. "You're not exactly what I expected out of a Ranger."

"We come in all shapes and sizes Scootaloo," Henry said with a shake of her head. "I can't say I was expecting to run into you though."

"Yeah, I get that a lot."

"So let me guess, you went on a journey to look for your family or something didn't you?"

"Yeah, how'd you know?" I asked, blinking a little, that was a strangely specific guess.

"About 10 years back I traveled with another survivor, a filly who was looking for her mother," Henry said with a sigh. "It, didn't end well for her, she was a good kid... usually."

"I'm sorry, what was her name?" I asked curiously.

"Puppysmiles Days, I know, strange name even for you ponies," Henry said with a shrug which made my eyes go wide. "What, did you know her?"

"Yeah, I met her while her mom was working for Stable-Tec," I said, I was amazed that the hyperactive little filly I had known had survived the apocalypse and clearly left an impression on Henry. "Cute kid but she never could get my name right, kept calling me Scootie or something like that."

"Yeah, that sounds like Puppysmiles alright, she kept calling me a chicken," Henry said and we shared a laugh.

It felt good to be able to laugh about something, it did both of us a world of good. I just hoped that wherever Puppysmiles was now, she was at peace.

00000

We finally reached Reino two hours later and were directed to the local inn to check in and re-group. After we settled in, I went down to the hotel's bar and glanced at the Zebra behind the bar as I took a seat.

"What can I get you?" He asked.

"Opal Cherry if you have it, and some information," I said as he set the drink down. "I'm looking for any information on Stable 48, I've heard they sent some teams out over the years."

"Sure, I've met a few ponies from the Stable," the Zebra said. "But I can't give you much information on them, but I can point you in the right direction, for a fee."

"How much?" I asked with a groan.

"50 caps."

I groaned and sighed, there wasn't much I could do about it really, something told me that I wasn't about to talk this Zebra down. I looked through my pockets and saddlebags, thankfully I had quite a few caps on me and laid them out plus enough for the soda.

"You're looking for one of Timber's mares," he said and I looked at him strangely for a moment. "He runs the local brothel, the way I hear it a mare from Stable 48 wound up in town three months ago and wound up working for him... don't ask me how."

"I'm looking for a, prostitute?" I asked, blinking a little.

"Yeah, look you wanted info, that's the best I've got," the Zebra said with a shake of his head. "I can't remember her name but she's very pink, you can't miss her."

"Yeah, well, thanks..." I said with a groan as I finished my soda, this was going to be a weird trip.

I headed back to where I was supposed to meet up with Arc Light and Schooner who had gotten everything settled in.

"So, any luck?" Arc asked.

"Maybe, but you're not going to like it," I said with a groan before telling her what I had found out.

"Scootaloo, you always seem to take me to the weirdest places..." Arc said with a groan as we started out of the inn.

00000

Upon arrival at the building, after paying the caps, I was directed to one of the rooms where we were told that the mare we were looking for was. Arc said she felt weird going into there and I didn't blame her, so here I was, all alone, in a brothel.
Sweetie Belle wouldn't be happy with me.

When I opened the door an Earth Pony mare looked up at me from the bed, she was a shade of deep pink with a short darker pink mane and a short tail that barely covered her, parts. She was wearing a piece of lingerie that showed off her cutie mark, a pink flower blossom.

"So, you're my next client then?" She asked with a sultry smile as she laid back on the bed. "So, what's your..."

"Uh, I'm not here for that," I said with a deep blush that I tried to hide with my fedora. "I'm here because the bartender at the Blazing Sands said you're from Stable 48."

"Ah yes, Xavin, his sister's a regular," the mare said with a light chuckle. "So, what do you want to know?"

"The, son of a close friend of mine made it into Stable 48, I was asked to see if he had any surviving family in the Stable," I said. "There's, a concern that the Enclave may be using his bloodline."

"What was his name?"

I remembered back to when we had been called to the Hospital to meet the foal. It had saddened me a little that Apple Bloom was giving him up for adoption, but with the war going on even putting pressure on the Apple family, she couldn't care for him and neither could the others.

The war seemed to ruin a lot of happy families.

"Arkansas Black," I said as I adjusted my hat again. "I'm not sure if that name means anything to you but..."

"It does!" The mare interrupted, which surprised me a little. "I was a Breeder in Stable 48 so they kept meticulous records of my family tree... Arkansas Black was the name of my ancestor from 200 years ago."

"Okay, that was easier than I thought it would be..." I said with a shake of my head, but there was still more we had to do before we could leave here. "I still need to get into Stable 48 though, can you help me?"

The mare cringed a little and shook her head. "That would be, difficult, for both of us..." she said as she got to her hooves and walked towards me.

My eyes went wide when I saw what she meant, she had a bulge to her stomach that could only mean one thing. I nodded in understanding.

"How far along are you?"

"Six months, the father's the Overmare's son," she said with a sigh and shook her head. "I left the Stable so my foal wouldn't wind up like him. I could get you back in Stable 48, but I don't know if they'll ever let me leave."

Now everything made sense, I sighed and shook my head. "I'll figure something out... what's your name anyway?"

She smiled a little. "Cherry Blossom."

00000

"So how'd it go?" Arc asked as I left the building.

"Okay I guess, I found the pony we're looking for, but we still need to get to Stable 48," I said with a sigh as I put my hat back on. "She's worried that if she returns to Stable 48 they'll never let her leave, she was one of the Breeders in there and she's pregnant, with the Overmare's grandfoal."

"Well, that's certainly a problem," Arc said with a sigh as she shook her head a little. "What do we need to do then?"

"Seems to me like we need to figure out how to get her out of this place, and then figure out how to guarantee her safety in the Stable itself," I said with a sigh, that wasn't going to be easy, maybe if we went in with some back-up we could... "Wait, what about Henry? Maybe she can help us out somehow."

"That could work, a Ranger backing us up could be useful if the Enclave has taken over the Stable," Arc said. "I just hope we can get this done with as little issue as possible."

I nodded in agreement, I didn't want to have to lie to Arc Light about the real reason we had to go to Stable 48, especially with the Enclave making it even more important. If the Enclave had accessed the key, then it would be trouble for everyone.
We headed towards the rough looking building that served as the NCR's embassy in Reino. The city itself was considered independent from what I understood, but the NCR kept a presence in several cities around the Wasteland just in case.

I was actually struck by how many different races I saw when I arrived, in addition to Ponies and Griffons I saw Zebras, a Minotaur, and something that resembled an even more unpleasant looking Diamond Dog which I think was a Hellhound.

We found Henry talking with a Zebra Ranger she waved to us when we approached. "Hey Scootaloo, Arc Light, how's Reino treating you?"

"Pretty well, listen we were wondering if you could help us with something," I said and told her what was going on.

"I see," Henry said as she looked thoughtful. "Well a few of us were supposed to accompany you to the Stable anyway according to our orders, but helping this mare might be tricky."

"She knows Stable 48 better than anypony, if we're going to do this we're going to need the information she can provide," I said with a tone of finality in my voice. "Please Henry, if there's anything you or the NCR could do, we can use the help."

Henry sighed a little as she thought about it, I just had to hope that I wasn't pushing her too hard right now.

"Okay, I'll try and talk with Timber," she finally said with a shake of her head. "I don't like having to deal with ponies in this town, we might want to consider getting some extra muscle just to be safe."

"We could try the local Bounty Hunter Guild," the Zebra suggested. "Its not exactly ideal, but they might be able to get somepony to help."

"Alright, its worth a try," Henry said with a nod. "Sira, your job is to talk with the Guild, we'll deal with Timber."

"Yes ma'am," The Zebra said and headed out of the embassy.

"This better be worth the trouble we're going through," Henry said with a sigh. "If the Enclave really is moving in on this territory, we don't have the numbers here to stop them."

"Don't worry Henry, if Scootaloo thinks she can help us, I trust her," Arc Light said.

"Alright, I trust you, but if you're wrong, its on both your heads."

That didn't fill me with confidence as we headed out of the embassy and towards the brothel again... this was going to be a long day.

00000

Timber as it turned out was a portly looking Earth Pony stallion dressed in a pinstripe suit and smoking a cigar. He leered at me and Arc as we entered, which just made me cringe, I hated this guy from the minute I saw him.

"So, the NCR wants Cherry Blossom for some sort of mission do they?" He asked as he took a drag on his cigar. "She's very popular among the mares that come to my fine establishment, what's in it for me if I let her go?"

"The NCR will be willing to compensate you of course," Henry offered. "We'll be willing to pay you any caps to make up for your lost profits."

"Lost profits are an understatement," Timber said. "That mare knows tricks my other girls couldn't dream of, its all about repeat business here and if I lose one of my best girls even for a few days, I'll lose more than just a few caps."

I really, really hated this stallion, calling him sleazy was an insult to sleazy ponies. I had no idea how Cherry Blossom came to work for him, but I was starting to get the impression that it wasn't entirely of her own free will.

When I looked at Arc Light she looked equally disgusted and Henry didn't exactly look thrilled either. This was going to be a hard sell, and I was afraid to ask what he'd want in return for us getting Cherry Blossom.

"Now of course if you were to offer me a more, physical incentive..."

Oh dear Celestia, I really didn't want to know what he meant by that. He was looking right at me too, I was suddenly very glad that I couldn't see his lower body behind his desk.

"You know, we heard Winter Breeze's broadcast here too, and I'll bet anything that you're Scootaloo. There's a lot of ponies out there who would love to have their way with the Vice President of Stable-Tec for what she did, give her to me for a few days and..."

Oh dear Celestia he went there!

"That's out of the question!" I said at the same time Henry did.

"Shame, I was so hoping we could make a deal, oh well... I guess you won't be getting Ms. Blossom then," Timber said as he leaned back in his chair.

There had to be another way to do this... wait, he was interested in profits and his bottom line right? Maybe there was another way after all.

"So you said you heard Winter Breeze's speech huh?" I asked and the stallion nodded simply. "You're probably thinking that you can make a deal with the Enclave, maybe let them have some of your girls whenever they want, they'll leave you alone and let you keep your little, uh, business right?"

"Of course, that's how this world works isn't it? I do something for them, they do something for me," Timber said as he blew a puff of smoke on me. "What's your point?"

"The Enclave despises ponies like you Timber," I said with a smirk. "You're nothing more than a two bit criminal to them, and they'd never make a deal like that with you. You're scum to them, a peddler of flesh no better than a Slaver in their eyes. If you're lucky they'll just execute you on the spot, and that's if you're lucky."

"Now the NCR on the other claw," Henry continued, she got the idea quickly enough. "We may not exactly like your practice, but a lot of our soldiers like to use places like this to blow off some steam. I'm sure a few have passed through your doors since the Embassy opened up."

"Oh you have no idea, even that ambassador of yours came here a couple of times," Timber said.

"But of course that's only because its allowed," Henry continued. "I'm the ranking military officer in Reino at the moment, which means that I can prohibit all NCR troops from visiting your establishment."

"What'll that do to your bottom line?" Arc asked with a smirk.

"And in addition I'll post two Rangers outside to discourage citizens from entering your business," Henry added. "So what do you say, give up one mare or risk going completely out of business?"

"That's blackmail," he said with a growl.

"Call it what you want, the NCR may not control Reino, but we don't have to let our citizens come here," Henry said. "So what do you say?"

"Fine... take her," he finally relented. "But if you ever set hoof in my place again, I'll make sure you regret it."

"Oh we already do," I said with a groan. "We already do."

00000

"I really hate having to deal with ponies like him," Henry said with a groan as we headed towards the room Cherry Blossom was in.

"Are there many ponies like him in Reino?" Arc Light asked.

"Most of the town is a criminal of some sort, the place is a wretched hive of scum and villainy," Henry said. "If you believe the rumors the real power in Reino is a Griffon named Galvez, has his claws in everything."

"So, why does the NCR stay here?" I asked.

"Reino is a hub for important trade routes to the west and north, we have to keep our interests maintained here," she replied with a shrug.

"I'll see you tomorrow," a Zebra mare said with a wink as she stepped out of Cherry Blossom's room, when she saw us she blushed and galloped off.

"What was up with that?" Arc asked as we entered the room, Cherry looked up at us from the bed.

"She's Carnilia," the pink mare said as she got up. "And she's a closet lesbian, she doesn't want it to get out."

"Why not?" Arc asked curiously. "There's nothing wrong with being in love with mares, is there?"

"Of course not," Cherry said as she started gathering her things together. "At least to most ponies and Zebras, but the Carnilia they believe that life is sacred. They generally frown on any relationship that wouldn't produce viable offspring."

She finally slipped into her Stable barding and hooked the PipBuck to her leg.

"So I've heard that you three got me out of my job here, thanks for that really, but I'm not sure where to go from here."

"We're getting ponies together to investigate what's going on in Stable 48," I said as Cherry finished checking her PipBuck. "If you can help us get in there, we can keep you safe and after that you can go wherever you want in Equestria."

"The NCR will help with that," Henry added. "I guarantee it."

"It sounds like you're going through a lot of trouble just for me," Cherry said and then shrugged. "Well, it beats working for Timber at least, but promise me that you'll keep me and my baby safe."

"I promise," I said. "Nothing will happen to either of you."

Cherry looked at me for a long moment before nodding. "Okay then, what's the plan?"

"We'll be staying in town tonight and strike out for Stable 48 in the morning," Henry said. "You'll be staying with these two since we don't have any more room at the embassy."

"Alright, sounds good to me," Cherry said and looked at me with a smirk and a small wink.

Oh dear Celestia, what had I gotten myself into?

00000

I yawned as I sat on the bed, removing my coat and hat I looked at Cherry who was watching me curiously.
"Let me guess, you're wondering how I'm still alive," I said with a sigh.

"Really I'm more wondering why you got me out of that place," Cherry said. "You just met me today and you practically moved Elysium and Equestria to get me on your team."

"Like I said, your ancestor was a close friend of mine," I said as I laid back in the bed. "I lost her... I lost them all in the war, and I felt like I should help you. I was being honest, you can do whatever you want after we're done in Stable 48."

"What if I wanted to go back to Timber?"

"Do you?"

"I'm a breeder, Scootaloo, I was raised for one purpose, sex," Cherry said, which made me cringe, I was starting to really regret that part of the experiment. "If I can't go home, what place do I have in this world?"

"You've been out in the world before right?" I asked and she nodded. "That means you have scout training as well, so you know how to survive. You don't have to spend the rest of your life on your back for whatever pony wants you. Isn't that why you left Stable 48, to give you and your foal a different life?"

She looked thoughtful for a moment and laid down next to me. "I did but... I don't know, I wound up working for Timber after I paid a visit to the place, it was the only real opportunity I had in the outside world. Maybe, just maybe, you've given me another one."

With that she smiled and gave me a light kiss on the cheek which caused me to blush. Did she take some strange pleasure in teasing me or was there something more to it than that?

"Thank you Scootaloo," she said with a smile as she turned to face the wall. "I'll think about what you said, I promise."

I smiled a little and laid back on the bed. "You're welcome Cherry, I'll talk to you tomorrow."

"Get a room you two, some of us are trying to sleep," Arc said from the other bed with a laugh. "You can make out tomorrow!"

I groaned as the younger mare laughed, I put my earbuds in and tuned into NCR radio once more to listen to the voice of DJ Pon3.

"Well, its late night with your good friend DJ Pon3, so lets get one last bit of news in before all my little ponies out there get to bed. As you know here at NCR Radio we've got a policy of telling the truth no matter how hard it hurts, and its time that the truth fully comes to light. Last year, I became fully aware of the continued survival of one Scootaloo Dash, but I believed that this truth was better left untold until the time was right. So my little ponies, tomorrow I will be broadcasting the full interview between my assistant the lovely Xiraia and Ms. Dash, lets hope you're all listening, because she has a lot to say. Now here's some Sweetie Belle to bring you all to sleep."

I smiled softly as the sound of Sweetie Belle's voice filled my ears, I closed my eyes and drifted off to sleep thinking of her.

00000

I dreamed of Ponyville again, not the ruined Ponyville but the one where the bombs had never gone off. I looked up at the blue cloud filled sky and smiled as I saw a familiar flash of blue and rainbow colors high above me.

I smiled a little when I realized I felt a warm body against me and turned my head to see the smiling face of Sweetie Belle.

"Hey there sleeping beauty, glad to see you're awake," she said and nuzzled me gently. "How'd you sleep? Did you have any more of those dreams?"

"Okay I guess," I said with a shrug. "And yeah, I think so... Sweetie, do you ever wonder why we're here?"

"Well that's one of life's great mysteries isn't it?"

"Yeah, it is," I said with a sigh. "Sometimes I wonder if maybe the wasteland I keep seeing is some sort of, retribution for what happened to us during the war. We all made mistakes, ponies were hurt and died... all for what? What kind of legacy are we leaving for our children?"

"I don't know," Sweetie said softly as she looked at me. "Scootaloo, we did what we had to do during the war. I'm not saying what we did was perfect, but it all turned out okay in the end. The treaty after the Caesar was deposed that Celestia helped negotiate has held for over 10 years. The Megaspells are gone, the Ministries are dismantled, and the Stables will never have to be used, I'd call that a win."

"Yeah, me too... lets just hope we can keep from repeating the same mistakes," I said with a soft sigh as I looked at her again with a smile. "I'm lucky to have you Sweetie Belle."

"I'm lucky to have you too Scootaloo Dash," Sweetie said as she nuzzled me again. "So, I went to talk to the Doctor today..."

"Are you okay?" I asked, my ears perking up, I didn't want anything to happen to Sweetie even in this dream world.

"Scootaloo, I'm fine, better than fine in fact," she said reassuringly. "It worked, the spell worked finally... Scootaloo, I'm pregnant."

I gasped in surprise, me and Sweetie had always been talking about having a foal together (I assumed that Cloudy was probably not conceived with magic in this world), but I had no idea that it would ever work.

"Really?"

"Really."

I hugged her tight, wrapping my wings and forelegs around her as I started to cry a little. I was going to be a mom again, and I couldn't be happier.

I just wished this was more than just a dream.

"Come on, Rarity is watching Cloudy, she deserves to know the good news," Sweetie said as we released the hug and started off towards Carousel Boutique.

"Rarity, we're here!" Sweetie said as she opened the door and we entered. "How did Cloudy behave?"

"Oh she was wonderful," Rarity said as she looked up from the dress that she was working on at the moment. "She and Sapphire are just in the next room."

"Thanks for watching her," I said with a smile as we headed into the next room.

"Any time Scootaloo," Rarity said with a smile. "She's a wonderful filly and I'm always glad to watch her."

We headed into the next room where Cloudy was playing with a white filly with a long purple mane. I was a little surprised to notice that the filly didn't have only pony traits, in fact she looked more like a mix of pony and dragon.

Wait, why was she named Sapphire when she wasn't blue?

"Mommy, Mommy Sweetie!" Cloudy said as she ran over and hugged us both.

"Hey Cloudy, did you have fun with Sapphire today?" Sweetie asked as we hugged her back.

"Yep!" Cloudy said with a smile as I wrapped my wings around the two.

"That's good," I said as we looked at her for a long moment. "We have some good news we want to tell you."

"You do? What is it?"

"Your mother and I have been trying to have a foal together for awhile now," Sweetie said with a smile. "I just heard from the Doctor that it finally worked, you're going to be a big sister."

"Yay!" Cloudy said, her wings buzzing happily as she flew around us.

It was nice to have my family together even for a short time, I just wished that it was real sometimes.

"Come on, we should go tell your Aunt Rarity and Uncle Spike," Sweetie said as we started heading out of the room with Sapphire close behind.

Wait, Rarity and Spike were together in this dream world? Well that explained why Sapphire was half dragon. I just didn't think that Rarity felt that way about Spike, it was kind of strange, but hey, it was just a dream.

"And of course Grandma Rainbow," I added and Sweetie nodded in agreement. "I can't believe we're going to be parents again."

"Me neither Scootaloo, but I couldn't be happier," Sweetie said and nuzzled me. "I love you Scootaloo."

"I love you too Sweetie," I said and nuzzled her back.

00000

The next day after breakfast we headed back to the embassy to talk with Henry and the other Rangers we were to be traveling with. Henry was waiting with Sira and another Ranger along with a grey furred mare dressed in a black outfit with a blue Pegasus filly with a white desperado hat.

"Scootaloo, Arc Light, Cherry Blossom, meet Silver and Clear Skies," Henry said with a nod to the two.

"Nice to meet you," I said as I shook hooves with Silver. "Did the Bounty Hunter Guild send you?"

"Yeah, they did," Silver said as she looked at the filly with her. "So, what do we know about Stable 48?"

We gave her a quick rundown of what we knew about Stable 48 as we started walking out of town towards Mount Lilly again. It admittedly wasn't a lot to go on because we didn't actually have any information on its current state outside of what Cherry would be able to tell us.

"Admittedly, my information is a few months out of date," Cherry said as she picked up where I had left off. "Stable 48 has pretty much kept to what Scootaloo said for the last 200 years. Because of my role in the Stable I know the general layout and most of the ponies that live there so I'll be able to help out there, we just have to make sure we're careful... I don't actually know how they'll react to you."

"Well, we'll figure it out," Arc Light said with a nod before looking at Clear Skies. "Is it going to be okay to bring a filly?"

"She'll be fine," Silver said. "She's been through worse, I'll keep her safe."

"Yeah, I'll be fine!" Clear Skies said with a smile. "This is nothing compared to those Marauder ponies."

"Lets hope so," I said with a shrug, I didn't like the idea of taking a filly into a place the Enclave might be, but I didn't have much of a choice.

We walked for awhile longer along the road heading along the road. I sighed a little as I looked up at the sky, if the Enclave was in this area they'd come after us sooner or later, I just had to hope that we'd be able to handle it.

I looked down at Clear Skies who trotted up next to me with a smile. "Hey there, how long have you been traveling with Silver?"

"Oh, a couple of years now, she kept me safe on the way to New Pegasus a couple of years back and I've stuck with her ever since."

I smiled a little at that, it was interesting to see the bonds that ponies formed with one another in Equestria. Clear Skies and Silver certainly seemed to have an interesting relationship and I had too admit I wondered what kind of adventures they had together.

"Well, that's great," I said with a smile. "She seems like a nice pony."

"Yeah, she is, she's a great mom," Clear Skies said with a nod as we continued on towards the ski resort.

00000

"Halt!" A stallion's voice said as we reached the outer edge of the ski resort, they were Pegasi dressed in Enclave Power Armor, which made me nervous but at least they weren't shooting at us yet.

"Uh, hi, I'm here to return to the Stable with some traders from out East," Cherry Blossom said as the Enclave soldiers looked her over. "If you talk to Overmare Lilac, I'm sure she'll want me back in the Stable."

I hoped we didn't look nervous given that the Enclave probably had my picture posted everywhere. The officer looks us over for a long moment before talking to the others with him for a long moment.

"This was a bad idea..." Arc Light whispered to me. "They're not stupid enough to fall for this."

"She's carrying a future Overmare or Overstallion, I don't think they'll let her go," I said with a shake of my head. "We're going to have to be careful here regardless, we'll just have to see what they say."

"Yeah, lets hope that it at least works a little," Silver said with a sigh as she carefully moved Clear Skies behind her just in case.

"Stay on your guard," Henry said as we waited for the Enclave soldiers to come up with some sort of answer.

"Stay here, I'll be right back," the officer said as he headed into the building.

There was a long and tense moment as we waited for him to return. I had no idea exactly what to expect right now, it was odd that the Enclave was willing to talk instead of just shooting at us as we arrived but there wasn't much we could do really.

Why was the Enclave even here for that matter? Sure they had gone after the Pegasi Stables before I had been exiled, but ground based ones seemed kind of strange for them. This must be related to what Winter Breeze had been talking about, was it possible that she was at least in part being honest?

I took a deep breath and looked up as the doors opened again and the officer came back out accompanied by a light purple mare with a white mane with pink stripes in it stepped out and looked at Cherry Blossom.

"The Prodigal Daughter returns," she said with a frown. "So did you finally get tired of life above ground?"

"Uh, yes, I did Overmare," Cherry said. "After the last few months I realized that I shouldn't have left the Stable and my foal should be raised in the Stable. I met these traders from a settlement out East that wanted to set up a trade route with the Stable."

"Yeah, that's right," I said. "We're from the Settlement at Memoria, we're interested in making an agreement with Stable 48 and trying to establish trade."

"Well, what can you offer?" The mare asked. "We have a lot of supplies at the moment, what we really need is ponies."

Of course, there really wasn't enough genetic diversity in the Stable so they were looking for more ponies to use for reproduction. The Overmare looked at each of us in turn and I gulped a little, all of a sudden I was nervous about this.

"Please, don't leave me alone in there..." Cherry whispered to me with pleading eyes.

I looked between the group, each of them in turn gave a silent nod as they knew we didn't have much of a choice if we were going to make it into the Stable. I just had to hope that we were making the right choice by doing this.

"Alright, we'll come help you out for now at least, though some of us need to go back to Reino and Memoria," I said.

"We're just interested in the ponies anyway," Overmare Lilac said as she looked at the Griffon and Zebra. "Your guards and the dog will go back, the four of you will accompany us to Stable 48."

"Fine," Arc Light said with a groan. "Lets just go."

"We'll be okay Henry," I said with a nod to the Griffon and whispered to her. "Get word to the NCR, we might need backup just in case."

"I'll take care of it," she said with a nod before walking off with the other Rangers.

"Come on, I'll show you to your new home," Lilac said as our weapons were taken by the Enclave soldiers and we were escorted into the building.

We were taken down a set of stairs into the basement of the resort where we saw the gear shaped opening where the Stable door usually was. Beyond it there were more ponies dressed in either Stable jumpsuits or Enclave armor with the sign "Welcome to Stable 48" above it.

I sighed a little, I just hoped that we wouldn't have to stay here very long, and that the Enclave hadn't found what they were looking for in this place.

This was going to be a very long day.

00000

"So, do you have any family medical conditions we should be aware of?" The Stable's Doctor asked as she examined me.

"Just a magical deficiency," I said as I looked back at my wings with a sigh. "It comes up every few generations in my family."

"I see, I see, any pre-existing conditions?"

"No, I mean I think there was something of a mutation but it hasn't really caused me any problems," I said as the doctor scanned me with her horn.

"Ah yes, there it is," she said with a nod. "It doesn't seem to be affecting your body systems, so that's a good thing at least. It seems more useful than anything else, has it caused you any problems?"

"No, not yet," I said. "Is that a problem?"

"No, no of course not," she said as she finished. "I see that you seem to have had a foal before, was there any problems with the pregnancy?"

"No, it was pretty ordinary as far as pregnancies go from what I understand," I said with a shrug. "Are there any problems?"

"No, you're a healthy mare given everything I've seen from here," she said with a nod. "Given how dangerous the surface can be, you're very lucky to be this healthy."

"Well, umm, thank you," I said as I put my coat back on. "What about the others that came in with me?"

"They should be okay, but we're concerned that the grey one is barren, the Overmare is going to have to figure out what to do with her," the Doctor said.

"Wait, Silver is barren?" I asked, which surprised me a little, that would certainly make this a challenge but I had to roll with it. "She and Clear Skies are really close to each other, it wouldn't be right to separate them."

"Like I said, its up to the Overmare, but I'll recommend that she's allowed to stay in the Breeder quarters," the Doctor said with a shrug. "Alright, I think you're all ready, just come by every few weeks until the first breeding cycle okay?"

"Alright, I will," I said with a nod, this was going to be an odd experience to say the least. "What are the chances of being picked?"

"Honestly I don't know," she said with a shrug. "Its all kind of picked based on your DNA for who would have the best chance of helping the Stable. Given that you're new to the Stable, its more than likely that you'll be chosen along with your companions, well except for Cherry for obvious reasons."

I nodded and headed out of medical and off towards the Breeder wing.

00000

"And that was our interview with Scootaloo, I hope you all learned a little something about what's been going on around here. Remember that just because a pony made mistakes in the past doesn't mean that they can't make up for them in the present. Its not fair to judge ponies based on their mistakes in the past instead of on what they are doing in the present. We've all made mistakes my little ponies, never forget that, forgiveness is always a virtue and nopony should be hated just because of their mistakes."

"I'm sorry you wound up here..." Cherry said as I sat on the bed in the quarters we had been assigned to sleep in.

"Its okay, it had to be done in order to finish our mission here," I said with a sigh as I laid back on the bed and looked over at Cherry. "How's your baby?"

"I'm having a filly," she said with a weak smile. "She's still healthy which is good, but I'm worried about what'll happen with her father."

"Has he even come to talk to you yet?"

"Honestly, not yet, I guess he's busy with the whole Enclave thing," she said with a shrug as she laid back. "Sometimes I wish I hadn't been picked to be a Breeder... how does that even work?"

"Its supposed to be about the strongest genetics in the Stable," I said with a sigh. "The idea is for the best chance for the ponies to survive."

"I see, well I'm just glad I got to see the outside world for a little while," Cherry said as she rolled over and looked at me. "Have you ever been a mother Scootaloo?"

"I was, a long time ago," I said with a sigh. "I just wish I could see her again... but she's long dead."

She nodded and placed her hoof on her stomach sadly. "I just wanted to be a mother to my foal, that's all I really wanted to do when I left the Stable. If I stayed, she might be become like her father, a spoiled brat who thinks he's entitled to everything just because of his mother."

"I'm sorry..." I said, I meant it, it was all my fault that she was back in this Stable.

I got up off the bed and laid down next to her. I wrapped my wings gently around the pink mare and held her close.

"You would make a great mother Cherry Blossom, I know it," I said with a smile as she closed her eyes with a smile. "I promise that I'll get you out of here, both of you..."

I closed my eyes and drifted off to sleep with the mare in my warm embrace.

LEVEL UP!
Perk Received: Stable Delver
Details: You've discovered and delved into the secrets of the pre-war Stables, letting you get a better knowledge of what's going on. You get an improved chance of hitting a target in SATS.

Author's Note

Sapphire belongs to my friend Desmond Asmodean

Chapter 9: Stable-Tec

"The human voice can never reach the distance
that is covered by the still,
small voice of conscience."
-Mahatma Gandhi

"Good morning Stable 48, this is the Overmare with your morning announcements," the voice of Overmare Lilac came over my PipBuck. "As some of you are already aware, we have some new guests in our little Stable. Most of them will be part of the breeding division and incorporated into the next cycle a few months from now."

Oh wonderful, just what I needed first thing in the morning, a reminder of how screwed up my life had become since yesterday. I sighed and looked at the still sleeping form of Cherry Blossom, she actually seemed content to be in my embrace, and I had to admit it was really nice to have another pony close to me like this.

"All new Stable Dwellers and returning ponies are to report to the Atrium for your orientation at 0830. In other news, Colonel Twister of the Enclave has assured me that more Enclave citizens will be coming to the Stable in order to fulfill their end of the agreement within the week. He has the assurances of President Winter Breeze herself, which..."

"That's enough out of you," I said as I switched off my PipBuck, Cherry's eyes fluttered open as she looked up at me. "Good morning sleepyhead."

"Good morning," Cherry said and blushed a little when she realized how close we were, but she just smiled and rested her head on my chest. "Thank you Scootaloo..."

"For what?"

"For being there for me when I needed it," she said with a sad smile. "Sometimes it feels like its just me and the little one against the world, you know what I mean?"

"Yeah, I do," I said and nuzzled her a little. "Cherry, you don't have to be alone ever again, I promise that I'll help you as best I can."

"Thanks," Cherry said with a nod. "You have no idea how much that means to me."

We stayed there for a long time, just holding each other in our forelegs. I looked into the pink eyes of the mare who's bed I had shared last night and smiled a little as I brushed a strand of her mane from out of her eyes.

"Come on, we're expected in the Atrium at 0830," I said as I released her from my embrace and went to get my clothes on as Cherry did the same.

"Do you think the others will be okay?" Cherry asked, the question made me pause for a moment, I wasn't quite sure how to answer it right away.

"I hope so," I finally said as I put my coat on. "I really hope so."

00000

We stepped into the atrium's bottom floor where the others were already waiting. Silver wasn't looking happy as she stayed close to where Clear Skies was, the poor filly looked more scared than anything else.

I sighed a little, I was scared too to be honest, Stable 48 seemed to have survived this long but I had no idea if that was going to last. The Enclave didn't seem to be causing too much trouble in here, but that was only because the Stable likely had something they wanted.

And I was afraid to know what that something was.

"Alright, is everypony here?" A mare said as she looked between us, she was a Unicorn mare who was a light shade of purple with a white mane, she levitated a stack of papers out of her bags. "Good, good, alright I'm Violet Star, I'm in charge of the Breeder Division here in Stable 48. I'm looking at your medical scans here from Doctor Clearwater, everything seems to be in order, except for Miss. Silver..."

Uh-oh, I was afraid of this, I somehow knew this was going to come back to bite us in the flank. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all.

"Who because of her medical condition is not fit to serve in the Breeder division," Violet continued. "As such she will be assigned to Chief Blackfire with the Security division, now as Cherry Blossom will tell you this normally means that she would be separated from the filly that is in her care..."

"WHAT?" Silver shouted and I didn't blame her at all, she was about to make a run at Violet when the mare continued as if nothing had happened.

"Miss. Clear Skies will be allowed to stay with Silver in the Security Wing until she is of age," Violet finished. "You really shouldn't jump to conclusions Ms. Silver."

Silver just grumbled a little at that.

"As for the rest of you, Clear Skies will be sent to school with the other foals, and Cherry Blossom you're to help these two get, familiarized with their new duties, you are all dismissed."

Silver and Clear Skies shared a hug before they went their separate ways. I was worried all of a sudden, I didn't want anything to happen to either of them right now, I just had to hope that everything would be okay.

"Come on, lets get you two situated," Cherry said as she turned and lead us back towards the Breeder wing.

00000

"As a rule all the breeders tend to be bisexual, but we lean towards one gender or the other," Cherry said as we entered the common room for the wing where a few other ponies were talking. "Mind you I lean towards mares and that doesn't always make a difference when the cycle comes around."

I flinched a little at that, the breeders were meant to be in order to make sure that the population of the Stable was maintained. I was starting to get the feeling that more often than not they were used for other purposes as well, which probably explained how Cherry wound up working in that brothel.

"Don't worry you two, you won't have to take on any duties until you're ready, or until your names are picked in the cycle," Cherry said. "Most of the time breeders are trained from a young age but I guess we don't have time for that."

"They could've at least put me in maintenance," Arc grumbled. "Why does Silver suddenly get preferential treatment?"

"She can't have children," I said as I remembered the conversation I had with the Doctor the day before. "So they can't use her in the breeding division, at least not for reproduction purposes."

"Oh, yeah, that would do it," Arc said with a shrug. "Wait, then what's the story between her and Clear Skies?"

"I have no idea, maybe she's adopted?" I suggested with a shrug. "Its the Wasteland, there's likely plenty of orphans out there."

"Yeah..." Arc said sadly as she shook her head. "And with the war with the Enclave, probably even more to come."

We got a quick overview of the system for the breeding cycle, I pretty much knew it already. During mating season a number of both mares and stallions from the breeding division would be selected along with ponies from the main Stable population based on genetic compatibility. Once the foals were born, they would be selected for one of the divisions and placed in its care to be trained until they were old enough to help around the Stable.

Technically speaking there was also supposed to be scouts, which Cherry mentioned briefly, however it seemed like that had started to be phased out since the Enclave arrived in the Stable. The purpose of the scouts had been to keep the immune system of the Stable Dwellers strong so that they could leave eventually.

After all, that was the point of all the Stables, to eventually leave and make their home in the Wasteland. I just hoped that the Enclave wasn't going to make that impossible for these ponies.

"And, yeah, that's about it," Cherry said. "Are there any questions?"

"Other than how we're going to get out of this mess?" Arc whispered to me.

"We'll figure it out, I promise," I said back to her before looking at Cherry. "No, that's about it, thank you Cherry."

"You're welcome," Cherry said with what seemed to me like a forced smile. "We have the most important job in Stable 48 after all don't we?"

Yeah, I'm sure that's what everypony in a division said, maybe this experiment was a mistake after all.

"Scootaloo, can I talk to you alone?" Cherry asked, which surprised me a little, but I nodded in agreement.

"Okay, I'll catch up with you later Arc," I said.

"I expect her home by 2100 hours young lady," Arc said with a grin as she looked at Cherry who just blushed when she realized what Arc was suggesting.

"Very funny Arc, we're adults, we don't need a curfew!" I protested which just made the Unicorn laugh and trot off. "I swear, she's doing this to get back at me for what I said in Crystal City."

"What did you say in Crystal City?" Cherry asked, looking at me.

"Oh, I teased her a little about this mare she has a crush on," I said with a shrug, which just made the pink mare blush more. "So what did you want to talk to me about?"

"Oh, umm, well you see..." Cherry said nervously before trailing off a little. "Pimento wants to talk to me, he's... my foal's father, and I want you to be there, okay?"

Oh, yeah that was a very good reason, I didn't know a lot about him but I really didn't like what she had told me so far. I understood that she wanted somepony to be there with her when she talked to him, but I wasn't sure why she wanted it to be me.

Still, she was a friend and Rainbow Dash had always taught me that you should never leave a friend hanging. I smiled a little and took her hooves in mine.

"Okay Cherry, I'll go with you."

"Oh thank you, thank you, thank you!" Cherry said as she hugged me tightly. "You have no idea how much this means to me!"

I smiled a little as I hugged her back, patting her gently on the back. I was happy to have the opportunity to help her out.
"So, when are we meeting him?"

"For lunch, come on, I'll show you around while we wait," Cherry said and lead me further into the Breeder wing.

I blushed a little when I caught myself staring at her flanks as she walked, they were rather nice and shapely and... darn it Arc, now you've got me thinking about her like that too! Are you happy?

00000

After a tour of the wing we headed up the stairs to the top floor of the Atrium to go to the administration wing. This area was a lot better guarded with Enclave and Security posted outside pretty much every door as we went past.

"Why are the Enclave even interested in Stable 48?" Cherry commented out loud as we went past another stoic looking Pegasus. "We're not really that important, at least not anymore than any other Stable."

"Yeah, I'm not sure either," I lied, I knew exactly why but this wasn't the time or the place. "Maybe because of you."

"Me?"

"Your family line I mean, you're descended from Apple Bloom so that could make you an asset to the Enclave in getting access to some Stable-Tec facilities," I said with a shake of my head. "Most relatives of myself, Apple Bloom, and Sweetie Belle are accounted for, you were the only one we didn't know about."

"Well, both of us," Cherry said and I nodded. "Do you have any descendants out there Scootaloo?"

"I do, she's a wild little Pegasus filly from the Crystal Wasteland," I said quietly once I was sure I was out of hearing distance of anypony from the Enclave. "She's a good pony, I kind of wish she was with me right now sometimes, but she has ponies that she needs to be with."

Cherry smiled a little at that. "She sounds like fun, I'll have to meet her when we get out of this nightmare."

"Yeah, that sounds like a plan, we just have to figure out how we're going to get out of here first," I said with a shake of my head. "Any chance Pimento can help with that?"

"I doubt it," Cherry said with a shrug as we stopped in front of a door. "Here we are..."

I looked at her and placed my hoof on her's, giving her a reassuring squeeze. "It'll be okay Cherry, I promise I'll be here every minute we're in there."

She smiled and nodded as she knocked on the door. After a minute the door opened to reveal an Enclave soldier dressed in a uniform instead of their power armor, she looked us up and down for a moment before calling into the room.

"Your guest has arrived, but she brought the Dashite," she said, which made me cringe a little. "Should we let them in?"

"Oh let them in, she's disarmed, she can't do any harm to you," a stallion's voice said from inside the room. "You're way too paranoid."

The soldier just rolled her eyes and ushered us in, we were in a set of quarters that were fairly lavishly decorated. Seated at a table was a Unicorn stallion with a dark green coat and a yellow mane and tail that looked at us with a smile.

"Cherry, its so good to see you again," he said with a smile as Cherry took a seat at the table. "And who's this, your bodyguard? Marefriend perhaps? What were you up to while you were out there?"

"That's none of your business," Cherry grumbled. "I'm only here to help her out."

"I see, I see, well why don't you two get a chair for our guest," Pimento said as he gestured towards the two Enclave soldiers who grumbled and went to get a chair. "I apologize for the Enclave's treatment of you Ms. Scootaloo."

"Its fine, they've left me alone for the most part," I said. "Well other than a few dirty looks."

"The Enclave have been a great help to us in Stable 48," Pimento said as the soldiers set out a chair for me and I took a seat.

"I can see that," I commented as I looked around and the food was set out. "I just have to know, what did they want in return?"

"Nothing but loyalty and access to some files, genetic files mostly," Pimento said with a shrug. "President Winter Breeze herself came here to oversee the transition."

I froze for a moment as my eyes went wide, Winter Breeze had come here? To Stable 48? I really wish I could come up with one of those creative curses LittlePip liked to do so much right now.

"The President was here, why?" Cherry asked as I tried to piece things together.

"I don't know, she spoke with my mother for a few hours, took a tour of the Stable, met some of the mares like your friend Holly, and then left without another word," Pimento said with a shrug. "She seemed friendly enough."

"And how did you first make contact with the Enclave?" I asked. "Did you open the door and send a radio call out or what?"

"No, that's the weird part, they came to us," Pimento said with a shrug. "They just showed up one day and opened the Stable door and offered us whatever we wanted in return for what I told you they took."

"So, the Overmare sold the loyalty of the Stable," Cherry said with a sigh as she took a bite of food. "I didn't know the situation had become that desperate."

"Well, why don't we ask the Vice President of Stable-Tec, what was your plan for the eventuality that there would need to be an injection of new DNA for the Stable to survive?" Pimento asked as he looked at me.

"Well, every eventuality was considered, at that point you were either to use the scouting teams to reproduce with outsiders," I said. "Or you'd abandon the Stable altogether, Cherry here actually had the right idea."

"I see," Pimento said as he shot Cherry a look. "Still, she put our foal at unnecessary risk, and she never should have..."

"I didn't want her to be raised to be like you!" Cherry said as she slammed her forehooves down on the table in front of her. "I didn't even want to be mated with you, but this stupid system doesn't care about sexuality. You're nothing more than a stuck up mamma's boy who's had everything given to him his whole life, and I wanted better for my foal! Now you're nothing more than a tool for the Enclave, you disgust me."

Pimento just stared at the pink mare in shock, it was clear that nopony had ever dared talk to him like that. I smirked a little, I liked Cherry, she had a certain style to her that made her an interesting mare.

"Well, umm... err..." Pimento said nervously, it was clear he was trying to figure out how to recover from that. "Well, you see we should... umm..."

"Forget it, come on Scootaloo, lets get out of here before he makes me vomit," Cherry said as we got up and headed out of the room.

"Are you okay?" I asked her once we were a little ways down the hall.

"I'll be fine," Cherry said with a sigh. "I've just been having a hard time, sometimes it feels like everypony just wants to use me for sex."

"I don't."

"I know you don't Scootaloo," Cherry said with a soft smile. "You're one of the good ones, that means a lot to me."

I smiled and gave her a hug. I couldn't help but feel a little guilty because I had been the one to create this experiment and put her in this position, but I was happy that she had managed to free herself from it.

Now I just had to make sure she stayed free.

00000

"So, did you two behave yourselves? Arc asked as we joined the others at the Stable's saloon for dinner that evening.

"We didn't do anything like that," I said as my face turned red again. "Cherry just wanted me to help her with something is all."

"Yeah, that's all," Cherry said with a blush as we waited for our food. "So, how was school today Clear?"

"It was okay I guess, it was kind of weird really, I guess I just wasn't expecting it to be so..." Clear started to say, trying to think of the right words.

"Explicit?" Cherry asked and she nodded. "Well, unfortunately the whole system in Stable 48 is supposed to be geared towards educating foals to do their selected job from a young age. Its not really designed to bring in outsiders for the various divisions, which can make things awkward."

"Chief Blackfire just went ahead and put me on duty, I guess because of my experience on the surface," Silver said with a shrug. "Mind you Security doesn't really do much other than protect the lower levels these days because the Enclave handles most of it."

Yeah, that figured, of course the Enclave would want to keep things more under their control. I was starting to wonder how
much authority even the Overmare really had anymore.

"Yeah, things have changed a lot since I was last here," Cherry said with a sigh as she took a bite of her food. "I don't like it, there are good ponies in this Stable that don't deserve to be subjected to life under the Enclave."

Well, I was glad that at least one pony had gotten the message. I smiled a little and wrapped my foreleg comfortingly around Cherry, I half expected Arc to make a snide comment, but she was surprisingly quiet.

She had to be thinking about Caramel Corn right now, we still had no idea where she was. I had briefly considered the possibility that her PipBuck tag could be tracked, but that would require us to travel to Stable 66, and that wasn't possible at the moment, plus there was no guarantee that it would even work.

I sighed a little and gave Arc a reassuring smile.

"Well, well, if it isn't the Dashite," a stallion's voice said and we looked up to see a rough looking Pegasus stallion dressed in an Enclave uniform glaring at me. "I'd have thought you'd have enough sense to stay in your wing with the other brood mares."

"Yeah, because if there's one thing I'm known for its having a lot of sense..." I muttered under my breath before speaking up again. "What do you want? I'm not in the mood for dealing with you right now."

"Well too bad," he said with a sneer as he grabbed me. "I'll bet I can get it arranged to get you in the cycle, I'd love to get to spend as much time torturing you as I could you traitor!"

"So what, 30 seconds?" I said with a wicked smirk. "And that's if you could even find your stallionhood."

"What's that supposed to... HEY!"

"I see your brain is even smaller," I said with a smirk. "Took a minute to register huh? I guess the Enclave Remnant doesn't recruit ponies for their brains."

"Oh that's it you little bitch, I'm gonna..." the stallion started to say when he felt my hind hoof connect with his stallionhood, he released me and fell over in pain.

"Don't bother us again or next time I'll geld you instead," I said with a growl that made the stallion whimper and shamble off.

"Remind me to stay on your good side Scootaloo," Silver said with a chuckle. "Though I'm worried that the Enclave may cause a problem because of that."

"Yeah, they probably will," I said with a sigh as I returned to my seat and took another bite of food. "Lets just hope this situation will work in our favor for once."

The others nodded and we continued eating.

00000

It didn't take long for the Enclave's response, as soon as we left the Saloon we were approached by two members of Stable Security. They said that I was to be escorted to the Overmare's office.

I told the others that I'd catch up with them again later, but I had to admit I was a little worried about what was awaiting me in the office as we walked towards it. The two security ponies didn't say a word as we headed up the stairs and into the administration wing, which left me alone with my thoughts.

The incident had been completely unprovoked and the stallion had threatened and clearly attempted to rape me, so I could easily argue self defense. There were witnesses like my friends and other ponies that were in the Saloon at the time, maybe everything would be okay, right?

I reached the door to the Overmare's office and was ushered in where Overmare Lilac and a Pegasus stallion dressed in power armor that covered all but his head is waiting along with the stallion from the saloon.

"Miss. Scootaloo, I have been informed of the recent incident in the Saloon," Lilac said as she folded her forehooves in front of her. "Private Updraft has informed me of what happened, however I am willing to hear your side of the story."

"Against my better judgment," the Pegasus stallion commented, though he shot a glare at the Private. "The Enclave is however interested in maintaining good relations with the ponies in Stable 48."

"But Colonel, she's..." Updraft started to protest.

"I am aware of who she is Private," the Colonel said, this must be Colonel Twister the pony that was mentioned before by Violet Star. "The President has stated that she is to be treated like anypony else in the Stable until she says otherwise."

Okay, that surprised me a bit, why would the President of the Enclave care about what happened to me? Something about all of this smelled fishy, but I wasn't about to look a gift horse in the mouth at this point.

I took a deep breath and started talking. "I was in the Saloon with my friends when Private Updraft approached us. He threatened to torture me and use me when the breeding cycle began. Then he grabbed me and threatened to rape me before..."

"Before you assaulted me!"

"Is this true Scootaloo?" Lilac asked as she and Twister looked at me.

"If he means did I kick him, I did," I said. "But he was trying to attack me, I acted out of self defense against an unprovoked attack."

"THAT'S ABSURD!" Updraft protested. "I WOULD NEVER DO SUCH A THING!"

"Really, because we have a witness that says otherwise," Lilac said and Pimento came into the room, making Updraft's eyes go wide. "Why don't you tell us what you saw, Pimento?"

"This is highly irregular..." Twister said.

"He's my son, I trust him," Lilac said.

I gulped a little, I just had to hope that he was going to tell the truth.

"He tried to attack her," Pimento said simply. "She wasn't doing anything to provoke him at all, he just went up to her table and started harassing her."

"Do we need more witnesses Colonel, or are you satisfied?" Lilac said as she looked at the Colonel for a long moment.

"Fine, I'm satisfied," Twister said with a grumble. "Private you are suspended until further notice and confined to your quarters pending a military tribunal. You are to report to your quarters immediately, these two will make sure that this is carried out."

Updraft grumbled and was taken away by the Security ponies that had escorted me to the office with Twister close behind after shooting one more look my way. I was a bit surprised by what had happened, but at least it helped me.

"He didn't hurt you did he?" A voice asked and it took me a moment to realize it was Pimento talking to me.

"Just my pride, I'll be okay," I said. "Thank you for your help back there."

"You're welcome," he said. "Do you mind if I escort you back to the Breeder wing?"

"Uh, sure..." I said and we walked out together. "You're, not exactly what I expected I have to admit."

"What Cherry said earlier made me think," he said quietly. "She's not wrong, the Enclave has left their citizens behind for breeding, but there's a condition. Any children born here are to be raised on their ideals and not on ours. Its made some ponies in administration, uneasy about the agreement, but they've kept their word so far."

"They certainly have," I said, which surprised me, the Enclave didn't strike me as being honest. "I wonder why."

"I don't know, it almost feels like they're playing a bigger game," Pimento said with a shake of his head. "I'm sorry I wasn't able to give you more information, the Enclave has been secretive."

We came in for a stopping outside the Breeder Wing, he turned and looked at me for a moment.

"Scootaloo, I don't know what kind of relationship you and Cherry have..."

"We're just friends, I swear," I said, blushing deeply at the implication. "I mean she's a wonderful mare, but..."

"I get it, I'm glad she found a friend like you," Pimento said with a smile as he gave me a nod. "Just, tell her she was right, and that I'm sorry. Tell her, she was the smart one, we all should've left like you said."

I looked at him for a moment and nodded in understanding. "Okay Pimento, I'll tell her."

"Thank you Scootaloo."

"Don't thank me yet, we still have a long way to go," I said before I headed into the breeder wing.

00000

"You're joking, right, Pimento really said that?" Cherry asked as we met up in our shared quarters.

"He did, I think he's starting to change his mind about what's been going on," I said with a sigh as I laid back on the bed and stretched my wings out. "This might help us really, we could use all the help we can get to make it out of here."

"Yeah, I know," Cherry said as she placed a hoof on her belly. "Its strange, most ponies in here don't even think about this kind of thing. We're just to reproduce, to keep the population maintained and, well, entertained. I've never heard of another mare who did what I did."

"Change isn't created by ponies who stay and maintain the status quo," I said with a smile. "Its created by ponies who are brave enough to challenge what they believe is wrong and stand for what is right."

Cherry smiled at me and got to her hooves and trotted over to my bed. "Like you did, Dashite?"

"Yeah, like I did, lets hope that you don't wind up the same way," I said as I looked at her. "I left my family behind because I was exiled... I had a husband, a daughter, good ponies that deserved better than what I gave them."

"I'm sure you did fine," Cherry said as she nuzzled me gently and laid down next to me. "You told me about your descendant remember? If she doesn't serve the Enclave, then maybe you did something right."

I smiled a little and nodded as I wrapped my wings gently around the pink mare again. "Yeah, I'd like to think I did... but still I wish I had been there to see my daughter grow up, never give up on your family Cherry, family is the most important thing in the world."

Cherry smiled as she wrapped her forelegs around me gently and smiled. "Scootaloo, I don't know if we'll ever be more than friends, but... I want you to help me with my daughter, I don't want to do this alone, will you be her godmother?"

I was a bit surprised by the request, in all my time here, even after I had met Serenity I hadn't really thought of the idea of raising a foal again. Cherry had made quite the request, because she trusted me with the most important thing in Equestria to her.

I smiled and hugged her. "I'll do it Cherry, I'll help you take care of her I promise. You're my friend, and I promise that I'll be there for you, both of you."

Cherry smiled and closed her eyes as we held each other. "Is it okay, if we stay like this for another night?"

"We can sleep like this as often as you want," I said with a smile as she rested her head on my chest.

I drifted off to sleep, enjoying the feeling of warmth as I held the mare close to me. The world was changing for both of us, but for this one moment we were there for one another.

And it was wonderful.

00000

The next morning we all met up again for breakfast, we didn't have a lot of time before Silver and Clear had to go so we had to talk fast and quietly in order to formulate a plan.

"Okay, the Overmare usually takes rounds around the Stable at 1400," Cherry said quietly. "She likes to do a sort of daily inspection to make sure that everything is running smoothly in the Stable."

"If we can get Pimento to help us get into the office, I can get access to the Overmare's terminal," I continued. "Our best bet is to use the escape tunnel in the office, it'll take us right to the Stable door, but it'll be guarded."

"Which is where I come in," Silver picked up. "Our weapons are in lock-up in the Security wing. Because of the Enclave presence things are a bit lax in there so I should be able to get the weapons and meet you at the Stable door with Clear Skies."

"And I can get the door to the office jammed so tight it'll take hours to get through," Arc finished.

"We just have to hope this works," I finished as I looked at the map of the Stable in my PipBuck, this was going to be a dangerous operation but we could pull it off if we all worked together.

The first major obstacle was going to be managing to get Pimento to help us, but if what he told me the night before was any indication that should be easy. We just had to make sure that we laid low for the next few hours.

"Clear, are you going to be okay going to class for a little longer?" I asked the filly.

"Yeah, I'll be fine, don't worry about me," Clear said with a smile. "Besides, this is nothing compared to being on the run from the Marauder Gang."

"I'm really going to have to ask you two what your story is someday," Arc said with a chuckle as the Bounty Hunter and her daughter got up.

"Believe me, its quite the story," Silver said with a smirk as she ruffled the filly's mane. "Don't worry about us, we'll be fine, we've survived way worse than this."

"Okay, but still be careful," I said and they nodded before heading out of the common area where we were meeting. "I hope this works, we've got a lot of variables out of our control in this plan."

"It'll work," Cherry said and Arc nodded.

I nodded, it was worth a try at least, we just had to hope that we could make it to the Stable door without much problem. This was going to be one of the trickiest things I had ever had to do, and I wasn't about to give up just because it was hard.

I looked at Cherry and then at Arc, we weren't just friends the three of us, we had become more like a family. I smiled a little, it reminded me so much of the Crusaders back before the war, always trying to get in or out of trouble just to reach our goal. Even after the war began and we started building the Stables, we had a bond that couldn't be broken easily, even by time or the apocalypse.

Still, I missed them so much, but it wasn't the time to dwell on that right now. Right now was the time for action as we prepared to escape Stable 48.

"Come on, we still have a few hours to prepare, lets get going," I said and we headed out of the saloon.

00000

"Its amazing this place is still standing," Arc commented as we went past another damaged section of the Stable. "I almost wish I could stay, I could help with the maintenance on this place."

"Yeah, I don't think that's going to happen anytime soon," I said. "Besides, it'll be fine, this place does at least have a good maintenance team."

"Yeah, there is that," Arc said as we rounded another corner, we were in the lowest levels of the Stable looking for the tools we were going to need in order to do this job. "Are you sure we're going the right way to get to where she's working?"

"Yeah, are you sure that this mare will be able to help us?" I asked Cherry who was leading the way.

"Oh yeah, Tinker's a good pony," Cherry said. "She tends to be a regular for me, well tended to be before I left I mean. She kind of owes me and isn't very fond of the system either."

"Let me guess, she got picked for the breeding cycle too and isn't into stallions?" I asked, wow I really didn't think this particular experiment through very well did I.

"Three years in a row," Cherry said with a shake of her head. "Her foals wound up in Medical and Breeding so she doesn't even get to see them except on the occasions when she goes there."

"You sure know a lot about the ponies in this Stable," Arc commented.

"Yeah, its part of the job, we're half breeder and half therapist," Cherry said as she looked back at us. "Sometimes they don't even want sex, they just want somepony to talk to who isn't in their own division."

Wow, I didn't even think of that, that was actually an interesting point. Therapy was technically supposed to fall under medical, but hey, if it works for them. I almost wished there was some way I could just shut this whole experiment down and let them live like normal ponies, but they had lived their entire lives like this.

I just had to hope that more ponies would decide they didn't want to live under the system anymore. I couldn't impose my will on this Stable, well, again, or I would be no better than the Enclave was.

"Okay, she's just up ahead, let me go talk to her alone," Cherry said as we came to a stop and she walked around a corner to go talk to Tinker.

"So, how far did you two get last night?" Arc asked with a smirk as she looked at me.

"I don't know what you're talking about," I said blushing deeply. "We just spent the night in bed together because..."

Oh dear Celestia I just told Arc Light I slept in the same bed as Cherry, I was never going to live this down now!

"Oh really, you two slept together?" Arc said with a smile. "So, how is she in bed? I mean she's been trained from foalhood to..."

"We didn't do anything like that!" I protested as my face turned warm. "Cherry's just been through a lot lately and it helps her sleep and be comfortable. Don't read too much into it, we just held each other I swear!"

"Okay, okay, you don't have to be like that," Arc said with a chuckle. "Really, I think you two would make a cute couple and you clearly care about her."

I blushed at that, she wasn't wrong but I hadn't really thought about being more than friends with Cherry, except when Arc's teasing made me think about it. She was smart, funny, caring, and she didn't care about what I had done in the past. I almost wanted to consider it, but I wasn't sure if I was ready for another relationship.

Before we could dwell on it further Cherry came around the corner with a Unicorn mare with white fur and a light grey mane and tail with a cutie mark of a wrench. She was levitating a tool kit and gave us a nod.

"Here, this should be everything you need," she says and levitates the tools over to Arc Light who put them in her saddle bags. "Do you know what you're doing?"

"Yeah, I'll be fine."

Tinker looked between the three of us for a moment before sighing. "I wish I could go with you but things aren't that easy for me."

I paused for a moment, I couldn't exactly guarantee the safety of all the ponies that wanted to escape from Stable 48 could I? I noticed that Tinker had the same bulge Cherry did, another expectant mother that was trapped in a system that I had created.

"Tinker, if you can make it to the Stable door at 1400 hours, we'll help you and your foal escape," I finally said. "I can't guarantee you'll make it out, but I promise we'll at least try our best to help you do so. Just don't go telling everypony, we need to keep this a secret if we want to make it out of here."

Tinker smiled a little and looked at Cherry. "You were right, she is a good one."

"She certainly is."

"Alright, I'll be there," Tinker said with a smile before heading off towards where she had come from.

"Are you sure we can get another pony out of here?" Arc whispered as we started back up the stairs.

"I hope so," I answered. "Just as long as she doesn't go crazy, we're already taking a big risk on this alone."

00000

"You're kidding, right? You actually want to escape this place today?" Pimento asked as we outlined our plan to make it out of the Stable. "That's crazy."

"We don't have much of a choice, the NCR needs to know what's going on here," I said with a shake of my head. "The Enclave isn't just a problem here, they're threatening ponies everywhere. If the Republic knows what's going on, we might be able to stop it from happening in another Stable or Settlement."

"I see what you mean," Pimento said with a sigh. "Alright, I'll help you, but I'm going with you."

"Oh great, does anypony not want to come with us?" Arc said with a groan as she facehooved. "Are we just going to take the entire Stable with us?"

"Lets try not to please," I said with a groan, knowing my luck we'd probably have to. "We don't want to jinx it. Are you going to be able to get us into your mother's office?"

"Don't worry about it, I've been sneaking into her office since I was a colt," Pimento said with a smirk. "Don't worry, getting into the office is the easy part."

"Thank you Pimento, this really means a lot to us," Cherry said with a smile as I checked the time on my PipBuck, it was almost time. "Your mother is going on a tour of the Stable like usual, right?"

"You're welcome, and yes she should be," Pimento said as he looked at me for a moment. "I know what the Enclave has told us about you Scootaloo, they call you a traitor because of what you did in the past, what you did with the Stables like 48. I just have one question, why?"

"To save lives, to give Equestria the best chance I could," I said with a sigh, I expected that this wasn't the last time I'd have to explain it. "Each Stable was supposed to provide the best opportunity possible to learn from the mistakes of the past, sometimes it feels like I just kept making new ones."

"Alright, that's good enough for me," Pimento said as he opened the door and checked outside. "Come on, the Enclave is on guard rotation, lets get going."

We nodded and headed out of the room after him.

00000

True to his word, the door was easy enough to unlock while the guards were away, so we slipped in unnoticed. While Arc Light started on the door I walked over to the terminal and started working.

"I don't know what the password is," Pimento said as I kept typing.

"Its okay, I have the master password for all Stable terminals," I said as I typed my password into the terminal. "Alright, lets see here..."

I glanced at the others, Cherry and Pimento were at the window looking out into the Stable to keep watch while Arc continued to work. I focused back on the terminal and input commands to access the code.

Stable 48 was important for another reason, I had to make sure that this wasn't compromised especially with the fact that Winter Breeze had been here, if this fell into the wrong hooves...

TIME SINCE LAST ACCESS: TWO MONTHS, FOURTEEN DAYS.

Oh horseapples, that was not what I wanted to learn at all. That was too recent to be anything other than while the Enclave was here.

"Scootaloo, Lilac is coming," Cherry said.

"I thought we had more time," I said.

"I guess not, are you any closer to getting us out of here?" Cherry asked.

"Almost," I said as I turned my attention back to the Terminal screen, I was trying not to look more afraid than I felt.

FAILSAFE PROTOCOL: ACTIVE.
PROTOCOL ZETA: OFFLINE
KEY: NOT PRESENT

No, no, no! How could she even know about the key and how to access it? What was going on?

"Pimento, what did Winter Breeze want here?" I asked as I looked at the stallion.

"I don't know, she connected to the terminal and downloaded some program into a PipBuck, I swear, that's all I know!"

Crap, that meant she had one of the keys, and that was a major problem. However as long as she didn't have all six of them and couldn't access Protocol Zeta, she wouldn't be able to use it.

Okay, I needed to stop freaking out so much, everything was going to be okay, this was probably just a fluke. I went back into the terminal and re-accessed the main menu, I selected the option to open up the tunnel and the desk slid open revealing the passage.

"Come on, lets get out of here," I said as the banging on the door began and we headed down into the passage, closing it behind us.

00000

The passage was eerily quiet as we headed towards the door on the other end. A million thoughts were going through my mind right now, and none of them were particularly good. Something about all of this felt weird, Winter Breeze's behavior wasn't quite what I had expected out of the Enclave's leader.

If she had come to Stable 48 looking for the key then she had exactly what she needed, why did she leave soldiers in the Stable in order to help? It almost seemed like the Enclave was acting differently somehow, sure they were aggressive, but it seemed like they were doing more than just moving in and killing anypony that got in their way.

Then, was Stable 48 the exception or the rule? Something about all of this felt weird, and I wasn't sure I liked it, especially if the Enclave actually was being somewhat honest. I had no idea, but honestly I was scared either way.
If the Enclave was changing, they were going to be unpredictable.

"Okay, if we timed this right, Silver, Clear, and Tinker will be on the other side of this door," I said as we reached the door on the other end of the corridor and opened it up.

And we found ourselves in the middle of a firefight, me and my big muzzle.

"Well, nice to see your part of the plan is going so well," I said sarcastically as Silver passed us our weapons and we moved behind the rough cover she had made.

"This isn't the time for sarcasm Scootaloo," Silver said with a groan as she levitated her rifle over the barrier and shot at the Enclave soldiers. "Hey maintenance pony, what's the door looking like?"

"This'll take a minute, I've never tried to open one of these things before!" Tinker shouted from behind the console where she was working at her PipBuck furiously.

I positioned one of my rifles and shot at the Enclave soldiers, at least they weren't sending Stable Security after us, that was a good sign. I noticed that there were two dead soldiers, they must've been the guards that had to be taken out, which of course alerted the rest to their presence.

I kept firing, taking out another soldier as I did, I just had to hope that Tinker would be able to open it up quickly. I ducked out of the way of another energy shot and passed one of my rifles over to Cherry.

"You're kidding right?" She asked.

"You're going to have to do it eventually," I said as I took another shot at the Enclave soldiers. "It'll be okay, just point and shoot."

Cherry nodded and lined up a shot, taking out one of the soldiers with a headshot. The Enclave were starting to pull back a little at this point. There was the sound of metal scraping against metal as the door opened up behind us.

"I've got it, come on!" Tinker called out as we kept firing at the Enclave soldiers and backed out through the gear shaped door. I hit a button on the outside console and the door shut just as soon as it had opened.

We had made it out alive.

00000

We managed to fight our way through what few Enclave soldiers there were outside the Stable and after a long trek through the woods and mountains, we found ourselves reaching the outskirts of Reino.

When we reached the NCR embassy we were exhausted, Clear Skies was asleep and resting on Silver's back as Henry came out to greet us with Schooner.

"Oh thank the great egg you're okay!" Henry said as we were ushered into the embassy. "What happened in there? Who are those two?"

I told her what happened as Silver and Clear Skies headed towards the Bounty Hunter Guild. Henry was shocked when I told her about what was happening with the Enclave in Stable 48 and she promised to pass on the message to the NCR and get us some transport as soon as possible.

I smiled a little as I laid down on the bed and looked at Cherry and Arc Light.

"Don't say one word Arc," I said as Cherry laid down over me, resting her head on my chest and sighing happily.

"Okay, okay, I won't tease you and your marefriend tonight," Arc said with a smirk as she laid down on the bed.

"I'm too tired to complain about this..." I said with a groan. I just wrapped my wings around Cherry gently and drifted off to sleep, I felt like I deserved it after what we had been through.

The next day came way too soon for my tastes, I yawned and stretched out as we headed back outside. Henry told us that our transportation had arrived, so I figured it was probably a Vertibuck.

Well, I wasn't wrong, there was a Vertibuck, but floating above us was the massive shadow of Nomad City. Okay, that's not quite what I was expecting, but at least we were going in style.

"What is that thing?" Cherry asked as she stared up at the massive flying city.

"Well Cherry, that's Nomad City, its a flying city that moves across Equestria," I said with a light smile. "Come on, lets get aboard."

We got aboard the Vertibuck and it flew off towards the nearest hangar.

00000

"Quite the group you've picked up here," Vanilla said with a chuckle as she looked over the group that had come with us to Nomad City. We had all met up at the park in the city's center in order to regroup and figure out where to go next.

"Yeah, it really is," I said with a light chuckle as I saw Serenity, Pure Heart, and Clear Skies playing together. "How are things going in the rest of Equestria?"

"Not well, the Enclave has been using hit and run tactics wherever they can, they don't stay long enough to do more than damage our settlements and take what they can," Vanilla said with a shake of her head. "I'm guessing Stable 48 didn't quite pan out as you had hoped."

"The Enclave's basically taken it over," I said with a sigh. "They've gotten the loyalty of the Stable Dwellers in exchange for breeding stock and they wanted to keep us there for more breeding. We were lucky to make it out of there."

"Yeah," Vanilla said. "When we heard about that from the NCR Serenity wanted to go in after you."

I breathed a sigh of relief that she hadn't done that. I couldn't imagine what would happen if Serenity was found by the Enclave.

"Alright, so what's next, are we heading back to Junction Town?"

"No actually, we're heading south," Vanilla said. "We've picked up a radio broadcast from another Stable that's offering to assist in taking on the Enclave."

"Well, that's good," I said as I waved to Cherry as she approached. "What Stable?"

"Stable 122," Vanilla said which surprised me a little.

"Interesting, Stable 122 was a population experiment, I wonder why they're broadcasting a message now," I said as I thought about what was waiting for us in Stable 122. "Do they seem to be in any danger?"

"No, like I said they want to help as best they can," Vanilla said with a shrug. "I don't think the Enclave is involved in this one at least."

"Yeah, you're probably right," I said as I stretched out a little and Cherry sat down next to us. "Hey Cherry, how's Pimento and Tinker settling in?"

"Fine, they've already got places to stay in Temporary Housing," Cherry said with a nod. "Scootaloo, there's something I wanted to ask you, I've been thinking about this for awhile, and I wanted to make it official. Would it be okay if I traveled with you and Arc Light? I know I won't be a lot of help and given my condition I might be a bit of a burden, but..."

"Cherry, you don't have to be so hard on yourself," I said with a smile as I hugged the earth pony gently. "You'll do fine, we'll help you learn how to fight and you'll never be a burden, I promise. I'd be happy to have you come along."

Cherry smiled and hugged back. "Thank you Scootaloo, that means a lot, I'll do my best to help you out."

"You're welcome Cherry," I said with a smile as I held her close.

"Aww, you two are so cute together," Vanilla said.

"Don't you start too Vanilla..." I said with a groan which just made the Unicorn laugh.

I smiled a little, it was nice to be able to have a few days to just relax before we reached Stable 122. There was still a lot of work to be done before Equestria was safe from the Enclave, but it was all going to be worth it in the end, right?

I closed my eyes and just enjoyed the moment, there would be time to worry about the Enclave tomorrow.

LEVEL UP!
Perk Received: I Prefer to be Called a Hacker (Rank 2)
Details: You've gained a higher skill in hacking from your experience with terminals. You can now unlock expert level terminals.

Chapter 10: Home

"All secrets are deep,
all secrets become dark.
That's in the nature of secrets."
-Cory Doctorow

"I think we're going to need a bigger hotel room," I commented as me, Arc, Cherry, Vanilla, and Serenity looked around our suite at the hotel in Nomad City. "Maybe we should consider investing in an apartment."

"That might not be a bad idea," Vanilla said with a shake of her head. "Well, unless you and Cherry want to share a bed."

"Yeah, like they haven't been doing that every night anyway," Arc said with a smirk.

"Hey, it helps me sleep!" Cherry said with a blush. "Its not like we do anything you know, we just cuddle."

"Well I think its sweet," Serenity said. "Besides, the human world Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle did it all the time while they were here."

"Wait, our counterparts were together in that world too?" I asked, I had to admit I was a little surprised but hey, it meant some version of me out there was happy.

"Oh yeah, well they got together during the Changeling Invasion," Serenity said. "Were, you with Sweetie Belle too?"

"Yeah, she was the first pony I ever really loved," I sighed. "She and I had always been friends since I moved to Ponyville as a filly. When we started Stable-Tec with Apple Bloom, we worked together a lot on the advertisements and things for the company. Finally one night she admitted that she had always had feelings for me and... well, one thing lead to another... things you are way too young to be thinking about young filly."

Serenity just laughed a little at that as Vanilla facehooved, smooth Scootaloo, real smooth.

"We never got married, never had a chance really because of the war and the business. We always hoped that if the worst happened we could both make it to Stable 2 and spend the rest of our lives together, but I was above the clouds when the bombs went off and I didn't get the chance."

"Oh, I'm sorry Scootaloo," Arc said, her ears folded against her head a little. "I had no idea."

"Yeah, I thought about getting into it after I was exiled, but I didn't want to risk killing everypony inside," I said with a sigh as I opened up the locket I had been wearing since Velvet gave it to me. "If I hadn't gotten injured I could have made it."

Serenity climbed up onto the couch and gave me a gentle hug and smiled. "Its okay Scootaloo, its not your fault."

I smiled and hugged the filly back. "Thank you Serenity, that means a lot to me."

Serenity nodded a moment and just stayed there on the couch with me for awhile longer.

"What about you Cherry, any ex-marefriends out there Scootaloo should know about?" Arc asked.

"No, relationships weren't really a thing in Stable 48," Cherry said with a shrug. "Oh sure sometimes couples would get together, but when the breeding cycle came around they almost never got paired up. I remember one of the other Breeders, Lilly, she was in a relationship with a stallion and they were lucky enough to get paired up for the cycle so that was something."

"And what about you?" I asked her, it almost felt like the teasing was starting to get to me because I almost wanted to pursue a relationship with Cherry at this point.

"Nopony special really, I just did my job as best I could," Cherry said. "But who knows really, maybe I'll find a special somepony out here in the Wasteland, but she'd have to be quite the special mare."

She was looking at me when she said that, should I be worried or flattered? Oh dear Celestia why did my life have to be so freakin' complicated!

A better question though was whether or not I was really ready for another relationship, that was something I was going to have to think about before I even considered pursuing one with Cherry.

00000

The next day Star took me to Nomad City Security's HQ building alone. She said that the chief of security wanted to talk to me before we reached Stable 122, which made sense, know your enemy and all that.

"Given current events I think we should know everything we can about Stable 122," a Unicorn mare with a black coat and a red mane said as she looked at me. "You know everything about the Stables, don't you?"

"Its permanently seared into my brain ma'am," I said. "Stable 122 was the last one that was completed before the last day. Unlike most Stables however it wasn't intended to be a social experiment, instead Stable 122 was instructed to keep a constant population of 500 every year. It was intended to be an experiment in population control, keeping the population at a stable rate."

"So, the question now is why do they want us," Star said and I nodded in agreement. "We know a little about Stable 122, its been opened up to Equestria since before the war with the Crimson Empire, its now a town built out of a Stable similar to Stable City before Operation Cauterize called Whitehome."

"So you don't think they've sided with the Enclave?" The Chief asked.

"No ma'am, it doesn't sound like they have," Star said. "Honestly, its something of an unknown quantity at this point. The NCR tried to make contact with them after the war, but the Overmare didn't seem interested."

"Which makes this move even weirder, maybe they want something that the Enclave can't give them," I said. "I have no idea what that might be though, the Enclave seems more than willing to give settlements and Stables access to resources."

"Thank you for your time you two, this was very enlightening, I'll present this all to the council," the chief said. "The council has asked that you two accompany the diplomatic team down to Whitehome in order to work out the deal."

"Wait, why us?" I asked.

"You'd have to ask them, now unless there's anything else, you're dismissed," she finished and the two of us walked out of her office.

"I don't like this," I said as we moved down the hallway. "There's nothing particularly remarkable about Stable 122, but something about this feels weird."

"I know what you mean," Star said with a sigh. "I just wish we could do something to stop the Enclave, you know?"

"I know what you mean," I said with a sigh. "You don't think this is related to the Enclave General in Neigh Orleans that's been quiet for so long?"

"No, that General..." Star started to say as she paused a moment. "She's not interested in Winter Breeze's plans anymore, believe me. She has nothing to do with what's going on, I promise. That's all I can tell you right now, its a private matter."

That was weird, did Star know more than she was letting on? But even if she did I didn't want to pry, though I had to wonder, was it possible that the General had gone Dashite? That would certainly keep her out of the Enclave's plans.

"Alright, I won't pry further," I said as we exited the building. "See you at dinner tonight?"

"See you then."

00000

"Aww, why do I have to get all dressed up?" Serenity protested as Vanilla helped her into a dress, it was a few days later and we were above Stable 122 and getting ready to head down to the Stable.

"Because we're the ambassadors to a possible new ally, we should look our best," Vanilla said with a sigh as her adopted daughter squirmed a little.

I laughed a little at that, Serenity really did remind me a lot of myself when I was that age, it was kind of strange, almost like I was seeing a mirror reflection of myself when I was 10.

"Why doesn't Scootaloo have to wear a dress?" Serenity protested, indeed I was wearing my usual coat over a white undershirt, vest, and tie.

"Because they don't have that outfit in fillies your age and we don't have time to wait for one to be made," Vanilla said.

"I think you look cute," I said with a chuckle as I ruffled the filly's mane. "We just need to get a bow in your mane and you'd look..."

"No, no bows, I'd look silly with a bow!" Serenity said as Vanilla laughed.

"Okay fine, no bows," I said as I straightened my tie. "How do I look?"

"You look great, don't worry about it," Vanilla said. "I'd worry more about your companions, Arc Light didn't even want to wear a suit."

"Yeah, well, you get used to wearing these things when..." I started to say when Cherry entered the room and I lost my voice.

Cherry wore a beautifully designed red dress that hugged the curves of her body, the dress was beautifully designed to the point that it would make Rarity die of jealousy. I couldn't help but stare as she trotted over to me with a smile.

"You look... wow..."

"Like they said, we should look our best for the ponies in Whitehome," Cherry said with a smile as she offered me her hoof. "You look pretty wow yourself, did you actually brush your mane?"

I blushed a little and took her hoof. "Thanks, so, shall we?"

I nodded as we all headed out of the hotel and towards the hangar.

00000

The Vertibuck came in for a landing outside of a small building that had a sign outside of it that said "WELCOME TO WHITEHOME." We all filed out of the Vertibuck as the door opened and several ponies filed out.

At the head was a grey Unicorn mare who looked at us apprasingly, she tried to give something resembling a welcoming smile but it didn't exactly succeed. I noticed that she had a few scars on her body, which was a little strange but I wasn't going to question it.

"Welcome to Whitehome, I'm Overmare Silver Lining from Stable 122, I run things in here," she said as she offered a hoof to Jade.

"Councilmare Jade from Nomad City," Jade said with a smile as we all introduced ourselves.

A brown Pegasus mare dressed in what looked like a torn uniform of some sort locked eyes with me, or, well eye because one of her eyes was covered with an eye patch. I gulped a little and tried not to think about what that might mean, I just looked back to Silver Lining who was starting to talk.

"We've received word of the current situation in Equestria and we wanted to lend what assistance we can," Silver Lining said and nodded to the other ponies. "Reticle and Blue here are part of a special group from here in Whitehome that have special training and enhancements that will be of use to the... allies against the Enclave."

"Despite the fact that two of you are Dashites," Reticle said as she looked between me and Star.

"General Reticle, I have to say I wasn't expecting to see you here," Star said as she trotted forward, looking the older mare in the eyes. "Did the President finally get tired of putting up with you?"

General Reticle? Oh dear Celestia, this was one of the Wonderbolt Generals, what was she doing here? My mind was racing as I tried to figure it out, this wasn't the same one from Neigh Orleans that much was certain, Star seemed to know that one and was trying to keep whoever it was secret, this General was most definitely not a secret.

"My Raptor crashed en-route to its destination," Reticle said simply. "They found me and brought me here, it turned out I was eligible for their little, science experiment here."

"Star, honey, can we please try not to cause an incident?" Jade asked as she looked at her wife worredly. "Please?"

"I'm game if she is," Star said as she continued staring down the Enclave General.

"Fine, I wouldn't want to waste a bullet on you anyway," Reticle said as she looked away and headed back underground.

"My apologies, if I had known you two had a history I'd have asked her to stay downstairs," Silver Lining said as we started into the building.

A few more things were said but my mind was still reeling, I had no idea that I'd cross paths with another General so soon, let alone in a place like this. Then there was the matter of the project they mentioned, something about this smelled fishy and I didn't like it.

I had to get answers, and there was only one place I was going to be able to get them, in Stable 122.

00000

"Jade and myself will go to my office in order to talk about the alliance," Silver Lining said as we walked through the large gear shaped door. "Blue, do you mind showing our guests around? Perhaps show them the museum."

"Yes ma'am," the blue Unicorn said as Silver Lining and Jade walked off towards the atrium. "So, would you like to see the museum then?"

"I'd like to know what's going on in this Stable," I said with a tone of finality in my voice. "Something about this place feels weird, what exactly is this project that the Overmare mentioned?"

"Oh yes, that," Blue said as he sighed. "Come with me to the museum and I'll explain everything."

"What kind of museum is it?" Serenity asked curiously as she and Pure Heart walked close to each other and we followed Blue.

"One with relics from before the war that Stable 122 has been meticulously preserving for the past 200 years," Blue said as we walked along the atrium towards our destination.

"Well, this could be interesting, I'm curious to see what you have," I said, though I wasn't sure what it could be, as I said before Stable 122 wasn't built for anything more than a population experiment, so this whole thing was weird.

Blue opened the door marked "museum" and we entered. "We've preserved very special relics from before the war for our Stable's special project, as dictated by Stable-Tec itself."

"Blue I don't know what you've been told about..." I started to say when I suddenly froze as I saw just what was being kept in the museum.

Curled up in a state of suspended animation was a lavender colored Alicorn mare, she had a medium length dark mane with streaks of purple in it. I looked around the rest of the room and saw 5 more ponies in a similar state, and they all looked familiar.

Stable 122 housed clones of the Ministry Mares.

"So, as you can see, the six mares are still perfectly preserved after 200 years," Blue said as he motioned towards the unconscious ponies. "As dictated by Stable-Tec, we've been using their genetic material to enhance ponies in..."

"This wasn't the purpose of Stable 122..." I said as I finally found my voice again.

"What are you talking about?" Blue said, he looked confused, I didn't blame him, I was confused too. "Stable 122 has always been like this ever since the door closed after the apocalypse, the records show that these clones were placed here, you should know given who you are."

"I don't know what you've been told, but I personally oversaw every experiment's formation, this was never one of them," I said through gritted teeth. "This, isn't right... I want them freed now, I'm exercising my right as the Vice President of Stable-Tec and shutting this down now!"

With that I turned around and stormed out of the museum, I couldn't look at that room again right now. I leaned over the railing of the atrium's top floor breathing heavily as I tried to figure out what was going on.

This wasn't right, Stable 122 hadn't been constructed with this purpose at all, what had changed? Something about this was weird, and it scared me a little, was it possible there was some rogue element in Stable-Tec that did this? Within the Ministries? Something else entirely?

Stable 122 had survived, but what had happened here... this wasn't right.

"Scootaloo, are you alright?" A soft voice asked from behind me and I turned to see Cherry and Serenity standing there.

"I don't know to be honest," I admitted. "It feels, wrong... not just because of what they did, but because of who they are in there. The Ministry Mares they were once the greatest heroes Equestria ever knew, they did things we could only dream of. And one in particular, she was special to me... and I lost her."

"Do you mean Rainbow Dash?" Serenity asked and I nodded as she took a seat next to me. "Its okay, I understand that, remember when we first met?"

"How could I forget?" I said with a sad smile as I wrapped my wing around the filly. "Are you saying this is like then?"

"Yeah Scootaloo, it really is," Serenity said. "When I saw you, I was excited because I had my big sister back, but you weren't her, that hurt more than anything else. I had hoped more than anything that you were really her."

"And now that you know me?"

"I'm glad I got to know you," Serenity said with a smile. "You remind me a lot of her, but you're different. You set out to do what was right, to help ponies that needed it and make up for your own mistakes, that makes you a hero in my book."

I blinked a little, she considered me a hero? I had never really thought about myself as one ever since I had woken up. Sure I was trying to do the right thing, but ultimately I was just doing it to make up for my own mistakes, was I really a hero?

"Thanks Serenity," I said and hugged the filly again, if she felt that way maybe she was right, I just wished more ponies agreed with her. "What do you think Cherry?"

"I think Serenity's right to be honest," Cherry said. "I saw what you did in Stable 48, you never hesitated to help where you could, I know that if you could have you would have gotten everypony in there out from under the Enclave's rule. You're a better pony than anypony I've ever met, I said I don't care what you did in the past, and I meant it."

I smiled and nodded. "Okay, now I just have to figure out what to do here. Even if they're clones, they're still living beings, they deserve a chance to live their lives instead of just being trapped in suspended animation."

"You'll have to talk to Silver Lining about that," a stallion's voice said and I looked up to see Blue coming out of the museum. "Officially, we aren't supposed to stop it until we get word from Stable-Tec."

"Yeah, kinda hard when I'm the only pony left who could order it shut..." I started to say, then mentally kicked myself. "Do you think she'd listen?"

"Honestly, I don't know," Blue admitted. "Its worth a try at least, but statistically I'd say you don't have a high chance even with your standing in Stable-Tec."

"Well, nopony ever said it would be easy," I said and released Serenity as I got to my hooves. "Alright, I'll at least try."

00000

I paused outside the Overmare's office a few minutes later, Jade was still inside talking to her about the alliance and I didn't want to do anything to jeopardize that. I sat down outside and waited for them to finish.

I looked out at the Stable and saw more ponies walking around of all shapes and sizes. It was weird but, Stable 122 had actually kind of worked, from what I could see it had actually been opened up to the Wasteland and ponies were welcome to come in when they wanted.

Mind you they still did genetic experiments, why did it seem like everypony thought that genetic engineering was the key to everything? And who had ordered the Stable's experiment changed? I knew that it couldn't have been any of us, and I didn't like the fact that somepony had messed with a Stable like this.

"Alright, I'll talk to you again in a few hours, I want to speak with the others about this," Jade said as she walked out of the office, she gave me a quick nod.

"What did they want?"

"They offered enhancements to ponies who would be compatible with them," Jade said with a sigh. "And the assistance of the ones that are already enhanced, so that's something at least, but, I don't know."

"I know what you mean," I nodded in understanding. "I need to talk to her about that to be honest."

"Just when you think you've seen everything the Wasteland can throw at you, it throws you another curveball huh?"

"Yeah, I'll talk to you later," I said and entered the office, Silver Lining looked up at me and put down the papers she had been looking at.

"I must say, when I heard the Vice President of Stable-Tec was still alive, I wasn't expecting her to show up here."

"I'm full of surprises," I said as I took a seat. "I wanted to talk to you about the clones and the experiment."

"Oh yes, of course, its been working perfectly for the last 200 years," Silver Lining said with a beaming smile. "Our most recent enhanced ponies are among the first to actually get out there and help the Wasteland, as the orders from Stable-Tec dictated of course. I'm sure you will be pleased with the progress we've made, although we have had difficulty increasing agility from Rainbow Dash's DNA."

How did that even work? From what I knew this stuff wasn't genetic, but if it worked as well as she claimed it did, there wasn't much I could do about it.

"I see," I said and shook my head a little. "But the Wasteland has been surviving just fine without the enhancements. They've survived some of the worst things imaginable based on pony ingenuity and skill alone, is the experiment really necessary at this point?"

"The NCR has consistently been only interested in its own territory," Silver Lining pointed out. "During the war with the Crimson Empire they focused their attention on Neigh Orleans until the Firerain was broken and never came to the aid of ponies that needed their help near Imperial territory. My village was burned to the ground by the Empire, I barely escaped with my life."

Oh, dear Celestia now everything made a little more sense. She blamed the NCR for the loss of her village, that was going to be hard on anypony.

"I'm sorry about your village, Silver Lining," I said with a shake of my head, I thought back to what I had read about the war, the Empire had been brutal, in particular when General Black Sun had gone on a rampage. "But you can't completely blame the NCR for that, they had no way of knowing what was going on this far away because they for the most part had to fight a defensive war. There are a lot of good ponies out there that want to help Equestria."

"Then they should've been there for my home," Silver Lining said with a shake of her head. "The NCR may have the best of intentions, but they can't do enough to help Equestria, not in the way it needs to be helped. Not even Nomad City is that powerful, they can't be everywhere at once."

"Neither can your enhanced ponies," I pointed out, but I was starting to get the idea of what kind of pony Silver Lining was. "So what, you want to defend Equestria, but at what cost? I made a lot of hard choices during the war because I felt they were the right thing to do, and it cost me everything I cared about."

"The fact is that Equestria needs defenders, ponies with skills and strengths beyond the average pony. This project is the best chance to pull that off, why else would you have created it?"

I paused a long moment, this was the part I was dreading, I had to tell her the truth, it was inevitable that she would learn it anyway.

"Silver Lining... Stable 122 was never outfitted with clones or the equipment that would be required to do such a thing," I said slowly, which made the mare's eyes go wide. "Not by Stable-Tec at least, we never authorized any such experiments, this was supposed to be an experiment on sustaining population."

The Overmare and I sat in silence for a long moment, was she going to believe me? This system had been in place for over 200 years now, and I was telling them that it had all been a lie created by somepony unknown.

"Are you sure about that?" Silver Lining finally asked.

"I committed every experiment in the Stables to memory, there's no doubt about it," I answered with a shake of my head. "Somepony is using this Stable for something else, and until the truth can be revealed we need to shut the experiment down, no more enhancements, and free the clones."

"The clones? Why?"

"Because they are living beings!" I said a little more forcefully than I had intended. "They have rights like anypony and its not fair to them that they are just used for this project. The closest thing we created was Project Legacy, and that was intended to create new ponies and have them leave their home Stable to help the Wasteland."

"Don't you see the opportunity we have here?" Silver Lining said. "There are ponies out there that could be helped by these enhancements. In fact you yourself could be eligible for enhancement, imagine it, being stronger, faster, or smarter than before."

"And what would I have to do in return, take part in your little experiment here?"

"No, no, of course not," Silver Lining said. "You merely have to agree to help Equestria with your new enhancements, I'm sure that's more than fair a request for a mare such as yourself."

I paused a moment, that actually was a pretty good deal and it required very little sacrifice on my part other than getting some genetic enhancements. Maybe it was something I could do, it would at least be helpful in my goal of helping Equestria. Plus, there was something else I could get out of this, something even more important.

"Under one condition," I finally said.

"Name it."

"Let the clones out of suspended animation permanently," I said with a hard look at the Overmare. "If you agree to that, then I'll participate in your little experiment, do we have a deal?"

Silver Lining paused for a long moment after that, I could imagine that she was weighing the possibilities in her mind. This wasn't an easy decision for either of us, we were both being asked to make sacrifices, but we'd both get something we wanted out of it.

I didn't want to admit it to her, but maybe this was a little selfish of me, just a little. There was a Rainbow Dash clone in there, even if she wasn't the same Rainbow Dash who had been my sister, had been my mother, I felt I owed it to her to get her out of it.

I just had to hope that Silver Lining would agree.

"Alright, you have a deal," Silver Lining said and offered me a hoof which I shook. "I'll just need a piece of your fur to check for genetic compatibility."

"Okay, just give me a... oww!" I said as she yanked out a hair from my mane. "You could've been a little more gentle you know."

"I needed to make sure to get a root, you'll be fine, the results should be back in a couple of hours," she said and got to her hooves and walked out of the office with me not too far behind.

I just hoped I wasn't making a big mistake by agreeing to this.

00000

"You're kidding, you actually agreed to this experiment?" Arc asked in shock as I met up with the others. "Are you crazy?"

"This place is wrong, what they're doing isn't ethical," I said with a shake of my head. "It was the only way to get the Overmare to agree to release the clones."

"But they're just clones, they're not the same as the original are they?" Arc pointed out. "They weren't even created the same as other ponies."

"Neither were the ones from Project Legacy," I pointed out. "They were able to save Equestria anyway. Being born through science or magic instead of the natural way doesn't make you any less of a pony."

"I agree with Scootaloo on this one," Star said. "I don't necessarily agree with how she went about doing it, but we are under a moral obligation to help all life forms, regardless of birth."

"I suppose you're right, this just feels a little weird to me," Arc commented, I was about to say something else when we heard the sound of hooves approaching our group, we turned to look at Reticle.

"Scootaloo, I need you to accompany me to my quarters," Reticle said, which surprised me a little bit.

"Why? What's going on?"

"If Scootaloo goes, we all go!" Serenity spoke up, making the Enclave General look at the Pegasus filly, her face actually softened a little bit when she saw her.

"Its for her ears only I'm afraid, little one," she said as she looked at the filly for a long moment, I swear I saw a tear in her eye. "I promise that she won't be harmed."

"I'm not going until I know what's going on," I said with a tone of finality. "Why do you want me to go with you?"

"There's somepony on the radio who wants to speak with you, and only you," Reticle said as the sternness creeped back into her voice. "Come with me, please."

I knew she couldn't force me to go, but still I had to admit I was curious.

"Alright, I'll come with you, but I want two of my friends to accompany us," I said, as Reticle started to protest I added. "They are to wait outside, and I'm not going in unarmed, is that fair?"

Reticle paused for a moment before nodding. "Alright, I can accept that."

And with that me, Reticle, Vanilla, and Arc started making our way towards Reticle's quarters. I took a deep breath as she opened the door and Vanilla and Arc took their spots next to it and I walked inside.

Seated on a table was an old radio with military markings on it. I picked up the transmitter and took a deep breath before speaking into it.

"This is Scootaloo Dash, I was told that somepony wanted to speak with me."

"Hello Scootaloo," a familiar mare's voice said on the other side of the radio. "Its a pleasure to finally speak with such a famous pony."

I was talking with President Winter Breeze herself.

I looked behind me at Reticle who just shook her head, I turned back to the radio and started speaking into it again. "Well, I have to say this was unexpected Madam President."

"Please, call me Winter, there is no need for such formality here," Winter Breeze said. "I must say I was disappointed to hear that you escaped from Stable 48, I was so looking forward to meeting you."

"Well, I'm sorry for disappointing you," I said, I wasn't sure what to make of what she was saying, she almost sounded polite. "How'd you know I was here?"

"My dear, we may have lost our head of intelligence but I have ponies everywhere," Winter said, that sent a chill up my spine. "There is very little you can do that will surprise me."

"You have a spy then? Who is it?"

"Ah, that would be telling," the mare chuckled.

"What's your game, Winter? Why did you want to talk with me so badly?" I asked, it was time to get some answers out of her.

"I want to make you a deal," Winter Breeze said in a calm voice. "I have it in my power to pardon your crimes against the Enclave. I will do so, but in exchange you must publicly denounce the New Canterlot Republic and its allies along with the Dashites. You will be allowed to live the rest of your life in Enclave territory with no fear of retribution for your crimes from 200 years ago."

"My only crime was trying to do what was right," I spat. "You may dress up your new Enclave with fancy words and promises, but I can see right through you Winter Breeze. You want power, and you're willing to step on as many ponies as you can to get it. You're no better than the Enclave of the past, the only difference is you don't shoot ponies, you offer them a friendly smile and help, and then you take away the one thing that's most precious to them, freedom."

There was a long pause, for a moment I thought Winter Breeze had disconnected on me the moment I turned her down. I had no idea what to expect next, but I didn't think I was going to like it.

"You don't know me or the Enclave at all Scootaloo," Winter Breeze said. "Even after the actions of ponies like LittlePip, Blackjack, Ruby Starlight, and others, this is still a broken and dead world. We are the best chance Equestria has at stability, I offered you a chance to become part of that. I cannot promise the safety of yourself or your friends if you continue this path."

"Yeah, and how many of your subjects know what you're really after?" I said and looked back at Reticle before whispering. "I know you want Protocol Zeta, I don't know why, but you're playing with something more dangerous than you understand."

"I understand quite perfectly," Winter Breeze answered. "And things won't change just because of what you tell me. Protocol Zeta is needed to create the new Equestria."

"That project is only going to create death and destruction, please listen to me," I said pleadingly. "Stop pursuing Protocol Zeta, its a matter of life and death."

"I'm Sorry Scootaloo, I simply can't do that," Winter Breeze said, there was almost a hint of regret in her voice, that was odd. "I understand your reservations, and I hope that someday you and I can work together towards a better Equestria."

With that there was a click and silence on the radio.

"Why did she call you?" I asked as I turned and looked at Reticle.

"Like I said, she wanted to talk to you," Reticle said with a shrug. "I'm the only pony in this place with access to her personal radio frequency, so she had to call me I guess."

"Are you really interested in helping Equestria, or is that a load of horseapples being spun by the Overmare?"

Reticle paused for a long moment and sighed. "Yeah, I don't agree with Winter Breeze's methods, but I can understand her ideals. I'm willing to lend a hoof to the alliance as needed."

I smiled a little and offered Reticle a hoof. "Thank you for that, it means a lot that we have you on our side."

Reticle hesitated a moment but shook my hoof with a smile. "You're welcome, I just hope we can do something to create a real change in Equestria."

"Me too Reticle, me too."

00000

As we headed back out into the Atrium we found the rest of the group talking with a few more ponies. Blue was there obviously, but there was also a small green Earth Pony filly who was talking with Serenity and Pure Heart, and a rough looking mare covered in scars that was just kind of standing off to the side.

"Happy Smiles and Bloodheart," Reticle said as she nodded to the two other ponies. "Two more of our enhanced ponies, we have a fifth one but I'm not sure where he went off to."

"Its okay, I'm sure that's enough," I said as Serenity noticed us and waved.

"Do you know her well?" Reticle asked as she looked at the filly.

"Well enough, she's granddaughter about, seven times removed I think," I said with a light smirk, Reticle looked at me surprised. "What?"

"I knew her parents," Reticle said which surprised me. "Harmony and Highwind, we went to the war academy together. I heard about Harmony being pregnant while she was under Marigold's command, the filly she looks so much like her mother."

"What were they like?" I asked, then held up a hoof. "Hang on, you should tell Serenity, she never got to know them, I know if there was somepony who could tell me about mine I'd want to know."

"Okay," Reticle said with a nod and I waved to Serenity to come join us.

"Hey Scootaloo, hey Reticle," Serenity said with a smile as she looked at the older Pegasus. "What's going on?"

"Serenity right?" Reticle asked and Serenity nodded. "I need to tell you some things, about your birth parents."

"You, knew my birth parents?" Serenity asked, which caught Vanilla's attention as she trotted over to us. "What were they like?"

"They were brave and smart, and loyal to a fault," Reticle said with a sad smile. "But ultimately they were kind, they were good ponies who got caught up in a system that didn't help them. Really they were lucky to be able to serve together under the same General but for some reason Winter Breeze herself made sure they were given the same assignment."

Wait, Winter Breeze intervened on Serenity's parents' behalf? Okay, that was weird, why would she do that?

"They did their best to help wherever they could," Reticle continued. "Your mom didn't like to fight, she wanted to be a field medic so she could get out there and help ponies on the battlefield. The last time I saw them after your conception, they were excited at the prospect of having a filly or colt even if it was going to be hard on them. They loved you very much Serenity, even before you were born."

Serenity listened to every word she said and started to cry a little, I started to cry at the same time. They genuinely did sound like good ponies who had touched the life of this General, I just wished that I could've met them.

I looked at Vanilla and she nodded a little as we both hugged Serenity, she smiled a little as she wiped the tears with her hoof.

"Thank you Reticle, that means a lot," she said. "I just wish I could've known them."

"You're welcome kid, I'm sure they would be proud of you," Reticle said with a nod before heading off.

"Just like we are," Vanilla said as we released the filly. "Now go back to your friends, we can talk to you later."

I smiled a little as Serenity headed back to Pure Heart and Happy Smiles. I mostly spent the next little while talking with the others, I had been curious about Nomad City so I talked with Star and Jade about that mostly.

The two had been all over Equestria together and there was even talk about someday maybe taking trips into Zebrica and the Dragon Lands if they could get it worked out with the locals.

After awhile Silver Lining approached me with some papers in her telekinetic grip. "Alright, we've finished the tests."
"And?"

"Well, given you're relatively untouched by radiation, you're in good shape for a 250 year old mare by the way," she added with a light chuckle. "Anyway, you're compatible for enhancement using Rainbow Dash's DNA."

"Wait, really?" I asked and she nodded. "Okay, how do we do this?"

"Well its a little late for the procedure now since you have to not eat, just come back to Whitehome tomorrow and we'll take care of it," Silver Lining said with a reassuring smile. "And then we'll keep up our end of the deal of course."

"Of course," I said with a nod. "Thank you again."

She nodded and returned to her office, I couldn't help but be a little excited by the prospect now. It was weird in a way, I wondered what this would mean for how I was related to Rainbow Dash, this whole process raised a lot of questions.

I just shrugged and went back to talking with the others.

00000

"Okay, so Serenity is at Star's house with Pure Heart and Happy Smiles," Vanilla said with a sigh as we finally reached our hotel room that night and she and Cherry started to slip out of their dresses. "Remind me again why I got into politics."

"I don't know either," I said as I sat down on the couch. "At least it sounds like everything is working out with Whitehome."

"Yeah," Cherry said as she took a seat next to me. "Though that filly Happy Smiles is strange, she kept trying to get me to buy her food or candy or something."

"Which probably means she has an enhanced charisma stat," I said with a shake of my head. "I don't even know why we set those stats up sometimes."

"Me neither," Arc said. "So what's the plan for where we go next?"

"I have no idea," I admitted. "There's still Stables out there that the Enclave might be going after, but we don't know for sure where they're going next. I hate it when I don't know what's going on."

"So, who was it on the radio?" Cherry asked as she nuzzled me gently. "You looked a bit shook up when you came back."

"Winter Breeze," I said, which elicited a gasp from the other ponies. "She tried to get me to give up and join the Enclave, she even offered me a pardon if I did so."

"How did she even know you were here?" Arc Light asked.

"She said she had ponies everywhere, I guess one of her agents is in this area," I said with a shake of my head. "Lets just get this surgery done tomorrow and then we can head back to Junction Town and figure out what to do next"

They nodded and sighed a little, I knew this wasn't going to be easy, but I felt like it had to be done. Still, this was going to be one of the hardest things I ever had to do, I just had to hope that it was the right thing to do.

"Come on, lets get to bed," Cherry said after awhile and pulled me off towards our bedroom.

00000

"So the procedure itself is fairly simple," the doctor said as I laid down on the table in Whitehome's medical room. "We've had a lot of success with making it work so you have nothing to worry about."

"I better not," I said with a chuckle as I folded my wings at my sides and added jokingly. "I better not wake up singing about how awesome I am or something."

"Don't worry, you shouldn't experience any major personality shifts," the doctor said and looked at the door as it opened.
Silver Lining and another pony that I supposed was in charge of the clones wheeled a gurney in with the clone of Rainbow Dash on it. She opened her magenta eyes and looked right at me, for a brief moment I almost swore there was a moment of recognition, but it was probably my imagination.

It was weird seeing her again, she wasn't the older Rainbow Dash that I remembered from the war, instead this was the Rainbow I remembered from when I was a filly. It was like I was getting a view into the past, my past, one that I would give anything to live through again.

I sighed a little and laid back on the table and stared up at the ceiling light.

"Okay Scootaloo, we're going to sedate the two of you, this shouldn't last more than a few hours, okay?" The Doctor said.

"Okay," I said as an oxygen mask was placed over my muzzle, after a moment the world around me turned hazy and then went dark.

I have no idea how long I was out, but when I woke up again I was laying in a bed with Cherry, Serenity, Vanilla, and Arc nearby.

"She's awake!" Serenity said, which got the attention of the others.

"Hey Scootaloo, how are you feeling?" Arc asked.

"A little different, I have a bit of a headache but that's about it," I said with a groan as I rubbed my forehead. "I thought I'd feel different somehow."

"Don't worry about it, Blue said that you shouldn't feel any different since your enhancement was more physical," Vanilla said. "The good news is Jade finalized the agreement while you were out, we'll be taking the other enhanced ponies with us back to Junction Town."

"That's good, is there any bad news?" I asked.

"Uh, well, a small Enclave fleet has been spotted near Horseton," Serenity said, oh great, just what I needed right now. "And its being lead by their flagship, the Nimbus."

"The Nimbus?"

"Apparently its under the command of one of the Wonderbolt Generals named Cloud Chaser," Cherry said with a shake of her head. "The NCR has been holding them off since they arrived, but they don't know why they're in the area. Do you have any ideas?"

I thought for a long moment, what was in Horseton that could be of interest to... oh no, there was something there that would be of interest to them, only one thing and I didn't like it.

"Stable 117," I said. "It was built outside of Horseton, I think the Enclave is going after it."

"Another Stable, this could be a problem," Arc said. "There was a report in that they went after Stable 14 on Mount Reinier, but its been abandoned for years so we don't know what happened in there yet."

"14... that figures," I said with a shake of my head. "Okay then, we know where we're going next... what now?"

"Now, we need to make sure it worked," Silver Lining said as she came into the room. "The clones will be freed as soon as we test your new abilities Scootaloo, are you up for it?"

"Yeah, I'm up for it," I said with a nod as I got out of bed. "Lets do this."

00000

"Alright, the goal is to make it around the track four times in order to complete a mile," Silver Lining said, we were in the Stable's orchard which had a dirt track surrounding it. "The fastest time on hoof for a pony is 44.48 seconds, if this was successful, you should be able to beat it."

"Go Scootaloo!" Serenity cheered from the sidelines, I smiled a little and waved to her and my other friends. "You can do it, show them what you're made of!"

I nodded and crouched down, preparing to take off as soon as Silver Lining gave the signal.

"On your mark.. get set... go!"

I ran off as fast as I could, I had always been fast on my hooves, I had to be given I'd never get to fly, but this felt like nothing I had ever felt before. The feel of my hooves striking the dirt as I ran faster thrilled me, I was running faster than I had ever imagined.

That's one lap.

This had to be what it felt like to be Rainbow Dash, constantly pushing yourself forward to try and be faster and stronger. I just kept picking up speed as I ran faster and faster, the feeling of the air running through my mane as I kept running.
That's two.

The world went past me in a blur as I passed my friends, I could hear them cheering for me as I kept running, but it barely registered with me. It was as if the whole world around me didn't exist, just me and the track as I kept running.

That's three.

I barely even remember the last lap, I was going so fast at this point I must've hit whatever my top speed was. I just remember coming in for a stop finally where I had started, I swear I was sweating like crazy after that and breathing heavily, but it felt good.

"That was incredible," Vanilla said as I took a long drink of water. "What was her time?"

"Well, if there was anypony still keeping world records, we'd have a new record holder," Silver Lining said with a smirk. "40.32 seconds, congratulations, it looks like it worked."

"Yah think?" I said with a chuckle as I sat down.

I had kept my end of the bargain, now it was up to Silver Lining to do the same. After a few minutes we all headed towards the museum once more.

00000

"Are you okay?" Cherry asked as we headed up the stairs.

"Yeah, I'm fine, I'm just still processing all of this," I said as Silver Lining opened the door to the Museum. "I've, never really thought of myself as being more than just who I am, its, weird to suddenly have this enhancement."

"It'll take some getting used to," Blue said as he came up to us. "I heard we're releasing the clones."

"Yeah, we are," Silver Lining said with a small sigh. "I'm a mare of my word after all, and we've finished what we needed to do, as long as a certain somepony keeps her word."

"I will," I said. "And I'm willing to come back here after the Enclave is dealt with to help with the clones."

"We'll manage until then," Silver Lining said with a sigh as she started releasing the clones one by one and ponies started helping them until just Rainbow Dash was left. "I don't know why these clones were created or who put them here if you didn't. I just know that they were, are our best chance of helping Equestria at this point."

"Silver, six ponies can make a difference, but they aren't the only factor," I said softly. "You did what you felt was right to help Equestria, but we can't forget what makes us ponies. All life is sacred regardless of how it was created, if we abandon that basic principle, then we've become the monsters."

Silver Lining thought on that for a long moment before sighing. "You're a wiser Pony than I am Scootaloo," she said and input the commands to release Rainbow Dash from suspended animation.

I moved forward almost on instinct and caught her, propping her up gently as the clone stirred a little, her eyes opening as she looked around. She flinched a little when she saw Silver Lining.

"Its okay Rainbow, you're free," I said softly.

"Free?" She managed to say in a hoarse whisper as if she wasn't used to speaking.

"That's right Rainbow, you won't ever have to be like that again, you're your own pony now," I said with a smile as I helped her out of the museum.

"Who... who are you?" She asked.

I paused for a long moment, there was only one answer I could give, one that made sense because of both our bond and the experiment. But still, it pained me to have to say it because of how much it meant to me.

"My name is Scootaloo, I'm your daughter."

00000

Leaving the Rainbow Dash clone in Stable 122 was one of the hardest things I'd ever have to do.

Some ponies from Nomad City came down to the Stable to help the clones as best they could. They had a lot to learn before they could even leave the Stable, but they had been given a chance to live their lives.

I spent as much time with the Rainbow clone as I could, or Prism Light as we had taken to calling her (all six of them were to take on new names). She couldn't speak very much yet, I think the words she knew had all been picked up in her moments of consciousness when she was to be used for experimentation.

We were at the exit zone to Stable 122 and preparing to leave, most of the clones were downstairs but Prism wanted to see me off.

"I'll see you later mom, I promise I'll be back as soon as I can be," I said with a smile as I gently hugged her and she hugged me back.

"Thank you Scootaloo," Prism said, she was starting to cry a little and so was I. "For everything."

"You're welcome mom," I said, and we released the hug after a long moment. "See you later?"

She nodded and watched as we headed out of the Stable and back out into the Wasteland. There were two Vertibucks waiting for us outside, one was going to take us to Horseton and Stable 117.

"You three ready to go?" Star asked as she poked her head out of the Vertibuck we were to take.

"You're coming with us then?" I asked as I climbed into the Vertibuck with Cherry and Arc, I was a little surprised, Star seemed more like she wanted to stay in Nomad City.

"Just for Horseton and 117," she said with a shake of her head. "I, need to be there, for personal reasons."

"Well I'm glad to have you," Cherry said with a smile as we all got strapped into our seats.

"Once more into the breach," I said as the Vertibuck took off, I looked back down at the building that housed Stable 122 until it completely disappeared from view.

I would be back someday, I swore it.

LEVEL UP!
Perk Received: Fastest Mare Alive.
Details: You've been enhanced by a mysterious process using the DNA of Rainbow Dash. Your land speed is significantly increased and running uses less AP.

Author's Note

Stable 122 and all associated characters belong to FaultyScrewdriver.

Chapter 11: Secrets

"What happened in the past that was painful
has a great deal to do with what we are today."
-William Glasser.

"Hey there everypony, this is DJ Pon3 coming at you with the latest news. As I reported earlier, it seems that the Wanderer has made it out of Stable 48 with a couple of ponies. There are some reports that the Stable has been taken over by the Enclave, though their motivations for doing so are currently unknown. But its not all bad news, I've heard from Refuge that the ponies at the settlement of Haven in Seaddle and their allies the Applejack's Rangers Seaddle contingent have managed to drive off an attempted Enclave attack on the settlement, good on them."

I breathed a sigh of relief as we kept flying towards Horseton. It at least seemed like the Enclave wasn't winning everywhere, that was a good thing, but it worried me that they were getting so widespread.

Then there was Stable 14, the Stable had been built to house Griffons and Gabby had been made the Overbird, but from what I understood it had been abandoned for decades, there was only one reason to go there, which just worried me more, it meant that Winter Breeze may now have two keys.

"What do you know about the Nimbus?" I asked Star.

"It was based on the same designs and technology as the Typhon but upgraded in many ways," Star said with a sigh. "It was under construction when the Enclave Civil War hit the shipyards in R&D. The General in charge of R&D Cloud Chaser loaded it up with as much personnel and resources as he could and flew it out of clouddock."

I noticed that there was a brief look of pain on her face when she mentioned Cloud Chaser, I had to wonder about that a bit. Star hadn't talked much about her time in the Enclave, I guessed that she likely served under Cloud Chaser during her time.

"So, then why send the Nimbus to Horseton?" Cherry asked. "It seems a bit strange to send it here."

"Horseton was used as the capital for the Crimson Empire," Star said. "They converted one of the old buildings into the Scarlet Tower. After the NCR captured it they've kept it pretty well fortified."

"So its a siege then," I said and Star nodded. "Or at least one as long as the Enclave looks for what they need around the city."

"Yeah, that's about right," Star said. "So what about Stable 117, what should we know about it?"

"117 was built to test some new hologram technology developed by Robronco," I said. "The entire Stable is basically one massive hologram system designed to look like a pre-war town."

"That's, an interesting choice," Cherry commented.

"Yeah, its pretty advanced technology, Wind Rider wanted to make sure that it was preserved. If the technology hasn't failed it'll probably be still the same, I don't quite know what to expect other than that, anything could've happened in the last 210 years."

"I see," Arc said. "Well lets just hope we don't have any more surprises waiting for us in there."

We nodded as the Vertibuck started to descend towards the ground on the outskirts of Horseton.

00000

Getting through the city was a challenge in itself, but thankfully most of the ponies we encountered were NCR soldiers. We had to avoid a few Enclave patrols here and there, but for the most part they didn't seem that interested in us.

It didn't take long for me to realize why, they were still looking for the Stable, they didn't actually know where it was. The attack itself seemed more like a diversion to me while they were searching for their goal.

Maybe that was why they didn't take Haven in Seaddle. The Enclave seemed more interested in taking the six keys than it did in actually capturing territory from the NCR outside of convincing settlements to join them. It was a weird move on their part, and I didn't like where they were going with it.

"There's something weird about their strategy," Star whispered to me and I nodded in agreement. "The Nimbus should've overwhelmed the NCR forces by now, that ship isn't exactly built for precision strikes."

"I know, its weird," I whispered back as I looked up at the massive cloudship that was in the air above the city. "I think its a diversion while they look for something, probably Stable 117."

"How do we know the Crimson Empire didn't find it and clear it out?" Arc whispered to me.

"We don't, and neither do the Enclave, which means right now its a race against the clock to see who gets there first," I said with a nod. "Was there any reports of the Empire using holographic technology during the war?"

"Well, no," Star said with a shrug. "The Empire was on about the same technological level as the NCR, they didn't even have Power Armor, let alone holograms."

"Okay, then the Stable is probably intact, I wonder why they didn't find it," I said.

We continued on in silence towards the NCR camp, whatever the reason was for this particular mystery, I was sure we'd eventually find out. I just had to hope that whatever it was, we'd be able to beat the Enclave to it.

Because the alternative scared me more.

00000

When we reached the camp we were stopped at the gate and searched before we were allowed inside. I was surprised to see four green Alicorns standing around the camp and protecting it with a large shield.

"That's really clever," I commented as we walked past the Alicorns who paid us no attention.

"They were here to help dispose of the empire's IMP stores, we're still finding more of it after 5 years," a stallion's voice said and a grey Unicorn stallion walked up to us with a smile and offered me a hoof. "Colonel Quill, welcome to the NCR's base here in Horseton."

"Thank you," I said and shook the stallion's hoof as we all introduced ourselves. "You were part of the Ranger contingent that helped defend the Neigh Orleans Ministry of Awesome hub weren't you?"

"Yeah, that's right, I still have the scars to prove it," Quill said with a nod. "I never thought I'd meet a bonafide living legend though, Wanderer."

"Yeah, well, I happened to be in the area," I said with a light chuckle.

"By which she means we think we can help deal with the Enclave," Star said with a nod as she looked the stallion over. "Have they been attacking for long?"

"On and off since they arrived, I'm guessing they need to conserve ammo," Quill said with a shrug. "Unless you four have another explanation."

"We think they're searching the Horseton ruins for something," I said. "There's a Stable built here in the city that we think they want access to."

"Oh, is that all?" Quill asked.

"Wait, do you know what they're looking for?"

"Of course I do, you're looking for Stable 117 right?" He asked and I nodded. "Alright, we can work with that, thankfully we have some records from when the Empire ruled Horseton and they cataloged most of the city. I think I saw something relating to that in there."

Well that was something at least, I knew the general location of the Stable but I didn't know what could've affected the area around it.

"Alright then, lets start looking," I said and we got to work.

00000

You know, Slaver Empires have a surprising amount of paperwork, you never really think about that do you? There was records on the numbers of ponies being moved in and out of Horseton and other parts of the Empire, keeping track of the money that was kept by the High Council and the nobles, and finally records of what had been found around Horseton and the rest of Imperial territory.

"Lets see here," Arc said as she flipped through some pages. "I have a Stable 84, no wait that was to the north of here."

"Nothing here either," Cherry said as she set the papers down that she had been looking through. "Just a bunch of reports on settlements the Imperial Army captured, nothing substansial."

"Yeah, I'm not having much luck either," I said with a shake of my head as I set aside another report on an IMP storage facility. "Why did the Empire need so much IMP anyway?"

"They were experimenting with it," Star said. "They wanted to perfect it for a supersoldier project or something. If they could create their own Alicorns loyal to them, they could overrun Equestria."

"Figures," I commented with a sigh as I returned the papers to where I found them and checked another stack.

"Here, I've got something," Cherry finally said after awhile, she was holding a single piece of paper in her hooves. "Its from a General Blood Stone reporting to the Empress of the Scarlet Throne."

"Blood Stone, he was one of the former members of the Inner Circle right?" I asked, I remembered the name from the books I had read.

"The Burning Stallion himself," Star said with a nod as Cherry passed me the paper and I read it.

Scouting teams in the northwest sector have reported back the presence of a Stable underneath the ruins of the Hoofball stadium. All reports say that the Stable door is blocked by rubble, however until we can gain access to the Stable itself there is little point in attempting to clear the rubble in the entrance tunnel.

I will have the Imperial Army continue their search for methods of entering Stables given the possible wealth of technology we could discover within once the growing tensions with the NCR are dealt with.

In the meantime, we have no choice but to leave the Stable alone and hope that whatever secrets it holds will remain locked up until we can investigate the Stable for ourselves. I recommend this to be passed on to the head of development for the time being.

Render unto the Scarlet Throne.

"Huh, the Hoofball Stadium," Quill said as he looked over my shoulder. "That could be a problem, the area under the stadium has mostly collapsed and that's not even going into the local wildlife."

"Of course its not that easy," I said with a groan. "Far be it from the Wasteland to actually give us an easy time for once."

"We'll have to go in the morning at first light," Star said as she looked up at the darkened sky, the Enclave's attack had ceased for the moment at least.

"Yeah, lets just hope we can find somewhere to sleep," I said as I stretched out a little.

"Don't worry, that's the easy part," Quill said and nodded to the large tower behind us. "It should be safe for the time being, we have some rooms you can stay in."

I nodded and we headed into the large tower.

00000

We were given pretty lavish quarters to stay in, apparently they had once belonged to the upper class of the Crimson Empire during the war. While admittedly they were still in pretty bad shape, they certainly looked better than some places.

As I removed my coat I glanced at Star who was looking at the cutie mark on my flank. "What's going through your mind?"

"I'm just wondering about something, you were branded right?" She asked and I nodded. "How did it come back?"

"I don't know honestly, I think it might've been because of the stasis pod I was in," I said with a shrug as I put my coat away. "It surprised me too to be honest, but the pod lost all its power so I don't think that'll be an option again."

"Oh well, I almost wouldn't mind sleeping through Pure Heart's teenage years," Star said with a light chuckle.

I laughed a little at that, Star was certainly an interesting mare, given that she had to have left the Enclave after the Day of Sunshine and Rainbows I had to wonder what the Enclave thought about her.

I laid on the bed next to cherry who gave me a smile as she pulled in close to me. She looked at me with her purple eyes and smiled as I wrapped my wings gently around her.

"Scootaloo, have you ever thought about being in a relationship again?" She asked as she looked up at me. "I mean, I know you were married before and you dated Sweetie Belle, but..."

"Honestly Cherry I don't know," I admitted to her as I held her close to me. "Its not that I don't want to its... I've been close to ponies before, and I lost them. My friends, my family, I lost them all to a pointless war and then because of my own mistakes. Maybe I'm cursed or something, I don't know."

"I don't think you're cursed," Cherry said as she nuzzled me gently. "You have some bad luck maybe, but I wouldn't say cursed."

"You think so?"

"Yeah, besides its silly, you still have really good friends who are willing to help you out no matter what," Cherry said as she closed her eyes. "You're a good pony Scootaloo, you're not a monster or cursed or anything, you're you, and that's all that matters."

I smiled a little and held her close before closing my eyes too. "Thank you Cherry, I needed that."

"You're welcome Scootaloo, and if you ever find somepony special, they'll be the luckiest pony in the world because they have a strong, kind, and brave mare."

"Clearly you never saw me on a camping trip..." I muttered quietly.

"What was that?"

"Nothing."

With that the room fell silent as we drifted off to sleep. I wasn't sure what I was going to do with my life at this point, but I was just glad that I had such good friends helping me figure it out.

Friendship really was magic.

00000

The next day we were making our way through Horseton towards the hoofball stadium, it wasn't too far away from the camp at least, but it was still a bit of a trek.

"So, we're looking for a specific tunnel that's filled with rubble, in an underground area with a lot of tunnels filled with rubble," Arc said.

"Yeah, that sums it up."

"And all we have to go on is a letter from an Imperial General who was discharged a few months later."

"Yep."

"Plus your 211 year old knowledge of the area where the Stable was built in."

"Right, which will probably be a bit out of date because of the rubble," I said with a sigh, she had a point, this wasn't going to be easy. "I think we can manage though, at least I hope we can."

Thankfully the Enclave was searching a different part of the city right now so getting into the tunnels under the stadium wasn't a problem. We started to make our way through the maintenance tunnels, climbing over the rubble here and there as we did.

The tunnels were a small maze of maintenance tunnels and other various things that made up the underground area of the stadium. The pipes had rusted and burst here and there from years of a lack of maintenance.

"Alright, I think it should be a left turn up..." I started to say when the ground ahead of us started to rumble. "Uh Star, what kind of wildlife is in here?"

"If we're lucky, mole rats, but I doubt we're that lucky," Star said as we readied our weapons.

"And if we're unlucky?" Cherry asked nervously through the pistol she gripped in her mouth.

Star didn't get a chance to answer as two huge scorpions burst out of the ground with their pincers open and their tails poised to strike. I gulped a little and gripped the trigger to my battle saddle in my teeth and fired two shots at the scorpions...

Only to have it hit them in their armored hides, which just made them angrier.

"Oh crap..." I said as they rushed forward towards us and made to strike at me and Arc when a pair of shots rang out, hitting the scorpions in the face.

"Radscorpions, I never liked these things," Star said as she released the trigger on her own battle saddle. "Come on, lets get moving before more of them come."

"That was cool," I said as we started walking again.

"Yeah, well you learn how to take things down fast or you die," Star said with a shrug as we kept walking and took the left turn up ahead. "How far do you think we are from the Stable Door?"

"Not far," I said.

"How did you build a Stable under a stadium anyway?" Cherry asked. "Wouldn't you have to, you know, tear up the stadium above?"

"Oh, right the sign fell off didn't it," I said with a chuckle. "We're right under Stable-Tec Hoofball Stadium, we worked it out with the Hoofball league to sponsor the team in return for building the Stable under it. The Horseton Knights they were called."

"Huh, that's a new one," Star said. "Though at least its a better name than Reapers."

"Reapers?" Arc asked.

"Oh, that was the Hoofington team's name, strange name I know," I said with a shrug as we turned another corner. "Okay, we should have another turn up ahead and..."

I stopped in my tracks, blocking the way was one of the biggest piles of rubble I had seen, it looked like most of the ceiling had collapsed right in the hallway to the Stable door, which I could see through the rubble.

"Okay, yeah, that figures..." I said with a groan. "Anypony have any ideas?"

We just stood there for the longest time examining the pile of rubble, well that probably explained why the Empire never made it to Stable 117. My first thought was explosives, but that just risked bringing more of the ceiling down.

"Great, now what?" Arc said. "We can't exactly blow this thing up can we?"

"No, not in this state," Star said with a sigh. "We're going to have to start taking this apart piece by piece."

Great, just great, this was going to take forever.

00000

As Star and Arc were working at getting the rubble cleared, me, Schooner, and Cherry stayed on guard duty keeping an eye on our EFS in order to make sure that nothing snuck up on us.

"How's the filly?" I asked after awhile as I looked at Cherry.

"She's doing fine, still a little active here and there," Cherry said as she placed a hoof on her belly. "Its weird, when I was growing up I never really thought about being a mother, we were all taught that children were to be raised by their divisions and not by parents, but when it actually happened..."

"Everything changed," I finished the thought. "Everything does, doesn't it? When I was left above the clouds I never thought I'd have a family either, then I met Sky Walker and everything changed. When I found out I was pregnant with Cloudy, I was terrified that I wouldn't be the mother I needed to be for her. I guess my fears weren't exactly unfounded given what happened..."

"That wasn't your fault Scootaloo, the Enclave put you in a position you couldn't handle," Cherry said. "Nopony is perfect, you just have to hope that you don't mess your children up too badly."

"Yeah, you're right," I said with a sigh. "Now I'm here and, I don't really know what to do with my life. I'm trying to do my best to help Equestria, but what about after the Enclave is defeated? Do I spend the rest of my life wandering around or do I settle down in some settlement or tribal village and live the rest of my life alone?"

"You don't have to be alone Scootaloo," Cherry said as she took my hooves in her's. "I'll always be there for you, just like you'll always be there for us. We'll figure this out the two of us, I promise."

That's when she did something I didn't expect, she leaned forward and kissed me on the lips. I couldn't believe it, she was actually kissing me, I had no idea how to react right now so I just kissed her back and enjoyed the moment.

She was warm and soft, it was not a passionate kiss, but one that seemed gentle and loving at the same time. I closed my eyes, lost in the moment and for just that short time the world around us, the Enclave, the Stables, none of it mattered anymore.

"Hey you two lovebirds," Arc said all of a sudden ruining the moment. "We've managed to make a path to the Stable door, or do you two want to just keep making out?"

"Umm..." I said blushing deeply, she just had to ruin the moment like that didn't she? "Yeah, we're coming."

We started climbing up the rubble pile and through the path that Arc and Star had managed to make. My mind was still reeling though, what had she meant by that? Why did she kiss me? What was going on? How did I feel about her now?

"Umm, Scootaloo..." Cherry said softly from behind me.

"Yes Cherry?"

"I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable, I just, wanted to show you how much you mean to me and..." She said nervously. "It was the only thing I could think of, sorry if I made it awkward..."

"Its okay Cherry," I said with a smile. "You don't have anything to apologize for, you did what you felt was right."

We went on in silence before we made it out of the small tunnel. Standing before us was the massive Stable Door of Stable 117, we had found it!

I went up to the control panel next to the door and input the Stable-Tec Master Code, and with a loud screeching sound the door to Stable 117 started to open. I had no idea what to expect on the other side other than what had been made for it as we looked into the door and into the Stable beyond.

00000

I covered my eyes with my hoof as a bright light hit my face, at first I thought it was an overhead light then I realized it was the sun. We all blinked a little in surprise as we saw what looked like a fairly ordinary town around us, we turned and looked back at the door which was a gate built into a wall.

"Okay, I guess it could just look like an ordinary town," Arc said as she blinked in surprise.

"Yeah, I guess something worked after all," Cherry said as we started towards the town. "How is this working anyway?"

"I'm not sure, the holograms themselves are built to make the whole Stable feel bigger than it is, each room is outfitted with them and made so it doesn't feel like you're moving through a Stable," I said, I had to admit I was a bit in awe, this crazy plan had actually worked. "Alright, lets find some..."

"Welcome to Stabletown," a cheerful mare's voice said from ahead of us, we looked to see a light blue Unicorn mare dressed in Stable barding with the number 117 on it smiling at us. "I'm Mayor Bluebelle, welcome to our town."

"Nice to meet you," I said with a smile as we shook hooves with the mare. "I'm Scootaloo, this is Arc Light, Cherry Blossom, and Shooting Star, we're here visiting from... umm..."

"Nomad City, its very nice to meet you," Star said as the mayor shook hooves with all of us.

"Nomad City? What an odd name for a town, but we don't really get many visitors here," Bluebelle said, she was still smiling
as she did. "By any chance are any of you good with technology?"

"Yeah, I know a few things," Arc said. "Why, what's going on?"

"Well, you see maybe you can help us then, we've been having ponies vanish on the outskirts of town lately and some equipment in my home has been malfunctioning," Bluebelle said, her smile fading for a moment. "If it keeps up, I'm afraid that we might all die."

"Wait, ponies are vanishing?" I asked, I had to admit I was a little confused by that. "Where are they vanishing from?"

"Oh, just outside of town," Bluebelle said. "Its the weirdest thing really, one minute they're here, the next minute they're gone."

That really was odd, this simulation shouldn't result in anypony dying except of natural causes or accidents in the Stable itself. Something about this felt weird, but I didn't have time to dwell on it.

"Well, Arc here can help with the technology issue," I said as I nodded to my friend. "The rest of us can help figure out where ponies are getting off to. Star here is a police officer where we come from, maybe she can help."

"Oh that would be wonderful!" Bluebelle said with a smile. "Arc you can work with Gearframe, he's our local expert in this kind of thing. You all must be tired from your long journey, would you like to rest a little before you're ready to help the search?"

"Well, okay, we don't want to impose," Cherry said.

"Oh, no imposition at all, we've got a lot of empty beds right now because of the disappearences," Bluebelle said.
"Uh, just how many ponies are missing?"

"Well, lets see, we have a population of about 650... I'd say about, 318 have vanished, its terrible," Bluebelle said as she started to cry a little. "Fillies and colts have lost their parents, good ponies that have lived their whole lives here are going missing."

"Oh, I'm sorry..." I said, but I had to wonder one thing.

318 ponies was almost half the population of Stable 117, there was no way that they could go missing without being found.
So then where were they going? It felt like there was some sort of external force or factor that we weren't aware of at play here, and I didn't like it.

00000

"Gearframe, we have visitors here to help you," Bluebelle said as we entered her house where an Earth Pony stallion with dark coat and a grey mane is working at a strange looking device.

"Let me guess, that's the central control for the holograms," Arc whispered to me.

"Yeah, that's the one," I answered with a nod. "Its a tricky piece of equipment, I'm guessing its been glitching out and causing problems."

"Yeah, well I don't know how to repair a hologram central control system..." Arc whispered.

"Don't worry about it, they designed it to be easy to learn how to repair," I said with a nod. "You'll do fine, while we get this repaired I'll see about the key."

"You really should tell us why these keys are so important," Cherry whispered. "If they're putting Stables in danger, shouldn't the NCR and their allies know what they are?"

I paused for a long moment at that question, it wasn't that I hadn't considered telling them, but I wasn't sure that they should know. I didn't trust the NCR or the Enclave with this kind of power, and I wouldn't reveal its true nature unless it was necessary.

"Don't worry about it, we'll be fine."

Cherry just looked at me worriedly as Arc went to work on the device. I turned to look at Bluebelle who just gave me a smile.

"Mayor, I'd like to take a look at the terminal in your office."

"Oh, of course," Bluebelle said though she looked at me strangely, she was probably wondering how I knew there was a terminal in her office. "Right this way."

I checked the terminal and breathed a sigh of relief, the key was still intact so the Enclave had never been here, at least not yet. Out of curiosity I checked the Stable systems while I was there, most of it seemed to be in order, though it looked like the computer was holding a lot of data for some reason along with redundancies and backups.

Somepony had worked hard to make sure this Stable was working right.

"Alright, thank you," I said with a smile. "Everything seems to be in order right now, I'll just need to know where we'll be staying tonight."

Bluebelle nodded and lead me, Cherry, and Star out of the house while Arc continued working. More ponies were out right now as the sun above started to go down, the town felt so, normal.

And yet I knew what was hiding under its illusion, I just had to hope I never had to expose the truth to these ponies.

00000

We were escorted to an empty building where we were told that we could stay. As we started to get settled in there was the sound of running hooves against the wooden floor as somepony rushed out from under the bed.

Star was up in a flash and moved in front of the door to block the pony's escape as they came to a stop. It was a little earth pony filly with a pink body and orange mane, she looked up at Star fearfully.

"Who are you? Why are you in my house?" She said shakily.

"I'm sorry Ms. Scootaloo, her parents were the last to vanish and she keeps coming back home in hopes that they'll be here," Bluebelle said with a shake of her head. "Come on Sunshine, they just need a place to stay, lets get you back to your grandpa's house."

"But I want to stay here, what if mommy and daddy come back while they're here!" the filly protested. "You can't make me go!"

"Then you can see them when they come to you, it'll be okay," Bluebelle said with a sigh as she ruffled the filly's mane gently.

"She can stay with us if she wants," Cherry offered and I nodded in agreement. "We'll all wait for your parents together."

"Really?" The filly asked as a smile crossed her muzzle.

"Really, we love kids, right Star?" I said as I looked over at the Pegasus.

"We'd love to have you," Star said with a nod. "Plus, we're here to help find your mommy, daddy, and all the other missing ponies."

"That's great!" Sunshine said as she danced around happily, I smiled a little, the filly certainly had a lot of energy.
I just hoped we wouldn't let her down.

"Alright Sunshine, just promise you'll be on your best behavior, we don't want you getting into trouble," Bluebelle said as Star moved from the doorway.

"I promise Mayor Bluebelle," Sunshine said with a nod.

I smiled a little and offered the filly a hoof. "Hey there, I'm Scootaloo, its nice to meet you Sunshine."

"You too," Sunshine said with a smile. "Are you the newcomers that my Grandpa mentioned?"

"Is Gearframe your grandpa?" Cherry asked curiously and the filly nodded. "Yeah, that would be us, we're here to help find your parents."

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" Sunshine said as she hugged me tight. "You're the best!"

I smiled a little and ruffled the filly's mane gently. "Thanks, we try," I said. "Now why don't you go get ready for bed?"

She nodded and ran off to the other room. "Cute kid," Cherry said as she checked her PipBuck. "That's weird..."

"What's weird?" I asked.

"Well it looks like its around 2100 hours outside, right?" She said and I nodded. "Check the time on your PipBuck."

I looked at my PipBuck and was surprised to see that the timer read only 1800 hours, there was a difference of 3 hours between what time it looked like in the Stable and what time it actually was, that was weird.

"That's odd," I commented. "Why is the hologram systems making it look later?"

"I don't know, but something about this feels weird..." Star said as she looked outside. "I'm seeing holes where there's supposed to be sky, is it possible the holograms are shorting out?"

"That's very weird, I wonder what's going on," I said as I examined the sky, indeed there were patches that looked like the rusting ceiling of a Stable, was this connected to why ponies were vanishing?

"Just another mystery to solve tomorrow, anyway I'll leave you two alone, try not to get into any trouble," Star said as she left the room to go find Sunshine.

As much as we tried to we couldn't get to sleep yet, it still felt like it was too early. We spent most of the time talking, I was curious to learn more about what had been going on in Stable 48.

The topic eventually turned back to Stable-Tec and our current situation. In truth I only had a passing knowledge of how the holograms worked that had been set up in the Stable, but in theory they were capable of recreating any environment.

"What about ponies?"

"You know, I'm not sure," I admitted. "I don't think Robronco ever tested that, but its certainly possible, in theory at least. I don't know if they ever really intended the holograms to be used like that."

"Well, you never know," Cherry said with a shrug and a yawn, it was finally getting to be too late as we laid down in the bed. "Scootaloo about earlier..."

"Don't worry about it Cherry," I said quickly, probably a little too quickly. "Lets just get some rest, we have bigger problems to worry about."

"Okay," she said and snuggled up to me. "Good night Scootaloo."

"Good night Cherry," I said and nuzzled her gently as she drifted off to sleep.

I stayed up awhile longer, in truth I couldn't stop thinking about what had happened today. Was it possible that she thought about me as more than just a friend? If so, what would I tell her? It felt like my life was about to get a lot more complicated, and it was already complicated enough.

I sighed and closed my eyes as I drifted off to sleep, it was something that I'd have to figure out later.

00000

We were making our way around Stabletown and talking to different ponies that had family members vanish starting with Sunshine. I was a little worried that we would be putting the filly through this again, but Star insisted that she was the best candidate since her parents had vanished the most recently.

"So, what was happening on the day your parents vanished Sunshine?" Star asked the little filly the next day. "Was there anything unusual about what was going on?"

"No, it was pretty much like any other day," the filly said with a shrug. "They went to the outskirts of the town in order to pick some berries for dinner and they never came back."

"Is it possible they left the town?" Cherry asked.

"No, nopony ever goes past the outskirts," Sunshine said as she shook her head. "Its against the rules."

"Interesting," I said quietly, there actually should be a lot more that they could explore, the holograms were programmed to show a fairly large area outside of the town if a pony wanted to leave it.

Why would they not leave the town? Something about this was weird.

"What would happen if they left the outskirts?" I asked curiously.

"Nopony knows really," Sunshine said with a shrug. "Mayor Bluebelle said that there were dangerous creatures out there and my Grandpa has made me promise never to leave. But you came from beyond the outskirts right? What's it like?"

"Its not too different from here, we come from another town a good distance away," I said, it wasn't a lie, it just wasn't the whole truth.

"So, if you're not here because of the vanishing ponies, why are you here?"

"Its a long story," I said, I tried to figure out how to describe what was going on without scaring the filly. "There are some bad ponies out there who want to get to Stabletown and hurt you and the others. We're here to help you and keep them from doing that."

"Okay!" Sunshine said with a smile as we saw Arc Light and Gearfram approaching us. "Grandpa!"

I smiled a little as the filly ran over and hugged the old maintenance pony.

"Hey you two, have any luck?" I asked as Arc came over to us.

"A little, we still have a ways to go before we get this thing all set up," Arc said as she looked at Gearframe. "I have to say he's one of the more brilliant ponies I've ever met, he knows this equipment inside and out."

"Which still makes me wonder why it seems to be failing," Cherry commented, we had seen a few more strange sights like the Stable floors showing in some places that wouldn't be easily noticed.

"Its certainly possible that its just because its so old, but I think we can get it repaired," Arc said. "Have you had any luck?"

"Not really," I said and Star nodded a little. "There doesn't seem to be any common thread to ponies vanishing, all ages, all types, both genders... it seems to almost be at random at times."

Star looked thoughtful for a long moment as she tried to think about what the answer might be. Honestly I was a bit worried about this, it certainly felt like something was happening that we weren't seeing, and that worried me.

"Did you get any other data on the system?" Star asked.

"Just that its using a lot of processing power," Arc said with a shake of her head. "More than I thought this place would require."

"Yeah, I noticed the same thing," I said with a nod. "This might be worth investigating at least."

"Yeah, but there's one place we need to go first," Star said. "We need to investigate the outskirts of the town, something about all of this is weird."

"I agree, that's as good a place as any to start," I said with a nod. "If we can find any answers, it'll be there."

"Lets just hope we're not too late," Cherry said with a sigh. "This town has enough problems already."

I nodded and after telling Sunshine what we were doing we headed down the main road through town. A few ponies waved to us as we went past and I smiled at them, this place was nice, almost idyllic, a piece of a world long gone.

It felt like I was back in my dream world again to be honest, and it was kind of unsettling in a weird way the same way the dreams are.

00000

We headed out of town as we followed the instructions we had been given by Mayor Bluebelle to the spot where nopony was allowed to pass. I wasn't quite sure what I had been expecting, but it certainly wasn't this.

It was so, ordinary, there were rolling hills here and there, and the sky in the distance, nothing at all seemed to be off.

"Okay, that was a bit anti-climactic," Cherry said as she looked around. "What exactly were we expecting here?"

"Some sort of clue I guess," Star said as she examined the ground. "at least something more than this."

"Yeah, this looks, normal," Arc said, she was just as surprised as the rest of us. "Is this where the ponies vanished?"

"As far as we can tell, yeah, I'm going to try something" I said as I picked up a rock and threw it as far as I could towards the hills in the distance, and then it seemed to just pass through something and vanish. "Okay, I'm not the only one who saw that right?"

"That is most definitely not normal," Star said as she walked forward towards where the rock had vanished.

"Are you sure you want to do that? What if this is what happened to everypony else?" Cherry said worriedly.

"Yeah, I don't want to have to explain to your wife and daughter that you disappeared mysteriously," I said as I walked forward.

"Don't worry, I'm not going all the way through," Star said and leaned forward, her head poking through the, whatever it was, she pulled back out. "Its safe, this is just where the hologram ends, there's nothing but Stable back there."

"That's odd, the holograms should be covering everything," I said as I poked my head in, sure enough there was nothing but rusting walls and old storage crates, this was the real Stable 117. "Arc, you've been working on the hologram system right? Was there any sort of indications that this might be happening?"

"Well, its been glitching out for awhile and there's been a bit of a power drain on the systems around the Stable, in particular in some of the uninhabited sectors," Arc said with a frown. "Are you saying that something is wrong with the holograms?"

"That would explain why the days are shorter," Cherry commented. "Shorter days means less active ponies, which means less power would be used."

"Right, but that doesn't answer the question of what happened to all the ponies that vanished," I said thoughtfully. "We have to investigate further, come on, lets go see the rest of the Stable."

We moved through the barrier and back into the Stable proper. As we started to look around I was half expecting something like dead bodies piled around the Stable where the missing ponies had died, but there was nothing.

This area looked like it had been part of the lower levels of the Stable and was used for storage. When we opened the boxes they contained food and medicine that looked like they had been stockpiled.

"That's weird, why have all of this here..." Star commented as she examined each of the boxes. "How does food work here?"

"Food is supposed to be grown in special parts of the Stable like the Orchards in other Stables, so like normal really," I said, I had briefly seen the orchard when we entered town. "This whole thing feels weird, this stuff should be enough to maintain an entire population, but its all being left here."

"Is it possible that the missing ponies are here? Or that they've been leaving the Stable?" Cherry asked.

"I doubt it, the Stable door is right at the entrance to town, somepony would've noticed," Arc said with a shake of her head. "No, I think something else is going on here, and there may only be one way to figure out what that is."

"Oh, please don't tell me we're going to have to shut down the holograms," I said with a groan.

"We need to anyway, its the only way I can get the system repaired," Arc said with a shake of her head. "What's weird is that its obvious, I don't know why Gearframe hasn't done it already."

"Another mystery for the huge pile of mysteries we already have," I said with a sigh. "Alright, but we'll talk to the Mayor about it first."

Arc nodded and we started heading back towards the hologram. As much as I hated to admit it, Arc was right, we needed to shut the holograms down for a short time at least if we wanted to try and figure out what was really going on here.

"How are the ponies going to react to the fact that they've been living a lie this whole time?" Cherry asked as she looked at me worriedly.

"Honestly Cherry, I have no idea," I said with a sigh. "We just have to hope that they will be okay, and we can always get the holograms working again anyway. Lets just hope everything will be okay."

"Yeah, I'm sure it will be," Cherry said with a sigh as we passed through the hologram and headed back towards Stabletown.

00000

When we finished telling Bluebelle the truth, she just stared at us in shock as if she was trying to process what we had just told her. I didn't blame her, we had just told her that her town, her life was a lie.

"This has to be some sort of joke, right?" She asked finally. "This isn't funny, why would you tell me something like this?"

"Its the truth," I said with a sigh. "I'm the one who set this place up over 200 years ago, Stabletown, Stable 117 as its formally called, was built to test this technology, but its failing. We can repair it and make it work again, but we'll have to shut it down for a few hours to do so."

"And what, you expect us to all just keep going about our normal day until you do that?" The head of the police force asked. "How do we know you're not really behind all the disappearances?"

"We just arrived in town yesterday," Cherry pointed out. "We come from outside the main gate, out where things are a lot different than they are in here. I promise you, this isn't a trick."

"Repairing the system will be easy, we can even do it at night when everypony will be asleep if it'll help," Arc suggested. "That might at least keep everypony from panicking."

There was a long pause as they considered what we were suggesting. The Mayor sighed a moment and nodded in agreement.

"Okay, do it tonight," she said. "But myself and Gearframe have to be with you at all times while you work on it."

"Alright, we can agree to that," Arc said and I nodded. "I promise, we'll get Stabletown back to normal before the night is over, maybe we'll get lucky and it'll even stop the disappearances."

"Alright, thank you, just be careful," Bluebelle said with a nod. "Thank you for your help, all of you."

"You're welcome," I said with a smile. "I promise, we'll make sure that Stabletown survives this."

00000

"So, you really think this might stop the disappearances?" Sunlight asked as she watched Arc and Gearframe work at the device in the Mayor's home.

"You never know," Arc said as she removed a panel on it. "Its possible its connected to all this data and the energy being used, so it might change it."

"In theory at least," I added.

"I hope so," Sunlight said as she sighed a little and looked down at her hooves. "I just wish it could've come in time to keep my parents from disappearing."

I frowned and draped my wing over the Earth Pony filly reassuringly. I had no idea what happened to her parents, but I knew that nopony that age deserved to lose their parents in any way.

Maybe once we were done here I could see if Sunlight could leave with us, maybe she could stay with Star and Jade in Nomad City, it was worth a try at least.

"Okay, Gearframe, can you go look outside and let me know when the holograms start to flicker?" Arc asked.

"On it," the old stallion said as he headed out of the house.

"Lets hope this works," Bluebelle said as Arc started to work at the wiring in the panel.

"Its starting to flicker," Gearframe said from outside. "Whatever you're doing seems to be working!"

I looked down at Sunshine who was smiling, my eyes went wide when I realized that she was actually starting to flicker along with the room.

"Wait, Arc..." I started to say.

"Almost... got it!" Arc said at the same moment as suddenly the machine stopped humming.

The world around us flickered and suddenly vanished, leaving just the rusted interior of Stable 117's Overmare's office. But there was no Overmare, Bluebelle was gone, so was Sunshine.

"They were holograms?" Cherry said in shock as she waved her hoof in the spot where Sunlight had been standing just moments before. "How is that possible?"

"I don't know," Arc said as she moved away from the device, we all looked out into the atrium, hoping to see more ponies but it was all quiet.

Stable 117 was empty.

"That's not possible..." I said as we walked out into the Stable. "What happened to the ponies here?"

"They're all dead," a familiar voice said from nearby, we turned to see Gearframe standing there looking tired as tears started to well up in his eyes. "Everypony in Stable 117 is dead except for me."

LEVEL UP!
Perk Received: Tech Expert.
Details: You have gained a better knowledge of the pre-war technology from around Equestria. You gain an extra 10 points in both science and repair.

Chapter 12: Shadowplay

"But the backdrop's peel and the sets give way and the cast gets eaten by the play.
There's a murderer at the Matinee, there are dead men in the aisles.
And the patrons and actors too are uncertain if the show is through,
And with side-long looks await their cue but the frozen mask just smiles."
-Alan Moore, V for Vendetta, The Vicious Cabaret.

I looked at Gearframe in shock, they were all dead? Everypony we had seen in the Stable had just been a hologram then? Something about this felt weird, what had happened to everypony in the Stable?

Star was the first to find her voice as every time I tried to say something nothing came out.

"What happened here?"

"There was an accident, 30 years ago," Gearframe said with a sigh. "I was still young back then and part of the maintenance team. We all fought to try and stop it from happening, but the entire Stable was flooded with poison gas except the room we were in. The other ponies, they couldn't take it anymore and they walked out into the gas. I lost them... I lost my wife, my daughter, everypony I had ever known in that accident."

Oh dear Celestia, while this hadn't been a result of anything Stable-Tec had done here, I couldn't help but feel a little guilty. Stable 117 had still lost everypony in it save for one stallion.

"I see, then you vented the gas and used the holograms to re-create the ponies," I said with a frown. "That must be why the system is glitching out, that kind of processing power must take a heavy toll on the computer."

"It was the only thing I could do," Gearframe said with a shake of his head. "I didn't want to die like the others, but I didn't want to spend the rest of my life in a dead Stable either. Leaving wasn't much of an option, so I did what I had to do in order to keep Stable 117's memory alive."

"I understand," I said as I placed a hoof on his shoulder. "I lost everypony close to me in the apocalypse that put your ancestors in this Stable. If I could do something to see them one more time, I'd have done the same."

Gearframe looked at me for a long moment and nodded. "Thank you Scootaloo, that means a lot," he said with a weak smile. "I don't know what to do now though, is there even any point in continuing the illusion?"

I thought for a long moment, something was starting to bug me about the simulation, and then it hit me. "Sunshine, was she born before or after you programmed the holograms to recreate them?"

"After, Honeydew was only 13 when the accident happened," Gearframe said. "The computer combined the traits of her parents both genetically and in terms of personality to create her and the other foals."

I nodded, there was only one thing we could do now, I looked at Arc. "Arc, you were telling the truth when you said you could get the system working again right?"

"Yeah, it'll take a bit longer to compensate for the computing power required, but its do-able," she said with a nod. "I'll need some help, but we can get it done."

"You, really would do that?" Gearframe asked as he looked at me in astonishment.

"Like I said, I understand why you did it," I said with a smile. "The ponies of Stable 117 may never get to leave here, but I will do my best to make sure you survive, I promise. All of you."

Gearframe started to cry and hugged me tightly, which caught me off guard but I smiled and hugged him back. I had messed up so many Stables, it was good to be able to help just one survive.

Besides, who were we to say what constituted life? The ponies of this Stable were alive as far as I was concerned, even if they were holograms. Stable 117 was a success in my mind, and I was glad that I got a chance to make it work again.

00000

We left the two maintenance ponies to work on the hologram systems and headed out into Stable 117 proper. The Stable was strangely empty without the holograms, and I just hoped that it would be vibrant and thriving again soon.

Arc even said that with some tweaking they might be able to get the ponies that had vanished back. They'd just have to replace the power supply and increase the computing power, which is why we were looking in the Stable in hopes of finding something to help boost the power..

"Did any of you know this was the case?" Cherry asked as she looked between us.

"No, I had no idea," I said with a shake of my head.

"I suspected because of the vanishings, but I couldn't prove it," Star said with a shrug. "Especially after we didn't find anypony on the other side of the holograms."

"Yeah, I admit that was odd," Cherry said as we looked into one of the empty looking quarters. "Still, they felt so real, I didn't expect them to just be holograms."

"I know what you mean Cherry," I said as I put a wing over my friend. "Ponies deal with loss in different ways, Gearframe just wanted some piece of his life to survive, like I said I understand that."

"Would you have done the same with your friends and family if you had the technology, Scootaloo?"

I paused a little at that, what would I have done if I could have recreated Rainbow Dash with holograms? Apple Bloom? Or even Sweetie Belle most of all, would I have done it? Could I have done it or would it just have been hollow because I knew that they weren't the real thing.

I honestly had no idea, as much as I missed them, I didn't really know if I could keep up that lie forever.

"Honestly Cherry, I don't know," I finally admitted to the earth pony. "You saw what happened in 122 with the clones of the Ministry Mares, would I be any better than whoever created them? Would I be selfish if I wanted to spend the rest of my life like that? Honestly, I don't know, but I do know that I want to help Equestria right now more than anything. I helped create this mess, and this is my chance to set it right again."

Cherry smiled and gave me a quick peck on the cheek. "That's what I wanted to hear Scootaloo. I know you'd say something like that and I couldn't be happier."

I smiled a little at that and didn't even care that she had kissed me. Cherry was right and I still had a job to do, Stable 117 was just another part of that job.

"So, I have a question," Star said as we checked another room. "The Enclave seems to be after something in these Stables right? That's why you checked the Overmare's terminal."

"That's right, just don't ask what it is, I'd rather keep it secret."

"I won't pry, I understand secrets," Star said with a nod. "But I do have to wonder why you don't just remove the keys from the terminals so they don't get their hooves on them."

"I wish it was that simple," I said with a sigh. "The keys are part of a special encryption that is connected between some of the Stables. If one key is removed, it unlocks that part of the encryption."

"That figures..." Star said with a sigh. "So then we just have to stop the Enclave from getting the rest of the keys."

"Easier said than done," Cherry said with a sigh. "Some Stables will just let them in and take what they want in exchange for whatever they can give the Stable. That's what happened in 48 after all."

"Yeah, but when they enter here they'll... oh horseapples," I said.

"What?"

"If they come in here while the holograms are down, they'll just take the key, no negotiations," I said and Star's eyes went wide. "Yeah, we have a big problem right now, lets just hope we can deal with it."

"Lets just hope we can find something to get the systems working again," Star said as we headed into the maintenance wing.

00000

It took searching most of the maintenance wing but we finally found what we were looking for. Apparently Robronco had thought ahead enough that it kept some stores of equipment in a storage room, the only problem was finding it.

Arc and Gearframe got back to work on repairing the device and we headed into the Overmare's quarters to get some rest for the night. I watched as Star started to detach her cybernetic wing.

"What happened?" I asked the mare as she wiggled the stub where her wing had once been a little.

"When I was exiled, I was aboard the Nimbus," Star said. "General Cloud Chaser is very old school Enclave, he wouldn't stand for anypony trying to undermine his authority on his own ship. So after branding me, he paralyzed my wings so I couldn't fly and had me thrown off the Nimbus while it was in the air. When I hit the ground, it mangled my wing beyond repair."

I cringed a little at the thought of that, I couldn't imagine what it would be like if I had lost my wing like that. Even if I couldn't fly, it was still like losing a limb, I wouldn't wish that on my worst enemy.

"Then how did you get that wing?" Cherry asked as she nodded to the metallic wing.

"Nomad City," Star said with a light smile. "There happened to be a scouting party in the area that found me and brought me there. The pilot of the Vertibuck carried me on her back to the hospital and arranged for a cybernetics expert to build me a new wing."

"She sounds nice," I said. "Where is she now?"

"Well, not long after that she left the Vertibuck corps and entered politics, becoming the Unicorn representative on the Council," Star said with a smirk, oh, yeah that explained a lot. "Then a year after I was found, she married me."

"Wow, that's quite the story," I said with a smile as I remembered Jade, I had no idea that she had done that for Star. "Well, I'm glad everything worked out for you in the end, you're lucky."

"Well, except for having to deal with the politics side of things," Star chuckled. "But yeah, I have a good family who loves me, and I've been able to make my home on Nomad City. It hasn't been easy, especially with the Enclave coming back like this, but I'm managing."

She yawned and laid back on the couch and pulled up the covers we had found before falling asleep. I laid down next to Cherry and gave her a light smile as I draped my wing over the mare.

"Do you really think the Enclave will come here?" She asked me.

"If they want the key, they're going to come here, they just have to find it first," I said with a sigh. "I don't like the idea of them coming here either, but we don't have any way of stopping them unless..."

"Unless what?"

"Unless we can use the holograms to our advantage," I said thoughtfully. "It'll be tricky, but we might be able to use the holograms to fight against the Enclave."

"Maybe, it would be nice if we could make it work," Cherry said as she snuggled up to me. "Scootaloo, its not, hard for you to be this close to me, is it? I mean, because of your family..."

I paused a little, I had to admit that it wasn't always easy, I hadn't been this close to another pony since I had lost Sky Walker. The thing though was that it felt, nice to be able to stay close to another pony again... even if I was still trying to figure out just how I felt about her.

I just shook my head and held Cherry close. "Cherry, I'm not going to lie and say it isn't a little hard at times, but I'm okay with this. We both have a long journey ahead of us either together or separate, I'm just glad you feel safe with me."

Cherry smiled and nuzzled me gently before closing her eyes. "Good night Scootaloo..."

"Good night Cherry," I said as I closed my eyes and drifted off to sleep.

00000

"Hey Scootaloo, the baby's crying again..." a voice said in the dark as I woke up, it took me a moment to realize I was back in my dream world.

I could hear the sound of a foal crying in the other room over the baby monitor as me and Sweetie got out of bed. I yawned a little as we walked into the next room and Sweetie gently picked the foal up out of her crib.

I smiled down at the filly, she had an orange coat with a purple mane with two different tones. She looked up at us with purple eyes as she calmed down a little bit.

"Somepony is hungry," Sweetie said with a smile as she nuzzled our daughter gently. "Come on Sparky, lets get you fed."

Sparky? Our daughter's name was Sparky then... I couldn't help but smile a little as Sweetie set herself up so that the foal could nurse.

"She's beautiful," I finally said as Sweetie gave me a smile and placed her hoof on mine.

"Yeah, she really is," Sweetie said with a smile as she looked at me for a long moment. "What's going through your mind lately, Scootaloo?"

"Oh, I'm just thinking about things," I said softly as I squeezed her hoof a little. "About friends, family, our loved ones, what happened, what's been happening."

"The Doctor said you're doing a lot better," Sweetie said with a smile. "We did it Scootaloo, we survived the war and things are starting to return to what they were like before, you got what you wanted."

"I know, I got exactly what I wanted," I said with a smile as I kissed Sweetie softly on the lips. "I have a beautiful wife, two wonderful daughters... I couldn't be happier."

"Me neither."

We just sat there in silence for awhile as Sparky continued to nurse. I looked at the little filly for a long moment, it made it even worse that this really was just a dream because Sparky never got the chance to live because of how the war ended, how the war really ended.

I started to cry a little and Sweetie gently wiped my tears away. "What's wrong Scootaloo?"

"Its just, I'm so happy I have both of you," I said as I nuzzled Sweetie. "You're the best family a mare can ask for."
Sweetie just smiled as Sparky finished nursing. She gave me the filly and for the first time I held my daughter in my hooves, cradling her gently as she looked up at me and cooed sweetly.

"Hey there Sparky," I said with a smile as her purple eyes met mine. "My beautiful little filly."

I just sat there for the longest time holding my daughter in my hooves, Sweetie put her foreleg around me and smiled as Sparky slowly drifted off to sleep.

I don't know why I keep having these dreams or if some force out there is causing them, but thank you for this one moment. It meant more to me than anything else I've ever experienced in my life.

"We did a good job didn't we Sweetie?" I asked as I looked up at the beautiful Unicorn mare next to me.

"We certainly did," Sweetie said and kissed me softly on the lips. "I'm glad we made this work, I can't think of anypony I'd rather spend the rest of my life with."

"Neither can I..." I said softly as we gently placed the sleeping foal back into her crib. I just stood there watching her sleep before Sweetie placed a hoof on my shoulder.

"Come on, tomorrow's family appreciation day at school, you don't want to be too tired to do your Red Racer presentation do you?" Sweetie asked with a smirk.

"Oh, of course not," I said with a smile and nuzzled Sweetie before we headed back to the bedroom.

00000

I woke up the next morning to the sound of an alarm, I bolted up out of bed as Cherry was already waking up and rubbing the sleep out of her eyes.

"What's going on?" Cherry said with a yawn. "What's that alarm?"

"I set the computer to alert us if anypony enters the entrance tunnel outside of the Stable," Star said as she was getting her weapons ready. "It might just be scavengers, but..."

"It might be the Enclave," I said, and with that we were both fully awake. "Here's hoping the tunnel is collapsed, what's the status of the hologram systems?"

"They're online but I don't know if we should turn them on to the town," Arc commented. "We haven't tested the systems yet so we don't even know if they'll be able to handle the amount of computing power we'll need."

"What about something small?" I asked. "Not an entire town of ponies but a few, maybe some defenses that can be used against the Enclave."

"That could work," Gearframe said. "At the very least it should buy us some time to think of a plan."

"Okay, we'll get on it," Arc said with a nod as she went to the terminal.
"In the meantime we'll set up some defenses, any chance you have mines or something Star?" I asked as I looked at the Pegasus.

"Yeah, I have a few, that should help," Star said with a nod as she went to get them set up.

"Okay Cherry, you and me will help get the defenses set up from in here and outside," I said as I turned to look at Cherry. "If all else fails, we'll use the escape tunnel to hide out and maybe we can get into other parts of the Stable."

She nodded as we started to get to work, I just had to hope that we'd have enough time to do this. I took a deep breath as we started to set up the lockers in the office to serve as barriers in the event of an attack.

It wasn't going to be easy, we weren't exactly in the most defensible of positions. The Stable had some defenses but the Enclave wouldn't need to do much in order to overwhelm them.

I looked around, honestly I was wondering if maybe this was the wrong place to be. If they were after the key, they'd come here first, given the Stable isn't even inhabited they might even ignore the rest of the Stable.

"Can you access the system remotely?" I asked as I looked at Gearframe.

"Yeah, sure, there's a secondary command console down in maintenance," Gearframe said. "We just have to make sure that its working up here, why do you ask?"

"Because I have an idea, it's just going to take a little bit of work," I said with a smirk as I outlined my plan. "We have to assume at this point that the Enclave knows we're in here, whoever is feeding them information probably told them that. So here's what I propose, we set up holograms of ourselves here, and let them be taken out by the Enclave, if we're lucky they'll think we're dead and leave us alone."

"That, could work," Arc admitted. "We'd just have to input the programs, but that should be easy enough. Can you do that Gearframe?"

"No problem, I'll take care of it," he said with a nod as he started to get to work on his part of the plan. "I'll throw in a few surprises of my own, they're not taking this Stable without a fight."

I smiled and nodded as we continued to set up the defenses. It was time to make it look like we were having our last stand. I just hoped the Enclave would fall for it, the holograms were realistic enough that they might.

It was time to put on a shadowplay for the Enclave.

00000

"Does my flank really look that big?" I asked as I looked at the holographic projection of me, she wasn't activated yet, and it was strangely creepy to see a copy of myself. "I think my coat makes it look bigger than it really is."

"Your flank looks fine," Cherry said with a roll of her eyes. "Don't worry about it."

"I'm not sure this is going to work," Star said as she examined the holograms. "They look real enough, but Cloud Chaser is smarter than the other Generals. He might be able to see through them."

"Well, lets hope he doesn't," I said with a sigh as we got them all into position. "If this doesn't work, we'll figure something else out."

"I hope so," Cherry said with a nod as we started to get our gear together. "This is a gamble already and the odds aren't exactly in our favor."

"We'll manage somehow," I said with a nod. "Don't worry about it, I'm sure we'll make it out of this alive."

Cherry nodded as we left the office and navigated around the mines to start down the stairs. According to the external sensors the Enclave was getting close to tunneling through the rubble, but they probably would have to make a larger tunnel and take longer to get in here than we did, so we had time.

After what seemed like an eternity we reached the maintenance wing and entered the chief's office, locking the door behind us. Now we just had to wait, which mostly consisted of hanging around the office and reading whatever we happened to have on hoof as we remained completely quiet.

We heard the explosions even this far into the Stable as the Enclave hit the mines before it went quiet again. I hated not knowing what was going on, we were just sitting there as whatever was happening above kept happening.

"Do you think that got all of them?" Cherry whispered.

"I doubt it, we didn't have enough mines to take out as many ponies as they might've sent," I whispered back. "We'll be okay as long as they think we're dead."

She nodded and the whole room remained quiet for the longest time before suddenly the speakers above us went off. The voice that I heard sent a chill up my spine, it was cold, calculating, with a Trottingham accent to it.

At first I almost was reminded of Winter Breeze, but this was different... colder, and more calculating.

"It was a nice try little ponies, but your holograms aren't nearly enough to fool me. I know you're still in this Stable somewhere, and I will not stop until the traitors are brought before me."

"That's Cloud Chaser..." Star whispered to me. "I told you he wouldn't fall for it, he's much too smart to fall for that trick."
"Great... there goes that plan," I said with a groan.

"The key to Protocol Zeta will be removed of course, so your dirty little secret is already one step closer to being in Enclave hooves Scootaloo. Now its all up to you, are you willing to risk the lives of your companions, or will you and the Dashite with you surrender to the Enclave?"

It occurred to me at this point that he didn't even know where we were, that gave us an advantage at least. I noticed there was an intercom on the wall, so it wasn't like we couldn't talk to him, but that would be suicide at this point.

We just had to hold out hope that he wouldn't be able to find us.

"If you surrender, your friends will be allowed to go free along with any survivors of this dead Stable. The President is looking forward to overseeing your interrogation personally Scootaloo, and as for Shooting Star... well, she knows what fate awaits her already."
I really hated the way he said
that.

"What do you think the odds are that he'll let them go if we surrender?" I asked Star.

"I don't know, he's more often than not honest but he's playing some sort of new game here," Star said with a shake of her head. "We have to be careful and don't trust a word he says."

"What I'd give for a Zebra Invisibility Cloak or a StealthBuck right now," I said with a groan, then an idea hit me. "Hey Gearframe, can the holograms be programmed to cover up ponies like they do with walls and objects?"

"Sure, it would just take some tweaking to the program," Gearframe said with a nod. "What are you thinking?"

"You will have an hour to surrender before we start searching this Stable room by room for you. My soldiers have orders to kill you on sight unless you surrender, so you better use that time wisely."

There was a burst of static as he finally finished.

"Okay, here's my plan," I said. I want this room changed to look like it was when we came in, hide the three of you and we'll go surrender to Cloud Chaser. It'll at least buy you some time to escape or mount a rescue."

"Preferably the latter," Star said with a groan, it was clear she didn't like this plan. "I'd rather not be punished by Cloud Chaser right now."

"Do I even want to know what he meant?"

"Cloud Chaser has some, rather unique animals at his disposal that R&D genetics developed," Star said as she shuddered. "One such animal has a powerful venom that causes a lot of pain, but it won't kill you. In fact its magical in nature so it'll actually actively keep you alive for as long as its running through your veins as the pain slowly drives you mad, he saves it for traitors."

"Okay, yeah that doesn't sound pleasant," I said with a groan as we started working to get the holograms set up. "Lets just hope they don't figure out a way around the holograms..."

It took us most of the hour to get it set up but by the time we were done it was just me and Star standing in a seemingly empty room. I took a deep breath and hit the button on the intercom.

"General Cloud Chaser, this is Scootaloo," I said into the intercom.

"Ah, Scootaloo, I'm glad to hear from you, is Shooting Star with you?" The calm voice of the stallion said on the other end.

"Yes, she's here with me," I said as I glanced at Star. "I want your assurances that our friends will be unharmed if we surrender to you."

"You have my word they will be unharmed and will be allowed to leave the Stable once we are finished," Cloud Chaser said on the other end. "Come out into the Atrium unarmed and I'll have you escorted to the Overmare's office. If you come armed, I will flood the lower levels with poison gas."

"Understood, we'll be there," I said as the intercom clicked off, I took out my weapons and set them down as Star did the same... with considerably more weapons mind you, I swear she was like a walking arsenal.

"Are you sure about this Scootaloo?" Cherry asked as she and Arc briefly stepped out of the hologram.

"We don't have a choice, I said I'd make sure you and your filly were safe, I'm not going to let the Enclave get you," I said as I hugged Cherry gently. "I'll be okay, we'll figure something out."

Cherry nodded and hugged back. "Its just... I don't want to lose you..."

"I'll be fine Cherry, I promise, we'll see each other again soon," I said with a smile, it was a promise I hoped I could keep.

"Okay Scootaloo, I trust you," Cherry said with a nod as we released the hug after a long moment.

I nodded and headed to the door with Star. I took one last look back at my friends before they re-entered the hologram, me and Cherry locked eyes one more time and I knew that there was something I had to do if this really was going to be the last time I ever got to see her.

I turned and galloped over to the Earth pony mare and took her in my forelegs gently and kissed her on the lips. Cherry was shocked to say the least, but after a long moment she relaxed and returned the kiss.
We held it for a few minutes, but it felt like an eternity before we finally released and gazed into each other's eyes.

"What was that?" Cherry asked, her face turning red.

"Just... a thank you for being the most wonderful mare in the Wasteland," I said as my face heated up. "In case, you know..."
Cherry nodded and released the hug before heading into the hologram. I couldn't believe I had just done that...

What was I going to do now?

00000

We reached the atrium where we were met by two Enclave soldiers dressed in power armor. They searched both of us, very thoroughly (I really hoped they were just afraid I had weapons stashed back there and weren't some kind of perverts) before we were escorted up the stairs towards the Overmare's office.

When the door opened I saw a pony I hadn't expected standing there looking at me. She (at least I assumed it was a she) was a towering Alicorn dressed in modified Enclave Power Armor that stared down at me.

It was the same Alicorn I had seen a year before on my way to Manehattan, that wasn't the kind of thing you forgot easily. She stepped aside after a moment to allow us into the Overmare's office.

Seated behind the desk was a Pegasus Stallion dressed in a white Enclave uniform. He was a dark shade of blue with a slicked back light blue mane with red eyes, unlike Serenity's red eyes, his eyes had no kindness or happiness behind them, only coldness. There was something about his eyes, as if he was examining everything, as if he was plotting something.

"So, you're the infamous Scootaloo," he said as he got to my hooves, it struck me just how tall he was as he walked over and looked at me in the eye. "I was somehow expecting you to be taller."

"Sorry to disappoint you," I said sarcastically as I tried not to look him in the eye. "You have us, what are you going to do with us?"

"You are to be taken back to the capitol to be dealt with as per the President's Orders," he said as he looked at me coldly before turning and resting his eyes on Star. "As for you, I'll be dealing with your punishment personally."

"You've been looking forward to this haven't you?" Star spat at her former CO.

"Ah, but of course, like I told you before, nopony under my command is exempt from being punished for treason," he said coldly. "Not even my own daughter."

My eyes went wide at that, daughter? Shooting Star wasn't just another Dashite, she was Cloud Chaser's daughter?

"You were hurting innocent ponies, what was I supposed to do? Follow your orders blindly until you brought the entire Wasteland down on us?" Star said with a growl. "I did what I felt was right, nothing more."

"The Enclave is the future of Equestria, we bring order but they didn't understand that, I was hoping my own flesh and blood would," Cloud Chaser said and turned to look at the soldiers. "Take them to the security office and lock them in the cells."

"Yes sir," the soldiers said as they started to lead us away from the office, I got one last brief look at the strange Alicorn who had remained strangely quiet this whole time.

Why did I get the weird feeling that something about her was familiar? Maybe it was my imagination, it wasn't like I could even see what she looked like under that power armor.

00000

We were tossed into the cells and the doors were locked with two soldiers standing inside the office to keep an eye on us. The cells were about as comfortable as the rest of the Stable, but just our luck the cell doors were still working.

I looked over at Star, they had removed her cybernetic wing leaving her lying on the bed looking uncomfortable. We could still hear each other so at least we could talk to each other.

"So... let me guess the personal business was dealing with your father..." I said as I looked over at the younger Pegasus who just grunted in reply. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"Not really," Star said with a sigh as she looked over at me. "Its not easy having a pony like that for a father."

"I can imagine," I said with a sigh. "Do Jade and Pure Heart know?"

"Yeah... I told them early on when I was dating Jade, I didn't want to lie to them about that kind of thing," Star said as she turned to look at me. "He wasn't always like this you know, before Sunshine and Rainbows he was a good father. He never tried to get us to join the military and wasn't always so serious all the time, but that all changed..."

"What happened?"

"My mother and my sister were both assigned to Neighvarro when it was attacked... they, didn't make it out alive."
Oh dear Celestia, yeah that would definitely do it. They must've died in the battle against LittlePip and her allies.

Just another consequence of war, I hated it.

"After that, everything changed," Star continued with a sigh. "Dad became more distant and poured himself into his work. I wound up aboard the Nimbus and was aboard when the rebels attacked the R&D facility. They basically conscripted me after that, which is how I wound up on the ship during the campaign in Whinneyapolis, and I couldn't take it anymore."

"I'm sorry Star, I wish there was something I could do to help," I said with a sigh, just when it seemed like the Enclave was changing a little I heard stories like this. "I just hope the Enclave will be stopped for good someday."

"Me too."

I laid back on the bed and tried to think about anything else other than the Enclave, but something kept bugging me. There was still something weird about that Alicorn, I know that I didn't remember her from my time above the clouds, but something still felt familiar about her, and I didn't like it.

"Star, do you know anything about that Alicorn that showed up?"

"Oh, you mean Tornado?" Star asked as she looked at me again and I nodded. "Honestly? Not much, she kinda showed up around the same time Winter Breeze became President, officially she's the head of her security detail I think, I don't know why she's here."

That was weird, I couldn't think of any reason for Winter Breeze to send the head of her security detail here. Maybe she wanted to make sure the key was secured, but that was the only explanation that made any sort of sense.

We just sat in silence for the longest time, I hated this, it felt more like they were forcing us to wait in anticipation for what was going to happen next instead of actually doing it. They had taken away my PipBuck so I didn't even know what time it was.

After awhile there was a burst of static over the speakers in the office followed by the same music that had been playing last time.

"Sounds like its time for another speech..." I said with a groan.

"Greetings Equestria, this is President Winter Breeze, I have come to speak to you today about a problem that has continued to plague Equestria for years," Winter Breeze said over the speakers.

"Ponies who like to give long winded speeches over the radio?" I said with a chuckle which got a laugh out of Star.

"Shut up prisoners!" One of our guards said with a glare.

"I'm of course speaking of Raiders," Winter Breeze continued. "Oh sure, some of them band together and create groups like the New Canterlot Republic and the Crimson Empire, but at their heart they are all Raiders. This scourge has been eating away at the Wasteland like a cancer, so today I ordered the systematic destruction of one such group that has been plaguing the..."

Wait, what did she mean by one such group? Had there been an attack on Junction Town? Was the NCR even still standing at this point? I looked over at Star and could tell that she was just as worried as I was.

"The Marauder Gang who's recent actions in Reino and other territories attracted the attention of the Enclave," Winter Breeze finished, I felt relief at that at least. "The leader of the Marauders has been brought to the Enclave capitol to stand trial for crimes against Equestria. I assure you my little ponies, justice will be swift, and the Marauder Gang will no longer plague Equestria."

Okay, I felt a little torn about this to be honest. I had heard about the Marauder Gang to be sure, they were a group of organized and well equipped Raiders that had been attacking the NCR and their allies for years. Heck, apparently they had gone after Silver and Clear Skies awhile back, but on the other hoof did anypony really deserve this kind of treatment?

"This is only the first taste of what the Enclave will bring to Equestria. We will not stand for Raiders, Slavers, and corrupt ponies eating away at Equestria. The Enclave stands for Equestria, we are the future, and the future is bright my little ponies. I assure you as your President, I will make sure that no foal has to fear a Raider attack again."

Wow, she really knew how to lay it on thick didn't she? The worst part was that I could understand why this would appeal to some ponies, she actually genuinely sounded like she wanted to do the right thing and change Equestria.

The question then became, what would the new Equestria be like? That was something that I didn't want to think about to be honest, while Winter Breeze's words sounded good, there was no guarantee that she'd be any better than the Enclave before.

"Join the Enclave Equestria, side with the future. We will come like a cleansing fire and burn away all of those who would threaten this great country. This is President Winter Breeze, signing off."

"Corrupted Generosity."

"Excuse me?" I asked as I looked over at Star.

"Its something that LittlePip talked about in her book," Star said with a sigh as she looked at me. "She used it to describe Red Eye and how he'd promise ponies a brighter future in return for slave labor. Its what Winter Breeze's speeches remind me of."

"Great..." I said with a groan, if Winter Breeze was anything like Red Eye, then we really would have a problem. "What do we do now?"

"Now, we wait, and hope that we get freed," Star said as she laid back in her bed. "I'm going to get some sleep, you should do the same, we have a long day ahead of us tomorrow."

00000

The next day they took Star away, probably to undergo that punishment that she mentioned, which just left me in the cell alone with the two guards. I didn't know how I was going to get out of this one, I had certainly worked myself into a corner at this point and I just had to hope I could figure something out.

As I stared up at the ceiling I heard the door to the office open, I looked up to see the Alicorn, Tornado walking in still dressed in her power armor.

"Leave us," she said as she looked between the two guards.

"But ma'am, General..." one of them started to say.

"I outrank him, and I'm ordering you to leave us," Tornado said as she fixed her helmeted face on the two soldiers. "Unless you would rather be punished for defying a direct order, Lieutenant."

"N-no ma'am, we'll leave," the lieutenant said shakily, he looked like he was about to pee himself, it was almost satisfying.

"Good, now you're dismissed," she said with a stomp of her hoof, which sent the two soldiers scrambling to leave the room.

"Who are you and what do you want with me?" I demanded of the towering Alicorn.

"Scootaloo, its okay, its me, Vex," the Alicorn said as she suddenly shifted into a Changeling. I smiled a little, I remembered Vex from when I met him in Crystal City, I hadn't expected to run into him here, but I wasn't going to complain. "Star was worried that the Enclave may find you before you finished in Stable 117 so she asked me to stow away on the Vertibuck and infiltrate the Enclave forces."

"Oh thank you, do you know where they took Star?" I asked as Vex started to unlock the door.

"Your friends are getting ready to her now, we just need to get out of here before the real Tornado comes to get you," the Changeling said as he got it unlocked. "We just have to figure out how to get out of here and past the Enclave."

"Yeah, that's easier said than done," I said as I walked out of the cell as Vex changed into Tornado again and put a pair of hoofcuffs on me loosely. "Don't worry, I'll get you all out of here safely."

I nodded as we headed out, the two guards from before looked at us astonished.

"General Cloud Chaser wants her taken in for interrogation," "Tornado" said, the two soldiers cringed and nodded.

"Understood ma'am," they said and let us go on our way.

00000

I cringed as we entered the residential area, we could hear the sound of a pony screaming in pain even at this distance. I guess that meant whatever they were using on Star was working.

We found Cherry, Arc, and Gearframe in one of the quarters getting some equipment together. There was a suit of power armor lying on the bed along with a dead Pegasus that they had

"Good to have you back Scootaloo," Cherry said with a smile as I checked my battle saddle.

"Good to be back, now we just have to make sure we all make it out of here," I said with a sigh. "Anypony have any ideas?"

"Well, we have one, but we needed your help to do it," Arc said and nodded to the suit of Enclave Power Armor. "It should fit you."

"Oh, that figures," I said as I checked the power armor, it was actually a little bigger than I was, but it was about my size.

"I also got this for you," Vex said as he passed me my PipBuck, I gave the Changeling a smile as I put it into my saddlebags for later.

"Thank you Vex, that'll help a lot," I said with a smile as I fit myself into the Enclave armor, it wasn't exactly comfortable, but it at least made me look like I belonged here as I adjusted it a little. "How do I look?"

"Terrifying," Arc said as I adjusted the helmet. "You're good to go."

"Here, you'll need this antivenom," Vex said as he gave me the antivenom. "Just get her out of there and to the atrium, we'll be running a diversion."

"Got it," I said as I put the antivenom in one of the slots on my armor. "I'll be back, I promise."

"Scootaloo..." Cherry said and I turned to look at her.

"Yes Cherry?"

"Be careful out there, okay?" She said with a soft smile.

I nodded and headed out the door, it was time to go.

00000

While I got a few strange looks as I moved down the hallway towards where Star was being held, most of the ponies paid no attention to me. Wow, the Enclave really needed to consider redesigning their helmets or something because this really shouldn't be that easy to do.

I opened the door and found the room where Star was strapped to a bed writhing in pain, she had stopped screaming but she was still alive at least. There was only the one guard, so I guess they didn't think anypony would be in here.

"Hey, what are you doing in here?" The guard said as she looked at me. "My shift isn't over for another hour."

"Huh? Oh, see the General told me to come relieve you, you're needed at the office for a, performance evaluation," I said, they did those in the military right? "He said I can take over for you until the shift is over."

"My last evaluation was last month," the mare pointed out. "Why is he springing another one on me now?"

"Look, I don't know why, I'm just the messenger," I said with a shrug, this wasn't working out like I had hoped.

"I'll just have to call..." she started to say as she turned her back on me, then got shot by my energy weapon.

"Really should've just left," I said as I took out the antivenom and ran over to where Star was. "Hang on Star, I've got you..."
It took a minute for her to hold still long enough but we finally got the antivenom into her mouth. She shook for a little longer before it took effect and she fell back, breathing heavily.

She looked over at me and smirked a little. "You're a little short to be an Enclave soldier."

"Why do ponies keep calling me short," I said with a groan as I helped her get up. "Come on, lets get you into this Power Armor."

"Okay," Star said, she still looked a little out of it as I helped her into the Power Armor. "Thank you Scootaloo, I assume Vex broke you out."

"Yeah, thanks for that by the way," I said as we finally secured the power armor, we just had to hope that we could find her cybernetic wing and that nopony noticed she was missing one. "Come on, lets get going."

She nodded and we headed out of the room.

00000

We headed for the atrium where the sound of battle was heard, whatever the distraction had been it was working better than I had expected. When we reached the entrance there was a group of holographic soldiers fighting against the Enclave forces while my friends were firing from behind cover.

"Now that's what I call a distraction," I said with a chuckle as we joined the fight, firing our battle saddles at the Enclave soldiers.

"Yeah, well, it was easy enough to program once we knew what to do," Arc said with a nod as she took out one of the soldiers. "Funny thing about holograms, they don't kill you but they'll at least put you out of commission apparently."

"Good to know," I said with a chuckle as I fired at another one of the soldiers, taking them out. "So what's the plan from here?"

"We're still working on it," Gearframe said, which made me facehoof. "We're cut off from the door at the moment, so if you have any ideas, we'd love to hear them."

I paused for a moment as I fired another pair of shots at an Enclave soldier that was getting a little too close for comfort. If our exit was cut off there really wasn't a whole lot we could do except hope that we could somehow draw them away from the door.

Oh what I would give to be able to teleport right now, that would be really useful.

What I didn't see at the time however was an Enclave sniper that was lining up a shot on me. Somepony else did though, and just as the sniper took a shot, they pushed me out of the way and took the brunt of the shot to the chest, sending us both sprawling.

Gearframe laid there on the ground with a wound in his chest, he was alive but barely. Arc took aim at the sniper and took them out, but the damage was already done.

"Come on Gearframe, you're going to be okay..." I said as I held him in my forelegs, I struggled to find a healing potion in my bags. "You've still got a lot to live for, you want to see your granddaughter again, don't you?"

"Scootaloo... its okay..." he said weakly. "I should've died... 30 years ago with the rest of my Stable... I'm nothing more than a walking corpse... been that way ever since... Nature and Honeydew died..."

"Don't think like that, you're going to be just fine, we'll get you healed!" I said in protest, I wasn't going to let this stallion die, I wasn't going to let the last survivor of Stable 117 die on me. "This is all my fault, I built these Stables and created these experiments... your death is on me..."

"No... its not..." Gearframe wheezed out as he placed his hoof on my face. "Scootaloo, you did everything you could to help me and my Stable. Promise me one thing, you'll make sure the holograms are turned back on... let Stable 117 continue to live."

"I will, I promise," I said as I started to cry. "I'll always remember you Gearframe, I promise."

"Here... take this... its... me..." he said and took out a holodisk and gave it to me before his eyes closed. "Keep... on... living... for... me, promise me..."

"I promise," I said as Gearframe took one last breath, and then went limp in my forelegs.

He was gone, the tragedy of Stable 117 had claimed its last victim.

00000

I barely remember what happened next, there was a lot of shouting and gunfire as ponies and others swarmed into the Stable from outside. I later learned that Colonel Quill had gotten worried about us after reports had come in about the Enclave being in the area and had dispatched his troops to back us up.

The Enclave had been either killed or captured, but General Cloud Chaser and Tornado had escaped. The best guess anypony had was that Tornado had teleported the two of them out of the Stable and nopony knew where they had gone.

Finally the time came to fulfill Gearframe's last request, but first we buried him in the orchard in Stable 117. Very few ponies in Stables had ever been given that honor, and I felt that he deserved it as much as the others did.

I had Arc Light add the holodisk he had given me to the holographic system, he said it was himself, I understood what he wanted us to do with it.

"Are we ready to turn it back on?" I asked Arc.

"Yeah, its all repaired and the upgrades should hold for a long time," Arc said as she stepped back from the device.

"And the NCR will be maintaining a presence here as well, I've okayed it with Junction Town," Quill said with a nod. "Stable 117 will survive, like he would have wanted."

I nodded, but before we did that there was one more thing that had to be done. I sat down at the Overmare's desk and entered the code, I knew what the answer likely was but I had to check anyway.

The key was gone, that was two keys, probably three with Stable 14. I looked up to Arc and nodded as she turned the holograms back on.

The vibrant Stabletown had re-appeared with Bluebelle, Sunshine, and Gearframe.

"What happened? Who are these ponies?" Bluebelle asked as she saw Quill and the other NCR ponies.

"Don't worry Mayor, these are friends of ours from out of town," I said with a smile. "They're here to help your town in the event of any more problems."

"I'm Colonel Quill from the New Canterlot Republic, we're glad to extend the hoof of friendship to Stabletown in order to help," Quill said as he offered a hoof to Bluebelle.

"Thank you Colonel," Bluebelle said as she shook his hoof. "We'll be glad to have you and the NCR here."

I smiled a little as I went out to where Gearframe and Sunshine were talking with a yellow Earth Pony mare with a short green mane. She was looking a bit surprised but was hugging Sunshine and smiling.

"Hey Scootaloo, mommy and daddy are back!" Sunshine said happily as we approached.

"Its nice to meet you, your father has told me all about you," I said with a smile as I offered the mare a hoof.

"I don't understand what happened, but its nice to meet you too," Honeydew said as she shook my hoof. "Sunshine said you and your friends helped us come back."

"We did," Arc said with a nod. "We were glad to help."

"Thank you again," Gearframe said with a nod, and I nodded back sadly, it was hard to look at the old stallion now, but I knew that this was what he wanted.

"You're welcome, anything for family," I said with a smile.

"So what are you going to do with this power armor?" Gearframe asked as he looked at the armor I was wearing.

"Sell most of it probably, I might keep the battle saddle though," I said as I nodded at the twin energy rifles.

"We should probably get going," Star said, she had managed to find her wing and was flexing it at the moment. "I've got us a transport back to Nomad City."

"Aww, do you have to go?" Sunshine asked.

"Sorry Sunshine, but there are many more ponies out there that need help," I said and hugged the filly gently. "We'll be back someday, I promise."

"I'll hold you to that," Sunshine said with a smile as she hugged back.

00000

We stayed in the Stable a little longer before heading out, the tunnel had been cleared by this point so it was just a matter of heading through the tunnels and out into the old stadium.

"When we get to Nomad City, we're heading to Ponyville," Star said as we got into the Vertibuck. "The NCR has gotten some new intel that might help uncover the mystery of how the Enclave has been hijacking the all clear signal."

"That's good, why are we going to Ponyville?" I asked.

"Not so much Ponyville as Sweet Apple Acres," Star said as we got strapped in.

"What's at Sweet Apple Acres?" Cherry asked.

"If you believe the rumors, a pony who looks a heck of a lot like Apple Bloom," Star said as the Vertibuck took off.

"Wait, WHAT?" I said in shock, I hadn't expected that at all.

LEVEL UP!
Perk Received: Where'd you Purchase that? (Rank 1)
Details: You've managed to gain skill in magical energy weapons to use in combat, so you have magic guns now. You gain an extra 10 points in magical energy weapons.

Chapter 13: Crusader

"Remembrance of things past
is not necessarily the remembrance
of things as they were."
-Marcel Proust.

As the Vertibuck landed on Nomad City a million thoughts were going through my brain at once. Was it really Apple Bloom? Was it possible that against all the odds, she had somehow survived?

I remembered that LittlePip had found a skeleton in the Stable-Tec building in Fillydelphia that was believed to be Apple Bloom's. Then again, Calamity had apparently found a skeleton of a Pegasus mare in Rainbow Dash's shack which everypony believed was me, so skeletons weren't exactly the best evidence to prove either way.

Ever since I had first heard about that, I have to admit that I've wondered who that Pegasus was that had died in Rainbow Dash's shack. It wasn't me and it certainly wasn't Rainbow, so they were just a nameless Pegasus that had died alone.

Maybe she was a Dashite too, another pony caught up in the machine of the Enclave that wanted to get out. I didn't know who they were, but I could respect that kind of thing.

I just wish we knew who it was so they could be remembered properly.

"Scootaloo!" I heard a familiar voice shout as Serenity weaved her way between ponies and hugged me right.

"When we heard you went quiet after entering Stable 117 Serenity got worried," Vanilla said with a smile as she walked up behind Serenity. "Is everything okay? What happened in there?"

"The Enclave attacked the Stable and they briefly held me and Star," I said and nodded to the Cyberpony Pegasus who got off the Vertibuck behind me and hugged Jade and Pure Heart. "Thankfully Vex was there to help us."

"I'm glad to help," The Changeling said with a smile as he gave Serenity a nod. "It was good to fight alongside you again Scootaloo... kind of... I mean it was good to fight alongside you but..."

I just laughed a little at the Changeling. "Don't worry about it Vex, I know what you meant, it was good to fight alongside you too."

"Thank you," Vex said with a nod before walking off.

"So, what's this about there being a pony that looks like Apple Bloom?" I asked as I turned to look at Jade.

"A few days ago she showed up in Ponyville along with a Pegasus mare in her 20s," Jade said. "The Hellhounds said that she had been coming in and out of the town for years, but it wasn't considered important until now."

"Until there could be a possible connection to the Enclave..." I said with a sigh as I realized what that meant. "I don't think Apple Bloom would willingly work for the Enclave, but we have to follow all possible leads."

"Yeah, Scootaloo, if you want you can stay out of this one," Star said as she placed her hoof on my shoulder. "I know this isn't going to be easy on you, regardless of who this pony is, we can handle it if you want us to."

I paused for a long moment as I looked between her and then down at Serenity. It struck me how much the filly actually looked like Apple Bloom, she was a darker shade of yellow and her mane had two tones of red but she looked a lot like Apple Bloom did. It was kind of strange really, but hey, its been over 200 years, there's no reason why she couldn't have inherited those traits from somepony.

Maybe it was nothing, it could just be a coincidence and we were just chasing ghosts. But if it was her, then this might be the best chance I had for some kind of closure. If I didn't at least see her, then it would eat away at me for the rest of my life.

"I'll go," I finally said with a nod. "I, just have to know what's going on there one way or another."

"Okay, we'll get it worked out," Star said with a nod.

"Can I go too?" Serenity asked as she looked up at me in that cute pleading way fillies did that sometimes I wish I could still do.

"Lets wait until we see what's going on first," Vanilla said.

"Awwwww..." Serenity said.

"Serenity, we don't want the Enclave to know about you just yet, we don't know what they'd do to you and we don't want you to be hurt," I said reassuringly as I hugged the filly. "I promise, if everything turns out to be okay you can come join us."

Vanilla shot me a look but she didn't have a chance to protest as Serenity cheered. I smiled a little, it was kind of funny but even though she had been through everything she had been through, Serenity really was still just a filly.

"Are you sure this will be okay?" Vanilla whispered to me.

"It'll be fine, I'm sure everything will be okay," I said with a nod.

"I hope so, I really hope so."

00000

That night we were back in the hotel in the temporary housing district, Serenity was staying with Star and her family again so it was just us tonight. It felt like we just came back here over and over again, but it was nice to have some place to come back to.

"So, we're going to Sweet Apple Acres?" Arc asked as we got settled in for the night that evening.

"Yeah, I don't know a lot about what's going on in that area these days, but that's my old stomping grounds," I said with a smile as I thought back to the days before the war. "Me and my friends had a treehouse in the fields that we used as our headquarters."

"Do you think that might be where Apple Bloom is?" Cherry asked, she seemed a bit uneasy about it, I didn't really blame her since Apple Bloom was her ancestor.

"Its certainly possible," I said with a shrug. "It always had that special significance to us, and up until Rainbow adopted me it was really the closest thing I had to a real home."

"Well, I'm sure we'll find out what's going on," Vanilla said. "What about you Scootaloo? How do you feel about this, I mean, she was one of your friends..."

"Honestly? I feel a bit torn about it," I said with a sigh as I brushed my mane back. "I mean I'm excited at the prospect of one of them still being alive, but on the other hoof... I'm nervous about what's going on there. I really doubt that she was the one that gave the Enclave access to the all clear signal, but we do have to cover all bases."

"So, the question then is, if it wasn't Cherry, Velvet Remedy, Serenity, or Apple Bloom that did it, who was it?" Arc asked as she looked between the three of us.

I honestly didn't know either, unless of course there was something else we hadn't considered. Was it possible there was still a member of the Apple family we hadn't accounted for? Maybe there was, I mean the Apples were a huge family.

Then there was my family of course, there were a few branches of the family tree that seemed to end in the Enclave records. It looked like they may have gone Dashite but it was hard to tell based on the records alone. There was of course still the matter of that odd encrypted file.

The only ponies we could rule out were any related to Sweetie Belle. The inhabitants of Stable 2 could be accounted for and neither she or Rarity had any foals prior to that.

So I honestly had no idea.

"We'll figure it out I guess," I finally said. "Or maybe the Enclave figured out a way around... no wait, can't be that or they'd get access to the Hub."

Somepony out there had access to it, and I wasn't sure I wanted to know who they were and what connection they had to the Enclave.

"However the Enclave got access to the signal, we have to make sure we can stop them," Cherry said. "What do you think their next target will be?"

"I honestly don't know, if they're looking for Stables there's still quite a few to choose from," I said. "If they're looking for something specific, well that's another matter entirely, we'll have to wait and see what happens."

"What about Stable 66?" Vanilla asked, which made Arc flinch a little. "Would they have any reason to go there?"

"Not that I can think of, same with 81," I said as I looked at Vanilla for a long moment. "Of the ones we know they went after, only 48 was still active. What I'd like to do is see if I can get access to the Stable-Tec HQ in Fillydelphia, there might be some answers there."

"Which is easier said than done if the Enclave holds it," Arc said with a sigh. "Do you have any alternatives?"
"Well, there's always the regional HQ in Manehattan again," I said with a shrug. "But the main headquarters would be our best bet."

We talked for awhile longer, speculating about what we'd find in Sweet Apple Acres, the truth behind Winter Breeze, whatever it was we could think of. We didn't have any concrete answers, mostly because we didn't know what was going on.

It wouldn't be until the next afternoon that we'd arrive at Ponyville, so as it approached 2300 hours we finally called it a night. I yawned a little as I laid back in bed next to Cherry.

"I hope we find something tomorrow that'll help..." Cherry said tiredly as she snuggled up to me.

"Me too Cherry, me too," I said as I closed my eyes and drifted off to sleep.

00000

"This is DJ Pon3 coming at you with another news report. It seems that the Enclave has once again been driven back, this time from the city of Horseton that they had laid siege to for the last few days. It seems that once again our good friend the Wanderer had a hoof in this as she was last reported leaving the old Horseton Knights Hoofball Stadium. Glad to see it didn't fall to the Enclave, as my assistant will tell you, there's a lot of bad memories in that city. Now lets get back to the music."

"I hurt myself today,
To see if I still feel.
I focus on the pain,
The only thing, that's real."

Ponyville.

Growing up I had moved around Equestria a lot whenever I had to be placed in a new foster home or orphanage. Ponyville was the first place that felt like home to me, I was able to make friends and find a family that loved and cared for me.
It was different from what I remembered of course, it was in a state of disrepair but the hulking mutant creatures called Hellhounds had been repairing it for years. I smiled a little and waved to Fluttershy as we approached.

"Hey Scootaloo," Fluttershy said as she gently hugged me. "Welcome to Ponyville all of you."

"Thank you Fluttershy," Star said with a smile as she shook hooves with the old Pegasus mare.

"Umm, hi," Cherry said, she was a little surprised to be meeting her but she smiled and introduced herself, same with Arc Light and Serenity who had come down to see Ponyville.

"So, umm, you're here about Apple Bloom right?" Fluttershy asked and I nodded. "Well, I mean, we don't know exactly where she is..."

"Savage Rend will help ponies find friend," a tall and scarred Hellhound said as he looked at all of us in turn. "Can track Apple Pony's scent."

"That would be great," I said with a nod. "Thank you for your help Savage Rend."

"Orange feathered pony welcome," Savage Rend said.

"Fluttershy, I hate to ask this of you, but can you watch Serenity for us?" Vanilla asked as she looked down at the little filly. "Just until we know what's going on."

"Sure, I'd love to," Fluttershy said as she smiled down at Serenity. "I'm sure she'll be on her best behavior, right?"

"Oh, yes I will be," Serenity said as she smiled innocently.

I had no idea who I felt more sorry for, Fluttershy for what was likely to happen next or Serenity for when she got the stare.

I swear that stare terrified me sometimes.

00000

We waved good-bye as we headed towards Sweet Apple Acres, I adjusted my hat a little to try and keep my features covered. Even if the Enclave had broadcast the fact that I was still alive across Equestria I wasn't exactly ready to tell Apple Bloom, or whoever it was, it was me.

I was nervous all of a sudden, I didn't know what I was walking into, it could be a trap for all we knew. I looked at the two energy weapons I had fit into my battle saddle (I had sold the rest of the armor on Nomad City, I think Reticle bought it) and took a deep breath as we passed by what was left of the barn and went into the fields.

When we finally stopped I couldn't believe what I saw, it looked like the old Crusader clubhouse but it had been repaired and even expanded on. There were a few places around the field that looked like a foundation had started to be laid for more buildings but they hadn't ever been finished.

"Okay, that's not what I expected to find here..." Star commented as we looked around, there was signs of habitation but nothing too recent, some hoofprints looked like they were heading to the barn.

We started towards the treehouse when a gunshot rang out over our heads.

"Blasted Raiders, yer not going ta get mah land!" An old mare's voice said and we looked up to see an aging Earth Pony mare with a faded yellow coat and red mane that was standing in front of the door to the treehouse. "Ah'll fight ya'll ta tha last pony!"

"We're not Raiders, we're just here to talk!" Jade called out. "We're looking for Apple Bloom."

"Well, ya'll have found her, now git!" The mare, Apple Bloom I guess said.

"We're just here to check on things with you, if you want us to leave we..." I started to say when the door opened behind Apple Bloom and another pony stepped out and I let out a gasp of surprise.

She was a Pegasus dressed in a simple Wastelander outfit, but that's not what surprised me. She was a light shade of orange with a long mane with a light shade of purple mixed with a darker one. She looked at us with a pair of soft purple eyes as she put her foreleg around Apple Bloom.

She looked like a grown up version of the foal from my dream.

"I apologize for my aunt's behavior, we don't normally get guests that aren't trying to kill us," the mare said with a smile. "If you want to come inside that's fine."

"Sparky?" I finally managed to say, which made the mare look at me strangely.

"Yeah... how'd you know my name?" She asked, and I removed my hat, which made both her and Apple Bloom gasp in shock. "Mom? But... you're supposed to be dead..."

I don't know why, but her saying it seemed to hit me hardest.

00000

The inside of the treehouse had been expanded on in the years since I had last been here. It looked like Apple Bloom and Sparky had added another couple of rooms, while they were small it at least looked livable.

"Okay, so I'm confused, exactly how are you here?" Sparky asked as she looked at me questioningly. "My moms died in Fillydelphia while I was a filly, you can't be her, are you a Changeling or something?"

"Wait, your moms?" Arc asked as she looked between Sparky and me. "Okay, I'm confused, what's going on here?"

"Ah can explain that," Apple Bloom said as she looked at me sadly. "Some years ago, a secret facility near Fillydelphia had developed clones of mahself, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle."

Oh great, more clones, why was it always clones? Well that answered the question as to how Apple Bloom was still here at least, she was a clone, not the original.

"We don't exactly know why they created us, but we were mostly left ta fend fer ourselves," Apple Bloom continued. "Ah was created first and later when Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle were born Ah was tasked with taking care of them. They used some sort of, flash memory system or somethin' ta give us tha memories of tha real thing as best they could."

"Which included me and Sweetie's relationship..." I said as I looked at Sparky.

"Well, not in its entirety but at least tha feelings ya'll had fer each other," Apple Bloom said. "When ya'll were old enough, yah started ta develop those feelings. Ah don't quite know if it was because of tha memories or if it was just because ya'll genuinely felt that way, but yah fell in love and after findin' some information on tha feed from Stable 27..."

Wait, the feed from Stable 27? Did that mean whoever created them was able to hack into the Stable network? The facility had to be the secondary monitoring station we set up outside of Fillydelphia then.

"Sparky was born a few months later, and fer a time everythin' was happy, then he came..."

"He?" Cherry asked, she looked a little confused, but I knew who she meant from reading about Littlepip.

"Red Eye and his army," I said and Apple Bloom nodded. "They used Fillydelphia as a main base."

"They attacked the facility and destroyed the robots in it," Sparky said with a shake of her head. "Momma Sweetie got killed in the fight. And you... they sent you to the arena where you died in combat trying to free us."

"Yeah..." Apple Bloom said sadly. "Sparky was taken ta one of Red Eye's schools while Ah had ta work in Fillydelphia as a slave. Ah thought all hope was lost until tha Lightbringer came. We managed ta get out of that hellhole after Red Eye was defeated and headed ta Stable 2 in hopes of findin' somethin' there."

"But of course it was empty," I said. "So you set up shop here and in Stable 2 in order to make a living for yourself.

"Yeah, that's about it," Sparky said with a nod. "So what about you, what's your story, another clone maybe? Or are you mom from another universe?"

"No to both," I said with a sigh as I played with my hat a little. "I know this sounds crazy, but I'm the original Scootaloo. I was rescued by Rainbow Dash who placed me in magical stasis that healed me over the years until I woke up just last year."

"I see..." Sparky said, I could see the pain and sadness in her eyes, she still missed her parents a lot, I didn't blame her. "Why are you here?"

"We're here investigating your aunt actually," Star said as she nodded to Apple Bloom. "Have you heard the radio broadcast from Winter Breeze?"

"Some of it, Ah have ta say Ah didn't quite believe everythin' she said," Apple Bloom said with a shrug. "Especially tha bit about yah still bein' alive Scootaloo, sounded like a bunch of horseapples ta me, guess Ah was wrong about that."
"Yeah... a lot of ponies were surprised about that one," Arc said.

"Hey, at least you didn't punch me in the face," I said with a chuckle.

"You're never going to let me live that one down are you?" Arc said with a groan.

"Wait, you punched her in the face?" Sparky asked as she looked at Arc. "Why?"

"Well, see we had just met and I was still angry about what happened to my home..." Arc said sheepishly. "I spent a few days in jail for it though."

"We both did really," I reminded her.

Apple Bloom and Sparky just laughed a little at that, it was actually kind of nice to see that things weren't too bad around here.

00000

"So, how'd you know my name?" Sparky asked as we were setting up a small camp outside, there weren't any completed buildings so we had to use tents we had brought with us.

"You wouldn't believe me," I said as I tightened the line on one of the tents.

"Try me."

"I have dreams sometimes, of an Equestria that didn't have the apocalypse," I said as I looked over at the younger Pegasus. "I'm married to Sweetie Belle and we have a family together, last time... I saw you as a baby. I don't really know how to explain it, its just something I have sometimes."

"That does sound pretty unbelievable," Sparky said as she looked at me. "Do you have a happy life in that Equestria?"

"I think so, I apparently am still seeing a therapist, but other than that it seems happy," I said with a shrug. "I don't know what they are really, maybe they're dreams, maybe they're something else entirely... its hard to tell."

"Sometimes I wonder what my life would be like if my parents hadn't died..." Sparky admitted as she looked down at her hooves. "I miss them, Apple Bloom does too, she's family to me but..."

"Its not quite the same as having your parents?" I asked and she nodded. "I know what you mean, I lost my parents at an early age too and I was adopted by a pony close to me. Apple Bloom is a good pony though, you couldn't have a better guardian than her."

"You think so?"

"I know so, if I had a daughter... well if I had a daughter before the apocalypse... I would trust her with Apple Bloom, I'm glad your parents felt the same way."

Sparky smiled a little and hugged me, I smiled and hugged her back. Even if she wasn't my daughter in the traditional sense, I couldn't help but feel a bond with the young mare. I wished that I could've met her before, maybe even saved her parents, but I was here now and that was what mattered.

"So what's with these buildings?" I asked as I gestured towards the incomplete buildings around the field.

"That? That's Apple Bloom's dream," Sparky said with a smile. "She wants to build a town here, a place where ponies displaced by war and the horrors of the wasteland can come and find a place to be safe."

"A town for refugees and orphans," I said with an understanding nod. "Its a good idea."

"Yeah, it is, but its always just been the two of us so we haven't really ever been able to finish it," Sparky said with a sigh.

I thought for a long moment, maybe there would be some way I could help them get it working. We'd need building materials and ponies willing to help, it was a dream to be sure, but it was one that could come true.

I looked at Sparky and then back at the treehouse where Apple Bloom was watching and smiled. "I promise, someday we'll make this field into a thriving settlement, I'll make sure of it," I said, which surprised Sparky a little.

"You'd really do that?"

"This place was my home once, a long time ago," I said as I nodded to the field around us. "Until Rainbow Dash adopted me, this was my home, I had my friends, I had everything we worked for... that was all here. I'd like to give ponies who need it a place to live, but right now with the Enclave... its not that easy."

"I understand," Sparky said with a nod and a sigh. "But someday right?"

"Someday," I said with a nod. "There are a lot of ponies out there who would probably be happy to help. I'll bet I could even get some Hellhounds from Ponyville."

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" Sparky said as she hugged me again, she was starting to cry. "You have no idea how much this means to us!"

I smiled and hugged her back again. "I think I have a little bit of an idea, and don't worry, this place will be everything Apple Bloom dreamed of and more."

"I can't wait," Sparky said.

I smiled a little and looked around at the field surrounding the old treehouse. I wasn't seeing the field though, I was imagining what it would look like with houses and other buildings, with ponies walking around and living their lives here. This place was to become a sanctuary for those who needed it most, I knew I needed to be a part of it more than anything.

Maybe this was my place in Equestria, back where it all began. If it wasn't for this place, I never would have made friends, never would've met Rainbow Dash, never would have gotten the best family I've ever had.

Sure it wasn't all good, like what had happened with the Stables, but looking back this was the best place I could think of to build a future. I smiled and waved to Apple Bloom who waved back.

"Me neither Sparky, me neither."

00000

The next day Fluttershy and Serenity arrived at the field, me and Apple Bloom had stayed up talking about what we might do with this new settlement so I wound up sleeping a little later than usual.

When I left my tent I found Serenity talking with Sparky who was looking at the little filly a little perplexed.

"So, you're the descendant of Scootaloo from her marriage after the apocalypse?" She asked.

"Yeah, that's right."

"And I'm the daughter of her clone with Sweetie Belle's clone."

"That's what you told me."

"What does that make us?"

"Complicated," I said with a chuckle as I trotted over to the two. "Hey Serenity, glad to see you made it here okay."

"Hey Scootaloo," Serenity said with a smile as she hugged me. "I was just meeting Sparky here, she's really nice."

"Yeah, she is," I said with a nod. "And trust me, I stopped trying to figure out how my family works after I got genetically enhanced with Rainbow Dash's DNA. They tried to explain that one to me, but I have no idea."

"So, how did your talk with Aunt Apple Bloom go last night?" Sparky asked.

"Good, I think we've got a basic idea for what the town will look like when we're ready to get started," I said with a smile. "We have plenty of space for expansion as well since most of Sweet Apple Acres is still untouched."

"And there's always Stable 2," Sparky pointed out. "We could use that as a shelter if we need to in the event of an attack or something."

I frowned a little at that, it wasn't that I was against the idea, it actually made a lot of sense, but I was a little worried about what was inside. Not that there was anything that could really threaten us, I'm sure they had seen to that, but there was something a lot worse, memories.

Sweetie Belle had lived the rest of her life in that Stable, she had died in there. I still had to wonder if maybe I should've risked entering the Stable, or even if I had just gone to Ponyville General I could have maybe been in there too.

I didn't regret my actions above the clouds, but I did sometimes wish I had been with Sweetie Belle instead. I sighed a little and sat down, I was going to have to live with this, but I didn't know how easy it was going to be.

"Yeah, we could, I just..." I started to say and trailed off a little, I didn't know how I could explain it to either of them so I just sat there in silence.

Sparky and Serenity exchanged a glance and talked quietly, I couldn't hear what they had to say, but I didn't really care that much. Nothing anypony could say would bring Sweetie Belle back or change what had happened to me.

"Scootaloo, I want to show you something," Sparky finally said as she looked at me. "Come on, it won't take long, I think it'll help you."

"What is it?"

"Its a surprise!" Serenity said with a smile.

"Okay, I'll follow you then," I said with a shrug as I followed the two younger Pegasi out of the camp and back towards Ponyville.

00000

I blinked a little when I realized we were at what was left of the barn. "Why are we here?"

"You'll see," Sparky said as she opened the door to the apple cellar underneath the barn and we walked down the stairs.

I frowned a little when I saw the door to Stable 2, mind you there wasn't exactly anywhere else we could be going but still. I wasn't sure about walking into Stable 2 right now.

"You know, I think Apple Bloom wanted to talk to me some more, I should go back..." I said as I started to turn around.

"Come on Scootaloo, I promise you need to see this," Sparky said as she looked back at me. "Its nothing bad, and it might help you."

I paused a moment before nodding and walking forward towards Stable 2. Serenity walked next to me and looked up at me with a reassuring smile. I took a deep breath and stepped through the door.

It was quiet inside the Stable, there was only the faint hum that I had come to expect of any Stable at this point. We made our way through the Stable past empty rooms, it was hard to believe that this had been a vibrant and active Stable just 11 years ago.

"This feels weird, like we're walking in a graveyard," I commented with a sigh. "Where are we going?"

"The Overmare's office," Sparky said as we reached the office. "It seems that Sweetie Belle left behind some files on her terminal that you should find interesting."

I frowned a little as I sat in the Overmare's chair and stared at the terminal for a long moment. I had no idea what I wanted to do to be honest, Sparky said that it would help me, but I wasn't sure if I wanted to see what it was.

"Scootaloo, it'll be okay," Serenity said as she placed a hoof on mine gently. "I promise, Sparky told me what it is, you should listen to them."

"Okay..." I said and nuzzled the filly gently before I turned my attention back to the terminal and opened the files.

OVERMARE LOGS
ORDERS FROM STABLE-TEC
OPEN ESCAPE TUNNEL

I clicked on the Overmare logs and scrolled up through them until I reached some that two words next to them, "For Scootaloo." I clicked it and when it asked for a password I thought for a moment, it would only be something the two of us knew.

There was really only one thing that came to mind.

"Hey uh, Serenity, would you mind not looking at the screen for a moment?"

"What's wrong?" Serenity asked.

"Nothing, just, something kinda personal," I said with a blush as she turned away and I typed in the pet name Sweetie had for me while we were together, which I'm not going to repeat for you either.

There was a brief moment before it registered as correct and then it seemed like nothing happened. Until finally an image of a Unicorn mare with a curled mane appeared on the screen with a green tint.

"Hey Scootaloo, if you're watching this it means that you've somehow made it to Stable 2 and I'm dead," Sweetie Belle said on the recording.

This was a message for me personally, from Sweetie Belle, from beyond the grave.

"I don't know how long its been since the Stable door closed, I can only assume that means the surface is clear of radiation and the door has been opened," she continued. "I'm sorry I couldn't be there to see you, I don't even know if you'll ever see this message to be honest, but I wanted to leave it for you just in case."

I started to cry a little as Sweetie looked at me from the screen, it was clear she was crying too.

"Pinkie asked me to leave this, I know crazy right? She said that someday you'd need it, but that's not important," Sweetie continued, that was Pinkie alright, still confusing me from beyond the grave. "Scootaloo, I don't know what kind of world you've found out there, what kind of ponies you've met and what's been happening. I don't even know what I can say at this point, other than that I love you, more than anything in Equestria, I love you."

I couldn't hold it in anymore, I broke down crying as I placed my hoof on the screen. What Sweetie had to say was the only thing I focused on, it was my whole world right now.

"I love you too Sweetie..." I said quietly.

"I know you still love me, you've got so much of Rainbow Dash in you that you're still loyal to me beyond the grave, its one of the things that attracted me to you in the first place," she said with a sad smile. "But Scootaloo, as much as I love you I want you to be happy. Keep me and the others in your heart, but you should never let us keep you from living your life, and maybe even finding love again. I don't blame you if you do, as much as I miss you, I want you to be happy."

I blinked a little at that, okay that seemed a bit odd for her to say, but maybe she was right. I sighed a little, that didn't exactly help me figure out what I was going to do either, but at least it was something.

"You were always the best out of us Scootaloo, you wanted to do right by Equestria instead of just letting it fall into chaos. I hope that wherever you are, whatever you are doing, you'll always remember that your friends are with you in spirit. And we'll always care about you, I just hope that you'll never give up on yourself. Keep fighting the good fight out there, and help the new world you live in in whatever way you can, I'm rooting for you. Bye Scootaloo, maybe we'll see each other again one day when all is said and done, I certainly hope so. I love you so much."

"Me too Sweetie... me too..." I said with a sad smile as the file finally ended. I leaned back in the chair and thought about what I had just heard.

Strangely I kept going back to the line about Pinkie, did that mean Pinkie knew something nopony else did? That wasn't exactly unusual for Pinkie to be honest, maybe she saw something nopony else did and told Sweetie to leave the message for me.

Then why didn't she stop it from happening? Why not get word to me to be in Ponyville or something? That just raised more questions in my mind, and I wasn't sure I liked the answers.

That's Pinkie for you, messing with ponies from beyond the grave.

"Mom, are you okay?" Sparky asked as she and Serenity looked at me worriedly, I realized I hadn't said anything in awhile.

"I'm fine, sorry," I said with a sigh as I got up out of the chair. "Its just... I'm still kind of processing this whole thing. Do you ever wonder what your life would be like if you made a different choice?"

"All the time," Serenity said and Sparky nodded in agreement. "I didn't have to go with the Crusaders to fight the Changelings you know, I could've stayed home and lived in fear like everypony else."

"Or I could've decided not to escape Fillydelphia with Aunt Apple Bloom," Sparky added. "We all make choices, but in the end our choices make us."

"Why does that feel like a quote from something?" I asked and Sparky just shrugged. "I see what you mean though, I made my choices a long time ago... regardless of whether or not they were the right ones I have to live with them. I just hope that everything will be okay regardless."

Sparky nodded as we headed out of the Overmare's Office. I was a bit curious so I took a look around the Stable, there was some equipment that the inhabitants had left behind here and there, though of course the orchard was long gone.

Stable 2 could work as part of the settlement, at least for a shelter, yes I know the irony of that statement. We had built the Stables to protect ponies from the apocalypse, maybe it was time to use them for their purpose.

Still, it was hard to believe that it had been a thriving Stable 11 years before. I thought about what I had read, about the Steel Ranger attack on the Stable, about why everything had happened like it did.

But this place could be a home once more.

00000

Later that night after we returned to the treehouse we were all gathered around a fire where Arc Light was cooking us soup for dinner using vegetables and some meat. I was checking my PipBuck, I had been listening to the radio when suddenly it had cut off for seemingly no reason so I was checking the stations on it.

"That's weird."

"What is?" Serenity asked as she looked at the small device curiously.

"I'm not getting NCR Radio, what about the rest of you?" I asked as I looked at the other ponies wearing PipBucks.

"Me neither," Cherry commented as she checked her PipBuck, the same answer came from Arc and Vanilla.

"Well, its probably nothin'," Apple Bloom said with a shrug as we laid out a piece of paper on the ground between us. "So ya'll have seen Stable 2 now huh? Did yah check out tha recordin' Sweetie left fer yah?"

"Yeah, thank Sparky for pointing me in that direction," I said with a smile as I gave Sparky a nod. "I'm still kind of taking all of this in really, do you know who created you and why?"

"Honestly, Ah don't know why," Apple Bloom said with a sigh. "Its kind of a mystery ta be honest."

"We encountered clones of the Ministry Mares in Stable 122," Cherry pointed out. "They were made to be used to enhance ponies with their DNA, but it doesn't sound like you were made for the same reason."

I did have to wonder about that, was it possible the same group was behind both groups of clones? I know it was kind of a long shot but we didn't know who had created them, something about all of this felt weird.

Though, maybe it all turned out okay, it had given me and Sweetie Belle a second chance to be together and had allowed Sparky to come into existence. For that I was grateful, even if I hadn't gotten the chance to see her grow up.
I smiled a little and looked down at the piece of paper again.

"Okay, so we're going to have to figure out just how large we're going to make this settlement to start with," I said as I circled the area around the treehouse on it.

"Which would depend on how many ponies we get initially," Apple Bloom said with a nod. "And how many resources we can get in order to start construction of course."

"Right," I said with a nod as I looked at the paper thoughtfully.

"Resources shouldn't be a problem," Jade said. "Nomad City has allies all over Equestria and access to what you'll need. I can get the council to help as well, but I can't promise the moon."

"Well, as long as we can make this work, Ah'll be happy," Apple Bloom said with a smile.

"Me too," I said with a nod as I looked out at the fields beyond the door. "We're going to make this settlement one of the best places in Equestria."

"So, then what do we call it?" Apple Bloom asked as everypony looked at me.

I thought for a long moment, I honestly wasn't great at coming up with settlement or town names. There were various options we could go with, naming it after the Apple family, naming it after Sweetie Belle... I just had no idea.

Then a name came to me, one that reflected both the past and the future of this place. A name that paid homage to me and my friends while at the same time reflecting the idea of building a place where you could make a home for yourself.

"Crusader Town."

"Ah like it," Apple Bloom said with a nod. "Anypony have any other suggestions?"

"I think its perfect myself," Sparky said with a smile as she gave me a nod.

"Crusader Town it is, and dinner's ready," Arc said with a nod as she passed out the bowls of soup to everypony.

"Thank yah Scootaloo," Apple Bloom said to me as we started eating.

"For what?"

"Fer bein' here when we needed yah, Ah had almost given up on this endeavor before ya'll came along. Yah made Sparky happy because she got ta see yah again, and Ah'm glad that yer still out there."

"You're welcome," I said with a smile. "I'm glad to be here Apple Bloom, and that you're here too. You've helped me more than anything else, and I'm glad I got the chance to meet you."

"We all are," Cherry said with a smile as she gave Apple Bloom a nod. "Its nice to take a break from having to deal with the Enclave."

"That it is," I said with a chuckle as we kept eating.

00000

As the night went on Serenity regaled us with stories of her time fighting the Changelings while Sparky told us more about her parents. I couldn't help but smile a little, it sounded like they hadn't exactly been one to stay out of trouble.

Yeah, they were definitely clones of me and Sweetie Belle.

Finally after finishing telling the story about how they had taken on General Arachne, Serenity yawned tiredly and nearly fell asleep mid-sentence so Vanilla decided it was time for her to get to bed.

Me and Cherry headed to our tent not long afterwords and as Cherry slipped off her barding, I watched her curiously.

"Did you get a chance to talk to Apple Bloom about your family?"

"Yeah," Cherry said as she set her barding down into her bag and laid down next to me. "Sadly she didn't remember a lot about my ancestor because she had given him up for adoption, but she told me about the Apple family at least."

"Yeah, they were an interesting bunch," I said with a smile as I checked my PipBuck one more time before I'd be going to bed.

"Still worried about NCR Radio being off the air?"

"Yeah, its weird, DJ Pon3 is almost never off the air," I said with a sigh as I lowered my foreleg. "I mean from what I understand he was for a few years, but that was only a temporary retirement while Melody took over."

"I wish I could help," Cherry said with a sigh as she snuggled up to me. "Maybe its just a technical issue."

"I really hope so," I said with a sigh. "Since the alternative is much scarier..."

"What's the alternative?"

"That something has happened to DJ Pon3," I said with a shudder as I wrapped my wings around Cherry gently. "Don't worry about it, I'm sure NCR radio will be back tomorrow."

"Okay, good night Scootaloo..." Cherry said with a nod as she closed her eyes.

"Good night Cherry," I said and drifted off to sleep not long after.

00000

The next day passed without incident for the most part, we talked with the others and got to know them a bit better. I smiled a little when Sparky actually sang for us for a little while, her voice was soft and soothing, it reminded me a lot of Sweetie Belle's.

I could see a lot of Sweetie in her really, she was smart, resourceful, and above all kind. She may have been surprised by the arrival of myself and the others, but she adapted quickly to it and had been hanging out with Serenity more, the two really hit it off.

I smiled as I watched Sparky try to figure out how to use the scooter I had brought with me from Crystal City. Mostly it just resulted in her falling over, but she was trying her best at least.

"Hey, what's that?" Arc asked sometime in the early evening as we were getting ready to make dinner.

We all turned to see a shape approaching, it took a moment to realize that it was a Pegasus pony that looked like they had been flying for days. They crashed into the ground not far from where we were standing.

"Sparky, get the medkit!" Apple Bloom said as we got up and rushed to the Pegasus, he was dressed in security barding and had several energy burns on his body.

"These are magical energy weapon wounds..." Sparky said as she examined the wounds and took out healing potions. "Who did this?"

"The... Enclave..." the Pegasus said weakly. "They attacked..."

"Where did they attack? What happened?" I said as the stallion struggled to get the words out again.

"Manehattan... Tell... the... NCR.." He managed to say before falling unconscious, a silence fell over the group, the Enclave had attacked Manehattan.

It was then that our PipBucks started to crackle with static followed by the now familiar sound of music that accompanied Enclave broadcasts.

"Hello Equestria, this is your President speaking to you from Tenpony Tower in the ruins of Manehattan," Winter Breeze's voice sounded over the radio after a minute. "The Tower and the entire city of Manehattan is now under the control of the Grand Pegasus Enclave."

Oh horseapples.

"Now I'm sure you're all wondering what has happened to DJ Pon3, the stallion who's voice has broadcast over the Wasteland for the past 211 years," Winter Breeze continued. "I can assure you that the good DJ is still alive and well in our custody, but I think its time we break the charade that they have been playing for the past two centuries."

"What does she mean?" Serenity asked, she was afraid, and so was I, I knew exactly what she meant.

"It'll be okay Serenity," Vanilla said reassuringly as she hugged the filly gently. "I promise, everything will be okay..."

I hoped she'd be able to keep that promise.

"You see my dear Equestria, the pony that is willing to, in his words, tell the truth no matter how hard it hurts has been lying to you this whole time," Winter Breeze continued, I really wished she wouldn't do this. "DJ Pon3 is a lie Equestria, he's been lying to you since he first started broadcasting. The pony you've known as DJ Pon3 for the past few years is a Zebra by the name of Xiraia, and before that it was the Unicorn Homage, ironically the element of Honesty."

Yep, she went there... though I had to wonder how she knew that Homage had been DJ Pon3 before Xiraia, and I didn't like it.

"The Enclave will not stand for such deceptions in the future Equestria. We will continue to fight for you Equestria, for the future of our world. This is President Winter Breeze, signing off."

As the radio played the music again and went silent, we all just sat there in shock unsure of what to do or say.

LEVEL UP!
Perk Received: Ante Up.
Details: You've become more skilled at games of chance and avoiding enemies. You gain an extra point in your luck stat.

Chapter 14: Devil You Know

"The farther backward you can look,
the farther forward you will see."
-Winston Churchill.

"What's going on, why did the Enclave take over Manehattan?" Cherry asked as we all looked between each other, trying to figure out what's going on.

"Probably because of DJ Pon3," I said with a sigh as I brushed my mane back. "He... or, well, she has been broadcasting anti-Enclave messages since they first appeared. They're probably trying to silence and discredit the DJ."

"Which will also be a problem for you Scootaloo," Vanilla said as she looked at me. "Ever since the Enclave exposed you to Equestria she's been trying to get ponies to think about you differently."

"And not to mention tha fact that Zebras still aren't exactly welcome in most of Equestria," Apple Bloom added. "Its crazy that DJ Pon3 is a Zebra, huh?"

"Yeah, crazy..." I said quietly as I looked off to the side. "That's probably why she didn't tell anypony about it. I just wish that it didn't have to come out like this, I can only imagine what she's going through right now."

I didn't want to tell them that I actually had known the truth this whole time since I had met Xiraia back in Manehattan. I had kept her secret because I felt it was the right thing to do, but now, I wasn't sure if keeping that secret had put her in more danger than she needed to be in.

I had known some nice Zebras from during the war that had just wanted to live their lives in Equestria, its why I did things like Stable 3. They weren't bad as a species just because the Caesar had decided to go to war with Equestria for... whatever reason he decided to.

Honestly now that I thought about it, why had he done it? I mean yes there was the Massacre at Littlehorn, but that had just been the breaking point. Something about all of it was weird, even after Luna took the throne... something about all of it felt weird, but I didn't really know what it was.

"Xiraia fought in the war with the Crimson Empire, she helped save the NCR, not everypony is going to turn against her," Vanilla pointed out. "She'll be okay, we just have to figure out what the plan is."

Star returned with Jade at that point, the two had left to get word to Nomad City of what was going on. "What's the word from the council?" I asked.

"We're being called back to the city and we're going to Junction Town," Star said with a sigh. "A Vertibuck is coming to pick us up first thing in the morning. The NCR is making a decision on what to do next the day after."

"You can't stay?" Sparky asked as she looked sad.

"We don't have a choice," I said. "This changes everything, the Enclave hasn't made a move this bold since the war began."
"Right, they've mostly been limiting it to hit and run attacks," Arc said with a sigh as she drew in the dirt a little.

"I'm sorry Sparky," I said sadly as I hugged my daughter gently. "We'll be fine, the Enclave will be stopped and everything will be okay."

Sparky smiled and hugged me back before looking at Apple Bloom. "Aunt Apple Bloom, I want to go with them. I can help them take on the Enclave, please?"

"Sparky, I'm afraid this isn't the right time to do that," I said sadly with a sigh. "Sparky, we've got a dangerous mission ahead of us and we don't even know if we'll be able to do it right now."

"There is a possibility that the NCR may have to surrender to the Enclave," Star said. "Even with the allies we have, the Enclave now has access to the Celestia One Megaspell."

Oh, crap, that's not what I needed to hear at all. Celestia One was the most powerful Megaspell Equestria had during the war, and the Enclave now had access to it? I was surprised they hadn't just wiped the NCR off the map now.

"Sparky, I promise, when the time is right you can come join us," I said with a smile. "But right now you need to stay here and help your Aunt."

Apple Bloom looked like she was going to protest but I shot her a look. I really didn't want to put Sparky at risk in this conflict, especially if we were about to go to Manehattan in order to fight the Enclave.

I didn't think the NCR was really about to surrender, there had to be some sort of back-up plan in the event of something like this happening.

"Okay, I'll stay here for now," Sparky said with a nod.

00000

That night me and Cherry were woken up to the sound of small hooves stepping on the ground outside our tent. After a moment Serenity poked her head into the tent with a worried look on her face in the glow of our PipBuck lights.

"Hey Serenity, is everything okay?" Cherry asked.

"I just, can't sleep so I asked mom if I could come to your tent," Serenity said softly. "Is that okay?"

"Of course Serenity, we'd be glad to have you," I said with a smile as we scooted apart enough to let the filly rest between the two of us.

"Thank you," Serenity said with a smile as she moved in between the two of us, she looked at us with a smirk. "I didn't interrupt anything did I?"

"Did Arc light tell you to ask that?" Cherry asked, her face turning red again, which just got a giggle out of the filly.

"Maybe."

"Oh, we have ways of making little fillies talk," I said with a smirk as I started tickling the filly, making her giggle more. "Do you still deny it?"

"Yesssss, she asked me to, stop it!" Serenity protested through the giggles, I just laughed and stopped. "That wasn't fair!"

"Oh, it was totally fair," I said with a smile as I nuzzled the filly gently. "You're still worried about the Enclave huh?"

"Yeah..." Serenity said as I draped my wing over both her and Cherry. "After what happened with the Enclave in the Crystal Empire, I'm just worried about what will happen to the ponies that live there."

"I understand," I said with a nod as I nuzzled her again. "I'm worried about them too, but we'll be able to figure this out. I promise that I'll make sure to help you as best I can."

"We both will," Cherry said with a smile.

"Are you sure you two aren't a couple?" Serenity said with a smirk, which made me facehoof, this filly was really enjoying this wasn't she?

"How about this, if we become a couple you'll be the first pony to know," I said with a chuckle as I ruffled the filly's mane.

"Okay, deal," Serenity said with a smile as she closed her eyes. "Good night Scootaloo, Cherry Blossom."

"Good night Serenity," I said and nuzzled the filly gently as she fell asleep. I turned and looked at Cherry with a nod. "Being a parent isn't an easy job, but I've found its one of the most rewarding."

"I hope so..." Cherry said with a sigh. "I mean I was always content with sticking to the status quo in Stable 48, but when it actually was my turn... I couldn't just let the foal wind up like her father."

"Like I said, it changes everything," I said with a nod and smiled down at the sleeping filly. "For good and for bad."

Cherry nodded and soon was off to sleep. I stayed up for a little longer thinking about my own daughter. I remembered her first words, her first steps, her first flight... she was the light in the darkness that had been my life after the war started.

I took out the picture I had of her and Sky Walker and just started at it in the dim glow of my PipBuck's light. I remembered the day we had it taken, it was a few weeks before I had been exiled and it was one of the few things that I had managed to take with me, I guess the Enclave wanted me to remember what I had lost by turning on them.

It had worked kind of, but at the same time it reminded me that some things were worth fighting for. Family was the most important thing in the world to me, and I wasn't going to give up on it just because the Enclave tried to take it away from me.

I put the picture carefully away and laid back down, I closed my eyes and was soon asleep as well.

00000

The next day when the Vertibuck arrived we said our good-byes to Sparky and Apple Bloom. It wasn't easy, but I knew that this wouldn't be the last time I came to this place.

After all, we still had a town to build.

The trip to Nomad City was quiet, nopony wanted to talk about what might happen once we reached Junction Town. We had come so far in trying to stop the Enclave only to have them pull something like this.

I knew what the Enclave wanted, but this was something I hadn't expected them to do. By moving in on Manehattan they had shown their hand and at the same time they strengthened their resolve and their position in Equestria.

We were now losing the war with the Enclave, and we had to make sure we didn't let them keep Manehattan.

"Councilmare, the City Council has convened an emergency session and are waiting for you to arrive," an aide said as we got off the Vertibuck on Nomad City.

"What's the word from Junction Town?"

"They still haven't made a decision on how to proceed, but there's talk about a vote of no confidence against President Grimfeathers in the Senate. The war with the Enclave hasn't exactly been popular and a lot of ponies are unsure of her leadership at the moment, especially given the Manehattan situation."

"Just what we needed," I groaned.

"I'll catch up with you later, I need to get to the Council," Jade said and headed off with the aide towards city center.

"What are we going to do now?" Serenity asked as she looked between us. "Are we going to be able to fight the Enclave?"

"I don't know Serenity, I really don't know," I said with a sigh. "We need to do something more than just fight, we need a victory. The Enclave's move was a brilliant stroke, they knew they could demoralize the population by taking over Tenpony Tower which will make it harder for us to win."

"So if we retake the city, then we might be able to change the tide of the war," Arc said. "But that's easier said than done."

"I'm going to talk with the Chief of Security, maybe she'll be able to help, in the meantime could you watch Pure Heart?"

"Sure, no problem," I said as we split up and headed towards the housing district.

00000

That evening Nomad City arrived over Junction Town, since I figured that we weren't going to be doing anything until tomorrow I had planned to spend the evening in the City, at least until there was a knock at the door.

When we opened it up Midnight was standing there accompanied by two ponies dressed in Ranger uniforms. She didn't look happy to be here, which worried me, had something changed?

"Uh, can I help you?"

"Scootaloo Dash, I've been ordered to escort you to Junction Town in order to meet with President Grimfeathers," Midnight said in an official tone. "After which you will be placed in protective custody with the NCR until it is determined what will be done about the current crisis."

"Wait, what?" I asked, they were arresting me? "What's the charge?"

"For now you will not be charged, this is for your protection only," Midnight said though it was obvious it pained her to do so. "Please Scootaloo, I don't like this any more than you do, but its the only way."

I frowned a little and nodded, I hugged Serenity and my friends before leaving with Midnight and the soldiers.

When we reached Junction Town there was an air of unease and tension around the NCR capital. When I went past they looked at me angrily, but nopony was ready to do anything yet.

I sighed as the door opened to Regina's office, the Griffon looked exhausted as if she hadn't slept since the crisis started, which she probably hadn't.

"Thank you General, you are dismissed," Regina said and Midnight nodded before leaving the office. Regina got out from behind her desk and looked at me for a long moment. "Scootaloo, I'm genuinely sorry this all happened, the Enclave has made everything difficult for us in the NCR because of the recent takeover."

"What about the ponies living in Tenpony Tower? What's the latest on Xiraia?" I asked.

"Some ponies evacuated the tower, we've been setting up refugee camps in our territory so that they have somewhere to go," Regina said with a sigh. "We're losing this war Scootaloo, we're losing ponies that have been loyal to us since my mother helped found the Republic to the Enclave. Ponies are calling for my resignation and for you to be turned over to the Enclave, and if things get any worse then I'll have to consider giving them what they want."

I frowned a little at that, the war was getting worse for us and ponies were pinning the blame on me and Regina. Neither of us were at fault, the Enclave had put us all in this position as part of their master plan, and we were playing right into their hooves.

"Is there anything we can do?"

"Maybe, I've managed to convince the Senate and the Council to hold off on the vote for now but it won't last forever," Regina said with a shake of her head. "Which is why I need the help of you and your friends to carry out a dangerous mission."

"What is it?" I asked, I was worried about what she had in mind, but it was probably the only hope we had at this point.

"Winter Breeze contacted me and proposed a temporary ceasefire between our forces with a list of conditions for our surrender," Regina said as she picked up a piece of paper that had words scrawled on it. "She gave us a week to reach a decision, I'm afraid she's using that time to get Celestia One running again."

"Running again?" I asked, I was confused by that.

"It was disabled before the Enclave took over the Tower as a precaution, we don't want that power falling into the hooves of our enemies," Regina said with a nod. "I need you and your friends to travel to Manehattan and break the Enclave's control before the week is up, you are our only hope at this point."

My eyes went wide at that, the NCR was trusting me and my friends with this mission? Why us? What was going on that made us so special that the President wanted us to go instead of the Rangers?

"Why us?"

"Because none of you are officially with the NCR so you don't break the ceasefire," Regina said, oh so it was a technicality. "Applejack's Rangers and Nomad City Security will be sending aid as well, but our hooves, and claws, are tied at the moment."

"I understand," I said with a sigh. "But I'm supposed to be in custody aren't I? Exactly how are you going to keep that covered up?"

"That's where we come in," a female voice said as a Changeling Queen with a light blue carapace and mane stepped out into view.

"Queen Phase here has recently taken over the Changeling Hive in the Crystal Wasteland and has offered her assistance," Regina said as she gave the Queen a nod. "Some of her Changelings will be taking on the appearance of you and your friends in and around Junction Town in order to fool any of the Enclave's spies."

"I assure you my Changelings will be perfect in their disguises," Phase said with a nod as she walked over to me and looked at me closely. "I must say I was expecting somepony a bit..."

"Taller?"

"Younger actually, given your reputation," Phase said as she examined me closely. "But I'm sure we can work with this, you'll just have to be careful while you're in the city of course."

"Of course," I said, it was kind of creepy to be examined like this by a Changeling Queen. "So, when do we leave and how are we going to get to Manehattan?"

"You leave tomorrow before the Senate is convened which is when the week starts," Regina said and gave me a nod. "As for how, well, you'll see. In the meantime we'll have to keep you in custody."

"Understood," I said with a nod as Phase moved back into place. "Thank you Madam President, I won't let you down."

"I know you won't Scootaloo," Regina said with a nod. "Just be careful, the future of Equestria is on your withers."

"But no pressure right?" I asked with a chuckle as the soldiers came back inside, I gave Regina one more nodd before I let them lead me away.

00000

My weapons were taken away and put in a nearby locker before I was locked up in the cell that was to be "my home" for the next week. It was't much to speak of, there was a bed and a barred window that looked out into the town beyond.

I laid back on the bed and stared up at the ceiling, I honestly had no idea what I was going to do from here. I didn't quite like the idea of having to essentially break out of jail, but this was all part of Regina's plan.

I couldn't believe that everything had gone so wrong so fast. Winter Breeze was smart, and that made her dangerous. She must've moved in fast enough to cut off Xiraia's escape from Tenpony Tower if she wanted to keep the Zebra from broadcasting elsewhere.

I couldn't help but think about what was going on in Manehattan right now. The Enclave was likely putting the city and its Settlements under martial law in order to maintain order, but it might at least keep them safe for the time being.

There had to be a lot of ponies in the city hoping for rescue that may never come. Though one thing kept bugging me, how did the Enclave get access to Tenpony Tower so quickly? Was it possible that they really did have ponies everywhere? And if so, who could we really trust anymore?

I shook my head at that, this wasn't going to turn into the Great War all over again where we couldn't trust anypony else. The Enclave had its agents sure, but we weren't about to let them turn on each other trying to find out who they are.

I sighed and looked at the empty space in the bed next to me, this was going to be the first night I didn't get to sleep with Cherry by my side in awhile. It struck me at that moment just how much I really missed her, her laugh, her smile, the way she smelled even, she was a wonderful pony and she made me happy to be alive.

Was it possible I really did feel something more for her than just friendship?

"Hey Scootaloo, I see they've got you in the VIP suite," a familiar voice said and I looked up to see Cherry coming into the holding room.

"Heh, yeah, only the best for the Enclave's number one most wanted," I said with a chuckle as I got to my hooves and walked over to the bars to talk to her. "Has the President had you all filled in on the plan?"

"Yeah, but I don't know about this... are we really about to do this?" Cherry asked. "I mean, we're only going to have so much support in the city now."

"We're the only chance there is to stop the Enclave here," I said with a sigh. "Winter Breeze is there and that makes things even more dangerous. If we don't do this, we might lose the war."

Cherry nodded in understanding as she looked at me with a sigh. "If you want to do this, then we're all behind you 100%."
I smiled a little as I placed my hoof on the bars for a moment. "That means a lot to me, I know this won't be easy, but its the best option we have."

"Midnight doesn't seem too sure about this plan either, but she's agreed to it. Officially any Rangers and NCR citizens still in Manehattan have been ordered to remain un-involved with the conflict, but they'll provide us any safe haven as long as the Enclave isn't in the area."

Well that was something at least, it meant we had some allies even if they wouldn't be able to help us fight the Enclave. It gave us access to resources that would be able to help us at least, and that would hopefully be enough.

"Tell her I said thanks," I said with a smile. "I hope it'll be enough to stop the Enclave, I'm sure we'll be able to handle this together as a team. There's always still the question of who the Enclave's spy is, and hoping they don't have access to our plans."

"Do you really think there is a spy that close? What if Winter Breeze was just trying to get under your skin."

"I don't know to be honest..." I admitted with a sigh. "I just have to hope that we'll figure out the truth before its too late."

"Don't worry, we will," Cherry said with a smile. "Don't worry about us, we'll see you tomorrow okay?"

"Okay," I said with a nod as Cherry headed back out of the holding area.

I sighed a little and laid back on the bed, I had no idea what I was going to do at this point, but I would figure it out soon enough. Well, there wasn't much of a point in dwelling on it anymore, I closed my eyes and drifted off to sleep.

00000

When I woke up I was in a place I hadn't expected, I was outside the old schoolhouse in Ponyville. I yawned a little and stretched, I must've drifted off to sleep while waiting out front.

"Hey Scootaloo, are you okay? You look tired," the teacher said as she poked her head out to check on me. "You don't have to do this today if you don't want to."

"No, no, I'm fine," I said with a quick nod as I shook my head to try and wake myself up. "Sorry, Sparky kept waking us up last night."

"Don't worry about it, I know how that is," she said with a smile as I walked into the schoolhouse.

I looked down at myself, I was dressed in my old suit and tie from my days before the apocalypse when I ran Red Racer. I was here to give a presentation for family appreciation day to Cloudy's class like Sweetie had mentioned in my last dream.

"Alright class, settle down," the teacher said with a smile. "Today we have a special guest, one of Cloudy's moms will be talking to us about herself and her job at the Red Racer company."

A Unicorn colt raised his hoof and he was called on. "Didn't Cloudy's moms used to work for Stable-Tec?"

"Yes, but as we all know since the end of the war with the Zebras, Stable-Tec along with the other major corporations were dismantled or applied to different industries," I said as I stepped forward. "Stable-Tec was built to save ponies from a horror that never came, so there was little need for it to continue. Red Racer on the other hoof still provides services for ponies as needed."

I smiled a little as I talked about the founding of Red Racer, I had always loved riding a scooter and had seen the value of it for ponies like me that couldn't fly. The company had originally been started to help disabled ponies get around easier and even be able to live normal lives.

I told them about my own experiences as a filly and struggling with my own disability that I had learned to overcome. The fillies and colts listened curiously even Cloudy who gave me a reassuring smile from her seat in the front.

It was sad though, these ponies were so young that some of them had never been born in Equestria as it really turned out. If they were lucky they wound up in Stables, but I had no idea how many of them would've even survived that.

I finished talking and the teacher gave me a nod.

"Does anypony have any questions for Mrs. Scootaloo?" She asked and a bunch of hooves shot up in response, she pointed her hoof at a dark colored earth pony filly with a dark blue mane. "How about you first Symphonic?"

"I was wondering about your cutie mark, how did you figure out your talent?"

"Well, with Cloudy's other mom and our friend Apple Bloom mostly," I said with a chuckle. "We had been trying to figure out our cutie marks for awhile at that point until we realized what our talents are. Our talents are to help ponies to the best of our ability, either with their cutie marks or just in general, its why we did things like build the Stables, we wanted to help ponies."

The colt from before raised his hoof and was called on.

"Is it true you left instructions in the Stables for the ponies to do, umm, what's the word..."

"You mean the experiments?" I asked as I flinched a little at the question, I was afraid that might come up. "Yes, but there was a purpose to them, we wanted to give Equestria in the future a better chance to survive. Thankfully they never had to be put into place."

There were a few more questions before the bell rang ending class.

"Don't forget students, read the chapter on Discord in your history books for next week," she said as the students filed out of the room.

"That was great mommy," Cloudy said as she trotted over to me with a smile. "I'm glad you got to come to class."

"Yes, thank you, Sweetie Belle has been doing this since you moved to Ponyville and I'm happy to finally get to meet Cloudy's other mom," the teacher said with a smile as she offered me a hoof.

"Likewise," I said with a nod as I shook her hoof. "I'm glad to be able to talk to Cloudy's class."

She nodded and I headed out with Cloudy who was smiling. I ruffled the filly's mane and looked out at Ponyville, it was still what I remembered it had been before the war. In a way, this is what I was fighting for, not necessarily to return completely to the past, but to secure a future for Equestria.

As much as I hated to admit it Winter Breeze was right about one thing, Equestria still had problems. There were still Raiders, still chems, still ponies willing to use others for their own gain like Slavers or Pimps, that hadn't changed in the last 11 years, still corruption.

But was it necessary to use such extreme methods? I honestly had no idea, sometimes extreme methods were necessary, but at what cost? What kind of world would we be leaving for our children if we were willing to always go to the extreme?

"Is everything okay mommy?" Cloudy asked as she looked up at me.

"Yeah, everything's fine, I'm just thinking is all," I said with a smile as I ruffled the filly's mane gently.

"You're a good kid, you know that? How about you go see your friends, just make sure you're home for dinner."

Cloudy giggled at that before running off to join some other foals that were waiting for her.

I smiled and watched her go, it wasn't easy to think of her any differently that the Cloudy that existed in the real Equestria but she felt, different. She didn't have to worry about war or living under the hoof of the Enclave, she had a chance to be genuinely happy.

And I didn't want her to lose that.

I smiled a little as I reached the house and slipped in behind Sweetie Belle who was cleaning a shelf. I wrapped my forelegs around the Unicorn mare who let out a cute eep before laughing.

"Hey Scootaloo, how'd it go today?"

"It went fine," I said as I nuzzled Sweetie gently. "I told them about Red Racer and everything, they asked some questions and generally things went pretty well. How about you, how did your day go?"

"Good, got some cleaning done, got to spend time with Sparky, generally had a good day," she said and added with a chuckle. "I'm feeling a little like the odd mare out here, a Unicorn in a family of Pegasi."

I chuckled a little and gave her a kiss. "That's silly, it doesn't make you the odd mare out, it makes you unique, and that's a good thing. I love you for who you are Sweetie Dash-Belle, I always have and I always will."

Sweetie smiled and nuzzled me gently. "You're quite the charmer Scootaloo, are you trying to get under my tail again?"
"Is it working?"

"Maybe," she said with a laugh and took my hoof and we headed towards the bedroom together. "I just put Sparky down for her nap, so we should have time to do whatever you want to me..."

I smiled a little and followed her to the bedroom.

00000

Yeah, that's all you're getting out of that dream, you darn perverts, I'm not writing this to let ponies drool over my sex life real or not.

Anyway, I woke up the next morning in the holding cell to the sound of the cell door opening. I opened my eyes to see a guard dressed in head to tail armor like that Rain Runner wore, only with a helmet instead.

"I'm guessing you're part of the plan," I said as I got to my hooves.

"Indeed," the pony said as they removed the armor and gave it to me before shifting into a perfect copy of me.

"Be careful, I don't want anything happening to you just because you look like me," I said as I slipped into the armor, it fit a little snug but it would at least keep me covered until I got out of town.

"Your friends are waiting for you outside of town on the west side down the new road," the changeling said as she laid down on the bed like I had been. "Hurry, you've only got 10 minutes before the window closes. Your marefriend is keeping an eye on your stuff."

"She's not my... never mind, I don't have time for this..." I said as I headed out of the holding area and past the ponies outside, a few of them gave me nods and I nodded back before heading out.

There's one advantage to being dressed in Ranger Armor, you don't exactly stand out in NCR territory. The armor was admittedly a little uncomfortable, but that was probably just because it wasn't my size.

I headed along the main road out of town as I went past more ponies. They were worried, I could tell that much just from their body language, and I didn't blame them. The Enclave was on the verge of victory and they had no idea that their only hope for a future outside of Enclave control was in the hooves of a pony they had every right to hate.

I just kept walking as I left town and headed for the place I was told to go. I found my friends waiting for me like the Changeling had promised, it was just the three of us again and I gave them all a nod.

"Its good to have you back Scootaloo," Arc said as I removed the armor and replaced it with my usual outfit and battle saddle.

"You know, maybe you should give that a name," Cherry commented as I fit the two energy rifles into my saddle. "Something that fits them and who you are I mean."

"Maybe," I said thoughtfully as I looked at the two weapons, they had once been used as weapons by the Enclave but now they were going to be used to stop them, I smiled a little as I patted them. "Freedom and Liberty."

"A bit on the nose but we don't have time to think about this," Arc said as she nodded to a Vertibuck that was resting on the ground. "That's our ride to Manehattan, or at least the edge of it."

"How are we going to avoid the Enclave's attention?"

"That's the beauty of this," a mare's voice said and I looked up to see the pilot, a Pegasus mare who gave us a nod. "This baby was an experimental Vertibuck being developed by Enclave R&D to adapt StealthBuck technology into it. When we get close to Manehattan we turn the stealth field on, and we can land without drawing attention."

"Well, that'll work," I said as we climbed into the Vertibuck. "We've got a long way to go before all of this is over, but we can do it."

Cherry and Arc nodded as the pilot got into the cockpit and started to take off. We looked down at Junction Town in the distance as it left our view.

I just hoped that we'd be able to save it.

00000

"My dear Equestria, victory is nigh, as we speak the NCR Senate is in the middle of deliberations to decide how to proceed," Winter Breeze's voice said over the radio, she was using DJ Pon3's broadcast technology to speak every so often. "The future of Equestria could not be in better hooves, I hope that this little squabble will end soon and we'll be able to pioneer a new path for the..."

I shut off the radio and shook my head. "So what's the plan when we land?"

"There's a settlement near where we're being dropped that we're to head to first to stock up on supplies," Arc said with a nod. "From there we're to head south through the city until we can get access to Tenpony Tower."

"We're to expect a lot of resistance along the way, it sounds like the Enclave has put the entire city under martial law," Cherry said. "The refugees we talked to said that they barely escaped before the Enclave closed off all major entrances onto Manehattan Island."

"So we'll have to go through one of the minor ones, the Enclave can't cover everything," I said with a nod.

"We'll figure it out," Arc said. "Hopefully there will be somewhere we can enter the city from."

I looked at her for a long moment, Manehattan was where Stable 66 was and I had to wonder if it was going to be easy for her to return to the city. We hadn't been there since we had left the city to head to Neigh Orleans and that was over a year ago now.

A year, I couldn't believe that I had only been out here for a year at this point. It felt like a decade with the Enclave's attacks. Now here we were, flying into another warzone so we could stop the Enclave.
I wondered how much longer I'd be able to keep this up.

"Stable 66 is in Manehattan right Arc?" Cherry asked as she looked at the Unicorn mare curiously.

"Yeah, it is," Arc said as she fidgeted with her PipBuck for a moment. "Its also not far from our route through the city, if we can make it into it at least."

We had a week to make our way to Tenpony Tower, while I didn't doubt we'd be able to pull it off, I wasn't sure if we should risk a detour to Stable 66. Then again, Arc hadn't seen her home in so long that maybe it wouldn't be a bad idea.

"Do you want to go back there?" I asked Arc who looked at me for a long moment as if she was trying to figure out what to say. "Its okay if you do, we can spare the time."

"Maybe... only if it wouldn't change our plans in any major way," Arc said with a nod.

"Arc, my mom was a soldier, she once told me a little saying they have in the military," I said with a chuckle. "No plan ever survives first contact with the enemy. We don't know what's waiting for us in Manehattan and we might have to adapt as we go, so don't worry about it."

"Your mom sounds like a smart pony," Cherry said with a smile.

"She certainly had her moments, I just wish she was here to help us right now," I said with a sigh as I looked out at the ruins of Manehattan in the distance. "I spent my foalhood wanting to be like her, to be the best pony I could be and to help Equestria..."

"I'd say you succeeded," Arc said with a smile as she put a hoof on my shoulder. "You're a good pony Scootaloo, and you're going to keep doing everything you can to make Equestria safe."

"Yeah," I said with a smile as I gave them both a nod.

I just hoped that I was doing the right thing. That was always the question wasn't it, was I doing the right thing? Even when I had to do the wrong thing it was always for the greater good, that's what it meant to be a pony like me, to be the villain of the piece.

It was all worth it in the end wasn't it? Lives were saved, ponies kept on living, our species continued to exist against the odds. Surviving wasn't enough though, we'd have to do more with ourselves than just survive.

The NCR served as the best chance at being able to do that, but even it wasn't perfect. I still had a lot to learn about the politics of the nation, but I could see that things weren't easy for them.

I thought back to Apple Bloom and Sparky, they were just ponies trying to live their lives in their homes. We hadn't brought the war to them, but what if we had? What if the Enclave had attacked us then?

No, I couldn't dwell on that anymore, they hadn't attacked us at Sweet Apple Acres and hopefully the war would never come there.

"Okay back there, time to go silent while the stealth system does its job," the voice of the pilot said from the cockpit.

A light humming sound started up, I didn't see any noticeable change in the Vertibuck but I guess it worked. I was impressed, and I couldn't help but appreciate the irony, this was a piece of Enclave technology that we were using in order to sneak into their occupied territory.

I just hoped it would be enough.

00000

The Vertibuck landed on the other side of the river from the city in the middle of a group of buildings that hid us from the city's line of sight. We climbed out of the Vertibuck and were soon joined by the pilot who went into one of the buildings and opened up the door to a basement.

"Okay, this is your best bet of getting into the city from here," she said as she lead us down into the basement, I was a bit surprised to find an excavated tunnel that sloped downwards.

"Its a smuggling tunnel from during the war," I said with a chuckle. "I thought the Ministry of Morale sealed all of these up."

"They did, we came across it and un-sealed it, it leads right into the city near the settlement at Hoofson," the pilot said with a nod as we turned on our lights. "I'm afraid this is as far as I can go, but I hope you succeed, we're all counting on you."

"But hey no pressure right?" Arc said with a chuckle as we started into the tunnel, waving good-bye to the pilot as she headed back to her craft.

We walked for a little while in silence, there wasn't much to talk about at this point given what we were about to walk into. I could only imagine what was waiting for us in the city itself, the fact of the matter was that none of us were really ready for this kind of warfare on our own, but we didn't have a lot of choice.

Maybe it was true that heroes didn't really choose to be heroes, instead we were chosen. I looked up at the ceiling above us, it looked like it had been dug out centuries before, this was definitely an old tunnel.

"EEK!" Cherry said as she stumbled over something and found herself muzzle to muzzle with a skeleton, she backed away quickly and hugged me, breathing heavily.

"Its okay, you're okay," I said reassuringly as I put a wing around the mare, trying to calm her down. "Its just a skeleton."

"I know, sorry, it just surprised me," Cherry said calming down a little as we examined the skeleton, it was dressed in old tattered clothing but there was something, eerily familiar about them.

I picked up a faded piece of paper, I could just barely make out the writing on it and it took me a moment to realize it wasn't Equestrian. The writing was made up of strange runic symbols that I had only seen once before.

"Zebras..." I said quietly as if the ghosts of the dead Zebras could've heard me and bring their wrath down on us for disturbing their resting place. "The Zebras must've used this tunnel during the war to enter the city."

"Ugh, this isn't helping at all," Cherry said as she looked at the skeleton, I had to wonder if it was a Zebra or a Pony that had gotten in their way.

Not that it really mattered to be honest, they had been long dead. I put the paper in my bags, it was mostly just a curiosity, though I did recognize one thing on it, a logo for a company that I knew.

"Four Stars," I said as we walked, which got a strange look from my friends. "They were a company during the war that ran the trains here in Manehattan. According to The Book of LittlePip they were traitors who allowed the Zebras into the city."

"So, you're thinking that whoever was in here was heading to meet with Four Stars?" Arc asked.

"Just a theory at least, its hard to prove I admit," I said with a shrug. "Really I'm not an expert on Zebras, maybe Xiraia will be able to help if we can rescue her from the Enclave."

"Why Four Stars anyway?" Cherry asked. "The name I mean."

"You know I'm not sure, I seem to recall hearing something about the Zebras regarding four stars as being evil for some reason," I said with a shrug. "I guess they kind of latched onto that for the name. It might be nothing really, just a curiosity."

"You never know, maybe its the orders to evacuate the city before the bombs went off," Arc said.

"Not that it did them much good," I said with a shrug, but she had a point, I just hoped that somepony would be able to at least solve this mystery.

The rest of the trip went uneventfully, there weren't any more dead bodies found along the area and it looked mostly intact. Something about this was weird though, it felt almost like we were disturbing somepony's resting place.

We froze a little when we heard a growling sound ahead of us as Ghouls came into view. They charged at us all at once as we leveled our rifles at the undead ponies and opened fire, gunning them down as they got closer.

"Why does it always have to be Ghouls?" Arc said with a groan as we walked forward towards the other end of the tunnel when another Ghoul came into view, but this one wasn't attacking us.

"D...D... Diamond?"

"Oh you have got to be kidding me," I said with a groan as I motioned for my friends to lower their weapons as we saw who it was, it was an Earth Pony mare with rotting grey fur and a pair of glasses that looked like they were stuck to her face.

It was Silver Spoon.

00000

We reached the other end of the tunnel and found ourselves out in the middle of the upper east side of Manehattan. I looked back at the Ghoul that used to be my classmate and sighed as I pulled my hat down a little.

"Silver Spoon, what happened to you?"

"I, don't know," she said in the raspy voice of a Ghoul. "All I remember is leaving Manehattan after the bomb went off and started towards Hoofington. I wound up like, this I guess."

"I'm sorry Silver Spoon," I said as I removed my hat and looked at her, she squinted at me as if trying to recognize who I was. "Do you remember me?"

"Scootaloo?" She managed to say as her eyes went wide. "I think at least... I can't really see right without my glasses."

"But she has her... oww!" Arc started to say before getting a hoof to the side from Cherry.

"Silver Spoon, its me Scootaloo, its a really long story," I said with a sigh as I played with my hat a little. "I survived by chance more than anything else, Rainbow Dash saved me from dying."

"I see," Silver Spoon said as she looked at the three of us. "Well, you don't happen to know what happened to Diamond do you? I was talking with her before the bomb went off and I don't know where she is now"

I flinched a little, from the Book of LittlePip I knew exactly what had happened to Diamond Tiara. She had been at the Shattered Hoof correctional facility on an inspection when the bombs went off and had gotten trapped.

When the prisoners escaped she had been afraid for her life and killed herself rather than let them have their way with her. I had no idea how to tell that kind of thing to Silver Spoon though, even if she had been a pain in my flank when we were foals, I didn't think she deserved to know what happened.

I couldn't do that to her, not to one of the few ponies still alive from before the war.

"I'm sorry Silver, I don't know where she is, but I'm sure she's out there somewhere," I said with a forced smile.

"Oh well, its fine, I'll find her someday," Silver said with a nod. "I just came here from Hoofington a few months ago, I was hoping she may have come here."

"Yeah, maybe," Cherry said with a nod and Arc nodded in agreement.

"What about you Scootaloo, where are your friends?" Silver asked as she examined Arc and Cherry closely. "Unless they've undergone some sort of makeover and are these two."

I laughed a little. "No, no this is Arc Light and Cherry Blossom, we're trying to help fight the Enclave here in the city."

"Oh, the Enclave? Oh don't get me started on the Enclave, I was in Hoofington when Lighthooves did his whole thing in Thunderhead," Silver Spoon said with a shake of her head.

Lighthooves? Thunderhead? This was the first time I had even heard about this, I knew that Thunderhead was a cloud city near Hoofington and Shadowbolt Tower, but who was Lighthooves? Had he served the Enclave or was there something else about him that we didn't quite know about.

I made a mental note to learn more about Lighthooves later, something about that made me feel almost uneasy.

"I see, well that must've been quite the story," I said and Silver nodded. "What are things like in Hoofington these days?"

"Quieter than 10 years ago, but still not exactly the most fun place to stay, lots of Ghouls around Meatlocker though," Silver said. "Maybe you can visit someday, I'd be glad to show you around."

"Maybe..." I said, I looked around the area. "We're looking for a settlement called Hoofson, do you know where that is?"

"Oh sure, its not too far away from the Stable," Silver said with a nod as she started down a street. "Come on, its just this way."

"Wait, what Stable?" Arc asked the Ghoul.

"Why, Stable 66 of course, we're just a few blocks away from it," Silver said with a rotting smile as she looked back at us. "Why do you ask?"

Well that answered that, we were within striking distance of Stable 66, and it was about time we figured out just what happened to that Stable. I just hoped that Arc would be able to handle it, after all she had left her home over a year ago, and returning it wasn't going to be easy.

"Scootaloo can..."

"After Hoofson we can check it out as long as we're not delayed too much," I said with a reassuring nod to her. "Come on, lets go. It was good seeing you again Silver Spoon, try and get out of the city okay?"

"Okay," Silver Spoon said as she trotted off.

"Old friend of yours?" Cherry asked as the ghoul left.

"Would you believe she used to bully me as a filly?" I asked. "Obviously she's mellowed out a little bit."

"Huh, well here's hoping she'll be okay," Arc said as we headed towards Hoofson.

00000

We didn't quite make it to the settlement, just as we were approaching it we heard the sound of a cloudship on approach. We looked up to see an Enclave Raptor approaching the settlement and ducked into one of the ruined buildings.

"Okay, looks like Hoofson is out for right now," Cherry said with a groan. "What's the Enclave even doing here?"

"I don't know, maybe they're doing sweeps of the settlements to be safe," I said with a sigh as I checked my PipBuck. "Figures, we can't even reach our first stop."

We started checking around the building, it looked like it had been some sort of museum before the bombs fell. We headed down into the basement area of the building and stopped in our tracks.

"Well, guess we don't have much of a choice now," I said as we saw the door to Stable 66. "Come on, lets check it out."

As I walked up to the control terminal I turned back to look at Arc, she suddenly looked very nervous as if she wasn't sure
about coming back into the Stable.

"What's wrong?"

"Its just..." Arc said, hesitating a moment. "I don't know if I want to go back in there right now."

"Its okay, we're here for you," I said with a smile as I placed a hoof on Arc's shoulder. "You'll be just fine."

Arc looked at me for a long moment and nodded. I went back to the panel and input the code, nothing happened for a long moment before the door started to open with a screech.

We walked into Stable 66 and looked around, there was no sign of anypony in the entrance area. "Hello?"

"Scootaloo..." Cherry said as she gestured at a body that was lying against the wall and we all froze.

Lying against the wall was a corpse dressed in a familiar black insect-like power armor. It looked like it had been there for a long time but was almost perfectly preserved. It looked like the pony inside had been shot, but there was only one thing it meant right now.

The Enclave had been in Stable 66.

LEVEL UP!
Perk Received: Tactical Espionage Expert.
Details: You've gained a knowledge of infiltration and sneaking, you might want to invest in a cardboard box now. You gain an extra 5 points in stealth.

Chapter 15: All Fall Down

"There is not a righteous man on earth
who does what is right and never sins."
-Ecclesiastes 7:20

There were more bodies further into the Stable, each one showed either bullet wounds or energy weapon wounds. There had been some sort of fight here, and it looked like the Stable Dwellers had lost.

"This is all Stable Security," I said as I looked back at Arc Light who was scanning the corpses as if trying to look for any familiar faces. "Did you know any of them?"

"A couple sure," Arc said softly. "I mean I recognize all of them, small community and all that but I only really knew two of them... why did the Enclave do this?"

"Why do the Enclave do anything?" I asked with a sigh as we checked the dead Enclave soldiers for any equipment, there wasn't a lot left. "They probably wanted something from Stable 66."

"I just hope we find somepony alive in here..." Arc said softly as Schooner whimpered next to her and nuzzled the Unicorn gently.

I couldn't imagine what she was going through... well okay I kind of imagine, this would be like if I found Ponyville after it had been attacked like this. I sighed a little and hugged Arc gently.

"I'm sorry Arc, I promise we'll make the Enclave pay for what they did here," I said reassuringly. "We'll figure out what they did."

As we walked forward into the smaller Atrium that had been built for Stable 66, the Stable was much smaller than the other Stables because of the way we had constructed it, and I was starting to see that it had its problems.

Arc had come from here, this was where she was raised, though at least as we entered the atrium there seemed to be less corpses. Actually it seemed most of the fighting had been limited to the entrance.

"Maybe that means ponies survived," Cherry said hopefully.

"Yeah, but where are they?" Arc asked with a sigh, I didn't have an answer to that and I wasn't sure if I really wanted to
know.

We started searching the Stable, there wasn't a whole lot inside the Stable just more rooms that were empty. The whole Stable had been abandoned and I didn't know why, but as we searched the saloon we found something odd.

There were some signs of habitation, and they looked pretty recent too, somepony was still alive in Stable 66. Maybe it was a survivor, I checked my EFS but I didn't really see anything in the immediate area.

"Lets keep on our guard," I said and the others nodded as we started searching around the Stable.

00000

I checked the Overmare's office first and after inputting my master password I pulled up the logs that had been left behind. There was the usual really, not a lot had happened out of the ordinary, but I still pulled up the records starting after Arc Light had left the Stable, there weren't very many.

Log One:

Its only been a few days since Caramel Corn left the Stable and Arc Light left this morning, so now we're down two ponies! More parts of the Stable are starting to break down and we're missing one of our maintenance ponies at the worst possible time. Oooh, I hate this job so much, why did it have to come at the worst possible time?

Log Two:

Arc Light's been gone for a week now, we've managed to get everything back under control but I have no idea what to do now. The Stable has been falling apart since my mother died and everything just keeps getting worse. I'm starting to think this job is cursed or something because at this point nothing can get worse.

Log Three:

Caramel Corn came back today, I wasn't expecting that, she looked tired and just went back to her quarters and rested. She asked about Arc Light but nopony knows where she went off to at this point. The Stable isn't exactly in the best of shape, but we're starting to get back on track.

Log Four:
The Stable Door was opened today... I don't know who opened it but ponies dressed in strange armor came in. They were lead by a mare they called General Aries and they killed part of the Security team that had been sent to the door to see what's going on. They've demanding our surrender, I'm inclined to believe that we don't have a choice at this point.

I've sent word to the General that Stable 66 will surrender to their forces, the alternative may be death so I hope they're willing to negotiate.

Log Five:

The invaders say they're part of something called the Grand Pegasus Enclave, after our surrender they started rounding up the Stable Dwellers. A new mare arrived today named Winter Breeze, she was, different from the others. I don't think I've ever met a mare so, cold, I don't really know what to make of her to be honest.

Winter Breeze says that we're to be taken out of the Stable because its in no shape to be lived in. She's offered us a place to live in a city near Hoofington, but I don't know how truthful she's being. I don't like this, but it may be the only way for this Stable to survive.

What's worse is that it seems that it was Caramel Corn that allowed the Enclave into the Stable. One of our own had brought this on us, I don't know what her reasons were but something about this feels wrong. I hope we can figure out what's going on soon.

Goddesses have mercy on all of us. This is Drizzle, last Overmare of Stable 66, signing off.

That solved one mystery, the Enclave had come to the Stable after getting their hooves on Caramel Corn. We hadn't found any other bodies in the Stable so it looked like they had at least been honest about getting them out of the Stable.

Hoofington again, was the Enclave setting something up in Thunderhead maybe? Was that where the Enclave made their main base now after the Day of Sunshine and Rainbows?

I didn't have the answer to any of this, but something about this felt weird, it was like we were only getting pieces of a puzzle. I sighed and walked out of the office to where Arc was waiting.

"Did you find anything?"

"Maybe, I think they're alive at least," I said with a sigh. "Arc, the Enclave took them, maybe to the city of Thunderhead."

"Thunderhead?"

"Its one of the major cloud cities in Equestria near Hoofington, I don't know what its like these days but I remember it always being a bit... different than the rest of the Enclave if that makes any sense."

I explained that Thunderhead had a closer connection to the surface at times because of Shadowbolt Tower. There were even a few Unicorns that made their home there because they had been above the clouds before, at least that's how I remembered it.

"Interesting, well its something at least, though it would be nice if we had more of a clue than that," Arc said with a sigh. "Still, that helps me a little, it at least lets me know that they're still out there somewhere."

"Yeah, that's something," Cherry said as she came up. "I just checked the clinic, it looks like somepony has been in there recently but I didn't see anything other than some hoofprints."

Now this was just getting more and more confusing, who was in this Stable if the Enclave had cleared everypony out?

"Did you at least find any supplies Cherry?" Arc asked.

"A few, but most of it was cleared out already."

"Okay... something about this is weird, maybe we should try and figure out who else is in here with us," I said with a sigh as we started to head down the stairs. "Did you find anything else out of the ordinary?"

"Maybe, there's a door to part of the Stable that's locked up," Cherry said, which made Arc's ears perk up a little.

"That might be the wing that was flooded with gas, maybe there's somepony still alive in there if it was cleared out," Arc suggested. "If it was still registering as being hazardous, the Enclave may have left it alone."

"That could work..." I said with a nod, I checked my bags and found a gas mask I had purchased while I was in Junction Town and turned to look at the other two. "I'm not going to risk Cherry going in there if the gas is still present, I'll go in there alone and let you know if its safe, okay?"

"Okay," Cherry said as she gave me a hug. "Stay safe, okay?"

"I will," I said as I hugged her back before securing the gas mask onto my face, Cherry pointed me in the direction of the locked door and I headed that way.

I just hoped that I didn't find anything dangerous on the other side.

00000

Unlocking the door was easy, I checked my PipBuck as I entered and found that there was no signs of anything dangerous in the immediate area. I needed to check the rest of the wing before I was certain, but it was at least a good sign.

It was quiet in this part of the Stable, there were signs here and there of habitation sure, but it was as if whoever lived here tried to keep the fact that they were here secret. I kept a close eye on my EFS as I kept searching.

Sometimes I think I saw quick flashes of something on my EFS but every time I tried to investigate there was nothing there. I couldn't help but think about what LittlePip had written about in Stable 24 with the strange creatures that were living in the ventilation systems.

Could an EFS pick up something like a pony in a ventilation system? Was something else going on here? I had no idea and I wasn't sure I wanted to know.

I passed by a few rooms that seemed to be strangely empty. If this area had been flooded with poison gas, where were all the bodies? That didn't help my paranoia any as I kept walking through the Stable.

When I finally reached the other side of the wing I stopped in my tracks, there was something that resembled bedding, and it looked like it had been slept in recently. I took the bit of my Battle Saddle in my mouth and looked around for signs of anypony.

There was nothing, just what looked like old papers with writing in the Zebra language, that was odd, what were they doing here in a Stable? I reached my hoof out to touch them when I felt a gun barrel pressed against my head.

"Ne transgrediaris," a mare's voice said in a language I didn't understand. "Et quis es tu, quid agis hic?"

I gulped a little as I looked behind me slightly to see a barrel pressed against me. I couldn't see who was holding the rifle, but I didn't like the looks of the weapon and decided that it would be best to not anger the pony that was threatening my life.

"I'm sorry, I don't understand your language," I said, when I didn't get a response I dropped the bit from my mouth, slowly moving my forelegs up as I spoke slowly. "I'm not going to hurt you, I'm just investigating this Stable with my friends."

"Quot?" The mare asked I think based on her inflection, she didn't remove the rifle yet but at least she wasn't going to shoot me.

"Do you know what happened here?" I asked, I didn't get a response from the strange mare. "Please, there are only three of us, we're just looking into what happened to this Stable, we're not here to hurt anypony and will leave if you want us to."

There was a moment of silence before I felt the barrel move away from my head. There was the sound of hooves stepping on the metal as the pony moved around to get a better look at me.

Okay, so calling this mare a pony is inaccurate. She was dressed in wastelander gear with a dark red desperado hat pulled down over her mane, she looked at me with a pair of violet eyes that seemed more curious than malicious.

But what drew my attention was her stripes, I was muzzle to muzzle with a Zebra mare who just stared at me. I had no idea what to say, the only Zebras I had met in the Wasteland had all spoken Equestrian, why did this Zebra seem to speak a completely different language?

"Scootaloo," I said as I pointed to myself with one of my hooves, I hoped that she got the idea.

"Riva," she said simply as she pointed at herself.

Well, at least now I had a name to go with the face. At least she didn't want to kill me anymore.

00000

"So, you're saying she's been living in here?" Arc asked as she and Cherry watched the Zebra curiously.

"That's what I've gathered at least," I said with a sigh. "I think she's the one that we've been seeing signs of in the rest of the Stable at least, unless you think there's somepony else in here."

"No, we've pretty much eliminated that possibility," Cherry said as she looked at the Zebra for a long moment. "Does she talk?"

"She does, but she speaks only the Zebra language I think," I said with a shrug. "The most I've been able to understand is her name."

I had to admit I was curious about Riva, she was a Zebra that much was certain but I wondered what more there was to her. She spoke a language that hadn't been heard in Equestria in years, so did that mean she wasn't from Equestria? Had the Zebra Empire survived maybe or was there something else going on?

I couldn't exactly expect answers out of her right now, maybe if we could free Xiraia she'd be able to translate what she's saying. I looked over at the Zebra she was working with a piece of paper and a pen.

"Are these yours?" I asked as I pointed at the papers curiously.

"Tribus mea historiarum scriptor," Riva said, when we just looked at her confused she sighed and pointed at the papers then made a motion with her hoof as if saying she's speaking.

"Stories?" I asked, and Riva nodded. "Alright, we've established some sort of communication..."

"Yeah, now what?" Arc asked as we looked at the Zebra for a long moment.

I thought for a long moment, I was wishing that I had studied sign language growing up, but I never had a reason to. I looked around through my bags and came out with an old map of Equestria and pointed at the location where Ponyville was.

Riva seemed to understand quickly and pointed off to the East, then she spoke again. "Ego autem viator ex Liber Roama Alliance."

"Okay, I think I got one word of that..." Cherry said.

"I think she said Roam," I said, I remembered that was the name of the Zebra capitol city. "Or, at least something close to it, Roam?"

Riva nodded, I smiled a little and gestured around us and then pointed at her, I was trying to convey that I was wondering why she was here in this Stable. It took the Zebra a moment to understand what I meant, and the next words she said chilled me to the bone.

"Enclave... Starkatteri."

There was no need for translation, the words spoke for themselves. I didn't know what Starkatteri meant, but the way she said it sent a chill down all our spines.

She was here to hide from the Enclave and something that scared her even more.

00000

"What's a, Starkatteri?" Cherry asked me as we were going through the Stable's food stores, there wasn't much left.

"Honestly? I have no idea," I admitted with a sigh, I hated not knowing what was going on, especially not right now. "Maybe it refers to one of the Zebra Tribes, I don't know."

"I don't know a lot about the tribes other than what Vina told me about the Carnilia," Cherry said as she found some more supplies. "She, didn't exactly fit in..."

"Yeah, well from what I understand there are thirteen tribes, each one has their own distinct culture and beliefs. I don't know a lot about them sadly, the Zebras have always been kind of an enigma."

We searched for awhile longer and I sighed a little, we knew from what Shooting Star had told us that the Enclave in the Zebra Lands was allied with one of the Tribes but not much else. Xiraia had referred to them as the One, something that didn't make a lot of sense to me either, but it must have something to do with the way the Tribes are structured.

I sighed a little as closed another cabinet in the saloon's kitchen. It looked like most of the food stores had been taken, either by the Enclave or Riva, but we had managed to find some. I looked back at Cherry and smiled a little at the mare, she was working to find whatever she could, even if she wasn't having a lot of luck.

"So, can I ask you something?"

"Sure, go ahead," Cherry said as she gave me a smile.

"What's your cutie mark mean?"

"Oh that? Well I mean, its kind of silly really," Cherry said with a light blush. "When I was a filly I snuck into the hydroponics bay in Stable 48. I didn't really like the idea of being used for breeding back then either and so I wanted to try to grow something. The Science Division was experimenting with some new plants and snuck one back into my quarters, I managed to nurture it into bloom. When it did, I gained my cutie mark, its weird."

"That's not that silly," I said with a smile.

"Yeah, well, I never quite understood what it meant to be honest, or what my talent might be."

I looked at her thoughtfully for a moment, sometimes talents weren't obvious right away and it took some digging into the context to understand. She had received her cutie mark after having gone against tradition in her stable, and also in nurturing something to give it life, was that maybe connected to it?

Maybe that was her talent, to nurture, to help grow, that was an interesting talent especially for a Breeder in Stable 48. I smiled a little, it really did reflect what kind of pony Cherry was.

"I think it might be nurturing," I said with a smile, Cherry tilted her head cutely. "Well, think about it, you gained it after helping a plant grow to maturity, later in life you left the Stable because you wanted to help your foal have a better life. It makes some sense to me at least."

Cherry thought about that for a long moment, I wasn't sure if I had hit the nail on the head or not. Honestly it had been awhile since I had helped anypony figure out their cutie marks, and maybe I was a little rusty at it, or maybe I wasn't as good at it because my friends weren't with me.

I sighed a little but perked up when Cherry hugged me tight. "Thank you Scootaloo, that really helped a lot."

I smiled and hugged her back. "You're welcome Cherry, I'm glad I was able to help you figure it out."

"Hey, are you two done making out yet? I think there's something wrong," Arc said as she poked her head into the kitchen.

"What's going on?" I asked with a blush as I let go of Cherry.

"Riva started freaking out a few minutes ago, I don't know what's wrong but I'm getting the impression she wants us back in the sealed wing," Arc said with a shake of her head. "Did you two find anything in here?"

"Just a few things, lets go," I said as we headed out of the kitchen.

If Riva was afraid of something, I wasn't sure I wanted to know what it was.

00000

We locked the door to the sealed section behind us as Riva looked at us worriedly. I nodded to Arc and she started working on getting the door sealed up better before I looked at Riva again.

"What's wrong?" I asked automatically before I shook my head and gave her a worried look, pointing at the door behind us.

"Enclave," was all she said and shook her head for a moment before saying something else. "Enclave Zebras."

She made a motion with her hoof towards the map and I laid it out. She used gestures to show her route from Zebrica to here and then traced it again, she was telling me that she had been followed here from the Zebra Lands for sure.

"Enclave, Starkatteri?" I asked and she nodded in confirmation, though she seemed afraid at the word.

"The Starkatteri are trying to stop me," Riva said in her panicked voice, still speaking in the Zebra language, she gestured again towards herself.

I gave her a quizzical look before asking, "Why does the Enclave want to stop you?"

She looked thoughtful for a long moment before taking out a paper and sketching a symbol on it. I didn't recognize it, but it seemed important to her at least, she pointed at it, and then at herself and at us.

"Libra Roama Alliance," she repeated the phrase from earlier. "Starkatteri sade venatione ceperunt me hinc ab Roama."

"I think she's saying that they've hunted her from Roam," I said, though I wasn't sure what she meant by the Libra Roama Alliance.

"Well, this isn't getting us anywhere, we might be under attack and the only one who can tell us what's going on can't speak Equestrian," Arc said with a sigh as Riva just shrugged apologetically.

"Its okay Riva, we'll manage," I said, I was worried if she had wanted us to fall back here that might mean the enemy had entered the Stable.

I sighed a little and checked my PipBuck again, there was still nothing on the EFS. Riva looked at me for a moment then reached into her bags and pulled out a cloak, she threw it over herself and vanished before removing it.

I got the message right away, she was saying that the Zebras were going to be using stealth in order to sneak up on us. I nodded in understanding and looked at Arc.

"Is that door secure?"

"As secure as I can make it yeah," Arc said as she finished on the door. "What do you think we should do now?"

"I don't know, maybe sweep this wing to make sure we don't have anything to worry about," I said with a sigh as I checked Freedom and Liberty to make sure I had enough ammunition. "I doubt any of them made it in here already, but its better safe than sorry."

"I'll go with you," Arc said and looked at Cherry and Riva. "Are you two going to be okay here?"

"Yeah, we can check one of the rooms and stay in there," Cherry said as she nodded to one of the rooms nearby. "Stay safe, okay?"

"We will," I said as I left with Arc to search the rest of the wing.

00000

"This room's clear," Arc said as she left one of the rooms, I had just finished checking the room across from it which mostly consisted of looking around the room and making sure we didn't miss anything. "What about you?"

"Same here," I said with a sigh, at least it didn't seem like there was anything in the wing so far, but we had no idea if that was always going to be the case.

I looked at Arc and noticed she was shaking a little, she was looking more nervous and uneasy than usual. I dismissed it as just being a side effect of being back in Stable 66, this was her home and she had no idea where anypony that lived here was anymore.

It was one thing for her to be looking for her best friend, now she had lost her entire Stable to the Enclave. Something kept bugging me though, Caramel Corn had come back to the Stable before the Enclave moved in and had been the one to open it, why would they risk that?

Something about all of this felt weird, but I wasn't going to question it right now as we split up again to search the last two rooms. I didn't find anything and when I moved out Arc wasn't waiting for me, which was weird, her room had been smaller she should have finished before me.

I cautiously pushed the door open to the room she had been searching, I was ready for a fight but I don't think I was ready for what I did find in there. Arc was holding a syringe in her telekinesis and injecting it into foreleg.

"What are you doing?" I demanded of my friend, startling her as she dropped the syringe.

"I'm... I was just..." she tried to say, we stood there in silence for a long moment as Arc shook more. "Its, not what you think..."

"Really, because this looks like chems to me," I said as I pushed the syringe with my hoof, why was she taking chems all of a sudden? "You owe me an explanation."

"Okay, maybe it is what you think..." Arc said with a groan. "Scootaloo, you have to understand, its been hard for me to do all of this. I've been trying to limit it to just once a week, but ever since the war started... its just getting worse and worse. Its the only thing that's kept me sane at this point."

I frowned a little and kicked the syringe under a nearby piece of furniture, sending Arc after it for a moment. "Arc... I can't believe you'd do this..."

"Do you think its easy on me? I left my home, my friends, everypony I knew, because I thought it was the right thing to do!" Arc said. "I find out that my best friend has been captured by the greatest threat to Equestria in 10 years, and I've been traveling with... well, you. I didn't want to admit it to you or myself Scootaloo, but when we first started traveling I couldn't stand being around you!"

That stung me more than anything else did, I knew that she was telling the truth really, but I thought we had grown past that. Arc and I were friends, that much was definitely true, but that hadn't always been the case.

"Arc, I'm sorry... I'm sorry for everything..." I started to say as I moved forward and hugged Arc gently. "I didn't think this would happen, is there any way I can help?"

"I don't know... I just..." Arc said weakly as she started to open her bags to find something in there.

That's when I saw something out of the corner of my eye, it looked like something had moved where there wasn't anything there before. I pushed Arc out of the way as a knife struck out, I gasped as it slashed at my wing.

On instinct alone I bucked out towards where the knife had come from and my hooves connected with something behind me, sending it flying into the wall, I turned to see another Zebra, but this one looked, different.

This Zebra had a messed up mane and his stripes were different from Zecora, Xiraia, or Riva's, instead they were circular around his face. The Zebra struggled to get to his hooves as he glared at me.

"Who are you and what are you doing in here?" I demanded of the Zebra as Arc struggled to get her rifle out of her bag.

"That is none of your business, Proditor!" The strange Zebra said, I blinked a little since I didn't know what that even meant. "This has nothing to do with you two, we are here for the Viatorem!"

"What's a Viatorem?" Arc whispered to me, I had to admit I wasn't sure either.

"Maybe he's talking about Riva," I said with a shrug as I put the barrel of my gun up against the Zebra's chest. "Arc, I know you're not in the best place right now, but we need to get this guy disarmed."

Arc nodded and checked him, removing more knives and a pistol along with the cloak before I prodded him towards the door. "Alright get a move on, we don't have all day."

We started out of the room and back down the hall, I kept a close eye on the Zebra as we walked. There was something about him that made me uneasy even though I didn't know anything about the Starkatteri.

And I didn't like it at all.

00000

"Alright, I think we have our guest situated," I said as I finished getting the door secured, Arc was still shaking but I think she was starting to settle down a little.

"Starkatteri?" Riva asked and I gave her a nod, she cursed under her breath in the Zebra language.

"Great... now we know that they're after us," Cherry said with a sigh.

"I don't think so, he said that he was here for something called a Viatorem," I said with a shake of my head. "I have no idea what that means."

Riva's ears perked up a little at the mention of the word and gestured towards herself, well that was one mystery solved at least, she was a Viatorem. The problem is that I didn't even know what that meant.

"This is going to be hard if we have to interact through gestures," I said with a sigh, maybe there was some way one of us could learn the other's language, but I didn't really know how easy that would be. "I'm worried though, if there are more Starkatteri in the Stable, they might figure out a way into this wing."

"Easier said than done, I've got this place locked up tight," Arc said with a shake of her head. "We'll be..."

Her sentence was interrupted by a chime followed by a burst of static from the intercom on the wall. I cautiously approached it and hit the talk button on it.

"Hello?"

"Is this the Pegasus Proditor that gives safe harbor to our target?" The cold voice of a stallion said on the other end. He had an accent that I recognized as Zebra similar to Zecora's, but without the warmth that she possessed.

"If you mean a Dashite, then yes that would be me," I said with a frown as I looked at the others, I didn't know what they meant by Proditor, and I didn't like it. "Who am I speaking with?"

"My name is not important, I'm here to offer you a deal," the stallion said on the other end. "Give us the Viatorem and we will allow you to leave this Stable unhindered."

"And why would you do that? You work for the Enclave don't you, you answer to Winter Breeze and she'd love to get her hooves on me," I said, I had to admit that I was confused by the Zebra's actions.

"That is none of your concern Proditor," the stallion answered, his voice remaining calm as he did so.

"And what about your friend? We caught him in here and I'm sure we'll be able to get some answers out of him soon enough."

"Unlikely, the Starkatteri do not give up our secrets even to the death. You will get nothing out of him, I will give you one hour to surrender the Viatorem or we will kill all of you."

"We'll see about that," I said with a growl.

"Yes, we shall, I'd check on your prisoner, Proditor, I'm afraid you won't be getting more information out of him anytime soon."

"Wait, what do you..." I started to say before the intercom clicked off.

I opened the door and rushed to the room where the prisoner had been held. I opened the door and recoiled in horror at what I saw inside.

Laying in a pool of his own blood was the Zebra stallion, it didn't take long to realize what he had done. He must've fallen in just the right way to bite right through his tongue and had drowned in his own blood.

Dear Celestia, I can't believe anypony would do that to themselves, even if it was the only alternative to being captured. He had killed himself knowing that we would have interrogated him for information on his allies.

Now we had nothing to go on but a dead stallion and a scared mare.

I headed back into the room and shook my head. "He's dead, he killed himself..." I said shakily, I looked at Riva and motioned towards her and then back at the intercom, if she could tell us anything, now was the time.

The Zebra mare paused for a long moment, then pointed at the intercom with her hoof and said one word, "Cadith."

The way she said it sent chills down my spine. But we didn't have much time to dwell on that, we had to get ready.

00000

"I can't believe he killed himself..." Arc said as we started to run spools of line that we had found along the entrance to the area.

"Yeah... well to some the sad fact is that some Zebras would rather die than give up their secrets," I said with a sigh. "Its not our fault, we couldn't risk taking him in a room with Riva and Cherry."

"I know, but still, it feels like we're just going from one nightmare to the next," Arc said as she connected it to some cans. "Do you think this'll work?"

"There's only one way into this wing, and even while invisible they'll still touch them," I said with a shrug. "We don't have a whole lot of choice at this point, the alternative is we surrender."

"Okay, but we don't even know what a Viatorem is, what if it means she's an escaped criminal?"

I paused a moment, that was certainly a possibility but not one I particularly wanted to consider. If Riva was a killer or something she hadn't done anything to show it, I wasn't sure what to make of this situation, but I wasn't going to turn my back on somepony, or Zebra, in need.

"We'll make it out of this, we just need a plan," I said as we finished setting it up, there wasn't going to be a lot of time so we had to make sure we got everything in place. "I don't think we'll be able to just talk to the Zebra and get him to leave nicely."

"Right, I still have to wonder about the Starkatteri though, why does Riva seem to be afraid of them?"

"Well, there's a theory that it was a Starkatteri that carried out the Littlehorn massacre, but other than that I have no idea," I said with a shake of my head. "The fact of the matter is I just don't know a lot about what the Zebras are really like. Growing up I really only knew one, Zecora and she rarely talked about her own culture and civilization."

"Curious, I wonder why," Arc said and I just shrugged a little. "What was it he kept calling you, Proditor?"

"Well, my Zebra is rusty but I'm guessing it means traitor, given the context at least," I said as we headed back to the room with the others in it, we had moved to the far end of the wing in preparation for the attack. "Alright, I think we're all set up, we just have to wait for them to come. And pray that we'll be able to survive this."

Riva nodded though she still looked worried, I placed my hoof on her's and gave her a nod to try and reassure her. I didn't like that I didn't know what was going on, but I didn't have much of a choice.

She smiled a little and nodded back before she surprised me by speaking in plain Equestrian for a brief moment, "Thank you."

"You're welcome."

00000

"Your hour is up Proditor," Cadith's voice said over the intercom once more. "What's your decision?"

"Well lets see Cadith..." I said, using the Zebra's name, I didn't get an immediate response from him so I kept talking. "I'm not sure we can trust you to just let us go, especially if the Enclave doesn't know you're operating in their territory."

"We serve the Enclave Proditor," Cadith responded in that same cold way he spoke in before. "You do not understand the true nature of what is happening here."

"Really? Because I think I can see what's happening here clearly," I said as I gave a nod to Arc. "You're acting outside of your authority, the Starkatteri are in league with General Stardust aren't they? Except all our intel says that she's still in the Zebra Lands, so why would an elite Hunting team be here under the Enclave's radar I must wonder."

"That is none of your concern, are you going to turn over the Viatorem or not?" Cadith said, there was a touch of anger in his voice this time.

"Oh, you really think you're so good at what you do that you can't just come in and handle three mares so you can deal with your, Viatorem?" I said with a chuckle. "Your friend is in here and he's singing like a canary Cadith, how do you think I know your name? I know everything, I know you're not acting on orders from the President, I wonder how she'd take one of her Generals going against her orders."

"You think you're so smart don't you Scootaloo?" Cadith said, the coldness in his voice made me feel like there was ice in my veins. "Sardis would never give up the secrets of his Tribe, you're bluffing."

"I see we're on a first name basis now," I said. "You're nothing more than a thug, hired muscle sent to deal with a problem, but you're not going to do it. We're going to stop you, Enclave, Starkatteri, it doesn't matter, you'll never prevail. We won't give you Riva unless you decide to be upfront and tell us exactly what you want her for."

There was a long silence, the four of us exchanged glances as Schooner whimpered a little, we all knew whatever happened next would affect how we proceeded.

"Well? Or does the Starkatteri just operate in the shadows and not want to get his hooves dirty?"

"You've made your choice," was the only answer as the intercom went silent again.

"I really hope that doesn't come back to bite us in the flank," Arc said and Riva nodded softly.

"We'll be fine, we've forced his hoof," I said with a nod. "He's going to have to come in here and that means we'll be fighting on our terms, not his."

Riva looked uncomfortable and shook her head, pointing at herself then at the intercom. I was pretty sure I knew what she meant, but I wasn't going to have any of it. She shot us all a worried look and shook her head.

We had learned things from the conversation, the way he reacted meant I was right on the money. The Zebras weren't here on orders from Winter Breeze, which explained why they tried to make the deal, kind of.

Then why were they really here?

"Riva, we're not going to ask you to sacrifice yourself," I said with a note of finality in my voice as I shook my head. "Come on, lets get all set up, we've got quite the fight ahead of us."

They nodded and we started getting set up outside the room.

00000

You know its funny, before Stable-Tec I'd have given anything to be able to serve Equestria and help fight the Zebras. I had never been given the chance because of a freak chance of genetics that kept me from flying, but I had still gone on to serve Equestria in my own way.

Now here I was, over 200 years later in one of the Stables I had built, preparing to fight the Zebras in service to Equestria. The irony was not lost on me at this point, but this time there was no military to tell me I couldn't fight because my wings wouldn't work, this time I was here because I needed to be.

The future of Equestria was balancing on the tip of a knife right now, if we failed to stop the Enclave then everything would fall apart. It was kind of scary to think that right now it rested in the hooves of me and my friends, but we weren't about to give up just because the odds were against us.

There was a moment of silence as we waited for the attack to come, the door was still locked up tight but we didn't know how long that would last. I had no doubt that Cadith would figure out some way into the wing and the minute that happened we would be ready for him.

"How do we know when they're here?" Arc asked as she looked at me.

"They're invisible not intangible, they can't come in without opening the doors," I said with a nod as I set up Freedom on its perch. "If we fire enough shots down there we'll hit something."

"Not exactly a brilliant military strategy," Cherry said as she readied her own rifle. "What's Plan B?"

"I don't have one, this is our only chance," I said and she nodded in understanding.

I was a bit surprised when Riva took up a position next to me, she gave me a nod as she readied her own weapon. I smiled a little, she was a brave mare, I just hoped we weren't all going to our deaths right now.

There was a moment where nothing happened before the sound of the door opening was heard. For a moment nothing happened then there was the sound of something small and metal hitting the ground near us.

"Grenade!"

There was a loud noise followed by a bright light as we ducked out of the way, the flashbang had disoriented us but we quickly recovered and raised our weapons again, strangely nothing happened for a long moment but the sound of a voice was heard from the other end.

"You're outnumbered and outgunned Scootaloo, there is no dishonor in surrender," Cadith said, his voice echoing down the hall. "You don't have to die for a war that isn't yours to fight."

"Its not your choice what war is mine to fight Cadith!" I shouted back. "Turn back and we won't kill you and your men, this isn't a fight you can win."

"What makes you think you can win?" Cadith called. "But to show I'm not unreasonable, I'll give you one last request before we kill you all."

I paused for a long moment, there had to be some way I could get us out of this, I doubted he'd just let us go if I asked him to. I paused for a long moment, there was one thing that I could do, it was a longshot, but it might work.

"By the ancient rite of the Imperial Legion I request trial by combat," I said, it was an old Pegasus law but it was one we had learned from the Zebras. I had only one chance to win this, and I had to hope that he accepted it. "If I win, then you will leave this Stable and not bother any of us again!"

"A pony dares invoke the ancient law?" Cadith said as he let out a laugh. "What claim does a lowly Pegasus have to this?"

"The Pegasi upheld the same traditions the Zebras still hold to, I have just as much right as any Zebra would," I countered. "What do you say Cadith, or are you a coward?"

There was a long pause, we each held our weapons steady as we pointed them towards the hallways preparing for a fight. I didn't know if he would go with this or not, it was a longshot already, but I didn't have a choice but to risk it.

"Alright fine, if you want to die like that, I'll play your game," Cadith said with a laugh. "You've bought yourself another hour. We will meet in the atrium, come with your blade and nothing else."

I really hoped I wasn't going to regret this.

00000

"Are you insane?" Cherry yelled at me when we returned to the room that made up our temporary resting area. "Why would you propose such a reckless action?"

"I didn't have much of a choice, Cadith had too much of an advantage," I said with a sigh as I removed my battle saddle and set it to the side. "Its our only chance of getting out of this alive at this point."

"Isn't trial by combat you know, a fight to the death?" Arc pointed out. "And Cadith is probably a much better fighter than you are."

"I don't doubt it, and if I can get him to yield that might be enough," I admitted with a sigh as I checked my bags. "The fact of the matter is that this wasn't made for a Pegasus vs. Zebra fight since normally I'd have the high ground, but..."

"But you can't fly," Arc says with a sad nod. "You'll do fine Scootaloo, we have faith in you."

"Not that we really have much of a choice," Cherry muttered.

"Well, there's only one problem, I didn't exactly pack a bladed weapon," I said sheepishly as I checked my packs. "Of all the things I could forget to bring..."

"Well, to be fair I don't think you thought you'd need it to fight a Zebra in one on one combat," Arc said with a chuckle.

I thought about trying the knives we had confiscated from the Starkatteri but when I tried to touch one they disintegrated. I didn't know what that was about, maybe it was some sort of enchantment that tied them to their user's life or something. That didn't exactly help me in my current situation.

Riva looked thoughtful for a moment then used her foreleg to pull up one of her sleeves, which revealed a sheathed knife. She unstrapped it from her leg and offered it to me, which surprised me a little bit.

"For me?" I asked as I shot her a quizzical look and pointed at myself.

Riva nodded before speaking again in the Zebra language. "Vos postulo plus ego operor."

I gripped the blade in my forehoof and drew it out, it wasn't exactly a sword but it was well made with a sharp edge. The hilt of the knife had several runes etched into it that I didn't recognize.

I smiled and gave Riva a nod as I returned the blade to its sheath, now I had a weapon and my own skills as a fighter. I didn't have a lot going for me, but this was going to be the best chance I had at surviving this fight.

"Thank you Riva," I said with a smile as I hugged the Zebra tightly, she smiled and hugged back.

Now we just had to hope I could win this fight.

00000

The rest of the hour passed quickly as we got ourselves ready. There wasn't much point in putting it off any longer, the time had come to fight the Starkatteri leader. I walked into the Atrium and gulped a little at what I saw.

Cadith was an imposing figure to say the least, he stood taller than me and was bulky, not like Bulk Biceps bulky, but not exactly something you'd want to mess with. He had the same stripe pattern that the deceased prisoner had and was dressed in a black cloak with gold trim.

"I see you decided to show yourself after all Proditor," Cadith said as he lifted a knife in his hoof, it was made of some sort of black metal that shined in the light of the Stable. "You're not so cowardly after all."

"I could say the same of you Cadith," I said as I eyed the Zebra stallion nervously for a moment. "You know the rules of course."

"First to kill their opponent wins, or if the enemy yields," Cadith said with a smile that I didn't like, I got the impression this wasn't his first rodeo. "I hope you enjoyed living a little longer, because you die tonight."

"We'll see about that," I said as I removed my coat and tossed it to the side, Cadith did the same with his cloak as we both drew our knives.

It was on.

We circled around each other, neither of us wanting to make the first move just yet. Cadith had a menace about him that gave me chills, I never really bought into the wartime propaganda about Zebras being evil and wicked, but I could see it in his eyes, Cadith was evil.

The Zebra stallion surprised me by making the first move as he charged forward and swiped at me with his knife blade. I barely dodged it as he cut at my flank before taking a swipe of my own at him, but he had moved out of the way in time.

He was fast, and strong, he just laughed as he dodged another swipe and swung his blade at me, this time catching me in the leg, nearly making me drop my knife.

"Do you yield yet?"

"In your dreams," I said as I jumped at him to try and make another attack but he just laughed and jumped out of the way again, taking another swipe at me with his knife.

"You're slow Proditor!" Cadith said with a laugh as he moved back to avoid another attack from me. "I haven't even broken a sweat fighting you!"

Maybe he was right, I was much too slow to take him on, at least normally. I frowned a little, I wasn't sure if I wanted to do this, I had just taken the enhancement in order to free the clones, I hadn't wanted to become overly reliant on it so I had been holding back on my speed this entire time.

It was time to change that, and there was only one way to get that done right. I had to get this Zebra to make a mistake, thankfully that was one thing I could do well.

"Really? I'm slow, well you're weak, I've barely felt all your attacks!" I taunted him with a laugh, I smirked a little as I watched him flinch. "You're nothing more than a coward aren't you? You hide in the shadows while you get your minions to do your dirty work for you, but you can't hold your own in a fight!"

"Why you little..." Cadith said as he rushed forward and swiped at thin air where I had been standing a moment before. "What was that?"

"You're getting sloppy, or maybe you always were and you just didn't want to admit it!" I said tauntingly as I picked up speed a bit more. "This is the feared Starkatteri? Good thing you weren't in charge during the war or it would've lasted less than a week!"

"You don't know what you're talking about Pony!" Cadith said, his calm veneer was breaking down as he tried again to attack me, I just rolled out of the way and cut at his hind leg, causing him to let out a scream of pain. "Coward, stay still and fight me!"

"Oh, like you were?" I said with a laugh as I kicked at him with all my might, the Zebra went sprawling on the ground and managed to pull himself up again. "Come on, I thought this would be a challenge! Or did over 200 years of being cut off from Equestria make the Zebras soft?"

Cadith finally couldn't take it anymore, he charged right at me with his knife poised for a strike. I didn't even budge right away, I let him get closer as the world around me seemed to slow down, I moved right out of the way and turned around, kicking him again right in the stallionhood which sent the Zebra flying.

I ran over to him and kicked the knife out of his reach and before he could even react I had him pinned and the knife pressed against his throat. I saw something in the Starkatteri's eyes I hadn't expected, fear.

"Do you yield?" I said simply, pressing the blade of the knife closer to his throat. "Your life is in my hooves Cadith, you will either yield or you will die."

Cadith glared at me, for a moment I thought he was actually going to take death as an option, but instead he spat in my face before finally speaking again. "I yield, you win Proditor."

I breathed a sigh of relief and released him, the fight was over finally.

00000

"Calm down Scootaloo, I have to get these wounds disinfected," Cherry said as she patched me up.

"Yeah, yeah, I'll be fine," I said with a groan. "I can't believe I actually beat him though... that was not an easy fight."

"I can imagine, don't worry, you'll be fine," Cherry said with a smile as she finished patching me up.

Cadith had left the Stable with his Zebras, they didn't have much of a choice because of the traditions of the trial by combat. I had won so they had to honor their end of the bargain or face the consequences from their spirits.

It was weird really, I hadn't ever really thought about that part of Pegasi tradition. There was some debate as to whether we had copied from the Zebras or the Zebras had copied from us, but regardless that had been what turned out.

I remembered the story of Flash Magnus, a Pegasus Legionnaire, I wondered if anypony back during the war ever really thought about how similar our two cultures had once been.

I sighed and laid back in the medical bed as Cherry finished up, the door opened and Riva entered carrying my weapons and clothes.

"Thank you," I said with a smile and a nod as I carefully slipped back into them.

Riva nodded and smiled a little as she straightened out her own hat. She then did something I hadn't expected, she pointed at herself then gestured to me and Cherry, it took me a second to figure out what she meant.

I pointed to her and then back at us and out at Arc who was getting everything together before making a motion as if bringing us all together. She nodded and I smiled a little and gave Cherry a nod.

"Looks like we've got somepony new to travel with us," I said and offered Riva a hoof, which she shook. "Welcome to the group Riva."

Riva just smiled before we headed towards the residential section of the Stable. It was too late to head back out. I laid down on the bed and wrapped my wings and forelegs gently around Cherry and smiled a little as she snuggled up to me.

We still had 6 days left before the deadline, I just had to hope we'd make it.

LEVEL UP!
Perk Received: Marquess of Queensberry Rules.
Detials: You've gained a better knowledge of the finer points of CQC combat, making you a dangerous opponent in combat. You gain an extra 10 points in your Melee stat.

Chapter 16: Storyteller

Author's Note

Okay guys, there's a bit of a cameo from a character from Project Horizons in this chapter, so as usual he belongs to Somber.

Chapter 16: Storyteller

"The belief in a supernatural source of evil is not necessary.
Men alone are quite capable of every wickedness."
-Joseph Conrad.

Day 2 of our mission to re-take Manehattan from the Enclave dawned with little fanfare. I was still sore from my fight with Cadith from the day before but at least it didn't feel as bad as it had before.

I couldn't believe I had actually had survived that, I wasn't exactly the best at close quarters combat but I had managed to best a Zebra that had to be at least twice my size. I was still alive though and that's what mattered.

I looked down at the bed next to me but Cherry had already woken up and was probably elsewhere right now. I yawned and got to my hooves, stretching my wings a little as I put my coat back on and checked my PipBuck.

"0820, well I better go find the others," I said before heading out, I found Cherry coming out of the communal bathroom down the hall and she gave me a nod. "Morning Cherry, is the little one giving you any trouble?"

"Oh, just a little, she's apparently deciding to be more active than usual this morning," Cherry said with a shrug.

"Have you thought of a name for her yet?" I asked, in all honesty I was trying to focus on something other than the situation with the Enclave right now, that would come in time.

"A little really, I honestly never thought that much about it before," Cherry admitted with a shrug. "I mean, because of the way the breeding program works in 48 mothers don't really get to name their foals, instead they get picked by the division they're assigned to."

"So, then you're the first to actually get to name yours," I said with a nod. "Well, you could always name her something Cherry related, or Apple related since you're technically in the Apple family..."

"Maybe, I'll think of something," Cherry said with a shrug. "Why did your parents name you Scootaloo?"

"You know, I really have no idea," I admitted with a chuckle. "I never really thought about it before. Some ponies have meaningful names of sorts that somehow wind up reflecting their talent or something, but, who knows."

"You mean like having a cherry blossom for your cutie mark when your name is Cherry Blossom?"

"Heh, exactly... seriously my talent is helping ponies figure out their Cutie Marks and even I have no idea how that works."

We shared a laugh as we headed into the atrium where Arc and Riva were waiting for us. Riva gave us a smile and adjusted her desperado hat over her short mane before gesturing towards the way to the door.

"You two ready to go or do you want to spend some more time together?" Arc asked with a smirk.

"I think you've paid me back enough for my jokes about you and Caramel by now Arc," I said with a groan. "Its not like I've kept teasing you about that."

"I'll stop when you two stop hiding it," Arc said with a laugh as we headed up the stairs towards the door.

Next stop, Hoofson.

00000

We had to avoid another Enclave patrol on our way to the Settlement but thankfully they were heading in the opposite direction as us. I breathed a sigh of relief when we reached the outside of Hoofson without any further issues.

I checked my EFS as we went into town, I didn't see anything that really worried me, just a few guards that probably belonged to the local militia. Still, we had to be careful as we headed towards the safehouse.

I sighed a little as I saw the ponies living in the settlement, they were looking more downtrodden than anything else. The Enclave controlled Manehattan so they had to be making sure they kept things in line.

I knocked on the door to the safehouse that was in a more remote part of the settlement, the slot in the door opened and a pair of eyes looked out at us.

"What's the password?"

"The Sun Sets on Neighvarro," I said simply and we were let inside by a burly looking Unicorn stallion.

The safehouse was pretty small and out of the way, there was just about 3 rooms along with a couple of beds and a rough looking kitchen. It wasn't exactly the Equestria Grand Hotel, but it was at least habitable.

"You're only to stay here as long as you need to get your supplies, we don't need to risk a raid from the Enclave," the stallion said.

"Understood, we should only be here for a few hours," I said and Cherry and Arc nodded.

I looked at the stallion for a moment, he was looking at Riva nervously. The Zebra was checking through her supplies at the moment, she wasn't exactly doing anything threatening.

"Do you have a problem?"

"Sorry, I'm just not sure about Zebras," the stallion admitted as Riva's ears perked up a little. "Do you know much about her?"

"She's from something called the Libra Roama Alliance," Cherry said. "I think that means Free Roam Alliance maybe? She doesn't speak Equestrian."

"I see, well I don't know a lot about Zebras but there's a pony in town who might be able to help you out," our host said. "Apparently he got trapped here when the Enclave took over the city, he might be able to help you out at least. Apparently he knows a lot about the Zebra culture and language."

"Alright, hopefully that won't add much to our time here," I said with a sigh as I looked at my PipBuck, it was almost 1030 hours and we needed to get out of the Settlement as soon as possible so we could head towards Tenpony Tower.

"Its worth checking out at least, maybe she can give us some info," I said with a nod. "Do you know where we can find him?"

"He's usually found at the old hotel," the stallion said with a shrug. "But you'll have to be careful, the Enclave likely has agents in this Settlement."

I was getting the feeling that Winter Breeze saying she had ponies everywhere really wasn't an exaggeration, and it worried me. That meant that we were risking exposing our presence just by being in the settlement, and I honestly didn't like the idea, but we were risking it just being in the settlement anyway.

I looked at my friends and at Riva, this was ultimately up to them, it might prove to be nothing but I had to admit we were all curious, if this stallion could help us then it was worth checking out at least.

"What do you think?" I asked as I looked at Arc and Cherry.

"I'll get the supplies, it'll be less suspicious if just one of us is there anyway," Arc said with a nod.

"I'll go with you and Riva," Cherry said with a nod. "We can put together a list of what we need Arc to get."

"You're looking for GB, he's in the Manehattan Tower Hotel," the stallion said as he gave us a nod.

Arc nodded and we started putting together the list before giving it to her. I was a little uneasy after what had happened in Stable 66, but I trusted Arc to do the right thing. When I gave her the paper and caps I pulled her in close and whispered.

"If you need any more of, you know what... try not to let it come out of our funds okay?"

Arc nodded and left first, we waited a few minutes and left the safehouse. It was time to go and see what we could find out about our new Zebra friend.

00000

When we reached the hotel we were directed to room 416. I had to admit I was a little nervous about this, I hadn't ever really thought about what kind of pony might be knowledgeable about Zebras, was he maybe a sympathizer from the war? A pony who had traveled to the Zebra lands in more recent years? I had no idea, but there was only one way to find out.
When we reached the door I knocked on it and for a moment there was no response until I heard a raspy voice from the other end say, "What do you want?"

Why did that voice sound familiar?

"We were told you'd be able to tell us more about Zebras," I said into the door. "That you're some sort of expert?"

"Why do you care, nopony's cared about that kind of thing in over 2 centuries," the rough voice said again. "

"Mr. GB, we need your help, we crossed paths with a group of Starkatteri Zebras in a nearby Stable," Cherry said and there was a long pause as if the strange stallion was considering our words. "We have a Zebra here that might be able to help give us answers but she doesn't speak Equestrian."

"Are you saying she's from Zebrica?" GB asked.

"I believe so, she mentioned something called the Libra Roama Alliance," I said. "Look, we'll leave you alone if you want us to, but if you can help us that would be appreciated."

"What business does she have in Equestria?"

"We don't know, but she was being chased by the Starkatteri."

There was a long pause followed by the scraping of the locks being disengaged before the door opened. I froze a moment at what I saw, he had a faded white coat with pink scars crossing it, his mane and horn was golden with an orange teardrop as a cutie mark.

Goldenblood, the head of the Office of Interministry Affairs, I hadn't seen him in over 200 years but I recognized him. I had no idea he was still alive, why did ponies from the war keep showing up alive?

"Well, are you just going to stand there or are you coming in?" He said in the same raspy voice.

"Right, sorry," I said as we entered the hotel room, it had a few personal effects but it was mostly barren other than the bed and other furniture as Goldenblood closed the door behind us.

"I have to say, this is the last place I expected to see you Scootaloo," Goldenblood said as he looked me over. "You know the Enclave has a bounty on your head right?"

"Yeah, I know," I said as I removed my hat and gave the stallion a nod. "What about you, what's your story? I thought they had you executed."

"From what I've heard its not that different from yours, I wound up in a stasis pod and was tormented for 200 years. I woke up 10 years back after Blackjack freed me in Hoofington."

Hoofington again, why did it keep coming back to Hoofington?

"Uh, do you two know each other?" Cherry asked, even Riva appeared perplexed by what was going on.

"Yeah, he worked with the Ministries during the war in a liaison group called the OIA, we worked together on some projects," I said with a nod and then looked at Riva.

"Also with her mother on a few occasions when it was warranted," Goldenblood said and turned to look at Riva who was eyeing him curiously. "Salve sum Goldenblood, quid hic tibi sunt?"

I was a bit surprised to hear a pony speaking what seemed like flawless Zebra, but Goldenblood had always been kind of an enigma to me. There was something about him that seemed, weird, like he was always planning something, at least he seemed to be on our side here.

"Salve sum Riva ego autem viator ex Libero Roama Alliance," Riva answered, she smiled a little and gave me a nod.

"She says she's a traveler from the Free Roam Alliance, I'm afraid I don't quite know what that means," Goldenblood admitted before looking at her again. "Et venistis Zencori tribus?"

"Etiam," Riva said with a nod.

"What did you ask her?" I asked as I looked at Goldenblood.

"I asked if she was from the Zencori tribe, they're nomadic storytellers, that might explain why she's in Equestria at least," Goldenblood said. "Do you know why the Starkatteri were after her?"

"I don't know, they kept calling her a, Viatorem or something," I said, Goldenblood looked at me strangely for a moment. "It seemed more like a title than anything else."

"A traveler? Interesting, I wonder why she would be considered a threat great enough to warrant the Starkatteri to track her down."

"We honestly don't know," Cherry admitted. "They seemed pretty adamant about it."

"They're in league with the Enclave," I added, which made Goldenblood's eyes go wide, he hadn't known about that.
He turned back to Riva and spoke again. "Quare illi post?"

"Impugnatur a societate Enclave," Riva said as her voice turned somber. "Mist me ad novas legiones ac socios pugnam."

"Legiones?"

"Ita Imperium Legione Roamana."

"Quia habent a Caesar?"

"Etiam."

"Roamani?"

"Etiam."

I didn't need a translation, I understood the basic idea of what they were talking about. The Roaman Imperial Legion was the elite of the Zebra forces, and he had mentioned Caesar. Something was going on in the Zebra lands, and I wasn't sure what it meant, but it scared me a little.

I just hoped it wouldn't affect us here right now, the last thing we needed was another war with the Zebras.

"It seems the Alliance sent her to find new allies in Equestria against the Enclave and the Legion," Goldenblood said and gave her a nod. "Are you sure the Enclave is in league with the Starkatteri?"

"That's what seems to be the case, yes," I said with a sigh. "I fought against one named Cadith, he nearly killed me."

"Seeking allies is one thing, I don't understand why the Starkatteri would be interested in taking out a single Zebra," Goldenblood said and turned her attention back to Riva. "Secreta quid habes?"

Riva looked reluctant for a long moment, she looked between us as if trying to decide what to say. Finally she went into her bags and took out several papers, she laid them out on the ground and spoke again, she only said one sentence in Equestrian, but it sent chills up and down my spine.

"For Winter Breeze."

00000

We sat in silence for the longest moment after hearing those words, these were messages from the Free Roam Alliance to the President of the Enclave? Why would the Alliance be interested in sending messages to her? Something about all of this felt really weird.

"What do they say?" Cherry finally asked as she broke the silence.

"They're orders to an infiltration team from General Stardust," Goldenblood said softly as he read them over. "They're being ordered to carry out an assassination on Winter Breeze and the other high ranking members of the Enclave, it seems Stardust is planning a coup of some sort."

"So, they're hoping if it gets exposed she might deal with the Enclave in the Zebra Lands," I speculated.

"This is trouble," Goldenblood said, the usually calm stallion had a tone of nervousness in his voice. "The Starkatteri don't make deals with groups like this, if they're really controlling Stardust from the shadows..."

"Then with Winter Breeze and the other Generals out of the picture, they'd have control of the Enclave," I finished.

That was an ominous thought that none of us particularly wanted to dwell on.

Goldenblood asked more questions of Riva and we learned more about the Free Roam Alliance. Apparently they were similar to the NCR in that they worked as a democratic government in the Zebra Lands trying to maintain order, even if they had a hard time doing so because of the Enclave and the Legion.

Riva as Goldenblood had learned already was from the Zencori Tribe, one of the more common Tribes that made up the Alliance. The Viatorem, or Travelers, were Zebras the Alliance sent out to make contact with other groups to make trade agreements and alliances.

That had answered a lot of questions, but it still raised more, for the moment though we didn't have much of a choice but to go with what we knew.

"Thanks for your help Goldenblood," I said as I gave the stallion a nod and put my hat back on. "I'm glad we met up again."

"Be careful out there, we don't know what else the Enclave might have prepared," Goldenblood said with a shake of his head. "Especially if the Starkatteri are involved with them."

"What are the Starkatteri?" I asked, which made both Riva and Goldenblood flinch a little. "What?"

"Maledictus equi sidus," Riva said with a shake of her head.

"The star cursed, they're... dangerous," Goldenblood said, he looked more nervous than anything else. "They're manipulative, they've always been more interested in controlling things from the shadows. The entire reason the Twelve and One exist is because the Starkatteri tried to take over the rest of the Zebras."

"And now they're playing the Enclave... great..." Cherry said with a groan. "What are we going to do?"

"If they're coming here to Equestria... pray," Goldenblood said with a shake of his head. "My suggestion, go stop them from assassinating the President. Right now she is the lesser of two evils."

That was a rather disturbing summary of our situation. Winter Breeze was a dangerous pony to be sure, but there were probably worse ponies than her in the Enclave, at least she was trying to help Equestria, somehow.

I read through the pages quickly, the attack on Winter Breeze was listed for tomorrow's date. There were a few notes here and there on where they were to go in the city, we at least knew where we were going next in Manehattan.

We said our goodbyes to Goldenblood and headed out of the hotel to meet up with Arc Light again.

00000

As we left the hotel there was another sound of static and music before the sound of Winter Breeze's voice came over the speakers again.

"Hello Manehattan, this is your President speaking. I've come with some good news for my little ponies, as we continue to wait for the surrender of the NCR the Enclave will begin to set things up to help this city as we have promised. The Enclave will be helping set up schools, farms, and clinics around the city to give all the full benefits of Enclave Citizenship to those that have come to us only recently. We've been through a lot as a nation, but the long night is finally almost over. I hope that we'll be able to work together towards a brighter future together, all ponies, all species, all together under one flag. This is the vision we have, where we will no longer have to fear for our future and that of our children. I swear to you as your President, I will make sure that we all have this future together. This is President Winter Breeze, signing off."

"I miss DJ Pon3," I said with a groan as I removed my earbuds. "How often is she going to be giving these speeches?"

"I don't know, they used to not be nearly this frequent before she took over Manehattan," Cherry said with a sigh. "Lets just hope Arc got everything we need."

I looked at Riva who was looking around the settlement curiously. I had no idea how things were going in the Zebra Lands, but if they were anything like what was going on in Equestria things weren't exactly going well there either.

Maybe if we could ever figure out how to communicate with her better, or at least got Tenpony Tower liberated, we could learn more about what was going on in the Zebra Lands.

"Hey Arc!" Cherry said as she waved to Arc and Schooner who were walking over to us. "Did you have any luck?"

"Yeah, I found just about everything," Arc said as she passed the items to us. "It cleared out most of our caps, but I think we'll be fine.

"Thanks," I said as I put the supplies away in my bags, she had gotten me some more ammo for my weapons so that would help at least. "Some of this stuff couldn't have been easy to find, how'd you get it?"

"Well, since the Enclave moved in they've started to limit ammunition and weapon sales, but there's a bit of a black market in the city," Arc said with a shake of her head as she gave Cherry and Riva their supplies next. "The only problem is that its expensive, but it gives us some ponies who are willing to help."

"Let me guess, they're not exactly happy with the Enclave's presence either?" I said as we walked towards the city gate. "They do have a strong motivation to want the Enclave out of the city."

"Yeah, they said they'll give whatever assistance they can, though its not a whole lot right now," Arc said with a shake of her head. "I'm sorry I can't give more information on what's going on."

"Its fine, we'll figure it out soon enough," Cherry said.

"So what's the plan now?" Arc asked as we left the settlement.

"The best place to go to next, we have to go to where the Starkatteri and their Enclave are preparing their next move," I said with a sigh. "We're going to Four Stars."

00000

Four Stars...

It had been a long time since I had last been in this place, the company had been in charge of the monorail lines in Manehattan. It wasn't until I read The Book of LittlePip that I even knew that they had been traitors to Equestria and had helped the Zebras smuggle the Balefire bomb into the city.

Now I found myself looking up at the Four Stars building, somewhere underneath there was an old failed Stable. Four Stars had tried to build their own Stable, it wasn't the only company that had tried that, but none of them were as successful as Stable-Tec was.

Solaris had tried it out west along Route 52, I remembered Rainy Days telling me about them briefly during her trips. That didn't concern me very much right now, I just had to make sure that we were ready for what was going to happen next.

"You're kidding right? We're here to stop an assassination on Winter Breeze?" Arc asked, she seemed a bit confused by this. "Why are we saving her life?"

"Because sometimes, its better the devil you know," I said with a sigh. "Winter Breeze may be better than the alternative within the Enclave, at least right now. Cloud Chaser is smart and ruthless, then there's this Stardust and her deal with the Starkatteri... if either one of them were in control of the Enclave, it would be a problem for Equestria."

There was a long pause, Arc seemed to understand that I was right. It was a hard call to make, but we didn't have much of a choice in the matter, I just had to hope that I was doing the right thing.

We headed into the foyer of the Four Stars building and looked around. There wasn't much to see in here right now, there were bodies here and there that had never been moved, but other than that it was empty.

"This place feels like a tomb..." Cherry commented as we went past a dead Steel Ranger. "How long have they been here?"

"Over 200 years, they were here to raid Four Stars on the Last Day," I said as I gave a somber salute to the dead ponies. "Its sad really, if they had just been here earlier they may have stopped the Megaspell from going off. You never know what could possibly change history do you?"

"Yeah, you really don't..." Arc said as we looked around. "So where are we going?"

I nodded towards a set of stairs and we headed that way. I was quietly glad that the Ghouls in the pseudo Stable had been wiped out years ago, the last thing we needed was to deal with them in addition to the Zebras.

0000

"So, did you hear Cadith lost to a Proditor in Stable 66?" One Zebra asked another, we were quietly crouched outside the old pseudo Stable listening in on their conversation.

"How the mighty have fallen," the other said. "What's the word from the Chief on what's going to happen to him?"

"The Stars only know at this point, I'd rather not think about what happens to those of us that fail," the first said. "Lets just get this job done so we can get back home, the last thing we need is another failure on our record."

I checked my EFS, there were only 4 Zebras in the pseudo Stable, which made up the team that had been sent to carry out the assassination. I guess they didn't want to risk sending more for some reason, but I didn't have much time to dwell on it.

For a brief moment I actually hesitated to give the signal to attack, were we really about to put our own lives at risk to save our enemy? I didn't think Winter Breeze would do the same for us if given the opportunity, but at the moment we didn't have a whole lot of choice.

It was time to make our move.

I gave Arc the signal, she levitated a flashbang grenade out of her bag but didn't pull the pin on it just yet. Instead she rolled it into the pseudo Stable and it came to a stop just behind the Zebras.

I peeked around just in time to watch one of them bend down to look at the grenade and that was the cue. Arc wrapped the pin in her telekinesis and pulled it, I moved back into cover just as the flashbang went off.

The next few moments were a blur, we pushed in and fired at the Zebras who were caught off guard. My energy beam shot from Freedom actually disintegrated one of them into a puddle of ash while Riva's rifle took out another one quickly.

The last two Zebra agents dived into cover and drew their weapons firing back at us, we moved into cover at the same time and aimed our guns towards the surviving Zebras and fired a few shots.

"You always take me to the loveliest places, you know that?" Cherry said with a chuckle as she fired at the Zebras.

"Yeah, yeah, I know..." I said with a groan, this was going to be a long war at this rate. "Save Equestria they said, see the world they said..."

I lined up another shot at the Zebras and pulled the trigger and he let out a scream as his legs went out from under him and his rifle went flying out of the way. The last Zebra fired towards us but was quickly outmatched and fell with a bullet to his head from Arc Light's rifle.

We stormed into the room and kicked the weapons away from the crippled Zebra, he tried to speak in the Zebra language again but I just pushed him down.

"Don't bother, I know you Starkatteri can speak Equestrian," I said as I pressed my energy rifle's barrel against his chest. "You're going to tell me what I want to know and maybe, just maybe I'll let you live."

The Zebra actually looked scared, I frowned a little when I noticed that his stripes weren't like the other's, they were more thin and jagged. This wasn't a Starkatteri, this Zebra had probably been conscripted from one of the tribes in Zebrica.

"What do you want to know?"

"How may were sent on this mission?" I demanded of the Zebra who just looked more scared.

"T-two teams, we were just the back-up in case the first one failed," he stuttered out. "General Stardust wanted to leave nothing to chance."

"Smart pony, too bad your mission is going to fail," Arc said with a shake of her head as she looked at the Zebra. "What should we do with him?"

"Please don't kill me, I have a family back in Zebrica..." the Zebra pleaded, it was sad really. "Let me go, I swear, I'll leave and never bother anypony again!"

I looked at him for a long moment, was I really going to kill an unarmed Zebra? He looked like he was two seconds from peeing himself, I wasn't going to start killing ponies, or Zebras, for no reason.

But there was one question that I had to ask first.

"Why Four Stars?"

"Files stolen from the Ministries during the war of ways to get into the hubs in Manehattan, they were never used but it was Plan B in the event the infiltration team was found!" The Zebra said. "I swear, they're just over there."

He pointed over towards a table that had papers and diagrams on them. Arc walked over to them carefully and examined them for a moment.

"Yeah, he's telling the truth, these are schematics and blueprints for Tenpony Tower as well as the other hubs," she said. "We can use these to get into the tower at least."

"We thank you for your service to Equestria," I said with a light chuckle as I removed my rifle from the Zebra's chest. "Get going, and tell nopony you saw us here."

"Y-yes ma'am!" The Zebra stuttered before running off.

"You don't think this is going to come back to bite us in the flank do you?" Cherry asked as we watched the Zebra run.

"No, we'll be fine," I said as I walked over and checked the files, there were several entrances to the building marked, most of them were on the lower levels with one circled. "I'm guessing their plan is to go in there..."

"That's connected to the Manehattan underground, interesting," Arc said as she compared it to a map of the city. "Though, what does this Glyph mean here?"

I looked at the symbol at the bottom of the map for a long moment, it was a Zebra symbol that I didn't know of course so it could mean anything. Riva came up behind us and looked at it for a long moment before her eyes went wide and she started saying something in the Zebra language before speaking again in her limited Equestrian.

"Ghouls."

Of course it was Ghouls, it was always Ghouls when we came to this city. Just once I wanted to have a fight in Manehattan with something other than Ghouls!

00000

We headed out of the Four Stars building and took a deep breath as I checked the map on my PipBuck. There was one last stop I wanted to make and we had time before we had to stop the Zebras to make it.

I looked up at the tall Ministry of Awesome Hub that loomed over us as we neared the Stable-Tec building for Manehattan. It was hard to believe that it had been over a year since we had been here last, the building still seemed to be the same to me.

I thought about what had happened over the last year, I had made new friends and allies, and new enemies. Ponies that had come to hate me because of my mistakes were starting to come to at least tolerate me.

I had made a lot of mistakes during the war, things that I regretted more than anything else because of how many lives I had hurt. At the same time though, I had saved lives, given ponies a chance to live after the end of the world, I didn't think that quite balanced out the equation but it at least helped a little.

Now I had to make sure that the biggest mistake of my life didn't come back to haunt me, and cause more damage to Equestria than had been dealt since the war ended.

"Hard to believe we're back here huh?" Arc asked as we entered the building.

"Oh, you've been here before?" Cherry asked as we looked around for the stairs leading to the next floor.

"Oh yeah, not long after we met," I said and gave Arc a nod. "We came here because I needed to check some things out, basically the same reason why we're here now."

"I see," Cherry said with a shrug as we started up the stairs. "Let me guess, its connected to why you had to come to 48 and 117?"

"Yeah, I'm concerned that the Enclave may have gotten access to another one of the Stables," I said with a sigh. "Stable 14 out near Seaddle, its been long abandoned but the Enclave attacked Seaddle similar to how they attacked Horseton."

"And you think it was a diversion there too," Arc finished. "Okay, I see where you're going with this, lets just hope you're wrong about it."

"Yeah, lets hope," I said with a sigh as we opened the door to Lemon Lime's office, the Ghoul mare was long gone of course, having headed south to find Stable 27, I wondered if she had made it there.

I didn't have much time to dwell on it though, I had to get connected to the Stable network and make sure that everything was working as it was supposed to be. I knew two Stables were out already, but that still left 4.

I sat at the terminal and input the commands to bring me into the source code again so I could look at the information on Protocol Zeta. I hated that I had to keep coming back to this, but I didn't have a choice.

When I pulled it up, my worst fears were confirmed.

14: INACTIVE
26: ACTIVE
48: INACTIVE
68: ACTIVE
97: ACTIVE
117: INACTIVE

"Well, that answers that," I said with a sigh as I leaned back in the chair. "14 has gone inactive too."

"What was in 14?" Arc asked curiously.

"Griffons, nothing more than that," I said with a shake of my head. "We built the Stable to house Griffons so they could survive too, we have several Stables like that around Equestria. There's Stable 37 which was for Changelings, Stable 61 for Deer, and of course Stable 3 for Zebras."

"I see, well that makes sense."

Riva nodded as I closed out of the code, I was about to say that we could leave before I noticed a notification come up on the screen. That surprised me a little, I wasn't sure what that was about.

"SCOOTALOO MEMORIAL WING (S1-B) REACTOR FAILURE IMMENENT.
RESETTING REACTOR WILL VENT GASES AND KILL ALL SURVIVING INHABITANTS.
SHUTTING DOWN THE SYSTEM WILL OPEN ALL CURRENTLY ACTIVE S.A.D. PODS.
HIT Y FOR RESET.
HIT N FOR SHUT DOWN."

"What does that mean?" Arc asked as she, Cherry, and Riva looked over my shoulder at the screen. "What's the Scootaloo Memorial Wing?"

"I, honestly have no idea," I admitted as I checked the readings, I couldn't see if anypony was actually in the facility from here. "S1-B... I'm not sure what that is, S1 might be Stable One but."

"But it was probably destroyed, right," Cherry said. "And what's a S.A.D. Pod?"

"I have no idea," I said with a shake of my head. "But honestly, I think we need to shut down the system. If there are ponies still alive, we need to help them at least make it out of whatever they're in."

"I don't know Scootaloo, that kind of equipment could help with the war effort," Arc pointed out. "If its a facility that's remained untouched, think about what the reactor system alone could do. There's a lot of good that kind of power could do for Equestria"

"Arc, I understand where you're coming from, but we can't just abandon innocent ponies to die," I said with a sigh as I looked at the screen again. "We don't know who is in there, Equestria has survived just fine for over 200 years without it."

"Yes but we're also looking at a possible method of fighting the Enclave," Arc pointed out. "If we could provide free power to the Wasteland, imagine what that could do to undermine the Enclave's propaganda. A few lives might be worth that kind of advantage, don't you think?"

I paused for a long moment, she wasn't entirely wrong, facilities like this were outfitted with some of the best technology Equestria had to offer. The fact that it had lasted this long might help matters even, it could be used to help ponies more than anything else, but I had no idea if it was the right call.

I looked at the terminal again, I typed some commands in and found its location, it was somewhere in Canterlot mountain. The readout on the systems didn't look too good either, if we didn't make a choice fast whoever was still in the Stable would die soon.

I looked at Arc for a long moment, this wasn't an easy choice to make. We were making a decision that would affect lives, was it right to simply discard those lives just for technology?

No, pony lives were more important than any technology.

"Arc I'm sorry but I don't agree," I said with a tone of finality in my voice, Arc started to speak again but I interrupted her. "Arc, I understand where you're coming from, but I've got a lot of blood on my hooves for my mistakes during the war. If there is even a smallest chance that there could be ponies still alive in these, S.A.D.s, whatever they are, then we should give them a chance to live and make their own way in the Wasteland. I won't let more ponies die because of my mistakes, not when their deaths can be prevented, if we don't then we won't be any better than the Enclave."

Arc paused for a long moment, I could tell my words were getting to her but she wasn't sure what to do.

"Alright Cherry, you're the deciding vote," Arc said as she looked at Cherry, since Riva couldn't understand us and we couldn't convey the information easily, it was up to the Earth Pony mare.

"Well, umm..." Cherry said softly, she seemed nervous and unsure of what to say, I didn't blame her for that. "I mean you both bring up good points, but isn't all life sacred? I honestly have to agree with Scootaloo on this one, we should give the ponies in this place a chance to live instead of casting their lives aside so carelessly."

I smiled a little and Arc nodded in understanding, I put my hoof on the Unicorn's shoulder and gave her a nod. "Don't worry Arc, besides, maybe it'll be salvageable, we'll get word to the NCR as soon as we're done here and have them investigate the location."

"Okay, do it," Arc said with a nod.

I stared at the screen for a long moment before hitting the N key, for a moment nothing happened before text started to come across the screen.

REACTOR SHUT DOWN, STASIS AUTO DOCTOR POD SYSTEMS DEACTIVATED AND PREPARING TO RELEASE, ALL PONIES WILL BE ALLOWED TO LEAVE. HAVE A GOOD DAY.

I breathed a sigh of relief, it had worked, that was good. Though I was curious about something, Stasis Auto Doctors? I was familiar with Auto Docs of course, they had been developed by the Ministry of Peace during the war using healing technology in order to help heal injured ponies but they were still mostly experimental, what was a Stasis Auto Doctor?

For a brief moment I thought back to the pod that I had woken up in, I hadn't recognized the technology as being any different from a normal stasis pod, but could that have been a S.A.D.? I added it to the list of questions I still had about what was going on.

"Alright, I think that's all we can do here for them," I said with a nod as I closed out of the system. "Lets hope whoever we just released from stasis is grateful."

"Who knows, maybe its another friend of yours from the war," Arc said with a chuckle, I couldn't help but laugh a little at that.

Then again, she wasn't entirely wrong, a surprising number of ponies had survived the war outside of Stables. Fluttershy, Silver Spoon, Wind Rider, Goldenblood... who knew, maybe there was somepony else out there now, or maybe it wasn't.

"Is there anything else?" Arc asked.

"No, that should be about it," I said as I closed up the terminal. "Lets get going, we still have to get to Tenpony Tower."

As we headed out again, I still had to wonder what the S.A.D. Pods were, if they had been the same system I had been put in I wasn't really sure how it worked. That was something for another time, maybe a trip to a Ministry of Awesome Hub, but not for today.

Today, we had an assassination to stop, I just hoped we would be able to pull it off without getting ourselves killed in the process.

00000

The closer to Tenpony Tower we got the more Enclave patrols we had to avoid, there were a few settlements in the area but most of them we found were being watched too closely for us to stop by.

As we passed down another street we noticed a symbol painted on the wall next to a metro station of a butterfly. I smiled a little, it was one just like the ones Fluttershy had in her cutie mark, it might be a sign of friendlies.

"Come on, lets check it out, but keep on your guard," I said as we headed towards the metro tunnel and opened the door.
We moved down cautiously, prepared to fight if it was a trap, I breathed a sigh of relief when the friendly bars came up on my EFS' compass. We came around the corner to see a group of Applejack's Rangers mixed with ponies dressed in the outfits of Followers of the Apocalypse standing there.

"Hold your fire Knight, they're friendlies," a mare's mechanical voice said as a familiar looking Applejack's Ranger Unicorn stepped out of the side room. "Scootaloo, its been awhile since the war council."

"Yeah, I'm sorry we couldn't meet back up under better circumstances," I said as I tipped my hat to the Star Paladin. "Let me guess, you got stuck here when the Enclave took over the city?"

"Yeah, I'm afraid so, we were on our way to one of the settlements when we got ambushed," the Ranger said with a shake of her head. "Thankfully the Followers were in the area and patched us up, but we're not in much shape to fight right now."

"Nova, you really shouldn't be on your hooves," a familiar voice said and I was surprised to see Velvet Remedy walk out of the side room. "I swear, you're almost as stubborn as Steelhooves was."

"I'll take that as a compliment," the Ranger, now identified as Nova (I have no idea how I missed her name before) said with a light chuckle. "Alright, fine, I'll go lay back down."

"Sorry, Applejack's Rangers can be so obstinate sometimes," Velvet said as Nova went back into the side room grumbling a little. "Especially that one, she saves Equestria from crazed Raiders and Steel Rangers and she thinks she's invincible."

"She really did that?" Cherry asked curiously as she looked into the room after Nova.

"Oh yeah, I remember hearing about that now that I think about it," I said in a moment of realization. "She was the Ranger from the Great Schism in Seaddle right?"

"Nice to see my reputation proceeds me," Nova said with a chuckle before removing her helmet revealing a light blue Unicorn mare underneath with a dark blue mane, which I noticed was almost identical to mine. "So what brings Winter Breeze's most wanted into Manehattan?"

"We're here to get the Enclave out of the city," Arc said, which got a surprised look from Nova.

"You're kidding right, they sent three Ponies, a dog, and a Zebra to stop the Enclave in Manehattan?" Nova asked as she looked between us strangely. "That's either a suicide mission or Regina's got a lot of faith in your abilities Scootaloo."

"She didn't have much of a choice, her claws are tied with this situation," I said with a sigh as I looked around at the gathered ponies. "I know its a longshot and the odds are against us, but at this point we are the only chance there is of stopping the Enclave here. If they aren't stopped, the NCR will probably have to surrender and the Alliance will fall apart. Can Applejack's Rangers and Nomad City take on the Enclave on their own?"

There was a long silence at that, everypony knew the answer but nopony was willing to voice it. The Enclave at this point had pretty much won as long as they maintained control of Tenpony Tower and Manehattan, all they had to do was wait for the NCR Senate to reach a decision.

What would be even worse is if they could get Celestia One working again, they wouldn't even need to finish Protocol Zeta with that kind of firepower. Winter Breeze now had the power to dictate whatever terms she wanted to Equestria and there was nothing any of us could really do about it right now.

"The only chance we have of winning this is if we all work together."

"Alright, we'll help you however we can, but we're still not in the best shape," Nova said as she shook her head. "Do you really think we stand a chance against the Enclave though?"

"Honestly? I have no idea," I admitted with a sigh. "The odds are not in our favor, that much is true, but we have no other choice. The odds are rarely in our favor in situations like this, Velvet you and your friends traveled across Equestria and faced odds as bad or worse than this. Heck, LittlePip and Calamity killed a dragon, not to mention what happened with the Goddess."

Velvet paused for a long moment and looked at me before nodding.

"Nova, I don't know a lot about your adventures, but what you've done has earned the respect of your peers and your allies. You're not just some Ranger, you're the Renegade, the mare who broke the old traditions once and for all and you helped make Applejack's Rangers what they are today."

Nova looked at me and chucked lightly as she leaned back. "You sure know how to motivate a mare, you know that?"

"Look, we'll help if we can but I don't know what we'll be able to do from here," Velvet said with a sigh. "The Enclave has Tenpony Tower locked up tight, and give the only secret entrance was closed years ago, we don't have a lot of options."

She had a point, even if we had the help of the Rangers we'd be outnumbered once we got into the tower itself. We needed a plan of some sort if we were going to make it, but we had one other priority first.

"There is one mission that has to be finished before we can do that though," I said with a sigh as I took out the plans for Tenpony Tower, this was going to be a hard one to explain.

The others listened carefully to what I had to say, I could tell from the looks on their faces they couldn't believe what I was suggesting. I had to admit that I had a hard time believing it myself, but it was a plan.

Another idea was starting to form in my mind as well, but we'd need the right equipment for that and it was even riskier than taking on the Starkatteri.

"Okay, I admit, that's not something I expected," Velvet said and even Nova seemed a bit confused by the idea. "Are you sure that it needs to be done?"

"Its better than the alternative," I said and Nova nodded in understanding.

"Alright, we'll rest up here and then head towards the Tower tomorrow, if you survive we'll help you re-take it," Nova said and I nodded in agreement.

"Thank you, it means a lot to me," I said and shook hooves with Velvet and Nova. "Thanks for your help."

"You're welcome Scootaloo, just stay safe out there," Velvet said with a nod.

"You too," I said and looked at Velvet for a long moment before a thought occurred to me. "What about Calamity, where is he?"

"Probably back in Junction Town trying to figure out what to do," Velvet said with a sigh. "I wish I was back there, but this is where I wound up. The universe has a strange sense of humor I suppose."

"Don't worry Velvet, we'll get you home," Arc said with a nod as we headed back out of the station.

As I saw Tenpony Tower looming ahead, I realized I honestly had no idea how we were going to go about doing this. I had a plan sure, but the truth is we were ill equipped to carry that plan out, we'd need equipment that we could only get from either the Zebras or one of the hubs in the city, either one.

I just had to hope we'd figure something out soon, we still had less than 6 days left to go before the deadline was up.

"Come on, lets get going," I said as we started towards the tower once more.

It was time to save the President.

LEVEL UP!
Perk Received: Equites.
Details: You've gained a better knowledge of the Zebras and their traditions. You get a speech bonus when talking to Zebras and unlock some special options.

Chapter 17: Heroes and Villains

Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.

Chapter 19: Totality

"We stand now, at the precipice.
Our great nation once more threatens to crumble,
to topple into the sea of lawlessness and despair
that have ruled us all for over two hundred years.
In short, my dearest America - we are at war."
-John Henry Eden.

Hey everypony, Scootaloo back in charge of the narration again, Cherry did a good job last time but I wanted to finish this story myself. Its funny really, you never really think about everything that happens while you're unconscious, and I didn't even know some of that.

I woke up the next morning to see Cherry sleeping in the chair next to my bed. It was hard to believe that we had both admitted our feelings for each other just the day before, after Sky Walker I wasn't even sure if I ever would find love again, but Cherry was an amazing pony and I didn't really have any regrets about it.

I looked down at my chest, there was a scar where they had operated but it was barely noticeable. Well that was one less thing to worry about, and the more I thought about it, the more I wondered just how much these new organs had done for me. My endurance had been increased considerably, it was probably part of the reason I could use the speed enhancement so effortlessly. Then there was always the risk of diseases or something, I don't think I had even gotten sick since I had woken up.

If these were keeping me alive, then that meant that in her own way Rainbow Dash was protecting me from beyond the grave.

"Hey, you're awake," Cherry said and I turned to see the Earth Pony mare stretching out as she woke up and she gave me a smile. "How are you feeling?"

"Not too bad," I said as I sat up a little, there wasn't any pain from the movement, though I felt a little stiff. "Did everything go okay with the surgery?"

"Well, umm..." Cherry said as she rubbed her foreleg a little. "About that..."

"What happened?" I asked as I looked at the mare, she was worrying me and I wasn't sure I wanted to know what had happened.

"Well, see, you were in pretty bad shape so they had to call in some, extra help," Cherry said as she looked down at her hooves.

"Wait, what kind of help?" I asked and Cherry looked uncomfortable for a moment. "Cherry, who did you call to help with the surgery?"

"We, kinda had to get the Enclave to come help," she finally admitted and my eyes went wide. "You were going to die if we didn't! I didn't like it either but Winter Breeze sent her chief science adviser and she helped finish it, I swear, that's all that happened."

I groaned and laid back on the bed again, I didn't like that they had to do this, especially because it now meant the Enclave knew we were here in Tenpony Tower. The fact that we hadn't just been arrested might be a good sign, but I wasn't sure really, there was still ways we could win this, I hoped so at least.

I looked up at Cherry and leaned over and took her hoof in mine. "Its okay Cherry, we'll be just fine," I said with a smile as I gave her hoof a squeeze. "So did anything interesting happen?"

"Well, Winter Breeze herself showed up with the doctors," Cherry said and I blinked a little. "I talked with her a little while she was here, she was... not quite what I expected. I don't really know what's going on, but she seemed to be strangely interested in you for some reason."

I blinked a little, honestly I wasn't sure what to make of that at all, why would the President of the Enclave be interested in me? Winter Breeze's behavior had been strange ever since I had first talked to her back in Stable 122. I just kept wondering if maybe she really was just trying to do what she claimed to do as weird as it was, but why would she be interested in me?

I knew I needed answers, the only place I could find them was from Winter Breeze herself, we were going to drive her out of this tower and that was that.

"How's the little one?" I asked as I looked down at Cherry's stomach with a smile, right now that was the only thing I really wanted to focus on.

"She's doing fine, Morning Glory one of the ponies that helped with you gave me a quick check up after she was done with you," Cherry said as she placed a hoof on her belly. "Apparently she's going to be a Unicorn, its hard to believe, just four months away."

"Don't worry Cherry, you'll..." I started to say then caught myself and smiled. "We'll do fine raising her once she gets here."
Cherry smiled at me and she kissed me softly on the lips, I relaxed a little into the kiss and just enjoyed it. It was a weird feeling being with another pony again, but I wasn't complaining it felt, really nice.

"Well its about time," a familiar voice said from the entrance to the room which ruined the moment, we turned to see Arc and Riva watching us. "I thought you two would never stop denying your feelings for one another."

"Is this really necessary?" I asked with a groan as I wrapped my forelegs around Cherry gently. "I just underwent surgery, do you have to keep teasing me about my love life?"

Arc just laughed and shook her head. "Scootaloo, you misunderstand, I'm happy for you two," she finally said and gave Riva a nod. "You two haven't exactly been subtle about the way you feel about each other, I'm glad you finally decided to get together."

That actually was pretty nice of Arc and made a lot more sense to me, I gave Cherry a smile and nuzzled her gently. This was nice, I had my friends and a mare who loved me no matter what, things were finally starting to look my way.
I just had to hope that everything would be okay, we still had the Enclave to defeat after all.

"So fill me in on everything I missed," I said and sat back as I listened to Arc and Cherry talk about what had happened while I was under sedation.

Some of it worried me a bit, but at least the Enclave didn't seem to have the Celestia One Megaspell working again, that was a good sign. The fact that they were sending teams to find the other keys however was troubling to me, it meant that they hadn't given up on Protocol Zeta yet and that would be dangerous especially if they managed to get it working.

Then there was the matter of the secret that Winter Breeze had mentioned while they were spying on her, that really worried me because it might be a clue to what her real game was. What kind of secret was it that she wanted to be certain that I didn't know about? I didn't like not knowing this stuff, and I especially didn't like knowing that I didn't know it, it was like Winter Breeze was dangling this secret in front of my face and laughing when I tried to figure it out.

"Do you have any thoughts on what she might've meant by that secret?" I asked as I looked between my friends who just shook their heads.

"Honestly I have no idea, but I think its got something to do with those keys," Cherry said and Arc nodded in agreement. "She also mentioned something about security systems that she would be able to work around somehow, but I don't know what she meant by that."

I knew exactly what she meant by that, Protocol Zeta had two security systems keeping it from being accessed, only one of them was connected to the keys. The other one was made so only certain ponies could even access it, and that was the one that worried me more right now.

If Winter Breeze could work around that, she would have no problem accessing Protocol Zeta. Now, we had to figure out how she was going to get access to it, and make sure that she wasn't able to before it was too late.

00000

"So how are you feeling Scootaloo?" The doctor for the clinic, Life Bloom I finally learned his name was, asked as he checked me over. "Your organs aren't giving you any more trouble are they?"

"Nope, I feel just fine," I said with a shrug as I sat up on the bed.

"Well, normally I'd say you need to spend some time recuperating but you seem to be well enough for it to only last a few hours," Life Bloom said as he finished his work. "You're in good shape for a mare who just got shot in the lung yesterday, I'd say its nothing short of a miracle that you made it out alive, I'd thank whoever had those pods made."

"Yeah... that would be my mom," I said with a smile. "She ordered them built during the war, I guess she's still helping me out from beyond the grave huh?"

"Seems like it," Life Bloom said as he checked my breathing. "Take it easy for a few hours at least, and hope the Enclave doesn't decide to make another visit given what you plan to do."

"Yeah, I know," I said and shook my head, I didn't have a lot of time to recuperate, we were now on day four of the deadline and it was hard to tell how much longer this was going to take before we could get the Enclave driven out of the Tower and Manehattan.

"Did you talk to the other citizens that are against the Enclave, do we have their support?" I asked.

"We have what support they're willing to give us but they're worried about what's been going on, I don't blame them," Life Bloom said with a sigh. "Do you really think we'll get some more allies soon?"

"I know we will, I've got ponies trying to make their way into the Tower now, we just have to wait for them," I said with a sigh. "Lets just hope they make it here soon."

Life Bloom nodded and finished up before he let me move, I got to my hooves and walked back out into the entry area of the clinic where my friends were waiting.

"So, looks like you're okay," Cherry Blossom said with a smile as I sat down next to her. "Now we just have to wait for our help to arrive."

"Yeah, lets hope it gets here soon," I said with a sigh as I wrapped my wing around the pink Earth Pony mare gently and nuzzled her. "I'm just nervous is all, do you think we'll be able to pull this off? And we still have to get our weapons back from the Enclave."

"We'll figure something out," Arc said with a sigh as she checked her PipBuck. "Nova and her team should hopefully be here soon, we just have to wait."

I nodded and closed my eyes, I hoped this wouldn't take much longer but if we had to wait, we had to wait. There wasn't much point in complaining about it, so we just sat back and relaxed while we figured out what our next move was going to be.

00000

"Hello Manehattan, this is your President speaking once more," Winter Breeze's voice said over the radio awhile later as we groaned a little and looked at our PipBucks. "As a nation we stand at the crossroads of history. One path will lead us back to chaos and corruption, and the other will bring us to a bright future that we can all enjoy without fear of the horrors of the Wasteland that was once a great nation. As your President, it is my duty to lead us all down that path, but it is filled with danger and ponies that would rather see us all fail than succeed. My dear Equestria, we are waiting for our chance as a nation to take our future back from those that would use it for their own power. I am a mare of my word after all, and I will ensure that every one of you is able to live happy lives. Just yesterday, we helped secure part of that future, we will not allow the forces of corruption to plunge us back into anarchy. This is President Winter Breeze, signing off."

"She's still laying it on a bit thick," I said with a sigh as the speech finished. "I still honestly don't know what to make of her."

"Yeah, I know what you mean," Cherry said as she looked up at me with a sigh. "I was kind of hoping that we could somehow reach her yesterday when she came to the clinic, but no such luck."

I nodded in understanding, sometimes the magic of friendship wasn't enough, sometimes we had to fight for what needed to be done. Maybe Winter Breeze could be reasoned with, but right now wasn't the time, we still had to make sure that the Enclave was stopped here, preferably with minimal casualties on our side if we had to rely on civilians.

Then again, in this war, who was a civilian anymore? This affected ponies everywhere even if they weren't soldiers, heck none of us were soldiers, we were an odd bunch to say the least. A Stable Engineer, a Breeder, a Diplomat from the Zebra Lands, and me, the former Vice President of Stable-Tec.

But fate had put the future of Equestria in our hooves and we weren't going to let it down.

The door finally opened and two ponies dressed in wastelander gear with hoods pulled over their faces walked inside. They gave Life Bloom a nod and he shut the door after a moment and closed the blinds to the clinic.

"I'm glad you're alive Scootaloo," one of the ponies said before lowering her hood to reveal Velvet Remedy who gave me a smile. "We've had a bit of a trek getting in here, I'm glad we made it in alright."

"How'd you get in anyway?" Arc asked curiously.

"Being the leader of the Followers of the Apocalypse still opens a few doors in Manehattan," Velvet said with a nod. "The Enclave considers us a neutral party thankfully, so they allowed us into the tower."

"Which of course was exactly what we needed," the other hooded pony said and lowered her hood to reveal a white Earth Pony mare with a short blue mane. "I'm Paladin Gear Shift from Applejack's Rangers, I came with her because I'm the least recognizable member of the squad."

With that several StealthBucks turned off as more Ponies dressed in Applejack's Ranger armor materialized, I breathed a sigh of relief, our help had arrived. I nodded to Nova who was once again in her armor and gave her a smile, this was exactly what we needed.

"Was it hard to get all of you in here?"

"It wasn't too hard, we managed to get it in by moving behind a large wagon," Nova said with a nod. "That way they wouldn't accidentally touch us."

"That's clever," I said with a nod. "We've got some assistance from the inhabitants of Tenpony Tower, I just hope it'll be enough."

Nova nodded and we moved into the back rooms again, we didn't want to risk the Enclave showing up again and interrupting our operation. I still felt a little stiff but I wasn't going to let that stop me from joining this fight, the Enclave wasn't going to hold Manehattan for very much longer.

"At the moment Nomad City and the Typhon are holding back from starting an assault on Manehattan as long as there is a risk of them being able to use Celestia One," Nova said as she laid out a map of Manehattan on the table. "We spent yesterday making contact with the various Settlements around the city to get more allies. We have enough allies that we should be able to push the Enclave out of the city proper, but if they still hold the tower we'll be right back where we started."

I sighed as I looked over the map, there were settlements marked around the city that may at least give us the advantage. We did have one advantage, the Enclave had more limited numbers, probably because of what had happened, I just had to hope that we'd be able to get this figured out.

"Okay, so then we need a plan," I said as we laid out the map of Tenpony Tower on the table next to it. "Based on the information we got from Cherry and Arc, Winter Breeze occupies the higher floors of the tower, that's likely where they're holding Xiraia and the others as well."

"Do we know where the parts taken from Celestia One are?" Arc asked she looked at Focus and Life Bloom who just shook their heads. "That figures."

"Sorry, when the Enclave attacked several ponies grabbed the equipment and hid them so that the Enclave couldn't use the weapon," Life Bloom said with a shake of his head. "It was the contingency plan for such an event, I don't even know who took the parts."

"Well, at least that means the Enclave won't be able to use it right now, that's a good sign at least, we just have to hope they don't find them," Gear Shift said as she looked over the maps for a long moment. "How many ponies do we have on our side in the Tower?"

"Probably not enough to take on the Enclave in a fair fight," Life Bloom said with a sigh. "So we're going to have to be clever."

"We do have one advantage," Cherry said and we all looked over at her. "The Enclave knows we're here now, that means they won't notice if we move around the Tower. That could give us better access to things."

I nodded as we looked over the map again, it was time to figure out our plan, I just had to hope that we'd be able to do this soon enough.

Three days were left before the deadline, and time was really starting to run out, and we didn't know how much more time we really had.

00000

I made my way back out of the clinic with my friends close behind as I sighed a little. We needed to make sure we had everything ready before it was time to fight the Enclave right now, and right now that meant I had to go talk to some of the ponies living in the Tower that would be helping us.

We went past several Enclave soldiers but they didn't really pay us any attention. I adjusted my hat as we kept walking around. At least they seemed to be right about one thing, the Enclave had no real interest in bothering us since they assumed we were compliant.

Cherry seemed more curious about the tower than anything else, this was the first time she had come here and she hadn't really had a chance to explore before given she was more focused on helping me. I smiled a little as we entered a bookstore and she looked around at the various books curiously.

"Are you interested in buying anything?" The shop owner asked as we looked up, a light green Unicorn mare with a short pink mane with a cutie mark of an open book gave us a smile.

"Oh, uh sure," I said as I looked around at the books, I frowned a little because it looked like a lot of them had been taken away and most of what was left looked like pretty ordinary history books, and what looked like some sort of biography. "Do you have anything other than what's here?"

"No, the Enclave has confiscated most of my books," the owner said with a shake of her head. "But there's not a lot we can do about it you know?"

I glanced behind me to see a pair of Enclave soldiers heading out of the store. We exchanged a look with the owner and she nodded before leading us into the back once we were sure that everything was clear.

"Thank Celestia you're all here, we've been waiting for the NCR or anypony to send us help since the occupation began," she said with a sigh as she locked the door. "How many ponies did you bring with you to take back the Tower?"

"Well, uh, honestly not very many," I said as I rubbed the back of my head. "There's the four of us, and a few members of Applejack's Rangers that we managed to sneak into the Tower and that's really about it."

"I really hope you have a plan then because we're outgunned and outnumbered," another pony said as he looked at all of us. "Most ponies in the Tower don't even care, the Enclave is just another government to them. They don't really care as long as it doesn't change their day to day life."

I paused for a long moment, that was definitely a problem but not one that couldn't be dealt with, we were going to have to somehow get the inhabitants of Tenpony Tower to realize that they couldn't just let the Enclave win at this point, but that wasn't going to be easy to do.

"There may be a way," the shop owner said with a sigh, it was obvious that she didn't like what she had to say, but she knew it was the only way to do it. "We have to make the Enclave show their true colors somehow. I know that's not exactly going to be easy, but it may be our only option."

I nodded sadly, that meant the only thing we could do was to play the villain once more. If we were caught though, then we'd all be in big trouble.

"Okay then," I said with a nod as I looked at all of them. "The Enclave needs to be stopped, the ponies of this Tower are our best bet to do so but we have to approach it carefully. Tomorrow we'll strike at the Enclave from inside the tower and take the fight to them, we will take this city back, I swear."

The other ponies nodded in agreement and we dispersed, when the time came I knew we'd be able to count on all of them. I just had to hope that we'd be able to do this.

00000

The rest of the night passed without incident, more ponies were gotten together in preparation for the battle tomorrow and we had a small but pretty decent force.

I spent the night with Cherry Blossom again, not like that, I'm really not sure if either of us are really ready to take that step yet. I don't want Cherry to think I'm just in this relationship for sex, I'm happy with just being with her for now.

The next morning was day 5, we only had two days left before the deadline hit and we had to make sure we got the Enclave out of the Tower and Manehattan before then. I hated that it felt like we were rushing, but at this point we didn't have much of a choice.

"So, where do we go first?" Cherry asked as we got out of bed, there wasn't time for niceties we had to hit the ground running at this point.

"Well, the Enclave probably put more security in the maintenance levels so that's out," I said with a sigh as we walked out into the entry area where Nova and Gear Shift were talking. "So we're going to need a distraction, a good distraction."

"Right, we're working on that now," Nova said as Gear Shift was slipping on the Power Armor that had been smuggled in with the team. "Velvet Remedy and a couple of Knights are moving into position now, we just have to give the signal and they'll create some havoc."

"Good, lets just hope it'll be enough," I said as I looked over the map again, we were going to have to take the most direct route possible and we didn't know the guard schedules for the Enclave on the upper floors, so it was going to be sneaking again.

Where's a cardboard box when you need one?

"Okay then, lets get into position, we'll have to take the stairs up," I said and looked at Arc. "Do we have enough StealthBucks to get us all up to the top floors?"

"Don't worry, we have enough," Arc said with a nod. "We just have to make sure we can stop on occasion to use them sparingly."

Right, we were almost ready for this, but honestly I had no idea exactly what I was going to do when we got up there. As much as I hated to admit it, there was only one real solution to make sure that the NCR and their allies could join in the fight.

We were going to have to take out the Celestia One Megaspell, possibly permanently. It was something that I didn't really want to hesitate on, in all honesty it was too much power for any one nation to have, but at the same time it could've come in handy in the war with the Enclave.

No, we had no choice at this point, Celestia One had to be disabled if we were going to stand any chance at pushing out the Enclave, no matter what that might mean for the future of this war.

"Okay, I've got a plan, how close are Nomad City and the Typhon now?" I asked as I looked at the two Rangers.

"They can be here within an hour, their Vertibucks can be here sooner, they've had to remain outside of Manehattan airspace but they're prepared to enter the fight," Gear Shift said and Nova nodded in agreement. "What are you thinking?"

"I'm thinking we're going to be able to get their help here, at least in theory," I said with a nod as I outlined my plan for them.

My friends and allies all exchanged glances, I could tell that they weren't sure about this. I admit I wasn't sure either, but I knew for certain that it was the only way we were going to be able to do this and come out on top.

"The Twilight Society isn't going to like this," Nova said with a sigh. "But if its the only way we'll be able to get the Enclave out of the city, we're in."

"Okay, then lets get this done," I said as we got our equipment together, we were almost ready to take on the Enclave, we just had to hope that they weren't ready for us.

00000

"You're going to owe me a nice dinner after this you know that right?" Cherry said with a teasing smile as we made our way towards the stairs leading up to the higher levels of the tower.

"I'll definitely give you the best dinner caps can buy in the Wasteland," I said with a chuckle as we passed by several ponies that were heading in the other direction.

Right now it was just me, Cherry, Arc, and Riva who were visible while the Rangers kept their StealthBucks turned on. While we could blend in easily enough, Rangers dressed in full power armor would draw unwanted attention, there was of course one other step to my plan that we had to do but we'd get to that soon enough.

"Are you sure this is going to work?" Arc whispered to me as we went past another guard that just eyed us. "The Enclave aren't exactly idiots, they probably have the weapon well guarded."

"Yeah, I know, but we'll manage," I said with a nod as I looked over at Cherry, this wasn't going to be easy on any of us and I didn't like having to risk her unborn foal but at least here she could be where I could see her.

Honestly I was more worried about the guards and what Winter Breeze had planned, there was still the matter of that Alicorn Tornado, if Winter Breeze was here she was no doubt somewhere nearby. I didn't want to have to face off against an Alicorn, especially not Tornado right now.

The thing that still bugged me though was Tornado herself, there was something about her that still bugged me. She felt familiar, but I didn't know how that was even possible. I had to figure it out at some point, but right now wasn't the time to dwell on it.

It was just another mystery for the massive pile of mysteries that was the Enclave, I hated not knowing enough about them right now. Mom once told me that part of any battle was knowing your enemy, and we barely knew anything about the Enclave at this point.

I just had to hope that Tornado wasn't here, or at least wasn't where we were trying to get to.

We reached the stairwell entrance and paused, of course there was guards, the Enclave wasn't stupid enough even if they thought we might not try anything. There was now just the matter of sending a signal to the other teams and I pressed a button on my PipBuck, I just had to hope they hadn't gotten caught.

We got our answer soon after as the tower shuddered from explosions, there was a panic as ponies started to freak out and the door to the upper levels opened and ponies in Enclave Power Armor left to investigate what was going on, that was our cue.

I slipped on my stealth cloak, Cherry did the same and Riva and Arc turned on StealthBucks. We slipped in through the door and were soon on our way up into the upper levels of Tenpony Tower.

00000

Phase two of my plan came when we reached the same floor as the Athenaeum near the top of the tower. I took a deep breath and checked my leg, I had picked up a knife and had it strapped to my leg, it wasn't as nice as the one I had borrowed from Riva before but it got the job done.

I was the only Pegasus in the group so I had to do this next part, we checked the rooms around the floor until we found one where a Pegasus mare about my size was sleeping. She had a suit of Power armor nearby and it was close enough to my size, I just had to deal with her without arousing suspicion.

Thankfully I thought of this too as I took out a syringe with a sedative in it. I approached her and was about to inject her when her eyes shot open, I covered her mouth with my hoof and injected it in as fast as I could, she tried to struggle before relaxing and falling unconscious.

I breathed a sigh of relief and turned to the power armor and started to fit it onto my body.

"Are you sure you have to do this?" Nova asked as I fit the armor over my wings, I wasn't very conspicuous with my coloring so I'd have to wear the full armor to make sure they didn't recognize me.

"Yeah, I'm sure," I said with a sigh as I gave Cherry a lingering kiss before I put the mouthpiece on. "I don't like doing this honestly, it feels a bit dishonest, but we don't have much of a choice."

"Do you think it'll work?" Arc asked as she looked me over. "You don't exactly carry yourself like an Enclave soldier is all I'm saying."

"I know, I know, but I remember watching mom enough I should be able to replicate it a bit," I said with a sigh, this was going to be a tough one but I had faith in myself and my friends. "The rest of you know the plan right?"

"Get in, damage the Megaspell's systems, get a radio message out to the alliance that its safe to attack," Cherry said with a nod. "And you're, what, the distraction while we sneak around invisible?"

"That's the plan," I said with a sigh as I gave the stealth cloak to Riva and fit the two energy rifles into my armor. "Any word on our weapons?"

"We've got a team looking into it now," Nova said as I finished putting the armor on and nodded. "Good luck out there, you're going to need it."

"Thanks," I said as my friends and allies went invisible again, the time had come to execute the final part of my plan, I just had to reach my destination.

We left the room and started along the hall towards where the Megaspell Chamber was. I kept thinking about this, this kind of power really was beyond what most ponies deserved to control, either Enclave or NCR. Maybe taking it out permanently wasn't a bad idea after all, but we needed to try and just disable it first.

I breathed a sigh of relief as the Enclave soldiers didn't even pay me any attention as I went past. It wasn't exactly smart of them to have armor that kept them so protected but I wasn't exactly going to complain about it given the current situation.

When I did draw attention I showed them my papers, they let me through with no real problems, as it turned out I was masquerading as part of Winter Breeze's secret service detail, that was one advantage at least, you don't question them apparently.

I took a deep breath as I approached the door to the megaspell Chamber, I briefly brushed past a grey Pegasus with a purple mane and tail who looked like she was in a hurry but I didn't pay her any attention as I stopped in front of the door.

"Your papers soldier," one of the guards said and held out his hoof as I took the papers out and gave them over, he read them over and eyed me. "Lieutenant your shift wasn't scheduled for a few hours."

"Yes, well, I was called here by the President," I said nervously as I prayed that they would believe the lie. They exchanged a look for a long moment before shrugging and allowing me inside, this was going well, almost too well, it felt like something could go wrong at any moment.

Inside was different than I had expected, I had never really been in a Megaspell Chamber before and it looked like it had been being worked on recently. That's when I realized something, there wasn't anypony actually working on it, that sent a chill down my spine, I was afraid of what that meant.

Was it possible the Enclave had gotten Celestia One working again? I really hoped the answer was no, but knowing my luck it probably wasn't.

"Well, I must say I wasn't expecting more company right now," a mare's voice said and I turned to see Winter Breeze standing there looking me over. "Especially given that Lieutenant Dust is about an inch taller than you are, I know my security detail better than anypony, who are you?"

Crap, of course Winter Breeze would be able to see through this easily, I was starting to think that maybe this was a bad idea after all. Her blue eyes stared at me as if they were piercing into my very soul, it was one of the most unsettling things I had ever experienced.

"I'm, new, Tornado just assigned me to your detail," I said, it was a bad bluff, I wasn't exactly about to make it big in New Pegasus at this rate.

"Do you really think I'm that stupid? Ask yourself, why would I not know exactly who it was that was protecting me?" Winter Breeze said as she walked closer and stared at me through my eye piece. "Let me guess, the NCR sent you to take me out didn't they?"

"Maybe..." I said softly, actually that wasn't even part of our mandate but I wasn't going to tell her that.

"Well then, I think we can solve this mystery quickly," Winter Breeze said and I was surprised to feel her hooves around my neck as she hit the release button and the head piece was removed. "Scootaloo Dash... I knew they'd send you but I wasn't expecting you to be so bold, you could've just asked for an audience if you wanted to talk."

"Yeah, well, you're a hard mare to reach," I said, I had to buy time while the others disabled the Megaspell, and that meant talking to Winter Breeze, I needed answers about one thing. "There's something that's been bugging me ever since the first time we talked in Stable 122.."

"Oh, what's that?"

"You're interested in me, and I don't understand why," I said as I looked at her. "Its one thing to just want to find me, but you seem to be actively interested in keeping me alive and even getting me on your side. You could've had me killed in Stables 48 and 117, but you didn't, why?"

"I have my reasons Scootaloo," Winter Breeze said as she moved back a little, she didn't turn her back on me once. "Lets just say, I understand a lot about you, if you're so smart maybe you can figure it out."

Figure it out? It was like she was telling me to piece together a puzzle without knowing how many pieces there were or what the picture was, but I had to think about it anyway.

I thought about everything I knew about Winter Breeze. It wasn't much, she was interested in me that much was certain, then there was her behavior, it was like she was working to help Equestria while acting the part of the villain, something I could relate to. What else was there? Why would she be interested in me?

Then it clicked into place, I thought back to what I had learned before, there were three major clues that we had picked up on but we had never realized they were all connected.

Now it all made sense.

"You're not just another Pegasus... you're my descendant aren't you?"

I couldn't believe it, the President of the Enclave was my descendant? She wasn't exactly denying it either, she just watched me with those cold eyes as she stared me down. But the more I thought about it, the more the pieces fell into place, and I didn't like it.

Now it all made sense, the Enclave had access to things that they shouldn't have access to without having somepony related to me or one of my friends. Sweetie and Apple Bloom's descendants were all accounted for, and I couldn't believe that I hadn't realized that something like that could be possible given the encrypted file.

Winter Breeze had told Cherry that she'd have access to the secondary security system with Protocol Zeta, one that only I would be able to access or one of my descendants.

Now everything made perfect sense, and I didn't like it. Winter Breeze was too much like me when I was an adult, too willing to compromise her morals to do what she thought was right.

"You finally figured it out huh?" Winter Breeze said as she shook her head. "I'm surprised you didn't figure it out before given that you had all of the clues."

"You're keeping it hidden aren't you, that's why that file was encrypted in the genealogical records," I said as I looked at Winter Breeze for a long moment. "If most of the ponies in the Enclave found out they would have you thrown out of office."

"Symbols are powerful things indeed," Winter Breeze said with a shake of her head. "The Enclave still considers you a traitor for what you did. I've done what I can to deal with it, but you're not exactly playing along."

"That's why you tried to get me to defect in Stable 122, you're trying to not only discredit the Dashites, you're trying to legitimize your position. But I don't understand, why are you acting like you have? What's your real game? Why do you want access to Protocol Zeta?"

Winter Breeze paused for a long moment as if she was trying to choose her response carefully. We both knew exactly what was locked away in that mountain, the only difference was what we wanted done with it.

"I have my reasons," Winter Breeze said as she shook her head. "It doesn't matter in the long run, my plan is closer to coming to fruition than ever. I will change the future of Equestria for the better, the Wasteland needs ponies like me more than it needs ponies like the NCR."

"Winter, I know what you're saying, I've been in that place before, 210 years ago I felt that I had to do things that I knew were wrong in order to help Equestria," I said, I had to hope that I'd be able to reach her somehow. "You're not a monster, you're trying to do what's right but you're not going about it the right way!"

There was a moment where I actually thought that maybe I had reached Winter Breeze, she actually hesitated to speak up and her calm look faltered as she walked closer to me once more.

"You may understand me Scootaloo, but I'm not going to stop just because you tell me to," she said with a sigh. "You have to understand, I have my reasons for everything I do, that's something you'd understand."

Maybe she was right, I had done things in my own past all for the greater good like she at least claimed to do. Was I any better than she was for what I had done with the Stables? Maybe not, but I wasn't exactly about to join her.

"Winter, I'm not going to jump ship and join you either," I said. "I understand what you're trying to say, maybe there is a need for a change in the NCR and the rest of Equestria. But the Enclave's methods are too extreme sometimes, you have to be able to understand that sometimes your methods, even if they seem necessary, aren't always the way to go."

Winter Breeze just shook her head and looked behind her at the Megaspell chamber. "It doesn't matter, I have the power I need to ensure that the Enclave's rule over Equestria is secure. I will build my brighter future, Equestria needs ponies like me if it wants to make it. I will use Celestia One to ensure that future now that it is working again, the NCR won't have a choice but to surrender."

"Really? Are you sure about that?" I asked as I glanced behind her towards the chamber, it didn't look any different but I was sure that my plan was being carried out.

"I'm sure, my science team got it working already," Winter Breeze said with a slight smirk. "There's nothing you can do to stop me, Manehattan is just the beginning of the future for Equestria."

"I think we just put that future on hold," a voice said from behind Winter Breeze and her ears perked up as her eyes went wide in shock.

Standing behind her were my friends who had apparently just finished their mission. Nova was the one who had spoken and was looking right at Winter Breeze from behind her helmet.

"I have to say, I wasn't expecting to see you here, Icy Wind," Nova said in a calm voice as she looked at the Enclave President closely. Wait, who is Icy Wind?

"What did you do?" Winter Breeze demanded as she rushed over to the console for Celestia One, her calm demeanor was gone she was in a state of panic as she tried to figure out what they had done to the Megaspell. "WHAT DID YOU DO?"

"We put Celestia One out of commission," Arc said with a chuckle as she levitated her rifle up and pointed it at Winter Breeze. "Sure you can probably repair it given enough time, but I'm afraid the Enclave's occupation of Manehattan is about to come to an end."

Before Winter could say anything else there was the sound of explosions from outside as the Enclave's flak guns went live. The door to the chamber was forced open and ponies in Enclave power armor rushed inside breathing heavily.

"Madam President, a fleet of aircraft just started an assault on our forces in Manehattan!" One of them said. "They're flying the colors of Nomad City and Applejack's Rangers! On top of that there's a cloud cover over the tower!"

That was it the battle for Manehattan had begun, and the Enclave had already been forced onto the defensive. I had no idea what was going on with the cloud cover though, was something else happening here that we didn't know about?

Well, I didn't have time to dwell on it, it at least kept the Enclave from firing Celestia One if it worked.

Winter Breeze spread her wings and flapped, taking flight and leaping over me to join her soldiers as she looked back at me with an angry look on her face.

"This isn't over yet Scootaloo Dash, I will not give up on my vision of a better world," she said and with that she and the other Enclave soldiers fled out the door.

We had finished part of the plan and stopped the Enclave from using Celestia One, but Winter Breeze had escaped. We now had one more job to do before we were done here.

It was time to rescue the hostages the Enclave had been keeping.

00000

"What did you do to Celestia One?" I asked as we rushed through the halls of Tenpony Tower, the Enclave was too busy getting ready for a fight to even bother with us right now.

"We damaged the casting rods for the Megaspell, if she tried to use them they'd probably explode and put the thing out of commission," Nova said as we went past several rooms. "We got lucky that probably would've taken us all out if we didn't run."

"So, we disabled it at least, but I don't know if it'll come in very handy for awhile," Cherry said with a shake of her head. "That kind of power, I think you might be right Scootaloo, that's too much for anypony to hold."

"Yeah, lets hope they listen to us at some point," I said with a sigh, we needed to get the Megaspell genie back in its bottle as soon as possible.

We didn't really know where we were going but we kept an eye on our EFS, maybe that would at least give us a hint at which direction to go given that it would show friendlies. Unfortunately there were mostly red and yellow marks so far meaning there weren't any friendlies.

I took a turn down another corridor and we headed down a flight of stairs to the floor below when I got a brief flash of a friendly signal on my EFS. It was worth a shot at least, as we moved further into the tower we could hear the sound of battle from the lower floors.

The alliance wasn't here yet, these were the ponies of Tenpony Tower fighting to take their tower back, I didn't know what had happened but it was a good bet that the Enclave had overplayed their hand.

We found an armory and were relieved to find our weapons locked away along with some ammunition here and there. I set the SOAR and my other energy rifle into my battle saddle before looking at Nova as we headed out.

"Who's Icy Wind?"

"Its a name Winter Breeze used as an alias during the Great Schism, I didn't put two and two together until just now," Nova said through her distorted mechanical voice. "She lived in Haven and helped us out a few times... I had no idea she was the President of the Enclave."

"She had us all fooled, she's good at that," Gear Shift said with a shake of her head as she looked at Nova. "We can't dwell on that right now, we have to get this tower secured."

"Right, Nova said as we kept walking.

00000

We finally found what we were looking for, the Enclave had set up a makeshift brig in one of the upper levels that was holding Xiraia and the members of the Twilight Society that hadn't managed to escape into the Tower proper. The Zebra DJ looked up when she heard the door opened and got to her hooves when she realized who it was.

"Thank the spirits you're alive," she said with a smile as the Unicorns got to their hooves. "What's going on, is the Enclave being driven out of the tower?"

"Yeah, the alliance attacked after we disabled Celestia One," I said as Riva started to unlock the doors with her lockpicking tools. "We, kind of had to put it out of commission in order to keep it from being used by the Enclave."

"Is it repairable?" One of the ponies asked.

"It should be, but it'll take time," Nova said.

"Good, we need to get it running as soon as possible to use against the Enclave," the first pony said.

I flinched, this was exactly what I was afraid of, Megaspells were too dangerous to be used especially after the apocalypse. We were risking being put right back where we started 211 years ago, and it would just wind up causing more death and destruction, I knew what I had to say.

"No, we don't need to fix it," I said with a tone of finality in my voice. "Celestia One is powerful, too powerful, even if it is salvageable I don't think we should keep using it. The fact is that it made this tower a target, it wasn't the only reason the Enclave would want to come after you but they wanted Celestia One in order to use it against the Wasteland. You wanted to use it in retaliation, yes, lots of lives were lost here but where does it stop? Where do we cross the line from being about trying to fight a war and into being as bad as the Enclave? We have to draw the line here, we have to be better than the enemy we are fighting or we will just wind up repeating the mistakes of the past. I will not let those mistakes be repeated, by either side in this war."

The Twilight Society ponies exchanged a long look as they considered my words. It wasn't easy to have to say this kind of thing but it was what needed to be said, I just hoped they would listen.

"We will, consider your words Scootaloo," the first Unicorn said solemnly. "The Enclave needs to be stopped, I just hope that what you said won't make that impossible."

"It won't," I said. "We're going to make sure it doesn't."

"That's good, now come, there is one thing we must do now," Xiraia said with a smile as her cell was unlocked and we started out of the room. "Its time for DJ Pon3 to make her return to the airwaves of Equestria."

I nodded in understanding, she knew what she was doing, at least I hoped she did.

00000

We had to fight our way up to the broadcast center, the Enclave had finally gotten their act together and we ran into our fair share of resistance. The good news though was that it seemed that the Enclave was in full retreat, they were scrambling Vertibucks off the Orion in order to get ponies out of the tower.

The broadcast center was empty, there was equipment strewn everywhere from where the Enclave had been set up here. Thankfully the broadcast equipment was still intact, I looked at Xiraia and nodded.

She turned on the broadcasting equipment and picked up the microphone, she actually looked nervous for a moment, she had never broadcast using her own voice before but I gave her a reassuring nod, she could do this, I knew it.

"Hello Equestria, this is DJ Pon3 broadcasting over the airwaves once more," she said into the microphone with the energy she had become known for. "That's right fillies and gentlecolts, I'm back and better than ever thanks to a very special mare and her friends who came to my aid here in Tenpony Tower, my hat's off to you."

I smiled as I gave her a nod, it was good to have Xiraia back behind the mic instead of having to listen to just Winter Breeze and Enclave radio.

"Now my little ponies, you're probably all wondering about what's going on and why I've decided to address you like this for the first time," Xiraia continued. "I wish I could tell you that the Enclave was lying about DJ Pon3, but for 200 years we've been keeping you entertained and informed under a lie, that is true. With Winter Breeze exposing our secret though, there's no real point in hiding it anymore. I know you good ponies out there will understand, but sometimes there are truths that are best kept secret. But from now on my little ponies, I'll keep on broadcasting and fighting the good fight with you with my own voice, you have my promise of that."

I smiled and gave her a nod, she was doing great.

"But the war isn't over yet, the Enclave are on the run here in Manehattan and the time has come to drive them out of our city," Xiraia continued. "They come here with their promises of making our world better, to make Equestria as great as it once was, but what about those methods they employ? Is that the future you want to leave for your children? I know I don't, we will make the future bright again, but we don't need the Enclave and their methods of terror to do so. This is Xiraia, signing off."

I smiled as she put the microphone down again and hugged her gently, this was exactly what was needed, the Enclave was on the run and DJ Pon3 was back on the air where she belonged.

"So what now?" Xiraia asked as my friends came into the room with us.

"Now, we're going to try and stop Winter Breeze before it gets to be too late," I said with a tone of finality, the time had come for one more showdown with the President of the Enclave.

00000

The Enclave was retreating, apparently they couldn't get the Orion working in time so they were abandoning ship. There were Vertibucks picking ponies up from the roof and lower floors as they escaped the tower, we were tracking Winter Breeze right now as she headed to the roof for extraction.

As we forced the door open we saw what the Enclave had been talking about before, there was a storm brewing over the tower that was blocking out the sun. Though this wasn't a normal storm, it looked almost unnatural as lightning flashed, I noticed briefly that there was other flashes like something was being shot at but I didn't have much time to dwell on it.

There was another shot and Nova went down, it had caught her in the wither and pierced right through the armor, sending the Unicorn Ranger sprawling on the ground.

Standing just behind cover with a rifle propped up and aimed at us was Winter Breeze, the President hadn't gotten a chance to escape yet and was prepared for a fight.

"Nova!" Gear Shift said as she rushed over and pulled the Unicorn mare into cover, we ducked behind cover just as another shot rang out and barely missed us.

"You really think its over?" Winter Breeze called out to us as she tried to line up another shot. "One thing you learn when you get into Enclave politics is how to fight, you're not exactly in a good position here Scootaloo!"

Really, Enclave politics required you to learn how to fight? How weird were politics in the Enclave then?

"If you're that good, why didn't you just kill Nova then?" Cherry shouted as Arc fired a few shots at the Enclave President which missed.

"She saved my life, I'm returning the favor by sparing her's," Winter Breeze answered and fired another shot towards us, it just missed again but it was close. "I'm not going down without a fight here."

Of course, her extraction hadn't arrived yet so she was here to fight if necessary. I just had to hope that we could win this one. I was about to move my gun into position to fire when I spotted something, we all saw it, it was a glowing blue symbol that looked like a pair of horns that was coming out of the storm clouds.

I knew that symbol, that thing had been seared into my brain ever since I was just a filly because of who it represented. It was the symbol of the Storm King, the monster who's forces had captured Canterlot when I was just a filly, the terror of that invasion flashed back through my mind and I dropped my rifle.

I wasn't the only one who was shocked either, Winter Breeze was staring up at the symbol with just as much shock as I was, briefly I thought that she likely recognized it from the history books but I didn't have time to dwell on it.

A massive ship's bow, not like the newer cloudships but an old airship burst from the clouds with the glowing symbol above it. The ship was black with a purple envelope and it looked like it had taken a beating from the Enclave's guns.

It eased itself down closer to the tower and fired off a harpoon, pulling itself in close and for a moment just hung there, leaving us wondering what was going to happen.

A lone figure figure leaped from the airship with their wings outstretched as they came in and hit the ground with a roll, drawing their pistol quickly. She was a dark blue Pegasus mare with a purple mane with three tones to it and a cybernetic wing. She was dressed in old blackish-purple armor, but what drew my attention was her eyes, one of then was gold while the other one was a deep violet.

She was sort of a mishmash of a few different parts, but I could recognize her easily enough, it was Gambit. How in Celestia's name had Gambit wound up here of all places?

I didn't have time to dwell on it however because Winter Breeze decided to take that moment to act, she turned the rifle towards Gambit and pulled the trigger. I flinched a little and looked away, expecting to see what had happened before but instead it just bounced off the armor Gambit was wearing leaving a scratch in the armor but nothing more.

That's when something I didn't expect happened, I don't know how I missed it before but she had a horn now that started to glow violet. She wrapped it around the rifle held by Winter Breeze and yanked it out of her grip, throwing it to the side.

"Well, that wasn't very nice, do you usually shoot ponies who might be there to help you?" Gambit said as she eyed Winter Breeze.

"What the hell... who are you?" Winter Breeze demanded from her position as she looked at Gambit.

"Lieutenant Gambit, Shadowbolts, Serial Number 5374B."

We got to our hooves and rushed over to Nova, she wasn't in the best shape from the shot but she was still alive at least. I cringed a little at the blood, it looked like the bullet had done some damage but Gear Shift seemed to have the bleeding under control.

"Is she going to be okay?" I asked the Earth Pony Ranger.

"I don't know," Gear Shift admitted with a shake of her head. "She's gone into shock, I can only do so much to stabilize her here right now, I'm not a medic."

"Great..." I said with a sigh, Nomad City was still not close enough to send help and the Followers were still on lower levels of the Tower so we needed to improvise a bit, and hope that somepony might be able to help us at least. "We need a medic over here!"

That seemed to catch Gambit's attention at least as she looked back over towards us before coming over after tossing the rifle off the side of the tower. I nodded to Arc who kept an eye on Winter Breeze as Gambit approached.

"What happened to her?"

"She was shot in the shoulder as we came out here," I said as Gambit started to work on getting the armor released, she started working on getting Nova stabilized while I turned my attention to look at Winter Breeze who was still in cover.

"So what are you going to do with me?" Winter said, she almost seemed resigned to her fate at this point. "Are you going to drag me off to Junction Town and put me on trial or will you just shoot me right here?"

"Winter, we don't have to shoot you," I said as I moved closer to where the Pegasus mare was. "You've made a lot of mistakes and hurt a lot of ponies. Look at what's happened here, you've caused this much death, this much destruction, all for what? Your vision of a brighter future isn't worth anything if its bought with the blood of innocents."

"Why do you think I took this tower? The power that's contained in this tower, that could have stopped the bloodshed, we could've ended this war today!" Winter shouted. "There wouldn't have to be any more death, no more destruction, we could've had peace but you and your allies ruined it!"

"What is she talking about?" Gambit asked, I turned around to see Gambit getting up while Riva took over the care of Nova's wound. "And why did you shoot that soldier?"

"Gambit there's... a megaspell in the tower here, she tried to use it to basically force the other factions to surrender, and she plans to do it with another one now that she's failed here," I said, I had no idea what to expect out of Gambit, but I knew that this may at least get her to listen.

"YOU WANTED TO USE A WHAT?" Gambit shouted as she turned her attention directly on Winter Breeze who flinched a little.

Okay, maybe it wasn't the best plan after all.

"Are you insane? Haven't you seen what Megaspells have done to Equestria?" Gambit continued. "You want to use, one of the most destructive forms of magic, to try and what? Build a better future? How exactly did you expect that to happen?"

"You have to understand, the world isn't like what you left behind," Winter Breeze managed to say. "There's a lot of problems, sometimes you have to resort to..."

"Extreme measures in order to create a better world, I've heard it before," I said with a shake of my head. "You're just trying to justify using a weapon of mass destruction to enforce your will on Equestria. But that’s the problem, doing this just risks history repeating itself. The fact is that the Megaspells created this world - do you really think using them again would make it better?"

"And if you say you do believe that such a dream is possible through weapons of such great power - You better be ready to explain yourself, because I am not about to believe some power hungry pony looking to bend a broken world to her will." Gambit exclaimed.

“It’s because this world is so broken,” Winter Breeze finally said. “You don’t understand what’s going on here - it’s not about power, it never has been. When the Enclave first returned we did nothing to help this world, we brought only death and destruction in our wake. You cannot understand what sacrifices I’ve had to make, what I’ve had to do to, do what had to be done, what should have been done a long time ago.”

Gambit replied “You say such things, act as though your ends justify the means of your behavior. I however do not believe in such things, We thought our ends justified our means when we developed these weapons and spells, and look what it got us all; There will always be a point in which you have to admit you were wrong, own up to your mistakes, and apologize.” her voice with an eerie calm “Do you believe that you are infallible, Ms. President - Do you believe you can do no harm, or that the harm you’ve done is excusable.”

Winter Breeze said nothing, she just sat there behind cover as she thought over what we had told her. The fact was that Gambit was right, Winter Breeze was justifying all of her actions not only to Equestria but to herself.

“Winter, you need to listen to us,” I said. “You’ve done more than enough by this point, you need to learn where to draw the line and stop. I don’t know why you’re doing this, what reason you have given yourself, but I don’t think you’re doing it just for yourself. Maybe you really are trying to build a better Equestria, but that doesn’t mean you’re doing the right thing. Please, stop this before it’s too late.”

“And before you’ve forced my hoof, I don’t wish to harm you or anypony else” Gambit spoke, changing her stance, spreading wings as if ready to fight. “When I graduated from the Shadowbolt Academy, As I was sworn into duty I took an oath to uphold Dignity, Honor, and most importantly - Loyalty to Equestria and all who inhabit it; To protect them from all threats - be it foreign or domestic. Don’t make yourself a threat, Winter.”

“Ask yourself, is this really what is right for Equestria?” I asked Winter. “Are your reasons enough to justify all of this?”
Winter Breeze remained quiet for the longest time, she didn’t know what to say to that and I didn’t blame her. Maybe we were getting through to her, but it was hard to judge, I just hoped that she was listening.

There was a flash of purple light from behind the cover and the armored form of Tornado appeared. She stared at us with from behind the face mask as she levitated Winter Breeze onto her back.

“You may have won Manehattan, but this isn’t over,” a sharp mare’s voice said and it took me a moment to realize it was coming from Tornado. “We are the true Equestrian spirit, you cannot defeat us so easily.”

“You speak of the Equestrian Spirit, but do you even know what it means, what it stands for.” Gambit would retort. “An unbreakable spirit, An unstoppable force, An unimaginable power. When we’re separate we are weak, but together we are one.”

“And we will be that once more,” Tornado said and spread her wings as her horn started to glow once more.

“What do you…” I said and paused when I noticed that Gambit had started to charge at the two.

“Oh no you don’t, you aren’t going anywhere til you tell me what in the hay you mean by that!”

Just as Gambit got about halfway there, there was another flash of purple light as Tornado and Winter vanished.

“You know, you could’ve caught them if you used your wings,” I said with a roll of my eyes, I remembered how Gambit always liked to talk about how fast she was.

“Yeah, well… You’re one to talk about using your wings, ya chicken.” Gambit stammered, clearly a little confused as to how this all happened.

“Hey, that was a low blow!” I protested, this was not the time to be commenting on my wings.

“Oh yea, and lets pick on the mare that just spent 211 years in a pod in some underground facility slowly being turned into her foster sister.” Gambit would say in retort.

I was about to say something when there was the sound of more aircraft, we looked out to see the remaining Enclave aircraft taking off and flying out of the city. I breathed a sigh of relief, we had done it, the Enclave was out of Manehattan.

That’s when a chill ran up my spine and I looked up again to see something I hadn’t expected. Hovering above us was a ghastly figure of a pony skeleton dressed in a beaten up old hat and duster. It held a deck of cards in its hooves and shuffled them with the expertise of a Las Pegasus card dealer.

"What in the hay..." I'd hear Gambit say, my gaze drifting over to notice that Gambit too had been staring up in the sky to much the same location as myself, apparently we both were seeing this.

“What are you?” I demanded of the strange skeletal pony who just continued shuffling its cards before stopping and staring at us both with sunken eyes.

He drew two cards off his deck and threw them right at me, when I caught them I looked at them strangely. They were the Queen and Ace of Spades, these cards didn’t mean anything to me, what was going on?

“Ante up,” the skeletal pony said in a raspy voice before he vanished as mysteriously as he had appeared.

“What was that about?” I wondered out loud and looked at Gambit, she just shrugged a little as another sound was heard.

As the cloud cover above us broke again, the shape of Nomad City came into view flanked by its escort Vertibucks.

The Battle for Manehattan was finally over.

LEVEL UP!
Perk Received: Silver Tongue.
Details: You've gained a better skill at diplomacy. You get an extra 10 points in both speech and barter.

Author's Note

Okay guys, got some credit I gotta give here.

The character of Gambit, along with most of her lines, belongs to the always amazing Natalie. She also helped me with some of the details of this chapter, and will hopefully be writing a story about Gambit soon enough.

Chapter 20: Explanations

"Live so that when your children think
of fairness and integrity,
they think of you."
-H. Jackson Brown, Jr.

Why does she do what she does?

That's something that has been going through my mind ever since I first talked with Winter Breeze back in Stable 122. She doesn't act like a monster, she doesn't want to just kill ponies indiscriminately, she almost feels like she wants to do right by Equestria.

Then why does she still play the part of the villain of the piece? Why does she stay in charge of the Enclave? What exactly is her game? What is her ultimate motivation for doing what she does?

Is it possible she's in over her head? I honestly have no idea, but something about the way she acts still feels weird to me, that was something I'd have to figure out later though.

I smiled a little as we walked towards Star and Jade's house, Gambit was off trying to get her ship repaired after it had been shot holes in it by the Enclave, I was surprised that thing was still flying.

"Scootaloo!"

I smiled a little as the door opened and Serenity ran out of the house and hugged me tightly, I hugged her back, after everything I had been through it was nice to see a friendly face again.

"Hey Serenity, how'd things go here?" I asked as I gave the filly a smile.

"Oh, it was crazy, but the Enclave never attacked," Serenity said with a shake of her head, that was good, at least the Enclave had kept the ceasefire going. "I'm so glad you're okay."

"Me too kiddo, me too," I said as I ruffled her mane a little and looked up to see Vanilla, Star, Pure Heart and Jade coming out of the house. "So what did we miss while we were saving Manehattan from the Enclave?"

"Well, the NCR is still trying to figure out the whole vote of no confidence thing, but I think you've at least helped things go in Regina's favor," Star said. "It may all come down to how this war goes."

"Well, I hope everything works out for her," I said with a shake of my head, really the last thing the NCR needed right now was a change of leadership especially with the Enclave licking their wounds. "So, what are we going to do now?"

"Nomad City is to help secure things in Manehattan before heading back to central Equestria, at least that's the plan," Jade said as we headed into the house.

"Junction Town is of course denying any involvement in the Enclave being forced out of the city, at least officially," Vanilla said with a chuckle. "They're calling it an operation carried out by private citizens of the Wasteland, but are working to get their presence established once more in the city."

"Well, at least the Enclave is gone," Cherry said as Serenity looked up at Riva curiously.

"Who's your new friend?"

"Oh, Serenity this is Riva, she's a Viatorem from the Zebra Lands, basically she's a special diplomat that was sent to Equestria," I said with a smile. "Riva, meet Serenity."

Riva smiled and nodded politely as she shook hooves with the filly. Serenity looked at her curiously and she just shrugged a little.

"She doesn't speak Equestrian," I explained. "At least not fluently, we've had to work with translators and gestures up until this point."

"Well, that's still cool," Serenity said. "I don't think I've ever really met a Zebra before."

"Come on, lets get some time to relax at least before we have to go deal with politics again," I said as we headed back inside, it was good to be back with my family.

I just had to figure out how to tell Serenity who Winter Breeze really was, though there was something else I had to tell her first.

"Hey Serenity, remember I told you if I ever got with Cherry I'd tell you?" I said with a smirk which made Serenity's ears perk up cutely.

"You mean..." Serenity said with a smile.

"Yep, We're official as of a couple of days ago," I said with a chuckle. "So now you can stop conspiring to get us together."

"Aww, but that was so much fun!" Serenity said and I just laughed as I hugged the filly, it was good to have family.

00000

I looked out at the sprawling city of Manehattan from the observation deck of Nomad City. It was hard to believe that only 5 days ago the Enclave had come here to try and break the spirit of the NCR by taking over the city, it had almost worked too if it wasn't for me and my friends.

But at what cost? A lot of ponies had gone through rough times, lives had been lost, Tenpony Tower had been occupied all for what, another pointless war? I honestly wasn't really sure what to think about all of this, but at the moment we at least were still alive.

"Hey Scootaloo," a familiar Zebra's voice said from behind me and I turned with a smile to see Xiraia standing there in her usual cloak. "I just wanted to check and see how you were doing."

"I'm fine, thank you," I said with a smile as I gave the Zebra DJ a nod. "What about you, how are things going in Tenpony Tower?"

"As well as can be expected, we're still picking up the pieces from the Enclave's occupation but we're going to be fine," Xiraia said with a nod. "You and your friends helped us out, I was surprised to see a Zebra among your group though."

"Yeah, we met Riva during our little adventure in Stable 66, that's a long story in itself," I said and filled Xiraia in on everything that had happened while we were in Manehattan. "And, yeah that's pretty much everything."

"Well, that's quite the story, I'm sorry I couldn't report on it," Xiraia said with a shrug. "Well, I'm glad you managed to come out of all of that alive. I may have something that would be of interest to you, this was found in the quarters that Winter Breeze occupied while she was in the tower."

She reached into her saddlebags under her cloak and took out an old looking book and gave it to me. I looked at it closely, it looked like it was pretty beaten up, but I could make out the word "Diary" on the cover.

"This looks a little too old to be Winter Breeze's."

"Well, its not, I think its something she carried with her but she never got a chance to recover it," Xiraia said and looked at me with a sad look on her face. "You should read it Scootaloo, there are things in it that I think you need to know, you more than anypony."

I looked at her strangely but I gingerly opened the book to the first page, if she felt I needed to read it, I might as well see what its all about. The hoofwriting was kind of messy and a lot of the words were misspelled, but I could get the basic idea of what it said.

Dear Diary,
Hey, my mommy gave me this diary for my birthday in hopes that it would help me learn how to write better. My name is Cloudy, I'm 5 years old and living in the city of Coltlumbia. Mommy says that diaries can be a lot of help for little fillies, and told me I should write in it as often as I can about my day.

I froze as I read those words again, and again, this wasn't just anypony's diary, this was my daughter's diary. Winter Breeze must've kept it all these years, tears started to well up in my eyes, this may be the last piece of my daughter I had left other than the picture of us.

I remembered giving this to her, it was a gift for her fifth birthday, she had just learned how to read and write and I couldn't be prouder of her. It was also only a few weeks before I started speaking out against the Enclave and that had gotten me exiled, it was the last birthday I ever got to spend with my little filly.

I didn't know if she hated me for that or not, but maybe now I could get some closure on it.

Maybe now I could finally get some answers about how she really felt about me after I left... it was weird, but I wanted to know that more than anything right now.

"Th-thank you Xiraia," I said as I hugged the Zebra tightly, I couldn't thank her enough for bringing this to me. "This means more to me than you know."

"I think I have some idea," Xiraia said with a smile as she hugged back. "I can't promise you'll find all the answers you may want in there, but its worth at least reading."

I nodded and put the diary gently into my saddlebags, I was going to have to read this in private.

"Thanks again, I'll see you later," I said as I headed off to the Equestria Grand Hotel.

00000

I sat down at the table in the hotel room and looked at the diary for a long moment. She wasn't really sure what to make of all of this, I actually was holding in my hooves something that had belonged to Cloudy, the one thing that could give me closure on what happened to my daughter... and I wasn't sure if I wanted to read it.
I
took out the picture of me and Cloudy and Sky Walker, it felt like an eternity ago that we had gotten this picture taken. I had started to feel a little better about everything, at least until the Eclipse happened and the Enclave really started to take power.

Would I find some sort of answer in these pages or would it just break my heart? I didn't really know what to do, but I had to read it, I had to get some sort of answers.

I opened the diary up and turned the page to the second entry in the diary as I started to read.

Dear Diary,
Mommy took us to a cave today, she said it was something called Stable 44, it was built into the mountainside near Coltlumbia. She said that she would have to go away for awhile, that she might not be back for a long time, but she told em to be brave. She said the ponies in the Stable would take good care of me and that I needed to stay brave for her.

I miss mommy, why did she have to leave me?

I cringed a little, Stable 44 was a fairly benign Stable that was built near Coltlumbia as one of the Pegasi Stables. It was the closest place I could take her and be certain that she was safe, I didn't like that I had to put her in one of the Stables but it had at least given her a chance to survive, and maybe that would be enough at least.

Then again, if Winter Breeze and Serenity are anything to go on, that wouldn't have lasted, they'd have been forced out of the Stable eventually.

I turned the page and read the next entry.

Dear Diary,
Its now been a year since mommy left me in Stable 44, I don't know where she is and I'm terrified. The ponies here are nice enough, but they're not the same as having mommy and daddy here with me. Daddy left the Stable a few months ago saying that he was going to try and find mommy, he never came back. I don't know what's going on, where are they?

Sky Walker had left the Stable? I wasn't sure what that might mean but I was worried, he may have been captured by the Enclave and Celestia only knew what they'd do to him if they got the chance.

It kept going, there were more entries about her wondering where her parents were, I felt horrible, I had done to Cloudy exactly what happened to me when I was a filly. She was abandoned and had lost her parents just like I had, all because I had decided that some things were more important than being a mom.

Had it been worth it? Had I done the right thing by leaving the clouds like I did? I honestly had no idea anymore, there was this nagging feeling at me that told me that I hadn't.

I sighed and kept reading, I needed to read more.

Dear Diary,
I got my cutie mark today! I was helping work in maintenance with the ponies that had taken me in and I earned my cutie mark! Its of a little wrench with a few gears around it, I guess that means I'm going to be a maintenance pony or engineer or something, I wasn't expecting that, but cool! I love playing around with machinery.

I wish mommy and daddy were here to see it, I would give anything in the Stable to have them here with me right now...

I placed my hoof on the rough drawing of the cutie mark, I smiled a little, my little filly's cutie mark, she had earned it without me. I couldn't be prouder of her, she was good with tinkering with machines like I had always been when I was a filly, sometimes I wondered if maybe that could've been my cutie mark instead.

I kept reading, I needed to know more. There was surprisingly a lot, there was a lot about her first love, what she was feeling, what her day to day life was like... it was more than I could handle, I was about to stop when I reached one entry when she was in her early 20s.

Dear Diary,
Its been awhile since I had a chance to write in you but... there's some things I want to say. I never really understood why mom left me in the Stable, but I'm starting to understand now. I had my first foal the other day, I named her Jasmine, she's the spitting image of my mom, its hard to see her and not think about her.

Maybe its because I'm a mom now myself but I can understand why she did it, she wanted me to be safe and to live my life away from what was going on, at least that's what I think she wanted. I still miss her a lot, and at this point I don't think I'll ever get to see her again, but I think I finally understand why she did it.

We all make sacrifices when we become parents, we all just want to do right by our foals.

I don't know if you're still out there Mom, I don't know if you'll ever be able to read this, who knows you may walk through the Stable door tomorrow, but I know one thing.

I forgive you, and I'll always love you, no matter what.

I couldn't hold it in, I broke down crying after I finished reading that. I had been afraid of what she thought of me for the longest time, but this was exactly what I needed to read, she may have been angry at me for it, but she at least forgave me for it... she still loved me even after what I had done.

I felt a pair of forelegs wrap around my neck gently and I looked up to see Cherry smiling down at me.

"Hey Cherry."

"Hey Scootaloo, what are you reading?" She asked as she nuzzled me gently.

"Something my daughter wrote when she was growing up," I said as I closed the diary. "Its, something that Winter Breeze had but left behind."

"What did she say about you?"

I told her what I had read, she frowned a little at some of the parts and just hugged me gently at the end. "You still miss her a lot don't you?"

"Yeah, I do, its been decades since she died, but for me she was just my 5 year old daughter over a year ago," I said sadly as I looked down at the diary again. "What should I do?"

"Talk to somepony maybe, not like a therapist or one of those Heartmender things, try talking with another pony who's gone through the same thing," Cherry suggested. "You're not the only survivor out there, there are ponies who are going through the same exact thing you are and maybe they can help you."

"Well, maybe," I said then frowned a little. "The only pony nearby that is like that is Gambit..."

"Well, go talk to Gambit then, I'm sure you both need to talk about this, I'll be there if you need me," Cherry said and I nodded and we got up and headed out the door.

It was time to talk with Gambit, I just had to hope that everything would be okay.

00000

I was told that Gambit was working on the airship she had flown in on in Nomad City’s repair bays along the starboard section of the city ship. I took a deep breath as we neared the ship, it had taken damage from the fight with the Enclave so it looked pretty beat up but it was still as intimidating as I remembered.

As we approached the ship from a distance I could see Gambit working on it, she was on her hind legs and looked like she was cleaning the bow of the ship or something. As we got closer however, she didn’t appear to have anything in her hoof.

“Is she, caressing the boat?” Cherry asked as we held back a moment.

“It certainly looks like it…”

“You know the weirdest ponies you know that right?”

“I’m very aware of that fact yes…” I said with a groan as I facehooved a little, maybe I should’ve waited to talk with Ditzy or Fluttershy after all. “Well, I’m here, there’s no point in turning back now.”

Cherry nodded and I trotted forward to where the airship was. As I got closer though I swear I heard her mumbling something as if she was talking to it.

“It’s okay.. You’re okay.. No big mean ol’ pony is going to do that again..” Gambit mumbled “I’ll protect you from those big meanies.. We’ll get you fixed up, I promise..”

“Uh Gambit, are you talking to your airship?”

“And what if I was!” Gambit shouted, seemingly embarrassed.

“Nothing, never mind,” I said with a shake of my head, I wasn’t going to question the crazy mare right now, that wasn’t why I was here. “I just wanted to talk, you know- about everything.”

“What is there to talk about? I mean - we won, right?”

“We won in Manehattan yes, but Winter Breeze still got away and they’re larger than just one ship or one city. The Enclave isn’t going to stop just because we beat them there.”

“What do you mean? I mean - We handed their cupcakes to them. Why would they even try again?”

I paused for a long moment, how was I going to explain this to her? She had only woken up a few days ago so she didn’t know the full story of the Enclave, what it had done, what it was still trying to do.

“Gambit, this was only part of a much larger war, we’ve been fighting the Enclave for awhile now. They’ve gone after Stables in pursuit of… something that was locked away a long time ago, something that if they got their hooves on it would turn the tide of the war. They’re not going to give up, not until we stop them once and for all.”

“Well, what is it?” Gambit just had to question. “If it’s so important that it had to be locked away, what is it exactly? What does it do?”

“I, can’t tell you,” I said, this was not something I was ready to tell anypony about yet. “All you need to know is that it’s dangerous, so dangerous that if it was used it could destroy entire cities. It’s not the kind of power that needs to be in anypony’s hooves.”

“So is Quetzal here, But she’s mine - Going to take her away from me because you don’t think anypony should have this kind of power?”

“No, no, that’s your… wait, you named her the Quetzal?”

“‘Course I did, It’s a beautiful name and, she kind of reminds me of the birds, I don’t even know if they are still around, but It just… fits, Y’know?”

“Okay, fair enough,” I said with a shrug.

“She’s a magnificent ship, isn’t she? Survived the conflict with the Storm king - Managed to serve with distinction under the Equestrian flag after he was defeated, and now look at her. Over 200 years later, and she’s just as beautiful and powerful as she was back then.”

“Yeah, she sure is something…” I said with a slight shiver, it still scared me a little when I thought back to the invasion. “But why Quetzal? It’s not exactly green or anything that resembles a Quetzal bird.”

“You don’t see it? Really?” Gambit giving a bit of a sigh “This ship, on my way to Manehatten after hearing the radio, it seemed to be alive, and talked to me as we flew. I heard its song, and felt it move and sway to the breezes, and when the light caught her just right, she lit up in the most beautiful shades of green and red, and she just reminded me of Quetzals.”

“Oh, well okay, I mean it’s your ship so you can call it whatever you want,” I said with a shrug, it sounded crazy to me but if she felt that way there was no point in criticizing it. “Anyway no, I’m not going to take your ship away from you, the Enclave wants something, else. I’m sorry Gambit, it’s not that I don’t trust you, but this is one secret that needs to remain buried.”

“Sounds like it’s not so buried as you thought it was, What can hurt by telling me about it?”

“It’s a Megaspell, that’s all you need to know right now, okay? I’m sorry but it’s just, I don’t really trust anypony with this kind of power, especially not after the Enclave held Celestia One.”

“The heck is Celestia One, outside of a megaspell obviously, I mean - I don’t remember anything about these things.”

“Well, it basically uses concentrated sunlight to devastate whatever it’s pointed at, trust me it’s something you don’t want to mess with,” I said and shook my head. “You were right, Megaspells are the reason we are stuck in this situation. Which is why we have to stop any faction, Enclave or NCR from using this one.”

“Ever see up close and personal how the balefire bombs used on us were made? I’ve seen it up close and personal from one of the raids I went on,” Gambit would question. “It’s odd, knowing just exactly what killed so many ponies and created this world the way it is.”

“I can imagine, it’s weird sometimes, being alive after all of that,” I said as I played with my hat a little. “You get to thinking about everypony that was lost, everypony that you left behind, your friends, your family. Do you know what I mean?”

“My best friend was blown out of the sky, didn’t even find her body - I held my Foster mother as she breathed her final breath when stable 1 flooded with pink cloud, and then I got locked in a pod for 211 years I believe it was - I remember it all like it was yesterday, because it practically was for me.”

“You never quite get over it, even if you think you have, there will always be something that reminds you of what you’ve lost,” I said softly as I looked down at the floor, I was trying not to cry. “We’re all in the same boat, the survivors, you, me, and some others that survived. Maybe there’s some purpose to it, maybe we still have some crimes to answer for… I know I certainly did.”

I said that last part so quietly that I don’t even know if Gambit caught it. I doubted she knew what I had done, what the Stables had been built for, all because of me and my friends.

That was something I’d never truly be able to make up for.

“Then how do you explain me? I have no past - no future, I’m just here, out of time without a purpose.” Gambit sighed out “Not even those that saved my life are still around, I miss them all, and I question why me, and I wish that I could go be with them, or they could be here with me.”

“I wish I had answers for you, I don’t know your story, I wish there was something I could do,” I said with a sigh. “Do you regret waking up? Would you have rather died in that pod?”

“Sometimes Yes, when I first came out of the pod and found out all that happened before I came out.. I wished I could just go back in the pod, or to go and find my personal effects and use my service pistol, one last time.” Gambit said, looking away from me as if she didn’t want to see my reaction.

“Gambit I…” I started to say, I wasn’t sure how she’d react to that just yet. “I’m sorry Gambit, I’m the one who opened your pod. I got an alert related to pods while I was at the Stable-Tec building in Manehattan and I couldn’t just let ponies die.”

“Scootaloo, you may not realize what you had done, but despite the pain of finding out and learning that I’m all alone… I still thank you for what you’ve done, I know what I just said - that I haven’t a future, but maybe - just maybe I need to seek my peace before I can go.”

I nodded in understanding, there was at least one thing I could give her, at least to point her in the right direction. “You might try the wilderness up north, there’s a Tribe there called the Dayrunners and Stable 13. I, don’t know if it’ll give you the peace you want, but it may help at least.”

“What do you mean? What could be in a Stable or with this tribe that could help me?” Gambit seemed to perk up rather suddenly. “I don’t know if I’ll find what I need, but I do want to find... “ Gambit would take a deep breath. “To find where Dash is.”

“Mom… Rainbow Dash, is the reason I’m here, she put me in a pod similar to the one you were in,” I said with a nod, Gambit was one pony that I felt I could trust with this information. “After that, she went to Stable 13, you’ll find your answers there, I promise.”

“So, Dash went to a stable after they were sealed? How? I thought the stable doors once sealed couldn’t be opened?” Gambit questioned “I mean.. I guess you’re one of those ponies responsible for the Stables, you’d understand more how they work then I do - heck, I’ve only seen a couple before that final fateful day.”

“Well, the Ministry of Arcane Science had the door override codes for 13, and I believe one of them was given to her by Twilight Sparkle when she entrusted Eclipse’s safety to her. That’s, the best explanation I have really. But, she was there, I can guarantee it.”

With that, Gambit gave me a smile before she turned her attention back to the airship. “You know, I’m not going to be going anywhere for a while, She’s in bad shape - I didn’t know she was as rotten as she was. Some of this place’s engineers said that they are surprised she held together long enough to even get here, let alone have anything left after being fired on by those flak batteries.”

“Yeah, she’s quite the ship, I could talk with a friend of mine on the City council and see if we can get some resources in here to help with the repairs if that’ll help,” I offered.

“It might, I mean - She’s already got a few upgrades on the way, Did you know there is a blacksmith here? They wanted to study the screws on her, said they’ll donate new ones that’ll make her faster.”

“Well, that’s good, she’s quite the boat, err, I mean ship,” I said and facehoofed at my own slip of the tongue. “Yeah, that’s what I meant, I hope she serves you well.”

“I’ll just ignore that comment…” Gambit’s gaze drifting to Cherry “And you! Don’t think I didn’t hear you call her a boat! You better apologize to her for that!”

“What, me?” Cherry said as she trotted over next to me. “I don’t get this… okay I’m sorry for calling you a boat large, flying ship thing.”

“Scootaloo! Tell her exactly what this ship was back in our day.”

“Hey, cut me some slack here, my education in Stable 48 didn’t exactly include flying ships,” Cherry said with a pout.

“It's okay Cherry, long story short this guy called the Storm King sent a fleet of these to attack Equestria long before the war with the Zebras,” I said with a sigh, I really didn’t want to get caught between these two. “I’ll tell you more about it later.”

“Good, Now if you two don’t mind, I’d like some time to get to know my ship better.”
I nodded and we headed back out of the repair bay.

“Has she always been this…” Cherry started to ask as if she was trying to figure out how to put it.

“Odd? Maybe a little, I think it’s a ship captain thing,” I said with a shrug. “Come on, let’s go get some dinner, I still owe you a date.”

00000

The next few days passed pretty quietly, we spent time in Tenpony Tower and Manehattan to help get things back together. Manehattan was still in pretty bad shape, but things were starting to return to normal after the Enclave pulled out of the city, so that was something at least.

Three days after the battle with the Enclave, we finally got some sort of an answer as to what was going on with the NCR over the radio as usual. Xiraia's voice came over the radio on NCR Radio as we were working in one of the outlying Settlements.

"This is DJ Pon3 coming back at you with the latest news from around Equestria. Good news has just come in from Junction Town, the Senate has agreed to delay the vote of no confidence in President Regina Grimfeathers. This decision was reached after reports came in of the events of the Battle of Manehattan, so at least we finally have some bit of closure on that issue. Now, lets have some music, dedicated to one of our heroes that helped save Manehattan."

"Well, you wonder why I always dress in black,
Why you never see bright colors on my back,
And why does my appearance seem to have a somber tone.
Well, there's a reason for the things that I have on."

Finally 5 days after the occupation was broken the time came for us to leave. I was on Nomad City working on getting everything together, we'd have to leave for Stable 78 or 97 once we got back to Junction Town and I wanted to be ready to go.

"Scootaloo," a familiar voice said and I turned to see Velvet Remedy standing there with Calamity, Ditzy, Homage, and Henri. "We need to talk about something, something that you learned during the battle."

"You mean Winter Breeze being my descendant?" I said as I looked back at Velvet and the others. "Did you know about that?"

The 4 ponies and the Griffon looked hesitant, I noticed that Henri had a PipBuck on her claw, a golden one like the others, I guess I had missed it before. That was 5 Element Bearers, but where was the sixth one?

"We, knew about it yeah," Calamity said as he scratched the back of his head. "We kinda crossed paths with Winter back when we were gettin' tha elements together. She traveled with us for awhile and helped us find tha other bearers."

"At the time we didn't know the whole truth," Homage said reluctantly. "This was before she even became the President of the Enclave, as far as we were concerned she was just another pony."

"You should see these," Henri finished as she took out a box and opened it to reveal four memory orbs and a Recollector like the one I had used in Stable 13. "I know it won't give you all the answers you're looking for, but its our memories of her. We gathered them together if they would ever be needed for this kind of thing, we just didn't think that it would be like this."

I took a deep breath and took the case, maybe this would help at least give some sort of insight into what Winter Breeze was really like.

But something still bugged me, something about all of this didn't make sense, and I wasn't sure I wanted to know what the truth was.

"Why would you keep this from Equestria?" I asked as I looked at the five again. "If you could've known who she was, what might come to pass... why didn't you warn ponies?"

"Because she was our friend, she wasn't a monster to us," Ditzy wrote on the chalkboard and looked at me apologetically.

"I promise, everything will make sense," Velvet said with a nod. "Come on, lets go."

I nodded and we headed to my hotel room, the others weren't there at the moment, so we'd have the privacy we needed. I took out the Recollector and placed it on my head and looked at the first of the Memory Orbs.

It was time to learn who Winter Breeze really was.

00000

When I first entered the memory orb the first thing I became aware of was the sensation of something between my hind legs. It took me a moment to realize I was experiencing the memories of a stallion and it felt, weird. I couldn't explain why, it just felt strange to me, almost alien. I didn't dwell on it long, I had to get an idea of where I was and what was going on.

I found myself in what looked like a settlement at first, then I saw the tents, they were everywhere. Inhabiting them were Pegasi dressed in clothes that looked like they had been through a war, I was starting to realize that I was looking at a refugee camp.

"These poor ponies," a familiar voice said next to me and I turned to see Velvet Remedy walking along side my host. "I wish there was more we could do to help them."

"Ah know what yah mean," my host said, the accent meant I was reliving Calamity's memories, well that was one question answered at least. "Most of these ponies didn't ask fer this, they just wound up gettin' caught up in tha crossfire between tha Enclave and the rebels, its a shame that so many were made homeless."

Oh, that's who these ponies were, they were refugees from the Enclave Civil War. They must have been forced to the surface to get away from the fighting above the cloud cover.

I was really starting to hate the Enclave even more at this point, they could've done more to help these ponies but because they didn't they had made refugees out of their own citizens. Why did they want me to see this, how was this related to Winter Breeze at all? Something about this felt weird, but I was sure that I was going to get an answer soon, at least I hoped so.

"Do you really think we may find an Element Bearer among these ponies?" Velvet said as she looked at my host. "It would be hard to find magic or generosity in this kind of situation."

"Ah know, but Ah heard rumors about a mare who..." Calamity started to say and stopped when he saw something, there was a Pegasus mare with a blue coat and messed up mane and tail, she was dressed in the same burnt clothes as the others but she carried herself differently.

I knew who she was, Winter Breeze, not the poised and calm President I had met, but as a refugee. She must have fled to the surface with the other ponies when the fighting started.

She was currently at a rough eating area with what meager food she had and was passing it around to a group of foals that were there. They all looked scared but at the same time they look relieved, I didn't know where their parents were but I could tell that there was something more to what was going on with Winter.

"Don't worry my little ponies, everything will be just fine," Winter said reassuringly, her voice had lost the coldness I had come to expect from her, instead she seemed kind, almost motherly.

"Thank you Ms. Breeze," one of the foals said as Winter placed a plate in front of him. "You're a lifesaver."

"You're welcome, don't worry, I'll make sure you all have enough to eat," Winter said with a soft smile as she took out what small amount of food and water was left and sat down to eat.

I was starting to get what they meant, Winter Breeze was as hungry as the foals were, but she was giving them a chance at surviving instead of focusing on her own needs. She was genuinely concerned about the well being of her fellow Pegasi and wanted to help them as best she could.

What had happened in the intervening time to change that?

"Do you think that's the one we were told about?" Velvet asked as she looked at my host. "She doesn't seem to be your typical Enclave refugee at least."

"Ah'm not sure, come on lets see if we can talk ta her," my host said as we trotted forward and came up to the group of ponies, my host tipped his hat to them with a smile. "Howdy ya'll."

"Can I help you?" Winter asked as she looked at the two ponies with a bit unease on her face as she noticed my host's flank where the Dashite Brand was. "I see, you're Deadshot Calamity then aren't you?"

"Err, yes, that would be me," my host said, I got a feeling of unease from him as if he was nervous about how she might react to that information. "We're here because we heard about tha refugee camp and what's been goin' on with tha war, we wanted ta help as best we could."

Winter looked at them for the longest moment as if she was considering their words. She wasn't sure what to make of either of them and I wasn't sure if they knew what to make of her either, these were two ponies that had come up to her and wanted to offer their help, so she couldn't exactly afford to say no.

"What do you have?" she finally said with a sigh.

"Food, water, medicine, we can get it all here in a few days," Velvet offered. "I know it seems hard to believe, but we just want to help as best we can. This tragedy..."

"The civil war is the Enclave's own fault, they brought it on themselves a long time ago, but its those of us who just want to live our lives that have to suffer the most for it," Winter said as she wrapped her wings gently around the foals. "We'll take whatever help you can give us for the camp."

"Alright then, I will send word to the others to have it sent in a few days," Velvet said and reached into her bag and took out several food and drink items and set them on the ground. "Consider this the first of more to come, you need it more than we do."

Winter smiled a little at that as she gathered up the food and gave the two ponies that had helped her a smile. "Thank you, both of you, this means a lot to us."

"Yer very welcome," my host said with a smile and another tip of his hat. "We'll see ya'll around Ah'm sure, take care of yourselves."

Winter nodded and my host and Velvet left to go look around the camp more.

"Well, what do yah think?" My host asked as he looked at Velvet again.

"I'm not sure to be honest, she does seem to be a possible candidate, but there's something about her," Velvet said with a sigh. "Its probably nothing though, lets stay here for a few more days and see what happens next."

"Ah agree, hopefully it won't be too long before those supplies get here," my host said with a nod. "Come on, lets get word ta Ditzy and tha others, Ah'm sure they'll be happy ta know we made contact at least."

Velvet nodded and we walked off to send the message. The camp wasn't easy to look at, but now I was starting to understand what was going on a lot better.

00000

When I entered the second memory orb I was relieved to find that I wasn't in the body of a stallion again, actually based on the charcoal colored hooves I was in Velvet's body this time.

I was back in the refugee camp, this time I was accompanied by Homage who was talking with some of the refugees at the moment. She trotted back over to my host and gave me a nod.

"Okay Velvet, the mare we're looking for seems to be in the large tent at the center of the camp, apparently she's converted it into some sort of school," Homage said which surprised my host a little but she smiled a little.

"So, our candidate is a teacher then?"

"Sounds like it, apparently she's been working to help the foals as well as any ponies that show interest learn more about Equestria's history and other things," Homage said with a chuckle. "She's become quite the fixture in the camp and a lot of ponies are taking notice."

"I see," my host said with a shrug as they headed into the tent at the center where there were ponies of varying ages sitting in a circle while Winter Breeze was reading from a book. It was kind of weird but it almost felt right for her, maybe it was because of what I knew about her, but somehow I felt like she was more at home here than anywhere else.

"So the next major threat faced by Equestria following Nightmare Moon's return was the return of Discord. The exact events of how he was freed from his stone prison is unknown, but some historians point to a class trip at the time that happened to be in the garden being one possibility."

Oh great, how was that for a confidence booster, I'm now being reminded that I helped release Discord from his prison. Oh well, at least it all kind of worked out in the end.

The class continued for a little while longer with the students asking a few questions of Winter as she continued her lesson. She finally closed the book up and dismissed the class before she looked at my host and Homage.

"Well, I must say I wasn't expecting another visit from you," she said with a smile as she trotted over to us. "I never got to introduce myself before, my name is Winter Breeze."

"Nice to meet you," my host said with a smile as she shook hooves with the Pegasus mare. "I'm Velvet Remedy, this is my friend Homage."

"Its a pleasure," Winter said. "I saw you decided to sit in on my little class, its been awhile since I really got to teach, I'm glad I got the opportunity here."

"You were a teacher?" Homage asked curiously.

"I was, before, well that's not important," Winter said dismissively, I was pretty sure I knew what she meant by that. "Now I'm just a pony trying to make my way in the world and help others as best I can."

My host and Homage exchanged a long look as if they were thinking the same thought, I was starting to get what they were thinking. Winter Breeze had shown a lot of the best attributes of an Element Bearer, they were going to be taking a risk by revealing it to a pony they didn't really know as well, but if she was the pony they thought she was, it may be worth the risk.

Maybe she was, but then why wasn't she carrying around one of the Elements? Something about this didn't sit right with me, and I was afraid of what the answer might be.

"What if we told you there was a chance you could help Equestria?" Homage suggested and Winter looked at her curiously.
"What do you mean?"

"We need ponies who can wield the Elements of Harmony, and while I know its a long shot, we wanted to see if you'd be willing to at least try," my host said as she offered Winter a hoof. "What do you say, a chance to make history and help Equestria be reborn?"

Winter looked surprised at that, she hadn't expected to have that offer be made at all. I didn't blame her, that was something that nopony would ever expect to be offered, Winter at this point was just a normal pony that was about to take her first steps into a much larger world.

"Well, if you think it'll help, I'll at least try," she said with a smile and took my host's hoof, shaking it gently. "Equestria needs a future, I would be happy to be part of giving it that future."

My host smiled and nodded, that was what she wanted to hear, now it was just a matter of seeing if Winter Breeze was the right pony for the job.

"Lets get finished up here first," Homage said with a nod as she looked around at the refugee camp. "The last thing we need is to let this place fall apart."

Winter nodded in agreement as they went to talk with the other ponies in the camp. After that they went to the outskirts of the camp where the other bearers were waiting.

"Howdy," Calamity said with a smile as my host took a spot next to him. "Ah'm glad yah could join us."

"I'm glad to be here," Winter said with a smile. "So, umm, where are these elements of harmony?"

Ditzy nodded and took out two items I recognized them as the old versions of the Elements of Magic and Generosity. Winter looked at them curiously as if she wasn't quite sure what to expect out of them.

"What do I do?"

"Just touch them, if you're going to bear one it'll react to you," Homage said and nodded to her. "Don't worry, you'll do fine, I promise."

Winter placed her hoof on the crown that was the Element of Magic first, nothing happened. When she placed her hoof on the Element of Generosity there was a brief reaction, just a quick light blue glow coming from it before it faded, leaving it laying there the same it was before.

"Well, Ah admit Ah've never seen that happen before," Calamity said as he scratched his head a little. "Ah have ta admit, Ah don't quite know what that means."

"Sorry Winter, it might mean you're not the one, or it might mean you're just not ready, I'm sorry," my host said and Ditzy looked at her sympathetically.

"Its okay, I knew it was a longshot really," Winter said with a shake of her head.

"Well, thanks for at least trying," my host said, she seemed more disappointed than anything else, I was getting the feeling that this search was starting to drag on a bit.

"Look, I know its not really my place, but maybe I can help you out," Winter said after a long moment. "I know I didn't get picked, but maybe there's some way I can still help. There are still ponies out there that could work, I'd be happy to at least help you search for them."

There was a brief discussion over what to do before finally they agreed, the world went white around me again.

00000

My next host felt weird again, though I think this one was female at least. It took me a moment to realize I was inhabiting the body of a Griffon, at least until I noticed that she had a talon gripped around a mug and took a long drink of it before setting it back down on the bar.

"Another."

"I'm starting to think you've had enough Henri," the bartender pony said as she looked at her for a long moment, she was a Pegasus mare with off white fur. "And you're not exactly rolling in the caps these days."

"Put it on my tab," my host said with a groan as she shot the bartender a groan. "You know I'm good for it, I just need another job."

"Yeah, well unless you want to try Reino the jobs aren't exactly coming through this area," the bartender said with a shake of her head. "Fine, one more drink, then I'm cutting you off until you can get more caps."

"I'll take care of that for her," a mare's voice said and my host looked up to see Winter Breeze standing there, she set a pile of caps down on the bar and gave the bartender a nod. "Get the hen her drink and a Sparkle-Cola for me."

"Coming right up," the bartender said and swept the caps off the bar and went to get the drinks.

"So what do you want, somepony killed?" My host asked as she looked at Winter Breeze. "You don't seem the type to just give things out for charitable reasons."

"You're Henrietta Firebright right?" Winter asked as she looked at my host carefully.

"What's it to you blue?"

"My name is Winter Breeze, I'm here representing a group of ponies that are interested in your services," Winter said as the bartender came back and put the drinks down in front of us. "What do you say to saving Equestria?"

"Don't bother, Gawd tried the same sales pitch on me after she saved me from the Talons awhile back, it didn't work for her, it ain't gonna work for you," my host said as she took a long drink. "I'm not one to run off and join some new faction that'll probably fold in a few months anyway."

"I'm not here to get you to join the New Canterlot Republic," Winter said as she popped the cap on her bottle of Sparkle-Cola and took a long drink. "I'm here to make you a different kind of offer, there's a chance you could be able to help Equestria recover with more than just promises."

"That's a laugh, I'm just a merc, you don't need me for that kind of job," my host said with a shake of her head. "Last time I tried that kind of thing, it got me a broken heart and a dead sister, no thank you."

"Do you want to talk about it?" Winter asked as she looked at the Griffon. "I talked with Watcher, he told me about Puppysmiles and what you two went through together. And what happened to her at the end of the Big 52, you cared about that filly didn't you?"

"I did, and I'm the one who let her die..." My host said as she gripped her mug in her talon. "That, thing had a grip on her, I should've figured out another way to stop it."

"Henri, you did your best and you gave her what she needed to be able to pass on," Winter said and placed her hoof on my host's shoulder. "You did your best and you were there for her when she needed you to be. You were the big sister she needed, sure you may have made mistakes, but you did what you could to help her in the end. Maybe there was another way, but you can't keep beating yourself over what ifs. Puppysmiles wouldn't want you to do that, and she'd want you to help Equestria if given the chance. We're giving you that chance, all you have to do is have a little faith."

My host looked at Winter for a long moment, she wasn't sure what to say to this mare, I didn't really blame her. Winter was good, she was very good at what she did, I could certainly see how she had managed to convince the Enclave to do everything it had been doing.

My host smiled and took her hoof. "Alright, I'll come along on your crazy mission, what do you need me to do?"

"First, lets finish these drinks," Winter said with a smile as she raised her bottle. "To Puppysmiles."

"To Puppysmiles," my host said with a smile and tapped her mug against the bottle and they both took a long drink.

The world around me went white once more.

00000

The next body I was in felt, weird, it took me a moment to realize I was actually in a ghoul's body. It was a strange sensation to realize your body was rotting, but I guess Ditzy had become used to it over the years. That's who's body I was in now, and we were in some sort of cave system on platforms attached to a Megaspell chamber. The other Element Bearers and an Earth Pony stallion I didn't recognize was there too, he must've been the bearer of Generosity along with Lifebloom.

Spike was there too along with Winter Breeze, she had accompanied them this far I guess, and it looked like it was time to actually set off Gardens of Equestria.

"Are you ready?" Spike asked as he looked at Lifebloom who was preparing to cast the spell.

"Everything's in place, this should work," Lifebloom said as he finished the preliminary checks on the Megaspell. "Everything checks out, looks like its time to fire this thing off."

His horn glowed as he cast the spell into the Megaspell itself, the Elements of Harmony all started to glow and I felt a weird sensation as I began to rise up with the energy connecting all of us. It was a weird sensation to say the least but not an unpleasant one.

There was a burst of energy as the magic flew up out of the mountain cave and out of view. For a moment it seemed like nothing happened until we looked at the monitors on the Crusader Maneframe, the cloud cover was finally gone once and for all, and we could see things changing, the grass was coming back, life was coming back to Equestria.

"Come on, lets see this for ourselves," Velvet said as we climbed off the platforms and headed out into the cave proper and looked out at the sprawling landscape in front of us.

It was unbelievable, everything seemed to be changing as the wave of magical energy spread across Equestria. We could see for miles and it actually looked like things were improving, that maybe Equestria had a chance once more.

At least that's until we heard what sounded like a crack of thunder above us, we gulped and looked up to see a massive cloud ship descending towards us. I could see the Enclave symbol painted on it next to the name Hurricane.

"That's, a Thunderhead," Calamity said as we backed up a little, what was the Enclave doing here? "What tha hay is goin' on now?"

"I have no idea," Velvet said.

My host turned to see Winter trying to hide behind the massive form of Spike. She tilted her head a little at that, what was going on?

I knew exactly what was going on, this was when the Enclave had come for Winter.

A Vertibuck was launched off the ship and it came in for a landing near the cave entrance and several ponies dressed in Enclave Power armor stepped off. The leader of them removed their helmet revealing a Pegasus stallion with a black coat and a short grey mane.

"We're looking for Secretary of Education Winter Breeze," he said in a cold voice that betrayed no emotion. "She has been tracked to this location from the Refugee camp near Maresprings, will you give her over peacefully or will there be a problem?"

"We're not going to give into bullies that easily," the Earth pony stallion said as he looked at the Enclave soldier hard for a long moment. "What do you want with her?"

"The Enclave needs to be rebuilt, we need her help in rebuilding it," the Pegasus said as he looked at her hiding behind Spike. "You're the last one in the line of succession to be in charge, you're our only hope at surviving."

"Well, maybe ya'll shouldn't survive then!" Calamity shouted, which actually made the Enclave soldier flinch a little. "Did yah ever think about that? Maybe the Enclave ain't worth savin' if ya'll had ta resort ta such methods as Operation Cauterize."

"We will level this mountain with the Hurricane if you don't turn her over," the soldier said as he narrowed his eyes at us. "We will willingly kill all of you and destroy whatever you have hidden in that cave. This is your last chance to make it out of this alive."

There was a long tense moment as the Enclave soldiers waited for an answer. We looked up at the Thunderhead looming above the mountain, that ship was terrifying, I had no doubt that it could do exactly what the soldier said it would do, and without hesitation.

"I'll go..." A voice said from behind us and we turned to see Winter moving out of hiding and walking forward. "I'll go with you, but you have to promise not to fire on them."

"Winter, you don't have to do this," Velvet said as she reached out towards Winter, the Pegasus mare turned back and looked at all of us sadly. "You don't have to do what they want you to do, you're better than them."

"I know... but I have to," Winter said sadly as she started to cry a little. "Maybe this is my chance to change Equestria... I just hope it'll be for the better."

My host took out her chalkboard and wrote on it two simple words "Never forget." Winter smiled and nodded in understanding before turning back to look at the soldiers.

"Alright, I'm coming with you," she said, though the pain was evident in her voice as she climbed aboard the Vertibuck and it started up.

We all watched as it took off and flew towards the Thunderhead above. Not long after the ship charged up its engines and flew off, leaving us all on the ledge.

With that my vision turned white one last time as the Memory Orbs came to an end.

00000

I blinked when I woke up and found myself staring at the ceiling of the hotel room. Everything was starting to make more sense all of a sudden, maybe it explained a few things about Winter's behavior that I didn't know before.

She had helped ponies, educated them, comforted a Griffon who had lost her sister, she wasn't what I had expected out of the leader of the Enclave. That much was now clear, Winter Breeze was different.

"Do you think there's still good left in her?" I finally asked out loud as I looked at the five Element bearers who just looked at me for a long moment. "She's done things, things that I don't know if Equestria can forgive... I don't know what to think anymore to be honest."

"We don't know either," Homage admitted as she looked down at her hooves. "She's changed, she feels different from the mare we knew back then. Its not up to us whether or not she can be saved though, its up to her."

I sighed and looked out the window through the dome out into the sky. I could see a gathering of storm clouds in the distance, and for a moment I swore I saw the stern of an airship vanish into them.

I knew that if we were going to win this war, Winter Breeze was going to have to be stopped, one way or another.

I just hoped that she could be stopped.

There was a feeling of the city moving very briefly as the engines fired up and started off towards Junction Town, it was time to continue the fight.

LEVEL UP!
Perk Received: Sky Pirate.
Details: You've gained a better knowledge of the swashbuckling past of Equestria's air force. You gain an extra point in melee attacks when using a bladed weapon and greater movement speed.

Chapter 21: Hybrid

"I choose my friends for their good looks,
my acquaintances for their good characters,
my enemies for their good intellects."
-Oscar Wilde

The next day I was alone in my hotel room when there was a knock at the door, I was still trying to figure out what to do about all of this to be honest. Things weren't going well, the Enclave was licking its wounds right now but they would be back before too long.

"Excuse me, are you Scootaloo Dash?" A stallion's voice said as I answered the door, standing there was a pony dressed in what looked like a rough delivery outfit from before the war looking at me.

"Uh, yeah, can I help you?" I asked as I looked at him for a long moment.

"Yes, I was asked to take this to you by a Ms. Gambit," he said as he took out a box and held it out to me. "She said that she wanted you to have these."

"Oh?" I asked as I took out some caps to give the delivery pony a tip before I took the box, I honestly wasn't sure what to make of this, but if Gambit wanted me to see it. "Did she say anything else?"

"She said you're going to need it," the delivery stallion said and I blinked a little, I had no idea what she meant by that, but I thanked him and carried the box inside with me.

When I opened it up I was a bit surprised to see what was inside. First there was a dark blue feather that looked like it had probably come from Gambit's wing, I had no idea why she had given me this but maybe it would become more obvious when I looked at everything else.

Second was a folded up outfit, when I took it out I was a bit surprised to find that it was an old Shadowbolts uniform. This was probably Gambit's spare uniform or something, I had no idea why she had given this to me, but she had to have some sort of reason.

When I picked up the third one I was surprised to find it was a flag, a black flag that had a pony skull with two crossed swords beneath it. A pirate flag? That was kind of an odd thing to show me.

Finally there was a folded up piece of paper, when I opened it up I paused at the words that were written on it.

"Every so often every normal mare must be tempted to spit on her hooves, hoist the black flag, and start slitting throats."

Was this her way of saying that I needed to stop playing by the rules of the old world? This was honestly a bit confusing to me, Gambit was a strange mare to say the least, why would she send me these things? I got a weird feeling that she was playing with my mind somehow, but I didn't know how.

Maybe she was right, we were fighting the Enclave sure, but more often than not we were playing more by the rules of the old world and it wasn't doing us a whole lot of good. I hated to think that we may have to break the rules, but why?

One thing that jumped to mind was something mom had told me about once, a story about during the war with the Storm King they had crossed paths with pirates and had inspired them to stop following the rules and be awesome.

Or maybe she just wanted to mess with me, it was really hard to tell sometimes.

I then noticed that there was more written on the paper and frowned a little at what I read.

"I talked with a stallion named Pimento on Nomad City while I was here. He says he's the father of your Marefriend's foal, he doesn't want to ruin what you two have but he'd at least like to be considered to be allowed to be a part of his daughter's life. Its up to the two of you really, but I think you should at least consider it, I know you would want the same done for you if you could have your family."

"Really Gambit? Now you're messing with my love life," I said with a sigh, but she wasn't wrong really. I'd have to talk with Cherry about it though, I wasn't really sure what she would want to do, I just had to figure out how to bring it up to her.

I sighed and put the stuff into my saddlebags, it was almost time to meet Cherry and the others at Star's place so there was at least that, maybe I could talk to her then, at least I hoped so.

00000

"So, there's still what, three keys left in play?" Cherry asked as we headed towards the house that evening.

"Yeah, 26, 78, and 97," I said with a sigh, I was starting to feel like this whole thing was a waste of time given that the Enclave was just going to get them anyway at this rate. "Its hard to tell just which one they're going after next is the problem, and they're pretty spread out across Equestria."

"But now that they've failed in Manehattan, they're going to be even more determined to get access to, whatever it is that those keys lock away," Cherry said with a sigh as she nuzzled me gently. "How dangerous is this? You don't just lock something away for no reason, especially not with this much security."

"Trust me, what's locked away by Protocol Zeta is something that if let out, will make what's already happened to Equestria look like a fireworks show," I said with a sigh. "I know its hard to understand, but I kept it locked away for the good of Equestria, now its going to threaten everyone living here, and that includes the Enclave."

"I see."

I paused for a long moment, I kept thinking about what that note from Gambit had said. She was right about one thing, if I had the chance to be with my parents again and something was keeping me from doing that, how would I feel?

"Cherry, I know this isn't going to be easy, but there's something that I'd like to talk to you about," I said, I tried not to sound as nervous as I felt. "Its, hard to explain but, Gambit left a message behind that she had met with Pimento."

"Oh, I see..." Cherry said as she looked at me for a long moment. "What did he want?"

"Well, I don't know what they talked about specific, but she suggested that maybe he should be allowed to be part of your daughter's life," I said and Cherry frowned. "I'm sorry, I just, I don't I don't know to be honest."

"I see," Cherry said with a sigh as she looked at me, she looked reluctant as if she was trying to figure out exactly what to say about this. "I know he's not really the same as he was before, he's changed but... I don't know to be honest. What do you think I should do?"

"You want to know what I think?" I asked, I was a bit surprised to be honest.

"Of course Scootaloo, I love you, your opinion is very important to me," Cherry said with a smile as she took my hooves in her's. "I want to spend the rest of my life with you and raise this filly together, of course I'm willing to listen to whatever you think we should do."

I thought for a long moment as I tried to figure out exactly how to say this. Cherry was the most important thing in Equestria to me right now and I just wanted to make sure that I said everything the right way.

"I think you should let him into her life," I said with a smile as I looked at Cherry. "I lost the opportunity to really know my parents when I was a filly because of the accident that killed them. If I could've gotten to know just one of them, or both, it would've been great. I honestly think you should let him be part of her life, you don't have to be in a relationship with him, just allow him to be there for his daughter when she needs him."

Cherry thought for a long moment as she looked down at the ground, she wasn't really sure what to think about what to think about this. I didn't blame her, she was from a completely different society than I was raised in so she may not have the same ideas I had, I just had to hope that she'd be able to listen to reason.

"I never knew my father, well I never know who he was at least," Cherry said with a sigh as she shook her head. "Stable 48 didn't really have that kind of thing because of the way it was built."

"Yeah, I'm sorry about that," I said sheepishly.

"Its okay, but I still have a lot to think about, I really only knew my mom because I was a breeder," Cherry continued. "This is our chance to live a completely different life than I knew before in Stable 48. Maybe, just maybe I'll give him a chance, but right now I just want to finish this war with you. When its all over, I'll figure out what to do. I, actually would like to at least make him part of her life."

I smiled and hugged Cherry, I knew she'd make the right choice. "You're going to be a great mom Cherry," I said with a smile as I nuzzled her gently. "I love you so much Cherry Blossom."

"I love you too Scootaloo Dash," Cherry said with a smile as she nuzzled me back. "Come on, lets go get some dinner. Don't you still have something you should tell Serenity?"

"Oh, right, that..." I said with a groan, I still hadn't figured out exactly how I was going to tell Serenity about what I had learned during the battle of Manehattan. "I honestly don't know how I'm going to tell her that yet, I mean family is important, but I'm not sure if she'd really understand..."

"It is a lot to take in," Cherry said with a sigh as we stopped in front of the house. "I'm honestly still shocked about it, I mean Winter Breeze is..."

"I know, its something that we'll all have to accept I guess," I said with a sigh as I brushed my mane back a little. "And what I learned from the Element Bearers just cemented it in my mind, I don't think she's evil, just misguided."

"I hope you're right Scootaloo, I really do," Cherry said and gave me a kiss on the cheek. "Come on, lets go inside."

I nodded and we headed into the house.

00000

"So, what's the latest word from Junction Town?" I asked as we sat down to eat, we'd be arriving at the NCR capital sometime overnight. "Have they figured out the next course of action yet?"

"Not yet, and the Enclave is being quieter than usual," Star said with a shake of her head. "They have ponies watching the entrance to all the known Stables, but they can't exactly spread themselves too thin in this kind of war."

"Yeah, I know," I said as I took a bite of food. "So Serenity, did anything interesting happen while I was gone?"

"Oh no, not really, we hung out with Happy Smiles a bit, but since there was the whole ceasefire thing we didn't really have a lot to do," Serenity said with a shrug. "It was pretty boring here, I'm glad something finally happened at least."

I paused a long moment, how was I going to tell her this? Should I even tell her this in front of the others? Sure my friends knew but not Star and her family.

"Oh, I heard some good news, Paladin Nova is going to be just fine," Jade said. "They had to do some reconstructive surgery on her leg but all things considered she got lucky."

"That's good," I said and let out a sigh of relief. When me and Serenity finished our food I figured it was as good a time as any. "Serenity, can I talk to you in the other room?"

She looked at Vanilla who nodded. "Okay."

We headed into the living room and took a seat, I took a deep breath and started to talk. "Serenity, while I was in Tenpony Tower I ran into Winter Breeze," I said, which made the filly's ears perk up curiously. "She and I talked briefly, and... I learned something, something I didn't expect. Do you remember that Reticle said Winter Breeze intervened on your parents' behalf to get them assigned to the same unit?"

"Yeah, I thought that was weird but I didn't think anything of it, I mean maybe she was just being nice," Serenity said with a shrug.

"It, wasn't exactly that," I said and rubbed my foreleg a little, this wasn't going to be easy to tell her but she deserved to know the truth. "Serenity, when I met her she told me something, well really I put it all together, but still. Winter Breeze, is actually my descendant too. She's your cousin, that's probably why she arranged to get your parents in the same place together."

Serenity froze, she just looked at me with her eyes wide as if she hadn't expected me to say that. I didn't blame her, I was still trying to process the whole thing myself, it was not something I had expected to learn even if I had put together all the clues.

I couldn't imagine what was going through Serenity's mind right now, I mean I had something of an idea sure. Family was important to her, she had always wondered who her family was and now I was telling her the truth, how was she going to be able to handle that?

"That's..." Serenity finally started to say but she couldn't finish the sentence. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah, I'm positive, its the only thing that makes sense," I said with a sigh as I pulled Serenity into a hug. "I'm sorry, I know what you're probably feeling right now, and I don't blame you. I'm still trying to figure it out myself."

Serenity just hugged me back and sighed a little. "But... how... I mean she's so... you know..."

"Honestly, I'm starting to realize that there's a lot more to Winter Breeze than any of us knew," I said with a shake of my head. "But hey, at least it wasn't all bad, I got together with Cherry right?"

"Yeah, but now I can't tease you about it!" Serenity said with a laugh. "Though I could always tease you about when you two are finally going to get married."

"Oh dear Celestia, you're like a miniature version of Arc Light!" I said with a laugh as I hugged Serenity tight. I then grinned, I knew just how to get my revenge on the filly. "So, how's it going with Pure Heart, have you asked her out yet?"

"Oh come on, that's no fair, we're only 10!" Serenity protested as her face turned almost as red as her mane. "She's just a friend!"

I just laughed and ruffled her mane, then again that was just how it started with Sweetie Belle, she was just a friend to me too. Funny how that all works out in the end doesn't it?

"Its not so fun when its turned on you is it Serenity?" I said with a chuckle as I hugged the filly gently.

"Haha, very funny," Serenity said with a groan, but she just laughed and hugged me back. "I'm, still not sure about the whole thing with Winter, do you really think that it might be possible that she's... you know..."

"Not evil? I don't pretend to understand how her mind works, but there's, something about her," I said with a shake of my head. "It may be my imagination, but I think it'll be okay."

"Hey, is everything okay?" Vanilla asked as she came into the room. "You two have been in here for awhile."

"Yeah, everything's fine," I said as I released Serenity from the hug. "We were just talking about something is all, don't worry about it."

"Okay good, sounds like we'll be arriving at Junction Town soon," Vanilla said and gave Serenity a nod. "President Grimfeathers wants to talk to you and the others when we arrive."

"I figured she would," I said with a shrug as we headed back into the dining room. "Hopefully its not to throw me back in jail after all of this."

"We'll see I guess, at least it can't be much worse than what you just went through," Vanilla pointed out.

"I don't know, dealing with politicians or dealing with the Enclave, I'm not actually sure which is worse," I said with a chuckle. "At least with the Enclave they'll just shoot at you instead of making you listen to speeches."

Vanilla just chuckled and we took our seats at the table once more.

Even if it wasn't likely to last, it was nice to be able to sit down and have a normal meal instead of having to worry about the war. If the Enclave wanted to come, I just had to hope that they'd at least leave us alone tonight.

00000

"Scootaloo, its so good to see you again," Regina said as she got up and offered me a claw to shake as me and my friends filed into the office. "I'm glad to see all of you made it out of Manehattan alive, and you have a new friend I see."

"That's right, Riva here is a representative from a nation called the Free Roam Alliance," I said and nodded to Riva who gave Regina a smile. "She's here because they're being plagued by the Enclave as well, among other things."

"I see, well we'll have to set her up with a translator and we'll be able to get more done hopefully," Regina said before she turned her attention back to me. "I've read all the reports out of Manehattan about what you and your friends did, I must say I was a bit surprised at everything you did."

"All in a day's work," Cherry said with a chuckle. "We're just happy to help stop the Enclave from getting any more powerful than they have already."

Regina nodded and looked at me again with a long pause before she spoke again. "I also read the report on what happened in the Megaspell Chamber from Paladin Gear Shift," she said and we all became quiet for a long moment. "We had Reticle decrypt the file in your genealogical records from before and she confirmed it. The question now is how are we to proceed with this new information?"

That was the question wasn't it? If we used this information we could turn the Enclave against Winter Breeze, that would create chaos and confusion among their ranks, which may give us an advantage in the long run.

But at the same time it would give the hardliner members of the Enclave like Cloud Chaser ammunition to use against Winter Breeze, and against us. Winter had kept it hidden because she was afraid of how the Enclave would react, something I didn't blame her for, if she really was trying to create change then this would only hurt her chances of doing so.

As much as I hated to admit it, there was only one choice we could make.

"How many ponies know about this?"

"Myself, General Sparkle, Nova, Gear Shift, your friends, and Elder Ironsides," Regina said. "This kind of information could change the course of the entire war, but we're honestly not sure what to do."

"Don't reveal it, at least not yet," I said and looked at my friends who all nodded in agreement. "Winter Breeze is, complicated I'm starting to realize that. If we let her be removed from power we might wind up hurting ourselves in the long run. I'm not saying its ideal, but its the best solution we have right now, we have to keep this information under wraps if we don't want to risk making the situation even worse."

"Alright then, I understand," Regina said before she turned to look at a map of Equestria. "The Enclave has already been spotted on their way to Vanhoover, does that mean anything to you Scootaloo?"

"It might," I said with a sigh, it sounded like another Stable was about to come into play. "Stable 78 is up there, have they been going after any other Stables?"

"No, just the ones that willingly joined them, and there's a few of those out there," Regina said with a shake of her head. "So, what's the story with 78?"

Everyone looked at me, I was the expert here, I knew every experiment we had used for the Stables and I knew exactly what it was for 78.

"Hybridization," I said simply. "The Stable was built with a mixture of ponies, Zebras, and even Griffons in order to test the viability of hybrids to continue the population. It required a little extra work to ensure that the offspring was viable, but assuming they've kept up with everything they were supposed to do it should still be in play."

"I see," Arc said as she looked at me for a long moment. "Are you sure that the Enclave is after this Stable in particular?"

"Yeah, its the only thing in the area I know of that they'd be interested in," I said with a shake of my head. "78 was also associated with Project Shape, not one of our better ideas."

"Oh right, I remember that, that was a supersoldier project that created a Hybrid during the war," Regina said and I nodded. "I didn't know that had any facilities outside of the one in Neigh Orleans.

"It normally didn't, but the military wanted a part in this project so we wound up giving them Stable 78," I said with a shake of my head. "Project Shape was, not one of our proudest moments. We only really did it because it was the only way to get some of the equipment we needed for other projects."

"So then, we're heading to Vanhoover?" Cherry asked as she looked between me and Regina. "Well, there goes our nice relaxing break from the war."

"Yeah, well the Enclave isn't exactly going to take a break, and if these Stables are as important as you say they are, we need to do this," Regina said as she looked at me. "Is there any way to keep the Enclave from getting these keys period?"

"Well, there is one way, but I consider it a sort of, last resort method," I said as I shook my head. "The terminals in question all have special energy crystals that power them, if one of them were to be removed it would keep them from being accessed. The only problem is we never really tested to see if it would keep the keys from just automatically going off, so its a risky move and I'd rather save it for a last resort method."

I glanced at Arc who looked away from me for a moment, Regina seemed to be satisfied with this answer and gave me a nod of understanding. I didn't tell them what was at stake here, the fact that I had gone to so much trouble to keep it locked up should've been a clue that it wasn't something to be messed with, I just hoped they got the message.

"Now there is still the matter of what is going to be done with Celestia One," Regina continued, which made me flinch a little. "The Twilight Society has informed me that you suggested it to be dismantled and taken out of commission, is this true?"

"It is," I said simply. "Even if it didn't make the Tower a target for anypony who wanted access to the weapon thanks to LittlePip including it in her book, that kind of power is dangerous. Megaspells created the Wasteland, lead to countless deaths of good ponies who just wanted to live their lives in peace. If we continue to use Megaspells and allow them to exist, we're just going to risk repeating history, we need to take the Megaspell genie and shove it back into its lamp."

"I hope that's something we can do," Regina said with a shake of her head. "Well, at the moment its up to the senate and they're stalling on the issue for the most part. I think they're more interested in being able to use it against the Enclave than anything else. Do you think the Enclave will back down if we had a Megaspell?"

"Did they back down before?" Cherry pointed out.

"Good point. Alright then, its settled, the 4 of you will be sent on a Vertibuck to Vanhoover to help with the defenses there and to stop the Enclave from gaining access to Stable 78. You'll have the full support of the NCR military on this one, and we'll be sending a specialist to help make contact with the ponies in Stable 78, are there any questions?"

"No ma'am," I said and my friends shook their heads.

"Very good, there is just one more thing I wanted to do, normally this would be done at a ceremony but given the nature of your operation I felt it should be done in private," Regina said as she reached into her desk and took out a case. "These are given to ponies who show valor in the face of overwhelming odds in order to help protect the NCR and Equestria, the four of you have more than earned it."

I was a little surprised when she opened it up to reveal a set of four medals made of what looked like gold, they each had stars on them.

"We just did what was asked of us really," Cherry said with a light blush as Regina pinned the medals onto our chests. "You don't have to do this."

"Like I said, you've more than earned it, we still have a long way to go in this war though," Regina said and gave us a salute as she finished pinning the medal on all of us. "Just don't go getting yourselves killed, we don't need any dead heroes right now."

I nodded and returned the salute, we still had a long way to go before we were all ready to handle what we were going through but we had high hopes that the Enclave would soon be stopped.

Next stop, Stable 78.

00000

The next day we were getting everything loaded into a Vertibuck that was to take us to Vanhoover when I heard a voice from nearby.

"Mommy, do you really have to leave?"

I looked up to see a family standing near the Vertibuck landing area. The mare was a light grey Unicorn with a red mane dressed in an NCR uniform and was hugging a filly gently who had been the one who I had heard talking.

"I'm sorry, I don't really have a choice," the mare said as she held the filly in her forelegs, I could see that she was starting to cry a little. "Don't worry, your Daddy will be here to keep you safe and I'll be back soon, okay?"

"But I don't want you back soon, I want you here now!" The filly said through her tears, my heart went out to the kid, she didn't have any choice in this war.

"Shhhh... it'll be okay, I promise," the mare said soothingly as she held her daughter close, gently stroking the filly's mane as she cried. "You'll be just fine, stay close to Daddy, and I'll be back before you know it."

"Promise?"

"I promise, now who's my brave little filly?" The mare said with a smile as she loosened the hug a little and gave her husband a nod and pulled him into the hug. "I'll see you both soon."

The more I watched the family the more it reminded me of my own family. I had left Cloudy behind because I felt it was the right thing to do, that she could be safe in Stable 44. I wasn't sure what happened to the Stable, but I knew that she had at least survived to adulthood.

Was this mother thinking the same kinds of things I had been? Was she thinking about how she had to do this in order to protect her family? She looked like she hadn't seen a lot of combat, she was actually nervous, like she was in over her head, maybe we were all in over our heads at this point.

I wondered how many families out there had parents who weren't going to make it home because of this. What could I say to them? The fact was that we were here to try and fight a war with an enemy that threatened everything we stood for, but we had to make sacrifices in order to keep the peace.

At what point were those sacrifices too much? At what point did we stop and say that maybe we should be better than we've been in the past? I had left my family behind for my own ideals and look where it had gotten me, thrust into another war because the Enclave believed that their way was the best future for Equestria.

I just had to hope that we didn't have to lose our souls in the process.

The mare gave her husband and daughter one final hug before she walked over to the Vertibuck near ours. I gave her a nod and a tip of my hat as she went past us, she actually gave me a smile.

"Is everything okay Scootaloo?" Cherry asked as we finished getting secured into the Vertibuck.

"I'm just thinking about something is all," I said with a shrug as I placed my hoof on her's and gave Arc a nod. "We're just waiting on Riva right?"

"Yeah, she was meeting with the diplomatic corps, she should be here soon," Arc said as we looked out at Junction Town. "It feels weird to be back in this kind of thing after Manehattan."

"Yeah, I know what you mean," I said with a sigh as I looked at my PipBuck, it was getting close to afternoon and we had a long flight ahead of us. "What about that pony Regina mentioned, any word on that?"

"I think they're in one of the other Vertibucks," Cherry said as she scratched behind Schooner's ears who wagged his tail happily. "What do we know about Vanhoover?"

I paused, I didn't actually know a lot about it but I took out some intelligence reports that I had been given and read them over. "It looks like its still mostly wild areas run by tribes and raider bands, the NCR only has a small outpost on the outskirts of the city right now. The problem is that several of the Tribes have pledged loyalty to the Enclave and they're moving in to deal with the Raiders with extreme prejudice."

"Well, at least the Enclave is good for something," Cherry said with a light chuckle. "We just have to hope that they won't be too much of a problem."

"Why do I have a sudden sense of foreboding?" Arc muttered as Riva climbed up into the Vertibuck and gave us a smile.

"Glad to have you with us once more Riva," I said with a smile and gestured towards her and then at us, she smiled and returned the gesture.

"Amicis... friends," Riva said with a smile as she strapped herself into her seat.
"Amicis," I said with a nod, we were all back together once more, the time had come to take the fight to the Enclave in Vanhoover.

As the Vertibuck took off I looked out the window towards Junction Town and Nomad City as we flew away from it. Once again we were flying towards danger in hopes of preserving the future for Equestria. I had to leave behind what remained of my family in order to do this, in order to stop the Enclave for the future of everyone.

I just hoped everything would be okay.

00000

On the trip we got a little bit of a surprise, while Riva was in Junction Town and Nomad City she had picked up a phrasebook for Equestrian and the Zebra Language. She still couldn't speak it fluently, but she at least was picking up a few new phrases here and there that would help communicate.

I mostly spent the time looking over what information we had on Vanhoover, there wasn't a lot to go on, no surprise there, but it felt like we were flying into a hornet's nest. Vanhoover was one city where the Enclave had a strong presence because of their contact with the locals, the NCR was tolerated at best.

There was of course the issue of Raiders, but thankfully Winter Breeze's anti-Raider policies extended across Equestria. That was at least one good thing that was coming out of her campaign, Raiders were nothing but trouble from everything I had read about them.

It was hard to believe that ponies could fall that far, some had even speculated about it, the weirdest theory I had once heard was that it was caused by some sort of disease. That was however dismissed quickly as being Enclave propaganda that had somehow leaked into the Wasteland, it certainly sounded like something they'd cook up.

I smiled as I looked down at Cherry who was asleep with her head resting on my shoulder. I gently wrapped my wing around her and closed my eyes, letting the warm feeling lull me to sleep as we traveled towards Vanhoover.

The Vertibuck came in for a landing with a bump awhile later and we woke up to find ourselves in a camp on the outskirts of the city with ponies disembarking.

As we stepped off the Vertibuck I looked around, there wasn't any ponies that seemed out of place at least at first glance. A dark green pony with a short mane and glowing green eyes with slits for pupils approached us and looked at me for a long moment.

"Are you Scootaloo Dash?" She asked as she looked at me for a long moment.

"Umm, yes?" I asked, was this the pony that was supposed to help us out?

Before I could get an answer a hoof swung around and hit me square in the jaw. Here we go again.

"Hey, what was that for?" Cherry said as I rubbed my jaw.

"Geez Arc, she hits harder than you do," I said with a groan.

"Do you want me to hit you again to prove you wrong?" Arc asked with a roll of her eyes.

"That was for having your scientists make me!" The Dark green mare spat at me, oh, okay now everything was starting to come together. "I'm Tranquil, your little super soldier project in Neigh Orleans made me like this."

"Let me guess, you're the pony Regina sent to help us," Arc said as she facehooved. "Scootaloo, did you make it your goal to tick off half of Equestria or something?"

"Okay, so, this was kind of a weird case," I said with a groan as I looked at Tranquil. "Look, I know its hard to understand but I didn't exactly sign off on this one. The military wanted this one done in order to create an infiltrator in order to attack the Zebras from the inside, it was the only way to get some equipment we needed for another Stable. I didn't exactly like Project Shape to begin with, but we didn't have a whole lot of choice."

"Wait, so, she's a hybrid?" Cherry asked as she looked at Tranquil curiously. "She doesn't look like anything more than a normal pony to me."

"I'm part Changeling," Tranquil said with a shake of her head. "I'm the only creation of Project Shape, you're lucky I'm here to help you deal with your other mistakes, if you aren't careful you'll get worse than a punch."

What had I gotten myself into?

00000

"So, you're looking for a Stable somewhere in Vanhoover huh?" The NCR colonel, a male Griffon named Archimedes commented as we looked over a map of the city. "Where is the Stable exactly?"

"Here," I said as I pointed at a part of the city on the far edge. "Its built under the Hill here, its a good distance away is the only problem and we can't exactly take a Vertibuck into the city."

"And its right in the middle of Tender Territory," Archimedes said with a shake of his head. "That's one of the local tribes, they control things along the beach here, they're not a bunch you really want to mess with. But they're also one of the only hold outs against the Enclave in the City, so there is that."

"So then, we just have to make our way into territory held by a potentially hostile Tribe and hope they don't shoot us, but hey at least they're not siding with our enemies," Arc said with a shake of her head. "What's the good news?"

"The good news is the Enclave isn't anywhere close to that area yet," Archimedes said as he looked at us. "You're going to have to hope that you'll be able to get the Tenders to listen to you, or its all a moot point."

There were two options here, either the Enclave was going to either make some sort of deal with the Tenders or wipe them out, it all depended on how the tribe acted.

I just had to hope that they'd be able to listen to reason.

"So, exactly what are we going to run into in Stable 78?" Tranquil asked as she looked at me. "All I know is that it involves hybrids and a super soldier project of some sort."

"That's about all we know honestly," I said with a shake of my head. "I don't think Stable 78 has been opened to the Wasteland so we don't know a whole lot about what's going on in there. The experiment was really more to be able to test the viability of hybrids like Zonies and others for re-population in the event of a lot of pony deaths."

"Yeah, but they aren't exactly viable for reproduction," Archimedes pointed out as he looked at me for a long moment. "How do we know that the Stable hasn't just died out?"

"We don't," I said with a shrug as I pointed at the location on the map once more. "But this is the kind of thing we thought long and hard about. We needed to account for a lot of possibilities, so we built Stables like this and 28 in order to test the viability of alternate methods of reproduction. It requires some genetic tinkering, but its very possible to make a Zony or similar hybrid capable of reproduction."

"I see," Archimedes said with a shake of his head. "Alright, well I'm in no position to judge here, I'll send a group of my Rangers with you into the city, but I can't promise you more than that."

"It'll do," I said with a nod as I looked at my friends and then at Tranquil. "Tranquil, I know I'm asking a lot out of you, but do you think you can do this?"

"I'm in, but don't think this means we're friends or something," Tranquil said with a shake of her heard. "I'm not here to join your little buddy club, the Enclave is just too dangerous for me to ignore."

"Lets hope the Tenders feel the same way," I said with a sigh as I looked at the map, this was going to be tricky to pull off at best, but we didn't have a lot of choice.

"So, how are we getting into the city itself and around the Enclave's patrols?" Arc asked as we looked over at the Colonel. "I don't think they're just going to let us walk into the city unopposed."

"We're working on that, there are a few areas the Enclave does not control which can be accessed easily," Archimedes said as he pointed at a few spots on the map. "There is one problem of course, they're not exactly the most hospitable of locations to visit."

"Let me guess, Raiders," Cherry commented with a groan.

"Raiders, Feral Ghouls, the local wildlife, and probably worse," Archimedes said. "You have to watch your step every moment you're in there, and the Enclave do have patrols in these parts of the city trying to deal with the Raiders with their whole policy of taking them out."

"Great, caught between the Enclave and Raiders, we're not exactly in a good spot here," I said with a sigh as I looked over the map. "Is there any other way to get there?"

"Sure, you could take the underground tunnels that are in the area," Archimedes suggested. "Its not exactly ideal and there are still threats down there, but there would be less of them at least, if you want to risk it which I don't recommend."

"How close will they get us to the Hill?" I asked, I was trying to think back to the tunnels that had been built under Vanhoover, this was the kind of thing we had to take into consideration with the Stables so you'd think I'd remember it better.

"Fairly close I think, but I don't know for sure."

"Alright, we'll call that plan B, for now lets just get into the city and hope we don't get caught," I said with a sigh as I looked at my PipBuck, it was late and the sun had already gone down. "We need to leave early in the morning, any idea where we can sleep tonight?"

"That's one thing you don't have to worry about," Archimedes said and lead us outside towards one of the buildings. "Its not exactly comfortable but we have living quarters for all of you, though two of you will have to share."

"We'll survive," I said with a blush as I looked over at Cherry who gave me a smile.

00000

That night I laid back in my bed as Cherry rested here head on my chest, she smiled up at me and ran her hooves gently along my sides, brushing them against my cutie marks as she started planting soft kisses down my chest.

I froze when I realized what she was doing, this was what I was afraid of, what was she going to think if I didn't stop her? I was still afraid she'd think of me as just wanting her for sex, which couldn't be farther from the truth.

"Cherry, wait..." I said which made the mare look up at me strangely.

"What's wrong Scootaloo, I thought you'd want to do this," Cherry said as she tilted her head cutely as she looked up at me. "Do you not want to?"

I blushed a little at that, I honestly wasn't sure what to say to that, it wasn't that I didn't want to its more that I wasn't sure if we were ready for that kind of thing yet. Honestly I wasn't really sure what I was going to tell to her, it was hard to explain just why, what was I going to do?

"I mean, it snot that I don't want to..." I said with a blush. "I'm just, worried that you might think that I only want that from you. I love you Cherry, for you, I don't want to be all about that."

"Scootaloo you silly pony," Cherry said with a chuckle as she moved up and kissed me softly on the lips. "I know you don't think of me like that, I would never think that of you. I love you so much, and I want to do this with you. If you don't think we're ready though, I'd be fine with waiting."

I smiled a little and nuzzled her gently as I wrapped my wings around her. She was a wonderful mare, I was happy that she understood and the fact that she was willing to give herself over to me like this.

"Okay Cherry," I said with a smile, and then I rolled us over and laid her back on the bed. "But I'm not going to ask that of you, I think its only fair that you get to go first this time."

"Are you sure?"

"I'm positive Cherry, I'm the one who put you in this position, its the least I can do, I love you so much."

"I love you too, go ahead."

Cherry smiled as she spread her hind legs and I started to kiss down her chest slowly. This was going to be a wonderful night.

00000

"Looks like you two had a fun night last night," Arc said with a chuckle as we met up with her the next day as we got ready to head out into Vanhoover. "Oh wait, you two haven't done the deed yet have you? Oh well, maybe another night."

"Well, actually..." I said with a blush as I looked at Cherry and her pink face turned even pinker.

"We, kinda... you know..." Cherry said as she blushed even more.

"Oh my gosh, you two actually did it didn't you?" Arc said with a laugh as she looked between the two of us as Riva trotted up to us. "You're not just messing with me are you?"

"Would we do that?" I said with a chuckle as I finished putting my equipment and supplies away. "You're starting to run out of things to tease us about."

"Yeah, yeah," Arc said with a laugh as we finished getting all our equipment together. "Trust me, I'll find something to tease you about."

I just laughed as we started out of the camp and out into the city proper. I looked up and frowned a little, there were Enclave Raptors hovering over the city that was ominous but at least they hadn't sent the Nimbus or one of the other ships, that was something at least.

I thought back to the briefing from the night before, there were a few different tribes and Raider gangs that were living in and around the area we were going through, that was a bit worrying but we didn't have much of a choice. I had faith in my friends, but the fact was that we were heading into the unknown.

There were signs of the Enclave's presence everywhere in the city, burn marks from Enclave plasma weapons when they fought against the Raiders and other groups in the city. This had been the sight of a battle that much was clear, I just had to hope that the survivors weren't around to try and attack us.

One of the Rangers that were accompanying us raised her hoof as we neared one section of the city. We stopped and eased ourselves forward, there were a few ponies gathered around a building that looked like guards, they were most definitely Raiders, which worried me to say the least.

"What are we going to do?" I whispered.

"We're going to have to be careful, if we attack them the sound might alert the Enclave to our presence."

I nodded in agreement, we had no idea if there were any Enclave soldiers in the area that much was true, so we had to be careful. I checked my rifles and eased the SOAR up onto a position where I could fire easily, it was the quietest weapon we had so it was probably our safest bet.

I lined a shot up on the nearest Raider when I saw something out of the corner of my eye, it was brief, I thought I imagined it for a moment until I saw one Raider fall with a knife blade sticking out of its neck. The others were instantly alert but it was too late for them to do anything.

Another knife flew out of its hiding spot and embedded itself in the forehead of one of the Raiders, making it collapse in a heap as their attackers finally moved out of the shadows. They were dressed in cloth wraps and armor that covered their bodies, it took me a moment to realize the color was actually shifting, they were camouflaged with some sort of magic.

"Tenders," the Ranger next to me said simply as my ears perked up curiously. "They're the deadliest tribe in Vanhoover, you can see why not even the Enclave wants to tangle with them."

I certainly did, they were fast and stealthy, it was like nothing I had ever seen before, they reminded me almost of Zebras but their horns and wings meant they were ponies. We couldn't help but watch in awe as they took the Raiders out one by one without even getting shot at.

One Raider finally managed to get his courage up enough to take out his rifle and aim it at one of the Tenders, I steadied my SOAR rifle and aimed for the Raider. I just had to hope that the Enclave wasn't nearby I guess, I pulled the trigger and a bolt of energy struck the Raider and he collapsed.

And just as quickly as the attack had started it was over, the Tenders stood victorious over the corpses of the dead Raiders and started picking up the weapons off the dead ponies. I was actually a bit surprised when I saw they were closing the eyes of the Raiders, was that maybe some sort of ritual they had? A way of respecting the dead even if they were their enemies?

"What now?" Cherry whispered as we all looked at the Ranger who shrugged.

"Now we hope they don't decide to go after us too," the Ranger said with a shrug as we watched the tribal ponies work.

One of them suddenly looked right up at us, it took me a moment to realize that it was the pony who's life I had saved during the fight. I gulped a little as they eased their way forward, but they didn't seem to be getting ready to attack again at least.

"I must say, I wasn't expecting the Enseearr to send ponies into the city again," the pony said in a mare's voice with a strange accent to it that I couldn't place, but her Equestrian seemed perfect at least, other than her weird pronunciation of NCR.

"We're here looking for the Tenders," I said as I cautiously moved into view of the tribal ponies.

"You've found them then," the mare said, she remained covered up by the cloth but I could feel her eyes staring at me. "I am Torn Shroud, Matriarch of the Shroud family of the Tenders Tribe. What do you want of us?"

"We're looking for a Stable on your lands, we mean no harm of your Tribe, but we need to make sure that the Enclave doesn't get their hooves on the secrets that lie within," I said as I looked at the Tenders, I tried not to look or sound nervous but I felt it just a little. "If you'll permit us into your lands, we will pass without causing issue."

Torn Shroud looked like she was thinking this over for a long moment as she looked at her companions who nodded in agreement.

"You saved my life, that is a debt that is owed," Torn Shroud said with a nod. "Very well, we will lead you to the village, but we will be keeping a close eye on all of you."

"Understood," I said with a nod and we started down towards where they were waiting, I offered a hoof to Torn Shroud. "I'm Scootaloo Dash, we're here to help with the Enclave. We have a mutual enemy and we can deal with them if we work together."

"Scootaloo of Family Dash, I see," Torn Shroud said as she eyed me a little. "Very well, you will be brought before the Council of the Matriarchs in the village in order to plead your case, but that's all I can promise."

"Well, alright, its better than nothing," I said with a sigh, at least we had an escort to their territory so we didn't have to worry about being attacked when we set hoof in there.

"Follow me," Torn Shroud said as we started walking again through the streets of Vanhoover.

I looked at the ponies that were our escort, I could just barely make them out with their camouflage, but maybe that was because they had used it somehow to make it so we could make them out easily. I wondered if this was how they normally dressed or if this was just how they dressed for combat.

The more I thought about it the more I wondered about was really going on here, why had they gone after Raiders like that? Mind you I don't think you really need a reason to go after Raiders, but still, it was kind of an odd move on their part.

When we finally reached the village there were ponies along the wall carrying weapons. The gate opened up and we entered, it had been built out of several old buildings with new smaller huts built into it and bridges that crossed the area around us.

That's when I noticed something interesting, a lot of the ponies in the village weren't ponies at all, instead they had a mix of pony traits and other species. I swear I even saw a Dragonpony or two.

"These ponies, they're all..." Tranquil started to say but her words trailed off as if she wasn't sure just how to say it.

"Hybrids," I finished, I had a good idea of exactly what this meant but I wanted to be sure first. "Every last one of the Tenders are Hybrids..."

Torn Shroud stopped and removed her cloth coverings, she was a Unicorn mare in what looked to be her early 30's with a black coat and an indigo colored mane. But what drew your attention right away was her stripes, she had white stripes on her coat.

I knew what that meant, she was a Zony.

"You wanted to see what happened to Stable 78? You're looking at it, we're the descendants of the inhabitants of Stable 78," Torn Shroud said as she looked at me for a long moment. "I will speak to the rest of the Council to see if you're going to be allowed to see us, wait here."

And with that, the strange Zebra-Pony Hybrid left us and the rest of her group dispersed save for some that were keeping a close eye on us.

"What do we do now?" Cherry asked as she looked around.

"Hope that the council lets us talk to them I guess," I said with a sigh.

I just had to hope that they'd be willing to listen to us or this whole thing was going to be for nothing. We weren't just asking to investigate a Stable in their lands anymore, we were asking to enter their ancestral home, and I had no idea how they might react to that.

00000

It took awhile for the Council to reach any sort of decision, typical politicians, so we found ourselves waiting in the middle of the village as a few ponies looked at us curiously. None of them seemed hostile at least, but I was half afraid that might change if we weren't careful.

I looked at Cherry and Arc, they actually looked more curious than anything else, I guess they weren't used to seeing hybrids like this. Heck I wasn't really used to it either, a lot of this was new for me too. I had known about hybrids of course, but I hadn't imagined that it would ever reach this level of success, there was an actual sustained population here.

"The council will see you now," another Zony said as he approached and we all started to step forward but he raised his hoof. "Just Scootaloo of Family Dash, the rest of you will be permitted to stay in the village if you don't cause any trouble."

"Alright, fine," I said with a sigh, I didn't like having to leave my friends behind but I didn't have much of a choice in the matter at this point, I gave them all a nod and followed the Zony stallion to the Council's building.

Inside there were 5 ponies, or, beings I don't really know what to call them, including Torn Shroud who looked at me appraisingly. In addition to Torn Shroud there was two more Zony mares, though their stripe patterns and colors were different. The last two were a Dragonpony with a green coat and purple mane and a Pony-Griffon Hybrid (not sure what those are called off the top of my head) that looked at me like I was a piece of meat.

"Well, I must say I wasn't expecting to be graced with the presence of Scootaloo Dash," the Dragonpony said as I took a seat across from them. "You're shorter than I expected."

"I get that a lot," I said with a groan as I looked them all over one by one.

"So, why do you and your companions want to access Stable 78?" One of the Zony mares asked as she looked at me with cold blue eyes. "No outsider has ever been granted access to the Stable, what makes you any different?"

"You've had dealings with the Enclave in the past before haven't you?" I asked and they all nodded. "They've been trying to gain access to Stable 78 because of... because of something I placed in there over 200 years ago. I made a mistake and its putting you and your children all in danger. The Enclave wants what is in that Stable and they will do anything to get it, including kill all of you."

"The Enclave has never overtly attacked us," the Griffon Hybrid said as she looked at me closely. "How do we not know that you're not planning to kill us all yourself?"

"I would never do that!" I protested. "I'm not the villain here, I'm trying to help all of you before its too late. Look, we don't need access to the Stable, if you can keep the Enclave from..."

"From accessing the Stable and helping build a brighter future for Equestria?" A mare's voice asked from behind me.

I turned to see a purple Pegasus mare with a black mane and violet eyes, she was dressed in a familiar looking Uniform of a Wonderbolt General. This had to be one of the Generals I still didn't know about, and given that there was only one left that was loyal to the Enclave...

"General Aries I presume," I said as my eyes narrowed at the Pegasus mare. "What do you want?"

"Why to make sure the Tenders don't make the biggest mistake of their lives of course," Aries said and turned to look at the Council. "I come with the full authority of President Winter Breeze to negotiate on behalf of the Enclave to get access to Stable 78."

Our job just got a whole lot harder.

LEVEL UP!
Perk Received: Deadshot.
Details: You've become much more adept with your weapon of choice. You have a higher chance of hitting your target in SATS.

Author's Note

Once more, credit for Stable 78 goes to Natalie.

Chapter 22: Fight the Future

"We are so accustomed to disguise ourselves
to others that in the end we become
disguised to ourselves."
-François de la Rochefoucauld.

"The Enclave sent one of their Generals here?" Our NCR escort asked as she looked at us surprised, I didn't blame her, if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes I'd be just as surprised. "Which one?"

"Aries," I said with a sigh as I sat down in the hut that we had been given to stay in while we were in the village. "She showed up to try and negotiate with the council to get access to Stable 78."

"That's weird, Aries doesn't normally get involved in this kind of thing," the Ranger said with a shake of her head. "The Enclave must be getting desperate after they failed in Manehattan."

"Maybe," I said thoughtfully as I looked at my friends, in truth I wasn't sure if the Enclave was even going to consider Manehattan a failure. Yes we had driven them out and stopped them from using Celestia One, but at the same time they had damaged our morale on a major scale by taking over the city and exposing Xiraia's secret. The fact was that while we had won the battle for Manehattan, we were starting to lose the PR war against the Enclave.

Winter Breeze was smart, dangerously smart, she knew just how she could hit us where it hurt the most and she was going to keep doing that for as long as she needed to until she won. We were going to have to stop playing by our own rules and start playing by her's if we were going to win this.
Maybe Gambit was right, maybe it was time to spit on our hooves and hoist the black flag. But if we went too far down that road, would we be able to come back from it? That was something that worried me more than anything else.

"So what's the plan?" Cherry asked as she looked between all of us, I just sighed a little and shrugged. "Yeah, that doesn't exactly fill me with confidence.

"We're going to be fine, I hope, right now we just need to stay here in the village and try and convince the Tenders that the Enclave don't have their best interest at heart," I said with a sigh as I thought over what we were going to have to do. "Stable 78 is sacred to the Tenders so they're not going to allow just anypony into it. Ultimately we don't need to enter the Stable, we just need to make sure the Enclave doesn't either."

"Alright," Arc said with a nod as she looked at a rough map of the village, Stable 78 was on the outskirts of it. "So what are we going to do if they do allow the Enclave into the Stable?"

"Do what we can to keep them from entering it and getting their hooves on the key," I said with a sigh, I didn't want to have to do that, it might hurt anypony from the Tenders in the process. "And if that fails we have to be ready to stop them at the last two Stables, if that's even going to be possible."

"Where are the last two Stables?" The Ranger asked as she looked at me for a long moment.

"Neigh Orleans and San Prancisco," I said with a sigh, it wasn't a lot of information and I was worried about what any faction might do with it, but at the moment we didn't have a choice. "We have to keep the Enclave from getting their hooves on what those keys unlock."

They nodded in agreement, we all knew the stakes even if they didn't know the details of what I had locked away so many years ago. I didn't like the idea of it coming back to bite me in the flank like this, but given the alternative... I just had to hope that we'd be able to stop the Enclave from using it once and for all.

"Come on, lets go see if we can get any information on what's going on," I said and we headed out of the hut to try and talk to the ponies around town.

I just had to hope we'd get some answers

00000

"Hey out there in the Equestrian Wasteland, this is your good friend DJ Pon3 coming at you with the latest news from around the Wasteland," the voice of Xiraia said over a nearby radio as we passed through the village. "The Enclave has started another assault, this time on the Raider encampments out in Mareizona. There's not a lot of intel coming from that area, but it seems that the Raiders aren't exactly going down easy. I honestly don't know what to make of this fillies and gentlecolts, when its a war between the Enclave and Raiders, who really wins in the long run? Well, that's only part of the news for today, since it seems that some of the Top Tens among the Reapers in Hoofington have been sent out to help with the NCR war effort against the Enclave. We don't know if this is the work of the enigmatic Big Daddy or if they're just here for a good fight. Still, its good to have a little extra support in the war. Now, lets get back to the music with some more from Echo."

The raspy stallion's voice started playing again on the radio and I smiled lightly as we went past it.

"And you could have it all,
My Empire of Dirt.
I will let you down,
I will make you hurt."

We headed back out into the village where a few of the ponies shot us strange looks. I glanced around and noticed that a few of them seemed to be looking directly at Arc, I didn't really know what that might mean a whole lot, but something about it made me a little uneasy, it was almost like they were more worried about her than they were about anypony else in our group.

"What's going on?" I asked as I looked over at the Ranger who just shrugged a little.

"I don't know, I've never really experienced this particular thing from the Tenders before," she said with a shake of her head, something about all of this was weird, it was like they didn't know what to make of us.

"Well, we'll figure something out," Cherry said as she looked around.

"So, there's something I have to wonder about," Tranquil said as she looked over at us. "Why are they called Tenders anyway? That seems like kind of an odd choice of names for the Tribe."

"I have no idea," the Ranger admitted with a shake of her head. "I think it comes from the idea of tending to the dead, something to do with their traditions in combat I think. Honestly, I don't know, I never thought it would be that polite to ask them."

I remembered back to the fight with the Raiders where the Tenders had closed the eyes of the Raiders they had killed. I had wondered about that and maybe that was what the Ranger had meant by them tending to the dead or something similar, it was something I would have to shelve away for later to try and figure out.

A Dragonpony mare with dark blue fur and a red mane ran past us, she only briefly looked at us with piercing cat-like eyes that made me shiver a little. This whole village was a bit strange, I don't know what I was expecting, but somehow the large number of Hybrids made me a little uneasy, like we were the only ones here that weren't Hybrids.

I looked over at Cherry who gave me a smile, I took a deep breath and nodded, at least she was here for me along with my friends. I looked at Riva who had stopped to talk with one of the Zonies that was selling wares nearby, I smiled a little when I realized they were speaking in the Zebra language together, I guess some things were passed down in this tribe including that language.

I sighed a little and looked at my hooves, the Tenders were certainly an interesting group and if they really didn't like the Enclave that might give us an advantage in the negotiations. Right now I just had to figure out how we were going to persuade them not to join the Enclave.

"So, what are we going to do now?" Arc asked as she looked over at me.

"We need some sort of..." I started to say when there was a group of Enclave soldiers passing in front of us they shot us a look but they didn't pay us any mind. "Thankfully, they seem to have decided this is neutral ground, unless they attack us, we're not to do anything against them, okay?"

The rest of the group agreed, though some of it was reluctant. I didn't like what was going on around here, it felt like something was being set up for us to fail and it felt weird to me.

Something was weird, the Enclave controlled most of the city, why did they choose now to move in and try and negotiate with the Tenders? The only thing I could think of was that we were here, they might've realized that we were going to try and stop them from getting access to the Stable, and since they weren't ready to attack them outright, they had to make sure that we couldn't get access to the Stable or at least couldn't keep them from getting access.

The fact was that I didn't really know what we were going to do, the Enclave were in a much stronger position than we were in this city and the Tenders may actually want to side with them given their strength. I didn't like that idea, but sadly it may be the truth, it was kind of hard to tell with everything that was going on, but I didn't like the possibility.

"Spy!" A stallion shouted out, for a moment I thought they were talking to me when I realized that he was pointing right at Arc Light who froze in place. "Stable 66 sided with the Enclave, they're all here to serve the Enclave and nothing more!"

"Wh-what?" Arc managed to stutter out, she was just as shocked as I was at the accusation. "I'm... I'm not a..."

"She's no spy!" I said as I moved between the Unicorn and her accuser. "Arc Light left Stable 66 before the Enclave had even entered it. I've been traveling with her for the past year and a half and she would never do anything to side with them, not after what they did to her home."

"What proof do you have?" The stallion demanded as he looked at me harshly. "How do I know you're not all spies trying to turn the Tenders against the Enseeare?"

"Look, I know you listen to DJ Pon3's broadcasts, we're the ponies that she was speaking about," I said with a sigh as I looked down at my hooves a little. "Arc is no spy, I saw what happened in Stable 66 and she had no part in that. She would never betray me or the NCR to the Enclave. We're here to try and help the Tenders, we don't want you to suffer fates similar to 66 or worse. There's a lot of good that can be done in this world, and we don't want the Enclave to take that away, she's here to help, we all are."

I glanced at Arc for a moment and she gave me a weak smile, I smiled back at her. I sighed a little, I hated that I had to come to Arc's defense like this, but she was a friend of mine and nopony went after a friend like that.

"Are we going to have a problem?" I asked as I turned to look at the stallion again who just glowered at me. "Where did you hear about Stable 66 anyway, that information hasn't been made public."

"The Enclave was talking about it," he said simply.

"Don't trust anything the Enclave says," I said as I narrowed my eyes at the stallion. "They're not to be trusted, even if they seem like they want to be your friends now, they're more dangerous than you can imagine. You do not want to be on the same side as them in this war."

"Scootaloo, its okay, you don't have to defend me anymore," Arc said as she placed a hoof on my shoulder. "Come on, lets keep looking around."

I nodded and we started walking again past the Stallion that had accused Arc of being a spy. I saw a few more Enclave soldiers and other Pegasi that looked more like scientists that were talking with the tribal ponies. They didn't seem to be interested in causing trouble at least, but I wanted to keep a close eye on them anyway.

I smiled and looked over at Riva who gave me a smile. I was glad that the Zebra had become accustomed to us so quickly, the fact was that I had been a little worried because of the mission that she had been sent on. Still, from what I understood she had managed to start to open talks with the NCR, that may at least be a good sign and it could mean that we were going to be okay after all.

Viatorem, that was something that I kept going back to, from what I understood it meant Traveler. Why would you call a special diplomat a Traveler? That seemed kind of a strange choice of names for a diplomat, but it had to make sense to the Alliance at least.

We talked with a few more ponies around the tribe, but we didn't get a whole lot more answers to what we were going to do. There was actually a pretty general consensus that the Enclave was dangerous, but they didn't want to get involved as long as the Enclave didn't cause them any trouble, that figured really, but there wasn't anything we could really do about it.

"Well, so far this is a bust," Cherry said as she kicked a stray rusty can. "How are we supposed to convince them that the Enclave really is as dangerous as they are?"

"Honestly, I have no idea," I admitted with a sigh as I looked around. "This place isn't exactly vulnerable, and they know how to fight if they have to. The Enclave would have a hard time assaulting this village, which is probably why they have had to resort to negotiation instead of an all out offensive."

"Well, that and Winter Breeze doesn't want to seem too confrontational with the neutral tribes," Arc pointed out and I nodded.

Actually that was an interesting point, what would happen if the Tenders joined the war on either side? Right now they were a neutral party, if they joined the war they would lose that neutrality and the Enclave wouldn't have to worry about playing nice with them. That worried me a bit, if they did side with us, then a lot of ponies could be killed in the attack that followed.

What was I going to do? The Enclave wasn't putting us in an easy position no matter what choice we made, and I didn't like it, this was why Winter Breeze was such a dangerous enemy, she knew how to play us against one another.

If only we could figure out how to take her out without making the Enclave even more dangerous, right now it was really a better the devil you know situation with her.

"Scootaloo, there's something I want to talk to you about," Arc said softly and I looked back at her. "In private if we can."

"Sure, no problem, if the rest of you don't mind," I said and the others nodded as we headed off towards the hut that we were staying in.

00000

"So, what did you want to talk to me about?" I asked Arc as soon as we were sure that we were secure enough and nopony was listening in on us.

Arc looked at me for a long moment, it seemed to me like she was trying to decide just how to put this and that worried me, if it was something major, then why wouldn't she just tell me? I was suddenly very afraid that whatever it was, I wasn't going to like it.

"Scootaloo..." she said and paused a long moment before she looked at me with a pained look on her face, she was starting to cry a little, I tilted my head and looked at her worriedly, what could possibly be going on?

"Arc, you can talk to me, what is it?" I asked as I moved forward and placed my hoof on her shoulder but she just brushed it off. "Arc, I'm your friend, talk to me."

"Scootaloo... there's something that I've been wanting to tell you for a long time, but..." she started to say and shook her head. "Its been eating away at me ever since we first met, I can't... I can't hide it anymore, I know that if they find out I told you they'll hurt everypony I care about..."

"Who will..." I asked and then it dawned on me and my ears shot up.

No, no, she couldn't be, not her... she couldn't be... it had to be something else, there had to be another explanation.

"Scootaloo... I'm the spy, I'm the one that's been feeding Winter Breeze and the Enclave information on you ever since we first met," Arc finally said as she broke down crying.

My heart broke at that confession from Arc.

A million thoughts rushed through my mind at once, anger, betrayal, sadness, pity... all directed at the Unicorn mare that was standing in front of me. She had betrayed me to the Enclave, but why, why would she do such a thing?

"Arc..." I said but the words caught in my throat, I couldn't get them out, there was no words I could say that summed up how I felt about this, I just finally managed to say one word. "Why?"

"Because the Enclave didn't trust you, they needed somepony on the inside that could feed them information on your activities!" Arc said through her tears. "They approached me not long after they took over Stable 66, they said that if I didn't they would kill everypony in my Stable. I didn't want to do it, I hated you back then, but I didn't like the idea of betraying anypony to the Enclave, but I didn't have a choice..."

My mind was still reeling at the reveal, I couldn't believe what I was hearing and yet everything was starting to fit together. I knew that the Enclave had an agent that was trailing me as far back as Stable 48, I didn't think that they were going to be somepony so close to me though.

Arc was the perfect plant, she was a pony that had every reason to hate me because of what I had done to Stable 66, and yet she had been coerced into doing it. The Enclave was starting to lose any pity I had for it because of Winter Breeze, they were not doing this for any sort of altruistic reasons, they were holding a pony's family and friends as leverage to get information on me, and that made me angry.

"What are we going to do now?" I finally asked as I looked at Arc for a long moment. "The Enclave can't know that you've confessed this to me, they'll kill your friends anyway."

"I know..." Arc said softly. "When we're done here in Vanhoover I'll turn myself over to the NCR, they can think of some sort of excuse and I'll give them information on the Enclave's intelligence network or something. I'm sorry Scootaloo, I really am... I always considered you a friend and I hate having to do this, but..."

"But you have loyalty to your home and to Caramel Corn," I said as I nodded in understanding as I just looked at Arc for a long moment. "I understand Arc, probably better than most ponies do, but... but it still hurts a lot that you did this, we're going to have to think long and hard about what's going to happen next."

"I understand, and I understand if you don't want to be my friend again after that," she said with a soft sigh which just broke my heart more.

"Yeah, we're fine..." I said with a sigh as I looked over at Arc who nodded and I nuzzled Cherry gently. "So did you have any luck while we were gone?"

"Yeah, we got a meeting with Councilmare Starling, she's one of the Zony representatives on the council and she's willing to listen," Cherry said with a sigh as she looked over at Riva who nodded. "She apparently carries a lot of weight with the council so she might be able to persuade the others to our side if we can convince her."

"Well, that's good," I said with a nod and looked over at the Ranger who looked a bit concerned. "Is everything okay?"

"Well, the problem is that General Aries is going to be there too," Cherry said as she rubbed the back of her head. "Apparently its something of a tradition among the Tribe as a sort of debate between the two parties before members of the council. I don't particularly like it either, but we don't have a lot of choice given what's been going on around here and the customs of the Tenders."

"Yeah, I don't really like it either," I said with a sigh as I looked around. "So, when is the meeting going to be?"

"In an hour," Cherry said with a sigh, I groaned, that didn't really give us enough time to prepare what we were going to say. "On the bright side, they're going to allow us all in there for the debate so that gives us something at least."

I looked back at Arc, somehow this didn't feel like that much of an advantage especially if Aries knew that Arc was a spy for their side. There was little reason to believe she didn't know, and that may as much as I hate to admit it, give them an edge in the negotiations.

But on the other hoof if she didn't come along, that might give a tip off to the Enclave that we were onto her for being a spy, that wasn't any better and it certainly didn't help our situation. I hated that everything was happening like this, and I would much rather do this alone as much as I hated to admit it.

"Well, I mean unless you'd rather go in by yourself," the Ranger said with a sigh as I looked over at her. "This isn't going to be easy right now, but if you want to go in alone, we'll understand."

I looked between Cherry, Arc, and Riva as I tried to figure out what I was going to decide to do. This wasn't going to be an easy choice to make to be honest, I wasn't sure if I really was going to be able to make this decision, but I was starting to get the feeling that I was being put in a tough position on purpose.

"Cherry, what do you think I should do?"

"I think you should do whatever you feel is right," Cherry said with a smile. "I trust your judgment, we all do, but we're going to have to make a decision now. Starling wants to keep this fair and unbiased, at least as best she can given what all is going on around here. The Enclave is the greatest threat Equestria has ever faced, and we're going to have to stand together or we're going to fall apart."

I smiled a little, Cherry really did have a way with words in her own way. Maybe she was right though, we couldn't do this alone, none of us could. I wrapped my wings around her and kissed her deeply as I pulled her in close, which I'm sure got a few stares from around the village.

"What was that for?" Cherry asked with a blush after we broke the kiss.

"For being the most amazing mare in the Wasteland," I said with a smile as I nuzzled her gently. "I've made my decision, we're all going in there together, no question."

"Are you sure about that?" Arc asked and I looked over at her.

"United we stand, or divided we fall, as a team or as a world," I said with a nod as I looked over the small group of ponies I had gathered together. "Cherry is absolutely right, we're not going to stop the Enclave by being divided, we have to stop them together, and we stop them here."

My companions nodded in agreement, I smiled and took a deep breath. We still had a lot of things we had to do, but everything we could do in order to make sure that we really could help change things for the better, I just had to hope that the Enclave could be stopped here.

Stable 78 wasn't the final Stable in Winter Breeze's plans, but it may just be the decisive one. If we could make sure that they couldn't get access to that Stable, we were going to stop them here, and now. I just had to hope that we would be able to do it.

I just had to make sure that we could.

00000

I sighed a little as we walked into the hut belonging to Councilmare Starling, she was a Pegasus Zony who looked at each of us in turn as we walked inside. I looked at Aries who just ignored me for the moment as we took our seats on opposite parts of the small house.

"So, you both want to convince me that that my tribe should take one side or the other in this conflict," Starling said as she looked between us with a calm look on her face. "I must say I'm surprised that the two of you are remaining so civil given the ongoing situation in Equestria."

"We're not here to cause any trouble for your tribe," I said as I glanced over at Aries. "We're just here to try and help you is all."

"A likely story," Aries said as she looked over at me with a scowl. "While it is true that the Enclave has done things in the past that were..."

"Unethical, destructive, immoral, oppressive..." I said as I looked at her harshly.

"Less than ideal," Aries said with a shake of her head. "But President Winter Breeze has sent me with her full assurances that she will be keeping up any deal that is struck. We have no desire to drag you and your tribe into our ongoing war with the NCR and their Allies, which is what will happen if you side with this traitor."

"Really, what choice did you give to the ponies of Manehattan?" I asked as I looked over at her, which made her flinch a little. "The Enclave carried out a military occupation of an entire city and Tenpony Tower in order to get what they wanted, why don't you explain that away General. The Enclave occupation cost more lives than anypony can count, what justification do you have for that? Or are your hooves still stained with their blood."

Aries paused for a long moment, I could tell that my words had hit her close to home and she wasn't sure how she was going to react. I looked at Starling who was frowning a little at the accusation I had made, the fact was that this was something the Enclave was going to have to explain if they wanted to win over any new allies.

I just hoped that they wouldn't be able to.

"I was not personally involved in the occupation of Manehattan, that was an operation carried out by the President and her Elite troops," Aries said, I could tell that she was trying to save face at the moment. "The Occupation was a necessary measure in order to bring a swift end to this war, if it wasn't for the actions of you and your friends, the war would've ended days ago and there wouldn't have been any more bloodshed. Any blood that is shed during and after the occupation is on your hooves Scootaloo, not ours."

I flinched a little at that, she wasn't wrong to be honest, we could've ended the war there in Manehattan if I hadn't interfered. I knew that it would lead to even more death in the coming battles, but the alternative was to give Equestria over to Winter Breeze and the Enclave.

Even if Winter seemed to have noble intentions, the fact of the matter was that we couldn't let her win. Things would just get worse for Equestria before they got better, something that I didn't want to admit.

"Yes, that is true from a certain point of view," I admitted with a sigh. "But its also true that the Enclave has always ruled with an iron hoof. You pledge resources, food, water, and medicine to any tribe or settlement that would join you but at what cost? Freedom at the cost of supplies is a cost that in my opinion is too high to pay."

"My Stable joined the Enclave, and while the Enclave kept their end of the bargain, they still insisted on loyalty from them," Cherry said speaking up. "You're not going to be slaves in the same sense you might be under other rulers, but you will serve the Enclave's system in one way or another. Their bright future is one that is built with the blood of innocents, no moral pony should agree to any of their demands."

I looked at Arc and Riva, Riva nodded in agreement but Arc just looked off to the side. I couldn't imagine what was going through the Unicorn's head right now, she was in the worst position of any of us given that she was trapped between her loyalty to us and her loyalty to her friends.

"We've all been affected by the Enclave in one way or another," I finally said and nodded to Riva. "Riva here comes from the Zebra Lands, where her tribe and their allies are being plagued by the Enclave and their Starkatteri allies. If you have Zebra blood, then I'm sure you know what that means."

Starling looked at me and then at Riva before she spoke in the Zebra language to Riva.

"Hoc verum est?"

"Sic est," Riva answered.

Starling turned to look at Aries who remained stalwart as the Zony Councilmare stared her down. "This is quite the accusation to be made, what does the Enclave say to this?"

"The Starkatteri are allied with General Stardust who has been deemed a traitor to the Enclave after an assassination attempt on the President," Aries said as she glanced at me. "One that I may add, was thwarted by Scootaloo and her friends."

"Curious, you don't seem to like the Enclave, but you would spare the life of its leader," Starling said as she looked at me strangely. "How do I know you're not working for them now?"

"You don't," I admitted with a sigh as I looked down at my hooves. "But we only saved Winter Breeze's life because we felt that it was better than the alternative. There are ponies in the Enclave who will use their position to do things worse than anything you've ever seen. They want to return to the old ways of the Enclave, even if Winter Breeze doesn't want to and might want to try and help Equestria, they will do things worse than she will. Sometimes its better to deal with the Devil you Know, and Winter Breeze is most definitely a case of that."

"I see," Starling said as she looked at Arc Light. "What about your Unicorn friend, she's remained strangely quiet this whole time, what do you have to say about this?"

"I..." Arc said as she looked over at me and I nodded softly. "I think you shouldn't side with the Enclave, they took away every pony I grew up with, every pony I ever cared about. I don't know where they're being held, but they are not there of their own free will. The Enclave makes a lot of promises, but they're never going to keep them unless they get something in return. I don't know what they're going to promise you and your Tribe, but is it worth selling your soul?"

I could tell that saying that hurt Arc, especially in front of a Wonderbolt General. But she knew that it was something that needed to be said, I gave her a small smile before I turned to look at Aries and Starling.

"What is the Enclave offering?" Starling asked as she looked at Aries.

"Weapons, technology, the ability to deal with the Raiders living in this city once and for all," Aries said without skipping a beat. "The Enclave and the Tenders have a mutual dislike of Raiders and we'd be happy to work together to deal with them once and for all."

"That is, quite the tempting offer I have to admit," Starling said as she looked at Aries for a long moment as if she was contemplating the offer the General had made. The Raiders of Vanhoover have been a problem for the Tenders and the others for a long time. However, I cannot completely ignore what Scootaloo and her friends have told me... we have heard of what happened in the rest of Equestria even here."

I breathed a sigh of relief, maybe that was a good sign and the Tenders would listen to us. That being said, there was no way it was going to be as easy as just them deciding not to allow the Enclave into the Stable, something told me that this would still come down to a fight either way.

"I have heard your arguments, and I believe that I have enough to think about before I make my decision," Starling said as she looked at each of us in turn. "When we have made our choice, we will call all of you to the Council once more, until then you may continue as you were. But if either party commits an act of violence within our village, be warned, we will be swift and without mercy."

We all nodded in understanding and filed out of the hut. I looked at Aries for a long moment and the Pegasus mare looked back at me, her face didn't betray any emotion, she just turned and headed off once more.

"She's not going to take no for an answer is she?" Cherry asked and I turned to look at her with a shake of my head.

"I don't think so, no," I said with a sigh as we started walking again. "The Enclave wants these keys more than anything, its why they're so willing to make deals like this. They made a good offer to the Tenders to deal with the Raiders, that's something that is hard not to refuse."

"But the NCR is helping with the Raiders too, right?" Arc asked as she looked between us and I shrugged a little.

"I'm sure they're trying, but the problem with an ongoing war like this is that sometimes things like Raiders get ignored in favor of the war effort," I said with a sigh as I shook my head. "The Enclave is playing a dangerous game, and even if they don't like Raiders, they're trying to use the situation with them to their advantage."

"That's troubling," Cherry said with a sigh as she put her foreleg around me gently. "Do you think the Council will agree to keep the Enclave out of the Stable?"

"Honestly Cherry, I have no idea," I admitted with a sigh as I looked down at my hooves. "I hope they do, I really do."

She nodded and we headed back to the hut that was our temporary quarters here in the village. I sighed a little and looked up at the sky as we neared the door, night had fallen and everything was quiet.

I just had to hope that we'd make this work somehow.

00000

The next day we were called before the Council of Matriarchs once more, I looked over at Aries who just stood there stoically.

"We have reached a decision on the matter of what to do in relation to our ancestral home," Torn Shroud said as she looked between all of us. "It wasn't easy, and we had to deliberate long into the night before we could make a decision. The fact of the matter is that the Tenders want no part in this ongoing war between the Enseeare and the Enclave, but we cannot entirely ignore what has been told to us either."

I held my breath a moment, what was the decision going to be? Were they going to side with us or were they going to join the Enclave?

"It is the decision of the council, on recommendation from Councilmare Starling, that the Tenders Tribe will remain out of the conflict," Torn Shroud finally said and I let out the breath I had been holding. "As for the matter of entering Stable 78, we will not grant either party entrance into our ancestral home. Both parties have shown a disregard for pony lives in this war, and we appreciate the offers that have been made, but we cannot join your war."

"We understand," I said with a nod of my head as I glanced over at Aries who was smiling but her teeth were gritted, this wasn't a good ruling for her, but it was the best we could have hoped for. "The NCR will not take any action against the Tenders tribe or attempt to enter Stable 78."

"And what about the Enclave?" Starling said as she looked over at Aries who was seething in rage as she looked between all of us. "Will the Enclave continue to respect our neutrality in this matter and leave our ancestral home alone?"

Aries didn't answer, she turned and walked out of the hut angrily. I frowned, that was not a good sign, I didn't think the Enclave would take this kind of thing laying down, and I was afraid of what she was going to do next.

"Do you have any guards at the Stable door?" I asked as I looked over at the council. "Because I'm afraid that the war is about to come to you."

"Why would the Enclave do anything after we've already given them our decision?" The Griffon Hybrid Councilmare asked.

"Because they want what's in that Stable, they want it enough that they're willing to negotiate for it, or kill for it," I said with a sigh as I looked between all of them. "The Enclave will do anything to get what they want, they will hurt anypony that gets in their way. The fact of the matter is, this was merely a formality, if you chose against them, they consider you an enemy, and now all bets are off."

The council looked between one another and before they could say anything there was the sound of an explosion in the distance. We all got to our hooves and rushed outside, when we looked towards the area where Stable 78 was, there was a plume of smoke coming out of it.

The Enclave had made their move, and the Tenders were about to be drawn into a war that I wasn't sure we could win.

00000

"How many ponies were at or inside Stable 78?" I asked Torn Shroud as we headed into the armory where the Tenders Warriors were already starting to gear up.

"We don't enter the Stable unless its necessary," Torn Shroud said with a shake of her head. "We consider it a sacred place and its only to be entered to honor the dead. The Enclave is going to desecrate out home with their very presence. There were only around 5 ponies guarding the door."

"I understand, we're going to do everything we can to stop them," I said with a sigh as I looked over at Cherry who nodded in agreement. "We're going to have to make sure the Enclave are stopped, and fast, they can't get that key."

"Did you know the Enclave wasn't going to keep up their end of the bargain?" Torn Shroud said as she looked over at me with a scowl on her face. "Because if the Enseeare had anything to do with this..."

"We had nothing to do with this, the Enclave did this because they want the key that's in the Overmare's office," I said with a sigh as I looked at her. "I don't like the Enclave, over 200 years ago they branded me a traitor and cut me off from my family when they sent me below the clouds. I would not work with them for anything in Equestria."

Torn Shroud looked at me for a long moment before she seemed to be satisfied with my answer. "Fine, I will trust you for the moment, I hope you don't do anything to betray that trust."

I looked over at Arc Light who just looked down as she fit her rifle into her holster. She was the only pony among us who had any chance of betraying us, I trusted Cherry and Riva, but Arc? Honestly I was having a hard time believing that she wasn't going to turn on us somehow.

I hated myself for thinking like this, but I couldn't help it. She had betrayed us, what was I supposed to feel like? The Enclave had a spy this close to me ever since my first trip to Manehattan and I was still traveling with her to deal with Stable 78. I just had to hope that we'd be able to sort things out in due time.

"We're all trustworthy here," I said as I shot Arc a look that told her not to do anything. "We'll help you get the Enclave out of Stable 78, I promise."

"What happens when they're beaten here, will they keep going after them?" Tranquil asked and I looked over at the Changeling Hybrid and sighed a little.

"I don't know," I admitted. "Honestly the Enclave want this badly enough that I don't think they'll give up until the key is in their hooves. As much as I hate to admit it, the best thing for the Tenders may be to let them get the key..."

"What are you saying Scootaloo?" Cherry asked as she looked at me with astonishment.

"The Enclave aren't going to give up even if we stop them here," I said with a sigh. "If we could seal the Stable permanently that would be one thing, but I don't think the Tenders would want that either."

Torn Shroud shook her head, I didn't like the idea of it either, but we were running out of options here, we had to at least make an effort to keep the Enclave from getting to the key. For a moment I actually considered going with the last ditch plan of removing the power source, but I didn't even know if that was going to work.

I sighed a little and checked the ammo for my two energy rifles, I had enough for the moment but we were going to have to make sure that everything was done sparingly. I looked over at my friends and Torn Shroud one last time, it was time to take the fight to the Enclave in Stable 78.

"Once more into the breach," I said with a sigh as we headed out of the armory and towards the hill where Stable 78 was concealed.

00000

I don't like going into Stables sometimes to be honest, there's something uneasy about all of this especially given what I had done. Sometimes it felt like the ghosts of the ponies who had died in a Stable were judging me for my crimes, like the guilt was eating away at me as I simply walked into the Stable.

Stable 78 was no different, even if the Stable had succeeded I couldn't help but feel responsible for anything that may have gone wrong in it. The ponies here had made it out of the Stable alive and had built a new society for themselves in the ruins of Vanhoover, but had I done the right thing? Had it really all worked out in the end?

I didn't have any answers right now, and I didn't think that I ever really would, the Stables were something that would haunt me for the rest of my life if I let them. Now it was just a matter of making sure that I kept this one from opening the box.

The door to Stable 78 was wide open as we approached and the guards were all dead. We weren't too far behind the Enclave thankfully, and according to Torn Shroud the Overmare's office and most of the rest of the Stable had been sealed to make sure that nopony disturbed them.

A small consolation for the guilt I felt over this place.

"How long do you think it'll take them to break through the door to the office?" Torn Shroud asked as she looked over at me and I shrugged a little.

"It depends, the locks on Overmare Office doors are very hard to get open without lockpicking tools," I said with a sigh, knowing our luck the Enclave had brought that along. "What about any defenses that were set up?"

"We have a few things sure," Torn Shroud said. "They're programmed to attack anything without certain genetic markers."

"Great, so, that means we're going to be targeted by them too doesn't it?" Cherry asked as I facehooved a little, she was right of course, that had seemed like a good idea for the Tenders at the time, but now it was just going to get in our way.

"Tranquil, I know you don't like me very much but I need you to help us out here," I said as I looked over at the Changeling hybrid. "Can you shift into an Enclave soldier? That might give us an edge in the fight."

"I'll try and see what I can do, but I'll need some armor," Tranquil said, she didn't look very happy about the idea of taking orders from me and I didn't really blame her, but she took it in stride.

"Okay, keep an eye out for anypony we can grab," I said with a sigh as we moved into the Stable quietly, thankfully any defenses in the entrance had already been destroyed by the Enclave, though not without cost to them by the looks of things given the number of bodies that were littering the floor.

Well, at least there was a few less Enclave to get in our way.

"Why are they doing this?" Torn Shroud asked as we stepped over another body, we were checking them for anything that would be intact enough for Tranquil to use but weren't having much luck. "Why does the Enclave want to get access to Stable 78 at all?"

"Its not Stable 78 itself, its what the key in the terminal unlocks," I said with a sigh as I looked down at my hooves. "Over 210 years ago, during the war, I locked away a great and terrible weapon so that it could never be used by anypony. I thought that I had secured it enough, but the Enclave found out how to get access to it, and they're going to use it to force the other factions to surrender."

"How does the Enclave even know about it?" Tranquil asked as she and Torn Shroud both looked at me, I could tell that they weren't happy with this information. "If its so secret and secure, the Enclave shouldn't even know it exists, should they?"

"They shouldn't, but I think they got their hooves on my old journals that I had to leave behind," I said with a sigh as I checked my EFS, there wasn't any hostiles nearby, I guess they were deeper in the Stable. "I kept journals that had information on the project and I had hoped that they would never fall into the wrong hooves."

I wasn't ready to tell them just how the Enclave had found them yet, admitting Winter Breeze was my descendant was not something that I wanted to just tell anypony.

"I see," Tranquil said and shook her head a little. "That's quite the story, not quite sure I believe all of it, but if you really think that's what the Enclave did, then I'm sure you're right."

"Its the best explanation I have really, there were no other records of it anywhere else just to be safe," I said with a sigh, well there was the video files that I had seen, but that was another matter entirely. "I just hope that we're going to be able to stop the Enclave in time."

We rounded the corner where a lone Enclave soldier was coming out of one of the communal bathrooms and fitting their armor back on themselves. I smirked a little and nodded to Tranquil who shifted into a Pegasus Zony mare and sauntered over to the poor unsuspecting soldier.

"Hey there big boy, care to show a mare a good time?" she asked with a smile as she sauntered around him, I tried not to stare at the mare and just mentally facehooved, I couldn't believe this was happening.

"Well, umm, I should really get back to my post," the soldier said with a gulp as he looked at her for a long moment. "I mean... this isn't really the best time and..."

He didn't get to finish the sentence before he got a hoof to the head that sent him sprawling and we dragged him into one of the adjoining rooms that were still open.

"Stallions, always thinking with their penis instead of their brains," Tranquil said as we stripped the stallion of his armor and she shifted into a copy of him before putting the armor on. "Are you sure this'll work?"

"We don't really have much of a choice," I said and she nodded before heading out into the Stable, the rest of us gave her a few minutes before we followed.

The Enclave was mostly in the inner parts of the Stable from the looks of things, they were more interested in getting their hooves on the key than on actually holding the Stable, that was something at least. When we reached the areas that the Enclave were in, Torn Shroud moved ahead quietly and took out any of the soldiers that were in our way.

When we finally reached the Atrium, the Enclave was working on getting the door to the Overmare's office open still, that was a good sign at least. I looked over at my friends and gave Cherry a nod as she moved into cover, we weren't going to risk her and her baby no matter what was going on.

"So what's the plan?" Torn Shroud whispered to me as we ducked down just as one Enclave soldier happened to look in our direction.

I paused and looked around, there were still a few ponies here and there dressed in Enclave power armor and they were guarding most of the areas. I saw General Aries near the door, she probably was the one who could actually get the key out of the terminal, but it wasn't a guarantee.

"We need to kill or incapacitate the Enclave soldiers here," I whispered back and she nodded and we moved forward quietly towards the door to the Overmare's office. I checked the ammo one more time, it was time to fight the Enclave again.

Just as we were about to move into position, one Enclave soldier noticed us and let out a cry of alarm. We ducked out of the way of a blast of energy as the Enclave started firing at us.

"So, any other brilliant ideas?" Torn Shroud asked sarcastically as she looked over at us.

"I'm working on it..." I said with a groan as we fired back at the Enclave soldiers, but Aries had ducked into cover and was returning fire. "Hope that Tranquil is somewhere nearby I guess."

As we fought, I could see the Enclave tech working to try and get the door open still, but the others were covering him. I ducked down when another shot of magical energy flew past me and hit the wall.

"This is getting tedious," I said with a groan as I fired a shot and took out one of the soldiers but there were still more heading our way. "Cover our..."

A shot rang out from behind us and I turned with a surprised look to see a pony in Enclave armor falling over with Arc holding her rifle in her telekinesis. They must've been trying to sneak up on us and Arc had taken them out, she gave me a nod and a weak smile which I returned before we returned to the firefight.

"Cover me!" Aries shouted as the door to the office slid open and she ducked through it followed by the tech and two guards, I flinched at that, the Enclave were now one step closer to getting the key and we had to stop them, now.

I lined up a shot and took out another soldier, the rest of them went down not long after and we pushed forward towards the office. We stopped just short of entering it when the guards inside fired towards us.

"You've all done well to follow us this far," Aries called out from the terminal. "But you're too late, the key is almost released, and you will not be able to stop us!"

I flinched and facehooved a little, of course it wasn't going to be easy. The Enclave was still trying to stop us with sustained gunfire every time we so much as looked into the office. I sighed a little, it looked like it was too late and they'd probably escape using the tunnel.

That's when something surprised me, there was the sound of gunfire coming from inside the office followed by a thud. When we looked inside we saw one of the guards was standing over the unconscious body of General Aries, he removed his helmet and shifted back into Tranquil.

"Took you long enough," I commented with a chuckle as we moved into the office, Tranquil just rolled her eyes at that.

"Well sorry, I had to make sure that they weren't going to see me," Tranquil said with a shake of her head as I pushed Aries out of the way and checked the terminal.

"Great... we're too late," I said and stomped my hoof, the Enclave despite our best efforts had succeeded in getting the key released from the terminal.

"What does this mean?" Cherry asked as she looked between all of us, she looked as scared as I felt, and I didn't really blame her for that. "What are we going to do now?"

"It means, the Enclave just needs two keys now," I said with a sigh as I looked down at my hooves. "And now we just have two places left to stop them at, and I don't know if we're going to be able to."

That hung over the room for a long moment as we looked down at the unconscious General Aries. The Wonderbolt General groaned a little.

"Well, at least we have a prisoner," I said and we picked her up and carried her out of the Stable, it was time to report back to the NCR.

00000

The NCR under Colonel Archimedes arrived two hours later accompanied by a Vertibuck that landed in an area that had been cleared out on the outskirts of the village. There was a lot of whispers around about what was going to happen now that the Enclave had made it into the Stable, and a lot of the villagers weren't happy about it.

We were called before an emergency meeting of the Council of Matriarchs who looked at me and the Colonel with a bit of contempt in their faces. I didn't particularly blame them, we had brought the war with the Enclave into their home, into their sacred site, they had every reason to hate us for what we did.

"Scootaloo of Family Dash," Starling said as she looked at me for a long moment. "It was on your advice that we refused the Enclave's offer, and it has brought nothing but death and suffering to our Tribe. You came here representing the Enseeare, and while you claim to respect our choice to remain neutral, you have called them here, what do you have to say for yourself?"

"Councilors, we're not here to..." Archimedes started to say before he was cut off by Torn Shroud.
"The question was not directed at you, Griffon," Torn Shroud said as she shot the Colonel a glare. "Scootaloo of Family Dash will answer the question."

"We do respect the Tenders' choice of remaining neutral in this conflict," I said with a sigh as I looked around at the others. "And I do believe that now that they have the key, the Enclave will have no reason to return to your village, but there is always the risk that they will want some sort of retribution. I'm not asking that you violate your neutrality by siding with the NCR and the alliance, but you will be putting yourselves at risk if you don't do something to defend yourselves from the Enclave."

"We understand that," the Dragonpony representative said as she looked between all of us. "The decision will not be an easy one to make, but you have not given us much of a choice. We have survived as a tribe for over 100 years and we will continue to survive, no matter what. Our decision to remain neutral still stands."

"And we will respect that," Archimedes said with a nod as he looked over at me. "The NCR will leave your village once the prisoners are secure, I hope that someday we'll be able to open relations again."

"Not as long as the NCR is waging war in our lands," Torn Shroud said as she looked at me and the Colonel harshly. "Until there is peace, the Tenders will have nothing to do with either the Enseeare or the Enclave."

"Understood," Archimedes said and I nodded before we headed back out of the hut to where the Vertibuck was, Cherry greeted me with a worried look.

"Scootaloo, they arrested Arc Light, they said she's being charged with espionage!" She said breathlessly as she looked at Archimedes. "What's going on, why is this happening?"

"Cherry, we wanted to tell you before but..." I started to say and sighed a little, this wasn't going to be easy. "Arc has been spying on us since I first met her in Manehattan, she agreed to turn herself into the NCR, I'm sorry..."

Cherry looked at me for a long moment and started crying as she hugged me tight. I didn't blame her for being said or angry, Arc had betrayed us all even if she had the right reasons. We still had a long way to go before we could really forgive Arc, but I could understand why she did it.

"I'll explain it all when I get the chance," I said with a sigh.

"Okay."

I held her for a long moment before we released the hug and started walking again, I was a bit surprised to see Tranquil wasn't getting ready.

"Are you staying?" I asked curiously as I looked at the Changeling Hybrid.

"I'm not officially NCR, and I'm closer to them than to any of you," Tranquil said with a nod as she looked out at the village. "Until now, I've never really had anywhere to live and they asked me if I wanted to stay."

"I understand, we all need a home," I said with a nod as I offered a hoof to Tranquil. "Fair winds and stay safe."

Tranquil looked at me for a long moment before she smiled and shook my hoof. "You too Scootaloo, I may not like what your company did to me, but I respect you as a warrior. Just do me one favor okay?"

"What's that?"

"Kick Winter Breeze's flank extra hard for me," she said with a smirk and I chuckled and nodded.

"You've got it," I said with a nod as we climbed aboard the Vertibuck.

I looked across the aircraft at Arc Light and Aries who were chained up, Arc couldn't look at us in the eye and I sighed a little. This wasn't going to be easy, but at least one lingering question had been answered.

I just hoped that everything would be okay for Arc and for all of us.

LEVEL UP!
Perk Received: Counter-Espionage Agent.
Details: You've gained a better knowledge of the enemy's intelligence network and a better ability to recognize spies in your midst. You get an extra boost to perception and a special conversation option with certain ponies.

Chapter 23: Betrayed

"Things do not change.
We change."
-Henry David Thoreau

My mind was still reeling to be honest, after we finished up in Vanhoover I finally got a chance to think over what was going on as we traveled back towards Junction Town. I stared across the Vertibuck at Arc who couldn't make eye contact with any of us, not that I blamed her, none of us were happy with what had happened.

I still couldn't believe that she had actually betrayed me like this, betrayed all of us. Even if the Enclave was holding her friends, there was a better way than keeping it from us. Maybe we could have done something, maybe the NCR or the other members of the Alliance could've broken them out.

Or maybe they couldn't have. The truth was that we only had a vague knowledge of where the inhabitants of Stable 66 were, and even that wasn't concrete evidence. The Enclave had no reason to be honest with the inhabitants of the Stable, so how did we even know that they were really in Thunderhead.

Thunderhead, it kept coming back to Thunderhead for some reason, that seemed to be important to this whole war for some reason. No, there was a reason, Hoofington was near where I had stashed... that, I wasn't going to tell the NCR that of course, the fact was that it would be just as bad in their hooves as it would be in the Enclave's.

So the question now was, what were we going to do? How much could I tell the NCR without them figuring out what was going on? I needed to make sure that the Enclave was stopped without causing any real damage to Equestria beyond what had already happened.

"Scootaloo, I..." Arc started to say and I shot her a look, I didn't want to hear her try and defend her actions or apologize or whatever she was about to say right now.

"Arc, I don't want to hear it, we'll talk about this later," I said as I shot her a look. Cherry and Riva didn't look too happy about it either, even though Riva barely understood Equestrian she had gotten the gist of what was going on quickly.

"I'm sorry..." Arc said softly and I sighed a little as I shook my head, I wasn't going to decide whether or not to forgive her, at least not yet. My head had to be clear before I was going to make any sort of decision on what we were going to do with her, as hard as that was going to be.

"Are we really going to turn her over to the NCR?" Cherry asked as she looked at me with fear in her eyes. "I know she did some bad things, but she's our friend, are we really just going to cast her aside like this?"

"She said she'd turn herself over when we were done in Vanhoover, its out of our hooves now," I said with a sigh as I looked down at the floor. I couldn't bear to look at Cherry right now, she was right, we were throwing Arc under the bus because of this, but we had to make sure that everything was going to be okay. "If the Enclave can get a pony that close to the NCR, we have a lot more to worry about than just her. They may have spies in the highest echelons of the Alliance, feeding them information on our activities."

Cherry nodded silently as she wrapped her foreleg around me gently. It was hard to believe that we were actually in this position. I had hoped that everything might be different in this war, that things might not wind up like they had during the war with the Zebras. While we didn't have the threat of megaspells, at least not all the time, we were having to second guess our own people, our own friends.

And that was something that I didn't want to have to do. Arc was still my friend, I wasn't going to completely abandon her at least not yet, there was just the matter of figuring out what to do.

I sighed and wrapped my wing around Cherry, we would have to figure this out later when we arrived in Junction Town. I knew there was one stop I had to make, ponies I had to talk to, and hope that everything was going to be okay.

00000

"Scootaloo, you're back!" Serenity called out as she ran up to us and hugged me tightly, I smiled a little as I hugged the small filly, we were back at Star and Jade's house in Nomad City to meet up with the others. "How'd it go in Vanhoover?"

"About as well as expected, the Enclave got another key, but there is some good news," I said with a weak smile as I hugged the filly tightly. "We captured one of the Enclave Generals, they're going to be interrogated so we can hopefully get some intel out of them."

"You captured one of the generals? Which one?" Star asked as she walked into the foyer and looked at us curiously. "Was it Cloud Chaser by any chance?"

"No it was Aries," I said and there was the sound of something breaking in the next room, we ran into the room to find Jade standing there with the shattered remains of a dish and the food that she had been carrying on the floor.

"Jade, are you okay?" Star asked as she rushed over to her wife who was shaking a little and gently hugged her.

"Aries..." she said, breathing heavily. "I didn't want to ever hear that name again except on a casualty report..."
I froze a little at that, did Jade have some sort of past with Aries that we didn't know anything about? Star just held her there for a long moment and looked over at me.

"Go hang out with Serenity and Pure Heart, okay? We'll be fine," Star said with a soft smile and I nodded and we headed back into the living room where Serenity and Pure Heart were.

"Is mom okay?" Pure Heart asked as she looked at us worriedly. "What happened?"

"I don't know," I admitted with a sigh as I looked between the two fillies. "She dropped what she was holding I guess, I don't really know what's going on, but Star is taking care of it."

Pure Heart breathed a sigh of relief and Serenity held her close. I smiled a little at the two fillies, they reminded me a bit of me and my friends when were that age and it was nice to see that things didn't change there at least.

"Are you going to be okay?" Cherry asked as she looked at the filly who just shrugged a little. "I don't know what's going on, but you've got a good friend here that's going to be here for you whenever you need them. Right Serenity?"

"Yep," Serenity said with a smile as she wrapped her wing around Pure Heart gently. "You're my best friend Pure Heart, I'm glad I met you and if you ever need anything, I'll be there for you."

"We'll all be there for you," I said as me and Cherry joined the hug.

Pure Heart smiled and hugged back. We just held the hug there for a long moment, it was nice to have a chance to be there with the two of them. I took a deep breath and ruffled their manes a little.

"We're glad to be here for you," I said with a nod as we released the hug.

After a few minutes Star and Jade came in and asked if I could talk with them in the other room. I had to admit it piqued my curiosity since I was sure that it had something to do with what had happened before, and I agreed as we headed into the kitchen.

"Scootaloo, I know this is something that's a little hard to understand, but we felt you deserved to know what's going on," Jade said as she took a deep breath, she was still shaking a little. "A few years back, before I even met Star here, when Pure Heart was only about 4 years old Nomad City was in Trotson following up on reports of Enclave activity."

Oh, this was definitely going to be an interesting story, something certainly had rattled Jade with all of this and I was starting to get the idea of what was going on.

"My Husband at the time, Light Touch, he was part of the Vertibuck corps in Nomad City and was sent into the city to get out a group of refugees," Jade continued as she looked down at her hooves. "He was shot down by the Enclave under the command of General Aries just a few days before Pure Heart's 5th birthday."

"Oh, I'm so sorry..." I said Star hugged her gently. "I had no idea that had happened to your family."

"Its fine, I don't talk about it very much," Jade said with a shake of her head. "He was a good husband, I didn't think I'd ever find somepony again until I met Star here. She's been a great mom for Pure Heart, but its not really the same sometimes."

"And I'm glad I found her," Star said with a smile and pulled Jade in close. "I know I couldn't replace Light Touch, but I wanted to make sure that I could do my best to be the best wife I could be."

"Well, I'm glad you two found each other," I said with a sad smile. "I know what its like to lose somepony you love, and the best you can do is try and move on. I'm glad you were able to find somepony, just like I did."

Jade nodded and nuzzled Star gently before she looked over at me with a soft smile. "That means a lot, I'm glad you found somepony too."

I looked back towards where Cherry was playing with the two fillies and smiled a little. "Yeah, me too, I just wish that everything was going better for all of us."

"Right, we heard about what happened with Arc," Star said and shook her head. "I had heard the rumors about Winter's spy network, I didn't actually think they could get that close though."

"What are you going to do?" Jade asked.

"Honestly, I have no idea right now, I'm still trying to decide how I feel about the whole thing to be honest," I said with a sigh as I looked down at my hooves. "I'm scared honestly, Arc has been with me this whole time as a friend and I don't really know what to feel about this. She had her reasons to do what she did, she was basically forced into being a spy, but that doesn't excuse it."

"Winter Breeze is dangerous," Star said with a shake of her head. "She's good at getting ponies to do what she wants them to do, its why she's remained in power this long. No matter what her motivations are, she's still a threat, and she has to be stopped no matter what."

I paused a moment at that, was it possible we were going to have to kill Winter? So far we had avoided that, even when given the chance, because we knew that if we did somepony worse might take her place, there had to be a better way to stopping her than just killing her.

A thought occurred to me and I smiled a little. It was going to be tricky, but I had an idea, something that might convince her if we needed it. An ace in the hole.

"Okay, listen to me very carefully, I may have an idea," I said as I looked between them. "In my office at the Red Racer headquarters there's a terminal that is on its own internal power that should last for a few centuries. I need somepony to get to that terminal and download the files off of it labeled PZ01 through PZ05."

"Okay, but what's on them?" Jade asked as she looked at me strangely.

"Our ace in the hole, something I saw a long time ago that might do the trick," I said with a nod as I wrote the password on a piece of paper and gave it to Star. "This might be what turns the whole tide of the war if we need it, can I trust you two with this?"

"We'll get it arranged," Star said as she looked at the paper and then back at me. "What's so important about these files specifically?"

"They're everything we know about what Winter is after," I said and looked between the two. "I know this is a strange request, but its the only chance we have at stopping Winter without more bloodshed. Please, trust me on this."
They nodded and went back to making dinner.

I breathed a sigh of relief, this was something that I hoped we wouldn't have to use, but it was good to have it just in case. I was glad that I had friends willing to help me out like this, it was just a matter of hoping that we wouldn't have to worry about it because we could stop the Enclave there.

Just two Stables were left, and we had to make sure that the Enclave was stopped at at least one of them, that was our only chance of winning this war without having to resort to our ace.

00000

I ducked a pillow that was thrown at my head and laughed as I looked into the bedroom where the two fillies were playing with Vanilla reading a book on her bed. Star and Jade had asked if Pure Heart could stay over with us for the night, which was fine of course even if that meant that they would get into some trouble together.

"Okay you two, its time for bed," Vanilla said with a roll of her eyes as she got to her hooves and looked over at me. "Sorry about that Scootaloo, these two can't seem to stay out of trouble."

"Its fine, I love it," I said with a chuckle as I picked the pillow back up and tossed it onto the bed. "Actually its kind of refreshing."

"Yeah, I know what you mean, with everything that's going on its nice to see that some things are at least normal," Vanilla said. "Come on you two, its time for bed."

"Aww, do we have to?" Serenity asked with a cute pout which made me laugh and ruffle the filly's mane. "You let me stay up as late as I wanted before."

"Well, before you were living on your own and set your own bedtime," Vanilla pointed out as she tucked Serenity into bed next to Pure Heart. "But that's all changing now, okay? Which means you have to go to bed at a normal time like every other filly."

"Aww, but I'm not..." Serenity said and yawned a little. "Tired."

"Don't worry Serenity, you'll be fine," I said and gave her a light kiss on the forehead as the filly drifted off to sleep. I smiled a little when she unconsciously draped her wing over Pure Heart, it was adorable to say the least.

"Good night Vanilla," I said with a smile as I gave the Unicorn a nod and headed back out of the room and across the small hallways to where I was sleeping with Cherry.

"How are they doing?" Cherry asked, she was laying out on the bed dressed in a nightgown that she had picked up from one of the stores here in Nomad City. She had actually gone clothes shopping earlier today and picked out a nice simple wastelander outfit and some extra things for whenever she might need them.

"They're doing fine, just causing trouble as usual," I said with a roll of my eyes as I laid down next to the pink mare and gave her a light kiss on the lips. "Its actually nice to know that foals didn't change that much after the apocalypse, its a sign to me that there really is hope for this world."

"Yeah, I know what you mean," Cherry said as she snuggled up to me and kissed back. "I just hope that this little filly isn't going to cause us that much trouble."

"I dunno, given who her mom is she might be quite the little hellion, not to mention with me helping raising her," I said with a laugh as I nuzzled Cherry. "I'm glad I met you Cherry, before I met you I didn't think I'd have get another chance at love."

"I'm glad I met you too," Cherry said with a smile as she nuzzled back. "Thank you for being there for me when I needed you most."

"Of course Cherry, I wouldn't have it any other way," I said and nuzzled her again. "You've been there for me too, and that's all I could ever ask of you."

"I know," Cherry said with a sigh. "And now Arc is in trouble if we don't help her."

"I know, but..." I said with a sigh. "Honestly I think while we should try and help her, we do need to make sure that it doesn't lead to something even worse down the line. The Enclave needs to be stopped."

"I know, but I don't want to lose a friend because of it," Cherry said. "Do you know what I mean?"

I nodded as I wrapped my wings around Cherry gently. We were just going to enjoy the moment of warmth between us as we drifted off to sleep together.

00000

I opened my eyes and for a moment I didn't realize where I was until I saw Sweetie Belle laying next to me again. She was older than I remembered last time, I guess even more time had passed since I had last had a dream of this strange world, but it was okay.

I smiled and nuzzled her gently as she stirred in her sleep and opened her eyes to give me a smile.

"Good morning Scootaloo," she said with a yawn as she kissed me softly on the lips. "You always seem so happy to see me in the morning, why's that?"

"Its because I love you so much and I'm glad to see you every morning," I said with a smile as I held her close and gently stroked her mane.

It was weird having another one of these dreams after me and Cherry had become a couple. They had started to become less frequent, maybe whatever purpose they were serving was almost over. I didn't want to dwell on that though, I just wanted to enjoy the time I had with Sweetie Belle.

"So what do we have planned for today?" I asked as I looked down at the Unicorn curiously.

"Well, today is Cloudy's High School graduation, so we're going to be going to that," Sweetie said with a nod as she looked up at me. "Are you okay? You were really excited about it yesterday."

"Yeah, I know, I guess it just slipped my mind for a moment is all," I said, it wasn't easy to be in this because I had no idea what was going on from the day before. I smiled a little, my little filly's graduation, that was something that I had obviously had to miss out on because of my exile.

I still had to wonder what purpose these dreams served, it felt like every time I had one it was showing me a small part of what my life could've been like. Were they to tease me or even torment me with the fact that I wouldn't ever get this life? Or maybe was it to help me? I had no idea to be honest.

Part of me wanted to go find Ruby Starlight and see if Luna might know what's going on. There was a lot of ponies I wanted to talk to but I hadn't gotten a lot of chances to do so because of the ongoing war with the Enclave.

"How's Cloudy doing?" I asked as we got to our hooves and started getting ready. "What about college, what do you think she's going to do?"

"Oh you know her, she's still on the fence about a few things, but she's going to be just fine," Sweetie said with a smile as she looked over at me. "She's got a lot of you in her. I'm glad that we decided to have her together. Even if it meant we had to use a Stallion since that spell wasn't perfected yet."

"Yeah, me too," I said. Well that was one question answered, she was still me and Sky Walker's daughter in this reality, he must've been a sperm donor or something that we had used so we could have a foal together, and that had lead to Cloudy being born. "I'm proud of her for everything she's accomplished, and of Sparky. I just wish that I could be here more to help them."

"You're here enough, they know you're busy with your work," Sweetie said as she fixed my tie with her telekinesis. "Scootaloo, you're a great mom to both our foals. Cloudy's going to be just fine and so is Sparky, they both know how much you love them and that if you could you would spend as much time with them as possible."

I smiled a little, though it still kept bugging me. Was this part of the dream or was there something else going on here? I really did want to spend more time in this world, even if it meant that I wouldn't be able to see Cherry or my other friends as much.

I sighed a little and kissed Sweetie on the lips, she looked as beautiful as she ever did. The elegant dress that she had picked hugged her curves perfectly, even if she was getting old, she still had this radiance to her that she would never lose.

"Are you going to be okay Scootaloo?" Sweetie asked as she looked at me. "You seem to be acting weirder than usual lately."

"Don't worry about me, I'll be just fine," I said and nuzzled Sweetie as we headed back downstairs to meet with our daughters, it was time to head out for the graduation.

The ceremony was small but very nice, I smiled and watched as my now 18 year old daughter walked across the stage and took her diploma. She even had the same cutie mark that I had seen in her journal, that made me smile even more, maybe that meant that everything was going to be okay in both realities.

I squeezed Sweetie's hoof gently and gave her a light kiss. There was something about all of this that just felt so right, and even though I knew it was all just a dream I wanted it to last as long as possible.

I smiled as I saw Cloudy walking up to us and gave her a hug. "You looked great up there."

"Thanks, I was half afraid I'd trip on my robes on my way up there," Cloudy said as she hugged back and Sweetie joined in.

"Oh yeah, your mom did that when she got her diploma," Sweetie said with a chuckle and I groaned a little but laughed along with them. It was nice to be able to laugh given everything that was going on. "So, what do you think you'll do now?"

"Well, actually I was thinking about Manehattan University again," Cloudy said as she looked at her diploma. "But honestly, I don't know."

"Well, whatever you choose, it'll be something awesome just like your moms," a familiar voice said and I turned to see Rainbow standing there with a smile. She looked older, a lot more tired and not nearly as fast as she had once been. I guess we all have to go somehow, but I never thought Rainbow Dash would die of old age. "Sorry I was late, but I made it in time to see you graduate."

"Grandma Rainbow!" Sparky said as she ran over to her grandmother and hugged her. "Its so good to see you again, how are things going?"

"Oh, you know, pretty well I guess," Rainbow said as she hugged the filly tightly. "What about you, are you doing well in school, still giving your parents a hard time?

"Yep," Sparky said with a giggle as she released the hug and walked back over to us with Rainbow.

"I'm glad you could make it grandma," Cloudy said as she hugged Rainbow. "What's the latest with the Shadowbolts, how are they doing?"

"Oh they're doing great, Spitfire's daughter just became the captain, and I've been helping with the training mostly," Rainbow said with a nod. "Its not quite the same as being able to fly with them though."

"Well, you know that you're a bit too old for that kind of thing," Sweetie Belle said with a nod. "Besides, you've got another duty to take care of right now."

"Oh yes, spoiling my granddaughters," Rainbow said with a chuckle as she hugged all of us. "Come on, lunch is on me, lets go."

I smiled a little and we headed out of the auditorium and back towards town. I wished it would never end, but I knew I had my own duty to get back to.

00000

The next day I headed down to Junction Town to look around for anypony that I might know. Most of the ones I had met on my journey were out working on the different fronts of the war, I did however run into Gear Shift briefly who told me that Nova had made a full recovery.

I smiled a little and moved into the memorial park at the center of the town and took a seat as I looked up at the statue of LittlePip. It struck me how much of this was because of her actions, the actions of one small pony who had decided to stand up to evil. She had done a lot of good to say the least, but she had wounded the Enclave and pushed them to the point that we were at now.

For good and for bad, this world was born on the Day of Sunshine and Rainbows, not on the Last Day. The apocalypse had been the start, but LittlePip's actions had not been the ending. There was always going to be things that threatened Equestria and the ponies that lived in it.

I just hoped that everything was going to be okay in the end.

"Hey Scootaloo!" A familiar voice called out and I looked up with a smile to see Rain Runner making her way over to me. "I heard you were back in town after what happened in Vanhoover, how's it going?"

"Its, been better," I admitted with a sigh as I looked over at her. "Its been a crazy few days, and I'm just hoping to get a chance to relax before we have to run off to either Neigh Orleans or San Prancisco."

"Let me guess, those key things you mentioned before?" Rain asked and I nodded. "At least you have something to do, I'm going stir crazy in this town. I can't exactly go anywhere in my condition, Doctor's Orders."

"What kind of..." I started to ask when I looked at her a little more closely and noticed a slight bump in her stomach and my eyes went wide. "Oh."

"Yeah, its... complicated," Rain said with a shake of her head.

"So, who's the father? Or did you and Crystal..." I started to say and looked at the younger Pegasus with a curious look.

"No, its not like that," Rain said as she rubbed her foreleg a little. "While we were fighting the Project a few months back we managed to defeat them and the growth tanks were opened up. Most of the ponies inside were ready, except for one, who was just a fetus at the time."

"So they used a surrogacy spell on you," I said and looked at Rain with a surprised look on my face, I hadn't expected her to take on that kind of responsibility.

"Yeah, well that was before the Enclave made their big move so we thought we'd have time," Rain said with a shrug as she sat down next to me. "Any one of us could've done it, but I had to do it, I had my reasons for why, but..."

I looked at her strangely, what did she mean by that? The Project used the DNA of different ponies to create new ones, I kind of doubted that it was Rain Runner's foal, but I didn't know what was really going on here. Something about all of this was weird, and I just hoped that this wasn't going to make the war even more complicated than it already was.

"Is everything okay Rain?" I asked as I looked at my adopted sister who just shifted uncomfortably for a moment. "What's wrong?"

"Its nothing, lets talk about something else," Rain said with a shake of her head. "So how are things going between you and Cherry?"

"Oh, things are going pretty well," I said with a nod, but I was still a little bothered by the way she had dismissed what was bothering her. "I wish I could say the same for Arc, things have gotten... well that's not something we can talk about in a public place."

Rain nodded and sighed as she looked at the statue of LittlePip for a long moment. "What do you think she'd say if she could see everything that's been going on since she stopped the Enclave before?"

"Who knows, maybe someday we'll get a chance to ask her," I said with a sigh as I closed my eyes and thought about everything that had happened. "None of us ever really chose to be a hero did we? We all got stuck in situations that required us to step up. LittlePip, Nova, Ruby, you, me... what would our lives have been like if everything was, you know, normal?"

"Well, you and me would probably be dead," Rain pointed out and I chuckled a little at that. "I mean you and I, we could've lived normal lives over 200 years ago but we were put in this situation, in this version of Equestria for a reason. I don't believe in fate or whatever, but I do think that we have some sort of purpose here. Did you think that you could've lived your life normally? What would you have done differently?"

"Who knows, maybe settle down, marry Sweetie Belle, and have a couple of foals," I said with a light chuckle as Rain looked at me surprised. "Wait, you didn't know that me and Sweetie were a couple before the apocalypse?"

"No... that for some reason was left out of the simulation," Rain said as she blinked a little and shook her head. "For some reason the simulation put you with Rumble."

"You're kidding right? I mean sure he was cute but he was not my type at all," I said with a laugh as I hugged Rain a little. It was actually kind of funny to think about how different my life could've been. Though seriously, Rumble? If he wasn't probably dead at this point I'd have a long talk with Eureka about that. "I hope you made sure Eureka paid for that one, even if you didn't know it at the time."

"Oh don't worry, he did not go out pleasantly," Rain said with a chuckle. "But yeah, I could see it, you two were always close and you would've made a cute couple. I guess its a shame that she didn't survive too huh?"

"Yeah, its a shame," I said with a sigh as I looked over towards one of the entrances to the park where Velvet Remedy and Calamity were walking in talking about something. "Maybe it was for the best at the same time."

"What do you mean?" Rain asked.

"Sweetie Belle making it into the Stable lead to Velvet being born, which lead to LittlePip leaving the Stable, which lead to the Enclave being defeated and the Elements of Harmony being gathered together," I said with a light chuckle as I gave Velvet a nod. "I may not have gotten to spend the rest of my life with the mare I loved, but her family made a difference in Equestria. I do miss her, more than anything, but I understand that maybe it was for the best."

"Yeah, I get what you mean," Rain said with a nod.

"Besides, there was clones of us made that did get together and had a filly," I added with a chuckle and Rain shot a strange look at me. "Long story, visit Sweet Apple Acres sometime."

Rain just stared at me for a long moment as Velvet and Calamity walked up to us. "Scootaloo, can we talk to you about something?"

"Sure, what is it?"

"Its about Stable 26," Calamity said as he took off his hat and shook his head. "Ah'm afraid we just got a report from some ponies we had sent ta guard tha Stable. They were attacked by tha Enclave and overrun, the Enclave has taken Stable 26."
Oh dear Celestia, that was really not what I wanted to hear right now.

"General Sparkle wants you to go to the HQ building, they need to know more about what's going to be targeted next," Velvet said with a sigh as she looked at me. "Scootaloo, I know this isn't going to be easy for you, but we have to know everything you know about what the Enclave is after."

I thought for a moment and nodded, there was some details that I could still leave out but I could tell them the basics at least. The time for secrecy was almost over, there was only one Stable left right now, and that was Stable 97, if it fell, then everything we had worked for was lost.

"Okay, I'll go," I said and got to my hooves and gave Rain a nod before I headed off to the main military HQ for Junction Town.

I just hoped that what I had to tell them wasn't going to make things worse.

00000

"Scootaloo, there you are, I hope you've been informed of the situation in Neigh Orleans," Midnight said as I entered the planning room. "What can you tell us about what's going on?"

"Well, if the Enclave does have the key from 26, which there's no reason to believe that they don't, we have a serious problem," I said with a sigh as I looked at my hooves. "There's only one key left, and its in Stable 97."

"Where's Stable 97?" Midnight asked as she looked at me for a long moment. "Why are all the keys so spread out across Equestria anyway?"

"To make sure that they don't fall into the wrong hooves," I said with a sigh. "I put them all in remote Stables in hopes that they wouldn't be found and spread them around Equestria. The idea was that even if one or two were stumbled across by accident, the rest could hold the whole thing together, I didn't actually think that somepony would be able to track down all six of them."

"That's not exactly a secure system," Midnight commented as she looked at me for a long moment and sighed. "I know you were hoping that nopony could get access to it, but why? Why go through all this trouble to keep it locked away?"

This was it, the moment of truth, I had to decide whether or not to tell Midnight and the NCR everything. I didn't have much of a choice, and at the very least I could tell them part of the truth.

"Because of what it is, there's a weapon in there, a Megaspell, one that was so powerful it was never put into use," I said with a sigh. "It was given to Stable-Tec, and I had it locked away to make sure it could never be used. I know it doesn't make much sense, but I had to be sure... I guess that's coming back to haunt me too."

"Its okay Scootaloo, we don't blame you for what Winter is trying to do," Midnight said with a sigh. "But we do need to know where the last key is so we can stop the Enclave from getting at it. Where is Stable 97?"

"San Prancisco," I said without hesitation, I knew I'd have the backup I needed.

Midnight however seemed to pause for a moment at that as if she was worried, that did not bode well for our situation. "That, is going to be a problem to be honest. San Prancisco is in a state of anarchy with the Raider Gangs having basically taken over. We control Ponytraz Island in the middle of the bay, but other than that we don't have much of a hoofhold in the city."

Well, that didn't help matters at all, now we had to deal with both the Enclave and Raiders. I had my doubts that we'd be able to make it through as easily as we did in Vanhoover, and that worried me.

"So what are we going to do then?" I asked as I looked at Midnight. "We have to get into that city and keep the Enclave from getting into Stable 97. If we don't stop them, we've got bigger problems than everything that's come before."

Midnight sighed a little and nodded as she pulled out a map of San Prancisco. It was marked and divided into what looked like different pieces of territory.

"Basically we're looking at a situation like Seaddle was in before the Great Schism ended," Midnight said with a sigh. "The problem here is that the Raider Gangs have turned the entire city into a warzone, they attack each other just as much as they do us or the Enclave."

"What about the Enclave, what kind of presence do they have in the city?" I asked as I looked at her, maybe this would give us an advantage.

"They're just as limited as we are, they've mostly been focused on the outer edges of the city since the Raiders aren't exactly letting them get into the inner city easily," Midnight said as she pointed at the outer edges. "Let me guess, Stable 97 is not on the outer edge."

"No, no it is not," I said with a sigh as I ran my hoof along the city streets. "Its more or less in the dead center of town. There is, also a risk that they might be more susceptible to the Enclave because of the experiment. This wasn't my idea mind you, but 97 was built to basically test the control of information and the impact of education. We, kind of set it up to make them more..."

"Dumb?" Midnight asked as she looked at me in disbelief. "Okay... that's not one of the better ideas Stable-Tec has had, and you've had some real bad ideas."

"I know, I know, this one was put together when Apple Bloom went into labor," I said with a sigh. "We left some ponies in charge while we dealt with it and, well, some of their choices weren't exactly sound."

"Alright, we'll deal with the problems of Stable 97 when we can, but for now we have to get into that city," Midnight said and looked at me. "Are you up for this? We'll send who we can, but you and your friends still have quite the challenge ahead of you."

I sighed and looked down at the map one more time before I nodded, we had gotten through the worst the Enclave could throw at us so far and we were mostly fine. This was going to be our last chance to stop them from getting at Protocol Zeta, and I wasn't going to make it easy for them.

"We'll do it," I said with a nod.

"Good, of course I'm afraid Arc Light will have to stay behind," Midnight said and I sighed. I had expected that, but it still stung to know that it twas going to happen.

"What's going to happen to her?" I asked.

"The fact that she gave herself up and was coerced is going to help her case," Midnight said with a nod. "If she agrees to help us break up the Enclave's spy ring, I'll make sure she gets a light sentence."

I nodded in understanding. "Can I see her before I have to go?"

Midnight nodded and we headed back out, I sighed a little, it wasn't going to be easy to see Arc like this but it had to be done.

00000

"Well fillies and gentlecolts, we've got some more news from the front lines of the war. It seems that the Enclave's Flagship the Nimbus has been spotted near the Raider camps to the far south. It seems that the Enclave is still making good on its anti-Raider policy, that's something at least. Our friend the Wanderer is back in the news as well, having just returned from Vanhoover where she was involved in talks with one of the local tribes. It doesn't seem that things went well there, but at the very least everything else seems to be going fine. I'll keep you up to date with the latest reports from around Equestria as they come into my studio. Now here's..."

Before the music could start we reached the holding cell belonging to Arc Light. I frowned a little and looked behind the bars at where the Unicorn was sitting dressed in a prisoner uniform. She barely looked at me as we entered.

"What are you here for Scootaloo?" She asked as one of her orange eyes fell on me and she shook her head. "Are you here to make me feel even more guilty about this than I already do?"

"Arc, I..." I started to say, honestly I didn't have a good answer for that. Arc was a pony that I had grown to trust and like, she had saved my life more times than I could count and I had done the same. Now she was sitting in a prison cell because she had spied on us for the Enclave. "I'm sorry, I wish I could say more but right now all I can do is apologize."

"I'm the one who should be apologizing to you Scootaloo," Arc said with a sigh as she turned and looked at me. "The Enclave knew that I'd be in a position to feed them information on you if they pushed me in the right direction. It was my weakness that got me in this mess, not anything you did."

"Arc, caring about your friends and everypony you grew up with is not weakness," I said with a sigh as I looked into the cell and back at Midnight. "You did everything you could to make sure that the ponies you cared about were kept safe. I'm not going to lie and say I don't feel mad at you for what you did, but I know that you did it because you felt you had no other choice."

Arc sighed and closed her eyes. She just sat there like that for a long moment, it was quiet in the holding cells and it felt a little eerie. I flinched a little when I saw a bruise on her side, it was fresh and I turned to look at Midnight again.

"She looks hurt what's going on?" I asked as I looked at Midnight harshly.

"Scootaloo, I didn't want this to happen either, but some of the NCR's interrogators can be a bit... intense," Midnight said as she looked away from me.

"Are you saying they're torturing her?" I asked and grit my teeth, that was not something I wanted to hear. "Why would they do that?"

"Torture implies that they're doing it to get information, its more like they're doing it to make sure she pays for what she did," Midnight said with a shake of her head. "I don't like it and I'm trying to get the President to deal with it, but my hooves are tied right now."

I was livid, it was bad enough that Arc was being held like this but she was being physically assaulted in the interrogations? I was starting to understand why Winter was so adamant about speaking out against the NCR, this wasn't right, and there was nothing I could do about it.

"I'm sorry..." Midnight said as she looked down at her hooves. "They're not under my command so there's not much I can do."

I frowned and shook my head, there had to be something that we could do to make sure that Arc wasn't treated like this. I couldn't break her out either, but the fact was that we couldn't risk just anypony finding out why she was being held.

"I'm sorry Arc, I'd stop it if I could," I said with a sigh as I looked at my Unicorn friend. "I... don't know what I'm going to do honestly."

"Just keep doing what you're doing," Arc said as she looked at me with a soft smile. "Scootaloo, you're one of the bravest and strongest ponies in Equestria. You're going to do a lot of good for this world, way more than I could do for it in my current state. I'll be fine, don't worry about me."

"I'll figure something out," I said with a soft nod. "You're my friend Arc, no matter what... I just need some time to figure some things out."

Arc nodded and laid back on the cot she had for a bed and sighed. There wasn't much I could do right now, I hated being so powerless to help my friend, but there wasn't anything I could do.

"I'll see you later," I said and headed out of the holding cells with Midnight close behind. "How long until we can leave for..."
I stopped in mid-sentence when I saw a familiar purple and green dragon looking down at me. "Hello Scootaloo," Spike said as he looked down at me with a sad look on his face. "I heard about what happened with your friend..."

"Yeah, I wish there was something more I could do," I said with a sigh as I rubbed my foreleg. "Can I help you with something?"

"Well, maybe there's something I can help you with, there's somepony who wants to talk to you," Spike said and looked at Midnight who nodded and backed away. "If you're willing to go at least."

"Go? Go where?" I asked as I looked at the dragon strangely. "What's going on?"

"I'm going to send you to the SPP Hub," Spike said with a sigh as he looked down at me. "I won't lie, I've heard the experience is excruciating, but there are ponies there who want to talk with you. Are you willing to go?"

I paused for a long moment, that was kind of a weird request. The SPP Hub was where Celestia and LittlePip were, why would they want to talk to me? Okay maybe Celestia would, something about this still felt a little weird.

"Okay, I'll go," I said with a nod as I looked up at Spike and braced myself for what I knew was about to happen. "I'm ready."

Spike nodded and I was engulfed in green fire and for a moment I felt like my body was burning up and coming apart. I guess I was, but that all faded after an instant and for a long moment it felt like I was nothing

00000

When I opened my eyes again I found myself in the middle of a circular room with a computer against the far wall. I took a moment to check myself, everything was still there, that was good.

"Hello Scootaloo," a melodious voice said and I turned and looked at the crusader maneframe with a smile. In the large screen at the center was an image of Princess Celestia who looked at me with a soft smile. "It is good to see you again finally, we have been following your actions as best we can."

"Yeah, well, its had its ups and downs," I said as I rubbed the back of my head a little with a sigh as I removed my hat and smiled softly. "But its actually nice to see you again, I didn't actually think that I'd ever be standing here."

"Well, given everything you've been through I felt it was time that I had a chance to talk to you," Celestia said with a sigh as she looked at me. "I know that you're still trying to make up for everything you did during the war, I'm sorry that you were placed in that position to begin with."

"Yeah, I'm just trying to do my best to be better I guess," I said with a sigh as I looked at the screen. "Sometimes though I wonder why out of all my friends I was spared."

"I wish I could tell you why Scootaloo," Celestia said with a shake of her head. "There's not really a simple answer to it. Why did any of us survive? Maybe some of us were just meant to suffer, but at the same time maybe we all have some greater purpose that is still to be seen."

"Besides, you've done a lot to help Equestria," a new voice said and I looked over with a surprise to see a Unicorn mare that was just a little shorter than I was with a grey coat and a short brown mane. Strangely, she looked a little like a filly I went to school with, but that was beside the point.

"Hello LittlePip," I said with a smile as I gave her a polite nod. "I, admit I wasn't expecting to meet you so soon."

"I admit that I wasn't expecting this either," LittlePip said as she offered me a hoof and I shook it and smiled. "Like Celestia said, we've been following your adventures as best we can. Homage has told me a lot about you too, it takes a lot to impress that mare that much."

"Well, I try my best," I said as I rubbed the back of my head a little. "So, why did you bring me here? I don't think it was just to tell me how awesome I am."

LittlePip and Celestia laughed at that as they looked at me. "Well, we heard about what had happened with Arc, I know that wasn't something that was easy for you to learn," Celestia said with a sigh as she shook her head. "What are you thinking you're going to do about it?"

"Honestly? I don't know," I said with a sigh, this was something that was hard to explain. "Arc is a good friend, and I feel very betrayed by this whole thing, you can't really blame me for that. I don't know what I'm going to do honestly, even if she was trying to help the others from Stable 66..."

"You don't know if you can forgive her for it? Your mother felt the same way when she found out about Fluttershy's betrayal," Celestia said with a sigh as she looked over at LittlePip. "And we all know how that went. Do you really think you should risk ruining a friendship that has survived this long right now? Yes I know you feel betrayed, but Arc feels guilty for having done this."

"Yeah but, what if I never see her again anyway because she's sent to jail for life or something?" I asked with a sigh and LittlePip shrugged.

"Well, that's for you to figure out," she said. "Look, I can't help but feel a little responsible for this whole situation. The breaking of the cloud cover was what lead to the Enclave being forced into this position."

"No, no, you did the right thing," I said with a smile. "You saved countless lives by breaking the cloud cover and gave the Pegasi a chance to be more than just what they were. You did what I never could do, you gave them a chance. Sure the Enclave is still around, but that was going to happen either way. And, maybe some good managed to come out of this after all, Winter is something different from any other Enclave leader they've had before. I don't know if that's a good thing or bad thing yet, but it might mean that they have a chance at changing."

"Perhaps," Celestia said. "We're not really capable of judging the Enclave and their actions fairly right now. If Winter truly is something different for the Enclave, then she will show it in her actions. But right now she's doing more harm than good for Equestria."

"The villain of the piece," I said with a sigh as I looked between the two. "I don't know if that's what she sees herself as, but somehow this feels like its my fault. She, had access to my journals that I had left behind above the clouds. Its how she knew about Protocol Zeta to begin with and why she's going to try and use it. I hate to say it, but I created Winter Breeze, I made the threat she has become possible. I'm just as much at fault as you are LittlePip."

"Its not ours to assume whether or not something could've happened with or without our intervention," Celestia pointed out. "Winter Breeze may have still carried out her plans without knowing anything about Protocol Zeta. Winter is trying to create a new world and a future, we cannot assume to know her motivations or what reason she might have for what she's doing."

I sighed, Celestia had a point of course, but something about Winter's behavior still bugged me. Yes there was the fact that she was trying to create a future, but why? What motivation would an Enclave politician have for such an act? Something about this was weird, it felt like we were missing a piece of the puzzle still.

"Hey, you never know, maybe everything will turn out okay after all," LittlePip said with a shrug. "I know you're trying to do everything you can to make sure that the Enclave doesn't get access to... what exactly is Protocol Zeta?"

I looked at Celestia, she was probably the only other living being in Equestria (or, being, I'm not sure if being in a computer counted as living) who knew what had been developed. She had been the one who leaked me the information on the Megaspell itself, something I felt I owed her for.

"Its, a megaspell," I said with a sigh and Celestia nodded. "One that we can't allow to be used or even accessed. I made sure that it was locked away to anypony who wasn't myself or related to me, but..."

"You didn't expect one of your descendants to turn out to be the leader of the Enclave?" LittlePip asked and I nodded. "Yeah, I don't think I would've expected that either if I was in your position. But there's nothing you can do about it now. You just have to keep moving forward and hope that Winter can be stopped before its too late."

"Do you think its possible at this point?" I asked as I looked between them. "She has five of the six keys, if she can get the last one she'll be able to access the Megaspell."

"Well, maybe then you should make sure she doesn't get her hooves on the last key," LittlePip said and gave me a smirk. "You're not going to get anything done by playing it safe you know. There has to be a way to keep them from getting at the key."

"Oh sure there is, but its risky and its also a matter of getting to it first," I said with a shrug. "The Enclave has been one step ahead of us this whole time. They've made it to every Stable except for 117 ahead of us, and they're going to be getting close to Stable 97."

"Well don't give up hope," Celestia said as she shook her head. "You've got friends who will back you up and you never know where you might find allies. I'd say give it a chance, the Enclave is not infallible and there are ponies out there who have a strong interest in stopping them."

"I see," I said with a frown, I didn't know exactly where I was going to find any of them though. "Do you have anything more than that I can go on?"

"Zebratown," LittlePip said and I blinked a little at that.

"Near Canterlot?" I asked as I looked at her strangely. "Why would I go there?"

"No, the other Zebratown, the one in San Prancsico," Celestia said and I facehooved at that, I had forgotten that Zebratown was also a nickname given to a part of the city there.

"Okay, what's there?" I asked as I looked between the two strangely. "Why do I need to go there of all places?"

"Its hard to explain Scootaloo, but there may be something of help there," Celestia said with a sigh. "Its not too far out of your way, you'll just have to hope you can get past the front door."

"Great, that fills me with such confidence," I said with a groan as I looked at Celestia. "Celestia I... I'm sorry, I should've done better and given Equestria more of a chance than I did. I thought I was doing the right thing by creating the Stables like I did but maybe it would've been better if I just made them shelters without the experiments. I screwed up big time, I don't really know what else to say other than that."

"Scootaloo, we all made mistakes during the war," Celestia said as she looked at me sympathetically. "I shouldn't have set up Luna's school so close to the Zebra border. Maybe I should've sued for peace better instead of letting everything go the way it did. And that's not even going into what happened to Big Mac... the whole war was in part my own fault, and I am truly sorry that I put you in that position at all."

I nodded sadly. "We can't change the mistakes we made in the past, all we can do is try and do better. We can hope that when everything is said and done, everything we did was enough that we're forgiven for our mistakes."

"Have you been talking to Blackjack?" LittlePip asked as she looked at me strangely.

"Uh, no, I actually haven't met Blackjack..." I said and looked at her confused, Cherry had mentioned something about Blackjack being dead which just raised more questions. "Why?"

"Oh, that just sounds like something she once said," LittlePip said with a shrug. "Come on, lets get you ready to go back home."

I nodded and looked at Celestia one last time. "Thank you."

"For what, Scootaloo?" The Princess asked me.

"For giving me a chance to speak with you, it means more than you know," I said with a soft smile as I nodded to LittlePip. "You too Lightbringer."

"Well that's what I do Wanderer," LittlePip said with a chuckle as a green swirling portal appeared in front of me. "If you see Homage again, tell her I said hello and that maybe I'll get to come home soon."

"I will," I said with a light smile, though I wondered what she might mean by that.

"If you do not mind Scootaloo, we would prefer to keep this conversation secret, at least for now," Celestia said. "You may tell your marefriend and the Zebra that travels with you, but that is it."

"Okay," I said and headed through the portal, it was time to get back to my friends.

00000

"You're kidding, you really went and met Celestia and LittlePip?" Cherry asked as we got ready for bed that night, we were heading out to San Prancisco the next day. "How'd that go?"

"It was an interesting experience," I said as I laid down on the bed and gave her a smile. "I have to admit, I wasn't ever expecting to meet them like that. I don't really know what to say, it was, different than I expected I'll admit."

"Well, still its not every day you get to meet the Lightbringer," Cherry said with a shrug. "So, what did they have to say?"

"They wanted to give me some advice on what to do with Arc and everything," I said with a shrug. "It was actually pretty helpful, I guess I just need to figure some things out still. What do you think I should do?"

"Well, part of me thinks we should forgive Arc for everything," Cherry said with a sigh. "She was just trying to help and she seems to really regret her decision. But at the same time, we don't know if she's being genuine do we?"

"No, not really," I admitted with a shake of my head. "But I know Arc, she's not lying about this. I think she genuinely regrets what she had to do, but still, its not easy to forgive her for something like that."

"I know, and we'll figure it out, but for now we need to focus on stopping the Enclave," Cherry said with a sigh as she nuzzled me gently. "Do you think we'll be able to?"

"Honestly, I don't know, but I hope we will," I said with a nod as I nuzzled back and held her close. "We'll stop the Enclave as best we can, they're not going to succeed, I promise you that."

Cherry smiled and snuggled up to me and closed her eyes gently. I just had to hope that it was a promise I was going to be able to keep. I sighed softly and wrapped my wings around her gently, it was just a matter of getting to San Prancisco now and hoping that everything was going to be okay.

00000

The next day we packed our things aboard the Vertibuck and said our good-byes. I gave Rain a hug as we got ready to leave.

"Hey, try not to win the war too fast, okay? I want another crack at the Enclave," Rain said with a chuckle and I just laughed a little at that.

"I'll see what I can do," I said with a chuckle. "You take care of that little one, okay? That job's way more important than anything we're doing."

"Yeah, yeah, still its boring compared to being on the front lines," Rain said with a shake of her head and gave me another hug. "I'll see you soon, okay?"

"Okay," I said and hugged back as we climbed aboard the Vertibuck and waved as it started to take off.

I looked down at the building where Arc was still being held. It was weird leaving her behind, but at this point we didn't have a lot of choice. She was going to have to stay strong and hopefully we'd be able to figure out some way to forgive her.

I sighed and closed my eyes as we flew off towards San Prancisco, I just had to hope that we were going to be okay.

LEVEL UP!
Perk Received: Lorekeeper.
Details: You've gained a better knowledge of the world around you and what's been going on. You gain an extra point in intelligence.

Chapter 24: The Golden City

"There is no formula for success,
except perhaps an unconditional
acceptance of life and what it brings."
-Arthur Rubinstein

I looked out of the Vertibuck and was surprised to see that we had crossed over the water. I figured that was probably because we had to get to Ponytraz Island given the situation in the city but I didn't think we would be over water this soon.

I sighed and looked out at the water. It was strange to travel without Arc after everything we had been through together, but I understood why we couldn't. I just wished that things could have gone better.

"So, San Prancisco huh?" Cherry asked as she looked over at me. "What kind of Stable did you build this time?"

"Not one of our better ones I'll admit," I said with a sigh as I looked back at her. "All the Stables were meant to test certain qualities in the inhabitants. Unfortunately this one was, not one that was well thought out. I honestly don't even know what's going to happen if it has to be opened up to the rest of the world given that the population is a bit... well if they've been following the instructions its not exactly going well for them in the education department."

"Great, so we've got a Stable of dumb ponies," Cherry said with a sigh as she leaned back and looked up at the ceiling.

"Yeah, well, including it in Protocol Zeta was the best I could do, I didn't think it would cause this much of a problem," I said with a sigh. "The Enclave knows what they want and they know its within reach. They're going to do everything they can to get at that key."

"Great, that fills me with such confidence," Cherry said with a roll of her eyes. "So what are we going to do?"

"Hope," Riva said as she looked at us and I nodded in agreement.

"Hope that we can get there first," I said as I gave Riva a smile. "If the Enclave can be stopped from entering the Stable or even getting at the key we'll be just fine."

"I hope you're right Scootaloo," Cherry said as she rested her head on my shoulder and sighed. "I just wish this war was over already."

"Me too Cherry, me too," I said as I wrapped my wing around her gently.

Maybe if things were better we could've worked out some sort of peace treaty with the Enclave and ended the war before it got this bad. There wasn't much chance of that at this point, it seemed like they were bent on winning with only the total surrender of the alliance a possibility.

What would Equestria be like if the Enclave did win though? Was it even possible that Winter's vision of a brighter future could come true? I honestly had no idea, and we didn't have time to try and think on it now. We had to make sure that the Enclave failed at their plans, and this was our last real chance to do that.

I sighed and nuzzled Cherry gently. I just had to hope that everything was going to be okay.

00000

"Welcome to Ponytraz Island," the Colonel in charge of the NCR forces said as she greeted me. She was a Pegasus mare with light blue fur and a red mane named Thunderclap. She gave me a smile as she started to show us around the island proper a little.

The old prison on the island had been turned into a Ministry of Morale facility during the war and was used mostly to hold prisoners of the state. I wondered how many ponies had died here when the bombs went off just because the MoM wouldn't let them go even in the face of the apocalypse.

I sighed a little and shook my head, I didn't want to dwell on it as we looked back towards where more ponies were unloading the equipment and supplies off of the Vertibuck. There wasn't much we could do at the moment but try and figure out what our first step was going to be.

"So, what do you need?" Thunderclap asked as she looked between the three of us. "I heard this is an important mission from General Sparkle but she didn't go into too much detail."

"We need to get into the city," I said and she frowned a little at that. "In particular we need to get to Zebratown. I can't explain why right now, but there is a reason for it and it might give us a better chance at stopping the Enclave."

"Well, the Enclave isn't exactly the only problem we have around here," Thunderclap said with a sigh as we were approached by ponies dressed in Applejack's Rangers power armor. "What's the latest from the city itself?"

"Well, Rebel Radio is still going strong," one of the Rangers said with a shake of his head.

"Rebel Radio?" Cherry asked as she looked between them curiously.

"Its a radio station run by a pony named Shock Jockey, they're not Raiders but they're part of a Settlement in the city who, aren't particularly fond of the NCR," Thunderclap said with a shake of her head. "Normally they're nothing more than a nuisance, but ever since the Enclave has been broadcasting around Equestria..."

"Let me guess, they've been speaking out in support of Winter Breeze and her bright future," I said with a sigh and Thunderclap nodded. "That figures really."

"Its sadly not that unusual," the knight said with a shake of his head. "Ironically the one group in the city who doesn't like the Enclave either is the Raiders, but only because of Winter's anti-Raider stance."

I sighed a little, that figured really, of course the Raiders wouldn't like the Enclave either. Of course they wouldn't like us either so there wasn't really a winner there and we would all have to deal with them, great!

I was about to say something else when I heard a voice calling out from back where we had come from. "Hey, let me go!"

The soldiers came up to Thunderclap pulling along a very familiar looking Pegasus filly behind them and she didn't look happy to be here. "Colonel, we found this filly in with the equipment."

"Serenity?" I asked as I looked down at the gold and red filly who pulled her foreleg out of the grip of one of the Rangers. "What are you doing here?"

"Do you know her?" Thunderclap asked as she looked down at the filly curiously.

"Yeah, she's my, well distant descendant, she's supposed to be back aboard Nomad City," I said as I glared down at the filly who flinched a little. "Serenity, what are you doing here?"

"I'm tired of sitting on the sidelines, I can fight too, I want to help stop the Enclave!" Serenity protested as she looked at me pleadingly. "Please, you know me Scootaloo, you know what I can do."

I sighed a little and facehooved at the filly. Sure she had seen combat against the Changelings but this wasn't the same thing at all. She was too young to even be seeing combat like this, but she had still traveled here.

I had to admit that I didn't blame her, I may have even done the same thing when I was her age, but I wasn't about to let her get involved here.

"Colonel, we need to send her back to Junction Town," I said with a tone of finality in my voice. "Her mother is probably very worried about her."

"Awww," Serenity protested.

"Well, there's a bit of a problem there," Thunderclap said as she shook her head. "We can only get Vertibucks in and out of Ponytraz every few days during a very limited window. You were the last Vertibuck to get through before the window closed. The Raiders here are a bit more, advanced than your usual ones. They've hijacked airships and use them to keep any air traffic from getting into the city most of the time."

"Well, that explains why the Enclave hasn't just overrun them yet," Cherry said with a sigh as she looked down at Serenity. "What are we going to do with her now?"

"Can she stay on the island until the next window opens up?" I asked as I looked over at Thunderclap who sighed and shook her head.

"I'm sorry but we don't have anypony who can take care of a filly, we're too busy getting ready for the next phase of the battle here," she said. "If she's going to stay here she's going to have to be under your care."

"Please Scootaloo, I'll stay out of the way and I can help fight," Serenity said and looked up at me with pleading eyes that made my heart melt a little.

"Serenity..." I said with a sigh. "We have to go into a warzone right now, the Enclave are after the last key and they are going to tear that city apart in order to get it. Are you absolutely certain that you can do this?"

"Yes!" Serenity said enthusiastically.

"I will, talk to Vanilla and see what she says," I said with a sigh as I looked down at the filly. Was the whole operation here going to be derailed just because of Serenity? "If she says its okay, you can travel with us but you have to stay out of any fighting and I want to see how you shoot first. If not, we'll think of something."

"Okay, I can accept that," Serenity said with a nod. I didn't like the idea of taking her into a warzone and I didn't think that Vanilla would either, but at this point we didn't have much of a choice.

"Well, looks like I'm going to need to borrow a radio," I said and looked at Thunderclap who nodded.

"I'll show you to that, the rest of you get situated, we've got a briefing at 1800 hours," the Ranger Colonel said and we dispersed to do our things.

00000

I looked at the radio and frowned a little. How was I going to explain this to Vanilla without her freaking out? Honestly there didn't seem like there would be any good way to break the news to her that her daughter had hitched a ride to a warzone.

I tuned into the radio signal for Nomad City and after a few minutes the familiar voice of Vanilla was heard on the other end. "Scootaloo, is that you?"

"Yeah, its me," I said and took a deep breath.

"What's going on? Did you see Serenity before you left this morning? I can't seem to find her anywhere," Vanilla said with a worried tone in her voice. "What if something happened to her?"

"She's fine for the moment, she's here with me," I said and looked down at Serenity who looked away.

"What? What's she doing in San Prancisco?" Vanilla said in a raised voice as Serenity flinched a little. "Serenity, when you get back you're going to be in big trouble young filly."

"I know, but I wanted to help!" Serenity protested as I held the talk button down for her voice to be transmitted. "And I'm tired of just sitting around Nomad City in the off chance that something happens there. I can help Scootaloo, I fought off the Changelings during the invasion, I know w hat I'm doing mom!"

There was a long silence as Vanilla seemed to consider what Serenity was saying. I sighed a little, I didn't know what to think of this to be honest. If it was my daughter who had run off at this age to join the fight then I would obviously be furious. Vanilla was upset but I think she understood where Serenity was coming from at least in part.

"Please mom, you're always saying that everypony needs to do their part to help stop the Enclave," Serenity said in a pleading tone of voice. "I can do this, I've already made it through one major war in the Wasteland. Just give me a chance, I'll make it back home okay."

"Scootaloo, are you going to be able to take care of her?" Vanilla asked, I could feel the pain in her voice, but also the resignation. "If I agree to this, I'm putting her life in your hooves."

"Vanilla, I may not have given birth or raised Serenity, but I give you my word as a mother and as your friend that I will make sure that nothing happens to her," I said with a tone of finality in my voice as I put a wing around Serenity and pulled her in close. "I'm going to make sure that she makes it out alive no matter what, I promise."

Vanilla paused for a long moment before letting out a sigh. "Okay Scootaloo, I trust you to get her back home alive. And Serenity, if you ever pull a stunt like this again, the Enclave will be the least of your problems."

"Okay, I promise I won't," Serenity said with a nod. "I love you mom."

"I love you too Serenity, and when you get back you lose your scooter for a week," Vanilla added. "And probably something else that I'll decide on later."

"Aww!" Serenity protested and I just laughed as I hugged the filly. "Well, I'll talk to you later mom, I'll see you soon!"

"Okay, just stay safe Serenity," Vanilla said and there was a click as the radio turned off. I smiled a little and held Serenity close.

"You're going to be just fine Serenity, are you really sure you're going to be able to do this?" I asked as I looked down at the filly.

"I'll be fine," Serenity said with a smile as she hugged me back. "You're going to be there to help me, right?"
I smiled and ruffled her mane. "Of course, come on, lets get to that briefing."

Serenity nodded and we headed out of the radio room.

00000

"Alright, well this is admittedly not something we expected to have to deal with in San Prancisco," Thunderclap said as she looked over a map of San Prancisco. "The Enclave has made landfall on the other side of the city and started to push in to get to the center of the city."

I looked at the map and sighed a little, the Stable was at the middle of the territory and it was surrounded by Raider territory. That was going to make things harder to get to it of course.

"We need to get over to Zebratown," I said as I circled that part of the city. "There's something there that may be able to help us out there according to some information I got."

"Well, the good news is that its in neutral territory," Thunderclap said as she nodded and looked around the map. "The Raiders are afraid of Zebratown because of the, well, Zebras."

That figured of course, somethings didn't change even after 210 years. Still, it gave us one advantage in that the Raiders may leave us alone if we headed there.

I sighed a little, Zebratown had been turned into an internment camp during the war. It was actually kind of a shame because it was a pretty nice place before that. I just wished that everything was going to be okay somehow, it was just going to be tricky.

"So, how are we actually supposed to get off the island anyway?" Serenity pointed out as she looked over the map. "I mean, the Raiders do have airships and stuff right?"

"Yeah, they're keeping the waters for the most part and that's what's keeping us from getting in there easily," Thunderclap said as she looked at the map. "But we do have a plan though, there's something that's going to get you over there without much of a problem."

"What's that?" I asked as I looked at the Colonel curiously and she smirked a little.

"The RMS Periwinkle,"Thunderclap said with a nod. "We recovered it from Mare Island's old shipyards."

I blinked a little, they had a ship? No, wait that wouldn't get us into the city so easily. That's when I realized it pretty quickly, they had a submarine.

"Okay, well, that would definitely work," I said as I blinked a little. "Do you have a Ghoul crew or something? I mean, its not that easy to get a submarine running..."

"Yeah, thankfully we've managed to get it running," Thunderclap said with a nod. "You can take it to Pier 66 which will get you pretty close to Zebratown. Are you sure that its the right place to go though? I mean, I've heard stories about what's done in Zebratown."

"We have to go," I said with a nod as I looked around. "Besides, we've known some Zebras that aren't that bad. I'm sure that everything will be okay."

"Okay, if you think so, but be careful," Thunderclap said with a sigh. "Alright, lets get everything set up for tomorrow, I'm sure that everything will be okay."

00000

I yawned a little as I laid down on the bed next to Cherry. I was about to pull her in close when there was a knock on the door.

"Come in," I said and we smiled as Serenity came into the room with a frown on her face. "Hey Serenity, is everything okay?"
"I'm just... kind of scared," she admitted and looked down at her hooves. "Is it okay if I stay with you two tonight?"

I smiled a little and got up and pulled her into a hug. "If its okay with Cherry, I'd glad to have you stay with us," I said with a smile as I held the filly close.

"Sure!" Cherry said as she joined the hug. "Are you okay Serenity?"

"Well, its, kind of hard to be away from my mom and everypony," Serenity said softly as she hugged me more. "I mean, even before when I was away from her I was still in the same city. Did I do the right thing by doing this?"

"Serenity, you did this because you wanted to help Equestria," I said as I stroked her mane gently. "While I'll admit that you probably shouldn't have come, your heart was in the right place. We're both going to make sure that you're kept safe, just like the other little one with us."

Serenity giggled a little and looked up at Cherry. "How's your baby doing?"

"Well, she's becoming a bit more active lately, but she's okay at least," Cherry said as she gave us both smiles. "Do you want to feel her?"

I smiled a little and we placed our hooves on her stomach. For a moment there was nothing and I smiled a little when I felt a small kick, Serenity's ears perked up and she smiled a little.

"I felt a kick!" She said excitedly. "Does she do that often?"

"Yeah, a few times a day," Cherry said as she smiled down at the filly. "So Serenity, you fought against Changelings right? How'd that go given, you know, your young age..."

"Well, it wasn't easy," Serenity admitted with a sigh. "I wasn't really sure if I wanted to do it to be honest given that I had to fight... I'm still honestly a bit scared because of it. It wasn't easy to fight the Changelings, but I did everything I could to help. I still do, just, sometimes I'm afraid about what I'm going to have to do."

I sighed and hugged her close. Serenity wasn't even a teenager yet and yet she had already done more things than a lot of ponies had done in their entire lifetime. I couldn't help but wonder what she might do when she was older, I smiled a little and held her close.

"Serenity, I know you're going to be just fine," I said with a smile as I stroked her mane gently. "You're a smart, brave, and strong filly that I know you're going to be just fine. You remind me a lot of myself at your age, and I'm glad that I got to meet you and help you get through everything."

Serenity smiled and laid against my chest and closed her eyes. Cherry laid down next to me and gave me a light kiss on the cheek as she looked down at Serenity who had drifted off to sleep. "You're really good with foals, you know that?"

"I try to be," I said with a sigh as I placed my hoof gently on Serenity's back. "I can't say I was the best mom in the world though. I did what I could and wound up locking my daughter underground before I was exiled. I wouldn't have blamed her if she spent the rest of her life hating me for it either."

"But she didn't," Cherry said and nuzzled me gently. "She forgave you and you know it. Then she had foals of her own and it lead to this little filly. I don't know what kind of mother you think you were, but I think fate made sure you were the mother your daughter needed you to be."

I smiled a little and stroked the filly's messy mane, then I frowned. "My bloodline didn't just create Serenity though, it also created Winter Breeze. I don't know what her reasons are, but she's done a lot of harm to Equestria in the name of her brighter future."

"Maybe, but think about it this way, couldn't it have been a lot worse?" Cherry pointed out and I looked over at her confused. "You said it yourself, Winter is also different from any other leader the Enclave has ever had. She's not in this for power or glory, she wants to help Equestria in her own way. She may play the part of the villain, but I think that's just as much a part of your legacy as Serenity is. Maybe this was what was meant to happen, maybe the fact of the matter is that Winter is supposed to be something more than just the President of the Enclave. Maybe she's going to be what makes them change and do better than they have in the past."

I smiled a little and leaned over and kissed my marefriend gently on the lips. We held that kiss for a long moment as I enjoyed the warm feeling. I felt a light stirring on my chest and opened one eye to see Serenity watching us and smirking a little.

"What's got you smiling?" I asked with a grin as I moved my wings around and used them to tickle the small filly relentlessly as she started giggling like crazy.

"I just thought you two were cute is all!" Serenity protested through her giggles "You didn't have to start tickling me!"

"Yes I did because you're cute," I said with a giggle as I let the filly go and she just smiled and closed her eyes again. I leaned down and kissed her lightly on the forehead. "Good night Serenity."

"Good night Scootaloo," Serenity said as she drifted off to sleep again. I gave Cherry a nod and gave her one last kiss before we drifted off to sleep.

00000

The rest of the night passed without incident, though Serenity woke up crying late that night. I hated that she was being put through this at her age, it was hard enough to do it at my age, I couldn't imagine what she was going through.

Serenity drifted back off to sleep and buried her face in my chest fur. I wrapped my wings around her protectively and smiled down at her. She reminded me so much of Cloudy.

I drifted off to sleep again as things returned to normal.

The next morning we woke up at around dawn. Serenity was still tired so I gave her a ride on my back as we headed out of the barracks and into the main part of the base.

"We don't have time to outfit her with a weapon," Thunderclap commented as she looked at the half asleep filly who yawned a little as she looked at the Colonel. "Is she going to be okay?"

"Yeah, I'll be fine," Serenity said with a nod as she looked at the saddlebags that I was carrying. "I've got my own equipment, I just have to get it set up."

"If you say so kid," Thunderclap said, she didn't sound that convinced. "If you hadn't been on the last Vertibuck into the base we could've sent her with the civilians. Good luck out there kid, if you really think you can do it."

Serenity rolled her eyes and we kept walking to where we met up with Riva. Thunderclap eyed the Zebra for a moment before we went down to the dock below where the conning tower of a submarine was sticking out.

"Normally we don't allow Civilians on her, but General Sparkle said you're a special case," Thunderclap said as she looked between the four of us. "I hope you find whatever you're looking for in that city, the last thing I want to think about is if I sent the Wanderer and her friends to their deaths."

"We'll be fine," I said with a smile as we climbed into the submarine. I took a deep breath, really I had never been in one of these before and it felt, cramped. Actually it kind of reminded me of Stable 66 in that respect only a little smaller.

"So, you're the, special cargo we're supposed to be taking to San Prancisco," a raspy voice said and we looked forward to see a Unicorn Ghoul dressed in an old Equestria Navy Uniform. "Captain Cuttlefish at your service, you better be worth the risk we're taking by heading to Pier 33."

"What kind of risk?" I asked as an alarm went off signaling that we were about to leave. "I thought the pier wasn't in the territory of any of the gangs. What's so dangerous about it?"

"Well, there's the boats on the surface for one," Cuttlefish said as the submarine lurched forward. "Then there's the wildlife. Sometimes we get some very large and very nasty critters in the bay, not the kind of thing you'd want to tangle with."
Serenity gulped a little from her position on my back. "What kind of things?"

"Sea serpents, Ghoul Whales, I've even heard tales of a Kraken making its way into the bay," Cuttlefish said as he looked at us with one rotting eye. "You ever seen a Kraken little filly?"

"Uh, no, can't say that I have," Serenity said with a gulp.

"Some say they were something the Zebras cooked up during the war, they took massive squid from the depths of the oceans and made them meaner, larger, and deadlier than anything else," Cuttlefish said which made Serenity shiver.
"Others say they're punishment from the Goddesses, sent to punish Ponykind for all our sins above and beneath the seas."

Serenity let out a small scream and I facehooved. "Serenity, its okay, I've heard stories of Krakens from when I was a filly, he's just trying to scare you. They never come this close to the coast."

"Sorry for scaring the kid miss," Cuttlefish said as he tipped his hat at Serenity who just shivered. "Can't say I expected to see the Wanderer and one of the Crystal Crusaders aboard the ship."

"Wait, you know about us?" Serenity asked with a blink as she got off my back and looked at the Ghoul curiously.

"Of course I do, you don't live as long as I do without hearing all the stories," Cuttlefish said with a chuckle. "Lightbringer, Security, Renegade, Jewel of the Wasteland... there's a lot of you folk out there doing something more than just surviving. Its what inspired me and my crew to get the Periwinkle up and running again and help the NCR around the city here."

"Well, I'm glad we were able to inspire you," I said, a little surprised to find that out.

"Of course, at least you're doing something to help Equestria," he said and looked at me. "Though, I have to say I wasn't expecting to see you here. You saved my sister's life you know that?"

"I did?" I asked and Serenity looked between the two of us confused. "How did I do that?"

"She was a pony who was on a watch list from the Ministry of Morale but you arranged to get her into Stable 26," Cuttlefish said with a smile. "You probably saved her from a Morale interrogation room with that, so I feel I owe you."

"Oh wow, you're Angel Fish's brother aren't you?" I asked and the old ghoul nodded. I remembered her, she was a naval officer who had gotten injured in a battle with the Zebras and had two of her legs blown off. She had started to doubt the war and the way the Equestrian government was going, but she wasn't a Zebra sympathizer or particularly violent in her beliefs. "Yeah, I remember meeting her for the interview to make sure she was right for Stable 26. She was nice, I guess she just got on the watch list because of some of her ideas."

"Well, like I said you saved her life, now come on, it won't take long to get to Pier 33," Cuttlefish said as we headed towards the command center of the sub.

I just hoped that he was right and everything was going to be okay.

00000

As the trip passed I studied the map of San Prancisco. Stable 97 was under an Elementary school in the middle of the city up a small mountain. Getting there was going to be a challenge given that there was a lot of Raiders in the city, (and that was without having to worry about the Enclave troops.

This wasn't going to be an easy trek to say the least, we were about to have to walk through some of the most dangerous territory in Equestria just to try and stop the Enclave, again.

Finally the submarine surfaced and we headed out after saying our good-byes to Captain Cuttlefish. He gave me a short wave radio and said that if I needed a pick up to call him on it and they'd be there in no time.

"So, does that thing work?" I asked as I looked down at Serenity who was fitting a pair of pistols into a small filly sized Battle Saddle.

"Yeah, it works fine, the Crusaders outfitted it for me when Scootaloo and Apple Bloom needed to build their own," Serenity said as she slipped herself into the battle saddle. "It has all the same parts as a normal battle saddle and these pistols have special enchantment gems on them that remove the recoil."

"That's really clever," Cherry commented as she ruffled the filly's mane and we looked over at Riva who nodded and smiled down at Serenity.

"Looks good," she said, she had been practicing her Equestrian whenever she got the chance and had managed to learn a few more words.

"Thank you," Serenity said with a smile as she did a quick test of the firing bit. "Okay, lets go. Why are we going to Zebratown anyway?"

"Its, complicated, somepony told me that it might help us in San Prancisco," I said as I sighed a little, I couldn't tell Serenity the whole story because Celestia had said only to tell Cherry and Riva. "Yeah, I know it sounds odd doesn't it?"

"Yeah, it really does," Serenity commented with a shrug. "But I trust you Scootaloo, you're family and family doesn't betray one another, right?"

I flinched a little at that. Arc had been like family to me and s he had betrayed us all. The only consolation was that she felt guilty about it. I just hoped that everything was going to be okay with her.

"That's right Serenity," I said with a smile as we started walking towards Zebratown. "I'm not going to do anything that would betray that trust."

"So, you've been to Zebratown before?" Cherry asked as she looked at me curiously. "What was it like back then?"

"Before the war, yes," I said with a sigh as I looked back at Serenity for a moment. "It was, lively, the Zebras there were friendly and made you feel at home. Me and mom visited there a few times before the war started, I think she enjoyed it there at least. Then everything changed with the war, the Zebras in the town didn't change themselves though. The fact is that many of them wanted to live a life outside the Empire but..."

"But they were blamed for the crimes of their species," Cherry said with a nod. "That's horrible, how could ponies treat other beings like that?"

"I don't know to be honest," I said with a sigh. "That wasn't the Equestria I grew up in, it wasn't the world I knew and that disturbed me more than anything. Zebratown went from a happy place to an internment camp because of the war and a lot of good Zebras were locked in there too."

I looked back at Riva, she didn't understand everything I was saying but she got the gist of it based on the frown on her face. This was a painful memory for all of us, the internment camps had been one of the worst mistakes Equestria had made and there was nothing we could do to change that now.

"Riva, I'm sorry," I said softly.

Riva gave me a smile and wrapped her foreleg around me gently. "Not your fault Scootaloo," she said and I smiled a little at that.

"Maybe someday Ponies and Zebras can live together more," Cherry said with a sigh.

"Well, the day is getting there slowly," I said with a nod. "Riva, Xenith, Xiraia, things are changing in a big way. There is always a chance that we will be able to correct the mistakes of the past, I just hope that its not too late."

We walked on in silence for a long period of time, the streets of San Prancisco that I remembered as having been so lively before felt empty. The only sound other than our hooves was the sound of gunshots that echoed through the city streets from far away.

Out of curiosity I turned Rebel Radio on and listened to it on my PipBuck.

"...And that's an excerpt from our interview with President Winter Breeze following the battle of Manehattan. We will be broadcasting the full interview tomorrow afternoon, so look forward to that my little ponies," a stallion's voice said over the radio and I shook my head a little. "In local news the Raider Gang known as the Scimitars has once more clashed with Enclave troops on the south side of town. However the Enclave was ready for them this time as they pushed them back after a prolonged fight. The slaves being held by the gang have been released from their captivity and were last reported heading out of the city, good luck to them all and I'm glad you made it out of there alive thanks to our friends in the Enclave. Now, lets get on with the music."

I groaned and shut it off, that had been a mistake. Though I hated to admit it but he was right about one thing, the Enclave had done a lot to help the ponies in San Prancisco. That sickened me to think that they were actually doing some good here while the NCR was stuck on an island in the middle of the bay.

I sighed a little and looked back at my friends and was about to say something as we neared the entrance to Zebratown when I stopped. Suddenly a burst of fire rose out of the ground in front of us and swirled around as if it had a mind of its own and formed into a flaming form of a dragon that snaked around and let out a rather realistic sounding roar as it swooped down at us and we barely dodged it.

"What in Celestia's name is that thing?" Cherry said as we backed away, I put myself between the dragon creature and Serenity protectively.

"I, don't know," I said as I looked up at the flaming dragon and gulped a little.

Welcome back to Zebratown Scootaloo, enjoy your stay!

There was only one of us who didn't seem worried, Riva. I looked over at the Zebra shocked for a moment as she started to walk right at the creature. I couldn't make out what she was saying but she seemed to be chanting something in the Zebra language that I didn't understand.

"Riva, what are you doing?" I called out to her as I tried to stop my friend from walking into that strange creature.
Riva didn't answer, she just finished her chanting and shoved her hoof right into the dragon creature and it vanished as if it was smoke. I blinked a little and looked at her.

"Projection Talisman," she said simply as she started walking forward again and we followed. "Not real."

"I didn't know Zebra magic was that strong," Cherry whispered to me as I just blinked a little more.

"I had an idea, but I didn't think that it would feel that real," I said in shock as we walked forward more.

As we neared Zebratown we passed skeletons, not skeletons that had died in the last day but skeletons that looked like they had been placed there on purpose. It was a warning of some sort, were we walking into a Raider den? Had Celestia and LittlePip sent me into a trap out of some twisted revenge for what I had done in the war?

I gulped a little and pulled Serenity in close, I didn't want anything to happen to her in this nightmarish city and I was going to make sure she stayed safe.

"Hold it right there," a mare's voice said in a Zebra accent and we stopped and looked up at the gate to Zebratown where several Zebras with different stripe patterns held their guns on us. "What business do you have in Zebratown?"

"We're here to talk," I called out, I had to make sure that we didn't do anything to disrupt the Zebras as they stared us down from their perch. "We just arrived in the city, we're trying to get deeper into the interior and we were told that we might be able to find some help here."

"We don't let just any ponies waltz into our settlement," a stallion with what looked like wavy stripes said with a sneer as he pointed his rifle at me. "Why do you want access to Zebratown Pony?"

"There's a war coming to San Prancisco, the Enclave wants access to a Stable here in the city that holds a secret that we need to stop them from getting," I said and the Zebras exchanged a look for a moment. "Please, we're just trying to help, but if you don't want us, we'll leave you alone."

There was a moment of conversation between the Zebras and they turned back and their eyes fell on Riva and they looked at her curiously. "Who are you and do you vouch for these ponies?"

"I am Riva, Viatorem from the Free Roam Alliance," Riva said as best she could before she took a deep breath and spoke again. "These ponies are friends, they mean you no harm."

One of the stallions looked back behind them and then at us before he nodded. "Alright, you may enter but leave your weapons and ammo with us. You will be given them back once you leave Zebratown, do you understand?"

I nodded and the gates opened up as we walked through them. We gave our weapons over to the Zebras at the gate who put them away carefully before we were allowed into the town itself.

00000

"Wow, I've never seen this many Zebras in one place," Serenity commented as she looked around, she wasn't kidding there were a lot of Zebras but this was Zebratown so that made sense. "How did they all get here?"

"Some of them are probably descendants of prisoners at the Internment Camp here, others might be from the nearby Stable 52 which also had Zebras in it," I said with a shrug. "Probably most of them are just refugees or travelers though, I don't really know."

"A little part of the Zebra Lands in Equestria," Cherry said as she looked at the artwork and buildings as we walked into the town itself. "So what are we going to do now?"

"Honestly? I don't know what we're looking for here," I admitted as I rubbed the back of my head sheepishly. "They just said that..."

As I was talking I saw Riva walking off towards a Zebra stallion with a long mane and a neatly trimmed beard. He was dressed in a beaten up old blue coat with saddle bags over them with a rifle similar to Riva's on it.

"Hey, what's that about?" Serenity asked curiously as we watched the two Zebras talk. "Do you think she knows him?"

"Only if he's another Viatorem," I said, it was certainly possible that the Free Roam Alliance had sent out more of them and one of them had reached Zebratown. "I didn't think we'd meet another one, maybe she's just..."

I was cut off and surprised when I saw something I didn't expect. Riva wrapped her forelegs around the bearded stallion and kissed him on the lips long and passionately. I smiled a little and looked between Cherry and Serenity.

"Well, that answers that, I think we know how she knows him," I said with a laugh as Riva and the Zebra stallion walked over to us with a smile on their faces.

"Hello, you must be Scootaloo," the stallion said with a smile as he offered me a hoof, I was surprised that he spoke perfect Equestrian but that might not be that unusual for Zebras.

"That's me Mr..." I started to say as I looked him over. He was actually kind of handsome in that rugged sort of way, but I wasn't really into that kind of thing anyway.

"Zafir," he said with a smile as we shook hooves. "Have you been traveling with Riva for very long?"

"Not very long honestly, just since Manehattan so a week or two," I said with a nod. "Are you a Viatorem like she is?"

"Yes, that would be me," he said and Riva nodded with a smile. "And, I'm also her mate, but our job keeps us apart most of the time."

"Oh, I'm sorry," I said with a frown. It occurred to me at that point that we really didn't know anything about Riva's life back in the Zebra Lands. She may have children, siblings, who knew really? It was a shame that we couldn't really know a whole lot about her given the language barrier but that was changing.

"Well, its nice meeting you Zafir," Cherry said with a smile as she shook hooves with the stallion. "Come on Scootaloo, Serenity, lets leave these two alone to catch up."

"Aww, I want to stay," Serenity said and I facehooved a little.

"Serenity, we're giving them space," I said with and we started walking away from the couple. "Come on, let them have their fun since they haven't seen each other in awhile."

"Aww, okay," Serenity said and her stomach growled. "Hey, can we go get something to eat?"

I chuckled a little and we started looking around again.

00000

Luckily finding somewhere to eat was easy. Zebratown actually had a small restaurant in it that sold what was advertised as authentic Zebra cuisine. We walked inside and took our seats at one of the tables.

When the waiter left with our order I took a look around the room for a long moment. There were other Zebras in here but I really had no idea why Celestia and LittlePip had sent me here. There was a lot of Zebras that could help us sure, but why send us here specifically?

I sighed a little and was about to talk to Serenity again when the door opened and four ponies walked in. Two of them were dressed like Stable Dwellers, a third was dressed in what looked like NCR Ranger gear, and the fourth was a large green Alicorn that didn't look that friendly.

"Well, that's something you don't see every day," Cherry commented quietly as she looked at the Alicorn for a long moment. "What do you think her story is?"

"Who knows, maybe some sort of remnant from the Unity or something," I said with a shrug and was about to look away from them when I saw something on the two Stable mare's jumpsuits.

There was a number, that wasn't unusual of course, all Stable jumpsuits had numbers on them. But these two had the number 97 on their collars. I blinked a little and looked between Cherry and Serenity.

"Those two are from Stable 97," I whispered.

"What are they doing here? I thought Stable 97 was supposed to still be closed," Serenity whispered back.

"I don't know, they must've left for some reason," I said and shook my head. Maybe this was what Celestia was talking about, these four ponies seemed like they might have the best clues we could find on what was going on with Stable 97. "I'll be right back."

I got to my hooves and walked over towards the group of four ponies who just looked at me confused. "Uh, can we help you?" One of them a light purple mare with a purple mane with a green streak through it asked as they looked at me.

"I was wondering if you four might want to join me and my friends at our table," I said and gestured back towards where Cherry and Serenity were sitting and they waved. "We can put two of the tables together or something and it should be fine."

"Well, I don't know," the Pegasus dressed in the ranger outfit said before she got a better look at me. "Well, its up to you two really."

"Well, why not," the second Unicorn mare commented with a shrug as she looked over at the Alicorn.

"Brick don't mind," the Alicorn said as we headed over and took an empty table and pushed it up against the one where Cherry and Serenity were sitting.

"So, what brings the four of you to Zebratown?" I asked as I looked over the strange group of ponies. We had two Unicorns, a Pegasus, and an Alicorn. Two of them seemed to be from Stables, the third was with the NCR maybe, and I didn't even know what the Alicorn's story might be.

"We were passing through on our way out of the city," one of the Unicorns said as the waiter came back and took their orders. I frowned a little because the two Stable Dwellers needed help with the menus, I was really starting to regret not working harder to change Stable 97's experiment right now. "We've been looking for somepony who can help repair our home."

"Okay, that helps a little," I said as I looked between the four strange mares. "What's going on in Stable 97, is everything okay? There aren't any problems are there?"

"No, no problems," the purple Unicorn said with a shake of her head. "Stable 97 is great, we're just having problems... yes, problems with the... thing that gives it power."

"The Reactor?" I asked and she nodded. "Well that figures... I guess it wasn't going to last forever. Have you had any luck finding anypony that can help?"

"The Zebras aren't much help, they don't know how to fix it," the first one said. "We're about to leave again, need to find more help."

"Great, they're trying to find help in the middle of a warzone and the Enclave will take full advantage of that," Cherry whispered to me and I sighed because I knew she was right. "What are your names?"

"Brick," The Alicorn said.

"Mariposa Lilly," The Pegasus said.

"Heart Ache."

"Centerpin."

I sighed and looked between the two Unicorn mares. This wasn't going to be easy to figure out if I was being honest, we could easily get into the Stable with their help but was it right? We were just going to be exploiting what had happened to them in order to get what we wanted.

No, I had caused this and I was going to have to try and fix the problem with Stable 97 eventually. There were good ponies in there that were being put in harm's way because of my own stupid experiment, I just had to hope that everything was going to be okay.

"Well, we could help," I offered and Centerpin's ears perked up. "I mean we know a few ponies who could help out, and we'd just need to get into the Stable."

"Really?" Heart Ache asked as she looked at me curiously. "You'd really do that?"

"Hey, I, kind of accidentally caused your Stable to be like it is," I said as I pulled the brim of my hat down a little to cover my face again. "This is all my fault really, I should've done a better job of keeping the Stables in check. I made a mistake a long time ago, and I'm here to try and make up for it. If you can get us into the Stable, that would help everypony not only in this city but in Equestria in ways you couldn't possibly imagine."

The four mares exchanged a long look. Had I asked for too much? Was this a mistake? Maybe I should just try and get into the Stable on my own, this was a mistake, maybe I shouldn't have come here.

"Are you serious?" Centerpin asked as she looked at me with a surprised look. "Why do you need us for that kind of thing?"

"There's something in Stable 97, something that the Enclave would do anything to get their hooves on," I said with a sigh as I looked down at my hooves. "Its complicated really, I'm not sure if I can explain this to you."

"But we can tell you this, its very important," Cherry said with a smile as she looked between the four ponies. "We have to get into the Stable, that's the most important thing right now."

I waited a moment, I knew at least two of them weren't very smart because of the experiment but that may work to our advantage. Maybe we'd be able to convince them to be able to help us out at least.

"Alright, we'll help you," Heart Ache said after they took a moment to talk about it. "We don't really understand everything that's going on in this city. If 97 is that important to you then we'll help you out."

"Thank you," I said with a smile and a slight nod. "Maybe we can get enough ponies to help with any of the problems in your Stable as well. I can't stress how important this is, we have to make sure that the Enclave is stopped here."

I had no doubt that they had at least heard about the Enclave at this point, that was hard to avoid in this kind of city. I sighed a little and looked at Cherry, maybe this was a mistake because of everything that we were going to have to do in order to reach our goal.

The Enclave was going to try and do everything they could do to get at what was in that Stable. Maybe Gambit had a point, I had played by the rules this far and I was going to have to do everything I could to make sure that I made my own choices here and now.

"So, what are we going to do now?" Mariposa asked as she looked at me. "You're asking for a lot you know, we're just four ponies who are trying to make our way in the world."

"Let me let you in on a little secret," I said with a shake of my head. "Everypony who has ever changed the world started as just a pony trying to make their way in it. There are good ponies out there who are trying to help Equestria do better, be better. This is your chance to try and do the same. Because of the Stable, two of you were dealt a bad hand, but now's your chance to take it back."

They nodded as the food came back and the waiter placed a piece of paper in front of me and gave me a strange look.

"What's this?" I asked him as I looked at it curiously.

"A grey stallion left this behind for you, he didn't say what it was about," the waiter said and walked off as I opened up the paper and read it.

"Adrift upon the sea of time, the lonely god wanders from shore to distant shore, upholding the laws of the stars above."

And at the bottom there was a drawing of an hourglass and a building. I looked at it strangely for a moment before I looked between my friends and nodded.

"I have to go deal with something, I'll be back soon," I said as I got to my hooves and headed out of the restaurant.

00000

I looked around as I went past Zebras who paid me no attention. There was something about what was going on that worried me, like it was nagging at the back of my head. Something was going on here and I didn't quite understand what it was.

The hourglass was familiar to say the least, it was something that I had seen more than a few times growing up. I looked around before I finally saw the building in the drawing. Seated next to it was a tall blue box with the words "Police Call Box" on the upper part of it.

"What in Celestia's name..." I started to say as I ran my hoof along it gently. Then I remembered what I had read about in Ruby's book, a blue box that was bigger on the inside. "The TARDIS..."

"Not bad, still as sharp as ever I see Scootaloo," a male voice said from behind me and I turned to see a grey earth pony stallion standing there with a messy grey mane. He was wearing a black coat over a white buttoned up shirt and he gave me a smirk. "Its been a long time, you've barely aged at all."

"I'm afraid I don't know you," I said as I looked at the stallion confused. That's when I saw his cutie mark, it was of an hourglass like the one sketched for me. "Who are you?"

"That's the question isn't it, but when you go through a couple of new faces since your friends last saw you, things can get confusing," the stallion said with a nod as he offered me a hoof. "Allow me to re-introduce myself, I'm the Doctor."

"Doctor Whooves, is that really you?" I asked as I looked at him for a long moment. "Why do you look so..."

"That's, a really long story, but now's not the time for that," he said with a shake of his head as he looked me over. "You're looking well for somepony who's supposed to be dead."

"Yeah, I get that a lot," I said with a sigh as I looked over at him. "So, this is a time machine huh? I read about the times you met with Ruby Starlight and her friends. Its very, blue."

The Doctor chuckled a little. "Well, its been stuck like this for awhile but that's another story. So what brings you here to San Prancisco?"

"I'm here to try and stop the Enclave from getting access to a Megaspell," I said with a sigh and the Doctor just looked at me for a moment. "What?"

"Well, that's certainly going to complicate matters," he said with a shake of his head. "Scootaloo, I know that things are hard to understand right now but I can only give you so much help in this situation. I know its hard to understand, but I have a lot of things that are drawing my attention right now."

I sighed a little, I had hoped that he might be able to help us get through this but apparently that had been foolish. Still, I wasn't sure why Celestia had sent us here other than crossing paths with the ponies from Stable 97.

"But, I may have something that can help you at least," he said and I looked at him surprised as he opened the door to the TARDIS. "Come on inside Scootaloo, I'm sure I can find something in here of use."

"Okay," I said as I walked into the strange blue box. I wasn't that surprised at the interior and looked around curiously as I saw the control console of the ship. "So, what do you have for me?"

The Doctor sighed a little as he looked down at the ground for a long moment as if there was something bothering him. "It hurts doesn't it?"

"What does?" I asked as I looked at the old stallion with a surprised look on my face. "What are you talking about?"

"Being a survivor, and worse knowing that you did something that hurt so many of your species," the Doctor said as he shook his head and sighed. "I fought in a war a long time ago. A bigger war than anything Equestria could even dream of between my people and an enemy that wanted nothing more than to wipe out all life that wasn't themselves. My people, they only got worse and worse as time passed, doing things that they wouldn't have ever dreamed of before the war. When I came to Equestria my memory of that was lost, but when it came back, I couldn't leave. This world had become my home, and I saw it burn too."

"Oh, I'm sorry..." I said softly as I looked into the stallion's eyes. I could see something in his eyes, something that I knew all too well because I had seen it so many times in my own, pain and regret.

"I ended the war, but not before countless were lost, entire planets destroyed, and I still hear the screams... every day of my life I hear them," he said and sighed. "Scootaloo I understand what you're going through because I've been there myself."

I looked up at the Doctor and sighed as my ears drooped a little. I had no idea that he had been through anything like that when I had known him growing up. He had always seemed nice, a little eccentric, but he was one of the nicer ponies in Ponyville. Still, maybe things had changed for us all.

"War, war never changes..." I muttered and the Doctor looked at me curiously. "Just something I remember from the war... but I'm still trying to figure out why I'm still alive. Why did whatever force above is in charge of this kind of thing pick me of all ponies?"

"I don't know, time has a funny way of doing things," the Doctor said. "Maybe something changed in your timeline, maybe time just took pity on you and gave you a second chance. Maybe you're being punished for your crimes by having to live with them... that's probably the worst punishment of all."

I sighed a little and felt tears starting to trickle down my face. I hated to admit it but he was right. Even if I was trying to atone for it, the guilt had slowly been eating at my insides. It wasn't going to be easy to try and figure out what I was going to do, I just hoped I could.

"What can I do to live with this?" I asked with a sigh. "I've done what I could, I've worked to stop the Enclave, found friends... I don't know what's left."

"Virtue, that's what the most important thing is right now, you have to find your virtue and found what your place is in this world," he said with a sigh. "Or you may still have another purpose, something that only you can do. You need to find that purpose, make sure that you fulfill it no matter what. That's the best advice I can offer you."

"Well, that's something at least," I said with a sigh as I looked around at the interior of the TARDIS. "This place is amazing."

"Yeah, its really something," the Doctor said as we looked around. "Scootaloo, I'm sorry that you have to go through this whole thing. You were just trying to help and as a result you did terrible things, but I know you're going to do great things for Equestria."

"What makes you say that?"

The Doctor just chuckled at that before saying, "Spoilers. Now come on, I do have one more thing I can give you that might be of use."

I looked at him curiously as he started pushing things out of the way off to the side. "Lets see here," he said as he picked a strange looking mechanical head with two strange handles on it and tossed it aside. "No, no that's definitely not it."

"What is this thing?" I asked as I reached towards the strange looking head with my hoof.

"Cyberman, something that you don't want ever to mess with," the Doctor said as he picked up a strange looking device that looked a little like a plunger made of metal before he tossed it away too and came out with an old piece of paper. "Here you go, this is something that will be very handy for you and your friends here in the city."

"What is it?" I asked as I looked at it, it looked like some sort of old map but it wasn't of the city itself.

"The underground, you can find your way around the city with it and avoid, some of the threats that are in it," he said and looked at me again. "Are you going to be okay?"

"I don't know, I'll have to check this against a map of the city," I said with a sigh. "I hope I'll be okay, I'm worried to be honest... especially with Serenity around. I don't like putting her in danger."

"She'll be fine, she's a strong filly just like her ancestor," he said and closed his eyes for a moment. "Just be careful, the war with the Enclave is far from over even if you succeed here. But, there is always a chance that things will be better, I can promise you that."

"Thank you Doctor," I said and paused a moment before I hugged him. The stallion was a little surprised but he gently hugged me back. "I hope to see you again."

"Me too Scootaloo, me too," he said as we released the hug and I headed for the door. "Tell Ditzy I said hello next time you see her will you?"

I smiled a little and nodded. "I will,," I said and headed back out of the TARDIS.

I turned around when there was the sound of whirring and watched the strange blue box vanish behind me.

"What was that all about?" Serenity asked as she looked at me curiously. The group had left the restaurant and was looking at me. "What was that about?"

"I'll tell you later, its a long story," I said with a chuckle as I looked back at the spot where it had been. "Safe travels you clever colt."

LEVEL UP!
Perk Received: Temporal Engineer.
Details: After your encounter with the Doctor you've gained an innate understanding of the world and time. You gain an extra point in intelligence and 10 points added to repair.

Chapter 25: Underground

"Nothing is so strong as gentleness,
and nothing is so gentle as real strength."
-Ralph W. Sockman.

"So, what's the plan now?" Cherry asked as we walked around Zebratown more. "Did, whoever you were talking to give you anything that could help?"

"Maybe, but lets not discuss it here," I said as I looked back at my saddlebags where the map was as I looked over at the four mares who had joined us. "Are you going to be okay? We need to leave as soon as possible given how important it is to get to the Stable before the Enclave."

"Why do the Enclave even want into the Stable anyway?" Mariposa asked as she looked between us. "I mean, we've heard everything Winter Breeze has been broadcasting, but why Stable 97 specifically?"

"Well, you see, I put a program into the terminal in Stable 97 which they want," I said with a sigh. "Its the last part of a puzzle so they can get access to something dangerous and powerful. If we don't stop them, they may take over the world."

"Well, at least they'd probably do something about all these Raiders," Centerpin said. "I'm still amazed we made it through Raider territory."

"Thanks to Mariposa and Brick here," Heart Ache said and nodded to their two friends.

"Well I'm glad to help, these Raiders are nothing but trouble," Mariposa said with a shake of her head. "So, what's with the filly anyway? Does she normally travel with you?"

"Well, no," I said and sighed a little as I looked at Serenity who just looked away a little. "She kind of stowed away on the Vertibuck and we have to bring her along to make sure she stays safe. Mostly because if we don't, her mom will probably kill us."

"Oh, that sounds terrible," Centerpin said as she looked at me. "Would she really do that?"

"Well, she did fight against the horrors of the Wasteland including the Enclave herself," I said with a shrug.

"Don't worry, I have total faith in Scootaloo and her friends to keep me safe," Serenity said and hugged me. "I'm sure everything will be okay, right?"

"Yeah, everything'll be fine," I said and hugged her as I looked over at the other four. I smiled a little, it was actually nice to know that there were ponies who supported each other out here.

"So, what's the plan?" Brick asked.

"We have one more companion we have to meet up with, once she's ready to go we'll get going," I said with a nod as I looked between my friends. "Lets find somewhere private where we can look over these maps."

It took a few minutes but we found an out of the way part of the Settlement and I laid out the two maps that I had. I frowned a little because there was a lot of overlap between it and known danger spots. This was going to be a problem to say the least and we were going to have to figure out how we were going to navigate the city.

"So, what are we going to do now?" Cherry asked as we looked over the map. "It looks like we're not going to be able to get all the way to the Stable in the underground."

"Yeah, I know," I said with a sigh as I compared the two. "This isn't exactly going to be easy, but we're going to have to figure this out somehow. I know this isn't going to be easy and we all have a challenge ahead of us, but this is what has to be done. The Enclave needs to be stopped here and now. If Winter really thinks she has a vision for the future, we're going to make sure she has to earn every second of it."

"Hear hear!" Serenity said with a nod and a smile. "Down with the Enclave."

I smiled a little and ruffled the filly's mane. She was right of course, the Enclave needed to be taken down and this was our best chance to do it.

"Are you four in?" I asked as I looked at the four ponies and they nodded. "Okay good, we've got a crazy adventure ahead of us, so lets get going."

They nodded and we went to find Riva and Zafir.

00000

"It was an honor to meet you Scootaloo," Zafir said with a smile as he bowed slightly.

"Likewise Zafir," I said with a smile as I returned the bow. "I'm sorry you and Riva have to part again, unless you want to come with us."

"Its fine, we knew that we'd be apart for a long time when we became Viatorem, I'm just thankful I got this chance," Zafir said and looked at Riva who smiled and gave him a light kiss. "Te amo."

"Te amo," Riva answered with a smile as she gently nuzzled the stallion. I didn't need a translation for that to know that they were saying they loved each other. She turned to us and gave us a smile and a nod.

"Zafir, Zebratown should consider opening up more," I said as I looked at the Stallion. "A lot of good could come from open relations between Zebratown and the NCR. Maybe you could talk to those in charge about this, just a suggestion."

"Maybe I will," Zafir said with a nod as he looked over at Riva. "Take good care of her for me, perhaps before this war is over we'll cross paths again."

I smiled and nodded. "I'd like that," I said before we headed back towards the front gate of Zebratown.

We gathered up our weapons and as I slipped into mine I was surprised to see Heart Ache slip into a Battle Saddle of her own with two energy rifles attached to it.

"I haven't seen very many Unicorns using Battle Saddles," I commented as I secured my own weapon into its place.

"I'm... uhh... not very good with magic," Heart Ache said with a shake of her head as Centerpin gently placed her hoof on her friend's shoulder.

"I see..." I said with a frown. "Alright, that's fine then I was just curious."

Heart Ache nodded as we started out of Zebratown and I looked at the map again. We needed to head underground if we were going to get to where we needed to go. The map was as up to date as we could expect given that things probably changed pretty regularly in this kind of city.

"So, where are we going first?" Serenity asked as she looked at the map with me.

"If we're lucky, we can get underground at the Monterrey Street Station," I said as I pointed at the nearest subway station to Zebratown. "The problem is that its in the middle of some very unfriendly territory. It looks like that territory falls under the Lycan gang, that's not good."

They nodded and we checked our ammunition and headed off towards the station. I just hoped that we would make it there okay.

00000

My hope lasted about 30 minutes as we neared the Lycan gang's territory. A shot rang out and just barely missed us as we jumped into cover as the Raiders started shooting at us.

"Great job keeping me safe," Serenity snarked as we set up our weapons and fired back at the Raiders. "You're doing a wonderful job."

"Hey, I didn't ask you to come along," I said as I leveled the SOAR at one of the Raiders and fired a shot at them. Serenity just rolled her eyes and put a bullet right between the eyes of one of the Raiders and they fell over in a heap. "Though I'm not complaining about your marksmanship..."

"I told you I can take care of myself," Serenity said as she rolled her eyes and fired another shot at a Raider.

"Okay, you're right, I'm sorry," I said as I fired another shot. "You're right, I guess... I just have a hard time seeing you as more than just a filly sometimes..."

Serenity sighed as a bullet impacted the ground just behind her head. "I know, but these Raiders are nothing compared to Changelings. I'll be just fine."

"Okay Serenity," I said as I lined up a shot on the last Raider and pulled the trigger and he melted into a pile of goo and lowered my rifle as I looked at Serenity and gave her a smile. "Alright everypony, the Raiders are gone."

"Wow, you two really cleaned them up," Mariposa said as they came around the corner, the others had been hanging back in case the Raiders tried to flank us. "Are you two okay?"

"Yeah, just a little shaken up, we've had worse," I said as I gave Serenity a smile and a nod. "You did great Serenity, I'm sorry I ever doubted you."

Serenity smiled and hugged me a little and looked back at Cherry and gave her a nod. "So, how close are we to the station now?"

"We're close," I said as I looked at the map for a long moment. "So, how are you and Pure Heart coming along?"

"Oh come on, we're just friends!" Serenity protested and I just laughed as I ruffled the filly's mane gently. "You're enjoying this aren't you?"

"Yes, very much," I said with a laugh as we headed down the street, we ducked out of the way as more Raiders tried to shoot at us.

Here we go again.

00000

"Well, that was not a fun experience," Heart Ache said as Riva started to work on picking the lock to the door leading into the old station. "Does this normally happen to you?"

"This is actually a slow day," I said as I checked the ammunition left in my Battle Saddle. "Normally we're involved in fighting the Enclave for the war effort. These Raiders aren't exactly trained Enclave troops."

"Why does that not exactly fill me with confidence?" Mariposa asked as she looked at us. "Don't you think we'll run into the Enclave somewhere in the city?"

"I have no doubt that we will at some point," I said with a sigh. "Hopefully it won't be until we reach the Stable, unless of course they're also in the underground. I'm not sure how they'd know where to go though."

"Well, maybe everything will be okay," Centerpin said with a shrug. "What will happen if the Enclave does reach Stable 97?"

"Well, they took over my Stable and made a deal with them," Cherry said with a sigh as she brushed her pink mane back. "They make you an offer that's too good to be true. They'll give you whatever you want or need in exchange for your loyalty to them."

"Basically, they're asking for you to sell your soul if you ask me," I said with a shake of my head. "Winter Breeze makes a lot of good promises, but its hard to tell just how much of it she's actually going to follow through on just yet. I mean, she kept her word in Cherry's Stable, but she has ponies that may not be so loyal to her. That could be a problem given how much firepower the Enclave can bring to bear."

There was a creak as the door to the station opened up and we pushed it open and walked into the station. The old subway station was in a state of disrepair, it looked like it hadn't been touched in the last two centuries since the bombs went off.

"Well, at least we don't have to worry about anything down here in the immediate..." I started to say and groaned as we heard the sound of growling. "Or, we have to deal with Feral Ghouls, I just had to go and open my big muzzle."

Brick let out a growl as she readied her weapon. I was starting to get the feeling that she didn't like Feral Ghouls very much and backed away slowly as the lumbering and rotting rotting ponies came into view.

"Does it feel like we've been running into Ghouls a lot lately?" I commented as I fired a shot at the nearest ghoul, but there wasn't a lot I had to do. The Alicorn charged forward and tore through the Ghouls quickly, I blinked a little and lowered my rifle to avoid shooting at the Alicorn as she took the last two down.

"Ghouls will not hurt Squishy Ponies," Brick said as she looked back at us and we lowered our weapons. "Come along."
"Remind me not to mess with that Alicorn," Serenity muttered as we walked forward down the subway tunnel.

"Words to live by if there ever was any," Centerpin said with a chuckle.

We headed further down the tunnel just going by the light from our PipBucks as I followed the map towards where we needed to get to next. The map showed some tunnels that we'd be able to access, that was something at least and may even get us closer to where we needed to go.

As we neared another station we heard the sounds of ponies talking in hushed tones that we couldn't quite understand right away. I made a motion for us to talk quieter and moved forward slowly as we looked out into the station ahead and I frowned.

Ahead of us there was a group of ponies dressed in leather armor that were holding other ponies in cages. I frowned a little and shook my head, they were obviously slavers and that was a problem to say the least. I frowned a little when I took a closer look ant noticed that all of the ponies in the cages were dressed in Enclave Uniforms.

"Look at the far one," Cherry whispered to me and pointed at the cage. I looked over at it carefully and was surprised to see a Grey furred Pegasus mare with a purple mane and a Dashite brand on her flanks. "Call me crazy, but I think that's Morning Glory."

"Winter Breeze's Chief Science Adviser? What's she doing here?" I wondered out loud as I took out a pair of binoculars and looked at the Pegasus.

"Maybe she's here to work on getting to Stable 97 like we are," Mariposa suggested. "I mean it makes as much sense as anything else."

I frowned a little, how did the Enclave get captured by slavers? I sighed a little and looked between my friends. We had a tough choice to make, were we going to rescue these ponies or would we leave them there to rot in the cages?

I looked at Cherry who nodded, we couldn't just leave these ponies with the Slavers even if they worked for the Enclave. I hated to say it, but we were going to have to save them.

"Alright, so here's the plan," I said quietly as I whispered to the others, I just had to hope this was going to work somehow.

00000

I really didn't like that we had to do it this way. There was one advantage to your face not being very well known, we could easily just walk into a group of Slavers like this and offer to buy or sell.

Which is how I found myself holding a makeshift chain with Cherry and Riva as we walked towards the group of Slavers.

"Stop right there," a slaver guard said as he approached us and looked me over. "What do you want Pegasus?"

"I'm here traveling from the south," I said with an attempt at a smile. "I saw your signs and I was interested in seeing if you were selling right now."

"You've got a couple of hot little mares here," another stallion said as he approached and looked at Cherry with a rather disturbing look on his face. "Are you willing to give us a little taste? Maybe we'll give you some time with one of the Pegasi back there if you do."

I tried not to flinch at the way they were looking at my marefriend. I just needed to get into the camp now that I was here and make sure that I could get the Enclave ponies out of this camp.

"No, she's my... personal merchandise," I said with a flinch, I hated talking about Cherry like this. "Last stallion who I let do this... well, you can see how that went."

I mouthed an "I'm sorry" to Cherry and she nodded a little. She had agreed to this of course, but it didn't feel any less weird doing this.

"Alright, a shame, she's a real cutie," the stallion said and shrugged a little. "Alright, go on into the camp. Feel free to take a closer look at the merchandise, but the grey one in the back is for the boss."

"Got it," I said with a nod as we headed past the guards and into the camp itself. I didn't want to think about what they meant by Morning Glory being for the boss, right now I just needed to make sure that everything was going to be okay.

"I don't like this," Cherry whispered to me.

"Don't worry, we just need to get the cages opened," I whispered back and she nodded. "I'm really sorry about this..."

"Its okay, I know you're just playing a role," Cherry said as we passed by another Slaver that looked at Cherry and Riva lewdly as we headed for the cages and stopped in front of Morning Glory's. Her eyes went wide as she recognized us.

"What are you doing here?" She hissed at me.

"Nice way to thank the pony who's here to rescue you from slavers," I commented sarcastically as I took out a set of lockpicking tools and once I was sure it was safe started to work. "Unless you would rather me leave you in there so their boss can do whatever he wants to you."

Morning Glory flinched a little at that and nodded softly as the lock clicked open. "Alright, give me 5 minutes after the last cage is unlocked, then we'll be ready."

I breathed a sigh of relief when I saw that they weren't outfitted with bomb collars or anything. That at least meant that the Slavers hadn't taken the time yet, or they didn't have any. These probably were the dumbest Slavers in Equestria, but I wasn't complaining.

I got the last of the cages unlocked and gave the Pegasus inside a quick nod before we headed back out into the camp. I had to wait a few minutes and then give the signal, that would the the cue to attack.

I just hoped this would work.

The Slaver camp was bustling with activity as we made our way back through it. These detestable ponies were celebrating their recent victory over the Enclave and I just shook my head in disgust. At this point I had to admit I could understand why Winter Breeze felt the way she did about Raiders and Slavers, they were the scourge of ponykind to say the least.

Its weird to agree with your enemy like that to say the least, but she's right. Maybe when all this is over the NCR can do something about this kind of thing permanently.

At least I hope they can.

"So, you're the pony from the south eh?" A stallion's voice said from behind me and I turned to see a large stallion that could rival Big Mac in size. He was dressed similarly to the other Slavers but he smiled with rotting teeth as he looked at me and my friends with a nasty glint in his eyes. "I must say, you're not quite what I expected. Who do yo work for, one of the remnants from the old Empire?"

"More of a freelancer really," I said with a shrug as I looked back at my friends. "I keep my nose clean and I don't stir up trouble so it usually doesn't find me."

"Well, a shame because trouble seems to have found you," he said as he moved in closer and looked at me in the eye. "Do you really think I'm stupid enough not to recognize who you are?"

I gulped a little when he tossed a torn poster image on the ground at my feet. It was an old Ministry of Image poster of me, Sweetie Belle, and Apple Bloom with the caption "Stable-Tec, Preserving the Future of Equestria today!"

"I think the gig is up," Cherry said.

I didn't reply instead I swung my battle saddle around and aimed it right at the stallion's head. He didn't have time to react as I pulled on the trigger and sent a bullet from the rifle into his head and it exploded in a burst of brains and blood that splattered all over me.

That's when the camp erupted into chaos, ponies were rushing around as they tried to figure out what was going on. At that point the attack began and the cages were thrown open. Cherry and Riva grabbed what weapons they could as we ducked behind cover.

Still, I felt weird... I had killed ponies before but I had never killed one that close up before. I had seen the fear in his eyes as he realized I was about to kill him. No, I hadn't killed a pony I had to tell myself, Slavers didn't deserve that title, they were monsters.

I swung my Battle Saddle around and fired a shot at another Slaver who was trying to move in on the now freed Enclave ponies. I locked eyes with Morning Glory for a moment and she gave me a nod.

The battle didn't last much longer, the rest of the Slavers were either killed or surrendered. The Enclave soldiers lined the survivors up against the wall as they grabbed their weapons from where the Slavers had been keeping them.

"Are you really just going to execute them?" I asked as I looked over at Morning Glory. The grey and purple Pegasus mare frowned a little and looked away, she didn't want to look me in the eye. "They're unarmed prisoners, why kill them now?"

"We can't just take them with us," she pointed out. "Enclave law is very specific about how to deal with Slavers and Raiders. The senior military or government official is to determine whether or not they are guilty of their crimes and carry out the sentence with as much expediency as possible."

I facehooved, the Enclave had changed only a little given what they were about to do. I didn't disagree with them in principle, but this was still a bit, morally grey. What was I going to do though? If we just let them go they would hurt more ponies.

"Alright, fine," I said softly as I moved over to where my friends were watching. "What's our next move then?"

"Are we just going to let them do this?" Cherry asked as she looked at the Enclave soldiers who were setting up a firing squad. "We're just going to let them execute them like this?"

"Its their laws, and they were captured by the Slavers," I said with a sigh as I looked down at Serenity who looked a little worried. "I don't like the idea of killing unarmed ponies either, but these are Slavers. Enclave justice isn't necessarily what we all agree on, but it may be the only way to keep more ponies from getting hurt by them in the future. Even if we don't agree with it."

Serenity sighed a little and hugged me. I closed my eyes as we heard the sound of the Enclave's energy weapons firing, at least this ordeal was over. Now it was just a matter of reaching some sort of peace with the Enclave soldiers in the tunnels.

00000

"So how did you wind up like that anyway?" I asked Morning Glory as we picked through the Slaver camp for supplies. We had agreed that we'd divide the supplies we found between our two groups, it was the least we could do in the situation.

"We were searching one of the tunnels when we got a distress call, we walked right into an ambush," Morning Glory said with a shake of her head. "You'd think after all the time I spent with Blackjack I'd know how not to walk into traps."

"It could happen to the best of us," I said with a sigh as I picked up some ammo for the SOAR. "You were trying to help somepony that you thought was in danger, it shows that you're a good pony to me."

"Sometimes I wonder if I really am," Morning Glory said with a sigh as she looked over at me. "11 years ago I traveled with a mare who always wanted to try and do better. She made more mistakes than I can count, cost a lot of ponies their lives, but she always tried to make up for those mistakes. She stopped Lighthooves at the cost of her own life, and that's something that I'll never forget... even if the Wasteland seems to have forgotten a lot of what happened on that day."

"What was Lighthooves trying to do anyway?" I asked.

"He wanted to secede from the Enclave along with Thunderhead," Morning Glory said with a shake of her head. "He was willing to use any means necessary, kill as many ponies as he could in order to do it too. Then when he died, the rebellion turned him into a Martyr for their cause. They took a terrorist and turned him into a hero, I couldn't believe it."

I blinked a little at that, that wasn't what I expected to hear. I didn't like the sound of Lighthooves to say the least, so why would anypony turn him into something more than what he was? Why wasn't this information more public?

Then it hit me, if this got out the rebellion against the Enclave would've been built partially on a lie. He had become a symbol to the rebels and if we took that out it may hurt morale more than anything else. I hated to admit it, but sometimes there was a need to lie to other ponies.

"What about you, why did you get involved with the Enclave again?" I asked as I looked at the brand on Morning Glory's flank. "I mean, you're a Dashite right?"

"Its, complicated," she said with a sigh. "Winter Breeze made me an offer, she wanted to rebuild Equestria and she gave me a high place in her administration so I could make sure that everything was okay. I know its strange, but I do just want to try and keep the Enclave from being like it was before."

"Yeah, I get what you mean," I said with a sigh. "But at the same time, maybe its not necessary for her to be so brutal at times. Do you really think that all of her methods are necessary? What would Blackjack think of this?"

There was a brief moment where I actually thought I may have reached her. Morning Glory had a pained look on her face when I mentioned Blackjack. For a moment I hoped that she was going to listen to me and maybe she'd change sides.

"I'm sorry Scootaloo, but while I understand what you're saying, I have to do my duty," Morning Glory said with a sigh as she looked at me. "We'll let you pass through this part of the tunnels unimpeded but I can't promise the same once you leave the tunnels to get to the Stable."

I sighed a little as I watched Morning Glory walk off to meet with the rest of the ponies under her command. It wasn't going to be easy to have to stop the Enclave if they were that convinced that they were doing the right thing.

"So, what's the plan now Scootaloo?" Cherry asked as she walked up behind me with the rest of the group. "What are we going to do with the Enclave?"

"Let them go," I said with a sigh. "They're going to let us go in peace, we should do the same."

"I hope you're right Scootaloo," Cherry said with a sigh as we looked back at the Enclave ponies before we started down the tunnels again.

"Me too Cherry, me too," I said with a sigh as my eyes met with Morning Glory's for a brief moment. There was a pain in her eyes that made me frown, even if I hadn't managed to convince her to change sides maybe I had gotten through to her a little.

00000

I looked at the map again as we passed through the tunnel. We were right under territory belonging to a Raider Gang called the Burnouts. I brushed my mane back and sighed a little as I looked at the map again, there looked like there was going to be a side tunnel coming up which was where we needed to go.

"So, what are we looking for?" Serenity asked curiously as she looked over my shoulder at the map of the underground.

"Well, if we take this tunnel here, it'll take us close to Marendon, which is the area of the city that we need to get to in order to reach the Stable," I said with a sigh as I looked at the map. "But its not really a short walk."

"Well, why don't we go a little further along the tunnel and take this one right here," Serenity said as she pointed at another tunnel down the line and ran her hoof along a path. "That'll get us there faster and we might even beat the Enclave there."

I looked at the route with a long pause. It could work sure, but it didn't look like it was going to be that safe. There was some marks along the map that looked like they might be traps or something. I wasn't sure what we were dealing with here, but there did seem to be more in the route Serenity suggested.

"I'm not sure," I said with a sigh as I looked it over. "I mean we do need to get there faster, but do we know if its going to be safe to take that route?"

"As safe as taking a route through any route around here?" Cherry pointed out as we looked at the map again. "Lets put it to a vote, who thinks we should take the shorter route to Marendon? Show of hooves."

Serenity, Cherry, Brick, Centerpin, and Heart Ache all raised their hooves.

"Well, I guess that's that," I said with a sigh as I looked at the map again. "Alright, we have to walk a little further along this tunnel to reach it, but there will be a door in the wall that should lead us down that route if its still intact. If we run into any major problems, we turn back around, okay?"

"Okay," Serenity said with a nod and the others agreed as we started down the tunnel again. "Do you think the Enclave is going to get to Stable 97 before us?"

"Honestly? I don't know," I admitted with a sigh. "The Enclave can't get into the city by air like they usually do, so they're at a disadvantage. But they've got more ponies at their disposal and can fight the Raiders topside more effectively... honestly I just hope we can make it there in time."

I looked down at my PipBuck and cycled through the radio signals again. There wasn't much underground, no real surprise there. We kept walking until we reached the door that was still secured on its hinges.

"Riva, you're up," I said as I looked over at Riva who nodded and started to pick the lock on the door. It took just a few minutes before she finished and the door clicked open and we pushed it open.

It was time to head for Stable 97.

00000

The tunnels under San Prancisco weren't exactly any more pleasant than topside. There weren't any Raiders down here sure, but there was the occasional Radroach or similar mutated animal which we had to deal with. This wasn't a particularly pleasant area to go through by any stretch of the imagination.

"Ewwww, what was that!" Cherry said as her hoof stepped in something with a squishing sound as she looked down at her hoof and cringed at the sight of a large Radroach that had been killed before and laid on the ground dead.

"Cherry, its okay," I said with a sigh as we pressed forward after that. I looked over at the walls that were being illuminated by our PipBuck lamps and frowned a little. There was words and images carved into the walls that looked like they had been here for awhile. "Interesting."

"Do you think anypony lives down here?" Mariposa asked as she looked at the carvings.

"Maybe, but I don't know who would want to live down here," I said with a frown as I ran my hoof along a rather unpleasant looking carving of a pony impaled on a stake. "I think they're supposed to be warnings. This was a bad idea..."

We were about to start to turn around when there was a rumbling sound above us. I looked up to see cracks starting to form in the ceiling above and my eyes went wide. "Run!"

The sound of our hooves echoed through the hall as we ran down the tunnel towards the next junction. There was a rumble as the ceiling behind us started to collapse and we picked up pace. Finally it looked like we were home free as more of the ceiling began to fall right towards us. I closed my eyes as I expected to feel the pieces of stone and concrete crushing my body.

The feeling never came and I opened my eyes in surprise to see a green dome protecting us. I looked over to see Brick standing there with her horn glowing as she formed a shield around us that repelled the falling rubble.

"Not let Squishy Ponies die," Brick said in a strained voice as she held the shield to keep the rubble from hitting us. Once the collapse finished she released the shield and we looked behind us only to see that the whole way we had come was blocked off by rubble.

"I, don't think we're going back that way," Serenity said.

"You're a master of understatement Serenity," I said with a groan as I took out the map again and investigated it. "I guess going back is no longer an option."

"So what are we going to do now?" Centerpin asked she still looked a little shaken by the whole experience.

"Push forward, hope if we run into any more trouble we'll find some way out of the tunnel," I said with a sigh as we kept walking. I was starting to regret this decision, but at this point we didn't have much of a choice.

As we pressed forward the carvings became more and more prevalent until we came across a large makeshift door that looked like it had been put there to keep ponies out. Carved into it was a phrase that chilled me to the bone.

"Abandon all hope ye who enter here."

"What does that mean?" Cherry asked as she looked at it confused. "Why would they carve that on a door?"

"Its part of the words on the gates to Tartarus, its not very subtle," I said with a sigh as I looked at the map again. We had only one choice and that was to go forward. "Well, we might as well knock."

I knocked on the door and after a long moment the door swung open, but there was no one on the other side. I looked between my friends who just shrugged and we pushed forward.

I hoped we weren't making a big mistake by doing this.

00000

The first thing we noticed was the smell of rotting flesh. I wrinkled my nose a little at that as we moved forward, keeping our weapons drawn. We had to stay quiet of course, I didn't like what we were walking into but at the moment we didn't have a whole lot of choice.

I looked at Brick she didn't look happy to be here either. I was starting to get the impression that the Alicorn knew something about what we were walking into and that scared me more than anything. She knew that we had to stay quiet otherwise she'd have said something by now.

Still, we moved quietly down the tunnel and into a much larger underground section that looked like it had once been some sort of large bunker. Not a Stable of course, but it had been built prior to the Stables to protect the most important ponies of San Prancisco during the war.

A fat lot of good it did them by the looks of things. The whole place seemed to be empty, but I knew there was a way out on the other side we just had to get there and fast.

"Come on, this way," I said quietly as we pressed forward towards our goal. "Don't worry about this place, it looks abandoned."

"I hope you're right Scootaloo," Cherry said with a sigh as we kept moving forward into the bunker. "What is this place?"

"Sort of the precursor to a Stable, in the early days of the war there was a lot of paranoia over what was going to happen so they built places like this all over Equestria," I said with a nod. "This one was built for the mayor of San Prancisco I believe, I don't know what..."

I was cut off when we all saw something we didn't expect. There was large vats of some sort of sickly liquid in one of the rooms. I held up a hoof and looked at it closely, I had an idea of what it might be but I was afraid to say it.

"IMP," I said softly. "This place is stocked with IMP..."

"Where did it..." Serenity started to say before there was a crashing sound behind us, no, in front of us, no both. We looked around and found ourselves surrounded by Alicorns that were eyeing all of us hungrily.

"Alicorns... I should've known," I said with a growl as I readied my weapons for the fight. "Everypony get ready, we're not going down without a fight."

"Well, well, I didn't think Brick would ever be back here," a mare's voice said and a tall blue Alicorn walked forward as she looked at Brick with a harsh look on her face. "Did you really think that we would forget what you did?"

Brick just spat at the blue Alicorn as she shook her head.

"Always the defiant one, well we'll deal with you and your friends soon enough," the blue Alicorn said and turned to look at me and my friends with a wicked smile. "Welcome to New Maripony, I'm afraid that you won't be leaving anytime soon. You have two choices, join or die."

I gulped a little and looked between my friends as the Alicorns surrounded us.

00000

"Well, this is another fine mess we've gotten ourselves into," I said with a groan as we sat in a set of cages that we had been thrown in by the Alicorns.

"I'm sorry Scootaloo, this was a bad idea," Serenity said as she laid back against the bars of her cage. "I shouldn't have told you to take this route, its all my fault."

I sighed a little and reached through the bars as best I could to place my hoof on the filly's. "Its okay Serenity, you had no idea what was going to happen."

"What did they mean by join or die?" Centerpin asked as she looked around afraid. "What are they going to do to us?"

"They're going to make us like them or kill us," I said with a sigh as I looked over at Cherry who looked afraid. "But its going to be okay, we'll figure something out... I hope."

"I hope so too," Cherry said softly as we looked out at the Alicorns who were standing guard. I glanced down at my PipBuck, I had set it to let out a distress call but I had no idea if it was going to be heard by anypony out there.

"So, do you three know anything about Brick's history in this place?" I asked as I looked over at Mariposa.

"Honestly, not a whole lot," Mariposa said with a shake of her head. "She doesn't seem to have a whole lot of memories of her life before we met her. She's, really hard to talk with sometimes as well. I don't really know what's going on with her honestly."

"Yeah, she just kind of showed up to save us from Ghouls awhile back," Heart Ache said with a shake of her head. "We don't really know what her story is to be honest."

Well, that figured, but now we were in a situation where we didn't know what we were going to do. We didn't really have much of a choice given that we were either going to be turned into Alicorns or killed.

I looked over at Serenity with a sigh, I had to make sure that we all got out of this place. I couldn't risk her safety in addition to everything else.

"Serenity, don't blame yourself for what happened, it was still my decision," I said as I squeezed her hoof gently. "We're going to be okay, I promise."

"I hope so..." Serenity said as she squeezed my hoof back. "I... don't want to die, or become an Alicorn."

"I promise, I'll make sure that neither thing will happen," I said softly, I just hoped that I would be able to keep that promise.

"On your hooves, all of you," one of the Alicorns said and we got to our hooves as they looked at us harshly. "High Priestess Bluebird wants to get a good look at all of you."

I gulped a little as my ears flattened as the same blue Alicorn from before walked into the holding area and looked at each of us in turn.

"Well, well, it seems we have quite a few ponies we could bring into our new Unity," Bluebird said as she looked at me with a wicked smile. "Well, well, if we don't have Scootaloo herself. I must say I wasn't expecting to see you here, what are you doing here?"

"That's none of your business, we need to get through your territory to stop the..." I started to say before I was cut off by the Alicorn.

"It doesn't matter, its time for you to decide, bring her with me!" Bluebird said as she gestured to the other Alicorns who opened my cage and grabbed me in their telekinesis.

"Scootaloo!" Serenity and Cherry protested at the same time as I was dragged off by the Alicorns.

00000

I was tied to a chair in front of a desk that I assume had been made for the mayor in the bunker but had been taken over by the Alicorn High Priestess. She sat down in the chair across from me and stared at me with cold blue eyes.

"So, when are you going to dunk me into the IMP?" I asked as I looked at her for a long moment.

"Like I said Scootaloo, you have a choice," Bluebird said calmly as she looked me over. "You have a choice between death and joining us. We need to rebuild the Unity after the Goddess' death, and we are giving you a chance to be part of Equestria's future."

"The Unity was dangerous, if you tried to rebuild it, things would be bad," I said as I narrowed my eyes at her. "The Unity stripped away anything that makes ponies unique individuals. How many ponies have you destroyed in your attempts to try and rebuild it?"

"Too many," Bluebird said with a scowl. "But we're working on it, the green Alicorns are the best..."

"Yeah, because that worked so well for Brick," I said with a roll of my eyes. "But you know that won't work don't you? It only worked for the Goddess because the Unity was formed out of four ponies that had the abilities of various different abilities that they were built on. The Unity won't work and its just going to cause more trouble for both you, your ponies, and Equestria as a whole."

Bluebird looked at me for a long moment as she frowned. This was something that was going to be hard to try and get her to understand. Honestly, I had my doubts that she'd understand and stop. Honestly, this was probably a long shot, but it may at least get her to delay doing anything to us.

"Look, there's an important thing we have to do here in San Prancisco," I said with a sigh as I looked at her with a frown. "Please, this is going to be more important than anything else, literally the future of Equestria is at stake here."

"You're not the first pony to say that," Bluebird said as she narrowed her eyes at me. "You should ask some of them, they're now Alicorns. You're making a lot of big claims that I'm not sure how to confirm, what proof do you have?"

"I... don't really have any proof on me," I admitted with a sigh. "The Enclave is trying to get access to keys that were placed in Stables all around Equestria. The last one is here in San Prancisco, if we don't get to it they're going to get access to something that will threaten everypony in Equestria. That includes you and your new unity."

Bluebird looked at me for a long moment as if she was trying to figure out what she was going to say to that. I sighed a little, I just had to hope that she was going to listen to me.

"We'll take this into consideration," she said and looked at me. "But if we choose not to let you go, you will have to make the choice."

"Fine," I said with a sigh.

"Take her back to the cells," Bluebird said as two Alicorns came into the room again.

"Excuse me?" The two of them said as they looked at me. "She's not to be dealt with?"

"You heard me, the High Priestess has spoken," Bluebird said. "Or do you want to question the Goddess' servant?"

They nodded and dragged me off once more.

00000

I groaned as I was tossed back into my cell and rubbed the back of my head from the impact. "Thanks for being so gentle with me."

The two Alicorns didn't reply, instead they just walked off. I got to my hooves and rubbed my head a little as I looked over at Serenity who was looking at me scared.

"Are you okay?" She asked shakily as she reached over to try and take my hoof. I smiled a little and took her hoof in mine. "I thought you weren't going to come back..."

"Yeah, how did you convince them not to do anything to you?" Cherry asked as she looked over at me.

"I, told them the truth," I said with a sigh as I looked up at the ceiling. "The Priestess said that she'll have to decide what to do about it. I'm a bit worried though, I don't know if she'll agree to letting us go so we have to hope that somepony will come help us."

"Yeah..." Cherry said with a sigh as I squeezed Serenity's hoof gently. "Do you think anypony will?"

I sighed and looked at my PipBuck, it was still broadcasting the distress call but I had no idea if anypony would be able to hear it. It wasn't going to be an easy wait, but right now I had to hope that everything was going to be okay.

Serenity was scared, I could see it in her eyes and honestly I didn't blame her. We were all at risk because of what was going on and there was no guarantee that we'd make it out of this alive, or with our minds intact.

I closed my eyes and thought about everything. I just wanted to rest right now, maybe there was a chance that something was going to go right for us at least.

My eyes shot open when when I heard a light beeping coming from my PipBuck. I groaned a little as I raised my foreleg so I could see my PipBuck's screen. I was a little surprised when I saw that a message was waiting for me.

"Help is coming."

"What's that?" Serenity asked softly as she looked over at me. "What's going on?"

"I think we're going to have some help," I said with a blink, who was coming to help us? "I don't know who sent it though... what should we do?"

"Hope that they're friendly," Riva said as she looked at me from her cage.

"Yeah, lets hope," I said with a sigh as I typed in a reply through my PipBuck that said "We're waiting."

I hoped we weren't making a big mistake right now. Maybe this was our only chance of surviving, but what were we getting into by letting some unknown pony come help us?

"Riva, can you try and get the cages unlocked?" I asked as I looked over at the Zebra who nodded. I knew this was a long shot but it was worth a try at least.

After awhile there was the sudden sound of an explosion coming from outside as Riva was getting Serenity's cage open. There was the sound of energy weapons going off followed by gunfire being returned.

"Please tell me that's not what I think it is..." Cherry said as she brushed herself off. "We're not getting saved by who we think we are are we?"

"I swear, we're never going to live this one down," I said with a groan as we headed back out of the holding area where the Alicorn guards had left to fight against the Enclave invaders.

00000

The battle between the two forces didn't last long, the Enclave had the element of surprise on their side and had attacked the Alicorns swiftly enough. They had for the most part teleported out of the underground however, leaving the rest of us to pick up the pieces from the fight.

I sighed a little as I fitted my Battle Saddle onto my back again as a familiar grey and purple Pegasus mare trotted up to me. "I have to say I wasn't expecting you to answer my distress call Morning Glory."

"Well, it was the least I could do after you saved us earlier," Morning Glory said with a sigh and a shake of her head. "I know its hard to believe but we don't want you hurt. I'm one of the few ponies privy to the details of Winter Breeze's heritage, and she wants to make sure that no harm comes to you for some reason."

"Well, that explains a lot," I said with a sigh as I straightened out my trench coat's collar. "So what now? Are we going to go back to our respective factions and tell them what happened here today?"

"I think we should call it even," Morning Glory said with a shrug. "You saved my life, I saved yours. We'll escort you out of the tunnels and to our allied settlement, then we'll figure out where to go from there."

"By your allied settlement you of course mean the one that broadcasts Rebel Radio," I said as I looked over at Morning Glory who nodded slowly. "We're known associates of the NCR, I doubt we're going to be well received in there."

"Being part of the President's inner circle does have its advantages you know," Morning Glory said with a light chuckle as she shrugged a little. "Don't worry Scootaloo, we'll make sure that no harm comes to you."

"And what will happen when we go after Stable 97?" I asked her. "You're not just going to let us go on our way are you?"

"Well, that's entirely up to you," Morning Glory said with a nod. "We could make a race out of it, set out on two routes and see who gets to the Stable first. I know its hard for you to understand why we'd do this, but we just want what's best for these ponies, in particular after what your company did to them."

I cringed at that, she was right of course we had screwed these ponies over more than usual. I didn't like that I was getting criticized by a pony working for the Enclave about it mind you, but she was still right.

"Alright, I'll play your game on one condition," I said as I straightened my tie and looked at her. "You're going to promise me that Winter Breeze will do everything in her power to help that Stable. I'm going to do everything in my power to stop you from getting that key, but we can't help Stable 97 in the way its going to need help, but the Enclave can. Can you promise me that?"

"I promise," Morning Glory said with a nod. "I'll make sure that it'll be done personally. Winter's past occupation has made Stable 97 of particular interest to her given its... education system."

"Alright the, we have a deal," I said and offered a hoof to Morning Glory who shook it. "When we get topside, we get what we need and then set out for the Stable. Is that fair?"

"Its fair," she said with a nod. "I just hope that your team will be okay... especially the filly, fillies that age don't need to know the horrors of war."

"That's two things we can agree on," I said with a sigh as I looked over at Serenity who was getting her stuff ready. "But Serenity knows how to fight, she's fought in a war before and she's going to do just fine. She's more grown up than some of the adults I've met in this wasteland at times to be honest."

"Yeah, well I can't argue with you there," Morning Glory said with a nod. "Though, you might want to keep an eye on her. The Enclave has an interest in, reuniting her with her family."

"That's out of the question, Serenity has a family and they love her very much," I said in protest as I shot a glare at Morning Glory. "Mark my words, if anypony in the Enclave hurts Serenity, they will have to answer to me and Vanilla Cream, do you understand?"

"Perfectly," Morning Glory said with a nod. "Don't worry about that, just make sure she's kept safe is all. I don't want anything to happen to her and neither does Winter. But if word got out..."

I sighed and nodded. There was another risk to her if the Enclave generals got word of who she was related to, they might grab her and use her to get access to the Megaspell hidden by Protocol Zeta.

That was something I couldn't let happen.

"So, shall we?" Morning Glory asked as we finished getting our stuff packed up and she gave me a nod.

"Lets go," I said and we started traveling down the tunnels again towards our destination.

00000

"Why are we even traveling with them?" Cherry whispered to me as we walked side by side with the Enclave and Brick searching the area ahead of us to make sure nothing else attacked us. "They're the enemy."

"I know, but right now they're the best bet we have to get through these tunnels alive," I said with a sigh. "This is a temporary truce at best, it'll only last until we reach the settlement topside and start out towards Stable 97."

"Well I don't like it, it feels almost like we're about to walk into a trap," Cherry said with a sigh as she looked over at Serenity. "Do you think we can trust them?"

"I think we can trust Morning Glory yes, but I don't know about the others," I admitted with a sigh. "We don't have much of a choice at this point though, and we'll stop them if they try anything."

"I hope so," Cherry said as Serenity yawned a little, I didn't realize how late it was getting as I picked her up gently and placed her on my back.

"You're really good with her, you know that?" Morning Glory commented as she trotted back to me.

"I try, and it doesn't hurt that I've had experience with foals," I said with a light smile. "What about you, did you ever think about having any foals of your own?"

"Well no, I have several older sisters of my own and I never really thought it was necessary," Morning Glory said with a shrug. "Besides, I've never been particularly attracted to stallions and there was the whole thing with Blackjack, and, yeah, its just not in the cards for me. Pun not intended."

I chuckled a little at the slight pun. "So, tell me about Blackjack. I've heard her name sure, but I've never heard much about her."

"She... wasn't particularly smart at times, and enjoyed her whiskey, chems, and sex a little too much..." Morning Glory said with a sigh as she rubbed the back of her head. "But she was a good pony in her own way. She made mistakes, a lot of mistakes, but she was always trying to do better and make up for them. You kind of remind me of her actually, only less, well everything else."

"I don't know if I should be worried or flattered by that," I said with a sigh as we took another tunnel. "What are we going to do when we get to the settlement?"

"Well, the key's stayed where it was for over 210 years, I think after the day we've had we could both use a rest," Morning Glory said with a sigh. "What do you say, truce hold until, tomorrow afternoon shall we say?"

"Alright, but I'm holding you to it," I said."

"We all are," Cherry added as she shot Morning Glory a look.

"How's the baby doing Cherry?" Morning Glory asked as she looked back at Cherry. "Any problems?"

"Not really," she said with a shrug. "She's doing as well as ever I guess, that's something at least. So how much further until we get there?"

"Right about... now," Morning Glory said as we stopped at a ladder going up. I woke Serenity up and we climbed up the ladder and onto the surface.

We were near a settlement of some sort that looked like it had been built around a wartime radio tower. I breathed a sigh of relief, we had finally made it through the underground.

Now in less than a day, the race for the last key would begin. I just hoped that it was a race we'd be able to win given everything that was happening lately.

One way or another, we were going to make sure the Enclave's grab for that Megaspell was stopped here and now.

LEVEL UP!
Perk Received: I Prefer to Be Called a Hacker Rank 3.
Details: You've gained a better knowledge of terminals and how they work. You can now hack terminals of master level.

Chapter 26: Rising

"Light thinks it travels faster than anything, but it is wrong.
No matter how fast light travels,
it finds the darkness has always gotten there first,
and is waiting for it."
-Terry Pratchett

Sutro was a small settlement towards the center of San Prancisco and not too far from Marendon and Stable 97. It was also the site of Rebel Radio that broadcast over San Prancisco with its pro-Enclave message, that was definitely worrisome to me.

Honestly as we left the Underground I wasn't quite sure what to expect. The settlement wasn't under Enclave control but they were definitely sympathetic to them. What was this kind of place going to be like? Were we going to be arrested or even just thrown out of town?

When I climbed out of the underground it was just another settlement. I almost felt a little disappointed at that but there wasn't much I could do.

"Welcome to Sutro," Morning Glory said as we brushed ourselves off. She looked over at me and shook her head. "You might want to get cleaned up, you have a little Slaver... like, all over you."

"Is there a place to bathe?" I asked as I looked around.

"Yeah, Sutro has a Water Talisman taken from one of the nearby Stables that was abandoned," Morning Glory said as we started down the street. She smiled a little as a few ponies took notice of us and waved. "I'll deal with the ponies here and make sure you're not given any trouble."

"Thank you," I said as I looked over at Cherry. She was starting to feel a little less uneasy, that was a good sign at least. "How long have you had contact with Sutro?"

"They reached out to us after the first broadcast, we've been trading and using the Settlement as a point where we can rest after leaving the underground," Morning Glory said with a nod. "They're good ponies really, don't judge them just because they picked our side in the war."

"Why do they not like the NCR anyway?" Mariposa asked as she looked at a mare who had been glaring at her because of her Ranger armor. "We haven't really had any contact with this settlement."

"I think that's the problem, you haven't done much to stop the Raiders in this city, and that was even before the war," Morning Glory said with a sigh. "We're doing our best to help these ponies, but there's only so much you can do."

"Yeah..." I said with a sigh as we stopped in front of one of the buildings.

"Well, here you are, this is more or less a communal bath house but the water should be clean enough," Morning Glory said and gave us a smile. "Don't worry, you won't be harmed as long as we're here."

"Thank you," I said with a smile as we headed inside and Morning Glory walked off to talk with the ponies in charge of the town about us.

00000

"Oh wow, this feels nice..." Cherry said as she eased herself into the warm water of the bath. I smiled at my marefriend as I sat down next to her and wrapped my wing around her gently.

"Yeah, very nice," I said with a smile as I kissed her softly on the lips. "I haven't felt this good in forever."

"Get a room you two," Serenity said with a laugh as she splashed us lightly. "Or are you two going to just do it right here in front of all of us?"

I blushed a little and rolled my eyes at the filly's crack. "Trying to make up for the lack of Arc being here to tease us huh?" I asked with a groan.

"Maaaaaybe," Serenity said with a giggle as she laid back in the water. "This really does feel nice, why don't we have one of these in the Crystal Empire?"

"I, don't know," I admitted with a shrug as I nuzzled Cherry gently. "Really I'm just glad we got the chance to relax... I just don't know how we're going to get to the Stable tomorrow given everything that's happening. I just hope that we can leave to get there."

"Yeah, the Enclave isn't exactly the most trustworthy group in the wasteland," Cherry said with a sigh. "Though Morning Glory seems to be okay, do you think we can at least trust her?"

"I think we can trust her, its the rest of the Enclave here that I don't trust," I said with a sigh as I leaned back and closed my eyes. "I don't like the fact that we're at a ceasefire with them and I know its not going to last, but there's something about Morning Glory that makes me think we can at least trust her."

"I hope you're right Scootaloo," Mariposa said with a sigh as she looked over at me. "I don't like this, the Enclave is being too nice and we don't really know why. Do you think its possible that they're going to stab us in the back?"

"I think anything is possible at this point, but we need a chance to at least relax," I said with a sigh. "We'll take turns keeping watch tonight just to be safe. Tomorrow we go after that Stable and all bets are off."

"Do you really think the Stable might be better off with the Enclave in charge?" Cherry asked as she looked at me confused. "I didn't think you'd ever say something like that."

"Winter Breeze started her career as a Schoolteacher," I said simply as I looked over at our friends from Stable 97. "As much as I hate to agree with the Enclave, some of the Stables do need help and 97 is one of them. The problem is that the NCR is spread too thin to give them the help they need, and that's going to be a problem for them in the long run."

"But if the Enclave moves in, they can give Stable 97 what they need, like a proper education," Serenity said in understanding. "I don't like it though."

"I don't like it either, but its the only chance they have at this point," I said with a sigh as I leaned over and pulled Serenity in close. "When this is all over we can change things, we can change Stable 48 too, I promise."

"I hope so," Cherry said as she nuzzled me lightly. "I really hope so Scootaloo."

"Me too... I love you both so much," I said with a smile as I wrapped my wings around the two gently. "We're going to get through this, somehow."

00000

"Alright, I've talked with the ponies running the town and they've agreed to let you stay the night," Morning Glory said when we met up with a now asleep Serenity laying on my back. "I'm glad we could keep from causing a problem Scootaloo, I just wish that we were on the same side of this war."

"Me too," I said with a sigh as I brushed my mane back. "Do you ever regret your decision to side with the Enclave again?"

"Sometimes," Morning Glory admitted with a sigh as she looked at Serenity. "But at the same time I know that Winter Breeze is trying to help Equestria in her own way. She's not a bad pony, she just has to do bad things in order to do what she feels is right. Were you any different during the war?"

"Well... I..." I said, honestly I had no idea what I was going to say to that. She was right of course, I had legitimized my actions in the same way but I hadn't gone to war over them. Was I really any different from Winter Breeze? I honestly didn't know, maybe we were the same and maybe we were different.

At the same time, maybe it was what made us similar that made everything work out like it had. We were both ponies trying to do the right thing even if it cost us our souls. Maybe it was also a sign that we could stop Winter's plans with something other than violence, at least I hoped so at least.

"So what are we going to do tomorrow?" I asked as I looked at Morning Glory for a long moment. "I'm sure the ponies under your command aren't happy that you've agreed to let us go."

"Not particularly," Morning Glory admitted with a sigh. "But I'm part of the President's Inner Circle so they don't have a choice but to listen to way I say. I just hope that they're not going to find some way to stop you from leaving anyway."

I sighed and nodded as I looked down at my hooves. We were going to have to figure something out if we were going to make it out of the Settlement and reach Stable 97.

"So, what are you going to do now?" I asked as I looked at Morning Glory. "We both know that only one side can get access to the terminal. Stable 97 has the last key the Enclave needs and we want to stop you from getting it. This is where everything comes down to the wire."

"Yeah, I know what you mean," Morning Glory said with a nod. "I'm sure that everything's going to be okay, we'll make sure that if we win the ponies in Stable 97 are treated well."

"Yeah, well I just hope you're being honest," I said as I looked at her. "The Enclave isn't exactly high on my list of favorite ponies right now given everything that's going on."

She nodded as we stopped in front of a small building. "Its not much but this is where you'll be staying the night," Morning Glory said as she pushed the door open. "Just don't go throwing any wild parties, okay?"

"Well, I'd say given everything that's happened we lost the deposit years ago," I said with a chuckle as we entered the small building. It had just two rooms with a couple of beds.

"I'll see you in the morning, sleep well," Morning Glory said as she walked off.

"She, seems agreeable at least," Cherry said with a sigh as I gently placed Serenity into the bed and she shifted a little. "Are you going to be okay Scootaloo?"

"I honestly don't know," I admitted as I laid back on the bed and yawned. "I know this isn't going to be easy, but we have to sleep well tonight to make sure that we can make it through tomorrow."

"Yeah," Cherry said as she laid down on the opposite side of the bed as Riva made a bed for herself on the floor and the others went into the other room. "Sleep well Scootaloo, I love you so much."

"I love you too," I said and gave her a kiss and then lightly kissed Serenity on the forehead. "Good night you two."

Cherry nodded and yawned as she closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep. I smiled and draped my wing over the two of them gently, these two were part of my family in the Wasteland. I loved them more than anything else and I wanted to make sure that they were going to be safe.

I smiled a little and closed my eyes as I drifted off to sleep next as Riva stood guard. I knew that one way or another everything was going to be okay.

00000

"So Scootaloo, how do I look?" Cherry asked as she modeled a set of light armor that she had purchased from one of the shops in the Settlement. "I figured it would make sense to wear something else other than my old barding, what do you think?"

"You look..." I started to say with a light blush on my face, the armor looked great on her it really did but I had no idea what to say. "You look amazing Cherry."

"Thanks," Cherry said with a smile as she slinked over to me and kissed me lightly on the lips. "I thought you'd like it, I wish I could've gotten some extra armor for my stomach but I had to take what I could get."

"You know I don't know why most of our clothes don't actually cover our hindquarters..." I said and paused a moment. "I asked Rarity about it once and she didn't really have much of an answer either."

"I'll never understand Fashion I guess," Cherry said with a shrug. "Well, at least I look good I guess."

"Very good," I said and leaned in and kissed the pink mare gently on the lips as I pulled her in close with my wings. It was a nice feeling to be close to my marefriend. I continued the kiss and squeezed her lightly.

"Grown ups are so weird!" Serenity said from near us which ruined the moment.

"Yeah, but you're going to be doing that with Pure Heart in no time!" I said with an evil grin as I trotted over to her and tickled her, causing the filly to break out in giggles.

"No fair, your feathers are so much bigger than mine!" Serenity protested through the giggles. "And I keep telling you, we're just friends!"

"Uh-huh, just like me and Cherry were when you kept teasing me," I said with a roll of my eyes as I hugged the filly tightly. "I think you two would make an adorable couple, what do you think Cherry?"

"Yep, I definitely agree," Cherry said with a giggle. "So, do you think about her like that?"

"No comment," Serenity said with a grumble as I just giggled and ruffled the filly's mane gently. "You're enjoying this way too much aren't you?"

"Yes, its fun," I said with a laugh as we headed towards the entrance to the settlement where the rest of the group was waiting with Morning Glory. "Do we have everything we need?"

"Yeah, we got all the medical supplies we could afford," Mariposa said as she looked over at Morning Glory and her Enclave escorts. "Are we going to leave on good terms or is the fight going to start right here?"

"No, we're going to keep our side of the deal," Morning Glory said as she shot a look over at one of the Enclave soldiers. "Is that clear? We don't attack them until after one group reaches the Stable."

"Yes, very clear," the soldier said with a grumble.

"Alright, then lets get going," I said as I secured my battle saddle and we started walking out of the settlement. We stopped at a fork in the road and I looked at Morning Glory for a long moment and nodded before we started walking along the left path.

I sighed and we started walking towards the Stable. I just hoped that we were going the right way.

00000

"So, how far is it to the Stable?" Centerpin asked as I checked the map on my PipBuck. "We can't be that far away can we?"

"Well, the good news is that it won't take that long to be there," I said as I looked at the map and compared it to the map we had of the city. "The bad news is that we still have to deal with at least one group of Raiders on the way."

"Figures," Brick said with a growl as I lowered the map and we kept walking.

"I know this isn't going to be easy, but we're going to make it one way or another," I said with a sigh as I looked back at Centerpin and Heart Ache. "What about you two, are you going to be okay with heading back to your home Stable?"

"Yeah, we'll be fine," Centerpin said with a shrug. "We left to find help in fixing the power thingy in the Stable, if you can help us with that that's all we really need."

"Well, we'll help out as best we can," I said with a nod. Actually I was really wishing that Arc was here, she knew better about this kind of thing than any of us but at least I could try. "We're glad to help as best we can."

"And we're happy to help you stop the Enclave," Heart Ache added as she checked over our medical supplies. "I hope you ponies know what you're doing though. So, what kind of Raiders are we going to be dealing with?"

"Pretty much the usual from what I understand, didn't they give you trouble when you left the Stable?" I asked as I looked at the two Stable Dwellers.

"Sure, a little, but we were saved by our friends so everything was okay," Centerpin said as she looked over at Brick and Mariposa.

"Well, we're going to just have to be careful," I said as I looked back at Cherry and Serenity. "We have to make sure that we don't let those two get hurt either above ground or in the Stable. We just have to get into the Marendon School and down into the basement."

"Of course its the basement, its always the basement," Cherry said with a sigh. "Well, I guess that makes sense when you have to build it underground."

"Well, yeah, though Stable 97's door was actually built with an elevator," I said with a shrug and Serenity blinked a little at that. "What? We had to get it down into the bedrock, we had to make sure that everything would make it through the bombs, its not the only one, just the only one we've run into so far."

"Well, I guess if it makes sense to you," Cherry said with a shrug as we came within view of the Raider camp. "Well, it looks like its time to fight."

I nodded and checked to make sure that my weapons were all set up. We were going to have to approach this carefully. I made a motion to my friends to get everything set to get ready to take on the Raiders.

"Okay, here's the plan, Brick, Mariposa, I want you two to distract the Raiders with a frontal attack," I said and they nodded in agreement. "Serenity, I want you to stay behind with..."

"Aww, I want to help!" Serenity protested. "Why do I always have to stay behind?"

"Because, its going to be your job to make sure that Cherry doesn't get hurt along with Riva," I said with a nod as I looked at Cherry. "Its the most important job right now, okay?"

Serenity just pouted a little and looked between Riva and Cherry before nodding. "Okay, I'll keep her safe!" She said with a weak smile. "I just don't want to be left out of the fighting, you know?"

"Something tells me this won't be the only time we're going to to have to fight today," I said as I ruffled the filly's mane gently. "Don't worry, as soon as we're done here we'll be one step closer to Stable 97 and stopping the Enclave. I'm trusting you with one of the most important ponies in Equestria to me."

"I won't let you down!" Serenity said as she saluted with a smile.

"Cherry, make sure she's safe too okay?" I whispered to Cherry and she nodded in agreement before I kissed her lightly on the lips. "I'll see you soon, okay?"

"Okay," she said as we headed down towards the Raider camp. It wasn't going to be easy, but we were going to stop these Raiders here and now.

00000

We held back while Mariposa and Brick started their attack on the Raider camp. There were more than a few screams as they tore through them quickly.

"Well, your plan seems to be working out pretty well," Heart Break commented as the sound of gunfire was heard from the camp. "What's our part?"

"Well, basically we need to get in there and take out the boss of the Raiders," I said quietly as we moved into the camp in the midst of the confusion. "Raiders run on a society where the strong runs everything, so if we kill him or her everything should work out... I hope."

"Well, its a plan at least," Centerpin said with a nod. "Its more than either of us have."

I nodded as we came across a group of Raider stragglers that were on their way to join the fight with our friends. They went down in a few quick shots from our weapons as they disintegrated into piles of ash.

"Well, the Raiders are definitely going to be a problem, lets just hope that not a lot of them are going to be here," I said with a nod as we moved in closer. "Though knowing my luck we're going to have to fight a lot of them."

Heart Ache nodded as we dodged a bullet from a Raider sniper. Well, that figured at least, at least compared to fighting the Enclave, Raiders were a piece of cake.

I raised my rifle and aimed it at the Sniper as I looked down the sight. The sniper was trying to get off another shot at us, I wasn't going to give them the chance though. I aimed at the head of the Raider and pulled the trigger on the SOAR and fired an energy bolt into its head.

"Well, that's one more Raider down," Centerpin commented as we got to our hooves and pushed further into the camp. "So, where do you think the boss is?"

"I honestly don't know," I said as I looked around. There was a large tent at the center of the camp, that was probably where we needed to go. "Over there,"

We quietly moved forward as we took out another group of Raiders. We quietly moved into the tent where there was a large throne that looked like it was made of rusted metal.

"Well, I must say I wasn't expecting to run into you again," a gravely voice said from the throne and we looked to see a Ghoul Unicorn stallion with rotting flesh and dressed in metal armor. "Hello Scootaloo, its been a long time since we last crossed paths."

I narrowed my eyes a little and raised the SOAR to aim it at the Unicorn that was clearly in charge of the Raiders. I didn't know what was going on here, but I did recognize who it was. "Hello Night Stalker, I must say I wasn't expecting to see you here."

"Do you know this guy?" Heart Ache asked as the stallion grinned with his rotting teeth.

"Yeah, he and I went to college together," I said with a groan as I aimed my rifle at him. "He's nothing but trouble, he was a rather... well you'd have to have known him but I'm not at all surprised that he's running a Raider gang."

"Oh, you think we're Raiders?" Night Stalker commented as he walked over to us. "This is our home, sure we have to steal in order to survive..."

"You nearly killed us when we left the Stable!" Heart Ache protested and I facehooved a little.

"Okay, bad example," he said with a groan. "Why do you even care? You're still not getting over the fact that I wasn't interested in you were you?"

"Are you kidding? You were a plothead, and you tried to rape me!" I said with a growl. "You're lucky they didn't ship you off to somewhere worse than they did. Give me one good reason why I shouldn't just shoot you now!"

"How about the dead pony's switch that's in my suit?" He asked with a grin. "If you kill me, enough P-4 to destroy this whole camp is going to explode.

"Well, that's definitely not good," Centerpin said as she looked between the two of us. "What are we going to do?"

"I, honestly have no idea," I said as I glared at Night Stalker. "You're really willing to blow up your entire camp just to spite me?"

"Of course, I'm not going to let you get away with your false..." Night Stalker said as I rushed forward and punched him in the face, sending him sprawling on the ground. "What was that for?"

"That was to get you to shut your muzzle," I said with a growl as I raised my rifle and aimed it at his forelegs. "I don't have to kill you to put you out of commission you know, you're going down right now."

Night Stalker looked like he was going to say something before I fired a shot into his leg and he let out a scream as his leg exploded in a burst of blood and gore. "You're just as bad as we are, you're just not wanting to admit it."

"I'm nothing like you Raiders," I said with a growl as I slammed the butt of my rifle into his skull and he was knocked out. I took a deep breath and walked out of the tent in a huff. "I hate that stallion so much..."

The Raider camp was quiet, most of the Raiders had been defeated in the initial assault as Brick and Mariposa trotted up to us as they looked around.

"All Raiders dead," Brick said as we started out of the camp again. "What we going to do?"

"Hopefully, get to Stable 97 without any further problems," I said with a growl as we pushed our way out of the camp past the corpses of the Raiders.

"What happened with her?" Mariposa asked as she looked at her friends.

"Its... a long story," Centerpin said as I headed to where Cherry, Riva, and Serenity were all waiting.

"Scootaloo, are you okay?" Cherry asked as we trotted up to them and I hugged her tightly. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing, just had a run-in with a really unpleasant memory of mine," I said with a sigh as I looked back at the camp and narrowed my eyes a little at some large cannons that were in the camp. "Uh... what exactly was stopping the Enclave from just flying straight to the Stable?"

"Well, that would be the AA guns set up around the city to defend against dragon and Zebra assaults during the..." Mariposa started to say when her eyes went wide. "Are you saying that..."

"That we just knocked out the only thing in the area keeping the Enclave from getting a straight shot at the Stable," I said and facehooved at our own stupidity. "Come on, we need to hurry!"

We pushed forward down towards Marendon. We weren't going to let the Enclave win this, not here, not ever!

00000

"Okay, so you put the Stable under a School?" Cherry asked as she looked at me strangely as we approached the ruins of the old Marendon school. "Does Stable-Tec have a strange sense of humor or something?"

"Well we were originally going to put it under the Colt Tower down on the waterfront, but the owners didn't want to give up the property," I said with a shrug. "Which of course figures because we had to go right into the heart of the city, we did not really think these Stable locations through did we?"

"Well, I don't think you expected to have to make your way through a warzone to get to it," Serenity pointed out as we stopped in front of the school. "So what's the plan?"

"We get into the school, hope there's nothing nasty waiting for us, and get into the basement, its short, simple, and to the point," I said as I pushed the door open. "There doesn't seem to be any signs of anypony making it in here recently so at least that means we're here ahead of the Enclave."

"Lets hope so at least," Heart Ache said as we started down the hallway. There was the matter of getting to the basement now but that was going to be easy as long as...

There was a familiar growling sound and I cringed as a small group of rotting feral ghouls came out of one of the classrooms. The worst part wasn't that they were ghouls, they were all foals, they must've been the ones that didn't make it into the Stable below before the bomb went off.

I tried to line up a shot but I hesitated for a split second. These were foals, children even if they were Ghouls. I couldn't bring myself to shoot them, what was I supposed to do?

"Scootaloo!" Serenity shouted as one of the zombified foals lumbered towards me. It took me a moment to register what was going on as a shot rang out and a bullet went through the foal's head. "Scootaloo, they're not foals anymore, they're not going to hesitate to kill you!"

"But..." I started to say but stopped as another one was closing in on Serenity. I narrowed my eyes, she was right, I couldn't let myself hesitate when ponies I cared about were in trouble. I aimed the SOAR at the filly and pulled the trigger, taking her out just as she was about to leap at Serenity.

I turned my attention back to the small herd who was falling back. I breathed a sigh of relief, I didn't like having to kill foals even if they were Ghouls. I looked between my friends and gave them a nod.

"Come on, lets move forward," I said as we pushed forward towards the door leading into the basement. "We need to hurry, we don't want to run into any more Ghouls."

The basement was easy enough to get to as we looked around there was nothing in there that wanted to eat our brains or whatever. I sighed and looked at the gear shaped elevator in the floor.

"So, how does this thing work?" Cherry asked as I went over to a terminal against the wall. "I'm guessing its not as simple as just pressing a button."

"No, I need to put in my Stable-Tec code," I said as I looked over at Heart Ache and Centerpin. They had to have had some sort of codes or a key that allowed them to get in and out of the Stable, that was at least a sign that things were going okay down there.

I typed in my code and the words scrolled across the page.

WELCOME SCOOTALOO.
YOUR LAST LOG IN WAS *@((%@ YEARS AGO
WOULD YOU LIKE TO ACCESS STABLE 97? Y/N.

I hit the Y key quickly and a new message flashed on the screen.

ACCESS TO STABLE 97 GRANTED. PLEASE STAND ON THE ELEVATOR, ACCESS WILL BE GRANTED IN 1 MINUTE.

"Come on, lets go," I said as we all gathered on top of the gear shaped elevator. "Lets do this."

After we were all in place the elevator started to move down towards the Stable. I took a deep breath as the faded metal walls started to pass us. This was where everything would come to a head, I just hoped that the ponies down in the Stable wouldn't get caught in the crossfire of the battle.

00000

I took a deep breath as we looked at the actual Stable Door that was in front of us. It had a fairly standard Stable Door in addition to the elevator that we had just taken.

"So, what should we expect in there?" I asked as I looked over at Heart Ache and Centerpin. "We know the Enclave isn't in here yet, are we going to have any problems from inside the Stable itself?"

"No, if you're here to help they'll be easy enough to convince," Centerpin said as she looked at me. "So, what are you going to do when we get in there?"

"Make sure that the Enclave doesn't get access to the Overmare's terminal as well as get the reactor repaired," I said with a nod as I walked over to the Stable's terminal and started putting the commands in. "This shouldn't take long I hope. Hopefully we'll be able to manage everything before its too late."

"Do you think the Enclave will be able to make it into the Stable?" Mariposa asked as I started putting in my personal code. "I mean, they want access to the terminal, and we're trying to stop them, so how are we going to actually stop them from doing that?"

"Well, I'm still kind of working out the details on that," I admitted with a sigh as I hit the last button to open the door. "There is only one way to keep them from accessing the terminal, but I don't know if that's going to work."

The door opened up with a screech and Serenity covered her ears. "You couldn't have made doors that opened quieter could you?"

"Its just how we got it, okay? I admit they are a bit annoying at this point," I said with a shake of my head. "Come on, lets get..."

"Hold it right there!" A mare's voice said and I groaned a little as I looked over to see a group of ponies dressed in Stable Security barding. "What are you all doing here? Did you two find somepony who can help us?"

"I'm Vice President Scootaloo from Stable-Tec," I said as I dropped my trigger to make sure that I didn't look threatening. "We're here to try and help you get your reactor working again and make sure that your Stable isn't put in danger from an enemy who want to get access to your Stable for... well its a long story."

"I see," the security pony said as she looked us over. "Are you going to be able to help us deal with the power problem we have?"

"Yeah, hopefully," I said as I looked around. "We just need access to the reactor and to the Overmare's office. Everything will be just fine, I promise."

She nodded and we headed further into the Stable. I took a deep breath and looked around, there were a few ponies around that didn't pay us any attention other than a few curious looks. I sighed a little as I looked over at Cherry and Serenity who gave me a nod.

"So, you said you work for Stable-Tec?" The Security mare asked as she looked over at me.

"Yeah, during the war I was its Vice President," I said as I brushed my mane back a little. "Don't ask me how I'm still alive after all these years, its a long story."

"Alright, I won't," the mare said with a shrug as we walked past a room where the ponies dressed in Stable 97 barding were working on tests. A stallion in the same barding looked up at us and our eyes met, I shook my head and kept walking.

I was starting to get a really bad feeling about this. Stable 97 had been another mistake among the Stables, even if they had survived this long, it was just another failed Stable.

I sighed a little and looked at the others. I hated that we had done this to these poor ponies, I just had to hope that we were going to figure something out and soon.

"What kind of test are they taking?" Serenity asked curiously as she looked up at me.

"Its, a long story," I said with a sigh as I pushed my mane back a little. "Stable 97 was not one of our better ideas as I've said before. They take these tests pretty much daily and correct answers are... discouraged."

"Why would..." Cherry started to say.

"Don't ask, please don't ask, it wasn't one of the better things we did," I said with a shake of my head. "We're going to do our best to make sure that everything changes... even if it might mean giving over control to the Enclave if we don't have any other choice."

"After you disable the terminal right?" Serenity asked and I nodded. "I hope it doesn't come to that."

"Me too," Cherry said with a sigh as we headed towards the Overmare's office.

It was time to end this here and now, I just hoped that everything would be okay.

00000

"So, you're the help that Heart Ache and Centerpin have found," the Overmare said as she looked at me for a long moment. "I must say, I was expecting you to look a little more..."

"Like an engineer or something?" I asked as I looked at her for a long moment. "Well, I know I don't look like much but I helped build these places and I had some experience fixing things when I was a foal. I may not be the best engineer in
Equestria, but I can get your reactor back up and running."

Mind you the reactor in Stable 97 was built so simple that just about anypony could fix it if they knew what they were doing, this was really not one of our better ideas.

"Alright then, we'll let you take a look at the reactor at least," the Overmare said as she looked over at Centerpin and Heart Ache for a long moment. "As for you two, while we're grateful that you succeeded in your mission..."

She was cut off when there was a sudden alarm that went off. I froze a moment, that alarm meant only one thing, the Stable elevator had been activated above.

"Do you mind explaining what's going on now?" The Overmare asked as she looked at me for a long moment.

"That would be the ponies that I mentioned to your Security force," I said as I looked over at my friends and sighed a little. "I was hoping we'd have more time before they got here."

"What do they want with us?" The Overmare asked as she looked at me harshly. "What have you brought to our Stable?"

"Its a really long story," Cherry said as she looked over at me. "What are we going to do now Scootaloo?"

I sighed a little and looked at the Overmare. "You need to stall them for us, talk to them and maybe they'll leave if you don't allow them to get access to the Stable. But if they threaten violence, let them in, I don't want anypony getting hurt because of this war."

"Understood," the Overmare said with a nod as she got to her hooves and looked at the Security mare before they headed out of the office.

"So, what now?" Cherry asked as she looked at me.

"Now, we do what we said we'd come here to do, and hope the Enclave is stalled long enough," I said as we got to our hooves and headed out of the office.

It was time to head down to the reactor.

00000

I opened up a panel on the reactor and glanced back to where Cherry and Serenity were. They had stayed away from the Reactor given that it may be dangerous and we didn't want to put Cherry or her foal in danger.

"I've looked over this thing more times than I can count, there doesn't seem to be anything wrong with it," Centerpin commented as I started working on the reactor. "What do you think Scootaloo?"

"Yeah, its strange, there doesn't really seem to be any problem with it at all..." I said as I looked it over strangely. "Not to mention these things are built to last for centuries. This reactor shouldn't be going offline this early in its lifespan without some sort of..."

I paused a moment and backed up as I took a long look at the reactor itself. I checked everything to make sure my hunch wasn't correct, everything seemed to be intact until I found that the lines that connected it with the rest of the Stable were partially being re-directed.

"Now that's not supposed to be there," I commented as I looked at the wires for a long moment. "I'm starting to think that this wasn't an accident."

"What are you suggesting?" Centerpin asked as she looked at me.

"I think the reactor was sabotaged, but I don't know who did it or why," I said with a frown as I looked at the wires again. I followed them to a junction box where everything seemed to stop except for a few wires.

I frowned when I looked at it, I recognized the technology, it was Stable-Tec's work. "What in Celestia's name..."

"Scootaloo, what's going on?" Centerpin asked as she looked at the device. "What is that thing?"

"Its Stable-Tec technology... somepony working for Stable-Tec sabotaged the system," I said as I blinked a little. "This complicates matters a lot."

"Wait, Stable-Tec? I thought you were the only survivor of Stable-Tec," Cherry commented as I got down from the junction box. "Or did I miss something?"

"I think I heard about a Stable-Tec pony living in Trotson," Serenity commented. "But that was just a rumor so who knows really."

"Well, no, Stable 97 actually does have ponies working for Stable-Tec in it, sort of," I said as I rubbed the back of my head a little. "Part of the experiment was set up so some of the ponies born in here would be taken on as running the experiment, its who was giving that test we saw earlier."

"Okay, that explains that," Cherry said as I looked through some tools. "Can you fix it?"

"Sure, fixing it is the easy part," I said as I picked up the necessary tools and went to work. "There is still the matter of the hard part though."

"And what's that?" Centerpin asked as I started removing the equipment that was circumventing the power.

"We need to figure out who did this and why," I said with a sigh as I finally got the last of it removed. "I don't like that they did this, something very wrong is going on here. I want to know what it is and why."

"So, what are you going to do?" Cherry asked.

"I'm going to talk to the pony in charge, looks like I'm going to have to pull rank on them," I said with a sigh as I adjusted my hat and did a quick check to make sure everything was working. "Come on, lets go."

They nodded and we headed back upstairs towards where the Stable's school was.

00000

We headed into the Stable's school where the students were all giving their tests to a stallion seated behind a desk. He had a short grey mane with a brown coat and was wearing a standard Stable jumpsuit with a pair of glasses perched on his nose.

"Yes, yes, this is all excellent," the teacher said as he looked through the tests that had been given to him. The ponies filed out of the school and past us. He looked up at us curiously and adjusted his glasses a little. "Well, I wasn't expecting you to come visit, I had heard we had some visitors in the Stable."

"You're in charge of the Stable-Tec side of things in here aren't you?" I asked as I trotted over to the teacher who was seated behind a desk.

"Yes, that would be me, Hard Knocks is my name, can I help you?" He asked as he peered at me behind his glasses carefully. "What's it to you?"

"Short version, I'm your boss," I said as I looked at him harshly. "I'm the Vice President of Stable-Tec and I'm here to, check up on your progress."

"I see," he said as he narrowed his eyes a little at me. "I must say, I wasn't expecting you to show up, well, ever. Its been a long time since the Stable door was closed, what are you doing here now?"

"Well, its a long story," I said as I looked him in the eye. "I need some answers about what's going on here. We found out what happened to the Reactor."

"You found out what happened to... I see," Hard Knocks said as he adjusted his glasses and looked at me harshly. "You have a lot of explaining to do if you really are who you say you are."

"Right, because I'd totally lie about being one of the ponies who put so many lives in danger with the Stables," I said with a roll of my eyes. "And I'm not the only one who has explaining to do. It was Stable-Tec technology that sabotaged the reactor, and there are only a few ponies in this Stable who would know how to make it work."

Hard Knocks stared at me for a long moment and let out a growl. We had to make sure that everything was going to work out somehow, the Enclave was already here in the Stable and we were going to have to figure out what to do. There was still the matter of the key's terminal itself, that was going to be hard for the Enclave to access given the way it was set up.

I just hoped that we weren't going to have a problem already.

"I don't really believe you to be honest, its been over 200 years so you're probably an impostor," Hard Knocks said as he glared at me. "You're going to have to do a lot more to prove that you're who you really say you are."

Okay, I probably should've seen that one coming. I didn't have any reason to lie sure, but that wasn't going to be easy to prove. I sighed a little and adjusted my hat a little as I looked over Hard Knocks.

"I know this isn't going to be easy to accept," I said with a sigh. "There is something in this Stable that the Enclave wants access to and I'm here to make sure that they don't get at it. But if you put the ponies in this Stable at risk, then anything that happens to them is on your hooves, not mine!"

"What are you talking about, if you hadn't set up that damn box in the Stable in the first place," Hard Knocks said as he slammed his forehooves down on the desk in front of him. "If you really are who set everything up here, then you created this place as meatshields for whatever you put in that box! I don't believe it, if you really who you say you are, then you're responsible for everything that happened in this Stable!"

"Meatshields? I..." I started to say, I honestly had no idea what to say to that. There was no way that anypony in the Stable should even have access to the information on the Key and this was going to take a lot of explaining really fast. "I think you have it all wrong here. Yes we did set everything up to keep a key in this Stable, but..."

"But nothing, these ponies deserve better than to be treated like this by Stable-Tec," Hard Knocks said with a growl. "We've done our job for over 200 years, but you created it all to try and protect some critical item. You're nothing more than a monster!"

I blinked a little at that, how was I going to explain this? Actually the fact was that I had no intention of using the inhabitants of any of the Stables to try and protect the keys from somepony who wanted access to them. If I had, why would I have put one in Stable 26? That Stable was supposed to empty out, something about all of this made no sense.

"Look, Hard Knocks you have it all wrong," I managed to stutter out as I looked over at him. "Is that why you sabotaged the reactor? If you really had the best intentions of the Stable dwellers at heart, why did you put their lives at risk?"

"To get all of them out of this deathtrap before whatever you hid away in here became a target!" Hard Knocks said as he glared at me even more. "We know you hid something in this Stable, we don't know why, but we're not going to allow you to get anypony in this Stable hurt over it."

I sighed a little and looked at him, this was going to be really hard to explain. Even if we hadn't come here to cause any real trouble, the fact was that we had brought danger to Stable 97 in the form of the Enclave. We weren't going to use them as meatshields as he put it, but we were already putting the ponies in danger.

"Look, I know that we're going to be in a tough spot given everything that's going on," I said as I brushed my mane back. "The Enclave wants access to the box that you're talking about, and they're here in this Stable now. I don't really know what we're going to do to be honest, there's a chance that they're going to hurt ponies in this Stable if we don't give it to them."

Hard Knocks looked thoughtful at that as he thought it over. There were a lot of problems with what was going on here, a lot of problems. I just had to hope that the Enclave was going to cause more trouble, though I had no doubts that whatever was going to happen next we would be able to figure this out, somehow.

"Look, I don't know what's going on above ground, I just know that you're putting these ponies in even more danger than you already have," Hard Knocks said as he looked at me for a long moment. "Can you promise me that you're going to do everything in your power to keep the ponies in this Stable out of harm's way?"

"I'll try my best, I don't want anypony to get hurt," I said with a nod as I looked back at my friends. "We're not the bad guys here, the fact is that we can't help the Ponies here. Not in the way they really need it at least given what Stable-Tec did to them. Right now I just need to get access to the terminal that has what the Enclave is looking for and then we'll need to leave and fast."

"And what, leave us to the Enclave?" Hard Knocks said.

"If that's what the ponies here want, yes," I said with a sigh as I looked back at Serenity. "Being here is putting us all in danger, not just us but you and your ponies here. But this Stable's experiment needs to stop, this whole thing was a mistake and we need to stop it here and now. These are good ponies who we put in danger, you put in danger by continuing the experiment."

"We've just been following orders..." Hard Knocks said as he looked at me. "Are you saying that we were following the wrong orders or what?"

"I'm saying that your job is done, as soon as this is over, one way or another, Stable 97 is going to change," I said with a sigh. "The Enclave is going to make an offer and its up to all of you whether or not you take it. I suggest if its what I think it is, you take it and do your best to make sure that the transition is handled smoothly, the future of every pony in this Stable depends on it."

"Alright, fine," Hard Knocks said with a sigh as he looked towards the door. "If you're telling the truth, it may already be too late."

"I know, which is why I need to get at that terminal," I said as I headed back to my friends and we headed out of the school.

I just had to hope that we weren't too late.

00000

"Why are we going into a storage room?" Cherry asked as I started putting a code into a door deep in the Stable. "I thought all the keys were in the Overmare's terminals."

"Well, normally they are... Stable 97 is different because of the way it was structured," I said with a sigh as the door opened. "I know that its hard to understand, but the ponies in this Stable wouldn't exactly know how to run a terminal unless they were with Stable-Tec. I locked it away in here in hopes that nopony would ever try and get access to it, obviously it didn't quite work out as I had hoped."

"Your own employees want to keep anypony from even having it, figures," Serenity said with a sigh.

"Scootaloo..." Cherry said softly and I looked back at her. "You really didn't set these up in Stables to use the inhabitants as some sort of meatshields did you?"

"Don't let what Hard Knocks said get to you, he only has part of the story," I said as I headed over to the box where the terminal was being kept. "The keys were placed in Stables in an effort to make it harder to get to them, nothing more. Stable 26 was built to have the ponies leave as soon as it was possible for them to leave, and Stable 14 was emptied years ago. If they were meant to be meatshields, why would the Stables have been allowed to open at all?"

Cherry thought that over for a moment before she nodded in agreement. "You're right, I don't think you'd do that kind of thing, you're not that kind of pony... are you?"

"Cherry... I'm not going to lie to you, I made mistakes, big mistakes that cost lives," I said with a sigh as I looked over at her. "Stable One was probably the worst of them... I knowingly trapped ponies in there for what could've been a long time. I put other ponies in situations that lead to their deaths, I may not have killed them but I didn't stop their deaths either. I have a lot of blood on my hooves because of my mistakes, and I'm here to make up for them if I can. You know that, we all know that, but would I ever deliberately put ponies in danger? No, never on purpose, that wasn't the point of the Stables."

Cherry was about to say something when there was the sound of hooves against the metal floor. Before we could say anything a pony dressed in the black armor of an Enclave soldier had grabbed Serenity tightly and pressed a gun against her head.

"Alright, if you don't want the filly to get it, you're going to open that box for me nice and slow," the soldier said with a growl as he looked at me. "I've got orders to get this thing out at any cost."

"Let me go you you big bully!" Serenity protested as she tried to worm her way free of the Enclave soldier's grip. "I'm nopony's bargaining chip!"

"Shut up or I might just shoot you anyway," the Enclave soldier said with a growl as he pressed the gun closer to her skull. "So what are you going to do, is the Mare in Black really going to just let a filly get killed?"

I scowled at the soldier, this was not a good sign, but I didn't have a choice. He had Serenity and I wasn't about to let her get hurt or killed and he knew it.

"Fine, I'll unlock the box," I said simply as I turned and looked back at the box with the terminal in it. There was no way I could get this thing disabled if he was looking over my shoulder, we had lost. "I just need a minute to input the code."

"No funny business," the soldier said and I could hear Serenity continuing to struggle against his grip. "This is your one and only chance to get this right."

I gulped a little and tapped the keypad on the box to input the code. I heard Serenity let out a protesting scream from behind me as I hit the last button and closed my eyes as the box opened up revealing the terminal inside.

"Good, now just give me a..." The soldier said before his voice trailed off.

I turned back around to see the soldier had gone quiet, his mouth was agape as he stood there with blood dripping out of it. His forelegs went slack as he let Serenity go free and he slumped over with a knife sticking out of the back of his head.

"Bad pony," Riva said as she gripped the hilt of her knife and pulled it out of her victim and gave Serenity a nod. "Stop Enclave."

"Right," I said and turned my attention back to the terminal, there was only one choice at this point. The Enclave knew about the code which meant that they were going to try anything to get it open even if I closed it again, so there was no real point in even trying to close it.

"I need a minute, cover me," I said and gave my friends a nod as they moved into position around the door. "Are you okay Serenity?"

"I've been better, thank you Riva," Serenity said as she looked over at Riva who gave her a small nod.

I opened up the back of the terminal and got to work. There was only one way to get this done, I had to make sure that the power crystal for the terminal was removed. There was only one crystal that would work for the terminal, so the Enclave would be stuck with a useless terminal.

It took some doing but I finally got the crystal out and into my bag just as we heard the sound of hooves on the metal hallway outside. I quickly closed it back up, the terminal would run on some excess power for a short time so that would at least buy us enough time to escape.

"Well, you've certainly made a mess of things," the Overmare commented as she looked down at the dead Enclave soldier lying there she pointed at me, Centerpin, and Heart Ache. "You three, come with me, now."

"Cherry, get Serenity and the rest of them up to the Stable door, I'll be okay," I said with a nod as I looked at the Overmare. "We'll come peacefully, just don't let the others be hurt."

"Fine," was all she said and we followed her out of the storage room.

00000

I took a deep breath and looked around the office as we entered. Morning Glory was standing there along with Hard Knocks and it looked like the two had been talking about something.

"The Dashite and the two ponies from our Stable as requested," the Overmare said and moved behind her desk as Morning Glory looked at me.

"Well, I must say its been quite the ride," Morning Glory said as she walked over to me. "I assume that the pony I sent to get the terminal accessed is dead."

"He threatened Serenity's life," I said simply as the grey and purple mare's eyes went wide. "I'm guessing that wasn't part of his orders, was it?"

"No, he was told only to get the key by any means necessary," she said with a scowl. "I apologize, and President Winter Breeze would agree that these methods were not necessary. Is she okay?"

"She's fine, just a little shaken up," I said as I looked at Morning Glory harshly. Even if she hadn't ordered it, it was hard to forgive her for putting Serenity's life in danger even unknowingly. "So, what are you going to do now?"

"We've reached an agreement," the Overmare said as she looked over at Hard Knocks who nodded. "Stable 97 has agreed to the Enclave's terms, we will join them and grant them access to the terminal in return for food, medical supplies, and proper education as provided by the Enclave."

Centerpin and Heart Ache cringed a little at that. They didn't like the idea any more than I did, and they had lived here all their lives. What was going to happen to them now?

"Alright then, we had a deal after all," I said with a sigh as I looked at Morning Glory. "But the Enclave had better keep up its end of the bargain no matter what. We both know that its the only way you're going to get anything done in this world is if you don't break your word."

"We will keep our word, as long as you leave this Stable," Morning Glory said and I nodded in agreement. "Then we are agreed. I will get access to the terminal and unlock the final key, you will all leave alive and unharmed."

I sighed a little and nodded. "Alright, we had a deal, we'll leave as soon as we can get everything together."

"There is still the matter of the two of you," the Overmare said as she looked over at Heart Ache and Centerpin. "You two have a lot to answer for right now."

"We do? What did we do?" Centerpin asked and looked between me and the Overmare. "Mom... I..."

"Both of you be quiet," the Overmare said with a glare. "Centerpin, you shouldn't have been out of the Stable to begin with, this mission was Heart Ache's alone and you left without permission. On top of that, you brought these ponies to the Stable and they have brought nothing but trouble with them. You have brought the Wasteland into our home, and I cannot stand for that."

I blinked, what was happening here? Were they really going to be kicked out of the Stable just for bringing us in here? I was about to say something when Morning Glory shot me a look.

"This is an internal matter Scootaloo, neither of us have a say in it," Morning Glory said and I sighed a little.

"The two of you are to leave the Stable and never to return," the Overmare continued. "Effective immediately."

The two Unicorns just stared in shock at the Overmare before they bowed their heads and headed out without another word. I sighed a little and looked at the Overmare and Morning Glory for a long moment.

"Good luck, lets hope you haven't just made a deal with the devil," I said and put my hat back on my head before I followed the Unicorns out.

It was time to leave this Stable and hopefully make it back home safely.

00000

“So, what are we going to do now?” Serenity asked as we stepped out of the Marendon school.

“Honestly? I don’t know,” I said as I checked my bag for the energy crystal. “We need to get back to Ponytraz Island, but I really don’t want to have to go back through the…”

I paused when I saw a friendly marker on my EFS that was approaching fast. I looked up at the sky for a moment before a familiar shape burst out of a cloud bank. The Quetzal came fully into view though it looked different. There was extra armor welded onto the hull of the ship as it moved in close.

“What is that?” Serenity asked as she looked at the airship in awe. “Where did that come from?”

“That would be the Quetzal…” I said with a groan, we were being helped by Gambit again, that figured. “Lets just say you’re going to meet with an old friend of mine.”

“A very old friend…” Cherry commented as the Quetzal descended, the metal keel dug into the ground as it came to a halt. The ramp swung down and crashed to the ground with a thunderous bang. Into view stepped the familiar figure of that ‘old friend’.

“Hello again Gambit,” I said as I looked at the Alicorn. “I wasn’t expecting to run into you here.”

“Well, you shoulda thought of that before you turned on a distress beacon strong enough to be heard halfway across equestria.” Gambit retorted “Then again, this thing is so unreliable I hardly ever know what’s going on.” She said and gestured to the newly acquired PipBuck on her leg.

“Well, when you’re being held by Alicorns who will either kill you or turn you into one of them for their experiments in trying to rebuild the Unity, you don’t have a lot of time to think about how strong your distress signal is,” I said with a sigh as I looked back at my friends. “Well, I’m glad you’re here actually.”

“Uh, before you continue - those Alicorns you were talking ‘bout, Uh... “ Gambit said before she took a quick glance behind herself into the ship “They wouldn’t happen to be from a place I think they were calling New Maripony or anything like that, would they?”

“Yeah, they were, we were in the Underground and came across them,” Serenity said as she looked at Gambit curiously. “Why?”

“Please don’t tell me you have some of the Alicorns who captured us on board that ship…” I said with a groan.

“Yea. well, about that - Remember where you activated that distress signal? You kind of brought me straight to them… “ Gambit said with a sigh and rubbed her head. “See, they didn’t attack me or my crew - In fact they seemed pretty happy to see me, thought i was some fragment to something they called unity.”

“Well, that’s just great… this is going to be a fun trip home,” I said with a sigh as I looked back towards Marendon. “Well, long story short, we need to get out of here before the Enclave finds out that we stole an energy crystal from the terminal they’re trying to access. Do you mind giving us a ride out of here?”

“I’m not against the idea, and I’m fairly certain the other passengers aren’t going to be overly hostile to you, But uh.. You’ll probably want to stay on deck, and I’ll tell them to stay in the hold.” Gambit said with a nervous smile.

I looked between the others and they all nodded. “Alright, we’ll stay clear of the other passengers. We just really need to get back to Ponytraz, and then Junction Town.”

“Right, well get up here we haven’t all day, oh - and Scoots, I’ll want to speak to you in my quarters later - Uh, it’s the door on the main deck, kind of hard to miss it.” Gambit said with a nod of her head, before she disappeared back into the darkness of the hold.

I nodded as we all got aboard the ship and looked around. I took one last look back towards the school. The Enclave didn’t look like they were coming out just yet, that was a good sign at least.

Maybe, just maybe this was a sign that things were going our way finally. I was about to breathe a sigh of relief when the door to the hold burst open and a familiar blue Alicorn came out in a huff.

“I don’t care if you’re the Harbinger or not, this is completely unacceptable!”

Crap.

“These ponies! They cannot be trusted, They brought nothing but death and destruction to us; They and those enclave ponies killed many of us!” Bluebird said as she neared the door “You cannot force us to share a ship with the likes of them!”

“Bluebird, I thought we agreed that this was behind us when you boarded my ship.” Gambit said calmly. “You view me as a Harbinger to your unity, you need to trust my judgement and understand that forgiving the past is the only way to build the future you seek”

Bluebird burst from the door, yelling back into the room “We will see.” Her attention turned to me, hatred and anger raged in her eyes. “You! You may have fooled our Harbinger, and made her believe your lies, but we will not be fooled so easily.”

I just stood there for a long moment and looked over at Gambit. “I… don’t even know what to say to that right now. I just had to deal with the Enclave and a bunch of Stable dwellers and Stable-Tec employees who thought they were doing the right thing by nearly killing everypony in the Stable. Crazy zealot Alicorns trying to reform the thing that threatened to destroy the freedom and individuality of every pony in Equestria is the last thing I want to deal with right now.”

“I’d like to say - they really mean well, I heard them out they really think they are doing the right thing, it’s why I convinced some of them to follow me, give up the whole ‘reforming unity’ thing, and realizing that they can have unity - without unity… if you understand what I mean.” Gambit said with a sigh “It’s complicated.”

“Sorry, its just been a really long few days…” I said with a sigh as I looked up at the sky. “Let’s all just try and live together, okay? It’s not going to be for that long.”

“That’s all we want, alright? They wouldn’t be on this ship if they didn’t agree that there is a better unity outside of the unity they know.” Gambit said with a groan. “Look, She isn’t happy you’re here, you aren’t happy she’s here - it’s a big ship, just stay away from each other and everything should be fine.”

I nodded and looked over at Bluebird for a moment before I headed over to where my friends were. This was going to be a long journey, I just had to hope that everything was going to be okay.

LEVEL UP!
Perk Received: I beat Kobayashi Meiru.
Details: You've been stuck in the no-win scenario and made it out by bending the rules. You get an extra point in your luck stats.

Author's Note

As always, the parts with Gambit were written by Natalie and she gets full credit.

Chapter 27: Changes (Part 1)

Author's Note

So, basically this chapter is so freakin' long that I split it into two parts. This part was co-written by Natalie as usual.

Chapter 27: Changes (Part 1)

"From childhood's hour I have not been.
As others were, I have not seen."
-Edgar Allen Poe

I opened the door to the Captain’s Quarters aboard the Quetzal and looked around. The room was quite the mess with random artifacts scattered about, several flags adorned the walls, one looked like an old torn pre-war flag, another a jolly roger, sitting at the desk in the middle of the room sat Gambit, staring at what looked to be a golden crown on her desk.

“Wait, isn’t that Twilight’s crown?” I asked as I looked at the crown confused. “How’d you get that?”

“The Alicorns, they were doing something when I got there, something about trying to resurge memories from a pony that was involved in the original Goddess.” Gambit said and sighed. “They managed to take this otherwise braindead Alicorn, and turned her into Twilight, I don’t understand how, but…”

“Well, I read about Twilight briefly re-emerging and rescuing LittlePip when Maripony was destroyed,” I said with a shrug. “That might mean that there’s still some remnant of her left in the Alicorns somewhere and I guess maybe it could be brought out somehow.”

“That’s what Bluebird said, she said that it was a momentous occasion, and that they only had the power to do this once.” Gambit said “They thought it’d be permanent, but it wasn't too long there after that they found out this Twilight clone thing wasn't going to survive very long.”

“Oh, I’m sorry…” I said as I looked back at her. “That, had to be an interesting experience to say the least.”

“Needless to say, It was - But to be perfectly honest, she wasn’t at all what I had expected her to be.” Gambit said with a bit of a chuckle. “She seemed… a lot different then that ministry mare I was always told she was.”

“Different how?”

“She was… Well, Kind.” Gambit said “I was always told she was a serious and strict mare, but - she seemed to be more concerned with others then herself.”

I blinked a little at that. It had been a long time since I had heard anypony talk about Twilight in that kind of way, not since before the war. “Well, I knew Twilight, a long time ago before the war started and she was more like that. Maybe, something about being released from Unity changed her from what she was like during the war?”

Gambit thought for a moment “Perhaps, I mean - I know nothing of this Unity other then she was a part of it - against her will, maybe seeing what everything she worked for results in was a humbling experience?”

“Corrupted Magic…” I said softly and shook my head. “Maybe, it’s hard to tell unless we asked her ourselves.”

“Well, I’m sure you’re wondering how this ended up with me having her crown.” Gambit said with a chuckle as she rubbed the back of her head “It’s… an Interesting story”

“Oh, right, sorry I got a little sidetracked,” I said and rubbed the back of my head too. “What happened?”

“Remember how she ascended? Became the ‘princess of friendship’” Gambit said while making air quotes. “Well, when she first realized what they did, she wanted to get back to that - but found that perhaps, this world didn’t need her anymore, and needed somepony new, somepony that understands it better.”

“And she decided that was you?” I asked curiously.

“She said, In the most ironic manners. ‘I see a lot of me in you.’ yeah, no duh…” Gambit groaned. “But she said that she thinks that I might be just what Equestria needs, I mean - I managed to get Alicorns to give up their personal quest and listen to reason - Maybe that has something to do with it.”

“Maybe, well that’s pretty interesting. Just don’t let it go to your head or anything, we’ve had enough crazy Alicorns trying to take over the world already,” I said with a sigh.

“It’s not like I want to be a princess, I don’t even want this horn! I’m a pegasus, Not a alicorn, and most definitely not a princess,” Gambit said and held her face in her hooves. “Why in equestria does this kind of stuff happen to me?”

“Want to trade? I’ve got I don’t know how many ponies who hate me, a great-great whatever granddaughter who’s the President of the Enclave, and another great-great whatever granddaughter who rushes headlong into battle at the age of 10,” I said with a groan. “And that’s not going into everything that’s going on with the war effort.”

“Well, to be fair - you did do a lot of things to deserve the hate.” Gambit said with a chuckle. “And that mare, from tenpony? You’re related to her?”

“Yeah, just, don’t tell anypony, I probably shouldn’t have even told you that…” I said and facehooved at my own slip of the tongue. “Yeah, turns out she’s my descendant, what are the odds?”

“So many descendants, sounds like someone got really busy after the bombs fell. Took it on yourself to repopulate equestria too?”

“I had one daughter, but its been over 200 years since then,” I said with a sigh and looked back at the door. “My descendants have been a bit, mixed. Even Serenity, well, she’s only 10 and she’s up on the deck of the ship now because she followed us into a warzone wanting to help.”

“Oh, right - Keep in mind, This was practically yesterday to me, keep forgetting that its been what… 210 years?” Gambit said with a sigh. “And, that filly - Serenity, Maybe I could talk to her? I mean - I used to be a bit like her about the whole ‘wanting to help’ thing.”

“Yeah, Serenity, it’s not that I haven’t tried talking to her, her mom has too, but she’s… well, she’s got a lot of me in her,” I said with a sigh.

“Maybe somepony from outside the bloodline needs to handle her, I know it took Dash to talk some sense into me before I ended up rushing off and getting myself hurt.” Gambit said “But either way, looking at you now, honestly, I can’t see her having alot of you in her being a bad thing, y’know, a heart strong as a horse and all.”

I smiled a little at that before frowning at the memory of that song. It was a good memory, but it was still painful to remember my friends. “If you want to try and talk to her, I’m sure we could use the help. I just hope she’ll listen.”

“Hey, if push comes to shove, maybe I can use my newly found ‘princess’ influence on her!” Gambit said, levitating the crown to her head with a nervous grin, before bursting out laughing and putting the crown down “Nope, still can’t say that with a straight face.”

I laughed too and shook my head. “It’s nice to see getting a horn hasn’t changed you that much Gambit.”

“Horn? What horn? Oh this? It’s just a bump from when I fell out of my cot this morning!” Gambit said with a chuckle “Anyway, Yeah - I can talk with her if you want, maybe I can get Peanut to talk to her too - They’re a lot closer in age, maybe having another pony like her tell her would have more weight.”

“Okay, we just have to get her back to Nomad City… and hope her mom doesn’t kill me for, well, everything that she’s been through while here,” I said with a groan. “I can handle fighting Slavers, Raiders, Alicorns, and the Enclave, but Vanilla Cream scares me.”

Gambit gave a nervous chuckle before speaking “Speaking of the Enclave, Uh - You haven’t met Peanut before, but… “ She apparently decided it would be better to show rather then say, Gambit reached for the intercom and called for Peanut.

I looked at her curiously, I had to wonder who Peanut was and what was going on. I guess I was going to get my answers soon enough.

After a few moments a small cream colored filly burst through the door with a chipper ‘Hello~’ before she stopped at Gambit’s desk. “Reporting as Ordered, Ma’am!”

“She’s very, chipper,” I commented as I pulled my hat down a little. If this pony did used to work for the Enclave I wasn’t sure how she might react to me.

“Peanut, This is Scootaloo” Gambit said with a gesture, pointing that little filly to turn around “She may have a small request of you”

“Well, of course it’s Scootaloo! There’s a whole course in the Enclave school about her!” The little filly said with a giggle before turning round. “Ma’am with all due respect, I have no hard feelings for you at all, it’s one of those reasons I went AWOL to begin with!”

“Sorry, force of habit,” I said as I pulled my hat back up again. I swear, this filly reminded me of Pinkie if she was a Pegasus. “Well I’m glad you went AWOL then, I wish more ponies felt that way. But that’s not the point, I was wondering if you could talk to one of the ponies who accompanied me. She’s, a bit wild, she stowed away on a Vertibuck and flew here to help fight the Enclave. Her heart is in the right place, but she’s so young me and her mom are worried about her.”

“Oh! You mean Serenity? We were playing cards in the mess hall before I was called!” Peanut said, Hopping around the room excitedly. “She doesn’t understand what she did wrong, she just wants to help and be there. I can understand - Equestria isn’t what it used to be, Ponies are so different then what they say in the history books,” she said as a look of sadness came over that young filly’s face. “But that’s why we’re here! Me, Gambit and Uhm… Miss Valen, I think her name is, We’re going to change it back!”

“Not quite, Butterscotch..” Gambit said with a sigh.

“While I admire your enthusiasm, I’m not sure if we can ever return to what it was like before,” I said with a shake of my head. “But we’re going to do better, and learn from our mistakes. That’s the best we can all do at this point.”

“There’s a poster in one of our books we had to study, about these things called the ministries. One of them had a saying that I really liked, Uhm.. I think it was ‘War? Fear? Death? We Must Do Better!’” Peanut quite proudly exclaimed. “Come to think of it, Valen reminds me of that poster! She looks just like the mare on it!”

“I… huh…” I said, I honestly wasn’t sure what to say to that at all. “Alright, well… if you don’t mind talking to her a little, that would help a lot, okay?”

“Of course ma’am, She kind of reminds me of my sister, before the Enclave got her.” Peanut said with a smile “Anyway - I need to go prepare for our next meal, with so many new ponies aboard I hope we have enough.”

“Alright, well if needed me and my friends have our own supplies if you’re short,” I offered.

With a nod and a wave, peanut disappeared through the doors and back under the deck.

“So, Scoots - Now what?” Gambit said with a sigh “Just drop you off at Ponytraz and then what? Go our separate ways again?”

I thought about that for a long moment. I didn’t want to have to part ways with Gambit to be honest. “Honestly… I don’t know, we’re going to be heading to Junction Town next, the ponies that joined us in Stable 97 want to stay in the city here, you could always accompany us back to Junction Town, I mean, I don’t want to stop you from doing your own thing, but it’s an option.”

“I’ll think on it - we’ll be at Ponytraz soon anyway, not sure how we’re going to get you off, those rocks aren’t too friendly to ships from what I remember.” Gambit said, standing and walking to a nearby window “Maybe set her down in the water, could get you in a dingy over to the island”

“That could work… sorry I didn’t think of that,” I said and facehooved a little. “But no matter what, I need to get out of this city. The Enclave isn’t going to take what I did back in 97 lightly, and I’m afraid they’ll do something to get it back.”

Gambit chuckled some “Nah, I knew what I was getting into when I let you aboard, Just didn’t really think about how the island would treat the Quetzal, Don’t want her to get unnecessary damage.”

“Well, thanks again for saving our flanks back there… maybe we could, no, that would have unpredictable results,” I said and thought a moment. “I think our best bet might be getting over there in a dingy.”

“Maybe we could what? Dangerous or unpredictable my flank, You know me well enough to know if it’s stupid but it works, it isn’t stupid.” Gambit said with a laugh. “I’m always open to suggestions anyhow.”

I laughed a little, she had a point. “Well, there is the option of getting the NCR to send a Vertibuck to rendezvous with us. If you have a radio or…”

“Radio? Y’know - That isn’t for show” Gambit said, and motioned to a HAM radio on her desk. “Ain’t the prettiest one, got the antenna installed last week so it should have enough unf to get your message out, though keep in mind, the Enclave can hear it too.”

“Sorry, it’s been a long day,” I said with a shake of my head. “But we probably shouldn’t risk the Enclave knowing what’s going on. We could have Mariposa fly over to Ponytraz, she’s known among the NCR there so it might work.”

“Hmm, Ready for some old pre-war sleight of hoof?” Gambit said with a grin. “Send her over with a written message, letting them know you’re going to be sending a deceptive radio transmission to lead them off your tracks - and have them reply in kind so that the Enclave buys it.”

“That works, I’ll get it arranged,” I said with a nod. “Thanks for your help Gambit.”

“Give me some time to make preparations, I’ll have to give the rest of my ‘crew’ a briefing on the plan, It’s still risky - if they are smart they may realize the radio transmission came from my ship rather then your claimed location.” Gambit said. “Got to have everypony Ready for combat if they do come knocking.”

I nodded. “I should go tell the others, thank you again,” I said and headed out of the cabin to meet with the others.

00000

Filling the others in on the plan was easy enough. Mariposa agreed to fly the message over to the NCR on Ponytraz Island and after that I headed for the mess hall. I stepped in quietly when I saw Peanut heading to where Serenity was seated at one of the tables, I was close enough I could hear their conversation.

Serenity looked up at Peanut curiously. “Hey, what’s up?”

“Oh, Uh, I was asked to come talk to you by… Actually, I don’t know her relation to you.” Peanut laughed a bit. “Scootaloo wanted me to talk to you.”

“She’s my distant ancestor if that makes sense,” Serenity said with a shrug. “So, what did she want you to talk to me about?”

“You being stupid.” Peanut said in a matter of fact way. “I know how frustrating it can be, wanting to be there to help and do some good, but - you really shouldn’t be so quick to rush into danger like that.”

Serenity paused for a long moment and sighed. “She’s still worried about that huh? This isn’t my first war you know…”

“Isn’t mine either.” Peanut said as she made a gesture to the torn E circled in stars on her jacket. “I never wanted to fight a war, I was drafted into it - told I had to hurt ponies because if I didn’t they’d hurt me.”

“I had a choice, I fought against Changelings because I felt it was the right thing to do,” Serenity said with a shake of her head. “I’m not here for some adventure or whatever, I’m here because the Enclave needs to be stopped. And, maybe so that nopony else has to be left behind like I was…”

“How about the ponies you’re going to leave behind.” Peanut said in a somber tone. “This path, this war, it will kill you, and you will leave ponies behind when you go. Do you want them to feel what you felt when you got left behind?”

Serenity sighed a little at that and shook her head. “No I don’t… but I don’t know what to do. I can fight, I can help ponies, but I just feel so restless when I’m stuck at home doing nothing.”

“Let me tell you a story.” Peanut said softly. “The Enclave was the only family I ever knew, My parents died when I wasn’t even old enough to talk yet, they drafted my sister and she died too. But, when I heard Scootaloo and Miss Gambit talking with the president at Tenpony, I realized - There are other ways I can help, I didn’t need to keep fighting,” tears started to well up in the young mare’s eyes. “So Serenity, please don’t do this, you’re so young, so much to strive for, don’t leave anypony else behind, don’t leave me behind.”

Serenity looked at Peanut, and then turned her head and saw me. She looked down at her hooves and sighed a little. “Okay… I’ll go back to Nomad City when this trip is over.”

Serenity looked over at Peanut. The mare was quivering, it was clear that she was reliving some terrible memories. The filly leaned over and gently hugged Peanut, and quietly tried to reassure her. I couldn’t make out what she was saying from this far away though.

“I’m sorry about your parents,” she finally said as she looked up at Peanut. “But, I’m glad you’re on our side.”

Before Peanut was able to reply, the ship’s PA system crackled to life. Starting with a Bosun’s call before Gambit’s voice could be heard. “All hands, this is the Captain. Be advised we are preparing to make a radio broadcast in an attempt to mislead any Enclave vessels that may be in the area, If they are quick - they might find us, rather then go where we’re trying to point them - and for that reason, All hands, General Quarters.” as her voice ends, a Klaxon would sound, and the bustle of hooves racing around could be heard from all around, even Peanut stood and went back to work, sniffling and still partially sobbing.

I sighed and took Serenity under my wing and we headed out together. I didn’t like that we had put Peanut through that, maybe this had been a mistake even if it had helped Serenity. I looked back at Peanut one more time and mouth an “I’m sorry” to her before we left the mess hall.

00000

As the crew moved into general quarters I got my hooves on a piece of paper and a pen and started to work on the note. It needed to be quick and to the point so there wasn’t any room for confusion.

I sighed a little and looked over the paper for a moment before I wrote down “Radio message is a trick for E.” I folded it up quickly and went to find Mariposa.

The Pegasus mare was seated near the bow of the ship and looking out towards the Golden Gate Bridge in the distance. She turned to look at me as I approached and smiled. “Hey Scootaloo, what’s going on?”

“Basically, we need to get a message over to the NCR base on Ponytraz,” I said as I moved up to the railing next to her. “We need a Pegasus who we can trust and is known to the NCR, I know its a big request and we’re asking for a lot, but can you do it?”

“Yeah, no problem,” Mariposa said with a nod. “Though, why can’t you or Gambit do it?”

“Well, I can’t fly, and Gambit is… actually I don’t know her story there, I never asked,” I admitted and rubbed the back of my head sheepishly. “So, yeah you’re the only one here who can be trusted and doesn’t have a job aboard the ship.”

Mariposa looked at me for a long moment before she held her hoof out for the paper. “It’s a strange request to be sure, but I’ll do it. Keep an eye on my friends while I’m gone, okay?”

“Of course,” I said with a nod as I placed the paper in her hoof. “I’ll make sure they’re safe, I know you’d do the same if our positions were reversed.”

Mariposa nodded and put the paper away in her bag. “You really messed up with those two you know? Their Stable I mean, I know you had the best of intentions but sometimes I wonder why you set some of them up like you did.”

I paused a moment. She was right of course, but what was I going to say to that? There was no words that I could say that really summed up how badly I had screwed over so many ponies in the name of trying to save Equestria and avoid repeating the mistakes of the past.

Well, almost no words.

“I know, and I’m sorry,” I said with a sigh. “Stable 97 was a mistake, one of many, but it survived while others weren’t so lucky. Maybe there’s some purpose to it, maybe something else, but for now we just have to be thankful that they survived. They’re your friends Mariposa, never let them go, okay?”

Mariposa smiled a little and nodded. “I won’t,” she said before she took off and flew off towards Ponytraz Island.

I sighed and looked back at the ship. I just had to hope that I was going to be able to take my own advice.

00000

“Colonel Thunderclap, this is Scootaloo calling Ponytraz command,” I said as I spoke into the radio and pulled out the map of San Prancisco.

“This is Colonel Thunderclap, I read you loud and clear Scootaloo,” Thunderclap said on the other end after a moment. “What’s your situation?”

“We have ponies in need of immediate extraction,” I said as I looked back behind me a moment. I didn’t know if the Enclave was listening in, but this was worth a try at least. I looked over the map for a location where the Enclave could be sent. “We’re currently at the old Zoo near Lake Mercer.”

“Understood, we’ll dispatch a Vertibuck to your position immediately,” the answer came on the other end. “Stay safe out there, let’s bring you all home alive.”

“We will,” I said with a nod as I turned off the radio and headed out of the Captain’s cabin. I walked into the small cabin set aside and gave Cherry a smile. “Well I sent the message, do you think they bought it?”

“I hope so at least,” Cherry said with a nod as I walked over to her and gave her a light hug. “I’m just worried about everything that’s going on, are we going to be okay?”

“I hope so,” I said with a sigh as I looked her over for a long moment. It struck me just how much I was putting the mare through right now. Cherry and her foal were being put in danger every day we were out here, and she couldn’t be kept safe all the time. “Cherry I…”

“Yes?” Cherry asked as she looked at me curiously. “Is everything okay?”

“I think, that if we have to leave Junction Town for another battle, you should stay in Nomad City,” I said with a sigh.

“What? Why?”

“Because I don’t want you or the foal to get hurt,” I said with a sigh as I hugged her tight. “You’ve done a lot to help us with the war, but you don’t have to put yourself at risk anymore. Please, I promised you I’d help you with your daughter, I don’t want to lose you, either of you.”

Cherry sighed and looked away for a long moment. “Honestly? I don’t know what I want to do right now. I mean, you’re right, I’ve been putting myself at risk too much and I should be thinking about the baby but…”

“But, you don’t want to leave me right?” I asked and she nodded. “I don’t want to have to leave you either Cherry. I love you and if something happened to you while I was gone, I don’t know what I would do. That’s why I want you to go to Nomad City, it's safer there than anywhere else in Equestria right now. I promise, I’m going to be okay, and Jade and Star would be willing to keep an eye on you, I hope.”

“Do I really have to?” Cherry asked as she looked at me. “I mean, I’ve been fine so far, but… are you going to be okay if I leave?”

“Cherry, I’ll be just fine,” I said and nuzzled her gently. “I’m not going to lie and say it won’t be easy, but I’ll manage. You’re going to be what drives me to make sure the Enclave is stopped once and for all. I love you Cherry Blossom, and if I had my way I’d never leave your side. This is only if I have to go again, okay?”

“Okay Scootaloo, just stay safe and I love you too,” Cherry said as she nuzzled me gently. “I just hope that you don’t ever have to leave me again.”

I sighed and we just held each other for a long moment before the door to the cabin opened and we turned to see Serenity and Riva standing there.

“So, are you two done making out?” Serenity asked with a grin which made us both blush.

“No, we’re fine,” I said and Riva just chuckled a little as we released the hug. “Anything new?”

“Yeah, Gambit wanted to tell you she got word that the Enclave is on the move towards the location you directed them to,” Serenity said and Riva nodded. “We’re going to meet up with the NCR soon.”

“That’s good,” I said and looked at Serenity for a long moment. “How are you doing?”

“Better, thanks,” Serenity said as she brushed her mane back a little. “It’s not easy, but I’m going to be just fine, I hope.”

I ruffled the filly’s mane and looked back at Cherry before I smiled a little. “How about you two do me a favor. Watch out for one another if I ever have to go, okay? You two are my family, and family stays together.”

“Okay, but where are you going without your marefriend?” Serenity asked

“That’s a long story, don’t worry, its only if we have to,” I said and gave them both a hug. “Don’t worry, everything is going to be okay.”

We held the hug for a long moment before we headed back out of the cabin to wait.

00000

“Alright, Seems that all signs of danger have passed. Let’s get down to Ponytraz.” Gambit said with a smile as she exited her cabin. “I’m not going to have the ship stand down until we’re safe - Landing on water is a bit, iffy in airships”

“Yeah, that’s probably a good idea,” I said with a nod. “So far so good at least, we just have to hope that everything goes well from here.”

“So, Plan is we’re going to be descending into the bay right next to Ponytraz, Once we’re in the water and the ramp can be used to launch and recover boats we’ll be getting you and your friends over to Ponytraz, as well as one of my Alicorns - She’s going to help guide me in so I can get the ship out of the water and safely moored.” Gambit said with a smile “Sound good?”

“Sounds good to me, though I admit I’m not an expert on this kind of thing,” I said with a shrug. “If you think it’ll work, we’ll do it.”

Gambit smiled and nodded as she went to the helm and got the ship pointed the right direction and started the descent. “Do they know Morse Code here, by any chance?”

“Well, I never really asked but they might,” I said and rubbed the back of my head a little. “Sorry, I’ve never really had a need to ask. It’s worth a try at least.”

“Alright, can you go to the speaker over there, press the big grey button and call a miss ‘Valen’ to the deck, please.” Gambit said, keeping her hooves to the helm.

I nodded and trotted over to the speaker and hit the button. “This is Scootaloo, would Valen please report to the main deck.”

A couple of minutes later, a tall mare covered in a brown cloak, just her head and tail visible - she was as tall as some pre-war ponies and had a rather obvious horn protruding from her forehead. As she passed Riva, taking a moment to stop and give the zebra a soft hug and whisper something in her ear before reporting to Gambit and me.

“How may I be of assistance.” Valen’s voice, thick with a Roamani accent “I heard the general quarters so I went to my quarters - I hope that was what was expected of me”

I looked at the newcomer curiously for a moment. Her accent suggested she was a Zebra (or probably a Zony based on the horn), but it was hard to get a read on her because of the cloak. I looked over towards Riva who was looking at Valen curiously before turning my attention back to Gambit and Valen.

Gambit sure knew some interesting ponies, that’s for sure.

“No you did perfect, But I need you to use your horn - The light spell I taught you - go to the bow and use it to signal Ponytraz.” Gambit said, pointing at the building they are approaching. “Give them the message that we request supplies, and we have a MVP Aboard.”

Valen nodded and did as told, to the bow, using her horn to flash the message to Ponytraz, waiting and hoping for a reply.

We waited for a long moment before I spotted flashes of light from the shore of the island. “It looks like we’ve got a response, well that’s good at least. What are they saying?”

Valen looked back at the two with a confused look. “Welcome Quetzal?”

“Good, that means Mariposa made it to the island,” I said and breathed a sigh of relief. I had to admit I was worried that she hadn’t made it through given that we couldn’t confirm her status over the radio. “That’s a relief.”

The Quetzal continued to descend until the keel made contact with the water, breaking the surface as the ship settled into the water. As soon as it came to a halt Gambit released the wheel and moved to the speaker, Pressing that button “All hands, stand down - I repeat, stand down, Prepare for docking.”

00000

As the ship docked near Ponytraz I took a boat over to the island to check in with Thunderclap and report what had happened in Stable 97. I sighed a little as I headed into the base where ponies were getting the supplies ready to send back to the Quetzal.

“Scootaloo, it’s so good to see you made it back in one piece,” the familiar voice of the Pegasus colonel said as she approached me. “I hope this means you have some good news to report.”

“Well, we managed to stop the Enclave from getting access to the last key, that’s something at least,” I said and adjusted my hat a little. “I took the crystal that powered the last terminal, so as long as they don’t have that, they’re unable to access the key.”

“Well that’s good at least, do you think it’ll be enough to stop them from getting at whatever you want to keep them from?” Thunderclap asked as she looked at me nervously.

“Hopefully yes,” I said with a nod. “They can’t get at it without the power source and I’ll keep it safe so that it doesn’t fall into the wrong hooves.”

“Well that’s good, though I don’t know where you managed to find an airship and a bunch of Alicorns in the middle of a city,” Thunderclap said with a chuckle. “You’re going to have to tell me that story someday.”

“Well, the Captain’s an old friend of mine,” I said with a shrug. “If you run around Equestria as much as I have, you make some friends here and there that’ll help you out if you’re in a pinch. Who knows, maybe I’ll publish my own book someday or something.”

“Well, that would certainly be an interesting read,” Thunderclap said with a nod. “What about Serenity, is she okay?”

“Well, she’s about as okay as you can expect her to be given the situation, and the Enclave tried to use her as a hostage,” I said with a sigh. “I’ll just be glad when we get her back home to her mom. This war has taken a heavy toll on all of us.”

“Yeah, well I’m glad she’s alive at least, I’m sorry we couldn’t get her over to where we sent the other civilians,” Thunderclap said with a shake of her head. “Have you heard the latest load of horseapples from Rebel Radio?”

“No, I can’t say I have. I haven’t had much chance to listen to the radio lately”

“They’re claiming Enclave victory in Stable 97 after they successfully drove off an NCR strike force sent to stop them,” Thunderclap said with a roll of her eyes. “No mention of you or your friends by name at least, but they said something about the Mare in Black.”

“Subtle,” I said with a groan. “Well there’s nothing we can really do about that, the Enclave has its own personal propaganda machine here in the city with Rebel Radio and we can’t exactly go shut them down easily can we? Let’s just hope that we’ll be able to bring this war to a close soon and it’ll be a moot point.”

Thunderclap nodded as she went to check the supplies one last time. I sighed and looked up at the sky for a long moment. It was starting to get close to sunset at this point and I wanted to get back to the ship before it got too dark.

00000

"So, you'll help protect Cherry if we get attacked?" I asked as I looked up at the purple Alicorn who nodded.

"Yes, I will help as best I can," the Alicorn said with a nod. "Are you sure there's a possibility of an attack by the Enclave?"

"I just want to be careful, I don't want to risk her or the foal being hurt," I said and the Alicorn nodded in understanding. "Thank you, it means a lot."

"You brought the Harbinger to us, even if Bluebird doesn't like it that means something to some of us," the Alicorn said with a nod before heading off.

I chuckled lightly, who knew that bringing the Enclave down on a group of Alicorns would actually help us in the long run? I headed over to where the NCR was offloading supplies and equipment onto the ship while Centerpin, Heart Ache, and Brick were waiting.

"You're not about to leave without saying good-bye are you?" Cherry asked with a smirk as the three ponies looked over at us.

"Well, we were going to find you," Heart Ache said with a shrug as she looked at me. "We're still kind of figuring out what we're going to do next. Maybe we'll head back to Zebratown, the Zebras there were nice enough at least."

"Hey, uh, I'm sorry about getting you kicked out of your home," I said as I rubbed the back of my head. "I shouldn't have put you in that situation. I knew it was very possible that the Enclave would get the other ponies in Stable 97 on their side, but I didn't think that they'd kick you out."

"Its okay Scootaloo," Heart Ache said as she gave me a smile. "Really, we weren't looking forward to going back to Stable 97 anyway. Its, just not the same as being out here, you know?"

"Yeah, I know its weird but I don't think I'd want to leave Brick and Mariposa behind," Centerpin said with a nod. "But, thank you for everything really. You helped our home and our families, that's, you know, important and everything."

"Well, I was glad to help," I said with a nod as I looked back at my friends. "We're going to do everything we can to make sure the Enclave is stopped so that we can help Stable 97, okay?"

They nodded and sighed a little as the Vertibuck approached. "Squishy ponies take care of yourselves," Brick said with a smile and a nod.

"You too Brick, I hope everything goes well in the city, for all of you," I said with a smile as the three ponies boarded the boat. "Tell Mariposa I said thanks for her help back there."

Centerpin nodded as the Vertibuck took off. I sighed a little and watched it go.

"Do you think they'll be okay?" Serenity asked and I ruffled her mane a little.

"Don't worry Serenity, they're going to be just fine," I said as the Quetzal started moving again towards Junction Town this time. "I just hope we're going to be, the Enclave isn't exactly going to let us go easily once they find out what we did."

"Don't worry Scootaloo, we'll be fine too," Cherry said as she hugged me. "After all, we've got one of the best ponies in Equestria right here."

I chuckled a little at that and looked at Riva who just nodded. "Okay, well, we've still got a little while before we get back home, lets just try and relax, okay?"

My friends nodded as we headed down below decks again. There wasn't going to be a lot of time before we got back to Junction Town, but we were going to make the most of it.

00000

Once they were safely back on the island I stretched my wings out a little and headed to the railing. I stared out at the sea and the setting sun for a long moment. It was nice, rather peaceful really. It was good to have a chance to just relax for a moment and enjoy the moment.

“It can be pretty peaceful, almost like we’re home again, can’t it?” Gambit said, trotting to the rail beside me.

“Yeah, it really is,” I said with a sigh as I looked over at her and smiled a little. “I miss those days more than anything else. I did everything I could to try and bring them back during the war… do you think we as a species are too far gone to ever get that back or is there a chance?”

“Scoots, you’re asking a question philosophers would have been struggling with for decades. All I can say is only time will tell, as long as we keep hold of our values, our light - I think we can still rise above everything and find ourselves again.” Gambit said with a smile. “The future, is dark and untold - but it is up to us to shine our light on it, and tell its stories.”

“Yeah, I know… sometimes though it feels like some ponies are willing to do anything to get it back,” I said with a shake of my head. “First it was Red Eye, now its Winter Breeze. Ponies who are willing to try and build a better world, but in the process have to do things that demand the sacrifice of what is left of this one. What if they’re right? What if sacrifices have to be made to make sure that Equestria has a future?”

“The old world sacrificed itself to build this world, and maybe they are right, maybe this world does need to be sacrificed to build a better one - but the question is not should it happen, but how.” Gambit said and stared up at the sky. “With the death of one, comes another, and from that will come many after - But unlike our past, the future can be paved with gold and jewels rather than corpses and blood.”

I nodded slowly and closed my eyes a moment. “Corrupted Generosity… to offer ponies a bright future, but demanding sacrifices to build it. I’m just as guilty of that as Winter Breeze is.”

“There’s a difference between you and her, you’ve done a lot in your past, trying to build a bright future for Equestria in the event our light snuffed out, but you don’t look back to your past, and say ‘let me try it again’ now do you?” Gambit said with a soft chuckle “She however, is actively chasing it, and if it’s taken from her she’ll not rest till she gets it back.”

I looked back at my bag that still held the power crystal in it. I didn’t trust anypony else with it right now given that it might be a target for the Enclave, we needed to get it out of the city as fast as possible.

“She’s not going to rest until she gets the last key,” I said with a sigh. “It’s the one thing standing between her and what she needs to finish her plan and I’ve cut her off from it. Celestia only knows what she’s going to do to get it back, and I’m afraid to find out.”

When I looked back to where Gambit had been, she had walked back to the wheel of the ship and was starting to get it underway, The ship shuttering and groaning as it started to move and lift from the water.

“Let’s just say that the truth is not always pretty, I had to learn that my loyalty to Equestria, to its cause, to Rainbow herself - was slowly destroying me.” Gambit said and sighed “Ponies, we’re not meant to be like this. I know that now more than anything, I keep thinking about the crown, what the Alicorn said to me, I can’t accept she was Twilight - but what if she was?”

“Hey, Scoots… Want to see something that I found in my personal effects in S1-B?” Gambit said with a laugh “Maybe it’ll bring some comfort to you like it’s brought a lot to me.”

My ears perked up a little in curiosity. I wasn’t sure what she might mean, but it was worth seeing at least. “Sure, I’d love to see it.”

With a lift of a wing and digging under the armor she wore, Gambit pulled out a neatly folded picture. Holding it out and showing me, it was a picture of Canterlot from a Vertibuck, with a certain rainbow haired mare in it clad in her Shadowbolt barding; turning it round to show me the back it read ‘Always be true to yourself and to be loyal to your friends, and your heart.’ the bit partially hidden said ‘and welcome home’

I looked at it for a long moment as tears started to well up in my eyes. It was simple, not like the messages from Rainbow Dash I had found in Stable 13, but it still touched me in the same way. I couldn’t hold it in, I started crying as I read the words over and over again.

“Thank you Gambit…” I finally said softly.

“Yea. you don’t want to see the other picture.” Gambit held up another folded piece of paper. “Unless you want the rest of the story, of when that picture was taken, that is.”

“I wouldn’t mind, unless you don’t want to tell me,” I said as I looked at her again.

Gambit shrugged, and levitated over that piece of folded paper for me to grab while levitating the other picture away, folding it back up and storing it back under the armor she wore.

“I don’t want to look at it, so if you want to see it, you open it.” Gambit said with a slight smile.

I carefully took the picture and unfolded it, as the picture came into view I could see Gambit, how she was before the war, laying on a stretcher wrapped in bloody bandages, the only writing on it saying ‘And stay strong, never stop taking chances, a gambit can change everything.’

“Wow, that’s… I’m sorry,” I said as I looked it over. “I’m glad you survived that. Wait, was that a play on words or is that your real name?”

Gambit laughed and said “Nah, Just like Peanut’s real name is Butterscotch, Mine isn’t Gambit.” Pulling a chain from under her armor and uniform, showing two tags hanging from it. “Don’t know if you know what these are, but - yea, just take a look at them.” Pulling them off from around her neck and levitating them to me.

“Dog tags right?” I asked as I took them and read what was said on them. One was just medical details, allergies, blood type, things like that. The other with what appeared to be a worn down engraving of Rainbow’s cutie mark, written on it said ‘Eventide “Gambit” Zephyr’.”Well… I wasn’t expecting that.”

“There’s a story behind that, but that’s for another time I think.” Gambit said and laughed “Let us just say, It involved taking a risk, and really badly messing up on it. Dash told me that through all my classes, I’d always take risks to try and put myself ahead. Reminded me of somepony else she knew way back when she was taking the classes - But I never hurt anypony, only myself.”

“Lightning Dust… I remember, I met her descendant over a year ago actually, she’s living in New Pegasus, she runs one of the Three Families there, long story,” I said with a sigh. I reached into my bag and took out the old photo of my family. “You’re not the only one with photos to remind us of our past. This one reminds me of what I lost when I first challenged the Enclave, and what nopony should ever have to lose again…”

“Hey, at least I can say that I understand where you come from, except I really lost everything, ironically - at least ironically to me that is - to the Enclave.” Gambit said, her gaze shifting to the bare mountain off in the distance where Canterlot once sat. “My family, my friends, most of it lost in the war, but my home - lost to our friends up there in the big E.”

“But that’s all going to change, its already changing,” I said with a shake of my head. “We have a chance here to stop the Enclave once and for all. I just hope we’ll be able to do it.”

Gambit said as she smiled and nodded “Hey, you took on Equestria before and saved who knows how many ponies, you had the strength and determination to be able to fight for a future you believed in, Don’t question yourself.” Gambit sighed “and even if you don’t think you’re good enough. You’ve got friends, and those friends have friends, and even when the pressure of the world gets to you, don’t let it get to you, cause more help is always on the way.” Gambit laughed to herself.

I laughed too and nodded. “You’re right, I gotta stop beating myself up over all of this. Thanks Gambit, you really helped me a lot.”

“Hey, what are friends good for, Just remember - You got this.” Gambit said, Holding a hoof out to me.

I nodded and took her hoof. “We both have this, and we’ll make the Enclave tremble at the very mention of our names.”

Gambit laughed “Not what I was thinking Scoots, But I guess if that’s how you get your jollies.”

“Sorry, got a little caught up in the moment,” I said and facehooved. “But still, thank you again, for everything.”

“Hey, You know what they say - One small thing.” Gambit said with a smile “We’re almost up to cruising, anything you’d like to do once I can leave the wheel safely? Maybe you’d like to stargaze a little, you can invite Cherry if you want.”

“That sounds nice,” I said and looked over to where my friends were. “I’ll invite her to join us then.”

“Alright, you two meet me on the bow in about… 20 minutes, I think.” Gambit laughed “You know which side the bow is right? It’s the pointy end.”

“Haha, very funny Eventide,” I said and rolled my eyes and went to talk to Cherry before Gambit could say anything else.

00000

Cherry liked the idea of going stargazing, so 20 minutes later we found ourselves at the bow of the ship (Gambit, if you read this after its done I knew what it was!).

“Ah, so you can tell which side is the pointy end after all.” Gambit said with a laugh as she trotted up behind us. “Y’know, can you believe that over 200 years ago, some of us, others - our ancestors, were staring up at the same stars? Two centuries later, and they never changed a single bit.”

“Yeah, it's hard to believe, I guess it's nice to know that some things remain constant in this crazy world,” I said as I draped my wing over Cherry gently as we looked up at the stars.

“They’re beautiful,” Cherry said with a smile. “I’ve never seen so many at once from the ground.”

Gambit smiled as all three of us looked up to the sky only to shift her gaze suddenly off towards the north as a few shooting stars darted across the sky.

“Y’know, if you’re like me, when you look up to the stars, and think about how timeless they are - You start to wonder, maybe, somehow - the stars you are looking up at, are connected to the stars your loved ones are looking at, even if they’ve been gone for over two hundred years, sort of like… stellar time travel.” Gambit said and sighed “And that shooting stars, and the tears of the loved ones that we all still miss.”

“Maybe…” I said softly as I watched the shooting stars fall. “It's a beautiful thought to be sure, and something to think on.”

Cherry said nothing, she just snuggled up against me and looked up at the stars. I smiled a little at the pink Earth Pony mare and nuzzled her gently.

“And loved ones who are here, and those to come… well, that’s something to think about too isn’t it?” I added.

“You ponies, you are weird - looking to the stars like that.” A familiar voice said from behind. Gambit didn’t even turn before replying.

“Valen, I know you aren’t from here - but there is a majestic beauty to these stars, even if you find shame in them.”

“Well, I think they’re beautiful,” Cherry said as she sighed a little. “I don’t know anything about what Zebras believe, to me they’re just the stars. I don’t know why, but I find this calming… wait, Zebra?”

I turned to look back at Valen with Cherry. She was still disguised of course, I didn’t really want to pry since she probably had her reasons. “You know Valen, not all ponies would shun you because you’re a Zebra. We’ve been traveling with Riva since Manehattan and we don’t really have any problems with Zebras.”

Gambit reacted with shock, looking to me and then to Valen before sighing “Oh boy, here we go..”

“Your words, they are touching - Not many ponies would willingly travel with a Zebra - However, not to disappoint you, you are wrong about me.” Valen said, stepping into the starlight, her disguise disappeared and she showed her real form. “I am not a Zebra, but more something In between.”

“Oh, you mean a Zony like the ones up in Vanhoover?” Cherry asked. “Yeah, we don’t really have any problems with that either.”

“Cherry, your name is, correct?” Valen said “Your name may change, as well as your face, but your heart will forever remain the same. Where I am from, we do not believe that a spirit can simply be destroyed, but will transfer from creature to creature. They may not recognize you, but I do.”

“What do you mean?” Cherry asked as she looked at the Zony mare strangely. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“A love long lost, deep within a buried box.” Valen said as she approached us. “Familiar hearts separated by countless years, hoping for the day they find a familiar pair.”

I blinked a moment and looked at Valen and then at Cherry again. What did she mean by that? To me it almost sounded like… like she was saying that Cherry was familiar to me somehow, like we had known each other before.

The buried box, was it possible she meant the Stables? Or a casket? Or maybe even the pod I had been in? This was starting to creep me out to be honest, but it sounded almost like she was talking about my relationship with Sweetie Belle.

“What do you mean?” I finally asked the strange mare.

“The answers you seek, lay both in time and stand before you, you need not look at the physical nature of the form - but through the eyes to the soul within.” Valen said and pointed at Cherry.

I looked from Valen and at Cherry. I didn’t know what she meant at first, then I looked in her eyes. There was a sparkle there, a familiar sparkle in those purple eyes. One of kindness, joy, and even love. As I looked into her eyes, the more she reminded me of Sweetie Belle.

She was kind, caring, and generous to a fault. She had left her home to give her unborn foal a better life than she ever had. Was it possible that in some way, she was Sweetie’s spirit come back to find me? Honestly, I had no idea. I had always believed ponies went to Elysium and had never even considered this kind of idea.

“You ponies, you have your own ideas about what happens after death, yes?” Valen said “Perhaps, You only reside in that place until you are called on once more, needed for something greater than yourself.”

“I’m sorry, this is just too creepy for me,” Cherry said and looked between me and Valen. “I don’t know what else to say, I’m me, that’s all I’ve ever been. I don’t know anything about spirits or the afterlife, I’m just a mare from Stable 48 trying to make my way in Equestria. I don’t think I’m more than that. I love Scootaloo sure, but that doesn’t mean I’m some, old spirit or something, ponies can love each other without that right?”

Valen turned and started to walk away from us before she stopped and looked back. “Oh, Cherry, is it? The spirits tell me, your foal, to be horned, their coat, to be bathed in the purest of whites.” before turning around and disappearing back under the deck.

Gambit however, had been facehooving this entire time “Why, Just why, She’s really nice when you get to know her, she’s the best medic I have ever known, but why can’t she just leave the stars alone..”

“That was, really unsettling,” Cherry said with a shiver as I hugged her close. “What do you think she meant by all of that?”

“Honestly, I have no idea,” I said with a sigh as I nuzzled her gently. “Don’t worry about it Cherry, everything is going to be just fine, I promise.”

Cherry nodded and leaned against me as she gently closed her eyes. I draped my wing back over her and sighed a little, she was still shivering a little. Something about all of this felt weird, why did she say those things? What did they really mean?

“Well! Considering the moment has been probably most likely entirely ruined by that!” Gambit said with one final facehoof. “I wanted to do something for you Scoots, a little reminder, something special.” Gambit stopped to take a deep breath “Something… between sisters.”

I blinked a little and looked at her curiously. “What did you have in mind?”

“Well, I know we aren’t actually sisters, or… even related for that matter - But, I want to do something for you so that you can always remember, that no matter what, no matter when, You always got me backing you up.” Gambit said and stood proudly in front of the two of us.

“Family is more than blood, Rainbow Dash taught me that a long time ago,” I said and smiled a little as I looked at her. Now I was more curious than ever. “Well you have my attention, what is it?”

“I think, it’d be easier to show you, than actually tell you.” Gambit said as her horn lit up, levitating me into the air and forcefully outstretching a wing. “A feather from a wing, can stay alive for hours after its plucked, and can even be replaced within that time period.” her magic focusing on a single feather on my right wing. “A custom that pegasi shared before the war, the tying of two families to one, through something outside of marriage, in case you were worried there.” With no warning and a quick tug she pulled a feather from both my wing and hers and swapped their places. “The trading of a feather, the binding of two - an act that makes two unrelated ponies into family.” Gambit said before putting me down, feather firmly placed in the others spot. “It’s kind of weird, I know, But… It means a lot.”

I smiled a little and gave Gambit a hug. “Gambit, its okay, I understand that it means a lot, and honestly I’m honored. Thank you for this, really, it means a lot to me too, and I’d be happy to consider you part of my family.”

Gambit gave an awkward smile “You’re the only pony left that really understands, I’ve always kind of thought of you like my sister… it's why I’ve always picked on you like I have - but, you’re the only family I really have left.”

I looked down at Cherry and then back at Serenity who was fast asleep while Riva kept an eye on her. I shook my head and smiled a little. “Gambit, you’ve got more family than just me left. Cherry and Serenity, they’re…”

Gambit gasped and interrupted before she jumped to her hooves and raced off to her quarters, coming back within a few minutes carrying a brown wooden box with gold accents.

“In my box of stuff I got from stable 13… I got this, apparently somepony left this for me… to give to you” Gambit levitated the box out with a smile “I think I know who its from.”

I looked at the box curiously for a moment before I opened it up. Inside, sitting on rainbow padding was a small jewel hanging from a golden necklace, a pendant shaped like Rainbow Dash’s cutie mark. A small note tucked under the lid read ‘I don’t know why Pinkie is having me write this message, or why she says i can’t just give this to Gambit already - says something about it belonging to a filly who’s really going to need it.’

I looked at it for a long moment and smiled a little. “It’s for Serenity, I can tell… that Pinkie, still being crazy and confusing from beyond the grave.”

“Maybe you two should go and give it to her” Gambit said and looked back to the sleeping filly. “It’s pretty, and well - I think it’ll mean a lot to her.”

I smiled and got to my hooves as I walked over to where Serenity was sleeping. I gently shook the filly awake and she rubbed her eyes.

“I wasn’t sleeping, I was just resting my eyes,” she said sleepily as she looked up at me. “Hey Scootaloo, what’s up?”

“I’ve got something for you,” I said as I held out the necklace to her and she looked at it in awe when she saw the symbol on it. “It was a gift from some friends of mine from a long time ago for you.”

“Really?” She asked as she took it in her hoof and looked at it curiously. “How’d they even know about me?”

“Well, one thing I learned a long time ago is that you don’t question Pinkie Pie if you want to maintain your sanity,” I said with a chuckle as I ruffled the filly’s mane. “Why don’t you try it on?”

Serenity thought about it for a moment before she slipped the necklace over her head and fit it around her neck. I smiled a little as the filly’s wings started to buzz with excitement, I was about to say something but the words caught in my throat.

Serenity was actually starting to take off, she wasn’t hovering like I had been, she was actually gaining lift. “What’s going on?” She asked as she looked back at her wings and down at the deck of the Quetzal. “Am I really flying?”

Gambit didn’t give the others a chance to reply, coming over and waved her hoof “Come back down here little Filly before you hurt yourself.” She chuckled to herself “Let a real flier teach you how it’s done.”

Serenity landed safely on the deck and looked at Gambit. “Okay!”

Gambit smiled at me before she stood next to Serenity, spreading her wings as she looked at the young filly. “Just like this, spread your wings as far as you can get them.”

I couldn’t believe it, how long had Pinkie known about this? Had she always known that there might be some way to let a pony like me fly and she let me stay grounded this whole time? I didn’t want to believe it, but it was the only thing that made sense right now.

I was angry, not at Gambit or Serenity but at Pinkie. I don’t know what her reasons were but I didn’t care. I could’ve done so much more if she had given me that stone, I could’ve flown with the Shadowbolts during the war, I could’ve flown with Rainbow Dash. It’s all I ever wanted and it had been kept from me.

“Scootaloo, what’s wrong?” Serenity asked and I looked at her. She was still on the deck and looked at me with a worried look on her face.

“I’m…” I started to say and then stopped. What was I going to say to her? What words could be said right now?

Then it dawned on me, if I had been given the necklace, would I still be here? Would Equestria be here? I had set things in motion with the Stables and the Dashites that shaped the future of Equestria. If I had been able to fly, that may have never happened.

And then there was Serenity. I had spent my whole life unable to fly, while I still wished deep down that I could, I had made my peace with it already. Serenity on the other hoof, she still had her whole life ahead of her. She had her whole life to enjoy and have fun with this gift.

I smiled and pulled Serenity into a tight hug as I started crying a little. “I’m just really happy for you Serenity… enjoy your gift, and know that I’ll always be here cheering you on.”

“Thanks Scootaloo,” Serenity said with a smile as she hugged me back a moment before she headed back over to Gambit. “Okay Gambit, I’m ready.”

Gambit smiled “Alright, just like I said, Wings as wide as you can get em”

Serenity nodded and spread her wings out. I smiled and sat down on the deck and watched the two.

“Alright, Now give em a nice hard flap, don’t go too quick, you’ll get tired too quickly and there isn’t always good places to land” Gambit said with a single flap to her wings.

Serenity nodded and flapped her wings too. It took her a couple of tries to get it right since she kept going too fast or too slow, but she got it on the third try. “Like that?”

“Yeah! Just like that, now keep that pace” Gambit said as she started to hover herself above the deck “Nice and careful, A little filly like you can get hurt up here if you’re too eager, I know from experience…”

Serenity nodded and kept the pace. I smiled a little as she took off again and hovered near Gambit. “You’re doing great Serenity, keep it up.”

Serenity smiled and nodded before she looked back at Gambit.

“Alright, I don’t really know how to describe this next bit… So, uh… try and keep up!” Gambit said, laughing as she took off to the bow before stopping and turning round to wait for Serenity to catch up.

Serenity grinned and flew after her with her small wings pumping. I smiled and watched her catch up with Gambit and got to my hooves and made my way down towards the bow of the ship.

“Alright, Now - you ready to do it without something under your hooves?” Gambit said, holding a hoof out to Serenity “If you get scared, I’m right there alright, I’ll never let you fall.”

Serenity looked over at me and I nodded. “You can do it, don’t worry.”

“Okay, let’s do this,” Serenity said and took Gambit’s hoof.

Gambit laughed some, and rather unceremoniously used Serenity’s hoof to accelerate her forward, essentially throwing her out ahead but then taking off and flying next to her “Speed Boost, just like Dash used to do for me back in the academy when I got too scared to fly.”

Serenity nodded and tried not to act nervous as she flapped her wings. She smiled as she looked over at Gambit and took a deep breath. “This is amazing.”

Gambit would nod and smirk, looking back watching as the Quetzal is catching up with them “Come on, Do as I do - Keep up - let’s give them a show” Gambit said before banking and taking off to the right.

I smiled and watched as Serenity followed Gambit’s moves. She wasn’t perfect and stumbled a couple of times but she was getting there. My earlier frustration was replaced with pride and happiness for the filly that she had finally gotten to fly.

I couldn’t be happier for her, even if I wished that I could’ve been the one up there. Maybe not in her place, but being the one to teach her how to fly. Still, Gambit was a good teacher and I trusted her to help Serenity.

Soon thereafter, a little cream colored blur shot past them and into the sky catching up with Serenity and Gambit, showing that Peanut had joined them. The three flying together, dipping and weaving in unison, every now and then Gambit dipping behind Serenity to gently place a hoof to her stomach and help her speed back up.

I smiled and watched them fly. I switched over to DJ Pon3’s radio station to give them some music and I was a bit surprised to hear the soft melodious voice of a mare coming over it.

“And I dream of the sky,
Broken clouds, drifting by.
And I dream of the sky,
My Utopian lie.”

“Nice Song.” A familiar, if not creepy voice came from behind me. The Zony walking towards me and looking out at the three flying. “You know, Gambit hasn’t flown since her mission before the war, said she never had the heart to.”

“Really? Well, now I feel kind of bad about something I said to her back in Tenpony Tower,” I said with a shake of my head. “Well, I’m glad she’s flying again.”

“What did you say to her at Tenpony?” Valen asked, her eyes never leaving the three as they flew.

“I, kind of made a comment about how she could’ve stopped a couple of ponies if she flew as fast as she said she could,” I said with a sigh. “And then she called me a chicken, which was uncalled for, but I probably shouldn’t have said anything.”

“Chicken, bird only capable of short duration flight, why is this of insult to you?” Valen asked, head tilted with her curiosity.

“Because I can’t fly,” I said with a sigh. “At least not more than a hover, I’m over 40 years old and I’ve never flown under my own power. Some ponies called me a chicken because of it and I, never really liked it.”

“An unfitting name, Chickens can only fly for short duration, if what you say is true - then you can fly as long as you’re near the ground, yes?” Valen said.

“For a short time, yes,” I said with a sigh as I flapped my wings lightly. “What’s your point?”

“There is no point, I was just… curious? Yes. Curious. - I was curious about why they would call you such a name.” Valen said, smiling a bit. “I am sorry if I offend, I do not understand some of these pony customs, having grown up in Roam..”

“Its less the name and more what it means,” I said with a shake of my head. “Basically they’re making fun of the fact that I can’t fly. It's hard enough living with that, being a flightless Pegasus is not easy, but having ponies make fun of you for it? I can’t stand it honestly.”

“Oh this I am sure of, I am… well, I do not know how to describe how old I am, older than you might think, but for most of my seasons, I have never used my horn, it has been there, a part of me, and I have no clue how to use it.” Valen said as she looked up at her horn with a sigh “Zebras, can be quite mean when you are something they don’t understand or like… they can say some very mean names, names that do not translate very well.”

“I’m sorry,” I said with a sigh as I brushed my mane back and looked back out at the trio. “Serenity has the same condition I do, it’s hereditary apparently. But my adopted mother and a certain crazy Pink mare gave her a gift and there she is out there. I couldn’t be happier for her but… I admit I’m still a little jealous.”

“The gift of flight is precious indeed, much to be jealous of.” Valen said with a nod “That necklace she has, has made me very uncomfortable being anywhere near it. It is not something I have ever seen in this world, I fear it is from another.”

“Well, I can’t speak for where it’s from, but it makes Serenity happy, that’s good enough for me,” I said with a smile. “I don’t completely understand the Zebra fear of the stars, but maybe if it can give a little filly some joy they can’t be all bad. That’s just me though, lets just let her have this.”

“I had no intention of taking it from her, it is hers and it is her choice what to do with it.” Valen said as she watched Peanut guiding Serenity back over to the deck. Gambit however kept flying, dipping, weaving, diving, just remembering just how much she loved flying. She even ended up flying past close at high speed, remembering something from her filly days there was dark clouds following her, surging and pulsing with lighting.

“Did you see me?” Serenity asked, she was tired but happy as I pulled her in for a hug and we watched Gambit. “I was flying!”

“Yeah, you looked great out there,” I said as I hugged Serenity close and she yawned. “Well, it looks like a certain little filly is tired. Come on, you can fly more later, you still have to tell your mom too you know.”

“Yeah I’ll… tell her when I get back,” Serenity said and yawned again as we headed over to where Cherry was sleeping. “Good night Scootaloo, and thank you.”

“Good night Serenity,” I said and draped my wing over her and Cherry gently. After a moment she drifted off to sleep and I smiled before closing my eyes and falling asleep too.

Chapter 27: Changes (Part 2)

Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.

Chapter 28: 21

Author's Note

Okay, a quick disclaimer here.

First off as before Gambit was created by and written by Natalie, thank you again.

Second, characters and locations in this chapter belong to the writers Somber and Heartshine.

Blackjack and Silver Gunner are written by (and owned by with Silver Gunner) MegaSkullMon.

Now, enjoy.

Chapter 28: 21

"That's you're punishment then...
You live."
-The Moment, The Day of the Doctor.

“Do you really have to go now?” Cherry asked as I broke the kiss we had been sharing.

We were standing near the Quetzal’s mooring area outside of Junction Town as we got ready to head out for Hoofington. I sighed a little and wrapped and nuzzled Cherry gently. “Yeah, I don’t have much of a choice. If we wait too long the Enclave will get into Stable 102 and we only have one chance to stop them.”

Cherry sighed a little and held me as close as she could. “I’m just worried about you Scootaloo. I wish I could go with you right now.”

“I know, but I will be back,” I said softly as I wrapped my wings around her. “I want to be back here for you and for our daughter. I don’t care if I have to fight through the entire Enclave to get back to you, I will be back, I promise you that.”

“Okay, but I’ll still miss you,” Cherry said as she gave me one more quick kiss. “And don’t think you’ll get out of the wedding, we’ll be planning everything while you’re gone. I love you Scootaloo.”

I laughed and nuzzled her before letting go of the hug. “I wouldn’t dream of it. I’ll see you again after this battle, I promise. And I love you too Cherry.”

“Hey Scootaloo…” Serenity said and I looked down at the filly who was holding something in her hoof. “I want you to borrow this… just for a little while.”

I was surprised to see her holding the necklace I had given her in her hoof. “Why Serenity? This is for you, you get to fly finally and I don’t want to take that away from you even for a little while.”

“Its okay Scootaloo, I can wait a little while longer, but I want you to take it with you,” Serenity said as she hugged me. “Just for a little while, you never know when it might come in handy.”
I looked at it for a long moment before I hugged Serenity tightly. “Okay Serenity, if you think it’ll help I’ll take good care of it.”

“You better, I want it back after all,” Serenity said with a giggle as she hugged me back. “Just come back safely, okay? I don’t want to lose you again…”

I smiled and ruffled the filly’s mane a little. “I’ll be back, don’t worry about me, you two just stay safe okay? Don’t do anything crazy again or I’ll fly you back here myself.”

“Okay, I won’t,” Serenity said and released the hug before she went over to Cherry. I smiled and watched as the two climbed aboard a Vertibuck that took off for Nomad City before I headed over to where Arc and Riva were waiting.

“Are you going to be okay Scootaloo?” Arc asked as I moved over next to her.

“Yeah, I’ll be fine,” I said with a sigh as I put my hat back on as Gambit approached. “So what’s the word Captain, is she ready to go?”

“Nope, Never, she’ll never fly again.” Gambit said with a smirk “Nah, She’ll be good to go bout - 10 minutes, 20 tops. Been a bit of a hassle getting supplies aboard, most of the alicorns left though we did pick up 2 new hands.”

“Well, that’s good,” I said as I looked up at the ship and chuckled a little at Gambit before putting the necklace away in my bag. “Sometimes I wish this was was over, it feels like we’re just going from one battlefield to the next.”

“Probably because we are,” Arc muttered.

“Hey, one day you’ll be going to the last one and then you get to go home.” Gambit said “Something that I kept in mind back before all this, its not a never ending string of battlefields, eventually one will be the last one.”

I looked back towards the Vertibuck that was near Nomad City’s hangar bay. “Does it ever get any easier? Leaving your loved ones behind and knowing it might be the last time you ever see them?”

“To be honest, I never had to find that out till just before everything happened.” Gambit said and sighed. “I can tell you now, from a perspective that I can never go back - You never get used to it but it doesn’t keep bothering you as much”

I sighed a little and closed my eyes. “Sometimes I wonder why I’m doing this. I’m not a soldier, I’m not even a mercenary. I’ve got no training, no real knowledge of war and here I am… still fighting the Enclave. It’s not even that I’m the only one who can do it, but… somehow I feel it’s the right thing to do.”

“Our fights aren’t always something we can pick and choose, I can tell you that back before I fought in alot of fights I had no interest in, but it was what I thought was right.” Gambit said, smiling at me. “But, we are all here for a reason, and let's face it - if we don’t stop them, who will?”

I looked at Gambit and then smiled a little. “Thanks… and you’re right, we just have to hope we won’t be too late. The stakes have never been higher, lets just hope we can end this before it gets any worse.”

“What say you, other pony.” Gambit said, looking past me to Arc “You’ve been really quiet, certainly there’s something on your mind.”

Arc just shook her head. “My friends from my home are still being held by the Enclave, same with the most important pony in Equestria to me. If they are in Thunderhead, I… I don’t know what they’d think of me after everything that’s happened. I’m afraid of what they might think.”

I sighed a little, Arc couldn’t be completely truthful about what she had done but I understood where she was coming from. She may have been forced to do it, but she had done terrible things and even helped the Enclave. Now we were faced with the possibility that she might have to confront that, and I didn’t blame her for being worried.

I just hoped that we’d figure something out.

“I don’t mean to offend, but - if your family and what not is with the enclave, doesn’t that mean your family is the bad guy? Or… are they being held by the enclave, like hostages?” Gambit said. “If that’s the case, that’d give them a pretty big card to play bout the whole, do what we want or we hurt your friends and family over ya, don’t ya think?”

I facehooved as Arc’s eyes went wide. “Real smooth Gambit…” I said with a groan.

“Umm… err…” Arc said softly as she looked around. “I’m just going to get up on the ship now…” She said as she started up onto the ship.

“If that’s what you want to do, there may be an alicorn or two aboard, so - if you see em, they’re good guys, Mostly.” Gambit said with a chuckle “Did you know there’s residents from Stable 2 here? I found that pretty cool, one of em asked to join my crew, with this guy in power armor she just calls Ranger.”

“Well, that should be interesting,” I said as I looked up at the ship. “We probably should get aboard ourselves. Thanks again for helping us out.”

“Yes, thank you,” Riva said with a smile.

“No problem at all, Peanut should have some food set up in the mess hall, and Valen should have some bunks set up for you. If you need anything you can just ask, otherwise I’m going to mostly keep to myself.” Gambit said with a chuckle “Got some stuff I need to look into and figure out.”

I nodded and headed up the gangplank leading up to the Quetzal after Arc with Riva close behind.

00000

I sighed a little as I leaned over the railing of the ship and looked out at the landscape below as the Quetzal flew towards Hoofington. I sighed a little, I had been reading over some information that had been sent with me on the groups around Hoofington and it wasn’t exactly filling me with confidence.

The one group that I had heard of was the Reapers. Some of their members had already gotten involved in the war so the plan was to get Blackjack and head that way first. That was the good news, the bad news was that the Reapers from what I understood were a bit unpredictable. They were made up of the nastiest Raiders, Tribals, and others from around Hoofington with the purpose of keeping them more in line than anything else.

Ideally they seemed like the easiest group to convince, it was just a matter of figuring out how to get them on our side.

“Hey Scootaloo,” Arc said as she came up behind me and leaned on the railing. “What's on your mind?"

"Just thinking about everything that's going on," I said with a sigh as I brushed my mane back. "Everything just keeps getting more and more complicated. I don't even know what I'm going to say when we meet Blackjack, how am I supposed to convince somepony I don't even know to help us?"

“I honestly don’t know,” Arc said with a sigh as she looked out over the railing. “But its what’s needed to stop the Enclave isn’t it? I mean, we can’t fight through the entirety of Hoofington before we even get to Thunderhead.”

“Yeah, I know,” I said with a shake of my head. “Some of these groups though, I don’t know what to do about them. The Reapers should be easy enough to convince, but what about the Society? They’re, well… they’re about as bad as the nobility was before the war from what I understand, maybe worse.”

“Yes, well that is a problem,” Arc said with a sigh as she looked at the papers that we had on the different factions. “Well, what do you think we should do?”

“I think we should get in there and do everything we can to make sure the Enclave doesn’t get at Rockhoof’s Thunder,” I said with a sigh. “But the question is how are we going to stop them. Even if we kill Winter Breeze, Cloud Chaser or some other hardliner will just take over and we’ll be in an even worse situation.”

“Well, maybe not worse,” Arc said. “I mean, you said that you can only access the Megaspell itself if its you or one of your descendants right?”

“Right.”

“Well, if we take Winter Breeze out of the picture and Serenity is kept safe from the Enclave, then they can’t get at the Megaspell,” Arc pointed out. “Its not an ideal situation, but it would keep the Enclave from getting at it, right?”

“Yeah, it would,” I said with a shake of my head. “But at the same time it feels like we’re missing something important. We have most of the puzzle figured out, but the more I think about it the more it feels like we’ve missed something big, and that worries me a little.”

“Like what?”

“Why does Winter Breeze do this?” I said thoughtfully. “She once said that she had her reasons, reasons that me or Cherry would understand but she didn’t say why. I wish I had a chance to talk to Nova, maybe she knew something about Winter’s time in Seaddle that could shed some light on this.”

“Maybe, or maybe she just feels its the right thing to do,” Arc said with a shrug. “It could just be simple altruism instead of some deeper reason that we have to try and understand. I don’t know really, but either way I’m sure we’ll find out.”

I sighed and nodded a little. “I just wish I understood why she’s doing this. I didn’t think my family line would result in this kind of thing to be honest. Even if she’s a good pony on some level, she’s still doing terrible things.”

“I know, but that’s not your fault Scootaloo,” Arc said with a shake of her head. “You did everything you could to help your family just like you wanted to help Equestria. I’m sorry that I didn’t see that before, but you’re not a bad pony at all, even if you make mistakes.”

“Everypony deserves a second chance,” I said with a sigh. “I got a second chance and look what’s happened. I’m here fighting a war against my own blood because of mistakes made 211 years ago. I want the war to end before more lives are lost, are we doing the right thing by fighting still?”

“Honestly I can’t speak for it either way,” Arc said with a shake of her head. “The way I see it it’s up to history to condemn or vindicate our actions. The alternative right now is that we all surrender to the Enclave and hope for the best.”

“And that’s most definitely not an option,” I said.

“Right, which means we have to fight,” Arc said with a nod. “And we’ll make sure that the Enclave is stopped. You’re a smart pony, and I’m sure you’ll figure something out.”

I sighed and nodded before I looked out again. I could see Tenpony Tower and its lights in the distance, and then as my eyes went up I saw it. The mountain that held Stable 102 was looming in the distance.

This was it, it was do or die time and we weren’t going to let the Enclave win. We had no choice at this point but to fight them, and fight them we would.

00000

The next day the Quetzal moored itself near the small settlement of Chapel. It was built around an old pre-war building at the center with smaller buildings surrounding it and a bridge leading off towards Hoofington proper.

“Welcome to Chapel,” I said as I looked off towards the city of Hoofington. It was in a state of disrepair like the rest of the cities of the Wasteland, that much was clear, but strangely it seemed to be mostly the result of age, almost as if nopony wanted to set hoof in the city.

“So, where’s Thunderhead relative to our location here?” Arc said as we scanned the area around us.

“Its to the northeast if I remember correctly,” I said with a sigh. “The best point to get there from is the Rainbow Dash Skyport, which according to all our intel, is of course controlled by the Enclave.”

“Figures,” Riva said with a shake of her head. “Where is Blackjack?”

I paused a moment and took out the information on Chapel. It was apparently the home of a group called the Crusaders, go figure, and had been a major trading hub for years.

“Some place called the Star House,” I said as I nodded and looked around, Riva’s ears perked up a little at the mention of stars. “Calm down Riva, I’m sure its just a name.”

“Bad name,” Riva said with a shake of her head. “Star Maiden may be there.”

“Look I didn’t…” I started to say when there was the sound of a shot and a sharp pain in my shoulder. “What the…”

As I held my bleeding shoulder I looked around for the source of the shot. The entire area around us seemed to have gone quiet. Riva moved towards me to heal the wound when I saw who had shot at me.

They were a Unicorn mare dressed in stable barding with what looked like rough armoring particularly around the neck. She had a coat that looked like it had once been a shade of gold with a short silver mane and light blue eyes but had become faded and distorted over the years.

What stopped me in my tracks however was the way she looked. Her Stable barding was fused to her body instead of being attached like normal along with a PipBuck on her leg. When she breathed wisps of pink smoke came out as she glared at me.

“What in Celestia’s name is that?” Arc asked as I looked at the number on her jumpsuit.

“That’s, a Canterlot Ghoul, from Stable 1,” I said as I tried not to panic. It took me a moment to go through all the names of the ponies that were on the list for Stable 1 before I remembered the name and face. “Dazzle, is that you?”

“Yes its me… and now you’re going to pay…” Dazzle said as she levitated her gun back up and pointed it right at my head.

I shuddered a little as I tried to line up a shot with my Battle Saddle. I was about to say something when Gambit moved in between us and shot a look at Dazzle.

Dazzle’s eyes went wide as she saw Gambit. She lowered her rifle and managed to stutter out, “Y-y-you, you’re the mare from The Stable, I remember you. You were one of the ponies who tried to help us.”

“Listen, Dazzle…” I started to say before the Unicorn cut me off.

“Don’t you talk now, I’m not going to listen to your lies!” Dazzle said as she snapped out of the shock of seeing Gambit. At least she wasn’t trying to shoot me anymore, but that might be more because there was an annoyed Alicorn in the way. “You locked us in that deathtrap of a Stable and left us to die!”

“I… you’re right,” I said with a sigh as I looked down at my hooves. “I did lock you and the others in Stable 1, but I never had the intention of killing any of you. The Stable was supposed to hold up against Balefire bombs and conventional weapons, the Pink Cloud was not something we thought the Zebras would employ against Canterlot.”

I sighed a little and looked at Riva who looked at me apologetically. I flinched a little as she worked to get my shoulder wound healed. She wasn’t a bad Zebra, but I could tell she still felt a little guilty over the sins of her ancestors at times.

“Dazzle, nothing I say can excuse my actions,” I said softly as I pulled my hat down over my eyes a little. “I was bitter and petty, I locked Stable 1 because I didn’t like what my home had become during the war. What I did to you and the others isn’t the only crime I committed, but its the one that weighs heaviest on my soul.”

I looked over at Arc who turned away with a sigh.

“We’ve all made mistakes, we all have things we regret more than others. My intention was to avoid repeating the mistakes we made during the war, mistakes that cost so many good ponies their lives. Did I go too far with Stable 1? Maybe, but I have to live with that every day of my life, and I’m trying to do better at the same time.”

“I don’t care,” Dazzle said with a growl. “You’re a monster and you can take your good intentions and shove them up your plot. I’m not going to stand here and let you lecture me about how your intentions were good or what you want to do to make up for it.”

“Then kill me if that’s what you want, but will it change the past?” I asked with a sigh as I looked at Gambit. “If that’s the penance I must make for my crimes, then so be it. But there’s a much bigger threat out there right now, and killing me will do nothing to change what happened to Stable 1 and the ponies in it.”

Dazzle paused a long moment after that and looked between me and Gambit. I wasn’t sure what was going through her mind right now but at least she wasn’t trying to kill me again, at least not yet.

“Gambit…” I said with a sigh as I looked at the Alicorn.

“I don’t want to hear it Scoots.” Gambit said with a sigh. “I went into Stable 1, I saw what happened to most of the ponies in there. It was grotesque, ponies should never have to suffer that. My question is, If the gear we were given to go in was made resistant to the pink cloud, how can you not have some sort of resistant seals for the stable, or some alarm when seals were being breached.”

“There was a filtration system and positive pressure that was supposed to keep anything like the Pink Cloud out, but we didn’t…” I said and then paused a moment. “The Pink Cloud has a negative effect on some electronic systems. Robots, broadcasters, that kind of thing, we never anticipated what prolonged exposure to Pink Cloud could do to those systems…”

“But no alarms, no alerts, it was over a week before S1-B picked up any signs of distress.” Gambit said turning to look at Dazzle “We got there as soon as we got it, but… we were too late, most ponies were already gone..”

Dazzle looked away from us and sighed. “You saved those of us you could, and for that I’m grateful. But what about her? She locked us away for the crimes of a few ponies, I wasn’t even involved in the war and she locked me up in there like some kind of criminal!”

“Scoots did what she thought was right, and I wouldn’t expect you to do any less than what she did given the situation. Not to mention, she’s my sister and if you hurt her, I’ll have to hurt you.” Gambit said “I don’t want to have to hurt you.”

Dazzle looked at Gambit and then at me and shook her head before she put her rifle back in its holster. “Fine…”

“No, Give me the rifle.” Gambit said with her hoof held out. “Not that I don’t trust you, but I don’t think somepony with a hotheaded attitude can handle one of these right now.”

“Fine!” Dazzle said and pulled the rifle back out of its holster and threw it towards Gambit. “But I’m here to fight the Enclave and I want it back.”

“You can come back here and get it back when you’ve calmed down, I suggest you and scoots here go and get a drink from a pub or something, talk - I bet you two can come to a common ground if you tried.” Gambit said with a smile.

Dazzle looked at me for a long moment and shook her head. “I’ll think about it at least…” she said and turned to walk away.

“I’m sorry…” I said and Dazzle froze a moment and turned to look at me.

“What did you say?”

“I said I was sorry,” I said and spoke louder. “You’re right, I shouldn’t have locked all of you in Stable 1. I’ve had a long time to think about this, and I genuinely regret what I did back then. I’m not asking you to forgive me or give me a second chance, but I want you to know that I am sorry.”

Dazzle paused a long moment but didn’t say anything else as she walked off into Chapel.
“Well, that could’ve gone better,” Arc said with a sigh. “What do we do now?”

“We do what we came here to do, we find Blackjack,” I said with a sigh as I looked back at Gambit. “Hey Gambit… thanks for your help back there, you really saved my flank.”

“No problems, but you and I, we’re going to have a talk later, off the record - no putting me in that journal i keep seeing you with.” Gambit said with a smile.

“Alright, I’ll leave it out, I’ll talk to you later,” I said with a nod as we headed off towards the Star House.

00000

“Can I help you?” A brown Pegasus pony with a tan mane tied into a ponytail and dressed in a coat asked after we knocked on the door to the Star House.

“Uh yes, we’re looking for Blackjack,” I said as I looked at the pony. She couldn’t be older than 14 years old, what was going on here? “Is she here?”

“Oh, right the NCR said they were sending some ponies here to talk to her,” the Pegasus said and stepped aside to let us in. “I don’t know how much use she’s going to be. She’s, well… you’ll see when you get inside.”

We walked inside and I wrinkled my nose as the smell of alcohol hit it. It wasn’t very strong out here, but it certainly smelled bad. I sighed and looked back at Arc and Riva. “I’ll talk to her alone for now.”

“Okay, just be careful,” Arc said.

The Pegasus lead me around the building until stopping by one of the rooms where the door was slightly ajar. “Blackjack, I’ve got a visitor here for you,” she said and when there was a groan from inside she pushed the door open and I walked inside.

Sitting up on the bed was a white colored mare with a short black and red mane. As I looked her over for a moment I thought she had armor covering her legs before I realized that her legs were made entirely of metal and cybernetics. I actually thought she was an Earth Pony before I noticed a small horn sticking out of her mane.

“Blackjack?” I asked.

The mare took a deep long drink from a bottle. Then randomly tossed it at me. “GET THE FUCK OUT!!”

I dodged the bottle and it shattered against the wall behind me. “First I get shot in the shoulder, now I get a bottle thrown at me… is this whole town crazy or do I just keep running into the ponies who want to kill me?” I muttered to myself with a groan. “Look, my name is…”

The mare lifts her shotgun, cocked it, and aimed it right at my head. “Okay I don’t give a fuck who you are...“ Her voice sounded so lost, and empty. “I don’t care if your the fucking fairy princess that wants to make me happy. One you haven’t offered me sex. Two you didn’t give me a drink. Third You wish to bug the shit out of me. Get out before I do what that one that shot you should have done!”

“Don’t worry, it’s not loaded,” the Pegasus whispered to me. “She’s not exactly been mentally stable recently so we haven’t let her keep any ammo.”

“Great, so I just have to worry about her beating me over the head with it,” I whispered back before I spoke up again. “Look, I was sent by the NCR, the Enclave is threatening Equestria from Thunderhead, we need your help to get the factions of…”

The mare stood off her bed and just stood there brooding. “You think they would follow me?! Oh they folow the white mare with the tiny peins on her head. OH woopty dooo, I am weak to them. I’m nothing now… I am just a simple mare with metal hooves. Now again….” She turned her head to look right at me. Her eye’s bright red with anger. “GET OUT!”

“I don’t think today’s a good day…” the Pegasus said and looked at me.

“Yeah, but today’s the only day we can do this,” I said with a sigh as I looked back at Blackjack. “What if I went and got you some booze, would you talk then?”

Her eyes brighten her anger seems to subside. She walks over to Scoots very sultry. “Oh if you can do that….I would be forever in your debt.” She gave a gentle charming smile.

The white mare grabbed me and pulled me into a deep kiss before pushing me away. “Don’t be to long you hear.” She winks turning around showing off her hips as she walks back to her bed.

I was about to leave when my eyes fell on the mare’s flanks. Not that I was staring, but I spotted her cutie mark, it was of an ace and queen of spades, just like the cards that strange pony had thrown at me back in Manehattan.

“Blackjack, do you know anything about a ghostly skeleton pony in an old hat and duster that has a thing for cards?”

The mare blinks turning right to look at me. “ The Dealer? Yes I used to see him all the time. I don’t anymore thankfully.”
“Alright, thank you,” I said and headed out of the bedroom and shut the door behind me as I looked over at the mare who had accompanied me. “Is she okay?”

“She’s, not exactly been the same since Lighthooves,” the Pegasus said with a shake of her head. “Especially not after her marefriend vanished and the rest of her friends… well, I don’t even know, she doesn’t like talking about them.”

“Her marefriend… wait do you mean Morning Glory?” I asked as I looked over at the strange Pegasus.

A loud sob came from the room followed by the mare yelling. “GLORY!!!!!” To the heavens.

“I should go deal with this,” the brown Pegasus said with a shake of her head. “Come back in a little bit, okay?”

“Okay,” I said with a sigh and started walking down the hall before I turned back around. “I never caught your name, what is it?”

“Oh, it's Threnody,” she said before vanishing into the bedroom once more.

“That’s… an odd name…” I commented before heading downstairs to find my friends. I just hoped that we’d figure something out and soon.

00000

I sighed as I took a seat behind the local bar in Chapel. This had not been going well at all so far. Blackjack was being difficult and we were on a timetable, what was I going to do?

“So what’s your poison?” The Bartender asked as he wiped down a glass. “We’ve got just about anything you want.”

“I need a bottle of Wild Pegasus,” I said with a sigh and he looked at me strangely. “It's not for me, I’m trying to talk to Blackjack and she’s being, difficult.”

“Could’ve just…”

“I’m engaged and I’m not going to cheat on my wife to get that mare to talk to me,” I said with a sigh as the bartender got the bottle down and placed it in front of me. “Thanks.”

“Just try not to talk too much about her friends,” he said with a shake of his head. “That’s a bit of a sore subject with her. Especially since Scotch Tape has been gone this long.”

I nodded and was about to get up when Dazzle took a seat next to me. She shot me a look and sighed a little. “Hello Scootaloo.”

“Dazzle,” I said and looked at the Canterlot Ghoul.

“Look, about before…” she started to say with a sigh. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have acted like that. I’m still angry about what happened to Stable 1 and everything.”

“Its okay, I understand,” I said with a sigh. “And I really am sorry about Stable 1. I’ve had a long time to think over my mistakes during the war and I shouldn’t have locked you and the others away like that. If I had known the Zebras would deploy the Pink Cloud, I would’ve thought this through better.”

"Why did you do it? I heard what you said in your message, but I want to hear it from your own mouth," Dazzle said as she looked over at me. "Why did you lock away Stable 1."

"I did it because of the war, at that point it had gotten to me in ways I'm not proud to admit," I said with a sigh as I put the bottle away in my bags. "I was just trying to save as many ponies as I could, but Stable 1... Stable 1 was meant to be my revenge for the war itself. I wanted to preserve those that deserved to live not those who were causing the war and all the problems Equestria was facing but I didn't want to kill them either."

"Like I said before, I wasn't one of the ponies who was involved in the war," Dazzle said with a shake of her head. "I came from a Noble family sure, my parents were the real war profiteers in the family, they ran one of the companies that went through Wartime Technology, its actually why I was in the Stable to begin with. But me, I actually hated the war just as much as you. The only reason I was never investigated by the Ministry of Morale was because my family had friends in high places."

I sighed a little and shook my head. This didn't help me feel much better given that this was a pony that had been caught up in my trap just because of her family. I sighed and looked at Dazzle for a long moment. "I'm really sorry, I shouldn't have done what I did to anypony. I was hoping that when the door finally opened the ponies that survived learned to do better than their families and could make Equestria a better place."

"Well, that worked out real well," Dazzle said with a roll of her eyes as the bartender put her drink down in front of her.

"Yeah, well like I said I didn't expect the Zebras to use the Pink Cloud on Canterlot," I said with a sigh. "Did you have any family in Stable One?"

"Yeah, my parents," she said with a shrug. "They may have been trying to prolong the war for their own profit but they were still my parents. I, actually left the Stable 1-B facility about 11 years ago after I woke up and found myself in there."

"11 years ago so..." I said and let that thought trail off. "You were awake when Operation Cauterize happened. That's what you were talking about, you hate the Enclave more than you hate me don't you?"

"Yeah, well when you see your home get destroyed that puts things in perspective," Dazzle said with a shrug. "I've been doing everything I can to fight the Enclave over the past 11 years. First it was in the Crystal Wasteland, then in Trotson, and finally in New Pegasus. I actually saw you there, but I was too busy with the fight to really do anything."

"I know how you feel," I said with a sigh as I looked down at the bar. "Over 200 years ago I was living above the Cloud Cover in the years after the war. I had a family, a good life until I decided to try and get the other Pegasi to help Equestria instead of cutting ourselves off from it. I nearly died because of it and was only saved because Rainbow Dash found me and got me to safety. I left behind a husband and a daughter, and when the bombs fell I was cut off from everypony I grew up with. Dazzle, you're not the only pony who has lost somepony, we're in the same boat you and I."

"I'm starting to see what Gambit meant by finding common ground," Dazzle said with a smirk. "Look Scootaloo, I don't like what you did but maybe I can help you out. I'm here because I heard the Enclave is planning some big move out of Thunderhead, is there any truth behind that rumor?"

"Yeah, that's one way to put it," I said with a sigh. "So what, you want to come with me after everything I did to you and your family?"

"If you really are trying to do better, I want to see it for myself," Dazzle said with a nod. "I've heard DJ Pon3's broadcasts about you, before and after she was exposed as a Zebra. If you really are some great hero or something, then you better prove it to me."

"I'm no hero," I said with a sigh. "I'm not a villain either, I'm just a pony who got caught up in the worst situation possible. But I'll promise you this, I'll make sure that the Enclave is stopped, one way or another. Are you sure you want to come with me?"

"I do," Dazzle said with a nod. "I know that's not what you were expecting."

"Its not, but I welcome the help," I said with a sigh as I checked my PipBuck, it was getting close to noon. "I have to get back to the Star House soon and talk Blackjack into helping us. If you're coming along, you might want to go find Gambit and get your weapon back."

"Right," Dazzle said and then looked back at me. "Do you have any family out there Scootaloo? You've been here for awhile, do you have anypony out there you're fighting for?"

I thought for a long moment and then sighed. "I have a fiance and her unborn daughter, plus a descendant who's a good pony and just wants to try and help Equestria. I've got a lot to fight for, good ponies out there who want to do the right thing and change the world."

"Well, that's good enough for me," Dazzle said with a nod. "But if I don't like what I find out about you, I may reconsider the option of killing you."

"Understood," I said and got to my hooves before heading out of the bar. I sighed a little, this was going to be a long day and I still had to get back to the Star House and convince Blackjack that she needed to help us out.

I just hoped that it was the right thing to do.

00000

I pushed open the door to Blackjack's room and took out the bottle of Wild Pegasus I had bought from the bartender. "Blackjack, are you still here? I brought you a bottle of whiskey."

Standing behind the poor mare was the well the white ghost. “They never lock me inside there.. So… Your lucky i am in a better mood now. Oh and I could have killed you right there you know.” She said with a smirk.

“Right, and then you wouldn’t have gotten your whiskey,” I said with a roll of my eyes as I pulled the bottle out. “Are you this friendly to all your guests?”

“Oddly no, you came at a bad time. Night terrors and the like you know. But you brought me something so after comes the sex.”

My face turned hot as I blushed deeply at the suggestion. “Sorry Blackjack, I’ve got a fiance back on Nomad City who I wouldn’t dream of cheating on.”

“So? Have her join the more the bodies the more fun sex is.” She said with a smirk.

“Well for one thing she’s miles away right now,” I said with a roll of my eyes. “And for another thing I’m not sure if she’s into threesomes… actually I never asked, I mean sex was kind of her job back at her home Stable, but I never… what am I saying?”

“Well you’re saying that she changed for you so she would make you happy. It’s what I did for the longest time...When…” She gave a deep sigh. “Glory and I were together.”

“You miss her a lot don’t you?” I asked with a frown.

Tears fell down her face. “Yes... I loved her. I didn’t care about her just because she was amazing at sex. That was a plus.. But I loved her... For her heart, for how beautiful she was. For how she put up with my stupidity. I’m not a smart pony after all. Like I say, fuck me, do what you want to me, but don’t let me think.”

“I know how you feel,” I said with a sigh. “A long time ago I was in love with a mare. She was beautiful, kind, she put up with a lot of things I did that at times weren’t very smart either… she was my best friend in all of Equestria and we became so much more. I miss her every day of my life, and its hard knowing I’ll never see her again.”

“Death is something of course, I know know I died a few times myself. I think it messed up a few things in my head. But I learned to focus on what you want. Don’t lose sight of it… I did..with all my friend’s. I kept hurting them.. I kept things from them.. I Hurt Glory the most and I..” She looked away. She took a deep sigh as to not get angry or upset. It was easy to tell that was close to happening. “But enough of this sappyness.” The mare’s horn glows taking the bottle bringing two shot glasses out and poured it in the cups.

“I’m not normally one for drinking,” I admitted as I picked up the shot glass and shook my head. I paused a moment, should I tell her what I knew? How would she react to the information? “Blackjack… what if you had a second chance, what would you do?”

“What would I do? I would change what I did with Lighthooves. I would have tried to keep my friends alive. I have been kinder to Rampage. I would have… asked Glory to marry me..” She said with a sigh. “But I was too focused on sex and beer and well killing to notice her feelings.”

I closed my eyes as I thought it over, I made a decision here and there, the only decision I could make right now. “I… I know where Glory is.”

The mare was about to drink. She looked up with her eyes opened wide. The magic grew tight around the bottle. She started to shake her anger building. Her rage taking control. She then screams. “SHE IS DEAD!! Do you hear me?! She is fucking dead!!!”

The white mare grabs me as fingers formed from the legs forcing them around my neck. “I don’t even know who the fuck you are!” She grabs the hat pulling it off my head and quickly jumped back and stared at me in shock. Her anger subsided and a blush formed on her face. “OH...I asked a old mare to sleep with me...Excuse me..”

She rushed off to the bathroom and the sound of vomiting is heard.

“Oh come on, I’m only 43… physically… okay I’m not helping myself…” I said and groaned as I rubbed my neck. Those metal fingers really hurt.

She came back out a few moments later and took some water and spit it into the sink. She looked calm this time. “Scootaloo…” She turned back to look at me. “What do I owe the pleasure of the biggest murderer of all time to speak to me?” She said with a neutral tone.

“You’ve got quite a grip you know that?” I asked with a groan and shook my head. “I’m here because the Alliance needs your help. The Enclave is trying to get access to a Megaspell I locked away in a Stable during the war and its near Hoofington so we need the help of all the factions around here to fight them. You’re the only mare in Equestria that has the respect of all of them.”

“One moment.” The white mare would rush back to her room. The sounds of crashing and rushling. Then she rushed back out in her gear with all her weapons. “I may let them take my ammo but not everything. Now why didn’t you say Megaspell I would have helped you.” She smirked. But then she came closer. “Is Glory really alive?”

“She is, I met her myself in San Prancisco, I saved her from Slavers and then she saved me from Alicorns,” I said with a nod. “There… is a complication though.”

“What is the complication?” The mare said looking through everything in the house as she found random things of ammo. “Oh and I hide things from them too. I tell them my porn stash is in these.”

I chuckled a little at her behavior, though I was starting to see why Midnight was hesitant to work with this strange mare. “She’s working for the Enclave, she’s the President’s Science Adviser and she’s probably in Thunderhead…”

The mare nodded and closed her eyes breathing out. Then opening them again. “I don’t wish to kill Enclave but if I have to. To save well knowing Glory it’s not saving her ass. It’s more like she got her dream job. But it’s more keeping her from getting killed by the others.”

“She’s a good pony,” I said with a nod. “She could’ve left us in that Celestia forsaken tunnel with the Alicorns but she came back for us after I sent out a distress call. There, may be a chance we could get her back if she’s really in Thunderhead.”

BlackJack opened her bag bringing out the statue of Fluttershy looking at the words. “Glory always told me Do better. So for her.. I am going to Do Better be better.” She floats the statue back into her bag. “So for you Scootaloo and what you had to go through. I will do this I will fight. Oh and please remind the alliance I love whiskey. Not the fucking cheap kind. So if they want to keep me happy let me be drunk during this.”

“I’ll see what I can do,” I said and smirked a little. It wasn’t exactly what I had in mind, but it worked.

“One more thing. Who was this mare that you talked about? Oh and one more thing….” She leaned up to me with a sultry smile. “You taste like strawberries.”

“Sweetie Belle, we were, well we were together before…” I said before the rest of what she said registered in my mind and I blushed deeply. “Umm… you’re… umm… I’m starting to think Midnight had a point…”

“Oh Midnight told you about me? I bet that was a wonderful conversation. Since when I talked to her she was just a simple Ranger.”

“Well, she mentioned you… she didn’t really go into detail,” I said with a shake of my head.

“Eh I know why she doesn't really care for me. I was lonely depressed. She was lonely and depressed as well. We got drunk. We fucked and then we never talked to each other again after that. She couldn’t look at me after that. But I still could taste her ass afterwards.”

“Okay, that is way too much information…” I said with a groan. “But don’t think you’re getting under my tail, I’m in a happy relationship still.”

She laughed “That’s what many mares tell me Scoots, All the time...Even some married one’s. Along with Stallions. It’s a wonderful life if you let it control you. But there are times you must grow up. I am going to do this for Glory. Can’t be a sex hungry fool forever, got to be happy sometime.”

“I hope you find Glory, Blackjack,” I said with a soft smile. “I know what its like to be in your position, I’ve been where you are… only with less drinking and sex. But still, I lost everypony dear to me a long time ago…”

Out of nowhere Blackjack pulled me into a friendly warm hug but not without stroking her metal hoof along my flank of course. “Hmm plump.”

“Careful, I went hoof to hoof with a Starkatteri Assassin during the Battle of Manehattan,” I said with a groan. “Look, Blackjack… I… thank you for agreeing to help, I just hope we can stop the Enclave in time.”

“You haven’t told me though.. What does this Megaspell do?”

“Well, it basically creates powerful earthquakes and can change the very earth itself to destroy entire cities. It’s also dangerous and if it ever failed, well… good-bye Hoofington, and most of Equestria.”

“Scoots I don’t know I know this was war… But what in Celestia burning hot pussy you were thinking of making something like that?!”

“Okay, first off I didn’t make it, it was given to my company by the Ministry of Arcane Science who said it was an experimental power source!” I protested. “I only found out about what it really did because Celestia leaked me the files on the tests carried out before they gave it to Stable-Tec. I shut down that Stable and locked it away so that nopony could get to it or so I thought.”

“Look again I know this was war.. But look at this world now? I have talked to Zebras about the war. Some of them were treated like Slaves by ponies. They were treated so awful by them. I couldn’t believe half the stories i heard. I was told Equestria the most beautiful, harmonious, friendly land in all of Equis. I see what was left behind. That is a big fat fucking noooope.”

“There was a time when it was better… a long time ago when I was just a filly trying to find out what made me special,” I said and closed my eyes. “I don’t know if it all came with the war or if we dug down deep enough before it we’d have found the same thing. The war was a mistake, but I never treated Zebras badly, I made sure when I built the Stables that I saved Zebras too because I knew what was happening was wrong. I, just wish that more ponies saw it too, maybe this world wouldn’t be like it is.”

Blackjack Gently placed her hoof on my shoulder. “Scoots the fact you even have this feeling and that you did this counters everything you did to the stables or that your company did. Believe it or not… You’re a better pony then I ever was. I tried all my life to do better. You have won at that...So come on...Lets go before the Enclave makes the world even worse.” She said cocking her gun’s. “Let’s give them hell.”

I grinned and gave her a nod. “I couldn’t have said it better myself, come on I’ll introduce you to my friends.”

We headed back out of the Star House, I gave Threnody a nod as we went past her and kept walking.

00000

Blackjack looked thoughtful and turned to look at me. “How big of a missile have you seen ? I mean sorry why did you ask about the dealer?” She looked like she was about to say something else but stopped herself.

“At the end of the Battle of Manehattan after we drove the Enclave out of Tenpony Tower, I saw, something,” I said and brushed my mane back as I put my hat back on. “Well, I didn’t know what it was at the time but it was the Dealer I guess. He was just kind of, floating there with a deck of cards and he threw two cards at me… those two cards.”

I pointed at the cutie mark on Blackjack’s flank. “I think, he was telling me to look for you or something.”

She thought a moment. “Well when he showed up to me. It was to tell me something. Of course I just thought he was in my head at the time. Maybe he’s a lot more than just a figment in my mind if you saw him to. HEY!! You’re crazy too!! Oh now wait that’s just me.”

“You’re an incredibly strange pony…” I said with a groan. “Well, I can’t explain what I saw really, but it was strange that’s for sure. I’ve never really seen anything like it before or since.”

“Well I may be strange. But at least I am good at what I do..” She said and winked. “But all that aside of course. I was pretty lucky that I got out of my stable. It was dull the same dull thing over and over. Just to see something other than those damn metal walls is something I loved.”

“Yeah… we, didn’t really focus that much on the aesthetics,” I said and looked at her. There was a tone in her voice that made me unsure if what she was saying was the whole truth, but I wasn’t going to question it right now. “Equestria has come a long way since what happened, but we just wind up in one war after another.”

BlackJack let out a deep sigh. “That’s the issue with our species. I think we allowed all this Friendship and harmony to make us think that we are in control. It also didn’t help that we had princess that kind of started this war. Well I doubt they meant to start it..” She shrugged. “You get what I mean.”

“Yeah, I do,” I said as we caught up with Arc and Riva.

“Uh, hi,” Arc said as she looked at Blackjack curiously and Riva just kind of waved. “I’m Arc Light, the Zebra here is Riva… she doesn’t really talk much.”

Blackjack looks at Arc then back at me, then at Riva, and then back at Arc. Then simply randomly takes a large long drink from her booze. Pulling it out of her mouth burping. Then looks back at arc. “Do you enjoy having booze?” Then she thought about it a moment. “Oh I’m sorry nice to meet you.” Blackjack turned to Riva and bowed her head in respect. “An honor.”

Arc looked at Blackjack strangely but Riva nodded and bowed her head back. “Likewise.”

“Scootaloo, can I talk to you a moment?” Arc said and we moved off to the side to talk. “Are you sure about this mare? She seems a little…”

“Crazy?” I asked and Arc nodded. “Yeah, I admit she’s a bit, unhinged at times to say the least. But we were sent here to get her help and… well, there’s something about her. If the Alliance thinks she can help, then we’re going to give her a chance.”

“Okay, if you say so,” Arc said with a sigh as we looked back at Blackjack and Riva. “I’m just not sure about it, I mean we don’t know what’s been going on around here in the past 11 years, what if they won’t listen to her?”

“Then we’re going to manage somehow,” I said with a sigh. “If we can’t get them to side with us we can at least hope that they’ll be willing to stay out of our way. We don’t want to risk any collateral damage.”

“Yeah, I know,” Arc said with a shake of her head. “Look, Scootaloo… I know I messed up before, and I wanted to thank you for giving me a, well, third chance at this point.”

“You didn’t have a choice in what you had to do Arc, I don’t blame you,” I said with a shake of my head. “Life’s too short to hold a grudge if you ask me, especially in the Wasteland. The first chance we get, we’re going to free the ponies from Stable 66, I promise.”

“I just hope we can,” Arc said with a shake of her head as she looked towards Thunderhead in the distance. “Thank you Scootaloo, you’re a good friend and I’m glad I decided to travel with you, even if things have been hard for both of us.”

“I’m glad you came along too,” I said and hugged Arc lightly. “I admit I was angry that you betrayed us, but we’re going to get through it.”

She nodded, I paused a moment and felt a slight tremble from Arc that I hadn’t expected. The Unicorn was starting to cry a little as I pulled her in closer, the trembling was starting to get worse.

“Are you okay?” I asked softly.

“I’ll be fine,” she said with a shake of her head. “So what are we going to do now?”

“I need to go talk with Gambit before we go,” I said with a sigh. “Dazzle’s going to be joining us as well.”

“Wait, really?” Arc said with a blink. “You’re taking the pony who shot at you along with us? How do you know she can be trusted?”

“Honestly? I don’t know,” I said and brushed my mane back a little. “She doesn’t like the Enclave any more than we do and has just as much reason to. She deserves a chance at least just like you did.”

Arc looked back towards the looming city of Hoofington and sighed a little. “You’re right of course. Are you going to be okay without Cherry?”

“I will be, I hope… though Blackjack’s not going to make it easy,” I said with a shrug before we headed back towards the others. “How’s it going over here?”

Blackjack blinked and turned to look at us. “Oh lovely enjoying my wonderful chat with Riva here. So again thank you Riva.” Blackjack bowed her head lower than the first time. Trying to show well in her way great respect.

“You’re welcome,” Riva said and looked back at me and just shrugged a little.

“Alright, well I’ll be back shortly,” I said and looked at Blackjack. “If you need to get anything else before we go, I’d get it now. We’re leaving as soon as we meet up with one more member of the group.”

Blackjack looked like she was thinking. “Let me check if I have it.” She looked through her bag pulling out her stable 99 jumpsuit and stared at it for along time.

I sighed a little and adjusted my hat a little before I headed off to talk to Gambit aboard the Quetzal. I wasn’t sure what Gambit might want, though I was going to respect her desire to leave it out of this journal.

00000

“Hey there my little ponies, this is DJ Pon3 coming at you with the latest news,” Xiraia’s voice said over my earbuds. “After the recent ultimatum set out by the Enclave, we’re still waiting for an official response from the leadership of the Alliance. Nopony is quite clear on what Winter Breeze was alluding to and the Alliance won’t give us a straight answer. For now, we all have to hope that we’ll get some sort of answers soon. Some reports are coming in of the Enclave military being on the move near Hoofington, so we’ll see what happens from here. Now, let’s get back to the music with an old favorite.

“Come on away to the city,
A kingdom to behold.
Where the bluest skies they float on by,
The streets all paved in gold.”

“You’re kidding, that much for ammo?” I asked with a groan as I talked with the pony working behind the counter at the local shop.

“Yeah, we don’t just give things out for free you know, and your weapons don’t exactly come with common ammo,” the cashier said with a shake of her head. “Is there anything else you want?”

I sighed a little and laid the caps out for the energy cells. I frowned a little when I realized I was actually a few caps short and sighed a little as I was about to try and go through my bags to find something to sell as I heard the sound of metal hooves coming up behind me.

A metal arm with a robotic hand places a bag of caps on the counter The one who had done that said nothing but just stood there. While the hand leaves the counter and the sound of something closing was heard.

“Do you have any idea who that was?” I asked as I looked at the pony behind the counter who just shrugged. I took out the rest of the caps and pushed them over the counter and grabbed my stuff before putting the ammo and caps away before I turned around and nearly jumped out of my skin to see a robotic figure standing behind me. It was just standing there and looking at me in silence. “Hello?”

The robotic pony just stood there. Its eyes flicker looking right at me. It didn’t say a word at first. But no mouth moves or anything else. But when it spoke it sounded hollow. “What is the core Value of Friendship?”

I blinked a moment, what kind of question was that coming from a robot? I thought about the question for a moment, honestly I wasn’t sure what to say. Was there any single thing that served as a core of friendship?

There was one answer that came to me, but was it the right one? I took a deep breath and nodded.

“Forgiveness, forgiveness is the core of friendship,” I said. “Friendships are built on trust with one another, and even if that trust is broken, friendships can survive through forgiveness.”

The robot’s eyes flickered like it’s starting to think, but then said. “Most never know the answer. But there are many answers to this Scootaloo.” The robot turned, I could tell the robot was very beat up and rusted looked old. There is even a year date on him, he had been built during the war, the robot simply just walked out.

I sighed, I wanted to try and get more information out of that strange robot but I had to get going. I headed back out to meet up with my friends

“Is everything okay Scootaloo?” Arc said as I met back up with them on the edge of town.

“I, honestly don’t know,” I said as Dazzle trotted up to us. “I had a strange run-in with a Robot Pony back in the shop. He asked me about the core of friendship and I honestly don’t know what to make of it.”

“Robot Pony huh?” Dazzle asked as she looked at me curiously. “That might be Silver Gunner, there’s been some stories going around Equestria for years. Most ponies think he’s a legend like the Puppetpony or the Burning Stallion, but we crossed paths a few years back. Odd robot, but, not really a threat unless you’re a Raider.”

“Well, thank Celestia I’m not,” I said with a shake of my head. “So, are we ready to go?”

Without any further reason to stay in Chapel we started out of the town and towards the north. I checked the map on my PipBuck, we had a walk ahead of us to get to the Sports Arena, and we needed to get there soon.

I just had to hope we weren’t going to be too late. I sighed and looked through my bags and took out one of the holotapes that Rainbow had left behind for me and slipped it into my PipBuck to listen to it.

“Hey Scootaloo, I want to talk to you about something that’s not easy to talk with you about. I know you had wanted to serve Equestria in the war and circumstances kept that from happening, but never let that discourage you. You once asked me what made a soldier different from a killer, at the time I didn’t have an answer but I’ve given it more thought and I think I know what to say. While a killer only leaves behind death, a soldier, a true soldier leaves behind hope. I don’t know what kind of world you’ve found yourself in Scootaloo, but if you have to fight, remember that hope should never be sacrificed. Good luck, and make me proud."

LEVEL UP!
Perk Received: Kissed by Security.
Details: For good or for ill, Security herself kissed you. You now pick up the “benefits” of Wild Wasteland, even if you are not level 1. Welcome to your new, wilder and weirder life.

Chapter 29: Ante Up

Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.

Chapter 30: Rolling Thunder

"Out of suffering have emerged
the strongest souls;
the most massive characters
are seared with scars."
-Khalil GIbran

I looked at Arc as we started out towards the Rainbow Dash Skyport in Hoofington. Since it was the Enclave's primary facility in the city we were going to have to start our attack there.

I hated the irony that they were controlling an area that had been named after Rainbow. There was a disturbing amount of irony to that and I wanted to kick them out more than ever. I sighed a little as I looked back at Arc again.

This might be our chance to save the ponies from Stable 66 if they really were here in Thunderhead. We didn't know for sure, but it was worth a try at least.

"Arc..." I said softly as I walked up next to the blue-grey Unicorn. "How are you holding up?"

"I've been better," Arc said with a sigh as she looked at me. "Do you really think I should be coming with you? I mean, we're heading right into the heart of the Enclave."

I sighed a little and looked around. “I know, but I trust you Arc. As long as the Enclave doesn’t get in contact with you we’ll be fine. But…”

“But what?” Arc asked as her ears perked up a little.

“Well, the records from Stable 66 said that they were going to be taken somewhere near Hoofington,” I said with a sigh. “Right now our first goal needs to be to find out if they’re in Thunderhead and free them. If we can do that, the Enclave can’t hold that over your head anymore.”

I sighed a little. We had to get into the city before the battle itself started given that they’d likely close it off at that point. Our primary mission was infiltration, we were going to get into the city and try and achieve our goals without drawing attention.

Which was why we didn’t bring along Rampage and Silver Gunner. It wasn’t that they weren’t good in a fight, but they wouldn’t blend in as easily as the rest of us in a combat situation. We were supposed to be getting into the city in order to figure out how close they were to getting into Stable 102 and stop Winter Breeze one way or another.

But we weren’t going to leave Arc hanging, we were going to do everything we could to make sure that her friends were rescued. I just had to figure out where they were.

“I’m sure we’ll find them,” I said and put my hoof on her shoulder. “If they’re in Thunderhead, we’re going to make sure that we get them all out alive.”

Arc smiled and hugged me. She was starting to cry a little as I hugged her back. “Thank you Scootaloo, you don’t know how much this means to me.”

“I think I have some idea,” I said as I released the hug after a moment. “Come on, let’s get going, we have a war to fight.”

Arc nodded and we picked up the pace to catch back up with the rest of the group. Sparky looked back at me and gave me a smile and a nod which I returned. I smiled a little, I was happy that she had come along even if everything was going to be tricky from here on out.

Blackjack calmly leaned near Sparky. “Don’t you seem a bit young to be here?”
My ears perked up a little as Sparky looked over at her. “I’m 18 years old, and I was in Red Eye’s Fillydelphia… I think I’ll survive.”

Blackjack blinks “Forgive me my old brain is starting to make a come back.. But I have a feeling that hitting on you will make some pony slap me. But I’m Blackjack.” Offers her hoof to shake.

“Sparky, and yeah, if you did my… I don’t even know what to call her honestly, but Scootaloo would probably hit you,” Sparky said with a chuckle. “It’s nice to meet you Blackjack.”

“Thanks to Scootaloo I feel I got a chance again.. A chance to fix my life and...Why do I suddenly feel that I should break out to sing and then shoot someone in the ass?”

“Well, I’m glad to have helped,” I commented and rolled my eyes a little. “Lets not do that, randomly breaking out into song despite the fact that we don’t know the song went out of style in the war.”

“Rampage broke out into a song..During the time we tried to save Snails from the prison it was odd and interesting. She sang like a highlander.”

“Wait, was that really a thing?” Arc asked as she looked at me strangely. “Did ponies really randomly break out into song?”

“Yeah, I don’t know what was up with that either, it was just a thing that happened I guess,” I said with a shrug. “But that’s not important right now. Right now we need to focus on getting to Thunderhead.”

They nodded and we kept walking towards the Skyport.

“Soooo Scoots.” Blackjack leaned over to speak in my ear . “Who did you sleep with to get that kid?” She said and pointed hoof to Sparky.

I blushed deeply and shook my head. “She’s, well, she’s sort of mine. Okay actually she’s the daughter of a clone of me and a clone of Sweetie Belle… I know that sounds weird, but, yeah, my family tree has gotten really weird since I woke up.”

“Yes my family tree is even odder. I’m a descendant of Twilight Sparkle.”

“Yeah that’s…” I started to say and then my eyes went wide at that. “Wait, what? I thought Twilight only had one foal and she was in Stable 13!”

“No she made a fake name and look for herself and had a love affair with Big Mac and gave up the baby to Marigold before they were born. Then Marigold gave the child to 99 when the bombs fell and she died outside.”

I had no idea what to say to that to be honest. Twilight Sparkle, had an affair during the war with Big Mac? Okay, that was news to me obviously, though at least it explained how Blackjack was related to her.

Then something else occurred to me. If Blackjack was distantly related to Big Mac, and by extension the rest of the Apple family…

“Dear Celestia…” I said as my eyes went wider at that thought.

Blackjack Blinked “What you acted like the most horrible thing in the world just came to your mind.”

“Well maybe not the worst horrible thing,” I said with a shake of my head. “Just a really weird thought. I’m engaged to a descendant of the Apple family, which means… we’d be family, sorta.”

It took awhile for that to hit the slow mare. Then when it did she just shrugged. “So we would be family. I already think of you as the one that saved my ass I don’t see what would..” It finally hit her. “Oh...I would be scared to…Wait I didn’t know Twilight had two decedent's. Who was the other?”

“Uh, sorry, just getting used to that fact… yeah, Twilight had a daughter named Eclipse who had been put in Stable 13 up in the Northern Wilderness,” I said and shook my head. “I don’t know how many descendants she actually has there, but the NCR General in charge of their military actions in the war is General Midnight Sparkle.”

Again it didn’t hit the white mare for awhile. Then when it did.. “Excuse me. So I slept with my distant cousin. Huh interesting.” She shrugged “ But I know the way in.. But you’re not going to like it.”

“I’m listening,” I said with a sigh. “I’m sure it can’t be much worse than our current plan.”

“Welp I learned a while ago I am very popular with some of the ponies in Thunderhead. Sooooo they have many fake Blackjacks.. Soooo dress up like me.”

“Uh… exactly how are we supposed to find enough Blackjack costumes? And then there’s the fact that we’re not all Unicorns,” I pointed out.

“That didn’t stop me and my friend’s the first time. Glory was in a Enclave armor. I was cloaked. The others just went up there with horn’s. So find some paint find some way to make a fake horn. Then I can teach you to act just like me.” She smirked loving this idea.

I facehooved a little. “Lets, try getting some Enclave armor for the two of us who are Pegasi at least… hopefully that’ll do it. As long as we don’t run into Winter Breeze, she saw through that disguise last time I tried it.”

“Well I know… someone who could help us.”

“Oh? Who would that be?” I asked and looked at her curiously.

“Glory’s sister…I still have the means to contact her.”

“Alright,” I said with a nod. “Do you think we can trust her? If Glory’s working for Winter Breeze, we don’t know anything about her family at this point.”

“I talked with her recently Scoots. She blames me for Glory’s death. I don’t even think she knows that Glory is alive.”

Oh, yeah, that would do it. Actually I wasn’t really sure why either of them thought Glory was dead, was she keeping a low profile or something? “Why do they even think she’s dead?”

“Glory’s father is a General. I have a feeling to keep her father and family from having a bad fallout if they knew she was alive. So Glory even changed her name for a while to Fallen Glory.”

“Oh this is gonna be a fun conversation…” I said with a groan. “‘Oh by the way your daughter is still alive and she’s part of the President’s inner circle. Sorry you had to hear it from us.’ Yeah, I’m not looking forward to that.”

“Oh you make it sound like it’s such a bad thing. Oh look sir your little girl who when I met you you said that if she got hurt you would kill me. Same with her sisters. So oh I failed... This is going to be so much fun.” She brought a strange device out from her bag. “Whelp my ass will get cooked lets do it.”

I nodded and looked at the device. I honestly wasn’t sure how this was going to go and I was a bit worried. “Alright, let’s do this.”

I took the device and activated it. There was a moment of silence as we all gathered around it and waited for an answer. The strange device remained quiet for a moment before there was finally an answer.

“What do you want Blackjack?” A mare’s voice said.

Blackjack sighed before speaking up. “Hello Moon Shadow before you get upset at me hear me out.”

“Upset? That’s an understatement for how I feel towards you,” Moon Shadow’s voice said. “What could you possibly want to talk to me about?”

“I need you to meet me at my location. I have some info on Glory and the only way you will get it. If you give me some of your time.” Blackjack said harshly.

There was a long pause on the other end as Moon Shadow considered her options. “Alright, I’ll get a Vertibuck and take it to your position. But this had better be good or the next call I make is to the nearest Enclave forces.”

After a moment there was a click as the device deactivated. I looked over at Blackjack and sighed a little. “Charming future in laws you have.”

“Wait till you meet her father..” She said with a smirk

“That doesn’t fill me with confidence,” I said with a groan. Right now I just had to hope that this didn’t do anything to change our timetable. “I just hope you’re right about this Blackjack, or I’ll shoot you myself.”

“Aim for the ass if you do please.”

I just facehooved as the others laughed. This was going to be a really long mission.

00000

After awhile we heard the sound of a Vertibuck on approach. I got to my hooves and looked at the aircraft as it came in for a landing. It took me a moment to realize that I had no idea how Moon Shadow was going to react to seeing me, so I quickly pulled my fedora down in hopes that she wouldn’t.

The Vertibuck landed and the door opened as a Pegasus mare stepped out. For a moment I thought it was Morning Glory, but she was a darker shade of grey with a shorter mane tied into a ponytail. Like Glory though she was dressed like a scientist with a lab coat.

“Hello Blackjack,” she said as she narrowed her eyes at the Unicorn. “What’s so important that you needed me to risk my life to fly here?”

Blackjack sighed and looked down at her hooves. “Look I am sorry for what I did to your family. But I learned that Glory is not only alive, but working with Winter Breeze.”

Moon Shadow’s eyes went wide at that. I couldn’t blame her, she was being told that her sister that she had mourned and long thought dead was still alive. There was a long moment of silence as the Pegasus processed that information.

“Why should I believe you? Even if she was really alive, which you haven’t provided evidence of, Glory would never work for the Enclave again. More than that, I don’t think the Enclave would let her work for them after what you pulled.”

Blackjack deeply sighed and looked towards me with her eye’s begging for help.

“Moon Shadow, I know this is a lot to take in,” I said with a sigh. “I’m sure you know who I am at this point so there’s not any point in lying about it. But you also know that I have no reason to lie about this. I didn’t know your sister 10 years ago, but I’ve met her. You want your proof, I’ve seen her, so have my friends.”

“Yeah, during the occupation of Manehattan she helped operate on Scootaloo here,” Arc said with a nod. “And then during the Battle of San Prancisco she saved us from Alicorns after we saved her from Slavers.”

“Helped us,” Riva added and looked at Moon Shadow. “Morning Glory helped us.”

“I haven’t known her for long, but I have no reason to doubt that is the kind of thing she would do is it not?” I asked and Moon Shadow sighed. “I don’t know why she’s working for Winter Breeze, but I do know that she’s alive and getting ready for something big.”

“Moon Shadow. I know I have cheated and hurt your family. I know I broke Glory’s heart many times. But for Glory I will change my life and die for her if needed.” Blackjack said.

Moon Shadow sighed and looked back at the Vertibuck. “Let me guess, you want me to give you a lift into Thunderhead now? Alright, but… if you get caught don’t tell them I was involved. I’m on thin ice as it is.”

“I need a few things. Some of those fake Blackjack costumes and two Enclave armors. That’s all I need. Oh and the lift would be great.” Blackjack said.

“That, will take some doing but okay,” Moon Shadow said and gestured towards the Vertibuck. “Lets get aboard and quickly.”

I nodded and we climbed aboard the Vertibuck. I sighed and looked down at the ground as we took off towards Thunderhead, I just hoped that everything would be okay.

00000

I sighed as we saw Thunderhead on the approach. The cloud city had several Enclave Raptors circling it, in particular around the area that I figured was being used for the Enclave’s government offices.

In the distance I saw what was left of Shadowbolt Tower. There wasn’t a lot left, I assumed that was likely connected to the events of 10 years prior since that thing was built to survive a lot worse than what the Zebras threw at us.

“How long has it been since you were last here?” Arc asked as she looked at me.

“A long time, I visited here briefly in my time above the clouds,” I said with a sigh. “This was where the Pegasi found out about the Stables after they got access to the Stable in Shadowbolt Tower.”

Blackjack sighed. “Thank you Moon Shadow I know. This is not going to look good for you if we are found..But where are we heading?”

Moon Shadow looked uncomfortable for a moment before she spoke. “I had to get the Vertibuck from my father. I didn’t tell him who it was, but we have to go home.”

Blackjack blinked her eyes wide in horror. “Oh… Oh boy this is going to go very well. Scootaloo be ready to clean up my ashes or to stop her wonderful daddy from killing me.”

“Great, that fills me with such confidence,” I said with a groan. “Is there any chance we might be able to talk him down?”

“Talk Glory’s father down.. When you met her did you ever see her crazy compulsive nature? Who do you think she got that from?” Blackjack bluntly said

I sighed a little as the Vertibuck came in for a landing outside of a large mansion in Thunderhead. For a moment I hoped that there was going to be a chance that we wouldn’t have to worry about Glory’s father, but that was dashed when a large Pegasus stallion with a purple coat and grey mane with a large scratch on his face.

“Any chance that’s the butler?” I whispered to Blackjack.

“Hello Striker long time.” Blackjack said with a nervous smile.

“Hello Blackjack,” the stallion said with a growl as we got off the Vertibuck. “You have a lot of nerve showing up here again after what happened.”

“Before you do anything…” She was about to say something before the stallion’s hoof swung around and connected with her muzzle and sent her sprawled out. I ran over to check on her but she had been knocked out cold.

“What the hell was that for?” I demanded of the stallion who glared at me. I gulped a little and retreated as Riva checked Blackjack.

“Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t just have you arrested?” Striker said as he narrowed his eye (I don’t know how I missed it but he actually had an eye patch) at me. “We’re on high alert and one of the Enclave’s most wanted just landed in my backyard.”

“Dad, you should hear her out,” Moon Shadow said as she looked at her father as she adjusted her glasses a little. “It’s important, please hear her out.”

Striker looked at me for a long moment and then at his daughter. He wasn’t sure what to do, it was clear he was torn between his family and his duty to the Enclave, but finally his family seemed to win out.

“Alright, I’ll hear her out,” he finally said and looked down at Blackjack. “Bring her inside if you must, this better be good.”
I gulped and followed the rather intimidating looking stallion as we headed into the house. I had no idea what I was getting myself into, but here we go.

Once more into the breach.

00000

We entered Striker’s office in the large house. I looked around and was surprised to see it had photos framed of various ponies. There was even one of Morning Glory when she was younger, I smiled a little as I looked at it.

“You miss her don’t you?” I asked softly as I glanced back at Striker who nodded slowly. “I have, well, had a daughter too but she’s long dead by now. I still miss her and I’d give anything to see her smiling face one more time.”

“No parent should ever outlive their children,” Striker said with a sigh as he closed his eye. “I barely ever see Dusk and Moon these days. Dusk is off doing who knows what as part of Winter’s secret service and Moon’s busy with her work.”

I paused a moment, how was I going to tell this to him? I sighed and closed my eyes as I took my hat off, if I was going to talk to him it would be as another parent, not as a Wasteland hero. “I don’t know how I’m going to tell you this honestly. But, Morning Glory isn’t dead, I’ve seen her down in the Wasteland.”

“What?” He asked as he looked at me. “When? How?”

“Around a week ago during the Battle of San Prancisco,” I said. “She was being held by Slavers and me and my friends rescued her. She returned the favor when we were being held by Alicorns not long after and arranged for us to have safe harbor for the night.”

Striker stood there for a long moment, I could only imagine what was going through his mind right now. If I was told that Cloudy was still alive somehow I’d have a hard time believing it too, I sighed and looked away.

“I see…” he finally said. “Do you know anything else?”

Now here was the hard part given everything that was happening. “She’s here in Thunderhead working for the Enclave as the President’s Science Adviser. I, don’t know why she hasn’t come forward and told you she’s alive…”

Striker looked at me for a long moment and sighed. “That’s why Blackjack here isn’t it? She’s here to try and find her in Thunderhead because she feels guilty and wants to find her.”

“Basically… yeah,” I said with a sigh. “She really loves your daughter, she’s willing to change for her, to be a better pony for her. I know she messed up before, but in my experience ponies deserve a second chance to make things better.”

Striker reached over his desk and picked up a framed photograph. “Scootaloo, have you ever wondered why so many ponies in the Enclave follow Winter Breeze?”

“I admit, the thought has crossed my mind,” I said. “I saw some bits of it from a series of memory orbs, the Enclave was desperate for leadership after the Civil War right?”

“That’s part of it yes, we needed a leader and she was there for us when we needed her,” he said with a shake of his head. “She didn’t just rebuild the government, she gave us hope that we had a better future. My youngest daughters had lost their school in the civil war and she had it, and others in the cities that remained loyal to the Enclave rebuilt. She did more than make promises, she did everything she could to make it a better place.”

He showed me the picture, it was of a school with two little fillies that looked like they might be Morning Glory’s sisters standing next to Winter. I smiled a little, they looked happy, Winter was even smiling, something I hadn’t really seen from her in our brief interaction.

“You do know we have to stop her from what she’s doing right?” I said softly. “What she’s doing is dangerous, and if we can stop her one way or another, it’ll end this war. The weapon she wants to use could destroy most of Equestria if used wrong.”

“Well, I’m not going to stop you,” Striker said with a shake of his head. “But, I do hope that you can stop her without killing her. And if you find my daughter, tell her she’s welcome to come back home.”

I smiled a little and nodded. “I promise that I’ll do everything I can to do that. I just hope that she’ll be willing to listen.”

“Alright, once Blackjack is awake and everything is set up, you can go,” Striker said and I set the picture down carefully and gave him a nod. “Thank you for everything Scootaloo, you’ve given an old stallion hope.”

“I’ll do my best,” I said with a nod and sighed. “Winter… I just hope that she’s going to listen to reason. It’s not been easy for me either given everything that’s been going on, but I’ll make sure that your daughter will be okay.”

Striker nodded and we headed out of the office together. I felt more relieved than anything else, it was good to know that there were more good ponies in the Enclave, I just hoped that they’d all make it out of this alive.

00000

“How’s she doing?” I asked Dazzle as we headed into the living room.

“A bit cranky given she was punched in the face, but she’s mostly just been staring at some little box,” Dazzle commented as she pointed over at the couch were Blackjack was laying. “She seems fine though.”

“Hey Blackjack, how’s it going?” I asked as I trotted over to where the cyberpony Unicorn was.

Blackjack didn’t answer at first just stared at the little box. Then lifted the box up to me. “Open it.”

I opened it up curiously. Inside was a ring, one that had clearly been built for a Pegasus based on how it was made and I blinked a little in surprise and looked over at her. “Was this for…”

“I had to ask many mare’s what a Pegasus like Glory would like. I bought it before i went to face Lighthooves. I was going to ask her to marry me. But she looked so unhappy being with me. So I just kept it in my bag all these years.” Blackjack said in a very sad voice.

“I know how you feel… I…” I started to say and closed my eyes. “I was looking into buying a ring before the bombs fell… you never know when the last time you see your loved one might be the last time.”

“I always wanted her father’s blessing. I was trying to get that before...it all went down..” Blackjack said. “The fact I even want that must prove to everypony that I want to change.”

“You’ve already proven it to me,” I said softly. “I just hope that everypony else will be willing to listen. You’re a good pony Blackjack, it’s just not easy for ponies to tell sometimes.”

Blackjack laughed. “Well I am sure if I ever ask him.. He will say hell no Blackjack.” She drifted the box back to her hoof.

As she did that though an armored hoof took it and we both looked up to see Striker standing there and looking down her. “What’s this?” He asked and opened it up as he raised an eyebrow and looked down at Blackjack. “Is this what I think it is?”

Blackjack let out a deep sigh and sat up looking right at Striker. “Yes. I asked so many mares and even some stallions after they got to know Glory. What would be the best ring for her. I wanted so hard to prove to her, that i changed… that… I would seek your blessing to ask her to marry me.”

Striker looked down at her and back behind him towards Moon Shadow who had come into the room. He looked thoughtful for a long moment as he tried to decide what to say. “Scootaloo told me Glory is still alive. I don’t even know what to think about you to be honest Blackjack, but if you’re that willing to change for my daughter. I’ll give you a chance, and my blessing.”

Blackjack just stared at him with a surprised look on her face. It looked like she had no idea what to say. “I can’t promise anything to you sir. But I won’t let you down. I will find her..and stop her from doing anything silly with whatever she is doing… and knowing her… I am sure it’s not good.”

“I’m giving it to you on the condition that you bring her home this time,” he said with a nod. “In one piece, all of you. If you don’t, Winter’s troops are going to be the least of your problems.”

“Yes sir..” She gave a salute with her metal hoof hitting herself in the head. “Ow.”

“We’ll make sure that she makes it out okay,” I said and the others nodded.

“Alright, well that’s good,” Moon Shadow said. “Well we have what you asked for, though since it was on such short notice I could only get one disguise.”

“Well, that’s great,” Arc said with a facehoof. “So, who’s not going in disguised?”

I thought for a moment, then I facehooved at my own stupidity. “Dazzle’s not known to the Enclave yet. What’s the usual opinion of Canterlot Ghouls?”

Moon Shadow just kind of shrugged. “Pretty much like any other wastelander really, she could probably pass as normal. Or we could always say it’s another outfit, who knows really.”

Blackjack chuckled. “Could just go..Oh she has makeup on very good Makeup.”

“Alright then, we have a plan,” I said. “Let’s get ready to go, we don’t have much time.”

00000

“Well, at least the armor’s more comfortable than the last suit I wore,” I commented as I fit the helmet onto my head and the EFS came up to replace my PipBuck’s. “How’s yours Sparky?”

“Its okay, just takes a little getting used to,” Sparky said as she got used to the power armor.

“You two don’t exactly look like convincing Enclave Elite Troops, but you’ll have to do,” Striker commented. “You’ll be fine.”

“Huh..I have the strangest feeling I have forgotten something.” Blackjack said.

“You know so do I…” I said and looked around. “Oh hey, where’s Riva?”

“Here,” Riva said as she lowered the hood on her stealth cloak. I facehooved, I had forgotten about Riva, but at least she had thought ahead.

“Sorry Riva,” I said and the Zebra just chuckled. “But that’s a good idea.”

“Oh...shit I forgot to say Goodbye to Boo..” Blackjack facehoofed.

“I’m sure it’ll be okay,” I said with a nod as Arc came back looking very unamused since she was made to look like Blackjack, albeit with a larger horn. “I feel ridiculous.”

Blackjack leaned a little to look at Arc. Softly saying to her. “Welcome to the Blackjack side we have…..Booze and Sex…”

Arc just facehooved and groaned as the rest of us laughed. “Really funny, lets just go and see if we can find any info on the ponies from Stable 66.”

“Hey, did you say something about Stable 66?” Moon Shadow asked as she looked at Arc.

“Yeah, Arc’s from Stable 66,” I said and blinked as I looked at the other Pegasus. “Why do you ask?”

“You could try downtown, I think I’ve seen some ponies from Stable 66 there,” Moon Shadow suggested. “I know it’s a long shot, but I think one of my younger sisters has mentioned knowing one of them.”

Arc blinked as she looked at me. I was a bit surprised too, was it really going to be that simple? Something about this still felt too easy, but we didn’t have much choice at this point.

“Thank you,” Arc said and hugged Moon Shadow who looked surprised but hugged her back.

“Forgive me for being the realist here...I know me real..But doesn’t that seem a bit to easy?” Blackjack asked.

“Blackjack, stop being a buzzkill, we’ll figure it out when we get there,” I said with a sigh. “I mean you’re not wrong, but it’s the first lead we’ve gotten, its worth checking at least.”

I looked at Arc and she nodded. “Blackjack has a point, but if there’s a chance I can see Caramel Corn again… I just want to try.”

“You’re not the only pony trying to reconnect with a loved one Blackjack,” I said with a sigh.

“So Arc is trying to get under the tail that is named after a sweet corn? Huh” She looked over to Arc and then back at me. “Sticky.”

Arc’s eyes went wide and she looked like she was about to attack Blackjack before I grabbed her and shook my head. “Arc, calm down, attacking her isn’t going to do you any good.”

Arc snorted and backed off as she glared at Blackjack. “Whatever, wouldn’t waste a good bullet on her anyway.”

Blackjack blinked. “Okay Arc really.. All I am doing is trying to get you to loosen up. You seem like a mare with a stick up your ass. Granted I barely know you. But you act like Glory when I first met her. Always questioning and upset about everything.”

Arc snorted again and headed off. I looked at Blackjack and sighed a little. “Arc has been under a lot of stress lately. Her entire Stable was taken by the Enclave and they’re probably here in Thunderhead. She’s been chasing after Caramel Corn ever since she left the Stable and this is the first chance she’s gotten to see her again.”

It finally hit the white mare. She spoke softly. “Oh...I see..lucky for her...that they will be happy to see her… again and not...hear screams every night of them dying.” She took a deep breath. “Oh yes happy life.” She just walked off.
I looked over at Riva and sighed. “Not one of my better moments.”

“They will be fine, come,” Riva said and we headed to go get everything together.

00000

Going into Thunderhead proper I had no idea what to expect. I had seen Manehattan under Enclave occupation, not to mention Tenpony Tower. Maybe I was expecting it to look more like it was under martial law or something, but it was actually rather, normal.

Sure there was signs of the military here and there. Pegasi were dressed in the same Power Armor that we had been supplied with, but they didn’t pay much attention to us. I checked the time, the Alliance attack on Thunderhead was going to start soon so we had to make sure we finished here before it was too late.

“I can’t believe this is actually working,” Arc muttered as we went past a group of ponies that were moving toward one of the office buildings.

“Try not to jinx it,” I whispered back. “Come on, let’s just keep going.”

Blackjack stayed silent for the moment. I looked over at her. “Is everything okay?”

Blackjack just looked up at me. Giving me just a normal everyday smile staying silent. But looked back to me leaned in to whisper to me. “These ponies know my voice...So it might be best if I say nothing.”

“Okay, I understand,” I said and facehooved, actually she had a point. I had been on the radio with Xiraia’s interview, while I could disguise my body I wasn’t exactly about to fool anypony with my voice.

Something was weird though, why would Silver Gunner give me that picture? I took it out and looked at it curiously for a moment. There didn’t seem to be anything unusual about it until I turned it around. There was something taped to the back, I picked it up and found that it was a chip of some sort with a note wrapped around it.

“Just in case you need to hide yourself.”

I blinked a little and fit it into my helmet. “I wonder what…” I started to say and blinked, the voice that came out wasn’t mine, it sounded like Cheerilee’s. “Okay, that’s weird.”

“Well, that’s one way to keep your voice disguised,” Arc commented. “Though I wonder why he didn’t just give it to you.”
Blackjack calmly spoke up. “My understanding with that Robot. He is one of the leader of a village located in an old POW camp. He was explaining this to me. He had to watch a friend of his die giving birth the one that saved them. From the enclave. Who was a very racist anti pony wolf creature. So because of that he also has many enemies.”

“Okay, that’s fair,” I said, I was still getting used to this strange new voice but I didn’t have time to worry about it. It got the job done, that’s what mattered. “Come on, let’s get going.”

I checked the time on my EFS as we kept moving through. I had no idea how much longer we had before the Enclave reached Stable 102, so we had to hurry up. I sighed and looked back at Arc expecting her to look worried again, but she had actually stopped in mid-stride.

“What’s wrong?” I asked as I looked at her and when I didn’t get a reply I followed her gaze towards where she was looking.
Standing there and talking to a street vendor was a mare with a light orange coat and a long curled mane. She was dressed in a simple outfit and was taking a few coins out of a purse to give to the vendor stallion.

But that’s not what drew my attention, she wasn’t a Pegasus, she was an Earth Pony. That was odd, I remembered there was Unicorns in Thunderhead a couple hundred years ago, but Earth Ponies?

Blackjack leaned up to me to whisper. “ I have a bad feeling… My wither’s are jumping around like crazy...I feel something is about to...Happen.”

I blinked and looked at her, that sounded more like something Pinkie would say. I was about to say something when a group of ponies carrying papers swarmed around Arc and Blackjack. I facehooved, really, fanponies for Blackjack? I didn’t know if I felt jealous or worried.

Blackjack turned her head to me quick and with her eyes was trying to say get stable ponies. Then she spoke in a more raspy smoker’s voice. “Alright...alright don’t crowd there are two of us here.”

I looked around for the mare from before but she had vanished into the crowd. I cursed under my breath, where had she gone? I looked back as Blackjack and Arc managed to lose the fanponies and trotted over to Arc.

“Who was she?” I asked her. Arc was still staring off towards where the Earth Pony mare had been before. “Are you okay?”

“That was her…” She said softly and looked over at me.

My ears perked up and my eyes went wide. The way she reacted now made perfect sense, there was only one pony that could have gotten that kind of reaction out of Arc.

“Caramel Corn,” I said.

Blackjack leaned to say something to Arc. “I wish to apologize for what happened earlier I didn’t mean to be insultive or rude. But you’re lucky you get to save those you love..” She said with a weak smile.

Arc stood there for a moment and nodded. “Thanks Blackjack… I’m sorry you lost the chance to do the same.”

I smiled a little and looked back towards where the vendor was. “I’ve got an idea, stay here.”

“Oh joy…” BlackJack said.

“Eh, give it a try, she’s usually good with her plans, usually,” Arc said as I walked up to where the Vendor was working.

“Excuse me, I’m here on military business,” I said as the vendor looked up at me. I flinched a little as I tried to make my voice sound more intimidating than it really was. “What can you tell me about that mare that you just talked with?”

The Vendor just looked at me and blinked for a moment. I flinched a little, maybe I should have turned off the voice chip given that it may at least make it easier to fool them. Maybe this was a bad idea.

“Well, for a mare with a voice as beautiful as yours I’ll tell you anything,” he said as he gave me a coy smile. “What do you want to know?”

I felt my skin crawl, I did not like dealing with stallions like this but I didn’t have time to focus on that, I had to get the information. “Well, if you tell me what I want to know maybe you’ll get more than just my voice.”

“Alright, what do you want to know?” He asked with a smirk.

“Just what you know about her, we’re looking into her and any of her cohorts on orders from command,” I said with a nod. “It's nothing major, just a routine check, you know how it is.”

I really hoped he would fall for my bluff. If this didn’t work I would never visit New Pegasus again out of shame. I tried not to look nervous as I waited for some sort of answer from the stallion.

“Alright, I’ll tell you what I know,” he said with a shrug. “Honestly she’s here almost every day, I guess she likes the food here or something. I don’t really know much about her other than that she showed up in Thunderhead over a year ago with a bunch of other ponies. I don’t really know where she came from, but that’s more your department anyway.”

“Do you know where she lives?” I asked.

“Sure, she asked me to do some deliveries when she first arrived, something about being afraid of open spaces or something like that. She lives in the Summer Breeze Apartment complex about 4 blocks that way.”
He nodded down a road off to the side.

“Thank you, that was very helpful,” I said as I gave him a nod. “Thank you for your help citizen, I’ll put you down for good marks for my report.”

“Your report?” He asked and raised an eyebrow at me.

“Of course, you didn’t think this was a normal situation did you?” I said. “Just a normal loyalty check, I’ll file everything with Enclave Intelligence.”

I started to turn around when I heard the sound of him starting to come around his cart. I groaned, couldn’t this stallion take a hint?

Blackjack rushed over. “Now now big boy.. I know you’re happy to see her.. But maybe give her some space..” She said in a sultry voice. “Maybe wait till later when she is not in that armor, hmm?”

“Alright fine,” he said and went back to work at his cart.

I walked away from him with Blackjack and back to my friends before I let out a sigh of relief. “Thanks Blackjack, you really saved my flank back there.”

“I could tell what he wanted from you. If he grabbed you. He might have placed his very sticky seed in you hmm makes me hot just thinking about...Oh sorry.” She said with a cough. “I mean sorry changing.” Blackjack said with a weak chuckle.

“And ponies wonder why I prefer mares,” I said with a roll of my eyes. “Come on, we know where we need to go next at least. I’m fairly certain the intel should be good, lets get going.”

“You found something?” Arc asked as her ears perked up.

“Yeah, I found something,” I said with a nod. “Come on, lets go.”

“I take it...you had a stallion before..” Blackjack asked.

“Yeah… Sky Walker, he was a nice enough stallion and I didn’t really have any problems with him,” I said with a sigh. “I don’t even know what happened to him, I put him and my daughter in Stable 46 near Coltlumbia, but he, vanished at some point.”

Blackjack sighed. “I see.”

“Yeah… I have family, descendants that survived, one of them is nice the other is…” I said and trailed off. I wasn’t sure if I could trust Blackjack with that kind of information, even if it was bound to come out eventually. “Nothing, never mind.”

“Come let’s get this done..I want to find Glory.” Blackjack said softly.

“We’ll find her, I promise,” I said as we headed down the street towards the building that had been pointed out.

00000

Summer Breeze apartments… I wondered if that was on purpose given that had been the name of my grandmother, or just a weird coincidence. It was actually pretty nice as far as complexes went, though I had no idea if we were going to be able to pull this off.

“Are you ready for this?” I whispered to Arc. “I mean, you’ve been trying to get back to her this whole time… I can’t imagine what you’re feeling.”

“Yeah, I’m ready,” Arc said with a sigh as she looked up at the building. “What do you think she’ll think of me after everything that’s happened?”

“Arc…” I said and closed my eyes with a sigh.

Blackjack leaned to Arc and whisper. “I would think she would be proud of you for standing up for what you believe in.”

“I hope so…” Arc said and took a deep breath before we headed into the building. I looked around for any sign that the Stable 66 ponies might be here, or at least Caramel Corn.

The ponies that were downstairs didn’t pay us much attention, I guess if you live under Enclave control you get used to seeing power armored ponies and strange ponies.

A radio off to the side was playing the same music that accompanied all of Winter Breeze’s messages. I sighed a little and started looking at the mailboxes with the names on them when the song on the radio ended and Winter Breeze’s voice came over the radio

“Ponies of Thunderhead, this is your President speaking. I’m afraid that the New Canterlot Republic and other members of the Alliance have continued to ignore our requests for peace. I am afraid that it is only a matter of time before they make a move here on Thunderhead, but we are ready. The Enclave will fight them with everything we have, I know that there are some of you who would rather not stay behind in the event of a battle and I understand that. Any civilians wanting to leave Thunderhead will be evacuated to the nearest friendly city from the designated evacuation points in the city. I hope that the war will be over soon and it won’t result in more bloodshed. This is President Winter Breeze, signing off.”

Blackjack wanted to say something. But she stayed silent for the moment. Looked up to me unsure.

“What is it?” I asked as I looked over at her.

“She is not like the other Enclave. This one cares, she is smart. She is willing to protect those around her and who she leads. This is not going to be easy, her way with words is powerful.”

“Yeah, it is,” I said and shook my head. “If it wasn’t for everything we know about her plans, you’d almost want to join up with her.”

“Oh I can see why Glory did. After all the talks we had. Yeah I could see her falling for this.” Blackjack shrugged.

I was about to say something when the door to the building opened up. We went quiet for a moment as the pony walked in since we didn’t want to blow our cover at this point. I was about to turn to talk with Dazzle when I saw who had come in and froze.

Caramel Corn had walked in through the front door and past us as she opened up her mailbox and started to check for anything. It felt so, ordinary, was she even being held? A bunch of alarms were going off in my brain.

Blackjack leaned to me to whisper. “It feels like a trap.”

“Yeah, I agree…” I said and looked over at Arc to stop her from doing anything rash but she was already heading for the mare. “Great Arc… real smooth, lets just walk right up to her instead of seeing what’s going on, Blackjack do you…”

Blackjack had already, vanished but I got the odd sense she was still standing beside me.

“Great, I’m apparently traveling with Batmare…” I muttered. I looked back towards where Arc was standing.

She had stopped and looked like she was trying to figure out what to say. I didn’t blame her to be honest, she had been looking for this mare for over a year, had done things she had never imagined herself doing for her, and here she was right in front of her.

Before she could say something though Caramel turned around and looked at her with a tilt of her head. “Uh, can I help you with something?”

“Ummm…” Arc started to say as she tried to put it into words. “I’m…”

BlackJack stood on her hind hooves covering Arc’s mouth. “Forgive my friend Arc...I mean forgive Blackjack here.. She is drunk. Come along...” Blackjack slowly pulled Arc away.

“Wait,” Caramel said as she reached her hoof out to stop Blackjack as she took a closer look at Arc. “Arc Light? Is that really you?”

Arc nodded and tried to get free of Blackjack’s grip. I rolled my eyes and looked at her. “You might as well let her go, you already blew her cover.”

Blackjack smirked at me. “Oops.” She chuckled letting Arc go standing beside me again with a please forgive me look.

“Arc, what are you doing here? The Enclave said they never could find you in Stable 66, how did you get here? Did the Enclave find you?” Caramel said excitedly and hugged Arc tightly. “I’m so happy to see you again… I can’t tell you how much I’ve missed you.”

“But… I’m confused,” Arc said softly as she looked in her friend’s eyes. “They told me you were being held captive with the others. They…” she said and trailed off for a moment. “They said they’d hurt all of you if I didn’t do things for them.”

Caramel blinked a moment and looked at Arc. “What are you talking about? We’ve all been allowed to live in peace here. Sure it took some getting used to and we have to either wear these talismans or have Cloudwalking spells put on us, but we’ve been treated just fine by the Enclave.”

Blackjack sighed and shook her head. “I’m starting to think you were used Arc.” She said softly.

“Impressive Blackjack, you’re not nearly as dumb as the stories make you out to be,” a calm voice said from behind us. My eyes went wide, I recognized that voice, but what was she doing here?

Blackjack turned around staring at the one who spoke and her eyes narrowed.

I turned to see Winter Breeze standing there flanked by several soldiers, Tornado, and of all ponies, Gambit. “Well… this is certainly unexpected.”

“Did you really think you could slip into Thunderhead undetected?” Winter asked as she looked us over. “I’m not some two bit dictator like the Empress of the Scarlet Throne was, I have eyes and ears everywhere. Though I’m surprised Arc, I didn’t think you’d be here after you gave us what we needed.”

Arc flinched a little and looked away from Winter and Caramel.

I shook my head and looked over at Gambit. “Gambit, what are you doing here? I thought you were on our side.”

“It’s not a matter of what side you’re on, It’s a matter of what’s right and what’s wrong.” Gambit said. “The Enclave are offering peace, no more bloodshed, no more fighting - and you are here willing to fight against that.”

I flinched a little at that, she wasn’t wrong of course, the Enclave had offered a way to end the war without any further bloodshed if we had just stood down. I looked at Winter and then at Gambit again and shook my head.

“Peace on what terms?” I asked her. “At what cost? Is peace and security worth giving up freedom? Is a better world, a better future worth losing that?”

“Maybe I should remind you of how it was before the war Scoots.” Gambit said shooting me a glare. “Before the war, We still had no freedom - Our lives were dictated by marks on our flanks and kept in line by the princesses that ruled over us. This ‘freedom’ we have now, is what is wrong with this world.”

“So the solution is to bend to the whims of the Enclave?” I said and looked over at Winter. “Winter, do you really think that what you’re doing is what’s best for the future of Equestria?”

Winter paused for a moment at that question. I was surprised at that actually, she had always seemed so sure in her convictions, why was she hesitating now? Were we actually starting to get through to her a little.

“Yes, it’s what is necessary,” Winter finally said with a shake of her head. “Equestria is in a state of ruin and it needs strong leadership to rebuild. The Enclave is the best chance Equestria has at rebuilding.”

Blackjack finally spoke up. “BULLSHIT!!! Equestria might follow you, but what about the rest of the damn world hmm? Oh yes we only focus on Equestria. But what about the Zebra’s about about the Griffins what about the fucking other races then the main race that is ponies. Are you that damn daft? None of them are going to bow to you. They would rather die in the name of freedom then follow the Enclave to death. I’m sorry to say but after hanging with the other races over the last ten years. I started to see why the Zebra’s went to war with us. Because of damn ponies like you!!” She yelled

“You have a loud mouth, but you say nothing of value.” Gambit sneered. “Have you never heard about ‘fix your own backyard before you worry about your neighbors’?”

“I know more about the Zebras than you do Go Fish,” Winter said as she looked at Blackjack and shook her head. “But Gambit is correct of course, once we bring security to Equestria we will turn our attention to the rest of the world.”

“We will not bow to you,” Riva said and spat the last word out. “Futue te ipsum.”

“Vigilate os tuum,” Winter retorted.

“Equestria is not your home, you have no say in this matter.” Gambit said, Glaring at Riva “It is your kind that I vowed to kill to protect my home - and where is it now? Not even the ruins still stand because of you and your cloud.”

“Gambit, it wasn’t because of the Zebras!” I said and pointed at Winter. “It was because of them, 11 years ago the Enclave destroyed Canterlot as part of Operation Cauterize!”

“You’re Lying.” Gambit said with a growl.

“No she’s not,” Dazzle said as she finally spoke up again. “I was there Gambit, 11 years ago I had just left Stable 1-B and was in the area around Canterlot. I saw the Thunderhead lowering from the skies and destroying the city. The Enclave destroyed Canterlot, not the Zebras.”

Blackjack blinked. “That was even in Littlepip’s book that she wrote.” She said.

“Why would you all lie to me like this, Winter asked me here, she sent me an envoy, she told me about Canterlot, how I was fighting the right fight when I signed up for the shadowbolts.” Gambit said, sitting and holding her head with her hooves. “Winter had no reason to lie to me… why would you lie to me..”

“Gambit, I…” The last pony any of us expected to say anything said. We turned our attention to Winter who was standing there trembling a little. “I… didn’t lie, I just omitted part of the story. I meant every word to you, but… I knew I couldn’t tell you the whole…”

She was cut off when there was the loud sound of an explosion as if something struck part of the city. Crap, that was the attack at the worst time possible!

“Madam President, the Alliance’s attack has begun,” Tornado reported as she looked down at Winter. Her horn glowed and she threw up a shield around the President and her guards. “We need to get out of here.”

Winter looked at us for one last moment before she and her escort vanished in a flash of purple light. For a moment I could’ve sworn I heard Winter’s voice saying, “I’m sorry.”

There was a moment of silence as we tried to figure out what to do. The attack had started, but our cover was already blown, what were we going to do now? Especially given that Gambit was in bad shape after that revelation.

“Come on, can one of you help her?” A voice asked and it took me a moment to realize it was Caramel. “We need to get her to safety.”

“Where are we going?” I asked as we helped steady Gambit. “Come on Gambit, this isn’t the place for a breakdown.”

As we headed out of the building I glanced up for a moment. I could’ve sworn I saw a crow flying overhead for a moment before it left my view. That was weird, but I had to focus on getting Gambit to safety.

00000

I sighed as I headed out of the room that we had put Gambit in. Caramel had brought us to a small house that she said belonged to the Stable 66 Doctor and they were helping Gambit the best they could right now.

At least I was out of that armor now. I didn’t mind power armor, but it was good to be back in my usual coat and hat after how confining that felt. I stretched my legs a little and headed towards the main room.

Blackjack placed her hoof on my back. “Scoots i’m worried about your friend.”

“I’m worried about her too,” I said with a sigh and shook my head. “When we left Chapel everything seemed to be okay with her, I didn’t think something like this would happen.”

Blackjack nodded. “That’s.” She turned looking at the bird and then back to Scoots. “That’s” She turned again and stared at the crow. “What the hell is a bird doing in a building this high up?”

“Wait, is that the same crow I saw back by the apartments?” I asked as I looked at the crow confused for a moment. “Or are there just flocks of crows in Thunderhead?”

Blackjack stood on her back hooves and tried to poke the Crow. Of course the Crow landed in front of the two and green magic caused the Crow to form into a ruby eyed Changeling it hissed softly.

“Oh… Changeling, you know I didn’t even think of that,” I said and facehoofed. “Uh, can we help you?”

The bug spoke. “Ssss Silver Gunner asked me to keep an eye on you. But you seem fine without being watched. Ssss.” It said with a hiss.

“Yeah… I think you and I have different definitions of the word fine,” I said with a roll of my eyes. “Thank you though.”

The Changeling nodded. “Ponies call me Crow. Since well the bug name’s grew a bit tiring. But since I’m not needed with watching you anymore. Do you wish me to get anything back to the Alliance?”

I looked thoughtful for a long moment and nodded. It was a long shot, but we needed to get Gambit out of this place. This was no place for a pony in Gambit’s condition. “Did you see the Alicorn that came in with us?”

The changeling nodded. “You mean miss insanity with not enough lights on upstairs?” Crow bluntly said with a hiss.

“Yes, that would be her…” I said with a sigh as I brushed my mane back. “Look, she’s not going to do us any good here and we need to get going as soon as possible. Can you get her back to Chapel? Her ship and her friends are there, something tells me she’d be better off with them.”

Crow chuckled. “When Silver Gunner asked me and the other two to help him with this.. He said It would be a great adventure. Again i am left with taking care of the crazy. But yes I would be happy to, then I will get back to helping the others.”

“Okay that sounds good,” I said and then looked thoughtful. “I’ll reprogram her PipBuck so it emits a false signal so it’s mistaken for mine. The Enclave has a standing no-kill order on me, so it might save your lives.”
Crow smirked. “Oh goodie got to rely on a PipBuck a wonderful device of ponies of the war. Oh what luck.” He said like an ass.

I rolled my eyes. “You do realize my company helped make those right?”

Crow just stared at me. “Look Scootaloo at the moment. I feel it might be best to move this conversation when a war is not outside. So please can we just do this? I had to deal with the Enclave 11 years ago. I don’t want to deal with them again.”

“Alright, I’m sorry, I’ll get it done,” I said and turned around and headed back into the room with Gambit in it.

Reprogramming Gambit’s PipBuck had been a little trickier than I had anticipated. It was in a lot worse shape than anything I had ever seen before, I had no idea what the thing had been through, but I didn’t have much time to dwell on it.

Thankfully the radio function was still relatively intact on it so I was able to reprogram it to broadcast it on my signal. I now just had to hope that I wasn’t going to need to broadcast on that signal while she was broadcasting on it.

I looked at Gambit one more time and sighed a little. “I’m sorry this happened to you Gambit, but we’re doing everything we can to help you. You’ll be back on board your ship before you know it, I just hope it’s the right thing to do.”

I sighed and turned around and walked out of the room.

00000

As I entered the main room of the house most of the others were waiting to see what was going on. I looked at Riva and Dazzle and gave them a nod.

“Well, Gambit hasn’t really changed but we’ve got a plan at least,” I said with a sigh as I took a seat. “We’ll stay here until she’s ready to be moved but then we need to get out of here.”

“Understood,” Riva said with a nod. “What about Arc and Caramel?”

I paused a moment and looked to where the two mares were talking in the other room. I honestly had no idea what to do about them right now. I didn’t want to have to make Arc leave her behind, but she might not have much of a choice.

“I’ll go talk to them,” I said with a sigh as I got up again and walked towards the room. I stopped just outside it though as I heard them talking, I didn’t want to interrupt them, not right now, so instead I just listened.

“You seriously did that because you thought I was in danger?” Caramel asked. “Arc, that was stupid and reckless, you could’ve put lives in danger.”

“I know, I know…” Arc sighed. “But I couldn’t stand the idea of losing you, any of you. Though, if I had known that it was all a lie…”

“Arc, it’s not your fault, you were doing what you felt was right,” Caramel said. “Don’t blame yourself, I may have done the same thing if I was in your place.”

I smiled a little and sighed softly. It was actually kind of nice to know that Arc had somepony who could be there for her when she really needed her like that. I was starting to see why Arc had chased after this mare.

“What are you going to do now?” Caramel asked. “I mean, you don’t have to leave again do you? The Enclave hasn’t been bad to us, we could make a life here.”

“I know but…” Arc said and paused a moment. “I really messed up, there are ponies out there who don’t entirely trust me because of what I did. There will probably always be ponies who feel that way. We have to keep the Enclave from doing irreparable damage to Equestria, and I’m going to help out as best I can. Besides, they used me, don’t you think I should get a little bit of payback for that?”

There was a pause for a moment where neither of them said anything before Caramel spoke up again. “Okay Arc, I understand, just promise me you’ll stay safe okay?”

“I’ll do my best,” Arc said and then paused a moment. “Caramel, there’s something I’ve been wanting to tell you for a long time. And, given everything that’s going on this may be the last chance I get to tell you.”

“What is it Arc?”

“For awhile now I’ve… had feelings about you,” Arc said softly, I swear I could almost feel her blush. “I left Stable 66 to try and find you, I did everything I could to keep you safe. I, I love you Caramel, I’m sorry I didn’t tell you before.”

There was a long pause, I didn’t know what was going on. What happened, did Caramel feel the same way? What was going on? I hated being kept in suspense.

“Arc I…” Caramel said and sighed. “I don’t know how to put it in words.”

“Then show me,” Arc said.

For a moment there was silence, I peeked around the corner and smiled a little at the sight of the two mares kissing. I’d talk with them later, but for now I’d give them a little bit of time together.

LEVEL UP!

Perk Received: Where'd You Purchase That? (Rank 2)
Details: You've gained even more skill with magical energy rifles. You do an extra 10% damage with energy weapons.

Author's Note

Okay, so all the previous disclaimers as to who owns and wrote what still stand, but in addition Crow was made and written by MegaSkullMon.

Chapter 31: Noir

"The noir hero is a knight in blood-caked armor.
He's dirty and he does his best to deny
the fact that he's a hero the whole time."
-Frank Miller.

I headed back to the room where Gambit was being kept. I didn’t want to leave the house without knowing that she was on her way so I had to make sure she was safe enough to move.

I sighed and pushed the door open. I hated that Winter had somehow managed to make it through to Gambit, who knew how many other ponies she might be able to convince. What if we hadn’t managed to get through to her? What would’ve happened then?

I sighed and looked over at where Gambit was. She was currently unconscious given her state before and Crow was watching over her while we were getting ready. I sighed and looked down at the unconscious Alicorn.

“I’m sorry about everything Gambit,” I said softly as I looked at her. “I dragged you into this, I should’ve been there for you. Your friendship means a lot to me, more than I could ever tell you, I’m sorry that we wound up on opposite sides of the war even for a short time. Maybe you were right and we should have stopped the war to negotiate…”

Crow landed beside me he stared at me for a good moment. “From the writings in my old hive. You did try, but some ponies were so full of hatred that they undermined it at every turn.”

“History repeats itself… only this time I’m the one who did everything I could to undermine the peace,” I said with a sigh. “I saw what the Enclave wanted as a threat to Equestria, which it is. An end to this war should be something all sides can live with.”

Crow’s eyes had a look of uncertainty in them. “Scootaloo you seem to forget something. The Enclave only cares about ponies. What about those who aren't? I think you’re fighting for those who are different beyond a pony. There is a reason the friend that saved us hated ponies. Because all she saw was ponies even the ones trying to save it as her words. Creatures that would just fall into hell again. Not worth the time of civilized beings. Purge the ponies and bring forth real peace. She even had ponies following her believing in this.”

“I don’t know to be honest, Winter Breeze is… complicated,” I said with a shake of my head. “Maybe it’s not that simple, it never seems to be with her. I don’t think she should win of course, but I’m not sure she’s as simple as just being focused on ponies.”

Crow nodded. “Yes of course our friend’s heart softened after she met a little filly that she found alive in the pile of corpses. A little fillies who parents were former raiders and who is missing right now..” He sighed.

I was about to say something when there was a flash of purple light behind us. I grabbed the trigger bit on my battle saddle and Crow turned into a bear as we turned around to see a group of Enclave soldiers dressed in a slightly more elaborate version of the normal Enclave Power Armor.

“What do you want?” I demanded of them, preparing to shoot as I moved between them and Gambit.

“By order of our President, we have been dispatched to secure and protect a miss “Gambit” from any threat, be it external or internal.” One of the enclave soldiers said as he stepped forward. “Miss Scootaloo, you are relieved - we will handle the situation until she can be returned to Chapel.”

“How do I know I can trust you?” I demanded of the soldier. “She was lied to and used by the Enclave, how do I know you aren’t just going to take her back to the President?”

“Our orders supersede any standing Enclave order. You are not in cuffs or being taken away to a prison now, are you?” He said, taking a seat and reaching up and placing hooves to either side of his helmet, lifting it off with a hiss as the seal broke. “I should not need to explain to you why you should trust us - You all could of been dead or arrested if we had alternative motives.”

I was about to say something when I froze in mid sentence. The stallion underneath had a white coat and sapphire blue eyes, that wasn’t what drew my eye however. His mane was cut short and had a rainbow pattern to it.

Every time I tried to open my mouth and say something nothing came out. I was just standing there in shocked silence at the pony that bore a striking resemblance to Rainbow Dash.

Crow looked at me. “Um Scootaloo you look like you saw a ghost.. Having sex with another ghost.”

“That is… quite the crass way to say it, but I suppose you are right - she does seem like she recognizes me.” The soldier said and looked to me curiously. “Don’t tell me we’ve met before, somewhere else? I don’t recall you but I can’t always remember everything”

“Your mane,” I said simply as I shook my head to try and get over the shock. “You look like…”

Crow sighed. “I should pay more mind to Deep Thoughts teaching on the past..I would know what this stallion reminds you of. Him and the past is like candy. The racism the tactics the projects.” He shook his head

“What does that even mean?” The soldier said “Anyway, You can call me Spectra, that’s all you need to know right now. As for Miss Gambit - She will be looked after and loaded onto an Enclave Vertibuck as soon as possible and sent back to Chapel and her friends.”

“Alright, but under the condition that Crow goes with you,” I said and looked at Crow. “I’m still not 100% sure about this and right now I trust you more than I do the Enclave.”

“I cannot make any promises as to the safety of any… creature, that we are tasked with watching with. Primary VIP is sleeping beauty over there, any extra baggage cannot be guaranteed.” Spectra said but giving a nod “The… creature, will be transported with her, but if space does not permit I cannot promise anything.”

Crow smirked and turned into a small little bird. His voice sounded chipmunk-ish . “This good enough?”

“The alternative is that Crow here leaves with her alone and you risk them getting caught in the crossfire of the battle,” I said, some confidence returning to my voice. “That wouldn’t look good to Winter now would it? You’ll part ways when you drop her off. Is that going to be a problem?”

“Hmm it’s rare to see ponies respect my kind.” Crow said looking up to me and landing on my shoulder. “Sadly I was born in this day and age.”

“It’s not about what you are, which I am guessing a changeling, by the whole - changing shape thing.” Spectra said, “It’s about who you are, you aren’t hurting anypony so I have no reason to not treat you with respect. Something a lot of ponies could stand to learn.”

“We’re in the middle of a war, if we were the ones escorting one of your ponies to safety wouldn’t you want somepony to come with us?” I pointed out.

Crow nodded. “By logic I should be hunting every pony down. For what they did to the Queen of my hive. But I won’t, I don’t see the point of bloodshed.”

“Would you prefer I treat you like any other pest of an insect and squash you under my boot?” Spectra said, shifting his gaze to Crow. “If that is what you expected and you’re disappointed by my lack to do just that, I can oblige if you so desire.”

Crow smiled. “No sir. I was mostly here to watch Scootaloo and they failed with getting caught interesting show there too.“
“I think you need to work on your… talking skills.” Spectra said before turning his attention back to me. “So, are you going to stand there staring like you’ve seen a ghost, or you going to do whatever job it is you are here to do.”

“Right,” I said and started out of the room. I stopped and took one last look back at Spectra for a moment. Rainbow manes were, pretty rare outside of Rainbow’s family, was it possible he was related to her somehow? Or maybe it was a coincidence, right now I didn’t have time to worry about it.

I pushed the door open and shut it behind me, it was time to get going.

00000

I sighed and headed out into the main room where everypony else was waiting. “Alright, we have to get going. Gambit’s going to be fine, I hope.”

“I wish you could stay longer,” Caramel said with a sigh as she looked up at Arc. “Stay safe all of you, okay?”

“We will,” Arc said and gave Caramel a quick kiss on the lips before she got to her hooves. “I’ll see you soon Caramel, I promise.”

I smiled a little and looked over at Blackjack who was busy cleaning her shotgun. “Are you ready to go Blackjack?”
Blackjack looked like she had much on her mind. Her eyes darting back and forth. She softly said. “I will be ready Lacunae, you and Scotch go on ahead.”

I blinked a little and looked at the others. “Uh, Blackjack… who is Lacunae? And we need to get going as a group.”

She blinked her eyes a moment and looked up. “Oh I’m sorry Scootaloo just memories. Lacunae was an Alicorn that.. I grew very close to.. She died because of my stupidity.” She said with a sigh putting her gun back in the holster. Standing up. “Lets go.” She said sadly. Tears gently went down her face as she walked out of the house.

“Is she going to be okay?” Sparky asked as she looked over at me.

“I, honestly don’t know if Blackjack’s been okay for a very long time…” I said with a sigh as we got up and headed back out into Thunderhead proper.

I looked out into the distance over the buildings and saw smoke rising from where the battle itself was going on. They were still a good distance away so we at least didn’t have to worry about getting caught up in the fighting, yet.

Thankfully it looked like there were ponies who had listened to Winter’s broadcast as there were civilians being directed to craft for evacuation by the military ponies that weren’t already involved in the fighting. It, actually was nice to know that the Enclave was keeping their word there and was getting the civilians to safety.

“Are they going to be okay?” Sparky asked as she looked over at the ponies. “They’re not going to be shot down are they?”

“I hope not,” I said with a sigh. “If they follow the right path away from the battle, they should be fine.”

We started walking again. I checked the map option on my PipBuck, Thunderhead was a decent sized city and we had to head for an area that was a pretty good distance away from the fighting if we wanted to reach the government offices.

“Are you feeling okay?” I asked as I looked over at Blackjack.

Blackjack stayed silent she looked in her own little world at the moment. She turned to look at me. I could see hatred in her eyes. She spoke softly. “Are you sure these ponies don’t work with Lighthooves Glory? I could pick them off one by one if they do.” Her eyes clouded over like she wasn’t fully there.

“Blackjack what are you…” I started to say, then it dawned on me, she was having flashbacks to when she was in Thunderhead before. Okay, maybe taking her back into this city was a bad idea, but we couldn’t take it back now. “Blackjack, come back to me, its Scootaloo. We’re not fighting Lighthooves, Lighthooves is dead.”

The white mares eyes stared at me for the longest time looking close at me. The cloud vanished from her eyes her gentle smile returned. “What are you talking about Scootaloo of course Lighthooves is dead. Come on let’s find Glory.”

I frowned a little, I was getting worried about Blackjack, well more worried than I already was. I was about to say something to her when I blinked and realized she was gone. “What… where did she go?”

I hear the sound of screams and the sound of a shotgun cocking. A very angry mare saying. “WHERE IS LIGHTHOOVES?! I am going to give you a fucking chance.. One….Two.”

I bolted forward, my enhanced speed automatically kicking in in the panic. I followed the sound of the screams and spotted Blackjack, she was holding a couple of Pegasi civilians at gunpoint with a crazed look in her eyes.

She was sobbing and crying but also laughing. She was losing it the gun dropped from her magic. But she tried to keep it lifted. “NO! No, no pony should leave me.” She stood on her hooves the metal ends turning into fist. Clenching them, I could hear the sound of the metal crunching and bending. “The dealer...I see him...He speaks to me… Even now..” She was shaking aiming her gun and got ready to pull the trigger.

I didn’t hesitate, I lined up the SOAR on her flank for a moment and closed my eyes and pulled the trigger. The energy bolt fired from the rifle and I heard the sound of impact and crackle of energy followed by a WHUMP sound and a cry as Blackjack fell forward onto her face as the cybernetic legs failed from under her.

I opened my eyes and saw her sprawled out before I looked at the two Pegasi who were holding each other and trembling. “Get out of here, please, get to safety.”

The two ponies scrambled around the collapsed cyberpony and ran off past my friends. I moved forward and looked down at Blackjack cautiously. “Blackjack?”

She was sobbing hard. “All of them...are dead...because of me... Because i wasn’t fast enough... Better, I hear them, I see them... Gasping for air. I see my friends screaming for me to come, but I couldn’t leave just staring at the door. Gunfire coming at me.. Glory’s wing, hurt because of me. It fell off it fell off because of those damn tunnels. The pain I see in her eyes. Rampage... I treated her so bad. But... Freedom Heart. I just treated him like he was a stallion for my pleasure... I didn’t care for his feelings. He tried to kill himself, he hung himself, I deserved it… he blamed me..” She sobbed hard so much coming forward.

I pulled the Unicorn in close. “Just let it all out… you’ve been holding it all in for so long… but you’re going to be okay. What happened in Stable 99 was an accident, nothing you did was your fault.”

She started to cry harder. “No...No I did it..I pushed the button. I didn’t smash into it. I pushed it.. I felt..I felt...It would save me and my family and friends. From being harmed by the raiders.. But..But..I heard the screams. The awful screams..I was trapped in there….Trapped. I wanted to let it take me...But I had to get out...I had to run.. All i have done is run! Then Glory turned into Rainbow Dash for a time and the Killing Joke turned me into a mare that blew up everytime she walked…” She sobbed but she wasn’t done.

I sighed and looked at Blackjack for a long moment as I tried to decide what to say next. “Blackjack…”

What I was about to say was cut off when there was the sound of hooves as Arc came up to us and hugged Blackjack tight. I was surprised for a moment but smiled a little as the others joined in.

“Blackjack, you’re going to be just fine,” I said softly. “We’re all here for you.”

She cried deeply tears streamed down. She had one last thing to get out. “The goddess she...Controlled me...To kill Pip… I could have warned her..I could have said something. But I couldn’t… I saw… I saw Twilight looking at me... In that...evil.. She wanted me to run.Then I rushed and the balefire bomb went off. I was there… Lacunae stood in front of me, risking her life, for me. Then when it all let up... She grew, she grew so large... She gave herself up... Because of my stupidity. She gave Psalm her freedom. Now i no longer dream of what she did either.” Her tears slowly stopped coming and she takes a few deep breaths.

“Are you okay Blackjack?” Sparky asked as she looked at her worriedly.

She looked up with a weak smile. “ I will be okay kiddo. This is what happens when you drink for a long time and don’t allow yourself to empty it all. Also Scootaloo good shot..My ass is burning thank you.” She chuckled she tried to move her legs but no luck.

“Oh, sorry, here let me take a look at that,” I said and checked her hind legs. “Sorry, I’ve never tried shooting a cyberpony with this thing before…”

“It means we are close friends now Scoots you did what every other pony did when we met. Shoot me in the ass. Now I have to get married to you and dance the hula.” She said jokingly.

I just rolled my eyes and got to work, but I couldn’t help but chuckle a little. “Well, it’s nice to see your sense of humor wasn’t damaged, but it might still need some fixing,” I said with a shake of my head. “Okay, looks like it’s just a brief disruption in the cybernetics, you should be fine in a minute.”

“Well if anypony can fix it, it’s your orange ass.” Blackjack said smirking “But joking aside…” She sighed. “I would be lost without you guys. Riva i may not know you well, but you’re kind and gentle. Arc, we may have not gotten along at first.. But I consider you a close sister… Dazzle.. For a ghoul you're pretty sexy.“ She smirked. “Oh and Sparky, you’re a cute kid.”
“I try my best,” Riva said with a smile.

“We’re a family here Blackjack, a, rather crazy at times dysfunctional family,” I said with a chuckle and looked at Dazzle with a nod. “You two are new to our little family, and we may not be complete, but that’s what we are. And we’re going to be here for each other, and that includes you.”

“That’s right, and don’t forget it,” Arc said with a smile. “And, that means a lot to me.”

“Anyway ahem, I know this is a lovely display of kindness and friendship. But ponies are staring.” She looked to the ponies watching them. Her cheeks turn red with embarrassment from this.

“Take a picture, it’ll last longer!” I called out to the ponies as we released the hug. I offered a hoof to Blackjack to help her up as the cybernetics started working again. “Sorry for knocking out your legs like that.”

“Eh I was going nuts, it was needed Scoots. Now I need to do something that I have been needing to do since we met. “ Blackjack pulled me into a tight hug. Whispered softly. “Thank you for saving me. I owe you one.”

I smiled and hugged back. I looked up towards one of the rooftops and blinked for a moment, I could’ve sworn I saw a pony dressed in purple power armor with a hat and cape for a moment, and then the figure vanished.

I blinked, what was that about? I shook my head, I had bigger things to worry about than a strange pony right now.

“Come on, let’s get going,” I said and we picked ourselves up and we started walking again.

00000

As we made our way through Thunderhead I couldn’t help but think about the strange pony I had briefly seen. We were starting to see less and less civilians and more military personnel that we had to avoid.

I looked over at Sparky and smiled a little, she was talking with Blackjack, I turned my attention back ahead of me and looked ahead for any sign of trouble. Thankfully right now the Enclave was more focused on the attacking Alliance, but I didn’t know how long that was going to last.

Blackjack spoke loud enough to Sparky from behind me. “Well how I won in the Arena.. I don’t remember much of that battle but the one i was fighting. Had a chain around my neck so I had to use some drugs like dash and Hydra. Then I beat them in a blind rage.”

“That’s quite the story,” Sparky said, she sounded impressed, not that I blamed her. “And that got you the respect of the Reapers?”

“Yes I did. Even when I was broken and lost. They tried to help me. But all I could think about is.. Drinking and having congress with every mare and stallion I saw.” She said with a sad voice. “Being lost like that...Is, well it's hard to deal with. That’s all I cared about then I see one like you. I feel I need to clean up my act before...finding Glory.” She said in even sadder voice.

“Blackjack…” Sparky said and sighed a little. “You’re doing just fine, heck you’re doing better than me. I’m just kind of a tag along at this point and I’m not really bringing anything new to this, but I’m here for my family because its the right thing to do.”

Blackjack chuckled. “If you want me to be blunt you’re bringing the cute back to this group. I am sure you could draw the eye’s of any mare or stallion. Not Scootaloo she is just an old donkey.” She said jokingly. “But still she did save my flank.”

“Hey, I’m only 43!” I protested which just got a giggle from Sparky. “Real funny you two, you’re enjoying this aren’t you?”

“Yep!” Sparky said with a giggle. “Come on, we can have a little fun with you can’t we?”

Blackjack snickered. “Hey at least we aren’t getting shot at right now.” She shuts her mouth a moment. “I think i am going to regret that later.”

I was about to say something when an energy bolt flew past our heads and into the wall of a building behind us. “Darn it Blackjack, you just had to say something didn’t you?” I shouted as we ducked behind a bench as we looked out at the approaching Enclave Soldiers.

“I’m guessing they’re not friends or the fact that these could be remnants of Lighthooves ponies. But that would be a little crazy.” Her horn glows keeping the shotgun out of sight for the time being. Blackjack spoke up. “Hey we mean you no harm!! So please stop shooting at us. With sugar and strawberries and some beer on top?”

They just shot her a strange look and then continued firing at us. I facehooved and returned fire on the Enclave ponies.

“Uh Blackjack, you do realize we’re in the middle of a battle with the Enclave, right? They’re not our friends right now!” I said.

Blackjack sighed. “Can’t blame a mare for trying. Here I am going to try something I have an idea.” She stood up rushing quickly to the side her Hoof getting caught on the leg of the bench causing her to roll a bit.. Her gun to go off and the bullets to start bouncing of various places. While she rolled she smashed into a strange rope system that held a piano. One of her stray bullets caused the piano to fly off the rope. Then it flew to the enclave soldiers and knocked them out.

“Okay… that is not what I expected,” Riva said and looked at the rest of us. “Is that possible?”

“I really have no idea,” I said with a sigh. I was about to get out of cover when there was another shot, more soldiers had been attracted by the sound of the fight and were moving in on our position. “Crap… just what needed right now.”

As we started to fire back at the Enclave soldiers it was starting to become clear that these weren’t the run of the mill soldiers. I ducked out of the way of another shot and looked over at Sparky who was shaking a little.

“Are you okay?” I asked her softly and she nodded. It occurred to me that this was the first time she had seen actual combat. I reached over and put my hoof on her’s and gave her a nod. “You’re going to be okay, I promise.”

Sparky smiled a little as she picked her rifle back up, looking at it again I recognized it as the same one Apple Bloom had threatened us with. She positioned herself and fired at the Enclave as best she could, though it was obvious she wasn’t used to fighting anything other than monsters or Raiders.

I sighed, this wasn’t the best cover but we couldn’t leave it to find better cover. After a moment though the sound of gunfire started to die down, I gestured to Arc who used her telekinesis to pull the unconscious Blackjack closer to us.

“Why did they stop shooting?” Dazzle wondered out loud.

“Now now boys, can’t you see these ponies aren’t your enemy? I mean - look at them, they couldn’t hit you even if they tried. Just some scared Civilians who took up their arms to protect themselves, nothing more.” A familiar voice said, “Why don’t you move on to the actual battleground and I’ll get these scared fillies to a transport out of the city.”

I looked up and facehooved at the sight of Spectra. I wasn’t going to ruin the distraction though, I gestured to the others and we started moving again slowly and quietly.

“But sir, they’re Alliance infiltrators,” the head soldier said as he looked confused at Spectra. “We have standing orders from the President to deal with any infiltration team.”

“You’re mistaken, these fillies aren’t infiltrators - Just look at them, do they look like highly skilled alliance special ops? I don’t think so. Wouldn’t want to hurt them and get yourself in trouble for killing a civilian.” Spectra said, motioning back to us.

Okay, this was getting weird, I mean I had been face to face with that stallion about an hour ago. For a moment I swore I saw the same purple figure out of the corner of my eye as it moved along the rooftops, but I was more focused on getting us out of there.

“Sir, um you do know they’re um getting away. I mean they’re right there.” The other enclave soldier said.

“Would you rather have a charge of insubordination along with whatever they try and get you with for killing civilians?” Spectra said and smirked “If you want to have that on your record, or be branded and thrown from the clouds, fine - that’s on you, can’t blame me for trying.”

“Any idea why we’re being saved by an Enclave Commander?” Arc whispered to me.

“I honestly have no idea,” I admitted as we rounded the corner and away from the soldiers. “Come on, we have to…”
I stopped mid-sentence as we came face to face with the same pony I had seen before. Now that I saw them close up though, I swear there was something familiar about the way they looked.

“Who are you?” I demanded of the armored pony. “Why have you been following us?”

“Come with me if you want to live,” the armored pony said in a distorted and slightly gravelly voice before she turned down an alleyway.

“What should we do?” Arc asked as she looked between us.

Blackjack sounded like she was slowly waking up. A deep groan coming from her mouth. “Follow...the strange pony… Ow.”

“Do we really have a choice?” Riva said as she looked back behind us.

Well, I couldn’t argue with her there, but we were walking into a dead end alleyway. “Lets go,” I said finally and we followed the strange mare down the alley. “What now?”

The armored pony didn’t reply, instead they hit a panel and a secret door opened up. They looked back and looked at us before jerking their head towards the door. “Get inside, now.”

“But…” Arc started to say.

“Lets not argue with the power armored pony,” I said as we quickly headed through the door. I took one look at the strange pony and noticed a symbol on its armor but they herded us into the door before I could question it and shut the door behind us.

00000

I was surprised, I didn’t know that there were tunnels like this under cloud cities like Thunderhead. We were somewhere under the city at this point, I didn’t know where, but it was something at least.

“Where are we going?” I asked as I looked at the strange armored pony.

“You’ll see,” they said as they pushed ahead of us.

Blackjack groans. “Let me down please Arc.”

Arc eased the Unicorn down. The armored pony glanced over at Blackjack and shook their head. “I should’ve known you’d be in the middle of all of this Blackjack.”

“Well lovely to see you again. At least this time we don’t have to worry about them trying to show that Glory is a clone of Rainbow Dash.” She said with a groan shaking her head.”What the feather happen?”

“You had really strange adventures, you know that right?” I commented with a chuckle. “Then again, I keep running into clones and ponies with some weird connection to me…”

“Hey!” Sparky said.

“I meant ponies other than you Sparky,” I said and facehooved.

“Bull hockey I picked the wrong time to stop drinking. Anyway thank you again. Miss Mare-do-well.”

“Wait, you’re the Mysterious Mare-Do-Well?” Dazzle said as the armored mare looked back at us. “I thought you were just a myth.”

“Wait, you’ve heard of her?” I asked and looked at Dazzle then at Blackjack. “And you’ve met her? What’s the story here?”

She blinks trying to remember. “OH yes well when we came in here..We all got caught but not me… Soooo to get away I removed the spell and fell through the the clouds.” She smirks remembering that wonderful moment of her stupidity. “But Mare-Do-Well saved my flank. I landed on her by pure luck or that's what my mind thought at the time.” She thought more. “Then I asked her helper to give me all the whiskey don’t remember everything else truthfully.”

“Do you have any idea how long it took me to clean up last time she was here?” The Mysterious Mare-Do-Well commented and shot a look at Blackjack. “No alcohol this time around, understood?”

“I don’t drink anymore. I want to be clean for Glory. So don’t worry I will be fully clean.” She said with a smile.

We walked a little further until we reached a large chamber that likely served as the Mare-Do-Well’s HQ. There was equipment strewn here and there along with different weapons and a large computer up against the far wall.

As I looked around I saw a few pictures here and there of different ponies. That was strange, why would there be so many different ponies here? I felt like I was missing the piece of a puzzle or something.

“Well, Scootaloo, I have to say I wasn’t expecting to be graced with your presence,” the Mare-do-Well said as she removed her helmet and shook her mane free. She was an older looking mare with a dark grey coat and a short white mane. “You’re quite the legend around these parts.”

“Hello Thunder Strike,” She spoke softly.

“Blackjack,” the now named Thunder Strike said and looked between us. “So, it looks like Winter’s finally bitten off more than she can chew.”

“Let’s hope I don’t get blown up again.” She sighed. “ I knew I should have brought Boo. But well I am only here to find Glory. If I can help take care of this thing with Winter I will, but she is too smart with her words. She’s respectful, but she falls by ignoring the issues of other races.”

“Winter Breeze isn’t like the old High Council,” Thunder Strike said with a shake of her head. “She’s hard to get a read on even for me and I don’t like it.”

“Umm, can I ask a question?” Sparky asked as we looked over at her. “What exactly is the Mysterious Mare-Do-Well?”

Thunder Strike raised an eyebrow and looked at the Pegasus teen curiously. “Ah, you’re ground born I’m guessing. We’ve been a pain in the Enclave’s flank for over a hundred years, fighting the good fight and giving them Hell… at least, that’s how it used to be.”

There was a pain in her voice as she said that last part. Had something happened? The mare sighed and closed her eyes. “I’m sorry, I just don’t have it in me to keep fighting… as hard as it is to admit it.”

“Do you want to talk about it?” I asked.

“Excuse me Arc since.. This might take awhile. Up for a chat?” She asked as she walked away from me turning back to give a soft smile and then went farther away.

“Okay,” Arc said and headed off to talk with Blackjack.

Riva and Dazzle went off next, Sparky was going to join them but Thunder Strike stopped her. “If you’re who I think you are, you should hear this too.”

“Okay?” Sparky asked as she looked over at me and I shrugged. “Alright, what do you want to talk to us about?”

“Well like I said, the Mysterious Mare-Do-Well has been around for a long time,” Thunder said as she pulled off her armor. She was an older mare, that much was obvious, but she looked in pretty good shape for her age. “It goes back over a hundred years when a mare named Windy Willow came across this place. We’re on the outer edge of Thunderhead, the best we can gather is that it was a Ministry of Awesome facility to go with Shadowbolt Tower.”

“I see,” I said in understanding as I looked around. That name sounded familiar somehow, like I had heard or read it before but I couldn’t remember it. “So, you’re a legacy, you pass the title and training down over the years right?”

“Yeah, that was the idea,” Thunder Strike said and looked over at Sparky. “But all of that changed 10 years ago.”

“Wait, did Blackjack…”

“No, no, this was after the destruction of Shadowbolt Tower,” Thunder said with a shake of her head. “Solar Wind was a good pony, she was an orphan who I found here in Thunderhead and raised with the intention of passing the title on when she was ready. And then the Civil War happened, we were involved as best we could of course. We were hunting this Enclave assassin named Cricket at the time, a Canterlot Ghoul like your buddy Dazzle, but… much meaner.”

“Didn’t she shoot you when you first met her?” Sparky whispered to me.

“Yeah… wait… did you say Cricket?” I asked and blinked a little. Okay, that could be a coincidence, it had been 200 years after all, there might be another pony out there named Cricket.

“Yeah, she was a Shadowbolt during the war that started working for the Enclave years ago,” Thunder Strike said with a shake of her head. “The way I’ve heard it, she lost her kids during the destruction of Cloudsdale and, well, it broke her. She wound up working with the Enclave in the early days and has been doing their dirty work ever since.”

“Okay, yeah that is the same Cricket,” I said with a sigh.

“She killed Solar Wind in the fight,” Thunder Strike said and closed her eyes as she picked up the helmet and looked at it. “After that, I couldn’t keep fighting. Solar Wind had trusted me, she was the closest thing I ever had to a daughter and I lead her into the slaughter.”

“Oh come on now, I did you a favor!” A voice from the dark echoed through the chamber. “The brat had what was coming to her, she couldn’t fight - the only reason there isn’t a pony worth the cape, is because you got emotional about a polishing a turd. Polish it all you want, it’ll still be a turd.”

“What the…” I said and looked around for the source of the voice. “Who are you?”

“Cricket… you didn’t have to kill her!” Thunder Strike snapped as she tried to steady herself. I could tell that she was shaken up by the sudden voice. “Show yourself and fight me you coward!”

Blackjack looked around during the conversation with Arc. She sighed speaking out. “HEY ENOUGH!! There is already enough crazy mares in this world. Go be crazy somewhere else!”

“Now now Lambchop, Why would I do something like come down and fight? It is fun to stay up here and watch how you twitch and squirm.” Cricket said with a laugh.

“Check your EFS, I want to know exactly where she is,” I said and checked my EFS and looked around, raising my Battle Saddle to get ready to fire at wherever the psycho mare was. “Don’t listen to her Thunder, she’s just trying to get under your skin.”

“Cricket, you’re wrong!” Thunder said as she tried to keep herself calm. “Solar Flare was a good pony, one who you cut down before she could really shine. You’re just a monster, what would your foals think of you if they could see you now?”

“I think they would be proud of me, standing up for myself and what I think is right.” Cricket replied and soared down from the upper regions of the cave. “Did you think that would hurt? Bringing up my children?”

Blackjack just stared at the mare in power armor. She spoke gently. “I understand you as well, but this tiff between you two a good idea with the war outside? I know old grudges are hard to take away, but you have to let go sometime.” She said softly

“I have no intentions of fighting any of you, I already handled my target, I thought i’d pay an… Old friend, a quick visit.” Cricket said and stifled a chortle. “Trust me, if I wanted any of you dead, you wouldn’t have the chance to even say my name.”

I lined up a shot on the flying mare with SATS, it wasn’t a clean shot but I had to take a chance. I pulled the trigger for the SOAR and fired an energy bolt right at Cricket.

“Typical energy weapons, you think I wouldn’t have figured out how to handle them in what… 210 years? Come now… use something more original.” Cricket said, simply dodging the shot. “Surprised to see you here, you don’t even look like a ghoul - Tell me, how did you survive all these years, Miss Scootaloo.”

“And why would I tell you,” I said with a growl as I watched her. “The important thing is I’m alive isn’t it?”

“Ah, I see, Don’t want to give up spoilers? Afraid that maybe the big bad Cricket may have a way to go back and get you in your little pod?” Cricket laughed.

“Not that it would do you any good, it’s out of power,” I said with a roll of my eyes. “And Celestia only knows where any more of them are.”

“Do you want anything other than to remind me of the worst time of my life or are you done?” Thunder demanded.

“No no, I mean not to remind you of that - It’s more that I’d like to just drop in and say hi really.” Cricket joked “Just so happened that you had to bring that up and give me an opportunity”

“Then get the hell out of here!” Thunder said as she glared at her. “Or I’ll come up there and escort you out myself!”

“Come up where buttercup, I’m standing right here.” Cricket said with a laugh. “Not going to even ask how I got in here? Not that I’d tell you. Anyway - Fine, I’ll just be going then.” With that, she took back off and disappeared into the dark.

There was a long moment of quiet as we all just looked at each other. Then after a long moment, Thunder Strike collapsed.

00000

“What’s she looking like?” I asked Riva as she finished checking Thunder Strike.

“She’s in bad shape,” Riva said with a sigh and a shake of her head. “She’s in no shape to fight, I don’t know what’s keeping her together.”

BlackJack had a worried look on her face. She trotted off yelling. “SPROCKET!!”

A pony made their way into view with greying fur and looked at Thunder Strike with a shake of her head. “I go away for a few hours… what happened here?”

Blackjack was still running in the hall’s calling for Sprocket so she was to far away.

“Blackjack, she’s back here!” I called after the Unicorn and facehooved. “You can come back already!”

The white mare came running back into the room. A slight blush on her cheeks stroking the back of her head. “Ahem sorry.”

“Look, Thunder Strike isn’t as young as she used to be, she’s been under a lot of stress since Solar Wind’s death,” Sprocket said. “I’ve been doing my best, but she’s not going to be much help to you right now. I don’t know why you’re even here, she’s not supposed to be out in the city.”

“Sprocket she was trying to tell Scootaloo something.. Then some mare named Cricket swooped in here.” Blackjack said.

“Yeah, that would do it,” Sprocket said with a shake of her head and looked back towards Thunder Strike. “She’ll live at least, but the legacy will die with her.”

“No, it won’t,” Thunder Strike said with a groan as she slowly sat up and looked over at me and Sparky. “I brought you here because this is part of your legacy Scootaloo.”

“Wait, what?” I asked and blinked a little at that. “What do you mean part of my legacy?”

“Windy Willow, the first of us, was your descendant,” she said

Blackjack blinked. “Damn Scoots your descendants get around.” She said with a chuckle.

“Blackjack, you’re not helping,” I said and facehooved at the strange mare’s behavior.

“How did she become the Mysterious Mare-Do-Well if I may ask?”

“Ironically, that would also be connected to Cricket,” Thunder Strike said with a shake of her head. “Willow was a soldier in the Enclave and, well she didn’t really know about her heritage until she got an assignment working with that psycho. They were tracking a Dashite named Sapphire Skies who was in Hoofington back when it was even more a hellhole than it is these days.”

I raised an eyebrow but listened curiously. It was kind of strange to think of a pony related to be serving the Enclave, but then again Winter was the leader of the Enclave.

“One night towards the end of the search, they find themselves in this seedy bar following up on a lead,” Thunder Strike continued. “Willow didn’t really know what happened, but as they got settled in for the night Cricket, started talking about what sounded like a bunch of nonsense to her. She said that she had been in Canterlot after the Pink Cloud formed and did something to sabotage the fans in the Stable there because of the royals and let it get flooded with Pink Cloud.”

My eyes went wide, that was not something I had ever expected to hear. Sure I knew that the fans in Stable 1 had failed, but sabotaged? Cricket had actually sabotaged them so that they failed?

“Wait, what?” Dazzle said as she shot up. “You’re telling me that Stable 1 was sabotaged by that… thing?”

“That’s what she said yeah, it was revenge for the war and her family being killed in Cloudsdale,” Thunder Strike said with a shake of her head. “Willow asked why she was telling her this and Cricket told her, ‘Because you’ve got Scootaloo’s blood in you. The pony who built that place to save lives and I turned it into a deathtrap. I know it’s not the same, but I wanted to say I’m sorry for screwing it over.’”

“That, couldn’t have been easy for her to accept,” Arc commented.

“Yeah, well after all that Willow left the bar to clear her head,” Thunder said and shook her head. “And then she met Sapphire Skies, she was a doctor that had been caught sneaking down to the Wasteland to help ponies, nothing very threatening. The two of them got to talking and Willow started to realize that Sapphire was right about everything. So they ran off together, found this place, and eventually Willow passed the mantel on to another pony, and so on and so forth, until me at least.”

“Scootaloo…” Dazzle said as she looked over at me.

“Yes?”

“I’m sorry about before…” she said with a sigh. “I always blamed you for what happened to Stable 1, but… I shouldn’t have blamed you. You still saved us, even if you locked us away, and that’s what really counts.”

I nodded a little. “Apology accepted Dazzle,” I said and turned to look back at Thunder. “Thanks for telling me Thunder.
“You’re welcome,” she said.

“So, you hoped me or one of the others would take up the mantle? I’m not exactly in the best position to do that either, I’m already too high profile.”

There was a long silence as we tried to figure out what to do. Finally Sparky spoke up, “I’ll do it.”

“Are you sure?” I asked as I looked over at Sparky.

“Yeah, I can fight, I got an idea of how Power Armor works from when we were disguised, I can do this,” Sparky said with a nod. “Look I… I’ve been kind of unsure of my place here, if I can help ponies by being the Mysterious Mare-Do-Well, I’ll do it.”

Blackjack had an unsure look. But slowly walked to Sparky giving her a hug. “I don’t know you so well kiddo. But..” She looks for the words her eye’s going back and forth. “But from my talk with you. You’re a strong young mare. I promise I will come and see you from time to time.. When all this is said and done.. But stay strong..” She pulled away and stood beside me.

“You do know she doesn’t have to stay here right?” Thunder Strike pointed out. “Look, normally I’d train you but given the situation… you’re going to have to be on your own for now. Maybe after this war is over we can meet back up.”
Blackjack facehooved. “Damn I must look like a fool now.” She said.

“Now?” I snarked and shook my head as Blackjack smacked my side. “Sparky, are you sure about this? It’s not going to be an easy job, but we’re here for you, we all are.”

Sparky nodded as she looked at the purple power armor for a long moment as if deciding if she had made the right choice. I didn’t blame her, this was a difficult decision. I gave Sparky a hug and a smile.

“Don’t worry Sparky, I have faith in you,” I said. “You’re going to be just fine.”

“Thanks, mom…” Sparky said and I blinked a little. While Sparky had been the daughter of a clone, I never thought of her as my daughter for some reason. I smiled and hugged her tighter.

“Come on, let’s get you into that armor,” I said with a smile as we headed over to where the armor was resting.

Sparky slipped into the armor, thankfully it seemed to fit her pretty well as she fit the helmet on along with the hat, leaving the mouthpiece off a moment. She flapped her wings a little as she tested them out in the armor. She looked over at me and smiled a little.

“How do I look?”

“You look good,” I said with a smile as I took a step back to see her better. I wondered who had made this, if this had been a MAW facility then it might’ve been made for Rainbow Dash, but who knows. “How does it feel?”

“Not that bad,” Sparky said and looked over at Thunder Strike who gave her a nod.

“There’s a radio broadcaster in the helmet, if you need anything just let me know,” she said and gave her a nod. “Stay safe Sparky, you’re the Mysterious Mare-Do-Well now.”

Blackjack thinks a moment. “So is this Mare-do-Well Beyond?”

I just rolled my eyes and laughed as we headed out after saying our goodbyes to Sprocket and Thunder Strike.

00000

We exited the tunnels only to hear the sound of the battle getting closer. As I checked the map on my PipBuck we took a turn towards where the government office was. The streets of Thunderhead were empty at this point as we went past empty buildings.

I sighed as we kept walking and brushed my mane back a little as I checked the time on my PipBuck. It was getting late, the sun would be going down soon, I just had to hope that we wouldn’t run into any more distractions.

Which lasted all of 60 seconds when my ears perked up as I heard a raspy stallion’s voice singing.

“And you could have it all,
My empire of dirt.
I will let you down,
I will make you hurt.”

Blackjack’s eyes go wide. “I know that voice.”

I knew it too, actually it sounded like the stallion who sung on the radio, but it didn’t have the same sound to it. I almost swear it sounded like somepony was singing it, but there wasn’t anypony around, was there?

As I looked around however, there was somepony who hadn’t been there before. Hunched over a table outside of a cafe was a stallion dressed in a beat up old cloak and hat playing with a deck of cards.

“Uh, does anypony else see that?” I asked as I looked back at my friends.

Blackjack went right to the table and sat down. “Hello Dealer.” She said in anger. “After all these years you bug me again?”

“I’m not just here for you Blackjack,” the Dealer said in the same gravelly voice as he looked at me from under his hat and gestured me over. “Just the three of us, your friends can stay behind.”

I glanced at the others before I sighed and walked over and took a seat next to Blackjack. “What do you want this time?”

“I see things, some things that are known, some things that are yet to come,” the Dealer said as he set two cards down. The first was of a pony that bore a resemblance to Blackjack hanging upside-down from a tree while the second looked like me holding a lamp and looking down. “Things, that you must see and understand the both of you.”

Blackjack sighed. “I thought I was rid of you after I got rid of EC-1011.” She takes a look at the cards. “What no coming into my head yelling Ante up?”

“You should know by now that the Wasteland works in mysterious ways, Blackjack,” the Dealer said as he looked at her. “We’re always playing the game, and you’ve got your part to play in the days to come.”

Blackjack gets ready to move from her chair. “I don’t need this.”

The Dealer didn’t speak for a moment, instead he drew a card from the top of his deck and placed it on the one of the hanging mare. It was faced away from us and depicted an Alicorn with 10 swords impaled through her back.

“A card of new beginnings, you’ve given ponies a chance at a new life through sacrifice,” the Dealer said as he looked at Blackjack. “A curious card for you.”

Blackjack stares intently at the card. Tears stream down her face. “I don’t deserve the praise that you give me for this. Lacuane’s death is what did this. I just was in the way. But why show me this?!” She slams the table staring intently at the dealer. But after awhile she calmed down and back down crying to herself.

“You have had more of an impact on this world than you know,” the Dealer said and then drew another card and set it down over the card of the lone figure. This one made my heart fell, it was of Sweetie Belle, Rainbow Dash, and Sky Walker’s cutie marks with three swords through them. “Ah, a card of grief and painful separation.”

“Okay, now I’m getting a bit fed up with this,” I said with a growl. “Yeah, I’ve lost a lot of ponies, you don’t have to rub it in. Why are you showing us these?”

“To know one’s future we must understand their past, these cards are your pasts,” The Dealer said calmly. “Blackjack, you’re a mare who was forced to leave her home and in your wake you brought more than just death. You brought change, a chance for the Hoof and Equestria to have a new beginning. You changed things, the world may have forgotten what you did, but your impact on it never went away. What about the foals? Waiting there for cures that would never come, you showed them more mercy than the world did.”

Blackjack’s eyes opened in horror. Something snapped she screamed with anger and sadness. “Those… twenty little foals...Locked up since the war...I” She laid her head on the table sobbing softly. “So many young minds, ended because of me.” She sobbed covering her head.

“Blackjack…” I started to say, I didn’t know what to say honestly. I placed my hoof on her shoulder and spoke as reassuring as I could. “Blackjack it’s okay, I’m sorry you had to do it, but… we can’t let our mistakes define is, just learn from them. I’m here for you.”

Blackjack took a few deep breaths. “Yes I know Scootaloo just it hurts remembering all I did. I wish It didn’t, but it still hits me..” She wiped her eyes with a hoof.

“And you Scootaloo, you lost everything dear to you, but you still do what you can to help others,” the Dealer said as he looked at me. “You’re not any more defined by your mistakes than anything else, but you want to atone for them. Your past future is always defined by difficulty, but you comfort those who need it. That’s what matters to you, helping others more than anything.”

The Dealer drew a fifth card and placed it in between the two piles. I blinked a little in surprise, this one depicted me and Blackjack shaking hooves while we both held a cup. “Uh…”

“A card of partnership, harmony,” he said as he looked between us. “You two were brought together for a reason.”

Blackjack looked at me. “I would still be in star house screaming for Glory and crying without Scootaloo. Of course I am surprised it took her till now to shoot me.” She said with a smirk.

“And she’s helped me just as much,” I said with a smile as I looked at Blackjack. “She’s helped ground me a bit better, given me a lot to think about, and she’s been just a really good friend. I’m glad I met her.”

Blackjack chuckled finally calmed looking back to the dealer. “I guess I did need you to show up.”

“Now we’ve reached the present, it is time to gaze into the future,” the Dealer said as he shuffled the deck once more. He looked at me and then at Blackjack. “I cannot promise you that what you learn will be happy, will you listen?”

“I will if she will,” I said with a nod.

Blackjack looks to me. Then to the dealer. She said with a bit of reluctance in her voice. “I will too.”

The Dealer nodded and drew the next card and placed it down on the table. This card depicted Winter Breeze seated on a throne holding a sword and a scale in balance. “Curious, a card of balance, fairness, and law. Curious, but not entirely unexpected.”

He drew another card and set it down on top of the one of Winter. This one was of an Enclave soldier staring down at 5 cups, it was faced away from us once more. “Ah, it’s reversed, curious, very curious. Someone may have to come to a point of acceptance, who knows what side this is for though.”

He drew another card and we gasped when he set it down. It depicted a skeletal pony dressed in armor with a battle saddle and a ghastly looking smile.

“Wait… I know that, that’s the Death card isn’t it?” I said and looked at the Dealer. “Death is coming?”

Blackjack said softly. “With me around death always comes.”

“You two know little about Tarot, Death does not mean death it means change, change is coming,” the Dealer said. “The question now is, what kind of change? What future awaits you both and Equestria?”

He didn’t say more, instead he drew the next card and frowned as he set it down. The figure on this card was not as clear, but it looked like a stallion dressed in a Wonderbolt General uniform standing on the bridge of a cloudship. Once more it was faced away from us. “He is reversed, a sign of domination and rigidity. That’s, troubling.”

Blackjack looked at me then at the card. “Huh I could see you being a stallion very handsome. Very demanding. Also i am sure you would have to beat the mares away with a giant stick.”

“You keep your mane cut short for decades and you never hear the end of it,” I said and facehooved as I looked at the Dealer. “Was she like this when you met her before?”

“She was worse,” the Dealer said with a throaty laugh.

He picked up another card and placed it down below the one of the stallion and frowned. This one depicted Shadowbolt Tower up in flames as it was destroyed from within. “Disaster is coming… great and terrible disaster.”

Blackjack stared at the card. She started to shake the poor mare was trembling the fact that.. She even saw this put so much dread in her very soul. She grabbed the table with her metal hooves holding it tight enough to crack it.

I knocked the card off the table. “Blackjack, calm down, it’s just a card… please calm down…”

Blackjack looked at me. So much sadness in her eyes. “To you...it’s a card Scootaloo. But I lived it. I would have died in there if it wasn’t for Boo. I asked her not to follow me.. Because I didn’t want her to get hurt, but she did anyway. Lighthooves broke me during the fight. I was able to get the tower to blow up. But that was after...he broke me.” She sighed deeply looking at her legs. “Because of him and the explosion I needed these.”

“Blackjack, I’m sorry,” I said and hugged the Unicorn as I started to cry. “You’re okay Blackjack, Lighthooves isn’t here anymore. You can’t let his ghost haunt you forever or he’s going to win. You’re going to find Glory, I know it.”

Blackjack looked at me. She had a gentle charming smile form on her face. “You’re right just it’s been hard most of these years for me. Because those ponies that wanted to help me. Never truly tried to help.” She pulled me into a gentle hug. “Thank you Scootaloo.”

“You’re welcome Blackjack,” I said and hugged back.

I looked back at the Dealer only to find him gone. There were however two cards left laying on the table face down. I looked over at Blackjack for a moment. “Do you think we should look?”

Blackjack’s horn glowed in her aura turning the cards over and looked at them contently.

Curiously I looked forward and smiled. One of them was of Blackjack and Morning Glory in an embrace together and the other was of a makeshift town with a cloud above it and four long sticks pointing out of the ground.

“I, think we’ve seen all we need to see,” I said and looked over at Blackjack. “What about you?”

She had a smile on her face, a real smile. “Yes we do.”

We headed back to meet with our friends. I looked back towards where the Dealer had been before and shook my head. No more distractions, we were going to go now.

00000

I sighed as we walked down the street towards the government offices. It was a pretty decent sized building that dominated most of the Thunderhead skyline in this area.

“So, what happened back there with that… whatever that guy was?” Arc asked. “You looked pretty shaken up.”

Blackjack turned her head to look at Arc. “Many told me I was crazy. But during my journey. I kept seeing a pony in a cloak and hat. A ghost or something that I called the dealer.”

“Yeah, and me and Gambit saw him back during the battle of Manehattan as the Enclave fled the city,” I added. “Though he wasn’t nearly as talkative back then, he just said ante up and threw playing cards at me.”

“Huh, I wonder why I didn’t see him back then,” Arc said with a shrug.

“Spirit,” Riva said and we looked back at her. Our Zebra friend looked notably shaken by the experience. “That was a spirit, I don’t know what kind though.”

I looked over at Blackjack. I didn’t know a lot about Zebra culture, but they seemed to believe in some form of spirits that inhabited the world. Was it possible the Dealer was one such spirit? Maybe some sort of, spirit of the wasteland or something?

“Okay, that raises even more questions,” I said and sighed. “Just what we need, more things to worry about. For now, let’s just get going, we’re almost there.”

I glanced up and frowned a moment. The sky above Thunderhead was mostly covered with clouds, but something was weird. Part of it had been pushed away, I looked back towards the setting sun for a moment.

“Scootaloo, what is it?” Sparky asked as she looked where I was looking. “Is something wrong?”

“I, don’t know but we should get going,” I said and we started to walk faster before there was a sound behind us.

A beam of concentrating light hit the other side of Thunderhead, searing part of the city as it paved a path of destruction through the city before it came to a sudden stop.

Blackjack looked on in horror. “Why would they use Celestia one?!”

“I… don’t know…” I said in just as much horror. “But we’re going to find out.”

Maximum Level Reached.

Author's Note

So in addition to all the others from the previous chapters, we've got two new ones.

Spectra and Cricket were made and written by TheLittlestofPips.

Chapter 32: The Doomsday Clock

"Its easy being a
Clean cut hero slaying monsters.
There's always a little bit of vanity to it.
There can be no vanity or pride
In being despised."
-Lumiya, Legacy of the Force.

Death, destruction, pain… we made our way through the streets of Thunderhead towards where my map marked the Alliance’s temporary command center. The problem was that it brought us right through the area that had been devastated by Celestia One.

Blackjack looked around. A great amount of anger was on her face. “I’m sober and i’m starting to understand how some felt when I was around. Who ever wished to use it... I want to break their neck.”

“I don’t blame you… I might even help you…” I said I was livid as we passed by a home that had been grazed by the ray but was left in ruins. There were ponies digging around it including a large Pegasus pony dressed in makeshift Power Armor that looked like it had been pieced together from scraps.

Blackjack stared at the the pony in the trash armor. “Okay, I have seen everything now.”

The ponies pulled the debris out of the way to uncover a Pegasus mare who was shielding two crying foals. They were carefully taken out of the ruins of their home and escorted away, hopefully to safety.

Now I felt even angrier, there were still civilians in these buildings? Somepony had actually fired into an area of the city with civilians?

Blackjack took a deep breath looked at me with a great amount of anger. “Whoever did this really needs a good smack a hard smack..with the end of my gun.”

“Why would the Alliance do this?” Sparky asked as she looked back at the ruined building. “This is all so… so…”

“Senseless?” Dazzle finished with a shake of her head. “War drives ponies to do horrible things sometimes. We saw that first hoof 211 years ago, didn’t we Scootaloo?”

I looked down at my hooves for a moment and sighed. “Yeah… but still, this is insane, we have to get answers from the Alliance, and fast.”

The white mare nodded. “Let's hope whoever is the leader. They have good protection from me… and you Scoots.”

We walked on in silence for the longest time as we just looked at the scorched ruins of what had once been a thriving part of the city. There was the sounds of ponies crying, we went past a pony helping with foals as she gave us a look as we went past.

I sighed and closed my eyes a little, tears started to fall down my face a little. “Why are we doing this…”

“Uh, because the Enclave needs to be stopped?” Arc suggested.

“No, I mean why us?” I said with a sigh. “We’re not soldiers, we’re not even mercenaries, we’re just a bunch of ponies stuck in a fight that’s way over our heads…”

Blackjack spoke up. “Because fate wishes us to see the pain that we caused?”

“Or maybe because we’re the only ones who can set it right,” Arc added softly. “We’re here because we believe that it’s where we need to be. Because nopony else in Equestria will do this the way it needs to be done.”

“Yeah… maybe,” I said with a sigh. “I, just hope that we’re doing the right thing. We’ll stop the Enclave, I hope.”

“I just want answers right now.” Blackjack said.

I nodded and we kept walking to the command center.

00000

The Alliance Command Center was built from an old Movie studio on the outside of the town. There were ponies dressed in NCR uniforms, Applejack’s Rangers Power armor, and Celestia only knows what else.

There was at the same time a sense of urgency and shock, I frowned a little, something about all of this felt weird. We were directed towards the main command center and as we approached I heard a loud voice shouting out from inside.

“GENERAL!!!” The voice sounded extremely robotic and angry. Another softer voice spoke out.

“Silver… Calm down.”

We entered to find Silver Gunner being held back by a lanky looking ghoul that looked like Fleur de Lis. On the other side of the desk was a visibly shaken Midnight who was trying to explain the situation.

“We didn’t order the use of Celestia One,” she managed to get out finally.

The lanky ghoul turned her head to look at me. She waved her hoof. “Hello.. Forgive Silver..”She smiled weakly.

“I don’t blame him,” I said and gave Fleur a nod, yeah that was definitely her, figures. “What happened here?”

“The Twilight Society fired it,” Midnight said. “They acted unilaterally and without the approval of anypony in the Alliance.”

Silver finally relaxed. “Why? It makes no sense they would do this act. There are foals here still.” Fleur shook her head sighing.

“Silver you don’t have emotions. Think like them for a moment.” Fleur added.

I paused a moment as if waiting for an answer. Midnight didn’t seem sure if she wanted to answer it before I spoke up. “It was because of the occupation of Tenpony Tower wasn’t it? They don’t want to be subjected to Enclave rule again so they did it out of desperation.”

“Yes, that’s what they said,” Midnight said softly. “We never would have ordered a Megaspell to be used, especially not in an area that may still hold civilians.”

Silver sighed robotically. “After the Enclave reprogramming me 11 years ago and placing the others in cages as they slowly died. Yes I understand. So yes if logic demanded it. I would have done the same.”

Fleur nodded.

“We’ve agreed to a temporary ceasefire with the Enclave to look for survivors,” Midnight continued. “They’ve even stopped digging for the Stable, given the situation but its a temporary measure at best. If we don’t…”

“Excuse me, Madam General?” A familiar voice said from behind. “The reports of the digging for the stable are highly exaggerated, if anything the digging has sped up since the attack. Worst yet, there are new names on the playing field, there is an Enclave hardliner looking for blood after this attack and moving to use the stable against Ttenpony as soon as they have access as revenge.”

“Wait, you let him in here?” I said and pointed at Spectra. “You let an Enclave Elite Commander into the HQ?”

Midnight sighed and looked behind me at Spectra. “He’s not loyal to the Enclave or their ideals, just to one pony, who happens to be their President.”

The voice of the hiding mare Blackjack behind a stand. “Well ain’t that silly.”

“If you knew Winter, you would know why I am only loyal to her” Spectra said, shooting a look in the direction of Blackjack’s voice. “Anyway - The reason I am here is the Enclave higher ups are furious, and they are like sharks in the water, They are only obeying the cease fire because Winter told them to.”

“So, what do you suggest we do?” I said and shot a look at Spectra. “The Alliance agreed to this ceasefire, if we break it it’ll just give the Enclave an excuse to attack.”

Silver spoke up. “Give them the ponies who wished to do this very attack. Logic dictates that we should give them those ponies to be put on trial for what they did.”

“These higher ups don’t give two shakes of a tail about Logic, they want blood - not law.” Spectra said, stepping up next to me. “This problem is a problem to the Enclave as much as the Alliance, there are already signs of a second civil war coming.”

“The Alliance admits that the Enclave’s forces under the control of anypony other than Winter Breeze is dangerous,” Midnight said with a shake of her head. “Scootaloo, are you sure that the Hardliners won’t be able to access the Megaspell without the right pony?”

“Positive,” I said with a nod.

“Except you don’t get it!” Spectra said, slamming his hooves down on the desk. “ There is already a movement to have Winter removed from presidency and exiled. Not only that they’ve taken Winter’s daughter captive.”

“Wait, WHAT?” I said and looked at Spectra with my eyes wide. “She has a daughter?”

Silver spoke up. “Fleur call Peach Blossom back from the field please.” Fleur nodded lifting up a trash looking talkie and spoke into it.

My mind was reeling, I had been working under the assumption that if we could stop Winter it would keep the Enclave from getting access to Rockhoof’s Thunder, but if the hardliners had Winter’s daughter that changed everything.

“That, changes everything,” Midnight said with a sigh as she looked at Spectra. “How many of the soldiers in Thunderhead are still loyal to Winter?”

“From my understanding, most - but if the movement to relieve her of power happens, I cannot say how many of them will stay loyal for long.” Spectra said with a sigh. “Only time will tell what the results of this war will be, I fear that if not stopped sooner rather than later, we are all going to be in a serious pile of you-know-what sooner rather than later.”

Midnight closed her eyes and thought long and hard about what to do. I could tell the pain in her face as she tried to make the only decision that could be made at this point. She finally opened her eyes and spoke up. “Scootaloo, you and your friends are to go to the government district and continue with your part of the plan. Get to Winter Breeze and the science team behind this operation, we need to secure them before its too late.”

I nodded and looked at Spectra, I glanced down at his hoof and my eyes went wide when I saw a golden PipBuck on it. I didn’t have time to question it, but I filed it away for later.

“Spectra, I know you’re not part of our command structure, but we’re going to need your help,” Midnight continued. “Get the Enclave soldiers in Thunderhead still loyal to Winter together, if you have any friends the digging process for Stable 102 try and get them to slow it down. Right now, stopping the Hardliners is our number one priority.”

“Can I have my armor back first? Your gate guards insisted I get out of it before they’d let me in. Feeling kind of naked right now” Spectra said with a joking chuckle.

“Right, we’ll get it done on your way out,” Midnight said with a sigh. “Everything’s going to Tartarus fast. I just have one question Spectra, will Winter be willing to listen to us?”

“Does a Pegasus have feathers?” Spectra said before turning and leaving the room, before exiting the door he turned to say. “May Celestia have mercy on us.”

“Indeed,” Midnight said and sighed.

I paused a moment before following Spectra out the door. I was going to get answers now, at least I hoped so.

00000

“Spectra, can I talk to you?” I asked as we left the command tent and I caught up with the rainbow maned stallion.

“Sure kiddo, what do you want to know.” Spectra relied “Bet you’re wondering why you keep running into me, or why I am playing two decks.”

I was pretty sure I was older than him, but I wasn’t going to point that out. “Actually, I was wondering about that,” I said and pointed at the golden PipBuck on his foreleg. “How in Celestia’s name did you get one of the Elements of Harmony?”

“Is that what this is? I found it in a marketplace from a admittedly shady pony. Asked 200 caps for it - thought it was a steal.” Spectra replied.

“Can I see it?”

Without hesitation, he popped the latch and gave the PipBuck to me. “Sure, I just liked the paint job - not so many PipBucks out there that look so shiny and new, felt it fit my personality a bit more than the rusty one at home.”

I looked at him strangely but shrugged and took the PipBuck. I was about to say something when there was a flash of light blinding me for a second, when I blinked and looked down again the PipBuck was gone from my hoof and there was the strange sensation of something around my neck.

“What the…” I said and looked down to see a golden necklace with a red gem shaped like a lightning bolt. “Okay… that was unexpected. So, the question now is, how did a merchant get this from Calamity?”

“Guess it really was a steal, wasn’t it - just not the kind of steal I thought it was. Well that’s 200 caps down the drain.” Spectra said with a chuckle.

I was still in shock at the whole thing. Why did the Element of Loyalty reacted to me? Actually better yet, why did it change into Rainbow’s necklace? The only thing that made any sense was the possibility that it was because of the enhancements from Whitehome or something.

I looked over at Spectra again and frowned a little. There was still something about him that bugged me, and we didn’t have a lot of time. “Can I ask you something else before you go? I was wondering about your mane… I mean, I’ve only really seen it before in Rainbow Dash’s family.”

“If you can keep a secret between you and I, I’ll tell you. If you can’t then you my never know.” Spectra replied.

“Spectra, I’ve kept my fair share of secrets in this war, I think I can handle one more,” I said with a nod. “Don’t worry, I won’t tell anypony.”

“Fine, bet you didn’t know Rainbow had a brother, or that her brother went on to have a several foals, who eventually would lead down to me.” Spectra said, almost sounding a little disgusted with himself.

“No… I certainly did not,” I said and blinked. “I kind of lost track of my adopted grandparents after the war. But, that explains a lot.”

“Well, they kind of fell off the radar once they knew what the Enclave was up to with the SPP Towers.” Spectra said with a sigh. “Only one pony else knows my true heritage, and when she isn’t president anymore I doubt I am going to keep my rank and position”

“Spectra… I promise that I’m going to do everything I can to make sure Winter makes it out of this alive,” I said with a sigh. “And her daughter too, you have my word.”

“You better hope so, because if they don’t - There is no hope for the Enclave, and like it or not - that’s bad for the rest of Equestria.” Spectra said, stopping at a door and looking back to me. “Promise me this, Scootaloo - If the Enclave isn’t stopped, you’ll make whoever takes command pay for what they will do.”

“I promise,” I said with a nod. “Take care of yourself Spectra.”

“I intend to.” Spectra said, looking back with a smile “Make your adopted mother proud, I bet she had her reasons for picking you over everypony else.”

I nodded and turned to head back to my friends. I took one last look back towards where Spectra was and sighed. I wish I had known about Rainbow’s brother, but that was in the past now and I had no choice.

For now, I had a promise to keep.

00000

“Are you okay Blackjack?” I asked as I looked over at the white Unicorn. We were heading back towards the government district under the dim light. “You kind of hid when we met up with Midnight.”

Blackjack sighs. “With what was going on. I didn’t think Midnight wanted to see me. Besides we didn’t leave each other on the best of terms. She said if I ever saw her again. She would do everything in her power to kill me.”

“Well, I think she has more on her mind than killing you right now,” I said with a sigh. “I just hope we’ll be able to stop this before it’s too late.”

Blackjack was about to reply back. When a large armored pony landed in front of us. The armor the pony wore looked made of trash and various other parts. It had large pipes for gun’s on either side. The ammo had teddy bear’s with spikes and in the other had glass and nails.

I blinked a little at the strange combination of armor and weapons. “Uh, hello?”

A voice came from the helm it sounded female. “I’m only protecting you because Silver asked me to. I will only listen to you. Because of that, if you try to order me around. I will turn around and in the name of The junk reaper’s I will kill you got it?”

“Got it,” I said with a gulp.

The large mare nods. “I’m Peach Blossom. Silver told me that the only way I can get home to my wife is to help you.”

“We all have our reasons for being here,” I said with a nod of understanding as we started walking again. “We just need to get to the main offices in the Government District and we’d be glad to have an extra hoof around.”

Blackjack nodded and was about to speak. But the large mare spoke up. “If that mare known as Blackjack makes one crass commit to me. I will rip her tongue out. Got it Blackjack.” The white mare nodded quickly.

“Zippp of course…”She said shaking a bit.

“Blackjack is here to try and find somepony, don’t worry about her,” I said with a nervous chuckle. I glanced at Peach Blossom again and noticed a familiar brand on her flank. “I’m sorry you got exiled Peach.”

The mare stared at me. But since she had a helm on. I couldn’t fully tell. But she took a deep breath. “My nieces lost their mother and father. The rest of the family dead as well. So that’s why i am here. I was sent here to rescue them from this battle then Celestia one was fired. I can’t go for revenge my leader calls it bad for business. But let's get going.”

I nodded and we kept walking. I sighed a little and looked over at her for a moment. “You know, there’s a chance they’re not in the city anymore. They may have been evacuated with most of the civilians.”

She gave a nod. “I can only hope. This is like friendship city all over again, Children dying for no reason. What got me to turn on the Enclave.”

My heart went out to the mare. I sighed a little and shook my head, I wished there was some way that we could help her look but we had a mission to do. I gave her a reassuring smile. “Look, if after we’re done with our mission you haven’t found them, we’ll help you look.”

The mare chuckled softly. “I got to help you first Scootaloo. For now I need to protect you ponies. Even you. “ She lifted her hoof to Blackjack.

Blackjack chuckled nervously. “I um… Scootaloo can we go please?!” She looked like she was scared to death of this mare.
We walked on in silence as we entered the Government District. I took a deep breath and looked up at the towering building that made up the Enclave’s main government offices in Thunderhead before I looked at the others.

“Are we ready for this?” I asked in a voice that sounded like I wasn’t sure.

“Glory is in there…I have been ready and we have miss giant.. To help us.” Blackjack said looking back at the large mare.

“We’re as ready as we’ll ever be,” Dazzle said with a nod.

“Then, let’s go I guess,” I said and we headed into the tall building, and into the unknown.

00000

As we entered the lobby it was empty. There hadn’t been a fight here, so it looked like it had been evacuated of all non-essential personnel, which probably meant all the guards were in essential areas and guarding the VIPs.

“Alright, start looking around, lets see if we can find a directory or something that’ll tell us where to…” I started to say before the speakers around us activated and started playing the by now familiar music. “You know, I’m getting really tired of that song.”

“Well, you have to admire her grace under pressure,” Sparky commented.

“My fellow Equestrians…” Winter’s voice came over the radio and it made me pause. This was no longer the strong, confident voice we had come to expect from the mare, instead it was tired, almost beaten down. “This is a dark day for us… not only for us but for everypony in Equestria. The firing of Celestia One and the senseless deaths on both sides that resulted from it cannot and will not stand.”

Winter paused, the pain in her voice was clear and not faked. She was as angered and saddened by the incident as anypony else was. This wasn’t a speech to rally the troops, nor was it a speech to give up, this was her way of speaking to the ponies who were affected by it.

I looked over at Peach and was surprised to see the Dashite had removed her helmet and was saluting. I guess some words ring true even among us Dashites.

“I know many of you on both sides lost friends and loved ones in the attack,” Winter continued. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry that this war has brought so much pain to you and my heart goes out to the families of all of those who died. We will observe a temporary ceasefire along with the Alliance forces that will last until morning. Mourn the dead, honor and respect those who were lost on both sides, and hope that this war will not cost us more good beings. This is President Winter Breeze, signing off.”

Peach placed her helm back on. Blackjack stared at the mare not sure what to say.

“Peach, if I may ask, why did you salute?” I finally said and looked over at Peach.

The large mare turns her head to look at me. “The Enclave may have forsaken me for having a soul. But I would never forsake the Enclave. Winter has given me hope that I will finally see an Enclave worth saving.” She looks away. “Does that answer your question Scootaloo?”

I nodded in understanding. “I understand. She’s, not like the other Enclave leaders at all, I just hope that this will work and we’ll be able to convince her…”

The sound of Peach Blossoms armor cocking it’s large gun’s. “Just in case.. I have to protect you ponies after all.”

“Yeah, I know,” I said and checked the wall where I found a directory. “Okay, looks like the governor’s office, which I’m guessing Winter has taken over, is on the top floor. Now, where would Morning Glory be…”

“She would be were she can do the most good.” Blackjack said.

“Well that rules out the local IRS office,” I said with a chuckle.

Blackjack just stared at me with an un-amused look. “Really Scootaloo.” She said with a roll of her eyes.

“Right, sorry, not the time,” I said and checked the directory again. “Okay, let’s see here… hmm… hey Blackjack, what was the name of that group Glory used to be a part of with the Enclave? I think she mentioned it once…”

“Volunteer corps” She softly said.

“They have offices in here, that might be worth checking out,” I said and looked back at her. “What do you think?”

“Maybe might be best to split up. I will go where you go Scoots.” Blackjack said. She looked very focused. Was it me or was she thinking.

“Oh… this is just great,” Peach said. “I was warned, if she got that look.”

“Alright, we’re going to divide into two teams,” I finally said. “Blackjack, you and Sparky are with me, we’re going to investigate the Volunteer Corps offices. Riva, Dazzle, Arc, and Peach you check the second floor. If one of us finds anything, use your PipBuck to send a message, understood?”

Peach gave a nod. “My PipBuck is kind of trashed. I will see if i can use it like that.”

“If you can’t, use Arc’s,” I said and nodded to Riva who held up her PipBuck. “We’ll meet up in an hour here. If we don’t find her, we head straight for the top, I’m Sorry Blackjack but stopping Winter has to take priority and its all we can spare.”
Blackjack nodded. “I agree but if I can just see her… talk to her...Then I will be happy.”

“Don’t worry Blackjack, I’ll make sure you get that chance,” I said and placed my hoof on her shoulder.
She looked up at me. “Thank you Scootaloo. You gave me more of a chance than ever.”

“Because everypony deserves a chance, I was given a second chance at life, and everypony deserves that chance,” I said and gave her a smile. “Come on, our hour is wasting.”

She nodded and we headed for the stairs, next stop, the Volunteer Corps office.

00000

“Why do you think this place is so quiet?” Sparky asked as we moved down the hallways of the third floor. “You’d think they’d have it swarming with troops or something.”

“The ceasefire is still in effect,” I said with a sigh. “And all the officials are probably home at this point or evacuated. The only ponies here are the ones that need to be here, and hopefully that’ll include Morning Glory.”

Blackjack didn’t even say anything she kept to herself.

We walked down the corridor in silence and checked every door that we passed just to be safe. Sparky was about to say something when I raised my hoof as we were passing another door and my ears twitched.

“I hear something behind here,” I said softly and pushed the door open as quietly as I could, but it still let out a creaking sound and two Enclave soldiers snapped to attention and pointed their rifles at us. “Crap…”

“Halt, identify yourselves!” One of the soldiers said.

Blackjack used her magic to push my hat off.

The soldiers narrowed their eyes and looked at us for a tense moment. I was actually afraid that they were going to disregard the ceasefire and open fire on us anyway.

“You’d better not shoot in here if you don’t want the whole place to go up in flames, if you want to violate a ceasefire please do it outside,” a familiar mare’s voice said from inside. “If you’re not going to, at least come inside.”

“Well, that answers that,” I muttered and headed inside after picking up my hat and looked at Blackjack. “After you.”

She looked at the Enclave with the guns and then at me. “Oh you’re so kind Scootaloo.” She smirked and walked inside.

“I was trying to be nice…” I muttered.

Morning Glory was seated at a desk working on a terminal with her back to us as we entered. She turned around and sighed as she saw Blackjack standing there. “Well, I’ve got Scootaloo, the Mysterious Mare-Do-Well, and a Blackjack impersonator in my office.

Blackjack sighed. “You don’t have to listen to me Glory. But can I at least try. But I would have to look in your eyes to do so. Are you willing to trust me enough for that?” She asked.

“Look, I’ll humor you, you’ve at least got the look and voice better than…” Glory started to say as she looked Blackjack in the eye and stopped in mid sentence.

Blackjack walked by the two guards and turned Glory’s chair to look into her eyes. “Those eyes are like the Rising sun that was your cutie mark. I remember it the first day we met after you shot me.” She smirked. “But I look at you now, I see that beauty has grown so much. I have dreamed of seeing you, just dreamed of holding you..” She looked away then back again. “If you don’t think I am the real Blackjack. I understand just seeing you has removed all my pain over the ten years”

“Are you sure you’re the real Blackjack? She wasn’t nearly this charming,” Glory said with a smirk.

Blackjack covers her mouth with a hoof just for a moment. “Boo misses you so does Rampage. I had a lot to think about the past ten years. Destroying my life with booze and sex. But.. “She looked at me. “Scootaloo came to me while they had ponies trying to help me. I promised you, when I came back from taking out Lighthooves I would change for you.” She said

Glory’s eyes watered and she hugged Blackjack tight as she broke down crying. “I waited for you… I waited for months for you just in the off chance you survived the explosion. I’m so sorry, I shouldn’t have left you…”

“Glory I was lucky to live. Boo was with me, she pulled me out. Thanks to the explosion. My legs were broken beyond repair, so I had to be given these. I thought you died for so long. But…” She paused a moment. “Just that hope you were alive.. Kept me going. When Scootaloo came to me I gave up drinking and random sexual intercourse with others Because I want to be better for you.”

“Is this true?” Glory asked as she looked over at me and Sparky.

“I saw it with my own eyes,” I said with a nod. “Blackjack’s been through a lot, but after I told her you’re still alive she wants to do better. She’s also been sober, which has lead to a few breakdowns…”

“Breakdowns?” Glory asked and looked at Blackjack. “Are you okay? What happened?”

She sighed and looked away a moment. “I thought Scootaloo was Scotch and Laucane. Then when we were in the city.. I attacked some civilians by mistake thinking they were Lighthooves troops. But Scootaloo stopped me by a shot in the flank. Then I let it all out.. Everything. What I did to my stable.. What happened to you, turning into Rainbow Dash... Losing your wing…”

Glory smiled sadly and wrapped her wings gently around Blackjack. “I’m sorry you went through that.”

“I did see your father...He um...decked me.” A deep sigh came from her. “I asked for his blessing for something Glory. But maybe before.. I tell you that..what happen to you these ten years?” Then she looked at the photo on the desk. “Cute kid who’s kid is it?”

Glory looked down at her hooves for a moment and sighed. “Blackjack… do you remember that night we had together, the one before Lighthooves’ death?”

She thought a moment. “I do remember waking up after but..I don’t remember much else. I remember I got drunk you did to.”

Wait, was this going where I thought it was going? I have to admit I wasn’t expecting that

Blackjack takes another look at the photo on the desk. She reached out with her hoof the finger’s coming out to hold it. Looking at it closely. “This filly looks like the mix of you and…” She stared at Glory. Then back at the photo. “This little one...is ours ain’t it?”

Glory sighed and looked down at her hooves. “She is, you were the only pony it could’ve been during that time. I think, while we were drunk you used that spell you found from Twilight’s books.”

Blackjack set the photo back down with her magic. “Whats her name?”

“Go Fish,” Glory said. “I, thought you were dead so, I named her after you. I missed you so much Blackjack...”

Blackjack looks around. Looking back to Glory. “Where is she Glory?”

“She’s…” Glory said and her face fell for a moment. “She was at the governor’s mansion, with Winter’s daughter.”

My heart fell, the Hardliners had taken Winter’s daughter, what if they had taken Go Fish too? I was really starting to hate them right now.

Blackjack took a deep breath. She didn’t want to get angry. “Glory we are going to go save them…”She stood up. “But there is something I want to ask you before..I don’t get the chance again.” But she thought of something else. “Glory why did you join the Enclave again.. You told me you would never join them again.”

Glory paused a long moment and picked up the picture of her daughter for a moment. She stood there in silence and looked down at the picture and then up at Blackjack. I felt like I knew what she was going to say, but Blackjack needed to hear it.

“I couldn’t raise her in Hoofington, not alone,” she said softly. “I had met Winter before she was even the President when she traveled around Equestria with the Element Bearers. She came back to me in the early days of her presidency and offered us a place to live in safety. She didn’t even offer me a job, just a place to raise my daughter and that she’d keep them from going after me because I was a Dashite. It was an offer I couldn’t refuse, and Winter, she’s not a monster, she’s just in a difficult position.”

“Yeah, we’re getting that impression,” I said and rubbed the back of my head.

“Glory.” She softly said holding her hooves with her metal hooves. “You did what I would want you to do. Now I got a question for you. It’s something I wanted to ask before..I went to go after Lighthooves.” She looked at me with a smile. “Scootaloo and your father helped me gain the guts to do this.”

“Oh?” Glory asked and her ears perked up a little in curiosity. “What’s that?”

“Since I learned that..I have a daughter with you it makes it easy.” Her horn glow’s bringing out a little box opening it up showing it to her. “It’s not much but well I asked all the mares and stallions i knew and some random one’s I met what would be good for.. A beautiful pegasus mare that needed to smile.” She smiled. “So my question is when we get out of this craziness marry me?”

Glory’s eyes went wide as she looked down at the ring and at Blackjack as she went over what she was going to say in her mind. I smiled a little and leaned back against the door as I looked at the time, we didn’t have a lot of time left sadly.

“Yes!” Glory said and kissed Blackjack deeply for a moment. “Yes I’ll marry you you crazy mare.”

She chuckled and used her magic to place it on Glory’s wing and stand back up. “I have a feeling that Scoots and I need to get going. I will find Go fish and Winter’s daughter and bring them back.” She stands on her hooves. “I will be back this time I promise. It would take more than death to keep me away.” Blackjack said as she walked to stand by me.

Glory looked at me with a smirk. “You better make sure she comes back this time Scootaloo or I’ll come deal with you myself.”

“Noted, I’ll make sure she comes back,” I said with a nod. “Take care of yourself Glory, we’ll get them both back alive.”

“Good,” Glory said and turned back to look at her terminal. “You’ll find Winter on the top floor. She’s not a bad pony Scootaloo, I just hope that you’ll do the right thing and give her a chance.”

I paused a moment before I nodded. “If she’ll listen to us, there won’t be a need for bloodshed,” I said softly and we headed back out.

I activated the broadcast function on my PipBuck and tuned into the frequency we had settled on. “Arc, Peach, we’re done here, we’ve found target 1 and are ready to move up. What’s your status?”

Peach Blossom speaks but it sounds full of static. “W...e..” She said one word and it cut off.

I paused a moment and then looked over at Blackjack and Sparky. “Come on, let’s get down there,” I said and we headed for the stairs.

00000

As we headed down the stairs into the second floor we could hear the sound of gunfire echoing through the halls. I checked my EFS as we cautiously moved forward, there were the four friendly signatures I expected but there were also a group of hostiles.

“Come on, this way,” I said and directed us down one of the halls as the sound of guns firing echoed through them.

We came across a group of Enclave soldiers dressed in the more standard power armor who were firing towards a group on the other side. They weren’t paying us any attention at the moment and I glanced over at Sparky and Blackjack with a nod.

Two large gun’s made a woosh sound. While the sound of glass and squeaks from teddy bear toy’s it’s whatever their being fired at. A voice yelled, “ALTIUS VOLANS!”

“Yeah, I’d say that’s probably our friends,” I muttered and entered SATS as I took aim at the nearest Enclave soldier and sent an energy bolt flying into him. The energy knocked the soldier down as his armor locked up, but didn’t do much else.

“You know, I’m starting to think you need to stop shooting with the SOAR first,” Sparky said with a roll of her eyes as some of the soldiers fired back towards us sending us diving for cover.

“Well, at least my weapon has the range,” I said and fired a shot with my normal energy rifle to take out the one I had crippled. “Blackjack, don’t you have anything other than a shotgun?”

Blackjack turned to look at me with a smirk. “OH I do.” With a quick movement of her magic she placed the shotgun into it’s holster before pulling out two .45 caliber revolvers. She gave both guns a kiss before lifting them up to fire at the targets in front of them.

I grinned and gave Sparky a nod before I lined up my shots and kept firing towards the Enclave soldiers. The fire from the other side continued before a thought occurred to me. “Hold up, I want one of them alive!” I said and lined up the SOAR and took out one of the last two as Blackjack shot the other one.

Blackjack blinked and looked at me. “Is that wise?”

“We’re under ceasefire and they attacked an Alliance team, I want to know why,” I said and ran over to the Enclave soldier and pressed him against the ground. “Alright soldier boy, talk, who sent you and why?”

“He’s not going to talk.” A familiar voice from behind. “They weren’t here to attack you, they’re here for somepony else. Somepony they don't realize isn’t here anymore.”

“Winter Breeze,” I said with a growl as I looked down at the soldier. “Let me guess, Tornado teleported her to a bunker or something?”

Spectra took the opportunity to buck one of the downed soldiers in the stomach. “Yep, chances are they are going to be assaulting her bunker at any moment.” He said and looked at me “I’ve got to get going, these guys were pinning me down - thought that they’d get her before she could get out.”

“Right,” I said with a sigh. “We need to get to her, wherever she is. Can you help us?”

“Well, if Tornado got her to the location she is supposed to be taken to in this situation - She’s outside our reach.” Spectra said with a sigh. “Chances are she’ll be taken before we can get to her even if we tried, but if we can get out - head west south west, there is a hotel on the city limits, if they don’t know she’s there yet…” Spectra sighed, and looked to the disabled soldiers before lining up a shot with his battle saddle. “I’ve said too much, none of you can live now, I’m sorry.”

I nodded in understanding and looked towards the others who approached us. “Alright, we have a plan. Spectra, lead the way if you don’t mind, you know the city better than us.”

“You guys go first… I don’t want you to have to watch this.” Spectra said, not taking his sight off the soldiers. “If any of these guys get their radios working, they will be able to radio out what I just said, and then we’ll have no chance at all, None of them can be allowed to do that, and I don’t want you guys to have to see me do what I must.”

I nodded. “Morning Glory is one floor up with her guards, she’s safe but I don’t know for how long if the Hardliners are sending teams here.”

“There is no connection between Morning Glory and Winter as far as they are concerned, she’s safe for now. Somepony should stay with her and get her out of here if push comes to shove.” Spectra said. “You guys go, I’ll catch up once I’m done here.”

I nodded and we headed down the stairs back towards the lobby. I paused and looked back at Blackjack for a moment. “Go to Glory, we can handle this on our own.”

She looked up to me. “Are you sure about this?”

“Yeah, I’m sure,” I said and placed my hoof on her shoulder. “We’ve made it through the worst the Enclave can throw at us. You should be there with your fiance, head for the Alliance camp and meet back up with us as soon as you can, okay?”
She nodded and looked towards the way back up then back at me. “What about Go Fish?”

I paused a moment. “She’s probably not in the city if the Hardliners have her, she’s likely aboard the Nimbus or something.”

“The filly that was with Winter’s daughter? I believe they left her at the mansion, not sure - but chances are she’s either there or with Calypso on The Nimbus.” Spectra spoke up “I don’t think they’d take Glory’s daughter though - they don’t need leverage with her.”

I paused a moment in thought before I spoke up. “Unless they didn’t know which one was the right filly, did Winter ever make her daughter’s existence known to the rest of the Enclave?”

“That would be a no, only a hoof full of ponies know about her, and that's because you can’t hide her from your personal guards without disowning her entirely.” Spectra said and sighed. “Chances are these guys are just the typical jarheads, probably couldn't tell their face from their flank on a good day.”

“Alright, Blackjack, see if you can get General Sparkle to send a team to the mansion to check, but right now it’s fair to assume that they were both taken,” I said with a sigh. “Take care of your family Blackjack, I promise we’ll save her and you’ll be right there with us.”

Blackjack took a deep breath. “Well you have promised me Glory was alive. You were right about that. Soooo.” She quickly turned to me giving me a tight hug. Then pulling away. “Later Scoots come back alive please.”

“I will,” I said with a smile and hugged back. “I’ll see you soon, okay? We’ll save your daughter together.”

Blackjack nodded before rushing back upstairs. I smiled and looked back at the others before we started down the stairs and out of the lobby.

I just hoped we were going in the right direction.

00000

As we got close to the Hotel that was marked on my EFS, Peach came in for a sudden stop as she got a message. “Is everything okay?”

She looked at me. “No all of Reaper Fields is on high alert. Silver is asking me to head back home to reinforce the four factions that live there. One of the leaders is worried that the Enclave will come and attack them for helping the Alliance.”

I sighed a moment and gave her a nod. “Go ahead, and take care of yourself Peach, I want to see you back in one piece, okay?”

“Oh don’t you worry Scootaloo. If there is a final battle to this war expect me to bring some friends. Because their raiders and their well tired of so much peace.” She chuckled. “Oh.. one last thing.” She reached into her armor offering me a strange device that looked like a bomb.

“Uh, what is it?” I asked as I looked at it.

She chuckled. “I am friend’s with mutated rats that make these. From how they told me they worked, they’re like a glue bomb. If you need to stop some pony in their tracks toss this on the floor and they will be stuck. Keeps things from getting to messy like body parts flying and so on.”

“Good to know, thank you,” I said and put it away in my saddlebags. “I’ll see you around Peach, thanks for all your help.”
Peach nodded and flew off. I sighed and looked back at my friends. Here we go again, just us as we headed to another dangerous battle. This time, we had to save the pony that we had been fighting for so long.

“So, if Winter’s been keeping her daughter a secret, how did the Hardliners find out about her?” Sparky wondered out loud. “If she’s been keeping it secret that’s not something you can just find out easily.”

Sparky had a point, Winter was a smart pony who knew how to cover her tracks so how did they find out about her daughter? Was there a leak in the upper echelons of her government or had a pony she trusted been captured and tortured.

I didn’t like this, even if we convinced Winter it meant that Rockhoof’s Thunder was a threat. Actually, it meant that it was even more of a threat than ever. Winter didn’t strike me as the kind of pony that would actually use the Megaspell unless she had no other choice, but I didn’t think I could trust the Hardliners to do the same.

Actually no, I knew I couldn’t trust them to do the same. They weren’t any better than the Enclave of old probably, and they would misuse it. Now we had even more of a reason to stop them.

“Honestly I can’t say for sure how they did it, but I get the feeling this had been a long time planned,” I said with a sigh. “You don’t just throw a plan together like this, I think they’ve been waiting for the right opportunity.”

“That makes sense,” Riva commented. “The Enclave are cunning, they would not do something like this without a plan.”

“The question then becomes, who’s behind this?” Dazzle said and we all glanced back towards the mountain where Stable 102 was.

The Nimbus still held vigil over the mountain, it had remained out of the battle for this long which I found odd. The Nimbus was the Enclave’s Flagship, why had they stayed out of the fighting?

I didn’t like this, but we didn’t have a lot of time to dwell on it as the hotel was coming up. It had been far enough away from the battle to remain untouched by the attack. It was quiet, so that at least meant the Hardliners hadn’t reached it yet.

“Well at least…” Arc started to say and we stopped when an energy bolt hit the cloud in front of us. “I really need to learn to keep my mouth shut don’t I?”

“Hold it right there, we have snipers that will take you out if you make another move,” a mare’s harsh voice said as a mare dressed in the now familiar armor of an Elite Enclave soldier. “We have orders to shoot anypony who tries to approach.”

“We’re here from the Alliance,” I called back. “We’re not here to cause trouble, we just want to talk.”

“Who are you?” The mare demanded as she raised her rifle at me. “What could the Alliance possibly want to talk about in this situation?”

“I’m Scootaloo Dash, I’m here to negotiate with the VIP you and your ponies are currently guarding inside the hotel,” I said calmly. The mare flinched a little at that, I didn’t blame her, she was probably supposed to be on high alert for anypony.

“How the hell did you know where to find us?” She demanded. “This is a secret location only known to a select few. The Alliance is not privy to that sort of information.”

“Commander Spectra told me,” I said with a sigh. It figured, the one time he didn’t show up randomly was the time we really could’ve needed him. “If it’ll make you feel any better I’ll go in unarmed. You can search me if you want, I don’t wish any ill will against her.”

The mare paused a moment and then sighed as she looked back. “I will have to consult with my commander,” she finally said and headed back inside.

“That would be Tornado probably, of course she’s here,” I muttered to Arc. “Let’s just hope she’s willing to listen.”

“The head of the Enclave Secret Service listening to you? Well, I guess we’ll have to find out,” Arc said with a chuckle. “If we’re lucky she’ll be polite when she says no and laughs us away.”

I sighed a little, Arc did have a point but right now it was our only chance. We couldn’t just sneak into the hotel and we couldn’t attack it or we’d be breaking the ceasefire, this was not a good position for us to be in.

Finally the armored mare came back out. “Alright, you can come inside but you’re to give your weapons over to us before you do so. Ms. Dash is to be searched and will not be allowed to bring any of her equipment into the bunker with her. I’m sure you understand we are just taking the necessary precautions to protect our charge.”

“Understood,” I said and glanced to the others. They didn’t look that happy about it, but they all nodded in agreement. “We’re all on the same side here, there’s no need to go crazy and attack anypony.”

As we moved into the hotel we gave over our weapons as we had agreed. I gave over the rest of my equipment as well as my coat and hat, which just left me in my armored undershirt, tie, and the Element of Loyalty as I looked at Tornado.

“Everything,” she said simply as I sighed and pulled off the tie and shirt, she stopped me when I reached for the Element. “That you may keep, for now.”

“Okay,” I said with a nod. “You really go all out don’t you?”

“The President’s safety is my top priority, it is my duty to her,” Tornado said and eyed me from behind her helmet. “You’ve got a lot to learn about the Enclave Scootaloo.”

“Yeah, I’m starting to get that feeling too,” I said with a sigh. “I’m just here to talk like I said, I just hope she’s willing to listen.”

“Come with me,” Tornado said and I followed the Alicorn along with the soldier from before down a set of stairs into a small basement area. Tornado pressed a button on the wall and spoke into a concealed microphone. “Tornado and Dusk requesting entry into the bunker along with a guest. Code 1-Delta-7-Omega.”

“Access granted,” a smooth mare’s voice said.

And with that the wall slid open and revealed a large metal door that opened next. Tornado looked back at me and I gulped a little.

“Come along,” she said and we walked into the bunker together.

00000

The bunker was like nothing I had ever seen before, the best thing I could compare it to was maybe the war room in Junction Town, but the technology in here was way more advanced. There were ponies here and there that were working around a map of Equestria along with one of Thunderhead proper and what looked like a plan for a Stable.

“You should be honored, we don’t normally let Dashites in here,” Dusk said with a growl as she pushed me forward. “Whatever you need to talk to the President about had better be good.”

“It is…” I said softly as I looked around. “How long has this been here?”

“It was built years ago and has been maintained ever since,” Tornado said. “This was the emergency bunker for the leaders of the Thunderhead Enclave until Lighthooves’ coup attempt and the Civil War.”

“Now now Tornado, what would Winter say if she knew you were giving the history of a secret bunker that does not officially exist to the enemy?” once again, a voice so familiar said from behind. “Surprised you made it here, it’s not exactly obvious.”

“Thank whoever at Robronco programmed the PipBuck to track stuff,” I said with a shrug. “And also I studied maps of Thunderhead going into this fight. This was the only hotel that met your description.”

“I suppose, anyway” Spectra said with a chuckle. “Now for you Tornado, You ever going to tell Scoots here?”

“This is not the time for your jokes Spectra, we are in the middle of a serious situation,” Tornado said as she turned and looked at the Rainbow maned Stallion. “Besides, I have no idea what you are talking about.”

“Right right, you don’t remember still... “ Spectra said with a chuckle. “Soon enough though, I think this situation is going to bring something back.”

Tornado just snorted and looked at me. “The President will see you now,” she said and turned away to walk through the bunker.

I glanced at Spectra before I followed Tornado. I couldn’t help but stare a little at the towering Alicorn. What had Spectra meant by that? Was he just being weird again, or did he know something about Tornado that I didn’t?

I sighed and paused as I looked back, I had no idea what to do, what to say.

“Equestria has big things planned for all of us, just hold on and stay strong. Things will all work out and make sense soon.” Spectra said with a chuckle. “That or we’re all going to die in a massive fireball.”

“Spectra, stop trying to help,” I said with a groan.

Tornado shot a look at Spectra from behind her helmet before she turned and pushed open the door that bore the symbol of the Enclave. I sighed and looked inside for Winter, she was seated at a desk looking disheveled and barely looked up when I entered.

“Madam President?” Tornado asked, Winter barely reacted. “Winter? Scootaloo is here to talk to you.”

“Right, of course,” Winter said as she straightened herself out as best she could. The once proud mare looked tired and like she had been crying, I didn’t blame her. “Welcome Scootaloo, please have a seat. I’d offer you a drink but we’re running on rations down here until we can go back topside.”

“Of course,” I said and took a seat across from her. “Winter, I know this can’t be easy for you right now. I heard your radio broadcast earlier.”

“It’s all my fault…” Winter said softly as tears started to stream down her face. “All of it… their deaths, the destruction of homes… I brought all of this on because I thought I was doing the right thing.”

“Winter…” I said softly as I looked across the desk at the mare. “None of this is your fault, you couldn’t have predicted that the Twilight Society was going to repair Celestia One and use it on Thunderhead.”

“But it is my fault!” Winter said in a loud voice as she stared me down. “I started this war with Equestria, I sent ponies to their deaths. I ordered the occupation of Tenpony Tower that pushed them to do it in the first place! And for what? Some, twisted altruism? I’ve done nothing but make Equestria worse when all I was…”

She trailed off and lowered her head as she looked over at a framed photograph that was sitting on her desk. She was crying at this point, she reached out with a trembling hoof as she touched the picture.

“You did it for her didn’t you?” I asked and Winter nodded softly. “You did it all to give your daughter a better world to live in than the one you did. You told me and Cherry that your reasons were ones we’d understand.”

“Because you’re both mothers,” Winter said as she held the picture close to her. “I did everything I could to keep her safe. I’m not a liar Scootaloo, I wanted to build a better future, a better Equestria. I was willing to…”

“To sacrifice the best parts of yourself to do it?” I asked with a knowing nod. “To plunge your hooves into the muddy waters when you know that they won’t come up clean? I’ve been there Winter, I’ve been where you are now because I am you.”

“I know,” Winter said softly. “Does it ever end, the guilt? Knowing that you’ve done so much wrong that you can never be forgiven for it?”

I paused a moment, and in that moment it hit me. I had sometimes wondered what my own virtue might be, I may be wearing the Element of Loyalty, but did that mean it was loyalty? I placed my hoof gently on the necklace and shook my head.

I wasn’t Rainbow Dash, I may have idolized her and tried to be like her, but I wasn’t her. I wasn’t defined by Loyalty, even if that was part of who I was. I had done what Winter had done, I had been willing to sacrifice my own morality in order to save lives. I had given everything that made me who I was to give Equestria a chance. And now, I was able to help others that did the same as me.

Empathy, that was it.

“Winter, I forgive you,” I said softly and Winter looked up at me. “You’re a good pony Winter, everything you’ve done was for the good of Equestria in your own way. You asked me if the guilt ever ends, and I’m afraid the answer is no. You’ll always carry that guilt with you for the rest of your days. But, you can alleviate that guilt, you can do everything you can to make up for your mistakes.”

Winter looked at me and then she smiled a little. “You have quite the way with words, you know that?”

“Well, I try, and it helps that I’ve been in the same position,” I said with a smile as I reached over and hugged her gently. “So, what do you say?”

Winter looked at me and then down at the picture once again. “When I was a little filly, I was raised in an upper class family in Coltlumbia. My parents, they wanted me to go into the military or politics or whatever. But, I had a little pony who helped teach me that there was a better way. Well, sort of a little pony, more like a family heirloom, passed down through my family since my ancestors were taken out of Stable 46.”

My ears perked up a little in curiosity at that. What was she talking about? The only thing I had left with Cloudy was…

“Sweetie Bot? Sweetie Bot, survived?” I asked in astonishment. I had made a robotic version of Sweetie Belle using leftover parts from a Robronco robot and whatever I could piece together, I had done everything I could to make her like the real thing.

Yeah I know its sad, the war had just ended and it was before I met Sky Walker. I had given it to Cloudy as a companion in the Stable, I had no idea it had survived this whole time.

“Yeah, she’s been fixed up more times than I can count, but she’s still kicking, at least she was last time I saw her,” Winter said with a sad smile. “But, she told me stories, so many stories of this wonderful mare named Scootaloo. Your adventures, what you did, but more than anything else she told me about how kind you were. How you were willing to do anything to help Equestria.”

“And that shaped who you were,” I said as I reached the conclusion. “You grew up on stories of me, so you did everything you could to help Equestria.”

“It’s why I became a Schoolteacher,” Winter said softly. “In those days, I didn’t care about politics or war. I wanted to teach students, my cutie mark even reflected that, the snowflake, no two are alike just like no two students are alike. But as I got into the job, I started to realize that the Enclave used the schools as a form of thought control. Raise the foals to believe a certain ideology, and they will follow you to the death.”

I really hated the Enclave right now even more than I already did. I couldn’t imagine what it must’ve been like for Winter though, being raised in that kind of environment.

“And so I entered politics, I was good at my job so after the requisite military service the High Council put me in charge of education,” Winter continued. “I started to change things, slowly so I didn’t raise suspicion. I did everything I could to make things better for the school system, and I was making progress until…”

“Until the Day of Sunshine and Rainbows,” I finished. “And then the Enclave Civil War made you a refugee. I remember, your friends never gave up on you Winter, they still held to the belief that there was good in you.”

Winter nodded and hugged me. “Scootaloo… I don’t know what to do to be honest. I, can’t let Rockhoof’s Thunder be used, I can’t even use it like I planned, not anymore. I was going to dismantle it you know, once everything was said and done, I was going to dismantle it and any other Megaspell I found. Now because they have Callie, Cloud Chaser and his goons have everything they need to take it and use it to subjugate Equestria.”

“Then we’re going to stop him,” I said and Winter blinked a little. “You, me, my friends, and the Alliance. We’re going to stop him together, you still have a lot of ponies loyal to you here and across Equestria. End this war, tell them to stand down, maybe even some of the ponies under his command will listen.”

“And what about the General himself?” She asked.

“Simple, Madam President. A General without an army is no more than a speed bump.” Spectra said as he walked up beside me. “We get Callie back, we end this war, and we make Cloud Chaser wish he never crossed us, simple.”

Winter looked at him and nodded. “Alright, Spectra get a team together, and get my armor ready. If we’re taking the fight to Cloud Chaser, I’m not sitting on the sidelines while my daughter is at risk.”

“I am sorry Madam President, but you cannot be allowed to risk yourself, there is no point rescuing a filly if she doesn’t have a mother to come home to - that, and I’m pretty sure Tornado would kill me.” Spectra said with a nervous chuckle.

“Are you refusing an order from your President?” Winter said and looked at him.

“Winter, he’s right,” I said. “And that’s not even going into what he will do to you if you’re caught. You need to stay here, I’ll accompany the team to save her and Go Fish if I have to, but your place is here. Please Winter, don’t do this.”

Winter looked between us for a moment and then sighed. “Alright, I’ll defer to both of your judgments on this matter. But bring her back alive, she’s all I have…” she said softly and looked down at her hooves. “Promise me you’ll do that.”

I placed a hoof on Winter’s shoulder and gave her a reassuring smile. “I promise, you’ll see her again before you know it.”

“Alright then,” Winter said and gave us both a nod. “Thank you, both of you, you don’t know how much this means to me. Now, I am still the President and I have a duty to attend to. Scootaloo, would you be there with me by my side?”

“It would be an honor,” I said with a nod and looked over at Spectra. “Commander, I, wanted to thank you for all your help. I’m sorry if I haven’t seemed that grateful, but you’ve helped me and my friends a great deal.”

“Oh, no big deal.” Spectra said with a shrug “You’re welcome, I suppose - Just doing my job, don’t really need or expecting a thanks.”

“Well, still, it means a lot,” I said as we followed Winter out of her office. She was straightening herself back up and she gave me a smile before she turned her attention back to the command center.

“Patch me into the all-clear signal,” Winter said as the bunker fell silent. “You heard me, it’s time for one more broadcast.”

There was a scramble as they got everything together, finally a microphone was set up and Winter took a deep breath as she looked at it and then back at me and Spectra. “I’ve never felt so nervous about a broadcast before…”

“Before you do” Spectra said turning his attention to me. “Set us into the Alliance’s frequencies too, I think everypony needs to hear this.”

Winter nodded and the technicians set it to broadcast over the Alliance frequencies. Winter took a deep breath and started to speak into the microphone. Her confidence and commanding voice was back, but there was still a twinge of regret to it.

“Ponies of Equestria, this is President Winter Breeze,” Winter said into the microphone. “For awhile now I have come to you with words of hope and promises of a better future brought by the Enclave. I still bring that message tonight, but I bring more than that. As the leader of the Enclave, I have done everything I can to make this world better, I have done what I can to help ponies across Equestria. But I made a mistake, I chose the path that lead to war, to death, to destruction. Good ponies that just wanted to live their lives in peace died because of my mistake. Tonight I’m here to try and rectify that mistake. I have done everything I can to make the Enclave better, now the time has come to step back from this war. All Enclave forces currently engaged in battle with the Alliance are to stand down immediately. This is an order from your President, the war is over. Now we have to rebuild, now we have to work together with our brothers and sisters on the ground to build a better Equestria. Because that bright future, its still there. Its still possible for our foals to live without fear. Not by fighting one another, not by threatening others into submission, but by coming together. The Equestrian spirit has not died, we are going to make it stronger than ever. This is President Winter Breeze, signing off.”

There was a moment of silence in the command center as Winter finished her broadcast. Then one pony started clapping, soon they had all joined in. I smiled a little, Winter really had done good by the Enclave and changed them for the better, they were still willing to follow her after all of that.

I just hoped that we were able to reach more ponies.

“Spectra,” Winter said as she looked at the Rainbow maned stallion. “How quickly can you get your team together?”

“Yesterday, ma’am.” Spectra said. “They are already ready, waiting for my signal.”

“Good, accompany Scootaloo and friends out of the bunker, and give the signal,” she said. “Move swiftly and get in and out as fast as you can. We may have just declared war on Cloud Chaser and his forces.”

“Understood, Scootaloo - I hate to say it, but you may need to call all your friends in - and I mean them all.” Spectra laughed some “Even if they get here late, any help coming is better than what we got now.”

“Understood, I’ll do it,” I said with a nod. “I’ll get as much help as I can here. And Winter, thank you for listening.”
Winter smiled and nodded. “Thank you for talking to me Scootaloo. I’m glad to have met you.”

I smiled and nodded before looking back at Spectra. “So, shall we?”

“Oh, way ahead of you missy.” Spectra said with a smirk, a chirp from his radio going off in his helmet. “Situation blue, Emergency level Alpha, Assemble at my current location.”

I nodded and we headed out together. It was time to take the fight to Cloud Chaser.

00000

As I made it back to the Alliance command center with my friends, the first signs of morning were peeking up over the horizon. I yawned a little, I hadn’t realized that we had been out all night, but maybe it was at least a sign that things were looking up.

I checked in with Blackjack and smiled a little. She and Morning Glory were fast asleep in an embrace with one another. I didn’t want to bother her so I just gently shut the door and headed over to the radio room.

If there was one thing I had gotten from my travels it was friends. Good ponies across Equestria that were interested in fighting the good fight. I looked back at the rising sun and leaned back in thought.

This world was a harsh place, I had learned that over and over again at this point. But there were still ponies, good ponies who wanted to change that on both sides. I kept thinking about everything I had learned about the Enclave over the past day, that they weren’t all bad ponies.

And in that respect Winter had already won. She had done what she set out to do and changed the Enclave, and Equestria. Whether or not it was for the better remained to be seen, but I was getting the feeling that it was.

And then I started making the calls, sending messages out across Equestria to everypony who I could reach. The call had been sent out, I even sent some messages to settlements that had sided with the Enclave that I had been given the frequencies for.

When you’ve got Winter Breeze watching your back, you’ve got a long reach. And they said they would come, the war was about to get a whole lot bigger. Cloud Chaser was going to have to fight all of Equestria if he wanted to win.

And that’s when everything came crashing down.

A screen above me flipped on and after a moment of static the cold face of General Cloud Chaser appeared on it. He stared at the camera as if he held contempt for everything that was watching him right this moment, but he didn’t care.

“Ponies of Thunderhead and the Enclave,” he said in his cold voice that sent chills up my spine. “I’m sure by now you’ve heard the latest speech given by our dear President Winter Breeze. She has come to you with promises of a better future, but only if we become a doormat for the savages and mutants of the world below. The Enclave does not exist to help, it does not exist to serve this, so-called Equestrian Spirit. The future of Equestria will no longer be dictated by spineless cowards who would sooner sacrifice the power the Enclave has than use it to do what we have a right to. Equestria belongs to the Enclave, you have two choices now ponies, submit, or die.”

I watched in horror as Cloud Chaser looked to his right and the camera panned out. My heart stopped when I saw who was bound to a table, I don’t know how he did it, but they had captured Winter.

“This mare, the so-called President, has been tried and found guilty of high treason,” Cloud Chaser continued as he picked up a hot branding iron with two familiar looking marks on it. “As punishment for her crimes, she will be branded and executed for all of Equestria to see. This is the future for those who wish to oppose us.”

I couldn’t bear to watch what happened next, but I couldn’t miss the sound of the brand burning fur and flesh and the cry of the mare it was administered to. You don’t forget that kind of thing when it’s done to you.

I couldn’t stand to watch anymore and threw the door open and ran out into the camp as more ponies were starting to gather and try to figure out what was going on. I moved forward until I got the best look at the Nimbus I could, it was still hovering in place just like it had been last time I looked.

I hated myself, I had lead Winter to her death just because I wanted to help her. I wouldn’t even make it to her in time if I put on the necklace and flew to the Nimbus, there was no way I’d get there in time.

There was a gasp from somewhere behind me and I turned around and saw Winter falling. Her wings were pinned to the sides of her body, probably paralyzed by some agent.

“Hold on Winter, I’m coming!” Spectra cried out and before I could even blink he dove off of the edge of Thunderhead.

I watched as Spectra picked up speed as he flew to catch the falling mare as it looked like his armor was falling away as he flew. For a moment I thought he wasn’t going to make it just as he put on an extra burst of speed and caught Winter in mid-air.

I let out a sigh of relief and was about to turn and check on the others when there was a loud BOOM! For a second I thought the Nimbus had opened fire on Spectra until I saw it, and my jaw dropped.

Spreading out from the point was a shockwave of rainbow colored magical energy. It shook the cloud beneath my hooves as the Nimbus was pushed back. The shockwave spread out across the sky as we all stared up in wonder at it.

A Sonic Rainboom.

Maximum Level Reached.
20% Cooler: Seeing the Sonic Rainboom has inspired you and given you the drive to do better and follow in your adopted mother's hoofsteps. You get an extra boost to agility while in the air and your speech stat gets a boost of +15.

Author's Note

Yeah, all the previous disclaimers still apply, I'm not Disney buying up the rights to characters here.

Chapter 33: Shockwave

"In The depths of the world,
Lie the remains of the past.
One by one,
The reminders of our past transgressions,
They are snuffed out.
Until all that remains,
Is a brighter future."
-Survivor's Guilt by RainbowSurvivor

I sighed as I made my way down the stairs to the Enclave bunker. Winter had been taken away to the nearest hospital in order to be checked over and treated given everything that had happened. The bunker was already abandoned since the Enclave forces had decided to fall back to the Alliance camp while we decided how to proceed from here.

I shook my head at what I saw. There were bodies everywhere, the Hardliners must've forced their way in and attacked these ponies with everything they had to take Winter. It was senseless and violent, they had just done it because they disagreed with Winter.

I sighed a little and picked through what was left of the Enclave's bunker. What had changed? How had they been compromised? I didn't know the answer and I wasn't sure I wanted to know.

Winter, I had put her in this position, it was all my fault that she had been grabbed and nearly killed. If Spectra had been just one second slower she would've either died or been damaged beyond repair. But I had been the one to put her in this position, I had been the one who convinced her to stand up to the hardliners and end the war.

Had I done the right thing? Should I have just left it alone and let history take its course? I sighed a little and looked around as I walked through the bunker, there were so many unanswered questions, so many things I could've done differently but I didn't.

Winter was going to be okay, that much I knew, but was she going to be able to be the leader the Enclave needed? There were ponies out there that were still trying to figure out what to do now that the Enclave was fracturing and they were going to have to make a choice between Winter's forces and the Hardliners.

All because of one thing, because the ponies from Tenpony Tower decided to fire on this city and kill innocent ponies.

I sighed and pushed the door to Winter's office open. There were scorch marks on the wall from where the fight had taken place, I even saw a bullet hole or two, Winter had fought back. I was proud of her for that, she probably went out fighting, that's something I admired and knew that she would want to do.

Winter was a good pony, a good pony who had been forced into an impossible situation. She wasn't going to stop just because the Enclave believed that her way of thinking was wrong, that wasn't the kind of pony Winter was.

She was smart and brave and if she let this kind of thing stop her she wouldn't have done this in the first place. But still, I wished that I hadn't put her in this situation and I couldn't help but feel a little guilty.

I sighed and moved around her desk and was a bit surprised to find a piece of paper that had been folded into an origami crane. I picked it up and looked at it curiously. I hadn't ever seen anything like it in the Wasteland and I had to wonder why Winter had been folding it.

I put it away in my bags and looked down to find a holotape lying on the desk nearby. I picked it up out of curiosity and saw that scrawled on it was "Scootaloo." I picked it up and put it into my PipBuck, I wondered what she was trying to tell me, this was clearly something she wanted me to hear.

"Scootaloo, the Hardliners are attacking the bunker and I don't know what's going to happen to me," Winter's voice said over my earbuds. "At best they're going to brand me and exile me, but that would be stupid of them, and Cloud Chaser isn't stupid. Please, know that this isn't your fault, you did what you felt was right like you always do. You don't need another death on your conscience, so know that no matter what happens, this was my decision and mine alone. I just wanted to help Equestria, we all did."

She paused a moment as if trying to think of what to say next. I sighed a little, she was right of course, and it did help me feel a little better. Winter wasn't a bad pony, I had done everything I could to help her, I just had to hope that everything was going to be okay.

"If I don't survive this, don't blame yourself Scootaloo, I wouldn't want anything to happen to you because of my choice. But I do ask you this, stop Cloud Chaser and the other Hardliners. They're the real threat to Equestria right now, and please save Calypso. Right now my daughter is the most important pony in Equestria if I'm dead, the Hardliners can only get to Rockhoof's Thunder if they have her. If I'm dead, take care of her for me, I can't think of anypony I trust more with my daughter's well being than you and Cherry Blossom."

Really, she trusted me with her daughter? I wasn't sure if I should be honored or worried, but at least she was still alive at this point. I smiled a little, it was actually nice to know that she thought so highly of me.

"I hope we'll see each other once more Scootaloo. But if we don't, thank you for everything. You inspired me to be a better pony, to change the world for the better. I guess I was always a Dashite, I just never got branded. I have no regrets, I made the Enclave better, I set the stage for the future of Equestria. I just hope that I'll be here to see it, but as long as Calypso gets to see it... that's all that matters to me."

The holotape ended at that and I took it back out of my PipBuck and looked at it for a moment. I sighed and put it in my bags, that had helped a little bit, Winter was still alive but I was going to make sure that she got to see her daughter again, no matter what.

I headed back out of the bunker at that, there was still a lot to do.

00000

I made my way to the hospital where Winter was being taken care of. The Enclave soldiers were still on high alert given what had happened, I didn’t really blame them. After I was searched I was escorted towards where Winter was being taken care of.

“Scootaloo,” Tornado said in her distorted mechanical voice as she stared down at me. “I’m surprised it took you this long to visit.”

“I, had a lot of thinking to do,” I said with a sigh as I looked up at the armored Alicorn. “How is she doing?”

“Physically, other than the brand she’s fine, she’ll live,” Tornado said as she sighed and shook her head. “Mentally? I honestly don’t know, she’s still shaken up by everything that happened. I, honestly am afraid that she’s never going to be the same again.”

I sighed and looked at the closed door for a long moment. “Nothing will ever be the same again after what happened this morning.”

“I should’ve stopped them…” Tornado said softly and my ears perked up a little. “They had these, things with them. My magic couldn’t even touch them… I failed to protect her, my one duty for the past 200 years has been to protect her family, and I’ve failed them.”

My ears perked up at that. “My family…” I said softly. “You’ve been protecting my family, but… why?”

Tornado looked at me for a long moment and then turned away from me for a moment before she reached up and started to undo the helmet on her Power Armor. She had a light blue coat with a short turquoise colored mane. She looked down at me with purple eyes and sighed a little as she set the helmet down.

I looked at her for a long moment. I swear, she looked familiar to me somehow but I couldn’t place my hoof on it. It was like seeing somepony for the first time in years, you barely remember what they look like or who they were.

“After this was done to me, I couldn’t remember who I was,” Tornado said softly. “I lost all memory of who I was, except for one thing, to protect a certain family. It became my single focus. I was the only success of Project Valkyrie, the rest either went insane or got horribly mutated and had to be put down. Usually by this crazy mare named Cricket, I don’t know what her role was in the project other than executioner.”

Cricket, that figured she seemed to keep coming up ever since we came to Thunderhead. But I kept listening, there was still something at the back of my mind though as I tried to figure out who she was.

“But now? Ever since I saw you on the road to Manehattan, things have been coming back to me,” she said softly. “Now, I remember everything. Scootaloo, it’s me, Sky Walker.”

Sky Walker… my husband was still alive? He had been turned into an Alicorn and was definitely a mare, but now that I looked at her closer, I could see it now. I just sat there in a moment in stunned silence for a long moment.

“But… how? Why? What happened?” I said in shock as I tried to get my words out. “You’re… you know...”

“Project Valkyrie was an experiment using IMP to try and create supersoldiers,” Tornado said with a sigh. “I wanted to stay in Stable 46 and keep our daughter safe, but, things changed. Back then the Enclave was looking for ways to consolidate their power and they told me if I didn’t come with them they’d take Cloudy and use the IMP on her. I didn’t want to leave, but I had to if I wanted to keep our daughter safe. I thought you were dead Scootaloo, they told me as such, even showed me pictures of your body to break me. Then they took me off for the project, and the next thing I remember is waking up like this.”

“I’m sorry…” I said softly and placed my hoof on my transformed Husband’s armored hoof. “I should’ve done better, maybe I should’ve just hidden away in Stable 46 and hope that it bought me some time. I’m sorry, I should’ve been there for both of you.”

“You did what you felt was right, just like you always did,” Tornado said with a shake of her head. “Scootaloo, I don’t blame you for what happened. Cloudy lived a good life and died peacefully surrounded by her family, that’s the best we could’ve hoped for her given the situation. We both wanted to keep our family safe… I just wish I could’ve protected Winter.”

“You did everything you could do to protect her,” I said with a nod. “It wasn’t your fault, you did your duty and that’s all anypony can ask of you.”
We sat in silence for a long moment as she looked down at me and sighed. “Do you love her?”

“Who?”

“That pink mare you travel with, Cherry Blossom,” she said with a shake of her head.

“Yeah… I love her,” I said with a sigh as I looked up at Tornado. “Is that going to be a problem?”

Tornado sighed and shook her head. “I let you go a long time ago Scootaloo. I’m just glad that you found somepony to love. She seems like a good pony from what I’ve seen, just promise me you’ll never let her go.”

“I promise,” I said with a nod and then looked back at the door. “Should, I go inside? I feel like I should talk to her a little, I just hope that she’d be willing to talk to me.”

Tornado looked at me and nodded. “Come on,” she said and we got up and knocked on the door. After a moment a soldier opened the door and after a quick explanation we were escorted inside.

00000

As we entered the room a nurse was in the middle of arguing with Spectra. “I’m sorry Commander, but only family and members of the Secret Service are allowed to be in here, doctor’s orders.”

“Are you dense?! I am the secret service!” Spectra said with a growl to his voice. “I’m not leaving, and that’s that.”

“You are also disturbing the President at the moment, I am going to have to insist that you leave the room unless you are part of her family,” the nurse insisted.

“You are not going to make me leave, I will Not leave her.” Spectra demanded, staring that nurse down. “Not over my dead body will I leave.”

The nurse sighed and looked at Tornado and the other guards. “Will you please come restrain the commander and escort him out before I have to sedate him?”

“If they lay a single hoof on me, I’ll take it out of your hide.” Spectra growled.

“Umm, Spectra, what seems to be the problem?” I asked as I looked between the Enclave Commander and the Nurse.

“They keep trying to make me leave, and refuse to leave me be,” Spectra said in return, taking his attention off the nurse for a moment.

“Only because he started causing a scene when I asked him to step outside,” the Nurse said. “Not to mention the President is recovering from an attack by members of the Enclave, a soldier acting like this doesn’t exactly inspire confidence in his loyalty.”

“I just saved her life, she wouldn't even be here if not for me, and you want to question my loyalty. You insubordinate piece of…” Spectra growled as he snapped his attention back to the nurse.

“Spectra, we’re not questioning your loyalty,” I said with a sigh as I looked at the rainbow maned stallion. “But why don’t you want to leave?”

Spectra’s gaze snapped over to me, his eyes were bloodshot, he had obviously been crying alot. “Because I will not leave my wife.”

The Nurse flinched at that and backed away sheepishly. “I’m, sorry… I didn’t know…”

“Nopony knew,” Winter said finally speaking up as she blushed heavily and shot Spectra a look. “I’ve kept the truth about my family secret for their own safety. Which is why he wasn’t supposed to tell anypony, way to go Spectra.”

“It's about time they admitted it,” Tornado said with a shake of her head.

“Yeah, well, you’re the one that needs protecting now, I doubt they are going to stop with their assassination attempts.” Spectra said as he turned to look at Winter. “I failed as a father when Callie was taken, I almost failed as a husband when they tried to kill you, I’m done failing, I’m done pretending to be somepony I am not.”

Winter sighed and sat up in the bed as she looked over at Spectra and then at me. “Spectra, what happened to me wasn’t your fault any more than it was Scootaloo’s. I thought I’d be safe in the bunker, I shouldn’t have risked staying there, so don’t go beating yourself up for that. And you did save me, just a little late, that’s what counts right now.”

“If I had just been a little slower, if I hadn’t managed to get the courage to let go of everything… we wouldn’t be having this conversation, Winter.” Spectra said with a sigh “I heard a voice as I dived, I didn’t recognize it, but it was a mare’s voice, telling me to keep pushing, keep going, you can do it. If not for that, I don’t know what would of happened.”

Winter nodded and sighed as she laid back on the bed again. “You did your job, that’s all that can be asked of you. What about me though? I don’t know how many ponies out there are even willing to listen to me anymore. I don’t regret my decision, but, I’m not much of a President anymore.”

“Don’t say that, what these hardliners did to you, those who support them are few and far between… The Enclave is a different creature then what it used to be, all because of you.” Spectra said, smiling as he moved to Winter’s side. “One snowflake can bring smiles to millions, those millions aren’t going to forget.”

I nodded in agreement. “Winter, you did what nopony thought was possible, you made the Enclave into something good. You’ve got the loyalty of countless ponies across Equestria and you’ve got more support than you can imagine. Cloud Chaser stands alone, you don’t.”

I reached into my bags and took out a piece of paper and gave it to Winter. “General Sparkle asked me to bring this to you, it came from President Grimfeathers herself.”

Winter took the paper and opened it up as she read it to herself. She looked at me surprised. “This, this is a notice of intent from the Alliance to support the Enclave remnant against the Hardliners…”

“As long as President Winter Breeze, or a rightful successor, is in command,” I finished. “Like I said, you have more support than you know.”

“And more beyond that, if only you could see the bags of gifts and mail piling up in the lobby, all for President Winter. Pegasi have been dropping by since the rescue to show their support. I think I’ve even seen a few alliance soldiers drop by to leave rations and anything they can spare. No matter what you think, you’ve touched more than I can even begin to count” Spectra added with a smile and a gentle nuzzle to her cheek.

Winter finally smiled again and nuzzled him back. “Thank you… all of you. You’re right of course, I’m sorry…”

“Shh, no more talking, not to us anyway…” Spectra said and pressed his hoof to Winter’s muzzle. His gaze shifting to terrace of her room. “What say you, President Winter Breeze, Ready to make one more public address, this time - In person instead of over a radio?”

Winter took a deep breath and looked at me and then at Tornado and nodded. “I’m ready, but I want all of you to be there with me.”

“I think I speak for everyone, when I say this - We’re here for you all the way” Spectra said before using a wing to knock the monitoring equipment off her. “Didn’t even need that anyway, all you did was bruise a rib.”

Winter nodded and got to her hooves, she wobbled a moment but Spectra helped steady her. “Let’s do this then.”

We stepped out onto the terrace where a microphone had been set up connected to a nearby Raptor that was holding station near the hospital. I glanced down over the terrace to see the gathering crowd below.

I smiled and looked back towards Spectra. “Did you get this set up?”

“Hey, I know my wife, she likes to talk to her people.” Spectra said with a chuckle.

I nodded and turned back to look at Winter who moved in front of the microphone and took a deep breath. She paused a moment as she tried to decide how to put this into words, a silence fell over the crowd below as they waited to see what she had to say.

“10 years ago when I was sworn in as President of the Enclave I swore that I would do everything I could to serve this nation and rebuild after the Day of Sunshine and Rainbows. Since then, I have done everything in my power to make the Enclave better. We are better, the fact that all of you stand behind me in support of my ideals against Cloud Chaser’s. We have to stop living in the past, the time has come that we all stand united against a common threat. Earth Pony, Unicorn, Pegasus, we must and stand united along with every other being that believes in a brighter future for this world. It’s no longer about Enclave or Alliance, we now all stand united in common cause. The brighter future we have all been fighting for is now within our grasp, and we will defeat Cloud Chaser and his forces.”

She paused a moment and looked back at me with a smile.

“We have friends and allies in places we never could have imagined before. We stand together, for we are Equestria. All of us, either in the sky or on the earth below, it’s time we remind Cloud Chaser and any other pony that thinks they can break our spirit just how strong we really are.”

She took a deep breath and stepped away from the microphone. There was a long moment of silence before the crowd erupted into cheers. I smiled and gave Winter a nod.

“Well said, Winter.”

“Well, that was the easy part,” Winter said with a sigh as she looked at Spectra. “Now, we have to survive this war.”

Winter moved up close to Spectra and kissed him long and passionately. I smiled a little, though I think the crowd below was a bit surprised, I just chuckled lightly and stood next to Tornado as the two kissed.

They broke the kiss after a moment before we headed back into the hospital room. I blinked a moment when I saw the nurse was off in the corner with a syringe in her hip.

“How sweet, a nation standing united.” a voice from the open door to the hall said, as a group of Alicorn walk in, clad in what appeared to be old equestrian guard armor. “When we were told of a Unity above unity, we did not believe it to be so, Unity is not something that can happen twice, or so we thought.”

“Equestria was once united, the war changed everything,” Winter said with a shake of her head. “Perhaps its fitting then that another war brought it back together.”

“Yes, it was, a very long time ago.” the figure entered the door, another alicorn, dressed in similiar garb to the rest. The major feature taking attention, the brightly colored six pointed star on her chest piece. “We would like to have a moment of your time.”

“We’re listening,” Winter said as she looked at the new Alicorn curiously. “What can I do for you?”

“Give us unity.” The alicorn spoke. “We have spent much of our generations, looking for Unity once it was destroyed. We hear of a battle taking place, and we came here to assist. Much of this city is in ruins, we do not know why, but we heard you speaking of unity, and we wish for this unity.”

I recognized the Alicorns as being from the same group from New Maripony that had joined Gambit aboard the Quetzal. I looked back at Winter, I had to wonder how she was going to answer this.

“We are going to need all the help we can get, not only to win this war but to work together in the peace that follows,” Winter said. “If you wish to help, I grant you, and anypony else who wishes it, citizenship in the Grand Pegasus Enclave.”

“This is the unity you offer? But… we feel no different, how is this unity?”

“This is true unity,” Winter said as she looked over at me and smiled. “Unity is about being together with your friends, your family. Unity is about standing together despite our differences, this is our Unity. Equestria is our Unity, where we can embrace what makes us different. It’s that which friendship, which true unification is built on. That is the Unity I offer you, and we’d be glad to have you.”

“So, you do not hear each other’s thoughts? You are alone in your own head?” The alicorn said, with a rather obvious confused look on her face.

“Yeah, that’s right,” I said and Winter nodded. “We’re all our own ponies not connected by a Hive Mind, but we still have our own Unity.”

“We… don’t know if we can live this way, being alone in our own mind, it’s… to quiet.”

“There are other Alicorns out there who lost the Unity too,” Winter said and sighed a little. “They can help you if you’ll give them a chance.”

“We… We don’t even have a name, Unity was all we knew.” the alicorn said with a sigh.

“I’m not going to ask you to fight for me or the Enclave,” Winter said in a calm, soothing voice. “But I will offer you a chance at a new life. We can help you figure out what you will do with yourselves now. There is a place in the future for everyone, including Alicorns. Just, give us a chance to help, that is all I ask.”

“We would… we would like to do that, to serve a purpose again..” The alicorn said with a little bit of a smile

“Then, welcome to the Enclave, and to the future,” Winter said and offered the lead Alicorn a hoof.

“We do not know if the others would agree… but we accept your offer… Miss?..” The alicorn said, and tilted her head out of curiosity.

“Winter Breeze,” she said with a smile. “And if they don’t want to join, that is their choice.”

“They look to us for guidance, they expect us to lead.” The Alicorn said with a nervous smile “They… don’t know their own voice, they only listen to ours.”

Winter nodded. “I would welcome anypony who wishes to come join us, I hope that they will be willing to listen.”

“They… uh, They agree.” She said, looking at those who now stood guard of the entrance. “It is odd.. But, we can hear them when we stay close.”

Winter nodded. “Alright, well, we’re glad to have you all then. Thank you for joining us, I just hope that you won’t be the last to join. We still have a long way to go to get to our bright future, but this is a step in the right direction. I need to get to the Alliance camp, I will send word for you if we need you.”

“Yes, Miss breeze, We will wait for you here… we are sorry about that pony there” She pointed to the nurse. “She tried to sedate us.”

“I see,” Winter said and looked back at the Nurse. “Tell her you’re here on my orders if she wakes up. She can confirm it with me if needed, same with anypony else in here.”

We headed out of the room as Tornado secured her helmet once more. I looked back towards the Alicorns as we started down the Hall. It was interesting to see how Winter worked, I could really see how she had convinced so many ponies to join her. I smiled a little, she was good at what she did, and I admired that.

Now we had to make sure that the future was a good one.

00000

The Alliance camp was a hive of activity. There were Enclave soldiers along with those that I had seen last time I was here and as we stepped through the gate and they saw Winter, there was a moment where everything seemed to stop.

As we went past the soldiers they saluted Winter. She smiled a little and returned the salute as best she could as we approached the command center where Midnight was standing along with my friends.

“General Sparkle, it’s a pleasure to finally meet face to face,” Winter said with a respectful bow of her head as we came to a stop. “I’m sorry it couldn’t be under better circumstances.”

“Likewise Madam President,” Midnight said and gave her a nod. “We’ve been getting reports from all over Equestria since your speech. Enlistment is at an all time high and we’ve got everything from local militias to Dashites and Enclave soldiers deserting from the Hardliners joining our side.”

“Unfortunately we have to move in on Stable 102 before they can get here,” Dazzle commented. “But it’s working, you’ve changed things for the better. Lets just hope that it stays that way.”

“Yes, let’s hope,” Winter said.

“We don’t have to hope, the intelligence has gotten aboard The Nimbus, they are far from making a move - they have yet to finish excavation.” Spectra said with a smirk “What can I say, I’m still the eyes and the ears.”

“There is one last matter to be dealt with,” Winter said and looked at me. “With Cloud Chaser gone rogue and Aries in jail, the Enclave lacks a proper command structure. We’re in need of new Wonderbolt Generals. This time, we need ones that are a reminder of what that name really stands for, not those that represent the Enclave.”

“Do you have anypony in mind?” Tornado asked as she looked at Winter.

“If they’ll agree, I do,” Winter said with a sigh. “This isn’t an easy decision to make, I’m not going to force any of you to do this. I am asking something of you that won’t be easy, but you’re the only ponies I trust to do what I want you to do. Spectra, Scootaloo, Tornado, will you do this for me?”

I blinked in surprise, was she really offering this to me? Why me of all ponies? I wasn’t even in the military, and she was trusting me with this?

“Umm… I honestly don’t know what to say,” I said in shock. “But, I’m not even in the military, how am I supposed to know what to do?”

“You know for somepony who isn’t in the military, you haven’t been doing that badly since the war started,” Arc pointed out and Midnight nodded a little.

“Besides, it’s not your military knowledge I want, it’s your heart,” Winter said. “You’re a good pony, and I trust you with this. I’ll give you a battlefield commission so its official. If you want to of course.”

“I am but a lowly Intelligence officer, How am I supposed to represent the Enclave as a general, My job has always been snooping around and getting into things.” Spectra said with a chuckle “Though I guess our daughter would have another role model to look up to, other then her mother.”

“Spectra, I wouldn’t ask this of you if I didn’t think you could do it,” Winter said with a smile as she looked at her husband. “I wouldn’t ask it of any of you. Don’t worry, I have faith in you.”

“If this is what is asked of me, I will do this,” Tornado said with a nod.

“I, honestly don’t know,” I said with a sigh. “I’m honored that you think that highly of me, but at the same time, I’m not sure if it’ll work. Do you think they’d listen to me? Even if I could do a good job, there’s no guarantee that they’d be willing to follow me.”

“Scootaloo, it’s up to you,” Winter said with a sigh. “But these ponies are loyal to me, they may be willing to follow you if I ask it of them. Just, at least try? I believe you can do it.”

I sighed a moment before nodding. “Alright, I’ll at least try,” I said with a weak smile. “Thank you for trusting me with this Winter, I’m not sure I would.”

Winter nodded. “Of course, so what about you Spectra?”

“You know I’ve never had an easy time telling you no.” Spectra said, leaning in to give Winter a gentle kiss to the cheek. “So I guess I’ll be one of your Generals, No reason to say no.”

“Alright, very good,” Winter said and looked at Midnight. “Alright General, the Enclave stands ready.”

“Very good,” Midnight said with a nod and offered Winter a hoof. “I want to formally welcome you into the Alliance, we’re glad to have you.”

Winter smiled and shook her hoof. “We’re glad to be here,” she said.

00000

“Hey Blackjack?” I asked as I entered the room.

“I heard what do you wish me to help you with?” She said, she was laying on the couch relaxing for the moment.

“Well, we’re getting everything ready to head out for Stable 102,” I said as I trotted over to her. “Go Fish is, probably there or on the Nimbus. I thought you should know so you can get ready.”

Blackjack nodded. “Oh Scoots. Silver stopped by and he gave me something to give to you.”

“Oh, what’s that?” I asked with a tilt of my head.

She lifted up a little box with a note on it. “He just came in and gave it to me Saying give it to you when I see you.” She floated it over to me with her magic.

I picked it up and opened it curiously. There was a chip in it with a note that said “You know what to do.” That was weird, why did Silver give me this?

“Well, I’m sure it’ll make sense when the time comes,” I said and placed the box in my saddlebags. I sighed a little and looked at Blackjack. “I’m honestly starting to feel a little in over my head right now.”

Blackjack laughs. “Scoots I felt like that every single feathering day. But I can try another speech to see if I can get the rest of the factions to join us. But when Silver left he said this news will make ponies act in strange stupid ways.”

“No, no, I think Winter did that already,” I said with a shrug. “But, well… Winter asked me to, basically join the Enclave, as one of the new Generals. I agreed but, I’m honestly not sure I’m cut out for it.”

Blackjack salutes hitting her head with the metal hoof. “Ow. I shall follow you to the death General.” She said with a joking smile.

I rolled my eyes. “Really, you need to stop saluting or maybe put some pads on your hooves or something,” I said with a chuckle. “But seriously…”

Before I could finish my thought Blackjack placed her hoof on my mouth to silence me. “Scootaloo, I know this has been hard for you. But you have done so much. You inspired me to make my life better. You have become a close friend. You have so much behind you and to fight for. I know you won’t fail like I did. You’re a stronger mare than me.” She placed her hoof back to the floor.

I smiled a little at that. “Thanks Blackjack, I really needed that. I hope I can live up to everypony’s expectations. And hey, we’ve still got to save your daughter, I promise we’ll do that.”

“Scoots you haven’t failed me yet. The fact you got me back with Glory. The real fact you well became my friend and dealt with my Stupidity. The constant drinking at the start.. Trying to get you in bed. Cussing at you.. What a meeting that was.”

“I met my fiance in a brothel… not like that, I needed her help with a Stable and she was working in one…” I said and blushed when I realized what that sounded like. “You’re not the first pony to try to get me into bed when I first met them.”

Blackjack blinked at me. “You met your wife to be at a brothel? Huh and I thought the place Glory and I met was odd.” She rubs her own cheek with her hoof. “I still feel the place she shot me at.”

“Hey, I wasn’t a customer… never mind, there’s no way that can’t sound weird is there?” I said with a chuckle as my face turned warm. “But yeah, the things we do for love huh? I’m just glad we both got a second chance at it.”

She chuckled. “Yeah it really doesn't sound that weird to me at all Scootaloo. It sounds more that you just met a very awkward spot. At a different time and place and a little romantic music. Candlelight a wonderful table. It could have been a wonderful Bella notte.”

“Speaking of which, where is Glory anyway?” I asked and looked around.

“She went to see her family. She didn’t wish me to come though because she would feel that her father still needed to get used to the fact that I am going to marry his daughter now. But she thinks just the fact she is alive will make him very happy for my sake.” She said with a nervous chuckle.

“Try dating the sister of a Ministry Mare, that got a bit tricky at times,” I said with chuckle and a shake of my head.

Blackjack looked more pale then she is now. “I um...would have been scared to be shot frankly. Like what gift do I give her so her sister doesn't kill me and such.”

“Yeah, that was a bit tricky,” I said with a sigh. “Still, Sweetie and I we had something special. Rarity was usually too busy to threaten me anyway.”

“Scoots I have been meaning to ask.” She looks at me not sure how to word it.

“What is it?” I asked her.

“What was Twilight like before the war?”

“She was… interesting,” I said with a sigh. “She was kind of obsessed with books for one thing, but she was overall a good pony. Mind you, she could get a bit crazy at times, but she ultimately wanted to help ponies as best she could.”

Blackjack sighs. “From the orbs I looked into. The war could have been prevented but the elites wanted to prove themselves from what I saw.”

“Yeah, that’s pretty accurate,” I said with a sigh. “I hated what the war did to Equestria, but, well that’s the thing about war isn’t it? It changes you, it always changes you even if you don’t fight in it.”

“One last thing before Silver left he also said. Crow will return with more. I have no idea what he meant.” She shrugged.

“Okay, good, we’re going to use all the help we can get,” I said with a nod. “Are you still up for coming with us or do you want to stay with Glory?”

“Scoots I can’t just sit by and wait while Equestria is in danger, I can’t. She will understand, I need to fight.”

“Alright, just don’t call me General Dash or whatever, I’m still me,” I said with a chuckle. “Okay?”

“I will just call you Scootaloo it’s your name. It’s how I know you.” She said with a smile. “Besides General Dash makes you sound like you have a giant ego.”

“Don’t worry, I won’t start calling myself that,” I said with a groan. “Come on, let’s get ready then, we need to get going soon.”

We headed back outside into the camp. I looked off towards the Nimbus near the mountain, I sighed a little, I just hoped that everything was going to be okay. We had only one shot to stop this and I had no idea how close the Hardliners were to getting at the Stable.

It was time to end this.

00000

“Stable 102 was never completed before I shut it down,” I said as we looked over the map of Stable 102 that Winter had provided from the old Stable-Tec files. “The Megaspell chamber is here, where the Reactor normally is in your standard Stable. To actually get there though you have to make your way through the automated defenses the Stable has set up. The problem is that it’s not going to do much more than slow down the Hardliners.”

“Cloud Chaser has a small fleet that he can bring to bear, but most of them are involved with other operations or are being used to maintain order in the other cities,” Winter picked up from here. “Still, we’re up against a ship that was built to replace the Thunderhead class. Even with the deserters, most of its crew is either loyal to Cloud Chaser or are too afraid to leave. He also has the Raptors Nexus and Aurora on standby.”

“We have the Orion for that, and the Pegasus Irregular Fleet is on its way from New Pegasus along with the Typhon and loyalist ships here in the city,” Midnight said. “Hopefully we can at the very least hold our own in a fight against the Nimbus long enough to deal with Rockhoof’s Thunder. Our first priority needs to be stopping Rockhoof’s Thunder from being used, that will be the mission of the infiltration team.”

Midnight gave me a nod, it was up to me and my friends along with a contingent of Enclave soldiers lead by Tornado to do that. I took a deep breath and nodded a little, we had our plan for what was going to happen. I just had to hope that it survived first contact with the enemy.

“Are there any questions?” Winter asked.

“I do have a question.” Blackjack said. “Do they know we are coming?”

Winter paused a moment and sighed. “Cloud Chaser is one of the smartest ponies I’ve ever dealt with. He’s probably had this planned for a long time and was just waiting for the right moment. I have little doubt that he’s figured out we’re going to try and stop him.”

Blackjack had a thought. “Then why not do something he wouldn’t even expect. Something that he would never even think of. Maybe think out of the box like me.”

“And what would you suggest?” Midnight asked as she shot Blackjack a look.

“Oh I don’t know. Maybe place someone in a Enclave power armor with their codes if you can get them. Then have one just go behind the lines and try to shut down whatever they would have. That would harm an advancing force?”

I paused for a moment in thought. She might have a point, but it depended on several factors. “Spectra, what’s the last report on how close they are to the Stable?”

“Well, I admit some of what I know is sketchy at best, they are keeping a close eye on anypony that gets near the dig. Last reports I heard, about an hour ago…” Spectra said, taking a moment to think before he continued. “If I recall correctly, they said that digging had slowed thanks to multiple workers deserting their posts, But if the time frame given is correct, we’ve got maybe an hour, hour and a half till they are through.”

“Then sending somepony into their ranks is likely not an option,” Winter said. “They’ll be on high alert in the tunnels and aboard the Nimbus.”

“But, we don’t have to go into the tunnel itself,” I said and looked at the others. “I set up a hidden elevator starting in the tunnel that was built through the bottom of the mountain. It’ll get us up to the Stable and since they’ve been digging this whole time, I don’t think it’s been compromised.”

“This may sound like a failure in my line of work, but - unless they are digging because the tunnel is compromised, you said this place was never finished - what if this tunnel collapsed?” Spectra said looking at me.

“Okay, that’s also possible,” I admitted with a sigh. “So, anypony have any other suggestions?”

Blackjack spoke up. “If only we had powers like a changeling and transform into something big enough to make them think that’s a threat to lead them away.”

“Hmm…” I said and looked thoughtful. “We do have Changelings that are friendly to us, though the only one I know that’s nearby is Crow. Could we get him to help?”

“Then how do we know he’s not here?”

“I’m sorry I am late everypony. What did…” Blackjack stares at herself.

“Okay… what?” I asked and looked between the two. “Oh, Changeling I’m guessing.”

Crow changes his form and sighs. “Soooo you have use of me then? Being in that form feels...gross.”

“Right, yes, if you could draw the attention of the Enclave Hardliners away somehow that would be useful,” I said with a nod. “If we can at least distract them long enough to get into the Stable, that’ll help.”

“Well I can do it. But how far do I need to get them away?” He asked.

“As far as you can reasonably get them away,” Winter said as she picked up a map of Equestria. “Preferably somewhere uninhabited, lets see…”

“I do have an idea..” Blackjack said. “But it would be full of danger for him. But it would be the best thing. Why not the core.”

“Does anypony have any objections to this plan?” Winter asked and looked around. “Right now it seems like it might be the best option.”

“Well since this is my life, I don’t since I wish to see a peaceful world.” Crow nodded “So i am willing to risk my life to bring one.”

“None here,” I said and Midnight and the others shook their heads.

“Alright, you all have your orders, this is it, Equestria is in all of our hooves now,” Midnight said and gave Winter a nod. “One way or another, it ends here today.”

I nodded and gave my friends a smile before we headed out of the room and off towards a Vertibuck.

00000

“So, General Dash huh?” Dazzle said with a smirk as the Vertibuck flew off towards the mountain. By now the Nimbus had moved its position along with one of the Raptors had flown off towards the core.

“Please don’t call me that,” I said with a groan and a roll of my eyes. “Winter asked me to do it, I’m not really comfortable with being called that by my friends. So please, just call me Scootaloo.”

“Alright, General Scootaloo,” Riva said with a chuckle and I facehooved at the Zebra’s response.

“Very funny,” I said with a roll of my eyes. “You’re getting way too much enjoyment out of this, you know?”

“Heh, I feel it fits you Scoots.” Blackjack smirked.

I just rolled my eyes and Arc laughed a little as I looked out the window towards the city beyond. I sighed a little and looked back at the others as we went on in silence. Tornado just shot me a look and shrugged a little.

I checked my bags, we had enough StealthBucks and cloaks for what we had to do. I sighed a little and looked around a moment. We were going to land as close as we could to the entrance without drawing attention and use the Stealth equipment to sneak our way in.

Stable 102, it was bound to come down to here one way or another. I chuckled a little when I saw the large dragon that I suppose was Crow’s distraction in the distance.

“Well, that’s one way to distract them I suppose, lets hope it lasts,” Arc commented.

“I hope he won’t get hurt from this.” Blackjack said worriedly.

“Me too,” I said with a sigh. “I don’t like the idea of putting him at risk, but if it’s our only option we have to go with it. Hopefully, everything is going to be okay, we just need his distraction until we get to the Stable.”

I leaned back and put my earbuds into my ears again. We were getting close to the mountain and I wanted to see what was going on in the rest of Equestria so I set the radio on my PipBuck to DJ Pon3’s radio station.

“...Well that’s the latest from the front lines, now for an unexpected bit of international news,” Xiraia’s voice said over the radio. “It seems that we’re finally getting some reports in from the city of Trottingham for the first time since the Steel Rangers in the city had to pull out around 8 years ago. It’s still not clear what’s been going on in the city or the Braytish Isles, but we’re starting to get reports of bombings and other terrorist actions against the current regime. More to come on the Trottingham situation as we learn about it. Now back to the music with Elegant Voice singing Dream of the Sky.”

I removed my earbuds as the Vertibuck came in for a landing. It was time to get into Stable 102.

00000

The trip through the tunnel that had been dug up by the Enclave soldiers moving towards the Stable. It had been constructed so it could be followed easily at least since they had taken the most direct route.

We had to sneak past the occasional guard left behind to keep an eye on the tunnel, but given the current status of the Hardliners forces it wasn’t unexpected. We had to stay quiet since there was a tendency to echo.

Stable 102’s entrance was built deep into the mountain, originally we had built a tunnel leading to it but when I locked it up I had blocked off the entrance. Just one more precaution, there was only one way to get to the Stable, and that was if you knew exactly what you were looking for.

When we reached the Stable Door my heart fell. The door, surrounded by six lights that had been turned off which had been part of the locking mechanism, was wide open. It was guarded by a pair of ponies dressed in Enclave Power Armor. I lined up my shots on the guards with the SOAR and pulled the trigger.

We took out the two guards that were in front of the door without problem. There were still advantages to using a rifle that could take out power armor so we took them out once there was no chance of being noticed.

“You two, make sure this place remains secure,” Tornado ordered two soldiers that had put on the armor of the guards we had taken out. “Be careful, don’t take any unnecessary risks.”

“Yes General Tornado,” the soldiers said with a salute.

I checked my StealthBuck, we had to move fast if we were going to get down to the Reactor without getting spotted. “Alright, the defenses are heaviest in the Reactor level so assuming they haven’t cleared it out, they shouldn’t have gotten to the Megaspell yet. Let’s get down there as fast as possible, we’ve only got one shot at this.”

As we started down into the depths of the Stable I moved up next to Arc. “Hey Arc, so, uh, any word on the others from Stable 66?”

Arc sighed and looked down at her hooves a moment. “There were quite a few of them that were caught up in the attack on Thunderhead. Caramel is okay, I met back up with her in the Alliance camp.”

“Well, that’s good,” I said with a soft smile as I checked my rifles. “I’m sorry about the others though. We should’ve put Celestia One more permanently out of commission or at least made sure that they didn’t repair it.”

Actually something bugged me, they hadn’t seemed interested in repairing it. Why had they suddenly had it working again? Something about this was fishy and I didn’t like it, it was as if the whole thing had been manipulated.

“Scoots..” Blackjack whispered.

“Yes?” I asked.

Blackjack pointed to a screen that showed a Changeling bleeding. “They….got him.”

I really, really wished I could do a creative curse like LittlePip did. Crow looked like he was still alive at least, but that meant the Hardliners knew that it was a distraction, which meant they were heading back towards the mountain.

“What are we going to do now?” Dazzle asked as the others looked at me and Tornado.

“Stay the course, they’re not going to be able to get here before we get to the Megaspell,” Tornado said and then levitated up her weapon. “Though, I think the time for subtlety is over, we’re on the clock now.”

I nodded and we got our weapons ready. The Enclave was going to be on even higher alert now so we had to make sure that we made it out of it okay.

As we started to enter the incomplete atrium with its old and rusted construction equipment, an energy bolt shot at us and glanced off a shield that Tornado threw up at the last second to protect us.

I glanced up to see a group of robots that were firing at us as we ducked into cover. “Great, if they don’t know we’re in here already, they certainly do now,” I said with a groan as we returned fire.

“Crap... “ Blackjack said trying to find a good gun to use. “Oh Scoots do you have anything that could shut these down?”

“They’re hardwired into my personal code, I can shut them down or rewrite their attack command, I just have to get closer,” I said with a sigh as I looked at the area between me and the robots. “I’ll just need cover.”

“Oh i am going to hate myself for this. Well… “ She runs out from behind the cover jumping around. “Hey I am over here!!”

The robots turned their attention to her and directed their fire in her attention. I didn’t take the time to see what was going to happen, I just hoped Blackjack was going to be okay as I moved quickly out of cover and behind some of the construction equipment.

I took a deep breath and checked my PipBuck to make sure that I was close enough to the robots to hack into their systems. I took a quick look around to see that Blackjack was avoiding the shots as best she could, but I had to move fast.

My PipBuck connected with robots’ computer systems after a moment and froze in place. Okay, that was good, I went through the commands on the programming and selected the targeting option. After a moment, the command went through and I let out a sigh of relief as the robots activated again but didn’t open fire.

“Is everypony okay?” I asked as I moved out of cover.

Blackjack lay on her side bleeding from a few wounds. Riva and the Enclave medic was working on healing her with potions and bandages. I flinched a little, that was a bad choice of diversions.

“Blackjack, I’m sorry…” I said softly.

Blackjack groaned a bit. Her eyes closed but she spoke. “Go… without us Scoots… we will catch up.”

“We’ll take care of her,” Riva said with a nod. “Go on ahead.”

Tornado frowned a little and nodded to the other soldiers before picking out two of them and leaving them with the others. That just left me, Tornado, Dazzle, Arc, and the remaining two soldiers to head deeper into the Stable.

“Stay safe, if anything goes wrong, head for the nearest safe room, it’s just over there,” I said and pointed off towards a room connected to the Atrium. “They were set up in case the reactor failed, it’ll keep you safe.”

I took a deep breath and we kept walking towards the reactor. I looked back at Blackjack and sighed a little, I hoped she was going to be okay, but we had a mission to do.

00000

There’s something eerie enough about going through an empty or abandoned Stable, it was even creepier when the Stable wasn’t complete. There were doors and entire walls that had been left incomplete when I cancelled construction on it.

The deeper parts of the Stable were more complete than the rest of it because of Rockhoof’s Thunder. The walls didn’t look the same as normal Stable walls because they had been constructed by the Ministry of Arcane Science. We had built the Stable around the Megaspell Chamber and the small facility.

“Well, this is certainly different,” Arc commented as we went past a wall that had the logo of the M.A.S. on it.

“It kind of had to be given what we built it around,” I said with a shrug. I was about to say more when we came around a corner and Enclave troopers started to fire at us. “Of course, we can’t just easily walk in and find them all dead…”

“There’s not much point in dwelling on it,” Tornado said and levitated her gatling laser up and firing into the room beyond. I shrugged a little and the rest of us started firing at them too.

I lined up a shot on one of the nearest Enclave soldiers in SATS and paused a moment. Things were changing, it wasn’t really as easy as just shooting the Enclave. Was this pony really loyal to the Hardliners or was he forced into the fight? I sighed a moment and shook my head, I couldn’t dwell on that in a combat situation so I targeted him and fired a shot into the head.

The rest of the soldiers went down quickly between our gunfire. We grabbed what ammo we needed from the soldiers and kept walking, we were close to the Megaspell chamber at this point.

We passed by robots and turrets that had been destroyed by the encroaching Enclave soldiers. We pushed the last door open to where the Megaspell chamber was and raised our weapons ready for the fight to come.

The antechamber was a large room with a second door at the far end. Several shots rang out and as Tornado tried to throw up a shield it fizzled out of existance as the remaining Enclave soldiers fell and we tried to duck out of the way.

“Well Scootaloo, I should’ve known Winter Breeze would send you,” a familiar stallion’s voice said. I glanced up to see Cloud Chaser standing there with a gun held on two fillies, one was a light shade of blue with a shock of white for a mane and the other was grey with a black and purple mane. Cloud Chaser stroked a small lizard resting on his back gently. “Don’t bother to shoot me with your magical energy weapons, my little friend here. And if you try and shoot me with conventional weapons, these two will die. I don’t think you’d want Winter’s daughter to be killed, would you?”

“Let them go Cloud Chaser,” I called out to him. “They did nothing to you, they’re not part of your little war. They’re just fillies, you’re a parent yourself, you lost your wife and eldest daughter in Neighvarro, didn’t you? Do you want to put more parents through that?”

Cloud Chaser flinched a little at the mention of his family. He gritted his teeth and looked back at the two cowering fillies.

“Let them go and I’ll give you access to the Megaspell myself,” I said softly. “You only need somepony with my DNA, you don’t have to hurt those two. Let them go and I’ll give you what you want. Please?”

Cloud Chaser growled a little and backed away. He gestured towards the door with his gun. “Go in there and shut off the Bypass Spell. After that I’ll let them go.”

“Scootaloo, are you sure about this?” Arc asked me as I got to my hooves. “Are you really going to do this?”

“I don’t have much of a choice,” I said as I moved through the doorway. It didn’t even slow me down of course, I had programmed this thing myself. I sighed and looked at the terminal and pulled up the deactivation code for the bypass spell and shut it off. “Alright, its off, now let them go!”

Cloud Chaser pushed the two fillies away and started to walk towards the door when a gunshot rang out and there was a brief squeal as the strange lizard creature’s head exploded.

Blackjack stood there in her magic one of her guns. She stood there with a soft smile on her face. “Don’t move or your head is next.”

He was about to do something else when Tornado’s horn went ablaze and a shield formed up around the fillies. Cloud Chaser growled and looked at me and then at Blackjack. “This isn’t over.”

“I don’t know, it looks pretty over to me Cloud Chaser,” I said and raised my energy rifle and pointed it at the General. “Surrender now, let’s end this war before it results in more bloodshed.”

The grey filly who I figured was probably Go Fish shivered and looked at Blackjack with a curious tilt of her head. Blackjack stared back for a moment as she took her eyes off of Cloud Chaser, which was what he needed.

“Its not over, not yet,” he said and looked at one of his guards who nodded. It took me a moment to realize that the guard was actually a Unicorn, I was about to shoot at them when the Unicorn’s horn lit up brightly and with a flash of light they and Cloud Chaser were gone, leaving the remaining soldiers confused.

Blackjack did something that surprised me. She set down the gun to the floor. “No more death not in front of little ones.”

Riva and the remaining soldiers came in as they went to secure the Hardliner soldiers. They didn’t put up much of a fight as Go Fish trotted over to Blackjack and looked at her curiously.

“You, look like the picture mommy has,” she said and looked at Blackjack.

Blackjack looks down to Go Fish. Her normally cold eyes turn soft and gentle. She leaned down a bit to her. “Hello Go Fish, I’m Blackjack.”

“B-Blackjack, but… mommy said you’re…” Go Fish said as her eyes went wide. “My other mommy?”

She looked at me with a smile forming on her face. Then back down to Go Fish. “Yes I am.”

Go Fish just stood there for a moment and then hugged Blackjack tightly. She was starting to cry a little as she hugged the white mare tightly. “I, always wanted to meet you after all of mommy’s stories.”

Blackjack had tears fall from her eyes and fell down her cheeks. “I wish...I could...have come sooner…”She sounded like she was crying herself.

I smiled a little at the two’s first meeting. The others headed into the Megaspell chamber now that the block was off, it was time to figure out what to do with it. The other filly, Calypso trotted up to me and looked at me curiously.

“Hey, you must be Callie,” I said with a smile as the filly tilted her head. “I met your mommy, she’s been very worried about you.”

“She’s still alive?” Calypso said with a shaky voice. “Cloud Chaser told me that she was dead…”

“Yeah, she’s still alive, and she’s waiting for you back in Thunderhead,” I said and hugged the small Pegasus filly gently. “As soon as we’re done here, we’ll get you back to her, I promise.”

“Mommy said you were a good pony Ms. Scootaloo,” Callie said with a smile as she hugged me back a little. “I’m glad you came to save me. She always told me that you’d help me if I ever needed it.”

I smiled and looked down at the filly. “I’m glad I was able to help you, you’ve got a good mom you know that? Don’t worry, we’ll make sure you get back to her.”

Blackjacks horn glows placing Go Fish on her back with her bags. “Hold on little one. Scootaloo I think we better take care of the Megaspell. This will sadly have to wait.”

“Yeah, I know,” I said and looked back to where the others were checking out the Megaspell. I walked up next to Tornado with Callie on my back and looked at the Megaspell beyond.

Rockhoof’s Thunder was still as terrifying to look at today as it had been 211 years ago. A large terminal was fitted against the wall with the casting rods beyond that lead up to the summit of the mountain.

But what made me frown was that it was glowing, the Megaspell had been on for over 210 years. There was shielding that was keeping it from becoming a problem, and it was humming with power.

“That’s, not good,” I said with a frown. “We have a problem, a big problem.”

“What kind of problem?” Arc asked as we looked up at the chamber together. “Can’t we shut it off?”

“Yes, we can, but, we don’t really know what’ll happen if we do,” I said with a sigh. “This thing has been building up so much power over the years that just shutting it off might cause a catastrophic failure of the Megaspell.”

“Oh… Oh lovely.. “Blackjack sighed. “Go Fish do me a big favor little one.”

“What is it other mommy?” Go Fish asked with a tilt of her head.

“You and your friend along with me. Are going to go.” She looked to me with a smile. “You can do it.” She lifted up the other filly with her magic and slowly trotted out.

“Blackjack, remember what I said, get to a safe room if the alarms start going off,” I said and turned my attention back to the Megaspell. “There is, one way to do this, honestly it’s our only choice.”

“And that is?” Riva asked.

“Well, we have to fire off the Megaspell,” I said with a sigh. “We can aim it somewhere it won’t cause any damage, like into space. But there is a problem, well, two problems.”

I quickly explained that the Megaspell was going to need somepony there the whole time to maintain the integrity of the casting rods to keep it from failing. That however was the easy part to deal with. The problem was that even if we kept it from failing, because the shielding had failed so much over the years, it was going to flood the entire Stable, save for the safe rooms, with radiation.

There was a moment of silence as we let that thought sink in. Whoever stayed in the room was going to die, there was no way around it.

“I’ll do it,” a mare’s voice finally said and we turned to see Dazzle, she had been the one to speak up. “I can survive the radiation longer than any of you, even you Tornado.”

“Dazzle, you don’t have to do this,” I said as I looked at the Canterlot Ghoul who just shook her head. “You’ve got a lot to live for still.”

“Scootaloo, you know just as well as I do that nopony else can do this,” Dazzle said as she placed her hoof on my shoulder. “I’ve been dead for years, I died with everypony else in Stable 1 11 years ago when the Enclave destroyed Canterlot, I just didn’t know it yet. You gave me a second chance to help Equestria. This is my chance to help Equestria, and to see my loved ones again.”

I placed my hoof on Dazzle’s as I started to cry a little and gave her a nod. “I’m sorry it came to this Dazzle… thanks for being a good friend, and I’m still sorry about what I did to you and the others.”

Dazzle nodded and gave me a smile. It should’ve looked creepy given that she was a Ghoul, but to me it was one of the most beautiful smiles I had ever seen. “Hey, when you eventually die, look me up in Elysium, promise? I’ll be waiting for you.”

“I’ll see you in the fields and the golden city, I promise,” I said with a smile as we backed off from one another.

“Just don’t say goodbye, I hate goodbyes,” Dazzle said and turned her attention back to the Megaspell. I gave her a quick overview of what to do and how to target, we decided that it would target the sun, there wasn’t much point in going after anything else.

“I’ll…” I said and paused a moment. “See you later Dazzle.”

With that we headed out of the Megaspell room and left Dazzle behind. I started to cry as I took one last look back towards my friend, but this was our only choice.

But that didn’t mean I had to like it.

00000

As we made our way down the hallway the alarms started to go off, that meant the Megaspell was firing up and we didn’t have a lot of time. We hurried our way towards the nearest Safe Room.

That’s when it happened, I tripped, yeah I know, I feel dumb looking back on this, I actually tripped and fell flat on my face. When I tried to get up, a pain went through my legs as I fell back down.

“Scootaloo!” Tornado said and turned back around, I just shook my head.

“Go!” I called to them. “You don’t have time for this, just go! I’ll just slow you down”

My friends exchanged looks and sighed as they ran down the hallway. Arc mouthed an “I’m Sorry” to me before she vanished around the corner. I sighed a little and laid back as I looked up at the ceiling.

Maybe it was appropriate that I was going to meet my end in a Stable. I had done everything I could to help ponies in these places, but I had caused so many deaths here. I had done everything I could to make Equestria a better place and atone for my mistakes.

If I was going to die here, then I was going to die with dignity. I struggled to get to my hooves again as the alarms went off again. I tried to walk forward as best I could.

I sighed a little and thought back to the necklace in my bags that Serenity gave me. “I’m sorry Serenity, Cherry, Winter… I did everything I could, have a good life if you find these recordings. Know that I’ll always love you.”

The last alarm went off, the third alarm meant that the Stable was about to be flooded with energy. I closed my eyes and waited for the feeling to come over me and take me away to Elysium or Tartarus.

But that never came, instead there was a strange feeling of warmth as if somepony was wrapping her wings and forelegs around me. I opened my eyes and looked up in shock to see that a shield was surrounding me, a shield that shined with all the colors of the rainbow.

“What the…” I said and looked down at my neck where the Element of Loyalty was glowing with the same Rainbow color as the magical energy swirled around me. The shield still held though, I smiled a little and let out a sigh of relief.

As the energy finally died down and the Stable’s cleansing systems turned on automatically to clear out as much of the radiation as was possible, I swear I heard a voice in my ear.

“You did a good job Scootaloo, I’m proud of you,” the voice said in a familiar raspy tone before the feeling of the wings and legs moved away from me.

“Thank you… mom,” I said softly as I placed my hoof on the Element of Loyalty. Somehow, Rainbow Dash had come back from beyond the grave to save me one last time.

“Scootaloo!” Arc shouted as she and the others made their way down the hallway with Blackjack and the fillies. “You’re alive, but, how?”

Blackjack looked at my back legs. “Ow…. that looks painful.”

“Yeah,” I said and flinched, my legs were at odd angles and bleeding here and there. Riva and the medic got to work again and put the damaged legs into splints, saying that we’d have to get me to a hospital once we were out of here.

I felt a strange sensation as I was wrapped in purple magic as Tornado picked me up and placed me on her back. I smiled and nodded a little.

“Come on, let’s go…” I said.

Blackjack looked the other way and sighed. Bowing her head a bit. “For a ghoul she was a strong mare.”

“She died to save the rest of us,” I said with a sigh as I looked at the others. “We should at least see her.”

We turned back around and headed to the Megaspell Chamber. We looked inside where Dazzle was slumped over the terminal. I sighed a little and shook my head, while I had only known Dazzle for a short time I hated that we had lost her.

“Goodbye Dazzle… we won’t forget you,” Arc said softly as she looked back at me. “What are we going to do with her?”

“We’ll have to come back for her,” Tornado said with a shake of her head. “She’ll get a funeral with full military honors. That’s the best we can do.”

Tornado moved me forward to I could see her one last time. I was a bit surprised to see Dazzle start to stir a little, the Canterlot Ghoul was in bad shape but there was still a little bit of life in her.

“Hey Scootaloo,” she said with a weak smile. “You all made it… I’m glad. Equestria, needs more ponies like you Scootaloo. I just wish I had seen it when I first met you.”

“It’s okay Dazzle, you were a better pony than I ever was,” I said with a weak smile and reached out towards her but my PipBuck just started clicking rapidly from the radiation. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t worry about it,” she said weakly. “I’m just glad that I got a chance to meet you. You are, and always be, my friend. In this life or the next one, I’ll see you again, I promise.”

“I’ll see you again,” I said softly and with that Dazzle closed her eyes and was gone.

00000

We left the Stable and made it out of the mountain tunnel without any further incident. The Enclave was in the process of pulling out, they probably realized by now that Rockhoof’s Thunder was of no use to them.

Yeah, we did a quick check over before we left. The Megaspell had been in such bad shape after letting off that much energy that it could never be used again safely. We’d have it dismantled and everything on it destroyed, Rockhoof’s Thunder would never again be a threat to Equestria.

As we came back into the sunlight we saw the Orion listing. It wasn’t in the best of shape, it looked like it had been damaged but it wasn’t out of the fighting yet. I chuckled a little, the Enclave’s Raptors were destroyed and the Nimbus could be seen fleeing in the distance towards the west.

“Its over… Thunderhead is safe,” Tornado said as she looked down at Calypso. “Come on, I think this little one wants to get to her mother.”

Calypso smiled and nodded as ponies flew down towards us. I smiled a little when I saw Sparky on approach, she had been involved in the battle above ground and I was glad she had made it out alive.

I felt tired, more exhausted than I had felt in a long time and my vision turned black as I closed my eyes and drifted off to sleep.

Maximum Level Reached.

Chapter 34 (Part 1): Perspectives

"Remember that all through history there have
been tyrants and murderers,
and for a time they seemed invincible.
But in the end they always fall.
Always."
-Mahatma Gandhi.

Scootaloo's Story.

When my eyes opened I found myself staring up at a white sterile hospital ceiling. For a moment I thought I was in Thunderhead or Nomad City but when I looked around I saw Sweetie Belle, Cloudy, and Sparky. I was dreaming again, and my heart fell, this was the last time I’d ever see them.

“What happened?” I asked weakly as I looked over at Sweetie Belle who gave me a weak smile. She looked older than I remembered, but I smiled a little at that, it meant that she had a long and happy life with my counterpart in this world.

I couldn’t help but envy her a little.

“You collapsed at home Scootaloo, I told you you’ve been working too hard,” Sweetie said as she placed her hoof on mine. “You haven’t been doing too well lately.”

I sighed and looked over at Cloudy who was with Jasper. I smiled a little at my granddaughter who peeked up over the bed, she couldn’t be much older than 12.

“Hey kiddo,” I said with a smile as I looked down at the filly. “How’s it going?”

“Okay I guess, I got my cutie mark!” Jasper said with a proud smile, I grinned and noticed that she had a flaming scooter wheel on her flank. “Isn’t it cool?”

I smiled a little and ruffled the filly’s mane as best I could. “That’s great Jasper, I’m proud of you.”

I smiled a little and Cloudy picked Jasper up gently and put her on the bed so I could give her a hug. I sighed happily, my body felt old and tired as if the years were finally catching up to me.

“Are you going to be okay Grandma Scootaloo?” Jasper asked, her big purple eyes looked up at me sadly.

I paused a moment, I honestly didn’t know how to answer that question. If I was in the hospital, I might not make it. But I looked into my granddaughter’s big eyes and nodded with a smile as I stroked her mane gently.

I was happy that Jasper had made it, I had to admit I had been a little worried about her after she had been born premature. Her wings were a little small but she still had the energy I’d expect from a filly her age. She reminded me a bit of myself at that age, I just wished that I could’ve gotten to know her better.

“Don’t worry kiddo, I’m going to be just fine,” I said reassuringly as I gave her a nod. “I’m a fighter, I’ll just keep going kicking and screaming. Right Sweetie?”

Sweetie just chuckled a little and gave me a kiss on the cheek. “That’s right, Scootaloo’s stubborn enough she’s going to outlive us all,” she said with a nod before she looked back at the others. “Cloudy, Sparky, why don’t you take Jasper down to the vending machines? Get her an Opal Soda on me. I want to talk to Scootaloo on my own for a bit.”

“Okay mom,” Cloudy said with a nod as she picked up her daughter and they headed out of the room.

“So, how bad is it?” I asked softly as I looked up at Sweetie.

Sweetie sighed and squeezed my hoof gently. “Your counterpart in this world has cancer. The Doctors say that she’s got a year at best. We, haven’t told Jasper yet, its not going to be easy for her at that age.”

I sighed a little and looked at the door where they had left. “I’m sorry, I wish there was more I could do.”

“You’ve done enough,” Sweetie said with a smile. “Scootaloo, my Scootaloo, has been living your life just like you’ve been living her’s. It’s not been easy on her either, but its helped her a lot, it helped her get over what happened during the war. I didn’t really know the full extent until recently, but you’ve helped her, and us. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome,” I said with a soft smile. “You don’t know how much I’ve missed you Sweetie… I’m sorry that this will be the last time I’m here.”

“Its okay Scootaloo, I’m just glad you were here,” Sweetie said and gave me a soft kiss and then smirked a. “So, my Scootaloo has mentioned that you’re in a relationship with a mare named Cherry Blossom?”

I blushed a little and looked away. How was I going to explain this to her? I wondered just how much she had been told by my counterpart.

“Well, umm… err…” I said and blushed even more, which just made Sweetie laugh.

“Scootaloo, I don’t blame you for it, Cherry sounds like a wonderful mare,” Sweetie said and nuzzled me gently. “I wouldn’t expect you to spend the rest of your life alone, I’m happy that you found somepony else to love. Just promise me that you’ll take care of yourself, okay? I don’t want anything happening to you in any world.”

I smiled a little and nuzzled back. “Thank you Sweetie,” I said softly. “You know, she reminds me a lot of you. She’s kind, friendly, funny, caring, and overall a good pony. I, just wish that I had found you, you know what I mean?”

Sweetie shook her head and smiled a little. “Don’t worry Scootaloo, maybe someday you’ll be reunited with your Sweetie Belle. Maybe in Elysium, or maybe you’ve already found her somehow, you never know. Love, it works in strange ways sometimes.”

I paused a moment, this was the second time somepony had mentioned something like that. Honestly I didn’t ever think that much about the idea of reincarnation or whatever, but was it possible that my Sweetie Belle had come back somehow? Honestly it sounded kind of crazy to me.

“Maybe, you never know I guess,” I said with a shrug and laid back down, I was starting to feel tired again, that was the cue that the dream was ending. “Sweetie Belle, I love you, more than anything.”

“I love you too Scootaloo,” Sweetie said and gave me one last kiss as the world around me turned dark.

00000

“Hello Scootaloo,” a mare’s voice said and I blinked a little as I looked around. I wasn’t back in the real world yet, I was in a dark and empty space looking at…

“Luna?” I asked and looked up at the Alicorn who gave me a smile. “What are you doing here? You set this all up, right?”

“I did,” Luna said with a nod. “I am sorry for not telling you ahead of time, but I knew you needed more help than I could give you at the time. This was, something of an experiment to see if it could help you.”

“Well, it actually did help quite a bit,” I admitted and rubbed the back of my head a little. “I haven’t had any dreams like before in a long time. It’s just, I don’t know really, sometimes I wish I could’ve seen more.”

“You saw what you needed to see,” Luna said with a shake of her head. “I could not give you more I am afraid. I am sorry that you couldn’t live that life, but I knew that it would at least help you with what you are going through.”

“That was real wasn’t it?” I asked and looked at her. “That was what would’ve happened if the war ended peacefully?”

“That was one possible ending,” Luna said with a nod. “I chose it because it was the best way it could’ve ended for you. The thing about history is that the smallest of things can change everything.”

She waved a hoof and images appeared in front of us. I didn’t recognize a lot of them, there was one where armies of ponies moved through jungles fighting Zebras. Another showed an image of me holding a small filly that I didn’t recognize in my forelegs and Sweetie Belle standing next to me. A third showed a blue Pegasus and a red Unicorn dressed in strange gear as they trekked through a snow covered Ponyville.

There were more than that of course, I could list more of them but that would take too long. I looked over at Luna confused.

“Are all of these real?”

“Yes, they are, some of them are alternate ways the war ended, others are realities where your life was different,” Luna said and smiled lightly. “And in quite a few of these, you and Sweetie found love with one another. Perhaps it is what ponies call a soul mate, but that is just how I see it.”

I paused a moment, I just had one question to ask, it was a weird question but I had to ask anyway. “Luna… is it possible that, Sweetie’s soul came back?”

Luna stood there for a long moment as she tried to figure out how to answer that. “I am sorry Scootaloo, I do not know the answer to that question. Perhaps she did, perhaps she did nott, I am sorry that I cannot answer the question for you.”

I was about to say something else when the world around me started to fade away. “Thank you Luna,” I said and looked at her with a sigh. “You really helped me out back there, that means a lot.”

Luna smiled and waved. “Goodbye Scootaloo, take care of yourself.”

And with that she along with the strange world around me vanished.

00000

I blinked as I opened my eyes and they went into focus as I saw a mare looking at me. For a moment I thought I was back in my dream because I was in another hospital room, but as my vision came back into focus I saw Cherry Blossom sitting in a chair next to me.

“Hey Cherry,” I said with a hoarse voice as the pink mare looked up and smiled. “Where am I?”

“You’re back on Nomad City,” Cherry said as she gave me a smile. “You were in pretty bad shape when they brought you in. How long have you gone without sleep?”

“Too long apparently,” I said with a sigh and a shake of my head as I looked down at my legs, they were in much better shape than they had been before. I looked back at Cherry and smiled. “You have no idea how glad I am to see you again.”

Cherry smiled and kissed me. We just sat there for the longest moment as we shared a kiss, it was good to be back with Cherry after everything that had happened in Thunderhead, I wrapped my forelegs around her gently and just enjoyed the feeling of being close to my fiance.

“I love you Cherry Blossom,” I said softly as I held her close.

“I love you too Scootaloo Dash,” Cherry said and then gave me a smirk. “Or should I call you General?”

“Cherry, you’re my fiance, please don’t you start too,” I said with a groan as Cherry giggled. “How’s Serenity doing?”

“She’s been really worried about you,” Cherry said with a sigh. “But she’s okay, she’s somewhere around here but I think she was playing with Winter’s daughter and Pure Heart again.”

“Well that’s…” I started to say when the door flew open and Serenity came in and smiled when she saw me awake. “Hey Serenity, how’s it going?”

“Great!” Serenity said as she looked up at me with a smile.

“I heard you met Callie,” I said as I looked over at Cherry who nodded a little. “How’s everything going with her?”

“Pretty good, she’s still kind of recovering from everything that happened in Thunderhead, but she’s just happy to be back with her mom,” Serenity said with a nod. “Did you really stop a Megaspell in Stable 102?”

“Heh, yeah, I did,” I said and leaned back and closed my eyes a moment. “We should just shut them all down at this point. The Megaspells have caused more trouble than they’re worth, hopefully if any good came out of the Battle of Thunderhead, it’ll be the surviving ones being taken out of service.”

“One can only hope,” a voice said as Winter came in accompanied by Spectra, Calypso, and a guard. “It’s good to see you awake again Scootaloo.”

“Thanks,” I said with a weak smile as I looked over at Callie. “Hey Callie, it’s good to see you’re okay..”

“Hi Ms. Scootaloo,” Calypso said with a smile, she still looked a little shaken but she put on a brave smile. “Will you be getting out soon?”

“I don’t know, I’ll have to ask the Doctor,” I said with a shrug before I looked back at Spectra and Winter. “How are things going, has there been any more word from Cloud Chaser and his forces?”

“There hasn’t been much word I’m afraid, when the Nimbus made it’s escape Cloud Chaser made it a point to partially disassemble our intelligence network by taking down some dishes and antenna, wherever he went, he wanted to make sure we wouldn’t follow him until he was ready.”

“Whenever that will be,” Winter said with a sigh. “We’ll have to hope he slips up at some point or one of our agents gets word to us before they get disrupted. For the moment he’s not making any more moves against the Alliance, but it’s probably not going to last though knowing him.”

Spectra perked his ears up and was listening as hoofsteps came down the hall, his alarm turned to a soft smile as he looked to me “Ah, I know that sound. You have a couple of very special visitors, Ms. Scootaloo.”

“I do?” I asked as I looked towards the door. Cherry and Serenity looked curious as we waited to see who it was. “Who are they?”

No Answer, until the door swung open and Gambit stepped into view. “Hello there, Scoots. I heard you were in rough shape decided I’d come pay a visit. Though, I brought a couple special little ponies with me, they insisted on being able to meet you.”

“Oh, and who’s that?” I asked curiously as I sat up more in bed. I had to wonder who Gambit might have brought to meet me, it felt like everypony was trying to keep me in suspense with this.

“You will see” Gambit said with a smile, stepping aside and motioning to the door as a young filly stepped into view. She was cream colored, with a mix of pink and purple swirling in her mane, No horn, but perhaps a set of wings.

“Introduce yourself, young filly.” Gambit said with a smile

“Cotton Swirl!” She called out, before giggling “I can’t beleive I’m really meeting Scootaloo!”

“Anything you’d like to say to the filly?” Gambit asked.

I smiled lightly as I looked down at the filly. “It’s nice to meet you Cotton Swirl,” I said with a smile, I tried not to frown a little. Her mane reminded me of Sweetie Belle a little. “Sorry I’m not really able to get up.”

“Ready for the next one?” Gambit laughed, before another pony burst through the door, a young unicorn colt. Standing proud and looking at Gambit first, then to me. Before he took a bow “It is an honor to be allowed to meet you.”

“Why don’t you tell her your name.”

“My name is… uhm…” The colt said before Cotton Swirl chimed up. “His name is Prance.”

“And how about him scootaloo, anything to say to him?” Gambit giggled to herself, she was hiding one last thing.

“Its an honor to meet you too Prance,” I said with a smile. “You don’t have to be so nervous, I don’t bite, much.”

“Alright, Final one.” Gambit said with a chuckle, cutting off prance, this final pony that stepped in, no wings or horn but carrying something on her back, a large pole with a banner hanging from it, though what was on the banner was still hidden.

“Ah’m Terra, at least that’s what mah friend’s call me!” The final filly said with a giggle, voice resounding in a almost painfully familiar southern belle tone.

I looked between the three foals and paused a moment. I looked over at Gambit and them smiled a little, I was starting to get the idea of what she had in mind. A Pegasus, a Unicorn, and an Earth Pony all at that age.

They reminded me so much of me and my friends back then.

“We traveled all the way from Neigh Orleans to see you! Gambit flew us here.” Cotton Swirl said with a giggle.

“Yeah! Her ship is really cool! And Really fast too!” Prance added.

“That’s great,” I said with a nod and a smile. I looked down at Serenity who was looking at the three foals curiously for a moment. “So, you three are friends?”

“Half Siblings, actually.” Gambit said with a smile as she looked down to the three.

“That was my next guess,” I said and looked at the foals again. There was something familiar about them but I couldn’t put my hoof on it.

“So, you three, why don’t you tell Scootaloo why you’re so excited to be here.” Gambit said

“When Gambit came and visited our settlement a while ago, she told us stories of three little ponies who thought that they could never get their cutie marks, and… me and my sister and brother here, we haven’t gotten our cutie marks yet even though our entire family has… we were worried we’d never get them.” Cotton Swirl Started

“But she told us, these three ponies tried everything, never gave up and never gave in, they’d keep trying until they all got their cutie marks.” Prance added.

“So we decided ta follow in their hoofsteps, and we re-founded tha cutie mark crusaders!” Terra said before turning to the side, revealing the banner with the CMC Crest on it.

I smiled broadly and gave them a nod. “That’s great, I’m happy that me and my friends left that much of an impact on you,” I said and took a deep breath. It was nice to know that there was a lot more of a legacy that I had left behind than just the Stables. “It means a lot, especially after everything that happened. Wear that name with pride, you’re inheriting a proud tradition from me and my friends.”

“I think, if you knew the story of these three and how they meant, You’d probably understand there is a lot more in common between these three and you and your friends, Scoots.” Gambit said. “But that, is going to be a story for a different time, when you’re feeling better.”

I nodded a little as Serenity smiled a little and trotted over to the foals. “Hey, I’m Serenity, I’m part of a group up in the Crystal Wasteland called the Crystal Crusaders.”

I smiled and looked at the foals for a long moment and then over at Gambit and the others. There was something about them that felt familiar, I couldn’t put my hoof on it still. What did Gambit mean by there being a lot more in common between us?

I looked at Cotton’s mane again, it reminded me so much of Sweetie Belle’s. Then again maybe it was a coincidence, I shook my head and gave them another smile.

“Is everything okay Scootaloo?” Cherry asked as she looked over at me.

“Huh? Oh, I’m just thinking is all,” I said with a shake of my head. “Sorry,”

“Sorry for what.” A grizzled voice from the hall said, before stepping in the doorway, wearing tattered old Stable barding with a white lab coat draped over it. “Hope my kin haven’t been givin’ ya much trouble, they get so excited.”

I chuckled lightly and shook my head. “Don’t worry about it, they aren’t giving me any trouble at all. I’m glad to meet them, actually they kind of remind me of myself when I was that age.”

“I’ll say this much young miss, that coincidence isn’t happenstance.” The greying stallion said as he stepped into the room, letting that what was left of a 02 on his collar shine in the room light. “They are distant relatives of two of your best friends missy, just like me.”

Cherry’s ears perked up curiously and she looked at me and then at the stallion. “Really? I’m distantly related to the Apple family too.”

“Well, that does explain a lot,” I said with a nod and gave him a smile. “Well, it’s nice to meet all of you. I’m glad Gambit brought you this way.”

There was something that bugged me a little though. Prance looked older than he should be if their father was from Stable 2. I looked at the stallion curiously for a moment.

“Can I ask you something mr…” I started to say.

“She little miss, what’s on your noggin.” He said with a smile “Just call me Quartz, I’ve gone by so many names that I can’t remember em all.”

“Okay, Quartz,” I said with a nod. “Well, I was wondering, Stable 2 was only opened up about 11 years ago. But, Prance looks to be about 14.”

“Sharp eye, He is 14.” Quartz said with a chuckle, ruffling Prance’s mane. “He’s my first born, eldest of these three. Was young and stupid then, Hotheaded stallion wanting to find a mare and start a family, problem being - no mare in the stable wanted me, just some lowly apple farmer, there was more important guys ‘round.”

“So, what, you somehow got your hooves on the code to open the door and left?” I asked and looked at him curiously. That was odd, there hadn’t been any mention of ponies leaving the Stable before LittlePip and Velvet Remedy, but it might’ve been kept under wraps.

“I did some digging, found a access shaft, don’t know what it was for, maybe an air vent maybe a emergency exit, all I know is it was partially buried in.” Quartz said, shaking his head. “I wanted out, Overmare was crazy putting ponies where they didn’t belong. Thought I was to be some apple farmer, I got my cutie mark in the daycare.”

“Yeah… the Overmare of Stable 2 was, not very good at picking up on what ponies talents are actually supposed to be,” I said with a groan. This actually sounded a lot like what I had read before. “Well, I’m glad you found something of a family, that’s the most important thing in the world, always has been, always will be.”

I smiled and wrapped my wing gently around Cherry who nuzzled me a little. “Yep, that’s right,” she said with a nod.

A thought occurred to me as I looked back at the four of them. “So, where are you four living these days?”

“Plantation of sorts down near Neigh Orleans, Growing cotton for clothing, apples and other edibles, Primarily oranges - It’s interesting how the balefire interacts with the crops.” Quartz said with a laugh.

“Well, maybe we’ll visit sometime,” I suggested. “I’d like to see it, and I’m sure they would love to see me again, if that’s okay of course.”

“How ‘bout we come and visit you, we got some nasty weather down south, most ponies from up north don’t really last in it.” He said nervously “Honestly, I’m thinkin’ bout movin up north, closer to the stable, maybe see some friends”

“Well, once everything settles down here, we’re going to be building a settlement,” I said and looked over at the foals. “It’s not going to be easy, but we could use farmers and everything, if you want you could help us with that.”

Quartz went to say something but got cut off by the three, who together said at the same time “You kidding! We’d love to help!”

I smiled a little at that and gave them a nod. “Well, its settled then,” I sad and paused a moment. “Though, its going to be in and around Stable 2 since its been abandoned for years, is that going to be okay Quartz?”

“A little sad to hear it’s been abandoned, even if the overmare was a bit loco in the coco.” Quartz said with a chuckle. “It’s still home to me, born and raised in those walls, may be nice for my youngins to see their old man’s stomping grounds.”

I chuckled a little and nodded. “Yeah, I get that, we’ll also be in my old stomping grounds. How’s that sound you three, you’ll get to see where the CMC started way back when I was a filly.”

“I get to go home!?” Cotton swirl cheered before plonking around excitedly.

“Sounds nice ta me, but… Prance worked so hard making us a clubhouse based on what cotton told us the old crusader club house looked like… It’d be a shame ta leave that behind.” Terra said with a bit of a sigh looking to her elder brother, who actually seemed so excited he couldn't find the words he wanted to say, just kept squeaking excitedly.

I smiled sadly and reached over for Terra’s hoof. “Hey Terra, I understand where you’re coming from. It’s hard leaving behind something that you worked so hard on and consider to be your home, that’s what the original clubhouse was for me too. It was my home, the first real home I ever had. But your home, it’s not just about the place or the building,” I said and nodded to her siblings and father. “It’s about the friends you make, and your family. That’s what your home is deep down.”

“Can Ah say somethin’, crusader to crusader” Terra said as she took my hoof with a smile.

“Sure, go ahead,” I said with a smile. “What is it?”

“Ah always kind of, looked up to you. Even before Ah knew about the whole crusader thing, Ah love listening ta tha radio and hearin’ tha stories of your travels and tha ponies you’ve met” Terra chuckled nervously before smiling “And now, yer a wonderbolt general… and, Ah wanna be a wonderbolt too!”

“You can’t be a wonderbolt, you can’t fly, you’re not even a pegasus!” Cotton swirl said with a laugh.

“So what! Scootaloo ain’t able ta fly and she’s a General! If she can be a general Ah can be a Wonderbolt!” Terra said back, and scowled at her elder sister.

I smiled a little and gave Terra a nod. “She’s right, being a Wonderbolt isn’t about having wings or being able to fly. It’s about who you are and what kind of pony you want to be. I think Terra would make a great Wonderbolt.”

I glanced over at where Winter was standing with Spectra and Calypso. I smirked a little when I saw Spectra gave something over to Winter before the mare walked up to us.

“So, you want to be a Wonderbolt huh?” She asked and looked down at the Earth pony.

“Very much so miss president!” Terra said with a big smile.

“Are you willing to do everything that it entails, to represent what being a Wonderbolt stands for?” Winter asked. “To stand for everything that makes Equestria good and to help make the future bright?”

Terra stood at a attention and gave Winter a salute. “Yes Ma’am!”

Winter smiled a little and held her hoof out. I moved myself to see that she was holding out a Wonderbolt emblem pin to Terra. “Then I’m dubbing you an Honorary Wonderbolt, when you’re older, I think we could make it official.”

I smiled at Winter who smiled back. “Thank you Winter,” I said softly and she just gave me a nod before I turned back to Terra. “Well Terra, welcome to the Wonderbolts.”

Terra however, couldn’t find the words, eyes wide sparkling with her excitement and wonder that her dream could be so easily realized, and that there are these nice of ponies out in the wastes. Her father moved in behind her to give her a hug and smile as he looked to winter, and to scootaloo “Thank you, both of you, I’ve never seen Terra smile this much - she’s usually got somethin’ weighin’ on her mind and for the first time in a long time, I think she’s got a clear head.”

Winter nodded a little and put her hoof on Calypso gently. “I was happy to do it, this world could use ponies with that kind of drive. And, well, I know what its like to have a child that wants something that badly…”

“We’re glad to help,” I said with a soft smile. “She’d make a good Wonderbolt, I just know it.”

“Alright everypony, we need to do some tests on Scootaloo,” the doctor said as she stepped into the room. “You can come visit her again later.”

“We’ll see you later Scootaloo,” Winter said with a nod as she and Spectra ushered Calypso and Serenity out. Serenity waved to me before she left.

I sighed and laid back down as the others left. I looked at Cherry with a smile as she got out of the way so the Doctor could work.

Quest Perk Earned!
Name: Dream of Goodbye.
Details: You've gone through the entire life of your counterpart from another world and shared her happiest moments with her family. You get an extra boost to your perception stat during night time.

00000

Winter Breeze's Story.

“Madam President, its a pleasure to have you here,” Regina Grimfeathers said as she shook my hoof. “Are you getting settled in alright? I know this is a change from what you’re probably used to.”

“It’s alright, I’m just glad to be able to try and help,” I said with a sigh as I brushed my mane out of my face. “You didn’t have to do this, I’ve done nothing but cause trouble for the NCR and the rest of the Alliance.”

“Of course, and I won’t lie and say that there won’t be problems with ponies who don’t entirely trust you or the others,” Regina said with a sigh as she looked at me. “But a lot of ponies who’s judgment I trust believe that you deserve a chance after everything that’s happened. The ponies of the Enclave trust you, and it could be a problem otherwise.”

I paused and looked down at my hooves for a long moment before I sighed a little. “I deserve to be punished for what I did. I put Equestria in this position because I wanted to help. I don’t blame them for hating me after everything that’s happened.”

“Winter, leaders have to make difficult decisions especially during times of war,” Regina said with a sigh. “I don’t know if I would have made the same choices you did, but I at least understand them. I just hope that the war won’t last much longer.”

“Cloud Chaser is stubborn, he’ll be back,” I said with a shake of my head. “Wherever he is, he’ll be consolidating his power. Likely he headed to where the rest of his fleet is or one of the other Cloud Cities still under Enclave control.”

I paused a moment at that thought. Most of the cases of our agents going quiet came from outposts that were heading slowly southwest. Something about all of this was weird, but there was at least a chance that we could stop him before it was too late.

The door opened and two more ponies came in. One of them I recognized as Nova, mostly because she was the only Unicorn I’d ever seen in Applejack’s Rangers armor, and the other was a green colored Unicorn mare who gave me a nod.

“Winter, this is Councilmare Jade from Nomad City, and you already know Star Paladin Nova of course,” Regina said and I gave the two Unicorns a nod.

“Elder Ironsides is, indisposed at the moment so he asked me to represent the Rangers here,” Nova said in her mechanically distorted voice as she looked at me.

“Of course,” Regina said and gestured for the two to take a seat next to me. “We need to discuss the current status of our forces in the war. If it comes down to a war with the the Hardliners, we need to know what we’re up against.”

“Cloud Chaser’s always had more backing in the military than among the civilians,” I said as I looked over at Nova and Jade. “While we still have most of the military on our side, he has access to a decently sized fleet, and that’s not going into the Nimbus itself. There is also the matter of the capital, its…”

I stopped in mid sentence, Coltlumbia was in the same direction that he was heading. I didn’t know if that was actually where he was going, but if he did, he could hold himself up there and have one of the most secure locations in Equestria.

“Winter, what’s wrong?” Jade asked as she looked at me.

“It might be nothing, we’ll have to keep an eye on things,” I said with a sigh as I shook my head and looked back at Regina. “Coltlumbia needs to be secured as soon as possible, it’s served as the Enclave’s capital for the past 10 years.”

We all went quiet at that, the capital city had been the best kept secret of the Enclave this whole time so the others didn’t know about it. I felt a twinge of guilt at having given its location, but now we were on the same side. And if the Hardliners took over the city, they’d be able to hold many of the citizens that didn’t want to join him hostage.

This was going to be bad, Coltlumbia would likely be one of the most important places in the war given that the Hardliners would probably make it a high priority. There were a lot of good ponies in that city and I was afraid that Cloud Chaser would use that to his advantage.

“Coltlumbia is a virtual fortress in the sky,” I said and looked at the others. “We’ve already taken the possibility of using a Megaspell away from them, but its not going to be easy to take them out anyway.”

“I see,” Regina said with a sigh as she looked at Nova and Jade. “What’s the latest status on the Pegasus Irregular Fleet?”

“Rain Runner and the others have gotten everything together as best they can, the fleet is mostly automated at this point, but there’s a concern that it might not be enough,” Jade said.

“We can help with that,” I said with a nod. “Most of the fleet is made up of Enclave ships, but we still have to make sure that everything is in place. We need to try and integrate our forces together, I can also have my Generals coordinate starting with Tornado and Spectra, Scootaloo can join up once she’s discharged from the hospital.”

“Understood,” Nova said and gave me a nod. “I’ll coordinate with the other contingents of the Rangers, maybe we can get more here.”

“Well, we have everything we need for now,” Regina said as she looked between us. “Winter, I just want to thank you again for your help. I just hope that we’ll be able to continue working together in the future.”

I paused a moment as I thought about it. Honestly with everything that had happened I wasn’t even sure if I wanted to remain President after the war was over. Though, finding somepony to succeed me was another question entirely.

“I do too,” I said with a smile as we headed back outside. I started to head towards the Vertibuck to take me back to Nomad City when Nova stopped me.

“Can I talk to you a moment?” Nova asked as we started walking forward.

“Of course… look, I’m sorry about shooting you back in Tenpony Tower, how’s your shoulder?” I asked and looked at the spot I had shot at.

“I’ll live,” Nova said with a shrug as she looked at me. “Winter, I kept your secret this whole time because I felt you were right in what you were doing. Was I wrong?”

I sighed a little and looked down at my hooves. As I said back in Scootaloo’s account of the Occupation of Manehattan, Nova had saved my life during the Great Schism. She had also been one of the few ponies that were privy to my real identity since I had been using a cover at the time, and she had agreed to keep it secret.

Nova was a good pony, I wouldn’t have asked it of her if she wasn’t capable of it. Still, it couldn’t have been easy carrying that around for so long. Not just my identity either, she knew about Calypso, the only living pony outside of the Enclave that knew I had a daughter.

I sighed a little and shook my head. “You did what you felt was right, that’s all you can ask of anypony. Still, thank you for keeping it secret for me. You probably saved Calypso’s life by keeping it secret, and speaking for both myself and Spectra, we thank you for that.”

“You’re both very welcome, I wouldn’t wish anything like that on any filly,” Nova said with a shake of her head. “I’m glad she’s okay after what happened with the Hardliners.”

“Yeah, me too, thanks to Scootaloo,” I said with a sigh and looked back at the armored Unicorn. “Is Elder Ironsides doing okay? I’ve heard reports that he’s been in poor health recently.”

“Right, I forget how good your intelligence network is,” Nova said with a sigh and a shake of her head. “We’re trying to keep it under wraps but he’s not doing well. Given how the war was going, we were trying to keep even the Alliance from finding out. The Scribes are saying that he’s probably not going to last much longer.”

“I’m sorry, I know he’s always been important to you,” I said softly and she just shook her head.

“I wouldn’t be the pony I am today if it wasn’t for him and Rose,” Nova said with a sigh and removed her helmet. She was starting to cry and I gently placed my hoof on her shoulder. “First Rose, now Ironsides… I don’t know what I’m going to do, what we’re going to do.”

“Applejack’s Rangers has weathered the loss of its founder and a war with the Steel Rangers,” I said with a nod. “I don’t think its going to be easy, but I know you’ll manage somehow. But, that means a lot of pressure is going to be on you. The Rangers still see you as a hero because of what happened in Seaddle, but I know you can handle it.”

Nova looked at me and smiled lightly. “Thank you Winter, and yeah there’s some word about me becoming the next Elder, but I’m worried.”

“Well, what does Gear Shift think?” I asked, I remembered that Nova and Gear Shift had always been close to each other.

“She thinks that if it comes down to it I’ll do fine,” Nova said with a shrug. “I remind her that she’s biased, but she insists. I just hope she’s right.”

“Nova, you’re one of the strongest and bravest mares I’ve ever met, if you have to become the Elder, you’ll do just fine,” I said and gave her a nod. “Ad victorum.”

“Ad victorum,” Nova said with a nod before I headed towards the Vertibuck.

I sighed a little and looked back towards where Nova was standing. I just hoped that I was doing the right thing by encouraging her.

00000

“What’s significant is that I know. I know I’ve struggled across the backs of murdered innocents to save Ponykind, but somepony had to take the weight of that awful necessary crime. I thought you’d understand, unlike…”

“Mommy, what’s that you’re reading?” Calypso asked as she looked up at me curiously from her spot next to me. We were in a house in Nomad City that the council had given us to live in temporarily.

I smiled down at my daughter, this was a rare chance that I got to spend alone and away from the troubles of running the Enclave. I wasn’t going to be able to spend a lot of time like this, but I just wanted to spend as much as I could with my family.

“This? It’s just an old pre-war comic book,” I said and closed it up before setting it off to the side and pulling Calypso in close and draped my wing over her. “You can read it when you’re a little older.”

“What’s it about?”

“Well, it’s kind of a complicated story,” I said with a shrug. “Its set during the Great war but its an alternate timeline where masked heroes…”

“Like the Mysterious-Mare-Do-Well?” Calypso asked as she looked up at me curiously and I chuckled a little.

“Yeah, something like that, costumed heroes were really popular in Equestria years ago,” I said with a nod. “How about the next chance we get I see if I can find you some Power Ponies comics or something?”

“Okay, sounds good,” Calypso said with a smile and a slight yawn as she snuggled up to me. I smiled a little and nuzzled my daughter gently she nuzzled back and looked up at me for a moment.

“Did, it hurt when they branded you?” She asked as she looked back at the brand that had once been my cutie mark.

“Yeah, it hurt a lot,” I said with a sigh. “But it didn’t hurt nearly as much as it would have if I lost you. I love you Callie, I’ve done everything I can to build a better world for you to live in. You’re probably going to hear a lot of things about me, about what I did, but remember that I will always love you my little pony.”

Calypso smiled and closed her eyes as she snuggled up against my side. I smiled sadly and let her sleep there, I just wanted to spend as much time with my daughter as I could.

I looked down at the faded cover of the graphic novel I had been reading. Even after so many years I could make out the yellow cover with the single black oval and red splatter over it. I had found this copy in Kirby Comics in Nomad City and was just enjoying the comic a little.

The comic actually had been published in the Crystal Empire not Equestria. They had to avoid censorship by the Ministry of Image and the Crystal Empire had been a lot more lax in that department.

I set it down and closed my eyes as I held Calypso close to me with my wing. After a few minutes I heard the sound of hooves entering the room and I opened my eyes with a smile to see Spectra walking up to us.

“Hello Spectra, how’s it going?”

“Just coming to check on my two favorite ladies.” Spectra said with a smile

I smiled a little and nodded down to the sleeping filly. “We’re doing well.”

“She’s a strong filly, a lot like her mother.” Spectra said as he smiled down at the sleeping filly. “Too bad she hasn’t shown a lot of her father yet, might have to start believing she may just not be mine.”

I looked down with a sigh and shook my head a little. “Spectra I’m sorry, I know it hasn’t been easy for you to keep it hidden from her for this long.”

“Sorry for what? We made the choice together to keep our relationship hidden, I knew what I was getting into.” Spectra said with a smile “It was best, for both of you - and I’ve been keeping an eye on her from the distance, there is a reason I agreed to be your intelligence officer after all.”

“Yeah, I know,” I said and shook my head a little. “Well, the secrecy has pretty much been shot at this point thanks to Cloud Chaser. Do you think it might be time to tell her?”

“Oh its not entirely shot, I mean - the actual information that we’re a thing is limited to a few of your closest and trusted friends, and I can threaten the hospital into keeping the information quiet... “ Spectra said with a bit of a laugh. “I mean, unless you call a guard shouting the president’s first name as he dives to save her and… actually, I think you’re right, it might be entirely shot at this point.”

“Not to mention I kissed you in front of a pretty decently sized crowd, remember?” I pointed out with a chuckle. “Yeah, I don’t think there’s much point in hiding it for much longer, especially not from Callie.”

“Hide what from me?” A small voice asked as Calypso woke up and wiped the sleep out of her eyes with a yawn. “Oh hey Mr. Spectra.”

“Mornin’ sweet pea, did we wake you up?” Spectra said as his attention drifted down to the little filly. “Your mother and I were just having a little talk is all.”

“What about?” She asked and tilted her head curiously.

“Well…” I said and looked at Spectra.

“Sweetheart, did you ever hear any stories about your daddy? Like, he might be your guardian angel looking out for you?” Spectra said with a smile as he leaned in close to that little filly.

“Yeah, several times,” Calypso said and looked at him curiously. “Mommy said he’s always been looking out for me, like a knight or a guardian angel or something. He sounds cool, but I’ve never met him.”

“Would you like to meet him one day?” Spectra said, reaching a hoof out to that little filly.

Calypso looked up at me and I gave her a smile before she looked back at Spectra and took his hoof. “Yeah, I’d love to.”

Spectra would happily take her by the hoof before he’d purposely fall back, pulling that filly first into the air, but then down onto his chest “Surprise! You just have.”

Calypso let out a surprised eep and her eyes went wide as she was pulled in close and looked at Spectra with wide eyes. “Do you really mean it?”

“Absolutely sweetheart, You have no clue how long I’ve wanted to tell you that” He smiled to that filly “It’s been tough, watching you grow up but never being able to tell you just how proud I am of you.”

“How proud we both are of you,” I said and got up and moved over next to the two with a smile and gave them both a nuzzle.

Calypso looked between us surprised for a moment and then smiled and hugged Spectra tightly as she sighed happily. “I have a daddy!”

“You’ve always had a daddy, Daddy just wasn’t able to always be known” Spectra said with a happy sigh “But Daddy has always been watching and making sure you were safe, and daddy only failed once - but he isnt going to fail again.”

Calypso smiled and rest her head against Spectra’s chest. I smiled a little and kissed Spectra gently for a moment. “I love you both, so very much. You’re the best family I could ask for, and nothing will change that.”

Spectra went to say something before his ears perked, hoofsteps outside of the house, hushing the both of us he stood and moved to the door, just as he reached for the door there was a knock, and the sound of hoofsteps running away.

“This… Might be bad.” Spectra said, gulping as he moved to open the door, but he didn’t find what he feared, he found what looked to be his helmet that he had lost in the rescue, laying there on the doorstep.

“What’s that Daddy?” Calypso asked curiously as she looked at the helmet.

“Who would’ve brought that?” I wondered out loud.

After a quick investigation, Spectra picked it up and carried it into the room, he was looking at it almost like it was different somehow. “I don’t know, but whoever did it - they gave it a new paintjob.”

I nodded a little and gave him a smile. “Well, that was nice of them.”

He held it out, the face shield of the helmet had gotten tattered through everything, covered in dust and soot, but one feature stood out, the metal under the eyes had been practically polished clean, but the way it looked, it looked as though tears had been running from the eyes.

“How is that even possible… its power armor, it can’t cry” Spectra said, perplexed.

“I, have no idea,” I said and looked down at Calypso who let out a yawn. “I think somepony is tired. Lets get her to bed and then we can look into this mystery.”

Nodding Spectra put down the helmet, exposing something his hoof had been covering, bright rainbow colored letters written across the back, spelling out LOYALTY, overtop of what looked like the dashite brand.

I blinked a bit in surprise at that. “That’s, unexpected…” I said and gently picked calypso up and placed her on my back. I paused a moment and looked back at it, something about all of this was weird, but we’d have to see if we could figure this out.

I picked up the comic to put it back away when it strangely opened up to the page I had been reading before and my eyes fell on two panels.

“Wait, before you leave. I did the right thing didn’t I? It all worked out in the end.”

“In the end? Nothing ends April. Nothing ever ends.”

“That’s weird…” I said as I put it away before I looked back at Spectra. “So, shall we?”

“Shall we what, my dear?” Spectra said with a soft chuckle.

I just chuckled a little and headed upstairs to the room we had set aside for Calypso and put her in bed. I smiled a little and gave her a light kiss on the forehead. “Sleep well Callie, I love you my little pony.”

I looked back at Spectra and gave him a nod as I went back over to him and sighed a little. “Spectra… am I a good mother?”

“Best mother I’ve ever seen, though I might be a bit bias.” Spectra said with a smile.

I sighed a little and looked back at Calypso before nodding. “I’ve done the best I can, but I’m still worried that everything that we’ve had to do to keep her safe isn’t helping her. Hopefully when this is over, we can make up for all the secrecy and hiding, together.”

“Only time will tell, but she’s proving to be fiercely loyal like her old man, and strong and smart just like her mom. I think if she keeps on this pace she’ll turn out just fine.” Spectra said with a laugh.

I smiled and nodded a little before I leaned in and kissed Spectra deeply on the lips for a long moment. “I hope you’re right, and I love you Spectra. I’m really glad we finally told Callie, at least that came out of all of this.”

“When have I ever been wrong?” Spectra said with a laugh before he went back to where he had left the helm. “This though, this confuses me.”

“Yeah, me too,” I said and looked at it for a long moment. “Well, I mean there is the obvious connection to Rainbow Dash, but that doesn’t make sense. Nopony should know about that.”

“No pony knows that, No pony but you and just a small few.” Spectra said, placing a hoof to those letters. “My bigger question is, something gets me about this, do you remember that song I found, the one I played when we first got together?”

I smiled a little and nodded as I thought about it. “How could I forget?”

“Cause you know I’ll stay with you, that’s why they call me loyalty.” he said, rubbing his hoof against those letters. “I don't know if that's related or not, but maybe it is.”

“Spectra, you’re the most loyal pony I’ve ever met,” I said with a smile as I nuzzled him gently. “It’s part of what attracted me to you in the first place. Whatever that is for, loyalty is something that will always jump to mind when I think of you. I guess for now, we don’t really have any answers unless more items like that show up. Who knows, maybe it references the Element of Loyalty. Lets see if the guards know anything.”

“Alright, I mean it's weird that they didn’t stop the pony that dropped this off, or maybe… do you believe in spirits?” Spectra said as he smiled to me.

“I’ve studied the Zebra religion and I’ve heard reports of a being called the Dealer,” I said with a shrug. “I’ve never seen one personally, but I’m open minded.”

“It’s these tear streaks. They get me, like - somepony was there with me, urging me just a little faster, push a little harder that, just never give up or give in.” Spectra said, running a hoof along those streaks. “A little dash, of loyalty.”

I smiled and took his face in my hoof and gave him a kiss. “My gallant knight, coming to my rescue like the brave protector you’ve always been. If there’s anypony in Equestria that represents loyalty right to me, it’s you. Maybe some spirit out there recognized that and helped you, you never know.”

“Heh, Maybe it was Dash.” He said with a laugh before shaking his head. “Doubt it though, Spirits are just some old mare’s tale, then again… so was the sonic rainboom.”

“Maybe, though, you never know,” I said with a shrug. “In my experience, every story has to come from somewhere. Maybe there are spirits out there somewhere. I guess we won’t know for sure until we see one face to face.”

“Did I ever tell you, that I never believed in Elysium?” Spectra said, smirking. “Well, I think now that we’ve come out, and I can actually be with you like we used to be. I don’t need to believe in it, every day with you, is my Elysium.”

I smiled and leaned in and kissed him passionately for a long moment. I wrapped my wings around him gently and pulled him in close before breaking the kiss after a moment. “You know, I’m going to have to get back to work soon. How about, we shelve this mystery for later when we have more clues, and go spend some time together in, private?” I said and gave him a wink.

“Oh I thought you would never ask” Spectra said with a chuckle, returning my embrace.

I gave him a smile and released the embrace after a moment as I headed off to my bedroom, my tail brushing against his snout briefly as it passed.

Quest Perk Earned!
Name: I am Ozymandias, King of Kings.
Details: You've come to better understand the nature of characters as well as begun to delve deeper into your own psyche.
You get an extra 10 points in your Speech stat and a boost to Charisma.

00000

Blackjack's story

I always thought I would never see a battle like this again. But maybe I’m thinking to much about it. But thats all I have been doing since I got sober thinking. I thought about what I would say to Glory, of what I would say to her family. Thinking so much I would’ve thought it would have hurt my head. I used to be such a simple mare living such a simple life. I doubt a simple life will be what I want anymore.

I laid in a homemade home that well it’s not much, but it’s best for my little girl. But again while I looked out the window. All I can think of is my friends and hoping Scootaloo will be okay.

Go Fish looked up at me curiously from her spot on the floor where she had been reading a book. “Are you okay Other Mommy?”

My ears perked at the voice. I turned my head a soft smile forming on my face. “Yes...just your mother is thinking.”

“Really? Mommy said if you ever did that smoke would be coming out of your ears, I don’t see any smoke,” Go Fish said and tilted her head cutely.

A soft chuckle came from my mouth. “Your mother and I didn’t fully get along when we first met. But I got a friend that is coming to meet you.”

“Oh, who’s that?” Go Fish asked as her ears perked up a little out of curiosity.

Slowly getting on the floor near beside my little girl. “Her name is Boo. She saved my butt many times. Also is the reason I am even here to see you.”

The door opened and a familiar white and grey mare came into the house. She gave me a smile and then looked down at Go Fish curiously. “Hello Boo. This is Go Fish.. well how do I explain this… She’s my daughter.”

“Hi there,” Go Fish said with a smile as Boo looked at Go Fish curiously and sniffed at her a little. “Umm, does she talk?”

“She does but only if she knows she can trust you. She is okay Boo she is not a fake. She belongs to Glory and I.” Gently wrapping my forelegs around little Go fish.

“It, nice to meet you,” Boo said after a moment and gave Go Fish a smile.

“Did you tell Glory hello before coming to see the two of us?” I asked the white grey mare.

Boo nodded. “It was good to see her again, been too long.”

“Good..Her family still doesn't trust me. But I’m going to be marrying her when this is all said and done.” Looking over to the window again sighing. Turned my head back to Boo smiling. “ I haven’t drank anything for along time Boo.”

Boo smiled broadly and gave me a hug. “That good.”

Go Fish tilted her head a little for a moment as if thinking. “I’ve never really met my family, are, they going to like me?”

Looking down to Go Fish. I had a worried look on my face. Would her grandfather like her.. Would her aunts like her So many thoughts screaming in my mind. No they won’t like her. Yes. they will like her. My face has the look of well unsure and fear in my eyes and of course Boo knew this look.

“Go Fish, if they are family, then they will love you,” Boo said and ruffled the filly’s mane gently. “Do not worry.”

I sighed feeling better since.. Boo was here. “Thank you Boo.” Saying very softly to her.

“You’re welcome,” Boo said with a smile.

The door opened after a moment and Glory poked her head out. “Alright Blackjack, you two can come in now.”

I took a deep breath and released it looking back to Boo. “ We will be back.”

Boo smiled and nodded before she took a seat to wait. Go Fish looked up at me with a nervous smile.

Gently placed the little Go Fish on my back. Slowly walking out of the room. Looking to Glory with a weak smile on my face. “Uh...did they take it well?”

“Well, my Dad and older sisters gave me a long lecture about not doing stupid things while drunk,” Glory said with a groan. “But they eventually calmed down at least.”

Slowly I followed Glory to the room. My gut danced from being nervous. Normally I would never be nervous to see Glory’s family. But the fact that Glory and I had a little filly together. Might anger them. “Um… Glory is it okay if… I stay out?”

“Why?” Go Fish asked as she tilted her head a little.

“Is everything okay Blackjack?” Glory asked as she looked at me worriedly.

“Just..I think your family won’t be happy to see me.” Looking away sighing. “Sometimes it’s hard to give up drinking. All I do now is think.”

“Let me talk to them a little bit, I’m sure we can work this out,” Glory said with a smile as she gave me a quick kiss. “Besides, I don’t care what they think, I still love you no matter what and I’m not going to change that.”

A deep sigh released from my mouth. “Thank you Glory. I needed that so much. Take her in first.” My horn glowed gently lowered Go Fish near Glory. “Lets allow cuteness to melt your father’s heart.”

“Alright, come on Go Fish, let’s meet your grandpa and aunts,” Glory said with a smile as she lead her into the other room. She gave me one last worried look before she shut the door behind them.

As I laid near the door so I could hear what was going on inside. I didn’t want to be away from Go Fish she changed me. If my friends could see me now.. Maybe I should retire after this battle is over and focus on my family.

“And who’s this?” I heard her father say.

“This is Go Fish, she’s, your granddaughter,” Glory answered and a long moment of silence that followed as her family probably thought that over.

“She’s so cute!” Another voice said that I recognized as one of Glory’s younger sisters said. “Hey, I’m your Aunt Lambent, it's nice to meet you!”

There was a lot of chatter as they talked to Go Fish. It at least sounded very positive as they seemed to like her at least. And then the gruff voice of Glory’s father said, “And, where is Blackjack?”

I sighed finally it was my time to show up. Using my horn to open the door and calmly walked inside. “Hello sir..” I said nervously.

Sky Striker looked me over with his one eye as he looked back at Glory. “Blackjack, well, you kept your word, this time. Though, this is an unexpected development,” he said and looked over at Go Fish who was sitting with her aunts. “Glory has told me about the situation, but what do you have to say about it?”

I took a deep breath. “I am accepting all the mistakes I made in my past. I didn’t know about Go Fish myself till I was told she was taken by the hardliners. Now that I got her and Glory back. I am willing to retire and live my life in peace with them sir..” I was waiting for something bad to happen. I looked over to Go Fish and my eyes softened.

Sky Striker closed his eye and sighed a little as he looked over at his daughters and granddaughter. “Blackjack, I’ll admit that it’s not been easy to accept this. But Glory loves you, that much is clear to me and both her and Scootaloo have convinced me that you do want to change. I gave you my blessing before and I stand by it, but you have to keep your word and if you do anything to hurt either my daughter or my Granddaughter, I will hunt you down and deal with you personally. Do I make myself clear?”

I stood fully on my hooves nodding. “Loud and clear sir!! I promise you I will not hurt them or let anypony else hurt them. So you have my word.” I said lowered my head to him in respect.

Glory smiled a little and wrapped her wing around me gently and looked back over at Go Fish with a nod. “Don’t worry Dad, I’ll keep a close eye on her and make sure that she stays out of trouble this time.”

“Good,” Sky Striker said as he looked at me. “Next time though, try and marry my daughter before you get her pregnant.”

“Dad!” Glory said and facehooved.

I sighed shaking my head. “Striker.” Looked to Glory to and Go fish. “I’m going to help in this final battle. To help bring a peaceful Equestria for Go Fish.”

Glory looked at me for a long moment and wrapped her wings around me gently as she gave me a nod. “Alright Blackjack, just promise me you’ll come home safe, okay?”

“I promise. I can’t just sit back..and let Scootaloo do this on her own.”

Glory nodded and nuzzled me gently. “Alright Blackjack, but for now, lets just enjoy this moment.”

00000

Since the meeting went well I felt maybe It was best to let Striker get to know his granddaughter. But of course I was lost, my poor sense of direction did it to me again. Knowing I will make a fool of myself. I stopped a mare walking by.

“Excuse me.. I’m looking for the hospital.” The mare just stared at me shaking her head. Lifting up her hoof to something behind me. So I turned to see well I was there already. Oh great…”Um thank you.”

I walked inside feeling very stupid. Now I just needed to find the room. I looked around seeing so many rooms and ponies. Again feeling lost I went up to the front desk. “Um..excuse me.”

The nurse looked up at me from where she was working. “Can I help you?”

“Yes I’m looking for the room Scootaloo is in.”

“Third floor, room 7,” the nurse said and directed me towards an elevator nearby.

I took a deep breath. Oh thank Celestia an elevator no stairs. “Thank you.” Giving the nurse a kind nod and trotted to the elevator to click the button to head up. The door’s opened up for me and I went inside. Clicking the button for the third floor.

I felt the movement of the elevator going up. The music oh that music. But soon enough the door opened up letting me out. Slowly walking to the door with the seven on it. Going to knock on it but I hesitated for the moment before I just knocked anyway.

The door opened and a pink Earth Pony mare with a darker pink mane and tail was standing there. She looked at me curiously for a moment before looking back in the room. “Hey Scootaloo, do you know a white cyberpony with a red and black mane?”

“Oh hey Blackjack,” Scootaloo said from her hospital bed as the pink mare pushed the door open to let me in. “Come on in.”

Staring at the mare for the moment. Then at her stomach this must the one Scoots told me about, but I will ask later. Slowly walking inside the room. “Well how’s miss lucky?”

“Miss lucky?” Scootaloo asked as she looked over at me confused. “Well, I mean I guess it was lucky that I survived that… but I’m fine, my legs are just about healed and the doctor said I should be good to go soon.”

“Good because there is only room for one mare with cyberlegs.” I said with a smirk. I turned my head to look at the other mare. “You must be the one known as Cherry?”

“Yeah, Cherry Blossom,” Cherry said with a smile as she took a seat in a chair next to Scootaloo’s bed. “Scootaloo told me about what happened in Thunderhead, it sounded like quite the battle.”

“Yes yes it was. Scootaloo I...” I sighed looking to the window. “I wish to go with you for the final battle. To give Glory and Go Fish a peaceful world to live in.”

Scootaloo looked at me and then at Cherry for a moment and then smiled a little. “Blackjack, whenever the final fight with the Hardliners come I can’t think of anypony else I’d rather have fighting in it,” she said and then placed her hoof on Cherry’s. “We both have our families to fight for.”

I looked at Cherries belly smiling. “I’m sure that’s not from getting drunk and a spell?” I bluntly asked.

Scootaloo blushed a little and Cherry shook her head. “It’s, not hers. I was a breeder in my home Stable and she’s the daughter of a stallion from there,” she said and then looked at Scootaloo with a smile. “But, I love Scootaloo a lot, and she’s willing to be there and help me raise my daughter.”

“Well Scootaloo you have proven again you’re a better pony. Of course you didn’t know about Go Fish either till Glory told us. But speaking of that I’m in her father's good graces. Unless I hurt them both in some way.” I sighed.

“Blackjack, you’re a lot better pony than you give yourself credit,” Scootaloo said with a soft smile. “If you weren’t then you wouldn’t have cared about doing better for Glory or wanting to be there for your daughter. You’re not a bad pony Blackjack, you’ve made mistakes, but you’re a good pony deep down. I can see that in you.”

I wish I could think the same way like she does. I closed my eyes a bit and shook my head to remove those thoughts from my head. “Thank you Scootaloo maybe someday I will believe it myself. But for now I must protect Go Fish.”

“You’re already acting like a good mom,” Cherry said with a light smile. “One thing I’ve learned since I met Scootaloo is that the first duty of a mom is to keep their foal safe and happy. I think you’ll do fine.”

“Huh I see why you love her Scootaloo. She will keep you out of your funk. Then plant in that block head of yours not to get your legs broken.” I said with a laugh.

“Yeah, she’s great,” Scootaloo sand with a smile as she leaned over and kissed Cherry gently. “You’re lucky too Blackjack, Morning Glory is a great mare, I’m happy you got to find her again.”

I nodded and looked back on my life before I met Scootaloo. All the crying all the cussing all the hating of life. “I am sure you told her... I kissed you when we first met.”

“She did what?” Cherry said as she looked at Scootaloo who blushed heavily.

“She was, inebriated at the time,” Scootaloo said and blushed more. “I mean, it was just the one kiss… and…”

I gave a loud laugh. “Lets just say.. I expected a bit much from her. Then I started becoming her friend. She and I hit it off and all I wanted to do. Is help her after all that. I told her I am a descendant of Twilight Sparkle.”

“And you two are, kinda related, really distantly,” Scootaloo added with a groan and Cherry’s eyes went wide in surprise.

“Wait, seriously?”

“Yes Twilight kind of had a secret love affair with Big Mac. She didn’t even tell him she was expecting.” I added with a deep sigh.

“Oh, I see,” Cherry said. “I, honestly never really thought much about having a family until recently because of how Stable 48 worked. I knew about my ancestors sure, but I guess I never really thought about anypony else I might be related to.”

“Well how about this. I call you Cuz and we make Scootaloo deal with it for the rest of her life?” I said laughing. “Think of it this way Scoots. Go Fish will call you auntie.” I winked at her.

“That’s not so bad, she seems like a nice kid,” Scootaloo said with a shrug. “Though now it feels like my family tree is getting more and more complicated and weird.”

I chuckled. “But there is one last thing I need to do before I go back to my family Scoots.. I need to fix things with Midnight.”

“Of course… we don’t even really know when we’re going to fight the Hardliners at the moment,” Scootaloo said with a sigh. “You might try down in Junction Town, she’s usually in the command center past the Memorial Garden.”

“Thank you Scoots. Oh before I go may I hug her Cherry?” I looked to Cherry asking if it was alright to hug my friend.

“Go ahead, Scootaloo’s kind of huggy, but she’s mine, remember that,” Cherry said with a chuckle.

I laughed shaking my head giving Scoots a tight hug in my metal forelegs. “Take care also nice meeting you Cherry. I now know she is in good hooves.” Moving back I gave them both a wave goodbye and left the room.

00000

Taking a deep breath I had one more thing I needed to do. Fix things up with Midnight. There I go thinking again. I really need to stop doing this. Walking towards Junction Town towards what I guess was.. Looking up I saw a statue of Little Pip a deep sigh came from my mouth.

Good to see that she is getting what she deserves. I screwed up way too much to get one. Eh i doubt I ever really deserved one from the start. Since I may have done so much myself. But I see this now and I’m happy for her.

I sat down on my haunches staring up at the statue. Maybe I could talk to her again but we did meet at a weird time. I shook my head I needed to focus walking into the commander center to find Midnight. I wondered if this was even a good idea at all.

“Hello Blackjack,” a familiar mare’s voice said from behind me.

I sighed deeply and turned my head. “Hello Midnight.”

Midnight looked at me for a long moment and sighed with a shake of her head. “You’re looking well… I heard you found your marefriend again.”

I sighed deeply trying to think of what to say. “Yes I did, but I came to talk to you. First to the fact I didn’t know Twilight had another decadent.”

“Yeah, I didn’t expect that either,” Midnight said and shook her head. “I only knew about my ancestor Eclipse until a few years back.”

“I had to see it through a memory orb. But..” I paused a moment. “ Look i am sorry for how I treated you back then. I look back now I have a lot of sins to clean even if I can’t do them all.”

Midnight sighed a little and shook her head. “Blackjack… I honestly don’t know what to think. You caught me at a low point in my life because of the anniversary of Blaze’s death. I let you get close to me because I just needed somepony to be with. Mind you, it makes things a bit awkward looking back…” she said and blushed a little. “But I forgive you for what happened.”

Shaking my head, why didn’t this make me feel any better? “Thank you but.. I feel I hurt you Midnight. I know I didn’t just I hurt so many. I have so much to make up for. But taking care of Go Fish is helping me forget everything. But not how I treated others.” I looked away a moment then back to her. “If you ever need to talk over a cup of well tea. I’m drinking tea now yes..I gave up drinking all together.”

“I, might take you up on that offer sometime,” Midnight said with a smile. “But for now I need to focus on the war with the Enclave Hardliners. After that, I, just want to get back to my Tribe, this war has kept me away from my family for too long.”

“Midnight, you need a break from this for at least an hour. Come with me we will get some tea and talk.”

Midnight looked at me and then back at the command center. She went to talk to one of her aides for a moment before she returned. “Alright, that sounds good, but just for an hour.”

I nodded. “I can introduce you to Glory and Go Fish ask them to come with us if you would like.”

Midnight nodded. “Sure, someday I’ll have to introduce you to my daughter.”

A soft smile formed on my face. “I would love that Midnight.. Come along.” Maybe it’s how life is. But I’m not sure how much it would have been. If the past never fixed itself. Maybe someday I will learn who that Dealer really is.. But for now, peace and harmony.

Midnight smiled and nodded before we headed off together.

Quest Perk Earned!
Name: The Things I do for Love.
Details: You've gotten what you've always wanted with your family, now you have to fight for it to make sure it lasts. You get an extra boost to your guns stat while fighting for your family.

Chapter 34 (Part 2): Perspectives

Nova's Story

"Star Paladin Nova, the Elder wants to speak to you," a Knight said as I looked up from the terminal I had been working on. "He says its urgent ma'am."

"Okay," I said and got to my hooves as I fit my helmet back over my head. I sighed a little, there was little question as to what the Elder wanted to talk to me about. "What kind of condition is he in?"

The Knight looked down at her hooves and shook her head. That wasn't a good sign, it certainly didn't fill me with confidence over what was hapIpening with Elder Ironsides. I followed the Knight back through the Typhon and to the medical bay where Ironsides was being taken care of.

Ruby Starlight stepped out of the medical bay, she had been brought in to check on Ironsides in hopes that her healing magic could do something to heal him. She looked at me and shook her head a little.

"I'm sorry Nova, there's nothing I can do, even Alicorns can't stop the aging process," she said with a shake of her head. "I've made him comfortable, but he's not going to last much longer at this rate I'm afraid."

"Its alright, thank you for at least trying to help Ruby," I said with a smile as she gave me a hug. "How long do you think he's going to last?"

"It could be a few hours or a few days, its hard to tell I'm afraid," Ruby said with a sigh. "I'm sorry, I really do wish I could do more to help. He's a good pony from what I know about him, I wish that he was going to make it."

"Its okay Ruby, its not your fault," I said and gave Ruby a nod as I looked into the medical center and sighed. "Do you know what he wants to talk to me about?"

Ruby sighed a little and shrugged before speaking in that sweet slight Neigh Orleans accent of her's. "He needs to name a successor but he won't say anything to me. Just try and help him be comfortable okay? Don't do anything to upset him or it might make things worse."

I wasn't sure how things could be worse than him already being on his deathbed, but I didn't question what she meant. I sighed and looked back into the Medical Center before I headed inside. Elder Ironsides was laying in his hospital bed, his dark grey coat and white mane was faded and while it usually made him look distinguished, he looked sad and weak now.

"Hello Elder," I said in a soft voice as I moved next to his bed and he opened his eyes and looked over at me.

"Nova, its so good to see you again," he said with a hoarse voice as I levitated my helmet back off of my head so he could see my face. "You're looking well, you've barely aged since I first met you on the Pier 10 years ago."

"You look well too," I said with a smile as I tried to sound more sincere than I really felt. "Knight Crystal said you wanted to speak to me about something? Is everything okay?"

Ironsides looked at me and coughed lightly before he answered the question. "I'm not long for this world Nova... I know it, you know it, there's no point in us denying it. You're the best pony I've ever had serve under me Nova, you're brave, strong, and you have the strongest sense of justice of any pony I've ever met. I just wish that Rose could've seen the wonderful mare you've grown up to be."

I smiled a little and placed my hoof on his. Ironsides had been like a father to me for years, the only father I had ever really known. "I miss her every day of my life, even if neither of you were my parents by birth, you made me the mare I am today."

"You made Applejack's Rangers stronger, you made sure that we survived against Elder Mandrake and his forces," Ironsides said with a shake of his head. "You gave us a future. You're going to lead Applejack's Rangers with great distinction."

"Do you really think I should be the one to become the next Elder?" I asked with a sigh. "I mean, the others they believe in me and will follow me, but I'm not capable of being the Elder. I made mistakes, I nearly got us all killed during the Great Schism and that's not even going into what's happened since then."

"You're my successor, there's nopony else I could trust with it," Ironsides said with a shake of his head. "Please Nova, you're going to do just fine. I know its something that you don't feel you're ready for, but I know you're ready. Just give yourself a chance to do it. The Rangers need strong leadership with the War going on, and you are the pony that we need."

I sighed a moment and looked back at Ruby who stood in the doorway and nodded. What was I going to do now? I had no doubt that it Ironsides and the others believed in me, and the Enclave war was making everything harder to do. I really only had one decision to make, so I nodded.

"Alright Elder, I'll do it for you," I said with a smile as I looked down at him. I didn't like the idea of being the Elder, but I didn't have much of a choice.

"Star Paladin Nova, do you swear to uphold the traditions and beliefs of Applejack's Rangers? To ensure that our future is secured and that the Rangers protect our allies and Equestria from all enemies both within and without?" Ironsides said as he looked at me.

"I do," I said with a nod.

"Then I name you Elder of Applejack's Rangers, carry this title with honor and distinction," Ironsides said and then laid back on the bed and closed his eyes. And with that he let out a final breath as the monitoring machines suddenly let out a loud beep and an alarm.

I backed up as Ruby and the rest of the medical staff rushed in to try and resuscitate him. Ironside's eyes never opened up again however, he had passed away.

And now I was the Elder of Applejack's Rangers.

00000

Ironside's funeral was small and held just for members of Applejack's Rangers. As he was placed in his grave that had been dug out on a hill just outside of Junction Town, I sighed and looked around at the other Rangers. It felt like almost the entire crew of the Typhon, not to mention ponies from other contingents around Equestria had shown up for the funeral.

It felt like I was burying Rose all over again, Ironsides may have just been my commanding officer but he had done everything he could to help me. He had never treated me differently, even after what happened in Seaddle, he had always cared more about what I was doing.

I looked over at Gear Shift who sighed and shook her head. The Earth Pony mare, Ironside's only surviving blood relative, was still trying to process everything that was going on. I placed my hoof gently on her withers and gave her a smile as she hugged me tightly.

"Elder Nova, Paladin Gear Shift, would you like to say a few words?" The Head Scribe asked as he looked at us sympathetically. "I know you were close to him, if you want to say anything now is the time."

I looked at Gear Shift and gave her a nod as she stepped forward and looked down at the dead body of her Great Uncle as it rested in the grave. She closed her eyes and sighed a moment before she looked around at the others, and then at me, her eyes were filled with tears.

"Elder Ironsides was always a strong pony," Gear Shift said with a sigh as she placed her helmet down on the ground in front of her. "He stood strong against the horrors of the Wasteland and against Elder Mandrake and his followers. I never really knew him growing up, I always just heard about this great uncle I had that had left the farm and had never been seen again. Imagine my surprise when I followed reports of Steel Rangers who had gone against tradition to Seaddle and found him at the Pier. I guess we had some things in common after all, and that brought us together as a family. That was over 10 years ago now, and here I am..."

She looked back at me and gave me a light smile as she nodded down to her foreleg where the wedding bracelet was hidden by her power armor. I gave her a smile and a nod, Ironsides had presided over our wedding a few years back, another good memory with him that was going to be harder to remember without thinking about him.

"Because of him I met one of the most wonderful mares in the entire Wasteland," Gear Shift said with a smile. "I'll miss him, but we all need to focus on the good times we had with him as our Elder. We have to stay the course and make sure that Applejack's Rangers continues to do our job and follow the vision set down by Applejack and Steelhooves. Ironsides would want it that way."

Gear Shift picked her helmet back up and moved back to my side and nuzzled me gently. I smiled a little and kissed her gently. "I'm glad I met you too Gear."

"Why don't you say something? I mean, you're the new Elder," Gear Shift suggested, I was about to protest when she pushed me forward and everypony's eyes fell on me.

I gulped a little, I hadn't really been one for public speaking, and right now wasn't the best time to try and learn how to improvise. I looked behind me at Gear Shift who just gave me a smile and a nod.

"You all know who I am, you all know what I did in Seaddle when I met Ironsides," I said with a sigh. "A lot of ponies see me as a hero even though I just did what I felt was necessary to help Equestria and Seaddle. Ironsides, he never cared about that, he just saw me as a good soldier, that's all I ever really wanted to be. Ironsides wants me to be the Elder, I'm not really sure if I'll do a good job but I do promise all of you that I will do my best to serve you in that capacity."

I looked back at Gear Shift and gave her a smile as I turned back to look at the gathered ponies. I was starting to feel a little better at least, but I was still nervous about this. I took a deep breath and continued to speak after a moment.

"Gear Shift is right, we have to make sure that we keep true to our beliefs and traditions. Ironsides would have wanted that way, and I promise that I'll do everything I can to make sure we don't lose sight of that. will make sure that our future is secured, thank you, all of you."

I moved back and took my spot next to my wife again and gave her a nod. She whispered to me, "You did great, I told you you'd be fine."

I smiled and nuzzled her gently as they started to bury the body. A gravestone had been set up with his cutie mark carved into it. I sighed and looked down at the grave for the longest moment

"Ad victorum, Elder Ironsides," I said respectively before we headed back to the Typhon together.

00000

"Nova, are you okay?" Gear asked as she looked up at me from her spot on my chest. I hadn't moved to the Elder's quarters yet, I wasn't sure if I wanted to, so we were laying in our bed in my quarters aboard the Typhon. "You seem a bit more distracted than usual."

"Huh? Oh yeah," I said with a shake of my head as I leaned down and kissed the Earth Pony mare lightly on the forehead. "I'm not used to being the Elder still and everything that happened to Ironsides."

"Yeah, I know what you mean," Gear Shift said with a sigh as she nuzzled my chest lightly. "He was a good pony that gave Applejack's Rangers a chance to be better. I'm glad I got the chance to know him really, he was all I had left of my family..."

I stroked her mane gently as she started to cry into my chest. I sighed a little and held her close, I had no idea what I was going to tell to her. "I'm sorry Gear, I wish he was still here too. But, you still have me, you'll always have me for your family."

Gear Shift brushed her tears out of her eyes and looked up at me. "I know, but sometimes I wish I had more. Sometimes I wish we could have foals together, you know?"

I sighed and closed my eyes. We had tried using the procreation spell before only to find out that because of a rare anomaly in Gear's genetics it wouldn't work using her DNA or cells. We had talked about maybe getting a stallion to serve as a donor, but it just wouldn't be the same.

Though, I had talked to Rain Runner recently and she said that there was another way. I just had to talk to Gear Shift about it. "Gear, what if I told you that there was a way we could have a foal?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, Rain told me about some things that the Project were doing, apparently they were able to work around this problem with other mares," I said softly. "Eureka's notes are all in New Pegasus, Rain said that Corona would be able to replicate it easily, if you want. We can even use a surrogacy spell to carry her normally."

Gear sniffed a little and looked up at me with her red eyes and smiled a little. "They'd do that for us?"

"Yeah, Rain and her friends are good ponies like that," I said with a smile as I kissed Gear gently on the lips. "We could have a little filly... if that's what you want. It probably won't be until after the war is over but..."

Gear thought about it for a long moment and then nodded with a smile. "Lets do it then. I, just wish Uncle Ironsides could've met her..."

"Me too Gear, me too," I said softly and held her close as she closed her eyes. I smiled a little and gave her one last kiss on the forehead before I closed my eyes.

I liked the idea of being a mom with my wife. It gave me a hope that maybe everything would be okay, and that the future of Applejack's Rangers would be secure.

"I love you Gear Shift," I said softly.

"I love you too Nova," she said and sighed happily as we drifted off to sleep together.

Quest Perk Earned!
Name: Applejack's Rangers Elder.
Details: You've been recognized by your superior on his deathbed of your skill and promoted to the rank of Elder, good luck.
You get an extra 10 points in science and heavy weapons.

00000

Gambit's Story.

“General Sparkle, the latest casualty reports from the Battle of Thunderhead,” a soldier dressed in an NCR uniform said as he passed the report over to Midnight who read it over.

“Thank you Private,” she said with a sigh as she set it down and shook her head a little. “And we’ve lost the Captain of the Orion, just what we needed. First Elder Ironsides dies, now this, we’re losing our more experienced cloudship commanders.”

“Two things, Sparkle - Like, Twilight Sparkle?” I said with a soft chuckle before looking to the report. “And this, this is why I dislike war, good ponies dying and for what reason? Ideals and beliefs, most likely not even their own.”

“Believe me, this is the second war I’ve been in, I’m not particularly liking it either, I’m starting to see why Goldmane lost it...” Midnight said and sighed a little. “And yes, like Twilight Sparkle, I gave up trying to hide my heritage years ago.”

I couldn’t help but stifle a giggle. “Oh, So we’re distantly related then.” I said, my horn lighting up as I let a few peices of armor fall from my side, exposing my cutiemark. A Six pointed purple star overlaying what looked like a compass rose. “I guess, you could say I am her half sister.”

“Yay, more distant relatives showing up…” Midnight said with a sigh and shook her head. “Sorry Gambit, it’s nothing against you, things have just been a little crazy lately.”

“Hey, I didn’t even know that my half sister had any family at all, heck until recently I didn't know I had a half sister.” I said with a chuckle. “It’s a little reassuring, knowing you’re a little less alone because you still have family.”

Midnight actually smiled a little at that. “Yeah, I spent most of my life being ashamed of it. Twilight was part of the reason all of this happened, and why my mom had to leave Stable 13 when I was a filly. I, guess I never really wanted to face it until, well, that’s a long story involving a mirror portal.”

“So, uh… Not to bring up bad memories let's just move on from that, the Orion, that ship” I said, taking a deep breath, “It’s going to need a captain, and from what I can see - it’s not a typical cloudship.”

“No it’s not,” Midnight said with a nod. “Apparently it was built by the Ministry of Awesome to be an escort ship to go along with Nomad City. But since the Last Day happened, none of them were put into service and were just left in their berths until the Enclave found the Orion and used it during the Occupation of Manehattan.”

“I thought they looked familiar, back before the last day I was included in some… trials” I said with a sigh. “Of the cadets trained in airship use, I was a prime candidate for captainship of one of these new, as of yet named vessels.”

Midnight looked at me thoughtfully for a moment and sighed. “Well, I’ll have to talk with the rest of the alliance commanders about it. But since most of the Enclave captains have their own ships and we’re hesitant to add more automation on top of the Irregulars, you might be our best option.”

“I’ll train somepony to captain her, I can’t devote my life to handling a ship permanently. There’s still a few things I need to do.” I said, looking to Midnight with a smile “Should be rather easy, if this one is anything like the one I was trained on - They are easy enough that a foal with a week of training could fly it.”

“Understood, well thank you for at least doing that,” Midnight said with a nod. “We still have to deal with the Hardliners and we can use all the ships we can get in the air.”

“Glad to help, On another note, I saw Winter in Scootaloo’s hospital room, you wouldn’t happen to know if she’s still around, I think it’s about time I talk with her.” I said, giving another sigh “I want some answers to a few things, and I think she can give them”

“How does the old saying go, speak of the devil and he shall appear?” A familiar mare’s voice said from behind me.

“So you admit you’re the devil then?” I said and spun around to face the mare. “Winter, You and I have some unfinished business.”

“Its just a… never mind,” Winter said as she looked me over with a frown. “Yes, I suppose we do, look about before…”

“I’m not surprised that you lied to me, wouldn’t be the first time a political body lied to me or tricked me.” I said, giving a sigh. “I get it though, you didn’t want to hurt me, you just wanted me to see things from your perspective”

“Not, all of it was a lie,” Winter said with a sigh. “I was trying to end the war peacefully, that was my ultimate goal with what I did. I, admit that I omitted certain details, and for that I am sorry. And, I’m sorry about what happened to Canterlot.”

“Why though, why did you have to go and destroy it, there was ways it could of been cleaned and restored, and Ghouls aren’t so bad, I mean - your hide is still safe because a ghoul sacrificed herself down in that stable.” I said in retort with a sneer.

“I didn’t order it!” Winter said loudly as she started to cry a little. “Operation Cauterize, it was carried out by the High Council and Colonel Autumn Leaf. I never would have ordered such a senseless act to be carried out, at the time I… I was just the secretary of education. I inherited their sins when I took office, and if I had my way I’d turn back the clock and keep it from happening. I’m sorry about Canterlot, I really am, there is no excuse for what the Enclave did there or anywhere else during Operation Cauterize.”

“The sins of your predecessors is a burden to carry, but you can make up for their actions and have yet to even attempt.” I said, “Operation Cauterize killed who knows how many ponies, and destroyed an entire city, a City I and many other ponies called home. History and culture - gone.”

Winter stood there for a long moment and closed her eyes with a sigh. “I can’t give you that back, but I can try and make up for it. It’s not the same, but we could rebuild Canterlot, the Enclave has access to enough resources that we could make it possible.”

“Both of you are old enough to remember Canterlot, Tell me did you at any point in your childhood, look to that mountain, To that city, and felt drive and inspiration” I said with a sigh. “I remember, during the war, any time I felt down or like I was failing, I just had to look to Canterlot, and remind myself that I had greater things to fight for.”

Winter and Midnight looked between each other and sighed a little. Midnight spoke up first. “Gambit, the thing is that Canterlot was in bad shape. My mother, Nebula Sparkle, she went to Canterlot some 14 years before Operation Cauterize. There were good ponies in Stable City, such as Twilight Vel…”

My eyes went wide, attention snapping to Midnight. “She survived the stable? Mrs. Sparkle was still alive?”

Midnight flinched a little, she probably hadn’t expected that reaction. “Yes, my mother crossed paths with her in Stable City when she traveled to Canterlot. And LittlePip also met her during her trip there to look for the Black Book, I’m sorry.”

I couldn’t stop the thoughts racing through my head, shaking as I stared at the ground. “I left her, she survived and I left her. How could I have done that? I should of brought her back, I could of saved her.”

“I’m sorry Gambit,” Midnight said softly. “My mother wanted to get her out of there, so did Steelhooves but when my mother was there Canterlot Ghouls were still mostly unfamiliar to the Wasteland…”

“Wait, how did you know she was in Stable 1?” Winter asked as she looked thoughtful for a moment. “Stable 1-B right? It was connected to Stable 1 wasn’t it?”

“Yes, I was in Stable 1-B.” I said with a sigh and shake of my head. “We got an alarm from Stable 1, we went in with the stable filled with the cloud - We only got a few survivors out, and of those only one or two actually survived.”

“Gambit, I really am sorry about what happened to Canterlot,” Winter said with a shake of her head. “I wish I could’ve stopped them from doing that. Though, Canterlot also had a lot of problems before then and was a hazard to anypony who entered it with the cloud and everything else. Still, we should’ve at least tried, and I’m sorry for that.”

“Just like you’re sorry about tricking me? About making me believe that the zebra were the ones to blame for the destruction of my home?” I said, shaking my head “No, I don’t believe you are truly sorry, somepony who was sorry would be trying to make up and atone for their past mistakes, not hide behind petty apologies.”

Winter went silent at that and looked down at her hooves for a long moment before finally saying softly, “You’re right. I need to make up for what we did, what I did, not just to you but to everypony.”

“The weight of the crown, so to speak.” I said, smiling a little at Winter’s admission. “You may not of been in charge of the Enclave during some of the bad things it did, but as president you have power to make up for them.”

“And I will do everything within my power to make up for them,” Winter said with a nod. “In the end, I just hope that history will be willing to absolve me for what I did. I just hope that I’ll be able to make up for it.”

“And I suppose, the best place to start, at least - here and now, is Canterlot.” I said, with a little smile. At least it seemed that Winter was smart enough to listen to advice when given it, rather then assuming she knew better. Maybe I was wrong about her after all.

Winter nodded a little. “I agree, that would be the best place to start. Given the current situation I don’t know how long it’ll be until I can do anything, but I will do everything in my power to do whatever is needed. My offer to help rebuild it is still open.”

“To rebuild is one thing, but Canterlot needs to not have any specific flag flying over it.” I said with a shake of my head. “Just rebuilding it isn’t enough, you need it to be free, let it be the shining beacon of Equestria, just like it used to be.”

“Canterlot Mountain does fall under Enclave borders, does it not?” Midnight asked and looked over at Winter.

“Officially, yes, though we’ve never done anything with it,” Winter said and looked at me. “Alright, I agree with this. If Canterlot is to be rebuilt it needs to be free, and it needs to be not just the effort of one single nation or faction. We should all work together on this, it would be a symbol of our future. Everyone in Equestria working together for a common cause and a brighter future.”

“We heard rumors growing up, that there were large gems and crystals in the mountain’s core, maybe with some work we could pull away the earth and carve one of those gems, or maybe retrieve one from one of the old quarries, I’m sure there is still plenty enough left.” I said, thinking out loud for a moment.

“That’s an idea, I remember that from some old journals,” Winter commented with a nod she gave me a smile. “Thank you Gambit. This has helped me a lot.”

“Midnight? What say you, Do we have your promise to help with the reconstruction of a free Canterlot?” I said, turning my attention back to the other mare. “Surely it would be of some interest for the NCR to have their namesake return”

“I do agree that we should be involved, but this is a civilian matter,” Midnight said with a sigh and brushed her mane back. “I promise that I’ll do everything in my power to get NCR involvement in the project, that’s the best I can do.”

“I can talk to President Grimfeathers as well,” Winter offered.

“I get that you are just the head of military, but I think you have more friends and fans then you might be aware of. With your support, I have the feeling the civilian side of things will fall in line, it is part of your namesake after all, though they may not be too pleased to hear that you will not be the ones holding it.” I said with a chuckle.

Midnight thought it over for a moment and nodded. “Alright, you have the NCR’s support in the reconstruction of Canterlot. I’m sure as long as it remains friendly to the NCR, it won’t be that hard to convince them that it’s for the best.”

“Alright then it’s settled,” Winter said with a nod. “If we can get Elder Nova and the Nomad City Council on board we’ll have the four major members of the Alliance invested. It’s a good start, and it’ll send the right message.”

“Alright then good,” Midnight said with a nod and looked back at me. “Is there anything else?”

“Not that I can think of, General.” I said with a sigh “Just, need some time to talk with my crew and decide where we’re going to park the Quetzal until the new captain for the Orion can be trained.”

“Alright, we’ll get something arranged,” Midnight said with a nod. “I’ll talk with Nomad City maybe. I’ll let you know what is worked out.”

Quest Perk Earned!
Name: Princess of Friendship.
Details: You've brought Equestria closer together and helped rebuild it more by convincing the others to start work on rebuilding Canterlot. You get an extra point in Charisma and more points added to speech.

00000

Serenity's Story.

"Alright Ms. Cream, if you'll just sign here the house is yours," the administration pony said as he gave a piece of paper to Vanilla with the contract.

We had decided to move to Nomad City after Vanilla had tendered her resignation as the Mayor of Crystal City, Aunt Butterscotch would be moving in with us soon along with some of the others who would come to Nomad City.

"Of course," Vanilla said with a smile as she signed the contract and levitated it over to the administrator. "Thank you for getting everything set up so quickly."

"Well, the house's owner recently moved to Junction Town so it happened to be free and you came on a good recommendation from Councilmare Jade and her family," the administrator said. "Its fully furnished of course, so all you don't have to worry about shopping. Welcome to Nomad City you two, I hope you enjoy your time here."

"Thank you," Vanilla said with a smile and shook his hoof before he left the house and we looked around. She looked down at me with a nod and nuzzled me gently. "What do you think Serenity? Are you going to be okay living with me again?"

I looked up at Vanilla and smiled a little. While I had become more comfortable living on my own in Crystal City, ever since we had come to Nomad City I had become more used to being with my family again.

"Yeah, don't worry about me," I said with a nod. "This place is pretty nice too."

"Yeah, we should thank Star and Jade for getting this all set up," Vanilla said with a nod as she hugged me a little. "What about leaving your friends behind in Crystal City, are you going to be okay?"

"Yeah, and its not like I'll never see them again, I mean Nomad City does visit the Crystal Wasteland," I said with a smile as we headed up to where my bedroom was. I put my scooter up against the wall, even if I was going to be able to fly now I didn't want to give it up completely. "I'm just glad Scootaloo's going to be okay, I, don't want to lose her again, you know?"

"Don't worry Serenity, Scootaloo's going to be just fine, she just needs to rest a little before they're ready to discharge her," Vanilla said and hugged me a little. "I'm proud of you Serenity, even if I was a little mad that you ran off without telling me, your heart was in the right place. I know I'm not going to be around forever, so can you promise me that you'll never let this world get to you?"

"I promise," I said with a smile as Vanilla nuzzled me gently. "I'll do everything I can to stay strong after..."

I let that thought trail off for a moment. I didn't like thinking about how Vanilla was going to die in a year or two, she had raised me from when I was just a little foal as her own daughter. I hated that I was going to lose her, she had even been trying to talk with doctors while she was here but they said that her cybernetics kept them from doing anything to get rid of the tumor.

First I had lost my birth parents when I was a filly, then the Crusaders went back home to the human world, and now I was going to lose my mom. I hugged her tight and cried into her chest for a moment before I felt her warm forelegs wrap around me gently.

"Shhhh... let it all out, everything is going to be okay," Vanilla said softly as she stroked my mane gently. "Serenity, I know you're going to be just fine. You're the strongest pony I know, and you're going to be just fine. I'll always be watching over you, I promise."

I sniffed a little and brushed my tears out of my eyes. "I just don't want to lose you. Who's going to take care of me when you're gone?"

Vanilla sighed a little and looked down at me with a shake of her head. "Serenity, you're a very independent filly, but I asked Jade and Star to take you in if you need it. Scootaloo, Cherry, and I'm sure even Winter would be willing to help you out as best they can too. I, know its not going to be easy, but I would never just leave you on your own, there are a lot of good ponies out there who care about you."

I smiled a little and buried my muzzle in her chest as I hugged her. She smiled and held me there for a moment. I just enjoyed the feeling of being close to my mom and sighed happily.

"Thanks mom... I still don't want to lose you though," I said with a sigh and looked up at her.

"I know Serenity, I don't want to have to go, but I promise that I'll do everything I can to be there for you until then," Vanilla said and gave me a smile. "I love you Serenity, you're the best daughter I could ask for."

"Even if I get into trouble?"

"Yes, even if you get into trouble," Vanilla said with a laugh as she ruffled my mane. "You just want to help Equestria as best you can and I'm proud of you for that. I'm just glad that you haven't gotten badly hurt."

"Hey, you weren't exactly staying out of trouble when you fought the Enclave and Sombra," I pointed out with a chuckle.

This just made Vanilla laugh. "Yeah, but at least I waited until I was in my 20's to do that," I just chuckled and nodded as there was a knock on the door. "Oh hey, that might be Sparky, she said she'd try and come by. I have a few things to take care of and I was thinking you could spend some time with her."

I tilted my head a little, Sparky was a good friend and family of course but I wondered what Vanilla needed to do without me. I nodded a little and gave Vanilla one more hug. "I'll see you later, okay?"

"Okay Serenity, I love you," Vanilla said and hugged me back before I headed back downstairs and opened the door to see Sparky standing there with a smile.

"Hey Serenity," she said.

"Sparky!" I said and gave her a hug. "I heard you became some sort of superhero or something, that's cool."

Sparky just laughed and hugged me back as she ruffled my mane gently. "Yeah, that's me the latest Mysterious Mare-Do-Well. I'm still kind of getting used to it to be honest, but ever since we got back here I've actually been learning how to fight more as best we can in the short time I've been here."

"That's cool!" I said with a nod as I looked up at her with a big smile.

"Hey, do you want to meet a real superhero? I'm still in training, but my predecessor came back with us," Sparky suggested and my ears perked up a little. "What do you say?"

"Sounds good," I said with a nod and called back upstairs. "Hey mom, can I go out with Sparky for a bit?"

"Sure, go ahead, just stay safe out there," Vanilla called back down to me. "Have fun you two, be back by 1700 hours okay?"

"Okay mom," I said and we headed out of the house together and down the street.

00000

“Hello Sparky,” an older Pegasus mare who was waiting for us in the park in central Nomad City said before she looked down at me. “Who’s the filly, your little sister?”

“It’s complicated,” I said with a chuckle. “I’m Serenity, I’m more like her really distant cousin.”

“Yeah, it’s a long story, I stopped trying to figure out my family tree awhile back,” Sparky said with a laugh as she shook her head. “She’s a good kid though, she helped fight off the Changelings apparently.”

“Oh really?” The older mare said and looked down at me curiously.

“Yeah, I was with the Crystal Crusaders that fought them off,” I said with a nod and looked at her curiously. “Are you really a superhero?”

The mare chuckled dryly at that and offered me a hoof. “I’m Thunderstrike, it’s nice to meet you Serenity.”

“It’s nice to meet you too,” I said with a smile as I shook the older mare’s hoof. “So, what brings you to Nomad City?”

“Well, I’m here to try and help Sparky here,” Thunderstrike said with a nod as she looked over at Sparky. “She’s good in a fight but she still has a lot to learn. Though, with most of the Enclave joining the Alliance, things are going to be a bit different.”

“Oh, do you normally fight the Enclave then?” I asked with a tilt of my head.

“Yeah, ever since one of your relatives was the first one, but that was in a different age,” Thunderstrike said with a nod. “I, have to admit I didn’t ever expect the Enclave to change this much. Winter is going against Enclave tradition in ways nopony really expected, so this conflict was really inevitable.”

I sighed a little, I had met Winter not long after she arrived on Nomad City. She seemed nice enough and meeting her daughter who was about the same age as me was nice, it was kind of cool to know that I had more family out there.

Still, knowing that I was related to the President of the Enclave was unexpected to say the least. I had seen ponies in the Alliance working with the Enclave soldiers but they had seemed a bit uneasy about the whole thing, not that I blamed them.

The Enclave had left me for dead, I was having a hard time believing that they really had changed even if Winter seemed nice. What was I supposed to think? They had attacked my mom’s home Stable and left me behind because I couldn’t fly.

I hated the Enclave, I really did. But was it possible that they were able to change? Scootaloo seemed to think so, and I trusted her, I just hoped she was right.

“Do, you think the Enclave really has changed?” I asked softly as I looked between the two older mares. “I mean, I’ve talked with Winter and she seems to have changed, but… I don’t really know. I’m just afraid that ponies will suffer the same fate that I did when I was just a foal…”

“Serenity, it’s okay, I understand,” Thunderstrike said and placed her hoof on my shoulder. “I lost my parents when I was a young filly to the Enclave too. My predecessor raised me and helped me have a good life, it wasn’t easy to lose her when she died either.”

I sighed a little and closed my eyes. “I just hope that Winter is being genuine,” I said softly. “Scootaloo says she is, and I trust her judgment, but I just don’t know.”

“Mom is a good pony and a good judge of character,” Sparky said and I looked over at her curiously. “That’s something that doesn’t change between the clone and the original. I think, if she thinks Winter can be trusted then it’s probably true.”

“And if it’s not, she’ll be dealt with,” Thunderstrike added with a nod. “Don’t worry Serenity, you’re not the only pony who doesn’t trust the Enclave.”

“But, imagine if they did change,” Sparky said with a shrug. “The Enclave has a lot of technology and information that could help Equestria. I know it’s not ideal, but we should at least give it a chance.

We stood in silence for a long moment as we thought over what we were talking about. Sparky was right, the Enclave could do a lot of good for Equestria if they were given a chance, and Winter might give them that chance.

“Excuse me, Ms. Thunderstrike?” A voice said from behind us and we turned to see a messenger pony standing there with a piece of paper in their hoof.

“Yes, can I help you?” Thunderstrike asked as she looked at the messenger who held the paper out to her.

“I was told to bring this to you,” the messenger said and Thunderstrike took it and opened it up and her eyes went wide as she read it and looked at the messenger.

“Who gave this to you?” She demanded and threw it to the ground as she stormed over to the messenger who flinched. “Where did they go?”

“I, don’t know, it was some pony in Enclave Power Armor!” The messenger said with a gulp. “I didn’t get a name, I swear. They just kind of, left after that and I didn’t think it important enough to see where they went!”

Thunderstrike calmed down after a moment as me and Sparky went over to the discarded note and smoothed it out so we could read what it said.

“Old friend, I know we’ve had our differences over the years and, I know I’ve done some things that I regret. Things are different now though, the Enclave itself has changed to something practically unrecognizable to what it used to be. You’ve changed, and so have I - This has been a long fight between you and I, you could say that perhaps - it may even be considered a war.

Things have never been more different than they are now, Life has been cruel to the both of us - and I was willing to do things that no pony else was willing to do, I’ve hurt a lot of ponies, young and old throughout the generations, the Enclave always told me that it’s a dirty job but somepony has to do it. I’m starting to wonder if perhaps they may of been wrong.

Through the years, through everything though - even though we may be at odds, I consider you a friend, and a rival. But like I said, things have never been so different, and I think - maybe, just maybe - with this new face of the Enclave, and the death of the ideals I used to hold so dear, and something very important being returned to me, maybe I should let my ideals go, and bury the hatchet, once and for all.

Take care, my old friend. Believe it or not, I wish you the best and hope the skies forever clear for you, for the rest of your time here, and in the time beyond.”

Thunderstrike took a deep breath and picked up the letter again as she read it over again. A thoughtful look crossed her face and she looked up towards the sky for a long moment.

“Uh, is everything okay?” I asked and looked at her.

“Cricket’s always been angry because she lost her family in the Last Day,” Thunderstrike said and then looked back at the paper. “Some years ago, I found out that her daughter made it into Stable 76 out near New Pegasus. If she’s acting like this, she may have found out she had descendants, at least that’s what I think.”

“So, what are you going to do now?” I asked as I looked at Thunderstrike who sighed a little and shook her head.

“I honestly have no idea,” she said with a shake of her head and folded the note back up and put it away. “Cricket’s not exactly what I’d call a comedian, if she found that then she’s likely being honest. I’ll give her the benefit of a doubt, but…”

She turned and looked at Sparky who looked down and nodded a bit in understanding. “If she comes back, then it’ll be on me to stop her.”

There was a flash of aquamarine magic as a pony teleported in next to us. A light purple colored mare stepped forward, wearing an NCR uniform and atop her head, a Red Beret overtop her darker purple mane.

“Major Seren Lulamoon, NCR 1st Recon.” She said, offering her hoof.

“Thunderstrike,” the old Pegasus said and shook her hoof.

“Uh, have you been spying on us or something?” I asked with a tilt of my head.

“Yes ma’am, we may be far from the battlefield but you two are still high value targets, any Enclave sympathizers that snuck into the city may try and take you out.” The Major said with a soft smile “I could get in a lot of trouble for even coming down here, so - off the books, this meeting never happened.”

“Oh, okay,” I said with a shrug. “So, uh, if you could get into a lot of trouble why are you here?”

“Simple ma’am, you were speaking about my removed several times over, grandmother.” Seren said with a chuckle. “I wanted to say, she is no longer a threat to you, or any pony else.”

“I see,” Thunderstrike said and nodded in understanding. She looked over Seren for a moment and sighed. “Alright, if Cricket is genuine, then there will be no further issue between us. Just, tell her not to expect us to become best friends or something.”

“That’s actually what she said to me when I spoke to her during the battle of Thunderhead, funnily enough she shot some Enclave soldiers that had me cornered.” Seren said, sitting and looking to that old mare. “Said she had to come see for herself, She heard rumors that I might exist, all she asked was to be allowed to look into my eyes, like that’s all she needed to know.”

“The eyes are the windows to the soul, perhaps she saw something,” Thunderstrike said with a nod. “Thank you Seren, that took a load off my withers.”

“You’re welcome, though one last thing, I know who you are, or, rather who you used to be.” Seren said, her horn glowing in her aura, reaching into one of her saddle bags and pulling out a magazine. “Would you mind me asking… would you be willing to sign this comic book I’ve had since I was a filly?”

Thunderstrike looked a little surprised and took it carefully. She blinked a little in surprise when she looked at it. “Well, I have to say I never expected to see a comic book about myself,” she said with a chuckle and took out a pen and signed it.

“Was a special print, only Stable 76 has access to this issue.” Seren said with a soft smile “Not many of them are left, most fillies and colts rip them to shreds within a year or two of getting them - last I checked, that was just one in twenty still remaining from the stable.”

“Yeah, well, I’m retired I’m afraid,” Thunderstrike said and gave it back to her. “Sparky over here is the new Mysterious Mare-Do-Well.”

“Well, in training really,” Sparky said with a shrug.

“I heard about what happened before, y’know she’s actually sorry bout that.” Seren said “She plays it off like she meant to, but she didn’t - she wanted to make sure the next in line could live up to the standard.”

Thunderstrike looked like she was about to get angry again but calmed down after a moment. “Solar Flare was the closest thing I had to a daughter… I don’t think my resentment over that will ever fade.”

“Just like her resentment of the pre-war government and ministries for taking her family away from her.” Seren said, sighing and shaking her head “But the both of you, have a lot in common and really it's a shame that this is how everything has gone. I do think, if the time was different you two could of been friends.”

Thunderstrike look thoughtful for a long moment and sighed. “I don’t know, maybe. But I’m a mare of my word, I won’t give her any trouble as long as she doesn’t cause any.”

“Neither will I,” Sparky said with a nod.

“I know this is going on a tangent, but I feel I have to ask…” Seren said, taking a deep breath. “What was the worst thing that she ever did to you? Was it killing Solar, or was there more?”

Thunderstrike sighed a little. “I’d, honestly say it was killing Solar, but it would take too long to list everything she ever did to me. I honestly don’t know what to do about her. It’s hard to stop hating somepony after so long.”

“Maybe, taking a moment to put yourself in her shoes could help you understand…” Seren said, giving a sigh and shaking her head “I’ve read her story, it’s heart wrenching to even think about it - and, in some ways, it justifies her.”

“I’ll, think about it,” Thunderstrike said with a nod. “Thank you Seren, you’ve given me a lot to think about. Tell Cricket I, may be willing to talk to her more sometime in the future.”

“Can, we hear some of the story?” I asked curiously.

“If you wish, and Thunderstrike allows. This may be all she’s heard before, or maybe - something new.” Seren said with a smile, turning her attention to me.

“Go ahead,” Thunderstrike said with a nod as Sparky checked the time.

“We’ve got a little over half an hour before we have to get back to Vanilla,” she said with a nod. “Let’s hear it.”

“Well, you know how Scootaloo and her friend there, uh… Gambit I think her name is, are both from before the war?” Seren started “So is Cricket, except she survived it the hard way.”

“Yeah, Gambit, she taught me how to fly,” I said with a smile as I thought back to that. “Wait, the hard way? Did she get turned into a Ghoul or something?”

“Yep, she’s a ghoul.” Seren said with a nod. “She’s a Canterlot ghoul, trapped in her power armor, it’s literally been fused to her, you have skin - she has armor.”

“Oh, that’s…” I started to say as I tried to figure out what to say. “Terrible, I can’t imagine living like that.”

“She was married too, during the war her husband was killed on the battlefield, leaving her a single mother of two.” Seren sighed. “And then the last day, canterlot is hit, her son saves his sister, gets her into Stable 76 in Las Pegasus. Goes back trying to save other pegasi, and he ends up dying from the radiation in the area.”

I looked down at my hooves and sighed a little. “I know how that feels, kind of. I lost my parents when I was just a baby… now I’m going to lose my adopted mother in a couple of years. Nopony should have to lose their family senselessly.”

Thunderstrike shook her head. “I, knew some of the details but not all of it. Tell her… tell her I’m sorry. Maybe I should’ve dug deeper, maybe I should’ve told her her family survived, maybe I should’ve done a lot of things.”

“I doubt she would’ve believed you Thunderstrike. Holding the broken bodies of both your husband and son, it does alot to you mentally. She’s not bad, or evil, she’s just a mare pushed beyond her limits with her spirit broken.” Seren said, giving a sigh. “She didn’t think the Enclave was bad, they offered her purpose, reason, they told her they were the way to the future, to avenge her family, and she bought it.”

“And then Winter came and changed everything,” Sparky said. “I see, now everything is starting to make sense.”

“Look, thank you for talking to us about this Seren,” Thunderstrike said with a nod. “Hopefully we can come to more of an understanding in the future her and I. I’ll, think about everything you’ve told us, but you should probably get back to your post.”

“It was nice meeting you Seren,” I said with a smile. “Lets hope ponies don’t get our names mixed up.”

“Most ponies just call me Major, or Major Lulamoon, so I doubt that’ll be a problem.” Seren said with a bit of a laugh, “And like I said, This meeting didn’t happen, alright? I’d prefer not to have to give up a rank.”

“Got it,” I said and gave a quick salute as Seren teleported away.

00000

As it got close to 1700 hours we headed back to the housing district. I still had a lot to think about when it came to the Enclave and everything else that was going on. I opened the door to find the house was dark.

We walked into the living room and the lights turned on followed by the sound of ponies calling out, “SURPRISE!”

“Happy adoption day Serenity,” Scootaloo said from the wheelchair she was sitting in.

I blinked in surprise, everypony was around with a small party having been set up. I had been so distracted lately by the Enclave war I hadn’t even realized that the anniversary of when Vanilla had adopted me was coming up.

“Hello Serenity,” a familiar voice with a slight accent said from behind me. I turned to see Winter Breeze standing there with Spectra and Calypso nearby.

“Uh, hello,” I said softly as I looked up at her nervously. “Can… can I help you with something?”

“I wanted to give you this,” Winter said with a soft smile as she reached into her pocket and took out a picture and gave it to me. “This was taken the last time I saw your parents. I felt you should have it.”

I took the picture curiously and looked at it. It was of a young Pegasus couple together. The stallion was a light grey color with red eyes and the mare was a darker shade of gold with a long flowing red mane and green eyes.

Held in the mare’s forelegs was a sleeping filly with gold fur and a short tuft of red mane. I smiled a little when I realized it was me.

“I was there when you were born Serenity,” Winter said softly as she placed her hoof on my shoulder with a smile. “I was always close to your parents after the Enclave Civil War. We were the only surviving members of our family after all, so I looked after them as best I could. Sadly, that’s why they were serving under Marigold, I should have had them be transferred to Coltlumbia and my private troops.”

She sighed a little and looked down at her hooves as she looked down at the picture. I could see that tears were starting to form in her eyes, she missed my parents a lot. I looked back down at the picture and started to cry too.

They looked happy, it was hard to imagine that just a few months later they would be killed during the battle of Stable 81. I had never blamed Vanilla for their deaths, they weren’t her fault, I had always blamed the Enclave and General Marigold in particular for putting them in that position.

“I’m sorry Serenity, I’m sorry that your parents got killed,” Winter said as she cried more and looked away from me. “I’m sorry that the soldiers left you behind in the Stable to die. But, I am glad that you found a wonderful family that loves you so very much.”

I smiled softly and looked over at Vanilla who gave me a smile before she walked over and put her forelegs around me gently. “And we’re happy to have her part of our family.”

I smiled a little and looked up at Vanilla and then back at Winter. “I, do sometimes wish I could’ve known my parents, but Vanilla is a great mom.”

Winter just smiled and looked surprised when I gave her a hug. She just smiled softly and hugged me back as she placed her hoof gently on my back. I hoped she was being genuine, I really did.

“Come on, let’s get this party started,” Vanilla said with a smile as we headed back to get some cake.

After awhile I headed back to where Scootaloo was eating a piece of cake in her wheelchair. I looked at her worriedly for a moment but she just gave me a smile. “Hey Serenity, don’t worry, I’m fine it’s just for another day or two.”

“I heard what happened, are you sure you’re going to be okay?” I asked and Scootaloo sighed a little and picked me up gently.

“Serenity, I’ll be just fine,” she said with a smile. “It’ll take more than hurting myself on some stray debris in an incomplete Stable to take me out.”

I smiled softly and hugged Scootaloo gently as she hugged me back. I closed my eyes and just enjoyed the moment of sitting with the older mare as she nuzzled me gently. It was a nice relaxing moment that gave me a chance to get away from all the trouble.

“Oh, I should give this back to you,” Scootaloo said and reached into her coat pocket and took out my necklace. “I haven’t really gotten to use it, but its rightfully yours.”

I looked at it for a moment and then back up at the orange Pegasus for a long moment. Then I shook my head a little and patted her hoof. “You can keep it a while longer. The war isn’t over yet, right? Maybe it’ll still come in handy. I can wait a little longer before I get to fly again.”

“Okay, if you’re sure,” Scootaloo said and looked down at the necklace for a long moment and shrugged.

“Why haven’t you tried to use it?” I asked curiously.

“I, don’t know, I guess it just hasn’t felt like the right time,” Scootaloo said with a shrug. “I’ve spent my whole life on the ground. But, maybe if the need arises I’ll use it, and I’ll be thinking of you the whole time.”

I giggled a little and nodded. I was a little surprised when she put it around my neck and the feeling of magic flowing through my body and wings came to me again. “I said you can keep it a while longer.”

“I know, but this is a special day for you,” she said and placed her hoof on my chest. “It’s the day you were adopted by a great mom. I think, you two should get to fly together as part of it. What do you think Vanilla?”

I looked up at Vanilla who had been standing there and gave me a smile as she offered me a hoof. “I’d love to fly with my daughter.”

I smiled a little and we walked out of the house with Scootaloo and Winter watching. I took a deep breath and looked up at the dome that covered Nomad City before I looked back at Vanilla and smiled a little as she finished attaching her mechanical wings.

“Ready?” She asked me and I nodded.

And with a flap of our wings we took off together. We flew together for awhile as we saw Nomad City from the air. It was like nothing I had ever experienced before, flying along with my mom was one of the best experiences I ever had.

I waved to Winter and Scootaloo as we flew back over the house and smiled. I loved the feeling of flying more than anything.

I wished it would never go away.

Quest Perk Received!
Name: Family Ties.
Details: You’ve come to terms with your family and have become closer to the ones around you. You gain an extra boost to agility and speech.

Author's Note

As always, the disclaimers from before apply. Also Seren Lulamoon was written by TheLittlestOfPips.

Chapter 35: Dream of the Sky

"I take to the skies,
With my only friend.
Every angel,
Begins at the end.
-Dream of the Sky by Miracle of Sound.

I’ve never had to bury a friend before.

I’ve lost a lot of friends and family sure, but I never was around to bury any of them. So, standing here for Dazzle’s funeral was not something that I had ever experienced before. Tornado had promised us she’d get a funeral with full military honors and the Enclave had come through on that promise.

I looked over to where Winter was standing with Spectra, Calypso, and Tornado. I was standing with Cherry and the others and gently put my hoof around the Earth Pony mare. She hadn’t known Dazzle, but we told her everything that had happened in Thunderhead.

Arc and Caramel were standing together off to the side. They weren’t sure if they deserved to be here but I had insisted that they come. They were friends with Dazzle too, even if it was only for a short time for Caramel, I wanted them to be here.

I just wished that I knew what I was going to say. Winter looked over at me and gave me a soft smile and a nod.

“You’ll do fine Scoots,” Cherry said and gave me a nod before I moved forward and took a deep breath.

“After I got back from Thunderhead, I got access to the files from the Stable-Tec headquarters in Fillydelphia on the files from Stable 1. She came from a noble family living in Canterlot, but she never liked the war. That’s something we had in common, but we went about dealing with it in different ways. She just wanted to live a normal life, but that was robbed from her on the Last Day. The Pink Cloud took so many lives that day, and my own mistakes didn’t help matters any. In the time that I knew Dazzle, she resented me for my mistakes but she gave me a chance to make up for them. We all deserve a second chance for our mistakes when we’re willing to atone for them. Dazzle… Dazzle gave her life so that Rockhoof’s Thunder was stopped once and for all. We’re all going to miss her, but she went to her death knowing that it was for a good cause. I’ll never forget her for what she did for Equestria, none of us will ever forget. She gets to see her family again, she gets to see everypony she knew that died in Canterlot and Stable 1. I, just wish that we didn’t have to lose a good pony in the process. I just hope that we can win this war before we lose any more good ponies.”

I moved back to my spot next to Cherry and she nuzzled me gently before she whispered to me. “You did fine.”

“Thanks,” I whispered back to her and wrapped my wing around her gently.

A few more ponies stepped forward and told stories about Dazzle. Some of them were other mercenaries that she had fought alongside over the years, there were even a few NCR soldiers that she had apparently known during the NCR-Imperial War.

I looked over at Arc and Riva, neither of them really were sure what to say but they gave me a nod for a moment. I was a bit surprised when Winter stepped forward, she looked behind her at her guards who moved into position to be safe before she started to speak.

“I didn’t know Dazzle for very long,” Winter said with a sigh as she looked at the gathered ponies. “The sad fact of war is that we have to make sacrifices if we want to win. Dazzle was a brave pony, braver than most of us. She knew that she was going to her death and faced it with honor and dignity. I wish I could’ve known her longer, but she’ll be remembered as one of the bravest ponies in this war. We’ve lost so many good ponies on both sides, it’s hard to believe that we’re all standing here united. We have to keep that unity, that alliance if we want to give Equestria a better future. We won’t forget you Dazzle, none of us will for as long as we live.”

She moved back next to her family. I looked around and spotted Silver, Crow, and some others who were there. We had gathered more than our fair share of allies from around Equestria. I was happy, but the loss was still felt among all of us.

As it came to a close and Dazzle’s body was lowered into the ground there was a 21 gun salute as the pony that was holding the Equestrian flag carried it over to me. “We weren’t sure who to give this to, but she was your friend so we decided you might be best.

“Thank you,” I said with a nod as I took it reverently as they finished burying Dazzle and sighed a little as the crowd started to disperse. I sighed and looked at the gravemarker for a long moment and closed my eyes. “I’m sorry Dazzle, I wish there was some way I could’ve saved you. I hope you find your way to the fields of Elysium.”

I sighed and walked off after Cherry who gave me a nod as we headed for the Vertibuck to take us back to Nomad City.

00000

“I’m sorry to ask this of you, but she’s been like this since this morning,” Vanilla said as I followed her into the house she shared with Serenity. “Now she won’t even talk to me for some reason, I’m worried about her.”

“What’s wrong?” I asked as I looked at the Cyberpony worriedly for a moment. “She seemed fine when we talked yesterday.”

“I think…” Vanilla said and trailed off for a moment. “Serenity went through a lot during the Changeling invasion. She doesn’t want to let it show to anypony, but there are times when it gets to her. With everything that’s going on, I think that it’s gotten to her again…”

I sighed a little and looked upstairs towards Serenity’s room. “Well, if you think it’ll help I’ll talk to her about it,” I said with a nod. “She’s a stronger filly than I would’ve been in this situation, I just hope that she’ll be willing to listen to me.”

I headed up the stairs and knocked on the door to her room. “Come in…” Serenity said from inside as I pushed the door open and looked inside to see Serenity laying on the bed and staring up at the ceiling.

“Hey Serenity, your mom asked me to come talk to you,” I said and sat down on the bed next to her. “She said you’ve been in here all day, do you want to talk about it?”

“I don’t know honestly,” Serenity said with a sigh as she rolled over onto her side to look away from me. “It’s just…”

She trailed off for a moment, I didn’t want to pry given that it might not help. I just wanted to give her a chance to talk about what was bothering her. I placed my hoof on her gently and she looked up at me sadly.

“Serenity, you know I’m here for you whenever you need me, right?”

“Yeah, I know,” Serenity said with a sigh as she closed her eyes. “It’s just, with everything that’s been going on… it feels like the Changeling invasion all over again. There are times I wish I could just be a normal foal, you know?”

I hated that she had been put through this, especially since it had been sort of because of me and my friends. She was just a foal and shouldn’t have been in the battlefield even in the Wasteland that was messed up.

None of us were really ready for war, but it was even worse for her at her age. I didn’t blame her for being damaged by it, and I wished that I could go talk with my counterpart from the Human World about exactly what had happened and why they had done it.

“Yeah, I know exactly how you feel,” I said with a sigh as I looked down at her. “Serenity, why did you decide to fight the Changelings?”

“Because it had to be done,” Serenity said and perked her head up a little. “They were threatening Crystal City, somepony had to stand up and do it.”

“Yeah, but why did you do it? Even if you don’t act like it, you are still just a filly,” I said with a sigh.

“The Crusaders were the first ponies that ever really treated me seriously, like I wasn’t just another foal,” Serenity said with a sigh. “I guess I wanted to grow up too fast and I got involved in something that was way over my head. And the Enclave war its not helping any, especially not with…”

She trailed off for a moment and I realized what she meant. She was talking about what had happened in Thunderhead with Celestia One. I wondered how many fillies and colts her age had been killed in that attack. The NCR and Enclave had done everything they could to identify those lost, but so many of them had just been disfigured or even vaporized.

The Battle of Thunderhead had cost us more than just lives, it had cost us our morality and our innocence. The Enclave was mad, and I didn’t blame them, maybe now this was the chance we needed to stop the use of Megaspells forever.

“Serenity, you’re a stronger pony than I am,” I said and gave her a smile as she looked at me confused. “I’ve been a wreck ever since I woke up from stasis. I’ve got a lot of ponies willing to help me out though, and they’ve gotten me through the hardest parts of it.”

“Really? But you seem so cool and collected,” Serenity said as she looked at me in surprise. “I mean, there was the whole thing with the nightmare…”

“Yeah, I’ve had those more than once,” I said with a sigh. “You have too haven’t you? You’re still plagued by the nightmares of what happened and what you had to do aren’t you?”

“Yeah… last night was the worst of them,” Serenity said with a sigh as she rolled back over and looked at me. “You were there, so was everypony else. Then, you turned into Changelings and started pressing in on me, saying things like “Why did you kill us?” “Why didn’t you just leave us alone?” And worse, it’s always like that, it’s always ponies I know and care about being replaced and coming after me like that. And then, I saw a burst of light hitting Crystal City and Nomad City and destroying them. It, just left me all alone in a scorched Wasteland.”

She hugged me tightly and cried into my chest. I looked down at the filly and sighed a little as I hugged back and wrapped my wings around her protectively. She was afraid of abandonment and war, not that I blamed her, even if she had tried her best to hide it, she was just as broken as the rest of us.

“Serenity, you don’t need to keep fighting,” I said softly as I looked down at her. “Not at your age, I know you just want to help but its not going to help you any if you keep fighting in wars.”

“But… isn’t it my duty?” Serenity asked as she looked back at her cutie mark. “I got my cutie mark when I was protecting my friends in battle.”

“Well, why don’t you tell me everything?” I asked as I looked at her. “Hey, my talent is in helping other ponies figure out their talents and cutie marks. Maybe I can help you.”

“Well, okay,” Serenity said with a nod as she took a deep breath and started to tell the story of how she got her cutie mark. “We were fighting the Changelings near Stable 81, or what was left of it you know. It was kind of an impromptu shelter while we hid from the patrols from the Changeling hive when we got ambushed. I, wasn’t much of a fighter in those days since I was still getting used to being in a war, you know? Anyway, one of the Changelings managed to come around and was about to attack the other Scootaloo. She didn’t see it, I was the only one who saw it. I, managed to shoot at it which caught Scootaloo’s attention even though I missed. The rest of the fight went okay I guess, but when it was over, I found this cutie mark on my flank. I guess we figured that it was for fighting, but, I honestly don’t know”

I thought about it for a long moment as I tried to figure out what it might mean. “What were you thinking when it happened?”
“Well, umm, she was like my sister so I was afraid of losing her,” Serenity said with a nod. “I wanted to save her, to protect her. I wanted to protect my friends and family from the Changelings, and I knew that it was up to me to do it.”

“Protector,” I said with a soft smile. “You’re not a warrior, you’re a protector. Your shield represents this, you want to keep your loved ones safe from danger. That’s what your cutie mark means. I know it’s kind of hard to understand, but it makes the most sense to me. Everything you’ve done was to try and protect others, right?”

“Right,” Serenity said with a nod and a sniff. “That’s all I ever wanted to do. I thought the best way to do it would be to fight. Do, you think I did the right thing?”

“Serenity, you did what you felt was right,” I said with a nod as I looked down at her. “You’re a good pony. You shouldn’t be fighting though, there are ways to protect those you love without going to war. You’ve got your whole life ahead of you and I just want you to live a long and happy life. The memories aren’t going to fade, but you don’t have to keep fighting. Please, promise me that you won’t at least until you’re older?”

Serenity paused for a long moment and then smiled a little. “I promise Scootaloo, will you always be there when I need you?”

“I will, I promise,” I said with a soft smile as Serenity hugged me tight.

I sighed and looked down at her for a moment. I was glad that we had never had to use foal soldiers during the war, even if Serenity hadn’t been forced into joining the war she had still done a lot that required too much of her.

We stayed like that for awhile, I wanted to learn more about her time with the Crusaders outside of battle and she was happy to tell me. I smiled a little as she talked about the good times they had together, it was understandable why she had become so close to those three ponies.

I wished that I could’ve known them, but for now I was here for the filly. That was all I really needed to do for now.

00000

“Scootaloo, are you okay?” Cherry asked as she nuzzled me gently. “You seem a little more distracted than usual.”

“How distracted am I usually?” I asked with a chuckle which just made Cherry shake her head and giggle a little. “But yeah, I’m fine, I’ve just been thinking about everything that’s been going on you know?”

“Yeah, Thunderhead sounded like it was crazy,” Cherry said with a nod as she rested her head on my chest and smiled up at me. “I’m just glad you made it out of there okay. I was scared that you had been in the path of that Megaspell.”

“Don’t worry, I was far away from it at the time it went off,” I said with a smile and hugged my fiance gently. “I missed you so much Cherry. I, just have a lot on my mind right now, especially with Serenity.”

"Yeah, I understand, she's been a bit restless lately ever since you left," Cherry said with a sigh as she looked up at me. "So, what now? Are you going to have to run off again and we're not going to see each other until after another battle?"

"Possibly," I said with a sigh. "The Enclave Hardliners left Thunderhead behind, and we've got all our eyes and ears open to see where they went. Winter thinks that maybe they're going to the capitol at Coltlumbia..."

"Didn't you used to live there?"

"Yeah, a long time ago," I said with a nod. "That was a long time ago though when I was with my family. I moved there not long after the cloud cover was formed, it was, nice enough I guess. I didn't think it would be the Enclave capital though, that surprised me."

"Yeah," Cherry said and paused for a moment. "What do you think of Winter? I'm, still kind of iffy about her even if she's been nice so far."

"Yeah, I know, but so far she's kept her word,” I said with a shrug. “She seems like a good pony though. I saw her in the bunker in Thunderhead, what happened really broke her. If she’s lying, it’s a very elaborate lie given everything that’s going on.”

“Yeah, I guess you’re right,” Cherry said with a sigh. “And she did make sure you were helped back in Tenpony Tower. I just hope that everything is going to be okay. The Hardliners under Cloud Chaser are the bigger threat now.”

I nodded and looked down at Cherry’s stomach. “How’s the little one doing?”

“She’s as healthy and active as ever,” Cherry said with a smile as she kissed me softly. “Just, if you have to go to war again, be careful alright? I want both her moms to be there when she’s born.”

I looked at her and smiled a little. After Cloudy, me and Sky had considered having another foal but it had never really gone anywhere before I got exiled. I hadn’t even thought about having another filly or colt until I met Cherry.

“So, what are we going to name her?” I asked with a smile as I stroked her mane gently. “I’m guessing we’re not going to name her something related to cherries.”

Cherry just chuckled a little and shook her head. “Maybe, but honestly I don’t know. There’s not much naming conventions where I come from, though a lot of breeders have plant related names.”

“That, probably would not be a good idea,” I said with a chuckle. “I remember having this conversation with Sky Walker. Maybe we should see if we can find a book of baby names.”

“Yeah, maybe,” Cherry said with a shrug and yawned a little and closed her eyes. “Good night Scootaloo.”

“Good night Cherry,” I said and gave her a kiss before she drifted off to sleep. I smiled a little and closed my eyes and drifted off to sleep not long after.

It felt like I had only slept for a few minutes but it was actually early the next morning when I was woken up by the sound of somepony knocking on the door. I got up and headed to the door and was surprised to find an NCR Ranger and a Pegasus in Enclave Armor there.

“General Dash, the war council has called for you,” the Enclave soldier said. “There’s been a development on what’s going on with the Hardliners.”

“I’ll be right there,” I said and went to get dressed and wake the others up.

00000

“One of our agents managed to get word to us before they were killed,” Winter said as she looked around at all of us. “It’s just as we feared, Cloud Chaser and his forces have entrenched themselves in the capital city at Coltlumbia. The General has basically declared martial law in Coltlumbia and what few places are still loyal to him.”

“Coltlumbia was constructed during the years leading up to the war with the Zebras at some of the tensest moments in the cold war,” I said with a nod as we laid out a map of the city. “It was constructed to be a virtual fortress in the sky to protect against any aerial assaults from the Zebra Lands. We are dealing with a city that is built to withstand a siege and open warfare, and I don’t even know what kind of defenses the Enclave has built since then.”

“So, then how are we supposed to get in there?” Midnight asked as she looked between me and Winter. “It sounds to me like it’s not going to be easy.”

“It’s not,” Tornado said and looked at me and Winter for a moment. “One possibility is we could teleport into the city, but we’d need more than one Alicorn to get enough of a force into the city. The other option is we take advantage of the lower points in the city.”

“That would be Shantytown under Flankton,” Winter said as she tapped the spot on the map. “There’s an old series of tunnels built through the area by the rebels around the time of the Coltlumbia Uprising. Most of them were sealed up, but there’s one still intact leading out of the city along Mount Perseus.”

“How do we know that it's not being monitored by the Hardliners?” Midnight pointed out.

“For one thing it's hidden in the bar in Shantytown, the Enclave barely ever visits there,” Tornado said. “Secondly it’s a Presidential Escape tunnel, only select members of the Secret Service are even aware of its existence. It may be our only option to make it into the city.”

“It ends near Stable 46,” I commented as I looked over the map to where the tunnel had been marked. “What’s the current status on it?”

“Its been sealed up for years ever since the Enclave found it and removed the inhabitants,” Winter said. “What are you thinking?”

“I’m thinking that we could use it as a launching point for the ground attack,” I said with a nod as I looked it over. “It’s a good defensive position and it could give us an edge in the fight at least.”

“Right, that could work,” Winter said with a nod. “Flankton itself is a manufacturing plant for weapons and whatever other equipment we need. It’s been under military control since Cold Water died during the Uprising. It’ll be our first stop in the city though this route. We’ll have to either convince Colonel Fulbright to join us, or kill him.”

“Though, we need to attack on multiple fronts,” Tornado pointed out before she looked over at Gambit. “We could use the Quetzal and Alicorn teleportation to attack several points around the city. Gambit, you know the other Alicorns best, would they be willing to do this?”

“Well, a majority of the ones I know will be willing to help.” Gambit said with a sigh. “Though there is a splinter group that follows me, I just don’t really know if I can trust them - by their way of handling things I think they are still mentally connected to each other.”

Tornado paused a moment at that before she looked at Gambit again. “I see, that is unusual, there haven’t been any reports of that since the Goddess died. There could be some use of that in a combat situation, but it would be hard to coordinate it.”

“I’m up for suggestions,” Winter said. “If the Alicorns can help us, good. We’ll have to figure out a way to coordinate with them, but we don’t have a lot of time.”

“Well, we could always put an Alicorn of our own in there,” Nova suggested. “One that can coordinate with our forces and pass the messages on through the mental link.”

“That could work, but do you really want to risk a Alicorn losing themselves in a Unity connection, if that’s what they have” Gambit said with a sigh and shake of her head. “No, I think that’s too risky.”

“Yes, I have to agree,” Winter said with a sigh. “We just don’t have enough time to explore all the possibilities of it. We’ll have to rely on encrypted radio communication to coordinate or something similar unless a better option is presented.”

I had to admit I didn’t like the idea either. We didn’t know anything about this mental connection and we couldn’t risk an Alicorn like Tornado or Gambit losing themselves in it. Now it was just a matter of figuring out what was going to happen next.

“Alright, if there’s nothing else, lets get everything together and be ready, we leave for Coltlumbia as soon as possible,” Midnight said and we got up to get everything ready as Winter and Tornado came over to us with her guards.

“General Dash, will you and your friends come with us?” Winter asked.

I groaned a little at the use of that, but I had taken the job and if I was in the Enclave Chain of Command I didn’t have much choice here.

“What’s going on?” Riva asked as we looked at Winter curiously.

“It’s time the General met her troops,” Winter said and turned to head out of the base with us close behind.

00000

As we made our way through Junction Town we saw more ponies dressed in Enclave Power Armor than before. A few ponies looked at Winter nervously as we went past, but none of them gave us any trouble.

As we reached the edge of town I saw Calamity talking with another pony and facehooved. With everything that had been going on I had forgotten that I still had to get the Element of Loyalty back to him.

“Give me a minute, I need to do something,” I said and headed over to Calamity as he finished his conversation. “Hey Calamity.”

“Howdy Ms. Scootaloo,” Calamity said with a smile and a tilt of his hat. “It’s been awhile since Ah saw yah, how’s it goin’?”

“About as its been going for awhile,” I said with a shrug and reached into my bags to take out the Element of Loyalty. “Listen, I found this while I was in Thunderhead in the possession of the Enclave. I don’t know the whole story, but its rightfully yours.”

“Well thank yah kindly, Ah wasn’t sure how Ah was gonna explain this one ta Velvet,” he said and took the object. It glowed and then turned into the same golden PipBuck from before that wrapped around his foreleg. “Thanks fer all your help Scootaloo, Ah hope it helped ya’ll out somehow.”

“Well, it kind of saved my life in Stable 102 along with, I think Rainbow Dash’s spirit,” I said with a nod. “It was strange, but its something at least. It's yours though, sorry it gotten stolen from you.”

“Don’t worry about it, yah didn’t steal it,” Calamity said and looked behind me to see Winter standing there with the guards. “How’s she doin’?”

“She’s, okay I guess,” I said with a sigh as I adjusted my hat a little. “It’s not been easy given everything that happened, especially with Calypso. But she’s getting settled in as best she can and wants to help now.”

“Alright, well that’s good enough fer me,” Calamity said with a smile as he waved at Winter and we walked over towards the group. “Howdy Winter… Ah, wanted ta talk ta yah about somethin’.”

“Hello Calamity, it’s good to see you again,” Winter said with a smile as she gave him a nod. “Before you say anything, I want to apologize for not telling you the whole truth before. I wanted a fresh start and to put my life in the Enclave behind me as best I could. I didn’t think it would come back to bite me like it did.”

“It’s alright Winter, we understand why yah did,” Calamity said with a smile. “Look, Ah know this is kind of unexpected. But after what happened in Thunderhead, we’ve been talkin’, and, well… we want ta see if tha Element of Generosity will work fer yah. After we lost tha previous bearer we’ve been lookin’ fer one… if yah want at least, we’d be happy ta have yah.”

Winter looked at him surprised and then at me. I honestly had no idea what she should say, this was quite the honor that was being offered to her. Still, she actually seemed reluctant to agree, I wasn’t sure what I’d do in this situation either. Sure I had held the Element of Loyalty, but it wasn’t rightfully mine.

Could Winter be an element bearer? She certainly was Generosity, but it was more a question as to whether or not she deserved to be an Element Bearer given everything that had happened. It was all up to her now.

“Calamity, thank you for the offer,” Winter said with a soft smile before she shook her head. “I’ve done a lot of things since we first met, my hooves are too stained with blood, I don’t deserve it. Thank you for the offer Calamity, but I’m going to have to say no.”

Calamity looked at her and then at me for a moment before he nodded. “Well, thank yah fer at least considerin’ it. Fer what it’s worth, Ah think that proves yah are worthy of it.”

“Thank you Calamity,” Winter said with a smile. “I’ve missed all of you, maybe when the war is over we can get together again. How are things going with Velvet?”

“Well, uh…” Calamity said and blushed a little. “We’re, tryin’ ta have a foal these days. But with everythin’ that’s goin’ on, it hasn’t been easy.”

“Well, tell her I said hello, and good luck to you both,” Winter said with a smile.

Calamity left with a tip of his hat and Winter looked at me with a nod. I smiled a little and we started off out of town once more.

00000

The Enclave camp was on the outskirts of Junction Town was made up mostly out of tents and some repurposed buildings. Though what immediately drew your attention was the large cloudcl ship that was looming over it.

“That’s the Nightingale,” Winter said as I looked up at the Thunderhead curiously. “We were constructing it in Thunderhead’s shipyards to replace the old Thunderhead class ships. Thankfully she was pretty much done, we’ve had to check her over to make sure Cloud Chaser didn’t sabotage her.”

“Well, hopefully she’ll come in handy,” Arc said as she looked up at the Nightingale.

“Listen, Arc… I wanted to say I’m sorry,” Winter said and Arc looked at her. “I took advantage of your situation with the ponies from Stable 66 to get you to betray your friends. It was wrong of me to lie to you like that. I never would’ve let anything happen to the ponies from Stable 66.”

Arc looked at Winter and then at me before she sighed a little. I put my hoof on her shoulder and gave her a nod. “Arc, I can’t tell you whether or not to forgive her. It’s up to you what you want to do.”

“Winter, I’m going to have a hard time trusting you I’ll admit,” Arc finally said with a sigh as she looked back at me, Cherry, and Riva. “But I’ve talked with Caramel and the others, they said you never threatened or mistreated them. I’m willing to give you the benefit of a doubt, for now.”

“That’s all I ask of you,” Winter said with a sigh. “I did a lot that I regret, I also did everything I could to help Equestria. But still, I did things I’m not proud of and I’m going to spend the rest of my life making up for them if I have to.”

“Forgiveness doesn’t come easily, but it beats the alternative,” I said with a sigh as we entered the Enclave camp. “Winter, I’ll do what I can to help you.”

“Thank you Scootaloo,” Winter said with a smile as she looked at me. “There’s somepony here you should meet now that you’re well enough.”

“Oh, who’s…” I started to say before I looked up to see something I hadn’t expected. A robotic pony was standing there with a metal lower body, her head though looked like Sweetie Belle’s with a long purple and pink mane and mismatched green eyes. “You brought her with you?”

“Scootaloo?” Sweetie Bot said as she looked up at me with a spark in her eyes that looked almost like surprise. “Winter told me you were alive, I did not think I would ever see you again.”

I smiled a little and looked her over. She looked in good shape, though it looked like a lot of the parts had been replaced over the years. It was still her though, still the same voice, still the same smile.

Though that didn’t make seeing her again any less painful. She still looked so much like Sweetie Belle and was a reminder of my own actions.

“It’s good to see you too Sweetie Bot, you’re looking good,” I said with a smile. “Winter told me about everything that you’ve been doing. I’m, sorry I left you behind like I did, but I want to thank you for everything you’ve done for my family.”

“When you left, I could not abandon my duties to you,” Sweetie Bot said. “You created me and treated me like part of your family. I wanted to make sure that your legacy was passed down, to give your descendants a chance at being more than just what the Enclave is.”

“And it worked,” I said with a smile as I looked back at Winter. “You and my journals changed everything. Equestria and the Enclave have changed and are better places thanks to your influence on Winter. You’ve done everything I made you do do and more, so thank you.”

“All I did was tell her the truth, as I saw it at least,” Sweetie Bot said and gave me a smirk. “You did more than just create me, you made me who I am. You are the closest thing I have to a mother.”

I smiled softly and hugged the robot tightly. There was the shifting of servos for a moment before her metal legs wrapped around me and she hugged me back. “I, created you as a way to remember the mare I loved. Even when I started a new family, I couldn’t abandon you so I left you behind with them. I never thought I’d see you again.”

“I never thought I would see you again either,” Sweetie Bot said, I swear I heard emotion in her voice. Was it possible that she felt some form of emotion? That was strange for a robot, and it wasn’t in her programming. “I just wish that I could have done more.”

“You did enough,” I said with a smile as I looked back at Winter and then at Cherry and the others. “I can’t imagine what this world could’ve been like if you weren’t there. There’s still a lot I have to understand about the world around us. But you and Winter pulled off what seemed impossible.”

“But we couldn’t have done it without you Scootaloo,” Winter said as she moved next to us. “You set the stage for everything I did 200 years ago.”

“So then, are you ready to build a brighter future?” I asked and offered Winter a hoof.

“Of course,” Winter said and shook it before I looked back at Sweetie Bot. “Sweetie, would you like to join us?”

The robot nodded and we continued walking through the camp once more.

00000

“General Dash, this is Colonel Starling, she’s been in charge of Thunderbolt Squadron, they took over the Enclave special ops after the reorganization of the military,” Winter said as she introduced me to a light blue Pegasus mare with a short white mane with a shock of yellow. “Colonel, you along with the 3rd, 7th, and 9th will be answering to her, understood.”

“When yah said a new General would be takin’ over from Aries, yah didn’t mention that she was a Dashite,” Starling said as she looked at me with a frown. “Ah don’t like it, a lot of tha ponies ain’t gonna want ta follow her.”

I flinched a little, I didn’t blame them honestly. The Enclave had every reason to hate me given my reputation. Even with Winter in charge and having been branded, they likely wouldn’t trust many Dashites outside of her.

“Colonel, I know this is going to be hard to accept, but we needed somepony for the chain of command,” Winter said with a sigh. “I’ve tried to talk with Aries, while she’s not interested in joining the Hardliners, she’s not ready to come back yet. Do you respect me?”

“Yeah, Ah wouldn’t have stuck with yah if Ah didn’t,” Starling said and looked at me. “What about her, what does she have ta say about this?”

“Well, uh…” I said and froze a moment when I realized that both sets of eyes were on me. “I’m… I have to go.”

I turned and headed out of the tent and took a deep breath. What was I supposed to tell them? I wasn’t a soldier, I wasn’t much of a fighter. Sure I had survived this long but it had been because of the help of my friends. Why did they expect me to be able to do anything with the military.

“Scootaloo, are you okay?” Winter said as she came out of the tent behind me. “You left rather suddenly back there.”

“Winter… I honestly don’t know if I’m cut out for this job,” I said with a sigh as I turned and looked back at her. “She’s right, I’ve been so vilified by the Enclave that I don’t think most of them are going to listen to me. Why did you pick me for this job? There are ponies who are way more qualified than I am.”

“Because I trust you, I trust you more than anypony else I could give the job,” Winter said with a smile. “You and the others that I asked. I’ve talked with Reticle and she’s willing to help too as best she can.”

“Well, that’s good,” I said with a sigh. “What about the Colonel in there, what does she think about this?”

“She’s ultimately loyal to the ideals we stand for, she’ll be willing to listen if given the chance,” Winter said with a sigh. “She’s got the respect of the Thunderbolts and most of the other ponies under your command, so if you can convince her the others might fall into line much easier.”

“So I just have to figure out how to convince her,” I said with a sigh. “You know her better than I do, what do you think I should do?”

“Talk to her, don’t act like you’re going to change how things are going to be run with the Thunderbolts,” Winter suggested. “We have a battle coming up and they need to respect the chain of command.”

“Alright, I’ll, figure something out I guess,” I said with a sigh and looked towards my friends. “Excuse me a moment.”

I headed over to where my friends were waiting for me. Cherry was seated in a chair and looked up at me with a smile as I walked up to them. “Hey Scootaloo, how’d it go?”

“Well, I’m still figuring this whole thing out to be honest,” I said with a sigh. “I have to somehow convince them that they should follow me, not an easy task.”

“Scootaloo, I know that’s not going to be easy, but you’ll figure it out,” Riva said with a nod. “Do you think you’ll be able to lead these ponies?”

I sighed a little and looked around for a moment. There were a lot of ponies around and more than a few of them were looking at me. I had no idea how many of them served under me or what they thought of me. A few of them certainly didn’t look like they trusted me, others looked like they were still trying to figure things out.

I sighed and looked at Cherry who gave me a nod. I smiled a little and leaned in and gave the pink mare a kiss on the cheek before I turned and looked back at the others.

“I don’t know how I’ll do as a General,” I said with a sigh. “I’ve done everything I could to help us get through this war. I’m not a soldier, I’m just a pony who wants to try and help Equestria. We’ve been through a lot since the war started, and we’ve got a lot of work to do before everything is over. Whether or not I’ll be able to lead them is something I don’t know the answer to, but I do know that I’m going to do everything I can to lead them to the best of my ability. I’m just a pony who’s stuck in a situation that’s way over her head. I hope that I’ll be able to do this, and that they’d be willing to at least try and listen to me.”

“Do yah really think that way?” A familiar accented voice said from behind me and I turned to look at Starling and Winter. “Listen, Ah don’t entirely trust yah either, but we need ta trust one another if we’re gonna work together. Ah don’t like tha Hardliners either, and if Winter trusts yah and yer really interested in helpin’ Equestria, Ah’ll listen ta yah.”

I smiled a little and offered her a hoof. “Well that’s good Colonel. You know these ponies better than I do though, I’m going to trust your judgment in most matters. I want you to be my second in command and liaison with the other unit commanders and soldiers.”

“Alright, if yah say so,” Starling said with a nod and gave me a salute. “So, what’s yer first order, General?”

I took a deep breath and looked around. It took me a moment to realize that all eyes were on me, not just my friends, but the other ponies around. “We don’t have a lot of time before the battle with the Hardliners in Coltlumbia. Get ready for the battle, your assignments will be passed out once everything is finalized. I, wish I could say something inspiring here, but all I can say is stay true to your ideals and we’ll make it through this. The future of Equestria is in all of our hooves, and it’s up to us to make sure that we have that future.”

I sighed a little and went back to where Cherry was sitting and nuzzled her gently as everypony returned to what they were doing. “How’d I do?”

“You did fine Scootaloo,” Cherry said and nuzzled back.

Winter was about to say something when three more ponies entered the camp. They were dressed in the same Enclave Power Armor but it was more beaten up as if it hadn’t seen much maintenance lately.

“President Winter,” the leader said in a voice that sounded familiar for some reason. “We’re here to provide whatever assistance we can with the war with Cloud Chaser.”

“I see,” Winter said and looked at the lead soldier curiously for a moment. “You were sent by… her weren’t you?”

The soldier nodded and removed her helmet to reveal a familiar golden colored Pegasus mare who looked at me and gave me a nod. “Hello Wanderer, or should I call you Scootaloo?”

“Shimmering Skies,” I said with a chuckle. “It’s been awhile since I saw you in Lakeside. I’m guessing you’re not ready to tell me whatever you’re keeping secret yet?”

Shimmering just chuckled and shook her head before she looked at Winter. “Madam President, I would like the chance to speak with you if possible.”

“Of course,” Winter said with a nod and headed off with Shimmering and Tornado towards her command tent.

00000

“General Dash?” A voice said and I turned to see a Pegasus standing there and looking at me a little nervously.

“Yes?”

“The President wants to speak to you, come with me,” he said and turned a moment. I looked back at my friends before following him to the command tent.

“Thank you lieutenant,” Winter said and looked up at me with a smile. “We’ve managed to make some progress on the…”

Before she could finish the sentence a Pegasus in a lab coat came in carrying a clipboard. “Madam President we’ve… oh, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt.”

“No, no, it’s okay, I’ve been waiting for this report,” Winter said and looked at me. “Sorry Scootaloo, we’ve been working on something up on the Nightingale.”

“Its okay,” I said and looked at the scientist curiously.

“If you are going to address the President, do not waste her time by losing your nerve.” Another scientist said as she stepped forward. “Madam President, I would like a moment of your time - We’ve made an important breakthrough that needs your immediate attention.”

“Of course,” Winter said. “Let’s go then, sorry Scootaloo, this is important so we’ll have to discuss that later.”

“Excuse me, Madam President? But you cannot be serious about letting this filthy commoner come into our most secret of labs.” The second scientist said, using her magic to adjust her glasses. “This would be a breach of many different protocol.”

That made me mad, I wasn’t some filthy commoner and I was about to tell this mare off when Winter spoke up. “Scootaloo is a Wonderbolt General, which gives her the second highest security clearance in the Enclave behind the President and the Inner Circle. She is to be treated with the same respect you would give anypony in her position, do I make myself clear, Starlet?”

“You have got to be kidding… Fine, fine - My apologies Madam President.” Starlet said with a roll of her eyes.

“Thank you, now, let’s get up to the Nightingale,” Winter said and shot Starlet a look. “Unless there is another problem.”

“Just keep your jarhead under control, I can’t have slobber on my sensitive equipment.” Starlet said before she turned to lead the way.

“Why do you let her work for you?” I whispered to Winter as we headed out of the Command tent. “I’ve met pre-war nobles who are more likeable than she is.”

“She worked for the Ministry of Arcane Science during the war,” Winter whispered back. “She’s got an education that even the Enclave can’t match these days. Her knowledge and credentials are, sadly irreplaceable as insufferable as she is.”

“Great, just what I needed, a female Blueblood…” I said with a groan. “So, what’s this project we’re looking at?”

“You’ll see,” Winter said as we got aboard a Vertibuck that took off towards the large ship floating over the camp.

00000

The Nightingale was about what I had expected, it was more utilitarian than anything I had ever seen before. The ship looked like it was still under construction in the interior as there were ponies working on attaching bulkheads and other equipment to the ship.

“The Nightingale was being built to be a counterpart to the Nimbus,” Winter explained. “While we don’t have a lot of the schematics on the Nimbus since Cloud Chaser claims they were “lost” in the Enclave Civil War, we were able to build the ship fairly close to the Nimbus class.”

“Well, it’s quite the ship still,” I said and looked around curiously.

“Try not to drool too much, some of the paint in this section is still wet.” Starlet said with a snicker. “I know, hard for you jarheads to understand these amazing pieces of technology”

“Okay, I’ve had enough,” I said and turned to look at Starlet. “I am not some sort of dumb jarhead. I helped design the Stables, I created intricate security systems that the smartest ponies in Equestria couldn’t break through. I’m…”

“A fraud.” Starlet said as she stopped. “The real Scootaloo did all those things, The adopted daughter of the great Rainbow Dash, Vice President of Stable-Tec - None of which you are. If you were the real Scootaloo, you would be over 200 years old, which may I remind you, would mean you would of been dead and turned to dust ages ago, yet here you stand, you look like her, even sound like her - but there is no way you are her.”

“Says the mare who claims to have worked for the Ministry of Arcane Science,” I said with a roll of my eyes. “I spent 202 years in a S.A.D. pod, what’s your excuse? You don’t look like a Ghoul to me.”

“Time travel, there were ponies with an invested interest in the end of the war, we were given a project to make safe time travel to allow ponies to see the end of the war so they could prepare for what was to come.” Starlet said with a sigh. “Unfortunately, some things don’t work out exactly as planned, and you end up trapped hundreds of years in the future because every time you tried to warn somepony, you ended up back here.”

I sighed a little and shook my head a little. “I’m sorry, I can’t imagine going through that. But it is me, Rainbow Dash found me and put me in a pod. I woke up over a year ago now and, well, here I am. I don’t really care if you believe me or not, but it’s the truth.”

“Well, if you’re telling the truth, you’re welcome.” Starlet said, laughing a little “If not for my work integrating the Stasis field with the auto-doc, you wouldn’t be standing here.”

I had no idea what to say to that. Great, I partially owed my life to this mare, I didn’t want to think about that, I really didn’t want to think about that.

“If I may Starlet, my agents talked with the Scavengers that found the pod in question and investigated it themselves,” Winter said as she shot a look at the scientist. “That and checking her DNA against records from during the early days of the Enclave, I can confirm that it is indeed Scootaloo. Albeit, with some genetic enhancements and biomechanical organs, but it is her.”

“Speaking of those pods, this breakthrough is regarding one of my latest experiments regarding the regeneration of ghoul DNA and replication of their original body for neural transplant” Starlet said, beaming with pride. “While I can say the DNA we had wasn’t very good, Canterlot ghouls aren’t the best of donors - We were able to partially reconstruct her DNA, and through some research into the Ministry of Morale Database, I found she had a few love interests pre-war. With some work I found a compatible donor in the database, It’s not perfect but its a step in the right direction.”

“Wait… what Canterlot Ghoul are you talking about?” I asked and looked between Winter and Starlet strangely. “Winter, what’s this about?”

“Oh, right, we will need to call her back in for a better sample, with enough I can rebuild her entire genome.” Starlet added before looking at me. “Does it matter? A ghoul is a ghoul - She just happened to be one willing to let us take a few skin samples.”

“She’s not going to be donating any more samples…” Winter said softly and looked over at me. “Scootaloo, you have to understand, we didn’t know this was going to happen when she volunteered her samples. It was before…”

“Wait, are you talking about Dazzle?” I said and looked between the two in shock. “You, did something with Dazzle’s genetics using the pods?”

“Yes, and why is she not going to be donating more samples, do you have any idea how hard it has been to get a willing ghoul to contribute? I refuse to keep testing with Ferals, and if you insist you can be the one to collect the samples and get bitten.” Starlet said with a huff.

“Because she died in the Battle of Thunderhead, she sacrificed herself to put Rockhoof’s Thunder permanently out of commission,” I said softly.

“What is the condition of the corpse? I’m assuming she was just shot in a way that she couldn’t regenerate from, Perhaps if there is enough left I can still finish the research.” Starlet said, sighing. “And, I’m sorry if that seems insensitive, but this research could prove to be a saving factor for many ghouls all over equestria.”

“She was buried yesterday,” Winter said with a scowl. “I’m not going to authorize her body to be exhumed given the situation. I’m afraid you’re going to have to find another test subject.”

“Madam President, with all due respect - You have no clue how important this research is.” Starlet said “You are willing to sacrifice potentially tens of thousands of ghouls across equestria, for the corpse of a dead friend. That is not a move I have come to expect from you.”

“It is a matter of respect, she sacrificed herself to save Equestria,” Winter said with a growl. “I understand the stakes in this, I wouldn’t have approved of the project if I didn’t.”

“Then you understand that the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few, or the feelings of one.” Starlet said, sighing and shaking her head. “I am sorry, but I need her body exhumed and brought to my lab immediately, this research is far too important to just let it fall back months of progress because the primary donor died.”

“Look, I’m no geneticist, but Dazzle’s body was saturated with so much radiation that not even a Canterlot Ghoul could survive it,” I said with a sigh. “I don’t think any samples would be of much use to you anyway, I’m sorry.”

“You just don’t get it! I have to see her, No one told me - I wasn’t even invited to her funeral” Starlet said, starting to shake. “It’s not fair, Why does every pony that understands me end up dead…”

“Starlet, I’m sorry,” Winter said and sighed a little. “I didn’t know you two were close, if I had I would have invited you. I’m sorry that you weren’t there, if you want I can take you to the grave once we’re done here.”

“You just..” Starlet said before she took a deep breath, using her magic to straighten out her lab coat and mane before she stood up straight. “Very well, Back to the news.” She motioned to a nearby closed door, signalling the small group to head inside.

We headed into the lab inside. It seemed rather sparse with equipment, however on the far side of the room, a row of 3 familiar pods against the back wall, the steady hum of magical energy filling the air.

“So, exactly what did you do with her DNA?” I asked as I looked at Starlet. “Did you create a new body or pony or something? I didn’t know S.A.D pods could do that.”

“Not the standard ones, before the war - after the pods got functioning more or less correctly - the MAS wanted to integrate a way to synthesize and administer IMP in a safe and controlled manner. With those modifications in place, you can create entirely new bodies from just a base genetic code… with some limitations, mind you.” Starlet said with a smile. “Some of my finest work.”

“Interesting, I never really thought about it until I found the lab in Manehattan,” I said and then looked at her and sighed a little. “Starlet, thank you. You and the team that developed these are why I’m still here along with Rainbow Dash. I, just wanted to say thanks.”

“Don’t mention it, my only wish was that they got out sooner, maybe more ponies could of been saved the fates they were given if these were more readily available.” Starlet said with a shake of her head.

“Yeah, it’s a shame, but at least it did some good,” I said with a sigh and looked around. “So, can we see what you have managed to do? I admit I’m a bit curious now.”

“Certainly.” Starlet said before she motioned to another pony in a lab coat, whispering something into their ear before they’d give each other a nod. “You see, I have done multiple experiments regarding the restoration of body parts, or the replication of an entirely new body - But, none of those experiments required me to restructure the genetic code - a ghoul, with their mutations, it makes it nearly impossible to get a perfect replication, however - with the help of our late friend Dazzle, and the Ministry of Morale Database these pods have been networked with, I was able to find that she had a few love interests before the war, of which one was investigated by the ministry and thus their mental profile and genetic sequence was stored in this database, allowing me to mix Dazzle’s and this previous love interest’s genetic samples, and was able to accurately create what would equate out to if Dazzle and this stallion had a foal.”

“And it worked?” Winter asked curiously.

Starlet nodded, and lifted a hoof to point to the middle pod. “We are about to begin the replication process, you will be the first in a very, very long time, to see one of these pods materialize a new form, from nothing.”

“Alright, begin whenever you’re ready,” Winter said with a nod.

I admit I wasn’t sure what to make of this. They were creating a new life using Dazzle’s DNA and that of some pre-war stallion. It wasn’t the same as having Dazzle back, but what was going to happen to the pony once it was formed? Once you create a new life through science, what are you going to do with it?

I sighed and shook my head, this wasn’t the same as the clones back in Whitehome. I looked at Winter and then back at the pod, wondering what I was about to see.

“I’ll try and give you a play by play, to help you better understand. The entire process takes just short of 5 minutes. It’s very rapid, as the pods were designed to heal terminal trauma as quickly as possible to improve chances of survival.” Starlet said, the lights in the lab dimming as the pod’s lighting came on, highlighting its interior. “Now, I am sure you may be thinking, Once you’ve created new life, what do you do with it.”

“Well, yeah,” I said with a nod. “It’s a living pony no matter how it’s created, so you have to figure out how you’re going to treat it.”

“Well, the answer is as simple as the question, You educate them and teach them how to live and be their own pony.” Starlet said with a smile. “They are a living pony with all the rights and privileges that come with that, to treat them as anything less would be deplorable.”

“I wish the ponies in Stable 122 had thought like that…” I muttered and shook my head. “Well that’s good.”

“Now, given there is an advantage to the ability to produce ponies on demand, given the right neural imprinting, you could make entirely combat ready soldiers, skilled medics, pretty much everything you could need, one of these pods can meet the demand.” Starlet said, as she motioned for us to look as the pod started to construct the skeleton.

Me and Winter moved forward to look at what was happening. A lot of thoughts were going through my mind, especially the question as to what the pony was going to look like. Were they going to be a foal or fully grown? Who was the other, well, donor I guess? We watched quietly to see the forming pony.

“This next process is the most time consuming, the pod is - as we speak, manufacturing the organs that this pony will be living with for the rest of their lives.” Starlet said with a chuckle “Naturally, if you wished we could apply biomechanical upgrades or augments to the organs, you know, in case you wanted a super soldier or something.” She said, standing beside us as the organs started to fill out the skeleton.

A few moments later, the muscle and tendons started to form over the skeleton, as time passed more and more did that form look like a pony. Skin forming over that and then the coat and mane sprouting from the skin.

“I never get tired of this, next - we will plug in our basic neural storage device, it contains the basics, like eating, breathing, walking, talking - the kinds of things any adult pony would need to be able to learn and grow.” Starlet said, motioning to a nearby table that had a scientist plugging in a large brick looking device. “First experiments resulted in a one hundred percent mortality rate, until I realized that you had to provide the basic impulses, the stuff that your and my body doesn't automatically come pre-programmed on one of these.”

“Interesting,” Winter commented as she watched the forming pony. “What kind of mental state will it have? You said you could convert neural patterns of a pony, but unless you have a copy of Dazzle’s on hoof…”

“Well, to be frank - This one will have just the basics, the stuff it’ll need to learn and grow, but other then that? It’s a blank slate, a foal in a adult’s body.” Starlet said with a sigh. “Dazzle wouldn’t let us map her neural patterns, not until we had concrete evidence that this would work.”

“I see,” Winter said with a nod before she looked back at the pod.

I had to admit I was amazed by this. I hadn’t realized just how much potential the S.A.D. pods had. While they had saved both my and Gambit’s lives, making an entirely new body? This was a bit too much to take in.

“I’d be willing to help with them as best I can,” I offered.

“Help will definitely be appreciated, as you can tell - my interpersonal relationship skills need some work, and I don’t think I could stand another me walking around.” Starlet said with a chuckle.

Winter muttered something that sounded like “I think they need more than some work.” I chuckled a little and nodded. “Dazzle was my friend, despite the fact that she shot at me when we first met… I’d be honored to help whenever I can, though the current situation will make things difficult.”

“I have arranged for a foster family to take it and look after it until this whole thing blows over.” Starlet said with a sigh, “Though, knowing that Dazzle has passed, I think I may want to take more of a hooves on approach to this one”

“Yeah…” I said softly and looked down at the pod again for a moment. “I’m really sorry about Dazzle. She was a good pony and I wish you could’ve been there at the funeral too, I…”

I paused a moment and reached into my bags and took out a holotape and offered it to her. “I know it’s not the same, but I’ve been recording a lot of things to keep them fresh in my mind for my journals. This is the one of the funeral, you can have it if you want.”

Starlet stopped, and took another deep breath before she shook her head. “No use crying over spilled milk.” She said, a painful smile on her face - clearly just trying to dodge the offer.

Before anything more could be said, the pod let out a rather humorous egg timer style ‘ding’ before Starlet flipped a switch, letting the Stasis field switch off and the retaining door swing open to reveal the fully formed pony within.

The pony inside was a Unicorn mare with a silver coat and a yellowish-gold mane. She looked a lot like Dazzle, though her colors were reversed. I just stood there in silence for a moment, I honestly wasn’t sure what to say or do right now.

“Well, congratulations are in order, it’s a mare,” Winter said with a light chuckle.

“Don’t break out the cigars and champagne yet.” A voice from behind said, which caused Starlet to turn around. “What, you thought I would miss this?”

“Melody, that isn’t fair - you shouldn’t even be aboard this ship, let alone in this lab.” Starlet said with a sigh “And yes, while you are the ‘original’ - you have to understand that she is the next step, she is a future for ghouls.”

“Oh yes, I do understand that, nor am I jealous” Melody said, chuckling to herself some, she had been sitting in a corner on a counter in a very unponylike way. “The first step is the biggest, but it’s far from the last, you know that.”

“Should we leave you two alone?” I asked with a chuckle.

“No no darling, that would not be at all necessary.” Melody said slipping off the counter and coming over to where we stood. “I’m just a coworker, and the first pony she ever made with a pod that didn’t die.”

“You’re also the last one for nearly 10 years, it’s not like there is a slew of dead bodies laying somewhere” Starlet huffed.

“Do, I want to know what they’re talking about?” I asked Winter.

“It’s a long story,” Winter said with a sigh as she looked back at the two ponies. “Well, you and your team have done a good job with this. Very well done, hopefully we’ll be able to find another willing donor to help with the Ghoul research soon. I’ll see what I can do.”

“A very, about Eleven nearly Twelve year long story.” Starlet said with a chuckle “It’s been a long time in the making, but at least we’re actually closer to getting somewhere. With the Enclave being a bit more accepting of outsiders, maybe a replacement will not be as difficult to find.”

I looked down at the pods for a moment and then back at Starlet. The first thing that jumped to mind was Ditzy Doo, I wondered if this would work for her. “Well, I hope you get this to work, if you can get the Ghoul thing to work it will do a lot of good for Equestria.”

“Especially given your tendency to run into Feral Ghouls,” Winter said with a chuckle.

“Arc told you about that huh?” I said with a shake of my head. “Yeah, that does seem to be a recurring thing with me.”

“Well, It is about time to wake our little... I’m not sure what to call her.” Starlet said with a chuckle. “She can’t stay like this indefinitely.”

“Alright, lets wake her up… though she does need a name,” Winter said and looked over at me for a moment. “Any suggestion on a name Scootaloo?”

“How about Silver Shine?” I suggested.

“That could work, what do you think Starlet?”

“I think it’ll work for now, when she’s capable of speaking herself - she may decide she has a better idea for her own name.” Starlet said and with the use of her magic, flipped a nearby lever that fully disengaged the pod, allowing its pony occupant to stand on her own hooves for the first time.

I watched the mare, Silver Shine I guess, get up out of the pod and paused a moment. I wasn’t sure what to say to her, she was a new life created in a lab that was waking up for the first time, what do you say to that? So I guess I said the only thing I could think to, “Umm, hello.”

Yeah, looking back that was kind of lame, but it was the only thing I could think of to say at the time.

Silver Shine looked at me confused and looked around the lab. She just looked at us as if trying to figure out what was going on around her. She tried to take a step only to stumble a little since she wasn’t familiar with walking yet.

“Alright, steady,” Winter said and helped steady her. “Very good work Starlet. If you need any further assistance or funding, just let me know.”

“Understood, and Madam President, I wanted to say, I’m sorry about what happened, and I hope that those hardliners pay for what they did to you and to the Enclave.” Starlet said with a smile “Make em pay.”

Winter smiled back and gave her a nod. “We will, thank you. Right Scootaloo?”

“Right,” I said with a nod before we headed back out of the lab. I took one last look back at Silver Shine who watched me curiously before I sighed and we headed out.

00000

“Do you really have to go?” Cherry asked as we headed out of Absolutely Everything where I had gotten stocked up on ammunition for my weapons.

“I’m afraid so Cherry, I have to finish this,” I said with a sigh as I checked my packs. One of my guns was missing, which was a problem given that I only had two and the other one was more to incapacitate. “Have you seen Liberty? I couldn’t find it after I got my stuff back from the hospital.”

“Really? Weird,” Cherry said as she helped me look through my pack for a moment. “Where do you think it went?”

“I, honestly don’t know,” I said and sighed a little as we got aboard a Vertibuck and took it to Nomad City. It was our last night together before I left for the Battle of Coltlumbia the next day and we were going to take full advantage of the night.

But all thoughts of that were abandoned when we entered the Equestria Grand Hotel and were called over to the desk by the receptionist. “Excuse me you two, while you were out a pony brought over two packages with your room number on it.”

“What did they look like?” I asked as she laid the packages out, one of them looked like a rifle of some sort while the other was smaller and looked like it was a box.

“I didn’t get a good look at them, they were dressed like you, only better disguised,” the receptionist said. “We did all the standard scans on it given the war situation and they came up clean. Well, other than that one being a weapon of some sort, but its not booby trapped at least. There was another one, but your friend already picked it up.”

“I see,” I said and we took the packages upstairs with us as confused as ever.

When we opened the door Arc looked up from what she was looking at. There was a toolbox that looked like it had been repainted from its original color to be grey and orange with Arc’s cutie mark and the word “KINDNESS” written across it.

“Did you two get something too?” Arc asked as she looked up to see us.

“Yeah, you did too?” I asked and me and Cherry laid out the packages we got. “What’s up with the toolbox?”

“It was mine in Stable 66,” Arc said with a shrug. “It was always helpful with my job, but I didn’t have a chance to bring it with me. I don’t really know who would’ve gone through the trouble of getting into Stable 66 and finding it.”

“Weird,” I said and looked at my package thoughtfully. “Did Riva get one too?”

“No, I did not,” Riva said as she looked between the three of us. “Why kindness though? It’s weird.”

I paused and looked at my package again before I slowly unwrapped it. Wrapped up in the paper was Liberty, but it wasn’t the same weapon that I had used before. It was painted orange with my cutie mark and what looked like apples engraved into it. Then there was a word along the barrel, “HONESTY.”

“That’s weird, why Honesty?” I said and looked at it closely, there didn’t seem to be anything wrong with the weapon, it just had a strange new paint job.

“Well, maybe it’s because you’ve never lied about who you are and what you did,” Arc suggested. “You hid yourself sure, but you always made it a point to try and make up for what you did. I don’t know why I got one that says kindness though, I’m not very kind, at least not to my friends.”

“I don’t know, if you think about it you are,” I said with a sigh. “Arc, you were willing to do everything you could to help your friends back in Stable 66. When the time came you were willing to admit what you did instead of keeping the lie going. You did everything you could to save them, even if you hated it. That shows some kindness to me, and that’s good enough an explanation for me.”

Arc looked at me curiously and then shrugged a little before she nodded. “If you say so, I guess it makes some sense at least. Though, I wonder why you weren’t loyalty. I mean, you held the element for a short time.”

“Yeah, I don’t know, I’m loyal maybe, but I don’t think it’s what defines me,” I said with a sigh and looked at Cherry. “So what about you?”

“I, don’t know, I didn’t really lose anything recently and I can’t think of anything that it might be from home,” Cherry said and then started to unwrap the package carefully since she wasn’t sure what might be in it. She took one look at it and blinked a little in surprise. “Oh, wow I forgot about this.”

In her hooves was a music box, it looked like an old one with apples inlaid into it. At the same time though there was the word “LAUGHTER” painted along part of it that was more simple. When she opened it there was a small figurine of a pony dancing in it as a familiar tune played.

“We’ve got hearts as strong as horses…” I said softly as I looked at Cherry and smiled a little. “Where did you get this?”

“Well, my mom gave it to me,” Cherry said as she smiled a little. “Since she was a Breeder too, I knew her. She told me that it was passed from mother to daughter since our first ancestor to enter Stable 102 passed it to his daughter. They always said that it was from our ancestors, which, never really made sense to me until I met you.”

I wrapped my wing around her gently and looked between the three objects curiously for a moment. “Honesty, Laughter, and Kindness… that’s three of the Elements of Harmony.”

“Two is a coincidence, three is a pattern,” Riva suggested. “Perhaps it means something.”

“Cherry, you’re more than just a nurturer, you’re always trying to keep spirits up and make ponies happy,” I said with a smile as I nuzzled my fiance gently. “Though, I have to wonder who’s making these.”

“And who else is getting one,” Arc said.

We talked about it a while longer before Caramel came in and we realized it was late. She and Arc went off to their room and Riva went to her own after a moment, which just left me and Cherry alone.

“Do, you really think I’m like that?” Cherry asked and looked at me with a soft smile.

“I know you are, come on, if this is the last night we’ll be together for awhile, let’s enjoy it,” I said with a smile and took her hoof as we headed into our room together.

Maximum Level Reached.

Author's Note

Starlet belongs to and was written by TheLittlestofPips.

Also, I'm taking name suggestions for Cherry's daughter. She has a white coat with a pink mane, so if you have any suggestions make them in a comment or privately, this contest will last until the end of the fic.

Chapter 36: Wasteland Soul

"And my wasteland soul
Never will be truly whole
My only remaining goal now to survive
Someday the rains will come and wash it all away
The heart of the wasteland will awaken on this day."
-Miracle of Sound, Wasteland Soul.

Okay, I know you're expecting another chapter written by me, but I've been asked to catalog a lot more of the Enclave War, especially given what was coming up in the Battle of Coltlumbia. Since my friends and I only have a somewhat limited experience of what happened, I'm going to turn over the journal to a pair of ponies that I've come to know and respect.

During the Battle of Coltlumbia these two ponies were part of our escort in the city. I came to know them better than the others in our escort and I felt that, given how their mindsets were at the beginning, it would be best to let them tell the story of what was going on.

There was a lot of underlying tension during the last days of the war as everything was going on that we didn't really get to see. I don't really blame the ponies involved for what happened, everything had changed after the Battle of Thunderhead for both good and bad.

There are always two sides to every story, and I'd like to thank both Garnet and Sunrise for being willing to tell their stories as part of this book. Its kind of hard to believe that these two managed to avoid killing each other after I read these stories, but I'll let you read them for yourself.

Anyway, I'll see you at the end of the chapter for the final bit before the Battle of Coltlumbia. I'll see you then.

00000

Garnet Stone's Story.

"Good Morning Equestria, we've got new reports coming in from around the Wasteland on what's been happening," the friendly voice of the Zebra DJ Xiraia said over the radio in my bedroom in Junction Town. "It seems that the Alliance command is preparing for a new offensive against the Enclave Hardliners, though they will not divulge the location that is to be targeted. It seems that we finally have a chance of bringing this war to a close with everything that is going on. Presidents Grimfeathers and Breeze have also recently come forward stating an interest in continued relations between the Enclave and the NCR following the end of this war. This recent change of policy has..."

I groaned a little and shut off the radio as I pulled the pillow over my head. I didn't want to think about the war this morning, especially given everything that was going on with the Enclave. I tried not to think too much about it as I heard the familiar sound of rustling next to me.

"Garnet, are you okay?" The soft voice of a mare said from next to me and I removed the pillow to look up at the smiling face of a light purple Earth Pony mare who was laying down next to me. "You normally don't mind DJ Pon3's morning broadcasts."

"Yeah, well ever since this whole thing with the Enclave started she seems more interested in talking about President Winter Breeze and how everything is going to be better," I said with a groan as I rubbed my forehead. "I normally don't care about this kind of thing Amethyst, but..."

"You're still angry about everything that's going on huh?" Amethyst asked as she nuzzled me gently.

"She's just being let off with nothing more than a slap on the hoof after everything that's happened," I said with a sigh as I nuzzled her back. "I've been fighting the Enclave since they attacked Whinnyappolis and now we're making nice with them? Something about this feels, I don't know, wrong."

I might as well introduce myself, my name is Garnet Stone. I was born in a small settlement outside of Whinnyappolis and spent most of my life there. I met Amethyst Crystal when I joined the local militia and she was serving as a medic and we became close to each other, eventually falling in love and getting married.

And then the Enclave came to the city under Cloud Chaser and his flagship the Nimbus. They weren't the nice and friendly Enclave that promised a better world for everypony like you get from Winter Breeze, they were merciless and went after anypony that didn't want to submit to them.

When they attacked my settlement, we barely made it out alive. Amethyst was pregnant with our youngest foal and we're still afraid of what might happen. I guess that's why I wound up joining up with the NCR and Amethyst with the Followers of the Apocalypse, we just want to stop the Enclave from being a threat.

I had since joined the NCR Rangers it had been difficult to get through the training at Ranger School but I had survived. I was now in the best position I could be to fight the Enclave, and everything was changing, I hated this kind of change when we didn't know how much had really changed.

"I know how you feel," Amethyst said with a sigh as she rest her head on my chest gently. "I don't like what happened back home either. Maybe Winter should've kept Cloud Chaser from doing that, but we can't change the past, we just have to try and make things better."

She smiled and gave me a kiss on the nose before she leaned back and gave me a smile. "Besides Garnet, you have a loving wife and two wonderful foals that love you and will do anything for you. You're the best Husband I could ask for, you're strong, brave, and you'll do anything to help others."

She smiled and ran her hooves gently along the two crossed swords surrounded by flames that graced my flanks as my cutie mark. I looked up at the beautiful purple mare and kissed her passionately.

She broke it after a moment and slid off me as she swished her tail side to side. I grinned a little as I got to my hooves and moved in closer.

"Come on, we still have a little bit of time before the foals wake up, how about we make the most of it? I'm sure I can do something to take your mind off of the war for a little while at least," Amethyst said and looked at me with sultry eyes. "Come on big boy, you know you want to."

I didn't need more of an invitation after that.

00000

Our son and daughter Emerald and Pearl woke up about an hour later so we set up breakfast in the makeshift kitchen and dining room in the small house we shared in Junction Town. I gave Amethyst a smile as she placed the plate with the small assortment of fruits and vegetables in front of me.

"Thank you honey, it looks delicious," I said and kissed her gently.

"Eww, grown ups are so gross," Emerald, a five year old colt with a light green coat and a dark green mane said as he stuck his tongue out at us which just made me laugh a little. "You'll never see me acting like that."

"Oh, you'll never be showing affection to some lucky pony when you grow up?" Amethyst said with a smirk as Emerald shook his head obstinately. "Not even if you love them more than anything in the world like I love your father?"

"Nope, its gross!"

I just laughed and then took Amethyst in my forelegs and pulled her close and kissed her passionately which just made Emerald make gagging sounds and Pearl giggled.

"Mmm, too bad, well I'm sure you'd be hard pressed to find a pony as great a kisser as your mother," I said with a laugh as I nuzzled Amethyst gently. "Never say never Emerald, you never know when you might find somepony special."

Emerald just rolled his eyes and went back to eating and I just laughed as Amethyst sat down in her seat next to me. I smiled over at her as she tried to feed Pearl, the filly was still getting used to eating solid foods after having recently been weaned and Amethyst was still having a hard time getting her to eat it sometimes.

I enjoyed the moment for as long as it was going to last. I knew I was going to have to get back to work with the Rangers soon enough, but I didn't want this moment with my family to end anytime soon.

Unfortunately it didn't last much longer as there was a knock on the front door. "Honey, would you mind getting that? I need to work with Pearl here," Amethyst said and I nodded and got to my hooves and headed to the front door.

I opened it to find General Midnight Sparkle standing there dressed in her usual uniform. She looked solemn for a moment as she held her hat at her chest and sighed.

"Lieutenant Garnet Stone?" She asked as she took a deep breath.

"That's right," I said and looked at the General strangely, we had seen each other before but we hadn't ever really talked. "What's this about?"

"Lieutenant, we've been going through the remains of the targeted area in Thunderhead trying to sort out all the dead from the use of Celestia One," the General said with a soft sigh and I froze, I had a bad feeling about what this was going to be about. "Do you know a pony named Moonstone?"

"Yeah, she's my sister," I said softly as I was afraid of what was going to be said next. "She's in Applejack's Rangers and was in..."

"Was in Thunderhead during the initial assault," the General said with a soft sigh as she took out a pair of holo tags and a folded up flag with the Applejack's Rangers symbol and offered them to me. "We, found what was left of her in the ruins of a building where she was working to get some civilians that were found evacuated out of the warzone. The, civilians survived but, she didn't make it..."

My heart fell, Moonstone was a good pony who had joined Applejack's Rangers to try and help Equestria as best she could and hadn't deserved this kind of fate. It was even worse because of what we knew about Celestia One, it had been fired by our own side without permission.

I looked at the tags and tried not to cry as I took the items from her and held them close. "This can't be right... you didn't get her mixed up with another pony did you? Please, tell me this isn't what happened..."

"I'm sorry Lieutenant but there's no doubt that it was Knight Moonstone who died there," Midnight said and shook her head. "She gave her life to try and help other ponies, but that's not much of a consolation. I'm sorry about what happened to your sister and I wish that I could do something to bring her back."

I sighed and looked down at the flag and the tags before I looked back at the General. She looked at me sadly and shook her head a little.

"There's going to be a memorial service for all those lost in the Battle of Thunderhead on both sides," she said. "I, don't know if you want to say anything but if you want to be there, it'll be tomorrow."

"I'll, see what I can do," I said with a sigh as I looked at her.

"All the faction leaders are going to be there, the Enclave took the brunt of it so..." she started to say before something snapped in my mind.

The Enclave, this was all their fault, if they hadn't gone to war like this, then Moonstone would still be alive. This whole thing was the Enclave's fault, I didn't care who fired Celestia One at this point, if the Enclave had just stayed out of things in the Wasteland...

"I'll, consider it," I said through gritted teeth which made the General look at me strangely for a moment. "I want to be there for Moonstone, but..."

"You're not sure about what to do about everything else?" She asked and I nodded a little. "I understand, I'm still a little hesitant about this whole thing myself. The Enclave has never proven very trustworthy, even with Winter trying to do everything she is. I'm afraid that tensions will boil over finally, I just hope that it doesn't make the situation worse."

"What's going to happen to Winter Breeze?" I asked and looked at Midnight.

"That's, still being decided, but that's something for the courts to decide, don't worry about it," the General said and then stepped back and gave me a salute. "Take care of yourself and your family Lieutenant. We could use brave ponies like you and your sister in this war."

"Thank you General," I said and saluted back as she turned and walked off. I sighed and headed back to sit with my family as Emerald and Pearl looked at me, they could tell that something was wrong even if I didn't say it.

"Daddy, what's wrong?" Emerald asked as I placed the items on a shelf in the dining room. "What was that about?"

"Its, complicated," I said with a sigh as I looked at the two of them. "Well, you should get ready for school, I need to talk to your mommy about something, okay?"

"Okay," Emerald said and got up out of his chair and ran off to get everything together while Amethyst cleaned up Pearl and looked at me worriedly.

"Garnet, what's wrong?" She asked as I looked down at my hooves. "Who was that at the door?"

"That was General Sparkle, she, wanted to tell me that..." I said and started to cry for a moment before I finally broke down and hugged my wife tightly. She was a bit surprised but hugged me back after a moment and looked at me worriedly.

"Garnet, what happened?"

"Moonstone... she died in Thunderhead," I said softly as she held me close. "I don't know what I'm going to do Amethyst... she was all I had left after my parents died..."

"I'm sorry Garnet, but you'll always have us, I promise," Amethyst said and hugged me tightly for a moment. "What are you going to do now?"

"There's going to be a ceremony honoring the dead tomorrow before they start moving in on Coltlumbia," I said with a sigh. "I, don't really know what I want to do. I feel like I should be there, but, I don't know if I want to be there given everything that's going on."

Amethyst shook her head and sighed a little. "Garnet, you should do whatever you feel is right. I'll be there right by your side no matter what."

I smiled a little and nodded before I nuzzled her gently. "Thank you Amethyst, I love you so much."

Me and Amethyst shared a long kiss as Pearl gurgled happily and I smiled down at my daughter. "Come on, we need to get to work..."

Even with everything that had happened we weren't going to be able to stay behind. There was still a war to be fought with the Enclave and I wasn't going to shirk my duty just because I didn't like what was happening with the Alliance leadership.

00000

"I don't like this, we've been fighting them ever since this blasted war started and now they want us to play nice with them?" Black Mesa commented as we finished our drills for the day. There were Enclave soldiers off to the side that were working with their energy rifles on the gun range and a few of us shot them looks. "They're the damn Enclave, they've been our enemies for a decade and now we're supposed to fight along side them?"

"Yeah, I don't like it either Mesa, but orders are orders," Daybreak commented as she looked back at the Unicorn who shook his head. "And you're not a pony who used to live under them. How do you think me and the other former resistance fighters feel?"

Daybreak had been an Enclave soldier prior to the Enclave Civil war who had joined up with the rebels after the Coltlumbia Uprising. She was one of the few members of our squad that actually remembered what it was like living under Enclave rule, and I didn't blame her one bit for hating the idea of working with them.

"Look, I know we all don't like it but we have to follow orders," our CO Colonel Richter said with a sigh as we finished getting our weapons set up for the target practice. "President Grimfeathers seems to be confident that they can be trusted, whether or not this is true we'll have to see. For now we have to follow orders and hope they keep their word."

"Yeah right, the Enclave keep their word? That went real well during Operation Cauterize," Mesa said with a shake of his head and levitated his rifle up and put in a clip of non-lethals before he took aim at the targets, sending several clean shots into the center of mass for a pony before he looked back at me. "What about you Garnet, what are your thoughts on this?"

"I don't know," I admitted with a sigh. "The Enclave has been nothing but trouble in the past, but what choice do we have at this point? I hate them as much as anypony, and I certainly don't trust them, but if the General..."

"Buck the General, she's had her hayday against the Crimson Empire and now she's just doing whatever the Council tells her to do," Mesa said with a scowl. "Its a load of horseapples that's what it is, she's playing nice because that Wanderer mare says Winter Breeze can be trusted. I'd sooner trust Red Eye than her, and we all know how well that went."

"Corporal, watch your tongue, this isn't the time or the place to talk about..." Richter started to say before Mesa cut him off again.

"You're just as bad as she is you know? This whole thing could've been avoided if they had just shot Celestia One a bit closer to it, everypony who died in that attack deserved..." Mesa started to say and that's when something in my brain snapped.

I didn't realize what I was doing at first as my hoof swung around and connected with Mesa's muzzle sending him sprawled out on the ground. He wiped the blood from his nose and looked up at me with a murderous look in his eyes as he dropped his weapon and dove for me, his hooves swinging at me as he did.

"Oh now you've done it, you're one of them aren't you? You're a sympathizer!" Mesa shouted which drew the attention of the other ponies in the firing range to us as I threw my forehooves up to defend myself from the attack.

I was bigger than Mesa, one advantage to being an Earth Pony I suppose, and I managed to push him off and got another good punch in on him as the others in the unit tried to pull us apart, it didn't do any good as we swung our hooves at one another trying to hit the other pony as hard as we could.

"What's going on here?" A commanding voice said as General Sparkle came in and looked between the two of us as we stopped in mid swing and looked at the General. "Well, I'm waiting?"

"General Sparkle ma'am," Daybreak said and saluted before she looked back at the two of us. "Lieutenant Stone and Corporal Mesa were fighting ma'am."

"Yes, I can see that, thank you," the General said with a roll of her eyes as she looked back at us. "What in Celestia's name brought two of my finest Rangers to blows?"

"Ma'am, he was talking about the attack on Thunderhead by Celestia One," I said and brushed my hoof across my muzzle to realize that I had gotten some blood on it. "He called me a sympathizer."

"Is this true?" Midnight asked as she looked at Mesa and he grumbled an answer. "Speak up soldier, or do you want to spend the rest of this war locked up?"

"Yes ma'am it is," he said with a growl as he spat out in her direction. "I don't know why we're bothering to be nice to the Enclave, they're nothing more than monsters."

"I see," the General said and narrowed her eyes a little before she looked at me and then back at Mesa. "Corporal, it is hard to understand, but we have to give them a chance. I'm not asking you to be friends with them, but you are to treat them with the same respect that you would any fellow member of the Alliance. If there is any further problems with this, then there will be consequences, do I make myself clear."

"But General, he..." Mesa started to say.

"Corporal, I would suggest not bringing up the matter of Celestia One again," the General said and looked at the Unicorn sharply. "Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes ma'am," Mesa said with a salute.

"Very good, " she said and turned and went back out of the shooting range.

00000

Bright Sunrise's Story.

"Ugh, what did we drink last night?" I said with a groan as I rubbed my head as I tried to shake the headache away. "You'd think after this long we'd have figured out a magical cure for a hangover."

"I told you not to let those mercenaries try and talk you into a drinking contest, but did you listen to me? No," the mare next to me in bed said with a roll of her eyes. "Now you're stuck with a hangover and you have to report to duty in an hour."

"Yeah, don't remind me Cure All," I said with a groan as I looked over at the light pink Unicorn mare with her soft blue eyes and short red mane who just gave me a smile and giggled a little. "You're enjoying this aren't you?"

"Immensely," the mare said and gave me a kiss on the nose. "I heard you got a new General, should I be worried?"

"Only if you worry about it being Scootaloo," I said with a shrug. "Honestly she's not what worries me these days. She seems interested in the President's ideals in her own way, that at least means she's on our side. I'm more worried about the NCR and other members of the Alliance."

"Really? I thought they were pretty nice all things considered," Cure All said with a shrug. "I mean, they have been helping out as best they can since we joined the Enclave. What more could we ask for?"

I smiled a little and leaned over and kissed the mare lightly on the lips. She and I had met when the ponies from Stable 66 had been brought to Thunderhead over a year ago and it was strange but we had started to become closer ever since. I had originally been kind of her handler until the Enclave decided that she wasn't going to be a problem, which was pretty much policy for anypony from Stable 66 given that we had kind of had to force our way into the Stable, but this charming pink mare had worked her way into my heart.

Now the President had given me my own private tent in the Enclave camp and we were staying together at least until I had to ship out to Coltlumbia.

I smiled a little and wrapped my wings around her gently and gave her a smile. "Cure All, I don't know what I'd do if I never met you."

"Probably go crazy," she said with a giggle and nuzzled me gently. "You're not like anything I expected after I first met members of the Enclave when they went after Stable 66, do you know what I mean?"

"Yeah, well, that was a crazy time for all of us," I said and brushed my mane back a little. "I'm just a pony trying to do my best here in Equestria and help wherever I can. That's what Winter always told us was what we should do, even back then."

"Back when?" Cure All asked me as she tilted her head curiously.

"Back when she was my teacher," I said with a chuckle. "That was, 20 years back when she wasn't even in politics yet. I was one of her students and she always taught us that we should be the best ponies we can be. She was always different,than all the other teachers I had... I guess that's why we followed her w hen she became President."

"And now you're second in command of Enclave Special Ops," Cure All said with a chuckle as she kissed my nose. "The Thunderbolts, a really overdramtic name if you ask me."

"Yeah, well we couldn't be called the Wonderbolts anymore and Shadowbolts didn't fit," I said with a shrug and then swatted her flank a little as she let out an eep. "What about you? You're not exactly the kind of mare I thought I'd fall in love with either."

"Well, I guess the world works in funny ways," Cure All said with a giggle as she nuzzled me. "I love you Sunrise."

"I love you too Cure," I said and held her close and smiled.

The Enclave had never really cared about same sex couples before the Day of Sunshine and Rainbows, and that didn't stop after the Remnant became a thing. While there wasn't much of a reason to keep the population under control anymore like there had been before, they saw no reason to change policy.

I sighed a little and looked up at the ceiling of my tent as I thought about everything that was going on. Honestly, I didn't like the idea of fighting alongside the Alliance, at least not right now. They seemed like okay ponies sure, but we had been fighting them ever since the President's first speech.

Before that even, our forces had been tangling with one or more major player in the Alliance ever since Marigold made her attempt in the Crystal Empire that had failed miserably. They were the enemy, they may be our allies now because the Hardliners were now our enemy, but was that going to last?

I sighed a little and closed my eyes, the hardest thing to accept to me, even if it was somewhat understandable, was the choice to make Scootaloo the General. We knew about it sure, while we hadn't met her officially since she was still recovering from what happened in Stable 102, we knew what to expect and what was coming.

The question now was, what were we going to do? There was a Dashite in charge, a Dashite that was affiliated with the NCR. Then again, Winter Breeze was now a Dashite, something she wore with pride given everything that was going on.

Were we all Dashites just not branded yet? We were going against 200 years of tradition, but the Enclave had changed, and we were changing with it.

I never felt more sure that I was on the right side than I did now, but I still wasn't sure about the fact that we were with our enemies.

And then there was something else, something I didn't know how to put into words especially around ponies that I was close to.

"What's going through your mind, Sunrise?" Cure All asked as she looked at me worriedly.

"I'm just thinking about everything that's going on really," I said with a sigh as I pulled her on top of me and rested my hooves on her flanks. "Do you remember what I told you when we first got together?"

"That you think I have a cute flank?"

"The other thing I told you when we first met," I said with a groan. "Though, that one is true too."

"That you're going to do everything you can to protect both Equestria and me?" Cure All said with a light chuckle as she leaned up and kissed me gently. "Because that's your duty to both Equestria and to the mare you love."

"That's right," I said with a soft smile as I nuzzled her and kissed her nose. "Ever since I joined the military, I knew that I didn't want to do anything else other than protect the ponies I care about. It, doesn't help that..."

I paused and looked away from her for a moment as I tried to figure out how say this. This was something that I didn't know how to tell her or anypony else, it wasn't going to make things easy, especially given everything that was going on.

"Sunrise, you can tell me about it, you know that right?" Cure said and put her hoof under my chin and gave me a smile. "You can tell me anything."

I sighed a little and closed my eyes before I finally said something. "My family is in Coltlumbia," I said with a sigh and then spoke up again. "I don't know if they're okay or anything given everything that's going on. I'm afraid of them, especially..."

I let that thought trail off for a moment and Cure looked at me curiously. "What's wrong Sunrise?"

"I never told you this before," I said with a sigh as I brushed my mane back a little. "Before I got into the military I was in a relationship with a stallion named Wind Crest. This was about 11 years ago, and we... were close to each other, and we had a foal together."

Cure looked at me surprised for a moment as she tried to figure out what to think of what I was telling her. "What happened to him?"

"He was in Neighvarro when the battle happened," I said with a sigh. "He was killed in the battle like so many other ponies. I guess its part of the reason I'm not sure if I want to trust the NCR or not yet given that they came out from that and I lost him. I entered the military not long after our son was born, I didn't want to lose anypony else."

"Which is when you got the attention of the President and you became part of the Thunderbolts, right?" Cure asked and I nodded a little. "Why didn't you ever tell me this before?"

"I wasn't sure what you'd think if you knew the whole truth," I said softly as I looked into her eyes. "I didn't want to lose you, you're the best thing that's happened to me in years Cure. I love you so very much and that's the truth."

Cure smiled a little and leaned forward and kissed me softly, wrapping her legs around me gently. "Don't worry about it Sunrise. While I wish that you had been honest with me from the beginning, I'm glad you told me now. So, where is your son now?"

"He's, with my family," I said and my ears lowered a little. "In Coltlumbia, where we're about to go to fight the Enclave Hardliners. I honestly don't know what to do about that."

"You're going to have to go there right?" She asked and I nodded. "Then get in there and save your family, that's all I can really say. You're one of the bravest and strongest ponies that I know and I wouldn't imagine you doing anything else other than protecting those you love."

I smiled a little and nuzzled her. "I love you Cure All, I can't wait for you to meet them. I know they're going to love you a lot."

"Thank you, now, lets get ready, shall we?" Cure said with a smile as we got to our hooves and she used her magic to help tie my long mane into a braid. "There, I think you look cute with that."

I smiled a little and slipped into my Thunderbolt armor. My helmet fit carefully over it and I gave her a nod. "I love you Cure All."

"I love you too Commander Bright Sunrise," Cure said and kissed me softly before we headed out to get to our respective posts in the camp.

I smiled and snuck one last look back at the retreating form of my marefriend and she gave me a smile back. Yep, she still had a cute flank.

00000

It was a little while later after we had all been formally introduced to General Scootaloo Dash. It was strange to see a pony that had walked right out of the Enclave's history books as the first Dashite and generally considered a criminal, but here she was still alive and now a member of the Enclave military.

I guess history has a funny way of turning things around like that. Still, while she seemed nervous she at least was trying to help us as best they could thanks to the President.

"I don't understand why we have to take orders from that Dashite," another soldier commented as we were working on getting our ammo and supplies ready for the battle the next day.

"She's still a Pegasus just like the rest of us," I said as I looked over at him with a shake of my head. "The President says that she can be trusted, and we all trust her so what choice do we have? Unless you'd rather have General Tornado."

"No thank you," I've got a buddy in the Secret Service detail, he says she works them harder than anypony else in the Enclave," one of the others said with a chuckle as she passed me a set of medical supplies.

"Well, its bad enough that its a Dashite, but she's also in the pocket of the NCR," the first soldier, Diamond Dust said with a shake of his head. "She'll sell us all out to them in a heartbeat. I don't know why the President even thinks we should work with these ground walkers."

"Hey, I'm dating one of those ground walkers," I said and shot him a look as I finished putting the medical supplies away.

"No offense Commander, I meant other Ground Walkers other than your marefriend of course," Diamond Dust backpedaled and I shook my head. "At least the ponies from Stable 66 have agreed to work with us and their loyalty is guaranteed. The NCR, we've been fighting them for years."

"What, do you disagree with the President's decision?" The mare, a Bat Pony mare named Night Shroud said as she looked at Diamond Dust and shook her head. "She hasn't steered us wrong yet."

"I know, but I think she's more blinded by what happened in Thunderhead," Diamond Dust said. "Whatever her plan is here, it better be a good one. The NCR and their allies have been our enemies for years."

"I don't completely disagree with you Diamond," I said with a sigh as I brushed my mane back. "I have as much reason as anypony to not like the NCR. General Dash is somepony that is hard to trust sure, but she seems okay to me. Besides, the President wouldn't put a pony in charge that she didn't think could be trusted, right?"

"Yeah, yeah," Diamond Dust said and shook his head. "Its just..."

"Just what Private?" A voice said from behind us and we all jumped as Captain Starling came up to us and shot us all a look. "Is there a problem here?"

"No ma'am, no problem at all," Diamond Dust said with a gulp as he backed off a little.

"Good, Ah wouldn't want anypony in tha Thunderbolts ta be causin' trouble," Starling said as she looked between us. "Look, Ah know everythin' ain't what we're used ta anymore. Tha fact of tha matter is that we need ta set an example fer tha rest of tha military, both sides of tha military. We're here ta make sure that tha Enclave survives this war in one form or another Ah know that it doesn't seem ta be easy right now, but that is our duty."

"Permission to speak frankly ma'am," I said and she looked at me.

"Granted Commander," she said a bit surprised that I'd ask that of her.

"I'm not sure about this whole thing still," I admitted with a sigh. "The fact of the matter is that we were made to replace the old Wonderbolts once everything was set up after the Civil War. We know the lay of the clouds in Coltlumbia better than anypony on the surface. Not to mention we've spent the last few months fighting the NCR, why can't we do this on our own?"

"Because we need allies," a voice said from behind us and we all turned in surprise to see President Winter Breeze standing there with her escorts. She looked at each of us in turn and sighed a little as we snapped to attention. "At ease, all of you, I'm here to talk. I know I'm asking a lot of you, of all of you. But you were each picked because you're the best of the best in the Enclave. But, the fact of the matter is that if we don't have allies, if we don't make friends with the surface dwellers then they won't trust us. We all have to make sacrifices, we all have to work our hardest to make sure that the Enclave survives, and when faced with war with our own... I can't think of anypony else I'd rather have helping us. I'm not going to lie and say everything will be easy, we're all going to have to work together and look deep within ourselves to make sure that we make the right choices. Hopefully, the Thunderbolt Squad will be a symbol of that unity. If any of you don't think they can work with the others in the alliance, then I ask that you leave now. You will not be held for desertion, and your positions will be open to you once you return and the war is over, one way or another. I just ask that you do what you feel is right, and in these trying times we have to make sure that we can trust the pony standing next to us."

There was a long moment of silence as we looked between each other as if waiting for somepony to leave first. I looked at the President and sighed a little, honestly I wasn't about to abandon my duty even if I wasn't sure about what might happen or whether or not we could trust the other members of the Alliance.

"Madam President, may I ask a question?" Night Shroud asked and she looked at the Bat Pony mare curiously.

"Private Night Shroud right?" Winter asked and the Bat Pony's eyes went wide and she nodded. "Yes, you may ask me whatever you would like to ask."

"Well, umm," Night Shroud said and paused a moment. She had been a fairly recent addition to the Thunderbolts and the Enclave in general actually, having joined as part of a group of Bat Ponies that came from somewhere in the Dragon Lands and wanted to join up with us early on in the war. "What do you think ma'am? I mean, you're ultimately our commander in chief, do you think the other members of the Alliance will be willing to fight along side us?"

Winter paused for a long moment as she looked between us and took a deep breath. I knew that Winter was a powerful orator, but she had always been speaking to the ponies of Equestria. This was the first time I had heard her speaking to ponies on a more personal level, and I had no idea what to expect.

"I don't know if I can truly speak for everypony in the Alliance," Winter said softly. "A lot of them don't trust us, don't trust me because of what we've done, what I've done. I try not to think about it, I try not to let them get to me because I'm working towards the greater good. I think that the right ponies in charge are willing to fight along side us and if those under them are willing to follow them, then yes I do believe they will be willing. We're not here to fight the enemies of the past, we're here to build a better future for all of Equestria. Hopefully the Alliance will be able to see that, and perhaps history may yet vindicate us. Give them a chance, and maybe they'll surprise us. As long as we're willing to make the first move, to do everything we can to show that we aren't the enemy, then that will give us a chance to help Equestria and help keep the Alliance from turning in on itself."

She paused a moment as she looked around again and sighed. "We have to make sure that our future is secured as a nation, as a world. I hope that you're all willing to keep following me, I trust every one of you with my life and with the life of everypony in the Enclave. These are the times that test pony's souls, and you have to ask yourself if you're willing to go through that."

We all stood there in silence for a moment. I smiled a little and nodded. "Well, I'm not so sure I like the idea of working with the NCR Yet, but I'm willing to give it a shot if they are."

"Me too," Night Shroud said and the others agreed quickly before we all looked over at Diamond Dust.

"If they don't give me any crap, I'll give it a try to work with them," he said with a shake of his head before he turned back to get to work again as Winter and her escorts left the rom.

"Can Ah talk ta yah about somethin' in mah office, Commander?" Starling asked before I could get back to work. "Ah'll send somepony ta take over fer yah, it shouldn't take long."

"Umm, sure," I said and blinked in surprise as I followed the Captain out of the room and down the hall towards her office aboard the Nightingale. "Is everything okay?"

"Look Commander, Ah heard about yer family," Captain Starling said as she sat down in a chair and motioned for me to take a seat across from me. "Where are they livin' in Coltlumbia these days?"

"Well, last I heard they were near Hurricane Bay, I don't know what might've changed given everything that's happened," I said with a sigh as I looked at her. "I'm worried about what might have happened to them ma'am."

The Captain nodded in understanding as she sighed a little and looked out the window. "We've all got ponies on tha other side of tha war now. Tha President and General Dash wants ta minimize civilian casualties as best we can given tha situation, especially since we have no idea how many of them really are on tha Hardliners' side. How old is yer colt?"

"He'll be 11 next month," I said with a sigh. "What am I going to do?"

The Captain sighed for a moment and looked down at her hooves before she looked back at me. She looked like she was trying to figure out what to say, not that I blamed her, everything was going to be hard given everything that was happening.

"Ah ain't gonna promise yah anythin' Sunrise," she said after a moment before she looked back at me. "But we're gettin' together all tha operation teams ta go into tha city. If yah want ta find yer family, tha best bet might be ta get on one of those teams."

"You'd do that for me?" I asked in surprise. "What's the catch?"

"Yah might have ta work with other members of tha alliance," the Captain said and looked at me. "I know everythin' ain't gonna be easy with that, yah made it pretty clear that yah ain't sure about that. Ah'm not gonna force yah ta do it, but tha team that'll give yah the best chance ta get into that area is definitely gonna be a joint team. Yah just have ta promise me that yah won't cause any problems, okay?"

"And, what about my family?"

"That's tha easy part, we'll be directin' Alicorns into tha city ta teleport ponies in and out of tha city," the Captain continued with a nod. "Get yer family out of tha line of fire, okay? Yah still have yer duty ta Equestria ta fulfill though, don't forget that."

"I won't," I said with a nod.

"Alright Commander, yer dismissed," she said and gave me a salute which I returned before I headed back out of the office.

I took a deep breath and sighed a little. Everything was going to get more complicated from here on. I had no idea what the Alliance had in mind with everything that was happening, but I was going to make sure that my family got out of the city as best I could.

00000

Scootaloo's Perspective.

I was sitting next to Winter on a rather improvised stage in the Memorial Park in Junction Town. The ceremony had been planned over the last few days and was the last thing we'd do before we left for Coltlumbia. It was supposed to be a memorial service for those lost in the attack on Thunderhead on both sides, so a lot of ponies were here from both sides.

"One of the worst tragedies of war is the deaths of innocents," Regina said as she spoke into a microphone attached to a podium. "Over 200 years ago, the Megaspells were developed as an attempt to try and end another war, but it only resulted in death and destruction on a massive scale. Now, a few days ago a remnant of that war was used in this conflict, not because we wanted it but because of fear. Fear of a threat that was perceived by the ponies who had suffered before. While we cannot condone the actions of the Enclave over the course of this war, we cannot forgive the deaths of so many innocents. We just have to remember that in the end, Equestria needs to stand together like we had in the past. This is the future that we've been working for."

She looked over at Winter Breeze and me and smiled a little. She gave me a nod and I nodded back before she turned back to look out at the crowd and began to speak again.

"We can't allow this kind of tragedy to happen again," Regina continued with a soft sigh. "Those who were behind the attack will be dealt with and charged with war crimes. We have to..."

"Why should they be charged for killing Enclave lives?" A voice from the NCR side of the crowd shouted out. "The Enclave killed my brother in Horseton! Why are we having this ceremony for their dead?"

There was a moment of quiet as Regina froze and looked down at the notes of her speech before she looked at the crowd for a moment. A murmur of anger went up through the crowd as a few ponies sounded like they were agreeing with the pony who had spoken out.

"Yeah, why should they get honored?"

"Give the Twilight Society a Medal! The Enclave should all burn!"

Things were getting tense as the Enclave ponies looked at the others apprehensively. Nopony here was armed, but I was afraid that a full blown riot was about to break out between all of these ponies.

"What are you talking about?" One of the Pegasi shouted back.

"There were foals in Thunderhead!" A second shouted.

This was a side to the war I hadn't seen, maybe it was because I was always away or because I just didn't want to see it. The war had changed things, the war hadn't left Equestria untouched given everything that had happened.

War will change you, no matter how much you want to ignore it, war will always change you on some level.

"President Grimfeathers, if I may," Winter asked as she got to her hooves and walked up to the podium. She was dressed in her usual suit and tie with the Enclave symbol on her collar, I guess he wanted to look good for the crowds.

"Of course," Regina said and moved out of the way as Winter took the podium and she looked out at the gathered ponies.

"You all know who I am, you've either served under me or you've heard my speeches over the radio," she said in a soft voice. "I'm not here to give excuses for what I did, for what I'm responsible for. I'm here because there are no excuses for what I did, even if I tried to help as best I could I brought nothing but misery to so many ponies. I know a lot of your families were hurt by my actions, but we shouldn't visit those crimes upon the innocent. Good ponies were lost in the attack on both sides and I'm sorry, I'm sorry that it was because of my mistakes that it happened. But we have a common enemy, and Cloud Chaser will just stand a better chance at winning if we fight amongst ourselves. I promise you that once it is over, those who are guilty will be punished for their crimes, on both sides of the war. I will take any punishment that the others deem necessary if it will help Equestria."

There was a long moment of silence as the crowd tried to figure out what to say or do next. It was weird seeing all those ponies quiet as they still looked ready to fight each other. After a long moment they started to return to their seats, but none of them seemed willing to look at one another.

Winter walked back to her seat and sat down. She looked over at me and Cherry and gave us a nod. I nodded back as Regina moved back to the podium to finish her speech.

00000

I hugged Cherry tightly as I gave her a soft kiss on the lips. "Stay safe okay? Keep the little one healthy."

"I should say the same to you, you're the one going off to war," Cherry said with a soft smile as she nuzzled me gently. "I hate that I can't go with you Scootaloo."

"I know, I'd give anything to have you come with us," I said with a sigh as I wrapped my wings around her gently. "But I still don't want you and the filly to be put at risk. I'll be back to marry you still, I promise."

"You better be," Cherry said and kissed me again with a frown. "You don't want to leave me here with all these crazy ponies that live around here do you?"

"Oh sure, then I'll come back and have to live with them too," I said with a chuckle as I looked back towards my friends who were waiting for us at the Vertibuck. "I promise that I'll do everything to make sure that I come back alive."

Cherry smiled and hugged me tight for a long moment as she sighed happily. "I'm glad I met you Scootaloo. I just, wish you didn't have to go right now."

"I'll be back, I promise," I said with a nod as I looked over at Serenity who was standing with Vanilla and gave her a smile. "I'll be back I promise. We still have a lot of work to do before Equestria is a better place, I think what happened today at the service was proof of that."

"I just hope that they'll come around eventually," Cherry said with a sigh. "The Enclave and the NCR are about at each other's throats at this point. If something doesn't change soon, then we might have another war on our hooves at this point."

"Lets hope not," I said with a sigh as I gave her one more kiss and gave her a smile. "Come on, smile for me one more time, I don't want to leave you on such a dour note."

Cherry smiled a little as she looked up at me and nodded a little. "Get them good, okay? Take down General Cloud Chaser for me."

"I will," I said with a chuckle and nuzzled her gently. "I'll see you later Cherry, I love you so very much."

"I love you too Scootaloo," Cherry said with a smile as I headed for the Vertibuck and climbed aboard. I looked back towards where Cherry was standing and for a moment I swore I saw a transparent image of a white pony with a pink and purple mane behind her.

I blinked and rubbed my eyes a moment and looked back towards her but whatever I had seen before was gone now. Maybe it was a figment of my imagination, or maybe that last dream was getting to me. I had no idea what to think of that to be honest.

"Scootaloo, are you okay?" Arc asked and I turned around to see my friends looking at me worriedly for a moment.

"Yeah, I'm fine," I said with a soft smile as the Vertibuck took off and flew towards the Nightingale. It and the Typhon were going to be where we were going to direct the battle from along with the Pegasus Irregular fleet which was nearby.

I looked out at the strange collection of ships that I had seen back in New Pegasus. I honestly had no idea what to think about all of this, but the time had come to take the fight to the Enclave one last time.

00000

I was a bit surprised to see Winter was aboard the Nightingale and was in the command center when we reached it. She turned and looked back at me with a nod.

"General Dash," she said. "Our ETA at the designated position outside of Coltlumbia is 0400. There is the matter of your team however."

"My team?" I asked and looked back at my friends. "I've got my team right here, they're everything I'm going to need going in there."

"We're not so sure," Midnight said as she looked at me. "You and your friends are good that's true, but we think that it would better if you went into the city with a proper military escort. Not to mention the fact that any information you have on the city is over 200 years out of date."

Okay, she had a point there. We were heading into Flankton, that was an area I didn't really know anything about from my time before my exile.

"So, who's our escort going to be then?" Arc asked as we looked around. There were two small groups of ponies, one dressed in Enclave Power Armor and the other dressed like NCR Rangers and neither of them looked particularly happy to be there right now. There was about 6 of them in total, while it was a small group they looked like they were ready for a fight.

"Blackjack and Sparky will be helping with the assaults on other parts of the city," Winter said with a sigh. "We have to keep our forces ready to make sure that we're in the best position we can be to attack the city and we can't commit our best forces to one front in the attack."

"Do you really expect us to work together?" One of the NCR Rangers asked as they looked across the room at their Enclave counterparts. "Fighting the Enclave Hardliners is one thing, but you actually expect us to work together like this?"

"For once I have to agree with the Ranger," one of the Thunderbolts said as he looked at Winter and Midnight. "Madam President, you can't be serious about this. We are perfectly capable of fighting the Hardliners and protecting the General without..."

"Private Dust, I know that this isn't something that you're used to," Winter said interrupting the soldier. "With the growing tension between the Enclave and the rest of the Alliance, the Thunderbolts and the Rangers need to set an example for the rest."

"The six of you are the best of the best from your respective groups," Midnight said. "Lieutenant Stone?"

"Yes ma'am?" one of the Rangers, a brown stallion with a reddish brown mane and tail with a short tuft under his chin asked as he stood at attention.

"You and Commander Sunrise are to coordinate with one another on this," she said and nodded to a Pegasus mare with her helmet off with a yellow coat and a red and orange mane tied into a braid. "You both answer to General Dash while in the field."

"The Commander has knowledge of the layout of the city," Winter added and nodded to the Thunderbolt Commander. "She will be in charge of navigation through the city. We don't know what to expect in there, so follow her directions without question, do you understand?"

"General, you can't be serious," the NCR Ranger from before said as he looked at Midnight. "We're not taking orders from..."

"This is a joint NCR-Enclave operation, and President Breeze is the Commander in Chief of the Enclave forces," Midnight interrupted. "In this situation, you report to both her and myself. We are going into a warzone, and if anypony refuses an order, it will be considered insubordination."

"Understood ma'am," the soldier who had spoken before said and cringed a little.

"Very good, is there going to be any further problems?" Midnight asked as she looked between the two groups who shook their heads. "Good. If you have any questions please direct them at General Dash."

"I have a question," Commander Sunrise said as she raised her hoof. "How exactly are we supposed to get close enough to the city to get into the tunnel? I mean, we can't all fly and a Vertibuck would just get shot down."

Winter paused a moment as she thought about how to put this. I wasn't sure what she was going to say, I assumed that something had been worked out with the Alicorns, but I hadn't been informed of exactly what it was.

"We, will be directing that through General Tornado and the other Alicorns," Winter said with a soft sigh. "They will teleport you to the entry point once we're in position, but from that point forward you'll have to hoof in into the city. The attack is set to begin at dawn, and we need everypony in position by then."

"Understood," I said, though there was still something about this that made me a little uneasy, I couldn't put my hoof on it though. I just hoped that whatever was going on, Winter and Midnight knew what they were doing.

Maximum Level Reached.

Chapter 38: Force of Nature

"‘Cause I can see the worlds unseen
I can hear them call to me
Harnessing the energy
From every fall and failure
I’ll be a force of nature."
-Miracle of Sound, Force of Nature.

I’m reminded of a story I read once when I was a filly.

It was about another pony in another war somewhere on the far side of the galaxy. Not a war like we know it, more primitive, but no less deadly and dangerous. Anyway, the main character once asked why war was only a three letter word, that such a scary word should be at least four letters or more.

I’ve lived through one war and fought in another, and I have to agree with him on that. There is nothing in this world that I have seen that is more terrifying than the horrors that ponykind brings upon itself in war.

With everything I’ve seen, I have to wonder if I’m going to be the same pony I was when I first left on this journey. I’ve seen more death and destruction in the past few months than any pony should have to see in their lifetime.

But haven’t I done more than that? I’ve grown, I’ve done everything I can to make up for my own sins. I don’t know if everypony out there has completely forgiven me for what I did, but maybe, just maybe I’ve done enough.

Or maybe I’ll never do enough, not in the eyes of some ponies. Maybe not in my own eyes either. Regret is a powerful motivator, and it can change the nature of a pony, for good or for bad.

As we headed for Hurricane Bay all of this was going through my mind. I frowned a little when we saw bodies, a lot of dead bodies of ponies dressed in Enclave power armor that looked like they had been picked clean already.

“Who did this?” Arc asked as we pushed past them, there was an eerie quiet to the scene that made even the distant gunfire seem silent.

“I, don’t know,” I admitted as I looked at them worriedly for a moment. I had no idea what might’ve done this and whatever it was was not something I wanted to cross paths with if it wasn’t friendly. “Watch your EFS, I don’t want anything sneaking up on us.”

But as we looked around with our EFS there wasn’t anything, it was like whatever had done this hadn’t left anypony alive to tell the tale. We didn’t have time to dwell on that, there wasn’t any signs of hostiles in the area so we pushed on towards the gate that lead to Hurricane Bay.

For those not familiar with Hurricane Bay, its a beach, yeah a beach built into the clouds. After the cloud cover was created, which obviously cut the Pegasi off from things like the ocean, some inventive pony came up with the idea of building a small body of water up in the clouds.

I remembered when I lived here with my family we came here every so often. Cloudy loved the water, the sand, the sun, it was one thing from my time above the clouds that I remembered fondly.

But today, today it had been turned into a refugee camp. There were Alliance soldiers all around directing civilians and the occasional defector to other parts of the bay until they could be evacuated out of the city itself until the fighting was over.

“How is this even possible? Arc asked as she looked at me curiously. “I’ve never seen anything like it before.”

“Pegasi ingenuity, from a time when that actually meant something more than just building weapons of war,” I said and shook my head sadly. “Come on, let’s get to the arcade.”

As we approached the building that made up the entrance to Wonderbolts Field itself, we were stopped by an Applejack’s Rangers scribe that was apparently making a record of everypony that came through the area.

“Names,” he said without even looking up at us.

“Scootaloo Dash and company, we’re here to see Paladin Pecan Sandie,” I said as the scribe rolled his eyes.

“Right, and I’m the Lightbringer, look lady I don’t care who you say you are, I’ve heard ponies claiming to be everypony from…” he started to say before he finally looked up and stopped in mid-sentence. “Oh, General Dash, I apologize. Yes, Paladin Sandie is inside, he received word that you were coming and told me to tell you and the others to wait for him in the main arcade.”

I nodded and we headed into the arcade past the scribe who was probably hoping we weren’t going to report him.

00000

I had been to my fair share of arcades in my youth and I wasn’t really sure what to expect from an Enclave arcade. Strangely, it actually looked a lot like the ones I remembered, with some twists to it.

There were your usual games, and then there was a target shooting game with ponies with a very noticeable brand. Other machines had a variety of games, fortune telling machines, and even what looked like animatronic puppets and other things.

Out of curiosity I hit the button on one of them with two puppet foals as they started to move and a recorded voice played. “Are you a Duke or are you a Dimwitt? When Duke sees a foal from the surface who doesn’t have any lunch at school, he offers to share what he has with them. When Dimwitt sees a foal from the surface who doesn’t have any lunch at school, he ignores them and eats on his own. Remember fillies and colts, don’t be a Dimwit!”

“Well, that’s certainly different from the Duke and Dimwit machines I remember from when I was a filly,” Sunrise said with a chuckle.

“Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they shall not turn from it,” a stallion’s voice with a mechanical distortion. I turned to see a pony dressed in Applejack’s Rangers power armor standing there and gave us a nod. “General Dash, you made good time.”

“Paladin Pecan Sandie I presume,” I said and he nodded. “Well, we didn’t run into any soldiers outside, at least not any living ones, so we got here quickly.”

The Paladin paused a moment at that and shook his head for a moment. “I’m not surprised, we’ve had a bit of a strange encounter here. There was this mare dressed in old Enclave Power Armor that attacked the other soldiers in the park. When I tried to investigate she nearly attacked me, but stopped for some reason just short of actually hitting me.”

“Weird,” Riva said and looked thoughtful for a moment.

I was just as curious about this honestly. If she had stopped from attacking the Paladin that might be a sign that she wasn’t an enemy, that was something at least. But still, who was this strange pony?

“Do you have any idea who she might be?” Sunrise asked as we looked at the Paladin who just shook his head.

“If she’s not going to kill members of the Alliance then she might at the very least be willing to work with us,” Paladin Sandie said and sighed. “If anything she’s helped clear out the Enclave soldiers, but its not helping with our situation given that we still have to get access to the Spitfire line. And if she ever decided we were a threat, she’d likely kill any of us that got in her way.”

“Alright, if we run into her we’ll be careful,” I said with a nod. “So what do we need in order to get access to the Spitfire Line?”

“The Enclave put as much of their troopers in the park as they could afford and set up two failsafes to keep us from getting to the line,” Pecan Sandie said as we moved forward over to a map of the park that was on the hallway leading to the entrance. “We need to get the key from the commanding officer, and he’s holed up here.”

He pointed up at the northern end of the park towards the entrance to the Spitfire line, that figured.

“So, how do we know our mysterious friend hasn’t killed him already?” Arc asked.

“Because she went this way, and here’s where we get our problem,” Pecan Sandie said as he pointed at another part of the park labeled “The Hall of Enclave History.” “She was last seen pursuing Enclave troops this way. And this is also where we have to go in order to restore power to the rail line since the main breaker is here.”

“So, we have to go in there, with three of us dressed in Enclave Power Armor, and hope she looks at her EFS long enough to notice that we’re not hostiles,” Sunrise said.

“I know enough about power systems I should be able to get it back up and running,” Arc said with a nod.

“Alright, we’ll get it done,” I said as I looked out the door towards where the park was. “Is there anything else?”

“Well, one of the Knights thought they saw a robotic pony heading that way too, might be nothing, but keep an eye out,” he said with a nod. “Good luck, all of you, we’ll focus on securing the rest of the park for now and I’ll send whatever backup I can.”

I nodded and we headed down the hall towards the park itself. I took a deep breath and pushed the door to the park entrance area open and hoped that this was the right move to make.

00000

The welcome center to Wonderbolts Field was set up with a central big area and two wings off to the side. I shook my head a little at the sight of a large mechanical pony dressed in an elaborate looking uniform with foals in a circle around it.

The place looked like it had been closed down for awhile as it was being remodeled with pictures and signs in the process of being taken down. There was also a big sign that said “Temporarily closed for renovations on order from the President.”

When I pointed this out to Sunrise she chuckled a little. “Yeah, this was a bit controversial with the ponies in charge of the park and long time fans. The President felt that it was too trapped in the past so she ordered, well, massive renovations to the park. I guess they were interrupted by everything that’s going on.”

We headed out of the welcome center and into the park itself. There was buildings lining the boardwalk with signs pointing towards different areas. I looked towards where it was pointing towards the Hall of Enclave History and paused a moment when there were more dead Enclave soldiers.

“Hey Scootaloo, look at this,” Arc said as she levitated a piece of paper out of the grip of one of the soldiers and levitated it to me.

Curiously I uncrumpled it and read it, “Direct the target towards the Hall on the far side of the park. We cannot allow her to make it into Emporia.”

That was definitely a problem, it meant that whoever this was was walking right into a trap. Even if they were a good fighter, if Cloud Chaser was as smart as his reputation said, she didn’t have the best odds of making it out of there alive.

“So, what do we do?” Garnet asked as I passed the message around.

“We have to go to the Hall anyway, we might as well see if we can help this pony,” I said with a nod as we looked towards the way to the Hall.

I hadn’t been here in 200 years and the park had changed a lot. That was kind of a given really since it had been this long, but I was a bit surprised that there were a lot of familiar sights, just having been changed over the years.

“Seriously?” Riva said and facehooved at the sight of a carousel that had of all things, partially re-painted Zebras. I shook my head, hopefully that was something that was being redone.

“Like I said… a lot of renovations,” Sunrise said as we walked past it and headed for the Hall itself.

The thoroughfare that lead to the Hall of Enclave History was flanked by two buildings. One looked like a gift shop and the other was a restaurant called “The Flying Ace.” I paused a moment as we looked up at the large building that loomed in the distance.

“Scootaloo, is everything okay?” Arc asked as I checked my weapons.

“Honestly? I don’t know, there’s just something about this that feels off to me,” I said with a shake of my head. “Something about all of this feels familiar. Do you think we’re doing the right thing right now? We don’t even know if whoever this is won’t just kill us like she did with the Enclave soldiers.”

“Well, they did refrain from killing the Paladin back there,” Garnet said and shook his head. “Look, we don’t know anything about who this is, but she’s walking into a trap. If this pony is an ally, then we might need all the help we can get.”

I nodded and we headed towards the hall and opened the doors. I paused a moment before we headed inside.

00000

The central room of the Hall had three branching paths. On the right there was a sign that read “The Early Days,” on the left there was another one that said “Operation Cauterize,” and finally in the middle there was one that said “The Modern Enclave.”

Of course there were more dead bodies, though not as much as there had been outside. The doors in all three directions looked like they had been forced open.

“So, which way do you think she went?” I asked.

Sunrise looked thoughtful for a long moment and pointed forward. “That way, there’s a sizeable courtyard on the other side of that hall and it would be the logical place to set up a trap.”

“And since its broken down, yeah I’d say she’s probably there,” Arc said with a nod and gulped a little. “So, we’re walking into the trap too then?”

I nodded and we pushed forward into the exhibit. It was still under construction, that much was clear, but there were mechanical ponies and statues of Winter and the other Wonderbolt Generals around.

Though I noticed that one of them was in a state of disrepair, I could barely make out a golden coat in the machine as we went past but I didn’t pay it any attention. There was no need to think on it right now.

There were other parts of the exhibit, but we didn’t pay it much attention. A few ponies here and there, more statues, the usual really as we pushed through the exhibit to the end and the courtyard Sunrise had mentioned and I stopped in my tracks.

Standing in the center was a pony dressed in Enclave Power Armor alright, old Enclave Power Armor that looked fused as if… oh you have got to be kidding me.

“Cricket?” I asked as the doors shut behind us, I shook my head and snapped out of the shock. Of course she was here, where else would she be? “Cricket, listen to me, the Enclave has been…”

“Setting up a trap and hoping to lure me into it?” Cricket said, giving her head a shake “What, do you think I can’t read? Sending out notices for a obvious trap on a sheet of paper to soldiers - I thought this guy was brighter than that.”

I started to say something but then realized she had a point, why would he leave an obvious message out like that? I was about to say that we needed to get out of here when the gates behind us slammed down and locked.

“Guys…” Arc said as the magical aura she had around her rifle faded and the weapon fell to the ground.

“FREEZE!” A commanding voice said from above and we looked up to see that we were surrounded by Enclave soldiers, several of which had very nasty weapons aimed right at Cricket.

There was a crackle of static over the PA system before the calm accented voice of Cloud Chaser was heard. “Hello Cricket, it has been a long time since we last talked. I had hoped you of all ponies would have enough sense to see our way of thinking.”
“Ah yes, I used to - Until I realized how you played me and used me, taking advantage of a broken mare who lost it all, having her do all your dirty work and never giving her the recognition she deserved.” Cricket said with a soft chuckle. “Really, Cloud Chaser - You are a disappointment, and a shame to the name.”

I blinked a little in surprise at that, what did she mean by that? Okay yeah, there was a pony named Cloud Chaser, or two ponies I think it was, back when I was living in Ponyville, but what was Cricket going on about here?

“You’re one to talk Cricket, I’ve seen your file, I know everything there is to know about you,” Cloud Chaser countered. “You’re more of a monster than anypony I’ve ever known, you’re a wolf set upon sheep. And the time has finally come to put you down. As for the rest of you, a shame you had to walk into our little trap, don’t bother trying to fight, if you make one move my soldiers will open fire.”

“So, Who do you have watching this little trap of yours? Surely you don’t let your little pet out with any soldier, there’s an officer here - and he’s close, that lizard doesn’t work at long distances.” Cricket said with a more audible laugh. “And I think I know who it is, and you know that if you don’t stop me, he is dead - and you’re next.”

“You have three anti-machine rifles and two missile launchers aimed at your head, you can’t fly, you can’t move, you are trapped here and here you will die,” Cloud Chaser’s cold voice said. “On my mark, open fire.”

“Oh listen to you, all grown up.” Cricket said “Of course you know, If I die, so do you, My crew are not going to let you get away with murdering their captain, are you prepared to face the wrath of my ship and all aboard?”

“You think you’re so smart, a shame you don’t know all the pieces on the board,” Cloud Chaser said calmly. “The order is given Colonel, open fire.”

“Cricket to Canticum Lunae, lock on my location and prepare to fire.” Cricket called out “See, this magic neutralization field, it doesn’t work on radios, or on standard ballistic weapons. You shoot me, this entire place goes up in flames, and then you’re next.”

There was a click as the soldiers readied their weapons and prepared to fire. “Strong words for a pony who is about to die,” Cloud Chaser said calmly. “My soldiers are willing to die for the Enclave, are you willing to die for your misguided beliefs? You can open fire, but you will not survive.”
“Cloud Chaser, you have made many mistakes, trying to murder the president, going against your brothers and sisters in arms, raising an army to fight for your corrupted and twisted views. But, I have to say your biggest mistake was this - you put something in a trap, that you should never in a million years, put in a trap.” Cricket said with a bit of a laugh.

“And what’s that?”

“Me, Of course.” Cricket said before she started to move, first few hoof falls were heavy, but she gained momentum “Mistake one, thinking I couldn’t move, I knew you’d use that lizard to try and hold me down.”

“Fire damn it, open fire!” Cloud Chaser ordered, his calm demeanor breaking for a moment as the soldiers started to fire at Cricket.

“Second Mistake, Not Jamming comms.” Cricket said with a chuckle, doing all she could to make sure any shot could not hit her as planned. “Cricket to Canticum Lunae, Fire small batteries.”

The sound of deep thunder filled the air, the sounds of shells whistling down to the courtyard, taking out several structures with exposed soldiers. “Third mistake, Obvious hiding spot for your pet.” Cricket said, jumping a burm and landing next to an officer holding the lizard. “See, you may be a tactical genius - but you are just a novice compared to me, I taught you this tactic, I wrote the book on this.”

It took us only a second to respond as the soldiers began to panic. I removed the SOAR from my battle saddle as Arc pushed over her rifle and I fit it into the now empty slot and entered SATS to take aim at the nearest soldier and fired.

“This isn’t over Cricket, you can take that one out but I’ve got more, and I can get more,” Cloud Chaser said, his voice cracking a little. “You are not infalible, eventually you will slip up.”

“All things come to an end, Cloud Chaser.” Cricket said before an audible crack filled the air, within moments the areas magic was restored, and as though never missing a beat Cricket sprung to the air, and took off towards where a group of soldiers had taken cover.

And with that all hell broke loose. The Thunderbolts took to the sky and fired at the soldiers while the rest of us made a run for the stairs leading up to the balconies where they were standing.

In the flurry of action, we lost track of Cricket, only catching a glimpse of her here and there, dashing through groups of soldiers, taking them out with relative ease and finesse before she disappeared entirely, once the gunfire calmed down and those remaining soldiers either surrendered or were in retreat did we hear it, the sounds of crying and pleading and maniacal laughter.

I switched weapons with Arc again briefly as I looked around to see what had happened to Cricket. I flinched a little, most of the ponies were… well mangled beyond recognition. The ones that were still alive were running or flying out of there as fast as they could.

“This isn’t a battle…” Sunrise commented with a shake of her head. “More like a slaughter.”

“Slaughter? I prefer massacre myself.” A familiar voice from a nearby rooftop said. “Then again, I have what I came for, and He’s not going to be going anywhere.”

We looked up towards the roof to see Cricket holding a pony in a tight grip. They were dressed like an Enclave officer and she had a wing blade pressed up against his neck. “Please, mercy… I surrender, I surrender!”

“Oh no, No mercy for you.” Cricket said with a shake of her head. “Tell me, Do you hear the bells? I sure hope you do, It’s the last thing you’re ever going to hear.”

“Cricket, he’s surrendered, you can’t kill a prisoner whose surrendered!” I shouted at the armored mare and readied my SOAR again. “Let him go, we’ll get an Alicorn in here to take him prisoner!”

“Give up my prize to the alliance? Are you serious?” Cricket said with a laugh “No need to go and lose your head about it~”

“Let him go or so help me Celestia, I will make you,” I said with a growl as I aimed the rifle at her. I tried not to sound afraid, I knew what Cricked would do if I did try and kill her.

“You know that rifle isn’t enough to kill me right, so you better hope it stuns me, elsewise there is going to be a few more bodies to the list.” Cricket said, almost audibly grinning to herself as the pressed the blade more firmly to his neck “Though, Shoot me and I lose my grip and he gets a little too much taken off the top - I still win, and you die.”

I had to make a choice, the SOAR had a good chance of locking her armor up, but I didn’t know for sure. Would it work differently on a Canterlot Ghoul? I was putting me and my friends at risk if I did take the shot.

“I’m sorry…” I heard a voice from next to me as I suddenly felt the SOAR slip out of my battle saddle and be levitated up as the pony fired a bolt of energy that hit Cricket.

The energy crackled over her armor as it seized up and she dropped the officer before falling forward. The officer looked like he was about to do something when I aimed my other rifle and glared at him. “Don’t you dare.”

“Y-yes ma’am,” he said shakily as he backed away from the locked up Cricket nervously.

I turned to look at Arc who had her head lowered and levitated my rifle back over to me. “I’m sorry Scootaloo… I, knew you wouldn’t take the shot, I did what I felt was necessary.”

“Arc…” I said with a sigh and shook my head and slipped the SOAR back into my battle saddle. “You’re fine, lets just hope that we’re all going to be fine after this.”

“Okay, ha ha, now fix my armor and I might let you live” Cricket said, with a clear amount of annoyance to her voice. “I don’t know what fancy rifle you have there, but that’s only going to work once, next time I’m not going to give you the chance.”

“Uh, it, is supposed to just lock up your armor for a few minutes,” I said with a blink of surprise. “You should be able to use it soon, right?”

“Yeah, No, Power systems are offline - fix it, before I give you something else to fix.” Cricket said.

Sunrise looked down at me and I nodded. “Here, let me take a look,” she said and flew up to Cricket. “This should only take a minute.”

There was a few tense moments as Sunrise worked on the armor. After a minute she said something to Cricket before she flew back down to where I was standing. “We have a problem, whatever your gun did to her armor, I can’t reverse it,” she whispered to me.

“Are you sure?” I asked with a gulp.

“Positive, I don’t even know how that thing is still functioning,” she said with a shake of her head. “Its beaten up and damaged, the servos and the weight negating talisman isn’t functioning. By all rights, she shouldn’t even be able to move in that thing.”

“Okay, Okay, fine, I get it, you don’t want me killing you, fine, I promise not to kill you if you fix it.” Cricket said, the annoyance in her voice growing. “At least, not slowly like I planned.”

“Is there anything you can do for her?” I asked.

“Sure, I can get her out of the armor, its not like she’s fused to it or something,” Sunrise said and I blinked in surprise.

“Wait, she’s not? She’s a Canterlot Ghoul, how is she not fused to the armor?” I asked.

“Search me, maybe it didn’t get into the ventilation systems or something,” Sunrise said with a shrug.

“Any louder and you could wake the dead, So you broke it huh?” Cricket said before giving a sigh “Fine, bout time it broke. Yeah, The suit’s systems kept it airtight, only the respirator failed letting me inhale the cloud, the rest of me is fine - If someone just asked I could of told them that.”

“I’m sorry we broke your armor, I didn’t know the SOAR would have that effect,” I said with a shake of my head. “Just, don’t kill them, if you’re going to kill anypony kill me. I’m the commanding officer here, what happened is my responsibility.”

“Look, you fix my armor and I’m not going to kill anyone… right now.” Cricket said with a bit of a sigh. “At least get me out of it, it's kind of unnerving to be unable to move, like, at all.”

I nodded to Sunrise and she flew back up to where Cricket was and after a minute managed to get the power armor released. I, had to admit I was curious what Cricket looked like under that power armor, but I was still a little on edge.

With a hiss and a clang as fused plates bent and groaned as the armor released, a groan coming from Cricket as she pulled back from the armor. She was a Pegasus mare with a light purple coat and a blue-white mane and tail that looked like it had seen better days. She had some scarring around her mouth and I stopped and just looked at her for a long moment.

“Cloud Chaser?” I asked and my friends looked at me strangely. “But… you’re, what?”
“Yeah, Cloud Chaser, a name I haven’t heard for the past 5 minutes” She laughed some “No, Cloud Chaser died 200 years ago with the rest of equestria.”

“Okay, I’m confused,” Riva said and looked at me and then back at “Cricket.” “You two know each other?”

“Yeah, she lived in Ponyville when I was growing up,” I said. “That explains what you said earlier… but, why keep your identity secret for this long?”

“When your life ends with everypony else, but you keep living because of the effects of some spell. You don’t really feel like you are who you used to be.” Cricket said with a sigh “The quiet nights, when the crying was over and the storms calmed, the only sound washing over the plains was the sound of Crickets. For a while, I didn’t even speak, I had no reason to.”

I sighed and nodded in understanding. “I’m sorry Cricket, we should probably get going though… we still have a job to do here in the park, maybe when all of this is over, we could talk more?”

“Sure, I guess. Though uh, I guess you hadn’t noticed.” Cricket said, motioning towards my pipbuck.

“What?” I asked and finally looked down at my PipBuck, it was in bad shape and looked like it had probably taken a hit while we were fighting. “Crap, that’s not what I needed right now.”

“Take it off a second and let me see it, I have an idea…” Cricket said, holding out a hoof.

I nodded and after some fiddling with the straps on it I removed it and blinked a little as the EFS vanished from my eyesight. I gave it to Cricket, taking a moment to re-orient myself.

“Remember, how before the war they were experimenting with a self repairing enchantment? Clearly it doesn’t work on power systems, but it works on hardware - and funnily enough, my suit ran on Pipbuck firmware.” Cricket said, reaching into her armor and pulling out a bundle of cables. “This should give enough juice to get the armor’s self repair system back up, it should fix your pipbuck right quick.”

“Thanks…” I said and almost called her Cloud Chaser, if she didn’t want to be called that I’d respect that. “Cricket, that helps a lot.”

“Don’t be surprised if some functionality is restored that you don’t remember it even having, this armor has its way with technology.” Cricket said with a chuckle “I mean, I bet you can’t tell I’ve been impaled, shot, stabbed, shocked, fried, countless things in this armor.”

I looked over at Riva who was looking a bit nervous. I gave her a reassuring smile, at least she wasn’t freaking out over Cricket being here, so I reached over and put my hoof on her shoulder. I glanced back at Cricket for a moment.

“Aw Stripes, you almost look like you saw a ghost.” Cricket said with a chuckle and smirk “What, Not used to seeing what your necromancy does to ponies?”

“I am a storyteller, and you attacked my home, I know the legends better than anypony here,” Riva said with a scowl. “Superuenientibus tempestate.”

“Riva, please, stay calm, we don’t want something else to happen…” I said and looked at my Zebra friend nervously. “She’s on our side, she’s not going to hurt you.”

“Then you also know how I got to be known as that, but obviously from your side of the wall, did you know the zebra attacked me first?” Cricket said with a slight scowl. “I had something they wanted and they tried to get it back with force.”

Riva was about to say something and then she stopped. “Wait, what? That, wasn’t in any of the stories.”

“So, Storyteller, what do you know of the black books.” Cricket said, scowl turning to grin.

“They’re dark magic, necromantic tomes written by a mad Zebra shaman years ago,” Riva said with a scowl. “Are you saying Zebras attacked you trying to take a Black book from you?”

“Yep, It’s up there on my ship, along with the one they dropped when I kicked their flanks.” Cricket said with a chuckle. “I have no intention of using them, they are just worth a lot to the right ponies, and if I ever need some money - I throw a book at them and I’m rich beyond belief.”

Riva just stood there in shocked silence for a moment. “I, don’t know what to believe, I’m sorry. The Alliance would never have done such a thing, we only heard about it from second hand accounts.”

“The few who got away, and didn’t die when I came to get my crewmembers back that they took prisoner.” Cricket said with the shake of her head. “Look, I don’t like zebra, I don’t trust them - it's a long standing thing for me - But I’d never go out of my way to hurt zebra that aren’t hurting me or any pony else.”

“I, need to go think about this alone,” Riva said and walked off after a moment.

“Stripes, let me say this much - I’m not a monster, I’m an archangel” Cricket said with a more reassuring smile. “I seek vengeance for those who cannot, I am the voice of those who no longer have one, I don’t make a habit out of hurting those who have done no wrong.”

Riva paused a moment and looked back at her. “If you are telling the truth I have no quarrel with you. I have no quarrel with ponies, but for the moment all I have is your word. I just need to decide whether or not to believe you. And, its Riva, my name, I’d prefer to not be called Stripes.”

“Ah, was bout to ask you that.” Cricket chuckled before a rather comical ding came from her armor, reaching over and pulling the cables from the pipbuck before handing it back to me. “Don’t comment on the ding, it was Pinkie’s idea.”

“I learned a long time ago not to question anything related to Pinkie,” I said with a chuckle as I re-attached the PipBuck back to my leg and the EFS returned. “I swear, if I ever meet the pony who designed the way this works I’m gonna have a talk with him about…”

I blinked when I looked back at my PipBuck screen and messages started to scroll. I was a bit surprised by that, especially when I saw the dates on them were only a couple of days before the bombs fell. My PipBuck had been damaged the accident I had which had put me in the Hospital, and some of the features hadn’t worked right.

I ignored most of them, they just looked like your normal status reports anyway. Until I read one that had been sent a few hours after I had been admitted into the Hospital. The subject was “Nightfall.”

“Cricket what are you doing?” Arc asked, but I barely paid attention as I looked at the subject for a long moment.

Nightfall was a codeword used by a pony who was spying on a project that we were working on with Solaris in the Northwest. It wasn’t a normal situation, but they had wanted to build a Stable out there for the locals.

Nightfall meant it was a coded message, one that could be a threat to the company. I quickly opened it up and hit a few buttons to run it through the decoding program that was downloaded into my PipBuck.

“Who’s throat do you have to slit to get a laser rifle… Can somepony find one?” Cricket said, I barely heard them and didn’t react, this message could mean a lot of things, I was afraid to open it and find out what was inside.

Finally I couldn’t stand it any longer, I hit the option and it opened up. I started to read what it said and as I did my anger started to grow with every word.

I hope this gets to you, with everything that’s going on, if Solaris gets wind that I know the truth about the operation they’re probably going to kill me. We have a problem, a big problem, Solaris has been lying about the project.

I managed to get to the construction site, the Stable isn’t even there. It looks to me like they’re building a false front to make it look like they did the job but there’s nothing behind it except rock.

Furthermore files I’ve recovered have suggested that Solaris is setting Stable-Tec up to take the fall for this. They have spies within the corporation that are doctoring files and misplacing funds to make it look like Stable-Tec lied about the project. Even the rail lines are a lie, they’re building this entire thing as a way to make you look bad, this makes Sun City look subtle by comparison.

I sent the files with a courier to Fillydelphia. I’m staying behind to try and salvage the situation as best I can, hopefully I can get the locals to realize that Solaris is lying to them about the project, I don’t know if it’ll work, but if all else fails I’ll do what I can here to salvage the situation.

I’m sorry I couldn’t get this to you sooner, hopefully we can use this information against Solaris given this level of fraud could cost thousands of lives. I just hope that it’s not too late.

I was furious, it wasn’t even that they had used Stable-Tec and tried to frame us for their crimes. They had endangered lives for nothing more than just an attempt to show us up, and Celestia only knew how many ponies had been killed because of this.

I don’t know what happened next, something snapped in me. Maybe it was the message, maybe it was the weight of everything that had happened since I woke up, maybe it was both. I was consumed by a fit of immeasurable rage.

Before anypony could say anything I stormed through the now unbarred door leaving my friends very confused.

00000

I had never felt this angry before in my life as I stormed out of the hall. I think I could hear the sound of my friends moving behind me as I pushed forward, I didn’t want to talk to them, I didn’t want to talk to anypony right now, I just wanted to get back at Solaris for what they did.

Not that I could, Solaris was long gone, almost everypony I knew was long gone, and that just made it worse. I was a survivor, there was no greater curse in this world than to be a survivor of the apocalypse.

I threw the front doors opened and stopped in mid-step when I saw what was waiting. In the thoroughfare there was a group of Enclave soldiers. They probably had come to try and finish the job and take us out.

Perfect, only problem was that I attacked them I was going to be taken out easily. Then I saw it, somewhere in the back of my mind I recognized it as a Gatling Laser, the Enclave must’ve tried to use it on Cricket, not that it did them any good, but maybe it would do the trick here.

I snatched it up and just as the Enclave soldiers turned to look at me I fired it up and started pouring energy beams down towards them, sweeping back and forth as the gun heated up in my hooves and I kept firing, pouring shot after shot into the soldiers until finally the gun ran empty.

I threw it away and stormed down towards the only surviving pony that was crawling away and slammed down on his chest with my hooves, aiming my rifle at his head. The rage wasn’t fading away, I stared him down the scope of my rifle.

“Please, don’t… have mercy, mercy!” The stallion cried as I shoved the barrel right up to him.

“MERCY? HOW MANY PONIES HAVE YOU KILLED THAT BEGGED FOR MERCY?” I screamed at the top of my lungs as I prepared to pull the trigger.

“Tsk tsk, Threatening to kill a pony who has surrendered and is now your prisoner? How the tables have turned.” A cold voice said behind me, I could feel a hoof on my shoulder before being spun round to face that familiar faded and battered powered armor clad mare. “You see, I understand you - what you’re going through, how you’re feeling. So really, no hard feelings - but if you try that again, I’m going to have to knock you out.”

I was breathing heavily, I tried to push it all aside, but everything just kept flooding back. Everypony I had killed, everything that had happened since I woke up, everything that had happened during the war.

I could’ve saved them… I could’ve made sure that the Stables could never fail. Or I could’ve just stayed somewhere and settled down, not let myself get involved in the war. I had driven the Enclave out of Tenpony Tower, if they had stayed, maybe what happened in Thunderhead never would have happened.

Dear Celestia, what have I done? I couldn’t hold it in anymore, I just broke down crying right there, the tears came so naturally that I couldn’t even hold them in anymore.

“What… what am I…”

“Just a pony, a pony pushed to your limits and finally had enough, it happens - the point is knowing when to stop.” Cricket said with a sigh. “I can’t blame you for what you’ve done, you’ve only done what you thought is right.”

“Students. Today we are going to talk about cutie marks.” The soft voice said from the robot that walked over. “A mark that shows what he or she will do in her life. Tell me Scootaloo the cutie mark given to you..What does it mean to you?” Silver asked in the voice of my old teacher.

“It… means my bond, with my friends,” I said softly as I cried even more. “It means that I can ponies figure out who they are. That I can help ponies, when they need it most. But, I just made things worse, for every pony I’ve helped, I’ve hurt even more.”

Silver sat in front of me staring. “Really.. Logic dictates you have helped many too. In fact you have helped a mare that lost everything. BlackJack you helped her get back her life. I’m sure you helped the others with you. Ignore the pain to a robot like me, I don’t see the pain. I see what you have done.”

Silver chuckled softly. “I could list it all. But I would be here forever.”

“You never gave up on me even when you found out I had betrayed you,” Arc said as she and Riva approached with the others close behind. “You had no reason to forgive me for what I did, but you did anyway. I blamed you for what you did to Stable 66, but I should be thanking you, if you hadn’t built the Stables to begin with I probably wouldn’t be here today.”

“You saved more lives than I can count just in the time I’ve known you,” Riva added. “You’re a hero to Equestria, and that’s good enough for me, and a lot of others feel the same.”

“And squirt, I’ve been watching you for a while now, Rooting for you form the sidelines believe it or not.” Cricket said “But, you helped me too, you reminded me - there is more than the sounds of crickets. There is laughter, good memories, friendships, and I admit, I forgot that for a very long time.”

“I even have somepony who wishes to say a word to you as well.” Silver said and lifted up his com.

“Scootaloo can you hear me?” The voice of Blackjack sounded over the comm. “I wish to thank you for what you did for me. You didn’t give up on me. Found me Glory and Go Fish.”

“You got the President of the Enclave to stand down, you almost ended the war right then and there by talking instead of fighting,” Sunrise said with a soft smile as she looked over at Garnet. “We may not like each other that much, but you got us to work together, you did something that even the Lightbringer couldn’t do. When this war is over, you’ll be remembered as the pony that brought peace, not war.”

“And I’m sure if Cherry was here she’d agree with us,” Arc said with a nod.

“Speaking of Cherry, She’s in nomad city right?” Cricket said with a chuckle.

“Uh, yeah, she is,” I said and blinked in surprise. “What do you have in mind?”

“One second.” Cricket said “Canticum Lunae, Discontinue firing weapons, divert power to communications, get me Nomad city and patch it into my suit, immediately, and make sure they know we are looking for a mare named Cherry Blossom.”

There was a moment before a voice came over the suit, I smiled when I heard Cherry’s voice speaking. “Hello? You wanted to talk to me?”

“Yeah, Its your great like, four times over, aunt or whatever Cloud Chaser, I have a Miss Scootaloo here, who might need her marefriend to tell her, just how much she’s helped.” Cricket said before turning the volume up, letting Cherry be heard to everypony.

“Hey Scootaloo,” Cherry said as I brushed the tears back. “Scootaloo, you’re one of the bravest, strongest ponies I’ve ever met. You saved me from a bad situation, have helped more ponies than I can count ever since I met you. You’ve changed my life and touched so many ponies around Equestria. I couldn’t have fallen in love with any other mare, and I know that you’ll keep doing your best. I don’t know what’s going on there, but I do know that you’re going to be just fine, keep up the good work, and keep helping all the ponies you can. That’s something I know you can do.”

“Thank you, I love you Cherry,” I said with a smile.

“I love you too,” Cherry said with a nod. “Now get out there and kick the Enclave’s flank for me, okay? I want you back home in one piece both physically and emotionally.”

“Yes ma’am,” I said with a laugh. “I’ll be back, I’d marry you right off the transport if I could.”

“If I am given diplomatic immunity, I am a captain of a ship, I do have the authority to marry ponies.” Cricket said with a chuckle.

“We’ll see,” Cherry said with a chuckle.

“Say hi to Serenity and the others for me,” I said with a smile before she closed the communication.

I was about to say something to the others when there was a click behind me. It took me a split second to realize what was happening, the soldier I had pinned had recovered a weapon and was in the middle of pulling the trigger.

The whole world around me slowed down as I started to turn with the sound of a rifle firing. I closed my eyes, expecting to feel the round hitting me. But I felt nothing, and instead heard something I can only describe as a mix between a clang and a crunch as the bullet hit something.

As I opened my eyes I saw Silvers head blasted open with his robotic brain in many pieces on the very ground. He looked back to me with one eye that was still intact. But after awhile there was a bit of a static charge and he shut down.

I grabbed the trigger for my Battle Saddle and aimed for the Enclave soldier who was readying another shot and fired, striking him in the head and he fell over dead. But it was too late, even if Silver could be repaired, I could tell that the damage to his memory center was too extensive.

“I’m sorry, I, couldn’t save you…” I said and placed my hoof on the robot. “Cricket, I…”

“You acted impulsively and didn’t make sure your prisoner was secure?” Cricket said giving her head a shake. “Look, we all got carried away in the moment, but that was sloppy, like really sloppy.”

“Is, there any way to repair him?” Riva asked.

“Yeah, but I don’t have the equipment, and I don’t even have any way to recover his…” I started to say, and then I stopped. I stopped, and started laughing, which got looks from my friends as if I had gone insane, or so they told me later. “Silver, you clever robot… he gave me a chip with back-ups of his memories during the Battle of Thunderhead. If his head can be repaired, he’ll be fine, I mean he won’t remember everything that’s happened since, but he’ll live.”

“Okay, so, how do we repair a robot in the middle of an amusement park?” Garnet asked.

“We don’t, Applejack’s Rangers do,” I said and started to pick the robot up but stumbled a little, but Garnet ran over and helped me. “Thanks.”

He gave me a nod and I looked back at the others. “Arc, you can get the electrical system working right?”

“Yeah,” she said with a nod.

“Okay, Cricket I know…” I started to say when there was a loud crack from overhead and we looked up to see energy streaking over the sky, hitting somewhere in the distance.

The ship that descended was massive, it was like no other cloudship I had ever seen before in my life. It made the Nimbus look like a toy in comparison, though had a similar aesthetic, just more massive. We could make out cannons and hangars and Celestia knew what else as it moved into position over the city.

“What is that thing?” I shouted, and even the Thunderbolts seemed absolutely confused.

“I’ve only heard rumors of it, they call it a supercell” Cricket commented. “Think, The Nimbus, times ten, on steroids.”

I really, really wished I could think of one of LittlePip’s creative swears right now. “Okay, this makes things hard but our objectives remain the same. Get the power back to the Spitfire line and I’ll get Silver to the Rangers, we’ll meet back up on the boardwalk to finish things here.”

Arc nodded and headed back towards the Hall with two of the Thunderbolts and one of the Rangers. I looked back at Cricket for a long moment and sighed.

“What are our odds with this thing in play? Or, do I not want to know?”

“Uh, Not very good unless we can distract it, So, I’ll be needing to get back to my ship.” Cricket said with a sigh “Sorry, can’t stick around”

“I understand, go ahead,” I said with a nod. “Just, umm… thanks again, you really saved my flank back there. Stay safe up there, okay?”

“No problem. You keep that head straight, Don’t want to find your name on my list.” Cricket said with a chuckle before she took off and started to fly towards her ship.

I sighed and looked back at the others. We headed back towards the entrance to the park, still carrying Silver with us.

00000

“What happened out there?” Pecan Sandie asked as we moved into welcome center and laid Silver out.

“We had a bit of a run-in with the Enclave, and that pony from before is on our side at least,” I said with a shake of my head. “Silver here took a bullet from me.”

“Fascinating,” one of the scribes said as she inspected Silver’s circuity. “This is one of the most sophisticated robots I’ve ever examined. I would love to be able to…”

“He’s not just a robot, he’s a thinking and living being, just repair him and leave it at that,” I said and shot the scribe a look.

“Paladin Sandie, can’t you…” The Scribe started to say.

“Scootaloo and her friends helped Elder Nova in Manehattan, Applejack’s Rangers can help her with this,” Pecan Sandie said as he looked at the scribe.

“Alright, I should have the equipment to repair him,” the Scribe said as she went to get her stuff to repair it.

“I apologize for Postronic’s reaction,” Pecan Sandie said as he looked back towards where the scribe had went. “She’s our top expert on robots however, so she’ll be able to fix Silver quite easily. I’ll make sure that she doesn’t do anything to him in the process.”

“Thanks,” I said with a sigh as I looked down at Silver. I was a bit surprised when I noticed that his back was open, we must’ve bumped a button by accident or something while transporting him.

I looked inside out of curiosity, but instead of circuitry there was a shotgun with “Remembrance” written on it and several pictures of Silver with other ponies and a Zebra.

“Who do you think they are?” Riva asked curiously as I picked up one of the pictures.

“His friends maybe?” I said with a shrug. “He’s been around for a long time, so he’s probably gotten to know a lot of ponies. I guess these are to remember them all, something I certainly can understand.”

“Yeah,” Riva said as we gently placed the photos back in the section next to the rifle. We weren’t going to take this kind of thing away from Silver out of respect.

“Alright, I’ve got everything we need,” Positronic said as she came back in carrying her tools and some materials. “But while I can rebuild the damaged head, I don’t know if I’ll be able to restore his memories. That part of the brain is pretty badly damaged, so, I don’t know how much of him will be left. Do you still want me to try?”

“Yeah, that’s not a problem,” I said and reached into my bags and took out the chip that I had gotten before and gave it to her. “This should be a backup of his programming and memories up to around the Battle of Thunderhead.”

“Good, good, I’ll get right to work, and maybe…” Positronic started to say before a look from the Paladin cut her thought off. “I’ll do nothing other than repair him of course.”

“Good,” Pecan Sandie said as we headed back to entrance to the park as the lights started to flicker a bit before coming back on fully. “It looks like that’s one objective here in the park done, good work.”

“Thank Arc and the others, they’re the ones who brought it back online,” I said with a nod as I looked towards the Spitfire line in the distance. “You do realize that the Hardliners probably have a trap waiting for us on the other end, right?”

“Yes, we don’t doubt that,” Pecan said with a shake of his head. “Do you have any ideas on how to deal with that?”

I thought for a moment as I remembered what had happened recently before I nodded. “Send word to the Canticum Lunae, its the first ship that appeared and it should be able to provide some help, in theory.”

“Alright, I hope you’re right,” Pecan Sandie said with a nod. “Mind you with that, thing up there we’ve got our work cut out for us in the skies.”

I nodded as we looked up at the Supercell. I sighed a little as I looked over at Riva who gave me a nod. I took a deep breath and looked at it for a long moment as shook my head, of course it wasn’t going to be as easy as we had hoped.

“So, what’s the plan now?” Riva asked.

“We’ll get to the station and get the key,” I said with a sigh. “Right now that’s the only thing we can do, I just hope that it’ll be enough.”

“Alright, power should be back to the train,” Arc said as she walked up with the others. “How’s Silver doing?”

“He’s being repaired, so everything is looking up there at least,” I said as I looked at her with a smile. “Good work Arc.”

“Thanks, but it was easy enough thanks to Sunrise’s help,” Arc said and gave the Thunderbolt a nod. “She deserves part of the credit.”

“Come on, let’s get going,” I said and nodded at Garnet as we headed down the boardwalk towards the far entrance to the park.

I looked back up at the Supercell again. There was the sounds of a fight going on far above us as the ships exchanged fire, I hoped Cricket was going to be okay up there, that ship did not look like one you’d want to mess with.

But now, we had bigger problems to worry about.

00000

The Spitfire line was part of the rail lines that ran throughout the city of Coltlumbia. It was mostly being used for transporting supplies, but the Spitfire line in particular was made to transport ponies on the monorail cars that made their way around the city and up to Emporia.

As we approached the station, there was already the sound of gunfire and explosions coming from up ahead. We turned the corner and there was already a firefight going on between Applejack’s Rangers and the Enclave Hardliners with neither side giving much ground.

“Finally you got here,” The Knight in charge said as we ducked between the police barricade that they were using as cover. “I’m guessing this means the first part of the plan went off without a hitch.”

“Well, we got ambushed, killed a bunch of soldiers, and nearly got killed ourselves, plus a robot friend got his head broken,” I said with a groan. “Yeah, definitely without a hitch.”

“Which means we just need the key,” Garnet said and the knight gave him a nod. “So, what’s the plan?”

“Well, that’s the tricky part, we know where he is, but we can’t get to him,” the Knight said with a shake of his head. “He’s well defended and getting through would be difficult unless…”

“Unless we could turn invisible?” I suggested with a smirk as I reached into my bag and took out two of the StealthBucks. “The problem is that we only have two of them, and Riva’s Invisibility cloak.”

“Not to mention not all of you have PipBucks,” Riva pointed out and I nodded.

“I still really wish I had a cardboard box right now,” I said with a sigh as I checked the charge on the StealthBucks. “Alright, only three of us can go then… who’s going to go?”

“I’ll go,” Sunrise said as she looked around at the others and I handed her one of the Stealthbucks. “I mean, if that’s okay with you.”

I gave her a nod and looked at the others. “Anypony else?”

I looked at Arc and Riva, I half expected one of them to volunteer so I was surprised when a stallion’s voice spoke up. “I’ll take the cloak,” Garnet said as Riva took it out and handed it to him.

“Are you going to be okay?” Arc asked as I started to fit the StealthBuck onto my PipBuck.

“Yeah, I’ll be fine,” I said with a reassuring smile as I finished and looked back at the two that would be accompanying me. “I’ll take the front, you two take out the guards and use a grenade or, something if I don’t come out quickly. Come on, lets go.”

And with that we turned invisible and started on the roundabout way towards the main office where the Colonel was holed up.

I swear, I’ll never get used to being invisible no matter how many times I do this. There’s just something unsettling about it, especially when you have to hope you don’t accidentally bump into your companions, who are also invisible.

Thankfully Sunrise and Garnet were a bit more spaced out so that we wouldn’t have to worry about running into each other. I didn’t like the idea of having to kill another pony, especially not so soon after everything that had happened, but right now I didn’t have much of a choice.

I doubted he or she would be willing to listen like Fulbright had been. I paused a moment and waited for some guards to move past before I moved into the office itself. I took a deep breath, thankfully the door was open slightly so I pushed it open as much as I dared and slipped inside.

And that’s when everything fell apart as an energy blast flew at me and hit me. For a moment I thought it was going to kill me but instead the energy just crackled along my body and PipBuck as I turned visible again.

“What a handy little weapon this is,” a mare’s voice said as I got to my hooves and saw that I was staring down the barrel of two guns. “What do you call this, a SOAR?”

“Where did you get one?” I managed to say as I stopped as the Colonel reached for the other gun.

“You’d be amazed what you can find lying around, General Cloud Chaser gave it to me because he figured you’d be using your stealth equipment,” the mare said with a smirk. “So then, General Dash is it now? How about you come quietly and we won’t have to be scraping up your ashes off the floor? Drop your weapons and I’ll make sure you’re well treated, while you’re here of course.”

“What do you mean?” I asked as I started to pull the SOAR out of my Battle Saddle.

“Why, you’re a powerful bargaining chip of course,” the colonel said. “Between you and the Eclipse up there, we’re in a better position than the alliance is. Your commanders are better off surrendering now.”

“I wouldn’t be so sure, if there’s one thing I learned its…” I started to say and paused a moment before I noticed something out of the corner of my eye and smiled. “Its that the Equestrian Spirit is something that can’t be easily defeated, not by an apocalypse, and certainly not by you and the Enclave. This war isn’t over yet, and we’re not going to be defeated by the likes of you.”

I ducked down and covered my eyes just as a flashbang flew through the window and exploded after a second, leaving the colonel stunned. I looked up and rushed forward, for a moment I considered shooting her but I stopped, not now, not when I could do something else.

I picked up one of the rifles and hit her with the butt of it, knocking her out. I breathed a sigh of relief as Sunrise and Garnet came in as I was grabbing the key off of the colonel.

“Hey you two, is everypony outside dealt with?” I asked.

“Yeah, they’re either dead or being held, we’ve already signaled for Alicorns to come pick them up,” Garnet said and gave Sunrise a nod. “What about the Colonel?”

“Knocked out, tell them they have one more prisoner,” I said and gave them a nod before we headed out again.

The Rangers and my friends spotted us coming out and gave me a nod.

“I knew you could do it Scootaloo,” Arc said with a nod. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, just got caught a little off guard is all,” I said with a shrug as I went to the controls of the monorail and fit the key into it. “What’s the word on when we get there?”

“Cricket said she’d lay down covering fire,” Riva said. “We’re also moving a wing of Alicorns in behind them. I’m not sure why we couldn’t just teleport in.”

“The Alicorns are one of our strongest assets in this battle, we can’t risk tiring them out,” I said with a sigh. “Believe me, I wouldn’t mind teleporting there, but we have to make do. And besides, we can move more troops this way.”

They nodded in agreement as we all started to pile on the monorail train with the Applejack’s Rangers that arrived soon after. I looked back at Paladin Pecan Sandie who gave me a nod. “How’s Silver doing?”

“When we left, Scribe Positronic was wrapping things up with him, she said it shouldn’t be too much longer,” he said. “If he’s in any condition to move, he’ll be on the next train to Emporia.”

“Good…” I said with a sigh as the train started to move towards Emporia.

Towards the heart of the city.

Maximum Level Achieved.

Chapter 39: Stormbreaker

"We are the Crusaders
Blood-red cross caretakers
Allied as one, known as Stormbreaker."
-Hammerfall, Stormbreaker.

As the monorail train approached the Emporia station we could hear the sound of gunfire as the Canitcum Lunae’s guns were bombarding the Enclave troops in the upcoming station. I sighed and looked back at Arc and Riva as the cars neared the station.

"The minute we arrive we'll have to move fast," the knight from before said and I nodded a little. "The ship can't do this indefinitely, not with that dreadnought above us."

"Right," I said with a nod. "That ship isn't exactly making our situation any better. I didn't think the Enclave had anything that big in their arsenal."

"Cloud Chaser was in charge of R&D, its more than likely that he was developing it in a secret shipyard or something," Sunrise said with a shake of her head. "Of course he'd use it for his own purposes instead of giving it to the President. He's certainly crafty enough to pull this kind of thing off, I just wish that we had it on our side instead of having to deal with it instead."

"Yeah," I said with a shake of my head. "Alright, when we get out there lets take the Enclave out as quick as we can. We need to get into Emporia as soon as we can. Depending on what time of timescale we're looking at, I'd like to be able to go and find the Lieutenant's family."

"Really?" Sunrise asked and I nodded. "So, what's the plan?"

"Most of the radio interference is in Emporia, but we should be able to track a distress signal if we're nearby," I said and then raised my hoof as the train came to a stop. "Alright, lets go!"

The doors to the train opened up as we pushed through and dove under cover as a flurry of energy bolts hit the train car behind us as it started to move backward towards the park again. The Enclave forces weren't looking to good as fire poured down towards them from the ship above us.

I took a deep breath as I looked back towards where the Enclave was holed up. There were more than a few dead ponies as they kept trying to fire back, on occasion shooting towards us. I made sure that my weapons were fully loaded as I pointed my rifle towards the soldiers.

"Are you sure this is the best plan?" Arc asked as we fired back towards the Enclave. "I mean, what happens when they're dead and Cricket's ship has to turn its attention away from Emporia?"

She did have a point, we were about to head into a warzone to deal with everything that was going on in there. There would be more ponies coming to help fight, but we still had to deal with everything that was going on and whatever our primary objective was going to be.

I lined up a shot on one of the soldiers and paused for a moment as it hit me that I was going to have to take a life, again. I remembered what had happened back in the park, I had gone crazy and was just attacking ponies with that Gatling laser. Even when my friends had snapped me out of my rage, I had still gone too far, done things that I had never imagined myself capable of doing.

I really hoped this was the last battle of the war, I couldn't do this anymore.

But at the same time I couldn't just stand by and let the Enclave win so I started firing at the soldiers again. I took a deep breath and fired a shot at the soldier again as they fell forward. The last of the Enclave soldiers fell as the last of the rounds ripped through them.

I lowered my rifle and took a deep breath as I looked back at the other and smiled as the gunfire from above wrapped up. "Thanks Cricket," I said softly as we pushed forward to secure the rest of the station.

00000

I was surprised to find a radio room that still worked and used it to connect to the Nightingale. We were going into Emporia and still needed to know exactly what our orders were, though there was a bit of static coming through as well.

"This is General Dash calling the Nightingale," I said as I opened the transmission up. "Can you read me?"

"You're... break... a... little..." the sound of Winter's voice was heard on the other side. "Need... to... deal with... interference... from... Manor."

"What kind of manor?" I asked as I blinked a little and tried to make out what she was saying. "Madam President, could you repeat that?"

"General... Chaser... set... interference... from... Presidential..." Winter tried to get through. "Have... plan... need... the... radio... working."

"Alright, I think I got the message," I said with a sigh as I tried to get an idea of what she was saying. Clearly she needed us to take out the interference from somewhere in Emporia, possibly from the Presidential Manor based on what she was saying. "Over and out."

"Any luck?" Arc asked as she came in, I noticed she was trembling a little.

"I think I know where we have to go next," I said with a nod. "It seems like the Hardliners are using some equipment in the Presidential Manor to block all radio signals coming into Emporia. Winter seems to have some sort of plan, so maybe it'll be what ends the battle here, I hope."

"Yeah..." Arc said and shook her head a little. "Scootaloo, I don't think I'm going to be much use to you right now. I've, been out of Calm-X for a little while now and I'm not in the best shape. Maybe I should head back out of Emporia."

"Arc, you're going to be just fine," I said reassuringly as I gave her a smile and put my hoof on her shoulder. "Arc, you've been with me since I first started traveling around Equestria. You've been there for me more than anypony else in the Wasteland, even when I had to leave you behind. I'm, just glad that you're here with me now and we'll work through this together."

"Thanks Scootaloo."

"You're welcome, now come on, let's get going, we have a war to win," I said with a smile.

Arc nodded and we headed back out of the room together and back out onto the thoroughfare. I took a deep breath and looked up towards where the Canticum Lunae was. They were still providing support in Emporia itself, that was good at least, but it wasn't going to last.

I was about to say something when there was a noise as several pods fell from the sky and impacted the ground around us.

"Great, what now?" I asked with a groan as we readied our weapons to see what was going to happen next.

The pods doors were kicked out and several ponies dressed in armor stepped out. They eyed us up and down for a moment before they nodded and gave me a quick salute. “The Captain said she cannot keep focusing her attention here, so she sent us to help the effort to take Emporia while went back to dealing with the Eclipse.”

I breathed a sigh of relief, at least we weren’t going to get into another fight as we stood down. “Thank you, we could use all the help we can get.”

I nodded and looked back towards where the train had arrived and was being unloaded of more soldiers and equipment with Alicorns teleporting more in. I nodded and looked back to my friends with a smile.

“Of course,” the one who had spoken said as they went to go and talk to the others.

“What’s going on with them?” Sunrise asked as she walked up next to me and looked at the group strangely. “Never thought I’d see them here.”

“Do you know them?” I asked as I looked over at her.

“More like I know of them, they’re something of a legend in the Enclave military,” Sunrise said with a shake of her head. “They’re supposed to be some sort of assassination squad or something, nopony can really agree on what they are. I guess these ponies work with Cricket.”

I frowned and shook my head, this was something that at the very least made me feel a bit uneasy given everything that was going on. But still, if they were on our side then it should at least help us.

A map of Emporia was laid out, this part of the city had a central area that we were close to and the roads circled around with several shops and homes around the area. Finally there was a park and an entrance area that lead to the Presidential Manor, which was the primary goal of my team.

“The distress signal came from over here,” I said and pointed at the east end of the neighborhood. “It’s probably our best place to start if we want to find anything. But if the battle above isn’t going our way, we might have to push to the mansion.”

“I understand,” Sunrise said softly as she looked at the map.

“Do we know anything about the Presidential Manor?” Arc asked as she looked between the three Thunderbolts.

“It’s about three stories tall and pretty decently sized,” the Bat Pony said. “The problem is that there are a lot of rooms and halls inside. I assume they’re using the broadcast center on the third floor.”

“Right,” I said and nodded. “Okay, we have a plan, now we just have to…”

“Scootaloo!” A familiar voice interrupted as my ears perked up in curiosity, I turned to see Cherry making her way over to us dressed in armor with a strange necklace. I ran over to her and hugged her.

“Cherry, what are you doing here?” I asked as I looked at the pink Earth pony in surprise. “You should be back on Nomad City. Is everything okay? What’s going on?”

“Well, Nomad City was being called into the fight with that big ship up there,” Cherry said as she hugged me. “The city is well protected, and, well after what I heard about while you were in the park I was worried about you.”

“But, you’re…” I said and then smiled a little and nuzzled Cherry. “I missed you so much Cherry, I’m glad you’re here, but I’m still worried about you.”

“Have you ever tried to say no to a hormonal pregnant mare before?” Another mare said as she approached. She was dressed like a doctor and had a light pink coat with a short red mane. “I’m Doctor Cure All, your fiance insisted on coming. We were sent along to make sure that she and the foal aren’t hurt.”

“We?” I asked and looked around.

“Yep, We” A mare said as she dropped down next to them, horn starting to glow as she surrounded the three with a shield. “Retasked from the front lines, no pony better at shields in the Alliance or NCR then me.”

I blinked a little in surprise as I looked at the mare that just landed. “You, uh… you look a lot like, well… Starlight Glimmer.”

“There’s a name I haven’t heard in forever, Look like her ‘cause I’m a descendant of her.” She said with a smile “Seren Lulamoon, NCR Ranger and 76’er Trooper, take your pick”

“Yeah, they have to foalsit me, the Alliance insisted,” Cherry said with a shrug as she brushed her mane back. “But if it means I get to spend time with my favorite mare in Equestria and help her out, then I can live with it.”

I smiled a little and held Cherry close and sighed happily before I looked back at the two. “Just promise me you’ll keep them both safe, okay?”

“I promise,” Cure All said with a nod.

“Cure!” Sunrise said as she jumped up and ran over and hugged the Unicorn tightly. “It’s so good to see you!”

“It’s good to see you again Sunny,” Cure All said with a smile as she hugged the Pegasus back and gave her a light kiss. “I was worried about you with all the reports coming in from the city, are you okay? Has anything happened to you?”

“I’m fine, calm down,” Sunrise said with a shake of her head. “So, why are you here? I mean, I know you’re here to protect Cherry, but...”

“When they needed a Doctor I volunteered,” Cure All said with a smile. “I’m glad I got to see you again, and I wanted to help with your family.”

“We’re glad to have you back Cherry,” Arc said as she and Riva hugged us both. “Well, it
s good to have the group back together.”

“Yeah,” I said with a nod as I quickly filled the three of them in on what we were doing here in Emporia. “And that’s everything so far, I just hope that whatever Winter has planned is a good one.”

With everything set up and we got our equipment together, it was time to head into Emporia itself. I looked at Cherry and smiled a little as I leaned in and gave her a kiss on the cheek.

“I really am glad to have you here with us,” I said softly. “I love you so much Cherry, I’m just glad you’re going to be safe.”

Cherry nodded and nuzzled me. “I love you too,” she said as we headed for the entrance to Emporia itself.

00000

If Flankton was the part of Coltlumbia where the lower class lived, then Emporia was its exact opposite. The buildings here were nicer with better architecture that looked like it was made for the upper class.

Even 200 years ago I hadn’t even stepped hoof in here given I was living a little ways away in the Town Center. This was, actually kind of distressing given that it meant these ponies were living better than ponies in the lower parts of the city.

I shook my head and sighed as there were Enclave soldiers here too of course. Cherry put a hoof on my shoulder and gave me a smile. “Don’t worry Scootaloo, it’ll be okay.”

“Thanks Cherry,” I said and looked up the way. “We need to get to the Market section of Downtown Emporia for now. Another team will be going through Harmony Lane and we’ll meet up at Victory Square here.”

I looked back at Cherry and gave her a soft smile. “Are you sure you’re going to be okay? If we’re going into a fight, what if the shield fails?”

“Don’t worry Scootaloo, we thought of that,” Cherry said with a smile as she placed her hoof on the necklace. “This is a Personal Shield Talisman, it’s a backup just in case something happens. Better safe than sorry, especially given my, extra passenger.”

I breathed a sigh of relief at that, it at least sounded like they had planned ahead. I took a deep breath and nuzzled Cherry gently before we looked back towards where the Enclave was set up. “We should get going, come on.”

The others nodded as we pushed towards the entrance to the market area. The Enclave had several emplacements here as I gestured towards the cover that we did have so that we could fight them.

I looked over at Cherry as Seren’s horn glowed and a shield bubble formed around her. I gave her a nod before I entered SATS and targeted the pony that looked like they were in charge with my energy rifle, hopefully that would give us enough of an advantage to take them out. I pulled the trigger and the shot went wild, barely missing them and taking out one of the other soldiers.

“Crap…” I said with a groan as the Enclave soldiers started to form up and fire back at us.

The Battle for Emporia was on in full force.

A group of Enclave soldiers moved down the stairs towards us. I adjusted my rifle and aimed towards the group of soldiers and Arc with the Rangers while the Thunderbolts focused their attention on the soldiers up above.

“Hey Arc, can you do shield spells?” Seren said, chuckling to herself. “It doesn’t have to be a strong one, Just enough to free me up.”

Arc blinked a moment and nodded as I fired at the soldiers. “Yeah, what do you have in mind?”

“Shields can be used offensively as much as defensively, I know a few tricks that were passed down the line but I can’t do any of them as long as I am here protecting her.” Seren said, looking at the other ponies around her “I’ll need everypony on me, we’re going to close the distance, I’ll stun them with a shield blast, you guys make sure they don’t get back up.”

I blinked a bit in surprise, I hadn’t ever thought of using shield spells offensively, but then again I wasn’t a Unicorn. I looked back at Arc who nodded in understanding.

“Alright, on your mark?” She asked Seren.

“Any questions or comments?” Seren said as she looked at the ponies around her once more. “I want to make sure that we get this right, we’ll only get one chance and if it doesn’t work we’re all probably dead.”

I looked back towards the soldiers and then back at Seren. “Are you sure you can hold your concentration long enough to do this?”

“Was Starswirl the bearded one of the best wizards in all equestria?” Seren said with a chuckle. “Yes, he was, and Yes I can.”

“It wouldn’t be the craziest thing we’ve done,” Riva commented.

“Alright,” I said and reloaded my weapons again just to be safe. “Let’s do this then.”

“Alright, Arc come here and get your shield around Cherry.” Seren said. “Everypony else, gather together, the smaller I can get the shield the easier It will be to hold it.”

Arc nodded and moved in close to Cherry as her horn glowed and formed a shield around the pink mare. The rest of us moved as close together as we could, I took a deep breath and looked back at Arc and Cherry and gave them a smile.

“Keep her safe for me,” I said with a nod as I looked back at Seren. “This better work.”

Seren’s shield dropped for a moment as she changed her position, standing as close to the rest of them as she could before her horn would glow once more, the sound of popping and crackling as her magic surged and formed a bubble around us, I swore for just a moment, I thought I saw her mane flowing like a princess’s.

“Trust me, No pony better than me to do this.” Seren said with a reassuring smile “So you ponies, you wanna live forever?”

I took a deep breath and nodded. “Lets go.”

Seren nodded and started to walk forward, out of cover and into the line of fire. Energy bolts impacting the shield all around them, the sound of gunfire filling the void but the shield still held, not a single round getting past. Seren didn’t even seem bothered or to be breaking a sweat, keeping a steady advance and closing the distance.

The Enclave soldiers looked confused as they pressed back a little, still firing back at us. I tried not to feel afraid, if this shield failed then we were all going to die, or be captured. I looked at Seren as she held the shield carefully in place.

I just hoped she wouldn’t fail.

Seren stopped the advance just shy of the enclave’s position, We looked between each other and back to her wondering why we stopped, before she called out to the Enclave. “Look, When I drop this shield, you all are dead, just give up now - I don’t want to have you all killed.”

The Enclave soldiers actually seemed to waver for a moment. Surprisingly enough, some of them actually even took to the skies and flew out of the way of our advance.

The Enclave commander scowled and looked down at us before calling back. “You drop that shield and we’ll pour enough ammunition into where you’re standing to take you all out before you get a shot off. It seems to me like you’re the one who needs to surrender.”

“Alright, well, you got us, called our bluff, come out and arrest us why don’t you?” Seren said with a chuckle to herself, this commander sounded cocky and she was trying to take advantage of it.

The Commander looked surprised for a moment and then gestured towards his soldiers as they moved towards us with their guns still pointed in our direction. He came across as cocky, but not stupid, I just hoped Seren knew what she was doing.

“So, you really think you have us?” Seren said, sitting and cocking her head to the side “Or do you pegasi don’t really understand how shield magic works?”

“Lower your shield and give us your weapons and you won’t be harmed,” the Commander said.

“How about, You lower your weapons, or I’ll lower my shield and you will be harmed.” Seren said, staring at him “Look, you clearly don’t know, and I prefer to not kill ignorant ponies, but if you really want to give me no choice.”

A few more of the guards gulped and backed off next as they headed towards Emporia. There were only a few ponies left, but they still had enough firepower to take us out if this went badly for us.

“Your shield is of no consequence to us,” the Commander said with a scowl. “Even if you make it through us, the Enclave isn’t going to fall not here, and not ever.”

“Which one? The good one or the stupid stuck in their old ways one?” Seren said with a chuckle. “Look, may as well go get some tea and cakes, cause you can’t force me to drop the shield and You aren’t willing to stand down.”

“The one true Enclave, the one that follows the traditions we’ve had for over 200 years instead of the weak…” The commander was saying before a shot rang out and hit him and had him fall over.

“Sorry, he was starting to get on my nerves,” one of the officers said and gave us a salute and the other soldiers looked shocked before they lowered their weapons. “Corporal Ace, I’m with the resistance here in Coltlumbia, ponies still loyal to the President.”

“Ha, I thought I recognized some of these soldiers, what about the rest?” Seren said with a chuckle, looking back to the rest of us “Don’t question it, when you’re a sniper you get around a lot.”

“They’re not going to be a problem,” Ace said as he looked back at the soldiers with a shake of his head. “They’re more afraid of the Enclave than anything else, but I doubt you’ll have an easier job inside Emporia itself.”

“What do you think we should do?” I asked as I looked at Seren. “You know more about this kind of thing than me.”

“No offense, Corporal, But I’m not really feeling confident enough to drop this shield, so uh… you’ll have to forgive me for what I am about to do.” Seren said with a smile “You still owe me a coffee, by the way.”

“I understand,” Ace said with a respectful nod. “If means freeing this city, I’ll forgive you.”

Seren smiled “It’s less that I don’t trust you, is there are alot of soldiers here who were just trying to kill us, and well - I don’t trust them.”

She smiled and stood, horn glowing brighter before her shield would rapidly expand, impacting the soldiers around them and knocking them all back and knocking them out for a few moments
“We better move before they get back up - I get the feeling that some of them will still try and kill us.” Seren said with a deep breath before she called back to Arc “Alright you two, get up here right ricky-tick.”

Arc and Cherry made their way up the stairs as we kept a close eye on the soldiers. They were followed by ponies to secure the soldiers.

“Still want to come with us?” I asked with a chuckle as Cherry moved up next to me.

“I wouldn’t still be here if I didn’t,” she said and gave me a quick kiss on the cheek.

The team that had been pushing up the other side waved us on. The Enclave had been pushed out of this area of Emporia, so at least things were looking up.

“Alright, let’s get going,” I said as I checked my PipBuck for any sign of radio signals that might be the distress call with no luck.

I took a deep breath and we moved forward into Emporia itself.

00000

The Market District of Emporia had shops lining the street. Most of them were locked up along with the houses and apartments that the high class ponies of Coltlumbia lived in. But more obvious there was ponies in Enclave Power armor making their way around the street and setting up defensive positions.

“Oh look, the welcome party is here,” I said with a shake of my head as the Enclave soldiers closest to us prepared to attack as we moved into cover, again before I looked over at Seren as she formed a shield around Cherry again. “I don’t think they’re going to fall for the same trick in here.”

I narrowed my eyes and looked back towards where the soldiers were. They looked like they had seen battle, probably ponies loyal to Cloud Chaser that had fought in the war or in earlier battles in the Wasteland.

This wasn’t going to be easy to get through, and we needed a plan and fast. “Any ideas?”

“Uh… Not off the top of my head, I don’t see any faces I recognize and like you said, I don’t think they are going to fall for the same trick twice, I mean - I still can use my shield, but yeah, talking them down isn’t really an option…” Seren said, giving a sigh.

Right now I was really wishing that I had brought along that Gatling laser from Wonderbolts Fields. I had some doubts that even using stealth tech was going to do the trick, so I had to think. We could probably take them if we were lucky, but that wasn’t going to be easy to say the least.

“Excuse me. Ma’am.” One of the soldiers Cricket sent for us said as he pushed past, a long tube against his side. He took aim in the general direction of the fortifications and fired, a cylinderal object came out with a ‘pom’ and when it landed, it burst out with bright green smoke.

“Get your heads down and prepare for the show.” Another soldier said as he took cover in a nearby alley.

“Exactly, Did you think she only gave you us? She deployed a mortar team, they’ve been keeping up with us at a distance” Yet another one said with a smirk, this one quite obviously a mare. “So hold onto those flanks, ‘cause there’s ‘bout to be fireworks.”

We quickly ducked down as the mortar fire rained down on the Enclave forces down the street. I flinched a little when I heard the sound of it hitting buildings on occasion, I just hoped that there wasn’t anypony in them.

I looked over at Cherry and smiled. I was glad she was here, even if I was still worried about her, I was just happy to have her here. Still, I didn’t like that she was putting herself and the foal at risk with this.

The sounds of explosions finally came to an end and we waited to see if we could hear anything coming from where the soldiers had been before. I peeked out of cover to see what was going on, there was still a few ponies alive but they were either retreating back towards victory square or too wounded to be moved and surrendering.

“I swear, when this is over, I owe Cricket a drink or something,” I said with a chuckle. “Do Canterlot Ghouls even drink? Never mind, I’ll think of something.”

“So, should we give the Alicorns a break, or do we let them take the prisoners and wounded?” The female assassin said with a grin “I don’t know how Cricket would feel about tipping her one ace in the hole just yet.”

“Signal for the Alicorns,” I said and took a deep breath. “The street should take us up to where the signal was coming from before. Hopefully that’ll be close enough to pick up a signal.”

“So, How do you signal for the Alicorns?” Seren said “Cause if you use radio, and we’re in a jammed area…”

“Radio signals sure, but we have other methods,” Sunrise said as she reached into her armor and took out a small device. “Something that we cooked up to use when Haven used radio jamming in Seaddle, sort of a magical signaling device. General Tornado is keyed into the signal and will send an Alicorn here in less than a minute. Any further questions?”

“Uh huh… Wouldn’t a flare kind of work too and be a little less… prone to failures?” Seren asked with a chuckle and a shake of her head.

“Would also paint a big target on our heads for the large ships above us that says “shoot here,” I would like to be alive to see my son thank you very much,” Sunrise said. “Besides, they’ve worked fine so far.”

“Yes. because the ships up there can’t see the massive smoke cloud from the smoke grenade that called in a not-so-friendly mortar strike, and yet they aren’t doing anything about it, they’re so busy fighting each other that you could sneak up and board one without them even noticing.” Seren said with a roll of her eyes.

“Okay, touche,” Sunrise said with a shake of her head. “Look, are we going to argue about how we’re going to signal them or are we going to actually signal them?”

“Are you two going to stop bickering like a married couple or should we just get you a room” The soldier carrying the launcher said with a chuckle.

“Hey, at least I’m observant enough to notice obvious details.” Seren said with a huff.

“Are they going to be like this the whole time?” Cherry asked as Sunrise activated the device. After a few seconds as promised the Alicorns appeared and teleported the wounded and prisoners away.

“Let’s hope not,” I said as we pushed forward down the street towards our next destination. I still occasionally checked my PipBuck and as we rounded one of the corners there was a sudden new signal on my PipBuck. “Hold it, I’ve got something.”

“What is it?” Sunrise asked as her ears perked up and she rushed over to me.

“There’s a signal coming from…” I said and started to look around, using the PipBuck to try and narrow down the location. I finally spotted a two story building on the far side of the plaza we were now in. “Over there, that building there.”

“Do you think that’s where the signal was coming from?” Sunrise asked.

“I’d put my last cap on it,” I said and Sunrise started to move forward but I stopped her in mid-step. “But Sunrise, we don’t actually know what’s in there, we’re in a warzone deep in enemy territory. Do you really think the Enclave Hardliners wouldn’t have noticed it? This could be a trap.”

“Yeah, so what are we going to do? What if it’s not a trap?”

“One of us could always sneak in,” Garnet suggested. “We still have the StealthBucks and cloak, we could get in there and see what’s going on.”

“Well, I guess that could work… I can go, stealth is kind of my forte?” Seren said with a nervous chuckle.

“Two of us should go,” I said. “That way if one of us gets found out the other can still get word back to the others.” I looked back at Cherry for a moment and nodded. “I’ll go too, if there isn’t any argument.”

“Are you sure?” Cherry asked as she looked at me worriedly. “What if they have mines or some other kind of trap?”

“I’ll be fine,” I said and kissed Cherry gently on the lips as Riva took her cloak out. “Trust me, I wouldn’t volunteer if I didn’t think I’d be able to do this. Not when I’ve got a beautiful mare to come back to.”

“Okay,” Cherry said softly as she nuzzled me. “Just make sure that you stay safe, I don’t want to lose you.”

“I will,” I said as Riva gave me her cloak, I looked over at Seren. “Are you going to need a StealthBuck?”

“A Stealthbuck? Nah - those things aren’t good for your brain. I’ve seen ponies go crazy using them” Seren said with a chuckle “I like being in control of my faculties thanks.”

“Alright, then we’ll be back as soon as we can,” I said and slipped the stealth cloak on and pulled the hood on over my head.

I headed for the building the signal seemed to be coming from. I really hoped this wasn’t going to end badly.

00000

The two story building was an odd one, though I guess I wasn’t really sure what to expect. When I managed to slip into the building through the front door. Luckily, there wasn’t a click or a beeping sound that suggested I was about to be blown sky high.

My ear twitched a little when I heard a stallion’s voice coming from the nearby room. I pressed up against the wall and listened to what he was saying.

“The General said that they would be coming through here to investigate that Thunderbolt’s family,” the stallion said. “I wish they’d hurry up, there’s something about this house that gives me the creeps.”

“It’s that lab the old President had set up upstairs,” a mare’s voice said. “I don’t even know why they were here, but that’s not important. We have our orders, we’re to take them out as soon as they enter before they reach the police station where we’re keeping the ponies that were holed up here.”

I was about to head for the door when I heard hoofsteps outside and the soldiers inside were moving. I quickly headed upstairs, maybe I could find some other way out, or at least wait until I could get out.

Upstairs I was surprised to find a neatly kept laboratory with several empty bottles. I looked at one curiously and was surprised to see an unfamiliar symbol on it with the word “Zap!” and an image of a lightning bolt. It was in a case that read “Doctor Alchemy’s Magikal Solutions” with a smiling stallion’s face carved into it.

This wasn’t the time for curiosity, I had to get out of there and I had heard the door close downstairs. I just had to hope that Seren would make her own way out, so I had to improvise a little bit.

Thankfully there was a window that was just barely big enough for me to exit it (being smaller than average did have its advantages). After a moment of prying it open, I managed to slip out and found myself on the second floor roof of the house.

Right now my wings would come in handy, except this cloak wasn’t made for flying or gliding since it was supposed to be used by Zebras. Maybe this wasn’t a good idea after all, but I quickly found one way down a ladder, I just had to be very careful.

I hopped off the ladder and landed softly on the permacloud beneath my hooves. I headed back to where my friends were and removed my hood.

“How’d it go?” Sunrise asked expectantly.

“They’re waiting for us in there, but I think I know where to go to find your family,” I said and she let out a sigh of relief. “The thing is they’re being held at a police station, do you know anything about that?”

“Sure, there’s one right between here and the manor,” Sunrise said. “Right across from the memorial gardens.”

“Right, we just have to wait for Seren to get back,” Arc said. “I just hope you’re right Scootaloo.”

“Me too,” I said with a sigh. “Me too.”

A few moments passed before Seren could be seen poking out of the building, fully emerging and making her back back to the rest of us giving her head a shake as she approached. Giving a sigh as she reached us before looking to me. “What’d you see or find? I found literally nothing other then that they planned on ambushing us and a few documents that suggested a few high value ponies could be being kept in a police station around here.” Looking between us before she chuckled some and shook her head “Guess you guys already knew that though from the looks on your faces.”

I nodded. “Yeah, that’s all I found too, at least not anything else relevant, looks like there was some sort of experimentation going on there on the second floor with potions, but I doubt that’s relevant to anything.”

“Right, that would be something a friend of the family was working on, I didn’t get all the details,” Sunrise said. “Something about an underwater city. But still, we have an idea of where to go next.

I looked up at the fighting above us. Nomad City had entered the fray along with the Orion, Nightingale, and Typhon. Like Seren said before the attention was focused on the Eclipse, so that might give us an edge.

“Alright, we’ll check out the police station next,” I said with a nod as I compared it to the map on my PipBuck. “It shouldn’t be too far, we just have to worry about what’s going to be waiting for us when we actually get to the station.”

“So, then what’s the plan?” Garnet asked.

“We need to see what we’re up against here first,” I said with a sigh as we turned our attention down the street towards where the Enclave Police Station was. “Come on, let’s get going.”

And with that we walked down the street towards the station.

00000

The Emporia Police Station was on the northern end of the neighborhood. We were at the moment hiding in the memorial gardens across the street from where the Enclave soldiers were holed up.

Of course what nopony bothered to mention was that the Memorial Gardens was actually a graveyard. Well, of sorts given that it was more like it had been built to house ashes or other remains.

The problem here was going to be getting into the station. We weren’t sure how many ponies there were inside, I hated not knowing what was going on in there. At least they didn’t know how close we were yet.

Though it wasn’t like we were going to be able to just go in through the front door easily.

“Alright, we need to…” I started to say when there was the sound of explosions and gunfire coming from the direction of the entrance to the Presidential Manor. I grinned and looked back at the others. “Sounds like the rest of the Alliance is here, that’s good.”

I glanced out towards where the station was and smirked a little when I saw soldiers moving out of the station towards the manor. That was a good sign, they wouldn’t have left the ponies inside unguarded, but if they were needed to protect the manor then they’d have hopefully sent all but a skeleton crew.

“Alright, Seren, you and Cure…” I started to say when I was interrupted.

“I should go,” Cure All said. “They might need medical help and I’m the best medic we have here.”

I knew she really wanted to be there for Sunrise, but it at least made sense either way. “Okay, but what if medical help is needed out here?”

“I’ll stay,” Riva said. “Between the training that the Mendi gave me to become a Viatorem and how I’ve had to patch the lot of you up, I can treat most battlefield wounds. I’ll stay here and help if its needed.”

“Alright, Riva, Seren and…” I said and pointed at one of the Rangers and the Bat Pony mare. “You two stay here with Cherry, the rest of us will go into the station itself. Any questions?”

There weren’t any so as the rest of the group got their gear together I felt a hoof wrap around my foreleg and pull me in close. I smiled as Cherry kissed me on the lips and I wrapped my wings around her gently.

“For good luck?” I asked with a smile.

“That and I want you to be sure you’ll make it back,” she said with a smirk as she nuzzled me gently. “You better be back or I’ll make the Enclave rue the day they ever crossed Cherry Josephine Blossom.”

“Your middle name is Josephine?”

“Yeah, I know its weird,” Cherry said with a chuckle. “What, don’t you have a middle name Scootaloo Dash?”

“Technically I don’t have a last name, I just call myself that to remember Rainbow,” I admitted with a chuckle as I gave her another kiss. “I’ll be back, I promise.”

Cherry nodded as I released her from my wings. “I’m holding you to that, I’m not letting you get out of your duties as a step-mom.”

“Don’t worry, I won’t,” I said with a smile as I gave her a salute. “I’ll be back soon, I promise.”

Cherry nodded as we got our equipment back together and headed towards the entrance of the gardens. There was a single pony standing guard outside, that was a good sign, and Sunrise took them out quickly with her own energy rifle.

I looked at the assassins and gave them a nod, they knew their job as we moved forward towards the station. It was time to finish this part of our mission in Emporia once and for all.

00000

As we quietly entered the station I checked my EFS for any signs of hostiles on the compass. There were a few in the immediate area, but there was several other areas they might be in off to the side and we had to make sure that they didn’t go for their captives.

I looked over at the mare assassin from before and pointed at the soldiers nearest to the door we were at. I checked my rifle before I took out one of the flashbangs that I had gotten before and pulled the pin before rolling it into the room as we pulled back.

As the flashbang went off, the assassins moved in a split-second and took out the soldiers I had pointed them towards before. I raised my rifle and fired at the other soldiers as they recovered from the grenade attack.

The last one managed to recover in time to get a shot off, but it went wild when Arc hit them with a burst from her rifle. I noticed four more markers on my EFS moving in from the other hallways and pointed towards them, I knew they were probably going to come in guns blazing, so we had to move fast.

One of the assassins took the two ponies on the right side out quickly. While they did that me and Arc did the same on the left side. I noticed a sign pointing towards the holding cells and gestured for Sunrise and Cure to come with us as we headed down there quickly.

There was one last soldier in the holding cells, they were shocked when they saw us arrive and was about to raise their gun.

“Hold it right there,” I said as I aimed for their head. “Drop your weapon and surrender and you’ll get to live another day.”

The soldier gulped and threw his rifle to the ground before he backed off. Arc went to check him for weapons as Sunrise rushed over to the bars that were holding the ponies inside as she removed her helmet.

“Mommy!” A colt’s voice said and I smiled as a dark golden colt with a short white and red mane hugged Sunrise tightly as best he could through the bars. “I knew you’d come for us…”

“Shhh, it’s okay, I’m here,” Sunrise said as she stroked her son’s mane gently. “I promise that I’m going to make sure that you won’t be hurt by them again.”

I smiled down at the mare and her son. She had fought her way through the city to find her family, that was something that I could understand and respect. I gave her a smile and looked around to find the keys while the other ponies in the cell got up and trotted forward.

“Did the President send you?” A stallion that looked like he might be Sunrise’s father asked as he looked at us as I found the keys.

“Yeah, I’m General Scootaloo Dash,” I said with a smile. “Your Trade Winds right? Your distress call managed to get out before the radio signals were blocked.”

“Oh thank the fates, but those blasted Enclave came after us not long after,” Trade Winds said with a shake of his head. “How did you know we were here?”

“There’s an old saying from during the war,” I said with a chuckle, it was the only sentence that came to mind to sum up exactly what had happened. “Loose lips sink ships, only this time it was in our advantage. Don’t worry, we have a way to get all of you out of here, are any of you injured?”

“Just our prides, Coil tried to fight back using a potion she was studying, but it didn’t work,” Trade Winds said with a shrug.

“Yeah, whatever Alchemy uses to get Magik to work, we can’t replicate it up here,” a mare with a frazzled looking mane said as I got the door unlocked and Dusk moved out from behind the bars and galloped into his mother’s waiting hooves.

We just stood back for a moment and watched the reunion between mother and son as tears of joy streaked down Sunrise’s face.

“I think we should give them a moment alone,” I said and nodded to Cure as she trotted over to where her marefriend was as I headed out with Arc and the rest of the prisoners as we escorted the captured Enclave soldier out.

“Are they okay?” Garnet asked as he looked at us as we re-entered the central area.

“Yeah, everypony is fine, Sunrise and Cure All are back there with her son now,” I said with a nod as I looked back towards the way towards where they were. “I’m just glad we found them alive, you know?”

Garnet paused for a long moment, he sighed and shook his head. “Yeah, I am glad the kid’s okay, I know I’d feel the same way if somepony had grabbed my foals.”

“Yeah,” I said with a sigh as I looked at Garnet. “I know that it hasn’t been easy to work with the Thunderbolts after fighting the Enclave for so long. I’m glad that you’ve been able to work together.”

“Yeah, well, I guess this whole thing has made me understand them better,” Garnet said with a nod. “Still, I admit it’s not easy because of what happened in Whinnyapolis. I mean, that was Cloud Chaser and his forces, but that doesn’t make working with them easy. Lieutenant Sunrise and the other Thunderbolts are good ponies though, and I can understand where she’s coming from.”

“Winter is right about something, we do need to work together to build a brighter future,” I said with a nod. “Gambit talks a lot about the Equestrian spirit, at first I had a hard time understanding what she meant but now I do. Its us, all of us, pony, zebra, griffon, every species that calls Equestria home. That even goes for all the factions, and this battle is a testament to that fact. The major factions, every species, well except for the dragons, that call this land home are here to fight and bring this war to an end. The future of Equestria is in our hooves, so let’s try and make it a good one.”

“You know you sound a lot like the Enclave President right?” Garnet asked which just made me laugh. “What’s so funny?”

“I’ll tell you later,” I said with a shake of my head, actually I wasn’t sure if it really was my place but that was a matter for later.

Sunrise, Dusk, and Cure All came back out with Dusk looking happy. I smiled at the colt and gave Sunrise a nod.

“Dusk, I’m going to have to go for a while to help finish things up here,” Sunrise said as she gave him one more hug. “You’re going on a little trip, okay? You’ll be safe and mommy will be there as soon as she can.”

“Promise?”

“I promise,” Sunrise said and gave him a kiss on the forehead. “Be strong for me my brave colt, I’ll be back with you soon.”

He nodded as she signaled for an Alicorn pick-up and an Alicorn appeared to pick up the rescued ponies. Sunrise waved to Dusk as they teleported away and she slipped her helmet back on.

“Are you going to be okay?” I asked as I looked at the mare.

“My family got out of the city alive,” she said with a smile as she secured it. “I’m going to be just fine.”

I nodded and we headed back out of the station to meet up with the others.

00000

“Scootaloo, you’re okay!” Cherry said as she hugged me tightly as we entered the Memorial Garden again.

“Hey, the Enclave has thrown a lot worse at me than just a few ponies,” I said with a chuckle as I nuzzled Cherry gently before I looked back at Seren and Riva. “Did you have any problems out here?”

“If you call being harassed by a honey bee a problem, sure. Otherwise, no - it was pretty boring and uneventful.” Seren said with a chuckle.

“Alright, well that’s good,” I said with a nod as I checked my EFS, there wasn’t any hostiles in the immediate area. “Alright, our only objective left at the moment is to deal with the radio interference coming from the Presidential Manor. The square leading to it isn’t too far away, so we should get going.”

I didn’t hear any more gunfire coming from down the street from Victory Square, hopefully that meant that our allies had already pushed through the forces there and were pushing into the Manor itself.

“Alright, let’s get going,” I said as we started to move west towards the manor entrance in Victory Square.

“Tell me General Dash, do you believe in phantoms?” One of the assassins that were accompanying us asked.

“Like what, that ghost mare that they say wanders around Emporia sometimes?” I asked and looked at the pony strangely. “That’s an odd question to ask right now.”

“What? No, ghosts aren’t real,” the assassin said with a shake of their head. “Everypony knows that.”

“Well, I mean you never know, what about King Sombra?”

“Pretty sure that was different.”

“Stallion was dead, came back as a disembodied form, sounds kind of ghost-like to me.”

“You know what, never mind, you ruined it, I was going for something there, and you just ruined it.”

I was about to ask what they were talking about when I heard a gasp from behind me. I turned and looked up in surprise to see a Raptor descending from the sky as its hull shifted from nearly invisible to being clearly seen.

“Okay, that was, unexpected,” I said as I looked up at the Raptor. “So, either they upgraded that VertiBuck we used back in Manehattan, or Cricket’s got some new tricks.”

“That would be Cricket’s,” the assassin said as we looked at the Raptor.

“So, what’s it doing here? We could probably use this to clear out part of the forces in the manor,” Arc said as she looked over at me. “Why not just send it to the manor instead of sending it to loom ominously over us?”

“I, don’t know,” I admitted, she had a point, that was a strange choice but Cricket probably had something in mind.

“So, you’re telling me you rather just walk all the way to a place, potentially getting attacked on the way, then having a transport with active camouflage?” An assassin said with a chuckle and a shake of their head. “Cricket was right, you guys are weird.”

“Sorry, we just usually have to walk everywhere,” I said with a shrug and chuckled. “Alright, well, if they want to give us a ride to the Manor that works too. Actually… do we know where the radio transmitter is in the manor?”

“Third floor, towards the center of the house,” Sunrise said. “Winter had several of her broadcast systems set up around Equestria for whenever she needed to travel.”

“Think this thing could take us close to the broadcast center?” I asked as I looked over at the assassin who had spoken before.

“Of course it can, Why do you think Cricket sent it here? The city is big - and having to walk everywhere we’d be here for years.” the assassin said with a chuckle.

I looked back at the others and then nodded as I looked back at the ship. “Alright, we all know our mission here. We need to get in there and stop the interference for, whatever Winter and Midnight have in mind. Let’s get going.”

As we climbed aboard the Raptor, I looked back out at Emporia’s Memorial Gardens and gave Cherry a smile as she was about to board. “I really am glad you came along Cherry.”

“Thanks, I’m glad I came too,” Cherry said and gave me a quick kiss before she headed aboard the Raptor.

I smiled a little and was about to board myself when I swear from out of the corner of my eye I saw a green spectral form of a pony mare. I blinked and snapped to look at the figure but there was nothing there.

“You’re getting old Scoots, your mind is starting to play tricks on you…” I said with a shake of my head before I boarded the Raptor.

00000

The trip to the manor aboard the Raptor was short and quiet, obviously the camouflage system was working given that we weren’t being shot at right now. There wasn’t a lot of time to talk so we got our equipment checked and got what spare ammunition we could get.

I put the last of my ammunition away in my bags ready to be used in my battle saddle. I was a bit surprised to see there was a package with my name written on it. I opened it up and was surprised to see the same gatling laser I had used in Wonderbolts Fields with a note attached.

“A reminder for you.”

“She might be crazy, she definitely has done a lot of bad things in her lifetime, but if there is one thing she’ll always be known for - she always takes care of her own.” An assassin said with a smile “She’s been there for us too, it’s why we work with her now - She’s not just a crazy pony, she’s a great friend in the end.”

“Yeah, I’m starting to get that impression,” I said and smiled a little as I looked at the assassin before I made an impromptu strap to secure the Gatling Laser.

“Tell me Scoots, how many times during your trip did you feel like you were being watched?” An assassin said with a chuckle. “I bet a lot less then you actually were being.”

“A few times, but I never really paid it much attention, we’ve gone into a lot of warzones,” I said with a shrug. “Are you saying Cricket’s been spying on us?”

“More like, guardian angel.” They said with a chuckle. “Once she knew you were out and about again, she kept an eye on you and made sure no major trouble came your way. I mean, what’s the worse enemy you’ve ever faced? A hoof full of ferals? Ever wonder why?”

“We did once get captured by Alicorns, and the Enclave…” I pointed out. “But outside of that, yeah, mostly Feral Ghouls.”

“Some fights, you have to fight alone, trust me - Cricket wanted to raze the area when those alicorns grabbed you.” Another Assassin said with a smile “But, can you say without the encounters with the enclave and the alicorns, would you really be here, doing what you’re doing - and be who you are?”

I thought about that for a long moment, while I hadn’t been much of a fighter when I woke up, all the encounters had made me better. More than that, it had given me friends and allies around Equestria that had come to our aid during the end of the war so far.

Despite everything that had happened, I had changed, I had gotten better. I was in a position to help Equestria recover from everything that had happened because of all the encounters I had. I wouldn’t have my friends, I wouldn’t have my fiance if it wasn’t for everything that had happened. I nodded in understanding and smiled a little.

“Yeah, you’re absolutely right,” I said as I looked back at my friends with a smile. “Everything during this war is because I was able to become better and fight. Lets just hope that it’ll be enough to get us through this final battle.”

Before we could say anything else, the voice of the Raptor’s pilot came over the loudspeakers. “Alright, this is as close as we can get you to the manor safely. We’ll be opening the back shortly, get ready.”

As we got into position the back door of the Raptor opened up and we could see a third floor balcony on the Presidential Manor below. I gulped a little as I looked down at it. “Alright, so, anypony know how to teleport?” I asked as I looked at the Unicorns.

“Teleport? Why would you want to teleport? You got wings - glide down there.” One of the assassins said with a chuckle. “Come on, we’re not even pegasi and we’re going to fly over there.”

“I, can’t fly…” I muttered under my breath.

“Glide, come on it’s not that hard. If we can do it you can do it.”

“Wait, wait… You four aren’t pegasus? Then how have you been flying?” Seren pointed out.

“Oh, Cricket gave us some talismans, said they’d give us flight, and got us some really nice prosthetics” an assassin said turning to Seren. “None of us were born with wings, or even above the cloud cover - The Enclave just took a liking to us for our skills.”

“Look, that’s a lovely story, but I can’t even fly, I can glide maybe but if something goes wrong or if a stray shot heads my way…” I said with a gulp as I looked down again.

“Fine, you can teleport down with the rest of them - letting a bunch of earth ponies with wings be the ones to actually use their wings.” one of them said with a roll of their eyes.

“We’re really going to need an explanation on that later by the way,” Arc commented. “But given the situation, I don’t think right now would be the best time to talk about it.”

“Not to mention you have one too.” Two of them said together, one walking to my side and reaching into my saddle bag and pulling out Serenity’s necklace while the other pulls down their collar to reveal the same style of amulet.

I snatched it back out of the pony’s grip and shook my head as I looked at it. “This isn’t mine, I’d rather only use it only when I don’t have another option. And stay out of my bags.”

The one who had taken out the amulet recoiled and stared, while the other came up to his side and laid a hoof over his back. “It’s alright Aplite, not everypony is like us.”

Garnet looked at them curiously for a moment as I put the necklace back into my bags.

“Alright, all the Pegasi, and, I guess Earth Ponies with wings, you can fly over there, the rest of us will teleport,” I said and looked at Cherry. “Cherry, I need you to stay behind on the Raptor.”

“Wait, why?” Cherry asked.

“Because this ship can stealth itself, when you’re on it - you basically don’t exist to the outside world.” Aplite said with a chuckle “She wants you as safe as safe can be, and really - I don’t think teleporting pregnant mares is a good idea.”

“Yeah, I don’t want anything to happen to you or our foal,” I said and kissed Cherry softly on the lips. “You’ll be safer here than anywhere else, and I’ll be back for you I promise.”

“Okay,” Cherry said and gave me one long kiss as I wrapped my wings around her gently. I hated having to leave her behind again, but it was the safest option right now. After a long moment she broke the kiss.

“Yeah, it should just be a quick in and out too, we’d be back in two flaps of a wing.” another assassin said with a chuckle.

I nodded and released Cherry as I moved over to the group that was going to have to be teleported. I waved to her as we were teleported away and down to the balcony below with the Pegasi not too far behind.

I looked at the entrance to the manor and checked my weapons again as I looked back up at the Raptor where Cherry looked down at us as it closed up.

I smiled and nodded as we pushed the door open and headed inside.

00000

As I later learned, the Presidential Manor had originally belonged to the Enclave’s Governor in charge of Coltlumbia and the surrounding region. Control of the manor had changed over the years starting in the Enclave Civil War with the rebels under Daisy Bloom, then Zealots under Stormy Skies, and finally Winter Breeze when she made the city her capitol.

Apparently General Cloud Chaser preferred his flagship over a manor so other than the guards keeping everything under control, the Manor was empty of major Hardliner leaders. Most of them were downstairs fighting our allies who were now pushing into the manor, but there were still a number of guards that we were going to have to deal with.

Of course we had to get through a locked door first to make it into the hallway itself, but thanks to Riva that was easy to deal with as the door was pushed open once we were sure that there weren’t any Enclave soldiers immediately outside.

I checked my map on my PipBuck for a moment and pointed down the hallway towards the right and looked back at Seren and whispered. “Seren, I want you to stay at the center in case we need a shield on either side, is that going to work?”

“If need be, I could bubble all of you in one shield - so really, no big deal, just keep in mind, the bigger the bubble the shorter the amount of time I can hold it.” Seren said.

“Alright, hopefully we won’t need it, we need to take out the ponies up here as quickly as possible, I just wanted a plan B,” I said with a nod as we pushed forward towards the broadcast center down the hall.

As we entered a junction we barely got out of the way as an energy bolt flew over our heads and we ducked down the side hallways. Great, of course it wasn’t going to be that easy. I could see the broadcast center, but of course the soldiers were guarding it.

“Well, that figures…” Arc said. “Anypony have any bright and or crazy ideas on how we’re going to do this?”

“Grenade?” One of the assassins said with a head tilt.

“Grenade.” The other replied, before reaching into their own saddlebag and pulling out a grenade, pulling the pin and tossing it towards the direction of fire.

“Arc,” I said with a nod as the Unicorn nodded and used her telekinesis to make sure the grenade landed in the best spot to take the soldiers out.

After a second there was an explosion from down the hall. A few more soldiers heard the explosion and rushed into view to investigate but we took them out with some well placed shots.

“Alright, let’s go, everypony keep an eye on your EFS if you have one,” I said as we pushed down the hallway towards the broadcast center. Thankfully we didn’t have any further problems as we entered the broadcast center as I looked the equipment over, which is when something occurred to me. “So, uh… does anypony have any idea how to actually shut off the interference?”

“Explosives!” One of the assassins said excitedly before getting knocked upside the head by another.

“No, no explosives, we can’t afford to rebuild another house after you blow it up Andesite.” Aplite said with a sigh and a shake of his head

“Aw come on, it was just that once.” Andesite said “Plus you and Kimberlite helped too”

“Hey no, no dragging me in on this” Kimberlite said with a huff. “I got you the detonators, you never told me what you were using them for”

“Or, we could just turn off the broadcast equipment here,” Riva pointed at the equipment that was turned on. “He is using the signal from here to create the interference isn’t he? Shouldn’t turning it off stop it? Or, just go look at that terminal?”

I blinked a little, okay Riva had a point there. I checked the terminal first, it was password protected of course. I thought about it for a moment, this probably had Winter’s login, after a couple of tries I smirked a little when I got it right on “Calypso.”

The Screen read:

PRESIDENTIAL ADDRESS RECORDINGS.
SCRIPTS.
NOTES.
SYSTEM RESET.

I selected system reset and the screen changed:

“WARNING, RESETTING THE SYSTEM WILL CUT OFF ANY CURRENT BROADCASTS. DO YOU WANT TO PROCEED?
Y/N.”

“Well, that’s easy,” I said and hit y as the lights went off. I raised my PipBuck and smiled a little when I saw the radio stations reappear on it.

“It worked,” I said and looked at the four assassins who were still arguing. I rolled my eyes and checked DJ Pon3’s radio for a moment as a familiar song was playing.

“If I could start again,
A million miles away.
I would keep myself,
I would find, a way.”

A minute later the sound of Xiraia’s voice came over the radio. The Zebra’s voice was a welcome change from the silence that had pervaded the city while we had been there and she began to speak.

“Hey there everypony out there in Equestria, this is DJ Pon3 coming at you with a special broadcast. Coming to you from the front lines, broadcast to every part of this land, I give you, President Winter Breeze. You might want to hear what she has to say my little ponies.”

Winter’s voice came over the radio, her calm demeanor and charismatic voice was not unfamiliar to the ponies of Equestria. This time like before she was here to make a plea to end the war, maybe if we were lucky they’d listen.

“I’ve come to you many times as the President of the Enclave, but this time I’m here to reach out to those who are fighting. I’ve been called a traitor, I’ve been called a monster, but only because I want to make this a better world. I call upon you, the ponies of the Enclave who believe that they are still on the right side, to stop and think. Ask yourself, is this what you really want to do? General Cloud Chaser and his forces have not freed you, they’ve put you in chains that you’re forced to wade through every day. Don’t fight for tyranny, fight for liberty, fight for a better world that we can only achieve by working together, not by fighting one another. Those who live in Equestria have the power to create happiness, to make this life free and beautiful. In the name of democracy, in the name of a better future, let us use that power. Let us all unite once and for all, bring this war to an end and send a message to Cloud Chaser. The ponies of the Enclave will not break under his iron hoof!”

We headed back outside onto the balcony and looked up at the skies towards where the Eclipse and the other Enclave ships were. I smiled a little as I saw the Eclipse start to list, and as we looked out there was fires as the gunfire in the city started to die down.

I looked up again and smiled as I saw the Nimbus, I could only imagine what was going through Cloud Chaser’s mind right now as I looked back at the others.

The echos of gunfire stopping in the city below, the thunder of the titans above fading to silence, for just one moment, silence falling like snow on an early winters morning, no one spoke, no one cheered - but it was over, the war had finally ended.

“They have not heard the people’s voice for a long time, and it is much louder than they care to remember,” Sunrise finally said.

“So, what now?” Arc asked as the gunfire from downstairs died down and the Raptor lowered itself so we could get aboard again.

“Now…” I said and paused a moment. “We report in, and see if there’s anything else to do.”

00000

“Good job, all of you,” Midnight said on the other end of the radio that I was using aboard the Raptor. “We’re getting reports in from across Coltlumbia and the Hardliner fleet, they’re surrendering.”

“Any word from Cloud Chaser?” I asked.

“Afraid not, he’s remained quiet, but the Nimbus doesn’t seem interested in fighting anymore,” Winter said next. “The Eclipse up there has completely stood down, I think we hit something vital with our last barrage so they’re dead in the sky.”

“Alright, good,” I said and let out a sigh of relief. “Are there any other orders you have for us?”

“Well, you see, Cloud Chaser is still in the Nimbus of course,” Winter said. “We’re going to need to take him in before he can cause another problem. The ship your on is in the best position to board them right now, we need you to get aboard and deal with him.”

“Do you want us to take him in or kill him?” I asked.

There was a long pause as they thought it over before Midnight spoke up. “There’s not exactly an ideal situation here. If he dies then he’ll become a martyr, it might risk this whole thing starting up again.”

“But if we arrest him and put him on trial he’ll get a place to keep preaching his messages,” Winter added. “We’re going to leave it up to your judgment. I trust your judgment in this matter General Dash.”

“Thank you, it’ll be done,” I said with a nod as I lowered the microphone and sat back for a moment.

What was I going to do now? Both options had a problem, I closed my eyes and thought back to everything that had happened. One thing came to my mind as I opened my eyes again, the same thing that Rainbow Dash had told me over her holotapes.

“A soldier, a true soldier, leaves only hope,” I said and slipped out of my saddlebags. I removed my coat and hat followed by the vest and tie I wore under it.

I looked back at my cutie mark and smiled a little. I opened my bags and took out the Wonderbolts uniform that Winter had given to me before the battle had begun and slipped it on, stretching my wings and legs a little until I was sure it was fit. With that I folded my clothes back up and put them in my bags before I slipped back into the bags and headed to where the others were.

I stopped and looked at my reflection, the uniform was perfect. I had always dreamed of wearing a uniform like this when I was a filly and flying with Rainbow Dash, now I was going to wear it in her memory.

General or not, I was a Wonderbolt.

I headed back into the section of the ship where my friends were and I explained what was going on. “Alright, we have our orders, we’ve got one last thing to do before this fight is over. I’m not going to order you all to come with me, but I will be taking volunteers.”

“Well, the Nimbus is a big ship, and even if a majority of the crew have surrendered. Chances are that there will be pockets of resistance on that ship, could use us to clear and secure it.” Aplite said with a shrug “Us four, we can take out a small army - taking and securing a ship should be foal’s play.”

“The Thunderbolts and the Rangers can also help secure it,” Garnet offered and Sunrise nodded in agreement.

“Yeah, we’ll make this work,” Sunrise said as she gave Garnet a smile.

“Alright, good,” I said with a smile. “You and anypony else we can get to help. The rest of us will take Cloud Chaser out on the bridge.”

“He won’t be on the bridge,” a familiar voice said and I turned to see Shooting Star coming in. “He commands the ship from his private command room in the ship itself. Its where he’s going to be if you want to deal with him, but I want to be there when you do.”

“Alright, who else will be coming to the Command Center with us?” I asked, Arc, Riva, and Cherry raised their hooves to volunteer. “Okay, that makes five, Seren, can I count on you to help?”

Seren nodded and I headed to pass the orders on to the pilot. I just hoped that everything was going to work.

00000

We were directed towards the Nimbus’ forward hangar bay since it was closest to the command center. Most of the crew ignored us as we went past, some of them actually saluted strangely enough as we made our way through the Nimbus following Star’s directions.

We did run into some resistance of course, but they didn’t last long. The last of them were right outside the command center and for a moment Star paused as we neared it.

“Is everything okay?” I asked the cyberpony Pegasus.

“It’s… complicated,” she said with a sigh and a shake of her head. “The last time I saw my father he tortured me. I’m, not really sure if I’m ready to face him again.”

“I understand Star,” I said as I placed my hoof on her shoulder. “But you’re going to be fine, you came here because you wanted him stopped, right?”

“Yeah,” Star said with a nod. “He’s a threat to Equestria, but he’s still my father. I wanted to be here for the moment, and I could help you get through the ship. Still, that doesn’t make me worry any less.”

“Star, in all the time I’ve known you, you’ve done everything you can to be out from under his shadow,” I said with a smile. “You have a family back in Nomad City that loves you, you’ve helped fight this war, and you’re here when you feel like you needed to be. If you think you can’t do this, then it’s fine, we won’t hold it against you.”

Star paused for a long moment and looked at me and then at the others. “You really think that?”

“Yeah, you can do this,” Cherry said and Arc nodded. “You’re going to do just fine.”

Star nodded and pulled the door open as we headed into the command center. There was a split second when there was the sound of turrets starting up, but the energy bolts hit a shield that Seren put up quickly.

“Thanks again Seren,” I said with a smile as I gave her a nod.

I looked around the command center and was surprised to find that it was lined with pieces of artwork. There were paintings and sculptures, some of which I recognized as being from before the war lining the walls along with other pieces of art. Some of them looked like they had been made by Zebras or other species more than likely.

Seated at the far end of the command center in a chair surrounded by a large terminal was Cloud Chaser. The stallion looked tired as he leaned on his forehoof, studying the screens before him as the turrets fired towards us.

“Ceasefire,” the stallion’s voice said on the far end of the command center. He hit a button as the turrets went back into their hiding places. “I was wondering when the Alliance would send somepony to assassinate me, I suppose it couldn’t have been anypony else.”

“We don’t have to assassinate you,” Riva said with a scowl, even so we were all ready to shoot him if we had to.

“The President sent a Dashite turned Wonderbolt General, my daughter, a former spy, a storyteller, a pregnant mare, and…” he said and looked at Seren coldly as he walked forward. “Of course, one of the NCR’s elite soldiers. You’re a firing squad, even I can see that despite your mismatched…”

“Shut up, Seriously - You say a lot but you get no messages out, You are nothing more then white noise.” Seren said with a scowl. “Shut up, or I’ll shut you up.”

Cloud Chaser actually stopped in mid-sentence at that and looked at Seren. There was actually a brief flash of fear in his eyes as he looked between us.

“General, you don’t have to die here, surrender and we’ll take you in,” I said as I stared the blue pony down for a moment.

“Not yet, No.” Seren said, looking back to me for a moment. “You, of all ponies know there is more to be said then just his surrender.”

“You want me to order my forces to stand down?” Cloud Chaser said and looked at her. “So that we can all be thrown into an Alliance Kangaroo Court and sent to Arbu?”

“No, I want you to apologize, to go and get on your radio and apologize to what you did to Winter, to apologize for all the lives you cost.” Seren said as her attention shifted back to him. “You have no right, you have cost more than you can ever repay, the least you could do is apologize to the lives you destroyed.”

“Father, its over,” Star said and looked at her father in the eye as her green eyes met his red ones. “Mom and Night Wish wouldn’t want you to keep going on like this. Please, end this, you’ve caused too much death already. Do what she asked and we can stop this from becoming even worse.”

“And what about you, Dashite General Scootaloo?” Cloud Chaser said as he looked over at me. “You’re the one in command here, what do you say?”

“Seren is right, so is Shooting Star,” I said with a sigh as I moved next to Cherry. “This war has cost a lot of lives, all because 211 years ago we were attacked and retaliated in kind. I’ve heard you referred to as the greatest military mind in the Enclave, but that doesn’t give you the right to keep fighting.”

I looked at Cherry and smiled as I draped my wing over her and she smiled before she spoke. “Or to hurt families like yours was.”

Cloud Chaser said nothing at first. Then he turned and walked back to his chair and picked up the microphone to his radio, patching it through the systems as he could. “This is General Cloud Chaser of the Grand Pegasus Enclave. I’ve made a lot of mistakes in the past few days, over the years I’ve ordered the deaths of so many ponies. I want to apologize, to Equestria, to the President, to the ponies whose lives have been torn apart by my actions, I am sorry. I am ordering all my forces still fighting to stand down, the war is over. Go back to your homes, to your families, there is no more battles to fight.”

He put the microphone down and walked back to us, removing the Wonderbolts pin and General stripes from his uniform and holding them out to me. “I relinquish my position of commander in chief of the Enclave forces in Coltlumbia to General Scootaloo Dash. I request legal representation and a fair trial by the laws of war set down by the NCR during the Imperial War.”

I took the items and put them away and gave him a nod. We searched him and escorted him out of the command center and down the hallway.

I was surprised to find that as we neared the hangar there were soldiers standing on either sides of the hall. They saluted as we went past and Cloud Chaser walked down towards the hangar with his head held high.

The battle for Coltlumbia, and the Enclave war, was finally over.

Chapter 40: Redemption Blues

"No man can truly outlast
All the mistakes of his past
There's no haven here for me
That's safe from my memories."
-Miracle of Sound, Redemption Blues.

It was really over.

After weeks of fighting the Enclave, traveling from one side of Equestria to the other hunting down the keys. Taking the fight to them first in Thunderhead and then in Coltlumbia, so many lives lost, so many lives saved.

And now it was over, the Enclave had been stopped and was unlikely to ever rise again to the same threat level. As Cloud Chaser was taken away, we stood in the hangar bay of the Nimbus and looked out at the city of Coltlumbia in a long moment of silence.

“So, what now?” Riva asked, finally breaking the silence for a moment.

“I don’t know, we get back to the surface, and hope that we can finally get some peace,” I said as I looked out at the city and the sky beyond. “And I’ve got a town to build, I’d be haunted by the ghost of Apple Bloom for the rest of my life if I didn’t keep that promise.”

“And we have a wedding to do,” Cherry said with a smile as she rested her head on my shoulder. “Don’t forget about that.”

“I wouldn’t dream of it, which reminds me we have to find Blackjack down in that mess,” I said with a chuckle. “What about you Arc, are you and Caramel going to settle down?”

“Yeah, though I’ve got my own crimes to pay for,” Arc said with a sigh. “I’m only out for as long as the war lasted. They did say that depending on how I acted they might reduce my sentence, but I’m still going to have to do some time.”

“I’m sorry Arc,” I said with a sigh, though at least it meant she wasn’t going to be gone forever. “You’ll always have a home with us, you and Caramel, you know that right?”

“Yeah, I know,” Arc said with a smile. “So what about you Riva, are you going to be hanging around here?”

“I’m afraid not,” Riva said with a shake of her head. “I’ve done my mission, I’ve made friends and allies here to help back home. I’ll be going back to Zebrica soon, but… perhaps I’ll be back someday. The FRA can always use friends in Equestria.”

I smiled and wrapped my wing around Cherry gently. We were going to have to leave soon, so I just wanted to enjoy the moment for as long as I could.

A moment later it came crashing down as a voice shouted from behind us.

“The Canticum Lunae, she’s going down!” One of the assassins shouted, I didn’t know which one because I was more focused on what was going on in front of me.

The Canticum Lunae must’ve been hit harder than we had thought during the fighting with the Eclipse because it was starting to fall out of the sky with its engines beginning to fail. It was pushing to the side a little as if it was being redirected a little, but I wasn’t sure if it was going to be enough.

“How many ponies are still on there?” I asked as I turned back to look at the four assassins that had been accompanying us.

“If no pony was killed in the fighting… alot” Kimberlite said with a sigh, shaking her head. “We never got a full number roster, but Cricket wouldn’t fly if the ship was less than half manned…”

“Get on the radio, we need to start coordinating a rescue effort,” I said as I slipped out of my saddle and started rummaging around in my bags.

“What are you doing?” Cherry asked.

“Cricket’s been helping me this whole time, things have been a bit, screwed up at times but I’m not gonna let her go down,” I said and finally found what I was looking for and took it out. “It’s time I repaid the favor.”

“You’re, going to fly over there?” Arc asked as she looked in shock at the necklace that I had taken out. “That’s insane, you know that right? We have a ship right behind us.”

“Serenity said she gave me this because she felt I would need it,” I said softly as I looked at the necklace. “I’ve never used it before now because we’ve been in battle after battle, I can’t imagine what she’d think of me or the gift if I used it to kill ponies. Even when Winter was in danger, I couldn’t have made it in time to save her even with it. I think, this is what I needed it for, getting to that ship so I can do what I can to help.”

I looked at Cherry and gave her a long passionate kiss that I broke after a moment. “I’ll be back, I promise.”

“You better,” Cherry said with a smile. “Spread your wings and fly Scoots.”

“Hey Riva,” I asked and looked at Riva. “When you get back home, tell my story okay? Either way, tell my story.”

Riva nodded and smiled as I placed the necklace around my neck and looked back out at the sky.

I could feel the magical power of the stone that was in the necklace running through me. It entered my wings and energized them with a power I had never felt before.

And with that I took off, and for the first time in my life, I flew.

00000

Flying was the most amazing experience I’ve ever had, it may have been years since Rainbow Dash gave me lessons (before we realized I wouldn’t ever fly), but a lot of what she taught me still stuck with me.

Maybe it’s because I wanted to hold onto the good memories more than anything else, but right now I had a mission to do. As I flapped my wings and flew towards where the ship was falling, I knew I had to get aboard somehow.

My eyes scanned the hull of the ship as I looked for a way on board. I finally spotted a hole and flew for it, my wings beating as hard as they could as I did. When I landed on the metal floor of the ship, I looked back at myself as if I couldn’t believe what I had just done, had I really just flown?

I didn’t have much time to dwell on that however, there were ponies who were hurt and I was the first responder probably. I took a deep breath and pushed into the ship, I needed to get to the bridge, but I wasn’t about to leave anypony behind that was in danger.

I made my way down the ship’s main hallway towards the command center when I came across a Unicorn stallion. He was dressed in a torn outfit and looked like he had been hurt already, but he was doing everything he could to get some rubble pushed out of the way.

“Help me!” He shouted as he heard my hooftsteps coming closer.

I managed to step over some of the debris and got under the rubble that he was trying to push. I frowned a little when I saw why he was trying so hard, there was a mare trapped under the rubble and she had her eyes closed.

After a moment of heaving we managed to get the rubble pushed out of the way and the Unicorn stallion rushed over to the mare. He checked her over while I raised my PipBuck, looking at my EFS’ compass where I saw that there was no marker for the mare.

“Hold on Maple,” he said as my heart fell.

“Sir…” I started to say.

“Just help me to get her free!”

“Sir, she’s gone, and the ship is going down,” I said as I tried to get through to the stallion and tried to pull him away. “There’s nothing we can do, you need to get out of here.”

“I’m not leaving her…” He said as he looked at her again, trying to get the last of the debris away.

“I’m sorry,” I said and placed my hoof on his shoulder. “But you have to go, mourn her later, but at least you’ll have a chance to mourn. Come on, we have to go.”

He snapped and looked at me for the first time before he took one last look at Maple and pulled away. He made his way down the hallway and I sighed, hoping I had done the right thing.

I didn’t have time to dwell on it though, I had to get moving again if I wanted to save anypony else. I uttered a silent prayer for the deceased mare in hopes that she’d make it to Elysium before I took off down the hallway again.

I opened the door to another room and saw another pony working to get their stuff together. The ship lurched a little as debris started to fly towards them, I flew faster and pushed the pony out of the way just as the debris rained down around me. I covered my head as best I could as it fell.

The last thing I remember before the world turning dark was a sharp pain in my head and the pony picking themselves up unharmed.

00000

I was floating... not flying, not falling, just, floating.

I saw a bright light above me, was this it? Was I really dead after everything I had been through, was I actually going to the afterlife? As I floated up into the light, I covered my eyes and was surprised to find myself in a place I never thought I'd see.

It was made up of rolling green hills with buildings made of gold. I was in Elysium, I had to be, there was nowhere else I could be. I blinked in surprise as I looked around at the fields and hills as I tried to figure out what was going on.

“Mom!” A familiar sounding mare’s voice called out and my ears perked up as I turned just in time to be hugged by a light blue Pegasus mare with a long purple m
ane. I blinked in surprise for a moment and then smiled when I saw her cutie mark was of a wrench with three gears around it.

“Cloudy…” I said softly as I hugged her back, tears started to stream down my face as I hugged the mare, my daughter, tightly. “It’s really you…”

“Of course it is mom, who else would it be?” Cloudy asked with a smile as she looked up at me. “After everything you’ve been through, I wanted to come greet you when you arrived.”

“We all did,” another mare’s voice said and I looked over to see Sweetie Belle, Apple Bloom, and Rainbow Dash standing there. Sweetie Belle had been the one to speak and smiled. “Hey Scoots, its been awhile. I’m glad to see you’re okay.”

“Yeah…” I said softly as I looked into the green eyes of the first pony I had really loved. “Listen, Sweetie, I…”

“Scootaloo, you don’t have anything to explain,” Sweetie said as Cloudy released the hug and let Sweetie walk over to me. “When we got seperated I tried to hold out hope that you would show up at the Stable Door one day. Maybe I’d even have let you in, but I chose to move on, even if it was painful for me to do so. I still love you Scootaloo, that’s never going to change, and…”

She paused and trailed off a little as she placed her hoof on her chest. I blinked for a moment, what was wrong? She was trying to figure out how to put it properly into words and looked back at the others before she sighed.

“What’s wrong Sweetie?” I asked as I looked at her confused. “You know that you can tell me anything, right?”

“I’m sorry, I asked Rarity to put a small fragment of our souls in a soul jar!” She finally managed to say and my eyes went wide. “I was afraid that something might happen and we’d be separated, so I… had her use a spell that would let those fragments be reborn in new bodies after we died, so that maybe we’d find each other again somehow.”

“The locket Velvet gave me,” I said and thought back to the locket I had been given over a year ago by Velvet Remedy. I was still a bit in shock, but now everything was starting to make sense. “Sweetie…”

“I know, I’m a terrible pony,” she said as she looked down at her hooves. “It was selfish of me, I just, wanted to be with you again. I’m sorry.”

“Sweetie…” I said and took a deep breath and placed my hoof under her chin and gave her a smile. “Its okay, I probably would have done the same in your place, we both did a lot of things during the war that we’re not proud of. I’m not mad at you, I promise.”

Sweetie sniffed a little and hugged me tight, I smiled and hugged her back as I wrapped my wings around her gently.

“Cherry Blossom has your soul fragment doesn’t she?” I asked.

“Yeah,” Sweetie Belle said and Apple Bloom chuckled a bit at that.

“Figures, she’s mah kin but she’s got yer soul,” she said with a shake of her head. “Seems like somethin’ up there wants ta put us all together again or somethin’ in a weird way.”

“So, this is Elysium huh?” I said as I looked around. “Still, I kind of wish that I could’ve spent more time in the living world. I still have a lot I wanted to do.”

“Scootaloo,” Rainbow said and sighed a little before she smiled at me. “We know, its not your time to come here, not yet at least. You still have a lot to do.”

“Then, why am I here now?” I asked.

“Well, you kinda got hit by debris, but ponies back in Equestria are working to get you breathing again,” Cloudy said. “Mom… you did everything you could to make up for what you did. You never lied about who you were, you always were up front and honest. You did what you could to make Equestria a better place and even helped create real change in the Enclave, something ponies thought was impossible.”

“You did good kid,” Rainbow said with a smile as she pulled me and Sweetie into a hug. “Now, what’s this about you two dating without telling me?”

“Well see, we… umm…” Sweetie said as she blushed.

“We were going to tell you…” I said as I blushed more. “But you see, with everything going on during the war…”

“We just never got the chance,” Sweetie said as she looked at me. “But you know I loved Scootaloo more than anything in life. I’d have braved the wasteland itself to make sure that I found her if I needed to.”

“And I love her too,” I said as I nuzzled Sweetie gently. “With everything that was happening, she was the light in my life even in the darkest of times. She was always there for me when I needed her, and I still miss her today.”

“Alright, that’s good enough for me,” Rainbow said with a chuckle.

“Hey Rainbow… mom, there’s, something I wanted to tell you, something I’ve always wanted to tell you since I woke up,” I said and looked into the magenta eyes of my adopted mother. “Thank you, for everything. You took me in when I was a filly and then you saved me by putting me into that pod, you’re the reason I was able to do this.”

“Hey, I wouldn’t let my daughter, die like that,” Rainbow said with a smile. “You’ve always been part of the family, even with everything that happened. And I couldn’t be prouder of you for everything you’ve done. And when you do come here, we’ll all be waiting.”

“Bye mom, and don’t worry, I forgave you and dad a long time ago,” Cloudy said and hugged me tight.

“Still, I wish I could’ve been there to see you grow up,” I said sadly and she shook her head.

“You gave me a chance to live without the Enclave, and the ponies in the Stable were really nice,” she said with a shake of her head. “I love you mom.”

“I love you too Cloudy,” I said and held her close for the longest moment before I let her go.

“Ah’ll see yah later Scoots, take care of yerself and Cherry,” Apple Bloom said with a smile. “She’s still an Apple after all, and that makes yah family, even from beyond tha grave.”

“You two were always my family,” I said and hugged the two of them. “Cutie Mark Crusaders forever?”

“Cutie Mark Crusaders forever,” they said in agreement as we held the hug for the longest moment. Cloudy and Rainbow joined in after a minute and we just stayed like that until I felt something tugging at me.

“Scootaloo, can you do something for me?” Rainbow asked.

“Anything.”

“When you see Fluttershy again, tell her, I’m sorry for what I said to her,” she said sadly. “Now, get out there and make us proud.”

“I will,” I said as I found myself being pulled away, I reached out one last time as they waved crying as I was pulled back into the land of the living.

00000

I groaned as I woke up, my body was still feeling sore but I was alive. I was also being flown apparently, I looked over to see a Rainbow mane and for a moment I thought maybe it was Rainbow Dash, then I saw the stallion’s white fur.

“Spectra?” I asked with a groan. “Where are we going? What’s going on?”

“Welcome to the land of the living kiddo.” Spectra said as he looked down at me and smiled “We nearly lost you back on that ship, what in the world were you thinking going into a ship that’s crashing alone?”

“Aren’t I older than… never mind,” I said with a shake of my head and shrugged. “I, wanted to help Cricket, I guess I didn’t think it through very well.”

“Yeah, we found you buried in a pile of rubble, the Alicorns are all exhausted but they are trying their hardest, everypony that can fly or teleport is on that ship right now trying to get the crew off, but we can’t find Cricket” Spectra said with a sigh. “Some of the rescuers are almost convinced she didn’t survive the battle.”

I felt around my neck and let out a sigh of relief that the necklace was still there. I looked back towards where the ship was and my eyes went wide when I realized that it wasn’t falling straight down, and then something else occurred to me. “She’s not dead!”

Spectra stopped and looked at me with a confused face. “What do you mean she’s not dead?”

“Elysium, I saw Elysium, if she was dead she’d have been there too!” I said. “Look at the ship, its adjusting course away from any populated areas. Cricket must be on the bridge or…”

I stopped when I saw where the bridge would be, there was nothing left of it as it had been blown out in the battle. I swore internally at that, that was my only hope of her still being alive.

“Look, she’s gone - the ship is on auto pilot, we can’t find anything that tells us it’s being handled by a pony.” Spectra said with a sigh. “And maybe she’s not in Elysium, she wasn’t a good pony Scoots, she destroyed everything her hooves touched.”

“There’s still a chance,” I said and looked at him. “She helped me, helped us more times than we can count. Don’t you think we owe it to her to see if she’s alive? What if there’s a secondary command center or something similar to what the Nimbus had?”

“There is no secondary command center on a thunderhead ship” Spectra said “I know you don’t know this - you haven’t spent a portion of your life serving on one, but trust me, there isn’t one on that ship.”

“Are we looking at the same ship? That doesn’t look like a typical Thunderhead to me,” I pointed out. “Looks like she’s rebuilt that thing from the ground up to me, she may have built a secondary command center. Plus can an autopilot account for the course corrections you’d need to do to avoid crashing that thing into anything?”

“Not exactly… but we scoured that whole ship and found nothing, how do you explain that?” Spectra said with a sigh and roll of his eyes “Fine, you know what, fine, if you want to go back and try and kill yourself again go ahead.”

“I’ll be careful,” I said and shook my head. “Look, if we can’t find her quickly, I’ll abandon ship… but I feel like I owe it to her to at least try. So, umm…”

I flexed my wings a little and flinched when a pain shot through them. “Mind giving a mare a lift?”

“You have got to be…” Spectra said with a chuckle “Winter is going to kill me, alright alright, let’s go.”

We flew off back towards the Canitcum Lunae, I frowned as I saw just how bad the damage to the ship had been up close. I had no idea where I was going to start looking for her, and there wasn’t a lot of time to find her.

I just hoped that I was going to be able to find her in time.

00000

Spectra set me down on the deck as I looked around. I was a bit nervous given that I had no idea where I was going or what to look for, especially given that nopony had found a secondary command center yet.

We were roughly at the middle of the ship, that wasn’t a lot to go on, but it at least gave us an idea of where to start looking.

“Spectra, if you don’t want to be at risk, you can go ahead,” I said as I checked the map on my PipBuck that was mapping out the ship’s deck around me.

“Do you forget who you’re talking to? Plus you’re going to need a ride out of here - and if things keep going at this pace, I don’t know if the alicorns are going to have any juice left.” Spectra said with a chuckle.

“Alright, thank you,” I said and gave him a smile as the map finished forming and I pointed down the hallway. “Let’s go this way, I think I found something on the map. I think so at least…”

We headed down the hallway as I checked the map every inch of the way, making sure that I wouldn’t trip over something. There were a few rooms but none of them looked like what we were looking for.

“If there is a secondary command center, why wouldn’t the search teams have found it…” I commented out loud as I kept checking the walls.

“Did she stealth it? Like that Raptor of hers?” he said with a shrug “I mean, she did spend what - a decade or so as a fugitive, maybe she just got so used to hiding that she’s stuck in her old habits?”

“Maybe,” I said with a shrug as I stopped in front of a door on one end of the hall and looked at the map again. “Okay, that’s weird. This looks like a storage closet, but there’s, well, a big empty space behind it instead of walls or whatever.”

“A hidden armory perhaps? Maybe a strong room? I’m sure the ship is littered with them - she was also really concerned with security, so I guess if stealth failed she could hide somewhere and prepare to fight back..” Spectra said with a shrug “Guess it can’t hurt to look, just be careful - it might be boobytrapped”

I nodded and opened the door and indeed there was a storage closet there that looked like it had seen better days. I looked around the shelves and equipment to see if there was anything that might give me a clue as to what there might be to get past the wall.

There was a click as my hoof pressed against something and I automatically backed up in fear that I had triggered a booby trap of some sort. Instead the back wall opened up and a mechanized voice could be heard.

“Welcome Scootaloo.”

“Okay, that’s odd…” I said as we moved in through the opening.

The room beyond had terminals lining the walls, it looked like a bridge of a ship similar to what I had been on before but it was more compact. There was also a series of screens that showed the bow and stern of the ship and some interior shots with somepony seated in front of them.

“Cricket?” I asked as I approached the chair.

“Why are you here” the pony at the controls said without turning around. “This place isn’t safe, you shouldn’t have come.”

“Cricket, you’re in danger here, we need to get you out of here before the ship crashes,” I said as I walked closer. “Please, come on, we need to get out of here.”

“Go away, please.” She said turning around, damage on her armor consistent with blast damage, she must of been on the bridge when it went. “For once, I’m face to face with my mortality… and I’m alright with that”

“Cricket, you don’t have to die here today any more than I did,” I said. “You don’t have to face your own mortality here. You’ve still got a lot to live for, you helped me during my journey, please, let me help you this time.”

:No Scootaloo, Equestria can do without ponies like me, but it needs more ponies like you.” She said, her voice soft. “It’s been a wild ride, lots of ups and downs over the years, but I’d rather you safe and sound, then you risk your life to save me.”

I paused a moment, that was almost exactly what Dazzle had said before I left her behind in Stable 102. I shook my head and looked at her determined not to let her stay. “I couldn’t save Dazzle, no matter how much I wanted to. But I can save you, even if I have to drag you out kicking and screaming.”

“Scootaloo, just leave me” Cricket said before she turned back to the controls “A spark battery is going critical, if I can’t get the ship away from the fleet and the city - we’re going to have mass casualties.”

“That’s why the ship is adjusting course, you’re keeping it from killing anypony…” I said and took a deep breath.

I looked at the screen that was showing the internal cameras, I smiled a little when I saw familiar faces like Blackjack and Riva helping get ponies. I was surprised to see that there were even ponies dressed in Hardliner armor working alongside members of the alliance.

“Cricket, what about your family? You still have ponies out there don’t you? Serenity told me about the encounter in the park on Nomad City. Don’t you want to see them again?”

“Sure, but those ponies” She said stopping to point at the monitors. “Need me to stay here and keep this ship aloft, the longer it stays up the more time they have to get off the ship.”

I looked over at Spectra. “Are there any Alicorns that can teleport her out?”

“Right now they are pretty much all exhausted and just… unable to do much of anything anymore.” Spectra said with a sigh “Unless there is an Alicorn that hasn’t been helping, she isn’t going to get out of here like that.”

“Do you have any other ideas?” I asked as I looked between him and Cricket. “We don’t have a lot of time here.”

“We have as much time as I decide we have, even if it burns the engines out I am not leaving ships ship and letting it fall until everypony is out of it - and its no where near everypony else.” Cricket said, I couldn’t help but notice that Cricket was cradling her side with a hoof, was she hurt? Could a Canterlot ghoul even get hurt like that?

“Cricket, are you okay?” I asked as I looked at her side. “We can get a medic in here if you need one.”

Spectra didn’t wait for a reply, he moved over to cricket and forced her chair to turn the other way and moved her hoof away, showing that a piece of metal was stuck in her side through her wing “You might want to get that medic.”

I rushed out of the secondary command center and looked for one of the teams I had seen on the screen. The first being I crossed paths with however was Riva, I explained what was going on as quickly as I could and she agreed to come and help.

Riva adjusted her hat as she entered the secondary command center and walked over to where Cricket was seated and started checking the wound.

“Is she going to be okay?” I asked the Zebra as she took out some of her potions.

“Hard to tell, it would be easier to heal her if we had some radiation,” she said as she started to work on the piece of metal.

Cricket stopped glaring at Riva long enough to push her away “I am a canterlot ghoul you idiots, I’m fine - don’t worry about a little flesh wound, and there will be a whole lot of radiation if you don’t leave me alone” She said with a groan turning back to the controls.

Riva shook her head and backed off a little. “You may be a Canterlot Ghoul, but that wound isn’t going to go away unless we can remove the piece of metal. But I can’t remove it if she doesn’t stay still either.”

A burst of light from behind us followed by somepony yelling “Solum relinquatis eam!”

We turned to face the voice, seeing a pure white alicorn standing there, horn faced at me, she seemed very angry, her deep violet eyes barely visible out of her light purple mane.

“Ego sum medicus, ego conatur ad eam axuilium!” Riva shouted back in Zebran.

“Redipiscor!” She shouted again, horn starting to spark and glow.

Riva backed away more on instinct than anything else as she moved back towards me. I looked at the new Alicorn and gulped a little. “We’re friends, we’re not going to hurt her… Riva translate for me.”

“Erant amici erant ‘non iens est nocre ei,” Riva said but the Alicorn didn’t seem to be paying attention.

“Et Canticum Lunae enim mori?” she asked to cricket, to which cricket nodded.

“Yeah, she’s dying, I’m trying to keep her from taking a lot of ponies with her.” Cricket replied, to which the alicorn nodded in return.

I didn’t like this, once more a friend of mine was about to sacrifice themselves to save ponies. But this time, they had a way out, and I wasn’t about to let her go. “Hey, uh, white, Alicorn mare… you care about what happens to Cricket right?”

“Etiam, vos?” She said, glaring towards me before she moved, laying next to Cricket’s chair, using her magic to gently push her hoof from the wound and gently removing the fragment of metal from her side. Humming a soft tune as she went to work bathing the area with a gentle spell, eyes never stopping their stare at me.

“Yes, do you?” Riva translated.

“I do,” I said softly. “I don’t want her to die, not when she doesn’t have to. You’re here, you can teleport her out before the ship hits. Can you do that, for her?”

"Semel tantum est paratum" She said her gaze softening, hoof pointing to the monitors “Pony still on ship, they leave first” she said in a very thick accent “No sooner.”

“Cricket, if we can get everypony off this ship, will you teleport off with your friend here?” I asked.

“As she said scoots, and not a second sooner, the ponies on this ship are more important.” Cricket said with a chuckle. “Not some grizzled old mare who’s done more harm than good in her life.”

“Every life on this ship, every life in this world is precious,” I said and looked at her. “Your life is no less important than any of theirs. We’ve seen enough death and bloodshed today, don’t add one more body to the pile when the war is finally over.”

“What’s that old moniker? The Captain goes down with their ship? Guess I might just have to live that.” Cricket said with a chuckle.

“No you will not!” The alicorn said with eyes wide and glaring at cricket, accent gone for just the moment, eye twitching and turning around to look at the rest of us with a glare that says ‘you did not just hear that.’

“We’ll get the ponies off this ship,” Riva said reassuringly as she looked back at me and gave me a smile. “Scootaloo may have been crazy to fly here alone, but she still came, we all came. This ship isn’t going down with anypony alive on it.”

“And that includes her Captain,” I added.

“And if it doesn’t give you the choice and you all have to leave?” Cricket said with a shake of her head “No, if I can’t get the ship far enough away - I’m not going to leave it, and I want you to give me your word that you aren’t going to stay and die here too. You have families, well - I don’t know about stripes there, but you all have ponies to go back to, and lives to lead.”

“We’ll leave,” I said with a sigh. “I promise.”

“As do I,” Riva said.

“I hope to see you again Cricket,” I said and turned back towards the doorway and paused. “But, if we don’t see each other again this side of the abyss, I wanted to say thank you. For everything you’ve done for me and my friends, that meant a lot to me, and I just wanted to say thanks.”

The alicorn sighed and shook her head. “You will see her again, mark my words.” No accent marking her words, she sounded like just a typical pony now. “I am sorry for my deception, I did not know if I can trust you… but if she can, I can”

I nodded and gave her a smile. “If you don’t want anypony to know, I won’t tell them, don’t worry.”

“I do not know if the Enclave will want me back after everything.” she said with a sigh. “Technically, I am their property”

I looked over at Spectra and gave him a nod. “I’m sure the President would be willing to weigh in on this. But for now we need to get out of here… I’ll see you both later.”

“Who is president now?” the Alicorn said with a soft smile “Was it not Cloud Chaser? Is he not dead now?”

“He surrendered and I arrested him, Winter Breeze is back in control of the full Enclave,” I said and looked back at her. “Is that a problem?”

Her face softened all the more and she smiled more earnestly. “She was a great student, she made me proud with how she lead as teacher… I am glad to hear she got her reward.”

I made it a point to ask about that again later, but now we had to get going. “We’ll have to talk about that sometime. But we need to get going, take care of Cricket, for all of us.”

“Of course.” She said with a smile. “Go get those ponies off this ship, may the goddesses be with you.”

“And with you,” I said and the three of us headed out of the secondary command center together.

00000

We made our way through the hallways of the Canticum Lunae, directing as many ponies as we could find towards the hangar bays and cleared out areas that were being used to get the ponies off the ship while the Alicorns couldn’t.

We were on the last VertiBuck out of the ship once the last of the crewmembers were evacuated off the ship. As it flew off towards Nomad City, we looked back at the mighty ship that was just barely holding together.

Finally a few minutes later once we were far enough away, we heard and saw the Canticum Lunae hit the ground and detonate. The shockwave from the explosion radiated outwards and pushed us forward a little bit we kept flying.

I just hoped that Cricket and her Alicorn friend had made it off the ship alright.

As the Vertibuck came in for a landing in the southern hangar bay of Nomad City and I got off I was greeted by a tight hug from Cherry. I smiled at the Earth Pony mare as I wrapped my forelegs and wings around her gently.

“When they said you went back to the ship, I didn’t think I’d ever see you again…” Cherry said softly as she buried her muzzle in my chest fur. “Are you crazy? Why did you go back in there? Why did you go there alone in the first place?”

“Shh, I’m okay, I’m never going to do something that crazy again,” I said reassuringly as I patted the mare on the back gently. “I just, felt like it was something I needed to do, in order to help Cricket get out of there alive. I’m sorry if I scared you.”

“You scared us all,” Arc said as she walked up with Sparky, Serenity, Sunrise, and Garnet coming up behind her. “We did everything we could to find you, but I guess only Riva managed to.”

“Yeah, I’m sorry about that,” I said aid sighed as I looked at Cherry. “Still, we got a lot of ponies off that ship right?”

“Most of the crew survived,” Cherry said with a nod. “Are you okay? I heard you died briefly before they managed to get you back.”

“Yeah, but I’m fine now, other than my wings being a bit sore,” I said and then remembered something. “Oh, Serenity, you can have this back.”

I removed the necklace from around my neck and gently placed it around the small filly’s neck. I gave her a smile and a quick hug.

“Thanks Scootaloo,” she said and hugged me back. “You didn’t have to give it back though, you need it as much as I do.”

“Yeah, but I’ve spent my whole life unable to fly,” I said and gave her a smile. “Serenity, you still have your whole life ahead of you. You need it more than I do, I can live without being able to fly, but this is for you.”

Serenity looked at it and then hugged me again. I smiled and hugged her back, wrapping my wings gently around the filly. “Thanks, I hope it came in handy for you.”

“Yeah, it did,” I said and looked back towards where the smoldering remains of the ship was. I had no idea if the two of them had made it out, but I hoped they did.

“A shame, really.” A voice from behind, followed by a familiar tune being hummed.

I turned to see who was standing behind me, I smiled when I saw Cricket and the white Alicorn standing there. “You made it!”

Sparky and Serenity looked at Cricket for a moment. Sparky sighed a little and gave her a nod. “Hello Cricket.”

“Hello young ones.” the alicorn said with a soft smile “What are you doing here?”

“Well, we were waiting for Scootaloo to get back from the ship,” Serenity said as she looked at Cricket and the Alicorn curiously. “What else would we be doing here?”

“And if she did not return and was still aboard the ship when it crashed, were you prepared to know that you just watched her die?” the alicorn said with a giggle to herself.

Serenity’s ears flattened a little bit at that thought as I reached down and hugged her again. “Don’t worry Serenity, that was never going to happen,” I said and shot the Alicorn a look. “This isn’t the time or the filly to say that kind of thing to.”

“I do not understand, young ones during my time of teaching were prepared for death.”

“Serenity… she’s not good with losing ponies she cares about,” I said softly as I held her close and she whimpered a little. “The important thing though is that we did make it back alive.”

“Besides, different ponies grow up in different ways,” a familiar voice said as Winter walked up escorted by her bodyguards, she gave the Alicorn a smile. “It’s good to see you again, it’s been way too long.”

“Snowflake, it has been far too long.” The Alicorn said and came to winter, giving a soft hug. “Is it true, I hear you have a daughter”

Winter’s guards tensed up for a moment but she waved them off she hugged back. “Yeah, I do, her name is Calypso.”

“I hope to meet her someday, I bet she is much like her mother.” The alicorn said with a soft smile. “It feels weird, being around ponies again - after so long of hiding, afraid the enclave would come for me.”

“Don’t worry, you don’t have to hide anymore,” Winter said softly. “There’s no reason to hide any longer.”

“Would the Enclave even need me again? With you as president I don’t think they could have a better teacher to go off of.” She said with a smile.

Winter paused a long moment and shook her head softly. “I’m not going to be President much longer Celestial. I’ve done things, terrible things that I need to atone for. I’m only President until a temporary successor can be picked, followed by General Elections. Whatever my punishment is going to be, we’re going to be working that out once I get back to Junction Town.”

“There should be no question that you are rightful to be president” Celestial said with a huff. “This is an outrage, no student of mine deserves to be in any sort of prison or exile.”

“Celestial, I’m willing to take my punishment!” Winter said. “My actions lead to countless deaths, more than I can even name. I screwed up when all I wanted to do was help Equestria, Scootaloo helped me see that, and I’m going to do what I can to correct my mistakes, even if it requires punishment.”

Celestials expression went sour, her eyes showing her sadness, ears falling back “No, No student of mine deserves such punishment.. It is the teachers fault for teaching them wrong, not the student’s fault for only learning what the teacher offered.”

“By that logic I’m as much at fault as you are,” I said with a sigh. “I programmed Sweetie Bot that also influenced Winter’s worldview. Celestial, I know you’re just trying to help, but this is Winter’s decision.”

“She was always a stubborn student, she had her own opinions and thoughts, she helped me realize that everything the Enclave taught to me, told me for me to remember and distribute to my students, archives of data miles deep, more then any pony should know, was all wrong.” Celestial smiled and sighed “She reminded me, I was a pony once, before they turned me into this.”

“Wait,” Tornado said as she spoke up and looked at Celestial. “You were created by the Enclave? I thought I was the only success of Project Valkyrie.”

“Sister project, looking at new sources of the potion, and different ways to give it to ponies, I was injected with a fairly pure batch.” Celestial said with a soft smile. “In a way, we’re sisters.”

“I, had no idea,” Tornado said.

“Celestial, I know you just want to help,” Winter said with a sad smile. “But I can’t run away from my mistakes and let somepony else take the blame for them. What kind of leader would I be if I did? What kind of teacher would I be? You taught me that a teacher sets an example, so I’m not going to let you take the fall for my mistakes.”

“Then, I hereby turn myself in for desertion of my post, for fleeing below the cloud cover and turning against the Enclave.” Celestial said with a soft smile. “If you insist on letting yourself take responsibility for your actions, then I insist on you letting me take mine.”

“Alright, then as President of the Grand Pegasus Enclave, and in the place of the head of the judiciary given she is otherwise occupied, your punishment is this” Winter said. “I sentence you to live your life, free of fear of reprisal from the Enclave. The condition of this sentence is that you use your knowledge to help ponies, and help make Equestria a better place.”

“Too bad you’re only acting president right now, I don’t think you have the authority to pardon me of my crimes.” Celestial said with a chuckle.

“I’ve still got authority to make a few more decisions,” Winter said with a chuckle. “Or do you have a better suggestion, my old teacher?”

“Well, as history has said - If the president steps down, Vice president is to step up into office, who is your vice president?” Celestial said looking at the ponies around her. “Or did you do away with that?”

“Well, in this situation it would go to the highest ranking military officer in the vicinity,” Winter said and looked between the three of us. “And as head of the Special Forces, that would be General Dash.”

“So, General Dash, do you accept the responsibility of being president and leader of the Enclave?” Celestial smiled, giving Winter a wink.

“What, me?” I asked and looked between the two and shook my head. “No, no, I can’t do this, I’m not a political leader, I’m barely even a military leader. I’ll pass.”

“Same here,” Tornado said before she could even be offered. “I have other things to deal with.”

“Well then, that leaves, General Spectra or the head of the Judiciary,” Winter said and looked over at Spectra. “What do you say, General?”

“Hmm, I think as the sole remaining General of the Enclave that has not turned down the position, I have no choice but to accept.” He said with a chuckle. “President Spectra? Kind of has a nice ring to it, no?”

“Alright then, once I finalize things I’ll step down and formally name you my successor until the general election,” Winter said and gave him a kiss on the cheek. “Just don’t let it go to your head, okay?”

“Darn it, my evil plans, foiled,” Spectra said, leaning in and giving Winter a kiss on the cheek. “Feels weird doing that in public.”

“Yeah, but I don’t care,” Winter said and nuzzled him.

“Come on, lets let them have some time alone,” I said and ushered the others into Nomad City itself.

I smiled as I looked back at the couple. I just hoped that everything was going to be okay, for now we just had to worry about getting back to Junction Town.

00000

A week passed since the end of the Battle of Coltlumbia. We had returned to Junction Town by now and Nomad City was remaining in the sky above the town for now, though they planned to leave soon.

Right now we were on Nomad City in the park towards the center of the city. We had set up a small stage and a space for the wedding. I smiled a little as I looked out at the crowd, there were ponies from all over Equestria that I had met on my adventures gathered for the ceremony.

I smiled over at Blackjack and gave her a nod, though I had to admit I was a bit nervous, I wasn’t sure if it showed as I waited for the cue that the brides were coming down the aisle.

“Just stay calm Scootaloo… there’s nothing to be afraid of,” I said quietly to myself as Arc placed her hoof on my shoulder and gave me a smile.

“Don’t worry, you’ll be just fine,” she said. “You’ve done this before, right?”

“Yeah, but… I don’t know, I’ve never been good at this,” I admitted with a soft sigh and shook my head. “I’ll be just fine.”

“For the pony that helped fixed my very life Scoots, you will be fine with this.” BlackJack said smirking. “Besides you didn’t give up on me like most did.”

I smiled and gave her a nod. “Thanks Blackjack, that means a lot.”

Before Blackjack could say anything, the music began to play. I smiled when I saw that it was coming from Silver, he had been fully repaired and was here to help with the ceremony as the brides came down the aisle.

I couldn’t help but stare a little as I saw Cherry in her wedding dress. She looked stunning as she walked down the aisle with Morning Glory close behind. She gave me a smile as she stepped up to the altar and moved into position next to me while Glory did the same with Blackjack.

I gave Cherry a smile as we took our hooves and looked over at Cricket who was officiating the ceremony. I’m not actually sure how that works given that she lost her ship, but hey, she offered and I wasn’t about to say no.

“Mares and gentlecolts, we are gathered here today to celebrate the union between Scootaloo Dash and Cherry Blossom as well as Blackjack and Morning Glory,” Cricket said as she began to speak. “These mares have been tried and tested time and time again, but their love, even when separated by time or distance, has remained strong, and their commitment has never been more clear.”

I smiled as I looked at Cherry and met her soft purple eyes. This was what we had been working towards ever since we had first gotten together. After everything that had happened, we were going to finally be married. I just hoped that everything was going to be okay.

“Now, I believe they have written their own vows,” Cricket continued as she looked at me and Cherry. “Scootaloo, if you would go first.”

I nodded and looked at Cherry in the eye. I had thought hard about exactly what I was going to say to her, but I had finally decided, knowing that I was going to need to speak from the heart.

"When I first woke up in this world, I honestly never thought about love, even more when the war started. But then I met you, this amazing mare who was funny, smart, charming, and everything I could ever want. I wasn't sure how to tell you how I felt about you, but I'm glad I did. Now together we're going into the greatest adventure of our lives, working together to build a home, and a family. After everything we've been through together, I can't think of anypony I'd rather spend the rest of my life with. We're stronger together, and if what we've been through hasn't broken that bond, then nothing will."

I smiled as I looked at Serenity who was holding the two bracelets. It was more traditional for Earth Ponies than Pegasi, but I wanted to use it. So I picked one of them up and gently slid it onto Cherry’s hoof.

“With this I do wed,” I said and gave her a smile.

“Cherry, your vows,” Cricket said and gave Cherry a nod.

Cherry looked at me and smiled before she began to speak.

"Where I come from, families are rare, even unheard of. I left because I wanted to give my family a chance, but I never imagined that I would find a pony out there to share my family with. You're everything I could want in a mare Scootaloo, you're kind, caring, honest, I never really cared about the mistakes you made, just the fact that you wanted to help ponies, and that you helped me when I needed it the most. And today as we prepare to go into the future, into that undiscovered country together, I can't think of anypony else I'd rather do it with."

Cherry smiled as she placed the bracelet onto my hoof. “With this I do wed.”

I lowered my hoof, my eyes still locked on her’s as Go Fish stepped forward for Blackjack and Morning Glory.

“Blackjack, you’re up,” Cricket said.

BlackJack blinked she took a deep breath looking to me with a weak smile. Then back to Glory.

“I have never been good with words. In fact I suck at most of my speech, but you complete me Glory. I know the past I wasn’t the kindest mare. I did very silly things broke your heart stepped on your trust of me many times. I looked back on that and think dang.. How lucky am I to have met Scootaloo to help me realize how much of a fool I was.”

She took a deep breath.

“I love you Glory. I will always love you till my death.” She lifts the ring to Glories hoof. “With this ring.. I thee wed.”

Glory looked into her eyes and took a deep breath as she began to speak. “Blackjack, when I first met you I didn’t know what to think of you. You were wild, stubborn, and a lot of other things that I probably shouldn’t say in mixed company. But then I got to know you, the real you deep down. No matter how flawed you could be, I loved you for the mare I saw you really were, and even though we were separated I never gave up on you. And we have a family together already, I’m glad I got you back, and I’ll always love you.”
She picked the ring up and slipped it onto Blackjack’s horn. “With this, I thee wed.”

“If anypony here thinks that these ponies should not be wed, speak now, but you’ll regret it,” Cricket said with a chuckle. I glanced out at the crowd of ponies and not one of them spoke up.

I smiled a little as I scanned the crowd, there were so many familiar faces out there. Even Crow had made it after he had recovered from the Battle of Thunderhead. I think I even saw a few members of the Tenders, a lot of ponies had gathered here that I had come to know from the war, and I couldn’t be happier.

“With the power invested in me by… well me,” Cricket said with a chuckle. “I now pronounce all of you… well, you know. You may kiss each other.”

I chuckled and leaned in and kissed Cherry long and passionately as I wrapped my forelegs and wings around her. As I closed my eyes, the world around us vanished, it was as if we were the only two ponies in all of Equestria, and it was the most amazing feeling I had ever experienced.

I still don’t understand everything Sweetie had told me, but I did know that I loved Cherry and I was going to be happy.

As we walked down the aisle I spotted Crow and Peach with Silver. I smiled a little as Peach gave me a salute but was confused when we finished and I saw them walking away.

We walked forward to see what was going on but Silver came to a stop. “Hey, what’s going on? Aren’t you staying for the reception?”

“Scootaloo we have one that is lost to us. We have been searching for her for along time. But we gave up to help you.” He turned to me to stare at me. “Peach will be back to see you. So will Crow. Me…. My journey will always end up to find you.”

Silver turned to me sitting down in front of me. “Again what is The core value of Friendship. The true answer this time.”

I thought about it for a long moment, but to be honest I didn’t know the answer anymore than I did before. My first answer still made the most sense to me, and it still felt subjective, like it varied from pony to pony. What could be the true answer?

To my surprise, Cherry spoke up as she wrapped her foreleg around mine and gave me a smile then looked back at Silver. “Hope, hope is the core value of friendship. Hope gives your friends something to hold onto, to give them something be inspired by.”

Silvers back opens up and plays a horn with fake audience cheering. Soon after he closes up. “Hope is a big part of the core. But the most valued of it. Treasure it don’t forget it. I shall come back someday. But for now we must return to our home. Remember the journey you have followed. Don’t forget the past either. For if we forget we are doomed.”

He turned away from me and simply follows the other two back to their home.

I smiled and nodded as I looked back at Cherry and gave her a soft kiss on the lips. “Come on, let’s get to the reception.”

And with that we headed towards the hall nearby. I looked back towards Silver and the others for a moment and nodded.

“Thanks Silver… for everything,” I said.

00000

A few more days passed after the wedding ceremony. We were getting everything together to start working on Crusader Town at this point, when it was finally time for judgment to be passed on Winter Breeze.

So we found ourselves in a courtroom in Junction Town. This was merely a formality since Winter had already made a deal with the NCR and this was more or less to lay things out to make sure that things were clear.

Winter had already stepped down as President, which had been the first step. Spectrum was rejected as her successor because they believed he was too close to her, which was understandable (though I think he was still a little disappointed). Her actual successor was a pony I hadn’t met yet, but from the sound of things they were the mysterious Wonderbolt General who had come back for the Battle of Coltlumbia on our side.

If Winter trusted them and the rest of the Alliance agreed to it, then I trusted them.

“I’ll have order, order in the court,” the judge said as he banged a metal orb down, emitting a loud noise and sparks. He was an old Griffon that looked like he had been through his fair share of fights over the years with a claw mark crossing his right eye. “I am not going to let my courtroom be turned into a circus again. I know these hearings are a mere formality, but we are to carry these things out with some sense of decorum. Understood?”

The courtroom seemed to calm down at the old judge’s words. I was seated behind the defendant’s table with Spectra, Cherry, Calypso, and Celestial as the judge gathered his notes together and looked at Winter.

“Will the defendant please rise,” he said and Winter stood up. “I must say Mrs. Breeze, even I would have a difficult time deciding on a verdict for this if you hadn’t already struck a deal. I’ve read the information on what was carried out over the course of your Presidency, what you ordered and what was done without your knowledge. Some of it good, some of it bad. Taking everything into consideration however, we have reached a decision.”

Silence fell over the crowd, it was strange all these ponies in one place were deathly quiet as he looked at her.

“It’s said here that you were to carry out some final preparations before turning over control of the Enclave to the Acting President,” the judge said as he put a pair of reading glasses on. “Including kickstarting a new agricultural project and reconstructing Canterlot, interesting, have you made any progress with this?”

“Yes your honor,” Winter said with a nod. “Everything is in place already, and the agricultural project will begin soon enough. As for the rebuilding of Canterlot, that is primarily Gambit’s project, we’re just helping with it.”

“Of course,” the judge said and looked at her again and then back at me. “Very well then, Madam Winter Breeze, for your crimes normally the punishment would be death or life imprisonment in Arbu. However…”

Whatever he was about to say was interrupted by the outcry from the gathered ponies in the courtroom. Many of them had been Winter’s supporters and were already a little angry that she had to step down from the Presidency and this wasn’t helping.

“Order, order in the court!” The judge said as he slammed his orb down, his voice booming as it caused the ponies to stop. “However, there are circumstances that have to be taken into consideration. The former President has on numerous occasions provided food and medicine for Settlements around Equestria including some within NCR territory when the need was too great for us to meet. In addition, the Enclave under her leadership has come to the defense of settlements being plagued by Raiders and Slavers. This mixed with her assistance during the Battle of Coltlumbia has changed the situation. Given these circumstances, there will be a different punishment.”

I honestly wasn’t sure what they had worked out, Winter and her lawyer did know about it of course but everything was kept under wraps until now.

“Your sentence is to last for no longer than 4 years,” he continued. “You are not to re-enter politics either in the Enclave or any affiliated nations within Equestria. During the time of your sentence you are to remain within the confines of a Settlement to be determined at a later time. The time spent there is to be spent in service of Equestria in one way or another, and if a need to leave the boundaries does arise, an escort will be required. Is this acceptable?”

“Yes your honor, it is,” Winter said and bowed her head. “If I may be allowed to speak before I go?”

“Go ahead,” the judge said and gave her a nod as she went around from behind the table and looked out at the crowd.

“I know that this is going to be a hard period of transition for you, and for everypony else that has come to trust me as their leader,” she said, her voice was calm, almost motherly, this was Winter in her element, even if it was probably for the last time. “Some of you fought for me, others worked for me, and more just lived in the Enclave. I am here because I made mistakes, because I chose to go down a path that caused death and destruction. I’m never going to be completely free of that…”

She looked over at me and gave me a soft smile. I smiled back and nodded in understanding at her as she continued speaking.

“A good pony taught me that we are never going to be free of the guilt we feel for what mistakes we’ve made, but we can make up for them. The Enclave has a lot to answer for, not just from this war but from everything that happened before, but we are learning, we are correcting those mistakes. I may not be the President anymore, but I know that the future of Equestria is in good hooves, and claws. After all, nothing ever ends, not really, and our stories, our adventures, our lives are just beginning. Don’t let the end of the war be the end of our friendship with the rest of Equestria, let’s all build that better future together.”

She smiled and looked at the crowd, after a moment of silence the applause started. I chuckled a little and joined in, noticing that even the judge was clapping. The only pony that wasn’t was Calypso who ran out and gave her mom a tight hug.

“Mommy, I’m so glad you’re not going to jail!” she said as Winter smiled and hugged her back. “You scared me… I didn’t want you to leave again.”

“Don’t worry Callie, I’m never going to leave you alone again,” Winter said softly as she held her daughter close to her. “I’ll be there for you whenever you need me, we both will.”

She smiled and looked over at Spectra before she walked over to us and gave me a smile. “Hey Scootaloo, I’m glad you could make it.”

“Of course, where else would I be?” I asked with a smile as I gave Winter a hug. “So, you’re going to have to spend some time living in a settlement huh? Any idea on where that’s going to be?”

“Well, I haven’t finalized everything yet, and I still have to wrap some things up before I’m ready to move,” Winter said with a smile as she looked down at Calypso. “But I think I know where to go.”

“Wherever you go will be lucky to have you,” I said with a smile as we all walked out of the courthouse together and back out into Junction Town.

00000

A month had passed since the end of the Battle of Coltlumbia. I was married, Winter had been given her punishment for her crimes, Arc sadly was in jail, and now there was only one thing left to do, and so that’s how we found ourselves once more in a field on the outskirts of Ponyville.

The Apple Bloom clone’s grave was marked off to the side of the old treehouse. I hoped that wherever she was, she knew that I was keeping my promise. This town had been her dream, and I was going to make sure that it came true.

The ponies we had gotten together to start constructing the town were setting up the tents that would be our homes while things were still being built.

I climbed the ladder up to the treehouse itself and looked out. There was ponies from all walks of life here, many of which I had met on this long journey. I smiled a little when I spotted Pimento and Tinker talking with Cherry along with some other ponies that had recently left Stable 48.

Terra and the other foals along with their father had arrived that day and were setting things up. There was a lot of wood, nails, and other construction equipment that had been brought around, hopefully it was going to be enough.

I headed into the treehouse and rummaged around until I found what I was looking for. It was an old holotape that I had recorded in the early days of our plans for Stable-Tec, and it was still here and working. I put it into my PipBuck and listened to my own voice come over my earbuds.

“At 0800 hours, one of the last of of the Stables was finished being constructed in the south. It’s hard to believe that this is really happening, there’s even talk of a party celebrating the “beginning of a new future for Equestria” thrown by Pinkie Pie and the others at the Ministry of Morale. But, I don’t know if they’d be so happy if they knew the truth. I lied, I cheated, I bribed ponies to cover my own crimes and hide the truth. If anything goes wrong in these Stables, I will be an accessory to murder. But the most damning thing of all is, I think I can live with it. And if I had to do it all over again, I would. I guess a guilty conscience is a small price to pay for the safety of Equestria, so I will learn to live with it. Because I can live with it… I can live with it.”

I looked at my PipBuck for the longest moment as I thought about what I had just heard. That had been me during the war, when it was all about saving Equestria, all about saving as many ponies as we could.

I don’t know how many times I had said that to myself, that even with my mistakes I could live with them. They were what was best for Equestria, even if they were mistakes. But, what would I do if I could go back and change it all?

Everything that had happened over my adventure had happened because of what I had done. But more than that, the Stables had resulted in good as well as bad, heroes had come from the Stables despite my mistakes.

While I regretted what I did, the strangest thing is that I don’t think I would change a thing. Even if they had been mistakes, I had learned from them and Equestria had a future because of them, maybe it was all worth it, maybe not, but it was what had happened.

Now I was going to look to the future, I had found my place in Equestria, and now it was up to me to make it a good one.

I took off my fedora and my coat and folded them up before I placed them in the same hiding spot I had kept the holotape in and closed it back up. I was no longer the Wanderer or the mare in black, I didn’t need to be at the front or to mourn those I lost.

Now I was just Scootaloo once more.

“Hey Scootaloo, there you are!” a voice said and I turned to see Sparky standing there with a surprised look on her face.

“Hey Sparky, what is it?” I asked as I turned to look at the Pegasus.

“You might want to come outside and see this,” she said as we headed outside together to see what she was talking about.

Outside there were new ponies who looked like they had just arrived. Most of them were Pegasi who were either helping set up tents or bringing in more supplies to help build the town with. I smiled a little when I saw Winter Breeze and a blue Alicorn with a turquoise mane that had to be Tornado as I made my way down the stairs towards where they were.

“Hey Winter, Tornado, I didn’t expect to see you here,” I said with a smile as I walked up to the two. “Are all these ponies here to help?”

“Well, I thought I’d take you up on the offer you made before the Battle of Coltlumbia,” Winter said and gave me a smile as she looked around. “So, this is where it all started?”

“Yeah, back before there was no wars, no Stables to worry about,” I said with a smile as we looked at the field around us. “The first place I ever really called home. There’s nowhere else I’d rather make a new life at.”

Winter smiled a little as Cherry walked over and gave me a kiss on the cheek. “Hey Scootaloo, Winter, Tornado, it’s good to finally see you out of your armor.”

“Cherry Blossom,” Tornado said with a smile as she looked down at Cherry. “I’ve heard a lot about you, it’s a pleasure to finally meet on better terms.”

“Likewise,” Cherry said and looked up at her with a nod.

Tornado looked between me and Cherry, I could tell there was a bit of pain in her eyes, but it faded after a moment and she smiled. “You’re a very lucky mare Cherry, don’t ever let her go.”

Cherry looked at me and smiled a little as she gave me a kiss. “I won’t, I love this mare too much.”

I chuckled a little, though admittedly I had been a bit worried about what would happen if my wife and my ex-husband met. I put my wing over Cherry and nuzzled her gently.

“And I love her too,” I said softly as I held her close. “But I’m glad to have you here all here, where’s Spectra and Callie?”

“They had to go back to Coltlumbia to get some things,” Winter said. “They’ll be coming tomorrow. So, why don’t you give us a tour of what you have in mind for this settlement?”

I smiled and started leading them around the field. We went past Caramel who was getting her tent up, I looked at her sadly for a moment, Arc hadn’t gone without punishment like she had said, but she was only going to spend about a year in prison.

Still, it wasn’t easy to think that one of the first friends I had made in the Wasteland wasn’t going to be here as we started to build. But at the same time I knew that she was with us in spirit, I just hoped that she’d be okay.

I pointed out the places where we had decided to place houses and finally where we were going to build a schoolhouse. Winter smiled a little and we spent some time talking about what it would look like and how big it should be before we were interrupted.

“Hey!! Scoots you owe me a drink!!” Blackjack said with a wave. She had a large bag on her back.

“Blackjack?” I asked and blinked in surprise as I saw Morning Glory and Go Fish coming up behind her. “What are you doing here? I thought you were going back to Hoofington aboard Nomad City.”

“Well, I thought it would be better for her to get away from Hoofington to help with her nightmares,” Morning Glory said as she gave Blackjack a nod. “So, we thought we could come here and lend a hoof.”

“Besides, I retired.” Blackjack admitted.

“Well, we’re happy to have you,” I said with a smile.

“Though, you’re going to have to wait until we build a bar before Scootaloo can get you a drink,” Cherry said with a laugh.

“Where’s Callie?” Go Fish asked as she looked around curiously. “I was hoping she’d be here.”

“Don’t worry Fishy, she’ll be here soon,” Winter said with a chuckle as she looked at the filly. “She just had to go home for some stuff, she’ll be here soon.”

“Awww, okay,” Go Fish said.

“Well, welcome to Crusader Town, I know it’s not much yet,” I said as I gestured to the tents and field around us. “Sorry you’re going to have to sleep on the ground in a tent until we can get everything set up.”

“Eh, it’s a learning experience. We will help her grow strong.” Blackjack said smirking

“Still probably more comfortable than some of the places we stayed in Hoofington,” Glory said with a chuckle. “Come on Cherry, I’d like to check on your foal to make sure she’s okay.”

“Alright,” Cherry said as the two walked off to one of the tents where we had put our medical equipment.

“Seriously Blackjack, I’m glad to have you here,” I said as I offered the mare my hoof. “You can stay as long as you want.”

BlackJack took my hoof and laughed. “You’re stuck with me Scoots we will be living here till I die. Hopefully we are both still alive to laugh about our past. While we have to look for our teeth.” She laughed.

I laughed too at that and shook her hoof. “There’s a lot of ponies coming here… I guess I shouldn’t be surprised. I just hope that it’ll be a good settlement.”

“Well think of it this way Scoots. You got me and Glory here. But I’m putting up my gun. I’m done with battle. I need to just live.”

“Yeah, I understand, the only fighting I want to do from now on is to defend,” I said with a sigh and gave her a nod. “I’d say you picked the best place to retire in.”

BlackJack looked down to Go Fish. Leaning down gently to her. “Besides I got to be a mother now. Oh and Go Fish, give your aunt a hug, because Scoots is family to me.”

I smiled a little as the filly hugged me and I hugged here back. “Auntie Scoots?”

“Yep, that’s me,” I said with a smile as I ruffled her mane and chuckled. “Which means you’re going to have a little cousin in a month or two.”

“Anyway Scoots I am going to find a place for a tent for me and Glory. I will talk to you later.” Blackjack said with a smile. “Come along Go Fish.” She walked away

I smiled and watched them walk off as I sat down on the steps to the old Treehouse. As I looked out at the collection of tents, I couldn’t help but think about everything that had come before.

Me and my friends, Rainbow Dash adopting me, the war, Stable-Tec, admitting my feelings to Sweetie Belle, the apocalypse… the war with the Enclave. Everything really had started here with three little fillies trying to figure out what made us special.

But at the same time I thought about what the future hold for us. Soon a town would stand here, a place where ponies could live and be happy. Orphans, refugees, and just any pony who wanted to live their life in peace and happiness, this was our town.

I wished more than anything that the Apple Bloom clone had lived to see it. This was her dream after all, and we were going to make sure it prospered in her memory.

“Hey Scoots,” Cherry said with a smile as she took a seat next to me. “What are you doing here?”

“Oh, you know, just remembering,” I said with a smile as I wrapped my wing around her gently.

“Welcome home Scootaloo,” she said and gave me a soft kiss on the lips.

I closed my eyes and returned the kiss. This was our home, and it was here that we’d be building our own future.

I held her close, and we just sat there for the longest time, watching the ponies work together. We could both imagine what kind of town this was going to be, and we couldn’t wait for it to be done.

If we were going into the future, into that undiscovered country, then we were going to do it together, as a family.

Like we always had.

Maximum Level Reached.

Author's Note

I'll see you all soon for the epilogue.

Epilogue: After the War

"Wake up, say good morning to
That sleepy person lying next to you
If there's no one there then there's no one there
But at least the war is over."

After the founding of Crusader Town, everything seemed to settle down for us. Whatever Winter had worked out actually seemed to work out, as new farms started popping up around Equestria in the sky.

I never thought that I’d be able to live anything resembling a normal life after everything that had happened to me. But here I was, building a town that was going to give Equestria more of a future.

I have to admit I’m nervous, I’ve never built or run a town before. It’s not really the same as running a company like I’ve done in the past, but me and my friends are going to do our best to make sure that it survives.

Crusader Town was still under construction at this point. There was a few buildings here and there that were about done, the first priority had been to build a medical center and houses, so for the most part we were in the tents still.

So, it’s been about two months since we broke ground on Crusader Town. The Hellhounds and Fluttershy from Ponyville had started coming over and helping build the town at this point, working with Hellhounds was kind of weird for some of us, but they have been a lot of help.

Today though, well today was a day that I’ve both been looking forward to and worried about ever since I first met Cherry and we became close.

That was the day that Cherry went into labor.

00000

“Hey Scootaloo, are you okay?” A stallion’s voice asked and I looked up to see Pimento standing there.

“Yeah… I’m just…” I said and sighed a little as I looked back towards the medical center before I looked back at him. “I’m nervous, you know? Last time I was in a situation like this, I was the one in there.”

"Yeah, I know," Pimento said and took a seat next to me. "Is that what's really bothering you though? Morning Glory said that the foal is healthy and doubts there is going to be much of a problem."

"I'm, not really sure to be honest," I admitted with a sigh. "Really, I'm more nervous about how I'm going to do as a mom. I mean, I did okay before, but I wound up leaving my daughter in a Stable before I wound up being exiled from above the clouds. I'm not exactly mother of the year material, you know?"

"At least you have experience, which is what Cherry is going to need," Pimento said and I looked at him confused for a moment.

"Oh, right because of how things were done in Stable 48," I said with a sigh.

"Yeah, Cherry's not really experienced with raising foals, nopony from the Stable is," Pimento said with a shake of his head. "I was surprised when Cherry asked me to be a part of our daughter's life, you know? She made it pretty clear that she didn't want anything to do with me before. I assume you had something to do with that."

"Me and a crazy Alicorn named Gambit," I said with a chuckle and shook my head. "Yeah, I thought that you shouldn't be left out of your daughter's life completely. I guess that's why we invited you here to Crusader Town."

"Thank you," Pimento said with a soft sigh. "I never actually thought of myself as much of a father, I just did it because it was my job in the Stable. I knew that Cherry wasn't even into Stallions but when the computer picked us, well... I didn't exactly have much choice."

"Still, as strange as it is, I should be thanking you," I said with a chuckle as he looked at me confused. "Well, I mean it was why Cherry left the Stable to begin with and met me. If it wasn't for that I may have never met her and we wouldn't have fallen in love and gotten married. I mean, I was supposed to go to Stable 48 anyway, but you never know how that might've gone."

"You really love her huh?" Pimento asked and I nodded. "Well that's good, I'm just glad that she found somepony that cares about her more than I ever really could. And that you helped me leave the Stable."

"What's the latest from 48 anyway?" I asked curiously.

"Well, with the end of the Enclave War everything has changed more than you might think," he said with a shrug. "My mom's deal with the Enclave still holds up, but ponies have started to leave the Stable for good. Like you saw, some are even living here in town, others have gone to Reino and New Pegasus. Everything that happened gave Stable 48 a second chance to be able to be a better place, you gave us that, same with Winter Breeze."

I looked at him for a long moment and smiled. He was right of course, Stable 48 had been one of the bigger mistakes I had made because I hadn't considered all the possibilities of it. But still, it had survived, it had even thrived and become more than what I had envisioned.

Stable 97 was faring better too from what Winter told me. The ponies there were getting the education they needed, and it was already starting to show. I didn't like what had happened to Stable 97, but we were going to do everything in our power to make it better.

I thought about all the places we had visited, all the ponies we had met. I had built the Stables to save lives, and they had done just that. More than that, Equestria had survived and we had met our goal of making it a better place after the end, even if it had taken 200 years.

"Do, you really think I'll be a good mother?" I asked as I looked over at Pimento.

"I think you'll do fine, Cherry loves you and trusts you, and that's enough to convince me," he said with a nod.

I smiled and nodded a little as I looked out towards the town that was under construction. It was hard to believe that this was actually so successful, but this was our future, our bright future.

Winter was right, all we really had to do was work together and we would make a better world.

After awhile the door opened and Morning Glory walked out in her doctor's scrubs. She smiled a little as she gave us a nod. "Congratulations, its a filly, do you want to see her?"

I smiled as I got to my hooves and looked back at Pimento. "Do you want to come in too?"

"No, go ahead, I'll see her later," he said and waved me off.

I nodded and headed into the medical center and smiled at the sight of Cherry laying on the bed that had been set up in there. She was holding a small bundle in her hooves as I walked forward and looked down at the filly.

She had a pure white coat with a tuft of pink hair, she yawned a little as she looked up at me with purple eyes that reminded me so much of her mother's. She was a Unicorn, just like that strange Zony had said she was going to be and I gave Cherry a smile.

"Hey there kiddo, I'm your step-mom Scootaloo," I said with a smile as I looked at the filly and then back at Cherry. "She's beautiful.

"Yeah, she really is," Cherry said as she looked at me and smiled. "Its hard to believe that after everything we've been through, we finally have this little one here with us."

"Yeah," I said and smiled down at my step-daughter. "We've been through a lot the three of us, but we've now got a home to live in and a future to build. I just hope that, for her sake, we're going to make it a really good one, you know?"

"Yeah, I know exactly what you mean," Cherry said with a soft sigh as she held her daughter close. “So, there’s one thing we never really figured out.”

“What’s that?”

“We still have to name her,” Cherry said with a chuckle as she offered her to me as I took a seat in a chair next to her and took the small Unicorn carefully.

I looked down at the filly for a long moment as I thought about it. I smiled a little as I looked at the filly and smiled. “Well, do you have any ideas?”

“Hmm,” Cherry said as she laid back on the bed and looked thoughtful for a moment. “How about, Silk Rose?”

“Silk Rose,” I said as I looked down at the filly for a long moment and smiled a little. There was something about it that just felt like it worked for her, kind of like how I felt when I first saw Cloudy. “I like it, welcome to the world Silk Rose.”

I smiled as I looked down at the filly and then back at Cherry. We were a family the three of of us, and I couldn’t be happier. I nuzzled the filly gently as she drifted off to sleep in my forelegs and I gently gave her back to Cherry.

“Cherry, you’re going to do just fine,” I said with a smile as I leaned in and kissed my wife gently on the lips. “We’re both going to do fine.”

Cherry smiled and nodded as she nuzzled me. “Thanks Scoots, I love you so very much.”

“I love you too,” I said.

We just sat there for the longest time together. I smiled down at Silk Rose as she slept peacefully. I could imagine everything that was ahead of us and her, her first steps, words, her cutie mark… everything that the world had in store for her and for us.

We were going to face it, as a family.

00000

“It's us, yes, we're back again
Here to see you through 'til the day's end
And if the night comes and the night will come
Well at least the war is over.”

So, you remember that agricultural project that was mentioned? Well, as it turned out Winter as one of her last acts as the President of the Enclave had worked something out with the most unlikely of ponies.

I didn’t actually learn about most of this until after the fact when a pony came by Crusader Town to meet with Winter. I didn’t really understand what was going on until both Winter and the pony in question explained it.

So, yeah here’s the thing, the pony who had come was LittlePip. I was surprised too, but apparently she had left the SPP Hub and was there to apologize to Winter for something that had happened when she was at the Hub.

Given this book is to show the events of the war and the immediate aftermath, I asked LittlePip to tell her story and explain what happened in the Hub. She was happy enough to oblige, and, well I think you should read it for yourself.

Don’t worry, none of its bad, its just a bit, unexpected is all. I guess I can’t blame LittlePip for not liking it, but Equestria was changing, and we were all just then realizing what that meant.

00000

Today was going to be my last day in the SPP Hub.

Yeah, I know I’ve been in here for over a decade controlling the weather and keeping Celestia company. I had seen Equestria change, go through wars, and get better. Now Celestia had told me that I should rejoin it.

Rejoining Equestria was not as easy as we had hoped of course, we still needed to control the weather which Celestia couldn’t do. So we hit upon an idea, the Lightbringers, a new faction in Equestria dedicated to working in the SPP Hub.

I wasn’t really sure about it at first, I mean I had promised Celestia that I’d stay with her, but she insisted that I should go back to my friends. So, we set up everything with the help of Homage and other ponies until finally everything was all set up.

So when the portal opened up, I was expecting the ponies we had picked to run the Hub, what I wasn’t expecting was who came with them.

“Princess Celestia, LittlePip,” the nicely dressed blue Pegasus said as she brushed her mane back and gave us a smile.

For the first time in over 200 years, an Enclave leader had set hoof in the SPP Hub. What was going on? While I didn’t doubt that Winter could be trusted given everything that I had seen, why would she come here all of a sudden?

“President Winter Breeze,” Celestia said as her image bowed its head slightly. “Your message said that you had a proposal for me?”

“Wait, proposal?” I asked as my ears perked up. “What are you talking about Celestia? What kind of proposal?”

“Well, you see there’s been a growing food problem in Equestria,” Winter said as she gave Celestia a nod. “Even after the Day of Sunshine and Rainbows and the use of Gardens of Equestria, there are still areas that have nearly gone to war just over food sources. The Enclave has the answer to that, but we need your help.”

“Our help?” I asked and blinked a little as I looked at Winter. “What kind of help are you wanting?”

“If we can have some access to the SPP…” Winter started to say when I interrupted.

“Wait, you want us to give over control of the SPP System to the Enclave?” I protested. “Are you insane? This place has been kept out of the Enclave’s hooves for over 200 years, and you’re expecting us to just give it over to you?”

“LittlePip, calm down,” Celestia said as she tried to calm me. “She is not here to take over the SPP system, are you Winter?”

“No, I’m not,” Winter said with a shake of her head. “I’m not asking for full control of the Hub to be given to the Enclave. You see, with the Enclave’s cloud farming techniques we can help with the food situation across Equestria. We’re not going to take control of the Hub, but if you can use the SPP towers to create areas for the cloud farms then we’ll be able to do it more effectively.”

“You can’t really be buying this right?” I asked as I looked over at Celestia. “Even if Winter Breeze can be trusted, what about her successors? We don’t actually know that all of the Enclave has changed that much!”

“LittlePip, I understand your concerns,” Celestia said with a frown as she looked at me and then over at Winter again. “President Breeze, what assurances can you give us that the Enclave will not return to their own ways?”

“I can’t confirm it 100%,” Winter said with a sigh. “The Enclave has changed though, and my successor has agreed to it along with the rest of the Alliance. There will be checks and balances to ensure that the Enclave doesn’t return to the old ways, and our allies are going to be there to help as well. We will agree to send representatives unarmed and they will not be among those who access the system itself, would that be satisfactory?”

“Very well, if you keep these terms then I will agree to them,” Celestia said with a nod. “If you have any ideas on where we should…”

“This is insane!” I said, interrupting Celestia and making her look at me surprised. “They’re still the Enclave, they’ve been responsible for so much death and destruction in Equestria, why do you really think they’re going to change forever?”

Both Winter and Celestia looked at me and sighed a little. Winter looked at Celestia and she gave her a nod. “LittlePip, I won’t lie there are still some ponies in the Enclave who aren’t completely convinced. They are however a minority that have shrunk even more with the end of the Enclave War. Most Pegasi believe in what I’ve done, and I doubt the risk is that great. I understand your concerns, but please, give us a chance to prove that we really have changed.”

“I’ll believe it when I see it,” I said with a shake of my head and levitated my bags onto my back and looked at Celestia. “Open the portal please, I’m ready to go home.”

“I am sorry that you had to leave on these terms,” Celestia said as the portal started to form again. “Take care of yourself LittlePip, I enjoyed the past 10 years with you.”

I smiled and looked back at her and gave her a nod. “I enjoyed them too Celestia, thank you for everything.”

“You are very welcome,” Celestia said.

I took one last look back at the place that had been my home for the last decade. But now it was time to rejoin the real world, as I stepped back through the portal and back to Equestria.

00000

When I reformed on the other side I was greeted by a hug from an excited pony. “Littlepip, it’s so good to see you again!”

I smiled as I hugged Homage back and closed my eyes as I enjoyed the embrace. While she had visited a few times over the years, it was good to finally get to see her outside of the Hub once more.

“Hey Homage,” I said as I held the mare close. “Did you know about the Enclave thing?”

“Yeah, well, it kind of surprised us too,” Homage admitted as she rubbed the back of her head. “Sorry, it was kind of a last minute thing after she sent a message to Celestia. And, well after what happened the other day… we needed to get things together before somepony else decided to try something.”

I sighed a little, a few days ago the Hub had come under attack by a crazy pony that had somehow managed to make it past the shield. We had pushed him back, but it certainly didn’t help given everything that was going on.

“I’m, just glad to be with you again,” I said and nuzzled Homage gently.

“Yeah, I’ve already got our place set up,” she said and whispered in my ear. “And I’m gonna see if we can beat our old record tonight.”

I felt my face turn hot as I blushed deeply at that. I couldn’t help but smile though, it really was good to have Homage’s antics back.

“So, are yah gonna say hello ta tha rest of us?” A familiar accented voice asked and I turned to see Calamity, Velvet, and Blackjack standing there.

“Oh, sorry, I was just…” I said and blushed deeply before I smiled. “Hey, sorry, I’m just, you know, really happy to see her again.”

I was a bit surprised when I saw Blackjack, she wasn’t armed or even wearing armor like I had been used to see her in. Heck, she wasn’t even carrying whiskey.

“So, is that Blackjack or did you pick up a Changeling?”

BlackJack Smirked. “Oh how about I tell them about the time that I kissed you hmm? Would they love that? I am sure they would and the look on your very face Pip. I am sure it would have made Homage jealous.” Blackjack laughed loudly

I blushed even deeper at that as Homage shot me a confused look. “Don’t ask, it was a moment of weakness.”

“Eh It was me being drunk and all that weirdness I moved on from drinking, I got married. I am no longer the crazy insane mare I was. I enjoy not having to carry a gun all the time. So I am happy to see you Pip.” She gave me a calm gentle smile.

“Yeah, you’re definitely a Changeling,” I said and chuckled a little. “I’m glad to see you too Blackjack. I’m just, sorry its been kind of a long few days with the whole attack and then the Enclave showing up at the Hub. Welcome back to Equestria Littlepip, huh?”

Blackjack sighed. “Pip if I went through what you did. For ten years I wouldn’t well be happy to see them either. Heck I tried to fix myself by going to a crazy place to hook myself and try to fix it. But… I couldn’t. But Pip I feel even though.. I may not fully trust them.. But I feel it’s better than you being there longer then that.”

“Yeah, Ah’m not so sure about it either,” Calamity admitted and rubbed the back of his head. “Winter Breeze is makin’ a lot of promises, and while we trust her, Ah ain’t so sure about anypony else in tha Enclave.”

“But time will tell,” Velvet added and placed her hoof on Calamity’s.

“Besides, Winter is at least better than General Cloud Chaser,” Homage pointed out with a chuckle. “Don’t worry about it, if they become a problem again, we’ll deal with them when the time comes.”

“I wonder..Homage. When will Pip ask you for your hoof in marriage hmm?” Blackjack asked smirking.

“Yeah, when are you?” Homage asked and gave me a smirk. “Seriously, Blackjack got married before we did.”

“Hey give me a break, I’ve been gone for 11… wait, Blackjack got married?” I asked and blinked in surprise. “Are we sure this is the real Blackjack?”

Blackjack seems to be unsure about something. But she smirked. “Oh damn it you …. I know You ... “ She kept cussing like a sailor.

“Okay, okay, I believe you!” I said with a laugh as I gave them a nod. “Alright, well, if that’s all, maybe we should get going. Unless you have any more secrets… like, secret pregnancies, alien invasions, you know anything new.”

“Well…” Calamity said and squeezed Velvet’s hoof lightly. “Yah see…”

“I was kidding about that,” I said and blinked a little. “Wait, you’re really…”

“Took them long enough,” Homage said with a chuckle.

“Yeah, I’m about a month along now,” Velvet said and rubbed heer foreleg a little before she gave me a smile. “We wanted to surprise you.”

“Well, congratulations to you both,” I said with a smile as we headed off towards where our ride away from the cave was.

I glanced behind me and saw Spike waving, I smiled and waved back. It was good to be back in Equestria, even if I had to leave Celestia behind, but I knew she was in good hooves.

I just hoped so was Equestria.

00000

“Lift your head and look out the window
Stay that way for the rest of the day and watch the time go
Listen, the birds sing, listen, the bells ring
All the living are dead and the dead are all living
The war is over and we are beginning.”

As the days following the end of the Battle of Coltlumbia passed, the tension between the members of the Alliance started to go away. There’s something to be said for fighting alongside each other I suppose, there would always be some tension but it wasn’t as bad as it used to be.

But they wanted to do their best to make things easier, so one thing that was put together was called Project Starlight.

Project Starlight was the brainchild of Midnight and General Whiteout, one of the new Enclave military commanders after I had resigned my commission. The idea was that the members of the Alliance would work together to rebuild cities and settlements that were damaged by the Enclave.

I got a letter from Garnet a couple of weeks after Silk Rose was born. He told me about everything that was happening, and given that he knew about the book, he enclosed what was going on.

It seems that he had been assigned to be part of Project Starlight in his old home in Whinnyapolis, he asked me to include it in this book so, here you go.

00000

“Pull!” I said as we pulled on a rope to pick up the wall frame and set it into place. We were putting the finishing touches on another building in the old settlement at the Skyport in Whinnyapolis. “Alright, lower it down.”

I watched as the Pegasi finished lowering the roof and flew in to get it all secured. I smiled a little as Sunrise flew down and landed next to me.

“What do you think?” I asked as I looked over at the Pegasus mare.

“Looks good,” she said with a nod. “How’s your family settling in?”

“Well, this was our home once, so Amethyst and Emerald are pretty used to it,” I said with a shrug as we headed back towards the collection of buildings we called home. “Pearly is a little confused, but she’s getting used to it.”

“Look I…” Sunrise said and sighed a little. “I really am sorry about what happened with your home. If I had been here, I would’ve tried to stop it, Cloud Chaser never truly represented everypony in the Enclave.”

“Yeah, I understand that now,” I said and gave the Pegasus a smile. “Besides, I think my wife and your marefriend…”

“Fiance now actually,” Sunrise said interrupting me.

“Really?” I asked and she nodded and I smiled a little. “Anyway, they’ve become pretty good friends since we moved here. I’m just, well, it’s not been easy being back here after everything that happened before. Still, I’m just glad that I got a chance to meet you.”

“I’m glad I got to meet you too,” Sunrise said as they approached a building where Amethyst, Cure All, Garnet, Emerald, Pearl, and Dusk were eating lunch and waved to them.

“How’d it go?” Cure asked as the two ponies took a seat by their loved ones.

“Well, we got another building up, at least the frame,” Sunrise said with a nod. “That’ll make most of the settlement rebuilt here, so we’ll be moving on after that.”

“Where are we going next?” Emerald asked curiously as he looked up at his Dad.

“Well, we were thinking about going to the old Mall next,” Garnet said as he ruffled Emerald’s mane a little. “The Mall of Equestria used to be one of the major trading posts in the city for years until, well…”

“You don’t have to hold back,” Sunrise said with a shake of her head. “This city is in bad shape and the Enclave didn’t help. It’s why we’re here, to make things better for Equestria here just like everywhere else.”

I nodded and gave her a smile. “Don’t worry, you’re doing fine,” I said and turned back to look at my family. “The biggest problem in the Mall of Equestria is going to be how big it is, but most of the structure is still intact according to our scouts.”

“The problem however is that it looks like there’s a bit of a Raider problem,” Sunrise added as she shook her head. “Which isn’t unexpected, since Cloud Chaser had to pull most his forces out of the city for the war, most of the city is in a state of anarchy.”

“But, let’s not worry about that right now,” I said with a smile. “We’ve got a lot of work ahead of us, but with Rangers and Thunderbolts working together, we can make this city thrive again, I just know it.”

"Indeed, at least something good came out of the war," Amethyst said and gave me a smile. "Well, several good things really. We wouldn't all be here if it wasn't for Winter and Scootaloo."

"Yeah," I said and chuckled a little as I popped the cap on an Opal Grape. "All things considered, we're doing a lot to make sure that Equestria does have a future. I just wish that my sister could be here to see it."

Amethyst placed her hoof on my shoulder and gave me a reassuring smile. "She'd just be happy to know that everything turned out okay."

"Yeah, same with my husband," Sunrise said as she looked down at Dusk who gave her a reassuring smile. "We all have loved ones that we wish could've been here."

"Indeed," I said and raised my bottle. "To absent friends and family."

"To absent friends and family," the others said as we clinked our drinks and took a long drink.

We were going to make sure that this city was rebuilt, together, in the memory of everypony we had lost. But also for everything we had gained.

00000

“Gridlock on the parkway now
The television man is here to show you how
The channel fades to snow, it's off to work you go
But at least the war is over.”

All things considered, Equestria has been slowly recovering over the past 10 years. Sure we've had our wars, the Enclave War was just the most recent, but we were getting stronger again.

While me and Winter may have been the catalyst for the major changes that came out of the Enclave War, we weren't the only forces for good that had dared to change things in Equestria. There have been heroes sure, but there have always been just your ordinary ponies that want to live their lives.

I guess it’s why when Winter made the choice for her successor, and eventually when the Enclave held its first free election, they voted in somepony that I didn't expect. But still, given everything that happened, I have to admit, when I met her back in Neigh Orleans I never would have imagined that she was going to be this important.

But still, the people of the Enclave had spoken. While Winter would never hold office again, her voice still held a lot of power in the Enclave. So it was little surprise to everypony that a candidate was chosen that reflected her ideals.

What did surprise me however was who it was, I guess that's irony for you. I wasn't the only pony who was keeping secrets in the old days.

00000

"One of the major turning points in the Great War was the advent of the Megaspell," Winter said as she spoke in a large tent that was the temporary school in Crusader Town while everything was set up. "Like everything else, it was developed with the best of intentions, to try and bring a swift end to the war without causing too much collateral damage. However, as we've seen..."

I smiled a little as I leaned against the tent wall and watched her speaking to the foals. Winter had wanted to get back to teaching as soon as she could, and she was going to make sure that everypony in the town had an equal chance of getting an education.

This was her history lesson, she was talking about the Megaspells and the War because she knew that while ponies knew about the effects of it, they needed a better understanding of the context. I was about to turn and head out of the tent when the flap opened and a pony came in.

I blinked in surprise when I saw a familiar golden colored Pegasus mare, only instead of being dressed in the uniform or power armor she had been in before, she was dressed in a suit and tie. She looked at me and gave me a smile.

"Hey Scootaloo, its been awhile," she said quietly and offered me a hoof.

"Shimmering Skies, I didn't expect to see you here," I said and shook her hoof. "What brings you to Crusader Town?"

"I, wanted to talk with Winter Breeze," she said as we headed out of the tent together. "I had heard you were working hard on this place and I wanted to see it for myself. It’s quite the setup you have here."

"Yeah, so, uh, what's with the get-up?" I asked and looked her over curiously. "I thought you preferred the military look."

"I do, but..." she said and brushed her mane back for a moment before Winter came out.

"Madam President, its good to see you," Winter said with a smile as she offered her a hoof. "Scootaloo, you of course know the Enclave's new President, Shimmering Skies."

"Acting President actually," Shimmering said sheepishly. "I'm not officially elected yet."

"Wait, really? You're Winter's Successor?" I asked and blinked in surprise. I hadn't really been following Enclave politics that closely because I was more focused on getting Crusader Town up and running. "Well, congratulations."

"Thank you," Shimmering Skies said with a chuckle. "But I have to say its something I have to get used to still. I'm not much of a politician, I was surprised when..."

She paused as if she was trying to figure out what to say. I looked confused for a moment and then something clicked in my mind as I figured out just what was going on.

"Scootaloo, Shimmering Skies is, or was a Wonderbolt General," Winter said and gave Shimmering a nod. "She was the one who went south to Neigh Orleans, and went AWOL."

"Technically, I went Dashite," Shimmering said with a shake of her head. "The fact of the matter is that I wanted to just live in peace, the other Generals didn't like that so they unilaterally decided to brand me and my troops. I wasn't expecting to get the offer to run the Enclave from Winter after the Battle of Coltlumbia, and I was certainly not expecting to be selected as the next President."

"Well, I think you've done a fine job," Winter said and offered her a hoof. "Just make sure you don't mess up too badly, okay? I'm just glad one of the old guard decided to follow me, well other than Reticle, but she wasn't interested in the job."

"Hopefully I really can do good things for Equestria and the Enclave, but I've got big shoes to fill," Shimmering said and gave her a smile. "Scootaloo, I'm sorry for not being completely truthful back when we first met in Neigh Orleans, but you understand my position. The Wonderbolt Generals are, not very popular in Equestria given everything that's happened, or at least we weren't before."

"I totally understand," I said with a nod as I looked between her and Winter. "I'm sure that you're going to make a great President."

“Thank you, I’ll try my best,” Shimmering said with a smile.

“Come on, let’s go inside,” Winter said and gestured for Shimmering and her entourage to come back into the tent.

I smiled and walked back down the impromptu main street to the house that had been built for me, Cherry, and Silk Rose. I was about to open the door when I swore I saw a familiar face coming up towards me.

Peach Blossom stood in front of me and saluted. “Former guardian of the Junk Reapers reporting for duty sir!!”

“Uh, hi Peach,” I said and blinked a little. “I thought you went back with Silver and Crow, what brings you here?”

“I got a letter from Silver Gunner for you.” She lifted the letter up and offered it to me.

Curiously I took it and opened it up as I started to read.

“Scootaloo I write to you not fully happy. The one that was missing returned. She got her cutie mark shooting a enclave soldier when she was just eight. But before what happened with you she went missing. She just returned… Brain dead. She’s been stuck in a memory for forty years. From the story I learned that Equestria is not the only place of war. There is more out there, but there is something else. On a happier note, Peach Blossom and her wife Rose Petal have taken leave from us. They will be living with you to keep you close. But not just that, peace is needed in this land. I trust you to bring it again. Now I must get back to Star Shooter to watch her heal even if I can do nothing. Forever your friend, Silver Gunner.

P.S. There is nothing on the back of this. So don’t worry about random chips.”

I checked the back of the note just to be sure, and sure enough there was nothing there. I folded it up and gave Peach a smile. “I’m glad to have you here, we’re still getting everything built and we don’t have much of a guard or militia yet. But, if you wouldn’t mind helping with that, that would be great.”

Peach’s features softened and the hard cold eyed pegasus mare gave a nod. “I shall do what I can for you Scootaloo. My wife will be here in a few days. She is forcing Crow to be a beast of burden to bring our stuff. So yeah you can say hi to him.”

“I look forward to seeing him and meeting your wife,” I said with a nod.

“Permission to hug you sir.”

I laughed a little and nodded. “Granted, and you can call me Scootaloo, or at least ma’am, do I look like a sir? Don’t answer that, I know my mane is short.”

“Of course ma’am I mean no offense.” The large mare pulled me into a tight hug and after awhile she set me back down.

I hugged back as best as I could and gave her a nod. “I should go to see my own wife, but we’ll get you settled in. At the moment we mostly have tents since the built buildings are all claimed, so head over to the tent area and something will be arranged.”

She gave me a nod and walked off towards the area of the tents.

I smiled and opened the door to my house and looked inside where Cherry was nursing Silk. She smiled when I entered and walked over and gave her a light kiss on the lips.

“Who was that you were talking to outside?”

“A pony I met in Thunderhead,” I said and chuckled lightly. “We seem to be getting a lot of ponies here, hopefully we’ve got enough land and materials.”

“Don’t worry, I’m sure we’ll be fine,” she said and nuzzled me gently. “You’ve done a lot of great things here. I’m just glad that everything has worked out for us.”

“Me too,” I said and nuzzled her and looked down at the filly. “We’ve still got a long way to go before Equestria is completely healed. I’m sure that it will only be a matter of time though.”

Cherry nodded and we just snuggled for awhile after that. Right now I wanted to just spend time with my wife and not worry about the outside world.

00000

“She's gone, she left before you woke
As you ate last night, neither of you spoke
Dishes, TV, bed, the dark was filled with dread
But at least the war is over.”

You know, I shouldn’t be surprised when the Wasteland throws a curveball at me.

I know it’s kind of hard to believe that after everything I’ve been through, the Equestrian Wasteland threw me for another loop. It’s a bit hard to explain everything, so I’ll tell the story as best I can.

Those who have been reading my book may remember something that happened a while back. It’s now about 3 months after the end of the Battle of Coltlumbia, and I had just gotten back from a trip to Junction Town to secure more supplies.

When I got back to Crusader Town however, I was surprised at what I found waiting for me.

00000

I walked down the main street when I spotted a familiar face waving to me from the medical center. I blinked a little in surprise to see Fluttershy standing there, she had been here every so often but I hadn’t expected her to be here today.

“Hey Fluttershy, what’s going on?” I asked as I trotted over to the yellow Pegasus mare who looked a little nervous. “Is everything okay?”

“Well, umm…” Fluttershy said nervously as she looked at me. “See, a group of us were on the edge of the Everfree Forest the other day…”

She paused a moment and I waited for her to finish. Fluttershy had gotten a little better recently, so why was she suddenly so nervous?

“What happened?” I asked and she shivered a little and took a deep breath.

“We found a filly on the edge of the forest, we’re not really sure how she got there,” she said with a shake of her head. “I was thinking Morning Glory might be able to help with her, so we brought her here. You, should probably see who it is for yourself.”

I was a bit confused but I followed her into the medical center. Morning Glory looked up when we entered as she was examining a filly that looked like she was about 8 years old. She had a light blue coat with a short rainbow mane and I stopped in mid-step.

“But, how?” I asked as I looked at Morning Glory confused as she looked at me and then sighed a little.

“Do you remember the name Prism Light?” She asked and then I realized who it was, but it still didn’t make sense.

“Yeah, that was the name we gave to the Rainbow Dash clone who I freed from the experiments in Whitehome,” I said and looked at the filly confused. “But, how? She was fully grown when I saw her back in Whitehome, what’s going on here?”

“Honestly, I have no idea,” Morning Glory said as she shook her head. “Based on the fact that she was found near the Everfree Forest, my guess is that she wandered into some Killer Joke. We’ve applied the cure, but for some reason she hasn’t returned to her normal age.”

“Scootaloo?” Prism asked as she looked up at me curiously.

“Hey Prism,” I said and moved in close to look at the filly curiously. She looked so much like Rainbow Dash, which made sense given she was a clone I suppose. “Do you remember me from Whitehome?”

“Yep,” she said and nodded a little. “You were the nice pony that got us out of the museum. You said you were my… umm…”
I sighed a little, I wondered if maybe the Killer Joke had done something to mess with her memory as well. She blinked a little as if she was trying to think of what it was that I had said, it was painful for me given who she was.

“Mommy,” she finally said. “Yeah, that’s what you said.”

I sighed a little and shook my head, but there wasn’t much point in telling her the truth. Given the effects of the Killing Joke it would probably just confuse her even more. I reached forward and gently hugged the filly and stroked her mane gently.

“That’s right Prism,” I said softly as I held her close, though I was still a little worried. “What happened to your friends?”

“They left, we got into a fight and they ran off,” Prism said with a shake of her head. “I went into the forest and there was these blue flowers and vines. I don’t really remember much else.”

The best I could guess was that Prism and the other clones had to have been in the area before getting into a fight of some sort. I was still a bit confused as to what was going on, but I had an idea of what to do.

“Can you stay here with Dr. Glory and Ms. Fluttershy?” I asked as I looked up at Morning and whispered to her. “I need to talk with Cherry about this.”

“Okay, will you be back?” She asked.

“Don’t worry, I won’t be gone long,” I said and gave her another hug. “I’ll be back soon, I promise.”

She nodded and I released the hug before I went out of the medical center and went to my house to talk to Cherry.

00000

“You’re kidding, right?” Cherry asked as she looked at me confused after I explained what happened to her. “Prism Light is back, and she was, de-aged by Killing Joke?”

“Yeah, I know it sounds crazy,” I said as I rubbed the back of my head a little. “She thinks I’m her mother, I think it’s a distorted version of what we told her back in Whitehome.”

Cherry placed the sleeping Silk Rose into her crib before she looked back at me and looked thoughtful for a moment. “Do, you want to adopt her or something?”

“I know it sounds a bit crazy, especially with everything that’s been going on,” I said with a sigh. “She’s confused, and even the cure for Killing Joke couldn’t un-do it for some reason, might be because of the cloning. I know it’s sudden, but I feel like she needs us more than anything else. If you don’t want to though, we can figure something else out.”

Cherry looked at me and then down at Silk as she thought it over for a long moment. “Scoots, you wouldn’t even be suggesting it if you didn’t think its the right thing to do. Prism is going to need a lot of help already given that she’s a clone, so we’ll need to talk to Winter too. If you think we should do this, then I’ll give it a try.”

“Really?”

“Of course, I love you so much that I’d be willing to do anything for you, or with you,” Cherry said and gave me a light kiss on the lips. “If this little filly needs a family, then we can be her family. Why don’t you go get her if you can?”

I smiled and nuzzled her before I headed back to the medical center and talked with Morning Glory and Fluttershy. Apparently Prism was an otherwise healthy 8 year old filly, so they said she could leave the medical center.

As I was about to leave Fluttershy placed her hoof on my shoulder. “Scootaloo, are you going to be okay? I mean she’s… Rainbow was…”

“I’ll be fine,” I said softly and gave Fluttershy a hug. “I know this isn’t going to be easy for us, Rainbow was a good friend to you and a mom to me.”

“Yeah… maybe, I can help out with her a little?” Fluttershy offered. “I mean, if you ever need help with her or Silk Rose. I’d be happy to help as best I can, if you want.”

I smiled and released the hug after a moment. “Okay Fluttershy, I’d be glad to have your help. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome,” Fluttershy said with a smile as me and Prism headed out of the medical center and off towards the house.

When we entered Cherry smiled as she got to her hooves and walked over and looked at Prism. “Hey Prism, do you remember me?”

“Yeah, you’re Cherry Blossom,” Prism said with a curious tilt of her head. “Do you live with mommy?”

“Well, you might say that,” Cherry said with a chuckle as I put my wing over her. “We’re married, so I’m your mommy too.”

“I have two mommies?” She asked and tilted her head curiously. “Cool!”

I smiled as Prism hugged the two of us. I wrapped my wings around the two of them as I looked down at the filly and then at Cherry.

Our family had grown by one, even if neither of us had expected it. I guess it was fitting in a strange way, Rainbow Dash had always been there for me and adopted me when I needed her, now we were doing the same for her clone.

I couldn’t be happier.

00000

With everything that’s been going on, you’ve probably been wondering whatever happened to Cloud Chaser.

Not surprisingly he was tried and found guilty by an Alliance Tribunal. He wasn’t the only one either, a lot of the high ranking Hardliners wound up tried for war crimes and were put in the prison at Arbu.

The Enclave Loyalists fared a bit better, but like Winter some of them still had to own up for what they did during the war. General Aries was one example, though she was at least given a chance for parole.

Not that our side was any better, the Twilight Society was tried for the attack on Thunderhead. I wasn’t surprised given everything that had happened, the attack had been brutal and we never figured out just how many ponies had died in the attack.

We probably never would.

Some of us took this harder than others, especially Star and Jade. Star’s father was in jail and Jade still had some issues with Aries. I wondered what might be going through her mind with everything that was going on.

When I saw them for the first time after the war crimes trials ended, I asked Star how they were holding up. Things were actually going pretty well for them, even if it took a little getting used to, and she offered to write a piece for this epilogue.

So, here’s her story.

00000

I took a seat at the visiting area for Arbu Prison. I shifted a little in my chair, I was kind of nervous about this given that it was my first time visiting the prison, it was kind of a weird place to be given all the history that was here.

Still, I had a reason to be here, I just had to hope that this wasn’t going to be a big mistake. I was here to visit my father and I wasn’t sure if he’d even be willing to talk. I thought about just getting up and leaving for a moment before the door opened and he walked in escorted by the guards.

“Hello Star,” he said as he sat down at the table across from me.

“Father,” I said and looked at him for a moment.

“I wasn’t expecting to see you here,” Cloud Chaser said as he looked at me. “Why are you here?”

“I, wanted to see you one more time at least, try and bury the hatchet,” I said and sighed a little as I looked at him. “After everything that happened, I’m just trying to figure everything out.”

Cloud Chaser leaned back in his chair and looked at me for a long moment as he thought about what to say. He sighed a little and closed his eyes before he looked down at his bound hooves.

“I made a lot of mistakes,” Cloud Chaser admitted as he finally looked up at me. “Your mother, she was the light of my life before she died. I always blamed myself for what happened to them, I was supposed to be in Neighvarro, but I was busy working at my shipyards. I let that get to me and I’m sorry, I should have thought about how it affected you and been a better father.”

I blinked in surprise. Out of all the things he could’ve said that was not what I had expected, he was actually apologizing and it sounded genuine.

“What brought this on?” I asked after a long moment.

“When you’re in prison you have a lot of time to think,” he said and shook his head. “But in truth it’s what happened aboard the Nimbus. You were right, I just wish that I had seen it before, and for that I’m sorry.”

“I…” I said and paused for a moment as I tried to figure out what to say next. “I’m still not sure what to think right now. You did a lot in the past 10 years. I’m not sure I can completely forget what you did, or forgive you for it. But…”

I paused a moment as I tried to put what I felt into words. My father looked at me and then looked away as he sighed a little. “But what?”

“But I’m willing to at least try,” I said with a soft smile. “If you’re willing to try and do better, then I’m willing to try and learn to forgive you.”

Cloud Chaser smiled and gave me a nod. “So, what’s this about me having a daughter-in-law a and granddaughter?”

I chuckled a little and leaned forward as we talked a little longer. It was strange, but it was nice to be able to talk with him on friendly terms again.

Maybe things weren’t going to be so bad after all.

00000

“We won or we think we did
When you went away you were just a kid
And if you lost it all and you lost it
Well, we'll still be there when your war is over.”

Crusader Town was always growing with more ponies coming to live there. We started building businesses in addition to homes, I guess in a weird way its appropriate what Blackjack wound up building, in her own way.

I guess that’s her own sense of humor showing given that she built the town’s bar. With everything that had happened in her life, she just wanted to retire and be happy with her family, something I could certainly relate to.

Morning Glory and Go Fish were her family, and her motivation to do better. I had been a little surprised that they came to live in Crusader Town, but I wasn’t going to complain, it was always good to have my friends here.

Blackjack asked if she could include a story in this epilogue, so I’ll turn it over to her.

00000

Well It won’t be just me writing this. Glory wants to write something too. My mind is still slowly healing. I feel that I have made a long way. To the point I made the bar even if Glory didn’t care for the idea at first. Feeling that it was something I needed to do to move on. I named the bar after Stable 99. Ironic a stable I killed that now I am naming a bar after it..

Well that’s not it. I will explain my story to those that wish to listen to it. To the point I even placed all my weapons in glass cases with stories of how I found them I told the truth every truth about how badly I failed.

Oh Glory wants to take this from me. She is looking over my shoulder at how bad I am writing this.

Hey there, Glory here, sorry Blackjack needs to work on her grammar. Things have been, interesting here since we moved into town, or more specifically the old Stable 2 since Scootaloo decided to make it part of the town’s boundaries.

Yeah, some ponies decided to move in here, it took some cleaning out but it’s actually not that bad here. We set up the bar in the old saloon in Stable 2, its pretty nice all things considered.

Blackjack is doing a great job as Go Fish’s mom, I figured she would so I’m not that surprised. Still, I’m pretty sure that she’s going to start showing those weapons as warnings to colts when Fishy is old enough.
BlackJack here again. I felt since well Glory is willing to deal with me owning a bar. But that’s not the only thing. I have been searching for Freedoms Heart. I need to fix many things but I doubt I would ever find him. I just feel so guilty for how I treated him. But running this bar is helping me by telling my story. Also I don’t leave out about Glory becoming a Mini Rainbow Dash.

Glory here, I’ve been meaning to talk to her about that… I swear, she just does that to drive me crazy. It got even stranger after an actual mini Rainbow Dash showed up in town.

Still, less crazy than some of the stuff we ran into in Hoofington. Still, I am happy that after a decade I found Blackjack and we’re back together. And Go Fish still has Winter’s daughter Calypso as a friend and she visits practically every day.

It’s, nice actually to know that friendships can survive the harshest of conditions. I’m glad she’s here, really.

BlackJack here one last time, before going to work. I look back on my life I see everything I did would I have changed everything I did? If I could yes I would have changed how I treated Glory and Freedoms Heart. I feel maybe that I was tested maybe by fate or by someone that wanted to play with my life.

Now that I have my very life back I am happy to have Glory and my little Go Fish…

Go Fish here, I think my mommies are a little distracted right now with kissing each other so I thought I’d wrap things up.

Ever since Miss. Scootaloo and Mommy Blackjack saved us from the bad ponies in Stable 102, I’ve been learning a lot. I wasn’t really expecting to learn so much about what happened to my mommies before I was born.

Callie is really cool, she’s the best friend I’ve ever had. I actually found out just the other day she’s going to have a little brother or sister in a few months, so, that’s pretty cool.

Don’t tell my moms, but, I think Callie is kinda cute… uh-oh, they’re coming back, I need to get to school anyway, hope you enjoyed reading this!

00000

Crusader Town wasn’t done growing yet, while most of the buildings were done a year later we still had more ponies interested in coming and living there.

Then a little over a year to the day from when we started building the town, a familiar face showed up in town. Arc Light had finally finished her sentence and had come to stay in the town with us, just as we had hoped.

Getting a friend back, especially a friend as good as Arc was certainly something worth celebrating. She’s moved into her new home with Caramel and started to work on building their new life together.

I couldn’t be happier for them, and Arc offered to write a part for the end of my book. I’m happy to turn things over to my first friend, and best friend other than Cherry I have here in the Wasteland.

I’m glad to have you here Arc, it feels like the gang is almost back together.

00000

I sighed a little as I set down the project I was working on. Ever since I had arrived at Crusader Town I had been experimenting with a new upgrade to the PipBuck I had been envisioning and working on in my mind while I was away.

Given how much we had been walking around Equestria, I had started to think about how maybe if Unicorns and Alicorns could teleport, what if you could do the same with just a PipBuck? I was still figuring out a lot of the details, but if I could make it work then the possibilities for what we could do with it were endless.

Of course I had to actually get it to work first, which was another matter entirely. I was mostly having a problem getting the spell matrix to work with the PipBuck. I frowned a little as I looked down at my PipBuck, I was making some progress but I had a long way to go until I got it working.

“Hey Arc,” A familiar sweet voice said from behind me as a pair of light orange legs wrapped around my neck. “Still working on your little project huh?”

“Yeah,” I said and smiled up at Caramel as she nuzzled me gently. “Caramel, listen, I’m sorry that I had to leave you like that. You’ve put up with a lot over the last year and you’ve made us a nice place here… I don’t really know if I deserve you after everything I did.”

I lowered my head and sighed a little as I looked back at my hooves. I still felt terrible about everything that had happened during the war and me sending information to Winter Breeze and the Enclave.

It was hard to not feel guilty about everything, even if I had been forgiven for what I did, it didn’t help. Even if I had done it to protect the ponies from Stable 66, I was still in a tough position because of all of it.

Did I really deserve to be happy? Was I even going to be able to redeem myself for what I had done? While I was glad that Scootaloo was willing to give me a chance, that didn’t mean that I really felt like I deserved it.

“Arc, you did everything because you wanted to keep me and the others safe,” Caramel said with a smile as she turned the chair around and lifted my chin so I could look into her orange eyes and she kissed me lightly on the lips.

“Arc, I know what you did was the hardest thing you had to do,” Caramel said with a soft smile as she nuzzled me gently. “I don’t blame you, in fact I probably would’ve done the same thing if I was in your position. Winter regrets that she ever put you in that position, you shouldn’t beat yourself up over it.”

“Do you really think so?” I asked as I looked at her.

“Arc, I love you for the pony you are,” Caramel said with a smile. “You’re going to be just fine, I don’t hate you for anything you did.”

“I know… but maybe I should have left Stable 66 with you,” I said with a shake of my head. “I mean, if I had then maybe everything would’ve been different. I love you Caramel, I’ve always loved you and I hate that I messed up so badly.”

“Yeah, but if you had left with me, you wouldn’t have such great friends,” Caramel said with a smile. “Scootaloo and the others are great ponies, and they’re more than willing to forgive you for your mistakes. If you had come with me or stayed in Stable 66, then you wouldn’t have had any of the opportunities you did have. And, that’s good enough for me, so let’s not dwell on the what-ifs, okay?”

She leaned in and gave me a kiss on the lips. She pulled away and was about to say something when there was a knock on the door. “Are you expecting somepony?”

“No, are you?” I asked as we got up and walked over to the front door. I answered it and blinked a little in surprise when I saw Cure All standing there. “Oh hey Cure, what brings you here?”

“Well, me and Sunrise were in town, and I thought I’d come by since I heard you came back,” she said and rubbed the back of her head a little. “We, never really got to talk after what happened to your mother… even during the Battle of Coltlumbia.”

“Yeah,” I said and sighed a little. Seeing Cure All wasn’t easy given that she reminded me of my mother so much, I hadn’t taken the chems in over a year now, even if it had tempted me a little.

“Hey Caramel,” Cure said and looked at Caramel with a smile. “Still hanging out with Arc I see, did she finally tell you how she feels about you?”

I blushed deeply as Caramel chuckled a little and kissed me lightly. “Did everypony know about it but me?”

“Of course, she wasn’t exactly subtle about it,” Cure said with a chuckle before she levitated something out of her bags and over to me. “Uh, Caramel asked me to give this to you. She said you might be interested in it at some point.”

I looked at it curiously for a moment, it looked like information on how to cast a spell that I didn’t recognize. Caramel gave me a wink and I was already getting an idea of just what it was as I folded it up and put it away.

“Is this… do you really want to do that?” I asked as I looked at Caramel.

“Yeah, of course,” Caramel said and gave me a smile. “But only when we’re ready. I want to spend the rest of my life with you, so I asked Cure to look into it.”

I smiled and kissed Caramel gently before I looked back at Cure and gave her a smile. “Cure… my mom would be proud of everything you’ve done. Keep up the good work, okay?”

“You too,” Cure said with a smile. “I’ll leave you two crazy kids alone.”

She headed back out of the house as Caramel took my hoof and lead me to our bedroom.

00000

“Here it comes, here comes the first step
Here it comes, here comes the first step
It starts up in our bedroom after the war
It starts up in our bedroom after the war, after the war.”

As has been mentioned before, Gambit set out to rebuild Canterlot with the help of the NCR and the Enclave. Securing the Enclave’s help was one of the last things Winter did before she stepped down as President, so it was an important project.

I understand why Gambit wanted to do it and why the others wanted to help. Canterlot being rebuilt had a lot of symbolic value, that was something I could appreciate given everything that had happened.

The Enclave may have destroyed Canterlot, but we were going to make sure that we built it up better than before. More than that, this is a project that we’ve been working on together across Equestria and beyond.

It’s no surprise that we were part of that project, as best we could at least.

00000

“Steady, steady, we don’t want it to fall,” I said as the Raptor’s tow line was secured onto the section of city that we had been asked to build.

I smiled as I looked it over, given that we had our own settlement to build we couldn’t contribute as much as we’d have liked at least not yet. However we had built a decent sized building that would serve as a medical center and orphanage for the rebuilt Canterlot.

I smiled a little as I stepped back and looked up at the completed building as the Raptor was starting to take off and carry it away towards the Mountain. I smiled as I looked up at the mountain where the city was being built, it was amazing how much we had gotten done in such a short time.

“The Equestrian spirit indeed,” I said with a chuckle as I watched the Raptor fly off.

“Seems you’ve learned well” A familiar voice from behind said “It’s been a while, Haven’t run into any alicorns or ferals have you?”

“Just the occasional Alicorn that shows up unexpectedly,” I said with a chuckle as I turned around slowly. “Yeah, if I learned one thing it’s how powerful the Equestrian Spirit really is, thanks for helping me learn that, Gambit.”

I turned and was surprised to see that the Alicorn was taller than I remembered. She was about the same height now as Princess Luna had been during the war. That, was certainly not something I had expected, even with everything that had happened.

“You look different, have you done something new with your mane?” I asked with a chuckle.

“Seems an Alicorn’s body grows with their knowledge and magical prowess, a year of studying and practice made me like this.” Gambit said with a chuckle. “You have no idea how annoying it is having royal guards now, they follow me everywhere - never let me have any fun.”

“Could’ve just done what Ruby did and not become a Princess, wouldn’t have had to worry about royal guards,” I said with a chuckle. “Still, it’s good to see you again Gambit. Sorry we could only contribute so much right now, but we’ve got our own settlement to build here.”

“Well, you could of just said you do not have the resources to spare to contribute” Gambit said with a chuckle, walking over and wrapping a wing around me. “Tell me, how is married life treating you, and parenting not one, but two I hear.”

“Yeah, that was something I didn’t really expect either,” I admitted and rubbed the back of my head a little. “But it’s actually been going really well. Cherry’s been a great help and we’ve been working together to raise Silk and Prism. Being a mom again though is a bit, complicated, but I’m doing my best.”

“I can say, I dread parenting, I mean - as a Princess it’s hard to have time alone, How could I ever dedicate enough of my time to actually raise a foal.” Gambit said with a sigh. “Guess that’s why they say don’t do the deed if you can’t pay the price.”

Plain and simple a large robot pony sits down with a thump. I looked over to see Silver standing there and gave him a smile before I looked back at Gambit. “If something is important enough, you’ll find the time somehow. In my experience, family is one of those things.”

“Family is everything. Family makes me happy.” The robotic pony said.

“Well lookie there, a robot with emotions, guess they really can have everything” Gambit said with a chuckle “So, what’s your name little robopony?”

Silver looked up to Gambit lowering himself to bow in respect. “Silver Gunner.”

I looked at Silver curiously, he had said before that family made him happy. Was it possible that he had emotions? I admit I wasn’t a robotics expert but I didn’t know if Silver had emotions before.

“Silver helped us out a few times during the war,” I said with a smile and gave him a nod. “Sorry about you getting shot in the head back in Coltlumbia Silver, that was kind of my fault…”

Silver gave a soft laugh. “Don’t worry about it. I felt logicly I’m just a creation of your former teacher. I feel she would have smiled for what I have done. I look at the castle… I see the past. But we have along way to go. But I am hopeful that it will become like the old world again.”

“I hope it never is like the old world again, I’d lose my mind having to look over more than just Canterlot.” Gambit said with a laugh. “That, and look where the old world brought us, to the brink of total destruction, it was only the hearts and minds of the ponies who stand here today that brought us back.”

“Yes that is sadly true.. But how will we teach the future to not fall into the trap of the past?” Silver simply asked.

“Learn from the past, or be doomed to repeat it,” I said with a nod. “We should be careful to make sure we don’t repeat the mistakes. We can’t just remove the past, it’s why Winter talks about the war in her history class, we have to learn from it, but not repeat it.”

“It seems three speaking near an old castle is like the past. With the sun shining and well...” He simply turns to look at the castle. “Maybe all we need to do is say, do you want to lose this?’

“Lose what? The Castle? The past?” Gambit said with a headtilt. “I’m just glad no pony caught what I said before.”

I thought back to what she said before and nodded with a smile. “You’re right Gambit, sorry, I spaced out for a second there. Wait… are you going to have a foal?”

“Yeah, Not my idea, but have you ever tried to tell your partner no? Good luck.” Gambit said with a chuckle, before she tilted her head as she looked at something behind me and I turned my head to see a familiar prismatic maned filly behind me.

“Hey Mommy!”Prism said as she came up behind me and gave me a tight hug.

“Hey Prism,” I said with a smile as I hugged the filly gently as she looked over at Gambit and Silver curiously.

Silver tilted his head to stare at the little filly. He kindly bowed his head. “Greetings little one.”

“Hello,” she said and tilted her head curiously at the robot and then at Gambit. “Are you more of mommy’s friends?”

“Yeah, they are,” I said and smiled. “Silver Gunner, Gambit, this is Prism Light, she’s my adopted daughter.”

“So the adopter becomes the adoptee?” Gambit said with a chuckle. “Strange, though fitting I suppose.”

“Hmm I see something within this little filly. But I don’t know how to place it. Other than that she is very cute.” Silver said offering the little filly a flower from his robotic hoof.

I smiled a little as the filly took the flower, I moved closer to Gambit and said quietly to her. “It’s a long story, somepony made clones of Rainbow Dash and the other Ministry Mares and she wandered into a patch of Killing Joke at some point which de-aged her.”

“Doesn’t killing joke just play a lethal prank on somepony? So - what was the prank it played on her? Age spells are very intensive, I think this would be more a side effect as I can’t think a plant would have the power to actually remove age from a pony.” Gambit said, looking at the filly. “Have you gotten a full work up? Make sure there’s nothing left from the killing joke?”

“Morning Glory and Fluttershy used the cure on her and assured me there’s nothing left of the plant in her system,” I said with a shake of my head. “We don’t know the full extent of what it did to her though given that she was found after the fact. She hasn’t de-aged or whatever since then though.”

“Cloning was always a weird process.” Gambit said with a sigh. “Why did anypony ever try and use it to begin with? Who knows what kind of things might happen when clones interact with normal magical items, or even things like killing joke.”

“I wish I knew,” I said with a shake of my head. “While it was in a Stable-Tec facility, somepony took over things in the Stable without our knowledge. I wish I had an answer as to why somepony did it.”

“Hmm odd I say. Miss Prism I have a simple question for you if you wish to answer.”

I looked over at Silver and Prism and Prism tilted her head curiously. “What’s that?” She asked.

“Most don’t know the answer to this. But What is the core value of friendship?” Silver simply asked.

Prism looked thoughtful for a moment as she looked at Silver and then at me and Gambit. I wasn’t sure what she was going to say, she was still young even if you counted how long she had been out of the Stable, so what could she answer?

“My mommies taught me a lot about friendship,” she finally said. “They said that friendship is built on lots of stuff. Mommy Cherry said that Mommy Scootaloo always inspired her and the others, gave her hope that there’s a better future… so, maybe Hope?”

Silver turned his head to me as his eyes gave a flicker. Then back to Prism. “The core is not only hope little one. It’s forgiveness, Sacrifice, love, happiness, and hope all rolled into one. The can become all one thing. When the value is broken then we lose it.” He looks back to me his eyes flickering again. “Good answer child.”

Prism trotted back over to me and I smiled as I ruffled the filly’s mane. “You did good kiddo,” I said and gave Silver a nod. “Well said Silver.”

Silver stared at me like I said something weird. “What did I say?”

I blinked and repeated what he had said. “You don’t remember saying that?”

“I said nothing but asked a question Scootaloo.”

“Weird,” I said and picked up Prism before I looked back at Gambit. “I should probably get back into town. I hope what we contributed to the city will help.”

“Can we visit Canterlot when it’s done?” Prism asked.

“Absolutely, Princesses honor,” Gambit said with a smile, offering a hoof to Prism. “You’ll be my guests, all of you - robots included.”

Silver’s voice had a sense of wonderment in it. “I would be honored princess.” He bowed his head.

I bowed my head and Prism’s eyes went wide and she bowed too. “Sorry Princess, most Alicorns I know aren’t Princesses.”

“To be fair, I’m the only princess I know of - So, I guess that’d mean all alicorns you know aren’t.” Gambit said with a chuckle “Really though, No need to bow - still not used to that.”

“I look forward to seeing Canterlot when its done,” I said with a smile and we headed off towards town.

I took one last look back towards the city under construction before I left. It still had a ways to go, but I looked forward to seeing it done.

For now, I had my friends and family to take care of.

00000

I was always happy to see Crusader Town when I returned. The town had grown over the past year from a small collection of buildings and tents into a good sized town. It was amazing how much work we had gotten done in such a relatively short time.

It was a testament to what could happen if we worked together to build something. It wasn’t as grand or symbolic as rebuilding Canterlot, but it was certainly not something to be downplayed. I smiled and looked back at Prism as she smiled up at me.

“What were you talking to Miss. Cricket about?” She asked and tilted her head a little.

“That’s, a long story,” I said and shook my head. I actually wasn’t sure exactly how I was supposed to explain this to an 8 year old filly. “I’ll tell you when you’re older, sorry, its just kind of complicated.”

“Okay,” Prism said as we walked into town.

I smiled when I saw Sparky working on one of the buildings that was supposed to become a restaurant. She spotted us and waved to us before she finished what she was working on and hopped down and walked over to us.

“Hey Scootaloo, Prism,” she said with a smile as she looked down at the filly. “How’s it going? Have you had any problems settling in?”

“No, everypony is really nice,” Prism said with a shake of her head. “Scootaloo and Cherry are great!”

“I’ll bet,” Sparky said with a smile as she ruffled the filly’s mane before she looked at me. “I, wanted to thank you. You kept your word and then some with this place, I just wish Aunt Apple Bloom could’ve been here to see it.”

“I wish she could been here too, and your parents,” I said and hugged Sparky gently. “But I’m sure that wherever they are, they’re proud of you. I know I am, I know I’m not really your mom but…”

“Scootaloo, you may not have been the version of you that helped conceive me, but after all of this…” She said and gestured around. “It doesn’t really matter to me, you’re part of my family either way.”

“Does that include me?” Prism asked.

“Yep, I wouldn’t leave you out,” Sparky said with a chuckle and ruffled the filly’s mane. “Come on, we got some new arrivals today while you two were out.”

“Really? Who?” I asked curiously as we made our way down main street towards the treehouse.

I was wondering who it might be, it wasn’t that unusual for us to get new arrivals in Crusader Town, the settlement was growing pretty regularly. Something about this interested me more than usual for some reason as we headed down the path.

When we reached the treehouse I smiled broadly when I spotted who was there talking with Cherry and Arc. I galloped forward and hugged the familiar Zebra who chuckled and hugged me back.

“Hey Riva,” I said with a smile as I looked over to see Zafir watching. “I wasn’t expecting you here so soon. How did things go in Zebrica?”

“Well, the FRA has managed to secure most of it after pushing back the Legion and Enclave forces with some help,” Riva said with a smile. “Not just the Alliance either, I’ve got quite a story to tell all of you.”

We took a seat around the firepit as I sat down next to Cherry. Riva started to speak with Zafir occasionally helping out. I was a bit surprised to hear that one of the major turning points in the war in Zebrica was, of all things, a Zebra from the Starkatteri Tribe. I still remembered the fight I had with Cadith back in Stable 66, so a friendly Starkatteri was a bit of a surprise.

I’m not going to put all the story in here, but it’s worth learning about. Short version is that the mare in question, a hunter raised by the Orah tribe named Azala, had helped drive out the Legion and Stardust’s Enclave. Riva and Zafir had apparently helped her out on occasion, and it sounded like quite the adventure.

“So, when we had a chance to come back here with our contribution to Canterlot, we wanted to come back,” Zafir said. “The FRA wants to set up an embassy here in Equestria and establish friendly ties.”

“And that’s why we’re here,” Riva said with a smile. “The FRA’s diplomatic corps has promoted us to legatus… uh, ambassadors. Since we have the most experience in Equestria, they sent us here and, well, we wanted to see you again.”

“We’re glad to have you here,” Arc said with a smile as she looked over at me and Cherry. “Very happy, right Scoots?”

“Yeah, the original gang’s all here,” I said with a smile. “Though I do wish that Dazzle and the others could be here too.”

“She will not be forgotten, none of them will,” Riva said and gave Zafir a nod. “We told the other Zencori your story, and they’ve spread the word throughout the Alliance. You are a very popular story, and as long as the Zencori exist, then your story will be told.”

I smiled a little and nuzzled Cherry who was holding Silk Rose in her hooves. I put my wing around her gently and gave them all a smile.

“We’ll never forget what happened either,” Cherry finally said. “Scootaloo’s been writing a book, she’s almost done, right Scoots?”

“Yeah, I just need to figure out how to finish it,” I said with a nod as I looked between my friends. “Crusader Town is a success, and I couldn’t be happier. I’m just glad that we’re all here, here’s hoping that we’re going to be okay.”

I smiled a little as I looked them over one more time. I chuckled a little when I noticed that Riva had a slight bump to her stomach, it seemed like everypony was having foals these days.

“Come on, let’s get you two a place to stay,” I said as we got up again. “And I’ll bet Winter would be happy to have a couple of Zencori Storytellers around. If you two wouldn’t mind helping with her school.”

“Of course,” Zafir said as we started into the town again.

I smiled, we were all back together, and even if we had absent friends and family, we were still going to make this place work.

After all, that’s the Equestrian Spirit, working together to make a better world. Pony, Zebra, Griffon, and more, and we were going to keep it strong.

00000

So, after two years of traveling around Equestria, fighting wars, and building a town and family, this is where my story ends.

Crusader Town is about done, at least for now, you never know how much more it might expand in the future. Perhaps it’ll become a city that will rival even the old world’s, or maybe it’ll just stay small.

I’m sure that you want some updates on what else has been happening. I’ll tell you what I know, though some of these will be written by their own ponies.

Nomad City still flies around Equestria with Star and her family doing what they can to help where they can. Jade has been elected to the City Council once more and Star was given a promotion to the Chief of Security after her predecessor retired.

Serenity and Vanilla still call Nomad City home, but I’m sad to report that Vanilla’s condition is worsening. I don’t know how Serenity is going to hold up when she dies, but she’s going to have a lot of support from Star and her family and from us when she comes by Crusader Town. I hate that she’s being orphaned again, but she’s always going to have ponies that care for her, I guess that’s what really matters.

Rain Runner and her friends survived the Enclave War and returned to New Pegasus. Rain eventually gave birth to a daughter, a Unicorn filly with a light orange coat with a pink and purple mane… I’m not really sure what to make of that to be honest. Maybe next time I visit New Pegasus I’ll ask her about it.

Still, things are going well in New Pegasus since the defeat of the Enclave and the Project. Last I heard Crystal Belle and Corona were both elected to the city’s leadership council. I’m glad that things there are going so well for Rain and her friends.

Applejack’s Rangers are still going strong under Nova’s leadership. Like Nomad City they’ve been moving around Equestria and helping wherever they can. At the same time they’re helping with Canterlot and defending other settlements around Equestria.

It’s funny, the other day I thought I saw a crow standing on a rooftop watching me. I don’t know if it was Crow, it flew off before I could even get close to it, but maybe it was. Some sort of, silent guardian looking over the town perhaps. If it is, I’m glad to have him here, we can always use the help.

Equestria is on the verge of entering a second golden age. Raiders and Slavers are on the decline and we’ve made peace with most of the world, save for the Dragon Lands at least, but they haven’t really caused any problems.

I set out to try and make up for the mistakes I made during the war. Even if not all of it was entirely my fault like with Solaris, I still made more mistakes than I did any good. But I’ve found the atonement, at least for now, and it’s going to keep going.

I built Crusader Town to make sure that everypony who needed a home had one. That’s never going to change, no matter how large it grows.

So, if you’ve ever made mistakes in your life, if you’ve ever done things you think you can’t be forgiven for, don’t give up hope. You always have a second chance in Equestria, and a home in Crusader Town.

Because everypony, as long as they’re willing to work for it, deserves a second chance. And while war may never change, ponies do, through the roads they walk

00000

An old Pegasus mare with the faded golden coat and graying red mane closed the book she had been reading out loud to the collected foals that were sitting around her and listening intently. She smiled a little as she put the book to the side and looked at the foals.

“And that little ones, is the story of how Crusader Town was founded,” she said as she gave them a smile. “What did you all think?”

“Grandma Scootaloo was so cool!” A Unicorn colt with a red coat and short purple mane said excitedly.

“Indeed she was Crimson,” the old mare said with a smile as she looked down at Scootaloo and Cherry’s grandson. “She was the coolest and bravest mare I ever knew.”

“Did you really run off to help her fight in San Prancisco when you were our age Grandma Serenity?” A Pegasus filly with a golden coat and white mane asked.

“Yeah, I was young back then, I did a lot of crazy things,” Serenity said with a chuckle as she gave the foals a nod. “Don’t you get any crazy ideas, while there are adventures to be had in Equestria, we don’t need more foals going off to war like I did Shimmer, you give your mom enough trouble already.”

“I’m more curious about the story of how you and your friends went to the Dragon Lands,” a Zebra filly with Zencori stripes named Sylia said.

“What about the Alicorn who fought the…” A Unicorn filly with a grey coat and blue and black mane started to say.

“Alright, alright, calm down you two,” Serenity said with a laugh. “Alright, tomorrow Sylia will get to pick the next story, followed by Crazy Eights.”

“Awwww,” Crimson and Shimmer said.

“Come on, your parents are going to be here to pick you up soon,” a white furred unicorn mare with a greying green mane said as she came in and ushered the foals into the living room with Serenity followed close behind.

Serenity smiled a little as the foals left with their parents. A white Pegasus with a golden mane and red wingtips smiled at her and the Unicorn as she waved and walked off with Shimmering. Crazy Eights left with Calypso and Go Fish, Crimson left with Silk Rose, and finally Sylia left with a Zebra mare.

“You know, you just give those foals crazy ideas when you tell them those stories, right?” The Unicorn asked as she nuzzled Serenity gently.

“I know Pure Heart,” she said with a chuckle. “But we need to pass things on to the next generation of troublemakers don’t we?”

Pure Heart just laughed as she kissed her wife gently on the cheek. “I don’t know what I’m going to do with you Serenity, you’re either the best thing that’s ever happened to me or the most troublesome.”

“Ah, you know you love me anyway,” Serenity said with a laugh as she nuzzled Pure Heart. “I love you Pure Heart, and you know I just do it because they love hearing the stories.”

“Yeah, I know,” Pure Heart said as she looked out at Crusader Town. “Do you think Scootaloo would be happy with what has been built here?”

Over the past decades Crusader Town had grown from the small group of buildings into a sprawling city that had eventually grown out to include Ponyville and beyond. Serenity smiled a little at the ever present statue that was at the center of the city of the three Cutie Mark Crusaders standing together.

Under the statue was a crypt where the bodies had been interred with their loved ones. Scootaloo and Cherry had been the last ones to be laid to rest there, a painful memory for both Serenity and their families.

She looked up into the sky just as a ship flew overhead. It wasn’t a cloudship, not this one, instead Equestria had been building bigger and moving upwards in the last decades. The Winter Breeze was their first ship built to travel to the stars, and with luck, find out what was really out there.

“I think, she’d be very happy, and proud,” Serenity said as she nuzzled Pure Heart gently. “Come on, lets get back inside.”

They started to walk back into the house and Serenity paused for a moment as she turned back down the street and for a moment she thought she saw a silver robotic pony and an Alicorn watching her.

She looked down the street again and she spotted a mare with two foals who were running along the street. She paused a moment, there was something strangely familiar about the two, she couldn’t place her hoof on it, but the more she watched them the more the feeling stayed. One of them stopped and looked at her and smiled as she waved at her before going back to playing with her friend.

She smiled and waved a little before she followed her wife into the house.

Silver the old robotic pony his body smoothed out. The old rusted parts removed. He has been given a smoother less armored look. He looked more like his creator wished him to be a teacher not a fighter. He looked up to the statues.

“The years have been good.” His voice sounded sad as well as happy.

“Yeah, I guess they have.”

“Moving forward for ones that live like us.. Won’t be easy but I don’t mind living till the end of time.” He said with a nod.

“Yeah, It’s been years since Valen passed, at least our daughter seems to have handled it well.” Gambit said with a soft sigh. “How about you, ever think about maybe making yourself a little robopony to look after?”

Silver chuckled softly. “The future of Tiria’s heart the children that are born there are the ones I look after. I look after them like she would. Because our future is the way these days.”

“I suppose so, I guess I know why none of the princesses before the war took a partner now, doomed to outlive everypony they hold dear.” Gambit said with a sigh, shaking her head. “At least we know the future is bright and that the next generation will always be better than the last.”

SIlver nodded. “Yes I agree, even if our path makes us older then we are. But the old lives do help the new. Someday though I feel we will just watch the world go by. As we just stand there and accept the fact. That everyone we know will turn to the dust.”

“At least we know, the time of strife and war is finally over.” Gambit said, looking to Silver with a soft smile “I really appreciate these talks, you still on for coming up to Canterlot and perhaps going bowling or something?”

Silver laughed looking to a creature that looks like a wolf younger than normal. “Yes I shall also bring Gem with us. Since she hasn’t seen the castle yet.”

“You and any guests you bring are always welcome Silver.” Gambit said “However, I do suppose it is time for me to head home.”

“Take care Gambit I shall come up there soon to say hello.” He gave a nod

“Come now, Shade” Gambit called out “It’s time to go home.”

A young mare coming running over to join at Gambit’s side, giving their robotic friend a wave before they left.

Silver walked up to the little Vulf’ven. “Gem Its time go little one.” The black wolf turned staring at Silver with her little light blue eyes.

“Okay Silver.” She walked along with Silver as he looked back seeing the statue of Crow sitting ever vigilant. With the next one sitting beside him taking up the mantel. Silver felt this was a good time for him. As him and the wolf slowly walked up to the transport.

Author's Note

I hope you all enjoyed it, I'll soon be posting a blog post of my final thoughts on this fic.

Afterword: Gambit's Goodbye

Author's Note

This scene was written by TheLittlestofPips, enjoy.

Afterword: Gambit's Goodbye

“Shade, Darling – Stay here, Momma needs to go and do something right quick” I said with a soft smile, looking to my daughter. “Can you do that for me?”

“Oh come on mom, I'm not a filly anymore! Of course I can do that, but why? Why can't I come with you?” Shade replied, tilting her head.

“It's simple sweetheart, this is something your momma needs to do alone, no hard feelings alright?” I said giving a gentle smile back to her before taking to the sky, quickly flying over to the park where the statues and mausoleums sat.

“Scootaloo? I've come to visit.” I said softly, walking up to the concrete tombs, reaching out and placing my hoof to the one that held both Scootaloo and Cherry. Having to stifle a tear as the rush of emotions came to me.

“It's been a while since my last visit, I hope you're okay with that.” I said after a few moments of silence. “I really miss you, my old friend.”

Moments past, as I sit there tending to the grounds around the mausoleums and to the statue itself. The grounds keeper did a good enough job, but sometimes I liked to plant a few extra flowers, or spend a little extra time touching up paint, little things, the only things left I could do for my oldest friend.

“I wish you could see how much Shade has grown, she really has started to remind me of her mother more every day, adventurous, voicetress, she is growing into such the young lady” I said with a soft sigh. “I hope she's up there with you, I don't know if Zebra, or zebra pony hybrids can go to Elysium, but I hope she's there.”

I had to swallow my sadness once more, giving my head a shake to try and break the spell I was putting myself under. I went back to my tending, pulling weeds and other things, anything I could find to keep myself busy, before once again returning to where Scootaloo rests.

“I don't know if I'll ever go to Elysium, or if we'll ever see each other again, nopony knows if an Alicorn can ever die of old age – but sometimes, I wish I could.” I said with a sigh and another shake of my head. “Just, to see you again, see Apple bloom and Sweetie again, I know we weren't ever the best of friends growing up, but you three, you were the closest to friends I ever had growing up.”

I sat there, thinking quietly to myself, just pondering things around me – taking in the smells, the sounds, Crusader town had grown into quite the city. I couldn't think of a any more fitting name then that for this place, It was rightful, ambitious, and most importantly, Noble, Just like the ponies it was founded on.

“I need to go soon, but – just a few moments more..” I said to myself, giving my head a shake as I lean against those concrete crypts. Eyes drifting closed for just a moment before I heard the sound of familiar laughing and voices, Jolting myself upward I looked around, I couldn't see where it had come from at first, but following it I saw a group of three little ponies darting around a corner.

They looked familiar, I only saw a glimpse of them. But I swear I saw Orange and Magenta, I felt the need, the urge to chase after them and as I did I found they hadn't gone far. Stopping them as I look down to them.

I stared for a moment before speaking, I couldn't believe what I was seeing. A young white filly, with purples and pinks in her mane and the emerald green eyes, but, not a unicorn – she was just an earth pony. The others, this seemed so bizarre, one of the other two was yellow, with a reddish mane and brilliant orange eyes, but she was a Pegasus, and the last, Orange, with magenta mane and tail with blueish purple eyes that seemed so familiar but she was a unicorn, I stared at them and they stared back.

“I am sorry, I thought...” I said before they all squealed.

“A Princess! A Real Princess!” they said before skipping around in circles following each other, I couldn't help but laugh.

“Yes, My little ponies, I am indeed a princess.” I said with a smile, doing my best to put on a regal face for them. “Where are you three off to this afternoon, you seemed to be in quite the hurry”

“We're off to this awesome secret clubhouse” the yellow one said.

“Not so secret if you tell everypony about it.” the white one shot back.

“Relax, your secrets are safe with me” I said, smiling to them with a soft sigh. “So, this clubhouse, what is it for?”

“There is a group of ponies, they call themselves the Cutie Mark Crusaders, and we're going to go and try and join them to see if they can help us get our cutie marks!” the orange one said.

“A noble cause for sure, you know, you three remind me of the original cutie mark crusaders, who knows – maybe one day, somepony will be coming to you for help with their cutie mark” I said with a wink before ruffling their manes.

“You mean those three in the park?” The white one spoke, looking back behind them.

“Yes, that is the Statue of Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo, and Apple Bloom, the original and founding members of the Cutie Mark Crusaders.” I said with a soft nod. “They are the reason this city is called Crusader town, it is named after the Cutie Mark crusaders.”

“Oh Wow! That's so cool!” the orange one said “I wanna be like Scootaloo! She's so awesome!”

“You're much more like her then you already know” I said before my eyes went wide and I covered my mouth with my hoof. The three just stared at me for a moment before they started laughing, after a few moments more they left off on their grand adventure, and I went back to the statue, and those tombs.

Sitting beside one, I take a soft sigh and lean my back against the cool of the concrete. “Seems, even as equestria grows and heals, some things will always be the same.” I said with a soft smile, placing my hoof to the concrete once more. “I hope you're proud, your legacy still echos in equestrian history and moves the hearts of many.”

Standing, and facing the statues with a soft sigh, giving them a salute before I smiled “Farewell my friend, until we meet next time.”

With that, I took to the sky and returned to my daughter, who admittedly looked rather bored standing there almost falling asleep as she leaned against the wall of a nearby store.

“Sorry, Just, had something I needed to do is all.” I said with a chuckle.

“Yeah yeah, I know, you went to visit Scootaloo's grave again. I'm not stupid, I remember when you brought me there when I was younger.” Shade said with a roll of her eyes.

“I guess you do know, but do you know why?” I asked.

“Because you grew up with her, like, a really long time ago” Shade said with a shrug.

“Indeed, but, that's a story for another time. Let's get going, I'm sure my guards are getting jumpy.” I said with a chuckle, and with that I and my daughter flew back home, bidding one more goodbye to old friends, to new beginnings, to a dream, to a memory, To Crusader Town.

Chapter 1: The Remnant

"Adversity is like a strong wind.
It tears away from us all but the things that cannot be torn,
so that we see ourselves as we really are."-
Arthur Golden.

I opened my eyes and found myself looking up, after so much time in the darkness, I had expected to see the flames of Tartarus for everything I had done. This place wasn't exactly Elysium either, actually come to think of it, it looked more like a storage room with crates strewn here and there, based on the symbol on the wall I'd say it was definitely from the Ministry of Awesome.

I checked myself out, four legs, four hooves, muzzle, Cutie Mark, I'd check the rest later... wait cutie mark? Yep, on my flank was my old shield and wing cutie mark instead of the brand that had been there before.

What in Celestia's name was going on? Did whatever had saved my life heal my cutie mark too?

"Miss, are you okay?" A mare's voice said, and I looked over to see a tan colored Pegasus mare wearing torn clothing standing there with a red furred earth pony stallion.

"I'm fine, I think," I said with a groan as I struggled to get to my hooves. "Where am I?"

"You're in an old storage facility from during the war," the mare answered as the mare helped me out. "I'm Tawny, this is Rusty."

"Scootaloo," I said as I got to my hooves slowly.

"But... you're supposed to be dead," Rusty said shocked. "There was a skeleton found and buried and the message..."

"You were supposed to have died 200 years ago," Tawny finished.

"I thought I was dead too, I don't really know how I got here," I said rubbing my head before what she said actually registered. "Wait, did you say 200 years? I was in that thing for 200 years?"

"A little over it probably," Rusty said.

I couldn't believe it, I somehow had survived for over 200 years, that must've been a magical stasis pod like the ones we had built for Project Legacy. How did I even...

My ears drooped when I realized the answer, Rainbow Dash must have brought me here. I couldn't help but think of the look on her face, she was going to cry, she really did care about me... I just wished that I could have done something to thank her.

I just had to wonder if it was her, or if maybe something else had happened.

"I can't believe I've been in there for so long..." I said, taking a long look at the pod, one question filled my mind, "What do I do now?"

00000

Two days later I had started moving towards central Equestria, towards something my traveling companions called Junction Town and the New Canterlot Republic. Apparently they had been sent to scout out there area for the NCR.

I couldn't believe how much Equestria had changed from the megaspells... but it seemed like things were at least starting to recover. I checked the pistol that I had found, it wasn't much, but it was at least something.

Even the cloud cover was gone, thank Celestia for that, somepony had managed to break the cloud cover. Maybe that even meant that the Enclave was gone. Would be great if they were.

Honestly this would be a lot faster if I could fly, curse my non-functional wings.

That's when I heard the sound of something above me, I looked up in shock to see a massive purple and green dragon flying above me. Yeah, a dragon, I couldn't believe it, there was a freakin' dragon!

"Oh crap... please don't eat me, please don't eat me..." I said, trying to find cover, I was shocked to see the Dragon landing right in front of me. "Please don't eat me Mr. Dragon, I don't taste very good!"

I was surprised to hear him chuckling, I looked up again to see him looking at me with one green eye, the other covered by an eye patch. "Don't you recognize me Scootaloo?" He asked in a deep voice, I wasn't sure what to make of that.

"Uh, well, I didn't know very many dragons," I said, I hadn't had much contact with Dragons after the war started other than... "Spike... is it really you?"

"That's right, its me," Spike said with a smile. "Its good to see you again Scootaloo."

"You too Spike..." I said as I tried to wrap my mind around this, I never thought I'd see anypony I had known from before the war ever again. "What, happened to your eye?"

"I lost it about 10 years ago, in battle with the Enclave," Spike said.

That made me pause, the Enclave was still around after 200 years? I had hoped that they would've fallen apart by now, but then again the cloud cover had been broken, maybe that meant the Enclave was finally out of the way.

"I'm sorry, Spike," I said with a sad smile as I placed a hoof on his claw. "Does this mean the Enclave is gone for good?"

"I'm sorry Scootaloo, but no... the Enclave Remnant is still around, and they've been plaguing Equestria for 8 years now," Spike said with a frown. "The NCR has been trying to stop them, but..."

I sighed and nodded in understanding, I just had to hope that there was going to be more chances to stop them.

"Come on, I'll give you a lift to NCR territory," Spike said and knelt down, I climbed up onto his back and he took off and flew off towards the New Canterlot Republic.

I just hoped that I'd be able to find something out there.

00000

"So, are there any other ponies from before the war still around?" I asked Spike, honestly I doubted it, but it was worth asking.

"There are a couple actually," Spike said, that surprised me a little, it had been over 200 years, how many ponies could still be alive? "They're living in NCR territory so it should be easy enough to find them."

I paused for a long moment, there was another question I wanted to ask, but I didn't know how to ask it. I had to put it aside for the moment though, Spike didn't know about them, so it was unlikely that he'd have spent this time looking into it.

"The Stables... how did they turn out?" I asked seriously, I wasn't even sure what I was going to learn from this.

"Its, complicated... some of them turned out fine like 2 or 26, others... others didn't make it," Spike said with a pained tone in his voice. "Some of the experiments backfired, others just fell apart, I'm sorry Scootaloo."

My heart fell at that, we had tried our best to help ponies, while I had figured that Stable 1 would be sabotaged, there was still a hope that many of them would have survived. I didn't know how many ponies had died because of our stupid mistakes, and honestly I wasn't sure I wanted to.

Ultimately I knew that I'd be blamed for it, and maybe I deserved it.

"If I may ask Scootaloo, how are you still alive?" Spike asked me curiously. "I mean, there was a lot of indications you died at Rainbow Dash's shack."

"To be honest Spike, I don't know," I admitted to him. "The last thing I remember before falling unconscious is Rainbow Dash holding me. Wait, what happened to Rainbow Dash?"

"We, don't know," Spike admitted, I looked down sadly at that, I had hoped maybe he could at least give me some closure on that. "How long after the bombs fell did you get exiled?"

"About eight years," I said.

"Eight years... that means Rainbow Dash survived her encounter with Gilda after all," Spike said, which made me blink a little. "Its, complicated, we have a lot to get you filled in on, I'm sure we can get you a copy of The Book of Littlepip, that should help."

"Littlepip?" I asked looking confused, I guess that would be something that I'd have to learn in time.

"Oh, you'll find out soon enough," Spike said. "We're coming up on Memoria, you can find a caravan heading to Junction Town here."

"Thanks Spike," I said with a smile. "I'm glad you're still around."

"I'm glad you are too Scootaloo," Spike said with a smile. "If you ever need anything... I'll be here for you, no matter what."

"Spike, there is, one other thing," I said as we came in for a landing and I climbed off his back. "Before I was exiled... I had a husband and daughter... I know its been too long, but, do you know if I have any family left?"

Spike looked at me for a long moment with a pained look in his eye. Maybe I shouldn't have asked.

"I'm sorry Scootaloo but I don't know," Spike said with a shake of his head. "I can look into it and the NCR may have more information. I hope you find them Scootaloo."

I sighed and gave him one more hug. He gave me a bag filled with caps saying that it would be helpful in Memoria, and then took flight and took off.

"Take care Spike, I hope to see you again," I said with a smile as I trotted off towards town.

00000

It was strange to be back in the world with non-Pegasi after spending 8 years above the cloud cover. Though, of course that was over 200 years ago, and things had seemed to change a lot since then.

The stares though, that on the other hoof still kinda felt like they were the same. Even back when I was above the clouds, ponies saw me as some kind of monster once the truth came out about Stable-Tec.

Well, except for Sky Walker, he always saw past that. He was a good pony... I missed him a lot and honestly, I kinda wished that I knew what had happened to him. Then there was Cloudy... my sweet little filly, I never should have let them exile me and leave her behind.

I just hoped that wherever she was, she forgave me for being a terrible mother.

I looked around at Memoria, it was an interesting town that looked like it had been made out of the permacloud remains of Cloudsdale and the remains of some sort of fleet of airships.

I finally found myself looking at the memorial itself, it was apparently for the ponies lost when Cloudsdale was destroyed. I sighed a little as I read the names, there were names that I recognized, good ponies that I had known in Ponyville.

Why had I lived when so many good ponies had died on that terrible day? I even saw Derpy's name, she didn't deserve this... especially not after what had happened to Dinky.

"Well, well, it seems that we've got a Scootaloo fanpony boys," a voice from behind me said and I turned to look at three rough looking stallions looking at me, and they didn't look happy. "Lets show her what we think of that."

"Look, I don't want any trouble," I said, I didn't have much to defend myself with, I just wished that I could fly away. "So, just leave me alone and things won't get ugly."

"Ha, the little mare thinks she's so tough," one of the others said. "We'll have some real fun with her."

I crouched defensively, it had been years since I had taken any sort of self defense courses while I had worked for Stable-Tec, but it was starting to come back to me. I just had to hope that I'd survive the next few minutes.

There was a crack of a shot as a bullet impacted the ground near one of the stallions, causing them all to recoil.

"Three on one ain't fair, Ah'd leave tha mare alone if ya'll don't want ta mess with me," a stallion's voice with a country accent said. We all turned to see a rust colored Pegasus Stallion with a black cowboy hat and two rifles attached to a battle saddle looking at us intensely.

"Y-yes Calamity," the lead stallion said and the three of them galloped off, I straightened up and looked at the newcomer for a long moment.

"Thanks, you really saved my flank back there," I said with a weak smile before I started to walk off again, only to be interrupted by the stallion.

"Well, Ah didn't think that Ah'd ever be meetin' Scootaloo," the stallion said. "Especially since yer supposed ta be dead."

I turned back to look at him, he recognized me? That's when I saw what was on his flank, not a cutie mark but instead, like me he had a brand in the shape of Rainbow Dash's cutie mark.

Just like me... he was an exile from the Grand Pegasus Enclave.

00000

"So, that's how yah wound up here huh?" The other Dashite, or Calamity as I learned his name was asked after I finished telling him about what had happened. "That's quite tha story, but yah wouldn't be tha first one."

"Yeah, tell me about it, I'm still processing it to be honest," I admitted with a shrug, I had been a bit surprised to find out that the Dashite term had stuck, but it did fit us both.

I had been surprised to see that he was wearing a PipBuck, though it was golden and had the Dashite symbol on it. Did he come from one of the Pegasus Stables? No, that was too personalized...

"What's on yer mind?" Calamity asked, which snapped me out of my thoughts.

"Oh, sorry, I was just looking at your PipBuck, I'm guessing its a custom model?" I asked curiously.

"Oh this? Well, honestly that's kind of a long story," Calamity said. "Would yah believe this is tha Element of Loyalty?"

Oh, yeah, that did make sense I guess. I remembered hearing about a project being done by the Ministry of Arcane Science that used them after the Rainbow Power stopped working during the war. I didn't actually think they'd come up again like this.

Though I had to wonder why it looked like a PipBuck, maybe it changed for the time.

"If I may ask, how did you..." I said and trailed off as I nodded to his brand.

"Same way yah did, Ah was fed up with tha Enclave and wanted ta do tha right thing, but Ah've got no regrets," Calamity said, I understood that, though I did regret having to leave behind my family. "Listen, do yah have any plans fer what yer gonna do?"

"Honestly, I don't know," I admitted with a shrug. "I haven't been awake for very long and, well, I don't really have anywhere to go."

"Well, Ah'm headin' back ta Junction Town in tha mornin' with some others, Ah know its not much, but its at least a start," Calamity offered.

"You seem to be pretty accepting about this whole thing," I said as I brushed my mane back, I thought back to everything I had done. "I thought ponies would hate me for what I did..."

"Ah ain't gonna lie, there will be ponies that don't like yah fer what yah did," Calamity said. "Ah don't blame them, but Ah did hear about yer reasons durin' tha war. Yer a good pony Scootaloo, that's all Ah really need ta know."

I smiled a little bit, that helped a lot, maybe things weren't going to be so bad. Things weren't going to be easy sure, but I could at least survive.

I hoped so at least.

00000

That night I was asleep on the couch at Calamity's home in Memoria. It was a restless sleep at first, but when I finally managed to sleep, my dreams turned, disturbing to say the least.

I was in Ponyville again, the happy Ponyville that I had grown up in. There was no signs of the war, no posters from the Ministry of Image, no soldiers or Morale Officers going through town looking for Zebra Sympathizers.

It was peaceful... but it still felt, wrong somehow. Like there was something, unnatural about it after everything I had been through during the war... everything we had been through as a nation.

I started to move through town, I got a few hellos from ponies. It was weird, it felt so... normal.

That's when everything changed, there was an explosion that rocked the town, I turned to see the massive cloud of a balefire explosion. I covered my eyes with my foreleg, trying to block out the image I knew was coming of the ponies I had grown up with, and I didn't want to see it.

"Why did you live when we didn't?" A voice called out, I uncovered my eyes and was shocked to see the ponies still alive, but burnt crawling towards me.

"I didn't mean to..." I said, crying. "I just..."

"You don't deserve to live, not after what you did!" Another pony shouted. "You left innocent ponies to die! You left your family behind above the clouds!"

"I didn't have a choice... I just..." I said, starting to cry, I didn't know what to say. "I just wanted to do the right thing..."

"Well see what you got for it, you're just as bad as the ponies you wanted to punish!" A third said, and before I could reply I felt a pair of hooves around my neck that began choking me.

I screamed as the world around me went black and I swung a hoof at my attacker on pure instinct, feeling it connect with him.

"Oww, what was that fer?" An accented voice said and I looked at, somepony... wait, no Calamity, I had met him yesterday, he was rubbing his muzzle where I had hit him.

"Oh crap, I'm sorry!" I said, finally snapping out of my daze, I was sweating like crazy. "Are you okay? I didn't hit you too hard did I?"

"Ah'm fine, Ah've taken a lot worse, but yah have a mean right hook Scootaloo," Calamity said with a chuckle. "Are yah okay? It looked like yah were havin' a terrible nightmare or somethin'."

"No, not a nightmare," I said as I realized exactly what had happened. "It was something worse... a Night Terror."

00000

We were seated at the table in the small house and I took a long drink of an Opal Cherry that Calamity had been saving. Really I never knew why most ponies preferred Sparkle-Cola, the Opal sodas were always better to me.

"Okay, now that yah have raided mah soda supply, mind tellin' me what that was about?" Calamity asked me.

"When I was just a filly I... lost my parents in an accident," I said. "I survived though and, that's when they started. The war, just made things worse, but its been years since I actually had one."

"Ah see... Ah wish Ah could help yah with that," Calamity said with a sigh. "Though, yah could come talk ta mah wife, she could help yah out with that."

"Yeah, sure," I said with a smile. "Hey, uh, thanks again for saving my flank back there."

"Don't worry about it, Ah don't like seein' ponies gangin' up on somepony like that," Calamity said.

We sat in silence for a long moment, there wasn't a lot we could say. I reached into my bags and took out the picture I had of me and my family, I had found it near the pod. It was slightly faded, but I could see the smiling face of Cloudy as I lifted her above my head.

I missed them so much.

"Is that of yer family or somethin'?" Calamity asked, I glanced over at the Pegasus Stallion who was looking at me curiously.

"Yeah," I said with a sigh as I put it away carefully. "I, don't really know what happened to them after I was exiled. I'd kind of like to maybe see if I still have any family out there somewhere, you know?"

"Ah see, Ah wish Ah could help yah, but tha Enclave didn't exactly keep any records on yah or your descendants, at least none that Ah know of," Calamity said with a shake of his head, I sighed a little, but it was predictable. "Though, Ah've heard rumors about a pony out west with a strikin' resemblance ta Rainbow Dash, not sure if that'll help."

My ears perked up at that, it could only mean one thing, Project Legacy had survived. I had admittedly had some reservations about it, but it was at least something. Really I found the whole idea of making genetically engineered ponies kind of weird, but Eureka had sold Sweetie Belle, Apple Bloom, and even Luna on the idea.

It was something at least, maybe I should look into it.

"Thanks Calamity," I said and finished my drink. "I should get back to bed, sorry for waking you."

Calamity just smiled and said it was alright before we headed back to our beds.

00000

The rest of the night passed pretty quietly, at least my dreams were normal again for some reason. I started gathering what little I had up and stretched out as we headed back out into Memoria.

It was still early in the morning, but it felt like the town was already coming to life. We made some stops at the shops in order to pick up supplies for our trip to Junction Town, and I was surprised when Calamity had a suggestion.

"Here, this should suit yah," he said as he gave me a coat and fedora. "Ah may not have a problem with yah, but a lot of ponies are goin' ta because of tha Stables. Not ta mention tha Enclave Remnant."

He had a point of course, it was weird to hide who I was, but I paid for the clothes. They fit surprisingly well, the coat was long enough to cover my cutie mark and when pulled down a bit the hat would keep my features hidden.

"I look like a pony from the old Shadow Spade adventures," I commented with a chuckle, I had a weakness for the radio dramas that Rarity put out during the war. "Well, I'm all set then, where's your friend?"

"She's waitin' fer us on tha outskirts of town, come on," Calamity said as I straightened out my hat and we started walking.

It was funny, even after the apocalypse, it still kind of felt like I was home. Memoria was different than Ponyville sure, but ponies seemed at least to still be willing to lend each other a hoof.

Maybe things weren't going to be so different here after all.

When we reached the outskirts of town there was a couple of ponies putting things into a wagon. I froze for a moment though, one of them was, rotting... like, she was literally a walking corpse, she was a Pegasus based on the wing bones, but it was still weird, like she was a zombie or something.

"Howdy Ditzy, Silver Belle, we've got a new guest comin' along with us," Calamity said, that name, why did it sound familiar?

The zombie pony turned to look at us and smiled, that's when I noticed something familiar, her eyes were yellow and facing two different directions. There was only one pony in Equestria that those eyes could belong to.

"D-Derpy?" I managed to stutter out.

00000

Derpy took out a chalkboard and piece of chalk and began writing on it. I blinked a little at that, why wasn't she just talking to me? She turned the chalk board around and showed it to me.

"Hey Scootaloo, its good to see you again, please call me Ditzy Doo," the chalkboard read.

"Okay Der... Ditzy, sorry," I said as Ditzy smiled at me, I noticed she had the same type of PipBuck on her foreleg. "Sorry about reacting like that, I've never seen a pony like... umm, what are you exactly?"

Ditzy nodded in understanding as she erased the board and wrote on it again. "I'm a Ghoul, sorry if I scared you."

"Ghouls are ponies that have been affected by radiation but don't die," the teenaged Unicorn said as she poked her head out of the wagon, she was grey with a yellow mane, and she looked at me strangely. "Hey, uh, what's with the Mysterious Mare-Do-Well over there?"

"She'll be acompanyin' us ta Junction Town," Calamity explained as we climbed into the back of the wagon while Ditzy hitched herself up. "Silver Belle, meet Scootaloo."

Something had been nagging at the back of my mind since I first saw Silver Belle, and then it hit me. Dear Celestia, she looked almost exactly like Dinky, I couldn't believe it, it was, surreal really. She looked so much like my old friend...

I'm sorry Dinky, I wish I could've saved you.

"Are yah okay, Scootaloo?" Calamity asked and I realized I was staring.

"Sorry, its nothing," I said as I shook my head clear and looked at Silver Belle. "You, just remind me of somepony I used to know is all."
With that we went quiet as the wagon moved on towards Junction Town. Silver Belle gave me a copy of the first volume of the Book of Littlepip to read, and I had to admit that I was curious.

"If I’m going to tell you about the adventure of my life -- explain how I got to this place with these people, and why I did what I’m going to do next -- I should probably start by explaining a little bit about PipBucks."

00000

I was amazed at what I was reading, Littlepip was a Stable Dweller from Stable 2, that was a good sign it meant at least some of the Stables had survived. And Stable 2 had been where Sweetie Belle was to be Overmare, that meant she might have survived the apocalypse, that gave me some relief at least.

It was kind of surreal to read about the adventures of a pony that was born years after I should have died, but Littlepip was an interesting pony. I was surprised to learn that all three of my traveling companions had crossed paths with her, and even traveled with her in Calamity's case.

I had to wonder how many other ponies had made it out of Stables like she did, who knows, maybe there was hope for the whole project after all.

On the last night before we would reach Junction Town we were camped in a quiet part of the Wasteland. Calamity was poking at the fire while I looked up at the sky. After thinking the cloud cover would last forever, it was, actually nice to see the stars again.

I took out the photograph again and sighed as I examined it, it was hard to believe that I'd never see either of them again.

"Ar yoo okaf?" A voice asked and I was surprised when I realized Ditzy Doo was talking to me, I looked up to see her holding the chalkboard, she must've talked to get my attention.

"Sorry Ditzy, I was kind of in my own world there," I said with a weak smile. "I'm just thinking about the whole thing really with the war and my family..."

Ditzy nodded in understanding as she wrote on her chalkboard, "I understand."

Maybe it wasn't so bad being a survivor, there were ponies out there that could understand what I was going through like Ditzy. I shifted my wings a little and sighed.

"I don't know, maybe I just feel like I failed as a mother because I couldn't be there," I finally said. "I can't imagine what Cloudy must've thought of me..."

Ditzy looked at me sympathetically, but her ears drooped slightly, Dear Luna I was talking about this to a mare that had lost her own daughter at Littlehorn, what was wrong with me?

"Sorry Ditzy, that was insensitive of me," I said with a sigh, Ditzy just smiled a little and shook her head and wrote on the board again.

"Its okay, I still miss her," Ditzy said with a sad smile and she hugged me, I was sure that I was getting a minor dose of radiation from the hug, but I didn't care.

Right now, all I cared about was having somepony there for me.

00000

As we started to get closer to Junction Town, I got my first real look at the town. I was surprised to see that it was mostly comprised of buildings made out of what looked like old train cars, it was an interesting design but hey if it worked.

I closed up volume 1 of The Book of Littlepip, it was an interesting read and was a definite insight into what had happened in Equestria. It was amazing really how much things changed but at the same time, some things still stayed the same. Ponies still lived, loved, and made friendships long after the apocalypse came.

I guess its true, friendship really is magic sometimes.

We pulled up in front of a shop called "Absolutely Everything." Me and Calamity helped them get the equipment unloaded from the wagon, before we left though Ditzy surprised me with a rough looking Battle Saddle with two basic rifles on it.

"No, I couldn't," I said as I raised a hoof in protest.

Ditzy shook her head and wrote on her chalkboard. "I insist, its the least I can do for you."

"Besides, yer gonna need it if yah want ta survive," Calamity pointed out.

I slipped it on and checked it out, it had been awhile since I had taken that class on combat, Peek-A-Boo my head of security had insisted. The rifles were a bit more worn than what I had studied with, but they seemed to be working at least.

"Thank you Ditzy, that means a lot to me," I said and gave the older mare one more hug. "See you around?"

Ditzy nodded and smiled before heading into the shop.

"Come on, Ah'm sure that Velvet will want ta talk ta yah," Calamity said and started walking again with me close behind.

I got a few looks as we went down the streets of Junction Town, maybe it was the way I was dressed or something else entirely. I was surprised to see how much variety there was in Junction Town, I saw Griffons and Zebras living and working alongside ponies.

Things really had changed since the war, it wasn't going to be easy, but I could make my home here.

00000

As we entered the building for something called the Followers of the Apocalypse, I was surprised to hear the sound of somepony singing. We entered one of the rooms where there was a Unicorn mare with charcoal black fur and a white mane with red and gold stripes, she stopped singing when we entered and smiled.

"Hey there Calamity," she said with a smile and trotted over and gave my companion a kiss before looking at me. "Who's this?"

"We met up in Memoria, Ah figured yah could help her out a bit," Calamity said as the mare looked at me curiously.

"Do you mind taking off this silly hat of yours?" The mare asked.

"I guess," I said nervously before taking the hat off, which caused the mare to take a step back. "Yeah, I know..."

"Well, this certainly makes things interesting," she said with a sigh. "Scootaloo, may I ask how you're still alive?"

I gave her a short version of my story which she listened to intently. She asked me a few questions about the stasis pod, but I could only tell her what little I knew from their development, it wasn't much help.

"Well, that's certainly interesting," the mare said and smiled a little. "Oh, I'm Velvet Remedy by the way, its a pleasure to meet you."
I was shocked, I knew that she was around from the book, but to actually meet here? And not to mention the fact that she was Sweetie's descendant, wow.

"Its a pleasure to meet you too," I said before finally smiling.

"So what can the Followers of the Apocalypse help you with?" Velvet asked. "You seem to be physically okay."

I told her about the Night Terrors, I had several during the trip to Junction Town as well, which made her pause briefly. I told her about the fact that I had suffered from them before, which prompted the obvious question as to what had brought them about when I was a filly.

"It was the accident that killed my parents, it started after that..." I said and rubbed my foreleg. "They were always of the accident, same thing during the war, but these are, different. I keep seeing Ponyville, the ponies I grew up with, and then it burns in balefire and..."

I let that thought trail off and looked at Velvet who looked at me sadly.

"This isn't the first time I've heard of this," Velvet admitted. "It became a big problem during the war with the Crimson Empire and I've heard of it existing during the Great War as well. You're suffering from what's called survivor's guilt Scootaloo, its a side effect of your trauma from the war."

"Trauma? But, I never actually saw combat," I said, not without trying, but my condition made me ineligible for service.

"Scootaloo, I've heard about what you went through, you were affected in a major way," Velvet said with a sigh. "Wartime Stress Disorder right? Except you were never treated, at least not effectively."

"Is there anything you can do to help?" I asked hopefully.

"I'm sorry, but this really isn't my area of expertise," Velvet said with a sigh as she looked thoughtful for a moment. "Your best bet might be to head for Tenpony Tower in Manehattan actually. There's a pony there that's part of the Followers named Focus, he may be able to help you a little."

"Thanks," I said with a smile, it really was good to know there were still ponies out there willing to help others. "What's the best way to get there?"

"Well, there should be a caravan headin' that way in a few days," Calamity offered. "We can see if yah need ta brush up on yer shootin', and Ah'm sure we can get yah on tha caravan easily enough."

"Okay, that sounds good," I said with a smile, it was good to have a plan, even if I wasn't quite sure what to do yet.

00000

"Yer doin' good," Calamity said with a smile as I managed to hit the target just a bit off center with my Battle Saddle. "These rifles seem ta pull a little to the left, but yah have tha gist of it."

"Well yeah, I took some training, though that was years ago," I said as I lined up the rifles again, this was taking some getting used to but I could do it. I pulled the triggers again and this time was a lot better centered.

"Nicely done Scoots," Calamity said and turned when he heard somepony approach while I checked my rifles.

That's when I heard a voice I never thought I'd hear again, it was soft and kind, but it was filled with sadness. This was a voice that I'd never forget. "Scootaloo, is it really you?"

"Fluttershy?" I asked shocked as I turned around to see the familiar yellow Pegasus mare looking at me. "How are you..."

"Umm... its kind of a long story..." Fluttershy said. "I, was kind of turned into a tree for 200 years by mutated Poison Joke."

I couldn't believe it, Fluttershy was still alive after everything that had happened. I didn't really know what to make of that, she had been a traitor and had given the secret of Megaspells to the Zebras, which was part of the reason we were in this situation.

But was what I had done any better? I created experiments and subjected good ponies to them, I trapped ponies in Stable 1 just because of the actions of the nobility. We were both the villain of the piece really, and survivors.

And that was all that really mattered

"I can't believe it, you're still alive," Fluttershy said as she hugged me gently, I was surprised but I hugged back. "I'm so happy to see you again."

"You too Fluttershy," I said with a smile as we stayed there for a long moment. "I'm sorry Fluttershy... during the war I blamed you and the others for a lot of things. It was wrong of me, I understand that now."

"Scootaloo, its okay, we both did things that we're not proud of," Fluttershy said with a weak smile. "Its not about what we did in the past, its what we do to make up for them in the present."

I smiled and nodded, and we finally released the hug. I was just glad that I wasn't alone in the world.

00000

"Do you have everything you need?" Velvet asked as I was getting everything together to take the trip with the Caravan.

"Food, water, extra ammunition for my rifles, caps, yeah I think I'm all set," I said as I put the last of it in my bags. "Velvet, if I may ask about Sweetie Belle, I know she made it into Stable 2 but..."

"You want to know if she missed you?" Velvet asked with a sympathetic look. "I think she missed both you and Apple Bloom a lot from what I understand. It was hard for her to have to leave you behind in Equestria, but I think she'd be happy to know you survived."

I smiled a little at that, even if I would never be able to see her again, I could see a lot of Sweetie Belle in Velvet Remedy.

"Well, I should probably get going, the caravan isn't going to wait forever," I said with a nod. "I'm glad I got to meet you Velvet."

"You too Scootaloo, I hope you find what you're looking for out there," Velvet said, then she felt around in her bags and took out a golden locket. "This belonged to Sweetie Belle, I think she'd like for you to have it."

I was a bit surprised but I opened it up to see a picture of the three of us as fillies. I smiled and closed it back up, placing it around my neck and hugging Velvet.

"Thank you, that means a lot..." I said trying not to cry.

"You're welcome Scootaloo," Velvet said as she hugged back. "You'll always have a place with us here in Junction Town."

I smiled and released the hug before I trotted out of the building to go meet up with the Caravan.

As we started up towards Manehattan, I took one last look back towards Junction Town. I had a long way to go on my journey, but things were already going pretty well.

I just hoped that things would continue this way.

LEVEL UP!
Perk Received: Survivor of the Apocalypse.
Details: Against the odds you've survived the apocalypse that affected the rest of Equestria, now you just have to find your place in the world. You get a boost to your radiation resistance.

Author's Note

Credit to Memoria goes to the author ChaosPhantasm, used with permission.

Chapter 18: I'll Always Be There For You

"It is hard to fight an enemy
who has outposts in your head."
-Sally Kempton

Hey everypony, Cherry Blossom here. So, uh, Scootaloo asked me to write this chapter while she was putting this story together. Since she was, you know, kind of unconscious for this part of the battle for Tenpony Tower.

I'm going to let you guys in on a secret... okay probably not a secret at this point is it... I was in love with Scootaloo. Yeah, I know, big shock right? I mean we've kissed like, twice and we spend every night in the same bed together, so its not that much of a surprise at this point.

I admit, its weird to be attracted to another pony because of how things were back home in Stable 48. I was still kind of getting used to the idea, but Scootaloo was, different. While sure there were occasional relationships in Stable 48 I had never really thought about pursuing one with another pony until I met Scootaloo.

I've felt this way ever since that first night we spent together in Stable 48. She's one of the kindest, most wonderful ponies I've ever met, always willing to help her friends out whenever we need it.

Maybe that's what attracted me to her in the first place, why I was willing to travel with her this whole time. She made me want to do better as a pony and I was glad that I had traveled with her, I just wasn't sure how to tell her how I felt about her.

I just wish I knew whether or not she felt the same about me, and that I'd get the chance to ask her.

"Are you sure she'll be okay?" I asked as I looked over at Doctor Life Bloom who was getting ready for the operation.

"Well, like I said I haven't seen anything like her organs before," Life Bloom said with a sigh as he looked at the readings on Scootaloo's organs. "Honestly, I have no idea what to say about this, I'm going to go over the files she brought with her and maybe that'll help me figure out what to do."

"What are we going to do?" Arc asked.

"Like I said, all the equipment is up in storage so you're going to have to get it before we can do that," Life Bloom said with a nod. "The Enclave has it pretty well guarded too so its going to be tricky, are you three up for it?"

Arc and Riva nodded, but honestly I wasn't so sure, I was worried about this and that if we ran off something might happen to Scootaloo. I looked at the still unconscious Pegasus, and knew that I had to do it.

"We're all in," I said with a confident smile. "She'd do it for us."

"Yeah, we just have to survive making our way through an Enclave occupied tower," Arc said as she looked at the map. "This isn't exactly going to be easy."

"I know," I said with a shake of my head before I turned to look at Life Bloom again. "Do you know anything about that ship that's near the Tower?"

"Oh, you mean the Orion?" Life Bloom asked. "That's the ship the Enclave came in on, they claimed to be an escort for Nomad City and were here to help with the Tower. It, obviously didn't go well given what's happened since then."

Right, just our luck, another Enclave ship parked outside. That may at least give us an advantage, we just had to figure out how. The Enclave was smart enough to figure out how to get into Tenpony Tower without much of a problem, so the question was how to be smarter than them.

"So what are we going to do then?" Arc asked as she and Riva looked around, neither of them were sure what to do either.

I looked at the map, right now I really wished that Scootaloo was here to help us out given what kind of challenge was ahead of us. I took a deep breath and ran my hoof along the maintenance levels on the tower.

"Are these guarded?" I asked as I looked at Life Bloom and Focus.

"The Enclave only has so many troops to go so there aren't any living ponies in there," Focus said. "At least that we've seen, by the looks of things they've mostly been using machines to keep them patrolled. It may help you get to the storage room, but its not going to be easy still."

"Of course," I said with a sigh. "And you said something about a pony that might be able to help us?"

"Yeah, that would be Hard Drive," Focus said with a sigh. "The problem is that he works for the Enclave. He showed up in Tenpony Tower a few weeks ago as a cybernetics expert, but we suspect that he and a few others had helped get the Enclave information on the Tower."

"Great, so we need a pony who's also an enemy agent, just what we needed," I said with a groan.

This was going to be harder than we thought, and we already thought it would be pretty hard. I just had to hope that we'd be able to work our way through this, somehow.

00000

I took a deep breath as we left the clinic, it was weird to be traveling without Scootaloo but Arc knew the basic layout of the tower so we had that at least. I took a deep breath and checked my PipBuck, there wasn't a lot of options right now, we were still on day four of the deadline so we had to make sure we got this job done fast.

Thankfully they didn't pay much attention to the three of us, there weren't a lot of reasons to suspect two ponies and a Zebra. We got a few looks sure but most ponies were more interested in going about their every day business.

I had to wonder how many of them might be Enclave agents and how many might be just ponies living their lives. How many of them were going to be disrupted because of what we had to do here? How many of them weren't going to survive the next day or two because of this war?

I sighed and looked at my hooves, we didn't have a choice. Maybe Scootaloo was right and Winter Breeze wasn't the worst leader the Enclave had, but she was still a threat to the NCR and the rest of Equestria.

"What's going through your mind Cherry?" Arc asked as she looked at me strangely. "You've been kind of staring off into space since we left the clinic."

"Oh, sorry, I've been kind of thinking about this whole thing mostly," I said with a shrug as I looked around the tower.

"Yeah, you've got almost the same look on your face that Scootaloo gets sometimes," Arc said with a chuckle. "Are you sure you two aren't doing more than just snuggle at night?"

My face turned hot at that, this wasn't the first time she had poked fun at us about that and it was getting a little annoying at times. Of course the fact was that she was right about how we felt about each other, but we had never done anything like that.

Its not that I hadn't thought about it, but in truth I was happy that she hadn't ever asked it of me. She was the first pony I had ever really known that didn't just want me for sex, and that made me happy.

She had promised to help me raise my daughter, I just had to hope that she'd be there for her now.

"You know Arc, I really don't think right now is the time to make jokes about that," I said with a sigh. "Scootaloo and I really haven't ever done anything like that and give her current condition, I have no idea if we ever will."

"I understand, I'm sorry," Arc said softly as she hugged me gently. "You're right, I've been teasing you two about that too much lately and this really isn't the time. Honestly, I'm a little jealous of you two."

"Jealous? Of us?" I asked, I was a little surprised honestly. "Why?"

"Because you have something that I really wish I had," Arc said sadly. "Even if you two aren't together, you still have each other. I wish I had that sometimes with Caramel Corn, but I don't even know where she is anymore other than a vague clue Scootaloo found in Stable 66."

"Right, but, we're just friends... for now..." I said quietly.

"Still, you two have something special," Arc said as she looked at Riva then pointed at me and made a motion as if towards Scootaloo if she was here. The Zebra laughed a little and nodded in agreement. "See, even she can see it and she doesn't even speak the same language as we do."

"Okay, I may have a little bit of a crush on Scootaloo," I admitted with a blush. "I mean, she's a great pony and everything, its hard not to feel that way for her after everything she's done for me."

"Let me guess, you're too afraid to tell her because it might ruin your friendship?" Arc asked and I nodded slowly. "Really I think you have nothing to lose at this point, just tell her how you feel and I'm sure she'll feel the same way."

"You really think so?"

"Yeah, don't worry about it, you two will be great together, besides I doubt you two will ever really stop being friends. My advice is tell her as soon as possible, in this world you never know when your last chance will be."

She was right, I'd have to tell Scootaloo the truth as soon as I could. But for now we had to focus on saving her life so that I'd be able to tell her. I couldn't imagine what I'd do with my life if something happened to Scootaloo right now.

Once we were sure that nopony was looking we opened one of the entrances to the maintenance levels and went inside.

00000

"Why do you think Xiraia kept her identity secret this whole time?" I wondered quietly as we moved through the maintenance tunnels.

"Well, maybe its because she's a Zebra," Arc suggested. "I mean, Zebras aren't exactly a popular species after the whole causing the apocalypse thing. Really, I don't completely agree, though the only Zebra I really know is Riva over there."

I looked towards our Zebra companion who just shrugged. She was nice enough and hadn't done anything overly aggressive so that was a good sign, Maybe there were more Zebras like her out there in this Free Roam Alliance, it could certainly be interesting to get to know them.

"Well that and probably to create the illusion that DJ Pon3 is still around," Arc added with a shrug. "Maybe both, I mean its hard to tell with ponies sometimes. But Scootaloo seems to trust her, so that's really enough for me."

I smiled a little, Arc had the right idea. I couldn't imagine what she had been through lately as she had found out that her entire Stable had been taken away by the Enclave. We were kind of in the same boat really since my home had suffered a similar fate, only it hadn't been cleared out.

Riva smiled and put a hoof around both our shoulders, she gave us a smile and said something in Equestrian once more. "Friends."

"That's right Riva, we're all friends," I said with a smile as we hugged her back before I patted her chest. "We're glad to have you as a friend."

Riva nodded and released the hug, really there were still a few questions I wanted to know about our Zebra friend but we knew what we needed at the moment. Maybe if we had another pony that could speak the Zebra language that would help, but that wasn't easy to find.

I admit I was surprised to learn there were even two ponies in Equestria that knew it, though Goldenblood wasn't exactly traveling with us and the other was the President of the Enclave.

We didn't have much time to dwell on it though as we were quickly faced with the first defense the Enclave had set up. There were a pair of turrets that fired energy beams at us as we approached, requiring us to duck out of the way.

"Faex," Riva said in a way that I was pretty sure meant she was cursing.

"You said it," Arc said with a groan as she levitated her rifle out of its holster and pointed it towards the turrets. "Well, I guess we know what some of the defenses are in here."

"Yah think?" I said with a groan, I would've fired too but it was hard to do when you didn't have telekinesis and had an extra passenger to think about. "Something tells me this isn't the worst they have either."

"Probably not," Arc said with a nod as she leveled her rifle at one of the turrets and shot it, taking it out before taking the other one out in quick succession. "Are you three okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine, it didn't hit me," I said with a nod as I looked back into the corridor. "Why is it we can't ever just have a simple walk somewhere?"

"I have no idea, maybe the Wasteland hates us," Arc said as we started down the corridor again.

The rest of the trek through the maintenance levels were mostly filled with climbing ladders and fighting off more turrets and some robots. I checked the map on my PipBuck every so often, the floor we were heading to was just a little below where DJ Pon3 broadcast, so we still had a little ways to go.

I kept thinking about Scootaloo and what was going on in Manehattan. More than that, I was thinking about how far I had come from just a mare who ran away from her home Stable to save her unborn child. Scootaloo made that possible, but it was also all the things I had experienced while I was out here in the Wasteland.

It was weird but I kind of had the Enclave to thank for that, if they hadn't made their move, I wouldn't have had a chance to meet Scootaloo and do all of this. I'd have probably spent the rest of my life in Reino just wasting away and being used as a sex object by mare after mare.

Now I had the chance I needed to be what I wanted to be, I wasn't even really sure what I wanted to be. There was always Crusader Town though, I vowed that if Scootaloo didn't make it I would make sure that the town was finished for her.

But I couldn't think about that, Scootaloo was going to make it out of this, we were going to make sure of it.

"Hey Cherry, are you feeling okay?" Arc asked as she looked back at me. "You've been quiet for the last few floors."

"Right, sorry," I said with a sigh. "How close are we now?"

"We're just a couple of floors away now," Arc said as she looked over at Riva who was looking through her bags for something. "We, have a bit of a problem right now."

"What do you..." I started to ask and looked up, the next ladder was stuck a good ways up the wall. "Oh, yeah, that would definitely do it... what's the plan then?"

"I think Riva has something that can get it down, my telekinesis can't get that far away," Arc said with a sigh as Riva finally came out with a long piece of rope attached to a hook. "Well, it seems the Viatorem are really prepared."

"Yeah, it'll certainly come in handy though," I said with a nod and looked at Riva who had taken the rope in her mouth and was getting ready to twirl it around so we got out of the way.

The Zebra was actually really good with this, I could never imagine trying to do this with just my mouth. She threw it as hard as she could and it secured itself on the ladder and she smiled at us with the rope in her mouth and pulled it down.

I cringed a little at the sound of the ladder scraping against the wall as it was pulled down. I was afraid that somepony would hear the sound above us. Thankfully though the ladder came to a stop without drawing any attention.

"Come on, lets go," Arc said as we started climbing up the ladder.

00000

The climb was quiet, none of us dared make a sound as we climbed rung by rung. This one wasn't as in as much disrepair as the one we had climbed up in the Ministry of Awesome hub but we were still careful all the same.

It was hard to believe that we had made it this far without any real problems. Sure we had run into a few robots but none of them really caused any problems. The Enclave only had so many resources to go around, that probably included robots as well.

The ladder felt like it was going forever, I had no idea how much longer this was going to take and it made me uneasy. Every minute was one more minute that Scootaloo was still lying unconscious in the medical bay and not having the surgery she needed done on her organs.

"We're almost there," Arc said from above me, which finally broke the silence. "I can see the top from here. We're going to be just fine."

"Good, I don't like being stuck like this," I said as I stepped on another rung and kept climbing.

I was about to climb the next rung and I nearly got a muzzle full of Arc Light's flank. She had stopped close to the top for some reason and looked down at me and Riva and whispered. "There's a large robot guarding the door..."

Well, it seemed that our easy trip just came to an end, just our luck.

"What's the plan?" I whispered back to her, the stealth cloaks weren't going to help because the robot would probably see us coming.

Arc paused for a long moment, this wasn't a good place to be in the middle of a fight but we didn't really have much of a choice. The problem was that only Arc was really capable of fighting given that she was at the top of the ladder.

"I have an idea, go back down about 10 feet and then hold on tight," Arc said and I nodded before gesturing down to Riva as if telling her to move down, she nodded and started moving down slowly while I did the same.

There was a tense moment as an orange light was seen above us and Arc levitated her rifle out of its holster. I closed my eyes and held on tightly to the ladder as Arc prepared to attack the robot above.

There was the sound of gunfire followed by a rushing sound and more gunfire. Then all of a sudden something went flying past me and I opened my eyes in time to see a large robot impact the floor below and explode.

"Climb?" Riva said in her broken Equestrian.

"Climb," I said with a nod as we started climbing again, we knew that the Enclave was going to hear that and we had to get out of here as fast as possible. This time we didn't have time to be careful, Arc had already made it over the ladder and helped the two of us up as we reached the top.

"That was crazy," I said breathing heavily. "What in Celestia's name was that thing?"

"I don't know, but its destroyed now," Arc said as she helped Riva get over the top of the ladder. "How far are we from the storage room?"

I checked the map on my PipBuck. "Not far, but we have to hope the Enclave doesn't stop us on the way there."

Arc nodded and we headed back out into Tenpony Tower proper.

00000

Me and Riva put on the stealth cloaks while Arc turned on another Stealthbuck, we weren't going to risk getting caught here but we had to be careful. There were guards and soldiers making their way around the halls that we had to navigate our way around as we headed towards the storage room.

As we rounded a corner we ducked into an alcove when we spotted who was outside of the storage room. President Winter Breeze was standing there as if waiting for somepony, we could get a good look at what was going on.

When the door opened two ponies walked out, the first one was a Unicorn stallion with a faded yellow coat and a grey mane with a terminal as a cutie mark. The other pony was a grey Pegasus mare with a medium length purple mane, they were both dressed in white lab coats.

"Did you have any luck?" Winter asked as she looked at the two scientist ponies.

"I'm afraid not Madam President," the mare said with a shake of her head. "We were hoping that we could find some answers as to how to repair Celestia One here, but there's nothing."

These were the ponies that had been put in charge of repairing Celestia One? That answered a lot actually, that might at least give us some clues as to where to go from here, if we could talk to them we might be able to stop them from repairing the Megaspell.

"This isn't good," Winter Breeze said with a sigh. "Our position in Manehattan only is as strong as it is because we have the threat of being able to repair Celestia One. Is there any way we can get it working again?"

"Maybe, but we're going to have to take the system offline to even get close," the stallion said with a shake of his head. "With all due respect madam president, we may have to go back to the original plan, and that's even if we'll be able to access it."

"Don't worry about accessing it, I already have a team getting ready for Stable 26 and hunting for the locations of 68 and 97," Winter Breeze said with a shake of her head. "As for the, extra security measures, that is nothing to be concerned about."

Extra security measures? What was she talking about, we knew about the keys but what else could there be? This had to be about what Scootaloo was afraid of, and if there was some sort of extra security that the Enclave could get around, that worried me, a lot.

I didn't know what they were trying to find but Scootaloo clearly did and it scared her. The Enclave had been willing to go after Stables and use resources to get access to it, that made it dangerous.

"So what do we do now?" The mare asked.

"Morning Glory, I want you to finish up here then head back to Thunderhead," Winter Breeze said with a nod. "If we can't get Celestia One working again I want that Stable opened so we can use Zeta instead."

"What about me?" The stallion asked.

"If you can't find the equipment that was removed here, get a search team together and go through the tower room by room," Winter said as she looked at the stallion again. "Hard Drive, I know this isn't an easy task and you and your team have been working hard but this will all be worth it. This is how we will secure Equestria, and a future for our children."

The two ponies nodded in agreement, it took me a moment to realize that she had called the stallion Hard Drive. Well, that was one question answered at least, we knew who we were looking for.

"I'll take another look in here before we make a decision," he said and opened the doors up before heading back inside the storage room.

"What about Scootaloo and her friends?" Morning Glory said as she looked at Winter Breeze again. "They're not part of the NCR, so they're not exactly bound by their ultimatum, they may have already entered the tower."

"I suspect they have, in fact I suspect they were the ones who stopped the attack on my life before," Winter Breeze said.
"Wait, why would they do that?" Morning Glory asked, she seemed a bit surprised at the idea, I didn't blame her. "How do you even know it was them?"

"We have the settlements locked down along with all the entrances, you'd have to be clever to get into this and be interested in stopping such an act," Winter Breeze said with a shake of her head. "Scootaloo is smart and sentimental, she would be the only enemy agent willing to save my life and infiltrate the city."

"You don't think she knows about..."

"No, my agent close to her confirmed that she doesn't know about that, we'll worry about it when the time comes," Winter Breeze said as the two Pegasi walked off down the hall.

We stepped out of the alcove and paused, that confirmed it, Winter Breeze did have a spy and they were close enough to know some big secret they didn't want Scootaloo to know. I was worried about that, what exactly did she want to keep hidden and why?

I sighed and we headed towards the door, it was locked of course but Riva quickly got it unlocked. It was time to get the equipment we needed to save Scootaloo's life, and hopefully a pony to help do it.

00000

The storage room was fairly decently sized with neat piles of equipment that was lined up on the wall. We lowered our hoods once we we sure that there was no guards in the storage room, just Hard Drive who was going through some of the inventory.

We quietly approached him and Arc Light drew her rifle before clearing her throat.

"Look, I'm still trying to find..." Hard Dive started to say before he turned around and saw us. "What the... who are you?"

"We're not here to hurt you," I said as Arc held her rifle on the Unicorn stallion. "You're the cybernetics expert that came to Tenpony Tower a few weeks ago, right?"

"Uh, yes, that would be me," he said with a gulp as he looked at the large rifle aimed right at his head. "Why do you ask?"

"We need your help with something, there's a pony downstairs who needs surgery and she has cybernetics that the doctor isn't familiar with," Arc said as she glared at the Unicorn hard. "You're going to help us or you'll get a bullet between the eyes."

"Why me?"

"Because we're hoping you can help us, if you help then you get to live long enough to see your President's future, got it?" I said, it was less a question and more a threat and Hard Drive got the message. "What do you say?"

"Do I have a choice?" Hard Drive asked and paused a moment. "Are they bio-mechanical organs?"

"Yeah, how'd you know?" I asked as I looked at him strangely.

"I know the Doctor her, he'd know how to repair anything else," Hard Drive said with a shake of his head. "Alright, but we'll need some equipment to..."

"Yeah, we already know, we're here to find it," I said as we started to look around the storage room. "So, I can't say I've met very many Unicorns working for the Enclave, what's your story?"

"I'm here for my family," Hard Drive said as he looked around. "They live in Thunderhead and are just trying to live their lives. Winter Breeze asked for my help with these projects, and you don't say no to the President of the Enclave if you know what's good for you."

"Why's that?" Arc asked as she looked over at Hard Drive.

"The President she's... dangerous, she seems to have the best of intentions but she more often than not will use whatever she can to get you to work for her," Hard Drive said with a shake of his head. "The only reason I'm even agreeing to do this is because I'm a scientist and a doctor first and a life is on the line. If this gets bad, I will not help you anymore, do you understand?"

"Perfectly," I said with a groan as we found the last of the equipment. "Is this everything?"

"Yeah," he said and then turned back to look at me again. "Your friend who needs surgery, its Scootaloo isn't it? Don't look so surprised, I've seen your pictures, since she's not with you I assume that she's the one injured."

"Does it matter if it is?" I asked. "Why does the Enclave even care so much about her? I thought she was just a traitor to you."

"You'd have to ask the President that one," Hard Drive said as he looked at us again. "You three might want to go invisible again, I don't think I can explain your presence. We're going to the Followers of the Apocalypse clinic a few levels below the entrance right?"

I nodded as we turned invisible again, it was time to get going once more. I breathed a sigh of relief, even if we didn't know all the reasons why we at least had the help we needed.

I just hoped it would be enough.

00000

The trip back to the clinic was uneventful, we kept an eye on Hard Drive to make sure he wasn't doing anything to warn the Enclave but he didn't even stop to talk to anypony along the way.

My mind kept going back to Scootaloo, no matter how much I tried I couldn't stop thinking about her. At this point I was just glad that she had a chance, but I had no idea how long it would take for everything to be done. Then there was the lingering question of what Winter Breeze's game was and why she was so interested in Scootaloo.

Maybe it was because she wanted to discredit the Dashites. Since Scootaloo was the first Dashite, if she renounced the whole thing and supported the Enclave that would damage the whole concept. I didn't think that she'd do that of course, Scootaloo was a good pony and would never even consider doing such a thing.

Was there something more to Winter Breeze's interest in her though? Upstairs they ad mentioned that there was something that they wanted to know if Scootaloo had any knowledge of, something that only Winter Breeze and that mare Morning Glory seemed aware of.

I hated dealing with secrets, there was no way of knowing what the real plan was here until it was probably too late.

When we entered the clinic Focus and Life Bloom tensed up a moment before we lowered our hoods and Arc turned off her StealthBuck, they breathed a sigh of relief at that.

"Did you have any problems getting these?" Life Bloom asked as we took out the equipment they required.

"No, we didn't have any trouble," I said with a nod as we got out the rest of it. "Hard Drive here is willing to help, we just have to let him go afterwords."

"Fine," Focus said as Life Bloom took the equipment into the back. "But we'll be keeping a close eye on you."

"Understood," Hard Drive said a little nervously as he gave him a nod.

"I was wondering something, do you know anything about that mare who was with you upstairs?" I asked as I looked over at Hard Drive. "Morning Glory?"

"Wait, Morning Glory was here?" Focus asked. "Grey Pegasus mare with a purple mane?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Interesting, I didn't know she was back with the Enclave... the way I've heard it she was involved with the incident in Hoofington years ago somehow," Focus said and shook his head. "I think she traveled with Blackjack, but I don't know all the details."

Blackjack, it felt like that name should be familiar somehow but I couldn't remember from where. Well we didn't have a lot of time to dwell on it as Life Bloom came back into the room.

"Okay, we're all set up in here," he said and gave Hard Drive a nod. "She's awake for a few minutes if you want to say anything to her before we start."

"Go ahead," Arc said as she looked at me with a nod.

"Okay," I said and headed into the prep room.

"Hey Cherry, did you go ahead and win the war while I was asleep?" Scootaloo asked as she lifted her head and gave me a smile.

"I wish, Scoots," I said with a chuckle as I took her hoof in mine. "I'm just glad you're okay, I've been worried sick about you."

"Thanks," Scootaloo said as she smiled up at me tiredly. "I'll be okay, the doc said this'll be an easy procedure now that he has everything he needs."

I paused a moment as I looked down at the Pegasus mare. There was so much I wanted to tell her but I didn't know how to, I didn't even know how she'd react if I did, but I was still afraid this might be the last chance I'd ever get to tell her the truth.

"Scootaloo, there's something I want to tell you..." I said softly. "Something I should've told you a long time ago, I... have feelings for you, you're the kindest, bravest pony I've ever known, I don't know if you feel the same about me but..."

I was stopped by a pair of lips pressing against my muzzle, Scootaloo was kissing me! She had leaned up from her place on the bed and kissed me on the lips, it felt, really nice, even more than the previous kisses we had shared.

"I feel the same about you Cherry..." She said with a smile after she broke the kiss and laid back down. "I'm glad you finally told me."

"Me too..." I said with a smile. "Now, make sure you..."

I was cut off by a strange beeping sound coming from Scootaloo's gear. I walked over to it and found it was coming from her PipBuck and paused when I read what it said, it was a message from not long ago that had been missed for obvious reasons.

"PRIORITY ALERT, FACILITY S1-B."

"What is it?" Scootaloo asked as she looked over at me.

"There's some sort of alert coming from S1-B," I said and walked over with the PipBuck and gave it to her. "What do you think its about this time?"

"I don't know, lets see," Scootaloo said as she hit a few commands on her PipBuck.

"EMERGENCY EXIT OPEN. DO YOU WANT TO ACTIVATE PLAYBACK ON SECURITY FOOTAGE?"

"Emergency exit?" I asked as I looked at Scootaloo.

"Some facilities, not the usual Stables, were set up with secondary exits, I guess S1-B is one of them," Scootaloo commented. "This might be related to those pods the reading mentioned before."

"How is it connected to your PipBuck?"

"Its an emergency signal, it must be wired to connect to it I guess," she said and input

There was a brief moment where the screen was just blank before it showed a hallway in some sort of facility that I didn't recognize. I was a little curious as I looked over her shoulder to see what was going on.

A pony was walking down the hallway towards a doorway at the far end. I didn't recognize her, but she was a Pegasus mare with a messy mane and a cybernetic wing. She was dressed in some sort of uniform that looked a little like an older version of the Enclave uniforms we had seen.

I looked at Scootaloo while I certainly didn't recognize the pony in the video, there was a glimmer of recognition in her face.

"Do you recognize her?" I asked.

"Her name is Gambit, she was one of the Shadowbolts that served with my mother," she said with a sigh. "She was, kind of a fanpony who kind of wanted to be like mom, she didn't really like me that much, I think she kind of saw me as a rival or something. She, kind of wanted to be the next Rainbow Dash and impress her or something."

"I see," I said, I was a bit surprised at this revelation. "So, another pony from before the apocalypse huh?"

"Yeah, figures really, of all the ponies to survive," Scootaloo said with a shake of her head. "Its hard to really describe why, she was always, difficult to deal with even when my memories were messed up. I think she may have been a little jealous, of me and Rainbow, I don't know really."

"So what now?"

"Well, she's free, and we have more important things to deal with, if we cross paths with her we'll worry about it then," Scootaloo said as the video ended and she laid back on the bed. "It'll be okay I'm sure."

I smiled a little and gave Scootaloo another kiss on the muzzle. "Okay, I trust you, just come out of this okay, okay?"

"I promise," Scootaloo said and smiled back at me. "I love you Cherry Blossom."

"I love you too Scootaloo," I said and headed back out of the room.

00000

As the doctors worked on Scootaloo I took a deep breath and looked through the window out at Tenpony Tower. It was late, there was hardly anypony out there except for a few citizens and Enclave guards that were keeping an eye on everypony at the moment.

I wondered when we were going to get more assistance from Applejack's Rangers, they were supposed to be moving into the Tower already but we hadn't heard anything from them since we had arrived here. There wasn't even any word from the Enclave soldiers we had gone past, but that was probably a good sign at least.

That's when I saw something, there were ponies dressed in Enclave Power Armor heading our way, I gulped a little and looked at Arc and Riva. "We've got company coming."

"What's the plan?" Arc asked as Riva tensed up a little.

"Get that desk pushed over, we can use it as cover," I said as we pushed the desk over, the door was locked but that wasn't going to keep the Enclave occupied for long. "Why do you think they're here?"

"I don't know, random search maybe?" Arc suggested and Riva just shrugged.

"At this time of night? No, I think something else is going on," I said as I checked the time on my PipBuck, we had to be ready for anything right now. "How long do you think it'll take them to get that door open?"

"Probably not long, especially if they got the master key or something," Arc said with a shake of her head. "Its what I would do if I was occupying a tower like this, there's probably a way to get into all the rooms just in case there's ever a need to."

Well that was a cheerful thought, thank you for helping make me less nervous Arc, what's next are you going to cut me with a knife and then rub salt in the wound?

A new more disturbing thought occurred to me and I didn't really want to dwell on it, but we didn't have much of a choice at this point.

"Is it possible they know we're in here?"

"I don't know, maybe," Arc said with a shake of her head. "The Enclave may have agents everywhere but it would be hard to get a pony in here. We know Hard Drive didn't give us away, he hasn't been left alone this whole time."

Great, that did nothing but make me even more nervous. We knew with relative certainty that Winter Breeze had an agent close to Scootaloo, was it possible that they were in this room with us? Or at least somehow knew about what we were doing? I had no idea but I was worried no matter what.

There was a knock on the door which made me jump before a commanding voice called out. "This is the Enclave Secret Service, open this door in the name of the President."

"Enclave Secret Service?" I wondered out loud. "Who are they?"

"I have no idea..." Arc muttered as she looked at me for a long moment before turning her attention back to the door and calling out. "What do you want?"

"We've received reports that this clinic is harboring fugitives, if you open this door you will not be harmed," the same voice said from before.

Yeah right, we were the fugitives here and the ponies running the clinic were in the back performing surgery. We took a moment longer than the Enclave clearly wanted because there was a click as the door opened and ponies dressed in Enclave Power Armor came inside.

We tried to fight but were quickly overwhelmed and held there with the Enclave's guns trained on us, there was little point in fighting anyway, we couldn't risk putting Scootaloo in danger.

"Well, this is a surprise," a familiar mare's voice said from the doorway and we all looked up to see Winter Breeze walking into the clinic with several ponies followed behind her including Morning Glory. "I must say when I heard that you four were really in this clinic I had no idea what to think."

"What do you want Winter Breeze?" I said with a tone of defiance in my voice as I looked up at the Enclave's President who looked at me with an amused look on her face.

"Not very grateful to the pony that's come here to help your friend," Winter Breeze said as she chuckled lightly. "We received word from Focus that Scootaloo is in bad shape, so of course I offered the services of my best doctors... in return for you four remaining in the tower and not causing any further issues. Guards, disarm them."

Before we could say anything we had our weapons taken away and then were thoroughly searched by the Enclave guards to make sure that we weren't holding any more weapons. Winter Breeze inspected the weapons and then turned back to look at me.

There was something about this mare, something that I couldn't place my hoof on but she seemed, almost familiar to me, not because of her voice mind you, there was just something about the way she carried herself that felt familiar to me.

"Well, I'm a mare of my word, so the four of you will be allowed to live in Tenpony Tower so long as you follow our laws," she said as she looked each of us over and nodded to Morning Glory and the other ponies who headed into the back.

"Why did Focus turn us in? Is he one of your agents?"

"Nothing of the sort, he's just a doctor who didn't want to lose a patient, it seems our mutual friend's condition doesn't look good," Winter Breeze said with a sigh as she took a seat.

"Why do you care, she's just another Dashite isn't she?" I asked, which made Winter Breeze cringe a little, that was odd, why did she react like that?

"Something you would understand Cherry Blossom, but that is none of your business," Winter Breeze said as she looked at me for a long moment. "You've been living in the Wasteland for a few months now but you still have a lot to learn about what life is like out here."

What did she mean by that? Something about this whole conversation felt weird, it was like Winter Breeze was telling me things but at the same time not telling me them. I wasn't sure what to make of her really, she wasn't just some despotic ruler like I had heard of Red Eye or the Crimson Empire, she was playing some sort of long game here in Equestria and I wasn't sure what to make of it.

"Does everypony have to be so cryptic? Is it like a rule that Pegasi can't give a straight answer? You're almost as bad as Scootaloo," Arc said with a groan. "Why can't you just give a straight answer?"

Winter Breeze actually paused for a long moment at that as if she was considering Arc's words. She shook her head and got back to her hooves.

"I'll take my leave of you then," she said as she headed out the door to the clinic.

"She's, strange, I don't know why she'd even be interested in saving Scootaloo," I commented with a sigh as I watched her go. "I don't get it, why is the President of the Enclave so interested in helping the first Dashite?"

"I don't know either," Arc said and we looked over at Riva who just shrugged a little. "So what's the plan right now then?"

I paused for a long moment, I honestly had no idea what we were going to do now. Scootaloo was still in surgery in the back and even with the Enclave helping I had no idea what to do. I checked the time on my PipBuck, it was getting late and I was honestly more worried than anything else.

"You two try to sleep, I'm just gonna stay up awhile longer," I finally said. "I want to be here when they finish."

"Okay Cherry, just try and get some sleep," Arc said worriedly as she and Riva went to the room that they had said we could sleep in.

I sighed and sat back in my chair, I just hoped everything would be okay.

00000

I must've drifted off to sleep at some point that night because I found myself dreaming of my life back in Stable 48. I don't think I have to tell you exactly what my dream was about, it was a weird dream to say the least and not one I'm going to bother repeating.

I found myself being shaken awake by a pair of hooves and woke up to see the face of a grey Pegasus looking at me as she tried to wake me up. "Hey, are you awake?"

"I am now," I said with a yawn, it took me a moment to recognize her as Morning Glory. "Wait, you're here, what happened? Is Scootaloo okay?"

"Don't worry, she'll be just fine," Morning Glory said with a smile as she gave me a nod. "It was really touch and go for a bit there, but we got the damage to her bio-mechanical parts repaired."

"Oh thank the Goddesses I said with a smile as I shook her hoof. "Thank you Doctor, thank you so much."

"You're welcome," she said with a smile as I got to my hooves and cringed a little as the foal decided to take that moment to become active again. "Everything okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine, the little one just decided to become active is all," I said with a shrug.

"Oh, how far along are you?"

"Almost seven months," I said as I shifted a little. "Do you think everything will be okay?"

"You should be fine, do you mind if I give you a quick check up?" Morning Glory offered. "Its no big deal really and I want to be sure your foal is okay."

"Okay," I said and she lead me back into one of the rooms in the clinic. "So, how long have you been a medical doctor?"

"Awhile now, I used to be part of a special group in the Enclave called the Volunteer Corps out in Hoofington," she said as she took out a small device as I laid down on the bed and she ran it over my stomach gently. "Then, well its a long story really."

"I heard you were involved in what happened in Hoofington," I said and she flinched a little at that. "What happened?"

"I traveled around with Blackjack, she and I, we were close to each other," she said with a sigh. "Then Lighthooves tried to destroy the Enclave and Blackjack took him out but, it cost her her life. After that I kind of wound up wandering around a bit until I wound up crossing paths with another group of Enclave ponies."

"Wait, are you a Dashite? I mean, that's usually what happens when Pegasi leave the Enclave right?" I asked as I looked at the mare's flank, she sighed and lifted her lab coat to reveal the Dashite brand in place of her cutie mark.

"A little gift from Lighthooves," she said with a shake of her head. "He branded me a Dashite and I became a pariah among my own kin. I was surprised when Winter Breeze made me an offer though, she offered me a chance to make the Enclave better, to change things in Equestria for the better. So when I took it, I became her Chief Science adviser, and since then I've been doing my best to help whoever I can."

"Which is why you agreed to help Scootaloo," I said as I nodded in understanding. "Have you ever considered changing sides back?"

Morning Glory paused for a long moment, she actually seemed to be considering what I had to say but she didn't seem to be sure about what to do. I could understand where she was coming from, but I was getting the feeling that she didn't really have much of a choice in the matter.

"I'm sorry Cherry, I can't," she finally said with a shake of her head as she lowered the scanning device. "Your filly is perfectly healthy, there doesn't seem to be any averse effects from what you've been doing. She's strong, just like her mother."

I smiled a little at that, I placed a hoof on my belly, it was good to know that she was going to be okay at least. The same for Scootaloo, we now had a chance at being a family again, all three of us.

"Would you like to see an image of her?" Morning Glory offered.

"You can do that?"

"Yeah, this device allows you to see the growing foal," she said and showed it to me.

I smiled a little as I saw the image of the small pony on the screen. I saw what looked like a horn poking out and smiled a little, I was carrying a Unicorn filly like her Dad. That was going to take some getting used to, maybe Arc could help us too, but we had a long time to go before she was ready.

"Well, if there's nothing else my work is done here," Morning Glory said as she put her equipment away again. "If there are any more problems please let us know and we'll be right here."

"Thank you, but I'm sure everything will be okay," I said with a nod, I just had to hope that we wouldn't need any more help from the Enclave in this, we did still have to drive them out.

"Of course," Morning Glory said before heading out of the clinic finally.

I breathed a sigh of relief, Scootaloo was going to be okay and we were one step closer to finishing our goal of getting the Enclave out of the Tower. I just had to hope that everything would be okay.

00000

I finally fell asleep in the chair in Scootaloo's recovery room in the clinic. I smiled a little at the sleeping Pegasus, she looked so peaceful that it felt like everything was finally going our way.

When my eyes opened again I was surprised to find myself in bed in what looked like a makeshift house. I rolled over to see a familiar orange Pegasus laying next to me with a peaceful look on her face, looking around it seemed to me that I was in some sort of house with a small crib against the wall.

I smiled a little as I snuggled up to Scootaloo and closed my eyes, I just wanted to enjoy the moment for as long as it lasted.

"Mmm, good morning Cherry," a familiar voice said and I opened my eyes to see Scootaloo looking up at me. "How'd you sleep?"

"Pretty well," I said and nuzzled her gently, this wasn't the first time I had this kind of dream but it felt, nice this time, like I was finally where I wanted to be. "Its good to be able to relax, you know what I mean?"

"Yeah," she said and nuzzled me. "It took a lot of work to get this town up and running but its here and its ours, all of ours."
I smiled and we got up and trotted over to the crib where a small Unicorn filly was sleeping. I smiled and picked her up gently as I smiled down at my sleeping daughter. It was weird, I couldn't really make out her coat or anything, probably because I didn't really know what she'd look like, but still, it was nice.

"We've still got a long way to go before Equestria is really ready," I said as the filly opened her eyes and stared up at me and cooed gently. "We'll make sure that we build that future for you."

"And everypony else," Scootaloo finished and we shared a long kiss, it was a wonderful sensation and I wished that it would never end.

LEVEL UP!
Perk Received: Guardian Angel.
Details: You've proven yourself willing to stay by your friends through even the hardest of times. You gain an extra boost to damage when you're fighting along side your friends.

Chapter 37: Some Things Never Change

"And ever and on we go,
Never to learn or grow.
Pillars of peace estranged,
I guess some things never change.
We fall, we fall again,
Stare through empty window panes.
We fall, we fall again,
I guess some things never change."
-Miracle of Sound, Some Things Never Change.

I sighed and laid back on the bed in my quarters aboard the Nightingale. Apparently it had been meant for the ship's first officer so I was on my own for the moment while my friends were staying nearby.

I sighed a little and took out my journal as I finished writing everything that had happened the day before. The war with the Enclave had changed in more ways than any of us had ever imagined.

And then there was the ponies that would be escorting us into the city. I could feel the tension between the two groups, in particular the commanders who didn't seem to like the idea at all, I just had to hope that everything was going to be okay.

I looked out the window, it was night time as I looked at the starry sky beyond. There was a lot of stars out there, I had to wonder what else might be out there in the stars. The Zebras believed that they were evil, but could there be something else out there?

I sighed and closed my eyes and laid back down for a long moment. I was starting to fall asleep when there was a knock at the door. I got up and was surprised to see Winter standing there dressed in a robe.

"Madam President," I said with a polite bow. "Can I help you?"

"You can just call me Winter until the battle starts," Winter said with a smile. "Do you mind if I come inside? I can't sleep, and I just wanted to talk to you for a little while, if that's okay."

"Of course," I said and ushered her inside. "Is everything okay?"

Winter paused a moment and sighed as she took a seat on the bed. "I'm just, thinking about a lot of things that's going on. I've never been able to sleep well the night before a battle honestly, I keep thinking about all the ponies who are going to be fighting, and now I'm fighting my own people, that doesn't really help."

"Yeah, I know what you mean," I admitted with a sigh as I looked at her. "Even with everything that happened, the cloud cover was my home for a few years. I left my family there, no matter how much I may have regretted it. I, honestly don't know what I'm going to do from here."

"It, certainly doesn't help that Coltlumbia was our capitol city," Winter said with a sigh. "Scootaloo, I'm afraid. When everything is said and done, what is my legacy going to be? I caused so amny deaths, I used to try and remember the names of all the Enclave soldiers lost but..."

"But they just blended together?" I asked and she nodded. "Winter, you've done everything you can to make things better for Equestria. We all have our legacies, and I believe that if you keep being the good pony I know you are, then I know you'll do fine."

Winter smiled softly and nodded. "Thank you Scootaloo, hopefully you're right. I'm going to have to pay for my crimes still somehow. I just hope that the ponies who follow me will understand and it won't cause another war when it happens."

"Maybe you and your friends could join us in Crusader Town," I suggested and Winter looked at me curiously. "I mean, you don't have to be a politician, but you could do a lot more to help us. You could help build the settlement with us, help make it a good place to live, maybe even..."

I trailed off for a second, there was something that Winter could do and do it well based on everything I knew about her. I just wasn't sure if she'd agree to it given everything that she had been through. There was always a chance though, and ultimately she would probably be willing to do it.

"What is it?"

"I'd like you to be a teacher, if you're willing and able to do it," I said with a soft smile and offered her a hoof. "We don't need a politician or a soldier, we just need you to be a teacher. What do you say, once your punishment is over, you can come teach fillies and colts again."

Winter looked at me surprised, not that I was surprised by that. She probably didn't expect me to make that kind of offer to her but I could tell in her eyes that she was considering it.

"All I ever wanted to be was be a teacher..." she said softly. "After everything I've done, are you sure you can trust me with it?"

"I know I can," I said with a smile. "Winter, I trust you, I would trust you with my own foals. Which I guess I'm going to, don't worry, you'll do fine."

"Thank you..." Winter said and hugged me gently.

"Can I ask you something?" I asked and she nodded. "Back in Whitehome when you sent me that message you offered me a pardon. I, always wondered why you were so interested in getting me on your side, can I ask why?"

"Because we're family," Winter said with a sigh. "When I heard you woke up I wanted to give you the best life I could in the Wasteland. You're the only that made me who I am today, and I knew thatt you deserved a good life after what happened before, and I wasn't sure what you'd find in Equestria. You proved me wrong though, and now we're in the same boat."

"Like you said, we can still make a better future, together," I said with a smile. "And don't worry about tomorrow, everypony out there is fighting for the same thing. To make sure that Equestria has a future beyond what Cloud Chaser offers, and we're going to make sure that the future is a good one."

"Of course, I just hope that the ponies assigned to your team won't be a problem," Winter said with a sigh. "They're all good ponies, but they've been fighting each other so long. Good luck, I have faith in you."

"Thanks, I'll make sure I don't betray that faith," I said with a nod.

"I know you won't... well thanks for listening to me, that should've helped," Winter said with a smile. "I should get back to Spectra, thanks for talking with me Scootaloo."

"You're welcome," I said with a smile as Winter headed out again. I laid back and cloused my eyes as I thought about everything that was going on.

What was going to happen to me once this war was over? Had I done enough to make up for my mistakes or was it going to be my fate to spend the rest of my life making up for them?

Maybe building that town was going to be enough, it was hard to tell but it at least gave me a chance. I was going to help Equestria in any way I could, and give ponies who wanted to do the same a place to live and work.

I thought about Winter for a moment, I wasn't ever that good at statistics, but what were the odds that one of my descendants and one of Rainbow Dash's family members got together and had a foal? Two families seperated by over 200 years and they had found each other again.

It felt like my family and Rainbow Dash's family were still connected after this long. I missed Rainbow, but the fact that our families had come back together, that was amazing to me.

I just hoped that everything would go okay with everything that was going on. I yawned and closed my eyes and drifted off to sleep.

00000

I took a deep breath as we looked at the cloud city of Coltlumbia in the distance. The buildings and the large walled sections and battlements were on full alert, the Nightingale was out of range and things were getting a bit more intense right now.

I sighed a little as Arc and Riva moved next to me. "That's, quite the city. Are we going to be okay going in there?" Arc commented.

"Honestly? I have no idea," I said with a sigh and looked back at our escorts who were getting their equipment together seperately. "What about them, are they going to get along?"

"About as well as can be expected," Riva said with a shake of her head. "If you told the Alliance and the Legion that they would have to work together than they would be at each other's throats."

"So, at least they're not trying to kill each other right now," Arc commented with a shake of her head. "Now we just have to hope that holds up when we're in a battle situation."

I nodded and sighed a little as I looked at Garnet and Sunset. The two were shooting looks at each other. "I'll talk to them, or at least try to," I said and walked over to the Enclave troops first. "Commander Bright Sunrise?"

"General Dash, ma'am," Sunrise said as she saluted me. "We're ready and willing to follow your orders."

Well, at least the Enclave was willing to follow the chain of command. I admit I was a bit nervous going into this, but that helped a little.

"Well, that's good to hear," I said, I didn't want my nervousness to show. "Listen, we need to try and make sure that we don't cause problems with the NCR. I know things aren't going to be easy, but can you promise me that you'll get along with them as best you can?"

"General, I know you've been working with them for awhile..." Sunrise said and sighed a little. "We're here because we believe in what the President stands for, if she says that you can be trusted then we trust you."

A stallion huffed a little at that, but Sunrise shot him a look and he flinched a little. "Is there a problem Private Dust?"

"No ma'am," the Private said, his voice cracked a little as I looked over at him.

"Private, if there is going to be a problem with this, I'd prefer to know about it now than it come up when we enter the city," I said and shot him a look. "We're going into a warzone and we need to know that we can trust each other to watch each other's backs."

I looked back at the NCR soldiers for a moment and sighed as I looked back at the Thunderbolts and sighed.

"We all need to make sure we can trust one another," I said with a nod. "We're going into the most heavily fortified city in Equestria. We're in the heart of enemy territory, and if we don't work together, then we aren't going to make it out of here alive. I know you've been fighting each other for the last few months, but we're here in common cause. Please, we're here to stop the Enclave to make sure that Equestria has a future, that our familes have a future. That's something that we can all get behind, right?"

I looked between Sunrise and Garnet, it surprised me how close the looks on their faces looked to one another. I wondered just who these two soldiers were fighting for, they probably had their families that they wanted to keep safe.

I didn't want to think about the ponies I had killed ever since I first woke up... how many of them may have had families. I was starting to realize that I really wasn't made for war, but I had a job to do, and ponies of my own to protect.

"Understood General," Sunight, Dust, and the third Thunderbolt who I noticed was a Bat Pony said.

"What about you, Lieutenant?" I asked as I looked over at Garnet. "I've worked with the NCR closely this whole time. I have a lot of respect for the Rangers and I'd be glad to work with both groups."

"Can't we put aside our differences?" Arc asked as she and Riva moved up next to me. "At least wait until the battle is over."

"We don't need..." one of the NCR soldiers started to say but Garnet raised his hoof.

"We need their help," he finally said. "They know the city better than we do even with the maps. We'll work with the Enclave, for now, as long as they keep their word."

Private Dust looked like he was about to say something before Sunrise gave him a look. He gulped a little and backed off.

"Alright, good," I said and took a deep breath. This was the first mission I'd be doing as a General instead of as just a normal pony, I just hoped that everything was going to be okay.

Winter came in with Midnight and an Alicorn that was dressed in armor. Winter gave me a soft smile as she stopped in front of me. "General Dash, are you and your soldiers ready?"

"Yes ma'am," I said with a nervous salute. "Everything is in order, we know our orders and we're ready to go."

"Good," Midnight said and nodded to the Alicorn. "She'll be your ride to Stable 46 and the tunnel leading up into the city. Our, point of contact will directing things to make sure that you get there safely."

"Scootaloo, I wanted you to have this," Winter said in an informal tone as she took out a folded up uniform. "A pony from a settlement called Whitehome made these for all the new Wonderbolt Generals, I felt you might want to wear it."

I was a bit surprised when I unfolded it to see that it was an almost perfect replica of a Wonderbolt Uniform from before the war. I smiled a little and folded it back up before I put it in my bags next to the Shadowbolt uniform and the necklace given to me by Serenity.

Something told me these would be needed soon, it was just something at the back of my mind. I wondered if maybe she meant the Rarity clone, but that was something to wonder about later.

"Thank you Winter," I said softly and she nodded.

"Good luck and goddesspeed to all of you," Midnight said with a salute. "The future of Equestria is in your hooves."

We nodded and the Alicorn moved in between us. Her horn glowed and with a flash of light we were gone in an instant.

00000

I've never been very good with teleportation, the few times that I've experienced it I've wound up feeling like I'm going to throw up the moment I landed. It was why I tended to use carriages and everything to move around during the war.

This trip was no different, as soon as we hit the ground my stomach lurched and I barely managed to compose myself with Arc's help. I gave the Unicorn a soft smile and a nod as I picked myself up.

"Thanks," I said softly to the Unicorn.

"You're welcome, don't worry about it," she said with a nod as we looked up towards the mountain above.

The foundation of the city was built into the side of the mountain, so it was the only way to get in and out of it past the ramparts.

It was hard to believe that I was looking up at Coltlumbia again for the first time in over 200 years. It was weird to feel like this, maybe it was because it was my last home before I left the cloud cover.

As I looked towards the cave that lead towards Stable 46 I noticed that Sunrise was looking up at it still. I could see through her helmet that she had a sad but determined look on her face and as we started to walk I moved up next to her.

"Lieutenant?" I asked and she looked at me snapping at attention. "At ease, I just want to talk with you."

"Uh, yes General, ma'am," Sunrise said nervously she hadn't expected me to try and talk to talk to her. "What's going on? Can I help you with something?"

"Well, I was wondering if something was bothering you," I said and looked at her for a moment. "I, know that look you had on your face when we arrived. If there's some reason that you can't work here, I'll send word for an Alicorn to come and pick you up."

"No!" Sunrise said with such force it actually stopped us for a moment. "I mean, no, I'll be fine. I have to go on this mission."

Okay, that definitely got my attention, there was something bothering this mare and I was going to try and get to the bottom of it. If this was going to keep us from finishing the mission then we needed to know what it was.

"What's wrong Lieutenant?" I asked and Sunrise realized that all eyes in the group were suddenly on her. "We're going into a battle situation, I need to know that I can trust you not to do something reckless."

"I... I have a son, who's in Coltlumbia with my parents..." she said softly. "I was assigned to work in Thunderhead while the President was doing her thing in the Stable. I, don't know what happened to them, I just have to hope he's okay. I'm sorry, I, don't mean to be so distracted but I just want to know if my baby is okay..."

For a moment, I thought I saw a glint in the eye of the Ranger Commander as she said that. I looked at him curiously for a moment, wondering what that might mean before I looked back at Sunrise.

"Lieutenant, I know exactly where you're coming from," I said softly. "Its not easy being a parent these days, and I know that you're just trying to keep your family safe. I, can't promise anything but I'll do everything I can to make sure that your family gets out alive."

Sunrise looked at me surprised for a moment from behind her helmet and smiled a little before she nodded and looked back behind her at the other two Thunderbolts who were equally surprised. "What?"

"I'm, sorry Lieutenant, I didn't know," Private Dust managed to stammer out and the bat pony nodded in agreement. "I'm, sorry."

"Come on, we have to get to the city before the battle starts," Garnet said but he didn't sound unsympathetic. He instead gave Sunrise a nod and a reassuring smile, I couldn't help but smile a little too.

If nothing else, this moment had managed to bring us together more as a group. Maybe this wouldn't be as much of a problem after all, at least I hoped not.

00000

We made our way through the tunnel and up through the cloud foundation of Coltlumbia towards Flankton. When we came out from the tunnel we were up against a door that had a seal painted onto it with the symbol of the Enclave with the worlds "President of the Grand Pegasus Enclave" written around it.

"Well, I guess that means we're in the right place," I said as I typed in the code on the cloud terminal that was attached to the wall next to it. We waited a moment before the door opened and we found ourselves in a store room for a dingy looking bar.

"Flankton, we're right in the middle of the industrial sector of Coltlumbia," Sunrise said and gave us the quick lowdown on the area. "This place used to be privately owned before the Coltlumbia Uprising, but when everything went down, in particular given that a lot of the rebels came from this part of the city, it was nationalized by the government under the President. It, wasn't a very popular decision on her part among what was left of the Upper Class given that it was always used as, well..."

"Slave labor," I said with a shake of my head. "Some things don't change in 200 years, Flankton workers were basically paid as little as possible and they were always lower class. Sky Walker had to go into this place a lot while he was working on the Force, and he hated it."

"If you believe the stories, the late General Bluejay came from a place like this," Sunrise said. "They say that she was born in a lower class family and she pulled herself up and worked hard to get where she was. A rather striking comparison to other Generals who were born into military families. At least, that's what I've heard, you don't really know with Bluejay, spooks like her can be very mysterious."

That actually made sense from what little I knew about Bluejay. She was ambitious, which was why she had gone after New Pegasus, if she had to build herself up from the lowest levels of the Enclave society, then that kind of ambition made a lot more sense.

Mind you, I still didn't like everything she had done back in New Pegasus, but at the very least it made more sense to me.

"So, how much resistance are we going to meet here?" Riva asked.

"Unknown, but we need to find Colonel Fulbright, hopefully if we can convince him to join us then Flankton won't be much of a problem," I said with a sigh. "There is still the matter of the rest of the city though, this isn't going to be easy, but this is our best chance at ending the war. With teams being teleported into the city everywhere, then the Enclave Hardliners are going to have to spread their forces across the city."

"Hopefully they're not going to have enough to put up enough of a resistance," Arc commented. "I just hope you know what you're doing Scootaloo."

I sighed as we pushed our way out into the bar which was abandoned at the moment save for a bartender who looked up at us and was about to reach for a gun when we raised our weapons at him. "Do you really want to do that?"

"What are you doing here?" He demanded as we started to do a sweep of the bar to make sure there wasn't any surveillance equipment or whatever.

"We're here to stop Cloud Chaser and his forces and push them out of the city," I said as I looked at the bartender and made sure that I kept my trigger close. "Is that going to be a problem?"

The bartender looked at me and then at the other soldiers and ponies for a long moment and then sighed as he moved away from his gun. "Look, I've lived here all my life, I've seen the leadership of the Enclave change more times than I can count, not to mention revolts. Things ain't gonna change anytime soon, Contrails, Daisy Bloom, Stormy Skies, Winter Breeze, Cloud Chaser... it doesn't matter here. Meet the new boss, same as the old boss."

"Things are going to change," I said softly. "We're here to change things, to make sure that Coltlumbia has a future beyond just what the Enclave Hardliners offer."

"That's what Daisy said 10 years back, a fat lot of good that did her," the bartender said and sighed a little. "I won't report you if that's what you're afraid of. But you better get going, the night shift will be over soon and they'll be heading for the bar like they do every morning."

I nodded and looked back at the bartender for a moment as we headed out of the bar and out into the city. Looking behind us I saw the bar was called the Graveyard Shift. I sighed a little and we started walking down the paved streets and looked around at the old ramshackle buildings that made up this part of the city.

Here there were ponies huddled together for warmth, I frowned a little at that. Winter said that she had done everything she could to help this place, while I trusted her I didn't believe that Cloud Chaser and his forces would've cared enough about it.

I sighed and we headed towards the entrance to Flankton proper.

00000

We made our way into Flankton with its large factories and other buildings that had once belonged to the industrialists that ran the section of the city. I wondered exactly how everything had gone down in the city years back during the uprising, but I didn't have much of a chance to think on it.

It was quiet other than the sounds of the factories and only a few ponies were around other than a few guards on the other side of the building. The ones that were here were unconscious near us and I blinked when I saw two Unicorns standing there, both were blue with curled brown manes and tails as they looked at us curiously.

"Curious brother, it seems that we have found the anomaly after all," the mare said and I blinked a little, there was something familiar about these two.

"Indeed, I must say I wasn't expecting this kind of change," the stallion said as they looked at me curiously.

"Who are you two?" Riva asked as we looked at the two Unicorns, our weapons drawn as we stared them down. "Did you knock those soldiers out?"

"Perhaps."

"Or perhaps they were always knocked out."

"Or they have yet to be knocked out."

"Okay, now I recognize you two," Sunrise said with a groan. "You're those Unicorn twins that were in league with the rebellion. Infinity and Beyond right? I heard the reports, you vanished after the uprising was stopped."

"Wait, Infinity and Beyond?" I asked in surprise, now I knew who these two were. "You worked for the Ministry of Arcane Science during the war, how are you even still alive?"

"Are we all alive?" Infinity asked.

"Or are we all dead?" Beyond asked.

"Perhaps we are..."

"...both at once."

"Who are these two?" Arc asked as she looked at me.

"Like I said, they were alive during the war working for the MAS," I said and frowned a little. "They did some work with Stable-Tec as well, including somehow being involved with whatever Twilight Sparkle had planned for Stable 13. They weren't exactly this weird back then, but they specialize in quantum physics or, something. I don't know anything about these two, and I don't know why they're here all of a sudden."

"There are still..." Infinity started.

"Questions to be answered," Beyond finished.

"Perhaps we should look elsewhere sister," Infinity said and looked at the other. "Perhaps she is not so much a variable as we believed."

"Yes brother," Beyond said and looked at me passively for a moment before she nodded. "Remember, there is always a man, there is always a city, there is always a lighthouse."

"But there is always a hero, always a child, and always a protector," Infinity said. "Perhaps we are looking in the wrong place for those. Curious, I thought the constants would be here as well, but oh well. The sea may yet yield results."

"What does that even mean?" Arc asked as I turned to look at the others for a moment.

"I, have no idea, what did..." I started to say and turned back to look at the bizarre twins and blinked when I realized they were gone. "Okay, that was freaky."

We didn't have a lot of time to dwell on the strange encounter with the twins however. There was the sound of metal hooves on the pavement as a group of Enclave soldiers headed our way. We quickly dove under cover as I groaned a little, this was going to be a long battle and we hadn't even made it out of Flankton yet.

I took a deep breath and raised the SOAR over the cover and aimed for the nearest soldier before I pulled the trigger and sent him sprawling. Well, at least that still worked I thought as we got into a firefight, the first goal was to make sure that the Enclave didn't get a radio message off before the main attack began, which would be soon.

I raised my second rifle and aimed for one of the soldiers and took them out quickly. The few workers that were in the area went running, I didn't blame them, I didn't want to kill civilians, especially not when most of them didn't have a choice in the matter.

Finally a shot from Riva's rifle hit the last Enclave soldier between the eyes and he fell dead. I let out a sigh of relief as I checked my EFS, there was still hostiles but they were far enough away that we didn't have to worry about them until we got into the factories.

I made a motion to the others as we headed for the main doors to the factory area and hopefully where the Enclave Commander was. We pushed them open and headed through.

00000

The Flankton industrial area was built with several factories leading up to the central factory. There were golden statues of a Pegasus stallion dotting it and the Enclave soldiers were already starting to move into position, this was going to be a fight just to get to our destination.

"Any ideas on how we're going to get there faster?" Garnet asked as he looked over at me and then at Sunrise for a moment. "We're not exactly in a position to walk there you know."

"I know, I know," I said as I peeked out at the area around us in search of something that might be of use to us. "We need something that can get us over there without raising much suspicion. What that might be however, I don't know."

There was a long moment of silence as we looked around. The soldiers were put on the route between the entrance and the main factory, most of the minor factories were either closed down or automated.

I looked thoughtful for a long moment as I noticed that there was a long rail line that made its way through the area. It was built so that wound through the entire section leading to it and there were several parts that were still active that were transporting goods along.

"Hey, do any of you know anything about those?" I asked as I pointed up at the lines.

"Yeah, they're used throughout the city to transport things, it was more practical that way or something, I don't know," Sunrise said with a shrug. "They're everywhere, and that line should take us right to the factory, but I don't know exactly how you plan to get on it."

I thought for a long moment as I noticed that the nearest factory was starting to load some equipment into a box. It was just big enough to fit a small group of ponies, it might actually work, in theory at least.

"Scootaloo, you have that look on your face again," Arc said as she looked at me with a chuckle. "The you have a crazy idea that might get us all killed if it fails look. Are you sure that its a good idea?"

"Honestly? We don't have a lot of choice here, we just have to make sure that we time it perfectly," I said and looked at the soldiers again. "Look, I'm not going to lie and say this will be easy or even that it will work. But we have a job to do, we need to secure Flankton for the alliance and keep the Enclave from getting access to their equipment from here. This is the first stage of this operation and if it doesn't work, everything might fall apart, are you with me?"

I looked between the faces of the three Enclave Soldiers and then the three NCR soldiers, then finally my friends. Arc and Riva who had gotten used to my crazy plans by this point nodded in agreement while the Enclave soldiers paused a moment before nodding.

"Lieutenant, its up to you and your soldiers, we need to do this if we're going to stand a chance," I said as I looked at Garnet. "Please, are you with me or not?"

Garnet looked between his ponies and then back at me for a long moment and sighed as they made a decision. "Alright, this is our best option so we'll agree to it. I don't like it, since I'd rather not suffocate, but if you think it'll work we'll try it."

"Good," I said and smiled a little, that was something at least. "Don't worry, we're going to be just fine, I hope."

I took a deep breath as we headed towards the dock. There were less guards here so we had a chance of making it through this at least. I quietly looked back down the way towards where the entrance was and nodded a little.

We moved quickly and quietly through the area, taking out the guards and knocking out the ponies that were running it. I took a deep breath and opened up the container, it was still empty thankfully.

"Okay Arc, you're up, you know what to do," I said as we climbed aboard and Arc nodded as her horn glowed orange and pulled the lever on the controls as we closed the container up. There was a creaking noise as the container started to move along the rail lines, thankfully it looked like the Enclave hadn't noticed we were in the container, at least not yet.

It was cramped, even with it empty we were 9 ponies stuffed into a container together and 3 of us were dressed in power armor. We were quiet just in case, so I had nothing to occupy my time but my thoughts.

I thought about Cherry, she was back in Nomad City with the others now and I was worried about her. She was in a tough position given that we had to go off to war and she had stayed behind, I couldn't imagine what was going through her mind right now.

She was probably more worried than anything else, I just had to hope that she was going to be okay and so was the filly. It was hard to believe that I was really going to be a mom again, a step-mom mind you, but still a mom. I had thought about this before, but it wasn't until recently that it had really started to sink in.

Cherry was a good pony, a better pony than I really deserved with everything that was happening, and I knew that once everything was over I was going to do everything I could to be the best wife I can be for her. The fact of the matter was that no matter how much I screwed up, no matter what mistakes I made, I was still going to do everything I could to be the best pony I could be.

And that's what was keeping me going at this point. I wasn't a soldier, at least I didn't have the training of a soldier, I was here because I knew how to fight and the Enclave Hardliners needed to be stopped. I was here to do what should've been done 200 years ago, stop the Enclave threat once and for all.

But, the Hardliners were the only threat from the Enclave now right? Winter and her forces were good ponies, they were just trying to do everything they could to help Equestria as far as I could tell. I wasn't even sure if there wasn't the possibility that there were more ponies who thought like Cloud Chaser out there, but I had to hope that they wouldn't be as powerful as they once were now.

Then there was the ponies under my command. I hated to admit it but this was a dangerous move, these ponies had been fighting each other for months now and here they were working together because they were ordered to. I trusted Winter and Midnight, but this could end badly if we weren't careful.

I just had to hope that it wouldn't.

00000

Finally there was a thud and the container shook as we were set down at our destination. I looked at the others and nodded as we waited for the doors to open so we could see what was going to happen next.

There was the sound of hooves outside as a pony went to the container and opened the doors. They were dressed in Enclave Power Armor, we didn't even give them a chance to call out in surprise as I fired a shot into them with the SOAR and their armor locked up quickly.

"I really need to know where you got that thing," Sunrise said with a chuckle as she looked at the rifle.

"Its a long story," I said with a shrug as we headed out of the container and into the factory where the Enclave soldiers inside had been taken by surprise. One of them started to run for the front door only to be taken down by Riva who gave me a nod.

"Well, this is another fine mess you've gotten us into," Arc said with a chuckle as she levitated her assault rifle up and fired at the Enclave soldiers as we did the same.

As the fight continued alarms throughout the facilities started to go off and the voice of Cloud Chaser came over the loudspeakers. "This is General Cloud Chaser, the Alliance and the Enclave Rebels have attacked the City of Coltlumbia. We've trained for this, the war is ours, Equestria is ours, Enclave forever!"

And with that the Battle of Coltlumbia had begun.

I aimed for the head of an Enclave soldier with my energy rifle and pulled the trigger, taking him out before he could shoot at us. I was about to turn around when I heard a shot ring out and an Enclave soldier that had been lining up a shot on Sunrise crumpled to the floor.

What surprised me more was that the pony that had shot them was one of the NCR Rangers. He looked at Sunrise and nodded, the Thunderbolt returned the nod and smiled before she turned her attention back to the battle and fired.

Maybe this alliance did have a chance after all.

"Fall back to position sigma!" A voice shouted from down the hall as the remaining Enclave soldiers pulled back towards where a barricade had been set up and fired down the hallway towards us.

"Anypony have any ideas?" Sunrise asked as we moved into cover. "Any ideas General?"

I checked my EFS for a moment and glanced down the hallway as I thought about what our next move was going to be. I looked at the others, they were the professional soldiers here not me, I was just a mare who was in a tough position that didn't know what she was doing.

I sighed and looked back down the hallway, just barely pulling back as a burst of energy flew past me. I checked my bags for anything in hopes that I'd be able to find something that would be able to get us through this. Then a thought hit me, there was one thing that could do the trick, we'd just have to be able to make it work.

"Does anypony have any grenades?" I asked as I looked back at the others. "Preferably flashbangs."

"Yeah, I've got a few," the Bat pony said as she looked through her packs. "What do you have in mind?"

"Okay, the best thrower in the group needs to throw it, and I need Arc to make sure it gets close to them," I said and gave Arc a nod. "Are you up for this?"

"Of course!" Arc said with a nod as I looked at the others and Garnet nodded before he looked at the Bat Pony.

"Give it to me," he said and the Bat pony paused a moment before she looked over at Sunrise and then me. "Please?"

"Alright," she said and tossed a flashbang over to Garnet.

He threw the grenade as hard as he could while Arc's horn glowed orange as she pushed it forward. If she timed it right, she'd be able to do this perfectly as she pulled the pin on the grenade just as it fell between the Enclave soldiers as we went back into cover.

There was a brief flash visible followed by a bang sound and we looked back down to see the Enclave soldiers were all disoriented. I grinned and gave the three ponies a nod as we fired down the hallway towards where the Enclave soldiers were waiting.

As the remaining soldiers fell from the fire, we could barely make out a tail that was retreating further into the factory. I checked my EFS, there wasn't anything else in the immediate vicinity so we started down the hall. I looked back at Garnet for a moment along with Arc.

"Great throw back there," I said with a smile as we stepped over the dead bodies of the Enclave soldiers. I grabbed what ammunition I could and put them in my bags, I chuckled a little when I saw Enclave paper money with Winter's face on it as I pocketed it.

"I'm just doing my job," he said with a shake of his head as he looked over at Sunrise for a moment. "So, do you think we can get to Fulbright before they send him more reinforcements?"

"The Hardliners don't have nearly enough support in this city to be able to send more than a few ponies," Sunrise said with a shake of her head. "At least not before we can get this part of the city secured."

"I hope you're Right," Riva said with a sigh as she looked back at me and gave me a nod.

There were only a few soldiers on the way and we took them out as we approached an office door that said "Office of Col. Fulbright." I took a deep breath as I pushed the door open and just barely dodged a burst of energy fired out the door by the Colonel.

"Colonel Fulbright?" I called into the room. "We're here to talk, just let us have a word with you and we'll leave once we're done."

"How do I know that?" A stallion's voice said from inside. "You're here to try and defeat the Enclave aren't you? You and your traitor friends you'd just kill us all instead of talk."

"Look, my name is Scootaloo Dash, I'm here as a representative of both the legitimate Enclave government and the Alliance," I said with a sigh. "We're not here to fight unless we have to. We'd rather the Hardliners just lay down their arms and come to the negotiating table. Who told you that we would rather kill you than talk, was it General Cloud Chaser? What reason would he have to tell the truth, he branded and tried to kill Winter Breeze. He's the traitor to the Enclave, not her, and not anypony else that follows her."

There was a long pause as the Colonel inside thought about that. I looked over at Sunrise and the rest of the Thunderbolts, they smiled and nodded a little.

"Colonel Fulbright, do you remember me?" Sunrise asked as she called into the room. "Its Bright Sunrise, you served with my husband 10 years ago. You knew me and trusted me as a friend, what reason would I have to lie to you about what's going on? General Dash is telling the truth, please, just hear her out."

There was a long pause as Fulbright kept thinking about what we had said to him. There was finally a clatter and we looked inside to see an energy rifle laying on the floor and a stallion dressed in a military uniform was seated at a desk. He had a short red mane and a dark blue coat.

He looked up at me and then at the other ponies with me. "General Dash, I have to say I wasn't expecting to see the first Dashite carrying an Enclave military rank," he said as he looked at me with a sad chuckle. "Hello Sunrise, I see you're doing well. How is Dusk doing?"

"He's... I don't know, he's still somewhere in Coltlumbia," Sunrise said with a sigh. "I know that this is a lot to ask, but we need to keep this battle from getting worse. If Flankton joins the Alliance, then that will cut off the supply lines."

"And what about when the military comes to attack us?" Fulbright asked with sharp tone in his voice. "If we don't have backing from the Alliance, we're not going to be able to hold ourselves in a battle. If Cloud Chaser wanted he could send troops to retake Flankton."

"Leave that to us," I said. "We've got Alicorns and other soldiers that can be put in position to help protect Flankton. Also, I'm sure that there are a lot of ponies in Flankton that don't like how things are going here either. You need to work with these ponies and make sure that this city has a future beyond just one despot after another. Please, give them a chance to help defend their home, I know if I was in their situation or yours, I would do the same."

Fulbright looked at me thoughtfully and sighed for a long moment as he looked back at Sunrise. "I honestly have no idea what to do here. You're right of course that we have ponies that can help defend the city and options beyond just what might be obvious. Flankton has always been the center of industry, the only reason why its even still running is because of the government."

He looked up at a large window behind him and shook his head at the outline of a stallion that was visible in it. It looked like it had once been a stained glass window that had the colors removed, but the actual outline was still there.

"I like the President, I trust her more than anypony else in Equestria, and a lot of ponies here in Coltlumbia feel the same way," he said with a shake of his head. "But Cloud Chaser has forced everypony to follow him and what he wants done instead of what Winter would want. He's still consolidating his power in the city, but the fact of the matter is that its a tenuous grasp at best. This battle, and everything else might be enough to break that grip."

"But, they need somepony to rally behind," I said with a nod of understanding. "We'll consider our options, there is one pony that would be able to rally them, I just hope she'd be willing to help."

Fulbright nodded before he took out a microphone and patched it into the loudspeakers around Flankton. He took a deep breath and then began to speak into it.

"This is Colonel Fulbright to all Enclave forces in Flankton. I'm giving all forces here an order to stand down hostilities against the Alliance and the Enclave loyalists. If you do not agree with this decision, you will be allowed to leave Flankton and join your allies in Coltlumbia proper. But I know you, I know a lot of you because you've served under me ever since we took the city back from the zealots, and I know that you don't agree with what's going on. I'm not going to order you to stand down, but I do ask you, as your commanding officer, to consider the fact that we have to create a better world, a brighter future for our families."

He took a deep breath and looked at Sunrise with a sympathetic smile, then over at Garnet and the other NCR soldiers. He closed his eyes and began to speak again.

"All workers in the factories will not be required to come to work today, until this war is over, I am declaring a general strike against the Enclave Hardliners. We're going to need all the help we can get ponies, we have a long battle ahead of us and the Hardliners will probably come back, but we're not going to stand down, and we're not going to be doing this alone. We have friends who are willing to lend us a hoof and protect our homes. Flankton stands against the oppressors, and from now on we stand with President Winter Breeze and the true Enclave."

I nodded and gave him a smile as he set the radio down. "You did a good job Colonel, the President would be proud."

"General Dash, my ponies and I stand ready and willing to obey your orders," Fulbright said and stood up and gave me a salute. "What are your orders, ma'am?"

I looked nervous for a moment, I don't want to admit it but this was the most nervous I had ever felt in a combat situation. Leading a small group was one thing, but I was about to give orders to a small army that was getting ready to fight an attack that could come at any time..

"Hold the line Colonel," I said and gave him a nod. "You and everypony in Flankton, hold the line against the enemy and make sure that they don't retake this area. I'm not as experienced at this kind of thing as you are, but I know that you're going to do just fine."

I looked back at Sunrise who smiled and gave me a nod.

"That we're all going to do just fine, this is the most important battle of the entire war," I said softly. "We're going to be just fine, Coltlumbia will be the end of the Hardliners, and the beginning of our future as a nation. Winter knew this, and and Cloud Chaser fears it, this city is where it all began 10 years ago, and this is where everything ends."
He nodded and saluted again. "Very good, is there anything else?"

"Yeah, can I borrow your radio?"

00000

"So, Flankton is secured?" Winter asked on the other end of the radio, I had set up in the radio room not long after we finished talking to Fulbright. "Did Colonel Fulbright give you any problems?"

"Well he tried to shoot at us, but that's understandable in a war situation," I said with a sigh. "We're going to need ponies here to protect the citizens though. We don't know how long it might be before the Hardliners send forces into Flankton to try and retake it once the supplies are cut off."

"I'll have a few wings of Alicorns as well as a contingent of Enclave Soldiers and Applejack's Rangers be sent to Flankton," Winter said, I could hear the relief in her voice.

"Thank you, that should hopefully be enough," I said and let out a sigh of relief, that was a good sign, it meant that Flankton may yet be defended."Is there anything else?"

"No, we're done here," I said with a nod. "Where are we to go next?"

"Hurricane Bay and Wonderbolt Field is probably your next best bet," Winter said with a nod. "We've already got forces there trying to secure the civilians but they're not in the best of shape. Are you and your friends ready to take the fight into Coltlumbia proper or do you need more time?"

I thought about that for a moment. "Everything should be fine, we'll head for Hurricane Bay next."

Winter paused a moment as if she was trying to decide whether or not to tell me something. "Can you pass a message on to Lieutenant Sunrise for me?"

"Of course Madam President, just tell me what it is," I said and took out my journal and pen to write down what the message was. I paused a moment when she finished telling me what it is and nodded as I finished writing it down. "I'll tell her before we get out of Flankton."

"Thank you, hopefully this will help her," Winter said with a sigh. "Thank you Scootaloo, I know we're asking a lot of you with everything that's going on. How are you holding up?"

"I've been better," I admitted with a sigh. "I'm not really used to leading troops in battle, I've done everything I could to lead them, but I keep feeling like I'm gonna mess this up somehow. Did you really make the right call by making me a General?"

"Scootaloo, I would never have offered you the job if I didn't think you were capable of doing it," Winter replied reassuringly. "You're doing just fine given everything that could've happened in Flankton."

"Alright, thank you," I said. "Who do we meet up with in Hurricane Bay?"

"Applejack's Rangers is leading the charge for the most part there under Paladin Pecan Sandie," Winter replied. "She'll know about the situation better than anypony else. She should be at the arcade now, that's our hoofhold in the area while we push our way towards Emporia and the Presidential Manor where Cloud Chaser resides."

"Alright, we'll be there," I said with a nod. "Over and out."

I put away the radio before I headed back out to meet up with the rest of my team. I took out a map of the city and laid it out on the ground.

"Alright, we're here in Flankton," I said as I directed our attention to that part of the city. "We need to make our way out of Flankton and get to Wonderbolt Fields. Its an amusement park area in the city and one of the major hoofholds we have at the moment."

"Why are we going to an amusement park?" Arc asked.

"Because we need to take Emporia and the Presidential manor," Sunrise said and I nodded. "Wonderbolts Fields has the most lightly defended route into Emporia through the Spitfire line that we can take from the park's rear entrance. The problem is that the Hardliners would know this so they're going to have it well protected, same with Emporia."

"In other words, we're going into the hornet's nest," Garnet said with a shake of his head.

"Alright, we have our next destination then," I said and looked over at Arc and Riva and then at Sunrise. "Okay, the rest of you go see if we can get some more ammunition before we leave Flankton. Lieutenant Sunrise, can I to speak to you for a moment?"

"Uh, sure," Sunrise said as the others went to talk with Fulbright. "What do you want to talk to me about?"

I paused a moment and took a deep breath. "Before the radio transmissions out of Emporia went quiet a distress call was picked up coming from somewhere in that part of the city. We, think that it may have been coming from ponies that don't agree with what the Hardliners are doing, and it was from a pony named Trade Winds, they're asking for help to get out of the city."

"Trade Winds?" Sunrise asked and I nodded as she grabbed me. "That's my father's name! I was afraid that he didn't make it! What's going on? Where did it come from? Did they mention Dusk?"

"Uh..." I said and gulped a little. "I'm sorry, that's all the information that Winter was able to tell me, the messages were cut off before they could answer them. I'm sorry, all we know is that they're somewhere in Emporia. I wish I could tell you more about what's going on, but this is something at least. I promise, we'll get to them, but I need your head in the game here if we're even going to get that far."

Sunrise took a deep breath and sighed a little. "Okay, sorry, you're right, they wouldn't want me to be distracted," she said with a soft smile and then looked thoughtful for a moment. "Your friend's name is Arc Light right?"

"Yeah, is that important?"

"Kinda, actually my marefriend mentioned her a few times," Sunrise said and I looked at her curiously. "Cure All was her mother's apprentice in Stable 66 until, well, she died and Cure had to try and take over medical. It, didn't really go that well given that she was still pretty inexperienced at the time."

"Oh, really?" I asked curiously. "I admit I don't know many ponies from Stable 66, actually pretty much just Arc and Caramel. I guess they may have known each other in passing. Still, Arc would probably be happy to know that somepony who knew her mother survived after... well, what happened in Thunderhead."

"Yeah," Sunrise said with a sigh. "Is there anything else ma'am?"

"No, that's it," I said with a nod. "I really hope you find your family in Emporia."

"Me too," she said with a smile as we headed out of the room to meet back up with the others.

00000

Once we were sure that Flankton was properly secured with the arrival of Alicorns and Enclave soldiers to help protect it, we made our way out of Flankton and started out into the city proper. This area was a lot nicer, it still had those rails running through the area as we followed the map of the city towards Hurricane Bay, the best way into Wonderbolt's Fields.

The rail lines that lead that way were currently not functioning and the Alicorns were busy with getting civilians out of the city so we had to walk there. As we made our way out of the lower foundation of the city and back out into the early morning light we could see the towering permacloud buildings and metal walls that made up Coltlumbia.

"Alright, we need to make our way..." I started to say as there was a sound above us that sounded almost like a crack of thunder.

We all looked up again and stopped in mid-stride as a cloudship came into view. It at first look resembled a Thunderhead more than anything else in basic outline, but it looked more like it had been repaired and rebuilt from a Thunderhead using whatever materials they could find.

The ship seemed to almost crackle with energy as it made its way towards Coltlumbia. Weapons started to fire from it and hit several Enclave Raptors near the city, just barely missing the Nimbus at the same time.

"What in Celestia's name is that?" Garnet asked as he backed away in surprise.

"I, don't know," Sunrise admitted along with the other Thunderbolts who were just as shocked as we were.

In fact the only pony who seemed to know anything about what we were looking at was Riva. The usually calm and collected Zebra was shivering in fear as she stared up at the cloudship muttering something in the Zebra language that I didn't understand.

"Riva, what is it?"

"Superuenientibus tempestate, Canticum Lunae..." she said over and over again, her body shivering as if something about this made her too afraid to even move. She looked at me and added one more thing to that, I didn't understand it but I got the impression already. "Navis ad mortem!"

"Riva, calm down!" I said and ran over to my Zebra friend and placed my hooves on her shoulders. "You called it a storm right Tempestate, that means storm doesn't it? What is that ship?"

Riva seemed to finally register that I was talking to her after a moment as she kept shaking. "Ship... ship of death, it came to Zebrica years ago and laid waste to entire villages. They say that wherever it went, death and disaster came in its wake, especially its Captain. It is a ship of ill fortune, a ship of the stars..."

"Who's its Captain?" I asked as I looked at the Zebra deep in her purple eyes. "What do you know about that ship's Captain?"

"They say, wherever she goes, when she leaves there is only one sound left," Riva said shakily. "The sound of crickets, it would come like a storm and bring disaster in its wake. The Canticum Lunae, the song of the moon."

I looked up at the ship in shock as I started to realize exactly what she was talking about. That ship, the Canticum Lunae based on what she said, that ship could only belong to one pony in Equestria, and I was afraid of exactly what that was.

"Cricket," I said softly. "Its Cricket's ship, the only question now is, who's side is she on?"

Maximum Level Achieved.