Fallout Equestria: Steelhearts
Written By: CyberDutchman
Edited By: JC

Chapter 4: Darkness and Past

"One must always maintain one's connection to the past and yet ceaselessly pull away from it."

"Ya sure, the storms are bad. Hard not to be when they kick up all the radioactive dust on the Smoky Mountains and toss it abowt! But most of the times the winds carry them down the other side of the range. It's pretty rare for dem to come this far west." Birch paused as his eyes flicked to the sky before continuing, "Though I should watch where I'm saying dat considering the light show we had when we got here. You want to always be careful about the weather. Whatcha gotta look out for is the dust trails on the Appleachians. See those wispy lines going up and down the mountain face? If they're flowing up the side and over the top you're clear, but if they're flowing down... get somewhere covered for awhile an' keep your head down. Radstorm won't be long behind once the winds shift."

My general moan of indignation with the world after Birch had dropped the Radstorm bomb had amused him to no end. In response, he'd launched into what he called "Wasteland 101". It included lessons like: "don't eat the yellow snow, don't eat the rainbow snow, don't eat whatever it is you're eating that makes you think you're eating snow because it hasn't snowed here in centuries, not since the Pegasi closed the sky." I'd just looked at him like he was out of his mind, which in all honesty I wasn't entirely convinced he wasn't, and nodded whenever he looked my way. The Rangers we were traveling with talked back and forth to one another in quiet voices punctuated here and there by small laughs and moans. Myself and the other survivors simply huddled together in the center and kept our heads down. None of us were inclined towards looking up at the blasted landscape around us or the darkened grey-green sky above us.

We were approaching the end of the paving lot, the line between asphalt and ashen dirt one more mental hurdle to cross. I felt compelled to look back, and fought it as long as I could. I guess... well, I guess that I still felt somewhere in the back of my mind that if I turned around and ran back in that everypony I'd seen murdered would jump out of lockers and doorways to shout "gotcha!". That empty hope drained the last of my resolve.

"Well, I tried to fight it so I'm going to put that down as a 'close enough'," I muttered as I turned to look back at the still opened doorway. Then I screamed, tumbling backwards onto my weaponized saddle like a turtle flipped onto its shell. Immediately every Ranger was facing outwards, guns at the ready. Seeing nothing of note they all turned to look at me with confusion and annoyance. Birch was closest to me and tilted his head before turning to follow my petrified stare. He paused for a moment before he burst out laughing even more loudly than my howling.

The building we had come out of was a fairly plain concrete block with thick sliding doors set into it here and there, not giving any hint of what was actually inside it. What did give it away though was the giant Mr. Handy stuck on top of the whole thing. I was coming down from the shock enough to notice some key details about it, things like the peeling sheet metal, the mesh work interior, and a couple other minor details that said 'not real nor likely to murder everything around it'. What really topped it off though was the equally massive teacup resting on top of its saw blade, the pitcher of coffee pouring into it from its clawed arm, and the bowler hat resting at a jaunty angle on top of its rusting metal dome. A billboard speech bubble, its paint long gone but outlines showing the original lettering, extending from the side of the fake robot said, "Brewed to perfection every time! Get your own handy dandy Mr. Handy today!"

Once I calmed down enough to notice the details the panic evaporated... but so did my dignity as I also took notice of my current state. I tried to right myself but succeeded only in flailing my legs in the air. I arched my back and rocked back and forth but failed again to flip myself over. I stopped moving, belly up and legs tucked in tight, and looked around dejectedly with a shallow sigh.

Crusader Birch was rolling on his side now, wheezing for lack of air. Crusader Lily just looked to the sky for a moment before turning back to scan our surroundings. Every other Ranger I could see was either snickering, shaking their head, or frowning at me. Paladin Night, however, just stood stock still, staring at me. She slowly sat back on her haunches and then equally slowly brought her forehooves up to her faceplate. A small series of clinking sounds were added to the quiet amusement around me as she brought her head into contact with her hooves again and again.

"Bloody." CLINK

"Bucking." CLINK

"Stable." CLINK

"Ponies." CLINK

Her hooves came down and the expressionless helmet stared at me for a couple of seconds. She shook her head again and looked at the large Crusader next to me as he got back up from the ground.

"You done there Crusader? Or do you need another minute to yourself?" she asked sardonically.

He waved a hoof dismissively as he slowly shook his armored head, chuckling the whole time. The Paladin turned back to her own squad with a sigh. Everyone was pointedly ignoring me while I was still flipped on my back and now going a little dizzy. Way to go Gear, you were finally taken out by the most fiendish of foes: gravity.

"Oohkay, I think ya've been stuck like that for long enough. Come on now, easy does it. Hate for your warning to come true and your heart blows up over bad advertising. That'd be very messy for us to clean up and embarrassing for your memory don'tcha know."

My view of the world spun suddenly as a pair of cold metal hooves reached under and over me and flipped me with seemingly zero effort. Finding my feet under me again I heard a small creak and popping from my brace as a sharp pain ran up my leg. I winced and checked to see if my walking aid had finally given up the ghost. Thankfully everything looked fine but I could only see so much.

"Gear, let me take a look at it. It's probably fine but I did kind of do it in a hurry." I turned to find Sunflower standing in front of me, a smile on her face that didn't quite reach her eyes. They were almost glazed over and I felt a twinge of concern for her. She seemed to pick up what I was thinking and closed her eyes while shaking her head, the smile never disappearing.

"I'll be okay, we're out. It's over... all of it. Now let me check this out," she added with a frown as she began plucking at her handiwork.

I could tell she was looking for anything to put her mind to; to focus on so she wouldn't have to dwell on whatever was going through her head and I offered just what she needed in that moment. She looked drained and completely exhausted, though the same could be said of me probably. Plus she was probably right to be concerned for me.

"I know Sun, I know. It's just been too much too fast, just one damn thing after the next. I-I don't know what's going on in my head right now. You know me, I'm not the excitable or anxious type-" my words were cut off as Sun's eyebrow shot up, her expression flipping from glazed to incredulous almost instantly. I would have been happy with that shift if I didn't know exactly what she was thinking of.

"- most of the time," I added on lamely. "Damn. Everything today... I-I don't know. I just feel... I don't know what I feel. Right now I really don't want to think about it," I added with a small toss of my head at Birch standing a little ways behind us.

"Oh don't let me stop you! This is the most excitement we've had in weeks! Beats patrol duty and Raider sweeps fer sure." The armored stallion practically bounced as he spoke.

Sun gave him a blank look. "This... this is fun for you? You lost one of your group! ...Raider sweeps?" There was a chill in her voice and I found myself wondering if Birch's armor would stand up to a kick from two angry hindlegs.

The Crusader's humor dried up a little. "Yeah, Feather Hide was a good sort and I'm going to hate telling his folks when we get back. He was in my squad and I was responsible for him but out here dat sometimes doesn't mean a whole lot. Dere's only so much you can do to keep them safe. Dat said we're not doing too badly. A lot of other platoons would have lost two or three in a situation like dat but Night, Lily, and I try our best at keeping dem sharp so they don't get overconfident or panic when shit hits the fan."

His demeanor turned darker still as he took a few more steps before continuing.

"As for the Raiders, they keep popping up around what's left of Whinneapolis and we keeping having to clear dem out. Doesn't matter dat whenever we find some decrepit doughnut joint or crumbling shop being used as a base we blast it to da ground. Ruins are just too big to cover everywhere all de time and we've almost been too successful with the Burbs. Too inviting to those sickos."

Sunflower shook her head with a frown then, with less cold anger and more apprehension, asked, "No, I meant what's a Raider?"

The Crusader turned to look at her, his head tilted to the side.

"You're... you really don't... right. Stable." A burst of static that sounded a lot like someone sucking air through their teeth ended his muttering. He whistled a single long note as then looked back and forth between us.

"Hoooooo boy, how to answer dat one... ummmmm... you know, I envy you all. Carrying on in your Stable without worrying about psychos and monsters day in and day out. Shame we had to pull you out of dere, honestly." His mirth was gone again, just like when I'd asked about the MidWastes.

"A Raider is... a Raider is what you get when a pony loses whatever good is left in everyone out here. The mind just shuts down, the lights go out, and the Waste takes dem. Dere are little bands of dem running all over the place, building their despotic empires, ambushing travelers, looting homesteads, raping and killing innocents, torturing and worse still than dat... and that's just it when you get down to it, they're simply the worst in us with nothing to hold it back. The Waste never seems to run out of dem either. Clear out one group's hideout and a week later the same place will be full again."

I stared at him incredulously. Sunflower drew in a sharp breath with a muffled whimper, her anger at Birch's blunt response all but vanished.

"Never been able to figure out if dey're doing it because they think it's the only way dey'll survive, dat dey'll keep living if everypony fears dem, or if dey just don't even care anymore. Some think dat deep down dey;re really just doing it for amusement, that they get so lost dey can't tell the difference between it and a game of cards... I stay away from thoughts like dat. Dere's enough darkness under this sky," he muttered with a glance at the unbroken clouds, "without me adding to it. In the end I'm not sure it really matters what the reason is, the result's still the same..." The Crusader shook slightly and pulled himself up, setting his legs and back stiffly before turning away from us.

"So, dat's what a Raider is. You'll find out soon enough. No way to stay out here and not before long." The conversation ended there as he began dropping back towards his squad of Initiates, leaving Sun and I to shiver in the cold air and bleak light of the wasteland.

* * * * * * * * *

"RobronCo: Engineering the Future, Today!"

I was ready for the sign this time and just frowned at it as we passed through the gates surrounding the gigantic parking lot we'd emerged onto. On either side of the sign a picture of a Protectapony head faced the observer, while behind it and to the left was a partially obscured stock Mr. Handy, claw arm raised outwards from below the frame. Behind and on the right a Mr. Gutsy held the same pose with its energy weapon raised in place of the claw.

I paused for a moment to inspect it more closely. Just yesterday I would have said it felt like looking at a family photo. Some of my best friends had been robots like these. They'd joked and mumbled at Stable life and worked alongside me for years. Then they started sawing the rest of the family in half. I shuddered for what had to be the millionth time that day as I tried not to think about whether I'd seen any of them down in the Gallery.

"You're going to have to get over that fear civilian. Either you beat it or it will beat you and up here, outside your Stable, you can't afford to have anything beat you. If that happens you get to be part of Birch's warnings to the next group we pull out of some hole somewhere else."

At first I thought it was the Crusader speaking to me but I noticed that he was still back with his squad. Instead I found the Paladin standing behind me as I turned to meet the voice. She motioned for me to keep moving then fell into step alongside me, helmet pointing straight ahead.

"Gear Heart, correct?" she asked without looking at me. I nodded in confirmation. Her head turned a little my way though somehow I could tell that she still wasn't looking at me from behind those dark glass visors. "I wish to apologize for my conduct earlier. It was unacceptable for someone in my position and it reflected poorly on all Rangers."

Ah, so I've got Paladin Blank Mask this time instead of Paladin Blind Rage. I'll take any silver linings at this point. Celestia knows I wasn't going to find one looking around or at the clouds above us. Not unless silver linings glowed slightly radioactive-green now.

"Um... sure, not a problem. I appreciate the apology, takes some of the sting out of my back." I couldn't help it, I really couldn't. She frustrated me to no end. First she'd saved us, then she threw me into a wall for no reason, and now she was acting chummy again? It was like Spell if she had a split personality with a robot for one half.

Thankfully I was not beaten to a pulp once more. Instead the Paladin gave a static filled winced through the speakers in her helmet. "Yes, well, again... my apologies. If you're okay with it, could we continue where we left off? I've asked a few of the others but most of them tell me you were at the center of it all. I'd like to get the full story if possible." Her voice had a new conciliatory tone this time around and I took a small amount of pride in getting her mask to crack however slightly. Unfortunately I was driving along at full snark and hadn't found the breaks.

"Where we left off? You mean the punch line? Sure, why not?"

Dammit Gear. Your social skills were broken to begin with and now you're adding your survival ones to them? Get your emotions back under control! Paladin Night's helmet split open suddenly and I found myself faced with the most put-upon glower I'd ever seen, quelling any chance of further comments from me.

"Tell me, does everypony from your Stable have your sense of humor or am I only going be dealing with it around you?"

I chuckled nervously and replied hastily, "Sorry, nervous habit. Kind of. I think. Sorry... again. Snark is kind of my go-to for everything that I don't know how to deal with." I felt my mouth twitch a bit as my train of thought crashed headlong into memory station. "Didn't get me out of this morning though. Not even sure what that was or how it happened or why it happened. It just... happened." I ended with a nonchalant shrug I knew was more to reassure myself than to put the Paladin at ease. I had a feeling she saw through it as her expression dropped back into the same all purpose mask she'd worn when I first saw her. The ease with which she did it caused a pang of jealousy to shoot through me.

"You seem to be holding up rather well in spite of your trials. None of the others seem to have your calm or composure except for perhaps that large fellow who stood up for you."

I looked away in shame. She was praising me for nerves and fortitude I didn't have. All I had was my broken cutie mark and my broken reactions and my broken emotions. Oh, and now I had a broken body to go with the set. My leg gave a little twitch as if to punctuate the thought.

"That's not-... I don't react or feel like I'm supposed to. Never have. Panic at things I shouldn't, don't laugh when others do, probably other things I don't notice and no one tells me about either. I know I should be a wreck right now but I'm not and I don't know why."

"Hmmmmm... I see," she replied. "If I were you, I wouldn't focus too much on your lack of panic. It is an admirable and valuable trait in this world. Instead, just be glad you're alive and that both you and we were in the right places at the right times to provide aid. If we hadn't been sent to the factory for a sweep and retrieve mission you'd all have been stuck behind that door."

I twitched an ear her way, her statement tapping at my curiosity and mercifully giving me something else to think about. "Sweep and retrieve? Did the Rangers lose something out here?"

She blinked a couple times, her pace slowing minutely, as she considered my question. "In a long and twisted way, yes. Let me ask you something in return before I elaborate on just how... unique that question was. Given your reaction to us I'm guessing none of you had ever heard of, let alone encountered, the Steel Rangers before?"

I nodded in reply. "We never heard anything other the automated signals."

"Not surprising, Tenpony Tower's broadcasts barely reach out here on the best of days and no one local can spare the materials or power. As for the rangers, our order hails from the pre-war M.W.T and-" she paused as she took note of my confused frown complete with questioning eyebrow raise. "You... do know what the Ministry of Wartime Technology is, right? You had to have been taught that. That's Great War basics!"

"Not a clue. What we were taught was mostly old stories from the pre-war times, like Luna's Redemption, and practical skills to use in the Stable. The Stable didn't have a lot of materials on the war itself," I answered with a small shake of my hoof.

Night stared at me for a long time. Again. This was becoming something of a common theme between us and it was getting a little creepy. I was used to giving the blank stares, not being on the receiving end of them. The next sound to come out of her was a low growl followed by words dripping with venom. I slowly shifted away from her, preparing for Paladin Rage to return.

"I don't know what Stable-Tec was playing at with your unit. They claimed to be trying to stop the mistakes of the past and then they fail to teach that past. That's even more dangerous than-" She cut off her sentence and stared pensively at Crusader Lily's squad ahead of us. I let out a small breathy whistle as Night failed to become the visage of anger I'd encountered earlier. I took the lull in our talk to cast a wary eye about at our surroundings and away from the still fuming mare.

The RobronCo factory was falling away behind us and already I couldn't make out the words on either the huge Mr. Handy model or the gate sign. The main building of the complex was set into a series of low hills that blocked any views of what lay further back. A faint green glow cresting over them was probably the Radstorm Birch had been complaining about earlier. Before us lay a large expanse of rolling hillocks and flat plains. Dead grey and barely living brown grass and tall weeds stretched as far as the eye could see before the faint haze of dust in the air made everything fade into blurry shadows. Rising above it all was the imposing mass of the Smoky Mountains. The thin wisps of debris flowing down the nearest face looked like the fumes of a welding arc and now and then lightning world illuminate them, completing the illusion. Either the range had been renamed after the war or the name was eerily prophetic.

"-while we're en route to the Castle. ...Gear?"

I turned to Paladin Night at the same time as she turned to look questioningly at me.

"Errr... sorry. Was looking around and didn't catch that."

The Paladin rolled her eyes and smirked slightly. "Trust me, you've seen it now. This is what you get in the MidWaste, one giant ash pile. On a related note, I asked if you wanted me to fill you in on the MWT and the rest of history you're missing since there's not going to be much to see until we get closer to the Whinneapolis Ruins. It should also clear up why your question took me by surprise."

"Oh, uh, sure. But... just me? What about the others?"

The Paladin blinked as her mouth worked silently for a bit. "You know, I'm not sure why I didn't think of that. I guess you're just the standout member of your group right now what with the weapon, the leg brace, and the Floater sidekick. They just make you stick out of the crowd, especially to Rangers." Her voice dropped minutely on the addition of Manesworth but it didn't last as she continued, "You're right though, you should all hear this. It will make our mission clearer to you and maybe it will help some of the nervous ones calm down around us," she ended with with a small grimace and a glance towards the survivors huddled together ahead of us.

She tapped her armored hoof on the ground a few times and said, "Civilians, can I have your attention! I've been made to understand that you're missing a large amount of information with regards to the Great War and the events leading up to it. If you're interested I'd like to quickly fill in some of that missing knowledge for you, particularly about the Rangers."

The group of survivors all paused in their walking, their heads turning around to look at the armored mare. One or two slowly nodded their heads while most everypony else just glanced around in confusion. A few looked at me questioningly and I responded in my best "your guess is as good as mine" shrug.

"I'll take that as a 'Yes'. Before I start, this is only going to cover the bare minimum to understand who we are so that you can feel more comfortable in our protection. I'll leave it up to the Scribes to better tell the full history. First, do you know about the Massacre at Littlehorn?" she asked, looking around at the small crowd in front of her. They were giving her their full, if cautious, attention at this point. The mention of the word massacre though caused a few ears to drop and here and there a few began shuddering at recent memories being pulled to the surface. I tapped the tone-deaf Paladin on the shoulder and shook my head. Her brow furrowed again and I was fairly certain I heard "self righteous nutjobs" in the brief muttering that followed. She closed her eyes and sighed before looking around again.

"Littlehorn was the location of Princess Luna's Academy for Young Unicorns and- ah, I see you've at least heard of that then?" A large number of my remaining family had perked up at the mention of our patron princess. A small violet colored mare from the group nodded before answering.

"The Nursery video said it was given to Princess Luna by Princess Celestia before the War. It was supposed to help her take her place as an equal ruler. We saw some pictures and videos of the opening ceremony."

The Paladin nodded then looked around with a solemn expression.

"That is all accurate but there is one other key fact you should know. The school was also the site of a terrible crime perpetrated by the Zebra Empire: The Massacre at Littlehorn. Our records aren't entirely clear on the start of it other than that the school's guards opened fire on a group of Zebra refugees, took the wounded in, and in response a commando unit from the Empire utilized the first Pink Cloud attack of the war on the school. There were... no survivors. None of the guards, students, or refugees escaped as far as we are aware. A brutal attack on those trying to atone for a mistake with no regard for the lives of the students or their own among them."

Everypony, myself included, stared at her in stunned silence. Jaws hung slack on a few and all had their ears pulled down and back in horror.

W-what... what in Tartarus was wrong with everypony?! The question replayed over and over in my head. First it turned out they were all crazed killers and psychos here and now according to Birch and suddenly it seems that was the case back in the past before everything was blown to hell and gone! I didn't have time to wonder further though as the Paladin continued, head bowed slightly as she looked from one survivor to the next.

"After that Celestia stepped down and Luna took the throne. In response to the Empire's crimes and the threat they presented she established the six ministries under the direction of the Bearers, thereafter called the Ministry Mares, to find a way to end the conflict in either victory or peace. One of those ministries was the Ministry of Wartime Technology headed by Applejack, the Element of Honesty. She created our Steel Ranger order, and the power armor that gave us the name. She tasked the order with protecting the Ministry and its technologies from those that would abuse them. We survived and hold the duty put to us to this day, scouring the wastes looking for what remains of the M.W.T heritage to secure and protect it from those who use it against ponykind."

Night looked back over her shoulder at the now distant factory. "Our chapter got word of that RobronCo factory from a reliable source and my platoon was dispatched to investigate and see what technologies could be salvaged. We didn't expect was to pick up a couple static-filled broadcasts on known Stable-Tec frequencies once we arrived. There are very few Stables out in the MidWastes and yours was not previously known. Given that, we prioritized finding the source of the signal and now here we are," she ended as her gaze swung back round to me.

Standing next to the Paladin I got to watch the shock and confusion grow on everyone's faces as the Paladin recounted the past. The same small mare raised a hoof to get Night's attention then began speaking, softly and slowly.

"What happened to Luna and Celestia? The Nursery lessons said that one day the Empire just lost it and used every weapon they had and we did the same and the world ended. That was it though, the lesson just ended there."

The Paladin quirked an eyebrow for a moment then answered slowly and patiently, "No one is certain. But they have not been seen since the day the Megaspells fell and all evidence points to them not surviving the attacks. I'm sorry, but I have no definitive answer to give you on the Princesses. Tell me though, please, what was the theme of the lesson you mentioned?"

Lucky Break (I finally remembered her name, took me long enough) looked around rather self-consciously then replied, "N-not really sure, we were all fillies and foals at the time and I don't remember it that well. I do remember she asked us what we thought about the war and I said it made me feel sad. She said that was the right response, that the war was a sad mistake that everyone failed to prevent." She smiled a little, probably hoping that if she'd given a bad answer the Paladin wouldn't chew her out for it. I knew I would in her place, especially after Night nearly broke my back over an answer she hadn't liked. I edged toward from the armored mare slightly, just in case I needed to try to cover for Lucky... somehow.

But all that Night did was look down at the ground, squinting at something only she could see as her eyes moved back and forth quickly. Then she seemed to lose whatever she was focusing on and looked back up at the group around her with her mask expression.

"Thank you, not only have you given me the opportunity to educate you on who we are, but you've also helped me understand your situation a bit more. I hope you all feel a little more comfortable around us now. If you have any other questions there are one or two Initiates with an interest in history who can probably help in that regard and perhaps clear up some uncertainties and misinformation. Gear, we'll finish our own discussion if an opportunity arises before we reach the Castle. I need to return to my post for now." With that her helmet closed again and I watched out of the corner of my eye as she turned back to her own squad.

"Gear... do you trust her? Do you trust them?"

As I turned I found two stallions I knew distantly from the electrical systems team, Live Wire and Golden Eyes, and a turquoise mare I'd never spoken to before standing in front of me. Very CLOSE in front of me and I immediately backpedaled a couple hooves until my personal space was reestablished. The mare whose name I didn't know turned out to be the one who had spoken.

"Well? Do you trust them? Was any of that true?"

"Honestly? It seemed rehearsed but not in a 'make it convincing' way I think. You know what I mean...?" I replied with a hoof twirled in her direction.

"Huh? Oh, it's Blossom Burst. I work in-... worked in the plumbing section."

I nodded and said, "Thanks Blossom. But you see what I'm getting at? She doesn't strike me as the lying type."

"I guess... but they all still seem... off. She's angrier than Spell one moment and then more spaced out than, well... YOU, the next. No offense. They're stiff and rigid and then they laugh at- never mind. Did she tell you anything else Gear? "

Okay, she was getting really insistent about asking me. This was getting weird.

... and I didn't appreciate her implied dig at me either, all the offense taken. Just because social cues sometimes flew right over my head with miles to spare didn't mean I wasn't paying attention to others. Case in point as I began looking back over everything I'd seen of our guards so far.

"Eh, not so much. I've mostly been talking with Birch, the big one in the armor, and what he said matched up with the Paladin's story even when told in his own... unique way. My big concern is the Paladin was glossing over things. They were ready for a fight as soon as the Stable door came down without knowing what was in it. But I don't think they made the Overframe go mad, it attacked them just the same as us. So I don't think they're telling us everything but I don't think they're going to hurt us either."

Blossom looked back at me, not completely convinced of my reasoning judging by her expression. There had to be something I could say that would reassure her and the others, if only to keep the group calm and together. The alternatives were worse and we needed the Rangers for now at least. Come on Gear, think...

Oh... I think I know why she asked me. I did have one other thing I could try and... well... I was really afraid it was going to work.

"Okay, let me put it this way. Nothing she said made me feel like I needed to give her the eyebrow treatment." Immediately about half the group, mostly those I'd worked with continually over the years, brightened up and a few nodded here and there.

Oh for... what was with everypony and these superstitions? I lay out my logic as clearly as I can manage and it gets skepticism but my eyebrow doesn't itch or spasm and suddenly all is fine and forgiven! 'Forget reasoning and scrutiny, praise be to the Eyebrow Sense!'

Blossom looked to Live Wire and Golden Eyes then back to me with a small sigh. "Good enough I guess. So... what are we going to do now?" she ended as she looked around the group.

Everyone looked around apprehensively, looking for somepony else to have an idea that would fix our situation, turn back the clock, give us our old lives back. The faces of our group were desperate and cold, both in body and soul. The silence lasted a few seconds before a deep and familiar voice spoke out. A space opened up around Titan Steel as the towering department head looked over his shoulder to the diminutive mare slung over his back. Last I'd checked Sun had been carrying her. They must have switched off at some point and I'd been too distracted or unfocused to notice.

"I don't claim to have a plan for what we should do but we've got a pretty immediate problem to deal with before that. Spell's still out cold and her breathing's really weak. The rest of us are okay but she needs a doctor or at least medication for the burns and I haven't noticed a lot of either of those out here. Way I see it, these Rangers are the best hope she's got for any sort of decent healing, even if we don't want to stay with them. So I say we stick with them for now for Spell's sake. We can figure out what's what after she's patched up and we've got more information. All of us."

It was easy to see why the Overframe had chosen Titan as the head of the Structures team. He was authoritative without being domineering and laid out plans from A to B without getting bogged down between them. That last one I still struggled with, I mean just look at what started as my "stop Sun getting murdered" plan and quickly became my "rickshaw escape up the Gallery while chased by killer robots" plan.

Everypony else seemed to agree with me as they spoke up in agreement and acceptance in ones and twos. Titan looked around solemnly and nodded slowly as no one brought forth any challenge or alternative. Then he looked at me and said, "Gear, would you mind staying close? If Spell wakes up I want her to see something more familiar than my ugly mug and you both went through the grinder today. I think she'll more easily accept things if you tell her." He paused for a moment as he cast his eyes about, considering... something. "Actually, bring Manesworth and Sunflower over too. I'd like to keep Manes out of the way of the Rangers and it just doesn't feel right not seeing you and Sunflower mouthing off at each other. It'll add some normalcy to the day," he added with a slight smirk.

I looked around and saw the pair standing and hovering just behind me and smiled faintly as I shrugged a little. Manesworth raised his claw in an overly dramatic salute and moved forward while Sun held her head forward, her ears down as she smirked a little from Titan's jab at us. It was better than I'd seen from her in awhile and I silently thanked Titan in my head for drawing her out at least a little from the gloom that had settled over her usual sunny mood. I shot him a thankful glance which he acknowledged with a nod and I felt hope flickering dimly inside me as we joined our friends.

* * * * * * * * *

We'd been walking for what seemed like an eternity when the Paladin called a halt at the base of a long line of rolling hills. She hadn't been kidding about having seen the whole of the MidWaste. It had been blasted grey and brown earth and scrub brush as far as the eye could see the whole time with only small hills, shallow valleys, and dried river beds to break the monotony.

The Rangers took turns walking a large perimeter around the combined group as everypony rested. No one spoke in the quiet stillness and the loudest sound by far came when Paladin Night took over for an Initiate in patrolling, the sharp clop of her armored hooves on the broken road sounding like the tick of a clock. That ended when Grease Tin suddenly broke the scilence in a huff.

"So, there anything out here? Because all I can see of your Midwastes is dirt and ash." He paused for a moment before adding, "Why do you call it the Midwaste anyway?" he asked as he turned to the Paladin.

I immediately called back to a memory of Grease talking down to Spell on his first day and the results that followed. Grease, are you ever going to learn not to mouth off to obviously dangerous mares? I thought as I flinched in anticipation of the tongue lashing I was expecting. What I heard instead was silence as the Paladin paused her walk and quietly looked back at the waiting stallion.

She swept her leg around in a wide arc. "This... all of this used to be the breadbasket of wartime Equestria. Fields as far as the eye could see with towns dotted across them to collect it all. So yeah, this is more or less what you get apart from places torn up by wayward Megaspells and everything that happened after the war. It got spared most of it because of the Appleachian Range and the Smoky Mountains. The Zebra Empire was on the opposite side of the country from this place, over near the Dragon Lands, and never got their armies or agents far enough in to do more than sabotage farm equipment and rail lines at times and their missiles didn't have the range to make it. The troops stationed to protect the area didn't hurt either."

She tossed a hoof over her shoulder at Birch's and her squads saying, "The original Ranger contingent we hail from was part of that group, protecting new farm inventions and some industries started by the MWT in the area, away from the conflict. That RobronCo factory was almost certainly one of them. None of us guessed there'd be a Stable below it though. As I mentioned, Stable-Tec didn't build many of them out this way, population was too spread out and too far away from the rest of the country to warrant more than a couple of their... projects," she said with a 'tsk' from inside her helmet, "and most of those were in the center of towns." A moment later she seemed to remember the rest of the question and added, "As for the name, the area used to be called the Midwest since it was midways between the heartland and the unexplored territories out West beyond here. Ponies around here always had a stubborn streak so they just changed West to Waste and called it done. Does that answer your question?"

Grease nodded as he looked around at the land around us then paused with a frown before looking at Night again.

"So there's nothing living out here?"

The silence that followed afterwards was broken only by the faint whistling of the wind.

"OH CELESTIA, NOT AGAIN!" moaned one of the Initiates sitting around us. Every Ranger was suddenly alert, weapons up and at the ready. The rest of us just spun about in confusion, trying to make sense of the sudden outburst. Grease in particular looked shocked and alarmed at the reaction to his last question.

Lily's soft voice cut through the nervous mumbling around us like a blade. "You. Don't tempt Fate around here. Celestia and Luna might have been goddesses but Fate's second to none and she's accomplices with Irony."

...wait, really? They were getting worked up over some superstitious complex? REALLY?! Forget my eyebrow, this one takes the cake.

Another Initiate, one of Lily's own, added quietly, "Last time it was 'If not in the last century then why now?' Ended up running from a reactivated Megaspell. Time before that it was 'What's the worst that could happen?' Ground under us collapsed into a Radscorpion nest. Then it was 'How bad can it be?' and it was... " he shuddered a little, his lip and one eye twitching "... Mercy."

Birch groaned loudly as did a few others. Lily went stiff before shaking herself and resuming her lookout. Paladin Night just swept her head around slowly as she surveyed the area.

"First off, Silver? Don't ever say that name again," the Paladin hissed then paused, watching the road we'd been following. "Second, break's over. We're moving. The Burbs are close enough we can make it to the nearest one before dark. Third, no more questions. None."

Uhhhhhhh... well then. Not that I suddenly believe in fate or curses or whatever buuuut... I do believe in experience and backing things up with data and that... none of that sounded good. Though I have no idea who Mercy is or why they're worse then a Megaspell. Don't think I want to know. Within a minute of Night's command we were all quickly trotting up the rise. Everypony was alert now, ears and eyes twisting and scanning our surroundings. The world suddenly seemed even quieter than it had while we rested. Too qui-

NO! NOT GOING TO DO IT! I didn't think it, the thought never fully formed, it's all good. It's all go- the ground's rumbling. It's not all good.

"SCATTER!"

I barely had time to begin to follow the order before the ground erupted beneath our group. Slabs of asphalt catapulted our group away in all directions as they rose and crashed over the face of the hill. I fell hard, the saddle rivetgun digging into my side and bruising my back.

"Gahhhh! Damn, that hurts!" The cry numbed the pain enough for me to look back at the improvised weapon. I stopped before I got to inspect it though, my eyes drawn to a tower of blackened flesh soaring out of the ground where we'd all been standing just a moment before. Misshapen folds of skin and scabbed over lesions covered the surface of the monstrous body. That wasn't the worst though. No, that was by far the flower-like head that split out into six petals brimming with sharp spines along the outer edges, glowing green eyes dotting the outer surface of each one. An army of small black tentacles ending in broad bulbs suddenly erupted from the center of the monsters face, swirling in the air as the end of each one opened to reveal a miniature copy of the horror's head. The entire thing screeched horrifically, the sound causing my teeth to vibrate in my skull and my blood to freeze. As the sound died down I could just make out the sound of Birch shouting.

"AH FUCK, PLUNDERWURM!" he snarled as he tumbled away with the rubble.

"I KNEW IT! I FUCKING CALLED IT! AGAIN!!!" came a manic yell I recognized as the voice of the traumatized Initiate from earlier.

"I NEVER FINISHED THINKING IT!" I screamed in frustration at no one in particular.

"I JUST WANTED SOMETHING TO EEEEEAT!" sobbed Grease hysterically.

* * * * * * * * *

New Perk: Voice of Reason - You are an unflappable and solid example to others. Your companions gain +1 Intelligence around you and are more likely to approach situations critically and calmly.

Author's Note

Finally. Between Boeing deciding I needed to be on two sustaining programs at once and the semester ramping up this took WAY longer to finish than I wanted. Christmas and the long break should let me pick up the pace again for a bit thankfully. Have another story idea outside of FoE I might flesh out in that time, work it side by side with this one.

As for the new monster, got some inspiration from a TERRIBLE sci-fi flick I found recently. It's awful but in the best way haha. The name basically says everything else about how it came together in my mind.

https://youtu.be/aoUUXfk26Cc?t=251