Fallout: Equestria - Child of the Stars

Chapter 28:

Rally Call

"I'm pretty sure I know somepony who wouldn't mind organizing this merchandise shipment for you… I'm talking about myself… Oh, please, let me organize it!"

Whether he was actually Vertigo or not, if there was one thing I was starting to enjoy, it was being Fleetwing. Not that I’d ever admit it to the bug in question, but he was fit, strong, and had what I could only describe as one of the most gorgeous marefriends in all of Equestria. Sweetie Belle really was as magnificent as all the pre-war posters made her out to be. It was no wonder she was the mare to produce so much of the radiant music that had survived for almost two hundred years. Right now, that beautiful voice was little more than a soft whisper, however, as the young superstar playfully nibbled at my host’s ear.

Goddesses, what I wouldn’t give to have Cherry treat me like this. I thought as her pale forehooves glided down to the stallion’s lean rump, soft as squishy marshmallows as they rested there. She’s so perfectly gentle, just like her voice.

“If I taste like marshmallows, then you taste like blueberries,” the mare cooed as she lounged over him, her sly grin barely visible in the gloom of the lavash hotel bedroom. “Or is all this talk too cushy for a sky guard?”

“It’s only cushy if somepony finds out,” he mused, taking her wandering hoof off his butt, and holding it over his chest. “Besides, just think of the scandal if the tabloids find out what we’re up to.”

Her smirk did not fade as she tilted her head, then shoved her forehooves down into his chest, pressing him into one of the plush pillows. I didn’t know whether a romantic night like this was dinner or sexy time for a changeling, though from the full feeling swelling inside him, I guessed it was a bit of both.

Goddesses, if that thing between his hind legs is fake, it’s a really good illusion. I had to admit I was jealous, not only was Sweetie Belle gorgeous, her effects on Fleetwing were nothing to scoff at. Stupid, sexy bugs!

“Then it’s a good thing I have my big, sexy pegasus stallion to protect me from all the cameras then,” she cooed, listing up to straddle him with her hind legs. “I saw how ruffled you were about my performance at Shattered Hoof.”

I could tell he still hadn’t approved of that all too much by the way he bristled. Yet staying mad at her was impossible. His forehooves drifted to her hips, steadying her as the covers slipped from her shoulders. Goddesses, she really does feel like a squishy marshmallow!

Her pale coat was like a ghost in the dull light, naught but the flashes of the nightly city glow beyond the blinds of their window. It sounded like a busy night for more than just the two lovers, leaving me to believe this had to be somewhere major. Most parts of my brain were fixed on Sweetie Belle. Most of all, as the shimmering, dark-blue night gown she wore, only accentuated her refined curves all the more, translucent silk draped loosely over her slim stomach and hips. Fleetwing’s thoughts too, were locked on the mare, at least for the most part. I could tell, real pony or not, he considered himself lucky. He did love her, and that apparently was a really odd feeling for one of his kind.

So why do I feel like secret Changelings in the middle of a big city like this is a huge red flag? I wanted to give the bug the benefit of the doubt, yet if this night took place after his meeting with Elytra. Goddesses, why can’t things just be good… This is sex, she’s gorgeous, why do I have to feel all icky about it?

I had to wonder if my pregnancy was just diminishing the appeal of a sexy memory orb. It would certainly be an awkward shock for Gingerbread in the waking world, the Rangers had not exactly vetted the orbs before knocking me out again.

“I don’t know if that’s how it works. Can’t exactly arrest gossip,” Fleetwing said, running a forehoof up her toned flank. “That’s your sister’s job.”

“But you would if you could, I know it.” She rolled her eyes, her efforts to keep him pinned persevering as his erect wings twitched. “The show in Manehatten is going to be crazy for it tomorrow.”

“All the more reason to just take your mind off it and think about the here and now.” She giggled, hardly fighting back as he finally leaned up to nibble on her neck.

The locking of lips that came a second later almost floored me with a flush of emotion. I figured most of it came from the fact that Fleetwing literally took in her love, it made him feel good, powerful. But where I imagined him as a leach sapping her feelings, the reciprocated affection was just as powerful. He wasn’t doing this to feed, he was doing it because he wanted to.

“You’re really gonna have to tell me who taught you to kiss someday, Fleetie,” Sweetie cooed as she leaned back, looking at him how I knew most ponies looked at her.

She loved him just as much, the emotion so thick he could literally see it in the air, like sparkling pink smoke radiating off of her.

“Funny, she kinda looked like you,” he told her, tapping the tip of her nose with a forehoof.

She giggled, light laughter broken by a few infuriatingly cute snorts. She reminded me far too much of Cherry, that longing to get back to her swelling as I was sure our hours apart must be enough time for any of her awkwardness to warp into worry.

“That’s a lie, and you know it,” she accused through her cute giggles. “Only kissing lessons I ever got were from Scoots, and that was for mares.”

“Maybe it’s all just natural then, same as that voice of yours,” he countered, and she rolled her eyes, smirked, then shoved him back into the pillows before flopping over him. “Oof… That’s not the answer I was expecting.”

“Clearly you need to talk to Scootaloo about mare lessons then,” she quipped, resting her head on the downy fur of his chest. “That’s if you can get a word in with her anymore.”

“War’s got every pony busy, you know how it is,” he told her, earning a sigh as he patted her mane.

“I know, smile, and look pretty, keep the public off her tail… Let Applebloom deal with all the construction. I just wish for once we could all meet up again like we used to.” She pressed her face into his coat, even her frustration sounding elegant. “Right now it feels like you’re my only rock, but if anypony knew about us… Urg.”

“Don’t worry, if you don’t want anypony to know, they won’t. They can gossip about backstage flirting all they want,” he assured, looking into her eyes as she glanced up at him. “How about you just try to get some sleep, I know how much a show takes it out of you.”

“How’d I find the only stallion in Equestria that doesn’t want to go another round with me?” she cooed, summoning a flustered wave of heat in him that I imagined was only so potent because of his true form.

Goddesses, is this why Vertigo teases me so much? I wondered, the emotions like a shot of dash. Still, if they decide to go at it again, I won’t complain.

“I didn’t say that,” he mused, earning another of the cute giggles as she rested her head down on his chest again.

“So maybe not a total heart of gold.” She pressed her ear to his breast softly, humming a gentle tune in time with what appeared to be his heartbeat. “I love that sound.”

“Yeah, well gold doesn’t beat like that,” he countered, earning a poke to the rump under the covers. “Yip…! What, am I wrong?”

“No, you’re perfect,” she cooed, snuggling so tight beside him it was as if she’d melt into his coat. “Just don’t tell Scoots I said something so cushy, she’d flip.”

“Don’t worry, what’s said between us, stays between us,” he assured as she drifted off to sleep.

I really wanted the memory to end there, leaving me with a warm buzz of affection. It was good to see two ponies genuinely happy with each other, to actually feel that love in a way no actual equine could. Belly filled with the warmness of a fine meal, Fleetwing lay awake for what felt like another hour or so. Time dragged by at a dreary pace as the city sounds went on rhythmically outside. Sweetie Belle muttered song lyrics in her sleep, slurred voice still far more refined than most ponies I knew before she sleepily rolled off of him, curling up against his flank. Fleetwing loved her, but there were other feelings too, conflicted feelings. Like how I felt between Vertigo and Cherry, only on a far grander scale. He glanced at the bedside table, eyes on a clock proclaiming it was almost midnight.

Silent as a ghost, he rolled out from under the covers. The soft carpet of the luxurious room gave no indication as his hooves settled upon it, and he peeked back at his sleeping marefriend. He loved her, and that was why he had to do this, otherwise, they’d come for her. The flash of change was odd, as if one moment I was looking through one set of eyes, then another, the two separated by a flicker of green across my whole body. Now I was a mare, a somewhat jarring relief to be sure, but I was also a unicorn. To Fleetwing, it was all as natural as breathing as he flicked his new horn over Sweetie Belle, casting a glinting cloud of green mist, before telekinetically pulling the covers back over her.

How long could he keep this up? Infiltrators were not supposed to get in this deep with their prey. A Changeling was not supposed to feel love. He knew if the high council knew he’d become so entwined with a mare, he’d be reconditioned. On the flip side, he knew if the ponies found out about him, he’d be squished like the bug they all perceived his kind to be in legends and folklore. Therefore, she could not wake up, not until he was back here to make sure she was safe from every dire reality he brought with him, so many things that could go wrong that she had no idea were even there.

“Mmm, hush now, quiet now… Comfy… Sleepyhead…” the mare mumbled happily in her sleep, cozying up to one of the pillows. “My stallion, so comfy.”

Fleetwing winced at the sight of the pillow spooned in his place, heart aching, he wished for nothing more than to slip into bed and let the world fall away around the two of them. That was not why he was here, however. Instead of creeping back to bed, he made his way to the elegant door, quietly stepping out into the light of the fancy hotel hall outside the grand seal of oak and gold.

I’d seen plenty of fine establishments in the wasteland, yet to see such prim and proper places in their prime was almost jarring. Bright red carpet ran between white walls, each marked with embroidered gold, while golden seals of rearing ponies ran the skirtings of the room. The doors to each of the seven chambers along the hall were decorated with magnificent archways, folding together like crashing waves of gold over the polished wooden doors below. Sweetie Belle’s room was at the far end of the hall from the elevator Fleetwing trotted towards. Obviously, the superstar had been given the most glamorous of the suites.

Reaching the opposite end of the hall, Fleet glanced back at the room, forehoof pressed to a panel near the elevator as he summoned the car to his level. Sweetie Belle already felt like a million miles away, he knew now his instincts should take hold, his kind was not made to form bonds, it was built into their very being. She was prey, he should use her to get what he needed, for the good of the hive. Yet part of him still wanted nothing more than to go back to her.

I felt his pain. I wanted nothing more than an ideal life together with a pony I cared about, yet the world never made that easy. Are you even sure who that pony is anymore? My brain asked, images of Cherry, then Vertigo flashing across my sight.

The fact I may very well be in Vertigo’s mind right now only complicated those feelings further as Fleetwing tapped the buttons to his left. He failed to select a floor, instead typing in a sequence of numbers that quickly saw the whole console retreat back into the lavish wall with a mechanical whir. In its place, a new, far less gilded panel was pushed forward, in addition to some kind of scanner. He pressed his forehoof to the latter, while typing yet another code in with his magic.

“Welcome, Professor Gestalt,” chimed a tinny voice from the console, leading me to guess the green unicorn dressed in prim uniform I saw in Fleetwing’s reflection to be the mare in question.

“Sub-level three, please,” said the changeling in the mare’s voice, and with a chime, the elevator began to descend.

The downward lurch did little to settle the disguised bug’s feelings. He loved a mare, felt like a traitor to his kind, felt like a traitor to her. Yet this operation had been planned for months, he received the dead drop days ago and was already overdue. Elytra would be back to pressure him any day now, and if he did not have the data the hive expected, he dreaded to think who the Queen would send next. A drone too big for their boots, he could deal with, a soldier on the other hoof… There was no way he could keep his secrets if that came to pass.

The elevator came to a stop. With a ping, the first set of doors opened, followed by a second set of far heavier seals marked with the purple starburst of the M.A.S. Beyond, was a long concrete corridor lined with pipes, a stark contrast to the glamorous rooms above. The monotony was broken by a similar set of marked doors at the far end, and a box window to the left. Fleetwing trotted along the dull hall without a second glance, coming to a stop by the far door, before peering into the window. Asleep in her chair was a dull purple mare with a tan mane and a locked book on her flank, lab coat draped over the back of the thing.

Fleet cleared his throat, and the mare almost leaped out of her seat as her hooves flailed. Finally, she leaned forward, eyes fixed on the plethora of security screens before her.

“I’m up I…” I saw her freeze, then her eyes slowly rolled to see Fleetwing, followed by her whole body as her stool steadily spun. “Professor Gestalt… Or Mosaic sorry, hard to tell you apart. I… I didn’t expect anypony this late.”

“It’s Gestalt,” lied the fake green mare as she peered in at the screens. “And I won’t lie, I didn’t know I had to be here an hour ago either.”

“You’re alone, where’s your sister?” asked the security mare as Fleetwing levitated what had to be a fake ID from his coat. “Thought you two went everywhere together?”

“Ideally we do, but that’s not entirely possible these days,” Fleet responded as he took back the ID.

If that’s fake, then it’s a damn good fake. If not, I dread to think how the changelings got hold of it. I noted, as the security mare shrugged.

“Sorry to hear it, don’t hear much chatter about what’s going on upstairs from down here. Most of all what’s up in Canterlot with you folks,” she said, resting back in her chair.

“All the more reason to sleep on the job, I’m guessing?” The mare paled as she buzzed Fleet through, stammering weekly about not getting fired. “Don’t worry. But don’t let anypony catch you out again, you never know who’s trying to sneak into here.”

Oh, isn’t that ironic!? I had a feeling if Fleetwing was not Vertigo, he was for sure some kind of ancestor. Even so, the look of relief on the security mare’s face was instant as the disguised bug made his way down into the chamber below.

Humming lights flickered on with a series of dull clicks in his wake, revealing row after row of terminals and databanks. The room was cool, the droning buzz of all the machines accompanied by the dull blinking of their lights and monitors. To me, it looked like a maze. To my host, it was no obstacle, Fleetwing homed in on where he needed to be like a moth to a flame, sitting down before one of the screens. If the layers of security he’d already passed were no obstacle, the password on the thing was foal’s play, he was in seconds later. Up flashed the starburst image of the Ministry as well as watermarks for something called the O.I.A and Luna’s own royal seal.

Just how much information do they have locked away down here? I wondered, unable to help but think about what I could have learned about my own pre-war ghosts here.

Fleetwing knew just what he was after, however, levitating out a drive from his coat and connecting it to the machine. Chimera, Starfly, and Bulkwalk were just a few of the secretive names I caught before my host paused on a file of note.

‘Impelled Metamorphosis Potion: IMP.’ The moment it was selected, the screen lit up with all kinds of information regarding alicorn super soldiers, notes on potential test candidates, and greater implications of the experiment's viability. ‘Mirapony testing site pending operation. Suitable interim secondary test site established: Stable Seventy-Nine.’

Thanks to Fleetwing, the changelings now had all of it, as he transferred everything from the terminal to his holo drive, stashing it back in his coat the second he was done. I didn’t know whether to feel horrified or impressed. My host on the other hoof felt only one thing. That was guilt, and to one of his kind, that made him literally sick.

*

The memory faded, leaving me with a sour feeling that was swiftly tempered by the recollection that the start of the memory had not been nearly as dower. Thankfully, I’d not made a mess. I didn’t know if that was a disservice to Sweetie Belle, or simply a testament to my sexual restraint. Regardless, I glanced about to find I was in what appeared to be a rundown shack. The far wall was utterly gone, allowing the desert sand to pool in from the cracked highway just outside, while to my left, were my weapons.

I guess Silver stayed true to her words. I noted, adding one point to the level I could trust her as I ran a forehoof over my griping gut. Urg, good to see you agree too.

Talking to the thing as if it were actually a product of my own biology felt stupid after the reactor, yet if I did not think of it as my foal, then what? I think I’ll just go mad.

Rolling onto all fours, dust, and small bugs scattered from under the sack as I lifted it. Magic still a little tender, I holstered my weapons, stashing anything else back in my saddlebags before levitating the locket back around my neck and folding it under my barding. Everything that I’d taken into the base was here, just as Silver had promised. Every other thing she’d assured me would follow me was here too, I found out seconds later.

“Good, you’re finally awake,” Gingerbread’s tinny voice rumbled from the opening in the wall as the power armored unicorn marched into view, Vertigo at her side.

“You know, it’d go a long way to actually test the orbs you use,” he commented, looking at me. “Long one, huh?”

“You could say that,” I told him, placing my helmet on and trotting over. “How long have you been waiting?”

“No more than an hour. But it’s almost midday, and I’d prefer to get to Crossroads then call back to base before dark,” Ginger told me, while Vertigo just appeared curious.

Long one? Here’s guessing he knows exactly what orb I was in. I didn’t say anything, I’d bring up who Fleetwing was later, right now, there was still an alliance to forge.

“Good then let’s get going, it’s not far,” I told her, taking the lead, only for the grinding of hooves to shake the asphalt under me as she insisted she walk ahead.

Either way, getting her out of here fast was not an issue, according to my map, we were still pretty close to where the Gyrotrons were stored.

Wonder how long Heatstroke would have waited until she went for the rangers’ help with those? I really had to wonder if she’d have gone that far, while hoping her sister would see reason when I marched up with Gingerbread.

“Good, then try to keep a good pace,” called the ranger as she marched out onto the sand-blown highway.

If only she’d lose the gear, then at least I’d have a nice view too. I didn’t bother squishing my lust, she had been rather fetching without her helmet. I bet if bucking me got her accepted as a unicorn, she’d do it in a flash.

“There goes any ounce of subtlety,” Vertigo observed as Ginger marched on. “They’re gonna see her coming like a bulldozer a mile away.”

“Then let’s make sure we’re there to ensure nothing stupid happens,” I retorted, taking off after her with him close behind.

*

“I hate power armor,” I muttered, downing a healing potion for the shot that had grazed my leg. “Did it ever occur to you that stomping up like that would get you shot!?”

“It’s not often a thing we have to worry about,” Gingerbread snapped, yet free of her helmet, she was far less intimidating. “Besides, that crude thing you wear is of the same make.”

“Stripped down to the bare minimum, and I tend to take it off when I want to look friendly!” I countered as my wounds healed, much to my squirming belly’s delight.

The three of us sat in the police station, the place having been cleaned up in the week since we’d liberated it of Pear’s operation. It had Vertigo impressed, yet his quips about being the only one not to be shot overshadowed my ability to care.

I have a foal inside me, forgive me if I’m not as agile as I used to be! I thought, really wishing I could buck his smug face in again.

“We’re not here to make friends, we’re here to make arrangements,” Gingerbread protested, jabbing a metal-encased forehoof at me. “You said they know you!”

“No, I said the mare in charge knows me, not every one of the ponies that lives here, most of all when they see a metal beast storming up to the gate,” I declared, and aside from a scowl, I seem to have her beat.

It had been the best we could do to let the ponies at the wall take us in and lock us up here. Ginger was very quick to remind us that waiting for Flare to come see us only wasted more time, yet after her stunt, it was the best she was getting. At least I’d had Vertigo to back me up there.

“All this bickering’s just got me waiting for you two to start making out,” the stallion muttered, earning a sharp look from us both, then he grinned. “There see, not too hard to just shut up.”

“Sly, little rat,” Ginger muttered under her breath.

“Trust me, you get used to it,” I huffed in agreement, causing Vertigo to wilt playfully as he asked.

“What, you saying you don’t like me or something?” He just had to add a wink, did he put on those handsome looks on purpose, or what!? I knew he could, he could look like anypony, why not look like what I enjoyed the most?

“That can usually be called into question,” came a new voice, and the three of us looked to the door, to see Flare, and her sister.

It took me a moment to realize that the mare opposite Skylark, on Flare’s left, was Ochre. I’d never witnessed her standing, not without bandages, but since the last time we met, she looked good. That, and she was the only one who didn’t look like she wanted to kill us. Sky was a given, I was pretty sure that mare hated me, but Flare, she appeared mad for her town’s sake.

“You know, when we sent you on your way, we didn’t expect for you to come back here looking like you wanted to bash the gate down,” the orange mare said as she trotted over, seeming to relax a little as she looked at Vertigo and me.

“Is it any comfort that we didn’t want to?” I asked, nodding to the stallion. “We’re here to try and put a stop to Crimson Springs for good, with their help.”

Her eyes followed my motion, settling on Ginger as the Steel Ranger begrudgingly nodded. “That’s correct.”

“Like an alliance… with the Steel Rangers?” Ochre asked, the only one among them seemingly giddy at the idea while Sky rolled her eyes.

“That’s ridiculous, they don’t work with anypony but themselves,” the light blue mare reasoned, bringing a smile to Ginger’s face.

“And if you want my opinion, it should stay that way,” she declared, and I fought the urge to face hoof.

She really needs to read a few books on diplomacy. Sky’s eyes narrowed at the ranger, regardless of the armor, yet before she could snap back, Ginger went on.

“But it’s not my call to make. My superiors want Crimson gone as much as you do, I’m just here with their terms.”

“Oh, there’s terms, goodie,” Sky droned, her stern glare drifting from Ginger to me as if this was somehow my fault.

I mean, she’s not wrong. Part of me quipped as I smiled sheepishly at the doctor. Still, she’s been in the city, she knows what good it would do to have the place gone.

“So that’s what this is all about?” Flare asked, taking a seat on one of the old lab stools in front of me. “Your doing, I assume?”

“Group effort,” Vertigo mused, stretching out his forehooves behind his head as he leaned back in his chair.

I rolled my eyes, pretty sure Flare, and her sister joined me as the orange mare finally sighed, and asked. “Okay, then lay it out to me. Crimson’s gotta be gearing up to hit us after what you did, so what’s your plan?”

Just like I had to Silver back at the base, I told her everything I had in mind. From getting into the stable, to using their robots in combination with the rangers’ arsenal. Sky looked like she always did, that was to say, not happy. I had a feeling, for as much as I’d saved her life, it now looked like I was actively trying to ruin it too. Ochre seemed intrigued, nudging her grumpy mare friend every time Sky muttered about how ridiculous something sounded or that she just needed another drink. One mutter in her ear, and Ochre had the doctor blushing so hard she could not even try to belittle me as I finished.

Flare, on the other hoof, appeared to have been listening to me the whole time. It was at least encouraging to see the death of her sister and father’s betrayal, had not dampened her ability to reason. Regarding her now, I was taken back to only a few days ago, when she’d told me I was going to be a mother and just had to deal with it.

It was a lot easier to deal with before the extra rads. I thought, rubbing my bump without thinking, drawing the orange mare’s gaze. If she noticed how much bigger I was, she didn’t say, instead she glanced at my two companions, who both attested to the plan.

“We were able to take control of the warehouse with Heatstroke’s codes once we ran off Pear’s goons. But the bots are only programmed to patrol the roads, great for us here, but if you really want to set them on the stable…” She rolled a forehoof in the air. “I don’t know how to do that.”

“Easy, if you have access to their central computer you can designate a new target. Their current patrol patterns will just be a default,” Gingerbread commented, as if the simple fact Flare had access to the thing warranted that she should at least know as much.

“And I suppose you ponies are the ones who know how to do that?” Sky huffed, shaking free of Ochre’s teasing as she added. “Way I see it, that’s just an excuse to get access and turn the things on us.”

“As much as it would be no hair off my tail to march back to base and present my Elder with a robot army, that’s not how they want things to go down,” the ranger was quick to counter. “We can work on the details right now, all we really need is a means to get into the city itself.”

“You can’t really be considering this, Flare?” Sky asked, looking at her sister, the orange mare lost in thought.

“What I’m considering is the fact that we have a chance to wipe that cesspit off the map for good,” she reasoned, glancing back at her sibling. “But I’m not about to let that come at the cost of this town’s independent security.”

Ginger muttered something under her breath about stubborn tribals not knowing salvation when it came to them. I imagined that was exactly the same argument the NCR had given Heatstroke, the same mantra the dead mare had fed herself. No, I had to be the intermediate.

“I know that look,” Vertigo muttered as he caught me thinking. “What’s your plan?”

“This targeting thing, Silver said it can be applied to my Pipbuck, right?” I asked, and Vertigo smirked. So he’s impressed, or does he just think I’m crazy?

“That’s correct, she’s hoping the fact you’re a neutral party will smooth things over,” Ginger confirmed begrudgingly. “If somepony here knows how to issue an attack order, the gyrotrons can home in and designate targets based on that Pipbuck’s E.F.S.”

“So an army for the pony wearing it, ready to kill anything they see as dangerous,” I mused, lifting my pipbuck for everypony to see. “The rangers don’t get direct control either.”

“You get an upgrade?” Flare noted, as Ginger confirmed that this was her Elder’s plan once again.

“It’s a long story,” I told her with a shrug, before assuring. “I get into the stable with this, I can broadcast the command from in there. All you’d have to do is turn them on from here.”

“And how exactly do you plan to get in there?” Sky asked, forelegs folded as she raised an eyebrow. “No offense, but we barely got through last time.”

“Let’s just say I have it on good authority, they’re looking for me,” I assured, thinking back to Overseer’s comments. “I go up there, and the ponies in charge are not gonna have me shot on sight.”

“Better you than me, looked like they were shooting last time,” she responded, however, she’d not seen the legion of griffins they’d sent after me, Mr Green had not aimed to kill me at first.

“Like I said, Binary should be able to help with that, she knows all about that place,” Vertigo interjected, and at the mystery mare’s name, he earned a few odd looks. “We’ll have to pass this on to her before we make a move though.”

“These commands, you need to see the mainframe to issue them?” Flare asked Ginger. The unicorn frowned, then shook her head.

“No, you’d activate the same as you normally would. Our Head Scribe already set her device up to be the command module, if you have the codes here, I can input them onto her pipbuck and complete the process,” she elaborated, nodding at the device on my foreleg.

“Trusted with an entire army, moving on up, huh?” Vertigo chuckled, nudging my side. I smirked at the small hint of jealousy in his eyes.

“When you lay it all out like that, sounds like it could work,” Flare finally admitted, glancing at Sky, who despite her clear reservations, muttered.

“Maybe it might… Don’t look at me.” She averted her eyes, only for Ochre to jab her shoulder. “Okay, fine, yes, if we have a shot at getting rid of Crimson, yes.”

“The way I see it, this is your best chance for that,” I declared, stepping up to stand between them. “The rangers have their terms, the stable and its resources, what are yours?”

Flare once again dropped into thought as Ginger insisted the reactor was also to remain undamaged and the Elder wanted Mauler’s head on a spike.

“Backing of Crossroad’s independence for one. I know the rangers are no fans of the NCR and we’d rather not be stripped to the bone by them either,” the orange mare stated, looking at Ginger.

“Given your position relative to the base, I’m sure that can be arranged. You’re between us and the West,” she reasoned, seeming to consider what she possessed the authority to approve. “Though they may insist on an occupation too.”

“I’ll settle for trade. You leave us what we need to get by, we’ll give you what’s left, can split the difference from Crimson’s ruins,” Flare countered, yet while Ginger didn’t disagree, she also made it clear there were no promises.

“Then we’re in agreement?” I asked, glancing from face to face. Flare nodded, Ginger did the same, even if she appeared far less happy about it. Sky looked as she always did, the only one who seemed eager at the idea was Vertigo.

“I’ll relay the terms back to command, but I think they’ll find them acceptable given the circumstances,” Ginger finally declared, looking down at my Pipbuck. “I suppose you’ll want me to finish setting that thing up.”

“The sooner the better, right?” I asked, eager to get the ball rolling as Flare chimed in.

“I can get you commands, that’s all you need, right?” she asked, an edge to her voice that made it clear she hoped this was a good idea, while Ginger just nodded once again.

“Sky, take her back to the house, let her see Heatstroke’s terminal,” she told her sister firmly.

“You’re not going to let me sit this one out, are you?” Sky deadpanned, only for Ochre to tug at her shoulders.

“Probably because she knows how valuable you are,” the earth pony encouraged. “Come on, we’ll work out these codes then I’ll help you unwind.”

“Like rabbits, I swear,” Ginger muttered under her breath as the medical mare’s eyes popped wide. Even so, begrudgingly, Sky and the clang of Ginger’s armored hooves, followed her mare friend to the door.

“Go with them, make sure she doesn’t try anything,” I asked Vertigo with a nod in the retreating group’s direction.

“Don’t worry, I still have a spark grenade or two,” he assured with a wink. “You just watch yourself too.”

“When do I ever do anything otherwise?” I asked, feeling a hint of warmth in my chest as I rolled my eyes, and he trotted off after the rest of them.

“Still has his sense of humor, I see,” Flare observed, trotting to my side. “I don’t know how you put up with him.”

“He’s not so bad once you get to know him,” I assured, dismissing the idea with a forehoof wave. He’s really not bad at all… Wit aside.

Part of me didn’t know what I’d do without him, part wanted to kill him sometimes, while another part really wanted to think about the other things I’d do to him. No brain no, I can have time to unwind after we get this done.

“Oh, I know,” Flare said with a smirk, then motioned down at my stomach. “And what about that?”

“It’s that obvious?” I asked, ears folding flat as I drooped and glanced back at the small bump. “Vertigo was in danger, saving him cost me a few rads.”

“You can say that again. Girl, I don’t know what’s in there but… Damn, what are you, four months now?” The fact she could tell that just by looking at me made my mane crawl.

“I really try not to think about it… I just want to imagine it’s a normal foal but… Well, just look at me!” I glared at the bump as if doing so would tell me all I wanted to know, I was only a little startled as Flare ran her forehoof over it.

“Sorry,” she told me with a soft smile as I relaxed. “If we had an ultrasound I could take a closer look. Though, there may be a few things I can do.”

“Like what?” I asked, doing my best not to allow the quiver of desperation show in my voice. “At this point, if there’s anything more you can tell me, I’ll take it.”

*

“Okay, just lay back and try to relax, this may feel a little funny,” Flare told me as I lay back on the clinic bed.

The room was just as dull and dreary as the last time I’d been trapped here. Yet for being the place I was first told about my impossible foal, it was now also the place I saw my newly-grown belly exposed for the first time. Without my barding to pinch the pudge tight, it was now very clearly distended, even if it still looked more like I was bloated than actually pregnant.

Sure feels that way. I thought with a huff, slightly envious of the slender figure I’d had weeks ago. Better than feeling like I’m going to explode.

“Don’t worry I’m getting pretty used to funny feelings down there,” I assured her as I rested my head on the pillow, one forehoof on the peak of the bump without thinking. “It squirms, not like kicks, but movement for sure.”

“Well that’s normal, just your body shifting to accommodate the foal. Though with your growth spurts, I imagine it’s a little more intense,” she elaborated, wheels squeaking as she levitated over a metallic table, fitted with an odd device she then held up in her magic. “How about your morning sickness, you’re nearing the end of the first trimester, so it should be settling down?”

“I’ve not thrown up in a few days, if that counts,” I told her, at least receiving a supportive smile for the joke. “But no, I still feel sick, and when it was growing…”

I shuddered at the memory, pressing both forehooves to my belly. “It hurt, so damn much. I felt like I was gonna rip in two.”

“All the more reason not to do that again, if you ask me.” She gingerly nudged my forehooves aside, running her own forehoof over my bump, all the while I did my best not to let her touch get to me.

No, no, this is medical, not kinky! I told my brain as she appeared to find what she’d been feeling for. She doesn’t look too worried, how abnormal is it really?

“Believe me, I’m not about to try it again,” I assured, settling my hooves at my side to avoid their seemingly unending urge to rub my belly. “I just can’t get my head around it though. I want to care, I do care… But every time I think it’s a foal, it does something weird.”

“Hence why it’s just best to let it grow to term on its own. There’s always surgical options if things don’t go as planned, but as far as I can feel, you’re a perfectly normal mother,” she reassured, taking her forehoof off me. “Okay, let’s see if this works.”

Her horn flared, and from the table levitated a smooth white orb, attached to the main terminal by a tattered wire. A few taps on the keyboard, and the text on the screen faded out, replaced by what looked like a heart rate monitor.

“What’s that?” I asked, glancing between her and the screen. “I thought you said we couldn’t see it?”

“No, but you wanna hear it?” she asked, and at the idea I could have some inkling of my foal other than sickly squirms, my attention perked. “Okay, so just try to relax and keep your forehooves down, we should be able to find a heartbeat.”

The smooth sensation of the rounded orb on my belly was not the shock of cold I’d been told was common for mares in my situation. Even if, for a second, I had to wonder if Flare needed to press as hard as she did.

Now, who’s the medical pony here, Dragonfire? My brain asked, calming my apprehension as I lifted my head to watch the ball glide across my distended stomach. Okay, but why has it got to feel so weird…? Damn thing tickles.

Like some kind of tingly, magical buzz between the device and my insides, I felt it roll back and forth over the bump. It really seemed to have the butterflies in my tummy riled up as Flare periodically glanced between my bump, and the screen.

“Oh, that’s got things fluttering,” I huffed, doing my best not to let my hooves shoot up and get in her way.

“Yeah, I can see,” Flare acknowledged with a small laugh as she glanced back at my stomach. “Perfectly normal movement, just have to find… Ha, gotcha!”

Thrum, thrum, thrum. I very much felt Sweetie Bell’s apparent love for that sound as my foal’s heartbeat filled my ears for the first time.

It was soft, not quite as pronounced as it was when laying on a pony’s chest, but as Flare pressed the sensor down on the beating spot, I lost all care for what the foal might be.

It has to be real, no monster’s heart beats like that.

“Wow, strong one,” Flare observed, rolling the orb around the spot to get a better reed on it.

“And that’s okay, right, all normal?” I asked, fighting the urge to sit up and throw her aim off.

“As far as I can see, all perfectly… Hmm…” Her words trailed off and like a wave of heat, anxiety flared through me fast as lightning.

“What is it, what’s wrong?” I asked in a rush, only for her to settle me with a forehoof. “Flare!”

“Nothing, nothing, don’t worry, just… That is interesting.” She rolled the probe left, then right, prompting another sharp twinge in my gut. “Could just be mummers off the placenta this early, but I think I’m getting two heartbeats.”

If Crossroad’s clinic was one thing, it was a room where I was very much having to fight my hardest not to pass out. I weathered the news like it were a great wave of icy water hitting me, stammering as I asked.

“Two heartbeats… W–what, like twins!?” She appeared lost in contemplation for a moment, leaving me to stare at her for a good long minute before she responded.

“Maybe, could be. May explain why you’re showing so soon, but there’s still seven months to go,” she elaborated, then levitated the device away as she looked at me. “All I can say for sure is that it sounds like a perfectly normal foal… Or maybe foals.”

Foals, two babies? I could be having more than one!? I felt an oddly cold sensation as the sensor was lifted away, as if a great barrier of time and flesh was erected between me and my baby. Or it’s just two monsters… Maybe it became two monsters, and more rads will make it triplets!

I set up a far more meaningful barrier between those ideas and the new revelation. If I was having twins, I’d be the best mother they could ever have. Maybe it was just Flare’s presence, but like a rock in the turbulent sea of raging, hormonal emotion, she was something to grasp onto.

“Twins sure would be a whole new surprise,” I said as I sat up, wheels rattling as Flare magically slid the probe away. “But at least they’re okay, right?”

“If you need me to tell you just how fine they are again, I could just write it down for you,” she retorted with a smirk. “They’re fine, but if it is twins, that means that you have even more reason to keep away from trouble.”

Yeah, because now I’m getting all three of us into danger if I do anything reckless. Silver’s comments about motherhood rang in my brain at that, as I ran a forehoof over my pudgy gut. Urg, as much as I longed for this, why now, why not when it could be easy?

“Hardly makes my plan for the stable sound like the best idea, huh?” I asked, and I could tell her desire for the good of my foals, was battling her commitment to the town as she rested a forehoof on the bedside.

“I don’t think that it’s the best idea at any time. But I’m not sure the slavers are going to give us seven months to wait it out,” she responded, glancing away. “It’s funny, if Heatstroke were still here, she’d probably agree with this plan wholeheartedly.”

“And what about you, how do you really feel about it?” I asked, one forehoof rubbing my bump reflexively as I levitated my barding onto the bed.

“I feel like working with the Steel Rangers is just putting off one villain now to fight another later,” she told me flatly. “I know Sky was hardly happy when she heard about what happened at the gate.”

That stung, for as much as I’d saved the mare’s life, and that of the mare she loved. I couldn’t help but feel I was still just as rapidly trying to throw it into turmoil again. I said as much, and Flare sighed as I slipped off the bed. Unrestricted by my barding, my bump swayed just a little, the foal within griping as I levitated my gear back over my hindquarters.

Goddesses, this thing is going to need some modification. I thought begrudgingly, as I did my best to heave the tight clothing over my bloated midsection. It hardly fits anymore!

Flare giggled, a forehoof to her muzzle as I finally managed to squeeze into the outfit, the pinch around my nethers far too tight for comfort. Stupid hormones, got all kinds of things ballooning back there!

“You’re going to need some maternity wear, even if it’s just for under the armor,” she told me. “Lactation and expensive clothing don’t mix.”

That comment had me blushing, ears folding back as I wished for nothing more than to put my helmet back on. That’s nothing too though, right? Besides, why would my body even want to produce milk if this foal’s gonna kill me on the way out?

I really hoped I was right about that, because right now the tingling between my legs was very apparent as my mammary glands began to swell.

“Just another thing I can add to the list,” I muttered, drooping a little as I settled the barding around my neck.

“You’ll find that list will probably get longer the closer you come to term,” Flare noted softly, and for a mare who had no foals of her own, it was remarkable how much she appeared to sympathize. “Going to war with slavers aside, that is.”

“Yeah, well maybe Sky’s right, this is all a stupid idea,” I reasoned, levitating up my helmet. “I feel like I’m ruining her life more than I saved it, yours too.”

“I could take it or leave it. You helped get this place back on track. Sky is just still mourning Heatstroke’s death, not that she’ll admit it,” Flare responded, and with a wince, I glanced at her. “Don’t get me wrong, I know you played your part in what happened to her. But so did I. I should have seen what Father was doing to her, given her some pony to talk to.”

The benefit of hindsight is a wonderful thing. My mind chimed as I felt another squirm in my belly, or was it two squirms now? I just hope hindsight won’t be there to bite me in the tail after this plan is over and done with.

“Now all I’m worried about is the good of the town and the family I have left,” Flare went on, nodding back toward the window and bustling street outside. “We deal with Crimson, get the drugs here under control, those are the goals.”

“I feel like your sister would be happy with that, in her own way,” I commented, pretty sure that if Heatstroke had not been abused, those would have been her goals too. “Even if she did try to kill me.”

“We do what’s best for those we love,” she said, stepping over to me and resting a forehoof on my shoulder. “And you have ponies who care about you too. Cherry for one, she hardly left your side, and Vertigo seems to be fond of you.”

I know I’m fond of him… Brain, really? The idea at least summoned a smile to my muzzle, yet that was more at the notion of Cherry’s affection rather than anything else. I really need to get back to her, finally work out the awkwardness between us.

It had been almost a full day, surely she’d be worried about me. That mental image both filled me with excitement and guilt, the fact she cared about me as much as she did a double-edged sword. Yet for as much as my thoughts lingered on Cherry, it was the other target of my conflicted affection that appeared before us a second later.

“Looks like you’re becoming a regular for this place,” Vertigo commented as he materialized in the doorway.

“What, you here to make up for the fact that you didn’t come visit me the last time?” I asked with a smirk.

“Eh, this time you don’t seem to be dying,” he countered with just as wry an expression, before trotting in. “Ginger and Sky have the codes imputed, these are the targeting commands.” He levitated up a holodrive from his saddle bags. “Ginger’s talked to Silver, says they should be ready in a day or two.”

“And we just what, activate the Gyrotrons from the warehouse when they say?” Flare asked, trepidation still lingering in her undertone. “How do we know the things won’t just turn on us the second we do?”

“I know enough about this kinda thing to know they were honest about what they programmed,” Vertigo assured, levitating me the drive. “The command module is set to the device it's imputed into, Silver made sure that could only be Dragon’s Pipbuck.”

I took the thing in my magic, inserting it into the device on my leg. Just as he’d said, a small prompt flashed in my vision, before scrolling through, I found the command matrix for the machines. It was marked as inactive, yet I assumed that would change the moment Flare saw fit to turn the things on.

“The rangers are gonna hit the place from the east, same as always. Silver suspects Mauler will counter same as always, then he’s primed to be caught out by your Gyrotrons,” Vertigo went on, nodding to me. “Now we just have to get the module inside the stable, call in when we’re ready to move.”

“That’s the part that worries me,” I admitted with a sigh. “But you’re sure Binary can get them to take the bait?”

The twinge of apprehension that ran through me was shared by those inside me. The flutter within my griping stomach prompting me to lift a forehoof back to the bump without thinking.

“She’s been frothing at the bit to get this done for years, she’ll agree the second she hears the plan, believe me,” he assured, then his witty mask slipped a little as he looked at me and asked. “And you’re sure, not to sound sappy, but you are carrying a foal?”

Maybe two foals, actually. I didn’t say as much, even if his soft tone made me want to. It just made me want to consider them his more and more, or maybe Star’s, anything to take my mind off what they really could be. No, no, Flare said they seem normal, damn it!

Part of me wondered if he’d ever agree to play into the idea, he was a good actor. Yet the selfish notion was countered by the very same thoughts that kept me from loving Cherry. I didn’t want to use him like I’d used any other stallion, no matter how much of a pain in the tail he was at times.

“I don’t see another way I’m gonna save Star, not to mention get the answers we need,” I told him, glancing back at my belly. “Besides, you gonna pass up the opportunity to hit those bastards where it hurts again?”

“Eh, I don’t need an army to do that,” he mused, rubbing a forehoof on his chest. “But it definitely would add to the statement.”

“I don’t know how no pony’s shot you yet, you know?” Flare joked, looking the disguised bug up and down.

“I’m just really, really good at what I do,” he responded, and she smirked as she countered.

“What, like getting captured by the rangers? I’m pretty sure none of this would have come about if you had a choice in talking to them.” At that, the witty mare had him stumped.

“Happy accidents,” I interjected, feeling like I was just filled to the brim with those right now. “Either way, I have the means to contact them, and now you. When we’re good to move on the stable, I’ll let you know.”

“I’ll keep my broadcaster handy,” Flare agreed, still grinning at vertigo. “Wouldn’t want action stallion over here to go without his army.”

Goddesses, how can she flaw me with reality, and make him gibber like that so effortlessly? I thought, Flare’s mastery of words the momentary core of my envy. There’s times I want to shut him up like that so bad!

“Of course, that’s why we need to get back to Binary as soon as possible, isn’t that right, action stallion?” I cooed and he blinked.

“That’s not going away anytime soon, is it?” he asked, and I shook my head, drawing out a long, devious.

“Nooppppeee.”

*

For the second time this week, the vast ivory tower of the SPP cast a dark shadow over us as we trotted along the desert pathway toward it. Without Cherry, the trip was far less bright, my longing to be back with her only growing as she drew closer. Vertigo was at my side, muttering about how Flare seemed to be a good fit for Crossroad’s new boss.

“You think that before or after she got one over on you?” I asked with a giggle, imagining his expression through his helmet as he paused.

“I don’t think I need to dignify that with an answer,” he cooed, before adding. “All I’m saying is it’s not her loyalty we need to worry about.”

“You said it yourself, the rangers appear to be holding up to their end of the bargain. I don’t think Ginger’s gonna screw us over if she believes this is what they want either,” I reasoned.

“Correction, if she thinks it’s what the Elder wants. Teacher's pet, that one,” he commented as we crested the hill, finally seeing the courtyard below.

Is it just me, or does it look a bit more empty than the last time? Part of me noted the lack of killer robots as a plus, while another rose on edge.

“She thinks she has to prove herself to them just because she’s a unicorn, it’s obvious,” I retorted, searching around for any sign of the spire’s defenses. “Still, if they have an issue with what comes after the attack, we’ll just have to deal with it.”

“Yes, because having the rangers and Transcendent on your back in your state just seems ideal,” he said, and as much as I hated it, he was right. “Dragonfire, I’m good, but even I don’t think I’d want that.”

“Here I thought you’d be my hero?” I countered, allowing just a little of my affection to slip out, clearly stumping his weird, emotional taste receptors. A second later we came upon the rusty perimeter fence, the same ghostly quiet lingering in the air as dust drifted by. “Something feel off here to you?”

The stallion glanced about as we made our way to the gate, opening the lock with a flick of his magic as I added. “Where are all the robots?”

“She might have moved them inside, hell of a defense, but draws a lot of attention with things as they are,” he reasoned, yet my prickling mane was still on end. Overseer had been in full control of the place by the look of it, and I still trusted him about as much as I did a raider.

“Binary, we’re at the outer door, hit the locks,” Vertigo spoke into the speaker by the main door as the two of us came to a stop at the base of the tower.

There was no response, yet from the metallic growl within the walls, it was clear the elevator was descending. Every second it did so felt like it dragged on forever, I wanted nothing more than to see Cherry on the other side. Even the plan could wait until the two of us had sorted out our feelings, we had at least a day or two, after all. To my left Vertigo took a step back from the door, right as the thing gave a hiss and started to grind open. I could not see his face, but from his posture alone he appeared off. That was the moment I received a buck to the face.

“Oh, what’s wrong, little mare, didn’t see that coming!?” mocked the small earth pony as she stepped out. “Just what you get for trying to set me on fire!”

I caught the spark of Chief’s power hooves as she tried to stomp on me, rolling aside and flaring my horn. I’d set her on fire again, no problem! She dodged my pyrotechnic spell, hopping back. Landing with a dusty crackle of power hooves, she didn’t even so much as flinch, and when I saw the pony lurking behind her on the elevator, I knew why.

“Really, this is the whelp that got away!?” Dread gripped me as I was taken back to the Destiny Labs, only this time Carnage was not distracted, his bloodshot eyes were locked firmly on me. “Little bitch, I should crush you!”

“Oh, how I’d like that, Canri’,” mused the smaller mare, flicking her tail at him like some smitten school filly.

Her and him, seriously? How does he not impale her? I thought, pretty sure his cock was not the only thing she’d be skewered on if they went at it. Like fucking a furnace!

The fire of his grafted armor lit up the gloomy elevator shaft to reveal the third pony that stood at the forefront of the group of dark armored guards. Her coat was a pasty yellow, dulled right down as if she were almost a ghoul. She certainly was filled with enough holes to be considered one, yet her full head of pale blue mane countered the fact. Her gaunt flesh was grafted similarly to Carnage, even if the metal poking from her bare hide in odd increments appeared far more like it was grafted to her insides rather than her outside. Her eyes were pale as the rest of her, her cutie mark the tattered image of a swarm of fiery bugs.

I had no idea what kind of special talent that entailed, at least until she sneered at Vertigo, and from the many holes in her body buzzed a shimmering gray cloud of chittering death. Sting was torn from his magical grip, shoved to the ground, and almost shredded to dust by what I swiftly realized wasn’t smoke at all, but some kind of micro-sprite swarm.

“And you, you little insect!” hissed the mare, voice just as maddened as her blazing companion as she shoved Vertigo to the floor with a metal fist of sprites. “I should thank you for locking me in that stable, the door was so delicious!”

“Really, I’d have thought you’d have taken the hint and just rotted down there,” he gasped, a din like a hundred tiny buzz saws rattling off his armor as they rapidly ate through it.

Despite Carnage being mere feet away, my weapon magically swung to the wicked mare, only for my magic to falter under the grip of a far greater telekinesis. I grit my teeth, battling with all my might until my horn popped painfully as I staggered to the dirt. I half expected Carnage to leap on the opportunity to crush me into molten paste, but the monster of rage held back, while the stolen weapon was telekinetically crushed in the air before me like a can of sparkle cola.

Not another rifle, damn it! The thought lasted a split second as I watched the pair of monster-ponies droop under the imperious shadow that appeared in a purple flash behind us. What in the goddesses’ name makes them afraid like that?

“Locus, release him!” boomed a deep, reverberating voice, like that of the Steel Rangers in their armor only far more refined.

The hole-filled mare drew back with a snort, the sprites swirling back into her many corroded orifices. The almost orgasmic moan she let slip as they did so sickening me to my core as my griping stomach lurched. The second he was free, Vertigo attempted to get up, only for an aura of purple magic to effortlessly shove him back down, while levitating the half-eaten Sting from the dust and tossing the weapon aside. I didn’t even try to move, not that I had much of a choice as the all-powerful telekinesis tugged at me like I were a mere puppet, heaving us both around to come face to face with the caster.

“The two of you have been a pain in our side for far too long,” growled the imperious voice of the dark armored alicorn, not an inch of her coat on display as she added. “I am the great Twilight Sparkle, and I will tolerate your incessant transgressions no longer!”

Footnote: Level up

New Perk Added: Team Player – Maybe it’s just the desperate situation, but you’re becoming rather good at bringing ponies together. You get +10% to all skill checks when within the influence of other squad members.