Fallout Equestria: Syndicate

“She's a Griffon, half eagle and half lion.... And all Awesome!...”

I looked at the griffon lying on the ruined armored vehicle with dawning comprehension. I'd seen him knocked from the sky just a few hours ago. How the hell did he survive the fall? I thought. Even from the corner I could the rise and fall of his chest. I tried to run to him but Azure grabbed me by the tail and pulled me back behind the corner.

“What the fuck are you doing?” she asked incredulously, spitting my tail out of her mouth.

“He's injured and unconscious. I'm going to help him.” I tried to walk around her but she blocked me.

“Are you crazy?! He's a damn Talon. They were just shooting at us!” She stomped for emphasis and just stood there scowling.

“They were shooting at you and your Gunner buddies. Not me.” she tried to argue but I cut her off. “I was trained to help ponies... er, people. And I'll be damned if I'm going to just walk away when someone needs help.” I touched my hoof to her chest. “What if I just let you die? Or killed that mare with the rifle and went on my way?” her jaw dropped and she tried to studder an answer.

“I...but...oh Luna dammit...” she facehoofed and stepped aside, I then rushed towards the griffon and jumped atop the old armored vehicle.

“Azure, help me get him off here.” She trotted forward and together we used our magic to gently lift the griffon and lay him on the ground. I jumped down, landing a few feet from him, then I removed his Saddlebags, armored chest piece, his four leg guards and a pair of blades off his wings. Then I examined him. Besides being unconscious his right wing was broken and from the depressions on his right side some of his ribs were as well. I pressed my ear to his chest and listened closely. His heart beat sounded normal but his breathing was strained and I heard a cracking that definitely didn't sound right. I pulled out what was left of my medical supplies and spread them out. I had some Radaway, my tools, a nearly full bottle of whiskey, and one healing potion. Fuck. I didn't have enough supplies to heal his wing, let alone his fucking ribs and whatever damage had been done to his insides. I looked around frantically hoping that I'd find something I could use to heal the griffon. But there was nothing on the street that could help. I turned to Azure.

“Do you know anywhere we could get some supplies? I don't have enough.” She frowned, rubbing her chin in thought.

“Well...there is an old Ministry hospital a couple miles east of here. My squad did some reconnaissance on the place on the way to our post for a back up if we lost the apartment. But that place is in raider territory. After the Auxiliary got booted out they sprang up like they spawned out of the fucking ether of something.” I smiled and turned to the armored vehicle. ARMORED PONY TRANSPORT It read on the side. I looked around the vehicle and saw that the back hatch was open. I looked inside at the armored interior, a plan forming in my mind.

“Alright, help me get him in the back. I'll try to stabilize him and we'll head to the hospital for the stuff I need to save him.” I tried to lift him in my magic but he was too heavy. I looked to see Azure looking on in confusion.

“Didn't you hear the part about the raiders?” she asked incredulously. “They aren't exactly the nicest ponies in the wasteland ya know. There's a reason that they weren't here when the Auxiliary was, raiders are psychotic monsters and you want to risk your life and mine to save some griffon we found in the street?” I stopped trying to lift him and gave Azure a look.

“Fine. You don't want to help that's your choice.” She looked visibly relieved before I continued, “but, I'm going to that hospital.” she gasped.

“What?! You'll get yourself killed!” She stated simply, but I just shook my head.

“You can stay here and look after Feathers while I go and get the supplies. It's either that, or you can come with and help me get the supplies and probably help me avoid getting killed since you're so sure I will.” She deadpanned for a moment, either unable to retort or she was too polite to say what was on her mind. Her ears flattened against her head and she frowned at me, pouting. I win!

After we pulled the griffon into the back of the APT and set his broken wing, covered him in an emergency blanket and we set off in the direction of the hospital. Well...first Azure gave me a short lesson on gun safety and proper handling.  One good thing about the wasteland.

Leaving the griffon alone in the back of an APT probably wasn't the safest thing for him but we really didn't have a choice. He was unconscious and we couldn't carry him all the way to the hospital and fight raiders at the same time. That was a good way for all three of us to get killed. Azure spent the entire walk to the hospital telling me this was a bad idea and trying to be helpful at the same time.

“Make sure to stick to cover as much as you can. You'll get shot less that way.” she looked over her shoulder at me appraisingly. “I'd be a lot more comfortable with this if you had armor. That uniform isn't exactly subtle either.” Yeah, I'd be a lot more comfortable without this thing on too, sweetheart. I thought, the little pony in my head ripping the dress off in fury. Dammit this thing is fucking itchy!

It took us a little over an hour to reach the hospital. It was a five story building that was made out of steel and concrete rather than the typical blue or purplish pink crystal that the smaller houses all seemed to be made from. Compared to the rest of the structures nearby the hospital it was reasonably intact. The windows were intact and the cracks spider webbing across the walls didn't seem to too deep. The front entrance was blocked by a makeshift barricade made out of large pieces of scrap metal and two by fours. There were several tall poles with barbed wire coiled around them, pony skulls were strung along the wire like sick decorations.

“Ready to back out now?” Azure asked sarcastically. I felt my ears droop and my heart beat began to race as I looked at the skulls.

“Nope.” I said simply, pulling out my shotgun and making sure it was loaded and the safety was off. She groaned and followed after me; muttering obscenities under her breath. When we reached the barricade I was surprised and more than a little relieved to find it abandoned. Maybe the raiders just left? I thought hopefully. Azure took point when we entered. The double doors slid open with groan and it felt like my nose was bitch slapped by the smell.

Inside the hospital reception area were several dead ponies. They looked a lot like the dead mare I'd seen when I met the Apples. They had the same hobbled together armor and were armed with crude looking weapons. The only difference was Bramley didn't defile her body after he killed her. Or if he did it was when I wasn't looking.

Two of the ponies had been cut in half from head to tail, their insides splayed out across the old reception desks. Another had been gutted, his entrails strung along the walls like streamers while the rest of their bodies had been defecated on. In one corner there was a large pile of skinned body parts while the skin was draped across the waiting room's chairs as if to dry. I bolted out to the barricade and retched over the side. Azure didn't fare much better. She lost her apples just like I did, but she recovered faster than me. After I stopped retching I looked back into the hospital and the horror show that lay within. I groaned and covered my mouth and nose with my hoof before entering.

The terminal on the reception desk was operational but no amount of curiosity could make me scrape off pony entrails to get at it. After nearly puking again, (even though my stomach was empty) we got past the gore fest and into the main hall. There were more dead ponies but these weren't mutilated or otherwise defiled. They had the appearance of having died very recently. There were bullet holes strewn across the walls along with graffiti that ranged from vulgar to pornographic. It was covering several posters advertising for the Ministry of Peace. I saw the same one from Medical in Stable 41. You don't have to be a Steel Ranger to be a hero! Join the Ministry of Peace today. And another that was a picture of an adorable yellow Pegasus with a pink mane and tale that read,

War? Fear? Death?

We Must Do Better!

Ministry of Peace

It took me a moment to place a name on the yellow Pegasus. Fluttershy. She was in charge of the Ministry of Peace, the ministry that was solely devoted to helping victims of the war, whether they were ponies or not. They modeled the dress I'm wearing after her. Right down to the little pink butterflies that were the buttons.

Azure tapped my shoulder and pointed down the hall. She put her hoof to her mouth and made a 'shush' noise before moving forward. We went down the hall checking every room as we passed but we'd yet to find any healing supplies. Just more defiled corpses and assorted gore. And in one case the bathroom. The raiders had taken one of the exam rooms and used it as their toilet. That was the second time I'd vomited that day.

We reached a staircase at the end of the hall and thank Celestia there was a directory. An arrow by the words “Supply Room” caught my attention. I hadn't noticed with the graffiti but there were colored lines on the walls that were supposed to help direct ponies around the hospital.

“Look Azure!” I whispered. She looked at the wall and nodded. I followed Azure up the stairs and down another hall as she kept track of the line leading to Supply. We checked the rooms on the way but besides more dead ponies (some of them thankfully just being skeletons) there was no one home. When we reached the Supply room I was dismayed to find it locked.

“Can you pick a lock?” Azure asked me. I shook my head. “Step back!” she ordered lifting her rifle and pointing it at the lock. She fired five rounds right into the lock and a few inches to each side. She lowered her carbine and pressed the button next to the door. The door hissed open, pieces of the lock's inner mechanisms fell to the floor at our hooves. Inside was a veritable treasure trove of medicine; far too much for both of us to carry. I strapped another Med-Kit to my saddlebags and filled them with everything I'd need. Half a dozen potions, three Radaway potions, five rolls of healing bandages, and I even found I Pegasus wing brace. I'd half to modify it a bit to fit on the griffon's wing but it would do just fine. We also scored a six pack of purified water.

When we left the supply room our bags were filled to bursting with plunder. Not only did I have the supplies to help the griffon but we had enough supplies left over to last us for quite some time. I even found a pre-war nurse uniform with matching hat. It wasn't itchy, it fit better than my Stable uniform, and it wasn't that ugly pink and yellow! It was red and white! Between Azure and myself, we had nearly twenty healing potions and plenty of bandages. Either the supply room hadn't been entirely full when the bombs fell or the ponies here had been using the supplies and they locked the door when they left, or before they were all killed. I found that a little unlikely given how violently decorated the place was but who knew? Maybe they were smart, psycho ponies! We were halfway down the hall when the first raider emerged from the stairs. The mare smiled wickedly and gripped the handle of a sawed off shotgun in her teeth before Azure blew her brains out. Before her body hit the floor four more raiders rushed up the stairs to meet us. I pulled my shotgun and activated S.A.T.S. Stable-Tec Assisted Targeting Spell. I had never used it before but I knew I wasn't going to hit anything without it.

I lined up three shots at the first two raiders as they ran towards us. I fired off the shots and was dismayed to see only one landed; dropping the stallion to my right as Azure shot the mare on my left twice in the chest. I looked on in horror as another three bolted up the stairs.

“RUN!!” Azure yelled behind me. We turned and ran for the stairs on the other end of the hall. I moved to the front while Azure fired blindly behind her; her armor offered better protection than my dress but it also slowed her down. I reached the stairs far ahead of her and managed to shoot my last two shells at the raiders before she reached me. I missed both times but at least some of the raiders ducked into one of the side rooms to avoid getting their faces shredded by buckshot.

Azure shoved me farther up the stairs and we dashed as fast as we could up the flight without falling down. When we reached the top Azure waited a moment and when the first raider showed her head she double bucked the mare right between the eyes; I heard her neck break as she flew down the stairs and collided with the other raiders. We kept running down the hall towards the next flight; I took this time to reload my shotgun, looking at Azure's rifle. ThankCelestia one of us could shoot. I thought as Azure turned, sank into a crouch, then emptied the rest of her clip into the raiders when they reached the top of the stairs. Her rifle wasn't an automatic but she fired it quickly enough that you couldn't tell the difference.

She popped out the clip, caught it in her teeth and loaded a fresh one in about two seconds before turning to me.

“Keep going! I can hear more coming!” I didn't argue. We rushed up the stairs, Seriously! What's with all the damn stairs, who built this place a fucking fitness instructor?

I heard shouts and cursing from the floor below as we ran full gallop to the next flight, but the stairs were collapsed.

“Look for a way out!” Azure yelled, sinking into her crouch again. I looked in the rooms but there was nothing until I looked in the room closest to the collapsed stairs. A section of the ceiling had collapsed making a kind of impromptu staircase. Huh. Well that's convenient. I thought. I returned to Azure just in time to see her blow a raider's head clean off and send the others ducking for cover.

“I found a way up, let's go!” she fired a few more shots to keep them pinned then turned to follow me. It wasn't enough however as one of them fired blindly and the shot pierced my left hindleg. I cried out in pain and almost fell before Azure caught me and helped me through the door. Azure closed the door behind us and shot the door controls for good measure. But we couldn't block the room's broken window before we left; it would only be a few minutes, at best, before they caught up to us.

The top floor of the hospital was a lot cleaner than the rest. There was no corpses or gore or rude writing on the wall. There were only four rooms on this floor. Three to my left and one to my right that had larger doors than the others. We headed straight for the door on my right and I slammed my hoof into the controls. The doors hissed open and we rushed in. Azure smashed the door controls on the outside before following entering, then she checked a terminal built into the wall next to the door. The mag locks on the door locked shut and raised an eyebrow at the blue mare. She simply shrugged in response.

“The terminal wasn't locked.” I turned from the door, lifting my hindleg slightly off the floor as I moved, and examined the rest of the room. There was no way out. There was a single desk in the center of the room with a pony skeleton leaning over it. The walls were made of the same blue crystal that the surrounding buildings were. Except that it was cut into panels. If I didn't think we were going to be killed any minute I might have enjoyed the décor. There was also a couple filing cabinets in one corner and a medical box bolted to the wall; as well as a few more Ministry of Peace posters.

I shrieked in surprise as the raiders banged into the other side of the door with their hooves. Azure sunk into her combat stance, checking the load on her rifle. I limped as fast as I could behind the desk and pointed my shotgun at the door, ready to activate S.A.T.S. At the first sign of the raiders getting through, but then my eyes caught something. Wrapped up in the forelegs of the skeleton was a little bundle of paper tied with a red string. Curious, I floated it out of the pony's hooves and began to pull it open. I almost dropped it when the raiders started yelling.

“Oh there you are, you sick fuck! He sent those cunts to distract us!” somepony yelled. I exchanged a confused look with Azure as the banging stopped.

“ We've been looking for you for a while. You're gonna pay for fucking with our gang you bastard!” Then a very disturbing, deep voiced laugh echoed through the hall. The raiders began to say something about how they were going to and I quote “Rape you skull!” then came the screaming. The raiders screams reverberated off the walls and clashed terribly with the gunshots and sound of breaking glass. Then, as soon as it began, all was quiet. Too quiet. Way too fucking quiet!

There was no more banging or screams or anything. I looked at Azure and she looked just as disturbed as I felt. We just stood there, for... I don't even know how long. Waiting for something, anything, to happen. But nothing did.

Finally, after what seemed like forever my heart began to slow it's beating and my breathing returned to normal. When I was sure that the door wasn't going to be broken down I holstered my shotgun and went about fixing up my leg while Azure raided the medical box. Digging the bullet out felt a little surreal; had it really been just two days since I was sitting around in Medical sucking on peppermints?

After extracting the bullet I downed a healing potion and turned my attention back to the little package. I pulled the string with my teeth and unfolded the paper. A little statuette of a young, garishly pink earth pony mare. An inscription on the bottom read,

AWARENESS! IT WAS UNDER E!

When my magic made contact with the statue I felt a strange burst of energy. The room around me became sharper, clearer and it even felt like my hearing sharpened a bit. I smiled, floated the statue to my saddlebags and turned my eyes to the note.

“Dear Blossom

I know things have been difficult the last few years and it means a lot that you've stuck by me all this time. I don't know what's going on with the crystal ponies but I'm sure it will calm down. They can't possibly be mad at Princess Luna forever...

Anyway, I'd like you to have this. This little pony helped me overcome my fears and every time I've felt that the weight of this war was about to crush me all I had to do was look at her and I felt better. I hope it does the same for you.

With love

-Fluttershy.

So Fluttershy knew the mare who ran the hospital. Since she was the head of the Ministry of Peace I shouldn't have been surprised but it seemed like she knew her on a personal level; maybe they were friends?

I Left the note on the desk and after Azure was ready we opened the door and cautiously entered the hall. The raiders were all dead; they weren't defiled but they were killed horribly. The wounds on their necks and torsos were made by a blade. Something long and serrated by the look of it. On the opposite wall was a switchblade stuck in the wood panels with a note tied to it.

CALLING CARD WAS HERE!

It read over a little picture of a smiley face. What...the fuck is wrong with ponies! I thought as we made our way back through the hospital. We stripped everything useful off the dead raiders (I didn't really like it but Azure pointed out they were psychotic fucks and they were dead anyway so it didn't really matter) as we went. They didn't have much; their weapons were crude, made out of pipes and two by fours. The only thing they had on them that was valuable were bullets and chems. I got a dozen shells for my shotgun, and Azure some rounds for her rifle. In addition we found a few shots of Med-X and some plastic inhalers that Azure identified as Dash. A party drug of some kind.

The first breath of air I got after leaving the hospital felt like heaven. No more breathing in decaying pony mixed with dung; Goddesses it was a relief. Azure appeared equally happy to leave the hospital. We checked every single room in the hospital on the way back down; whoever or whatever killed those raiders was a fucking monster and neither of us wanted to find out what it would do to us. But it was gone. The calling card on the wall was there freakiest part; it it wasn't a pony who killed the raiders then it was a monster that was fairly intelligent. If it was a pony who killed them then there was one dangerous mother fucker on the loose.

Azure spent the remainder of our trot back to the APT telling me about the various raider gangs in the Crystal Wastes. All of them were murdering, thieving bastards but a lot them also enjoyed torturing and killing ponies, using their bodies for decorations or warnings to rivals in the area.

“A way to mark their territory” she had said. Every time I closed my eyes I saw that place, and as long as I lived I didn't think I'd ever be able to forget it.

On the trip back I noticed a few things I'd missed on the way to the hospital. There were more posters on the buildings. Most were Ministry posters but there were also ones that seemed to scream defiance. There were several that resembled the poster I'd seen near the entrance to my Stable. Freee The Crystal Empire! And End The Oppression! There was even one of Princess Luna wearing some kind of strap on sex toy and was plowing a picture of the Crystal Palace.

AREN'T YOU SICK OF BEING FUCKED? REBEL!

I'm sure the Goddess wouldn't approve, but I just couldn't help laughing out loud at the picture; falling to the ground and holding my stomach tightly. When Azure asked what was up I pointed it out to her and she burst out laughing as well. We were probably alerting anything to our presence within a mile but I couldn't care less.

When we reached the APT I was relieved to find the griffon hadn't moved, and he was still breathing so he didn't die while we were gone. I took out our medical supplies and modified the brace with some strong wire and a two by four, then fitted his wing into it. After that I gave him two shots of Med-X and cut open his side. After checking to make sure his broken ribs hadn't punctured his internal organs I used my magic to realign his ribs and poured the Super Restoration potion that Azure found in the hospital's director's office down his throat. I watched in fascination as the ribs mended slowly before my eyes. Even Azure seemed entranced by the sight. I focused, using my magic to help the potion mend the flesh over his side and was rewarded when the wound closed entirely. There wasn't even a scar. Even though the effort had exhausted me and I'm certain that if the wound had been any bigger my horn would half burned out. Right now it was only sparking as I layed down near the griffon. It was almost night and with the clouds blocking the sun it was only going to get darker. The inside of the APT was big enough for several ponies.

“Hey Azure?” she turned to me and nodded. “I'm going to crash for a while. You mind keeping watch?” She smiled with a wink then adjusted her position so she was looking out the open hatch. “Thanks” I yawned and closed my eyes. As an afterthought I added, “Wake me up in a couple hours and we'll switch.”

“Alright doc.” she said.

I awoke a couple hours later exactly like I had the night before; by being poked in the face. I got up, stretching as Azure bid me goodnight before lying down herself. I sat down where Azure had and sometime while I was asleep she had found a cushion. I sat there for a while looking down the road covered in building parts and the occasional skeleton.

“How did it all come to this?” I asked no one in particular. It just didn't make sense. In 41 we'd always been taught that friendship was the greatest thing the world could offer. It was what made Equestria special, what made us great and strong. It kept us all together. As long as we had friendship we would always prevail...but looking out into the Crystal Wastes made me realize something. Everything comes to an end. Hell, even the immortal Princesses of old Equestria died in the last attack in the war. There was a priest in the Stable who taught us about Celestia and Luna the Goddesses, and our school teacher taught us about Celestia and Luna the Princesses. The priest claimed that when Celestia and Luna's mortal bodies died they gained their true, godly forms. Our teacher taught us how Celestia ruled for a thousand years of peace after Nightmare Moon was banished. How she returned and was defeated once again, being reformed into Princess Luna. She told us how, halfway through the war Celestia abdicated her position to her sister after the attack at Littlehorn, how Princess Luna took control of the country and formed the Ministries to defeat the Zebra's. But after twenty years of bloodshed and advanced technological and magical achievements the megaspells rained down on Equestria. The Zebra's couldn't beat us on the battlefield so they chose to blow us all to hell, including themselves in the process.

I sighed, sat up and quietly trotted over to the griffon. I'd never seen a griffon before, except in books. His body was a gray, while his head and wings were white, and his beak and talons were yellow. His breathing sounded unlabored, steady and even. He had been hit on the head pretty hard when he landed but from what I could tell there was no brain damage. Besides his wing he was completely fine. I returned to the hatch and sat down.After a minute or two I looked over my shoulder where Azure was sleeping. It felt kind of nice to have a friend out in the wasteland, or at least an acquaintance who wouldn't shoot me in the back, rob me or try to rape me. She risked her life to help me save the griffon and it made me feel good that she cared enough to do so. Or maybe she feels that she owes me for helping her back in the Gunner's apartment, I don't know, but I was glad she was with me regardless. The only real friends I'd had in 41 were Astible, who was dead. Dad, who was dead. And Cedric, who was extremely fucking dead! I felt tears welling up in my eyes as more and more ponies from the Stable flashed before my eyes. Astible, the Overmare, my teacher Mrs Noteworthy. All gone. I floated my locket in front of my face and opened it. I'll find that mother fucker.

I tucked it away and my thoughts strayed to the hospital. What kind of pony do you have to be to do that? How fucked up in the head do you need to be to carve ponies up for sick decorations? But despite all that the thing that bothered me the most was how we escaped. Somepony or some monster named 'Calling Card' brutally killed them all, but why? Was he trying to help us? That didn't seem likely, the raiders sounded like they'd seen him before, that they were looking for him. That he had 'fucked with them'. Maybe, whoever this 'Calling Card' was. He or she just liked killing ponies, raiders or not. But if that was true...why didn't he come after us after we left the director's office?

I rubbed my horn in thought for a moment. The healing spell had been more taxing than I thought it would. My horn still felt sore and I strained a little just to float Sacrifice in front of me. I turned my gaze to the night sky. I'd always seen pictures in the Stable's books showing a starry night with the moon glowing brilliantly, but it was nowhere to be seen. Just more clouds. I wonder if it will rain. As if answering my question thunder boomed in the distance and within ten minutes the rain was pouring from the sky. I watched as bolts of lightening streaked through the skies.

“Wow...” I'd never seen anything like it. It was as if the Goddesses were splitting the skies into fragments and reassembly them immediately after. Even if the sound was terrifying it was a beautiful sight...

“What's up doc?” Azure asked, sitting down next to me. “Never seen a thunderstorm in the Stable I'm guessing.” I shook my head and she continued. “You'll get used to it. It rains like this a lot out here in the Crystal Wastes.”

“What's up with the sky?” I asked. She paused and looked at me oddly. “The clouds. What's with all the clouds?” She nodded and pointed to the sky.

“When the Zebra's launched their megaspells the pegasus ponies closed up the sky with all those clouds to protect their cities. They abandoned the rest of Equestria to the wastes while they live up there in luxury. I met a dashite once, he told me how the cities are made of clouds and there's always enough food and nopony has to kill each other over two hundred year old snack cakes. Lucky bastards; his reason for leaving never did make since to me though.”

“Why'd he leave?” it seemed pretty stupid to cities of luxury in the sky, where you can see the sun and the stars and moon, and nopony killing each other.

“You'll get a kick out of this,” she said pulling a piece of paper from her bags and floating it over to me. I unfolded it and on the front was a drawing of a snowflake, underneath it read.

THE CRYSTAL EMPIRE NEEDS YOU!

YOU CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE!

JOIN THE AUXILIARY TODAY!

“He told me that one of his brothers picked that flier up on a patrol down here. Apparently he liked the idea of ponies helping each other just for the sake of helping each other. He came down here to join and the Enclave branded him a traitor for it.” She explained. Why is it that every time I ask a question I end up with more questions? She saw the look on my face and explained further.

“The Enclave is what the Pegasi call their military. They're not exactly the nicest bunch of ponies from what Clear Skies told me. I heard that they have some kind of outpost in the ruins of the Crystal Palace.”

“Wasn't the palace destroyed by the zebras balefire bomb though?” I asked. Ugh, why did I have to ask. She'll probably just tell me something that will make me ask another question, and another. And another.

“No. That's what most folks think but the zebra's megaspell didn't reach the palace before it exploded. Damn thing exploded outside the city's northwestern edge. Spread all the shadow fog everywhere. And it wasn't exactly a balefire bomb either. This old buck stopped by my home once and told me a story about it. That and a hundred others things. Apparently it was some special kind of megaspell that was only used in the north.  Don't know much about it but it still spread the rads just fine.” She took the paper back and folded it carefully before replacing it in her saddlebags. I didn't know much about megaspells but from what I'd read in books they were really, really, big magic bombs that could wipe entire cities off the map.

“How does that work?” I asked. I thought for sure she'd know but she just shrugged.

“No clue. I don't know the first thing about how megaspells work. I just know they go, boom!” she said dramatically, raising her forelegs over her head. We shared a laugh and she yawned. “When do you think 'feathers' is going to get up?” I rubbed my chin in thought.

“I'm not sure, but it shouldn't be long. He'll probably be up in a few hours. If not...then I don't know. He may have brain damage or something” She nodded and looked over her shoulder at where he was.

“It might be a good idea to tie him up doc.” She stated simply.

“Why?” I asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Think about it. What would you do if you were a griffon, who got shot through the wing then crashed into a damn tank; and the next thing you knew there were two ponies that you didn't know standing over you. And one of them is wearing gunner combat armor? You know, the ponies who shot him?” she finished with a smirk. I opened my mouth to argue but I couldn't come up with anything. I looked at the griffon and frowned. She's right, he might freak out and attack us. He may not have any weapons but those claws...

“You might be right but I think he would react worse if he woke up tied up. Besides, even if we did tie him up I think he'd just cut himself out and then cut us to ribbons.” Azure thought for a moment and agreed.

Azure and I spent the rest of the night watching the lightening streaking across the sky and telling stories. Needless to say her stories were more entertaining than mine. Running around the ruins was a lot more exciting than living in a Stable to say the least.

“Why didn't you join the Auxiliary?” I asked. She frowned, and her ears drooped as she answered.

“Well... I thought about it. But those guys have been in decline for a while. You see, they used to control all the old Pre-war forts, I think there were six, or maybe eight in all, then they had a bunch of smaller outposts all over the Crystal Wastes. But then the Syndicate came around, I think this was like thirty years ago. Their stupids androids started killing any ponies they saw as a threat. Then there was the schism about twelve years when I was just a filly.” I raised an eyebrow and waved a hoof for her to continue. She flushed a little. “Sorry, I keep forgetting. Anyway, a schism is when a group splits apart and fight each other. One of the battalions thought that the Auxiliary had the right to conquer the wastes, instead of just protecting the ponies who live here. The Auxiliary was always about protecting ponies but like I said earlier, the pay sucks and it's fucking dangerous. This one mare, Commander Yellow Diamond, seceded and tried to take over. Remember when I said the Gunners stomped them recently?” I nodded.

“They stomped them good. Took one of their forts from them in the east. Then with Yellow Diamond causing the trouble she was the Auxiliary went into a full blown civil war. They ended up winning, that bitch Yellow Diamond and her followers were killed at the battle of Fort Gestalt, but it was very costly to the Auxiliary. They lost so many ponies they had to abandon some of their forts. Now the Auxiliary only controls four forts. I didn't want to join after that. So when a squad of Gunners found me in the wastes I decided to join up. They showed me some wicked tricks with a gun and they sent me out here. So, there ya go doc.” She finished, crossing her forelegs together.

The rain had slowed to a sprinkle and the morning light was beginning to come through the clouds. It wasn't much but it was enough. An hour or so after dawn the griffon began to stir.

“Might be a good idea to back up a bit doc. Don't want to get my face slashed off if he freaks out.” But I shook my head.

“I'm sure it will be fine” I trotted closer as his eyes began to open. He tensed and faster than I thought possible he jumped from the floor put me in a headlock and twisted me around, putting me between him and Azure, who had her rifle ready.

“Let her go!” She yelled, keeping the rifle trained on his head. I wasn't as concerned as she was though. He wasn't hurting my neck, just preventing me from escaping. And he was shaking too. He was just scared.

“Who are you? Where am I? Why.. ow!” he tried to stretch his wing and flinched, his claws tearing the front of my dress. He looked at his wing, wrapped strapped into a brace and his eyes widened. “What...happened?” He asked. His grip on my neck lessened but he still didn't let go.

“We found you yesterday. You were hurt, and I tended to your wounds.” I explained.

“You'd be dead right now if it wasn't for her!” Azure shouted, keeping her rifle pointed at him. The griffon looked surprised at this, and after a moment's hesitation, he released me.

“Why...would you help me? You're Gunners.” I blinked and looked between Azure (who looked like she might shoot him) and myself.

“We're not Gunners. Well, she was but I never was.” I said with a smile. The griffon shook his head and pointed a claw at us.

“I saw both of you on the roof of that building before everything went dark! You were with the Gunners and she's even wearing their insignia!” he finished pointing at Azure.

“I was with the Gunners” she said impatiently. “but they were brutal assholes so I bailed when you and your buddies decided to level the place!” I shot her a look and stepped closer to the griffon.

“Why didn't your friends come after you? I saw you get shot down and they just ignored it.” He rubbed his beak thoughtfully.

“Well the mission comes first. They must have been busy dealing with the Gunners...then again, maybe my signal emitter got busted when I landed.” He pointed at his bags and I dug through them until I found a square metal box with an antenna on it. I floated it to him and he examined it. “Huh, they must have had some trouble. The distress signal's been broadcasting since yesterday. They should have been here by now...” He looked saddened for a moment before brightening slightly. “You...you really helped me, even though you were with the Gunners?” he asked. Azure and I nodded.

“We even fought our way through a bunch of raiders at a hospital near here to get you supplies, including that brace on your wing.” Azure added venomously. The griffon looked stung by her comment and I scowled at her. She noticed my look and rolled her eyes.

“I'm sorry.” He said, making Azure's jaw drop. “I really am. And, thank you, both of you. I'd be dead if it wasn't for you.” I was about to tell him it was nothing when there was a thud on the roof of the APT. Azure shrieked as something grabbed her by the tail and pulled her out of the APT. Three armored griffons landed on the ground just feet from where she was standing. Two wielded assault carbines like the gunners had while the griffon in the center held a pistol that was glowing a sinister green.

“Release your prisoner or the blue one's going to get it!” she yelled, pointing the odd weapon directly at Azure, who was being held by another griffon just feet away. I rushed forward with the male griffon right at my heels.

“Wait! I'm not a prisoner!” The other griffons around us began to mutter among themselves while their leader looked skeptical.

“This is a Gunner” she said pointing at Azure, “If she wasn't holding you prisoner then what are you doing with an enemy combatant?” She asked. Azure bit the claw of one of the griffons holding her and they dropped her on her head.

“Goddesses dammit!” she said, rolling to her hooves. “I'm not a fucking Gunner!” The griffons didn't seem to believe her though, the two that dropped her tackled her to the ground and pinned her down. “For fuck's sake! Just ask Healer.” the griffons seemed surprised and the muttering intensified. The lead griffon turned to me and looked me over a moment before turning to the griffon behind me.

“Is this true, Gareth?” she asked, her voice softer than I thought it would be.

“Yes. They found me unconscious and even went to the trouble of going to a hospital near here to get the stuff I needed. They fought raiders to help me.” he said, bowing his head a little. The griffons all landed and the one's holding Azure looked to their leader. She nodded and they let her go. The lead griffon stepped towards me and held out a claw. I shook it and was very thankful she was gentle. Those things are fucking sharp! I thought.

“Heard about you on the radio. Thought it was just some bullshit story but I guess I'm wrong. I'd give you some armor but I don't think it would fit on ya.” she rubbed her chin for a moment and was about to suggest something else when Gareth stepped forward.

“Maybe, I could help?” Her eyes narrowed dangerously at him and he shrank back a bit. “Well. She did save my life. I'd like to repay her myself.” he looked at me. “that's if you don't mind?” I stammered for a second.

“That's out of the question!” she yelled stepping towards him and grabbing the feathers on his chest. “we have a contract to fulfill. You know you can't leave till the job's done.”

“That's not technically true, Greta” a male griffon said, going to her side. “He only came with us as a trainee. If he wants to take out a contract with this mare it's his right. He's not technically under contract.” She let Gareth go and turned on the other griffon.

“He's too young! Gilderoy would have my hide if I let his son run around without supervision.” Another of the griffons, and older looking mare, stepped forward.

“I think he would be proud actually. He's been wanting him to get into the game for a while.”

“He isn't fully trained!”

“You don't get any better training than on the job training” The old griffon countered. Greta seemed to be at a loss. After a few moments she grunted, pulling out a roll of paper from her bags along with a pen. She wrote a quick note and rolled it up. She tossed it to one of her griffons and ordered him to take it to Gilderoy. When he flew off she removed a second roll of paper and started writing.

“Alright Gareth. This is the contract. Your being hired as a body guard. The duration is as long as you think it will need to be until you paid them back. And just so you know, if something happens you're on your own.” She toss pen to me and I almost missed it. “Sign here and you got yourself a talon guard. And you remember girl, he ain't a servant, he'll protect ya not rub your hooves.” I quickly nodded and read the contract. It said exactly what she had said, including the part about not rubbing my hooves. I signed the bottom and she rolled it up, then put it in her bags. She and the other griffons flew into the air, she turned and nodded to Gareth, balling up her right talons and pressing them to her chest. Gareth did the same and the other griffons as well. Then, without so much as another word they flew back to the south.

…............................

It seemed odd to me that they would just leave Gareth with me like that. Not that I really minded, he seemed nice enough, and he apologized to me half a dozen times about trying to take me hostage. Azure didn't look at all happy about him staying with us, but she didn't complain. From what she said, it was safer to travel through the Crystal Wastes in a group than alone.

Gareth didn't seem like he would be a mercenary. He wasn't at all like Greta had been. She was mean, Austere and intimidating but Gareth seemed calm, if even a little timid. Not to say that he wasn't kind of intimidating. He was muscular, and those claws were sharp as razors. And once he donned his dark gray talon armor and strapped those blades to his wingtips, he looked the part of soldier, but the look didn't extend to his eyes. He seemed kind enough.

After sharing some of our medical supplies with Gareth we left the APT and turned northeast towards Gem City. It was still a day or two off at the rate we were moving but I was happy with our progress regardless. Since in two days I'd been kidnapped, taken hostage, and fought through a bunch of raiders and didn't die, I was happy. Looking at my Pip-Buck I noticed that there were more markers on my map. The hospital and the APT had been marked. I don't know how my Pip-Buck pulled names out of nowhere but I wasn't complaining.

We were walking past several collapsed buildings when Azure grabbed my tail. I looked over my shoulder and she pointed at a large store. The sign read:

TOPAZ ENERGY WEAPONS!

PROTECTION THAT COMES IN A FLASH!

“What about it?” I asked. She facehoofed and pointed at the sign again.

“It's an energy weapons store! There could be some seriously sweet shit in there,” she pointed a hoof at Gareth and asked him, “What do you think Feathers?” he scowled at the nickname, she hadn't called him by his real name once.

“Please don't call me that.” he turned to me. “She is right though. There might be some really good salvage in there. Weapons, ammunition. In the very least there could be parts.” He was standing on his hindlegs, holding a lever action shotgun in his talons. How he could balance like that and not fall over though...

“Gem City isn't going anywhere. Besides, we could get some serious caps for just about anything we could find in there.” She began walking towards the front of the store I hung my head and followed. Fucking bottlecaps for money, how did that one happen?

The front of the store was boarded up, and under the boards were metal bars covering the doors and windows. Azure went to a side alley next to the store and Gareth and I followed. There was a metal door on the side of the building but when Azure tried to open it but it was locked. She aimed her rifle at the door and was about to pull the trigger when Gareth tapped her on the shoulder. She moved aside and he fiddled with the lock for about a minute before if clicked and the door swung inward. Azure and I stared at him in astonishment but he simply shrugged, showing us a bobby pin and a screwdriver.

Azure went in first her rifle readied, I followed right behind with Gareth covering my rear. The inside of the store was dark, very dark. Azure jumped a foot in the air when I turned my Pip-Buck's lamp on. With the room illuminated I could see several dozen crates stacked along the walls, it must've been an old storage room. We continued into the main part of the store and looked around. The center of the store was dominated by several large display shelves that had dozens of strange looking weapons on them.

“Hot damn! We hit the fucking jackpot.” Azure shouted as she ran to one of the displays and pulled one of the guns off. But it broke apart in her magic's grip, the shards falling on the floor with a clatter. She tapped them with a hoof and frowned, “Oh that is total bullshit, these are fucking display models!” just be sure we checked every single magic weapon and like she said they were all plastic floor models. I looked at the front window and shined my light on it. There was a sign that we couldn't see from the outside.

GRAND OPENING NEXT MONTH!

Since the floor room was a bust we searched the rest of the store. I checked the manager's office while Azure and Gareth looked through the storage crates by the door. Gareth had pulled out a little flashlight so they wouldn't be walking around blindly. The office walls were painted a bright pink that made my ears droop just looking at them. There was a poster on the wall next to a pair of filing cabinets.

YOU TOO CAN BE A STEEL RANGER!

Directly below was a pony fully encased in steel armor, he was rearing up in the middle of a battlefield with dozens of dead Zebras surrounding him. That's what I need I thought comparing the Steel Ranger's armor to my nurse's dress. I'd settle for something though!

There was a terminal on the desk and since the rest of the room was bare of anything valuable I checked it out. There were several messages from the store's manager to a weapon's company called Flash Industries. All but two of them were corrupted.

Message to Rose: Buisiness

“Hey Rose, it's Ink. I'd like to thank you for the floor models, it'll keep the lookie lou's from getting too suspicious until the main shipment arrives. Listen, that thing we've been talking about is going to go down next month. I need you to send the real shipment early. My contacts will be ready.”

Message to Rose: M.O.M.

“The pinch came down. A dozen M.O.M. Operatives stormed Wingstrike's house ten minutes ago. He sent the message to my Pip-Buck so it won't be long until they track me down, just make sure you get the shipments to Stable 17 or the cause won't last. I had my supplies moved there last week so they wont get a damn thing when they raid the store. Stupid fuckers. I only hope that I can tell that cunt Pinkie Pie to sit on my horn and spin in person. Haha!”

“Free the Crystal Empire!”

There it was again. I pulled out of the messages and looked through the terminal's other features. Among the private messages and shipment details there was one message caught my attention.

Death to Tyrants! 1590564CADENCE

On a hunch, I typed it into the keyboard, and I heard a metallic whine directly behind me. I jumped clear over the desk in surprise and landed on the floor on the opposite side. I heard the clatter of rushing hooves and claws as Azure and Gareth came into the doorway.

“What happened?” they asked in unison, making them blink at each other. Behind the desk, where solid wall had been just moments ago there was an open stairwell.

“I found a door.” I said simply.

I got up off the floor and pointed my Pip-Buck lamp down the stairs. The stairs were long enough that I couldn't see the bottom.

“What do you think, should we check it out?” I asked. Azure jumped forward and started down the stairs.

“Oh hells yeah! Secret bunker here I come.” She said gleefully, taking Gareth's flashlight. I smirked while Gareth stared after her in confusion. I shrugged, then went down the stairs, Gareth following close behind.

Once we reached the bottom of the staircase it turned into a short hallway. None of the lights in the hall were working but I could see a light at the far end. We emerged into a large concrete room that was only lit by my Pip-Buck, Gareth's flashlight and a terminal built into the wall. Next to the terminal was a massive steel door that stretched from the floor to the ceiling.

“Whoohoo! Jackpot!” azure shrieked, bouncing on her hooves foalishly. Gareth and I watched her for over a minute before she stopped bouncing and flushed furiously. I trotted over to the terminal and was disappointed to find it locked.

“Do you know anything about hacking terminals?” I asked Azure she shook her head. When I looked to Gareth he grinned. I stepped back as he started typing away at the terminal. He sat there for about five minutes muttering a bit and swearing under his breath a couple times before the terminal beeped.

“Got it!” he looked at me over his shoulder. “Would you like to do the honors?” I grinned and trotted to the terminal and pressed, enter. The door let out an extremely loud groan. The door slowly slid open, the door itself gouging a line in the concrete floor as it moved. The room beyond the door was brightly lit by fluorescent light built into the ceiling. The walls of the bunker were covered in from floor to ceiling in shelves empty shelves. Well not entirely empty. There were a few cans of pre-war food and an ammo box. In the center of the room was a pedestal with a slightly glowing orb. While Azure and Gareth went through the shelves I stepped towards the pedestal and focused my magic on the orb to lift it. Suddenly, the world around me disappeared.

                       ---------oooOOOOooo---------

I was standing extremely still in a finely furnished throne room. Crystal pillars were spaced at regular intervals alongside a long purple carpet. There were sparkling stallions standing opposite of me and to my sides. I tried to move but I couldn't, I tried to talk but I couldn't move. Wait...sparkling? Everypony within my field of vision had a sparkling coat, mane and tail. Was that orb some kind of party drug or...

I could feel my body...no, not my body. The body I was feeling was different. Much taller, more muscular and...oh fuck! I could feel something different between my hindlegs, what the fuck! Ugh it felt weird, I every time I tried to move I couldn't but I could feel the body of the stallion. I was almost on the verge of a mental break down when the buck turned his head to the left and if I could I would have gasped. A tall, dark unicorn mare with a flowing mane of stars right by her...wings? Goddess Luna! I felt my heart beat spike at the sight of her and if I could move I'd have been fanfillying all over the place. There was another winged unicorn walking beside her, this one being bright pink with a multi colored mane dressed in golden jewelry. On the Princess's other side was a stallion in dark metal armor. Much like the other stallions in the room. I could feel myself scowl at the Princess and whispered something into a little microphone in the side of my helmet.

“Target has arrived.”

After they passed directly in front of me I felt my legs shuffle to the slightly to the side and not even a moment later I heard glass shatter directly behind me. The head of the dark armored guard exploded into bits of blood and brains that splattered onto Princess Luna and myself.

“Everypony down! Initiate lock down!” Somepony yelled as alarms blared through the hall while dozens of ponies with weapons strapped to their sides rushed into the room and surrounded the Princess protectively.

“Who dares attack the sovereign of this land!” The Goddess shouted, causing everypony around her to flinch a bit as they moved towards the other end of the hall.

The stallion that I was 'riding' I guess is a good comparison, muttered angrily as he joined the protective circle of guards.

“Dammit! She was right there.” he said it quietly enough that nopony seemed to hear him as he and the other crystal guards escorted the Princess out of the room. He scowled at his hooves the entire time and once Princess Luna and the pink mare were safely behind a large pair of doors he, and two other guards trotted down a separate. He was moving fast enough that it was hard for me to make out the decor but I did notice that they took the crystal motif very seriously. Everything was made of the same material with slight variations in the color.

We opened a side door and once they were all inside I bucked the doors shut.

“Son of a bitch!” I felt myself say angrily. “How could she have missed? Her fucking cutie-mark is a bulls eye!” the other guards grumbled in agreement and the one unicorn of the group cleared his throat for silence.

“I'll have to modify our memories. If they catch her our positions will be exposed. We can't risk that.” The pony I was riding nodded then asked,

“Should I send word to Vesper and have her taken care of?” The unicorn shook his head and one by one, pressed his horn to each of the other guards foreheads. When he turned to me he whispered,

“Alright Sand Arrow. I'll send a copy to Topaz. Make sure when the call comes you make it to the shop.” I felt myself nod stiffly, and he touched his horn to my/his forehead.

“Will it hurt?” I felt myself ask. The unicorn smiled, shaking his head and the world fell away again.

                  -------------ooooOOOOoooo------------

The next thing I knew I was being shaken violently by a very scared looking Azure.

“Goddess dammit, wake up Silver Heart. Wake the fuck up!”

“Please...stop....with...the...fucking...shaking!” I almost screamed. She jumped back from me, dropping me to the ground in the process.

“Shit I'm sorry,” she cried, helping me to my hooves. “ We didn't know what happened. You just passed out and you wouldn't wake up and Feathers wouldn't shut up about memories and I'm so sorry!” she was on the verge of tears.

“It's alright,” I put a hoof on her shoulder. “I don't know what happened either. I just tried to lift that orb and I had some kind of vision or something, where I was a stallion.” She looked at me in deep confusion and I was about to explain when Gareth cut me off.

“It wasn't a vision and you weren't a stallion. Like I was trying to tell Azure, that's a memory orb.” He picked up the little glass call in his talons. “They're filled with memories that are either removed or copied out of someone's mind. Ponies used to get their memories taken out all the time before the megaspells.” He tossed the ball in the air and caught it a few times but he stopped when I kept staring at him. “What?” He asked.

“How did you know that?” I asked.

“What do you mean?” He raised an eyebrow...wait, does he have eyebrows? Or are those feathers?

“Well...why do know stuff about ponies? You're a griffon.” I didn't really know much about griffons. I learned in the Stable school that they were mercenaries. I didn't think mercenaries knew much other than shooting things.

“I live in Equestria,” he stated, like he was explaining to a small child. “There's quite a few ponies here, even after the megaspells. And there's always interesting things hidden away if you know where to look.” He stopped for a moment and scratched his head before adding, “There is no knowledge that isn't power.”

                                      …....................

After leaving Topaz Energy Weapons we made our way through a series of collapsed buildings opposite an old playground. As a way to make up for my earlier bluntness I asked Gareth where he'd learned to hack terminals and pick locks. He brightened as he explained how his grandmother taught him.

“She was real tech savvy back in the day. And even though my dad thought it was a waste to learn it she taught me anyway. She tried to teach me magical energy weapon maintanance but those things are so damn complicated, I never really got the hang of it.”

“Well, maybe we'll find you some books and you can read up on it.” I said, jumping over a large pothole, I could have gone around it, but it was fun jumping. There wasn't a whole lot of fun in Stable 41 so I was trying to make the best of my new life. Azure watched me in amusement out of the corner of her eye. Gareth rolled his eyes and continued to watch our left side, the side with the collapsed buildings.

My Pip-Buck started clicking, I looked at the screen and saw the little rainbow had moved into the yellow.

“We should find another route, this place has a lot of rads.” I said. I was about to turn into the park when Gareth said,

“Stop!” Azure and I looked at him, concerned. Holding up his claws for silence he turned his head to his left and his ears perked in the direction of the buildings. There was tendrils of black smoke seaping out of the rubble and the sewer holes nearby. His eyes widened as he looked at me.

“Run!” he whispered backing away from the rubble slowly, but before he had gone more than a few steps the most horrid creature I'd ever seen began crawling its way towards him. I suppose, at one time, the deformed, rotting creature may have been a pony but now if was a monster that would haunt my dreams. It's body was rotted and blacked. It's eyes were pure white while what was once mane and tail was only smoke swirling about. The creature let out a feral growl and leaped at Gareth as he raised his shotgun. It bit down on the barrel and Gareth struggled to pull it free as several more began crawling out of the wrecked buildings. My ears rang as Azure started firing her assault carbine into the creatures.

“Ghouls!” she screamed emptying the clip into five of the creatures, but it wasn't enough. There were coming from nearby building, crawling out of drains on the sides of the streets, two even fell off the roof and landed spread eagle nearby. For a moment I couldn't move, until Azure smacked me upside the head. “Hey doc, I'm sure the ghouls broke your medical pony brain and all but were gonna die if we don't get moving!” She was right too. Gareth slashed the head of the ghoul he was wrestling with and blew it's head off with a blast of his shotgun. He tried take to the air but he couldn't with his busted wing. The ghouls would have swarmed him but Azure cut the ghouls down with her carbine. By now I had drawn my shotgun and slid into S.A.T.S. I wasn't the best shot, okay that's being generous, I am absolutely terrible. But with S.A.T.S. I could get a few lucky shots in.

But even with all three of us shooting the damn things just kept coming. Gareth had emptied his shotgun and the ghouls didn't give him enough time to reload, so he had to use use blade and talons.

“I'm on my last clip!” Azure yelled, trying to down each ghoul with a head shot. I wasn't doing much better. My shotgun ws effective enough, but since I missed half the time I was reloading more than I was helping. I knew my ammo bag was getting lighter by the shot and I'd be out of ammo soon, so I looked around for a place for us to go but there were nothing around us but broken buildings and the playground...the playground.

“Follow me!” I yelled, turned and ran towards the old playground. Azure and Gareth followed closely behind. Azure firing wildly behind her while Gareth reloaded his shotgun. I ran under the monkey bars and up the stairs to the slide. Azure and Gareth followed, looking at me like I'd lost my mind. The twenty or so ghouls tried to follow but the stairs weren't wide enough for all of them. Azure and Gareth realized what I'd done and opened fire. Gareth's shotgun downing a ghoul with each blast, and Azure's precision shots killing ghoul after ghoul.

“Fuck! I'm out.” she yelled swinging her rifle at any ghoul who got to close. The ghouls had circled around to the slide and began trying climb up it. Emptied my shotgun into the first three then I tried to reload. The last ghoul on my side took the opening jumping the remaining distance and biting down on my shoulder. I screamed as the jagged and broken teeth sank deeply into my flesh. The fucking thing is trying to eat me! I panicked and focused my magic on Sacrifice, popped out the blade and jammed as hard as I could as many times as I could into the ghouls head and chest. Black fluid splattered all over me with each stroke. Finally it released me and I bucked it in the chest, sending it flying down the slide into another ghoul. BLAM! BLAM! Gareth;s shotgun roared just feet from my head blasting the last two ghouls into heaps of deformed meat paste.

And just like that it was over. All the ghouls we lying dead on the ground around us and on the various pieces of playground equipment. Azure was just finishing beating one to death with the stock of her rifle while Gareth dug out a healing potion for me.

“Thanks” I said, taking the potion gratefully and downing it in three gulps. The magic began mending my shoulder but it felt like it would be sore for hours, if not a day or more. “Where did these things come from?” I asked, poking the side of one with my revolver.

“Ghouls are ponies that suffered way too much magical radiation and didn't die. Or at least in the traditional sense, anyway. These freaky fuckers are Shadow Ghouls. See the weird hair? They're only found in the Crystal Empire.” She shuttered at the strange corpses. “Another reason I'd like to move to Manehatten” Azure explained, checking their bodies for anything valuable. Gareth nodded and searched through his saddlebags.

“What kind of ammo does your carbine use, Azure?” she turned and answered.

“5.56 millimeter.” Gareth looked through his bags for almost a minute before pulling out about a dozen bullets.

“Sorry. This is all I got from the ammo box.” She accepted the bullets, loaded them into a clip and slapped it into her rifle.

“How far are we from Gem City, doc?” I lifted my Pip-Buck and checked the map. Dammit...

“We're still a day off at the rate were moving..” I groaned in my mind at the thought of walking through the wastes dealing with fucking monster ponies, and asshole raiders!

“Shame my wing isn't one hundred percent.” Gareth said, stretching like a house cat. “Then I could just fly us there.” Azure turned to him and asked,

“You can lift us both?” He shrugged with a quick 'probably' before loading more shells into his shotgun. He pulled the lever forward and back again, loading a round.

“We should probably get going. If our shooting attracted those ghouls who knows what else knows we're here,” he turned to Azure. “and we don't have a lot of ammo left.” Azure scowled, and nodded in agreement. “If we get swarmed like that again we're not going to last long.” He was right, we needed to get moving.

The rest of the day was mostly uneventful, besides seeing a few frightened looking scavengers who ran at the sight of us we didn't see anypony. Or any ghouls, or raiders either. Thank Celestia for that. By nightfall we had found a place to rest. It was an old winery, there was a billboard on the roof with a faded picture of a purple, middle aged mare with some grapes and a strawberry for her cutie-mark.

                       BERRY'S FINE WINE CO

Gareth went in first, and after declaring the place was clear of danger we followed. The main room was a large counter that stretched from wall to wall, with a little swinging door so ponies could get behind the counter. The walls were covered in posters with pictures of wine glasses and bottles. There was an open door behind the counter with a terminal visible on a desk. I'll check that out tomorrow. I thought, looking for a comfortable spot on the floor. I found a fairly good piece of floor At least there's no trash. And there was trash all over most of the floor, along with several empty bottles. I dropped my bags and slumped down on the floor. Eyup, nice and comfortable floor. Azure found her own spot on the floor while Gareth sat down and leaned his back against the counter. His eyes trained on the door and his shotgun lying across his lap.

As inviting as sleep was I had a question that was burning a whole in my mind since I'd met the griffon.

“Hey Gareth?” he turned to me with a nod. “Where do griffons come from?”

“Well, you see Silver. When a mommy griffon and a daddy griffon love each other very much...” he started laughing with Azure as I blushed furiously.

“What I mean is, what is your homeland like?” waved a claw around the bar.

“This is my homeland. Equestria. I've never been to the griffon skies and none of my family has either, that I know of.” I raised an eyebrow and Azure scooted closer.

“Story time!” she said brightly, her eyes bulging. Gareth sighed deeply and drew a breath.

“My dad told me that most of the griffons in northern Equestria came from Stable 57. The only griffon Stable in the whole country. Twenty years after the megaspells dropped they opened up the doors and started taking mercenary work all over Equestria. But I have heard stories about the homeland that have been passed down from my ancestors.” Azure and I waited in anticipation while Gareth stayed silent, building the suspense.

“The First Griffon Republic rose two hundred years before the founding of Equestria. Our holdings were numerous, our armies all but invincible. The griffons were the envy of all other species for centuries; but then came Nightmare Moon.

“When Nightmare Moon refused to lower the moon and she and Celestia were preparing to do battle, the Republic sent it's best warriors to kill the night Princess and restore balance to the world.”

Kill the Goddess? I thought.

“How do you kill a Goddess?” Azure asked before I could. Gareth snorted.

“She's wasn't a Goddess, and she still isn't. She was a pony just like any other pony, only she was very skilled with magic.”

“But she controls the moon!” I stated with certainty.

“No, she doesn't. The moon and sun circle around the world but they weren't responsible for it. They just made sure that they were staying in a specific orbit. Kept them moving in harmony. Right now they still move but its a little more random.” he shook his head. “I'm getting off topic. After we sent our warriors to strike her down Celestia used her magic to banish Nightmare Moon and restore harmony. But my people were not satisfied with banishment, neither were the Zebras or Buffalo. Many wanted Celestia to execute her but she refused to kill her sister. The First Griffon Republic and the Zebra Empire had talked of invading Equestria and forcing Celestia to execute Luna. But then the Broken Egg Incident occurred”

“Whats that?” Azure and I asked at the same time.

“The Broken Egg Incident was the greatest tragedy in my peoples history before the megaspells. A dozen Zebra assassins in stealth cloaks infiltrated the Republic and destroyed the state building. More than a dozen soldiers were killed, several republic representatives and thirty unhatched eggs that were in the nursery. The Broken Egg Incident ended the First Republic. With half the government dead and children coldly murdered our armies began attacking the Zebras with a vengeance. Thousands of griffons raided the Zebra Capital of Roam. My people burned buildings, stole valuables, even stole hundreds of books from the library before putting it to the torch. After the sacking of Roam, my people reorganized and formed the Second Republic. Several key laws were changed but the key one was that griffon mercenaries could offer their services to the other races.

“Before the second republic, mercenaries were seen as cowardly. Soldiers served the Republic, not the almighty coin. In fact mercenaries were illegal before the Second Republic came to power. And though some disagreed the effects were great. The Republic became richer and more powerful than ever. Even rivaling Equestria at it's heights. In fact, if the Second Republic would have stayed in power it was seen as inevitable that the griffons would have conquered not only the Zebras but Equestria as well.” What!?

“But woe friends, for the glory was not to last. The Zebra Empire was on the brink of collapse. Our air raids were killing their morale more than we were killing people. We were this close to victory,” He put two of claws really close together to emphasize. “when the traditionalists rebelled and the Second Republic fell into civil war. It hadn't even lasted five years.”

“Why would they rebel though?” Azure asked skeptically. “If the griffons were better off why did they throw it away and fight a war. Seems really stupid to me.” Gareth nodded.

“It was stupid. Very stupid. It was the start of civil war that lasted between my race for centuries. The Zebra Empire recovered but didn't try attacking us again. Knowing that if they did we might drop our differences and retaliate. It wasn't until Nightmare Moon was defeated for a second time that my people reorganized, forming the Third Republic.

“This one was simpler. Instead of a standing army there was only a representative for each faction of the Talon mercenaries. That is why the Third Republic was known mainly as the Talon Republic. Along with the representatives was an arbiter who settled disputes among the factions. It lasted maybe twenty five years before the megaspells. The magical radiation and force of the megaspells was just as devastating to the griffons as it was to everyone else, but with Stable 57 and the high mountains where my people lived, our species endured. They say the Third Republic fell that day but my dad is the head of our band of talons” he pointed to the insignia on his armor, a pair of wings with a sword in between. “He always has visiting leaders from other talon factions in his office. There was this one chick, Gawdya, I think her name was, she operates down south in the ruins of some old train town. Mean bird, but it shows that the Talon Republic is still around, even is there is no Arbiter right now.” He stretched and looked between us.

“What?” He asked. Azure and I smiled at each other before bursting.

“Another story!”

“Okay...” Gareth rubbed his beak thoughtfully for a moment before snapping his claws. “Alright, I'll tell you about the most famous griffon of the Talon Republic. Gilda...”

                            ….........................

“She...killed, Rainbow Dash!?” Azure asked. Gareth nodded. “But, how! Rainbow Dash was the greatest flier in Equestria's history.”

“Not sure. The story goes that the Pegasi hired her to bring back her head... I don't remember if they actually got it or not but it made Gilda a legend. Rainbow Dash fought in the war for more than a decade. She brought down dragons! So when Gilda killed her it sealed her place in history” Gareth leaned back against the bar and yawned. “What did you see in that orb?” he asked casually.

“I'm not sure. I was experiencing it through this stallion guard. He was watching Goddess Luna walk along this hall and...” I froze. Azure was staring at me. Her eyes huge and her mouth hanging open.

“You...saw the Goddess!?” I nodded. “Let me see! Please, please, please!” She begged. “Please, please, please, please, please!!”

“Alright! Just hold on a second.” I dug around in my bags until I found the orb and tossed it to her. She caught it in her teeth, squeeling like like a fanfilly. She focused her magic on the orb and her pupils shrank. Her expression going blank. Gareth snorted.

“Ponies. So what were you saying, Silver?” He asked. I stuttered for a moment before I realized what he meant.

“Oh, right. I watched Luna and another winged unicorn walking down this crsytal hall and then somepony shot through the window and killed one of her guards. It took his head right off...” Who the hell invented guns anyway? What pony thought it was a good idea to make something that can kill ponies so easily?

“What color was the other alicorn?” he asked.

“What's an alicorn?”

“It's a unicorn with wings.” Gareth explained. Again using that tone that suggested he was telling a small child how one plus one is two. “Now what did she look like?

“Her coat was pink. And her mane and tail were pink, purple and yellow.” he whistled brightly and said,

“Wow. You find a memory orb with two pony Goddesses in it just a few days out of the Stable. What are the fucking odds of that?”

“She was a Goddess?” I'd never heard of any Goddesses except Celestia and Luna. 41's priest would have called that blashpamy.

“Some ponies seem to think so. My kind never took stock in Goddesses. But living in the Equestrian Wasteland you learn about them eventually. The pink alicorn was Princess Cadence. She and her husband ruled the Crystal Empire before the Megaspells. Apparently she was the only Princess that the Crystal Ponies gave a damn about. Only reason they didn't rebel against Luna was because Cadence told them not to.” He finished, pulling a canteen out of his saddlebags and taking a long pull. “I gotta say though, the fact that someone tried to blow Luna's head off is pretty interesting. I just wonder who owned that gun shop. Must have had quite the hate boner for Luna.” he put away the canteen just Azure came out of the orb.

“What the fuck was that Silver!?” when I didn't answer she continued. “You could have said somepony's head got splattered all over the place ya know!”

“Well if you had waited until she finished talking you would have known, now wouldn't you?” Gareth said sarcastically. Azure scowled darkly at the griffon before rolling the orb back over to me. “Shame you can't use memory orbs. Eh, Feathers?” Gareth just shrugged and for some reason that only made Azure look even more annoyed.

“You two should try to get some sleep.” Gareth said, checking the load on his shotgun. “If you want to get to Gem City before tomorrow night we'll have to leave early.”

“Aren't you going to sleep?” I asked. But Gareth simply shook his head.

“Nah. You two go ahead.” he said waving his claws at us. Then he crossed his hindlegs and claws behind his head. His shotgun leaning on the bar right by beside him. Alrighty then. I returned the orb to my bags and curled up on my patch of floor. Azure did the same, watching Gareth skeptically while partially covering her eyes with her left foreleg.

It took me a while to fall asleep. My brain just wouldn't stop thinking about the Goddess and the guards and whether or not Azure liked Gareth or not. The way she was looking at him reminded me of the fillies in 41 who were trying to get a colt to notice them. Huh.

Gareth woke me up the next morning and thankfully not by poking me in the face. I stood up and stretched. Then I remembered the terminal in the office. I went to the desk in the back room and looked at the terminal. It was already logged in. Score one for Silver! Besides a massive list of different wine shipments and some expense reports there were some public announcements. I opened a file marked 'New Princess'.

“Today the Crystal Empire had the first new addition to the Royal family in more than a thousand years. Princess Cadence and proud father Prince Shining Armor welcomed the newest member of the Crystal Empire today. Giving birth to a healthy little filly. A celebration is being planned for the following week, all citizens of the Crystal Empire are encouraged to join in the festivities and celesbrate something beautiful in times that just aren't so.”

It wasn't that intresting but it made me smile. Just thinking about an entire city of ponies celebrating something so nice and not war related gave me a warm and fuzzy feeling inside. I opened the next one which read;

“Prince Shining Armor announced today the creation of the Crystal Guard's Civilian Auxiliary Forces. With the deployment of the Crystal Guard to bolster Equestria's troops fighting in the deep south (much to the anger and protest of the citizens of the Empire) our Prince has decided that the Crystal Empire is in need of a local militia in order to keep the Empire properly defended in the event of an internal emergency. The Crystal Guard's Civilian Auxiliary Forces will begin basic training within the month.”

“Crystal Guard's Civilian Auxiliary Forces. That is a mouth full.” I thought aloud.

“You're damn right it is” Azure said behind me. “That's why they just call themselves 'Auxiliary'. Can you imagine getting ponies to join a group with a name that long?” No. No I couldn't.

“The Auxiliary is that old?” I didn't think anything before the megaspells really survived outside the Stables.

“Yeah. Bit of a trip isn't it?” I nodded. “The Auxiliary's been around forever. If they would have lost the war a few years back they might control the whole wasteland. Yellow Diamond had one of those... kill everypony who disagrees with her philosophy.”

“How'd you sleep?” I asked, already knowing the answer. She had bags under her eyes and was trying not to yawn.

“I didn't” she said with a deep yawn.

“Why?” She looked over her shoulder for a moment then she whispered into my ear.

“I watched him all night, and he didn't go to sleep. He just sat there looking out door like there was a mouse or something!” she stated tiredly. I couldn't help but smirk while I turned back to the terminal. “What? What's so funny!?”

“Why did you stay up all night watching him just sit there?” I raised an eyebrow at her but she didn't seem to understand. “I just didn't think you were into griffons. That's all” I jumped off the chair and went back to the main room. Leaving Azure with her mouth hanging open comically. Gareth was waiting in the doorway, shouldering his shotgun.

“You two ready?” he asked.

“Yeah we're ready. Let's go already!” Azure said quickly, pushing past us both. Gareth looked at me questioningly but didn't say anything before following her out.

We followed the back alleys near the wine store for a few streets before getting onto one of the main streets. When we reached the main road the Crystal Palace and the stadium that was Gem city came into view. I'd seen some pictures of the Crystal Palace in books but the real thing wasn't nearly as impressive. The western side of the palace was scorched black and some of the smaller spires were missing. Even from a few miles away I could see black shapes flying around the higher floors of the tower.

“What are those?” I asked, pointing to the palace. Gareth followed my gaze and he scowled.

“Those are Enclave soldiers in power armor.” he said darkly. “I didn't know that they operated this far north. They don't have any cities anywhere near here.”

“Course they do, Featherbrains.” Azure said snarkily. “They need gems for their fancy pea shooters.”

“Magical energy weapons aren't 'pea shooters' Azure. Magical energy weapons use enchanted gems to perform a spell with condensed energy stored in the gems.” Gareth explained. Azure and I looked at him blankly and his face reddened. “Ah. You were being sarcastic.” Azure giggled and we started down the road. It would only be an hour or two before we reached Gem City. Seems like Granny Honeycrisp exagerated a bit with the distance.

“Gem City here we come.”

LEVEL UP: NEW PERK ADDED: PONY MAGNETISM. You have an unkanny knack for aqquiring companions. You now have more unique dialog options when interacting with certain characters.