For those that lived on the poisoned land below, the sun was a rare luxury when it decided to pierce through the clouds in its full glory. Plants would greedily assimilate its rays while others would look to it with a flicker of hope in their lost souls. For those who lived above the clouds, however, such a commodity was often overlooked.

So it frustrated Quickcase when his reading light was snuffed in shadow. He looked away from his book to the offending shadow, expecting to see heavy cloud cover. Instead, the shape of two ponies silhouetted his view. The first, a red pegasus, his mane and tail coal-black, his expression one of mild irritation. The other, slightly smaller pegasus had a cyan coat and white mane. She looked more forgiving, but still had her lips curled in a pout.

“Jeez, Quick, while we’re still young! Time to live up to your name and get moving!” The red pegasus huffed.

“You know, you could be more polite about it. It is a virtue after all,” The cyan pegasus countered. “Still, Quickcase, I strongly suggest you join us. You can’t survive on knowledge alone. Believe me, I’ve tried.”

“Thunder Cloud, you’re more of a nerd than he is.”

“There is nothing wrong with having a healthy thirst for knowledge, Echo,” retorted Thunder Cloud.

Quickcase kept his eyes fixed on his book, “Oh, you’re here?”

“Anyway, what are you reading that has you so entranced?” Thunder Cloud asked curiously.

“Well, it’s called ‘The Early Tales of Nighttide’.” Quickase closed his book, pointing to the cover.

“Boring history stuff, probably not your thing. Not enough guns in it for your liking.” Echo teased

“Sadly, not much truth in that particular book. An over-romanticized picture of a self-important hierophant who deceived ponykind into granting her power, posing herself as the great saviour,” Thunder Cloud spat as if it were sinful.

“Nighttide was the hero of her time; she brought the scattered tribes together in an effort to defeat the demons of the night realm,” said Quickcase.

Echo jumped in impatiently, “Demons, Goddesses, who cares?! There’s more important stuff to worry about. Like my empty stomach—which is not missing today's breakfast specials again for the third time.”

Quickcase casually lifted a wing, waving away Echo and Thunder Cloud in a ‘shooing’ motion. “You two go on ahead, I can eat after I finish this chapter.” Quickcase noticed that Echo wasn’t moving and he looked back at him with narrowed eyes. “Do you mind?”

“Yes, I do.” Echo stated as a matter-of-fact, with a small smile appearing on his face. “After all, Heavy is the one who sent us, and you wouldn’t want to keep her waiting, would you?”

“You most certainly can’t show up looking like that,” Thunder Cloud said, appraising Quickcase with a glance.

Quickcase’s ears perked up at the mention of their squad leader’s name. “Well, I suppose the book isn’t going anywhere.” He shut the book and eyed a nearby mirror. His dark purple mane was tied in a somewhat dishevelled ponytail, nearly hiding the yellow line that ran through it. His cutie mark, two blue celestial orbs orbiting one another, stood in contrast to his simple brown coat. His eyes, green and bleary with a bit of redness from lack of sleep, were underlined by heavy rings. It wasn’t his most presentable look, but it’d do for now. “Eating with friends does make the food better, after all, as you like to say.”

“Now we’re talking!” Echo lifted his hoof and tapped the green crystal he wore as a necklace. “And if we’re lucky, Heavy might have left us some sweet apples.” Echos said enthusiastically, Cloud and Quickcase just shook their heads and followed him out.

*****

Out in the hallway, Echo picked up his pace, forcing his companions to move at a brisk trot. “You know, these hallways are not designed for running in groups!” Cloud called to him.

Echo shrugged and kept moving. Quickcase, on the other hoof, had to admit to that he felt somewhat claustrophobic when surrounded with nothing but metal walls and only the weak lights on the ceiling to guide one's way. Enclave design was more for functionality rather than aesthetics, and at this point, even a few of those propaganda posters would feel better to look at than the dull, uniform walls.

“You should know better than to go to out looking like a mess. What would Heavy say if you couldn’t keep up proper dress code?” Thunder Cloud said, causing Quickcase to blush lightly.

Echo slowed his pace to turn to his friend with an ‘innocent’ smile. “Yeah, what would she say, I wonder. You’ll never get any tail if you don’t know how to keep yourself in order,” teased Echo.

Quickcase answered with an impassive, stoic stare, saying nothing for the moment, hoping the blush flaring up didn’t show through his fur. “You’re a virgin, too...” he countered.

“Ah, shut up,” muttered Echo in embarrassment, “Look, we’ve been friends long enough that I notice the little tics you have. Now, are you going to ask her out or do you need me to step in?”

Thunder Cloud rolled her eyes. “I swear, you boys are so unrefined.”

Echo nodded. “True, but as I recall, you were pretty loud with, oh what was her na-”

“Don’t you dare finish that sentence,” warned Thunder Cloud.

Echo continued, “-I’m pretty sure she got to know the Thunder from down under, if ya know what I—”

Echo flinched away as Thunder lashed out, only to have Quickcase block the angry hoof from hitting it’s mark.

Quickcase kept his voice steady, “You know how to aim and pull that mouth trigger for maximum damage.” Echo nodded approvingly only to receive a glare from his accuser. “But be careful not to hit the wrong target.”

Echo huffed and looked away from the two. “I thought it was worth it...”

“Can I have my hoof back?” asked Thunder Cloud. Quickcase looked back to her, releasing his grip.

Then, Quickcase stared back at Echo suspiciously. “Why the sudden interest in my love life? You’ve never been so forward like this before. Did you start a bet or something?”

“No!” Echo's answer was a little too quick. There was an awkward silence between both of them before Echo looked away. “Ok, maybe. But that’s not the point.” His gaze returned to his accuser., “Mate, you’ve been my best friend for as long as I can remember. I really want to see you happy, and I think Heavy is the best bet you're ever going to get.” He nudged Quickcase. “So are you gonna take the first step, or does your trusted friend need to intervene?”

“Please no,” begged Thunder Cloud.

"Let’s just get some food and worry about that later?” Quickcase responded dismissively.
Echo sighed in defeat. “Way to dodge the question. But you’ve got a valid point. The mess awaits! Onward!”

*****

The three of them arrived in the mess hall, and it was quite the sight to behold. The bland grey metal walls extended to the benches and tables, making it look that the entire room was just carved out of one slab by a bored architect, once again going for a practical rather than aesthetic look. That was a stark contrast to the many different colored pegasi that filled the hall, chatting away with their squad mates and actually bringing some life to the ship. A green hoof waved at them from the line, and Quickcase had to fight the urge to wave back like a school foal. Instead, Echo took that honor as he trotted up to their squad leader.

“Private Echo, Private Thunder Cloud, I see you’ve returned from your mission, was it successful?” The green pegasus spoke with authority, though there was a tinge of playfulness in her voice.

“Yes, Sergeant Heavy.” Echo responded with sarcastic seriousness. “It was a tough mission as he was trapped in the world of fantasy. But with quick thinking and well thought-out tactics, I was able to drag him back to reality!”

Heavy noticed the slight glare Thunder Cloud was giving Echo.

“Did something happen on the way here?” she asked Quickcase.

“Nothing in particular.”

Heavy looked skeptically at the three of them before shrugging. “If you say so.”

Quickcase couldn’t help but stare at Heavy. Though she was a full head shorter than most mares her age, she was well built and tougher than most stallions he’d met. She had an air of command that made her a natural leader, with a voice that was beautiful at least to him. His eyes wandered to her cutie mark, a hammer smashing into an anvil, which was attached to quite a curvaceous flank…

Quickase’s thoughts were interrupted by a light shove from behind. He turned to find another pegasus glaring at him. “Hey, how about you get to the back of the line where the rest of us have been patiently waiting?”

Quickcase stared at the grey pegasus, whose white mane was styled into a mohawk. Quick took a step back and opened his mouth to speak, but another pony beat him to it. “Really brother?” interrupted Thunder Cloud. “This isn’t preschool, and I’m fairly certain the rules do state that a squad member can support their team. Besides, there’s enough food for everypony, so simmer your wings.” Heavy and Echo nodded to each other before walking up to their teammate.

“You’re right, Thunder Cloud, this isn’t preschool. This is the military, and you either work together or fall alone.” The three pegasi flanking him nodded in agreement. “Since your team doesn’t understand that concept, perhaps you should practice that team work in the back of the line, where you belong. Especially so since you’re little better than those low-borns you associate with.”

Heavy’s ears perked up, while Echo looked as if he was ready to charge, digging a hoof into the floor. Thunder Cloud gasped at first, her eyes wide, glaring at her brother with her lips drawn into a scowl. Things looked like they’d come to blows till Heavy stepped in, placing herself between her team and Thunderwing, glaring right into his eyes. “I see you’re all in fightin’ spirit, aren’t ya? How about we trim down that mohawk of yours in the ring later t’night?”

Thunderwing took a step back, Heavy followed. Now he looked much, much less sure of himself than he was a moment ago. “D-Don’t step in the line like you own it, low-born!” He almost squeaked the words out.

Heavy reached out her hoof, drawing him in, so they were muzzle-to-muzzle. Nopony in the crowd thought about stopping her. Even from that close, Thunderwing had a problem meeting her gaze. “One more word about mine or my friends’ heritage, and you’ll eat through a straw for the rest of your life. Got it?”

The moment Heavy released him, Thunderwing stumbled back a few steps. Several ponies behind him who’d been listening in, along with his team visibly recoiled. Thunderwing’s legs trembled like they could barely support him, his voice betraying him. “T… Team Starbolt won’t be goaded into some lowly scuffle over something so insignificant! We’ll settle this in the ring and show you lowborn scum your p-place!” He then looked away as though he was too good for the ponies in front of him.

“Moron,” Echo muttered with a smirk.

“A gal’s gotta do what a gal’s gotta do, don’t ya think?” Heavy said. The team shared a quick chuckle at that.

There was an awkward silence in the line for several minutes as Quick and the others got their breakfast, choosing to sit at the far end of one of the tables near the back of the room.

Thunder Cloud let out an exasperated sigh as her head met the table. “My brother is such an embarrassing idiot! We’re all pegasi, it doesn’t matter who we associate with!” She turned her gaze to her cutie mark, a monkey wrench and a screwdriver crossing. “Just because I’m a mechanic instead of a ‘true’ soldier like the rest of my family…”

“Well, you twins are related to a former member of the high council.” Echo chimed in happily. “It's to be expected that at least one of you would be a pompous ass.”

If the blue pegasus could sink any further into the table, she would have melded into it.

“Not helping, Echo,” admonished Quickcase.

Echo let out a mock gasp. “What? It’s true! High society ponies always think they’re entitled to everything.”

Quickcase had finished the small amount of his plate. “Hm, food’s not bad for once.”

“At least they gave us real food instead of hayloaf and unflavored oats.” Heavy spoke up, “I don’t think I could have handled another month of tasteless meals. I know the world ended, but I at least want a decent meal in my belly.” She began eating her meal with gusto. “Still though, where does Thunderwing get off, calling us ‘lowborn’?! Somepony really needs to put him in his place.”

Echo looked to Thunder Cloud, “Was your brother always such a prick?”

Thunder Cloud’s head rose out of her forelegs, “Not until he signed up, guess the popularity got to his head. I never really cared much for the limelight. In fact most ponies kept away from me.”

“Well, of course they did. The sons become popular while the daughters are given a wide berth. Heck, I’m surprised you even managed to find-” Thunder Cloud glared at Echo and he stopped talking.

Thunder Cloud sighed, “Regardless of our origin, I’ve always seen you guys as equals.”

“Team Night Fang appreciates your modesty, keep it up and maybe you’ll inspire other high society ponies to do the same,” Quickcase said with an inspirational tone.

“How true! She’s like one of those heroes who will help bridge the gap between the classes, the low-borns and the rich snobs!” Echo chimed in, floating on his apparently boundless supply of optimism.

“Can I just build a bridge somepony can walk over?” Thunder Cloud asked. They all chuckled, which brought the blue mare out of her slump and meekly smiled as she began eating her meal as well. “Oh, this is delicious.” She swallowed. “Thank night the food crisis is over”

Heavy nodded. “It’s what made the Enclave start sending proper incursion forces rather than simple scouting groups to the surface.”

“So, are they sending us to the surface for a big scavenger hunt to find the magic gun of dragon slaying?” Echo asked in a snarky tone.

To her credit, Heavy ignored his tone and continued. “To a degree, yes. There is a lot that was left behind after the war with the zebras. Even after all this time, the surface still rewards us with well preserved goodies. The only problem seems to be those backward dirt ponies.”

“With all the stories I heard about the nasty things down there, I don’t doubt we’ll find anything of value.” Echo said as he was almost done with his meal. “I mean, I’ve heard stories of mutated animals, armies of degenerate ponies, and even mindless zombies!” His voice then dropped to a near whisper as he put on his best ‘ghost story’ smile. “But the most dangerous thing of all, are the zebras. Yes, those same zebras that ended the world still stalk the land as dark assassins, spectres of death who slay any pony they find with black magic rituals and terrible poisons. Slaves to the past, willing to do whatever it takes not stopping until every last pony is dead. Only then, will they rest, and the Great Calamity will finally be over.”

Thunder Cloud looked visibly shaken by the story, and even Heavy was biting her lower lip, though out of worry or annoyance it was hard to say. Even Quickcase shuffled somewhat uncomfortably at the thought. Echo looked back and forth between his team, then he shrugged, “Of course I could be wrong.”

“Well, can it! I like my sanity, thank you,” said Heavy. “I still owe that prick Thunderwing a good beating.”

“Still not sure about the challenge, I still remember you shooting me in the flank from last time,” Thunder Cloud glared at Echo.

“Hey, like I said before it was an accident, I swear,” Echo said dismissively. “Not my fault your butt got in the way.”

Thunder Cloud responded with a snort. Quickcase immediately looked away when Heavy cast her gaze toward him.

“Something on your mind?” Heavy asked, noticing a slight blush on Quick’s face.

“Oh, no. Nothing in particular,” Quickcase said nervously.

Echo slammed his hooves on the table in frustration. “By the night, Heavy, you’re so dense you create your own gravity well! Can’t you tell?” —he pointed to Quickcase— “he’s attracted to you, dammit!”

The rest of the team sat in stunned silence for a few moments after Echo’s outburst. Quickcase felt hot blood rush to his cheeks, and wondered how many punches he could get at Echo before Thunder Cloud pinned him down.

The bell chimed and the different squads of ponies who were enjoying their meals got up from their seats, some whose plates were half eaten.

“Uh...guess it’s time,” said Heavy as the rest of her squad began to depart. “Team, meet at the gym in two hours. Until then, I don’t care what you do. Dismissed.” She pulled Quickcase aside before he could leave. “Not you. I’d like a word.”

Thunder and Echo left the table silently. Echo slung a cheeky grin at Quickcase behind Heavy’s back, eagerly pointing his hooves at her like a freaking child. He mouthed the words, ‘Good luck bro!’ before Thunder dragged him out of the mess hall by his tail.

Quickcase stood before his commander, stewing in his own sweat. It seemed to take ages for everypony to leave.

When the room was almost empty, Heavy took a deep breath. “Is what Echo said true?”

Quickcase stammered, trying to form words that wouldn’t come out. “Well...I...um...yes.”

Heavy sighed. “I’m flattered you find me attractive but….”

“Oh, I see.” Quickcase mumbled disappointedly.

“Honestly, I never had somepony like me like that before. Not that anypony has like liked me.” Heavy rubbed the back of her neck and shrugged. “If I’m being honest, I don’t really know what to say.” She sighed, chuckling weakly. “Leave it to Echo to make things complicated.”

That seemed to relax Quickcase a bit, relieved at the potential for somepony he had a crush on. At the very least, he managed to get his feelings out.

“How’s about we talk about this after the match?” said Heavy.

Quickcase’s ears perked back up again. “Y-yeah, I guess that’ll work.”

“Well I gotta get going,” Heavy said as she walked out the entrance of them mess.

Quickcase soon followed after her, thinking maybe he wouldn’t punch Echo quite so hard anymore.

*****

“Fuck!” Echo yelled as a rocket went flying past his head, through the open door of the building he had taken cover in and exploded into a chaotic mess in the next room. He was thankful he had forgotten to shut the door. “They tried to snipe me with a rocket launcher! Who snipes with a rocket launcher?! From a library?! Seriously, who does that?!”

“Uncouth troglodytes...” Thunder muttered over the comm.

“Keep your head in the game, Echo! We’ve got a long way to go!” Heavy spoke over the radio as she loaded her grenade launcher, taking shelter in a destroyed toy store.

“Oh har har!” The red pegasus ducked again as several bullets smacked his hiding place in a second story building that use to be an apartment. “I can’t get a clear shot, I need some cover fire!”

Heavy tried to take a peek out of her hiding hole, but a few bullets forced her back into cover. “I can’t get a good view of them either, and Echo is pinned. Thunder, I need a targeting solution!”

*****

Thankfully, the unit managed to call in an airstrike, and the vertibuck that flew overhead annihilated the zebra forces that had Quickcase and his team pinned. In the aftermath, everypony managed to regroup at the old library, unfortunately for them the airstrike came a bit too close to their assigned destination and the entrance was blocked by rubble. Good thing Enclave armor increased the strength of the user.

“What took you so long?” Heavy asked Echo

“Sorry, toots, not exactly meant for speed.” Echo huffed.

She turned her gaze to Quickcase. "I thought you said the place was secure."

“I'm sorry, I should've done better.” he said defensively

Thunder Cloud had a somewhat arrogant smile on her face. Heavy caught glimpse of it. “And you could’ve given us better targeting solutions, instead you chose to dig your hooves into that mechanical pet of yours.” Heavy pointed at the sprite bot that hovered through a destroyed window.

Thunder looked down at the ground and the little bot mimicked her movements.

Heavy then smiled at her comrades. “Still, we took them down with great efficiency and no injuries. Well done, all of you.” Her team beamed at the praise. “Now, the item we are after should be in this building. We should split up in groups of two. Thunder and I will check the second floor. Quick, Echo, search the bottom floor. Stay frosty, there may be more surprises waiting for us.”

Everypony nodded and went their separate ways.

*****

Quickcase decided that the library was depressing. So many stories and so much knowledge had been lost to a conflict that no longer seemed to have any meaning. A terrible waste indeed. They’d been walking the halls with no updates from the other party.

“So, you gonna ask Heavy out after this?” Echo asked casually, bringing Quick’s train of thought crashing into a violent stop.

Quickcase turned and glared at his friend. “Is now really the time?”

Echo shrugged. “Hey, you never know what will happen if you don’t take that leap of faith. Sometimes you just gotta take that - DUCK!”

Quickcase found himself tackled to the floor and he scrabbled for cover behind a desk as bullets flew mere centimeters where his head had been. The constant fire of machine guns blasted away at the tables and desks riddling them with holes

“Report,” Heavy’s voice came over the com. “What were those shots?”

“Turrets!” Echo yelled. “Why does a library have automated gun turrets?! In the comic section of all places?!”

“To scare ruffians like you away?” Thunder chimed in happily.

“Not helping!” said Echo, “Seriously, pre-war ponies are more screwed up than the wasteland!”

“Do you need assistance?” asked Heavy.

Quickcase rolled his eyes at that before turning to his friend. He made a few quick gestures with his hooves which earned a nod from Echo.

“Nah we got this. We’ll keep you updated though,” Echo said arrogantly, his companion ready to engage.

Quickcase took a peek at his surroundings now that he wasn’t distracted by his friend. Two turrets guarded a seemingly unimportant section of the library, which he mentally wrote down. There was little cover beyond the main desk of the reading room they were in, with most of the foal sized tables already fallen apart. However, he did notice a crawlspace that had been created by bookshelves. He made a few more motions at Echo, who readied his weapon.

Quickcase took his own laser pistol in his mouth as he quietly made his way in between the fallen bookcases, which not only provided a path closer to the turrets, but some cover from them as well. He slowly moved towards them, closing over half the distance when he nudged one of the book cases by accident, causing it to shift.

The noise caught the turrets’ attention, which turned and began raining fire down on the pegasus. As his cover was nearly destroyed, a sniper shot rang out and caught one of the turrets dead on. The second turret shifted its targeting parameters to the new threat. With the opportunity, Quickcase pushed through the remains of his now destroyed cover and began firing his pistol at the auto turret. It spun back around to return fire, but as luck would have it, the auto turret overheated and was now in its cooldown cycle, leaving it helpless as laser rounds smacked into its body several times, causing it to explode.

“Not bad. I could’ve done better, but you were an excellent distraction.” Echo winked at Quickcase as he helped brush debris of his friend. “Seriously though, placing turrets in a random spot like this? Those pre-war ponies are crazy.”

“Or clever,” -Quickcase got on the comm- “Heavy, we have a live terminal here that needs Thunder’s expertise.” He motioned to a still flickering monitor near where the turrets had been guarding. Echo made a silent ‘ooh’.

******

Thunder Cloud and Heavy rejoined their allies in short order, with the blue pegasus moving to the terminal with her new ‘pet’ loyally following behind her while she casually hoofed a now repaired rocket launcher to Quickcase. “Pretty high security for a civilian library, but I got this.”

“Why are you giving me a loaded rocket launcher?” Quickcase asked as he looked at the heavy weapon with an odd expression.

“Because I don’t trust Echo. He would treat it as a toy and blow something up by accident. Besides, Heavy is already good at blowing things up and doesn't need further encouragement.”

“But you’re better skilled with-”

She waved a wing at him. “I’m busy. So be a dear and hold it.”

Echo laughed. “Reduced to carrier pony. Oh, how the mighty have fallen.”

“At least he doesn’t complain when somepony asks him to do something.” Heavy spoke.

“We all know he’s too much of a gentlecolt,” said Thunder Cloud in amusement

She hit a button and one side of the wall opened up. Heavy readied her grenade launcher and started to take up position when a bullet fired from the secret hallway and struck her wing. She screamed as it was set ablaze.

Enraged, Quickcase aimed the rocket launcher down the hallway. He barely heard Echo yell and didn’t even wait to verify his target as he pulled the trigger. The missile flew down the hallway and exploded in a cascade of fire and shrapnel. He didn’t hear the yells of his victims or his allies. Instead, realising he wasn’t being shot at anymore, he threw the weapon aside and rushed over to Heavy. He forced a health potion down her throat and the healing energy danced over her wing, canceling out the flame.

“Void fuck me with a meteor, that bloody hurt!” She yelled as she got on her hooves. “Thanks for the heal.”

Quickcase smiled at Heavy, nodding in relief. He was about to say something when his gaze turned to Thunder Cloud who had a horrified expression. “Ancients preserve us…”

“Damn dude…just...damn.” Echo whispered in shock

Heavy and Quickcase turned their attention down the hallway. The mare let out a sharp gasp while Quick’s eyes went wide. They were zebras, yes, but through the torn and mangled bodies, they realized that they were zebra foals.

“Mommy… mommy…” cried the voice of a young filly from the carnage. Thunder Cloud immediately ran into the room and came across the zebra, crying from a large piece of shrapnel that was embedded into her side.

“Hush now little one, I’ve got you.” Thunder Cloud readied a powerful restoration potion. “Be brave for me….” She pulled out the shrapnel and managed to convince the filly to drink a healing potion. The wound rapidly healed itself, and the filly shakily got to her hooves. “Are you alright?”

The filly looked at her for a long moment, and then turned to look at her fallen kin. Her voice let out a high pitched cry as she turned back at her savior with hatred burning in her eyes. “MURDERERS!” She screamed, biting down on the shrapnel that had been lodged inside her only moments ago and lunged at Thunder Cloud.

The filly’s body glowed brightly for the briefest of moments before it turned to ash that collapsed harmlessly on Thunder Cloud. She turned slowly to find Quickcase standing next to her, resolute with a somber look on his face as he holstered his laser pistol. He offered a hoof to the mare which she accepted.

No words were spoken as the group gathered together and reached the end of the hallway, which held their prize. A pipbuck with a complete map of all pre-war military facilities, with numerous bypass codes to make accessing them far easier. Such an item would be worth any price in the eyes of the Enclave. Heavy touched the item, and it shimmered out of existence. The entire world was then engulfed in a bright silver light, and then there was nothing.

“Simulation Ended. Opening training pods.” A mechanical voice spoke as the space around the team seemed to disappear.

****

Within the center of the mostly empty room were five pods that formed a circle. All five opened and Quickcase and his squad filed out, as if they were waking up from a long sleep. Quickcase was blinking the sleep away until he noticed Thunder Cloud who had tears in her eyes as she walked to a corner. Just as he was going to comfort her, the only entrance to the room opened and out came an older red stallion with an obsidian mane and tail, wearing a well-kempt military long coat.

“Lieutenant Turncoat, sir!” Heavy said as she saluted. Quickcase and Echo quickly saluted, with Thunder Cloud falling behind, still wiping away tears but still trying to keep a professional stance.

“An excellent performance, team Night Fang” said Turncoat. “You scored 87%”

“Really, guess Team Starbolt can suck it,” Echo said with excitement

“However, your score could’ve been higher had it not been for a couple of missteps,” The Warrant seemed disappointed. “Echo, snipers don’t get caught. Heavy, you failed to take proper cover when opening a door, had that been a machine gun you’d have been shredded.”

“Quickcase, you fired an explosive weapon in an enclosed environment. Not only did you threaten the lives of your team but you also failed to consider the potential damage you might’ve done to the artifact you were assigned to retrieve.” Then the Warrant’s eyes fell on Thunder Cloud. His expression softened but the sadness on her face was still apparent even after the tears have stopped. “Thunder Cloud, you failed to assess whether the threat was still active, you should’ve waited till the area was properly secured before deciding to heal those in need.”

“But sir, they were foals,” she struggled to speak the words “I couldn’t just-”

Turncoat interrupted. “I understand your feelings of sympathy, but letting emotions get in the way of the mission can have serious consequences. Had Quickcase not stepped in you’d be blinded at best or dead at worst.” He brought his gaze back to the team. “Tomorrow morning at 08:00 you’ll go through the simulation again, and I expect a better performance. For now, take the rest of the day off.”

“Sweet,” said Echo, and without another word he was the first to leave. “Catch y’all later.” Turncoat was not far behind.

“I’ll go lay down,” an aggrieved Thunder Cloud mumbled as she to left the room.

Quickcase was about to leave himself until Heavy blocked his path. He had been in such deep thought that he would have ran right into her if she hadn’t spoken up.

“Don’t think I don’t know why you acted the way you did in there. That was reckless.” scolded Heavy.

“I know,” Quickcase stated woefully.

Heavy sighed with resign. “If anypony is to blame it’s my fault. I should’ve taken cover. I’m the team leader for night’s sake, there’s no room for mistakes.”

Listening to Heavy like this made him feel empathetic. He shifted his stance slightly. “Mistakes were made yes, but all we can do is learn from them.”

Heavy chuckled at Quickcases words. “You read that in a book somewhere?” she stated amusingly.

Now Quickcase felt rather lighthearted. “Father owned a bookstore. He made sure I had a lot of material to keep me occupied.”

Heavy seemed to contemplate that, but then her expression turned serious. “I want to ask you a moral question.” There were a few seconds of silence before Heavy spoke again “When you shot that filly, what went through your mind?”

Quickcase took a deep breath as he gathered his thoughts. “I weighed the filly’s life over my teammate and I chose Thunder Cloud. I took no pleasure in what happened, but I did what was necessary.”

Heavy was quiet for a long moment before speaking again. “And if the filly were real?”

“I’d rather live with a guilty conscience of those I’ve killed then live with the consequences of having my friends die or, having you die.”

“You read that in a book, white knight?” Heavy snarked.

“Why, you inspire me to be as such,” he complimented.

“Ok, now I know you have been spending far too much time with Echo,” she said with a smile.

“He’s a terrible influence, but you get used to it.”

“I’ll bet.” Heavy paused, “You know what, I’ve decided I need a drink. You’re coming with me.”

For the first time in a while, Quickcase had a genuine smile on his face. “I’d be happy to.”

__________________________________________________________________
Quickcase - Hoof Note: Level Up

Book Worm- Your love of books allows you to gain more wisdom and knowledge when reading from new books and magazines.

Author's Note

I'd like to thank Cenkic for helping me edit this story

Fallout Equestria Loyalty takes place in an alternate universe from the original FOE. So it's pretty much it's own canon. There is no Equestria but Andalusa, there are no characters from the original FOE, all characters belong to the writer of the story. Which is me.