Fallout Equestria: Commonwealth - Fog Harbor

Chapters

Ch. 2-- The Changing Tide
Ch. 3-- Walk In The Park
Ch. 4-- Where you belong
Ch. 5-- Brain Dead
Ch. 6-- What the Holy Glow Requires
Ch. 7-- Visions in the Fog
Ch. 8-- Best Left Forgotten
Ch. 9-- The Great Hunt
Ch. 10-- Safe Passage
Ch. 1-- Far From Home (Prologue)
Ch. 11-- Rite of Passage

Ch. 2-- The Changing Tide

And Twilight shall be my lowly assistant who asks silly questions with obvious answers.

Three rusty cans stood atop a weathered fence rail at the rocky edge of the Celestial Sea, the waves surging below and backlit in the bright grey light of a Fog Harbor morning.

BLAM! BLAM! BLAM!

Three rusty cans kept standing.... three .308 rounds from a old but well maintained hunting rifle flew out into the sea on their uninterrupted flight, leaving the tall green mare that fired them fuming beside a chuckling old blue stallion.

"This is ridiculous! Why can't I hit them! Stupid, prewar piece of junk pony technology! I can destroy such nuisances with a thought!" Virescent shouted and stamped her hooves, letting the old rifle thunk to the sandy ground and sending three brilliant green beams of magic out to prove her point, the three offending cans flipping up and out to the sea from the smoking rail.

Her now outright laughing friend picked the rifle up and dusted it off, reloading the weapon patiently and holding it out again. "Ayup, an' magic runs out Vira, course so do bullets, but best ta have options. Didn't yer crazy mama teach you mares to shoot? Hell, can't ya do that fancy, tele-hoozit and learn outta my head? You should'a hit one by accident by now..."

The glare Virescent turned on the grey maned Longfellow Steeds was enough to make a lesser pony quiver in fear, bow before her magnificence and cower for making fun of a divine messenger of the goddess. 'Be Better Virescent...' Then it crumpled in on itself, she wasn't a messenger of the dead Goddess anymore, and she clearly wasn't magnificent at shooting... she was just a pony being educated in how little she knew about some things. Longfellow was being friendly, still something Virescent was getting used to.

"My mother disdained pony technology, and it's called telepathy Longfellow. It doesn't work that way either... I can learn all you know about guns if I wished, er.... if you allowed it I suppose, and I could tell you every fact you cared to list from that knowledge while I had it in mind. Retaining information is harder, and putting it to use is hit and miss. If I really tried to get in your head I may end up with a kind of echo of your thoughts, but that requires very intimate mental connection, and it's dangerous. I couldn't probe a great painter's mind and suddenly be able to paint like they did, you are an artist with a rifle, the same applies. I have just never... never had to use guns or do things for myself, it is harder than it looks. Thank you for wasting the ammunition..."

Virescent pouted at the offered rifle, finally taking it in her emerald magic as Longfellow trotted out with more cans to try again, calling over his shoulder jovially. "Not a waste, Vira. Yer fancy magic tricks are nice, but feel a lot better if you were packin' somethin' a little more solid before making a trip through the fog. 'Sides, been a long time since I taught anypony, I'm gettin' a kick outta it! Alright, try again, take yer time, line it up and control yer breathin'."

An earth pony teaching an alicorn to shoot didn't translate all that well, he didn't know anything about using telekinesis to handle objects, while she couldn't see herself fumbling with the small rifle with her mouth or hooves like he did, even if it were her size. But some basic rules were the same. More than his instructions, the steady, caring thoughts of a teacher giving instruction helped soothe her and bring the rifle to bear again in her magic, blowing a long exhale from her pursed lips to puff away that new streak of lilac in her mane.

BLAM! ...... BLAM! ...... BLAM!

"Oh! Look! I hit one! I hit one!" The elation of actual success made Virescent prance in place like a big filly, squeeing to herself and grabbing Longfellow in a hug that made the old buck's ribs creak.

While she liked the weak pat to her winged back and the sense of pride flowing from his thoughts, she also got just how much force she was using through her telepathic gifts, releasing the elderly pony just as he wheezed. "G-Good job Vira... er..."

"Sorry!! I'm sorry Longfellow! I didn't hurt you did I? I... I have never really hugged before... Still, look! One wobbled a moment as well I'm sure! See?!" Virescent felt a little sheepish as her friend gasped for air and nodded.

He was just a weak, normal pony... Not meant as an insult as she had thought before, but it was a fact she was bigger and a good deal stronger than he was, physical affection would require a little more care in the future. He wasn't really weak... but definitely more fragile than her kind and she had a habit of breaking things... She liked her limited experience with hugs though and filed it away for further exploration.

Longfellow rubbed his ribs with a wince and chuckled up at her, the last couple days with his odd houseguest had been strange, but not so bad at all. Although she had left a string of repairs waiting behind in her wake, she had been trying and helped him do a few that would have been a bigger hassle without her talents. Just having a helper to float shingles and tools up to his roof had been a relief, he'd been putting off that little chore for years now.

Some things even he just wasn't that enthusiastic about trying with nopony around, taking a header off the roof of his cabin all alone could easily end up bad for example. Plus having a mare around wasn't so bad, too young and inexperienced to think about fooling around with, but he had gotten to just enjoy her odd company, maybe because she wasn't really like most ponies, so it hardly seemed to count.

Once she had explained the mindreading bit for example, he had enjoyed puzzling over how strange it was and asking questions. He'd heard alicorns like her were different and gotten a few rumors and versions of their unbelievable story after the skies cleared years back, but hearing it from a mare who knew was interesting.

He was sure all those yarns ponies were spinning about 'The Lightbringer' had been horseapples, but apparently he had lost a few bets on that score, though he knew a mare like that was too perfect. Vira had painted a much different picture of the goody-goody heroine that made more sense, nopony was that good, reality always fell short. Though he guessed the truth probably lie between those stories and Vira's 'Destroyer'.

Watching her canter over to inspect her targets and find that yes, the second standing can did have a ding in it, Longfellow chuckled and sighed to himself looking out across the choppy waters past her. For a hermit to realize he'd miss having a houseguest was hard, he didn't want to let anypony in but did anyway, just a little... It was time for his regular trip into the dimly visible town of Fog Harbor though, soon she'd be gone and he could go back to being alone again...

"Alright, payday Vira, hold up a minute and lemme get you a little something before we get ready eh? Keep practicin' and I'll be back directly." Longfellow called over to the mare setting more cans up on her own and trotted to his cabin, leaving her to take more shots until he returned.

If the old hunter only had her gifts, Longfellow would know he wasn't the only pony feeling unease at their trip and eventual parting Virescent could pick up from her retreating host. Leaving behind her first normal pony friend made on her own weighed on her mind as she did as told. The last couple days had been... peaceful, or as much so as the wasteland ever really got. Especially for a mare who was still coping with having her world upended.

Other than a few strange creatures testing the boundries of Longfellow's land and rather rude ponies Vira had turned away herself, life was simple and quiet here. Chores, food, sleep, companionship with one other pony, and the ceaseless sound of the sea made up her whole world. No crazy group of mad scientist ponies manipulating her, no fighting, no preaching to devoted throngs of desperate ponies about things she didn't believe in anymore, just fog and silence.

She needed to go back however, the Commonwealth had become her home and the male was out there somewhere. She had decided to reconcile with her sisters as well, not looking forward to admitting she had been wrong, but willing to admit she missed her family. They had recently started connecting with the rest of the world and normal ponies as well, maybe they could help her 'be better'.

It was daunting and she found herself concerned for Longfellow after she left as well, he was a gruff old buck, but not nearly as unfriendly as he made out. She couldn't hide here with him forever though, being a 'good pony' meant actually going out there and trying to be one. Figuring out what to do with herself beyond her simple goals of 1- Be better and 2- Find the male alicorn.

After managing to knock down two more cans from the railing out of more attempts than she cared to count, the returning thoughts of Longfellow made her look up to see him approaching, blinking curiously at the bundle of yellow-brown saddlebags held in the earth pony's mouth. They were old and cracked, but had obviously seen some polish and new buckles added recently, a gift?

"'Ere we are then, not in the best shape but least I don't throw much of anything away eh? Now you've got something to carry yer pay around in, hard ta keep hold of a pile of caps in yer tail eh? Er... also somethin' else here, raise an eyebrow with the locals strollin' on in naked so... well, here..." Longfellow spoke kindly, but the apprehension was evident to Virescent as he opened one of the bags and tugged a pale yellow bundle of fabric out for her.

"A... sweater?" Floating the offered article of clothing up in her magic tinted the color in her own magic, but let her look it over and spread the garment out. Yes, a thick, knit sweater, fairly large even, she might actually be able to fit into the outfit. The leather patches on the sleeves showed how old and worn it was, a bit musty with a very faint flowery / salty / pony scent fading away.

What her superior senses reported went along with the sad emotions in Longfellow's mind before he confirmed her guess. "My wife's, that there's Ocean's lazy sunday sweater. Figure it's so baggy might stretch over even you! If'n ya like it o'course, ain't been out in years and it's old and..."

"It's lovely Longfellow, I already have your wife's pip-buck you generously gave me though, I couldn't take something else of hers that I know means a lot to you, unlike this gadget. I told you, the elements don't bother me in the slightest so I don't need clothing." Virescent answered cautiously, touched at the gesture but also able to read the pain it caused her friend no matter how he tried to hide it.

He seemed insistent though, turning his nose up at it floating back in her magic and shoving it her way again. "Aye, more of that superior species business of yours hmm? Told me ta tell ya when you started in with that again Vira, tryin' ta change right? Clothes make the mare, try wearing it and see how you like it, even if you don't need to. 'Sides, help ya blend in with the townies a little bit. They're gonna be standoffish no matter what, but least you can look sorta like a local. Go on, lemme see, ain't seen a mare wearing that in a long time, Ocean always looked pretty as a pearl in it."

Left with no way to really refuse, Virescent bowed and started puzzling over how to go about this. The turtleneck looked suspiciously small... sticking her forelegs through first didn't result in immediate tears at least, so with a gulp she stuck her nose in and started struggling towards daylight, panicking only a moment when a loose loop of yarn caught on her horn, then getting free and shoving her way forward again.

Longfellow's view was much more amusing, seeing just her horn and the top of her long mane spilling from the neck, followed by her head forming a bulbous shape of stretched sweater when she seemed caught, her hooves pawing at the obstacle and her large wings flapping anxiously. With a snicker the old buck stood on his hindlegs and helped tug it down, her big green eyes popping free and her mane comically frizzy with static as she pulled it loose.

By the time she got it over her chest and carefully poked her wings free, the old sweater showed tiny gaps of her dark green fur through the stretched knitting, but it did fit. Virescent was wearing pony clothing... something that was once taboo and forebade by her mother, this wasn't like wearing her robes as a priestess of Unity, actually... disobeying was kind of thrilling. She was being naughty... not evil as some of her actions had been, just a little rebellious.

In lieu of a mirror, she settled for peeking at herself through Longfellow's eyes and was actually pleased. It was flatteringly tight on her curvy body, while the thick neck was loose and floppy after being stretched so far. It even had the benefit of feeling like a warm hug all over, and Longfellow thought she looked attractive in it, so other males would too probably. Maybe not the best she thought of one in particular and a desire to please, but wearing clothing for her really was only for appearances, so it wasn't too vain to think that way really.

She floated the leather saddlebags up next and strapped them to her flanks, posing fetchingly this way and that to get a good look and nickering at Longfellow's slight blush. "Thank you Longfellow! I do appreciate it and am glad to know I'm... 'a sight to warm a cold harbor night?'"

"Ah! Hey! N-No lookin' that close at my noggin' missy! Private!" By the old buck's sputtering and suddenly thinking of all the amazing variety of knots he knew, Virescent guessed that was a good phrase.

Holding a hoof up to stifle a quiet laugh, she floated his rifle back to him and fretted over the pale garment and patches already adorning it. "I do hope not to damage it on our trip, I promise to be careful, but by how you made the island sound I'm afraid what may happen to it."

That gave her host something to distract himself with, shaking his head and waving out to the small pier down the beach and his little rowboat. "Oh, no worries. Never planned on walkin' anyway, bring supplies back by boat, the Harbor's just across the way. Just wanted you ta have a healthy respect fer the island and know you weren't helpless. Help me get her loaded down an' we'll take a little cruise together Vira, have a drink in town before you go home an' I get my privacy back!"

He really did care... Longfellow sounded happy and gruff as he trotted away, but even without peeking in his mind she could feel that melancholy settling around him. He helped her, gave her a safe place to heal and recover, gifts and kind thoughts... Another downside to being a normal pony she had found, for every good feeling there were bad ones like sadness at saying goodbye.

Though she supposed now that she had a few emotions under her wings, the good ones wouldn't mean as much without the bad ones.

The 'town' of Fog Harbor was essentially just the harbor part of the name, a conglomeration of shacks and ruined seaside buildings, ancient gift shops and restaurants roughly repaired, surrounded by a variety of ships in various states of decay. Watching it slowly appear out of the fog, Virescent wrinkled her nose at the fishy smell, though at least it helped mask the scent of too many ponies in too small of an area.

Her bright green eyes traced over each tall shadow resolving into tattered sails or rusty hulls, none of those ships looked all that trustworthy, but Longfellow assured her they were seaworthy and ranged all around the island and beyond for their catch. One of them could take her home, she just needed to find a captain willing to take her.

She tried helping Longfellow with the rowing, growing excited the more she could make out and quickly making their progress lopsided as she outpaced him on the left side of his rowboat, that he insisted on calling 'port' for some reason. Once she realized they were well on their way to just making circles in the fog, she relented and gave him back the oar, peering around the lantern at the front (bow) impatiently at their slow progress.

Finally she was struck with inspiration, carefully fluttering to the back of the boat (stern) and plopping down in the seat, grabbing the edges with her forelegs and spreading her impressive wingspan. A short warning of "Hold on!" was the best Longfellow got before his little dingy suddenly became an alicorn powered speed boat, the bow lifting from the water and a wide wake spreading behind them.

That shortened the trip quite a bit, but seemed to make Longfellow nervous pushing his little boat faster than it had any right to go, while all her weight made the rear dip precariously in the water. They pulled up safe and sound however, and he appreciated having both wings and telekinesis to help him get up to the pier overhead with his shipment of meat and hides to sell. Longfellow hadn't taken her hunting with him during their time together, but given Virescent's difficulties being stealthy she couldn't blame him. He was quite the hunter apparently.

Once they were both up and cleared by local guards wielding long fish hooks and rifles, Virescent got a good look at Fog Harbor and sighed. Most wasteland towns had a tired, desperate appearance to begin with being built from the ruins of the old world, being a telepath meant she got to feel a pervasive mood from all these gathered ponies that matched the appearance. The fear and ennui was like an invisible fog hanging over the place to go with the pinkish grey mist that surrounded it, held at bay by more of the funny condenser machines.

Most of the buildings were painted in bright primaries, whites, deep reds, sea blues and blacks, all faded and peeling from the decrepit wooden structures. The building Longfellow had most firmly in his mind was the dark red restaurant bar labeled 'The Last Plank', a huge pressure cooker outside had a glass front to let her look over the whole Miretank carcass being boiled inside curiously as Longfellow stuck with her to the door.

"Alright, lemme go in and talk to the locals, find who's in port and willin' ta go to Trotson first. Gal like you comes in with me, they ain't gonna talk about nothin' else. Take a look around if ya like Vira, Captain Berry trottin' right this way ta badger me ought'a be interested in a mainlander in town, distract her for me a sec, Ok?"Longfellow sounded rushed, pointing out a light grey mare indeed heading their way with purpose, her short blue mane flowing behind her and thoughts that could be summed up well by 'badgering' in her mind.

"Er... A-Alright Longfellow, how should I distract her? I could just make her forget you're here at all if you wish..." Virescent replied uncertainly, he was aware what she could do now, but surely he didn't mean that did he? It would be easiest though...

Actually he seemed tempted a moment, stroking his beard in hurried contemplation before shaking it off guiltily. "Nah, fun idea though lass. Just try talkin' to her, she'll probably handle the rest. Ahoy Cap'n Berry! Meet my helper Vira! She's new to the island, busy helpin' her so I'll leave you ladies to it!"

At that Longfellow ducked into the bar, his order of Wild Pegasus on the tip of his tongue and a cheery greeting floating through the swinging door after him. That left Virescent alone to deal with the mare now reaching her, and the stares of so many residents attracted by the noise, curse Longfellow...

"Bah! Old bastard trying to slink off! I'll catch you before you leave Longfellow! Sorry miss, crotchety old buck and I have a regular game of hide and seek. So... mainlander eh? Welcome to Fog Harbor, for what it's worth... Pleased to meet you dear, Captain Tar Berry, basically the mayor around these parts. So, what's your business here in our little slice of the wasteland? Don't see many alicorns here, you're well behaved right?" The older mare nickered after Longfellow before addressing the taller alicorn cordially. That was good at least...

"Oh, the pleasure is mine Captain. I can't honestly say I'm well behaved... but I'm trying... I promise to abide by the rules of your community while here, I really just hope to return to Trotson as soon as possible. Nothing against your ...lovely... community." Virescent answered in the same polite tone, using her charms and realizing how much she stood out among all the smaller, hard working ponies busy on the docks giving her hard stares.

Captain Berry followed her gaze and scowled, stamping her hoof and snorting at the nearest locals glaring at her. "Ain't you all got better things to stare at? Yer nets maybe? Your do nothing brats getting up to mischief? Sorry... don't let these unfriendly louts discourage you, Fog Harbor was a tourist town back before the war, no reason we can't keep up the tradition."

"It's a reaction I'm used to... Though usually because of what I am, not where I'm from. It's actually an interesting change of pace, so don't concern yourself about it." Virescent answered calmly, speaking the truth as far as she could pick up from the stone faced harborponies. They really didn't care she was an alicorn, it was 'OUTSIDER' practically glowing in neon behind their eyes that was raising their hackles.

She was also interested to find that the older earth pony mare was truly being friendly, instead of a politician like so many tribal elders, chieftans, gang leaders, mayors, kings and whatever other old world title of authority one cared to mention usually thought. Vira had gone to hundreds of pony communities big and small during her time spreading the message of Unity when her mother was alive, whoever was in charge was often of the same type; big fish in small ponds who were good at making those they led and visitors alike think they were being friendly, but actually only cared about what they could squeeze out of you.

Captain Berry plainly had those considerations too by her reply, but her thoughts were less mercenary and she was up front about it. "Stiffnecked jackassery is what it is. We're an island, there's only so much here period, having outsiders come and spend outsider caps should be welcome. Not that they won't take them, just you see if they don't. You've seen the bar already, but there's our general trader Rushing Brook over there, Tossing Sea's weapon shop's down the way, have our own doctor Teddy Bear in town too, feel free to shop around Miss Vir... Er... Vir-ess..."

"Vira is fine... I'm afraid I don't have much need to shop, or money actually. I have what Longfellow paid me the last couple days, but I believe I'll need that to charter a ship to return to Trotson." Peering over the top of Berry's blue mane at the ships nearby, Virescent still didn't like the thought of using a pony-made seacraft to get home when she had a perfect set of wings.

Especially any of these ships...

A variety of wood and steel ships, covered in rust and barnacles more than peeling paint in formerly cheery colors, all the corrosion made them look like they were bleeding and some seemed to list and groan under just the gentle waves here at shore. She had a compass in her vision now, couldn't she just follow it the right direction? Did she really have to set hoof on one of these scows?

There was only one that seemed passable to her untrained eye, a smaller ship with a fresher coat of paint, no nets and bright floaters strung all over it, quite a few fancy bits of technology and a magical motor even... Maybe a little mind control on the captain of that one wouldn't be so bad...

The Captain turned to see what she was debating over, then her thoughts turned back to Longfellow with a start. "Longfellow paid you? For a couple days?!"

"Err... yes? I washed up on his beach, he let me help with chores to earn my passage home. They were hard but he was fair and nice. Why?"

Virescent's confusion only doubled at the snorting tantrum Captain Berry answered with. "Oh that old bastard! Keeps ducking me but takes in a pretty mare that just shows up outta nowhere!? We're in the middle of a crisis and he can't be bothered to do a thing, says he wants ta be alone he says! Don't want nopony around he says! Till some pretty young thing lands on his doorstep!! I am going to wring his wrinkly old neck!"

"Ummm.... What?"

The furious storm passed and the mare in charge composed herself again, still glaring at the bar Longfellow had disappeared into at her approach but explaining at least. A good thing too, Virescent didn't like her friend being the target of such ire and insults, mildly alarmed she had done something wrong and considering making her just forget she said anything.

"Sorry... It's good he helped you, great in fact, just really fucking annoying... I've been after him to take on some of our refugee population on his land since things have gotten so bad this year, for exactly the kinda stuff he had you do apparently. Things have been rough all over and Longfellow's land is one of the last remaining safe havens, bad enough on good years when it's just worrying about one old pony living alone, but now his fellow islanders need help and he won't give it, saying he just wants to be alone, but he let you stay... See?"

By the way the smaller mare's eyes traced down Virescent's curves to go with the snarky thought, Vira thought she understood some of the issue and shook her head. "Longfellow didn't want me there either, I was just... difficult to move. He was gracious and a perfect gentlecolt however, now that I'm able to leave he's looking forward to his privacy again, though I do ...worry a bit I suppose, about him being on his own as well... He seems very self sufficient though."

"Oh he is, rotten old buck... why I can't force him to see reason! Best tracker on the island, fog doesn't slow him down a whit. He's got a lot of land out there to himself though, if he wasn't so damn stubborn he could be doing a lot of good just by allowing a little more company. Hey, if he likes you enough to let you stay, maybe you could give him a try? Try to help some of these miserable ponies?" Berry had taken to trotting down the dock during their conversation to allow Virescent to get a better look at the boats, taking the opportunity to point out a regular refugee camp of dirty, pathetic looking ponies.

They mostly sheltered in the worst of the broken down buildings that barely lived up to the function, strung with tarps and scrap to keep the rain off and overcrowded even if they had four intact walls and a roof. Most indeed looked miserable, morosely busying themselves with the most menial of chores, mending nets in flickering magic or talented hooves, chopping up sickly looking fish and tossing the heads and guts into buckets, mostly the old and the young, anypony able bodied enough must be out working at harder endeavors or able to afford better housing.

It was a bad situation, but Virescent had seen all kinds of pony misery, feeling empathy about it was still somewhat foreign. She didn't like seeing foals under such conditions, but it could be worse and surely Longfellow knew about them. It wasn't her place to tell him what to do, if he didn't care, why should she?

'Be Better Virescent...'

Nnnngh! She was growing annoyed with that judging voice... The wasteland was a horrible place for normal ponies, if she spent time worrying about every little thing, she'd never get anything done! She'd leave soon, then it wouldn't be her concern at all. But that hopeful look from the mare beside her kept boring into her...

Giving a huff to herself, Virescent nodded wearily to the Captain. "I... can ask. I wouldn't expect anything. Why are they all here anyway? Aren't there other places for them to be? Make more of those condenser things and go elsewhere, or just send them to the mainland, there is no evil fog there."

"They won't leave their homes Vira, proud islanders all of em, the fog always goes away again eventually anyway. Just have to ride it out until it recedes again, but things can get nasty before that happens. There are other places, but the fog's taken almost all of them now and those Acadia dwellers can't make more condensers any old time they want, hard enough keeping the ones in service working. Gonna come to a head eventually too, too many ponies in too little space, they're grumbling about Longfellow just sitting out there by his lonesome enough already. Not trying to come off as pushy here, I really am worried about the old buck." Berry explained as they continued her tour of the small town.

The thoughts in her mind confirmed her words, like a sword hanging over her head and the town as a whole. Her first day with Longfellow had seen a trio of local ruffians trying to shove the old stallion around for his land that Vira had sent away, even her mental manipulation wouldn't hold up under constant stress though. They'd get the same idea she made them forget again, or more of them would... Just opening herself to the bitterness swirling around those she passed now was enough to tell her that, Longfellow could end up in trouble... she didn't care much about any of them, but she did care about him.

"Then I'll ask, that's all I can do, then I must return home. As you say, I'm a tourist, this isn't my place." Virescent answered gruffly, hoping that would be enough and somewhat annoyed. Did ponies often come right up and just ask strangers for help?

"That you are Vira, thanks for making the attempt anyway. Hell, having a regular tourist rush today, two strange outsiders in one day! First the robot and now an alicorn!" The mare's relieved reply caught her off guard and Virescent stopped suddenly, forcing her to turn back to her.

"Robot?"

Vira blinked and started peering around the docks, not spotting a clanking hunk of metal anywhere nearby but suddenly nervous.

She'd been exposed to plenty of the Institute's advanced synthetic ponies and lesser robotic synths. Old world robots didn't tend to be subtle enough to be considered 'tourists' and this mare was thinking of a pale pony shaped visitor. A synth meant the Institute, what if they found her? What would they do?

"Aye, hardly looks like one and definitely don't talk like one, but a robot showed up in the fancy boat over yonder. Said he was from Trotson himself, if yer looking for a ride back, maybe you could hook up with him missy. Said he was looking for a filly what run away from home, went off to ask questions around town. Ah... there he is, coming out of Teddy's office down the way." Cap'n Berry pointed towards a crumbling old building with a Helpinghoof Clinic sign buzzing over the wooden door and the ...thing exiting it.

A synth alright... Pale plastic coat, yellow eyes... But not like any synth of that make she had seen before. What her former allies referred to as a Gen 1 synth, better than the overgrown windup toys made by Robronco before the end, but they were still plainly robots. This one could be mistaken for a pony though, it wore clothing for one... A battered old brown fedora sat atop his head, matching the stained dress shirt and haphazard tie over a rumpled tan trenchcoat.

All of this would be strange enough, but he had ...thoughts... She could read him!? Green alicorns were limited in only being able to read pony minds, but she was getting clear thoughts from this robot somehow. What she was picking up just made it stranger too, increasing her concentration to listen in got a bizarre inner monologue to go with the outfit;

("A good sawbones almost always knows something, my first real break in the case since coming to this burg. Whole place had been like a bucket of surly crabs so far, just as friendly as a bunch of shelled bugs that could escape their prison if they worked together, but pull each other down instead. Leaving the hanging question of what Sumi came to this little slice of hell for if not the charming personalities and the inspiring vistas of fog, fog and more fog.")

Virescent unsuccessfully hid behind the smaller Cap'n Berry, absently listening to her continuing to jabber, but totally consumed openly gawking at the ...the detective... That's what he was, she personally didn't retain a lot of memories from before joining Unity, of who she was... but some of the assorted memories rattling around from her time connected with thousands of minds said 'Detective' on seeing how he was dressed.

Actually hearing his thoughts just added to the impression, snippets of dozens of old world movies in grainy black and white flashed in her mind, an old fashioned detective... a synth detective... a synth detective with a brain she could read? She watched as he even lit a cigarette under the awning of the Helpinghoof Clinic, looking up from under the brim of his rakish hat and spotting her leaving Berry to duck behind several crates and barrels nearby that still didn't really hide her bulk.

("Now there's something you don't see every day in a charming little hole like this, an alicorn dame looking me over like my tail was on fire and my mane was catching. What was one of her kind doing out this way? This one was dressed like a local and filling that sweater of hers to bursting in all the right places, legs that went all the way up to the top floor, then a few floors more to the penthouse in the clouds just for good measure. What's more she had a plot like a good Daring Do novel; epic, full of adventure, a pair of strong leading characters, and lots of ups and downs.

She had the look of trouble, but my kind of trouble. The way this dame swayed those flanks like a metronome was enough to worry she might just send the Cap'n for a swim off the docks if she made a sharp turn, flank checked by a caboose that lived up to the goddess moniker. When the blob that made those mares built this one, she was generous with the curves and downright lavish with that wiggling rump that...")

"I do NOT have a big ass!!!" Virescent couldn't take the extended monologue any more, forgetting herself and shouting across the dock at the surprised synth as she tromped forward from her hiding spot.

"Pardon? Hadn't said anything sweetheart, not that it's not worth mentioning, just... Ahhh... of course, you're one of those dames! Er... heheh, forgive an old gumshoe a dirty thought here and there doll... Thought it was only polite to return the long look and found plenty to appreciate, inspired me to be a little poetic. Name's Nick Hearts n' Hooves, my card." Surprisingly the robot trotted right up and pulled a battered old business card from his trenchcoat, letting Vira look it over in her magic incredulously.

Nick Hearts n' Hooves
Hearts N' Hooves Detective Agency
Diamond City - Trotson
No case too big or too small.

Why did she feel positive emotions over the synthetic pony? She kept looking from the card to his waiting face, puzzling over foreign thoughts and memories still rolling around in her head. She didn't know him, but somepony she knew did... which could be a good or a bad thing considering he was plainly built by the Institute. She didn't sense any malice out of him though, just more of his weird inner monologue and the surprising image of herself shifting from vibrant color to grainy black and white. He was messing with his artificial vision to go along with the movie detective noir...

("That's the thing about the weird cases... never know what you'll run into or where it will all lead. This one had started with a letter from another of her kind, which led to a certain hospital and a waiting identity crisis, which of course led to a lot of drinks... Three slugs in to remember even the good stuff didn't light a fire in a belly full of wires, then two more anyway to tell the first three to give up. Then the distraught father tracked me down to send me on this little pleasure cruise. Now another alicorn was waiting here, be a funny coincidence if I believed in em, coincidence was usually just parts of the case you weren't seeing yet though, often the ones that bit you in the tail later. Maybe this one could help, always thought those green dames would take right to the detective line of work after the Princess and Fast explained they could...")

"FAST!?! You know Fast! That is where this feeling is coming from!! Who are you! How do you know the male!?" Virescent's magic imploded, sending the strange detective scrambling to catch the battered business card as she stomped forward and loomed over him. The image in his ...mind... matched almost perfectly, though he didn't picture him with wings for some reason.

"E-Easy doll! Easy! Ellie will kill me if I lose many of these! Yeah I know Fast Times alright, been awhile but heard from him not long ago and... well I guess you heard all that didn't you? You mindreading gals take some getting used to. I take it you know him too? Friend of his? Or just one of those mares trying to catch him now? Did he really er... join the princess club? or prince I suppose eh?" Nick missed the card fluttering away twice before making a successful lunge for it, tucking it back to his coat and looking the excited mare over.

He'd heard the rumors... hard for a pony in his line of work not to actually, not to mention that purple one looking to hire him to find a 'missing pony' and track Fast down for them. From what he gathered Fast wasn't missing, just hiding, and he wasn't going to turn bounty hunter against a friend no matter what those crazy fillies offered. Taken a lot of guff from his assistant Ellie over the offer he refused, but a pony's gotta have principles.

Now this one... here he was on Fog Harbor and he runs into another alicorn who wanted the same thing, trembling in place with a manic gleam in those green eyes. Those dames were really obsessed with a male of their kind running around, Nick would almost feel bad if he wasn't well aware what they wanted out of him. Being a male alicorn sounded a helluva lot more fun than being a synth detective with a head full of bad memories, his dance card would certainly be full...

"Yes! I know him, I wish to find him immediately! You will help!" Virescent was beside herself, the robot was a way back to Trotson and a way to find the male all in one! What luck!!

"Oh I will, will I? You ain't the first to ask sweetheart, haven't answered my question either. Do you actually know our mutual acquaintance? Or just hoping I'll find him for you? Not that I can either way, I'm on a case right now, just curious." Nick's answer was jovial enough, but his thoughts turned guarded and suspicious, giving Vira pause.

She couldn't order him... His thoughts made it clear he wouldn't find him for her if she demanded and ...Umbra... Umbra had tried to hire him already. Clever for the stubborn mare in charge of her sisters in the Commonwealth, Virescent wouldn't have believed it if she hadn't seen her sister in the robots thoughts. She was putting him on guard too, and she couldn't really explain how she knew Fast in detail, they hadn't exactly been friends and allies in most of their interactions...

He was friends with the male though... maybe she could use that. If she made a friend of Fast's like her and think she was a 'good pony', the synth would tell Fast and he would believe his detective friend! Probably take her right to him on the best looking boat on the docks even! A change of tactics then...

Now to just figure out the right way to get what she wanted... what the robot wanted to hear. Ponies, and pony like robots she supposed, all always wanted to hear what they believed anyway, all she had to do was figure out what that was in this case. Those strange yellow on black eyes drifted down to her pip-buck and the fleeting thought associated with the look gave her a place to start.

Pretending she hadn't seen his glance, Virescent held the arcano-tech device up proudly under his muzzle and gave a winning smile. "Of course I know Fast! See? He only gives these to those of my kind he likes, as you must know if you are his friend yes?"

The detective nibbled at the bait... flashes of the so called 'Princess' and more of her sisters wearing the same accessory went through his mind as she carefully prodded, what would make him agreeable... "Yeah... that's true alright.... Not the first of your kind I've seen wearing one he gave them, gave me one too actually, back in Diamond City. Of course if Fast actually gave you that one, you'd have his locator tag and wouldn't need me to find him would you?"

Locator tag? These things let one find another wearing a similar device?! While cursing having to deal with an actual detective rolling up his trenchcoat sleeve to display his own pip-buck, Virescent took solace in that, if it could be done then she could do it too. The detective was smart enough to know if it had been Fast to give her the device, he would have given her whatever she was lacking to use it as he said. But if he gave one to the synth... the synth probably had this tag thing she needed.

"A-Alright, he didn't give me this one... but I do know him! He saved me! I was in a fight with him over the sea, I was hurt and fell to the water, then I washed up here a couple days ago. But I saw him just recently, more so than you! He has indeed ascended to one of my kind since you last met, he asked me to be better and promised he would... er... I will let you see..." The flat stare the synth was giving her mimicked a disbelieving pony perfectly, forcing her to try something she wouldn't have believed possible five minutes ago and telepathically share the memory.

Those odd eyes widened so she hoped it worked, sensing wonder flowing off her target at the experience. For his part Nick was flummoxed and momentarily blown away feeling what it was to have a living body again, even one in a catastrophic amount of pain at the time. She spoke the truth though, there was the dark pony in the comic book character costume, with new wings... begging this mare to be a better pony because he cared about her.

"That's him alright. Lying isn't being a better pony though dollface..."

"I didn't really lie per se... I do know him and he does give these things to those he likes, those are both true... I never really said he gave me this one... I just fibbed a little... You believe me now though don't you? So you can take me to him!" Virescent tried to divert from her little lapse as smoothly as possible, this robot could help her, that's what mattered.

He still didn't look like he trusted her though, taking a long draw on his cigarette contemplatively. "So maybe I'll give you a ride back to Trotson, after I'm done with my case. On your own tracking him down like all the rest though, penalty for fibbing to a detective. Now if you'll excuse me, I have a filly to find."

No! No, no, no! She made him mad... did the exact opposite of making a good impression, now if he told on her... Virescent pranced in place as he turned to leave, panicking at her mistake. Forget! She'd make him forget! No... no that was wrong, she'd be piling one mistake on top of another! Being better wasn't just supposed to be about getting what she wanted, she had made up her mind to try being a good pony for reasons other than just one male. Having a link to him right in front of her just made all her old bad habits come out first, she had to fix this somehow... be better...

"Wait! I'm sorry! I'm ...new to all this being good business... but I'm trying! I... I will help you with your case!"

The robot... Nick, paused and looked back, intrigue and more of those funny detective thoughts flowing off of his back;

(I've had uglier faces tell me prettier lies, the truth was always beautiful though, probably why I stayed in this game. This dame was clearly damaged goods, but I'm a sucker for those dark, long legged types, plus having a mindreader on the case would certainly speed things up with the oh so chatty locals. She'd make one helluva Mare Friday if she meant it, maybe she'd even be as good as the last gal I hired on like this. Sigh... Ellie will give me hell when I get back to the office for taking in strays again, but....")

Before he could continue the thought that was making her hopeful, a loud bell started ringing towards the end of the harbor, at the conglomeration of steel ship's hulls and junk that made up the gate out to the island. The synth and the alicorn both looked towards the noise and all the locals rushing around them towards it, shouts rising up about ponies coming back, arguing about opening the gates, monsters in the fog?

Panic and grim fear were surging up in the frantic ponies Virescent watched running that way, catching the eye of Captain Berry galloping down the dock with a determined scowl, the older mare paused and shouted at her and the robot. "You two! Outsiders! We've got trouble! I hate to ask but... there's a scouting party out there and it doesn't sound good, we need..."

Her thoughts were enough for Virescent, concern for others was foremost in the mare's mind, there were ponies in real danger out there and the gates weren't opening... Caring about the resident's somewhat miserable lives was still an abstract for her, but life and death was an easier concept for her to take a side on. Good ponies helped if they could, Vira could. She was still upset at falling back on bad habits with the synth, she wanted to be better for herself dammit, she was going to be.

A hard flap of her mighty wings sent her straight up and towards the thick walls, gliding down to a suitable perch to peer out into the dense fog and spot a single frantic pony slamming his hooves against the gates from the outside, screaming to be let in and about more coming. Why weren't they opening the gates? Only a few ponies had taken to the top of the wall with their weapons pointed out to defend, but a fight was going on over the controls to the steel gates in. Fear... she could sense fear that way, they were too afraid to open up and save their own, afraid of the monsters that were coming with them...

Selfish, weak, frightened ponies only caring about themselves... inferior... NO! That's what she thought before, not all were bad, these were scared. No excuse for leaving their friends outside, but it didn't make them inherently inferior than her, it just made them ponies... like she was. More of the ones trapped outside were coming rapidly, their echoing hoofsteps growing vaguely louder in the fog, they'd be here soon and grousing over frightened townies wasn't helping.

She could help though, she could be like the few brave ones up on the wall whose thoughts were filled with concern first, and fear second. She drifted down near a younger pink mare in glasses with a harpoon gun floating in her magic, joining the defenders and idly noticing the synth was clambering up the stairs with Cap'n Berry to join them.

Virescent considered just forcing whoever was down at the gates to open them, a bit of concentration would be all it took really... But forcing ponies to do things against their will was bad, the shadowy shapes resolving out of the foggy streets below took her focus away anyway, she couldn't do two things at once and the gaggle of harbor ponies were finally staggering their way close enough to make out. The one pounding on the gate already was distracting, so she turned that way and simply picked him up in her green magic, flicking her horn to lift the stallion up and over the wall, solving that problem at least.

There were too many others coming to rely on doing that again though, mishappen monsters were barely visible behind their flight, closing in on the last pair stumbling their way closer. A pair of earth pony stallions, one leaning heavily on the other and limping, poorly bandaged wounds bleeding down his hindleg the obvious cause. The shadowy monsters were going to catch up to those two, the healthy one could make it if he abandoned his wounded friend, but he wasn't doing that, despite the thought of doing so racing through his head.

That one was rising above his nature and self preservation, was better than a selfish, weak... was better than the others cowering here anyway. He was brave and cared, like the male, those were virtues in ponies that Vira liked and wanted to see more of, so her course was clear. She leapt from her perch and dove through the fog towards them, slamming to the cracked asphalt before them just as they stumbled and fell, the unwounded one frantically trying to tug the wounded one up, while the wounded one was trying to wave his friend on without him.

Having a big green alicorn appear before them got both to stop their terror driven argument, gaping silently as her telekinesis surrounded the hurt pony and started lifting him to her back. "Go! I will take him back, run!"

The brown stallion watched as she gently settled his friend between her wings, two full grown stallions was a little much for her to carry through the air, but without his friend weighing him down she could feel he still had the strength for a final sprint to the gates. His uncertainty about letting a strange outsider take his friend was ended by the first monster resolving out of the fog nearby, taking an ungainly hop around the corner of a rotting old gift shop and croaking menacingly.

A frog? Yes, some kind of mutated frog apparently, about half the size of a normal pony, thick, rubbery grey-green hide, a stubby, finned tail slapping the ground as it hopped. The thing's pale throat ballooned out with a deep croak and it suddenly spit at her, thick, viscuous gunk arcing through the air Virescent dodged away from in a panic and then froze, literally....

Everything froze... the frightened stallion was stopped mid-stride, finally choosing to let her take his friend in the face of their attacker, the monster itself was frozen mid-hop towards them, the ponies on the gate and above it, everything and everyone was just frozen, including herself! What was going on!?

Stable-Tec Assisted Targeting System activated, first activation for new user detected, would you like to read the tutorial?

The glowing lines of text appearing before her eyes cut short Vira's panic, the pip-buck... the pip-buck was doing something, that's why the world seemed to have frozen in place but she could still think, if not move. Well, one positive to time being stopped was she had time to waste apparently, warily accepting the prompt waiting for her and scanning the lines of text flowing past her eyes.

Stable-Tec Assisted Targeting System, or S.A.T.S. utilizes your pip-buck's neural connection and advanced temporal magic to 'freeze time', allowing the user to select their attacks with care in the heat of battle. Available targets are highlighted, choose between them and select your attacks, each attack requires spell charge stored in your pip-buck, different attacks require different amounts of magic, which recharges over time. Odds to hit are displayed over each target in your S.A.T.S. display, once attacks are selected and locked in, accept the sequence and allow the pip-buck's targeting system to take over.

Pony technology... not Virescent's strong suit, but this seemed very user friendly. It explained some of the male's spooky combat skills she had witnessed before, surprised by an opponent then suddenly blazing away with his guns with devastating accuracy, he used this S.A.T.S. thing? If he could, Vira could, she'd have something in common to talk about even. Puzzling over the display in her vision let her slowly figure it out, she had no weapons but it seemed to recognize her magical abilities and her hooves, that would do.

Nothing fancy... a little focus let her highlight the round body of the frog thing with the glowing 75% displayed over the bright outline and queue up a couple simple beam spells, gulping to herself anxiously, she accepted the waiting prompt and let the system do... whatever it did... What followed was the oddest sensation, time resumed but she wasn't fully in control of herself, she felt the bright green beams of magic blast out of her horn, aimed and fired by the strange arcano-tech device at her hoof instead of her conscious control.

The first shot missed, the slippery enemy hopping towards her just ahead of the blast of magic that blew a chunk of asphalt from the street. The second hit the target however, scorching a bleeding rent in the thick hide that gushed blood, the beam of force blowing the monster back from its midair hop and giving her breathing room as it flopped on the ground.

More shadowy, hopping shapes were behind it, giving her incentive to get going quickly. Vira put the odd experience behind her and spread her wings, launching herself into the air and keeping a grip on her passenger with her magic. She soared through the fog and over the walls, landing on the other side and plopping her rear down to let the wounded pony slide off, then flew back to the increasing gunfire and shouting at the gate, landing beside the synth detective firing a gleaming silver revolver down into the fog and the creatures coming out of it.

The surviving ponies screaming at the gate were huddled together, joining those still safe above them in shooting at the monstrous frog things, slowing them down but not enough. What to do? Virescent didn't have a gun to join them and her magic, while effective, wouldn't be enough to significantly help them. She did have one other skill to fall back on, though she hated having to do it around strangers...

No choice, this was the best way to protect those ponies, at least she had the robot here... a friend of Fast's was trustworthy enough anyway. Virescent sat down heavily beside the synth and turned on him, catching his attention with her shout. "You! Robot! Er... Nick, I must rely on you, watch over me, make them open the gates and tell me when it is safe, I will protect them!"

His mouth opened to speak, but she had no time, closing her eyes and sinking into a deep meditative state on the spot. A bright green shield bloomed to life around the ponies huddling at the gate, completely enclosing the still barred entrance and those outside of it. That was pretty much all Vira was sure of though, her normal shield wouldn't hold up under an assault from so many of those odd red dashes in her vision marking more monsters approaching.

Creating the highest caliber shields was another unique skill among green alicorns, but it came with a cost, she had to sit perfectly still and was mostly unaware of the world around her, making her a helpless target while she did it. Normally she'd have her sisters around her and their connection through unity would let her know what was going on. Without that, she was trusting the detective to watch her unaware body, her only connection to the outside came from what she could sense from the minds around her, but she couldn't even concentrate enough to see through their eyes or get much more than surface thoughts if they weren't alicorns like her.

Surprise... hope... aggression... arguing... determination... anger... a rallying of splintered feelings into one shared emotion to fight, positive emotions and thoughts were starting to surge around her, a wave of relief from a hooffull who had been feeling panic, cheering and victory... A gentle nudge to her shoulder broke her concentration and Virescent snapped out of her meditation, blinking down at a street full of bleeding frog things, but no more ponies were where her fading shield had protected now.

"Hey... you alright dollface? Back with us again?" Nick asked uncertainly as she shook to herself and looked back, making sure the ones trapped outside were indeed staggering down the docks with their fellows.

"Yes, I'm fine. Thank you, I don't like doing that without somepony I trust to watch me, but it was all I could think of. I appreciate your help detective, I'm... I'm sorry I fibbed... I am trying to be better. I do want you to take me to the male, b-but just a ride back to Trotson would be wonderful. I meant what I said about helping with your case-thing... i-if you wanted my help?" Vira stood and actually enjoyed some of the thoughts swirling around her she picked up, several of the town's defenders looked at her with... gratitude... that felt nice actually.

"50 caps a day."

"What? Y-You want me to pay you? I said I was sorry, I won't pay a fine as well for..." Virescent balked at the short declaration, getting a groan from the synth turning back to look up at her.

"I pay you sweetheart, 50 caps a day to be my Watson, plus expenses. Use that fancy magic to crack a few heads open and peek at what's inside, find a missing filly, solve the case. That's my standard rate for an assistant, I could use the help and I'm not going to take advantage of a friend of a friend." Nick reloaded and holstered his revolver ruefully and held firm, he'd be in trouble enough for that much,

His last assistant had negotiated that rate and he couldn't really pay less now, unfortunately the one who extracted that rate was a mercenary griffon with a long bar tab, he really hoped this one didn't have quite the same liberal definition of 'expenses'. But this alicorn really did help here and he had a weak spot for dames trying to turn their lives around. Everypony deserved another chance.

The pale synthetic hoof held out made Virescent gulp to herself, feeling on the threshold of taking another step towards learning to be a better pony. A job... she'd never had a job really, holy edicts, nefarious missions and foul deeds sometimes, but a plain old, normal pony job? For money? The only thing close was helping Longfellow with chores to earn passage home, that wasn't so bad.

Not really what she wanted.... but the sooner his case was solved, the sooner they could return to Trotson. Having a job would probably be a good thing too, she'd have money if she needed it again at least, and it gave her time to undo her poor first impression with Nick, maybe get him to change his mind.

She wasn't sure how 'locator tags' worked and was wary about digging after the information no matter how much she wanted it, but the gist she got was Nick had a thing he could give her, and that thing would let her find the male no matter where he went... Not even Umbra had that... the leader of Trinity Tower tried to get the information out of the detective too, but Virescent could do it successfully! Maybe...

Being a detective should be foal's play for a telepath, how hard could it really be?

"Yes! Yes please, I'd like that. I'll do a good job and help solve this case of yours, er... boss?"

Taking a long last pull on his cigarette, the detective synth chuckled and flicked it off the wall, adjusting his ruffled coat and looking her up and down appreciatively. "Just Nick is fine doll, have to find you a proper uniform somewhere or other eh? Ok, you're hired Miss... Virescent was it?"

"Vira. Vira is fine Nick, thank you! Er... uniform though?"

In answer Nick Hearts n' Hooves grinned and flipped his collar up against a light drizzle, turning to walk back down the stairs off the wall and waiting for his big assistant to canter up. "Sure! Every good gumshoe's gotta wear the uniform, being a proper detective involves a little style and class, along with lots of bullets and booze. We have standards at Hearts n' Hooves Detective Agency sweetheart, have to keep up the image."

Nick may have idly pictured sparkling evening gowns, veiled hats and long cigarette holders, stockings and garter belts and a few other lacy bits underneath that made her blush lightly, but what was most important to his version of detective uniform was simple enough. Though she had no idea where he'd ever find a trenchcoat in her size.

"Sumi Ink, 15 year old filly from the northern Commonwealth, up near Coastal Cottage. Her father Kindle's the client, tracked me down around County Crossing with the case, helped me out in the past and I owed him. Family owns working boats, do trading and hauling up and down the coast, daughter took off with the spare and wound up here. Folks said she'd been fooling around with a radio back home, fixing things is her special talent, thought she was talking with somepony. Never learned the 'don't talk to strangers' rule to survival apparently."

"Now, most likely this a case of little bird leaving the nest, not a lot we can do on a job like this... I'm no bounty hunter. But runaways don't exactly send word back home they're still alive out in the wastes, so that's where we come in Vira. We track down where Sumi went, find out if she's alive or dead, whether she wants to be here or not, tell her that her folks miss her and hope for the best."

Nick Hearts n' Hooves had taken a slow tour of the town before heading down to his fancy boat, the client's fancy boat rather, boarding the small vessel and sharing his hoofwritten notes on the case with his new assistant. Vira could barely make sense of his chickenscratch notebooks, but the important thing for her was here and under her scrutinizing green gaze, a picture.

An actual photograph no less, young Sumi's parents must do well enough for themselves, or she was a good enough repair-pony to fix a prewar camera, but it was better than the rough description or sketch Virescent was afraid she'd have to make do with. Some of Nick's wild, intuitive leaps and questions in his notes were interesting, but Vira just needed to know who she was looking for. Reading thoughts from those they questioned wouldn't help much if she didn't know who was important in the images she got.

She was a pretty young unicorn mare, pictured at a workbench strewn with parts in front of a boat similar to the one they sat on now, beside a balding, bearded old stallion who looked too old to be her father, grandfather maybe? A rich black coat with a medium length white mane striped with green, grease smudged her cutie mark of a wrench handled brush below her toolbelt badly enough it was only because of the notation she was able to tell what it was, but she needed to see the pony herself more than her mark anyway.

"You think she was talking to somepony on the island? Who? Why?" Virescent asked curiously as she committed the face to memory, given the way all the locals had been focused on outsiders, she was hopeful they'd remember this one too, even if she wasn't as out of the ordinary as a tall alicorn or a synthetic pony.

"The Fog Harbor tourism board's been a little lacking the last 200 years, so guessing she had to find out about the place somewhere. Radio seemed the best bet, her folks weren't exactly a font of information on the subject though. Thinking it was a rebellious bit of teenage angst, a secret from mom and dad. They're good folks, but sounded like they tried keeping her down on the farm, while she longed for the bright lights of Manehatten."

"As for who and why... those are the big questions in any case Vira, in one like this... the answer usually isn't good. Some raider crew that got an old radio to work well enough to bring the mice to the cat? Crazy cult worshipping an unexploded balefire bomb underground, looking for more worshipers to drink the cider? Some Stable putting out a call for an audience to put on a saucy puppet show? Who knows, seen it all though. Kids that age are easy to take advantage of, especially when it's just a friendly voice in the dark telling them what they wanna hear."

"That's all most ponies are looking for anyway, what they want to hear I mean... You haven't gotten any clues since you arrived here Nick?" Her new employer's answer helped her appreciate the detective's skills, a student of pony nature, without her advantages on the subject.

"Not much, the mare in charge of the joint and the doctor both said they saw her in town. Skittish, said she was waiting on somepony to meet her, disappeared before long and no one thought anything about it. This place is like a mystery bonanza though, everypony I talked to was hiding something close to the vest, there are secrets here, place stinks to high heaven of them and the old detective schnozz smells it all. Hoping they'll be a little more chatty after helping out at the wall, ready to get to work doll?" Nick collected his files and stashed them away in his bags, trotting off the gently rocking boat and back up to the docks, holding a gentlecoltly hoof out for her to disembark behind him.

She hardly needed help, a flutter of green wings would send her up with no issue, but the gesture of old world chivalry was nice so she accepted, stepping carefully up beside him and following him back up to the harbor. "Ready Nick, what do you want me to do? I.... I can force answers out of them if you want, I don't think I should do that anymore though... unless I have to, but you're the boss, I... I trust your judgement more than my own at the moment."

"That's a little like breaking legs to get answers doll, not that it never comes up, but never my first or second option. Glad you're already not too keen on doing it, that's more like a good pony Vira. Just the surface thoughts like you were talking about is fine, that's not really much different than how I do it, reading body language and listening to what they say and don't say. You let me know what you get, I'll tell you if I think we need to get a little rough, then it's on me since I made the call, ok?" Nick lit a cigarette and led the way, back up to the town of Fog Harbor and the residents taking care of the survivors from the wall.

Just milling through the crowd got her some information, letting the thoughts flow around her and passively listening to them and the words they actually said. Most of those who had returned from.... a park? the Equestrian National Park in the island interior... thoughts of fog and monsters came with the name and a new message came from the pip-buck on her leg with a beep; Map Updated.

Odd... it was a clever gadget apparently, fiddling with the controls idly as she followed her employer brought up a map of the island, a new icon displayed where these scouts had come from a good distance away. There was disappointment and self recrimination mixed in there, they left somepony behind... seemed to think the fog was actively trying to take over what was a protected settlement they had to flee.

She had to stop playing with the pip-buck as Nick got to work, following in his wake as he stopped some of the gathered ponies with a question here and there about Sumi. She wasn't getting much more than he was from his probing questions, she did see flashes of the filly in their minds so they had seen her, but their thoughts about it were guarded and somewhat angry... something about... synths? Condensers?

"One more thing ma'am, seems to me you folks all pay special attention to anypony from the mainland showing up, seem pretty crowded here too... you sure you didn't see this filly?" Nick asked a plump orange mare outside the Helpinghoof Clinic, getting a frown and huff from the middle aged earth pony.

"No. Don't care about outsiders, that includes weird robots and big mares sticking their snouts where they don't belong. Appreciate your help at the wall but want nothing to do with some missing filly thank you." Her answer was a lie... Virescent could see Sumi ducking down an alley to speak with a shadowy figure flash in her mind as she spoke.

She leaned down to whisper to the detective after the mare trotted off. "She is lying. Sumi was here, she met with somepony alright, someone she wants nothing to do with... er... the word 'synth' keeps going through her mind, but I'm unsure if it's because of you or..."

A brown stallion wearing a flannel shirt and rubbery boots interrupted her thought, wearily walking out of the clinic and noticing the large alicorn nearby. His amber eyes widened under his dark mane and grey knit cap, trotting right up to her and grabbing her foreleg to shake it vigorously. "You! You're the mare that saved my brother Leather! Thank you kindly ma'am, don't know what we would'a done if you hadn't shown up! Er... Usually not one for outsiders, but glad you were here, we owe you and islanders pay their debts, here..."

The bundle of caps he pulled from his cracked saddlebags took her by surprise, she didn't really act expecting a reward... did good ponies accept payment for doing good? He wanted her to take it... it seemed important to him... If he felt he owed a debt maybe she could use it, the truth was more valuable than the caps he held out in his mouth.

"T-Thank you, but I don't need your caps sir. Umm... I do need help though, have you seen this filly? She was here about a week ago and disappeared, my friend and I are searching for her and would appreciate any help." Virescent took the lead reticently, noting Nick's raised eyebrow and silence, he was letting her try on her own.

The stallion paused, a frown pinching his face as his thoughts raced looking at the photo Virescent held out in her magic. He had seen her... saw her meeting with a pale mare in a ratty black coat and disappear into the fog beyond the gates, he had been on guard duty at the time... He felt very conflicted and still held the caps out, wanting to repay his debt but unwilling to speak for some reason. Again 'synths' popped up in his mind, looking over Nick beside her warily and thinking.

(Damn robots... can't piss em off.... condensers... she helped.... pretty filly... Acadia.... just take the caps... please...) The conflict running through his mind was painful, the harborponies were stubborn and wary, stressed and guarding secrets on this island... What he finally said fell in line with her assessment, "I'd like ta help ma'am... really, just... I can't, please just take the caps?"

Hmmm... he was attracted to her... Virescent knew how to use her wiles against ponies like this, it often helped crack their defenses and open their minds. She felt odd doing it now with somepony she didn't really care about though, before it never mattered since she didn't care about anyone, but now... it almost felt like a betrayal of her feelings for the male.

It was too valuable a tool to just leave unused though, Virescent took a slow step forward and fluttered her eyelashes, tracing a wing up the stallion's neck, lifting his chin up to her lidded gaze and cooing in a syrupy sweet voice. "Pleeeease... I promise not to tell... We simply want to find the filly for her parents, she's a runaway, it makes me soooo sad... Surely a big, strong buck like you can share a little secret with me? Hmmmm?"

Her sultry purr worked as she hoped, lust fogged the buck's mind immediately, warring with that stubborn streak that wanted to refuse and wearing it down. If she really poured on the charm she could have him wrapped around her hoof with enough time, actually that may be entertaining... The male left her quite worked up with no relief when she last saw him, playing with this normal pony would be like practice...

All she wanted was answers though, interesting as exploring that tingly feeling might be, her flirting was breaking his formidable defenses and unguarded thoughts were flitting through his mind. An image of the filly... the pale unicorn in the coat... the fog.. the two of them disappearing into the fog, trotting down the road outside... then the picture of that funny building way at the top of the highest peak on the island, visible above the fog even from here, the old observatory... 'Acadia' went through his head again, along with thoughts of condensers and synths...

"S-She's safe... I... I can tell you that miss, she met her friends and left. We... We don't get involved with those that pass through, they value their p-privacy... I wish I could say more but.... P-Please, take the caps, islanders pay their debts and I can't give you what you want." He was stubborn alright... but he gave more than the others had.

Virescent reluctantly took the little pouch of caps and bowed her head to the smaller stallion, holding out a hoof and getting the gesture returned. "It is alright, thank you. I didn't help expecting repayment, but I accept it... umm, I didn't get your name, I'm Vira and this is my employer Nick."

"J-Jar Head, pleasure Miss Vira. S-Sorry I couldn't help more, m-maybe I could buy you a drink sometime though?"

The inviting smile Virescent returned brightened Jar Head's mind instantly, her nod of acceptance filled him with excitement as he trotted off and she returned her attention to Nick, leaning down again to speak in a conspiratorial whisper. "He saw her leave with another pony, the one in the dark coat I mentioned? Something about the observatory up there and 'Acadia'? He did mean what he said, Sumi was safe as far as he knew, he doesn't think of her as being in danger at least."

The synth detective pulled a battered notebook from his trenchcoat and jotted down a few notes quickly, smiling as he spoke up to Virescent. "Good work sweetheart, knew you'd take to this kinda work. So now we got a lead... Acadia huh? Let's try the Captain again, maybe she'll answer now that we know what to ask."

Vira gave a little whinny of pride at the praise, that felt good... being a good pony wasn't so bad, she liked playing detective and helping anyway. Tracking down Captain Berry wasn't that difficult, all they had to do was follow the shouting coming from the gates, the older mare was berating the young buck who had been on duty when all the excitement happened, standing beside the pink mare she had landed by earlier who was going over the wall and gates with a critical eye.

"I tell you to open the gates, you open the damn gates Snapper! Don't just fucking stand there like a lump! If it weren't for that mare those folks would'a died because of your freezing up! Go find your father and let him tan your hide for me, get out of my sight!" Captain Berry stamped her hooves and pointed back down the docks, dismissing the shamed buck with a snort and turning to the pink mare speaking to her in a grumble.

"The hull can't take another attack like that, if it weren't for that big mare's shield thingy they would'a got through Cap'n. I need those tools and supplies, like yesterday! We need to send another group out so we can reinforce it, unless you want to hire the crazy mutant pony to hang around the hull all day and night to pull that little trick again!" The pink unicorn shook her brown mane in a fit, anger flowing off her about the damage done to her wall and what had happened, noticing Nick and Virescent trotting up too late to cover her mild insult.

"I am not a crazy mutant pony... Just a normal one, call me Vira instead if you please. I already have a job too, so I cannot sit around to make shields for your wall." Vira glared down her nose at the mare, ignoring her huff of apology as she turned to a badly damaged two story home incorporated into her precious wall.

Thankfully Nick and the Captain took over as Vira fluffed her wings in a pout, she didn't sense hatred of alicorns in particular from the mare, just overall rudeness and frustration. Cap'n Berry waved her off and beamed up to her at least, shaking her hoof happily as she spoke. "Nevermind the Mariner, she's actually glad you were here and so am I! That was an impressive bit of magic Miss Vira, Fog Harbor owes you a debt and..."

"Islanders pay their debts?" Vira answered for her, it was like a creedo... a code of honor all the harborponies seemed to follow.

The grey mare in charge of the town shrugged and nodded happily. "Just so, islanders pay their debts. I see you two outsiders found each other, have any luck with your case Detective?"

"Not much I'm afraid, your fellow residents aren't exactly chatty. We did get a lead though... You happen to know anything about a place called Acadia?" Nick shuffled and checked his notes unnecessarily, he knew the name without looking, it was part of an act to put the mare at ease apparently.

Feigning ignorance muted her response somewhat, a rush of guarded thoughts came up at the name, followed by wary acceptance as she answered. "Acadia huh? Yeah I know it, it's a town up above the fogline, way up at the old Starswirl Observatory. We don't normally talk about it, the folks up there.... value their privacy... We have a bit of an arrangement with them, they're the ones that provide the condensers that keep the fog back, so I'm not surprised you haven't gotten any answers if that's where she went."

"Can you tell me much about them? They the type to tempt and ponynap a young filly? Up to no good up there?" Nick kept faking his clueless detective routine, only showing concern for Sumi and putting Berry at ease.

"They're not bad... Sometimes ponies come through and go there, part of our arrangement is just letting them go through and keeping out of their business. If she went there, she'd need a guide to make it safely, it's quite a hike up the mountain through the fog. If you're going to investigate I suggest you get one too, only one guide on the island could take you up there though. At least you have an in with him already..."

While Vira could simply fly straight up and head there herself, the image that flashed in Berry's mind gave her pause. A medium blue stallion with a grey mane and beard... "Longfellow?"

"Aye, best tracker on the island, only one who goes that way, when he feels like it that is. Now if you'll excuse me, I've got more ponies to yell at... Thanks again both of you, if you hadn't been here lives would have been lost, we owe you more than a couple answers and I hate to ask for more... but... If you can help while you're here, we really need it. I told you before I'm worried about Longfellow, I think you see why now eh Miss Vira? If things keep going this way..." The dread flowing off Berry filled in the rest easily... things were bad here, lots of desperate ponies under a lot of stress and constant threat, that never ended well...

Worry for a friend was another new concept for Virescent, but it was there and strong. He could be in danger for his hermit lifestyle, things were bad here and getting worse, if it continued then eventually it would come to a head and Longfellow may suffer. Improving things here would probably help, but the best thing would be if she could convince him to give others a chance like he had done for her. Longfellow was actually nice, he shouldn't be alone like he was... She had to try.

"I'll see what I can do... I worry for him as well Berry." Her soft answer brought out a glimmer of hope and relief in the mare, surprisingly helping felt good... Virescent could get used to positive feelings like that, hardly altruistic since she was getting something she wanted out of it, but everypony won.

"We'll see what we can do, right dollface? We need a guide, let's go see this friend of yours and go on a little hike to this Acadia place." Nick grinned under his hat and nodded up towards the tall peak visible through the fog, chuckling at her folded wings over her warm sweater.

He knew she could take them there in minutes, but wasn't asking her to do so... Opting to take the long way to try helping Longfellow, a pony he didn't know from Celestia. The warm thoughts and feelings running through his artificial brain were as enjoyable and uplifting as any pony's. Nick Hearts n' Hooves might be a synth, but he was a good pony... If a robot could be one, Virescent could be too.

Vira gave a wide, honest smile to her new boss and bowed gratefully, she might like being a detective's assistant after all, it was interesting work so far anyway, and she was growing to like her employer already. This wasn't getting what she wanted... obstacles and distractions were delaying her own goals of getting back to Trotson and finding the male, but sacrificing what she wanted was part of being good right? It wouldn't take long to help and so far it was worth doing so.

"Thank you Nick... for everything. Let's go find Longfellow then, I know just where he will be." Virescent surprised herself by actually sniffling happy tears, turning to trot off to the Last Plank bar and find her friend, introduce him to her new one and try to help him.

It may take time and push back her own goals, but she actually felt good about her course of action for once. She was going to be a good pony, for herself... She had a job and a new boss, two new friends and a goal to help a runaway filly. Being on her own was full of excitement and the unknown, but she felt better about what she was doing now than she ever had working with the shadowy Institute.

The alicorn and the synth walked side by side down the creaking docks, into the unknown and following the case wherever it led.

----------------------------------Level Up!------------------------------------

New Perk Added!-------------------

Black Widow--------
---Part of your role under the goddess was to be convincing and easy on the eyes, playing with stallion's affections is foal's play for you. You're charming... and dangerous. Males suffer -10% damage in combat, and are easier to persuade in dialogue or intimidate, granting you new speech options with certain stallions.

Reputation Change!--------------------

Fog Harbor - Accepted
---Helping protect residents in danger has raised you in the eyes of Fog Harbor's residents. They're still standoffish with outsiders, but you won't get quite the same cold shoulder as you first experienced. Merchants should deal fairly with you and you may even find a friend or two among the ponies of Fog Harbor now!

Ch. 3-- Walk In The Park

(Stop me if you've heard this one, an alicorn and a synth walk into a bar....)

The nonsensical stray thought Vira picked up from her new employer filled the utter silence that greeted them when they walked into the Last Plank, relieving a little of the tension for her as what had been a fairly boisterous room full of drunken thoughts turned their eyes as one to the door.

'OUTSIDERS' beat back at her from their grim faces, making the green alicorn glad for Nick Hearts n' Hooves wry sense of humor. She was curious what the punchline of his joke would be if he had one, would they make a funny one? Thankfully a raspy old voice interrupted the silence and her contemplation, calling out loudly to break the spell that had fallen on the bar.

"Vira! There's me girl there fellas! Come on over here an' have a drink with me ya big filly! Bring yer weird friend too if ya please! Hitch! Another round of drinks for my friend!" Longfellow Steeds called from his corner seat, the bottle before him not quite enough to account for his bright and cheery tone, that was partially for his fellow islanders...

It seemed to do the trick anyway, the tension in the room relaxed as Virescent obediently trotted over, the standoffish Fog Harbor residents returning to murmured conversation around her crossing the room. She paused at the dark coated bartender's friendly reply, pausing in wiping a filthy rag over the worn wooden counter to eye her appreciatively and grin.

"Sure thing Longfellow, hell round of drinks on the house! In honor of my very first alicorn customer, and the fact we're all dead anyway! What'll it be there missy?" The owner of this musty establishment gave her a winning smile with his question, instantly changing the mood with his fatalistic generosity.

His thoughts were curious too, cheerily resigned to just what he said, he believed the residents of Fog Harbor were all on borrowed time, but seemed amused by his impending death and the novelty of an alicorn strolling into his bar before the end. Hmm... more than amused by the stirring thoughts he had as his eye traced down her curves as he waited for a reply, not alone on that score either. With the endorsement of a local and free drinks to smooth things over, Vira caught quite a few lewd fantasies of herself in compromising positions with several stallions and a mare or two in here, she was exotic...

Putting that aside with a whinny, Vira tilted her head in thought at the question he had posed her. Nopony else could place their order until she did, so she had to say something... but she never imbided alcohol, it had no effect and she didn't care for the taste. Technically she very rarely even needed to eat or drink, and as that was something that made her superior to normal ponies (no... not superior, different...) she didn't bother very often.

"Hmm... Ah! Do you happen to have one of those glowing... red... Sparkle Colas? The radioactive variety, I've had that once before." Vira finally answered, searching her limited experiences with pony beverages for one she had quite liked.

Another mental wave of 'OUTSIDER' came at her request, confusing her until the bartender laughed and dug behind him, swishing his red tail and chortling over his shoulder. "Sparkle Cola?! We don't carry that mainlander hooey here, this is a proper islander establishment missy! Here we are, if you insist on somethin' with no bite and little glowy, try a Zip and see if the local flavor doesn't beat Sparkle Cola any day of the week!"

An oddly shaped bottle floated over to her when his head popped up, glowing a pale green that shone through the bartender's crimson magic, complimented by Virescent's own green field of telekinesis when she accepted it and peered at the beverage. 'Zip! Emerald' stared back at her from the faded label, how odd... Even Vira knew Sparkle Cola, as it was ubiquitous in the wasteland, but she'd never heard of this kind of soda.

The pride it was offered with flowing off Hitch made her fairly certain it was as he said, a local flavor, something of the island. Given the expectant look he kept shooting her as he took in all the other orders, Vira cracked the top and stashed the cap in her packs. She wasn't sure if it counted as currency too since it was from something other than Sparkle Cola, but bottlecaps were bottlecaps. That done, she took a delicate sip and swished it around her mouth, surprised by the taste of celery and lettuce, along with the soothing tingle of rads dancing on her tongue.

"Mmm! Very refreshing, thank you! It is indeed just as good as one of those radishy Sparkle Colas." Vira bowed her head to the smirking bartender, enjoying his strange sense of pride and pleasure at sharing a local taste with her as she escaped the well watched exchange, leading the way to Longfellow with Nick following in her wake.

The rickety old wooden chair Longfellow kicked out with a hindleg under the table creaked ominously as she settled into the offered seat, but held and let her blend in with the rest of the patrons a bit, sipping her enjoyable drink and smiling at Longfellow tipping his own bottle of Wild Pegasus up to her.

"Ahoy Vira, hear you were a big help to all these fools out at the wall, good job lass. Found a friend too did you? Who's the tin can?" Longfellow slugged back a shot and eyed Nick suspiciously, his small table only had two seats, but Vira got the idea he wouldn't have offered the synth a seat regardless.

He sounded friendly enough considering he was talking to a pale synthetic pony, but his thoughts were wary and ...protective... He was concerned for her! Had an instant dislike of the robot in favor of watching out for her interests, making sure she wasn't taken advantage of, more of those strange paternal feelings he had for her sometimes that she so enjoyed.

"This is my new employer Longfellow, he came from Trotson to find a missing filly, he's a detective. Er... so am I now it seems, I'm helping him and getting a ride home in return when his case is finished. He's paying me and everything!" Vira tried to soothe that possessive grumble in his head, she liked having somepony concerned for her like this, but it was unwarranted here.

Nick helped her along there, tipping his hat to the dour stallion as he took his ordered drink and slugged the shot back with a wry grin, offering his card to Longfellow who squinted at the worn scrap of paper closely. "Nick Hearts n' Hooves mac, at your service. My new assistant and Captain Berry tell me you're the best tracker on the island, we hear you're the pony to see for a guide up to this Acadia place?"

"Acadia? Yeah... I'm 'bout the only one who goes up that way alright. I can see why he wants to go there, but what about you Vira? Thought you were just wantin' to get home." Longfellow returned Nick's card with a snort, thoroughly unconvinced by her new boss.

He cared about her... They had settled into a casual coexistence the last few days back on his land, but now that other ponies were involved, his feelings were easier to read. Again that paternal feeling flummoxed her, Virescent didn't know anything about fathers, all she had was her mother, these emotions were interesting and very warm...

But, well intentioned as he may be, she had made her own decision and hoped for his help. Not to mention she wanted to convince him to take in some of the local refugees for the Captain of this place, worried for his safety with the desperate townies and caring about his well being after she was gone. Longfellow was a good pony who cared, he shouldn't be alone as he was.

"I do Longfellow, and Nick has offered to take me. But I want to do this too, I have a job... I've never had a job before. I want to do things for myself, learn to be better. Nick is here to find a missing filly, that is a good thing to do and I can help. He's paying me 50 caps a day, which I can use how I want when I go home, he's a good ....pony... synth... he is good. You can help too, we need a guide to this Acadia place and you are the pony to see. Pleeeeease..." The sweet pleading in her voice cracked Longfellow's resolve, leaning down to stare directly at him and widen her eyes as she begged battered through the rest as he stuck his nose up and clenched his eyes with a grumble.

"Bah! Alright, alright! Enough with the puppy eyes Vira, I'll take ya already, just knock it off! Don't see why ya don't just fly yer big butt up there yerself though." Longfellow groused and crossed his forelegs over his chest in a sullen pout, but his thoughts were playfully resigned, he actually didn't mind helping her.

He made a good point Vira didn't know how to answer to try to weasel out of it though, it was true Virescent could simply scoop Nick up and fly straight to the top of the mountain. The fog that presented such a hazard to flying wasn't present that high up, so her only reason for walking was increasingly transparent.

Thankfully Nick answered for her, providing a reason that was sound and smart. "She could, but our missing filly left through the gates and walked. Might be she ended up hurt or dead somewhere along the way, or left clues as to why she's going there. Best to follow her backtrail if we can, instead of just skipping over it. We'd appreciate hiring you on as a guide to lead the way she would'a gone pally, plus anything you can tell us about where she went on the way would help."

Giving a snort and slugging back his whiskey bottle directly, Longfellow nudged Vira's own floating soda up with his hoof, taking a long drink together before gasping and slamming his empty bottle to the table and standing. "Not takin' money from Vira ta help her out, already done this much anyway. I'll take ya, and fill ya in what I knows... outside'a town... where there's less busybodies stickin' their snouts in where they don't belong. But you two do what I say, right? Ain't leadin' a couple mainlanders out there just'a get kill't, so I'm in charge."

Virescent fluffed her wings happily and nodded, agreeing to his terms with a wide smile and surprising herself by lunging into a bone crushing hug with the squirming old stallion. "You're in charge Longfellow, thank you!"

Watching the best tracker on the island, the famously gruff and grumpy hermit Longfellow Steeds, get lifted from his hooves and nuzzled by one big filly was so amusing the bar erupted into chuckles as he wheezed. Nopony messed with Longfellow, yet here he was getting squeezed like a teddy bear by an overeager mare nickering happily.

"Ok! Ok! Enough Vira! Yer ruinin' my reputation ya silly filly! Not ta mention yer about ta snap some brittle ol' ribs! Let's go already!" Longfellow fought and pushed away in her hooves, getting her to release him with a gasp and blush brightly.

Physical affection with normal ponies was going to take some getting used to, they weren't inferior... she knew that now, but they were ...fragile... Plus there was the question of when and where to engage in such behavior she had never really considered. She was happy and wanted to hug him, not thinking of who was watching or how he felt about it.

All very confusing... But his thoughts were still warm, if a bit flustered, and he led the way out as they followed. Vira shrugged and finished her rather tasty drink, interacting with others would take some practice is all. Another reason not immediately going back to Trotson wasn't so bad, when she found the male, she wanted to have a little more experience at least.

She liked hugs so far anyway.

"So, lemme get this straight pal. You're saying Acadia is a community of synths? Here?" Nick Hearts n' Hooves asked his guide curiously, adding to his notes as they slowly clopped down the empty streets of Fog Harbor's ruins.

"Ayup... keep to themselves mostly, they run the wind farm and built all the condensers powered by it. Provide em fer the rest of the island free o' charge, long as they get left alone. Fine with most of us too, odd lot... Alright, keep yer heads down, trappers hang out in these ruins..." Longfellow answered tersely, leading the way down the foggy path towards the looming mountain.

The larger tourist town outside of the walled Fog Harbor was empty and dead, creepier than most wasteland ruins Vira had seen in her life as well... The fog that blanketed everything absorbed sound and light, casting everything in a pale pinkish grey haze that made it look like another world.

The mild radiation of the fog was somewhat pleasant though... it counteracted what Longfellow told her of its necromantic properties anyway. She could feel it trying to sting and bite her coat, only for the minor drain on her health in the denser patches to be repaired by the radiation as quickly as it accrued. That aside, it still felt ...wrong... even for her, adding some weight to Longfellow's assurances the fog was 'evil'.

From what she could make out through the mist ahead, the ruined shops and buildings ahead had a lived in look somewhat... The smell she could pick up was unpleasant, blood and meat, dirty ponies... it went with the chaotic thoughts she started sensing as they drew closer, a scent that complimented the madness she could feel.

"Trappers? Like you are Longfellow? They seem more like raiders..." She asked curiously, already knowing whoever was up ahead, they were nothing like Longfellow, but interested in his answer. Sometimes she just had to pretend she didn't know what was obvious to her, an act to play through for the benefit of those not blessed by the goddess with her psychic gifts.

The old buck's answer was what she expected, a gruff laugh that was muted as they crept forward quietly. "Not hardly like me no more Vira, raiders is close enough as some of em are bastards by choice, for awhile anyway... Trappers what stay out too long in the fog go a little nutty though... I told you, the stuff is evil, gets in their heads and rots 'em out. You see one of them, you kill the poor bastard or run, they'll do the same to you if they get the chance, then tan yer hide and cure yer meat to boot. Aww shit.. looks like yer gonna find out one way or t'other... these bastards set up right across the road an' hoofin' it cross country's even more dangerous. You two ready for a lil' tussle?"

Looking to her boss, Vira watched Nick flick the cyllinder of his gleaming revolver open and check the rounds. The weapon didn't interest her that much, but the thoughts attached to it were intriguing... The synth stared at it a long second, thinking of a letter and.... and the male! He thought of Fast, the male alicorn sent him that weapon, returned it to him, along with something he was still struggling with. Interesting...

"Sure thing pally, let's try a little persuasion..." Nick chuckled back and took cover behind a dented old mailbox, nodding to Vira and shrugging back over his shoulder at a crumbling ruin of a bakery.

She had no weapons, so Nick thought of her as defenseless... While the protective feeling of responsibility from the odd robot was nice, Vira felt it best to clear up that misunderstanding early. She did trot to the cover of the shattered storefront, but held up a hoof for patience from her two companions as she closed her eyes and concentrated.

Four... Five minds up ahead.... Crazed thoughts of fog and blood, hunting and killing, murder and chaos... Something had driven them all irrevocably insane, making Virescent shudder at Longfellow's warnings about the fog on this island. How was it possible for weather to be evil? Impossible as it seemed, she believed him now that she felt it.

Crazy minds were also weak ones though, ones she could manipulate without much effort. Her horn glowed brightly in the gloomy shop that hid it from view and she smiled as the first shot rang out, opening her bright green eyes to nod to Nick and Longfellow moving ahead of her.

These Trappers viewed everything as either one of them, or something to kill and eat. It was a trifle to mess with that distinction, turning them on each other as they all saw prey instead of allies. The trick wouldn't last long, but their fortified camp built in the shoreside ruins erupted into chaos, providing an opportunity for her friends to take advantage of as she ducked out behind them.

A pair of the Trappers tumbled off the roof of a corner grocer as they approached, locked in a snarling struggle between a long fishing spear darting around in flickering orange magic, and a wicked hook slashing out from a burly earth pony's mouth. She got a glimpse as they fell to the street, dressed in the flannels and overalls common among the islanders, along with furs and leathers, bits of bone, severed ears were strung on a necklace of the earth pony who won the fight...

His curved fishing hook gutting his unicorn fellow snapped both of them out of the spell, the winner looking down in confusion at what had been a fine young filly screaming for mercy turned back into a gurgling older stallion. He didn't have long for his addled brain to try to cope with it at least, Longfellow's lever action rifle blew a ragged hole through his neck and he joined his victim on the cold asphalt.

The remaining three trappers were heavily wounded, but were coming back to what passed for their senses, angrily shouting and trying to scramble to cover and attack the real threat. Too little, too late though, Nick's revolver boomed and a dark brown mare was thrown back through the makeshift shelter built at the three way intersection of ruined streets, dropping the number of little red marks in Virescent's vision down to one.

That final hostile pony charged out from behind a rusting hulk of a chariot incorporated into their hovel, screaming an indecipherable howl of rage and swinging the wickedly barbed hooked pole in her mouth at her employer. Vira panicked at the surprise attack, afraid at how close he had managed to get to the unaware synth as time seemed to slow down with her indecision, then just stop entirely...

Ah.... The pip-buck again... S.A.T.S. had activated with her rush of adrenaline and the thought of not having enough time to stop the attack, now she had all the time in the world and marveled at the strange bit of arcano-tech on her leg. She really had to admit it, perhaps her mother had been wrong about pony technology.

Not that her children weren't ...not superior... but very advantaged over normal ponies, but if they had used technology like this along with their natural abilities? Or guns and armor too?

The Destroyer would not have stood a chance against the goddess, and the wasteland would be a very different place...

Would that be good or bad though? Before the answer was easy, now Virescent was surprised to find she wasn't so sure.

Another quandary for later, right now she needed to do something about that screaming raider ...trapper... heathen attacking Nick. With a little practice, Vira found the targeting system followed her eyes, clicking from one section of the glowing green outline surrounding the attacking pony to the next and giving a percentage to hit each part.

The head would be best, but it had fairly low odds to succeed. How did the male so easily make headshots if his pip-buck functioned the same? Maybe you got better with practice or something, she simply couldn't see having his success rate if the odds were accurate. Statistically he'd either have a lot of misses, or was the luckiest pony alive, 15% just wasn't a very attractive target for her.

The body gave the best chances at 80%, then the forelegs facing her at 60%, while the hindlegs mostly obscured by the body were around 20%. An easy enough choice anyway, torso it was. The pip-buck recognized almost all of her arcane abilities and presented them as options, but simple was still best until she got better at this, she selected her beam spell and accepted the waiting prompt.

Time resumed and again came that strange sensation of her magic being directed by something more than just her will. A bright emerald beam blasted from her horn and scorched a smoking hole through the trapper's leather chestpiece, unfortunately not quickly enough to stop his death throes from slashing out at Nick's leg, tearing through his rumbled coat and the pale plastic hide underneath.

"Oh no! No, no, no! I should have used a shield, I'm sorry Nick, are you... all... right?" Vira worriedly gasped and pranced forward to her limping boss, following him to the rusting chariot wreck and tilting her head in confusion as he waved her off and the swirl of magic surrounded his damaged limb.

An eldritch field reached out to the metal wreck he leaned against and the dead trapper, seeming to eat into the corroded steel and plastic of the vehicle, while the same happened to the trapper's clothing. With ample materials on hoof to use, the spell brightened as the damage showing gleaming silver bones, circuits and wires under Nick's hide slowly repaired, ending with his trenchcoat sleeve knitting back together.

"Neat trick, eh dollface? Got Fast to thank for that one actually, ain't worked so well in ages. Institute tech at its finest, with a little repair pony help." Nick grinned and tipped his hat to her surprised face, lighting a cigarette and chuckling at her widening green eyes as Longfellow trotted past them to check over their dead attackers.

Honestly, all he had to do was mention Fast Times and his new mare Friday was all ears. Nick wasn't sure whether to be jealous of that kind of devotion and eager interest, or worried for his friend running from a whole tower of mares just as determined to catch him. Vira was positively fascinated anyway, poking at the repaired limb and questioning him rapidly.

"The male? How did Fast do this? What happened? Fast knows such amazing magic? Did he cast some spell on you?"

Nick tried to ease her back, reloading his revolver and raising an eyebrow up to her prancing in place excitedly. "Easy sweetheart, nothin' so fancy. It's just a repair talisman, when I met him, I was in pretty rough shape, more a loose pile of detective parts instead of the handsome buck you see now. Ol' Fast put me right again and gave me a brand spankin' new talisman from one of those fancy advanced models. Long as there's parts around, I'm right as rain again in a few minutes at worst. I er... don't think he likes being called 'the male' either doll, just food for thought."

Longfellow barked laughter from the crude trapper shelter, going over the corpses and stripping them for valuables. "Filly's got a one track mind when it comes ta that feller, dunno how he made that kinda impression on her, but Vira's a mite focused on him. Didn't I try tellin' ya the same thing? Ya wanna change an' find a way ta this buck's heart, callin' him 'the male' ain't the way ta go about it Vira."

Virescent pouted at getting chided by both of her companions, scuffing the road and replying sullenly. "I am trying... It is a hard habit to break, the mother wanted to find a male very much, it's still hard not to think of him that way first."

Given the opening and a moment while Longfellow continued his looting, Virescent sat beside Nick and lowered her voice meekly. "Nick... Forgive me for overhearing, but some things I catch whether trying or not as I tried to explain. I couldn't help umm... a-about Fast... You just recently had something to do with him, didn't you? Something that is bothering you? A letter and your gun? Your old gun as you think of it apparently, that one there. A... hospital? You seem a bit upset on the subject still, did he do something wrong?"

Virescent pointed to Nick's holstered revolver curiously, she wasn't obsessed with the only male alicorn she had ever seen, but she was very interested in anything to do with him. Longfellow's paternally protective feelings and Nick's generous charity were nice feelings Vira was enjoying, but the male... he felt something different she longed to experience again.

It wasn't just mating and reproduction like the mother wanted, it was something more... something warm and kind and ...loving. The mysterious pony emotion of Love, the focus of so many sappy songs, tawdry romance novels, poetry, paintings and more, had always seemed a bit silly and strange to Virescent. But after getting just an inkling of it herself she was left flustered and very focused on the source, she wanted to feel it again, wanted to know all about the pony who made her feel it, to be a better pony for him and herself too.

Since this happened to involve both him and her new employer, it was doubly fascinating. It was rude to just dig around in Nick's mind and take the answers she wanted, so now she had to ask questions and hope he'd feel like sharing. Like most things, taking what she wanted would be easier and faster, but meant less somehow. Finding out through conversation was crude and slow, but it meant the other party got to share with her as they wanted, she had to earn trust and friendship to learn.

Longfellow interrupted Nick's pained expression by ordering them both onward, but trotted ahead through town and past a sagging, candy cane stripped bar attached to a dilapidated toll booth, not much of an obstacle to the narrow road winding up the mountain. The old stallion kept glancing back, but nodded to her and kept his distance, letting her and the detective have space that Nick apparently needed for a private subject.

She was worried she had offended him, or that he wouldn't tell her, which would be an annoying temptation to simply read the answers herself that she still struggled with. Thankfully he eventually gave a long sigh as they trudged up the mountain path, taking the revolver he thought of as Persuasion from his coat and letting it catch the dim light as he thought. An Ironshod's .45 caliber Peacekeeper by his thoughts, a weapon popular with police ponies from long ago.

"This is my old piece alright Vira, you nailed that one. Thought I lost it a long, long... time ago. Tell me dollface, when you listen in to my noggin, do you er... do I... Is it really a pony brain rattling around up there? Or just a few blown fuses rubbing together?" Nick's strange yellow eyes stared at her closely, an anxious tremble to his thoughts behind those black irises.

The question seemed important to him, but she wasn't sure how to answer his odd phrasing. Lately she had found that when she was confused or unsure, the truth seemed the wisest course. Probably why Honesty was one of the six most important virtues of ponykind.

"You have a pony mind Nick, I sense no difference between you and anypony else. It's rather fascinating actually, I had some exposure to the Institute and their synth creations, but I never saw one of the ...umm... cruder models... that looked like you with a real mind. The more advanced models that were at least partially biological were the same, even I can't tell they are synthetic copies. Only your appearance lets me know with you."

Longfellow's flicking ears were listening in and he turned back from eyeing a small campsite for creatures in the fog in surprise, just a few days with Vira had impressed on the old buck how accurate her unique gifts were. "Even you can't Vira?! Huh... that's somethin' then. Most of them ponies up ahead in Arcadia look right, but wouldn't figure they got workin' brains that can fool even you! Guess their hooey about wantin' ta be free ain't just some kinda malfunction or somethin' then. No offense there Detective..."

A look of tired relief crossed Nick's pale face, so Vira hoped she had done right, though she still sensed that turmoil bothering him as he answered. "None taken pal, thanks Vira... and I used to be prettier... Had me a plain old flesh and blood body once, used to be a real gumshoe back in the days when I didn't have to explain what that is to almost everypony I meet. Before the war I was one of Trotson P.D.'s finest."

That statement came with a rush of memories and thoughts that gave Vira pause, the world before the bombs... Images of the gleaming towers of Trotson, green grass and living trees, sparkling rivers of clear water, a metropolis of clean and fairly happy ponies not trying to kill each other to survive.

As she stared at Nick, a residual self image seemed to superimpose itself over his pale features, a pale grey coat instead of white, a brown mane streaked with grey, though his outfit remained the same. This was how Nick thought of himself once, years of getting used to his current form made it faded and temporary, but once he was a real, living pony.

A prewar pony too... something that led her back to her favored subject with a gasp. "Like the ma- like Fast! You are from before the end? The old world?"

She could do without his chuckling smirk at returning to thoughts of the male, but he simply nodded with a smile. "Yep, me and Fast even compared notes, one prewar pony to another, usually it's just me and ghouls that remember the old ways. I used to be Detective Nick Hearts n' Hooves of the Trotson Police Department, then I had a little lead assisted nap for a few decades and woke up like this."

"How? What did the Institute do to you Nick? Is that what's bothering you?" Vira asked quietly, just broaching the subject increased the pain her employer was struggling with, but she was honestly curious and picked her way cautiously forward through the conversation, waiting patiently as Nick thought.

"That's the question... I never really knew Vira, how or why they made me and stuck a detective's mind in this clanking chassis. You'd think if they were gonna copy a pony's brain, they'd pick one a little more worthwhile with a few less holes. They didn't exactly fill me in though, I just woke up alone in the wasteland thinking a few days had passed. The letter your favorite buck sent filled in a big piece of the puzzle for me just the other day, now I'm trying to figure out what kind of picture it makes." The synth detective's eventual reply was tired and sad, still holding back things Virescent could sense swirling in his artificial mind. He had seen something recently that threw his world into chaos, shook him to his core and had him obsessively turning it over in his thoughts.

Staying focused on his case, along with his new assistant and her problems, seemed to help him, concentrating on the present instead of the past and the things hidden there. That was something Vira could empathize with at least, the past could be painful, but there was nothing you could do to change it. The present and future might hurt too, but at least you had some input on them.

"The Institute has done many terrible things, I see that now... I don't like them either, what they did to you just makes me sure I'm right to feel that way. I like to think where one comes from is less important than who they are now too, f-for selfish reasons... but still. I've done many bad things, but now things have changed! I have a friend in Longfellow and you I hope, I have a job and a goal to find your missing filly, things can be better... no matter where we come from." Virescent answered earnestly, she had to believe that...

That somehow even she could change and be a worthwhile pony, not a minion or pawn of bigger powers playing on a larger stage. That her life mattered and she had some influence on its course. That if she chose to and tried, she could be better.

"You got a real knack fer pickin' screwed up friends there Vira, I shudder ta think what this buck yer taken with is like, nuttier than a fruitcake I imagine!" Longfellow's laugh made her feel a little defensive as they kept hiking up the winding trail, returning her attention to the old stallion and her worries for him in the process.

"He's not... well... Maybe a little. He does dress like a comic book character and enjoy theatrics, but I like him! Were he not odd, he probably wouldn't have helped me. I am free to choose whatever psychologically unsound ponies I wish to befriend, I like you after all Longfellow."

Virescent wasn't much of a joker, awkwardly attempting one and waiting anxiously for it to sink in for a beat. Hearing the old stallion suddenly sputter and guffaw laughter was a wonderful feeling though, well worth the risk. Laughter... another of those important virtues Vira had disregarded most of her life, but one she found she liked now. Not only was just the sound of Longfellow's chortling uplifting, she got to feel it too, a fuzzy ball of warmth in his heart that blew away a lot of cobwebs. Longfellow didn't laugh often, but she made him do so and it felt good!

"Alright, ya got a point there Vira. Course I don't think I'd complain if'n ya wanted ta jump my old bones half as bad as ya do yer feller! Friends is good too though." Longfellow gave as good as he got, making Virescent's cheeks burn at the hit scored.

She still didn't view mating the same way Longfellow or other normal ponies did for the most part, but spending enough time around the old buck had rubbed off a bit. Mating for pleasure was a new concept for her, and still closely tied to procreation now that it was a possibility. She was intrigued and wanted to try it, but only with the male.

Imagining doing so with the wrinkled old stallion teasing her now felt ...weird... He was still rather attractive, in a grizzled kind of way... and she cared for him, she liked hugs with him, and his soothing touch on her hoof or shoulder when she was upset. Trying to bring up all those funny, tingly feelings she associated with the male but with Longfellow instead just felt oddly wrong though.

Longfellow was like... like the goddess in a way, her mother. He was male instead, but those paternal feelings he held for her... Fathers. Virescent still didn't quite get fathers, but realized she viewed Longfellow in similar terms, thus imagining herself rutting the old buck was just weird. Apparently it was for him too, which was the point of the teasing, saying something ridiculous and sure to make her uncomfortable and embarrassed.

Putting aside his snickering with a whinny, Vira trotted closer and used it as an opening to work on him about what she was worried about where he was concerned. "I may not feel that way Longfellow, but perhaps other lucky mares do? If you spent more time with other ponies, you could find one!"

His gruff amusement dried up instantly, a door slammed shut in his heart and made her flinch at her mistake. They were just laughing and joking together, but he turned away gruffly and sped up now, grumbling back as they rounded another switchback on the mountain trail.

"Don't want one Vira. Yer friends enough for an old buck like me, mainly cause yer on yer way ta leavin', right?" He sounded so cold... why did that hurt so much?

"B-But... Even if you don't want a mate, you shouldn't be alone Longfellow. You helped me so much, you're kind and should spend time with others. There are many other ponies who need help back in Fog Harbor, couldn't you help them like you helped me? They could help you back like I did! Or like I tried to..." Virescent tried to keep the whimper out of her voice as her ears flattened, it hurt for Longfellow to turn so cold towards her, but she was actually concerned for him. She had to plow forward instead of getting scared off.

Easier said then done though... his agitation was increasing at the subject, glaring back at her and making her wilt under his hard stare. "You washed up on my beach, nothin' ta be done about it. They can take care of themselves far as I'm concerned Vira. I want peace an' quiet! Not a bunch of whiny ponies muckin' up my land, be undoin' the damage from yer clumsy assfor a week after you finally get gone. Gonna take you up to these kooks on their mountain, then wash my hooves of ya and everypony else, like I wanted 'fore you showed up!"

"Hey, mac... take it easy on her. Sounds like the filly's just worried about you, worse things in the world than a dame givin' a damn about you. I speak from experience, I'd be lost without Ellie holding down the fort." Nick spoke softly in that soothing accent of his, interrupting Longfellow's ire for a moment in her defense, but only increasing it.

"Don't need some machine tellin' me my business neither! Both of ya can keep yer noses outta my life, managed it pretty damn well for a long number of years, ain't gonna stop durin' the last stretch! Now hush up dammit, or just keep yappin' and let beastie come outta the fog an' shut you up for me!" The anger baking off Longfellow's back flared brighter, he was holding back still where Vira was concerned, the robot didn't get any such consideration though.

Sensing that as she cringed behind Nick taking up her defense, Virescent was only more confused. Longfellow was mad, wanted her to stop being a busybody and nosing in on his life, grumbling to himself in a fury and deliberately trying to be hurtful to make her stop, to make her mad so she wouldn't care what happened to him. But he wasn't willing to go as far as he would with others, he cared about her and couldn't bring himself to be truly cruel to scare her off.

What was the right thing to do? If they were friends, should she respect his wishes to be left alone? But if he stayed alone, it would be bad for him, maybe put him in danger... What he wanted seemed wrong, but was it her place to say so? Was it better to support her friend's bad choices blindly, or do what she thought best for his well being, whether he liked it or not? Even if it put their new friendship at risk?

Friendship was hard... and surprisingly painful... Letting a pony in just gave them the opportunity to hurt you more. Longfellow himself was struggling with the very same thought, the nattering and anger of the Harbor ponies meant almost nothing to him, but hearing the same from Vira dug deeper. Even putting on his usual defense of his choices and trying to push her away was harder and hurt more. Why couldn't the strange mare just wind up on some other stretch of beach...

A shrill scream ahead broke the tense silence that had settled between the three of them, snapping them all out of their brooding thoughts and worries thankfully. It came from a thicker bank of fog drifting across the road, something that gave Longfellow pause to turn back and issue a warning, only to nearly be knocked off his hooves by the big alicorn rocketing forward.

"Vira wait!" The old buck's hoarse cry held a note of panic he didn't like hearing from himself, dammit... he told them to only go where he said!

The opportunity to do something right and good was foremost in Virescent's mind though. Putting aside her worries and hurt at failing with Longfellow, here was somepony who needed help right now from real threats she could do something about, not ephemeral, future problems she couldn't.

The Eyes Forward Sparkle system even pointed them out for her, something real and definitely bad since they were displayed in red marks. Three of them moving around a fourth green dash, someone who wasn't bad and who needed help. She could be a good pony, she could help someone anyway!

The shadows resolving out of the fog were low and lupine, lunging and snapping at a bleeding mare trying to crawl away down the cracked road. Balewolves... monsters made of blackened deadfall from the forest and flickering with soothing balefire, twisted timberwolves of old Equestria.

A hard flap sent her soaring above them silently before she was noticed, then she simply tucked her wings and fell like a stone, turning one of the snarling beasts to kindling with all four hooves slamming to its back. The remaining two turned on the new threat instantly, leaving their wounded prey to circle the big alicorn cautiously.

This was something new on the island... Prey the balewolves had never encountered and were therefore wary of. It smelled of pony, but it was off slightly... bigger and stronger too, a threat that didn't smell of fear. It was still a pony though, food... With a few yips back and forth to communicate, they launched themselves at her as one, hoping to overwhelm the larger food protecting the smaller and feast on both of them.

With a thought Vira's bright green shield appeared around her and the wounded lavender mare behind her, the balewolves impacting the barrier bounced off harmlessly and prowled around her in frustration, snarling and clawing at the sphere surrounding her. They were testing it, a few stronger swipes draining more magic to keep it intact. If she focused and created her strongest shield, they could paw at it all day without making any progress, but the current protection would weaken under a dedicated assault once they worked up to it.

'They dare...'

A proud voice from the fog made Vira falter in surprise, spinning around and looking for the source. It couldn't be... Sensing the moment of weakness, the balewolves attacked in concert, slashing out with claws of curved wood and steel wreathed in balefire, first cracking, then breaking through her shield before she could focus again.

Vira managed to prance aside from the wolf that broke through, earning a long series of gashes down her flank, but not at her throat at least. The vicious beasts were strong... almost as tall as she was and consummate predators, the one that clawed her kept her attention while the second tried circling around to her rear, the flicker of movement behind her just enough to buck out of reflex and send it sailing back.

Before it could get to its feet again, a muted shot rang out behind her and sent the collection of wood and junk that composed its body clattering to the asphalt. She turned back gratefully to the source of fear and worry galloping through the fog, Longfellow and his rifle... coming to her rescue and worried for her, he did care...

"Dammit Vira!! Get outta there ya damn fool!" Longfellow shouted and paused to fire his long rifle again, less accurate, but throwing off the remaining balewolf from pouncing on her.

He seemed reluctant to proceed all the way into the dense fogbank she found herself in, the synth detective charging on at his side had no such reservations though. Nick ran ahead, the boom of his gleaming revolver much louder as he closed in and blew large holes in the snarling beast. Damage that quickly started regenerating, random junk and bits of broken roadway floating up to reform the balewolf's body.

"The heart! Ya gotta hit the heart!" Longfellow screeched and tried to line up another shot, blocked as the monster prowled around Vira, putting her bulk between them and looking for a way to claim its lost prey.

Virescent got the image in Longfellow's mind at his panicked cry, a hidden hunk of blackened stone deep in the chest of the balewolf, that's what he wanted to hit... Using his knowledge as her guide, Vira wheeled on the balewolf and blasted out a bright beam from her horn, scorching through the layers of detritus and vaporizing the cold heart of the beast. The last balewolf fell to pieces at her hooves to her relief, letting her finally turn to the wounded mare gurgling under her.

Nick joined her and they both looked to the bleeding mare with crestfallen expressions. Vira had saved her from a more painful death, but death seemed inevitable despite her intervention. Ragged claw wounds had torn through her chest, her neck, her stomach... a long trail of her own intestines marked her torturous progress crawling away on her hooves, her blood smeared down the crumbling trail.

Even if Virescent knew healing magic... there was nothing she could do. Not that she had ever bothered learning how to restore normal ponies, all her kind needed was sufficient radiation to heal, why would she bother learning how to heal weak, frail insects like this? Now she wished she had... that she could do something more than watch this mare die.

Getting a better look stunned her too, even before the balewolves vicious attack, this mare wasn't in the best of shape. She bore the burns and sores of radiation poisoning, her pale orange mane and tail were wispy and thin from lost hair. What bothered her most of all was the ragged, bloody scraps of cloth she wore, a green robe... the hooded garment of an initiate in the Church of Balefire... Here?!

"Damn... I keep a few potions on me, not that they do me any good, but don't look like it'll help this poor dame either... Hang on, think I got a Med-X somewhere too..." Nick reloaded his revolver and looked over the dying mare sadly, quickly coming to the same conclusion, they could be with her in her last moments, but little else.

"I can do that much, save your pony drug Nick... Ssshhh... it is alright, I will help you, a-as best I can, just relax..." Virescent cooed softly, her horn lighting up and touching the poor mare's fading mind.

She couldn't heal, but pain was just signals to the brain, cutting off those signals was a fairly simple matter for her. The wave of relief she felt as her magic took hold made her feel a little better at least, this mare wouldn't spend her last moments in agony anyway.

Her fading purple eyes looked up to her with reverent wonder, her cracked lips trying to form words and weakly spraying her muzzle with blood. Virescent shushed her with a hoof to her lips and shook her head sadly, reaching out to her to let her say her peace.

(Don't try to speak, I can hear you if you think it. It's alright, just... j-just sleep... let go.)

The mare's eyes widened and she gave a weak nod, that religious fervor Virescent could feel just increased as she replied in kind. (D-Divine messenger... H-Have you come to welcome me to the holy glow's embrace? A-Am I worthy o' child of the Goddess...?)

'GREAT AND POWERFUL'

Virescent's head shot up and she peered into the fog, catching a glimpse of a floating, ghostly head and stammering senselessly. The mother... how... No, the goddess was dead and gone, as this poor deluded mare would be soon. Her words and thoughts were of the Church Virescent had so recently been a leader of, filling her with dread and worry to find them here that she struggled to put aside, trying to soothe her last moments and usher her into... whatever waited for her.

Remembering the words she hoped to hear was easy enough, not so long ago Virescent had been everything this mare thought of her as, a divine priestess to give her last rites. (You are worthy, go with a clear heart into the embrace of the Goddess, ascend to a higher form through the power of the holy glow little pony, leave your dying husk behind and rejoice.)

A weak smile stretched across her muzzle as Vira gave a gentle kiss to her cracked horn. She held her mind the whole way, keeping back the pain and feeling the ember of her life slowly die out, fading away to nothing peacefully. Vira was surprised to find she was leaking again... hot tears spilled down her cheeks as she closed the mare's eyes.

Once upon a time, Virescent had reveled in feeling weak ponies dying, snuffing out that precious spark herself, now it filled her with so much pain to feel her go... She couldn't do anything but make her passing less painful...

"What'cha think yer doin' Vira! I said go where I say! Not take off just ta try ta save one of those nuts! Why'd ya... h-hey... hey Vira, w-what's wrong? Don't cry like that lass..." Longfellow's anger as he trotted up died on his tongue, taking in the weeping alicorn looking up to him desperately.

"I c-couldn't help her... She thought I was... I used to be like her, I told her what she wanted to hear, but I couldn't help her!" Virescent wailed back, wishing she could just be the uncaring mare she was before if it would take this pain away.

Her blubbering always affected Longfellow, he hated seeing a filly crying, those paternal feelings rose up again and he rose a shaky hoof to pat her back consolingly. "Enough of that Vira... you tried, looks like ya helped her go peaceful too. Can't take the world on yer shoulders like that, nothin' more ya could'a done... You jus' worry about you, one of these kooks gettin' themselves kill't ain't yer problem."

Now Vira found another reason for expressing physical affection, comfort... She lunged towards the contact of Longfellow's soothing hoof, hugging him tightly and curling her wings around him as she shuddered. Sniveling like a big filly in his ears and nuzzling desperately, anything to make this horrible feeling lessen.

"I have been that way before, o-only cared for myself and not others... I don't like it anymore, I don't w-want to be that way! I want to help and be better, but I couldn't help her, I can't help you either... I don't want you to die like her Longfellow, all alone... But I don't want you to be mad at me for asking you to change either! Why can't I help anyone right?"

Longfellow sighed in her grip, returning it hesitantly and stroking her sides, just like he used to with... She really was nothing but a big filly in some ways, a little girl in a big body, one he found himself caring about where he had managed to keep everypony else away for so long. He could honestly care less about this dead religious nut she was so worked up over, or those fools in Fog Harbor waiting for the fog to overtake them, but Vira...

Vira was different.

"Hush now ya big blubbering galoot, you helped her good enough, an' ya helped me... You quit yer cryin' now Vira, buck up an' I'll.... I-I'll think about lettin' some of them idjits on my land, if'n it'll make ya feel better... And if they keep their distance! A-An' don't go wreckin' the place like you do, yer big butt already did enough damage huh?" Longfellow's deep voice was a soothing balm, calming the shaking filly smothering him and managing to get a weak chuckle after a few minutes.

"I-I don't have a big butt..." Virescent nickered softly and wiped her eyes, peering down at her captive friend hopefully. "Y-You will let others join you? N-Not be alone?"

"Sure ya don't Vira... Yeah, yeah, I said I'd think about it, quit pushin' yer luck... An' only if ya quit that blubberin', got work ta get to don't ya? Other things ta do than worry about an old bastard like me, find that filly an' get off my island, go track down yer precious male an' ferget all about ol' Longfellow." The elderly stallion struggled his way free, covering his rosy face by straightening his ruffled peacoat and hat.

Virescent's head bobbed rapidly and she gave a weak smile, wiping her dripping muzzle on the sleeves of her tight sweater sheepishly. "I will not forget you Longfellow, you are my first friend... I want you to be safe and happy, even when I'm not here. H-Having a friend and worrying for them is new for me... s-so forgive me if I'm not very good at it..."

Giving a snort and tromping onward into the fog, Longfellow tossed his grey mane and called back gruffly. The warm, happy feelings in his head well disguised by his demeanor, but not from his psychic friend. "Yer good enough at it, I ain't too hot at friendship nonsense either, so we're a good match Vira. Now come on, we're almost there."

Vira watched him stride off, giving a start at the pale synthetic hoof lightly touching her own. The detective stood beside her, looking down at the dead mare and trying to console her too. "He's right dollface, you did your best, I think Fast would be pretty impressed. I don't know him very well, but I've seen that old buck's type plenty over the years. You did help him, whether it seems like it or not. Let's get moving before something else crawls out of the woodwork and tries to make a snack of us huh? Already got a bite out of you, hold still a minute, I carry this stuff for a reason."

Moving carefully, Nick unwound a roll of magical bandages from his packs and applied it to Vira's bleeding flanks, a wound she had forgotten in her distress, but his care reminded her of painfully. Having somepony tend her wounds and try to soothe her aching heart... feeling kindness and trying to return it was nice...

"T-Thank you Nick, I'm glad I met you too. You are my second friend, after Longfellow." Virescent sniffled and winced as she stood, her horn pushing back the fog as she surrounded the dead mare's scattered corpse in her magic, gently lifting it to the mossy ditch beside the road.

"I'm in good company then, you're a peach yourself sweetheart. Nice of you to try to save this mare, surprised to see one of those church nuts here, thought they were a Trotson flavor of crazy only." Nick's soft reply brought up her own thoughts on the subject of the dead mare, her expression turning grim looking at those green robes.

Vira scooped up a pile of loose soil and dumped it over the body, a poor, unmarked and shallow grave, but hopefully it would keep the scavengers away and let her rest in peace. Her reply was hoarse and wary, full of worry at running into a member of her old church here on Fog Harbor. "So did I... I don't know what she's doing here, but I don't like it."

Nick gave her a friendly pat on the back and chuckled, nudging her along to follow Longfellow and leave the foggy battlefield. "Welcome to the life of a detective's assistant sweetheart, mysteries around every corner!"

Thankfully the rest of the trip up the mountain passed uneventfully, giving Vira the opportunity to ask some questions with Nick's curious help. The major groups on the island were of interest to the detective, cryptically stating how 'You never know what the essential clue is going to be Vira' when she asked what his interest in the Church of Balefire was.

Virescent had been a high priestess in the Church and spread its warped message far during her time serving the Institute, but hadn't realized it had gotten quite this far. According to Longfellow, the robed cultists showed up a year ago, still in the early days of her missionary work in Trotson.

Finding the island of radioactive fog and an abandoned military base to the south as a cathedral, the local version of the Church of Balefire had grown strong, viewing Fog Harbor as a holy site, blessed by the divine glow with its mysterious fog. Neither Longfellow nor the Harbor ponies had a high opinion of them, and the feeling was mutual according to him.

Vira didn't pry too far though, both out of shame and a reluctance to admit she was once part of the group, and out of a sense of dread. If the Church reached this far, the Institute may be the guiding hoof behind them here. If at all possible, Vira wanted nothing more to do with the mad scientists at the moment. Someday a reckoning may come for how they lied to and used her, but they were powerful and insane, while Vira was isolated and ...afraid of them.

She better understood why Fast Times hated them so much now. If she had her way, she'd extract her vengeance on them someday, with the male at her side. Together...

Both Nick and Longfellow seemed to sense there was more to her gentle questioning, but she was grateful to them both for not prying into her past. Taking in their thoughts along with her own as the fog began to thin, Vira realized they all had their pasts nipping at their hooves, brooding thoughts that seemed to lighten and clear along with the strange fog.

As Nick was quick to point out when she brought it up, the fog was yet another mystery here. It had taken her some time to quietly whisper her strange experience to them, explaining how she heard the voice of her mother from the fog fearfully. Longfellow paused and gave her a long, searching look full of concerned thoughts, holding her frightened gaze with his firm one.

"Don't listen to the fog Vira. Shouldn'ta gone barreling off in to a thick patch like that, it's dangerous... No matter what you hear, don't listen." Was all Longfellow would say, but it had pained thoughts and an unbending tone of command to it. He was worried for her, speaking from long years of experience.

Putting the horrible soup behind them as they reached the top of the mountain, they were treated to a rather spectacular view. Even as a mare who could simply fly where she wished, Virescent had to appreciate the vista of the island spread below them. No wonder this place was an Equestrian national park, it must have been truly breathtaking when the forest was alive and the land not quite so obscured in pinkish grey mist.

The Starswirl Observatory appeared ahead of them when the mists cleared as well, a huge pale blue dome, decorated with stars and moons that corroded in the damp weather, a massive telescope sagged from its place atop the structure, rusting to ruin and all too forcibly reminding Virescent of the cannon that recently blasted a hole in her side, making her ribs itch with a wince.

A lot of post war additions had been made to the complex, lending it an intimidating air that slowed their pace. Walls of junk enclosed the large parking lot, a large gate stretched across the road and was guarded by a suspcious silver mare with a rich auburn mane, training a deadly looking heavy magical energy weapon battlesaddle on them at their approach.

"Alright you two, lemme do the talkin'. Told ya they're standoffish, don't zactly get a lot of company up here. Ahoy! Quit pointin' that blasted thing at me, it's Longfellow dammit!" Their elderly guide muttered instructions to Nick and Vira, then barked at the mare in the tattered black coat eyeing them warily.

Longfellow was the only islander to regularly make his way up the mountain and keep his sanity, making him enough of a known fixture to not be vaporized by beams of magic at least. There was activity on the walls and beyond Vira's fancy pip-buck could track for her, but only the mare atop the gate was visible.

Her thoughts were hard and cautious, locking on the two outsiders and calling back with none of Longfellow's friendly tone. "You're early Longfellow! You brought outsiders too! What do you want?"

"Ain't got no set schedule dammit! I feel like climbin' the mountain, I climb it! These two wanted ta ask some questions, gots a detective from the mainland, figured you might wanna talk to em, seein' how he's one of yours!" Longfellow grumbled back, nodding for Nick to step forward into the mid morning light and make his nature more obvious.

There was a pause when they got a look and Vira pranced up to her employers side. It wasn't a warm welcome or anything, a strange sense of surprise actually... The mare held a hoof up and muttered below the wall, a tense back and forth going on Vira couldn't quite make out even with heightened alicorn senses. Finally there came a wary acceptance and the gates opened with a squall, quite a few normal enough looking ponies from all walks of life in the wasteland could be seen keeping a tight hold of their weapons, but none were pointed their way at least.

Discovered Location: Acadia. Virescent shook her head at the flash of text in her eyes, that was strange... The pip-buck knew where they were? Wasn't Acadia a more recent name for this place?

The mare in the leather coat hopped down from her perch, trotting up to Nick and staring at him closely. There was a well disguised sense of wonder and surprise, but her face betrayed nothing as she spoke tersely. "Welcome brother, provided you're not doing the bidding of our former masters..."

"If you mean the Institute dollface, we ain't exactly on speaking terms no. Not here for companionship with my fellow synths either, I'm on a case. Have you seen this filly by chance? Goes by Sumi Ink, about 15?" Nick was unperterbed, reaching into his coat for the battered photo of their missing filly and hoofing it over to the familiar mare.

(She has... This is the one who met her in Fog Harbor Nick, she secrets those who come to the island here regularly...) Vira placed the stern mare after picking up her immediate reaction to the photo, this is the one she had spotted in the memories of some of the Harbor ponies, in the company of the pony they were seeking.

The mare made a show of staring at the photo a long time, but at least she didn't lie. "Maybe I have, it depends on who's asking. What's your business here brother, why are you looking for her?"

Nick didn't need Virescent to tell him the guardian mare was on guard and holding her cards close to the vest, though he appreciated his assistant's skills when she reported everything she got silently. Having a psychic mare Friday was definitely worth her pay. Playing hunches always worked out well for him, but now he had more than just a gut feeling to go on, confirmation of what he figured by his mind reading friend.

Putting on his best clueless detective routine, Nick lit a cigarette and smiled with a shrug. "Oh, how rude of me, my card sweetheart. Nick Hearts n' Hooves, of the world renowned Hearts n' Hooves detective agency! My assistant Vira and I are on a case, trying to track down a runaway for her poor distraught parents, let her know how much they love her, that kind of thing. We appreciate being pointed in the right direction, make our job a lot easier Miss....?"

The guard took Nick's card in her pale magic, turning it over and giving it a flabbergasted look. Granted Vira felt the same way when he did the same to her, you didn't really see many ponies with a business card in the wasteland, it was always that same poor, battered scrap of paper, but the effect was usually disarming.

"Name's Chase... A detective? Really? What say you Longfellow, you brought these outsiders here, do you vouch for them?" The Acadia guard released Nick's card, forcing him to catch it before it fluttered off as she turned to the older stallion.

Longfellow stamped a hoof and stood straighter at Vira's side, putting on a gruff voice as he replied. "I vouch fer Vira, she's my friend so no harm better come ta her or you'll have hell ta pay missy. The robot's one of yers, he's her boss, make up yer own damn mind on that score."

Vira felt a rush of gratitude towards her friend, leaning down to nuzzle his scruffy cheek over his surprised squawk of protest. He might be embarrassed at the display of affection while trying to sound tough, but she couldn't help it. It felt so nice to be cared about... He meant what he said, felt protective of her and would indeed make these strange synths suffer if she was hurt.

Having friends was good...

Chase turned back to Nick and gave him that odd stare again, the thoughts going on behind her steely pink eyes were confusing though. She felt familiarity.... but also suspicion? It was like she knew Nick somehow, yet didn't know him at all, at the same time?

Strange as that internal conflict was, it didn't concern their case. This mare knew Sumi was here, had brought her here herself! Virescent didn't like how evasive and cagey she was being, the temptation to just take over her synthetic brain and force answers out of her was hard to beat back, helped by Nick's soothing thoughts at least as she communicated her silent fury.

(Easy dollface. Sometimes the answers you don't get are as important as the ones you do. We're playing this by ear, I'll let you know if we need to get rough, right?)

(Yes Nick, sorry... She knows though...) Virescent glowered down at the smaller mare, whinnying her impatience.

"Alright, Dima will definitely want to see you. Come on, this way..." Chase finally deigned to answer in a huff, turning to trot off towards the long flight of stairs leading up to the observatory dome.

Some of the tension from the other synths watching the exchange evaporated at her pronouncement, as far as they were concerned, if this Chase said ok, it was ok. She strode off confidently, leaving Nick and Vira to hurry to follow. Vira only took a few steps before realizing Longfellow wasn't coming, turning back to her friend with a questioning look.

"Go on Vira, this is yer job, not mine. Can't have an old codger like me holdin' yer hoof everywhere. I brought ya up here, my job's done, you do yours." Longfellow's dismissal renewed her worries for the old buck, making her shift on her hooves indecisively, torn between her employer and her friend.

"But... You are going back? Without us? Will you..." Vira meekly replied, glancing back to Nick thankfully pausing some distance away and holding their escort up with meaningless questions.

Longfellow snorted and bristled under her worried gaze, waving her off gruffly. "Goin' home ta do what ya wanted dammit! You win ya pushy mare, I'll go talk ta Captain Berry on me way, pick me out one er two I can tolerate to come back with me. Quit givin' them puppy eyes, I swear yer worse than my wife! Be on yer way already! But er... y-you come back ta visit when yer business is done aye? Don't go runnin' off back ta the mainland without sayin' goodbye...."

He knew the hug was coming at his sheepish answer, bracing himself for it and still putting on a show of rejection that was at least partially honest, given how his old bones creaked under a lot of alicorn wringing him like a sponge. "I'll come and see you lots Longfellow, I definitely won't leave without saying goodbye!"

"Ack! Alright! Alright! Lemme go! If yer seein' me later there ain't no need ta get all sappy dammit! Get to work girl!" Fighting his way free, Longfellow gave her a crooked grin and trotted off, back down to the fog and the island below, humming a tune under his breath as he went with a touch more lightness in his heart.

Vira watched him go until his shadow dissolved into the fog, brought out of her thoughts following his by Nick's quiet cough. "C'mon doll, our mysterious host awaits."

Shaking her head clear, Vira pranced back to Nick's tail, following her boss and the synth guard up the winding stairs. She was on the clock now, putting her thoughts of Longfellow aside and getting down to business, she listened carefully to Nick's idle banter, probing for information subtly.

"So... A town of synths eh? Not something you see every day, thought the point of you fancy models was to blend in, why come right out and announce yourselves Miss Chase?"

"We came here to live as ourselves, not as ...copies... things made by the Institute to play a role, to be something we're not. Don't you get tired of playing detective? Who came up with that identity anyway, it's ridiculous..." Chase huffed back, getting a rueful chuckle from Nick.

"Well mom and pop Hearts n' Hooves had a lot to do with the broad strokes sweetheart, then I filled in the blanks over the years. I like to think of myself as more dashing than ridiculous... am I not pulling it off?" Virescent was impressed at how he let the mild insult slide off his back, smiling to herself along with his lighthearted thoughts.

The hard stare Chase gave him was confusing, a strange form of pity flowing off her thoughts. "You really believe you're... jeez, we get some bad ones sometimes, but I'd think you would have questioned an identity so outlandish on your own more. Dima will show you the way."

"And this Dima, he's in charge around here?" Nick pulled out his battered notepad and scribbled more of his chickenscratch, jotting down the name and looking up expectantly.

"No one's in charge like you think here, we're all equals. But Dima did start this haven for our kind and is highly respected, we follow him because we believe in him though, not because he orders us like some king." Chase upped her pace, clearly uncomfortable answering Nick's questions.

Of course her discomfort just encouraged him, continuing on in that same 'just passing the time' tone of polite interest. "Haven? So you're laying low here? On the run maybe?"

"Of course we are! If the Institute found us, they'd drag us back and shackle us again! Wipe our minds and enslave us with their programming, just as they would you. Trust me, I know, I used to be a Courser before I saw the way." Chase sounded flustered and upset, stating something she thought should be obvious to the fellow synth.

"Courser?" Feeling a little left out, Virescent tilted her head and questioned that term, not one she had ever heard her Institute contacts use before.

Nick answered for her rather than the mare who apparently used to be one. "Coursers are bounty hunters for the Institute Vira, nasty pieces of work, they hunt down rogue synths and bring them back in. Had to shake a few off my tail over the years, not somepony you wanna run into down some dark alley. If Miss Chase was one, she's not a mare to be trifled with."

Stopping at the rusting steel doors leading into the observatory, Chase gave a curt nod with a somewhat intimidating smirk, the cold thoughts running through her mind enough to even give the large alicorn pause. "No. I'm not. Keep that in mind you two, cause trouble here and I'm the one who solves it, permanently."

"Nothing to worry about sweetheart, we're just a couple of well behaved little lambs. Ain't that right Vira?" Nick chuckled and opened the door, holding it open for her like a proper gentlecolt of the old world.

Virescent gave an unsure nod and strode in first, ready to cast her shield in an instant in case some kind of ambush waited for them, but trusting her strange employer's judgement. "Yes, of course Nick. We'll behave..."

Their hoofsteps echoed down the long stone hallway inside, the observatory had power, but the flickering lights at the entrance didn't look to be maintained very well, lending the long passage a creepy feeling as they followed it towards a brighter chamber ahead.

There were quite a few ponies living here, Virescent could sense their thoughts all around them, if they were all synths as advertised, it was the largest collection of artificial ponies she had ever run across. To her knowledge anyway, one could never be sure who was a synth and who wasn't in the Commonwealth, the Institute's spies blended in perfectly, causing a good deal of paranoia among the residents of the mainland.

There were actually slight differences here though, a few discordant threads of confusion, self aware synths struggling with their own nature and trying to be something other than copies like Chase had said. By far the oddest sensation was the powerful mind waiting for them ahead, unlike any pony brain she had ever touched telepathically.

It was strong and still, like a vast lake with a mirror like surface hiding the depths below, peacefully reflecting whatever approached. It was still a pony mind ...somewhat... Virescent couldn't touch non-ponies anyway, but it was very different from any pony she had ever met, almost on the outside range of what she could make contact with at all. She sensed no malice or trickery from it, a kind of patient curiosity and peaceful welcome, but it was so strange and beyond her vast experience just its presence made her tail bristle.

"I don't like this Nick... There are secrets here..." Vira whispered down to the synth detective at her side anxiously, slowing her stride as they approached a vast space the hall opened out into.

Nick puffed on his cigarette and blew a long plume out in a sigh, "Me either dollface, got that impression myself. This is where the case leads though, we're not here to get wrapped up in crazy philosophies or synth havens though, focus on the filly Vira. You er... feel her anywhere?"

Vira paused at the question, grateful to put off those last 20 feet to what she could now tell was the shadowy telescope dome of the observatory, filled with blinking lights of arcano-tech equipment. Closing her eyes and casting herself out as far as possible let her retreat from that strange mind ahead...

"I don't know Sumi, so I can't be sure what I'm looking for. There are several ponies of the proper age... teenagers aren't hard to find, all that angst and heightened emotion... A few are fillies... One is different than the others, not as familiar with this place or those living here. She's some distance away, I can just sense her... communicating with her at this range is difficult though..." Virescent murmured softly as her psychic senses flitted throughout the compound like a ghost, narrowing down her search until it found one worried mind far below them.

Nick's pale hoof clapping her back broke her concentration, opening her eyes to look back at his impressed smile. "Great work doll, you're a natural at this line of work. We'll go meet this Dima and try going about things the nice way, but at least we've got a direction to go if they try to give us the bum's rush.

Giving a proud whinny and fluffing her wings at the praise, Virescent resumed their slow walk forward with the odd detective. She was glad she found him, that he had a soft spot for 'dames in the lurch' and he had taken her on as his assistant. It wasn't what she wanted at the time, but rolling with the punches wasn't so bad. She was getting taken with the idea of being a detective's helper, she was actually good at this and it helped!

Stepping into the round chamber at the end of the hall hesitantly, they were met by a cluttered space full of beeping, blinking, thrumming equipment festooning the curved walls. A wonderland of old world arcane science, things Vira could only guess at the purpose of, thinking to herself with a smile how much the male would like this... All this arcano-tech was right up Fast's alley.

The center of the room was just as packed with monitors, cobbled together computers and wiring, glowing gems and coils sparking with electricity. The large telescope above their heads was forgotten and dusty, the gears and armatures used to move it now taken up by a curved seat of some kind spinning slowly around the room, the terminus of a lot of cables and equipment.

It swung into view around the pillar of glowing equipment slowly, a soft, ethereal voice speaking as it came in a soothing tone that was somehow disturbing. It came from that strange, still mind... "Welcome travelers to a place of clarity and understanding. While you are in Acadia, synth-kind welcomes you, as long as you welcome us."

The moving chair stopped with a click and the pale pony lounging in it slowly stood, several cables winding down the arm of the furnishing detached from the strange occupant's hide with clicks and hisses. It hopped down and strolled forward into the light, giving them an opportunity to take in the bizarre leader of Acadia.

His outline was ...wrong... It was a pony shape, but bristling with strange parts and gems, gaps in his pale plastic coat showed metal bones and wiring beneath, spark cells were slotted into ports sticking from his flanks and chest, the back of his head seemed open and exposed as well, glowing dimly and oddly shaped with more tubes and gems poking from his head adding to his porcupine like outline.

The pale face in front was intact however, giving a soft smile radiating peace and patience as it looked them over. Seeing it betray actual emotion on hanging on Nick with its own yellow on black eyes actually relieved Virescent a bit, being exposed to the source of that strange mind just raised her hackles more...

It was like talking to a mountain... something ancient and passive, moving on its own timescale and removed from the concerns of ponies. When it saw Nick however, it was more like a normal pony, recognition and shock registered on those familiar features for a moment.

The face staring back at them was Nick's face... His double, with none of his animation or jovial attitude, not to mention fashion sense... but it was eerily similar.

"Nick? Is it really you brother?..."

-----------------------Level Up!----------------------

New Perk Added!----------------

Horse Sense--------
---Your dedication to self improvement is paying off! You are a swift learner. You gain an additional +10% whenever experience points are earned.

Reputation Change!-------------------

Acadia -- Neutral
---Making it up to the secret refuge of synths on Fog Harbor has opened up the strange settlement to you. They might be standoffish and wary, but you're definitely not agents of the Institute, so they're willing to deal with you.

The Church of Balefire (Fog Harbor Chapter) -- Mixed
---While you were once a member in high standing on the mainland, finding the Church of Balefire here on the island is a surprise to you. You're not exactly sure you want anything to do with the cult either, there's no telling what kind of reception you'll get...

Ch. 4-- Where you belong

"Well, now that we're friends, what if the three of us work together to find out who we are and what we're supposed to be?"

------------------------------------

"Brothers? You and Nick are brothers sir?" Breaking the uncomfortable silence that had fallen on the cluttered room, Virescent looked over the strange looking synth that had paused his amiable forward advance when her employer had flinched away.

She wasn't sure robots had brothers, though many of the synth ponies of this Acadia place they had made their way to had referred to each other as siblings already. Most of their thoughts were of a more generalized nature however, that all synths were their brothers and sisters. The pale, plastic coated conglomeration of non-factory parts with the unsettling mind wasn't thinking that way though. As far as this Dima was concerned, Nick Hearts n' Hooves was his closest relative.

Not that Nick felt the same way... The shock that had immediately frozen her new boss up was thawing, letting anger come bubbling up in its place. "Ain't got no brother pally. Don't know what you're playing at, but don't appreciate it either. Name's..."

"Nick. Nick Hearts n' Hooves. Of course I know your name brother, or the name they gave you. You were in such a state the last I saw you, I didn't know what happened, if you were alright, if the instability in your program ever resolved... Nick, it's me, Dima. Do you really not remember?" Dima's initial wave of excitement slowed back to the more glacial pace of his thoughts Virescent had sensed coming here, while his calm questions only seemed to make Nick more upset.

Cutting off the biting commentary she could hear behind Nick's golden eyes, Vira dove in awkwardly. Nick's thoughts were turning panicky and furious, losing most of the cool she had gotten to appreciate from the so far collected and intelligent detective. This was truly upsetting him, feeding into shielded thoughts he had already been chasing concerning his own identity before coming here.

Letting this devolve with flaring emotions wouldn't help right now. Besides which, Vira was trying, but her more selfish nature asserted itself into the situation too. They were here to find a missing filly, not some robot sibling, find the filly, get a ride back to Trotson, then find the male. That's what the deal was, that's what she wanted.

"He does not remember you, we didn't come here seeking you Mr. Dima, we're looking for a runaway filly from the Commonwealth. Nick is my employer, I'm Vira, we're detectives, though I am still new... We were following 'leads' and were led to believe she may be here. A Miss Sumi Ink? She looks like this..." Floating the battered photo from Nick's trenchcoat in her emerald magic, Vira shifted between her boss and Dima's stare, hopefully giving him room to collect himself.

The odd robot barely glanced at the picture, he knew the name she supplied and didn't bother lying or trying to deceive in the slightest. "Sumi? Of course. Sorry for the reception Miss Vira, surely you can understand my surprise. Though a lovely mare like yourself visiting us is nearly as much of one, I haven't seen an alicorn on Fog Harbor in... hmmm... 76 years? You may find her downstairs in the lower levels, immediately if you wish. Quite talented with machinery, we're glad to have her with us."

"I bet so, that why you tempted her out here mac? Want a repair-pony on hoof? Sure look like you could use one... What's the catch, really just gonna let us go talk to the filly?" Nick narrowed his eyes in suspicion, keeping his distance from his doppelganger and sniffing for a trap.

Surprisingly, Vira really didn't sense one though. Normally she'd be sure of just the same thing, but so far as she could tell, Dima meant exactly what he said. Granted the strange mind matching the soft, almost eerily inequine spoken words was difficult to get a good read on, but there was no deception she could find.

He almost seemed honest to a fault actually, pacing slowly and answering Nick with no hint of being insulted by the accusation. "Of course Nick. Sumi is not a prisoner, I would not keep guests who came so far from speaking with her unless that is what she wanted. Her skills are welcome, but we didn't seek her out because of them, she found us and we welcomed her with open hooves. Just as you and your interesting assistant are welcome. All who come in peace and understanding are welcome in Acadia."

("He's not lying Nick... not that I can tell. He's already thought of just where he expects Sumi is, I can take us there directly if you wish?") Speaking to her still suspicious boss telepathically, Vira gave him a recent flash of the filly they were after from Dima's mind. Still healthy and whole, several floors down, just as he said.

"Uh-huh... Just out of curiosity Dima ol' pal, why exactly did a filly from the Commonwealth come all this way then? Her parents were pretty surprised and worried for her leaving out of the blue like that. Why would a mare from down on the farm come all this way to hang out with a bunch of synths anyway?" Nick was not convinced, but his detective instincts didn't abandon him even in his distress. There was a mystery here, one he had been hired to solve.

Nodding out to some of the other ponies scurrying around at the edges of the room and trying hard to look like they were definitely not listening in, Dima gave a strange chuckle and replied calmly. "Young Sumi believes herself to be a synth as well of course. Acadia is meant to be a haven for our kind and all those seeking who they truly are. On hearing of us, she found her way here, despite stern warnings against a filly making the dangerous crossing by herself I assure you."

"A synth? Why would she think such a thing? Nick was sent here by her parents, who have known her since birth. She could not be an artificially made pony if..." Vira couldn't help but asking inquisitively before Nick managed. She didn't know a great deal about the Institute's synthetic ponies, but this seemed unlikely and confusing.

That unsettling, implacable mind and passive smile on Dima made her pause though, responding reasonably to her questions. "Are you sure? How is one to know they are what they believe themselves to be?"

"Er... memories? Her mind? Her parents and her own?" Unprepared to have Dima shift his focus onto her, Vira offered the thing she was most concrete on as a telepath.

Ponies minds made them who they were, all their experiences and the shifting point of their consciousness. Sumi had been born to parents, as the Goddess had forged her from the vast sea of Unity and brought her into the world, just as she hoped to have a foal one day. Every day between then and now lie behind her like a ...mostly unbroken chain. There were some gaps when Unity had been broken by the Destroyer, but in essence...

"But memories aren't all that reliable, are they? They can be put in magical orbs, fiddled with by the proper spells, shuffled and rearranged. Some of my friends tell me others of your ilk can read them from a pony's mind directly Vira. Barring all that, memories are just recorded data one's senses report, those very signals can be falsified easy enough. All of us do it every night after all, are you sure this isn't a dream right now? Or perhaps a memory orb, or sufficiently advanced simulation if you're of a more technical mindset like Sumi?" Dima answered jovially enough, but the things he said were making her flustered and struggling to keep up.

Considering Vira was not a technically adept pony at all, she was getting lost as to how this related to fancy robots. Her experience with the mind however was making what she did understand of Dima's reply very uncomfortable for her. She had fooled ponies senses before, manipulated their minds and memories, once made one believe he was a very pretty cockatrice for fun actually... When she was a different mare of course...

Following up on the smoke beginning to waft from Vira's laid back ears, Dima raised a mobile eyebrow over his strange yellow on black eyes and smiled. "How are you sure you're not a synth yourself dear? Can you prove it?"

"I... O-Of course I'm not! I am a child of the Goddess! One of the mother's divine creations that cannot be so easily mimicked by pony technology!" Giving ground to the smaller synth hurt her pride and made her fall back to ingrained responses from a previous life of spreading the glory of Unity, but still seemed a fair answer to Vira.

She didn't get the satisfaction of ending his ridiculous theory though... Dima's unperturbed voice was rapidly becoming infuriating as he replied simply. "Ah, but the Institute can copy unicorns, pegasi and earth ponies. Are you sure it's beyond their ability to create an alicorn?"

"I..." Considering a good part of her motivation for being here was to return to a male alicorn they had created, Vira couldn't give the firm denial she wanted to... Not that Fast was a synth, he was a real pony... wasn't he? Wasn't she?

"How did you come to Fog Harbor Vira? What do you clearly remember about what brought you to our door?" Dima just kept pushing, making the big alicorn take another step back and answer reticently.

"I was hurt... I fell to the sea and washed up here..."

"So, for all you know, you may have not been hurt, but killed instead hmm? Who's to say the Vira who fell and the Vira standing before me now are the same pony?" Dima's voice never rose, he wasn't trying to cause that flutter of panic in her breast... it was there anyway though.

"I am! I remember! I fought, I was bad... the male... Fast, he shot me, but he saved me too! I am trying to be better, to be a better PONY! That is what I am!" Panting and glaring at the sad look on Dima's face, Vira nearly jumped forward at the gentle hoof reaching up to her shoulder.

Nick scowled at Dima, but his voice was soft and kind when he spoke to her, stroking her long back soothingly and helping her breathing slow down. "I er... know the feeling dollface, don't let him get in your head, that's your line of work, right? Don't appreciate you scaring my mare friday mac, that's enough of your creepy talk, we're going to see Sumi if you're not going to stop us."

For his part, Dima seemed surprised and apologetic. The patchwork synth took a few slow strides closer and held a foreleg out in a friendly gesture. "Of course not Nick, I'm terribly sorry. I didn't mean to frighten you Vira, I was just trying to demonstrate how Sumi could come to question herself, the very questions many of us struggle with still. You see how the answers are not so easy? Please forgive me, prattling on about philosophy and the nature of sentience, when it upset you so. By all means, go speak with Sumi and ask her yourself, I only ask you keep an open mind. And please, I would like to talk with you more Nick, you may not have come seeking your brother, but I consider it happy coincidence."

Leading his rattled assistant away by the hoof already, Nick glared back over his shoulder and snorted. "Don't believe in coincidence mac. Just parts of the case I don't see fitting together yet. C'mon Vira, let's put this one in the books and be done."

The Starswirl Observatory was a hardened concrete and steel cylinder that went down into the mountain it was situated on several floors, winding staircases making a slow circuit of the outer walls, with the next set down on the opposite side of the terminus on each floor. The trip down let Nick's angry thoughts settle as his detective side took over despite himself, his sharp eyes hanging on the settlement of bedraggled looking wasteland ponies, all of whom were presumably synths.

It also gave Vira time to collect herself, cursing the polite sounding Dima upstairs once she got over his mental kung fu. If nothing else, the thoughts of so many others swirling around her should be more than sufficient proof she was a true child of the Goddess. For now, she just tried to passively listen in and enjoy her gifts from her mother and the solace the offered.

"That bastard's not my brother Vira, but I'm still sorry about that. The way he messed with you and all..." Nick jotted a few notes down as they crossed the wide, round room full of basic shops and craftsponies, peeking up from under the brim of his fedora apologetically.

"I... I do not think he meant harm, he is very strange though. Are you sure he is not ...related to you somehow though Nick? You do look very similar." The turmoil she got from her employer let her practice her skills further and center her, so she took the opportunity to turn away from the cloud of suspicion and curiosity following their progress through the marketplace.

"Not. My. Brother." Nick's answer was firm, but he slumped a little in his rumpled trenchcoat and sighed as he continued uncertainly. "That said, never met another early model like me that had a brain before. Always sorta thought I was unique actually, kind of a hit to the old ego. I don't remember him, but he sure remembers me. Of course, I don't remember anything before waking up in a dumpster out in the wasteland. Other than being a lot more handsome anyway."

"When you were a real pony? Before the war?"

Nick lit a cigarette and nodded, his pale cheeks hollowing as he drew in and the orange glow lit his face. "Way back when, yup. My noggin got a fresh new window blown in, when I woke up, my brain had taken the opening for an escape route and was in its current residence. Helluva surprise for me, but I adjusted. I thought so anyway... This is all coming with piss poor perfect timing though, your buck and that damn letter..."

"Fast? Did... did he do something wrong? I don't like you and Longfellow teasing me about being a stalker-pony, but I have been curious..." Vira's bright green eyes betrayed more than curiosity as they rounded down the next flight of stairs, but she actually was trying hard to ask out of concern for Nick, not merely for her own obsessive reasons.

Still, watching a mare her size fidget and squee like a schoolfilly was enough to lighten Nick's mood and pull one of his favorite tricks for Diamond City foals, blowing a lazy, heart shaped smoke ring out to ring around her horn and drift down over her head. "Sure you have dollface. He didn't do anything wrong, just ...he found my body, what happened to me after the lights went out, or some of it anyway. It gets confusing, as you can guess. Why I didn't like Dima's whole 'how do you know' speech either."

"Yes... that was unpleasant. Not that I think I am a synth now that I calm down and think about it. He was very convincing though... Are you not curious how he knows you though Nick? He wasn't trying to lie about that." Virescent shook off her frown and tilted her head to her employer, not liking how the synth detective still bristled from his encounter with Dima.

"The first couple decades after I woke up, I would have jumped at the lead doll, but I've put most introspection behind me a long time ago. That was close to a hundred years ago now and I've been ok with it, kept busy mostly... I'm good at finding out answers for others, my own haven't mattered as much. Now I'm not sure I want to know. Let's focus on the case sweetheart, then we can leave this weird island behind and go back home to Trotson. That's what you want right?" Nick flipped his collar up defensively and picked up his pace, winking back to his assistant as he tried to change the subject.

Matching his light trot only required Vira to lengthen her stride a bit and try again. She wasn't sure why Nick wasn't curious, but what little she knew of friendship told her she should at least try to find out if it was bothering him. "Fast found out how you became as you are, but you don't want to know what happened next? Are you sure Nick? Many of my sisters have gone through a great deal to regain their own pasts, before they joined Unity. Not that I was ever interested, but it seems a shame to turn your nose up at your history making itself available. I could go with you..."

"Thanks Vira, but not interested. If Dima knew me back then, he left me alone to figure myself out too. However I wound up where I did, I made it there myself without needing to know. The case of the Defective Detective is old and cold, while the case of the Fog Harbor Filly is right in front of us. Hello there Sumi, we've been looking for you." Nick sped up the last few steps and stopped, waving a pale hoof to the dusty room they found themselves in at the bottom.

If it weren't for the convenient little green mark on the compass in her vision, Vira would have had trouble finding who they sought, even this close. Facing towards the indicator, she found a wriggling pair of dark hindlegs under the greasy, clattering machinery filling this floor, the sudden jerk and sonorous 'bong!' coming with muffled cursing helped pick her out.

Fighting her way out from under the hulking machine, a dark coated filly emerged rubbing her head near her horn. Her pale mane was streaked with black and green, along with being stained with oil that matched the grime covering her dark green coveralls and the cracked leather of the toolbelt jingling on her flank. The pained wince from one light brown eye took in her guests and narrowed suspiciously, hanging first on Nick, then moving up to Vira watching and listening carefully.

(Dima dressing up? No... another one? Careful, don't trust this one either... Where'd the alicorn come from? Thought they didn't live here...) Sumi's mental voice took stock of them quickly, warning herself before she opened her mouth and spoke warily. "Umm hello? Who are you? Haven't seen you two in Acadia before, not that I've been here long or anything. Were you out? Why are you looking for me?"

Holding out his battered business card, Nick trotted over and let her read it as he answered jovially. "We're not local kiddo, Nick Hearts n' Hooves, my assistant Vira. You have a couple of worried parents I owed a favor, so here we are."

"Mom and dad? They sent you? Oh! Nick! The robot detective! I sorta thought dad's stories were just him making things up to get me to go to sleep, you really are... Er... Hi, pleased to meet you Nick, dad told me all about you. They didn't need to send you all this way though, I mean I left a note."

"Yeah, I read it kiddo. 'Dear mom and dad, don't worry, had to leave and find out the truth, take care of each other' isn't exactly reassuring for worried folks you know. They were definitely worried and asked me to find you, make sure you're ok." Nick made sure to keep most of the judgement out of his voice, chuckling as he read from his battered notebook and raising an eyebrow.

To Virescent, it was like alarms started going off in the filly's mind, big walls springing up and a stubborn streak manning the barriers as she pouted back. "I'm not going back. I'm fine as you can see, so you can just go back and tell them so."

"Sumi... I'm not going to force you to come back, but I'm obliged to make sure you really are ok before I go back empty hooved. What are you doing here so far from home? How'd you wind up in a town full of synths with their creepy, if handsome, cult leader?" Keeping up a light tone with a disarming joke helped ease Sumi's instant mental defensiveness, Nick couldn't read it out of her head like his assistant, but was very good at dealing with ponies.

He put her at ease somewhat, but the filly was still cautious and holding things back as she answered. "Honest, I'm fine Nick. This is where I want to be. A synth belongs with other synths, tell mom and dad I'm sorry their daughter isn't coming home, but I'm not her anyway..."

"You believe you're a synth? Does this Dima attempt to convince everypony who comes here they are not what they believe?" Vira caught a flash of the eerie Dima's face and the hypnotizing patter of his voice from Sumi's memories and was sure she was right, making her dislike the strange robot more.

"Yes, but he... he listened. I always felt like something was wrong, that there were things I just didn't understand. Dima told me I could be a synth, that the reason I don't feel right may be because I'm not Sumi at all. They welcomed me with open hooves here to explore who I really am, I can't go back, at least not yet." There was conflict bubbling under the surface of Sumi's thoughts, part of her really longed to go home again and wasn't sure of anything. An easy subject for somepony like Dima to manipulate as Vira knew from experience.

"Why not yet then? What can we do to speed that along to now kiddo? I'll take your message back if that's what you want, but I'd much rather reunite a happy family, not enough of those in the wasteland to just throw one away for no good reason." Nick spoke soothingly and was no slouch at manipulation either, not maliciously at least, but playing up the filly's obvious love for her parents made her resolve waver.

"Even if they wanted me back... I can't leave here yet. I came because I believed all that peace and understanding stuff Dima said, but since I got here I can't shake the feeling something's wrong about this place. I don't know if I trust Dima, but some of the synths here are good ponies, they've been really nice and I feel wrong running away, er... again I guess... I need to find out what's really going on here. Hey! I-If you two are detectives, maybe you could help?" Sumi looked between the pair of them hopefully, her foalhood innocence had taken a hit since coming to this fog shrouded island, but was still intact and idealistic.

Nick glowered at her dubiously, the thoughts flitting through his mind informing his assistant of his long years of experience with starry eyed youth, and how unlikely it was to convince them to abandon their self assured course. Trying was more likely to have her dig her heels in and be stubborn. If at all possible, Nick wanted to bring the filly home, meaning going along with her request was the best course for now.

"Can't say I don't have a twitchy tail after being here all of five minutes myself kiddo. Alright, we'll take the case, give me a little time to poke around and see what I can see. While I'm doing that, you can tell my assistant all about your own suspicions. Lemme just have a word with her before I leave you ladies to it." Nick nodded and flipped his notebook closed, tucking it into his trenchcoat and nudging Vira back towards the stairs with him firmly.

This wasn't going how Vira had hoped, but she dutifully followed her employer's lead and leaned down for him to whisper in her ear. She couldn't help complaining first though, she wanted to go back to Trotson and find the male, not hang around because of a suspicious filly. "Nick... This is not our concern, is it? If Sumi believes she made a mistake, she should admit it and be willing to return, why must we humor her?"

"Don't ever tell a teenager they should just admit their mistakes and move on Vira." Nick chuckled quietly and waved off her impatient huff, keeping his voice down as he continued. "Trust me, she'll never give up if we ignore her concerns. If we take a look around and ease her mind though, she sounds like she wants to go home already. Gives me a chance to go ask some questions about this Dima while I'm at it too, think we can all agree he's a little creepy right?"

"Yes... He is, which is one more reason she should not be here. If you think this is best then I'll do as you ask Nick. What do you want me to do with her while you're investigating?" Vira had to admit he had a point, hopefully the synth detective could do a little digging and they'd be on their way with no trouble.

His grinning reply made her sputter and forget her impatience to leave, the sly smile as he looked her up and down and nodded back to Sumi surprised her. "Girl talk of course Vira, she'll open up to a mare like you more than me, dig for clues, try to help convince her going home is for the best."

"Me? Girl talk? Why do you think she'll listen to what I have to say? You're the detective and her father's friend, I'm just..." Vira balked, but Nick hushed her rising voice and chuckled again.

"You're not a robot, or a stallion, or a grown up. That's three strikes against me dollface. Don't get me wrong, you're definitely a big mare, but you remind me of a filly not much older than her in a lot of ways. Just talk about mare stuff, be her friend and see if she doesn't open up. Pretty dame like you will get further than I can. Give it a try and I'll go see what I can find out, alright?" Nick was asking, but seemed pretty dedicated to this course of action regardless of what she said on the matter, giving her little to do but nod meekly and watch him trot back upstairs.

Vira trusted Nick's instincts, but was starting to seriously doubt them here. Spending an awkward few minutes of silence with Sumi, she had yet to come up with any way to break the ice or do any convincing. Telling her to do this 'girl talk' business was all well and good, but not something Virescent really knew how to do.

She certainly wasn't as young as the quiet filly in front of her, the Goddess had made her more than thirty years ago as best she could remember. That wasn't the best indicator of age though, she wasn't clear on the dates and there were long gaps where she had merely been an extension of the Goddess, then another indeterminable blank after her mother was killed by the Destroyer and she had been lost. That wasn't factoring in how old she was when she joined Unity either, not something she was sure of at all. She had sisters who had been foals and others who had been old mares, even stallions, but Vira had never given much thought to what she was before, or what she was now for that matter.

She was certain she felt older than the fifteen year old staring up at her curiously though, by how much she couldn't really put into words, but feelings of Sumi as something akin to a bratty younger sister put her mentally older at least. The male was a few years older than Sumi, and she viewed him as not far from her age Not enough difference between them to dissuade her in the slightest from pursuing him anyway...

The things she wanted from him were of a decidedly adult nature, and they were both consenting adults in her view, so that was all that mattered. Distracting herself from the awkward silence, Virescent felt her heart flutter thinking of some of those things and prancing to herself internally in anticipation. Soon they'd be done with this case of Nick's and she could get on with the business of finding the male, feeling those wonderfully warm feelings from him again, have him in her hooves to touch and hug and...

"Bottlecap for your thoughts..." Sumi giggled up to her and broke her from the lovely daydream she had been having, smirking at her with a knowing look.

"W-What? Nothing! I was just... t-thinking of somepony special." Vira stammered back, only growing more flustered at the inquisitive look and bright thoughts running behind Sumi's brown eyes.

"Somepony special? Or a special somepony? You're turning all red Miss vira, You look really happy. So? Who is it?" Sumi tittered laughter and came a little closer, the intimidating alicorn mare had become a little more approachable when her eyes glazed and she drifted off like that.

Vira wasn't sure she liked being the subject of such teasing, but realized the filly was interested and viewing her as just another mare, instead of alicorn or detective as she had up till now. Perhaps this was what Nick meant? "It... H-He is somepony back in Trotson, who I want to return to quickly. I... didn't realize I was changing colors..."

"Uh-huh! You look really cute though, so don't worry. I didn't know alicorns liked normal ponies? Not that dad knew much about your kind, or he ever let me go with him... but he said he saw one of you once or twice when he went towards the city. He said you were kinda scary, but you don't look like it to me." Sumi warmed to the conversation, her thoughts turning dark and pouty thinking of what she viewed as her captivity at home for just a moment. Letting Vira pace the room with the filly staying on her tail as she inspected the cluttered room of machinery.

It appeared Sumi had been staying down here... A small cot in the corner smelled like the filly at her side, a battered old duffel bag held a few changes of clothes that looked more attractive than her greasy coveralls, while a battered bedside crate had a photo of Sumi and an older couple, along with an elderly stallion behind them she had seen in the other picture Nick had brought.

The way she bristled when Vira paused at these family pictures made her believe pressing her on the subject would be a bad idea. Sumi was already preparing arguments against her expected questioning about her folks and why she couldn't go home, so Vira tried to keep nosing around without appearing to even consider asking about them. Instead she picked out a rough sketch tucked behind the photograph and smiled at the surge of embarrassment she felt flicker through the young mare's mind. That same light, fluttery feeling she had felt made her think the filly had a chest full of butterflies when she unfolded the paper, tilting her head over the fairly talented drawing of a colt Sumi's age.

Girl talk... Holding the sketch up curiously, Vira smirked at making the filly turn as red as she had when questioned about her own love interest. "I see I'm not the only one who looks cute when they change colors, or with a special somepony back in the Commonwealth?"

"H-He's not! Umm... h-he's just a buck I know that works with a caravan, he stops by our place sometimes. I-It's not like I get to see a lot of ponies, let alone ones even close to my age. W-We're not dating or anything, I almost never see him, I just thought the picture came out good!" Sumi's sputtering denial and the swirl of emotions and thoughts running through her mind were quite enjoyable for Vira.

Suddenly she had an idea why Nick and even Longfellow liked teasing her so much, and they didn't even get to feel it the way she could. She also felt the angry tinge of frustration thinking of how infrequently Sumi got to see outsiders. Her father's overprotective smothering had been a major reason for her flight to Fog Harbor, the colt in the picture truly was one of few she even got to meet. Thinking of it only strengthened that headstrong impulse to not return, which wasn't what Vira wanted at all.

Of course her own recent suffering of the same teasing treatment also taught her sympathy for the poor filly and Vira relented, hoping to keep her thoughts lighter and more open to returning. She took another look over the sketch before returning it, then struck with a bit of inspiration, dug in her saddlebag for her own collection of sculptures.

Seeing Sumi's talent, she wanted to share her own burgeoning interest anyway, the blushing mare holding her reclaimed picture protectively had a good eye. "Mm-hmm... Regardless, it is a very good picture. Such skillful artistry seems like a labor of love actually... but I may only be speaking from my own experience. I've never tried making things before myself, I've recently found I enjoy it though. I'd be interested in your opinion and any constructive criticism Sumi. Don't be too harsh though, I only had a variety of alcohol bottles to work with."

Her newfound hobby made her feel even better when Sumi's eyes widened appreciatively as the train of statuettes hovered through the air in her emerald telekinesis, filling her with pride when the filly gasped happily. "You made all these? Wow! They're really good Vira! There are so many other alicorns like you around?"

Most of her sculptures were of ponies she knew, hence mostly green, blue and purple examples of alicorn perfection drifted by Sumi's discerning eye, though Vira made sure to have one of her favorite versions of Longfellow bob insistently in front of her nose as she answered. "My sisters... Yes, there are quite a few of us, fewer than there were when our mother was alive though I'm afraid."

Sumi's mind was quickly guarded by a thick shell at Vira's musing, her young voice tight and small as she muttered back. "I... I get it ok... My mom might die while I'm away and then how would I feel, you guilt tripping me isn't going to change my mind detective, I can't go back yet."

Blinking down at Sumi's frown, Vira's telekinentic control wavered a moment as she waved off the filly. "I did not mean... I-I was merely thinking aloud Sumi, I was not trying to make you feel guilty, honestly!"

Sumi crossed her forelegs over her chest and pouted back with her glistening brown eyes, a roiling storm of hurt and doubt going on behind them as she turned and grunted a terse reply. "Sure, whatever..."

That just left Vira feeling more flustered and scared she had undone what little progress she was making. She knew Nick was greatly overestimating her ability to make this 'girl talk' nonsense. Tapping her hooves together worriedly, Vira's eyes lighted on a dark purple statute floating by and latched onto it as a lifeline, hovering it down where Sumi could see if she'd deign to look her way again.

"Sumi... I ran away from home myself, so I'm in no position to criticize you. This is my sister Umbra, y-you could consider her my older sister, after our mother died she... she tried to take care of me and many of our other sisters, keep us together, provide for and protect us. I'm afraid I did not appreciate all she did for us though, I thought I knew better and rejected her and all these others you see here. I've only recently come to find out she has admitted to being wrong as well, so I suppose we both were, that there was no right side to our disagreement... I miss my sisters, Umbra included, now I am afraid of returning to them however. I know I will, in my own time... but it is very hard." Vira's hoof reaching out to the filly's shoulder wasn't spurned at least, and it felt like she was undoing a bit of her mistake as a little of the fight went out of her.

Looking back to her cautiously, Sumi took the statue of her stern sister from her magic and sniffled at it. "Y-You too huh? B-Being scared to go back I mean... I um... feel the same way, it's really hard... I mean I think I will go back, e-eventually, but it really is hard to think about. Er... sorry Vira, I thought you were gonna start in on me like dad would and... n-nevermind. If your sister admitted she was wrong, maybe it's not impossible my dad could too I guess. So what made you brave enough to want to go back?"

Sensing the greatest danger from her mistake had passed, Vira smiled brightly to the filly and answered immediately. "Oh, I wish to mate with my special somepony."

The mental flash of embarrassment and sputter of laughter from Sumi made Vira concerned she had made another faux pas, then her worried expression was replaced by a cocked eyebrow as she started to sense the joke was on her. "M-Mate? Really? Y-You wanna get laid? That's why you're ok with going home again!?"

Vira blushed brightly and stuck her nose up at the teasing, fluttering her wings primly as she answered in a defensive tone. "I do not wish to 'get laid'... I said mate. I-It is not merely for fun..."

Sumi giggled and snorted in a fit of laughter, making Vira more self conscious as the filly teased her. "Uh-huh... sure Vira, you sure don't look or act like it... You're really ok with going home just to..."

"Procreate..." Vira glared at the smaller pony next to her before she could finish.

"R-Right, right, procreate... sure Vira. So that's enough for you though? I mean I want to go home, really... but there are bigger things going on here and... Don't you think you should have like a higher purpose or meaning before going back with your tail between your legs? Do something important?" Sumi's snickers tapered off into a more serious note and she looked up to Vira questioningly, returning her statue of Umbra to float in slow orbits with the others.

Floating out the smoky crystal sculpture, Vira felt that odd sense of pride and flush of pleasure looking over her own work and how closely it represented her special somepony as she answered seriously. "Alright, it's not entirely for fun then. I told you Sumi, there are less of my kind than before our mother died. We have been unable to reproduce all this time, now we can at last. I'm proudest of this one, which I have no issue affirming is meant to be the stallion I am hoping to return to."

Sumi took the little statue from her delicately. The filly sat on her cot and held it up to the light, absently patting the ratty covers beside her as she turned her statue this way and that in her coppery magic. "So this is who you umm... he's cute! I didn't know there were alicorn stallions too. All the stories I've ever heard said there were only mares."

"They are... somewhat rare. Not that procreation is the sole reason for my interest, a-anymore... He is also... hmm... very warm. He feels nice, he thought nice thoughts about me and cared. I have no experience with r-relationships of any kind, but I wish to learn and be with this pony. He makes my heart feel funny..." Vira had a hard time putting her own feelings into words, but tried valiantly and seemed to get through to Sumi.

She sensed the same awkward curiosity and wonder she felt herself coming from the filly actually. Nick must be a formidable judge of character, the two mares weren't much alike at first glance, but Vira realized she actually did have quite a few things in common with the young mare. Did her boss know she could stumble her way into making friends, or just guess lucky?

"T-Trailhoof, he made me feel that way too... I-I mean we only saw each other once a month maybe, a-and I guess he was as nervous as I was, plus he had dad trying to keep us apart breathing down his neck. But he was nice... G-Guess he wouldn't want anything to do with a synth though..." Sumi's thoughts turned somber as she glanced back to her sketch, sighing and wiping a greasy spot on her cheek trying to rub away a tear.

Vira had to be careful settling down to the cot beside her, the rusty old bedding creaking and groaning as she sat beside the filly and fidgeted. Sadness... Longfellow made her feel better when she was sad by touching and hugging sometimes... She was much more confident receiving such attention rather than giving it, but this was another area where the rough experience of learning from hurt had managed to teach her empathy.

So far that was the best reason for those negative feelings she had managed to find, they didn't feel good like love, happiness, gratitude, joking and teasing, but because they didn't feel good, she didn't want to see the younger pony hurting from them either. No wonder Vira had never sympathized with the masses of pitiful wasteland ponies when she was so self assured of her own perfection, she never let herself feel bad about anything, so she didn't realize how it felt.

Moving very slowly, Vira settled on stretching her verdant green wing around the smaller mare's shoulders and giving a reticent hug, speaking carefully and softly as she felt the filly burrow against her side and leak warm tears into her sweater and fur beneath. "If your male is like mine, then he shouldn't care about what you are. He wasn't always one of us, but he liked my kind even before, even though many have called me a monster... A synth doesn't seem so bad to me. Though... why are you so convinced you are one Sumi? Do you have any proof?"

Her voice was choked and hard to make out, but Vira didn't have an issue understanding the sobbing filly's thoughts and listened patiently. "D-Dreams... Stuff I don't remember from foalhood, I never fit in back home... H-How can I ever go back like Nick wants when I'm... Mom and dad, t-those ponies that took care of me I guess... how could I tell them their daughter's dead and I replaced her? How could Trailhoof or a-anypony who's not a synth too e-ever care about one?"

Trying to soothe somepony else was a lot harder than being soothed, but Vira started getting the hang of it. It felt nearly as nice actually, making someone else feel better made her feel better too. She hummed quietly and let the filly cry a moment, stroking her mane and whispering down to her. "Sumi... You have described things nearly everypony feels at some time in their life, especially during adolescence. I know, I've heard those thoughts from thousands of pony's minds, all over Equestria. It's been that way since long before the great war, let alone the advent of synths."

The smaller hooves wrapped around her chest tightened their grip and Sumi peeked up at her hopefully. "Y-You really think so? That maybe I'm a real pony, I c-could go home again?"

"I think you could return to your loved ones, no matter if you are a synth or a pony. My kind do not blend in as well as synths, our differences are obvious and I once believed insurmountable. I felt alone and kept the world at a distance so it could not hurt me, I did not fit in either... I fought with my sisters because I thought there was no place for us with normal ponies, that we would have to make our own as this Dima has done here in Acadia..."

"My friend... Fast, my first friend... he helped me see I was a pony like any other. That good ponies would accept me even though we are different, if I but gave them a chance. Not everypony is so understanding of course, but those we truly care about, those who l-love us... they love us for who we are, not what we are. Nick tells me your parents love you very much, they sent him all this way to find you and be sure you're safe. I'm sure they only want to see their daughter again and don't care if she's a synth or a pony in the slightest."

The warm smile on Sumi's face was like Celestia's sun pushing through the clouds, her thoughts brightened to match as the filly lunged against her chest and nuzzled her in gratitude. "Thank you Vira... t-thanks so much! I've been so scared and homesick, b-but I thought I could never go back, that here was the only place I belonged now. I do want to see them too though, w-whether I'm really me or a copy, I do love them... I feel that, it's real and... a-and I guess that's what matters most, huh?"

Vira nodded sweetly and wiped the wet tracks from the shuddering filly's cheeks, feeling that spark of hope and optimism kindling thanks to her own efforts at comforting the young mare made her feel good, made her happy and proud she could help as she had been helped. Paying the kindness she had received from others like Nick, Longfellow and Fast forward brought it rushing back to her again and made her heart flutter in that most delightful way. She could be a good pony, she really could be better than she was and find her own ways to help others.

"I think that's what matters, yes Sumi. If it helps, you are no different than any normal filly in any way that matters. I sense nothing in your thoughts that betrays the slightest hint of anything but a frightened, confused filly trying to find herself. I umm... I know just what that feels like too, so I recognize it..." Smoothing Sumi's pale mane back out, Vira shrugged uncertainly to the filly and smiled at her disbelieving look in return.

"You? You don't seem scared or mixed up like me Vira, h-how could you know how I feel?" Sumi kept turning her precious statue in her hooves and peeked back at her skeptically, sniffling as she got her voice back under control.

Seeing herself through the younger mare's eyes, Vira blushed and had to stifle a laugh. Sumi really seemed to have a distorted view of the green alicorn, a little awe mixed with a little jealousy as she looked her up and down. By the filly's thoughts, Vira was a picture of maturity, beauty and wisdom, just the kind of mare Sumi hoped she'd grow up to be. She really thought Vira had it all together and doubted the older sister type of mare could possibly know how she felt.

Giggling to herself and wishing she really was everything Sumi thought she was, Vira shuffled her hindlegs off the edge of the bed and leaned back on her forelegs behind her, sighing at the little statute she took back in her magic. "Don't think everyone else has it all together and you are the only one to doubt yourself. I am unsure of myself, what I should be doing, what kind of pony I should endeavor to be and why. That is just like everypony else too though, pony, alicorn, synth... we are all just people doing the best we can."

"Some ponies sure sound like they know it all and don't have any doubts though. Dima sure doesn't..." Sumi's reply was a little pouty, but the bubbling doubt wasn't directed to her, but to the odd synth upstairs.

That echoed Vira's opinion of the leader of Acadia actually, and gave her an opening to probe for a little more information and hopefully resolve whatever was keeping the filly here. "In my experience, those with minds like that one's are not to be trusted... Fools and madponies are often the only ones who achieve such blind faith in their own correctness. O-Of course that is another area where I speak from experience, considering I once operated under a religious fervor that would put Dima's to shame."

She actually got the wrung out little mare to give a tired laugh at that. Sumi chuckled and enjoyed somepony else making fun of the strange synth, apparently she hadn't had anypony here to discuss her doubts with, as all the synth residents thought Dima was the second coming of Celestia. As her laughter tapered off, Sumi's thoughts replayed their conversation and finally hung on what had been bothering her.

She had Vira's full attention when the filly turned and tried to find a way to broach the subject. "Umm... Vira, you say some funny things sometimes... About what other people are thinking, sensing stuff? What do..."

"I can read minds. My kind have unique gifts from our mother Sumi, that is one green alicorns like myself possess. I haven't been prying into yours though! I've come to realize that is a little rude, so I try not to listen in." Admitting her abilities worried Vira, she didn't want Sumi to think she had just been reading her thoughts and telling her what she wanted to hear this whole time, but lying didn't seem right either so best to just come clean and be honest.

The flabbergasted look the filly looked up to her with didn't hold any real anger at least, a lot of disbelief was mixed with an intense spike of curiosity and Sumi's mental voice suddenly got a great deal louder, like she was shouting in her mind at the green alicorn seated next to her. (Come on, really? Can you hear this then? Testing! Testing! One, two, th...)

"Y-You needn't think quite that loud Sumi, I can hear you perfectly well..."

(T-That was just a lucky guess! Has to be! If you really can read my mind, then what number am I...)

"81..." Vira smirked as Sumi's jaw dropped, rolling her eyes and answering the barrage of tests put to her as they came up. "Your pet is a tabby cat named Mr. Wigglesworth, Your new favorite song is that new one by the Pony Who He... er... Velvet Remedy. Your favorite food is the noodles your father buys you from Diamond City. And you are wearing the yellow underclothing with the little white bow today... "

Sumi squeaked and turned bright red, crossing her hindlegs with a wince and stammering back. "O-Ok... g-guess you really can hear me then... N-No peeking though!"

Holding a hoof to stifle her giggles, Vira poked the embarrassed filly playfully in the tummy and raised an eyebrow. "You shouldn't have asked if you didn't want me to see, the image was very clear. Not to worry, they are very cute, perhaps I shall look for more clothing like that with my pay from Nick. I'm still rather new at wearing clothes, males like such things though, don't they? Are they for this Trailhoof of yours? Hmmm?"

Laughing openly and trying to tickle the bigger mare back, Sumi groaned at being made fun of. "No! C-Cut it out Vira, how do I know what bucks like, you're the mindreader right? You're really pretty, I bet you'll look good in anything anyway! Not that I'd count on finding any that will fit that bi..."

Vira pinned the squirming mare and tickled her mercilessly before she could finish her thought, glaring down with a mock growl but happy to be sharing in friendly teasing with a new friend. "I do not have a big ass..."

"A-A-Alright! Y-You don't! Sorry! Mercy!" Sumi squealed and fought frantically, wheezing for breath on her back when Vira let her go.

Stretching out beside her and catching her breath, Vira groaned when the poor cot gave up the fight against a lot of alicorn flopping to her back and crumpled to the floor. Flinching at the renewed giggles from Sumi, she held a foreleg up and pouted sternly. "Not one word... I am not fat, I do not have a big ass... I am as the Goddess made me. It isn't my fault your cot is tiny and weak..."

At least Sumi didn't verbally keep poking at a sore spot for Vira, though she could still hear all the unspoken jokes about her rump going on in the filly's head. She was willing to overlook most of those since they came with that little tinge of jealousy too, along with hopeful speculation about what she herself would grow up to look like and if it would compare. That actually made Vira feel good, she had always blindly believed in the mother's perfect form before, knowing she, Virescent, was considered attractive was more personal and made her happy. The satisfying glow of self confidence was somehow different and deeper than blind confidence in her species she had always operated under before.

When Sumi did speak again, it was in a more serious tone and her brown eyes were wide when she spun to look at her sharply. "Wait, you can read minds... Then we can find out what Dima's hiding! Come on Vira!"

The unicorn was up and galloping for the wide double doors across the room before Vira reached her hooves, dashing back and shoving at her to get moving while she was still trying to catch up. "What? But Nick is... shouldn't we let him investigate? I'm just the assistant Sumi, a-and this is still my first day on the job. Maybe we should..."

Cantering back around to her front, Sumi stood on her hindlegs and squeezed her cheeks, smooshing Vira's perplexed expression with a manic, gleeful look in her eye that didn't do much to reassure the confused alicorn. "But you are a detective too, right? Come on, pleeeease? I was gonna let Nick see what he came up with, but I really do wanna go home now thanks to you Vira. But I can't until I get to the bottom of things here, there's stuff going on and you could solve the case like that! I... I think lives might be at stake..."

Tilting her head down at the hopeful filly, Vira shifted indecisively on her hooves. She wasn't lying or exaggerating... she really was worried. Beyond Vira's desire to do a good job and help Nick solve the case, there was also that curious emotion Sumi felt towards her now too... It was an odd species of friendship, a caring, familial type of feeling like the bond of sisterhood she shared with other alicorns, but different somehow... A younger sibling instead of one of thousands of peers in Unity.

Sumi looked up to her and trusted her, somehow Vira wanted to live up to that and enjoy the feeling more. "V-Very well... start explaining while you take me, a-and if we find Nick first you must start all over again. Understood?"

"Deal! C'mon, hurry! It's almost time!" Sumi agreed instantly and dragged her by the hoof, shoving open the rusty doors and leading her down a wide hallway at the bottom of Acadia.

Trotting behind the excited filly down the wide stone hallways, painted a peeling dark blue and continuing the stars and moons theme befitting the observatory's namesake, Vira wrinkled her nose and wished the Institute didn't make their synths quite so realistic. Sumi wasn't the only one living down on this lowest level by a long shot, as the filly led her down the hall branching off into office spaces and spotted with more semi-functional machinery, she marked several more synth residents near makeshift nests of sleeping bags, candles and rough hooflockers for their meager possessions.

Most of these sad looking ponies gave the filly and her odd follower a weary nod or brighter wave as she passed, attention Sumi returned cheerily enough, but winced at internally. Sumi was trying to be sneaky, slowing her trot as they approached an imposing steel door at the end of the hall with a scrap written note tacked on that Vira peered at curiously.

General store storage room, not a take a cap, leave a cap deal people. Running a shop with so few customers might be silly, but it's my job dammit. You have a valid need for supplies, come ask for the key. I won't give it to you, but ask anyway. Otherwise go through the shop upstairs for what you want.

---Dijon Mustard

After reading the stern missive, Vira was surprised when Sumi pulled her screwdriver from her jingling toolbelt and a bobbypin from her tail, furtively working at the imposing lock and using the alicorn's bulk to hide behind. Vira opened her mouth to speak, but the anxiety and desire to remain hidden flowing off the filly made her think better of it, waiting until she had successfully picked the lock and dashed inside, dragging Vira with her.

"Sumi... what are you...?" Vira cocked her head and questioned Sumi once she had carefully clicked the door closed again and breathed a sigh of relief, absently looking at the room they were definitely not supposed to be in.

It was a small office room originally, now cluttered with shelves that held a variety of goods. Ammo for a number of different firearms Vira couldn't place beyond being for normal guns, spark cells for magical energy weaponry she was more confident identifying, drugs and healing potions, pieces of armor and other gadgets Vira didin't recognize, along with food and drink. Spotting a couple of glowing green bottles of Zip Emerald, Vira floated them down to herself with only a little guilt as Sumi answered, she was feeling quite parched... she'd pay for them later...

Creeping over to a dusty window that gave a view of another cleaner and more obviously used office space next to this one, Sumi waved her over with a hoof to her lips, whispering excitedly to her new friend. "They come here every day and hold their little leadership pow wow, always come out looking like they've been arguing, now let's see what it's all about."

"They? They who? Should we be in here Sumi? I really think I should go find Nick, I could find him quickly, his mind is easy enough to locate and..." Vira was feeling anxious about this sneaking about, though part of it was picking up on Sumi's own nervousness. She was definitely doing something against the rules and dragging the green alicorn with her, when Vira was trying so hard to be good no less...

Sumi hushed her frantically and tried to drag her down to the floor with her, wincing when the big mare knocked things to the floor just attempting to follow her huddling behind the dusty desk in front of the window, then cursing when she realized even sitting, Vira's head was well in view. "Damn, you're not a very sneaky pony, are you Vira? Hang on, I got something for that I guess, hate to use it up, but now or never. Listen, Dima and Faraday, he's another of the big three in charge here, Faraday Cage I mean. Anyway, they asked me to work on all those computers and stuff upstairs with Dima's chair, you saw it on the way in, right?"

Vira was only growing more confused by her rapid prattling, but nodded slowly, giving a wary "Yes..." as she watched the filly rooting around in her many pockets and the battered bag on her flank.

"Right, well all that stuff is cobbled together Institute tech, originally some kinda 'Memory Recliner' according to the code, before Dima and Faraday rebuilt it into his little 'throne'. It's really fascinating actually, uses memory magic like those glowing memory orbs you find all over from the old world. See, Dima's a prototype, so he's got memory storage issues due to the architecture of his synthetic brain. I mean it's advanced enough to be artificially intelligent, but he's exceeding his specs by a lot after being in constant operation for more than a century. All those capacitors, spark fuses and cells, additional processors and crystal ram add ons have bumped his stats up, but he's..." Sumi's obvious excitement and the barrage of technical information zipping through her mind was overwhelming the silent alicorn next to her. Something she didn't notice until looking up after finally locating the odd gadget in her bag, pausing mid-sentence on seeing Vira's green eyes spinning and smoke coming from her ears.

Shaking her head to clear it with a whinny, Vira nodded to the filly to continue warily after her eager smile slipped to a frown of concern. "I-It is alright, I am understanding some of what you're saying Sumi. I was just thinking, my friend I want to return to in Trotson would enjoy speaking with you. He is a fan of technology as well and would be able to follow along much better... I am listening however, just... try to keep it simple? Please?"

Giving a muffled giggle from behind her hoof, Sumi smiled and peered over the desk again anxiously before answering, a wave of relief and amusement running through her mind seeing nopony through the window and returning her attention to her new friend. "Sorry Vira, I get excited about this stuff and kinda go overboard. My folks got lost a lot too, so I'd like talking to your friend. Only grandpa could keep up back home, and he..."

The bright and cheery thoughts were overwhelmed by a pang of grief, giving Vira further insight into what may have motivated Sumi's actions. The older stallion in the picture she had seen, Sumi's grandfather... he had died recently, Vira's heart ached at all the emotions just mentioning him in her excitement brought out. Such warm love and admiration, now brought such pain and sadness that clouded the filly's mind and hurt anew on catching herself talking about him like he was still alive.

"My friend Fast would probably like meeting you very much as well Sumi. I have sensed the same feeling of isolation from him when it comes to discussing such things with others. I'm afraid I don't know enough to join in your shared passion, but I am curious and eager to learn so I may join in. Please continue, I will try to keep up." Vira nudged the suddenly somber filly with her muzzle anxiously, giving her a hopeful smile that helped Sumi shake off her grief.

Mastering her brief bout of sadness, Sumi returned the smile and gestured for Vira's pip-buck bedecked foreleg, returning to her explanation at a less manic pace. "Sorry... E-Ever since Grandpa died, I felt more alone and fit in less, g-guess that's how I wound up thinking I might be a synth huh? A-Anyway, those computers have Dima's memories and thoughts in them. When Faraday asked me to help with maintenance, I umm... got a little curious, so I went poking around in the data and found some stuff that made me pretty worried."

Vira cocked her head as the young mare slotted a strange device into her new pip-buck, reading the faded label identifying it as a 'Stealth-buck' whatever that was. She put her curiosity about it aside as her ears perked up, sensing the approach of Dima's strange, placid mind growing closer.

Waving Sumi on assuming it was Dima himself she was so anxious about appearing in the office on the other side of the glass, Vira kept her questions focused on the immediate issue and filed the rest buzzing in her head for later, like a good detective would. "What is it you found Sumi? Why does it concern you so? You said lives may be at stake?"

Sumi nodded firmly in reply, "Totally. See, there were all these weird projections about the island and the ponies on it, including statistics for death tolls... One was an analysis of the fog overtaking Fog Harbor and all the harbor ponies if the condensers were to suddenly 'fail'. The other was a projection on the effects of a megaspell detonation in that weird Church of Balefire place... See? I think they're planning on wiping out the other groups on the island Vira! They come in that office to do their plotting and arguing every day, but with you here, we can find out what they're really up to! All we have to do is hide in here and wait, since you're kinda big to hide though, you can use this... Shit! Here they are, just stay quiet Vira!"

Virescent closed her mouth opening to ask more questions with a sharp click at Sumi's panic, goggling down to the filly retreating under the desk beneath the window when her sepia colored magic flicked a switch on her pip-buck and activated the strange addition. A swirl of magic coming from the beeping device made her disappear to her surprise, an invisibility spell nearly as good as one of her blue sisters enveloped her, just as the door of the office next door opened and a trio of ponies trotted in.

Considering Sumi was right in her appraisal of Vira's skills at being stealthy, she held stock still and hoped nopony would notice the slight shimmer through the dirty glass that she saw when looking down at herself. The lights in the next room came on, revealing a space cluttered with spare parts and glowing terminals, including one that looked to act as a lock for a very sturdy looking door inside.

The first pony in was a brown and white spotted stallion with a jet black mane and goatee, wearing cracked glasses over his amber eyes. By his familiarity with the surroundings and dirty lab coat, Vira assumed the office was his domain and he must be this Faraday Cage that Sumi mentioned.

Behind him the pale silver mare in the dark leather longcoat entered cautiously, her rich auburn tail flicking as she trotted around the room and secured the area. The synth Chase from the gate that had identified herself as a 'Courser', a designation that made even Nick wary of getting on her bad side. Her stern pink eyes flicking everywhere suspiciously made Vira nervous she'd somehow spot the invisible alicorn gulping to herself, now too afraid to seek out a better hiding spot than simply sitting in front of the window in plain view.

Satisfied the room was safe, Chase nodded to the door and allowed the patchwork synth Dima to enter last. The odd robot walked into the room sedately, the pale plastic covering of one hindleg rotted away to reveal the steel and wires clicking on the stone floor every few steps. Being near his strange mind raised Vira's hackles, not liking how he viewed both his guard's cautious security measures and Faraday's prepared arguments passively. Both Faraday and Chase were upset and anxious, but Dima's calm never wavered in the slightest, like he was above it all...

Chase clearly didn't share his calm, giving a whinny now that she was sure they were alone and starting right in on what felt like an old argument. "This is pushing our luck Dima, things are tense enough without strangers poking their muzzles in. I know you want to trust your 'brother' Nick, but he's not one of us and didn't come seeking refuge. All the Harbor ponies saw him and know he was going up here, the Church of Balefire won't be far behind. Our 'guests' may have just made taking a side a matter of when and not if..."

"We have maintained a delicate balance on the island Chase, I'm sure Nick and his odd assitant's arrival will not upset things that much. Acadia has always remained neutral, we will continue to do so." Dima answered in that placid tone, consoling the bristling mare in his odd way.

His unconcerned reply only served to increase the anger and frustration baking off Chase however, she stamped her hooves and shot back another oft used reply she hoped would sink in this time. "We already took a side! Making those condensers might have saved lives among the Fog Harbor residents, but it pissed the Church off too Dima! The harbor ponies aren't even properly grateful either! We help them out and stick our neck out, only for them to bitch we're not making enough of the damn things!"

The pinto stallion Faraday perked up as the conversation turned to what he thought of as his domain, pulling a clipboard from his saddlebag and hoofing at it to double check the figures running in his mind. "We haven't had much luck increasing production either Dima. Spare parts are always an issue, plus keeping the ones in operation running is a challenge. The Church cutting off supplies after we made them has really hurt, not to mention losing access to what you left behind in that base."

Chase's fury practically blazed at that, making Vira flinch from the intensity she could feel through the glass separating them as the mare snorted. "You never should have let them have the Cantrip, let alone leave behind your own memories! Who knows what's in there or what they could do with it Dima! As if them sitting on a freaking megaspell wasn't bad enough! You can't even tell me what kind of security risk they pose either!"

Vira gasped and instantly covered her mouth with a shaking hoof. Her old church was not only here, they had a megaspell!?! Virescent knew only too well the apocalyptic dogma the Church of Balefire followed, depending on what this particular sect focused on, they may welcome setting off such a weapon as a holy mission...

She felt her heart speed up and a sweat break out on her coat just thinking about it, nearly missing Dima's maddeningly blase reply. "As I have explained, the memories left behind are as close as I get to forgetting something Chase. I have no idea what they contain, I do know they are secure and hoped leaving them behind for our religious friends to safeguard would demonstrate trust. I felt letting the Church take the naval base was the best choice, the previous Confessor..."

"The previous Confessor is GONE! The current 'High Confessor' Tectonic is on a holy crusade and not nearly so trustworthy Dima! Just let me go in there and handle it already, you figured out a retrieval method right Faraday?" Chase snapped back, the curt interruption not bothering Dima in the slightest as she wheeled on the arcane science minded male beside her.

From his thoughts, Faraday didn't want to get in the middle of this yet again, flinching under Chase's pink stare and waffling uncertainly. "Er... yes, we've managed to cobble together a program that will allow access and download after making it through security. It wasn't easy though, if Dima and I had so much trouble, I really doubt those cultists can manage it Chase..."

The former Courser only focused on getting the answer she wanted, standing straighter and closing on Dima with a plan of action already flitting through her highly ordered mind. "There. Give me the go ahead, I'll slip in and get it done tonight. Be one less thing to worry and run projections about, not that it will stop the Church and Harbor from going at it, but our hooves will be clean."

Dima placidly let the stern mare get it out of her system, listening and appreciating her opinion, then slowly weighing it before he spoke in that soft voice. "I ran simulations on the worst case scenarios hoping to head them off Chase. I doubt retrieving those memories will alter them. If the Church manages to cut off power to the condensers or set off the Cantrip's payload, many will die. That is what we should be focused on preventing, our best chance of doing so is as neutral mediators. If you are caught, even seen, we will most definitely be drawn in to the conflict. It is not worth the risk to peace."

The strongest impulse running behind Chase's pink eyes was to tear her mane out in frustration at being denied, something Vira could somewhat sympathize with as she struggled to keep up. The mare managed to contain her fury though, hissing back to Dima's unwavering smile. "Peace went out the window thanks to that jackass from Fog Harbor! The best we can do is try to mitigate the damage Dima. Keeping those memories out of their hooves is the best way to do that. If you won't let me do it... maybe using an outside agent would work?"

"Nick and his detective helper you mean? Chase... I'm not sure about that, Nick may not be a member of our community, but outward appearances would put him in our camp. I had hoped to help my brother remember his past and reconnect, not use him in our concerns." Uncertainty flickered through Dima's calm mind for the first time, he really had a weak spot where Nick was concerned... something Virescent filed away for later.

Vira gave another start and quiet 'eep!' behind her hoof when her own image appeared in Chase's mind, a lifeline to use the mare immediately dangled in front of Dima. "The alicorn though... Those nuts worship mutants like her, they'd let her close. She's leaving for the mainland as soon as she can manage it too, plus she's accepted by the harbor ponies from what I hear. Use her to get the job done if you won't let me do it."

Reluctant acceptance of her point slowly built in Dima, resulting in a reserved nod from the patchwork synth. "I... will consider it. If she seems amenable, and after discussing it with Nick as well. If there is nothing new to consider, I would like the opportunity to try talking to him again rather than hiding away down here."

Faraday peppered Dima with trivialities Virescent quickly tuned out, talks of resources, more memory storage, parts and repairs... All of it was overtaken by the fear and worry trying to overwhelm the green alicorn as she flopped back to the crowded shelves behind her, the noise of her movement and quiet whimper, along with shimmery outline of her body giving Sumi a place to silently focus, still hiding under the battered desk in front of her.

(V-Vira? Are you ok? Did you hear all that? Would those Church ponies really let you in?) Sumi's thoughts were excited and concerned, directed towards the psychic alicorn in lieu of whispering while impatiently waiting for the trio of ponies on the other side of the glass to wrap up their meeting and file out.

She wanted to answer, actually she wanted the weird device slotted into her precious pip-buck to stop making her invisible, wanted the filly to see the misery and anxiety she knew was etched on her unseen face. Wanted Sumi to comfort her as she tried to comfort the filly, to feel those positive emotions she had grown to so enjoy, anything other than the fear racing through her mind.

The Church... the Church she had been a priestess of, the Church of Balefire... Here, on this island with her and in possession of a megaspell, and they wanted to ask her to return to the fold? To march up and make herself an idol for the twisted and sick, the ghoulish outcasts she had helped bring to their green and gold banner?

Standing against the rusty railing near the top of the Starswirl Observatory and looking out over the fog enshrouded island stretching out below her, Vira gave another little shiver that had nothing to do with the cool sea breeze and sighed. A bite of the still warm muffin her young companion had treated her to made her feel a little better at least. Even though she hardly needed to eat, it tasted good and settled her nervous stomach,

Each bite came with the still strong concern Sumi was feeling for her too, which felt even better. The filly's mind was whirling with questions and thoughts she was trying to keep from voicing, continually flashing to an image of Vira's own stricken face fading back into view when the stealth-buck thing finally wore off. Not a flattering view of herself she wanted to keep seeing from the outside, but it was the source of the worry and caring Sumi was trying to find a way to vocalize, which was nice enough.

"I... I used to be part of that Church Sumi, that is what is 'freaking me out' as you are thinking. I'm sorry, let me collect myself a moment longer..." Virescent managed to broach the subject for her in a shaky voice, keeping her green eyes cast out to the magnificent -if occluded- view of the island the observatory offered perched on the highest peak.

The pinkish grey mist made most of the landscape a mere suggestion, swirling and wafting to reveal broken ruins, sickly forests, thin trails of ancient roads running through the valleys and up the mountains. Looking to the southwest, Vira's sharp alicorn eyes could make out the faintest suggestion of the mainland far across the Celestial sea sparkling in the noon sun beyond the mists. From this high up, she could just climb and keep her nose firmly pointed that way, fly away and return to the Trotson Commonwealth, put all this behind her...

Except she promised, Nick had been kind enough to give her a job and trusted her. Sumi's adamant refusal to leave Fog Harbor was still present in her mind too, buried under the silent anxiety she could feel looking up at her. Good ponies didn't just run away and leave their friends behind, even if they were frightened... At least they tried not to, and Vira was trying to be a good pony, to change from the mare she was when she had been a leader in the Church consuming her thoughts now.

Taking another bite, Vira tore her gaze away from the tempting idea of escape, looking across the deep valley shrouded in fog that should have a large lake hidden in the mists, according to the prewar map she had seen at Longfellow's anyway. The thought of the old stallion's gruff face warmed her as much as the muffin and helped give her courage, another reason she couldn't just leave, she promised to see him again before doing so after all. Good ponies kept their promises if they could.

Above the shorter peak on the other side of the presumably lake filled valley, Vira struggled to make out the amorphous shapes hidden in the fogs and clouds. A clump of darker cloud shifted and changed, but didn't move like the rest, dim shapes of broken smokestacks, machinery and huge fans coming in and out of view and a veritable cascade of fog slowly spilling down to the mountain below it. The fog factory from before the war, the ruins of which now spewed out the mysterious and deadly fog the Church of Balefire apparently viewed as divine here.

"A-Are you sure you're ok Vira? You looked so scared and... I know I asked you to take the case, but you don't have to go to those nuts if you don't want. If Dima asks you could just say no, it's alright." Sumi couldn't hold herself still any longer, hooking her forelegs over the rusty railing and leaning up to try to catch the tall alicorn's eye anxiously.

"But you wish to understand the mysteries here, don't you Sumi? You won't return until you know the truth of Dima's Acadia? The Church of Balefire is wrapped up in that, I can sense you have suspected as much yourself. What do you know of those 'nuts'?" Vira turned her eyes down, flicking them guiltily over to the filly before distracting herself watching the synth population busily going about their day in the settlement below.

Hearing Vira turn her words back on her made Sumi facehoof and wince, a rush of apology radiating off her as she considered she might have offended the alicorn made Vira smile slightly as the filly backtracked. "I didn't mean! N-Not you... er... t-the ones here are... n-not that I know that much about them either, so I shouldn't have opened my dumb mouth... Sorry Vira! They're just..."

"I used to be part of that church Sumi, I'm not any longer, partly because some of them are indeed nuts. I told you I have made my share of mistakes as well didn't I? I don't know what they're doing on this island however, do you know much about them Sumi?" Vira mustered her courage and managed a shamefaced admission, glad to sense not rejection, but a sense of kinship from the filly.

She was glad Sumi chose not to dwell on her past too, instead the filly focused on her question and leaned out over the railing, peering through the fog and pointing to the southern marshes of the island beyond the shadow of the fog factory. "Not much no, they don't really come around here and I haven't been away from Acadia. Heh... and I was mad at dad for keeping me home, all I did was change the scenery where I'm stuck at... A-Anyway, they all live in some old navy base from the war, down that way if you can see it."

While Vira couldn't in fact see what the filly's foreleg was pointing towards, the message in the corner of her vision reading; 'Map Updated' seemed to understand her directions. Blinking at the text, Vira fumbled at the controls to the device awkwardly and managed to bring up the map, giving a start when Sumi leaned in close and took over for her, zooming it out and centering the screen on a new marker reading 'The Cantrip'.

"Oh wow, a 3000 model! This is nice Vira, I always wanted to play with a pip-buck. See, there's where the Church is. Dima gave it to the leader of the Church that he was friends with a few years back, but since then the pony in charge changed and things have gotten more strained from what I hear. The harbor ponies really don't like them, one of them even shot a missionary from the Church outside the gates of Fog Harbor. Since then things have been really bad, lots of the folks here in Acadia keep talking like it's only a matter of time before they fight." After showing her the map and making sure the green alicorn understood it, Sumi rapidly tapped through the menus as she answered, the text zipping by in front of her eyes distracting Vira somewhat as she listened to Sumi's concerned words carefully.

Staring at the shifting fog blocking her view, Vira frowned in thought and allowed Sumi to keep playing with her pip-buck while she considered. The Church of Balefire had been started by the Institute and a faction of her sisters in the Commonwealth six or seven years ago now, not long after the Day of Sunshine and Rainbows. Virescent herself had helped spread the quasi-religious order to help the mad scientists experiment on willing ponies, but only throughout the hidden realm of Trotson.

While Fog Harbor may in fact fall within the strange borders of the Commonwealth that kept it sealed away from the rest of Equestria, it was further isolated by the sea and the fog, not somewhere the Institute would focus on spreading. The fact a colony of runaway synths successfully hid here was testament to the idea the Institute's prying eyes didn't fall on this strange island, so why would the Church of Balefire be here?

Were they an offshoot of the mainland Church? Did they follow the same twisted beliefs Vira had once preached? If they did and really were in possession of a megaspell... Vira shuddered again at the thought, feeling a sudden spike of panic when she considered what they might do and their animosity with the harbor ponies. Most of the residents of Fog Harbor were still abstract concerns for her, but Longfellow... If the Church moved to hurt nonbelievers, her friend Longfellow would be lumped in with that group as well, could be in danger from her former cohorts.

There was the question of Dima and how to get Sumi home to consider too. Vira might be new to being a detective, but even she could figure out there were interwoven mysteries on this island and so far she had only met two thirds of the equation. Whether Dima asked for her help or not, it seemed risking a run in with the Church of Balefire was inevitable.

"Sumi... Dima and the others said his memories were stored in the naval base, that even he didn't know what was in them... Is that true?" Glad for the time to process the filly granted her, Vira looked down from her long silence and posed a question, waiting for the answer before deciding.

Broken away from her own worried musing Vira just caught the tail end of, Sumi looked up and nodded, her thoughts instantly warming to a subject she found fascinating, reminding Vira of the male that shared her area of interest with a warm smile. "Huh? Oh, yeah! I told you they made a lot of add ons for Dima, but he still has memory limitations. His fancy chair is the same kind of setup, lets him download and store data like in a memory orb."

Puzzling over the technical concepts, Vira felt on surer hoofing with the idea of memory orbs and magic, working through a theory that didn't increase her trust of the strange synth. "Download... you mean remove? If the memories were no longer in his head, he would have no knowledge of their contents? He would... forget... as he said?"

Sumi nodded brightly, enjoying the opportunity to teach the older mare about something she knew. "Uh-huh, he dumps all kinds of stuff and stores it on all those computers, even creates his own weird memory orb... cube things... He can only keep so much in his head, so once it's out he doesn't remember at all unless he's connected to his chair. Most of it is just boring stuff he gets rid of to save space though. Why? You're getting all squinty Vira..."

Not realizing her suspicion was showing on her face, Vira shook with a whinny and shrugged sheepishly. If the filly was her friend and client, she really shouldn't hide things she supposed... "I did not sense any lies or malice from Dima when I listened to his mind Sumi, I was honest with you about that. However, if the thoughts are not in his head for me to read, he could lie to even me. If he doesn't know it's a lie, even a mindreader can't tell. You see? You worry and are suspicious of Dima, before I would have told you there's nothing in his mind to be concerned over and hoped you would be satisfied and go home. Now though... I can't say he's as innocent as he lets on. Those memories may indeed be important, so I fear I may have to retrieve them to be sure."

"But... you don't want to right? If you're scared, you don't have to go Vira. I... I don't wanna be selfish and make you.." Sumi's reply was hesitant and worried, her independent streak warring with the warm concern she felt towards the alicorn she had improbably befriended.

Reading the flurry of anxious thoughts and relishing in the positive emotions directed her way, Vira raised a wing and hushed the filly with one long pinion feather, shaking her head slowly. "Nick and I took the case Sumi, I believe he would say we are obligated to follow where it leads. I am afraid of returning to the Church, but I am also responsible for them in a way. Running away has not worked out for either of us very well, if I am to really change and be a better pony... I don't think I can keep doing that anymore."

"T-Then neither can I, huh? Ok, you're right Vira... I guess we're both screw ups..." The wave of shame and sadness Sumi felt was clear even to a non-psychic, the filly's ears drooped and she laid her chin down on her forelegs hooked over the railing dejectedly, prompting Vira to give her a hug and try to cheer her.

"I'm in good company then, us screw ups should stick together. We can both do better as well, part of that is facing my fears and trying to do good. I will investigate the local Church of Balefire and Dima's memories Sumi, we will uncover the mystery here together, then return home." Vira couldn't keep the longing to return to Trotson out of her voice, but spoke in a determined tone and nuzzled the filly's mane supportively.

Sniffling and giving a little giggle at the attention, Sumi looked up and nodded firmly. "R-Right, together. Then I promise I will come back with you, I won't keep running away if you don't, deal?"

"Deal." Vira nodded smartly back and finished her muffin, taking in the view of the fog shrouded island stretching out below them and wondering what secrets it held.

Walking back down together to the machine room Sumi had been staying in, the pair found Nick waiting for them, smoking a cigarette and going over his battered notepad with a frown. Putting their heads together and going over what each had found out painted the same picture, the Church of Balefire and Dima's memories would have to be investigated.

Vira puffed up with pride when Sumi informed Nick of her intention to return with them, savoring the impressed look her employer shot her and glad he wasn't upset her homecoming was contingent on solving the case. The old detective had already been sucked in by a juicy mystery, he didn't need much convincing to stick around a little longer.

Promising to return to keep Sumi updated on their progress, they all agreed the filly was safest staying in Acadia and keeping an ear open. She trusted the detective duo now, so letting them handle wandering the fog and hunting clues was acceptable and Sumi waved them goodbye with a much lighter heart.

Nick and Vira climbed the winding staircases up through Acadia, the green alicorn grinning broadly at the synth's effusive praise. Nick had hoped the two mares would hit it off, but had still been pleasantly surprised by Vira's success and made sure to let her know how well she had done. She was already working out much better than his last assistant, more than earning her pay, not to mention making an excellent sounding board for him to go over the case with.

Nick's investigations had turned up much of the same, tight lipped synths who were reluctant to say anything bad about Dima, but still letting things slip about the tense politics of the island and the worries about being dragged into a conflict. By the time they returned to Dima's chambers, they both felt ready for the strange synth's hesitant request for aid.

To his credit, Dima's story didn't diverge from what he discussed privately with Faraday and Chase, and he didn't gloss over uncomfortable details. He came clean about the Church occupying the naval base and his memories left behind in the secure sectors, conveyed the possible risks the unknown information could pose to the residents of Fog Harbor and reluctantly focused on Vira as a possible agent, given her elevated standing with the cultists that worshiped the power that had birthed her kind.

"I am sorry to even ask and you may feel free to refuse. The situation is tenuous here as you may have guessed however, so we are desperate. From what I understand of the Church's beliefs, an alicorn like yourself should be welcomed eagerly and given a free hoof to snoop around. Would you be willing to help us preserve the peace here Miss Vira?" Dima's soft voice had been hopeful and worried for all the ponies living here, including Longfellow, which made Vira's decision easier.

"I will assist you and see if I can do as you ask, for my friend Longfellow... If the question of loyalties or priorities comes up, understand mine lie with him and Sumi, not to your cause or theirs." Vira's firm answer was half for herself, reminding herself not to get wrapped up in the grand designs of bigger powers as she had with the Institute.

Keeping her focus simple and direct lent her courage to do what she was afraid of, surprising her at the strength having friends she cared about gave her. The magic of friendship was indeed powerful, something Virescent had never experienced or appreciated before, but did now.

Upon her acceptance, the up to then silent Faraday Cage trotted up and introduced himself, eagerly shaking Vira's slender hoof and launching into a patter of technical jargon that made her head spin. She was very glad Nick was right beside her and taking notes, quickly finding herself lost as Faraday loaded a program into her pip-buck and tried to explain its function.

Nick gave her a wink and settled her spinning eyes as Faraday finally slowed down, noticing his student's confusion and simplifying things for her. The program now on her hoof mounted computer would let her interface with the complicated pre-war system in the naval base, granting access to Dima's memories, along with instructions for how to get past the security guarding them.

That done, Dima and Faraday wished them luck and prepared them as much as they were able as they made to leave. Nick rebuffed Dima's entreaties to talk about their origins again, hurrying his pace to escape his odd doppelganger and pushing through the rusty steel doors, out into the glow of sunset permeating the fog surrounding the mountaintop.

Having the Courser Chase waiting to let them out the gates was unnerving, the synth mare kept her cool pink gaze on Vira as she pushed the junk gate barring the parking lot of the Observatory open. It wasn't just that the hard faced mare in the battered black coat was intimidating on her own, actually seeing all the ways the courser could efficiently take down an alicorn flashing through her mind as she spoke made Vira gulp nervously.

Looking up with thoughts of a flying, spinning tackle that let her loop around Vira's long neck with her head in her hooves and snap it, Chase gave a menacing farewell as the gates closed again behind them. "Good luck alicorn, I'll be watching..."

Giving a little shiver from her head to her tail, Vira jumped nervously when the gates clicked closed, turning to Nick chuckling up at her and nodding to the winding mountain trail leading down through the fog. "See what I mean about coursers now dollface? Don't let her spook you, sounds like a real pussycat so long as you're on her good side from what I found out. So... ready to walk back down before it gets dark? Or..."

Nick shrugged suggestively to Vira's wings and broad back, not wanting to voice the practical thought in his mind and not particularly looking forward to the prospect. Vira didn't understand his reticence though, flying was by far the fastest way back down the mountain, plus it was enjoyable. She was still proud of her mother's... if not perfect, than highly advantaged form. She'd never really given normal ponies rides before, but didn't see any issue with doing so now. There was plenty of room and Nick didn't look particularly heavy, why wouldn't he simply come right out and ask?"

Cocking her head questioningly, Vira listened to the unhappy muttering and chilly feel of discomfort coming from Nick evading her gaze. "Are you afraid of flying Nick?"

"Me? Afraid? Of course not sweetheart! I eat bullets for breakfast and go sleuthing in the worst monster filled ruins the wastes have to offer, why would I be afraid of a little thing like flying? Way up off the ground... through the fog..." Nick sputtered a denial that slowly trailed off, perhaps fear was the wrong word, but he certainly wasn't comfortable with the idea.

Granted, Longfellow had told her even local pegasi didn't do a lot of flying on the island due to the fog, but she could clearly see down to the shore and the dim outline of Fog Harbor from their perch above the fog line. After the hike up here with Longfellow and his descriptions of all the beasts he helped them avoid, Vira thought walking back down as it got dark was a much greater risk. A quick glide down without the risk of monsters hiding in the mists seemed safer to her.

Kneeling down, Vira extended one wing towards the reluctant synth and smirked. "Silly of me to ask then, some earth ponies are uncomfortable flying is all. I should have guessed you would not be Nick, such a brave, handsome synth detective such as yourself surely has no issue allowing his assistant to ferry you about..."

"Har de har har sister... Of all the dames in all the ruins in the wasteland, I end up with a comedian for an assistant. Alright, alright, you're in the driver's seat, just lower that big caboose a little more, not all of us have got a set of long pins like you doll." Nick grumbled back and awkwardly sidled up to her, hooking his forelegs over her back and scrambling one hindleg against her flank in his attempt to climb up.

"I do not have a big caboose..." Vira huffed and gruffly picked him up in her emerald magic, depositing Nick on her back and standing back to her full height, spreading her wings and giggling at the synth's forelegs latching on to her neck with a worried squawk.

Tensing in a crouch and giving a warning flap, Vira leapt into the air before Nick could give voice to all the complaints running through his mind, quickly replaced by an unvoiced groan and the odd sensation of the synth actually feeling his heart pound, while the artificial components in his chest did no such thing.

Vira's laugh would have been a little heartier and more teasing, but following the slope of the mountain down quickly brought her to the fog line and she gulped as they dove into the shifting mists. It was like being submerged in murky water, visibility dropped off to dangerous levels and she could feel the chilly mist crawling on her skin, a wave of dread making her focus on the task at hoof and driving the good humor from her.

Looking down from above, it hadn't seemed quite so thick or difficult to navigate. Now that she was actually in the soup, Vira was already starting to wonder how much of what Longfellow said about the island's strange fog was true. It certainly felt evil and cold when it swallowed them up, and she could swear it was actively swirling and thickening around them, masking the most dangerous obstacles and thinning in ways that almost led to them.

Slowing her pace seemed safest and Vira focused on simply gliding, trying to keep the cracked and winding road under her hooves and giving hard flaps occasionally to clear the mist in her path. It was a twisting, slower course this way, but safer than going straight down and potentially crashing into the telephone poles and withered trees that seemed to leap out at them.

It was taking a great deal of her attention, but Vira slowly got comfortable enough to risk a wary chuckle over her shoulder to Nick clutching her like grim death. "There... you see Nick, nothing to worry about..."

"Aw why'd you have to go and say that sweetheart! You're just asking for the goddesses to prove you wrong and..." Nick groaned back, his concern over her simply stating the obvious seemed silly to Virescent, until a loud squawk echoed through the fog and interrupted him.

"W-What was that?" Vira yelped and nearly smashed into a blackened branch that looked suspiciously like a claw reaching out over the roadway for them.

Refocusing her eyes front, Vira hoped Nick could spot whatever was making that eerie sound to her sides. It had been repeated and taken up by more... whatever they were... loud, croaking 'caw!'s and now the subtle flapping of wings other than her own making her ears prick up and flick nervously.

Rather than answer and soothe the anxiety Vira felt noticing several red marks above the compass at the bottom of her vision, Nick drew his revolver in his mouth and scanned around them silently, his own synthetic ears swiveling and flicking in a display matching Vira's. His hearing may be as good as her own actually, usually Vira had to keep in mind most pony's senses weren't so sharp.

Adding further evidence to that idea, Nick's head darted left just as she heard the beating wings picking up after silently diving too close. She spun her head that way a second behind the detective, spotting some twisted, pale monstrosity of feathers and a gaping beak, just before Nick's hoof cannon boomed and it went careening down in the mists.

More squawks and caws rang out in answer the gunshot, shadowy shapes in the fog swarming around them. Vira sped up dangerously, trying to outpace the flock of whatever was stalking them, jerking and weaving away from several close calls from large, solid objects obscured by the fog which seemed to be getting thicker. Unseen dives by blurring shapes made her cry out in pain, several gashes opening up in her forest green hide from the speedy attackers.

A trio of the shadows dove at them, Vira's panicked midair jerk and rush of adrenaline activating S.A.T.S. and letting her get a better look at the... Mistgulls? That's what her pip-buck labeled the mutated monster it had targeted anyway, a Mistgull...

They were ugly things, something like seagulls, but nearly as big as a normal pony. Their feathers where white and grey, making excellent camouflage against the fog where they covered at least. They looked like they were molting however, large patches of pink, scabrous skin showing and giving their wide wings a skeletal appearance. Their eyes were a milky pink and bulging above an enormous black and yellow beak.

One of the three Stable-Tec Assisted Targeting could track had the drooping, sack like beak open in a screech and she could see its gullet was roiling with pink mist that trailed out behind it in wisps. They actually were making the fog denser!? No wonder navigating had gotten so precarious, these mistgulls were hanging back and hoping to make her crash. Easier prey for the hooked talons poking out from their wide, webbed feet and the bony claws at their wing joints.

S.A.T.S. didn't give her beam spell great odds, but she selected a volley to all three targets and accepted, ending her unpleasant view of frozen time when the spell blasted from her horn. Two shots missed and lanced out into the fog, but the third hit the target and scorched the ugly bird into a puffball of singed feathers.

Giving a cheer at her effective use of the strange targeting system she was still learning, Vira's cry of victory was short lived and turned into a yelp when her eyes turned front. The battered, peeling image of a huge pale pink earth pony mare with a curly purple mane loomed in front of her, dressed extravagantly in a sparkling gown and a pale blue neckerchief, with her hooves outstretched to a weathered image of a mountainside building behind her.

Flinching from the giant pony zooming up to meet them, Vira raised her glowing green shield an instant before smashing right between the pony's brown eyes. She barely registered the partially rotted text above the mare's head, looping script that was hard to make out and missing several letters to age and decay reading; 'V_sit Cli_f's Ed_e H_tel- Gr__d O_e_ing!' A billboard... the nasty birds attacked to drive her right into the huge obstacle they had covered in more mist... they possessed some intelligence and were using it to hunt... her...

Vira kept her shield up and sped up, shaking off the splinters and canvas clinging to it from the billboard and trusting the magical barrier to keep the beasts back and protect them from any more surprises. Nick reloaded his revolver in the reprieve, unable to fire on more of the avian monsters through the bright green sphere lighting the fog like a beacon and only attracting more.

She smashed through a treetop without feeling it, dividing her attention between the flock and her weaving course. Vira's sense of relief and safety was short lived however, half a dozen of the flapping horrors adjusted tactics and dove at her together. Assuming they were going to uselessly throw themselves at her shield, Vira was surprised when they pulled up short and opened their bloated beaks, spewing out a torrent of pink mist like dragonfire.

More surprising, the pink mist was nearly as effective as a dragon's blast! The way it started eating into her shield and weakening it was familiar enough from her time in Unity, pink mist... the pink mist in Canterlot that had stymied her mother's efforts at exploring that ruin of the old world capital for the precious Black Book!

Virescent knew of it from her shared experiences and knowledge, but had no idea how it could be here. The source of the mist had been eliminated by the Destroyer, the city itself destroyed by the Enclave. While it didn't represent the threat to her that it did to normal ponies, it was damaging her shield and she had no doubt it would be a threat to her passenger.

Nick seemed to understand the threat too, mumbling around the handle of his revolver and pointing down with his hoof by her head. "Down dollface! Find some cover, we're sitting ducks up here with them!"

"Hang on Nick!" Vira nodded in reply and dove, barreling through branches her flickering shield parted and smashed through while she scanned desperately below her for shelter.

Juking and rolling in acrobatic maneuvers that made Nick yelp uncomfortably, Virescent spotted a looming shape on the mountainside ahead and made for it, the shadowy outline somewhat familiar. Another diving pass by the mistgulls spewing more pink mist out drained enough magic to make her woozy keeping the battered shield up, she couldn't focus on flying and stand up to another barrage like that.

A huge barrier appeared out of the fog ahead of her and Vira struggled to screech to a halt in midair, flailing her legs and wings uselessly as momentum carried them forward. Some kind of walkway was spanning right across the roadway she had been roughly following, a construct of steel and glass that she smashed through gracelessly.

Her hooves made contact with rotting flooring as her shield failed and she backpedaled madly, skidding to a stop feet away from the opposite wall of broken, dirty glass. Nick's revolver barked out several times behind her, resulting in pained screeches and frustrated caws swooping through the fog outside, but not following.

After a quick glance around to take stock, Vira sat and let Nick slide off her back in a rush, sending several blasts of magic out the round hole she had smashed through the elevated walkway and making the circling red dashes in her vision retreat. The both held their breath a moment, releasing it in a shaky breath when the attack didn't continue.

"Nice flying doll, think I'll stick with walking though. Those were a nasty surprise huh? You alright?" Nick reloaded his revolver and trotted to his panting assistant, fretting over her oozing wounds and fumbling in his packs for healing supplies.

"F-Fine Nick... just give me a moment, hopefully we've crashed somewhere safe enough to catch my breath. Er... sorry for the rough ride..." Vira kept a wary eye on the windows, but sighed relief and gratitude at Nick hastily applying magical bandages to her wounds, shoving a purple healing potion in her muzzle that she gratefully accepted as she got a better look around.

The walkway had been richly appointed once, the sodden wood flooring under her hooves still showed patches that gave a hint of the polish and craftsponyship. Rotting leather sofas and armchairs were scattered about, a few broken lamps looked like they were once quite expensive lighting for ponies enjoying the view.

'Discovered Location: Cliff's Edge Hotel' blinked in Vira's vision as her eyes alighted on a set of mahogany double doors at the end of the walkway, the matching pair behind them blocked by a pile of rubble and ceiling tile. Well, at least she knew where they were now, the pip-buck was a very useful device sometimes.

Nick fretted at how slowly her wounds were healing, nickering suspiciously at the potion bottle she tossed aside after finishing the glowing purple liquid. "Sorry I don't have anything better sweetheart, I keep potions and sawbones gear in case of emergency, but no radioactive jujus for dames like you. Let's just lay low here till the heat dies down out there."

Vira swayed on her hooves and decided her employer had a good idea, noticing the field of magic reaching out from his hooves to strip down a tattered armchair and steel glass top table beside, repairing the slashes and damage Nick had received as well. The fact he had any healing items for her to use was enough of a blessing considering he obviously didn't need them, healing potions for normal ponies along with the mild tingle from the wisps of fog curling at her hooves would be enough to set her right again given some time.

Checking over her sweater and relieved to see it hadn't suffered much damage, Vira nodded to Nick and shrugged towards the doors down the hall. "Very well Nick, though if we're resting I'm sure we can find somewhere more comfortable. My pip-buck thing informs me this was a hotel, if you care to explore a bit?"

The feeling of Nick's eyes lingering on her wounds worriedly made Vira feel good, they didn't hurt that much and the gentle waves of concern and care in his mind was as soothing a balm as his medical supplies. His first thought on her question was the image of a bed, somewhere for her to rest and recover. Nick took his responsibility for his assistant and new friend seriously, her well being was foremost in his mind and overcame concerns over what they may find snooping around a wasteland ruin.

"Alright, but we go slow dollface. We find anything too tough to handle, we make like an egg and beat it. Ok?" Nick took the lead and put on a stern voice, looking back to her as he trotted to the doors first.

Vira gave a wide, genuine smile of happiness and followed behind cautiously. "Ok Nick, you're the boss. Thank you..."

---------------------Level Up!-----------------------

New Perk Added!------------------------------------

Empathy----------
---Even being a telepath isn't enough to know what to say all the time. You're still new at getting close to normal ponies, but putting forth the effort is already paying off! You have a better chance at figuring out what to say, earning new dialogue options and improved odds on making new friends!

Ch. 5-- Brain Dead

"We are going to get to the bottom of this faster than my costume change!"

---------------------

The Cliff's Edge Hotel had been a new resort on the island when the balefire bombs fell and prevented the grand opening from proceeding on schedule. Even more than 200 years later, it was in surprisingly good condition, the rich and glitzy craftsponyship holding up well, a product of dedicated earth ponies cashing in on the island's status as a tourist destination.

Clopping down hallways with rotting carpeting squishing under her hooves, Virescent was able to pick up all this information about the huge hotel from tattered brochures, immaculate rooms waiting for guests, and the stories told by bleached pony bones scattered about. Searching as they went for anything useful didn't turn up much beyond the grim stories of the dead past however.

"Soooo... about this church dollface... You really were a member before?" Nick Hearts n' Hooves pulled back from peeking in another room, turning to the present and trying conversation to fill the creepy silence.

While she wished for practically any other subject, even the macabre questions of how the skeleton in the jantiorial rags had met his end locked in a broom closet with one in the skimpy rags of a maid's outfit, Vira nodded anxiously and gave a reluctantly honest answer to her employer. She owed him that much.

"I was. I am not proud of it. The Institute lied to my sisters and I, but I was gullible enough to believe them and quite fervent in spreading their twisted message." Vira felt her ears droop with her somber reply, trudging ahead to the wide intersection of hallways and dead elevators ahead.

Nick's thoughts didn't feel judgmental at her admission at least. The synth detective hurried along to catch up and raised an eyebrow, pulling out his battered notepad and flipping through the pages as he spoke. "No worries sweetheart, just trying to get all the info I can to work with. Any idea what they're doing all the way out here on beautiful Fog Harbor? They don't seem like the tourist type, think the Institute is backing them?"

"I... I do not know Nick. They should not be here, it was a cult formed to fleece the sick to be used as experiments, but only in Trotson. If they are spreading, I believe it is on their own. They may have taken the false hope the religion offered and galloped away with it. I only hope the Institute is not involved, for the synths of Acadia as well as myself. I... I am afraid of them and what they may do to me... and ashamed I ever helped them..." Admitting her fears and what had become of her own wrongdoing was hard, but Vira had decided to tell the truth, even the uncomfortable parts.

Her fears about Nick's opinion of her lessening were blown away by his concerned caring and gentle hoof tilting her chin up. "Hey now, none of that. They're bad news alright, but they'll have to get through me to get to you, and there's no love lost between me and my creators either. Sounds like you know the score now and are trying to make amends. So what if you were one of the bad guys before. I told ya, I got a soft spot for dames trying to turn things around."

Vira smiled down at the grinning robot, sniffling back a tear and nodding firmly. "Something I am very glad for Nick. Looking back on all I've done... I am embarrassed and ashamed now. When we first met, I tried to kill the very male I now wish to find by all the goddesses! To think he would forgive me... protect me... I still don't understand it. Redemption was one of those catch all terms it was popular to preach about, but much more difficult in reality than when I did so."

Nick gave a hearty laugh and patted her slumping shoulder as he lit a cigarette. "Old worlders like us are sappy like that sometimes, things used to be a lot different, ponies used to be a lot different... Forgiveness and mercy used to be higher priorities for us, no wonder they're unfamiliar to you, huh? You're doing good now, I'm sure he'd be happy. You'll just have to ask him yourself once we're done chasing our tails here."

Any time the subject of the male alicorn came up brightened Vira's mood, the unspoken implication from her synth employer this time made her green eyes twinkle as she tilted her head down at him hopefully. "Really? You will help me find him? Share this... locator thing?"

While Vira had basically understood Nick had a way of finding the male hidden on his own pip-buck beneath his tattered trenchcoat, his sharing of this treasure had still been a conditional part of her pay, a carrot he dangled that she happily pranced after. Hearing him speak consolingly to her now though, it seemed he had made up his mind by his wry thoughts taking in her fidgeting before the double doors leading out.

"You ain't trying to hide things from me anymore sweetheart, you admitted all that even though you don't like it. Plus you're a sweet dame Vira, I don't think Fast would mind, so yeah, all yours. I'll take you to him myself if you want, once this is all done of course. I'll hoof over his locator tag any time you want, I trust you."

Vira's eyes grew wide and shimmered as she dove forward and snatched the smaller synth up into a powerful hug, fluttering up and spinning her way through the doors leading out into a cavernous lobby. Nuzzling and burbling happily as she drifted over the railing of the second floor entrance they had found, she was happy enough to overlook his worried yelp squirming in her hooves and looking down to the litter strewn floor far below. Beyond getting what she wanted, the fact he really did trust her was just as uplifting. Vira had a real friend in the strange synth.

"Thank you Nick! Thankyouthankyouthankyou!" Vira cheered as she spun gracefully through the air, finally remembering Nick's discomfort with flying when she felt the chilly thoughts radiating from him. "Oh! Sorry Nick, I'll go back down right away!"

She touched down before the round check in counter in the center of the large lobby, watching as he straightened his sloppy tie and tipped his fedora with a shudder. "N-No problem doll, just take it easy. If I wasn't built sturdy you might'a sprained something there. Hmm, looks like we're not the first to go poking around in here, take a look Junior Detective, tell me what you see."

"Junior Detective?" Vira gave an unsure smile at the new title, glad to feel the positive intent behind Nick's merry nod, but still confused as to what he meant by it and his appraising yellow on black eyes following her.

The wry chuckle and expansive wave of his plastic covered hoof out to the room was an invitation, a sense of satisfaction and hopeful encouragement swirled around the odd synth along with the cigarette smoke from his smiling exhale. "Junior Detective, 3rd Class to be precise. Sounds like a new line of work was just what you needed when I hired you, right Vira? You've got a major leg up with the whole mindreading bit, but a lot of the job is old fashioned powers of observation. Consider this training. I'd give you a badge, but may take some time to dig up enough unopened boxes of Sugar Apple Bombs."

Nick pointed out a ragged tent set up behind the counter as he dusted himself off, waving her on to practice her skills of deduction under his tutelage. She could hear his thoughts appraising her as she looked over the makeshift camp site, feeling a rush of gratitude towards her employer as she puzzled them out.

Nick wasn't just using her for her unique abilities, as so many others had attempted to use her... Instead he really wanted to teach her his craft, give her more than just orders and caps for following them. The synth detective was trying to give her a career beyond that of a cult leader, a sense of self and accomplishment based off more than her natural abilities and advantages.

His vote of confidence and the warm compassion made her shame and worry over what she had been before lessen somehow. If Nick was willing to teach her as a real assistant, she felt all the more determined to make the most of the opportunity and do a good job.

There was a blackened scorch mark on the marble floor from a long cold campfire, musty bedding that smelled mostly of damp and fog, with a hint of unwashed pony underneath. The scent of dried blood clung to the scattered belongings in and around the tent, an overturned rack formed from a bellhop's cart had the scattered hides of a few radrabbits.

Taking a wider look around with Nick, Vira spotted several rusty bear traps she had overlooked when she landed, glad she hadn't accidentally stuck a hoof in the sharp metal jaws. The way they were arrayed around the abandoned camp fell in with the other clues and she ventured a guess to Nick trotting around one of the traps, this one closed on a twisted hunk of meat and splashed with black blood.

"Trappers? Like the ones we encountered with Longfellow?" Hearing her voice echo in the large room was creepy, but Nick's congratulatory nod cheered her, encouraging her skills at deduction.

"Got it in one. Looks like they've been gone awhile though, and not down to the corner store. Keep those peepers peeled doll, something nasty got em." Nick kicked a severed hoof out from behind a moldy couch in reply, drawing his revolver as he crept around the lobby.

With memories of the horrible mistgulls outside still fresh in her mind, Vira followed his lead, trotting around the other side of the circular arrangement of rotting seating between the check in counter and the wall of dirty glass leading outside. The ever present fog swirled beyond the floor to ceiling windows, wafting in cracks and breaks in the glass, making the ancient chandiliers overhead jingle and shift, bringing in the smell of decay tickling her flaring nostrils.

The crinkle of paper not rotting with age under her hoof drew her eye to a light green sheet of paper on the floor. Vira floated up a bloodstained flier of some kind, scanning the festive red font of the text and wreath decorating the round, gear shaped symbol associated with Stable-Tec. "Hmm... perhaps this is what drew these trappers here? 'Come to the fabulous Cliff's Edge Hotel this holiday season for a special presentation of a Hearth's Warming tale, performed by the residents of Stable 118... Tickets on sale next month, tell your friends...' A play? Wait, a Stable?"

Looking outside through the mist, Vira could see the wings of the horseshoe shaped hotel disappearing to either side of her vantage from the central lobby. The ruined remains of quite a few rather fancy sky carriages and chariots were strewn about, some canted wildly on the wide, round disc at the center of the circular drive. Craning her head up for a better look, Vira realized the half tilted, giant ponyhole cover looking adornment was familiar from memories that weren't her own.

"Ah! Nick! I think there really is a Stable here!" Vira pranced to herself excitedly and pointed out at her discovery, prattling on in a rush and forgetting caution. "It is just like the image of 111's entrance I have seen memories of! Advertising their presence for a play seems odd... but Longfellow said there was one on the island. That's where his wife acquired my pip-buck! He said she traded with the residents, so there must be a way in and..."

The crash of Nick's revolver cut off her babbling, drawing a sharp gasp from her as she followed the blur of movement and wet thump across the cavernous lobby. "That's great and all Vira, but think I just found what checked the last guests out here! Head's up!"

Groans and moans rose up all around them as the compass at the bottom of Vira's vision filled with red marks, each lining up with a soggy pony corpse shuffling up to their hooves and lurching their way. Feral ghouls... they blended in with the rack and ruin around them, further camouflaged by the mottled, greyish-pink tint to their rotten hides.

Cantering back to Nick's retreat towards the check in counter, Virescent summoned a pair of curved daggers made of her glowing green magic. Creating weapons of arcane force was a personal thing and required focusing on every aspect of the object to be summoned, the daggers had been her go to version of the spell and the easiest for her to use. Sending them spinning out at the zombie ponies staggering up to charge the two of them was instinctual and most effective.

Considering the similarities she had already noted between creatures of the strange fog blanketing the island, and the insidiuous pink cloud that had stymied her mother's efforts to explore the ruins of Canterlot, Vira didn't take any chances. Canterlot Ghouls were notoriously difficult to dispatch permanently, if these bloated and rotten fog zombies were anything like them, removing the head or destroying the brain were the only guaranteed options.

The spacious lobby offered her plenty of obstacles the uncoordinated undead couldn't navigate nearly as well as she could simply by taking to the air. Generally feral ghouls were an annoyance rising up to a threat with great enough numbers, with the ability to leave most of them mindlessly galloping below her, only the pegasi could follow her agile course around the room.

With her serving as a distraction, Nick seemed to have the ground bound foes well in hoof, so Vira kept a looping course around the check in desk and array of traps he sheltered behind, allowing him to pick off her pursuers with unhurried shots from his revolver. The noise and motion seemed to elicit a basic response from the creatures, but they were much more focused on her as a living pony, versus the artificial and less tasty synth.

Making another banking turn around Nick as he quickly reloaded, Vira grabbed an array of ancient luggage and broken furniture in her emerald telekinesis, adding to the obstacle course the undead clambered and tripped over chasing her. A quick loop de loop around a sodden, straight couch she yanked towards herself smashed a pair of zombie pegasi off her tail.

With a large section of the marble floor beneath her now clear of heavy objects to fling around, Vira adjusted her flight at Nick's direction, spiraling under the tilted and shifting chandelier. "Clump those mugs up nice and tight Vira! I got your back ace!"

Following the steady barrel of his revolver, Vira's eyes flicked up to the jingling light fixture and understood what he was hoping for. She tightened her corkscrew turn and cast a wall of glowing green shield spell beneath her, doing so while flying wouldn't produce her strongest barrier, but was more than enough to corral the snarling zombies snapping at her hooves.

Once they were slipping and stumbling over each other in the shrinking circle of her shield directly under the chandelier, Nick shouted a warning and fired. Vira broke away as the .45 bullet shattered the chain mooring the fixture to the ceiling, the heavy brass framework and sharp shards of crystal falling on the gaggle of fog zombies with a reverberating crash.

Vira landed lightly beside her employer trotting up, the boom of his gun cutting short the horrible, rending noise of necromancy trying to restore the broken bodies pinned under the chandelier. Nick moved from corpse to corpse where they groaned on the floor, efficiently ending their struggles with one shot to the head for each that remained.

"Great work doll, keep your guard up though. Where there's some ferals, there are usually more." At his absent warning, Vira nodded and her ears flicked at each echoing gunshot. All the noise was sure to wake up any more of the creatures still lying about in here with them.

Taking the opportunity to remind herself about the Eyes Forward Sparkle system hovering at the bottom of her vision, Vira panned her head around slowly. Ignoring the red dashes above the compass diminishing with each round from Nick's hoof cannon, the arcano-tech device on her foreleg didn't seem to recognize any more threats nearby. After trotting in a full circle, she tilted her head in confusion at what it did report however. There was a green dash that didn't match up to the one she saw when facing Nick...

"Green is good, correct Nick?" Vira spoke up quietly once the last zombie pony had been put down, pointing a wing towards the only other mark displayed on E.F.S. now.

Facing towards the curving staircases going upstairs from the lobby with her, Nick shook the spent cartridges from his weapon and reloaded again. His caution made her concerned she didn't understand the fairly straightforward threat identification spell she was still learning, but he nodded and responded positively to her question.

"By and large, yeah Vira, green is good. Don't go counting on it as an ironclad rule though, especially when they're still hiding out somewhere. Hey there! All clear, thanks for the help and all... Help you with something pally?" Nick called out warily to whoever was in the hotel with them, keeping his weapon trained on the strange, soft puttering noise approaching upstairs.

He relaxed somewhat when a pale robot hovered up to the railing above the check in counter, still keeping an eye on it as it waved one claw tipped appendage down and replied in a feminine, Fancee accented voice. "Allooo! How wonderful, just when I was considering where to summon ze authorities from! And they say there's never a policepony vhen you want one!"

"Police?" Vira blanched at the happy robot drifting down towards them, glancing to Nick with a raised eyebrow as he holstered his revolver.

Tapping the ancient holster under his trenchcoat pointed out the corroded gold star still clipped to the cracked leather, solving at least one mystery. The robot recognized Nick as an old world authority figure, his badge of office marked him as one of the ponies in blue, even 200 years later.

Nick's thoughts silently assured her as he rolled along with the robot's assumption, tipping his brown fedora to the Miss Handy bobbing before them. "Your lucky day alright ma'am. Detective Nick Hearts n' Hooves, Trotson P.D., can we help you with something? Er.. beyond these... dangerous criminals here I mean."

By the run of his thoughts, Nick had experience dealing with his less advanced kin and had found going along with their sometimes wildly inaccurate assumptions to be easiest. Vira had usually regarded the broken down wind up toys of the past to be annoying, going on with their programming and tasks these centuries later, to varying degrees of success and danger to those around them. Compared to the advanced synth with real thoughts and feelings, they were primitive ancestors of Nick, not deserving of the same consideration in her opinion.

This one certainly seemed like it may have a screw loose or be as oblivious as many she had run into before by it's burbling reply, though what it said did catch her attention. "Oui-oui monsiuer Detective. I had attempted to call the local constable, but our telephone service has been spotty lately. I'm thrilled to accomplish my task so easily running into you! Ve have had a terrible crime commited on the premises and are in dire need of law enforcement. This way, please!"

Nick cracked a wry grin up to Vira's confused look, shrugging and following the round robot back up the stairs. "Never know when or where you'll run into a case sweetheart, let's check it out."

The second floor overlooking the lobby had seen a lot of damage over the years, the broken remains of another set of stairs going even further up were barely recognizable among the wreckage blocking most of the walkway ringing the room. At the Miss Handy's guidance, they trotted away from the door Nick and Vira had entered through to the west, exiting through an identical door to the eastern wing of the hotel.

Vira frowned following the synth and the pale robot leading them on. While she was glad to be in Nick's employ and his student, she didn't expect becoming a detective to come with so many distractions. "But we are already on a case Nick... Why would you look out for more? Should we not focus on one thing at a time?"

The rain dripping through the rotted holes of the second floor ceiling and distant rumble of thunder served as an illustration of Nick's answer, picking his way around the detritus and ruin of the fancy hotel. "Well, first off, guessing it's not a good idea to go wandering around in the dark after our little flight here Vira, let alone in the dark and rain. Not too keen on putting my waterproofing gaskets to the test if I can avoid it, and we don't know if the rain is as nasty as the fog here."

Since the fog seemed somehow related to the terrible pink cloud of the zebras, Vira supposed he had a point there. The rain was one of the few times the ruins of Canterlot became marginally less deadly as it temporarily washed the necromantic zebra magic away for awhile. Glimpses through the windows of the rooms they passed showed the fog here didn't follow that rule however, still shrouding the outside in a haze of pinkish grey.

"Then we could rest and leave in the morning, couldn't we? I'm interested in seeing this Stable as long as we're here, but I still don't understand taking on another case Nick." Vira grumbled back, her complaints put on hold as more bloated fog zombies lurched out of a large conference room they passed.

It was only half a dozen of the undead monsters, wearing tattered remains of moldy suits and ties, business ponies locked in a meeting that even death hadn't released them from. Between the three of them they were able to dispatch the new threat easily enough, Nick's revolver and Vira's magic dealt with five in short order, while the last was actually put down by the buzz saw blade bizarrely attached to the Miss Handy helper robot.

"Oooh, pardon Monsieur Detective, I'm afraid the guests 'ave been rather unruly lately. Right this way, we must use the secondary entrance ahead, Stable-Tec has not come to repair the main lift outside, despite repeated sternly worded letters and calls." The robot flicked the blackened blood from its weapon and spun from the 'guest' it had dismembered, returning to its mission of leading them to the Stable as if nothing of note had happened.

Continuing to go along with the off kilter robot, Nick nodded sympathetically. "Everypony's been a little hard to reach out to the last little while alright Ma'am. We don't mind taking the long route, gives me a little time to get to know our lovely guide. So, what can you tell me about this crime gorgeous?"

While she couldn't read what passed for robotic thoughts from the round machine bobbing along ahead of them, Vira stuck her tongue out at Nick's flirting and the bubbly reply. "Oh Detective you flatterer you, call me Pearl please! I am afraid vou will have to speak with Majordomo Maxwell down below for the details, all I know is it is terrible, a murder most foul."

Near the end of the curving hallway, the Miss Handy named Pearl hovered into a damp and chilly room, waving them after her. The ceiling had completely collapsed here, flattening the bed and leaving a large section leaning down against it, forming a ramp that Pearl floated up and out to the foggy roof.

Nick shrugged back to his assistant as he clambered up the makeshift ramp, drawing his revolver once on the roof and waiting for her to gracefully flap her way out. "Looks like hotel maintenance hasn't been too prompt either, huh Pearl? Anything you can tell me would be helpful though, what kind of place is this Stable, who are the major players, any suspects, things like that."

Vira kept flicking her eyes up to the skies, her ears laid back and shuffling around the various leaking holes in the roof in a tense crouch. The echoing 'caw' noise of the horrible Mistgulls was distant, but nearly impossible to pin down precisely with the way the fog muffled it, even Eyes Forward Sparkle only reported red dashes that quickly disappeared and flickered somewhere else. She felt her fur stand on end as the necromantic mist swirled around them, thinking again that maybe Longfellow was right... The fog here really seemed evil, the ominous noises around them could be deliberately masked by malign intent of the fog itself.

"Ah, of course Monsieur Detective. Stable 118 vas built for the creme de la creme of Equestrian high society, many famous and important ponies live there. Just because they are not born nobility and eligible for entry into Stable 1, doesn't mean they didn't deserve to survive as well, hmm? There are only about a dozen residents, but ze are all self made ponies who demand the very best. I can hardly imagine any of them committing such an act, but zere is nopony else! I only hope this does not ruin Mistress Plaid's play." Pearl answered Nick as she puttered along the roof unhurriedly, speaking with a note of pride about her masters and home.

At least the trip out in the open was short, the curved roof of the east wing ended at the round hub of the three story lobby area they had left. Most of the third floor was dingy glass, though a section of solid wall had fallen down to the roof ahead, making another ramp and entrance in the process. Vira waited for their escort and Nick to climb their way up, then launched herself up after them in a short flight that made the muffled bird calls around her pick up for a moment.

The third floor of the hotel's hub had been some kind of lounge, a round bar took up the center of the room, with various ruined seating arranged around it, all pointing out towards the cracked windows that would have once offered a magnificent view. Now all it showed was more of the pervasive fog, hints of trees and mountainous hills fading in and out of view.

Vira puzzled over the robot's answer about the crime and where they were going as she warily picked her way around the room, poking at corpses it appeared Pearl had already dealt with before they arrived. She didn't know much about Stables, other than what she had read out of a resident of 111's mind and heard elsewhere. She knew they were trouble, often dangerous even when functioning properly. Stable 2 had produced the Destroyer after all, other Stables had sent equally menacing Stable ponies out into the wasteland that had a habit of spreading chaos wherever they went.

She had never heard of a Stable with so few residents however. Well... she had once heard a rumor about a mythical 'Puppet Pony' wearing the double 7 that had become taboo in certain parts of Equestria. According to legend, this Stable 77 was only one pony and a box of puppets, but she doubted that was true.

Putting rumors aside, that made Stable 118 an oddity she had to ask about curiously. "Only a dozen? Why are there so few? Most Stables have many more from what I understand. And what's this about a play? The one advertised here?"

"There were meant to be more from the lower classes, I believe their portion of the facility was not finished on schedule however. First class accommodations came first you see. A shame not to have more guests to serve, but our masters keep us plenty busy thankfully! Mistress Plaid's Hearth's Warming play has been a pleasant distraction itself, I'm so glad to see vou have chanced across one of the fliers!" Pearl replied with a hint of artificial sadness at the numerous lives lost that should have been saved, quickly returning to her bubbly personality in response to the tattered flier Vira floated up and approaching the bar.

Looking over to the robot Pearl when she spoke answered more than one question for her anyway. The multi limbed machine had floated over the bar and to a large square pillar that held a lot of shelving for mostly broken and dusty bottles of alcohol. An unobtrustive door was standing open on the side facing the barely visible gear shaped lift in the cul de sac below, leading to a small elevator Pearl beckoned them towards.

Longfellow said his wife traded with the inhabitants of the Stable and she had been wondering how his mate had managed it if it meant wandering the labyrinthine hotel as they had. Longfellow's wife Ocean Breeze was a pegasus from what little Longfellow said of her however, she could have flown directly to this area as easily as Vira herself had she known where to go.

"Most Stables don't advertise their whereabouts like this, especially to put on a play... it seems rather silly actually. Don't you know much about the outside? The ponies up here aren't really theater goers.... you may have attracted your murderer yourselves by putting these up." Vira shook the flier with a snort, stunned any Stable dwellers would pull so ill advised a stunt and a little leery of cramming herself in the tiny elevator Pearl was ushering them to.

Her admonishment over the foolishness of the flier that attracted the dead Trappers didn't seem to sink in with Pearl, scanning the document with one of her eyestalks while the other two remained fixed on the two detectives. "I must admit, ticket sales 'ave not been quite what we hoped for, but we just began advertising. Hearth's Warming Eve is still a month off, so I am sure word of mouth will spread, all the more important to put this nasty murder business behind us quickly! This way please detectives, I assure you it is safe!"

Vira stroked her gifted pip-buck reassuringly as she reluctantly squeezed into the elevator with Nick and the robot. If Ocean Breeze had traded for the gadget and brought it out successfully, the way down must be safe enough, despite the way it creaked and shuddered as it lowered unsteadily.

When the small lift finally reached the bottom of the long shaft with a sickly sounding 'ding', Vira and Nick followed Pearl as the robot puttered off into the gloomy cavern they found themselves in. The walls were rough stone, though their hooves echoed off the steel grating covering the floor. Only a few flickering lights illuminated the area, though Vira's excellent night vision let her look over the much larger, round elevator to her right that presumably led up to the disc in the hotel's courtyard. Along with the wealth of pony bones shoved to the walls... Bizarrely, a small wooden ticket booth had been added recently, sitting beside the stairs up and waiting on an audience for the crazy Hearth's Warming play to come lining up down here.

Of much more interest was the rusty steel walls and rickety stairs leading up to a huge, gear shaped door, bearing the number 118 in faded and chipped yellow. Vira had never been into a Stable herself, standing in the shadow of one now filled her with a sense of superstitious dread. The Destroyer came from a place like this... the one who murdered her mother and opened the sky... Most wastelanders were leery of Stables as dangerous death traps in general, but to Vira and her sisters they were like a dragon's lair, potentially the home of somepony that could set the world on fire.

Nick and his new robotic friend felt none of her reticence, moving up the stairs to the control console beside the Stable door. At least Nick turned back when he realized she wasn't following, holding a gentlecoltly hoof out to her and speaking soothingly while Pearl chattered at the intercom. "You ok dollface? Look like somepony trotted on your grave. Nothing to worry about, if it's a bust we'll just head back up and find somewhere to bunk for the night."

"F-Fine Nick, Stables merely make me a bit anxious... Are you sure we should.... eep!" Vira approached Nick's reassuring hoof slowly, fluttering back and flinching when a loud klaxon sounded out and the cavern was bathed in flashing yellow lights.

Pearl had finished her chatting with whoever was on the other side and the door was opening. Vira felt her face heat up in embarrassment as she slinked out from behind the boulder she had dashed behind, looking up to the flakes of rust showering down with the grinding noises coming from the gear shaped portal. As the door slid back into the opening and rolled aside, Nick waved her out again with a soft chuckle, thankfully not teasing her for being a big scaredy foal.

Waiting on the other side was another spider like Robronco robot, this one a Mr. Handy by the black bowtie attached to its gleaming silver casing, along with the masculine, clipped Trottingham accent it spoke with. "Finally! I say, the guests have been in an uproar and I've been running out of things to tell them! This way if you please Detective!"

Nick followed the impatient robot without complaint, while Vira was still nervous crossing over the threshold and into the Stable's entry area. Finding yet another robot to greet them was concerning, especially as Vira had yet to see another living pony as they made their way down stairs and through winding passages rapidly. She could sense living minds at least, which reassured her, though the collective sense she got from them was a feeling of boredom being broken by anxiety, a nervous tension to the air as they drew nearer to the source.

At Nick's nudge as they trotted to keep up with their guide, Vira took the battered notepad he was offering her in his mouth, floating it along for him to scribble on while they walked down the surprisingly clean and well maintained passages.

Nick mumbled around the stubby pencil in his mouth, jotting things down on the notepad held in Vira's green magic and asking questions while they walked. "So, what's the problem mac? Your wandering subordinate there said something about a murder? How long ago? Any suspects?"

"Hmm yes, I shall have to have a discussion with Pearl about speaking out of turn. We do indeed seem to have a murder on our hooves Detective, the body was found this morning and has remained undisturbed. As for suspects I can't imagine any of our esteemed guests performing such a vile act, were they not the only ponies in a position to do so, I would be most insulted at the suspicion. We have several residents from the upper crust of Equestrian society here, stars of stage and screen, artists, captains of industry and finance, not at all the murdering types..."

Vira was only half listening as they made their way, more of her attention was taken up by oddities niggling at her as they wandered. Granted she had only shared memories of other Stables from Unity or others, but she'd never heard of one that looked so fancy. The halls were wide and the steel tiles clicking under her hooves polished to a mirror sheen, the wooden paneling in the current section practically glowed with polish, while tasteful furnishings and fake plants brought welcome splashes of color.

She spotted more robots like their guides so far who were responsible for the immaculate condition of the odd bunker, but no ponies so far. The further they walked, the stranger it seemed too. This was an awful lot of space for only a dozen residents, yet they hadn't completed accommodations for the 'lower class' guests? Just from what she had seen so far, that didn't make any sense. Vira had seen enough already to be suspicious, at least a hundred ponies could live in luxury here compared to the wasteland above. The overcrowded docks of Fog Harbor for example... they suffered while Stable 118 was safe and as posh as the hotel above once was?

"...has remained untouched to preserve any clues. If you could conduct your investigation quickly and without disturbing our guests, I would be most appreciative. All this has interrupted our preparations for the upcoming Hearth's Warming play next month and I'm anxious to tidy up and get back on schedule." The robotic butler Maxwell was finishing up, drawing her attention as it opened a wide double door labeled 'Theatre' in his claws and ushering them forward.

The scene inside just added to her opinion of this place having very disturbing priorities for a bunker ostensibly meant to save lives. They didn't have room to shelter more, but they had room for a full blown theatre? It was cavernous and well lit, rich red velvet curtains were draped from the far wall and a polished wooden stage was the center of focus. Well, the scrap heap surrounded by more robots was the focus, which happened to be onstage.

Looking around for the minds she felt react to their presence, Vira was confused on finding nothing more than more robots staring up at them, parting from the wreck of another of the odd machines that looked like it lost an argument with a locomotive. Spotting a bent and battered golden scepter near the ...head... of the thing that was covered in red made her gasp, slowly puzzling it out.

The minds she could read were contained in the bubbling glass domes atop each robot, there weren't any living ponies here... just these twisted things. Brainbots... Rarely one might find this model still functioning out in the wasteland, their form radically different from the floating Mr. and Ms. Handys or clomping Ponitrons she spotted milling about. They were all essentially machines though, the brains that made them smarter and deadlier than most were just a biological piece of the machine.

That's what her experience had always been at least. These were different... Their bodies were mostly the same, though she'd never seen a Brainbot with its chassis painted in the gleaming pastels and primaries these boasted, let alone with a cutie mark decal bolted over the treaded hindlegs. They had that same weird posture that always made her shudder though, the flexible forelegs alternating between clicking along in front of the treads when they leaned forward, to waving about and grabbing at things with the claws that popped out when they reclined on their... haunches?

She'd never been able to read thoughts from them before though. Now she shivered seeing those whirring eyes following their approach. The brains clearly visible in the crystal domes were pony brains... Thinking, feeling, pony minds... the shredded remains of the one that had those brains bashed out on the floor left no doubt. They looked no different in that regard than others she had seen either, meaning the magic that made these contraptions keep working all these years later was the same too. Brains in jars... Robot-pony hybrids... All too similar to the horrors she knew the Institute was responsible for back on the mainland.

"Everypony, everypony your attention please! Not to worry, the authorities have arrived and this unpleasantness will all be behind us shortly. If you would be so kind as to return to your rooms, I am sure the Detective will be along to question you shortly." The robotic butler in charge bobbed forward and waved the lookie loos aside, deferential while being firm.

Vira shuddered again, feeling the disappointment radiating off the mechanical monstrosities, she felt hardly any sadness, only annoyance at having something out of the ordinary taken away. Like vague memories she had of ponies in the old world doing the same thing at the scene of some carriage accident. Death and dismemberment made for such an irresistible entertainment, somehow that had never changed in all the ages.

By the disapproval she could feel coming from Nick lighting another cigarette as he looked over, she knew the former police pony was probably thinking along the same lines. Too many memories to even hope to take in flitted behind his strange eyes, of crime scenes and every type of misery ponies could inflict on each other or any other creature in their path.

It made his tired chuckle all the more jarring, trotting forward and getting down to work. "See doll, never know when you'll run into an interesting case. Let's see what this is all about..."

"Maxwell! What are these outsiders doing here!? I told you to get this taken care of, not invite riff raff in for tea!" Once nearly all of the robobrain residents had wandered off, one of the two remaining shouted in a gruff, masculine voice with an odd accent Vira couldn't place.

Nick joined her in looking up from his careful inspection of the crime scene, watching as the fully robotic Mr. Handy Maxwell replied in a soothing, deferential tone. "The authorities Mr. Stripes sir, as requested. This is Detective Hearts n' Hooves from the Trotson Police Department and his assistant Vira, Pearl returned sooner than expected so we should have this nasty business sorted out in no time I assure you. Is that not so Detective?"

Putting on a reassuring smile, Nick flashed his ancient badge instead of his battered business card, a strange kind of nostalgia and seriousness coming with his thoughts as he relieved the badgered robot butler. He sounded as charming as always, but part of him was taking this as a different kind of case than the initial curiosity he had regarded it as when they followed Pearl down here.

Vira could feel the heavy weight of a sense of duty to the tarnished old police badge he'd recently been reunited with flowing off him, firm and sure in his conflicted thoughts. Even centuries after the police of old Equestria had ceased to exist, Nick felt an obligation to his oath and a connection to his old life that he couldn't ignore.

"Sure thing mac, lucky for you folks eh Mr.... Stripes was it? Wouldn't happen to be any relation to the old real estate magnate by the same handle would it? Guessing you're in charge then? Mind if I ask a few questions to get started?" Nick asked questions in his disarming fashion, but Vira could hear he knew some of the answers already, playing up his clueless detective routine and holding a hoof out.

The image in his mind was of a very elderly and rich earth pony he remembered from the old world, some wealthy Manehatten developer essentially famous for being famous, along with crass, loud and pushy. The picture in Nick's mind did remind Vira of the robot thing before them, painted a gleaming white with purple accents and a pair of striped stars stamped on the plate covering its treads. The color scheme matched the once living coat, mane and cutie mark of a prewar pony he was aware of anyway, and what she picked out of Mr. Stripes' all too visible brain meshed with Nick's opinion of him. Though the guarded thoughts and oddly feminine mental voice made her squint suspiciously at the strange robot.

While Mr. Stripes did immediately agree he was in charge, of pretty much all he surveyed by his thoughts... he didn't seem very happy to be questioned at all. He certainly never expected his robot slaves to actually find the police Pearl had been sent out to look for, a flash of anger and frustration bubbling through his thoughts as he ignored Nick's friendly hoof and jabbed a clawed foreleg out at the pair of unwelcome detectives.

"Yes I mind! I'm a very important pony and have no time for some tin can detective and his overgrown blank flank freak sticking their noses in where they don't belong! Very busy... Plaid! You deal with these 'detectives' you were foolish enough to send for, get this investigation silliness over with so we can get back to normal around here!" Mr. Stripes spun on his treads and nearly bowled over the orange brainbot following at his side, storming off and leaving in a tantrum.

The remaining robot he called Plaid felt a flicker of shame and hurt at the rude dismissal, mastering her own confusion and shaking Nick's hoof apologetically before the synth had withdrawn it. "S-Sorry, Daddy's usually not quite so gruff, today's been a really bad day is all. I'm his daughter, Plaid Stripes, usually I take care of running things for him anyway, so I should be able to help you detective. He said I was being silly sending Pearl out, but I'm really happy she found somepony to help. It's been so long since we had visitors, I just wish it was under better circumstances. I-It's just terrible, so he's upset..."

Vira highly doubted Mr. Stripes was upset, about the murder of one of the guests at least. He seemed a thoroughly unlikable stallion and his blank flank crack didn't improve her opinion, sending her wing back to cover the bare expanse self consciously as she glowered at his retreating back. She liked the younger Stripes much more than her father on feeling genuine anguish and embarrassment over his rudeness coming from her however, along with a barely restrained sense of wonder and excitement over the pair of outsiders before her.

Even without the benefit of listening in to their thoughts as Vira could, Nick didn't think Mr. Stripes was bothered by the murder either. He still nodded thoughtfully and agreed with Plaid as he returned to looking over the body and jotting down notes. "Of course sweetheart, different ponies show their feelings different ways, and murder's a nasty business. Glad we were in the neighborhood and able to help. Are you alright to answer a few questions then? Who's the victim for starters?"

Plaid wheeled up to the 'corpse' with them, giving a shaky sigh down to the pale pink chassis. "Spoiled Rich... She was one of our biggest investors and regular guests back before... Her husband was a Filthy Rich businesspony in the old world, always away on work, and her daughter was a grown mare working as a gem inspector or some such, so she was all alone here... She was always a hooffull, but she didn't deserve... this. D-Do you think you can help Detective Hearts n' Hooves? It's bad enough this happened, but if somepony got in and did this... It'll ruin everything! You have to catch them!"

There was a bit of a selfish whine in there that made Vira arch an eyebrow at the orange robot, but she still felt true sadness for the loss of life coming from Plaid Stripes. The sniffle in her voice going along with one of her claws reaching up to dab at her single whirring eye with the bright pink bola around her flexible neck, almost making Vira think the robotic mare was actually crying.

Nick went along with the impression too, pulling a musty handkerchief from his trenchcoat and holding it out to Plaid, though he knew as well as Vira there weren't any real tears there. The gesture meant more than the practicality however, putting Plaid at ease with the detective synth as much as his reassuring voice. "We'll do our best doll, don't you worry about that. By ruin things, it sounds like you mean more than just your little Hearth's Warming play we found a flier for though. Anything that might have been a motive?"

"Oh, no... not really, I mean... motive? I was just worrying about scaring the others. See... I wanted to invite an audience to the play is all, like I said, it's been a long time since we had guests. A long time ago we used to have a wonderful pegasus mare come to trade with us sometimes, but it's been years since she stopped coming and I was hoping to kind of open the Stable up to the outside. She told us there were still ponies up there, so I thought the play would let us find out about them and make friends... But if everypony's afraid of some murderer, there's no way they'll give my idea a chance when I finally managed to convince them. Wait, you mean like one of the other guests might have done this?" Plaid seemed surprised once she worked through things in her head, she truly hadn't considered the idea someone inside the Stable had committed this crime...

A flood of thoughts chased each other in a rush that Vira struggled to keep up with, gleaning what clues she could from the jumbled mess of Plaid's mind. It seemed the residents here had very little contact with the outside world at all, a flash of Longfellow's wife basically the only wasteland pony that came to mind, and that positive memory was fairly old. Unless Longfellow married a much younger mare than himself, it had to be decades ago at least judging by the vibrant pegasus mare she recognized from his memories. The shadowy image of 'MURDERER' Plaid thought of was assumed to be some scary outsider, not one of the mechanical creatures that had been her friends and neighbors.

From what she gathered, Plaid was one of few really advocating for dealing with the outside at all too, the gossip they had interrupted when they arrived centered on variations of the same theory. That some dirty wastelander had somehow penetrated the sealed Stable, murdered the pink robot before them, then disappeared into the fog. Vira might be new to being a junior detective, but even she could tell what was more likely...

Nick didn't point out how naive she was being though, picking up the bent scepter near the shattered braincase and answering calmly. "Most often in murder cases, it's somepony who knew the victim Ms. Stripes, a crime of passion and all that. So it's easiest to start close and eliminating suspects nearby before working our way out to find the killer. Everything you can tell us helps us do that, the victim have any enemies for example? You said she was a hooffull, was she not well liked? Anypony else vying for the role of Princess Platinum maybe? I'm sure a Sharp Cookie like you can think of somepony."

Ending on a chuckle and nodding at her old fashioned feathered cap denoting her own role in the play let Plaid return a shaky giggle at the dark joke, though it was only half joke by Nick's thoughts. He'd seen cases where fighting over something as trivial as playing a part, getting a promotion, or even who got the last cupcake had led to violent crime. Dark memories of his time working as a real police pony he kept out of his voice entirely, but Vira couldn't help picking up.

"Well... If I'm being honest, nopony liked Spoiled Rich very much Detective, she could be a real bitch actually. N-Not that I think anyone would hurt her for that though! We've all known each other forever, so we're used to her being crabby and demanding. Like she insisted on being Princess Platinum, even though she was against the play, and she's not a unicorn, o-or wasn't anyway..." Plaid's admission made some of the less than grief stricken feelings Vira had gotten from the others here make more sense, seeming to remind herself in the process about the strange nature of the residents of Stable 118 Nick had yet to ask about.

Given an opening, Vira couldn't help herself from voicing that question now though, glad to see Nick give a nod of approval as she barreled directly into it. "How are you all... like this Ms. Stripes? Robots? If Nick knew of your father, does that mean all of you are pre-war ponies? Were you like this before you came here? Did Stable-Tec do this to you? I've never heard of robots of your type that were... are... I am sorry to be rude, but it is very disconcerting..."

"Oh, yes of course... We all sorta forget, y-you get used to it, but I guess if we really did have outsiders come again, we'd have to start remembering how we look to others. A couple of our residents were important arcane science type ponies with Robronco, they supplied Maxwell, Pearl and all the others here. Professor Pickle even worked with the Ministry of Wartime Technology and the Ministry of Arcane Science! He brought all kinds of equipment and experiments with him to keep busy, all of us brought lots of stuff actually... I just wish we had brought more ponies! Anyway, when we came here and it was just us here, we couldn't really do the whole normal Stable routine like the books said. So we came up with this as a way to keep going."

"It was sort of my idea... Everypony always says I have crazy ideas, but Daddy and Mrs. Rich were old to begin with, when they got sick... They were the first to try it, the rest of us kind of followed over the years after. It's not so bad, we still sound like ourselves and Mr. Cane painted all of us so we can tell each other apart, and we even got to keep our cutie marks. N-Not that not having one is bad either... S-Sorry again about Daddy saying that Miss Vira, umm... you're kind of strange yourself though, n-no offense. Are there other Princesses outside? Ocean never said anything about alicorns out there!" Plaid jabbered rapidly in answer, her hyperactive thoughts giving Vira an idea why others might say she had strange ideas.

Not that it was unpleasant, actually it was amusing trying to follow along with her manic thoughts pinballing from one idea to the next now that Plaid was distracted by the subject. Plus she treated her as she would anypony else, even while pointing out the things that made Vira different, such as knocking on her own plaid striped heart cutie mark adorning her tread cover and pointing to Vira's blank flank curiously.

Unlike with Mr. Stripes, she didn't feel the same sense of shame or being 'less than' when Plaid acknowledged Vira's nature. As far as Vira could tell, Plaid found the unusual and out of the ordinary to be enchanting and felt no shame in being so herself. The very fact a robot and an alicorn were having the conversation was a wonder in itself she delighted in, some of the somber mood the body at their hooves brought on lifting in the process.

Being called a Princess made Vira give a rueful smile to the suddenly cheerier robot, rolling her emerald green eyes thinking of one of her blue sisters on the mainland who had actually claimed such a title. "I promise not to be insulted if you aren't Plaid. There are others like me, yes, though I'm no Princess, most of us aren't. I suppose we're both rather strange to the other, but we're just different kinds of ponies. I'd enjoy sharing those differences and learning more about yours if you like, er... Girl Talk as it were?"

Vira took Nick's directions from his silent thoughts, trying to be a good assistant and putting herself forward as he had volunteered her with Sumi. She may be new to the very concept of 'girl talk' as the synth detective put it, but had realized there were cases where she could learn things Nick couldn't as easily, even without using her psychic advantages. Plaid's internal squee of joy was already pretty encouraging that it would work again here, plus Nick was still teaching his new apprentice, letting Vira take the lead and ready to interject when needed.

Just their conversation so far had given him ammunition it seemed, listening closely as he continued investigating the crime scene and left her to it. He had lifted the rich violet robe to get a better look at Mrs. Rich's pink body, peering closely at her own diamond ring cutie mark on her dented casing and jotting notes as he inspected each 'wound'. Clearing his throat to remind the pair of mares of his presence now, Nick dabbed his hoof in the large splotch of red beneath the broken crystal dome of Spoiled Rich's brain, peering closely at the tacky bit of bright red on his pale plastic hoof.

"Mind taking a tour while you chat ladies? Think I'd like to start with this Prof. Pickle of yours Ms. Stripes, seeing as I'm in the robot club myself and all I have a few questions. This 'blood' for starters, Biomed gel in robobrains ain't red, this is... paint? You also mentioned a Mr. Cane that handles the lovely paint job you're sporting sweetheart? Think he may know anything about this?" Nick trotted up beside his assistant and lit a cigarette, nodding out to the halls the other robotic residents had wandered off to encouragingly.

"Right! I'll introduce you to everypony and help as much as I can. This is all awful, but maybe meeting you two will help show the others there are good ponies outside too! You can be like a dress rehearsal for letting others inside I bet, and if you solve the case, they'll have to give it a chance! C'mon, let's go!" Plaid discarded her costume hat in a happy nod, leaning forward with a whine of servos to prance ahead, her forelegs clicking on the floor and her treaded hindlegs whirring rapidly to keep up.

Now that she had cheered up a bit, Vira saw more of the mare Plaid must be when not under such strange circumstances and wanted to help her, even if it delayed her own plans. Plaid Stripes was a strange pony trying to reach out to others, like Vira was herself. It might be a minor distraction, but Vira wanted to support the eccentric mare and her crazy ideas.

She wanted to solve this case for her, like a good detective.

Or Junior Detective anyway...

With Plaid Stripes' acting as their guide, the exploration of the Stable and interviews with the residents went smoothly. Their first stop with the bright green painted Professor Pickle Jar took place in the huge room he shared with his gleaming silver wife Main Spring, the matching colored horns attached to their brain cases catching Vira's morbid attention and further marking them as different than the former earth pony models they had met so far. Their room was a cluttered space full of tools, fantastical arcano-tech parts and equipment, along with haphazardly stacked jars of pickles of every variety.

"My special talent! You can pickle eeeeeverything, even brains!" The somewhat absent minded stallion answered happily when Vira floated up a jar of pickled beets questioningly, rapping on the glass jar of pickles decorating his metal flank proudly. "Used to work for Robronco alright, had contracts with the Ministry of Wartime Technology too. How we wound up working on the Robobrain project back in Trotson. My better half handles more of the robotics side, but nopony beats me when it comes to sticking things in jars and preserving them, beets or brains either one."

Nick took over the questioning here to Vira's great relief, alternating between the married couple and asking very technical, arcane science related questions she struggled to keep up with. Both of them were giving as good as they got too, poking and prodding at the advanced synth while peppering him with their own questions. Even the pale Gen 1 prototype body Nick inhabited put their own clanking forms to shame and they were intensely interested to find out there were even more advanced synthetic ponies on the island.

Vira was glad to have Plaid showing her around the maze like room and dumbing things down for her, smiling to Mrs. Main Spring when she joined them and did the same, better able to recognize the smoke wafting from Vira's ears when trying to follow the techno babble Nick and Professor Pickle were still engaged in.

Weaving her way towards a complicated looking robot workstation composed of several articulated arms wielding tools mounted to a large platform, Vira shuddered at the half assembled, bare metal versions of her two companions and spoke carefully. "Mrs. Spring... I understand you all made yourselves this way to survive, but do any of you have... regrets? P-Perhaps problems dealing with your nature? I don't mean to offend, but many robots I've seen outside that resemble all of you are often...."

"What, bonkers? Yeah, we figured that would be a problem with the Robobrain model over time, never managed to work the kinks out on the mass production units. Their brains are blanks though, just a biological processor basically... er part of the machine I mean. Pickle and I have maintained everypony carefully here though. Some of us are a little... eccentric, but we're still who we were and pretty much sane." Main Spring gave a wry, robotic shrug up to the big alicorn ducking under the armatures and inspecting the machinery, speaking simply enough for Vira to follow gratefully.

Eccentric was a good word for what Vira had gleaned from the bubbling brains of her hosts so far. She sensed some worrisome thoughts and emotions that came from being so removed from equinity for so long, but the two scientists kept themselves busy and were proud of their work caring for their fellow robots.

She also felt a fondness Mrs. Spring and her husband shared for Plaid, prompting her to try to help her new friend while digging into the case. "Plaid said she hoped to open up the Stable and deal with other outsiders. I understand there's some tension regarding that idea... I suspect anything out of the ordinary could be related to the dreadful crime we're investigating. Plaid says Mrs. Rich was against it. What do you think of her hopes?"

Main Spring leaned back on her treaded haunches and reached up with a clawed foreleg, scratching the crystalline dome of her head out of habit in a very ponylike gesture, smoothing a mane that wasn't there and adjusting the blue bow clipped there as she hummed in thought. "Well, Pickle and I were for it... are for it dear, sorry. If some outsider killed Spoiled that will put a damper on the idea for awhile, but practically speaking it needs to happen eventually. Spare parts are going to become an issue you see, we've stretched and fixed everything we brought with us, but we'll need more one way or the other. We hoped to maybe do a little trade with the ponies outside if that's possible, but we haven't heard anything about the outside in years. Hope you don't mind if we ask as many questions as you two detectives do while you're here! Will you be staying awhile so we can talk more?"

Before Vira could answer, Plaid joined in at Mrs. Spring's side, grabbing Vira's slender hoof in her claws and putting a pleading whine to her voice processor that warbled a bit on the high note at the end. "Oh yeah! You have to at least stay the night while you're on the case, right Vira? Or longer if you want! We'll set you up with a room and put on a meal and everything! We have lots of food still since none of us eat, and beds we don't use since we don't really sleep... I mean we all go to 'bed' at night, but not really so they're just sitting there empty! Pleeeeeeease!"

"O-Oh... I suppose we'll stay the night at the least, we had hoped to when we arrived at the hotel upstairs anyway and we can't leave until we find the culprit. You'll have to ask Nick since he's my boss, but I would like that." Vira gave an unsteady smile at Plaid's slightly manic thoughts, feeling empathy for the clear loneliness and longing behind her words.

Vira understood feeling lonely, even surrounding by others of her kind. She had felt much the same after Unity was broken and she had been left alone, without the guiding voice of her mother always with her. Even when she had joined a group of her sisters and struck out for the lost city of Trotson to find their way, she had felt alone in the group in some ways.

Eventually she had squabbled with the others and broke off, becoming a willing pawn for the Institute and a leader of their twisted Church of Balefire. A group still waiting outside that she had to deal with... making the prospect of spending some time in the strange Stable 118 rather tempting. Staying here as long as it took meant avoiding doing something she was afraid of in tracking them down.

Shaking off the shiver that ran down her tail thinking about it, Vira cocked her head at Mrs. Spring producing a screwdriver from a slot in her flexible foreleg and tinkering with the glowing panel that lit up when Plaid spoke. "Oh that's great! I'll tell Daddy and the others you're our guests and we'll pull out all the stops! Zesty will be happy to have ponies to cook for I bet! And maybe Ms. Polomare willzzzzzt!"

"Hold still Plaid dear, you've been putting off a checkup on this voice processor too long. See what I mean about parts Detective? Shouldn't fritz out on the high notes like that, but it's an ongoing battle to keep things in good shape." Main Spring sprouted more tools from her forelegs and silenced Plaid with a squawk of static.

Though she was rendered mute, Vira could still hear Plaid Stripes' thoughts, peering over Mrs. Spring's domed head and filling the silence for the bright orange robot. "Can you fix it? It seems horrible to simply lose your voice because that part broke, none of you sound like other robots, is it special? I know of a talented repair-pony in Trotson..."

Mrs. Spring kept working as she answered, drifting into technical territory but thankfully keeping it simple. "Same basic parts as your standard robobrains, so nothing special at least. Sure wish we could raid the old Robronco Technologies Facility we used to work at in Trotson though, we'd have all the parts we need then! But don't worry, I'll have her babbling again in just a tic. Just have to retune her to her proper prattling old voice, just a basic audio sample does the trick though."

Vira watched as Main Spring grabbed a few nearby parts and quickly replaced their corroded counterparts in Plaid's open mouth panel. That done, a panel slid aside on Plaid's chest at the push of a button, allowing Mrs. Spring to slot in a dusty holotape from a plastic case she wheeled over to grab from a cluttered cabinet. Vira recognized the storage medium as holotapes were ubiquitous in the wasteland, the pip-buck on her foreleg even had a slot to accept and play them, though she had yet to attempt using that function of the device.

Mrs. Spring muttered as the holotape whined in Plaid's chest, rearranging the case full of matching orange tapes labeled with marker scrawled names of the residents. "Pickle is always messing up the order... Mr. Stripes' tape belongs here, not down there... Don't fall in love with a mad scientist girls, unless you have a lot of patience."

Vira blushed thinking of the stallion she wanted to find once she left the island, enjoying Mrs. Springs warm yet exasperated glance to her husband still chatting with Nick. She could feel the love the machine pony felt for her absent minded buck and longed to feel that way herself. A firm, deep bond born of centuries together. Mrs. Spring complained out of habit, but Vira could sense that warm emotion like an invisible conduit connecting them.

She loved everything about her husband, even his more annoying traits. They knew each other inside and out, her complaints part of a long practiced dance Vira could see the steps of playing in Mrs. Spring's mind. Would Vira herself get to know the buck she pined for like that? Feel such warmth in her own heart over such trivialities? Would he forgive her mistakes and love even her faults?

The only way to find out would be to return to Trotson and find him, a goal she kept in mind that pushed her on, gave her courage and patience when she needed it. She was heartened to realize she didn't have to be perfect to form the kind of relationship these two shared, that the bad came with the good and even her own numerous faults and past misdeeds could be loved as part of her. Even if it took time, she was resolved to be a better pony than she had been when she found him, to forge the first links in a bond like Professor Pickle and Main Spring shared.

Vira's soft smile at her musing was shook off when she realized Mrs. Spring had continued talking while she daydreamed. She turned a shade redder as she returned to the task at hoof, listening to the mare who had come to the subject of their current case on her own while finishing Plaid's repairs. "...don't know what we'll do when we run out of parts though. That's one good thing about Spoiled kicking the bucket at least, she was obnoxious about every little thing being perfect, took all the best parts for herself and wasted a lot of our time and resources. At least we'll be able to salvage a lot off her fancy body."

"O-Oh? Plaid said Mrs. Rich was ...demanding. Not very well liked from what I understand, was she really that bad? Did she cause problems for you two?" Vira shook off the last of the fluttery feeling in her chest with a whinny, gently probing Mrs. Spring's mind at the surge of sour emotions when she thought of the murder victim.

"Don't get me wrong Detective, I may have joked about pushing her down the elevator shaft to the unfinished section sometimes, but everypony did. You know she even insisted we use her jewellery to make her own special components? Greedy old mare wanted to be better than everypony else, carry all her precious bits on her everywhere. Was practically a hypochondriac too, came in for the least little squeak and demanded replacement parts, no simple repairs for Spoiled Rich. I won't lie, I'm not sad to see her go, though it is a shame. She can take her bitching to the Goddesses now, I only hope they can make her happy." Mrs. Spring's more open thoughts turned slightly defensive at Vira's question, but she didn't sense any guilt or evasiveness.

Nick and Professor Pickle trotted over as Mrs. Spring finished up, relieving the mild panic building in Plaid's mind at being rendered mute. Her detective friend's sharp hearing had been keeping tabs on their conversation, joining in as he continued jotting things in his notepad.

"May she rest in peace under the grace of the Goddesses. Think I got just about everything we need from you folks, though I hoped to ask you for a favor before we move on. Normally in a case like this, we'd do an autopsy and see if the boys in the morgue could give us any clues. Seems you two are the ponies to see here though, think you're up to assisting in the investigation before you scrap her?" Nick took his fedora off and held it to his chest, bowing his bald head to a pair of clomping Ponitrons just finishing dragging the sheet covered body of Spoiled Milk to the workbench in the corner.

Professor Pickle shared his wife's lack of grief for Spoiled Rich, a bubbly sensation of excitement coming through clearly as he joined his wife's inspection of Plaid's repaired voice processor. "Interesting huh dear? We get to do an 'autopsy' instead of just stripping her down, help with the investigation even!"

Mrs. Spring wasn't as easily enthused as her husband, giving a sigh to the sheet covered corpse and holding her clawed forelegs out in a shrug. "Not sure what you expect us to tell you Detective. Cause of death is pretty clear, somepony bashed her brains out. Would have taken a pretty good swing with that scepter prop, our brain cases aren't as fragile as they look. Mr. Withers used to be a ball player for the Trotson Redhooves, he'd have the skills to bust it open I guess if you're looking for suspects. Though anypony strong enough could manage it I suppose. We've got enough on our plate as it is though, your father came in demanding we start upgrading the weaponry on every bot in the Stable you know Plaid!"

A spike of alarm flashed through Plaid Stripes at that, apparently Mr. Stripes orders to the pair was news to her. "He did?! Why? The staff is armed already, we've never needed weapons ourselves before!"

"Don't ask me, came in shouting about defending ourselves from dangerous outsiders, trying to whip up fear over the murder if you ask me. Suppose if Spoiled had a magical energy weapon module she might've not wound up with her brains on the floor. Regardless, we've got no time to waste taking her apart slow like for you detectives." Mrs. Spring crossed her forelegs over her round chest, an undercurrent of worry over Mr. Stripes orders shoved aside in her mind.

Vira glanced down to Plaid, concerned at the surprise bordering on shock at her father's actions. She tapped her metal claw at her mouth panel nervously, mentally biting her hoof and thinking furiously. "He didn't say anything about that... it's not like him... Daddy always said the robot staff were more than enough, that we didn't need to be running around packing weapons when it's just us. Why wouldn't he talk to me first?"

"Interesting... Well, you never know what an autopsy might turn up. We'd really appreciate the effort ma'am, more than once the missing piece of the puzzle came from covering all our bases. If you're stripping her down for parts anyway, you could help catch a killer." Nick donned his hat and tipped it to Mrs. Spring, putting on a charming smile with a wink of one yellow on black eye, while his thoughts focused on Plaid muttering to herself, filing away what he regarded as a clue for later.

Main Spring snorted and looked between the pleading detective and her husband behind him, giving a long suffering sigh full of that tender affection for the mechanical stallion holding his forelegs up in a begging gesture. Again Vira soaked up the deep emotion flowing between them in silent communication her psychic gifts let her see flying between them. Mrs. Spring might not particularly want to do the extra work Nick was asking for, but she knew how much the minor mission excited her husband.

Main Spring wasn't willing to do this favor for Nick, but for Professor Pickle. Vira delighted in the depths of a love that would move mountains to make her special somepony happy, poorly masked by a sigh of surrender and flaring brightly at his whoop of joy when she agreed. "Alright, alright... we'll give it a look see Detective. Go on love, let's get her on the table and get started."

Professor Pickle practically pranced to the body at her permission, floating it up in a field of lime green magic as Nick, Vira and their guide Plaid made their way out. Vira's employer thanked them again as they were already getting to work, promising to return later to see what they found.

They interviewed a couple more passing Robobrains in the halls on their way to their next destination, Nick asking pointed questions about how they filled their time last night, what they thought of the victim and of Plaid's plans to open things up that she was so against. The Stable's resident food expert Zesty Gourmand and the Trotson Redhooves ballplayer Main Spring mentioned didn't give them much to go on however, both expressing disdain for Spoiled Rich and relating her sour personality.

Nick seemed satisfied with only a few questions to the random residents they ran into on the way to this Mr. Cane Plaid was leading them to, letting Vira mentally probe them and believing her initial impressions they weren't the suspect. Even with Plaid pulling ahead to lead them down the gleaming halls now, Nick thought at Vira silently, keeping his musing over the case just between the two of them. (What do you think dollface? Get anything shady from anypony so far?)

(No.... I didn't sense anything that would implicate any of them Nick. They definitely didn't like Mrs. Rich, but it was only dislike, not murderous hatred. I don't think they're suspects, though I liked Professor Pickle and Main Spring, so that may be wishful thinking... Did you learn anything?)

Nick flipped through his notes Vira held for him in her telekinesis, furrowing his brow as he thought back. (I think we can probably cross them off the list of suspects too sweetheart, they have a pretty solid alibi practicing lines with a couple other residents. You had good instincts asking about Plaid's idea of opening this place up, starting to think that may be our motive somehow. There's stuff under the surface here, so we'll have to do some snooping. Professor Pickle said there's a few locked down areas of the Stable I want to slip off to. Shouldn't have a problem hacking our way in, but we'll need to sneak off on our own and ditch our friendly guide.)

(Locked areas? Why do you need to investigate them if they're locked? How are they related to the crime? Why can't Plaid simply let us in if you think it's necessary?)

Pausing to put a supportive hoof on her back, Nick nodded firmly and rolled his eyes to their guide still wheeling ahead of them. (Just a hunch doll, but Mrs. Rich wasn't killed where they found her for one. There was that paint spill, but no biomed gell from her broken brain case. That crime scene was staged, we need to find where the deed really happened and I'm betting it was somewhere out of view. Let's interview this painter pony first, then I'll find a chance to wander away.)

Vira gulped nervously as they approached a sliding steel door Plaid stopped at, reading the small brass plaque that matched the one outside the arcane scientist's room. 'Room #8 -- Bobbing Cane'. She trusted Nick's instincts, able to read his confident 'gut feeling' and share in some of its steely resolve, but she wasn't sure about sneaking around. Though the tense run of Plaid's thoughts concerning her father having weapons installed without her knowledge made her fairly certain they could get away for awhile.

Plaid rapped on the metal with her clawed limb, pressing a button on a panel beneath the plaque and speaking up loudly. "Mr. Cane!? We're coming in, the Detectives have a few questions for you. Sorry to interrupt!" She lowered the volume speaking to Nick and Vira as her claw came off the button, a giggly snicker to her voice. "You have to tell Mr. Cane you're coming in, or he won't notice a thing. He's always busy with his work, so I can't see him leaving his room long enough to murder anypony."

Vira wondered what she was preemptively apologizing for as the door slid up, trotting in behind her and freezing in dumbstruck silence when she looked around and saw. Mr. Cane's room was as big as Professor Pickle and Main Spring's, again making her wonder about the lavish accommodations for so few ponies.

Most of her attention was taken up by the decor however, where the scientist's room had been full to the brim with tools and parts, Mr. Cane's was cluttered with artwork and supplies for creating it. Everywhere Vira's green eyes wandered was decorated with some vibrant piece of art she took in with wonder, paintings, charcoal sketchings, even sculptures of various mediums that made her think of her own burgeoning interest in creating art.

These put her simple glass statuettes to shame however, a huge statue of Goddess Luna in the corner practically looked like it would come to life. The creator of all this was nearly lost in the eye catching forest of it all, a light blue, horned Robobrain in the corner stretched it's neck from behind a large canvas, blinking it's single grey eye at them curiously.

The sensation in his mind was as interesting as all his work too. When they entered she hadn't sensed a typical pony's thoughts and had been surprised when his seemed to coalesce out of the strange hum in their place. It was like he had been somewhere else entirely, his crystal encased brain producing a sensation that was almost like Unity in a way, a higher state of being that he grudgingly lost due to their interruption.

"Eh? Detectives? Oh, right... Spoiled and all. Fine, fine, let's get this over with so I can get back to work. The crime scene turned out to be an inspiration and I want to finish.... up? Oh my... Who is this enchanting mare?!" Mr. Cane set down his brush and huffed, remaining in his upright posture and wheeling his way over gruffly. His demeanor suddenly changed when he took in his visitors however, making Vira blush at his attention completely focusing on her.

"Umm... Hello Mr. Cane, I'm Vira and this is my boss Detective Nick Hearts n' Hooves, we're investigating the murder and..." Vira tried to answer and turn things over to Nick since he had addressed her, but unfortunately her speaking only increased Mr. Cane's laser like focus on her.

The odd robot stallion rolled around her in slow circles, taking in every inch of her form in a way that made her rosy blush deepen. She was used to stallions thinking certain lewd thoughts about her, had even recently begun to enjoy it and consider those kinds of things herself, with a particular alicorn stallion anyway. There was some of the typical male lust in Mr. Cane's gaze, but he drank in every curve on a deeper level, appreciating her beauty as an artist, not just a stallion.

"I have to paint you! Please my dear, it's been forever since I had a live model and you are extraordinary! I've not seen a mare so stunning since Princess Luna herself! Let's see... fresh canvas, biggest i have left.... ah a cushion, I know i have one somewhere, we'll set you up here, adjust the lighting... If you could get out of that sweater..." Mr. Cane chattered rapidly, already planning the new work he saw clearly in his mind and moving about rapidly to shove things out of the way.

The sharp image and request to strip to match the seductive pose she saw only deepened Vira's embarrassment. He saw her that way? Would make a painting of her that looked anything like that!? On the one hoof she was a little flattered, but on the other she felt a surge of shyness and hugged her warm sweater to herself tightly. She might not understand or share much in the way of normal pony propriety since she had never really considered such things, but her thinking on the subject of the buck she wanted to find and the things she wished to do with him had adjusted her feelings lately. She wanted one stallion to see her that way, the idea of anypony who happened by and saw Mr. Cane's proposed painting felt a little too much like exhibitionism...

Thankfully, Nick put himself between them protectively, interrupting the manic artist with his Trotson drawl. "Whoa there mac, you can ask the mare about being your muse later. We have a few questions first, about the murder? Looks like that inspired you already so I know you're aware of the case..."

Pointing out the large canvas Mr. Cane had already lifted from the easel and shoved aside, Nick's thoughts tingled with suspicion. It was a rather dark and morbid interpretation of Spoiled Rich's corpse, the brutal damage exaggerated and the broken body surrounded by looming shadows with menacing faces.

Plaid seemed used to dealing with the eccentric artist, speaking up to focus him as he slumped in disappointment at being denied for now. "Please Mr. Cane, they're here to help solve the case. I'm hoping they'll help convince everypony we should open the Stable up too... You'd like that, right? Vira says there are other alicorns like her out there to paint even!"

"Hmmm... others? Interesting... We heard things on the radio when it picks up that Trotson broadcast on good days, but hadn't known what to make of it. So... there really are more like you Miss Vira? Are they nearly so stunning though? The promise of other models later pales in comparison to the statuesque beauty before me..." Mr. Cane actually pouted back, scuffing the paint splattered floor with his metal foreleg and still picturing Vira in more and more alluring poses.

Rolling her eyes with a sigh, Vira spotted a familiar sea-green pegasus painting hung high on the wall. She recognized Longfellow's wife Ocean Breeze from his memories and the flashes she had gotten from Plaid and some of the other residents. The mature mare was given a more angelic pose than those Mr. Cane was thinking of for her, her eyes closed and nose pointed up to the bright beams of sunlight above, the golden glow flitering through her feathered wings and lighting her flowing pink mane up with a halo.

Still... the last visitor to this Stable had been roped into being a model, Vira supposed it was only fair to grant his request too, especially considering the almost urgent need flowing off the old robot. It was bordering on obsession, gripping his mind in the unbending desire to paint her. If it came out like Longfellow's wife, she supposed she didn't mind so much. She could already sense it was a carrot to dangle that would make him very cooperative anyway...

"A-Alright Mr. Cane... I will consider modeling for you. If you answer our questions first, a-and later... when it will not interfere with our investigation. And you must... er... I would appreciate your opinion on my own attempts at art, p-perhaps some instruction?" The promise of doing as he wished focused Mr. Cane's thoughts instantly, Vira's reticent hopes for constructive criticism of the glass sculptures she floated from her saddlebags further dampening his mania with professional curiosity as he looked them over.

"You made these dear? Well, well... interesting... Deal, go ahead detective, ask your questions. Anything to hurry your work along so your assistant can come back sooner. It will give me time to set up the scene anyway, perhaps we can convince Mrs. Polomare to provide some costumes for another piece too! I insist on the first piece being au natural, nothing between all that glorious green fur and the canvas, but another piece or two could be interesting." Some of the 'costumes' flashing through Mr. Cane's mind intrigued Vira, wearing clothes was another new experience for her and some of his ideas piqued her interest in fashion.

They were forced to follow along the artist rolling through his cluttered room and grabbing props, ducking the brushes, scraps of paper and junk he tossed in his wake. Though it gave Vira a chance to take in more of his work as she dutifully held Nick's notepad while he asked questions.

"There was red paint at the scene, looked like blood, but you folks don't exactly bleed red anymore. Plaid here tells us you're the fella to see when it comes to paint around here, was wondering if you knew how it wound up there?" Nick didn't seem bothered having to follow Mr. Cane as he dashed from one area of his large room to the other.

He spoke calmly and without accusation in his voice, but he was taking advantage of the forced tour to take in every detail, pausing at every sloppy can or jar of paint he spotted and cataloging them. While the presence of the paint at the scene Nick insisted had been staged was odd, Vira wasn't sure how important a clue it was. Most of her focus wasn't on the case anyway, still marveling at Mr. Cane's vast array of old works.

The mention of the paint broke Mr. Cane's distracted rummaging, dropping to his forelegs to trot across the room and float out an array of paint splattered cans from a metal cabinet in the corner. While it looked like chaos to Vira, Mr. Cane seemed to have some kind of organization in play that was a mystery to her, but clear to him. He paused at metal can dripping crimson paint that matched the puddle in the theatre, shaking it suspiciously before moving on to a white can and repeating the process.

Setting those two cans aside, Mr. Cane wheeled across the room to a sloppy workbench, glowering at some kind of magic powered spray gun that was apparently out of place. After moving it over an inch to where it belonged, Mr. Cane picked it up in his claws and examined it carefully, a growing sense of violation slowly overriding his previous excitement.

"Somepony's been messing with my supplies! My tools! My work!! Everypony knows not to touch my things, don't they Plaid? Haven't I made that very clear for the last 200 damn years!?" Mr. Cane fumed and took out his anger on the cringing Plaid as the nearest target with any authority here.

Coming to her defense came so naturally to her, it was a surprise to Vira when she raised her wide green wing between them, curling it around Plaid's cold metal barrel and stamping a hoof. "I understand you're upset sir, but there's no reason to take it out on Plaid. It's been a trying day for everypony here, behave yourself or I may reconsider posing for you..."

The threat cowed the agitated artist, fidgeting with the odd spray gun in his claws but keeping his anger to himself at least. Nick took advantage of the opening and hefted the red and white paint cans in his hooves appraisingly, speaking to Mr. Cane as he peered at the matching crimson and pale white. "Soooo.... I take it the paint was yours then after all? Somepony borrowed without asking huh? Just curious mac, but can you account for your whereabouts last night and today?"

"I... I've been lost to my work for quite some time... On the sets for young Plaid's play, the remaining ones are over there. I brought the first set I finished last night to the theatre and found Spoiled with the others this morning, then I returned to my studio to work on the piece you found me finishing. I... I've been alone all day, but Plaid can tell you that's not out of the ordinary." Mr. Cane seemed to grasp the implication to Nick's question, answering nervously and thinking thoughts not too far removed from the synth detective's. "I'm... not a suspect, am I Detective? I can see how this may look bad, but I assure you I had nothing to do with the crime. Somepony has stolen from me, possibly trying to set me up! We have not just a murderer but a thief on our hooves here!"

Nick raised an eyebrow at Mr. Cane's protests, a sense of respect for the artist being able to work things out for himself so quickly coming from him. He held a hoof out to examine the paint sprayer Mr. Cane willingly turned over, speaking absently as he looked over the mostly clean jars to load paint into it. "Hmmm.... doesn't look good no, but looks like whoever did it returned all your stuff and hoped you wouldn't notice. Might be a red herring or a setup like you say, but might be more. I gotta say, you sound like you're familiar with the old gumshoe line of work yourself mac."

Mr. Cane waved a foreleg to a poster in the corner nearly covered up by other works, a wry chuckle lighting up his voice box in reply. "Research, I used to write detective type stories for my comics. I may have idly considered ways to knock off Spoiled Rich, but you can bet your bits if I had, I wouldn't be so sloppy about it. I definitely wouldn't leave any evidence that pointed directly to me behind I can tell you."

There was a tinge of embarassment in his answer, his sidelong glance at his own half hidden old work and mention of working on 'comics' felt like admitting a shameful bit of his youth. The dark stallion on the poster he had pointed out had Vira's complete attention however, trotting over in excitement and floating all the clutter away to get a better look with a sense of awe.

It was Fast! The male alicorn in Trotson! No... it looked remarkably like him though. A dark stallion with a grey mane, taller and more muscular than the buck in her heart, but wearing the same strange costume. He was perched on a tall skyscraper on a cloudy night, a flash of lightning illuminating the long black trenchoat whipping in the wind, and he had the same black fedora half hiding his stern red eyes. She read the fancy font above this strange image curiously, piecing together just who Mr. Cane was in the old world.

"T-The Shrouded Stallion Returns... Comics... Y-You used to make the Shrouded Stallion comics!?" Vira goggled at the poster, biting her lip in excitement and not understanding the reluctant nod from Mr. Cane in return.

"Yes, yes... I'm Bobbing Cane, writer and artist of those silly old things. Don't tell me you're a fan Miss Vira? I didn't think anypony nowadays read them." Mr. Cane trotted over and shrugged to the faded poster, pulling out a box of the comics themselves from the corner, all preserved in yellowed plastic bags.

At his confirmation, Vira gave a giddy squeal and nodded happily, her long green and lilac streaked mane shaking around her sparkling eyes. "Oh my! This is wonderful! I've never read them myself sir, but I know somepony who is your biggest fan back in Trotson! He would be beside himself in joy to meet you! Ah! H-Here, this is him actually!"

Floating out her favorite bit of sculpture carefully, Vira whinnied with pride at the surprise and appreciation in Mr. Cane's thoughts over her work. The smoky crystal statue depicted a stallion almost identical to his creation. A little shorter and scrawnier, but she had captured the costume he wore everywhere well, the horn poking through his fedora and delicate flared wings marking him as the only male alicorn she had ever met.

Even though his pony parts were long gone, Vira could feel the sensation of Mr. Cane's mouth drying up in response to her beaming over her little statue. A shakiness came through his voice as Mr. Cane took the statue in his claws carefully, turning it to take in every detail.

She could understand his incredulity when he spoke, though wondered about the other complex emotions beneath it of concern, anxiety and confusion. "I heard the radio talking about somepony out there dressing up as the Shrouded Stallion... but he's real? An alicorn like you? H-He's not the really real one... is he Miss?"

The image that flashed through the old artist's mind was perplexing to Vira, not of his comic character or the pre-war buck he had inspired in Trotson, but something else... Something ancient and somewhat frightening actually, a snippet of memory showing a block of dark crystal in the rough shape of a rearing alicorn stallion frozen in place. The strange crystal statue was wrapped in heavy iron chains and exuded a menacing aura that made Vira shiver just feeling it through Mr. Cane's memory. Explaining why it was kept in some deep, dark place the old buck had once explored, a dungeon of rough stone, a prison...

"Real one? I don't know what you mean sir. He's a great fan of your work, you inspired him. The values your comics taught him as a foal in the old world, led to him becoming a real life hero in the Commonwealth. He's helped many ponies there, i-including myself... You should be proud, I... I can show you if you like..."

Vira was a little reticent displaying her abilities to what could still be a suspect in their current case, but she didn't like that feeling of worry concerning who she viewed as her special somepony coming from Mr. Cane. She felt defensive and protective of him, not wanting somepony she knew he held in such high regard to think ill of him and his actions. At Mr. Cane's curious nod, her horn glowed brightly as she focused on sharing the memories she had of the buck currently running around the Commonwealth in the Shrouded Stallion's garb,

She was glad to feel a little relief and wonder coming from Mr. Cane as he saw the images in her mind, the robot giving a soft sigh and cheering up as he spoke."Well... I'll be. Had me worried for a minute the real one got out somehow, but that's really just a wasteland cosplayer, isn't it. Phew! So... Those old comics did some good after all, I actually got through to a reader, helped make a difference... That's wonderful Miss Vira, thank you! You simply have to tell me more, you can fill me in while you pose for me!"

Seeming convinced Mr. Cane was an unlikely suspect and he had all he needed for now, Nick chuckled and pulled her foreleg free from the clawed grip trying to drag her towards his waiting easel. "Later buddy, I still need my assistant for a bit, case to solve and all. I'll let you borrow her when we get to the bottom of things. Anything else you can tell us to hurry that along?"

Mr. Cane sulked impatiently, giving a groan and thinking quickly of any way to get his prize model back sooner. "Bah! Fine, fine... we'll continue our conversation then. As for your case Detective, hmm.... I hide away in my studio too much to be of much use as a good source, you want a busybody with all the dirt. I suggest talking to Suri and Raspberry, those two know all the gossip in the Stable worth knowing."

Plaid Stripes nodded eagerly at the suggestion, trotting her way back to the door out in a rush. "Oh! Yeah, that's a good idea Mr. Cane! I think they should be practicing lines and working on costumes in Ms. Polomare's room, it's just down the hall detectives!"

Making their manners to the artist already returning to dragging a large red velvet cushion out and adjusting the numerous spotlights on swing arms nearby to shine on it, Vira waved a wing and smiled as they left Mr. Cane. She might not be a fan of the famous old world creator, but wanted to share in the things the buck she cared about loved and looked forward to returning to pose and talk with Mr. Cane.

Nearly as much as being able to tell the current Shrouded Stallion back in Trotson that she had met the pony who made his beloved comics. When she found Fast, she'd have something to share with him that was sure to make him happy, a thought that made her heart give that delightful flutter in anticipation.

The room labeled 'Room #7 -- Suri Polomare' was as large as the others they had seen so far, again making Vira think of the ponies back in Fog Harbor crowded together as refugees on the docks. If they could solve this case and encourage the residents to give Plaid's ideas a chance, she was hoping to convince them to do a little more than letting them come in to see a play...

Caring about the fate of normal ponies and getting involved was still new ground for Vira, but she knew good ponies tried to help others. Ideas on how to do so were starting to form in her mind, hoping to help both the miserable living ponies on the docks and the lonely and detached robotic residents here.

The racks upon racks of musty clothing filling Suri's room certainly looked better than the rags she saw many of the Fog Harbor ponies wearing for one thing. She nosed at a few interesting outfits with a disappointed sigh, one of the reasons she had never concerned herself with fashion even after her mother and her restrictions against wearing clothing were gone, was nothing sized for normal ponies fit... The attractive outfits here were no different, cute clothes she actually wouldn't mind trying, but all far too small.

The pair of pink robobrains ahead drew her attention to the present when they approached, looking between the one with the slightly darker pink body wearing a brown hood over a rich purple beret, reciting lines in a projecting voice, and the lighter pink one answering in a bored, distracted tone as she worked at a humming sewing machine surrounded in the glow of magic from her horn.

"Oh, I never imagined finding a new land would be so hard. But it'll all be worth it, don't you agree Clover the Clever?" The sewing robobrain glanced at a few pages of script held open by bobbins matching the cutie mark on her treads, speaking her lines in a monotone as she kept working.

The second mare was putting a lot more effort into her reading, putting a flourish to her words in response. "I actually think that the three tribes could've tried harder Princess Platinum." Falling out character, the beret wearing robot nudged her companion from her work with a frustrated snort. "You could be trying harder too Suri. You're Princess Platinum now, so really commit to the role!"

"I'm committed to finishing up these costumes. Not sure why, you heard Mr. Stripes, I doubt we'll even put on this silly play now. It's as close as I'll get to designing new fashion that will actually be worn by anypony though, so... Oh, hello Plaid, who are our guests?" The lighter pink robot noticed the three of them as she answered, turning and adjusting her pale blue nerckerchief in a preening gesture.

"These are the detectives working on Mrs. Rich's murder case. Nick Hearts n' Hooves and Vira, this is Suri Polomare and Raspberry Beret. Raspberry was playing Clover the Clever, so she worked with Spoiled pretty closely. Ms. Polomare has been doing all the costumes, so she talks to everypony." Plaid introduced everyone happily, dropping to a whisper to address the two detectives before Suri and Raspberry wheeled their way over. "Mr. Cane was right too, Suri is kind of a gossip, so she'll know all kinds of things..."

Detectives! How interesting! Oh my, this fine looking robotic stallion here is wearing the proper costume and everything, isn't he? You're practically a character out of a Shadow Spade book aren't you! Your companion is stunning as well, but not dressing the part like you. Oh! I bet I have just the thing though, from my Mystique Fantastique line!" Suri poked and prodded at Nick's rumpled trenchcoat with interest, wheeling around a surprised Vira when she was done and chattering rapidly as she dashed off to the racks of clothing in the room.

"Don't you mean your Femme Mystique Chic knockoff line Suri? 200 years and you're still trying to beat that Ministry Mare..." Raspberry rolled up beside Plaid, a smirk in her synthesized voice calling to her friend.

Vira could sense the long fellowship the three robotic mares shared in the teasing. They had only had each other for a long time, forming a bond similar the Unity of Vira's sisters she missed. These three had built it over time rather than through a psychic hivemind, but they knew each other as well as Vira did her sisters.

The indignant response Ms. Polomare answered with as she came rolling back with garments in her claws was well worn and practiced, already in the minds of Plaid and Raspberry word for word before she squawked it. "It's not a knock off! It's affordable alternatives for the common pony!"

Vira smiled at their chuckling, opening her mouth to try to return to the case, only to be shut up by Suri's long foreleg stretching up and clapping a wide brimmed, dark violet hat to her head. The light pink robot ignored her shaking the roughly applied hat from her eyes, moving on to her side and holding a long maroon garment against her body with an appraising whistle and victorious retort to her still snickering friends.

"Rarity neglected big and tall customers left and right you know, somepony had to fill the void! Though you're a tad larger than even my old customers dear... they do grow them big outside nowadays, don't they? Hmm... that means there's probably lots of demand for my wares! It'll take some adjustments, but having a Princess wearing my fashion will be great advertising. I'll give it to you at a discount even." Suri burbled excitedly, shoving even the heavy alicorn across the floor towards a full length mirror on the wall nearby.

Somewhat surprised the treaded robot mare could push her bulk around with her hooves squeaking on the ground in protest, Vira flinched seeing her reflection approaching. She still had conflicted feelings looking at herself, her old belief in the mother's perfect form and her overbearing pride, warring with the small voice of shame not wanting to see all the ways she was different from normal ponies that she had always shoved down and buried.

The wide brimmed hat did give her something to hide under at least, clenching her eyes shut when they came to a stop and she felt Suri pressing the clothing against her appraisingly. It was Nick's long double whistle that got her to peek, feeling his genuine appreciation for how she looked. "I'll be dollface, found you a uniform after all. One that looks a lot better on you than me."

Opening her eyes, Vira blinked curiously at the mare looking back from the mirror. That was her? She looked... different... pretty even. Not the haughty and cold beauty she had cultivated while working as a priestess for the Church of Balefire, awing sickly cult members with her Goddess granted perfection, but something softer and warmer... kinder...

Her coat had lightened a shade for one... Nowhere near the dark green bordering on black as when she was fully a part of Unity and an extension of her mother the Goddess. Some of her sisters held to the theory that the more they grew as individuals since the Lightbringer destroyed the Goddess, the more distinctive and unique their forms became to reflect that. Now she had to admit they may have a point... Her fur was a rich, vibrant green now, just a little darker than her wide emerald eyes.

Not only that, the new streak of lilac in her flowing mane and tail had gotten a bit wider, breaking up her dark green tresses with a ribbon of color cascading down the silken river. Staring at herself in wonder, she even had to admit it complimented the strange outfit Suri was holding up against her, already busily marking it with chalk for adjustments.

It was a rich maroon trenchcoat like Nick's, though with a higher, crisp collar instead of his wrinkled and worn tan garment. It seemed to come with a light pink scarf that matched the bow tied hatband on the wide violet hat still cocked precariously on her head. Her long horn shoving the brim up would need the hole Suri had already marked to wear the chapeau properly, and the admittedly oversized coat would still need to be let out and have the chalk marked wing holes added to fit her large frame, but Suri's pressing and posing her had the desired effect. Vira could picture enough to be interested...

Plaid broke her stunned silence with cheery encouragment, joining Suri along with Raspberry Beret in crowding around the tall alicorn and clucking happily, the three mares enjoying the opportunity to play dress up with a flesh and blood filly. "That looks great Vira, you should totally get it! You'll match your boss and look like a real detective!"

"Oh yes, very fetching Miss. Perfect to play the part! Take it from me, I once played Shadow Spade herself in a limited revue on Bridleway. Perhaps an elegant cigarette holder as an accessory to emote with, really bring it all together. And a pearl handled pistol! Oh! and stockings! You simply must wear stockings, I think I have a pair stretchy enough still!" Ms. Beret brushed at Vira's mane and beamed, thinking of the variety of props still packed away in her own room giddily to add to the costume.

All the attention was new to Vira and she was still trying to absorb how she looked, how she liked the outfit and how it changed her image... The robotic mares crowding her and adding ideas made her nervously pull away, hanging on what Ms. Polomare had said about a discount and realizing she'd never really bought things before. She had hoped to be gifted by generosity as Longfellow had when he gave her the comfy sweater and cracked leather saddlebags she currently wore, but Suri seemed a good deal more capitalistic than he had been.

She was acting as an accomplished salespony out for her own bottom line, tempting her with the outfit and playing it up so she'd have to have it. Vira had to admit she was good at her job too... she did want it, wanted it for herself, no matter the cost. Desire was no replacement for caps however...

"I-It is lovely, though I need no cigarette holder as I don't smoke like Nick, n-nor do I carry any kind of gun... o-or have any money to speak of unfortunately. Perhaps you could make the alterations and I could return for it someday? For now we really should return to our case, whether I wear the uniform or not, we are detectives and..."

Wearing a wide smile, Nick trotted forward into the gaggle of mares and held a hoof up, shaking his head and reaching into his trenchcoat with a strange emotion in his mind. The generosity lacking in Suri and a warm sensation of sharing it, of giving a gift and enjoying the act of doing so and how it made another pony feel... not something Vira had experienced much.

"Hold on there sweetheart, it's already night anyway, so that makes your first day on the job, even if we're on overtime down here. 50 caps a day right? Plus I think you're due a signing bonus with how well you've been working out, and employers are supposed to chip in for uniform expenses, right?" Nick rooted around his pockets with a musical jingle, hoofing out a small bundle of caps that represented the first paycheck from a real job Vira had ever earned.

Sniffling with tears standing in her sparkling eyes, Vira lunged out from the crowd of robobrain mares and crushed the poor synth in a giddy hug, nuzzling cheek to cheek with the sputtering detective and babbling happily. "Really? Thank you Nick! I can buy something I want! With my own caps! That I earned myself! Thankyouthankyouthankyou!"

Nick wheezed where she dumped him unceremoniously on his rump, looking up to her floating the entire bundle of caps over to Ms. Polomare and prancing giddily in place. He chuckled as he got to his hooves and righted his fedora, reaching up to push her paycheck back down before Suri snatched the full sum from her bright green magic. "No problem doll, you earned it. May wanna learn to haggle a bit though... 50 caps sounds a little high when you're not exactly drowning in customers down here Ms. Polomare, what about that discount?"

Vira cocked her head at the frustrated greed baking off Suri pulling her claw back in disappointment, realizing Nick was right and she'd have to learn to barter a little better. The robotic seamstress recovered quickly though, folding the garment up and reaching up for the hat still atop the tall mare's head. "Well there's all the alteration fees to add in Detective... Plus premium armoring spells I'm sure a mare of mystery and adventure will want. Even better than the Ministry of Image's secret process used in Shadowbolt armor! Polomare Protection spells are worth their weight in gold!"

Raspberry Beret undermined her friend again with a roll of her single violet eye, groaning playfully and patting Vira's hoof. "You mean the Ministry of Image's own secret process you stole in a little corporate espionage Suri. Still amazed you didn't wind up in jail for that, if the bombs hadn't fell before your trial, hiding out here at the resort wouldn't have been enough to save you from war profiteering charges. Give the detective filly a break, when's the last time somepony really wanted one of your pieces molding away down here?"

Taking her other foreleg in her claws, Plaid nodded sternly and took up her defense as well. "Yeah, c'mon Suri! Don't be so out for yourself all the time, Vira's helping us out here. If they solve the case and we open the Stable up like I planned, you'll have more customers to swindle later. Plus it's good advertising having a Princess wearing your stuff, right?"

Before Vira could interrupt and point out again she wasn't a Princess, Suri plucked her hat away in her telekinesis and stamped her metal forehooves in a pout, taking the bundle of clothing to her magical sewing machine and sighing. "Fine, fine... 40 caps is a steal for all the value you're getting though! And only IF you solve the case like Plaid says. I'll just hold onto it and start on the fixes, though you can hang onto the hat if you provide a downpayment."

Hoofing over 10 caps was more than worth Suri making a quick snip and stitch to the wide purple hat, guiding her graceful horn through the new hole along with the others for her perked up ears, setting it atop her mane more carefully this time, adjusting the brim to a rakish angle and primping the bow as Vira squeed to herself happily. With it properly perched on her head, Vira gave a broad smile to the mirror and the stylish hat atop her head, feeling a sense of pride in herself that was different than the blind belief in her own perfection before. She liked how she looked, she got this hat herself with her own caps, she earned a little something for herself and liked the feeling.

Nick took advantage of the upbeat mood her purchase had inspired among the robotic mares, dusting himself off and interrupting their happy chatter. "Well, that's one more reason to make sure we solve the case then. Speaking of, where were you two lovely mares last night and today? See anything suspicious? Know the victim very well?"

Suri shoved a pile of costumes aside to put Vira's purchase at the head of her stack of work, drawing Vira's attention to the bundle of armored Stable security barding shoved under all the rest as she snorted an answer. "I've been working and Raspberry has been in and out pestering me to read lines with her. She convinced me to take a walk this morning and we saw all the hubbub around the body then. Personally not sad to see Spoiled knocked off, but I didn't have anything to do with it. Been busy enough working on Plaid's costumes, not to mention the load of work your father dumped on me when we got back Plaid! You'll both just have to wait now that I have a paying customer though."

Plaid Stripes looked down to the security barding Suri waved to dismissively, a wave of confusion coming from her that added to Vira's suspicions. "What? What did Daddy want? What are all of these doing here, I thought all the security stuff was stored away in the unfinished section."

"I don't know where he dug them up, but he came in here demanding I alter them all to fit our robotic bodies, for free even! Said we need protection, as if having a metal hide isn't good enough? Working with that kevlar stuff is a pain in the rump too. As far as I'm concerned, my customer comes first, then your costumes to make sure they're done in time for the show, then your father's silly orders come last. He might be in charge here, but he doesn't have to be obnoxious about it like that. He should go back to building his doll furniture and letting you run things Plaid. This murder has him all worked up, so I hope you detectives put it to rest soon."

Feeling Plaid mentally bite her lip with a surge of anxiety, Vira didn't miss the way Nick cataloged that as another clue in his mind, jotting a note before continuing his questions to Raspberry. "What about you beautiful? You were playing Princess Platinum's mare friday, notice anything strange about the victim lately?"

"Well... for insisting on being one of the stars, Mrs. Rich was totally against the play, completely missing the moral of the piece. I think she just liked having her fellow actors calling her 'Princess'. Spoiled Rich could have easily been one of those ancient rulers only looking out for her own tribe, the way she bitched at Mr. Stripes over allowing it and for considering Plaid's ideas about the outside." Raspberry Beret tapped her glowing mouth piece in thought, the actress focusing on the play and her interactions through the work she held in highest regard.

"Uh-huh.... so the victim was firmly in the isolationist camp around here. She have a lot of ponies on her side? Most of you we've interviewed so far have seemed open to giving Plaid a shot, anypony we should talk to on the con side?" Nick looked between all of them curiously, not that surprised by their unsure murmur between each other.

Suri paused in her rapid sewing to answer with a snort, patting Plaid's slumping shoulders in support. "That old bitch was against any good idea that wasn't hers, so basically all of them. She riled a lot more guests to her side all those years ago when that pegasus mare kept coming to trade. That wastelander won them all over before she stopped coming though, must have gotten busy with the baby, but we all missed her visits, even Spoiled's holdouts. Everypony's a lot more interested in having a link like that again, even if it means seeking it out ourselves. It's a good idea Plaid honey, don't let Spoiled get her way with your dad by dying when she couldn't by whining."

Vira could feel the web of support woven between the three robotic mares and again thought of her sisters, marveling at the magic of friendship that could be as powerful as the Unity she had always believed in. Suri and Raspberry encouraged their friend Plaid and her ideas, giving her confidence to nod back to them with renewed resolve. "R-Right, I won't girls. I think I need to go talk to daddy just as soon as I'm done with the detectives here. T-The show must go on, right Raspberry?"

Nick flipped his notebook closed with a snap at that, putting on a wide grin and trotting towards the door, leaving Vira to canter after him. "Well don't let us keep you doll, I'm sure Vira and I can find our way from here, kick over a few rocks and see what comes crawling out. We'll make due without our lovely guide for a little while I'm sure, right Vira?"

"O-Oh yes! Umm.. we shall be fine Plaid, no need to foalsit us so closely. I'll be back for my lovely clothes later Ms. Polomare!" Vira yelped as Nick practically dragged her after him, stretching her neck back to the door before it slid shut to call after her first purchase eagerly.

She didn't want to be rude, but could feel the numerous 'gut feelings' Nick had hardening towards certainty. The leads he wanted to follow up on at this point in the case were better investigated on their own for whatever reason, as a good assistant she had to trust his instincts and hope they could get to the bottom of things quickly. Not just for her own selfish reasons, but because she wanted to help the anxious Plaid they left behind.

Friendship truly was powerful magic, already she had been drawn in to caring about the strange robot like the two old friends they left her with. All of them wanted to support Plaid, if Nick believed the best way to do that was without her underhoof, she trusted the synth detective was right. Though the way he unobtrusively slipped the notice of any pony or robot servant watching before sneaking away down darker hallways made her nervous, slinking after him down the lesser maintained passages with signs reading 'Maintenance Level / Lower Class Rooms'.

After spending time in the luxurious Stable above, coming down to the unfinished lower floors was jarring and a little creepy. Unlike the polished wood paneled walls and gleaming tiled floors upstairs, even the finished maintenance areas they entered in were dark and spooky, looking much more like other Stables Vira had seen memories of.

A lower class of robot servant worked down here, rusty Ponitrons and a few spidery Mr. Handys that were dedicated solely to keeping the clanking, dripping machinery running, completely ignoring the two of them wandering their way around in their domain to Vira's relief. The electronic lock hadn't posed any problem for Nick to bypass and break in, but Vira still worried about getting caught being bad when she was trying so hard to be good.

Beyond the metal walls and floors winding their way towards the reactor of the Stable, a few turns brought them to the rough stone walls of caverns whose excavation had seemingly been abruptly abandoned. Large, rusting magical earthmoving equipment sat dead and dark under flickering work lights, surrounded by huge metal crates marked with Stable-Tec's gear shaped logo.

Vira briefly wondered what was guiding Nick's exploration, having the question answered before she could ask when she noticed the tread marks in the dust he paused at here and there. Pointing at a clear example of these rolling through a brackish puddle, her employer nodded to the scrapes she could make out coming out of the mud and towards the way they came, asking for her input with interest.

"What'dya think dollface? Tell me if I'm crazy, but that looks like somepony was dragging something through here, huh?" Nick smirked at his suspicions leading this far, honestly asking Vira's opinion and hoping her sharp senses may tell them more.

Peering closely at the tracks, Vira sniffed delicately and followed the trail to the next such marks further down the passage. Her heightened sense of smell wasn't able to pick up as much as it would if it was living ponies leaving this trail, but it gave her enough to work with. Two faint scents had come this way, towards the modular trailer on stilts at the back of the cavern.

Reaching the odd trailer rusting away down here, Nick trotted up the ramp to the door and tapped a faded sign beside it, answering the perplexed look Vira could feel on her face. "Supervisor Hard Hat... Looks like the head of the construction crew's office down here, seems like a pretty good hideout eh dollface? Let's take a little peek..."

The dinky lock on the thin trailer door posed no more problem than the secure electronic one upstairs for Nick, the barrier falling before his lockpicks and creaking open to a dim, cramped space within. Tiny trailers like this always seemed like they'd be tight enough for normal ponies to Vira, squeezing her own (not fat!) rump in made her feel clumsy carefully trying to not knock things around or scrape the ceiling with her horn.

The glow from Nick's pip-buck light let him find the lightswitch soon enough at least, illuminating a simple office that did indeed look like it had more recent occupants. A battered office desk in the corner held a flickering terminal and stacks of paperwork Nick gravitated towards, while a larger fold out table in the center of the room held a number of curiosities Vira looked over.

Brittle blueprints were unrolled across the surface, plans for Stable 118 as it was intended that she flipped through rapidly. Puzzling them out, she saw just how much more was meant to be excavated and built down here, space and materials enough for hundreds of lower class residents, most crossed out in angry red marker citing 'Budget Cuts!' as they only notation.

Atop these ancient papers were more recent additions, some scrawled on the backs of other unfurled blueprints. A large map of the island of Fog Harbor rested on top of the stack, the pre-war image sporting rough notations concerning not only the three major factions currently vying for control of the island, but numerous stores and factories labeled for apparent salvage hopes. While places like the local Robronco outlet and technical ruins were prominent, there were others for less useful things like jewelry stores and other luxuries. Just going over what was here and the cruel hoof behind all the short notes, it had the look of battle plans... Like this hideout was some kind of ...war-room.

A gruff, crackling stallion's voice issuing from the terminal Nick tapped away at made Vira jump in fright, surprised to hear a ghost from the past raging as the synth detective hopped up and looked around the trailer as the old audio file played. "That's it Mr. Stripes, these conflicting messages are putting us too far behind schedule and we've got plenty of other work to do while you and that crab Mrs. Rich sort it out. Your daughter says build the whole thing on the one hoof, while that old bitch keeps coming down here and shooing us off on the other. She's saying she's not paying for any more construction unless it's even more improvements to the first class area, and by our bounced checks she means it. You need to get things straight with your biggest investor and get my crew paid, or she gets her way and this Stable's done as it is. I can leave the equipment for now hoping you get it worked out, but me and my boys have plenty on our plates at other Stables, so we're joining the crews working in the Everfree until you do."

"Spoiled Rich prevented the construction of the lower class portion of the Stable? She was responsible for not saving more ponies? I can't say I feel much sympathy for the murder victim in that case Nick..." Vira huffed at the recording as it clicked to a halt, nearly knocking the cluttered table aside as she knelt down to join her employer rooting around on the floor.

She stuck her tongue out at Nick actually licking slightly greenish fluid in a puddle on the floor from his hoof, trusting his grunt of "Biomed gel..." without experiencing the flavor herself. He followed a trail of broken crystal bits grinding underhoof to a few loose screws, bolts and flecks of white metal, grimacing despite the proclamation that should be a positive in the case. "Looks like we found our real crime scene Vira... All the way down here, the perp had time to set up that fake upstairs with no prying eyes too."

"That's a good thing, isn't it Nick? Are there any clues to who the perpetrator might be?"

Vira tilted her head curiously at the grim thoughts occupying the detective's mind, watching as he brought a dusty old magnifying glass that matched the cutie mark emblazoned on his packs out, examining everything closely. A few dried fans of pink and white flaking off the wall in the corner had his interest now.

He had a theory... Vira could tell that much, an icy chill in his gut that was rather unpleasant. Whoever he suspected was mixed up with thoughts of the victim though, a steady refrain in his mind he eventually gave voice to. "Maybe... don't like it though. Tell me Vira, whose secret lair do you think this is, based on all the evidence?"

Realizing she was being tested again, Virescent gave the question heavy consideration, hiding her eyes under the shady brim of her new hat and tapping her chin. Most of the residents they had met were old friends, maybe playfully grouchy and teasing with each other, but they had been together a long time and seemed to appreciate each other's company. The only one she had heard about that would really hide away down by herself and not be missed was Spoiled Rich herself, a mare nopony in the Stable seemed to like and apparently felt the same about everypony else.

Looking over the angrily scrawled map of the island again and the rather aggressive attitude towards the outside that also wasn't shared by many in the Stable, Vira felt more certain of the answer to Nick's question, if not hers. A polished photo frame by the terminal was the final clue, a picture Vira floated over to inspect carefully. Three pre-war ponies were pictured, an older brown stallion beside a haughty looking pink mare with Spoiled Rich's diamond ring cutie mark. In front of and between the two older ponies was a third, a younger light pink mare with a pale lilac and white mane, a family photo hidden away down here...

"It appears to be a place Spoiled Rich came, to escape the others and plot her own ideas for how they should deal with the outside. Thankfully not ideas that held any sway with the others..."

"Some of those other text entries in the terminal say you're right Vira, good sleuthing Junior Detective. It does look like the mare let the role get to her head doesn't it sweetheart? A regular Princess Platinum planning to make her own Unicornia up on the surface. From what I read there, looks like your buddy Longfellow's sweetheart caused a real fuss when she was still coming around. Finding out there were still ponies up top and hearing about the outside world got them all in a tizzy before she disappeared suddenly. Sounds like your pal Plaid was winning them over, but this crazy dame wouldn't be swayed. Wanted to go out in force and take the things they need or she wanted." Nick muttered as he made his way back to the glowing terminal, swiveling the screen so Vira could see the wall of text he had quickly scanned.

With her emerald eyes flicking over the obvious rantings of a madpony, Vira shuddered at the thought of this Spoiled Rich getting her way. Her hopes to get the pampered residents of Stable 118 to help the harbor ponies would be impossible if more of them thought like her.

"W-Well... it is a good thing Spoiled Rich is not in charge. Perhaps even a good thing she's dead..."

Nick latched onto her words with a feverish intensity that made her flinch, the sensation of being 'on the hunt' conflicting with the sour taste in his mouth from where his suspicions were leading him that she couldn't quite see. "Is it though? If the attack happened down here, then she brought somepony else here Vira. Somepony she wanted to convince maybe? There were two of them down here, then the fight happened for whatever reason and one of them was dead. The perp then had time to set up the scene upstairs, dragging the body off to be discovered."

"Who's been saying things that sound an awful lot like the crazy ideas down in this villain's lair dollface? Looking into giving the residents armor and weapons upgrades? Stoking fears about the outside and 'defending themselves' from it? Who was Spoiled likely to bring down here and sway to her side?"

Vira gasped at the realization he was leading her towards, still not grasping all the complicated thoughts running through his mind, but seeing enough to feel a spike of fear as she smashed the flimsy door aside in her haste to get back out. "Mr. Stripes! But Plaid was just going to see him! If her father is the murderer she may be in danger! We have to..."

INTRUDER! PLEASE STAND BY TO BE VAPORIZED, THANK YOU FOR YOUR COOPERATION!

The loud squawk of a clanking Ponitron clomping in from the more finished area of the Stable gave Vira a bare instant to raise her glowing green shield. Staving off a barrage of magical energy beams from the domed heads of it and the trio of its fellows behind it. The rudimentary service robots had let them pass without incident, why were they attacking now?!

Nick didn't seemed nearly as surprised as Vira was about the development either, drawing his gleaming revolver in his mouth and mumbling around it sternly. "She would have told him about the case too dollface, some of the ponies we talked to and the question we asked probably got ...them... nervous. I think you're right, your new little gal pal might be in trouble. Take out anything in the way down here, but leave the ones upstairs to me assistant."

Given permission by Nick leaning around her flickering shield to blow the glass heads off the nearest Ponitrons advancing on them, Vira warped the round disc into a stronger bubble around herself when Nick took cover, taking advantage of the tall cavern to launch herself up and come barreling down into the thick of the mechanical pests. Smashing two of them against the steel walls of the maintenance areas they came from effectively put them out of the fight, while Nick hammered away at the remaining robot before it could batter down her protection.

Another pair were stomping down the hall towards them, trying to cut off the turn they needed to take to get back upstairs. Riding the shaky adrenaline the fear for Plaid brought out to her surprise, Vira grabbed the crumpled remains of the two robots she had just crushed, flinging them at the two new threats just as Nick joined her at a gallop.

She could sense enough from his hard and fast thoughts born from a lifetime of combat to know just how to assist her synth employer. Nick wanted to get upstairs quickly the same as she did, putting the slow robot sentries behind them and escaping with the pink beams they shot chasing their hooves, rather than slowing down to fight them one by one.

They barreled through the winding passageways, the flash of Vira's horn or the crash of Nick's revolver hastily firing off at any of the robot workers that tried to bar their path. Vira hissed in pain at the blazing beams scorching her fur and burning her flesh in the frantic retreat, taking fire from directions her floating disc of a shield couldn't cover as they pushed on.

As they approached the stairs back up, Vira worriedly cast her psychic senses out as she took the stairs three at a time on her long legs, lurching up in short hops of flight the low ceilings wouldn't give her room for. The first thing she felt was something going on up there, some collective cloud of thought from the gathered residents, worry, anger, fear.. all swirling around a cluster of minds in one place and being driven by one furious presence.

It made for a bothersome distraction in seeking out the single mind she wanted to find, finally singling out the sad, frightened brain of Plaid stripes as she nearly bowled the weeping robot over, charging out of the sliding door and back up to the clean halls of the Stable.

"Plaid!! There you are! A-Are you alright? I was worried for you and... what has happened..." Vira skidded to a halt looming over the cringing orange robobrain just outside the door.

On taking in the way she slumped and sobbed over what appeared to be a pile of matchsticks in her helplessly held up claws, Vira reached a tentative wing out to comfort the obviously miserable mare, feeling a strange flicker of anger at whatever had caused the pain she could feel in Plaid's heart.

Plaid sniffled and held the splinters of wood up higher in answer, stammering a weepy reply Vira had to listen to more from her thoughts than her thick words. "Daddy... Daddy always says the only thing he loves more than these is me... b-but he was so angry... S-Said you were snooping... t-that it was your fault... h-he broke all his lovely dollhouse furniture...ordered the robots to... t-to... I-I'm so glad you two are alright, but you need to get out of here, q-quick! H-He's called a meeting in the theatre and is screaming about you guys b-being the ones that killed Spoiled, scaring everypony... I can help you escape while he's busy but..."

"Easy sweetheart... figured that might be the problem, but we're not going anywhere until we solve the case. Definitely not leaving you in the lurch either, though if I'm right you may not like seeing this mystery solved. Is uh... the lovely Pearl here going to be a problem?" Nick joined Vira in patting the frightened robot's domed head, nodding up to the gleaming white Ms. Handy Pearl that Vira had overlooked bobbing in the air a few feet away.

The spiderlike robot had a crackling plasma blaster in addition to the magically powered sawblade at the end of its limbs, pointing both their way but thankfully not as aggressive as the simpler Ponitrons downstairs. At Plaid's digitized honk of a nose she didn't possess and shake of her head, the round robot was waved off from being quite so lethal too. "N-No, Daddy and I have equal access. Only his terminal can give orders to all of them at once, but if I say not to hurt you they can't. Y-You really have to leave though! I've never seen him like this, if he catches us..."

"Never huh? That tears it. Are all the others at this Caesar youth rally he called kiddo? The Professor and his wife?" Nick's sudden resolve was tempered with a strange sadness he felt patting Plaid's claw.

He was angry himself, making Vira feel better about her own reaction, though curious where his was coming from beyond seeing Plaid so sad and hurt. Nick was determined to see this case through and solve it, but his certainty about the culprit and confidence he could end this didn't seem to make him happy. There was no way this would have a happy ending... that was the main thought Vira kept hearing repeat in Nick's mind.

"Y-Yes... they're all there, he forced everypony to come, said it was about the murder and the future of the Stable. But..." Plaid answered in a confused tone, cut off from voicing her questions by Nick helping her up with a tip of his hat.

"Then let's go solve the case sweetheart. I hope they had enough time to do that little autopsy I asked for, but I think we've got enough hard evidence... Plus we got a mindreading mare who's on your side, came charging up here to save you even, so buck up. This won't be fun, but no matter what happens, remember that. You've got friends Plaid." Nick pressed Plaid's claw to Vira's hoof, giving a firm nod up to the big green filly blushing in embarrassment having her worry for a friend pointed out.

She had some idea why Nick put her on the spot like that, he was preemptively trying to steel Plaid for the further pain of accusing her father of the murder. Vira sighed and gave a shaky smile to the robotic mare looking at her curiously. It was true, she had been worried for Plaid, felt relief she was ok and was still angry with her father. More than willing to defend her new friend, no matter what came of it, even if Plaid hated her for it later...

"H-He's right. Let's go catch a murderer Ms. Stripes..."

"A little convenient two outsiders come to solve the case just at the right time isn't it? Unless it's a murder they're responsible for! It's a scam, you heard that pegasus mare, there aren't any police ponies out there anymore! Those two 'detectives' are the real killers and I've ordered their execution, so we're safe for now citizens of 118! But I've come to realize poor, misunderstood, brilliant Ms. Rich was right, we'll never be truly safe with those savages out there! Oh what a fool I was to ever doubt her, what fools we all were!" The pale robobrain Mr. Stripes had taken center stage in the theatre, rolling back and forth over the chalk outline marking where the body of Spoiled Rich had been discovered in front of a crowd of residents milling about the large room.

Nick and Vira listened in from just outside the doors, grateful to have Plaid waving off every fully robotic servant that came tromping over on spotting them. Pearl took over for her when Plaid trotted into the crowd, gathering some of the ponies they had interviewed to answer Nick's final whispered questions.

Watching the raging robobrain up on stage now lying and putting the crime at their hooves, Vira felt that anger in her growing with each fresh pang of sadness her father's furious words brought out in Plaid Stripes. He was deliberately trying to frighten and work up a mob... Mr. Stripes knew just what he was doing, a cold, cruel calculation from his icy thoughts as he continued in a frenzy.

"We should let this mare among mares serve as an example to all of us, to celebrate Spoiled for the forward thinking pony she was. Let her be a martyr as we embark on a new path to the future she was denied by these vile outsiders! We've always been the upper crust of Equestrian society, and the savage descendants of the common ponies here obviously need a firm hoof to guide them. No more will we hide away down here, worrying about a lack of resources, putting on silly plays and trying to be friends with our lessers! From now on, Stable 118 will assume our rightful place and take control of things outside!"

"Yeeeeah, just one thing before you go and conquer the wasteland there Princess Platinum... I thought everypony might be interested in just who the real killer is." Having gotten whatever evidence he needed, Nick trotted boldly out to the crowd, drawling in a clear voice as he lit a cigarette during the gasps of surprise from the crowd.

"T-There he is! That's the murderer everypony! Don't listen to his excuses! Robots! Destroy that detective!" Mr. Stripes howled and flailed his flexible forelegs from the stage in a rage at the spotlight swinging sharply from him to Nick blowing lazy smoke rings in the shaft of light.

The hum of a lot of magical energy weapons powering up from shiny and bow tie wearing Ponitron servants was abruptly cut off, prevented from following the order and turning the synth detective to sparkly ash by Plaid countermanding it. "Belay that! Stand down robots, I want to hear him out! Daddy, I... I think you're wrong, a-and you were wrong to sic the robots on them without at least talking first. I want to hear what they have to say, t-they're my friends."

"FRIENDS!?! They're outsiders! A fancier robot and a big blank flank freak! Just shush up Dia... Plaid... and do as you're told! Listen to your m-father!" Mr. Stripes screamed back, a red rage threatening to blow a gasket in the ancient robobrain.

Plaid cringed from the fury baking off the pale robot, prompting Vira to stand straighter in her defense, stamping a hoof and booming out in her best regal goddess voice, amplified by the real anger and shock she felt. "SHUT UP! You are not... not her parent at all, she is not ...Diamond Tiara? That is who you are thinking of, not Plaid! You... you are no Mr. Stripes at all!"

Vira gaped at the wicked, self centered, ...spoiled... brain bubbling in rage beneath its crystalline dome. Plaid talking back and the situation escaping its control had cracked the impressively steely mind, allowing Vira to get a rush of information that suddenly clicked with all the investigating Nick had done, the questions he had asked and ponies he talked to.

Nick's cool calm never wavered in defiance of the tantrum Mr. Stripes was lost to, the murmur of confusion running through the crowd, or the large alicorn puffing angry breaths through her flaring nostrils beside the stunned Plaid. He took slow, measured steps through the crowd parting around him, walking right up the stage and clopping his forehooves together in applause to his assistant and her deduction.

Turning a sly smirk to the crowd from the stage, Nick sidled right up to the flailing white robobrain and blew a plume of smoke in its face. "Good job dollface, I knew you'd get there once the show started. Now I imagine you're picking up a few choice pictures from this mook's brain, but let me do the whole mystery reveal, I love this bit. Fillies and Gentlecolts of Stable 118, my lovely assistant here is right, this isn't Mr. Stripes, it's a murderer. One who'd have you believe she's the victim and nearly got away with it, isn't that right... Spoiled Rich?"

Nick pulled the battered screwdriver he used to pick locks from his tail and dove at the flinching 'Mr. Stripes', scraping away a long gouge in his gleaming white body to reveal a flash of faded pink, eliciting a collective gasp from the crowd. As he paced the stage and continued his theatrical reveal, Vira could see everything he said playing out in the ... mare's mind. Saw each of Nick's deductions proven true as he made them through the memories of Spoiled Rich before her.

"Spoiled here was the only real holdout to Plaid's plans, I'm guessing she saw the outside as a threat, a place to be conquered and ruled, not to make friends with. Since it was Plaid Stripes' father calling the shots, she tried to convince him directly, down in her little secret lair in the unfinished section." Vira saw Spoiled's mania and desperation flash before her, of the robotic mare plotting and making grand plans for decades since learning about it from Longfellow's wife. Saw her tantrums at Plaid's plans and her confidence when she dragged Mr. Stripes to the caverns beneath their hooves.

Continuing leisurely, Nick's cigarette bobbed as he flipped through his notes to refresh himself and continued, a deferential nod to Plaid for having to tell her this way. "They argued, there was a struggle, accident or not though, two ponies entered that trailer downstairs, but only one came back. I'm sorry Plaid, but your father was the victim here, this bitch masquerading as him was the one who killed him."

The pang of grief and denial from Plaid hurt, but Vira consoled herself that at least she didn't see what Vira could. It was just as Nick said, Spoiled brought him down to those dank caverns, threw a tantrum when she didn't get her way, raged and bucked and before she knew it bashed his braincase wide open. She watched Mr. Stripes gurgle out his last in a staticky squawk, already plotting how to get away with it before the body was even cold. All because..."

"You took him down there, but didn't think he'd pay any attention to anything beyond what you wanted him to see... He found out you were responsible for the unfinished Stable, for all those 'lower class' residents your selfishness killed! He became more determined to see his daughter's plans through to make up for it, not frightened and willing to go to war as you hoped. He was going to tell the others what you did, so you... You murdered Mr. Stripes..." Vira stomped her way forward angrily, feeling her eyes go dragonish and glowing as a rumble entered her voice.

"Just a little paint doesn't prove anything! It's probably some spare part from somepony else! W-We've several pink residents and with parts such an issue, I'm sure we all have hoof me down pieces. Which is why we should take what we need from the surface, so we aren't forced to scrimp and salvage old junk!" Spoiled tried to cover the pink scratch on her chassis, rolling backwards on her haunches defensively and stammering excuses.

"Old junk!? We never do junk work, even when we do have to reuse things Spoiled! You'd know that if you didn't always insist on new parts, but that came back to bite you in the rump too!" Main Spring shouted from the crowd, rolling through them from the door and making her way to the stage with her husband Professor Pickle in tow.

Nick had spoken with the two arcane scientists that acted as caring doctors here, counting on them knowing all their patients to provide evidence for him at the proper cue. He smiled at their approach now, holding a hoof out for Main Spring to grasp as she stormed up to the stage and filling the confused residents in. "Don't I know it doll, you and the Prof did the autopsy I asked you for like champs. Care to tell the folks what you found?"

Pickle Jar jabbered in his wife's wake, flipping through a clipboard of notes in his claws, his excitement at being part of the show clashing with Main Spring's barely contained fury as she went after Spoiled Rich. "Yes indeed Detective! Just like you asked, we took a close look and you were right! Besides having a fresh coat of pink paint covering Mr. Stripes' white, we discovered more evidence taking it apart. Everypony here knows we take our jobs seriously, just like you all know how fussy Spoiled was about her parts. The innards of the body discovered this morning were not those of Spoiled Rich though, we'd know them anywhere."

Darting a claw forward in a minor slap fight with Spoiled Rich, Main Spring wrenched open an access panel on her white barrel, pointing a shaking claw at the mellow glow of gold and jewels shining from within. Spoiled Rich really had made the two mechanics forge her wealth into the sparking arcano-tech guts gleaming in there, distinctive proof of who she was.

Spoiled Rich tried to slam the panel shut and back away, offering excuses neither Vira or the crowd were really paying attention to. Vira could feel the mob mentality she had tried to whip up as Mr. Stripes turning on her now, but was still following along with Nick's revealing the whole case, seeing every detail in the murdering mare's mind as he hit them.

She saw her leaving Mr. Stripes down in her lair, sneaking up in the dead of night and stealing tools she'd need to cover up the crime. Vira watched the memories of Spoiled using Mr. Stripes' voice sample from Main Spring's case to change her own voice box to sound like him, her nervous return of the holotape to the wrong place in the mechanic's carefully organized case a clue Nick had noticed when she pulled out the collection to fix Plaid. Saw her fumbling with a socket driver to switch her diamond ring cutie mark plate with Mr. Stripes' striped stars.

Vira half heard Mr. Cane shouting about his stolen paints as she saw how Spoiled took them, sneaking around the distracted artist hadn't been difficult, swiping his magical spray gun and the colors she'd need without disturbing the robotic stallion lost to his artwork. Both red and white had been set aside during Mr. Cane's inventory of pilfered paints, white to make herself look like Mr. Stripes, and red to mix with it to make pink to cover his body, the red that she had spilled in her haste.

She had snuck about during the night when most of the residents tried to hang on to their equinity and pretended at sleeping at least, finishing her coverup and dragging Mr. Stripes' body to the theatre before the first players would arrive. Once the murder was discovered, she wasted no time trying out her new position as Mr. Stripes and attempted to use her own 'death' as a chance to sway all the residents to her way of thinking.

Only Plaid's silly idea of seeking out authorities outside had proven a wrench in her careful plans. Spoiled allowed it as Plaid was supposed to handle running things for Mr. Stripes anyway and he always indulged her, she never expected Pearl to find a detective and bring them back. Spoiled's fears that Nick might find something only grew when Plaid came to ask about all the things she had been getting up to in her father's name. She flew in a rage and decided to eliminate the threat, trying to use Nick and Vira as convenient scapegoats to further her plans.

Vira should have known from the one short interraction they had when they arrived, but she had been trying not to pry into ponies' minds lately, only listening passively. She heard Mr. Stripes' feminine internal voice, but hadn't thought much of it. Some ponies heard their own voice very differently than others did, nearly all were surprised hearing a recording of themselves after all. It wasn't the first time she met a buck who thought like a mare or vice versa, and 'Mr. Stripes' had retreated from the detectives before she could hear much more.

She still bucked herself for missing it by trying to be polite, but realized Nick had seen that much even so early and not pushed. Having a mind reading mare friday may make things easier, but solving a case still required hard evidence he could point to. With Professor Pickle and his wife Main Spring performing his autopsy, along with Mr. Cane confirming the theft of his paints in a rage, Nick had made his case and had ponies on his side the residents here would trust more than just his hunch or Vira's psychic skills.

Now Vira could feel all those resident's belief in his work, the anger and betrayal they felt all swirling around them, focusing on the retreating Spoiled Rich. When she backed into the floating Mr. Handy Maxwell, Vira saw Nick's logic even convinced the less free thinking robot servants. Maxwell's claws shot out and pinned Spoiled's behind her back, ignoring her screeching in Mr. Stripes' voice.

"L-Let go of me this instant! I order all you robots to destroy those outsiders! They're lying! I am Mr. Stripes and you have to obey me!!" Spoiled raged and her treads spun trying to pull away from Maxwell's grip, shouting at the shiny silver robot and the army of Ponitrons ringing the room.

"Negative... Identification error, unable to verify Stable Overstallion Mr. Stripes. Authority rests solely with Overmare Plaid Stripes until conflict is resolved. I say ma'am, what are your orders considering this suspect?" Maxwell worked within his programming, but his Trottingham accent softened the cold logic he answered Spoiled's demands with, turning his eyestalks to the softly weeping Plaid behind Vira.

All eyes turned on Plaid, including Vira's soft green gaze on taking in the turmoil going on in her new friend's visible brain. A deep sadness at realizing her father was dead and a pang of panic seeing all her neighbors looking to her now, was struggling with a powerful anger surging to eclipse them.

The look she turned on Vira was desperate and uncertain, speaking in a weak, helpless voice full of hurt. "W-What do I do Vira? H-He's really... she killed him? I... I want her to pay for what she did... to...."

Feeling the flicker of murderous rage and grief coming from the kind and friendly Plaid cooled some of Vira's own anger, trotting over to hug her supportively and using her psychic gifts to let her feel the gesture more than her robotic body allowed, Vira answered the best she knew how. Before she would have said to kill Spoiled Rich for her crimes, that such a vile mare didn't deserve to live and that she'd happily destroy her. Now though, she didn't want to see Plaid repeat her mistakes, for the sunny mare to be tainted by casually killing as Vira had.

"I know Plaid, and I am sorry for your loss. It is your decision to make, but I can tell you from experience revenge won't make you feel better. I did many bad things myself, I took lives and hurt others as this hateful mare did, but somepony gave me a chance to be better rather than killing me when they could. W-When I deserved it as much or more as she does... It is up to you, but do you want your first decision as leader here to be one of vengeance or mercy? Which would your father want for you?"

Plaid sniffled miserably, a sense of disappointment warring with wonderfully warm feelings of her father, of how much he cared for her and what Mr. Stripes really would want for his daughter. As her resolve slowly coalesced from the grief such thoughts brought, Vira was glad to know she had said the right thing, joining her friend trudging up to the captive murderer.

"Spoiled Rich... You have this 'blank flank freak' to thank for your miserable life. Daddy wouldn't want me to kill you, even though you deserve it. Instead your punishment will be what you'll hate most. You can live out there with all those 'savages' you wanted to rule over, you are exiled from living in the luxury you insured for yourself and denied all those lower class guests who died because of you. Maxwell, take her out of here. Professor Pickle, Main Spring, Mr. Cane... could you help strip the prisoner of her disguise before we kick her out? I don't want her... sullying Daddy's memory out there looking and sounding like that..." Plaid spoke in a firm voice, shoving aside the tears and making a hard decision Vira still wasn't sure she had the strength to match, despite her advocating mercy.

She breathed a sigh of relief when Plaid made the call though, nuzzling her cool steel cheek when Plaid turned from Spoiled being dragged away and screeching in her father's voice. Vira could sense she wasn't the only one to admire Plaid's decision too, the residents all looked to her now and the first decision of her reign had been merciful and fair. Things would change here, but with Plaid in charge, the gathered residents felt hope for the first time in a long, long while.

Looking up from consoling the sad orange mare, Vira spotted Nick looking at her with a funny expression and feelings going on beneath the brown fedora he tipped her way. His conflicted feelings settled into one emotion that surprised her, pride... Pride in her...

The synth detective had been right, there was no happy ending to be had by solving this case. He had found a silver lining however and the warm emotion he felt towards his assistant pushed back the sadness she felt for Plaid and her loss. He was proud of Vira, admired her for helping Plaid to make the harder choice and felt real satisfaction with his new assistant.

She was a good detective and a good pony, a thought that made her feel that wonderful fluttery feeling in her heart again, this time born from true friendship instead of romance, but just as powerful. A different kind of love Vira had never really experienced before.

-------------------------Level Up!------------------------------

New Perk Added!-------------------

Cap Collector--------
---Getting your first paycheck and buying something for yourself for the first time has taught you the art of the deal! Buying and selling prices at vendors are now improved, making future transactions something to look forward to!

Ch. 6-- What the Holy Glow Requires

"I was going to say where you came from, but yours is a more... emotionally traumatic answer."

Vira reclined on a sandy beach, blushing furiously at the pose she had been talked into and looking to the strange scenery to distract herself. If she didn't think about it very hard, she could almost pretend she was sunbathing at some tidy old world beachfront resort. She had to ignore the sun was actually a series of magical sunlamps, and that the chilly water washing her long tail up and down was basically just a small wave pool, and that the clear blue horizon, cheery boats and busy docks she could see were merely paintings on the walls, but it was pleasant.

Since they solved the case here, Nick and his assistant detective had been invited to stay in Stable 118 and Vira had been quickly dragged off by Mr. Cane to pose for him as promised, a rather relaxing and interesting use of her time so far. It had involved a lot of primping, preening and fawning over his gorgeous model that Virescent mostly enjoyed, feeling a little bashful at his attention and the lurid thoughts the old brain in a jar had plotting out his numerous alicorn inspired works so far.

Though it had resulted in several new outfits from Ms. Polomare on Mr. Cane's expense account with the slightly greedy mare, something Vira hadn't been above taking advantage of given his choices and how seductive he made her look wearing them. She was happy to pay her own hard earned caps for the lovely detective outfit Suri was still tailoring to fit her large frame, but delighted to get so many other outfits she wouldn't necessarily buy for herself.

When she told the old robot about her romantic inclinations towards a certain alicorn stallion dressed like his old comic book character, Mr. Cane had giddily used it as an excuse to dress up his lovely model in skimpy outfits sure to 'drive any buck wild' according to him. The series of snapshots he gave her of each pose to give her intended were not images she wanted anypony else to see, but her heart fluttered thinking of sharing them with the male and modeling all her new clothes for him. Those were all just the prelude however, poses for Mr. Cane's paintings he had started at a manic pace. This one was what he called the 'pin-up picture' though, one he would give her the actual piece he created from, signed by the famous artist himself to his biggest fan back in the Commonwealth.

She did wish this strange, slightly sad room meant to give the upper crust residents of Stable 118 a feeling of being outside under the sun wasn't quite so realistic. The way the warm sand got everywhere would be bad enough, but the skimpiest outfit yet they had acquired from Ms. Polomare just exacerbated the problem. The white swimsuit would be revealingly tight on a normal mare, on Vira it was stretched to the breaking point, even with Suri making several snips that showed off even more of her green fur to get her squeezed into it at all.

The feverish mania Mr. Cane drew with was unnerving too, in the throes of lusty creation with a gorgeous model he kept mentally complimenting as he traced every line and curve. While his feelings were flattering, Vira was having a hard time battling a surge of shyness from being on display like this. Holding herself up on her forelegs behind her out thrust chest, in a half twist that showed off her flank and long legs wasn't exactly comfortable either... let alone with the sand trying its damndest to crawl into every bit of of bathing suit wedged in her ass.

Having already sketched the broad strokes of her curvy body, Mr. Cane had brought out the camera and was growing frustrated trying to get her to put on the right expression. At least she wouldn't have to hold it once he snapped the damn picture, but his directions had gotten more confusing than 'move your leg here' or 'raise your wing', flummoxing the sheltered alicorn currently sticking her lower lip out in an exaggerated pout.

"No, no, no.. not like that dear, you look like a filly being told she can't have a cookie." The artist threw his flexible forelegs up to the heavens, huffing impatiently.

"You said 'pouty' didn't you?"

"Pouty lips yes, but sexy, mature mare pouty, not 'I want', little filly pouty! Come on now, give me ...sultry!" Holding the camera up again, Mr. Cane returned to his vague instruction, groaning at Vira answering with a blank stare.

"Er.... that's happy, right? Sort of happy? Smiling?" Vira flashed a predatory smile, trying to read more than what he was giving and picking out 'hungry look' from his thoughts.

Her sharp fangs extending wasn't what he was looking for though... If the robobrain rolling back and forth in a tantrum still had a mane, he would be tearing it out at this point. "NO! Demure! Warmer, like you have a secret... no don't cover your mouth! Errrgh!"

"Well I'm sorry, I don't understand the things you're talking about. I'm.... still new to all this you know! Can't you just make it up? You're a talented artist Mr. Cane, you don't need me to..." Vira huffed and let her eyes wander back to the open comic book lying nearby, trying to return to her enjoyable reading of Mr. Cane's old works.

A cold metal claw pressed Vira's lips shut, letting Mr. Cane lift his gaze from his treaded hindlegs as he took in a deep breath mentally. "That would be a lie, we want to show this buck the real you, not whatever I made up. We're trying to show off your essence! Communicate how you feel to this cosplayer stallion of yours!"

"I am sure he would be thrilled merely getting the picture signed and drawn in the style of your entertaining comics Mr. Cane.... Ooooooh! How frustrating! You had the Shrouded Stallion redeem the mad Mechnamare and they came so close to kissing, only for him to vanish! Your old comics are most entertaining Mr. Cane, but very unsatisfying when they end before getting to the juicy bits! And he is more than a simple cosplayer, whatever that is... you don't think highly of it." Vira whinnied at the end of another comic adventure floating closed in her magic out of the corner of her eye, arching a disappointed brow to the blue robobrain and trying to change the subject as she unobtrusively floated the next issue from the battered cardboard box nearby.

The robotic creator of the Shrouded Stallion comics of the old world chuckled at her critique and fussed at his model. "It's called romantic tension Vira, you go right up to the line, then draw it out for just the reaction you're giving now. You're reading another of those old things, aren't you? You'll just have to forgive a snarky thought here and there too, or keep that mindreading business to yourself. I've seen plenty of fans at too many conventions who dressed up as my characters, one more is nothing special to me... I... I put all that behind me... A-Anyway, tell me about this buck dear, maybe that will get you to put on the proper expression."

The subject of his old comics and the stallion currently running around the Commonwealth wearing the costume of his creation was the source of a lot of conflicted feelings in Mr. Cane that made Virescent curious. She'd never read the ancient illustrated works before, having no interest in foalish pony works like comic books before becoming infatuated with an old world comics nerd.

Now that she had several issues under her belt, she didn't understand why Mr. Cane was so self deprecating when it came to them. They were pleasant morality stories, the hero depicted plainly the source of a lot of the male alicorn's strange ideas about honor and being a hero. That alone was enough to make her love them, the valiant hero in the comics that showed mercy and spared what had been a misunderstood villain in the Mechanamare, taught the real buck Fast Times lessons in redemption and forgiveness that had spared Vira's own life and made her care for him. Seeing how much of him clearly came from this foalhood influence, Vira didn't like hearing even their creator speaking ill of the old stories.

"I think you would like him Mr. Cane, you obviously taught him many things in these comics of yours, often when reading I even hear his voice speaking the lines. You should be proud your works inspired somepony to try to live up to them, not be so derisive... Do you not like your lovely comics?"

She looked back to the long sigh the robobrain's voicebox gave, curious at the tinge of sadness to his thoughts as slumped to himself in reply. "It does make me happy to hear they did some good Vira, I just haven't thought of those old things in a long time... I convinced myself they were silly and never did anything I hoped for, made quitting hurt less I guess..."

"You quit? But why!? Fast would be very disappointed, not that your other works aren't wonderful as well, but these were definitely not silly."

Her earnest reply seemed to lift his spirits a bit, though he tutted at her leaning up to gasp at him, waving a clawed foreleg at the way her rear jiggled and shifted. "No fidgeting! And... thank you dear, hearing that means a lot. I quit when the Ministry of Image stuck their snouts in too much, wanted me to play up the violence and make more zebra villains... I was an artist, not a propagandist! I refused to go along with it and quit rather than see my creation corrupted like the real one.. Hearing how you talk about him, I guess I got through and did what I hoped for with at least one reader though."

"Oh you certainly did, er... what did you hope for actually? You did teach him to be a hero, to be brave and valiant, forgiving and kind... wonderful and cute..." Vira's heart gave that wonderful fluttery feeling as her words drifted off dreamily, getting lost to her ringing endorsement of the old artists's biggest fan.

Mr. Cane warily whispered for her to continue as he tapped at the camera in his claws, goading her pleasant daydreaming along eagerly. "There we go, stick with that dear... Now think Vira, think about how you feel, what you'd like to do if this stallion of yours was right here. It's just you and him on the beach, alone together... The only two ponies in the world and he only has eyes for you. Now what do you want him to see?"

Closing her eyes and imagining along with Mr. Cane's interesting scenario, Vira sighed and felt her ears go limp, a soft smile curling her muzzle as she went along with the intriguing fantasy. She absently felt Mr. Cane nudging her slowly flaring wings out over an inch, letting her long mane spill over the joint and tugging her tail to follow the curve of her flanks. Her face felt warm and that wonderful flutter kept growing in her chest, the tingle spreading to her belly letting her forget the taught straps of the bathing suit over it.

Her eyes half opened with another long sigh, looking up to the robobrain before her through her thick lashes. When Mr. Cane's camera flashed, they snapped open and shrank to tiny dots, leaving her to shake her head to clear the spots as he gave a victorious snort. "Got it!"

"T-That is not fair! You tricked me Mr. Cane, let me have that picture! Oh I'm sure I must look ridiculous!" Vira gasped and made to lunge at the instant photo whining out from the robot's camera, stymied from snatching it away by his claws shoving her back down into maintaining her pose.

He did let her see it at least, though the image that slowly appeared on the grey film just made her blush brighter. Perhaps not a ridiculous expression on her face, but not a very seemly one either... She did file away what Mr. Cane had been trying to get across as 'sultry' in her mind, cringing at the soft, doe eyed look, the pink cheeks and moist lips... Apparently sultry meant ready to mate as far as she could tell.

"Now, now, this is only for you and your special somepony dear, don't worry, you'll get it back later. You don't look ridiculous either, you look like a mare in love, the most beautiful subject I could hope to paint! Your Shrouded Stallion is a very lucky young buck, I wish you both the best of luck when you're reunited." Mr. Cane nodded smartly and wheeled back to his easel happily, clipping the naughty picture up where he could reference that goofy leer.

Tapping her forehooves together, Vira had to let down the happy old stallion thinking of Vira in a lovely white wedding gown, an image that made her practically glow red for some reason, sending a shiver down her spine as she reticently undermined it. "H-He... he's not mine, l-like that... I mean I do feel... funny about him... but we haven't always gotten along. He saved me and asked me to be better, to find him again as a better pony and... I'm trying. I... I don't know much about love, but I am very curious. He... He made me interested..."

"Oho! Then you're still courting, trying to woo this young buck eh? Then our saucy pin-up is just the thing! That makes me feel better too, if this cosplayer of yours can inspire love in such a wonderful mare, he may understand the real Shroud's virtue better than I did." Mr. Cane laughed back, only adding to Vira's bashfulness as he waved her back into her 'sultry' pose.

What he said did give her a distraction at least, focusing on his mention of a 'real' Shroud, then gulping at the thoughts of ponies and their virtues. "Virtue? Like... his cutie mark?"

Vira's wing automatically moved to cover her blank flank, making Mr. Cane sputter in protest until she uncovered it and raised her wing back to the flared posture of the other. He was kind and reassuring on figuring out her distress, nodding to the bare expanse of forest green flank so prominently displayed. "Easy... Sorry dear, I didn't mean to bring it up that way. The real Shroud didn't have a mark either, because it wasn't a pony... er! Not that you aren't either because you... don't... I'm making a mess of this dear, I only meant to say this buck of yours would get Princess Luna's question right better than I did. Anypony who could capture your heart yourself understands that love is his virtue, not 'justice' like I said."

Having not regained her own mark in all this time since Unity had fallen, the subject made her self conscious, biting her lip being unable to cover her shame. She knew a pony's virtue was tied to their mark, but she had no idea what hers was, what her special talent was, who she was as long as she lacked one. Some of her sisters had gotten their cutie marks back, including the blue one the stallion in question was currently in love with. A slight competitive streak and a healthy dose of fear made her worry she was no match so long as her own flank was bare.

Putting aside those worries, Vira glanced to her current comic and the heroic stallion pictured there, puzzling over some of the strange things Mr. Cane said about his creation and the even stranger thoughts he had. "Real Shroud? What do you mean by that anyway Mr. Cane? Why do you think such scary thoughts when you mention him?"

The old stallion gave a gasp at her expectant look, waving away her brows coming down in a worried frown. "S-Sorry Vira, that psychic business takes some getting used to, I didn't realize you were... I'm still a little spooked from you telling me your Shroud is an alicorn too is all, thinking about old memories. There used to be a real Shrouded Stallion in ancient times you see, that's where the stories came from."

"And this original Shroud was an alicorn too? Like me?" Vira blinked back in surprise, smelling the leathery scent of old books and feeling their brittle pages through the memories of ancient fables Mr. Cane thought of.

Putting aside his brush entirely, Mr. Cane wheeled out from behind his easel with a weary sigh. His clawed forelegs reached out and tilted Vira's chin back up, nudging her legs and wings, then smoothing her mane absently as he spoke. "Not like you, no dear. It was a spirit, something Luna created in the dream realm and could appear in the waking world at her whim. It became corrupted when she became Nightmare Moon though, caused her sister all kinds of problems until she sealed it away. I saw it once you know..."

The strange robot's memories of the old fables gave way to a colder one as his words slowed, making Vira look down again despite his posing and not liking the way his single grey eye drifted off. She heard the clink of chains echoing in his ears, catching glimpses of the weird crystal statue of swirling shadows she had seen from him before, smelling the dank prison it was locked away in and feeling a shiver down her tail.

Vira didn't doubt Mr. Cane had seen ...something... even without digging into the memories hazing his mind. Something she had no real desire to do from the sensations she picked up from him. She could almost see her breath puffing from her muzzle as it was, feeling that deep chill sink into her bones.

"Down... down, down, deep beneath her castle, we actually found him... Locked up tight and with good reason. Still frozen in crystal, but you could.... hear him... in your head... Creepiest damn thing I ever saw, I still dream about it sometimes..." Mr. Cane's words had become a quiet whisper, making Vira concerned by how lost he suddenly seemed.

Giving a forceful cough and flicking her tail snapped him out of it, making the fussy artist yelp at having to readjust his model yet again while she softly nickered. "It sounds unpleasant, nothing like my Fast I assure you. Yet you say something so scary held the virtue of love? From your frustrating comics I would think you were right, he's a pony of justice in your interpretation, the romance never really gets to the good parts... Although I like the idea of love... v-very much... But why is that his virtue? Oh! Do you think it may be Fast's?"

Mr. Cane closed his single eye and radiated the warm sensation of a smile his robotic body couldn't really display in response. "The real Shroud was created out of love Vira, to avenge a star crossed couple. What is justice but feeling love for everycreature dear? Wanting everyone to be treated fairly as you'd expect to be treated? Luna created it out of love for ponykind, and it was shaped by her own dreams of love, a male alicorn right?"

"That's why it was so horrible when it was corrupted and fallen dear. The deepest love can turn to darkest hate. The thing that was left of the real Shrouded Stallion when his love was twisted... Let's just say I'm glad it's your stallion and not the real one. I don't know if it's his virtue since I've never met the buck, but a fan running around dressed up as my Shroud earning your love shows he knows that's what's important. The love of a good mare is the most powerful magic around for a stallion, can let him do impossible things to make her happy, just like you're doing new things and trying to change for him hmm? So let's make him see all the love you feel in this piece, don't be afraid to show it off!"

Giving a sigh and closing her eyes at the old cyborg's encouragement, Vira put on a sheepish smile and tried to follow his advice. She shimmied her flanks and fluffed her wings out to their full span, arching her back and putting more 'sex appeal' as Mr. Cane thought of it into her posing. It wasn't haughty, overblown pride in her own perfection as a child of the Goddess for once, a former position she was beginning to think was behind her shyness.

Putting herself on display was somehow harder now that she wasn't so blindly self assured, but it meant more now too. She was showing off when she doubted herself, hoping the buck she cared for would see a glimmer of the beauty she always unthinkingly assumed she possessed. She didn't know anything about Mr. Cane's real Shrouded Stallion or it having a virtue of love, but she secretly believed her stallion may share it. After all, it was feeling that mysterious pony emotion from him that prompted her to change and grow as a pony. Those warm sensations forming a fuzzy ball in her tummy now urged her on, gave her courage to try new things and make him happy as Mr. Cane said.

Squealing to herself happily at all the ways she pictured giving him the daring picture of herself, Vira nearly shot to the ceiling at the long, low wolf whistle she heard her employer giving from the door. "She's certainly got a lot to show off, doesn't she mac? My, my Vira, here I thought you were posing for artsy pictures, not a spread in Wingboner magazine!"

Vira hit the sky blue painted ceiling and thumped back to the sandy beach, rubbing her head as she squeaked and scampered for cover. The large, striped beach towel she had been lounging on sprang to life in her magic, floating up to inadequately cover herself, supplemented by a wide sun umbrella by the old wooden beach chair she cringed behind.

"N-Nick!? We're not... t-this is... P-Private! Yes, this is private! Not to mention very embarrassing... I-I am not posing to be some lurid centerfold! This is...a g-gift..." Vira sputtered behind her floating cover, peeking out and feeling her blazing cheeks grow even hotter spotting the orange brainbot Plaid Stripes beside Nick at the door.

The idle thought flashing through Nick's mind of reluctant gratitude to his Institute creators for making him 'anatomically correct' just made her glow a brighter red. She didn't mind Plaid rolling her way down to the beach and helping to block her from view, struggling with strange new thoughts that made the mare seeing her like this ok, but not her stallion employer. She used to run around never wearing any clothes at all for Celestia's sake!

Feeling herself flush and stammer for being caught in a compromising position by the synth detective made no sense to her, but she couldn't deny her new feelings either. The knowing wink he shot her before turning around like a gentlecolt just made them worse. "A gift huh? I can guess just the lucky bastard it's for too... Sorry dollface, didn't mean to come peeping or anything, just enjoying the view. It's getting late and Plaid here was asking about you, since you're about the only pony around here that needs to sleep at all she was offering her place to bunk down at."

"I can take care of it from here Detective, you just go on and shoo! Stop your teasing! You look gorgeous Vira, I'm sure your buck will love it. Don't you listen to him. If you're done, you can come sleep in my bed. I never use it anymore, but it was really comfy the last time I did!" Plaid Stripes took over holding up Vira's beach towel to her relief, waving Nick away sternly to his chuckling retreat.

With a questioning look to Mr. Cane whistling to himself innocently at his easel, Vira slinked out from her cover and started struggling with the stretchy bathing suit, fighting her way free and back into her warm sweater. The old artist had enough to finish and saw them off with a cheery wave, allowing Vira to stalk off with his box of comics and continuing his work as his mind slipped into that strange hum it did when he worked.

Interesting as their conversation had been, Vira had had enough trying to puzzle out her own new feelings. Plaid was dealing with plenty of her own as she led Vira down the polished halls of Stable 118 by her hoof too, the undercurrent of worry enough to distract Vira and focus her thoughts on somepony else's concerns.

Plaid Stripes' room was strange... An assortment of odd junk piled high, including ancient bulb ended horns and clothing bizarrely made of spoons. It was as large as all the other resident's rooms Vira had explored while on the case, a smaller side room held a luxurious bed with an eye aching plaid bedspread Vira was eagerly invited to use, along with the wonderful hot shower in Plaid's private bathroom Vira opted for first.

That damn sand had gotten everywhere... and the simple delight of hot water cascading over her was very relaxing, though Plaid hovering at the edge of the water and watching avidly made it harder to enjoy it to the fullest. Not that she necessarily minded or was uncomfortable, even if she didn't fully understand why the cyborg mare seeing was ok, but thoughts of Nick or Longfellow in the same position felt embarrassing.

She was fairly certain it was all related to sex and her new interest in it, since a quick check on Plaid's thoughts informed her that Plaid's 'barn door didn't swing that way', as she kept reminding herself privately. Plaid's reasons for watching so closely were wrapped up with thoughts about how long it had been since she'd been able to enjoy the simple luxury, not mating, so Vira didn't feel ogled or ashamed.

Inviting Plaid to put those dextrous claws to work lathering her tail for her even cheered the robobrain up, stretching her forelegs under the spray to scrub gently as Vira sighed happily. She'd always enjoyed bathing with all her sisters back home after all, doing so with Plaid made her feel more like one of them to Vira, reminding her just how much she had missed her siblings.

Though she did wish the clanking Stable shower was as highly radioactive as Swan's pond back home, being hot was nearly as nice as being radioactive. A hot and radioactive shower would be pure bliss however, something she idly fantasized about as she dried off and put on the tattered old sleeping shirt Plaid laid out for her.

The old Hoofington Reapers jersey would be huge on the smaller Plaid when she still had a pony body, nearly fitting Vira properly when she donned it to Plaid's happy encouragement and assurance it was comfy. Not only was the threadbare garment wonderfully broken in and soft, it still carried a lingering scent of Plaid when she was a normal mare, something Vira breathed in deeply as she was led to Plaid's oversized and overstuffed bed.

She was glad it was such an opulent bed, beyond most clothing not fitting as well as the nice sleeping shirt, almost everything in a normal pony sized world was just too small for the large alicorn to enjoy. Plaid's bed gave her room to stretch out luxuriously, spreading her wide wings under her with a happy sigh.

The robotic mare staring at her longingly was a little distracting though, feeling her thoughts of envy and looking down to her at the foot of the bed curiously, prompting an apologetic bit of chatter. "Oh! S-Sorry Vira, I don't mean to stare so much, it's just... It's been a long time since I got to use that bed or the shower, seeing you do it kinda... m-makes me miss what it felt like..."

The sadness Vira felt made her a little guilty, turning around to flop on her belly and hold her head in her forehooves as she replied kindly. "It's alright Plaid, I don't mind you watching. It's a very comfortable bed, so I can see how you'd miss it. Thank you very much for allowing me to use it."

"No problem Vira, it's the least I could do. We all really owe you for everything you and Nick did here, without you Spoiled might have gotten away with... w-with killing Daddy..." Plaid slumped as their recent case hit her again, feeling a wave of panic realizing she was alone now, that she was in charge completely.

Vira felt a kinship to the odd mare and didn't like the sadness pooling around her. Speaking up softly and stroking her cheek with an outstretched wing, she used her psychic abilities to share the sensations Plaid was lacking as a comfort to her, letting her feel the warm springiness of her bed with Vira's nerves to her surprised gasp, cutting off the depression threatening her friend. "It will be alright Plaid. I'm sorry for your loss, but you will be fine. I can sense how much your father cared for you from your thoughts, he would want you to be brave and keep going. You will continue your plans to contact the outside, won't you?"

Plaid sniffled to herself, wiping her dry single eye with her pink bola and giving a determined nod back. "Y-Yeah, you're right Vira. That psychic stuff is so cool, t-that you know what Daddy was like and all... he definitely would want me to buck up, so I will! We're going to send Pearl out to that Fog Harbor place tomorrow, to this Captain Berry you and Nick told us about, right?"

"Right. She is a nice mare I think you will like Plaid, a fellow leader like you dealing with her own problems. Together the two of you will be able to help each other I think. I liked her anyway, and anything that helps her town also helps my friend Longfellow, so I am hopeful."

"I wish I could go too, w-with you and Nick to introduce me. That Longfellow guy, he's Ocean Breeze's husband? I'd like to ask what happened to her at least, she was always so nice, like you Vira." Plaid spoke wistfully, a tinge of awe at her friend making Vira whinny with pleasure at Plaid's high regard for her.

She also worried for her new friend though, admonishing her gently. "It is very dangerous outside, it's still best to send your robots out to get started Plaid. I'm sure you'll get to visit soon enough, perhaps when we're back in town ourselves and we can all visit Longfellow together. He's a bit grumpy and doesn't go to Fog Harbor often, but still a very kind buck who invited me to return when I wished. We can both ask about his wife, I never got many clear answers from him concerning her."

"Will it be soon? You said you have to go to that scary Church place first, right? You're really brave Vira, I'd be scared to go to those religious nuts from what you told me. I hope we don't run into any of them..." Plaid gave a worried nicker and sidled beside the bed, stroking the bright plaid bedspread nervously.

Virescent only wished she actually was as courageous as Plaid thought she was... The thought of seeking out Fog Harbor's chapter of the Church of Balefire still made her shiver anxiously, flopping her chin to the springy mattress and hiding under her hooves as she groaned. "It may be best you don't.... I do not know, hence we must find them and determine just what kind of religious nuts these are. I'm not looking forward to it myself Plaid, but we have a case to solve for a filly here before I can return to Trotson and... a-and get what I want."

Vira's blushing reply made Plaid giggle uncontrolably, giving her a friendly shove with her claws and answering in a sing song voice. "Ooooooo... you mean the stallion you're after, right? Riiiiight? Lemme see again! Did Mr. Cane tell you all about that comic he dresses up like? I see he let you borrow them, doing your homework? Huh? Huh? Huh?"

Sticking her nose up, Vira floated out her smoky crystalline statue of the male alicorn, letting Plaid look it over again and ignoring her teasing to float up another issue of Mr. Cane's comics in a huff. "T-They are interesting... that's all! I want to finish the story. B-Because Fast likes them, yes... but also because I do too. They are not as silly or simple as I would have thought, m-most enjoyable..."

The thoughts in Plaid's mind were happy and kind, memories of things called 'Slumber Parties' filling her with a sense of nostalgia as they chatted in her room. Vira could still feel that wistful longing towards her lounging on her soft bed, but the meaningless 'girl talk' Nick had taught her about cheered the bubbly mare, so she was willing to go along with it.

Vira didn't need much sleep, though even a powerful alicorn mare like herself did still need rest and she was grateful to do so in such luxury. If Plaid was so entertained just by Vira sleeping in her bed, she had hopes the rest of the residents of Stable 118 would be open to letting the ponies of Fog Harbor do so as well. There was a lot of space down here, beds sitting dusty and unused as the one she currently wrinkled her nose at on shaking out the musty comforter.

They chatted for quite some time like that, discussing Vira's gentle suggestions at helping the harbor ponies and how they could help in return. They also discussed more idle topics, embarrassing ones that made Vira blush to Plaid's delight, informative things about the world outside Plaid knew so little of, meaningless bits of trivia and jokes, old stories and newer ones.

Vira never really had such meandering, enjoyable conversations before. She smiled to the robotic mare absently braiding her mane as they talked, feeling gratitude and a sense of belonging she savored. This was how ponies without the benefit of Unity grew close, became friends... Talking long into the night was less efficient than simply learning it all psychically in an instant, but the slow, warm building of a relationship was quite pleasant as well.

Drifting off to sleep as Plaid tugged the covers up over her wings and kept soothingly brushing her mane into pigtails, Vira reflected on the friends she had made this slow, normal pony way, treasuring each of them. The gruff Longfellow who helped her when she needed it, Nick who gave her a job and a sense of purpose, Sumi who looked to her as a big sister, now Plaid and her robotic neighbors here.

Since opening herself up to it and being willing, Vira had found the magic of friendship and was actually happy. She had collected new friends everywhere she had gone, bucking herself for turning away the company of normal ponies for so long. It made her hopeful for the trip to the Church of Balefire even, if she could make friends with grouchy old hermits, synth detectives and cyborg ponies hiding away in a Stable, maybe she could befriend members of the group she had formerly looked on as pawns to be used and thrown away.

She was going to try anyway...

The detective duo received quite the send off the next morning, helping to prepare Vira for the day ahead and still her nerves. Nearly all of the robotic residents of Stable 118 had a word or two for them in the richly appointed dining area of the Stable, throwing a get together once Vira had woke and groomed her frazzled and pigtailed mane. Grumbling at Nick's snickering when she snorted awake at his prodding still displaying all the results of Plaid's enthusiastic grooming.

The dining room wasn't an area of the Stable that hadn't seen much use in a long time, but now it buzzed with life again, filled with pastel painted robobrains chatting happily. It wasn't the more utilitarian cafeteria Vira knew most Stables boasted, but something much closer to the fancy restaurants of the old world that the pale lilac robot cook Zesty Gourmand had such sharp and severe memories of.

Vira wasn't so sure about the tiny portions and multiple courses of strange food he brought out to her, but ate each artfully arranged course less out of hunger and more for her audience. Just as Plaid had so wistfully watched Vira enjoying her bed, the other residents of the Stable paid inordinate attention to the large alicorn primly eating in front of them.

Since neither they nor Nick needed to eat, Vira was the only living pony around to so jealously observe enjoying the simple pleasures of a biological body. While their interest made her a feel a little on the spot, she made a show of enjoying the fancy fare with loud 'mmm's, savoring the difference in the overall psychic mood of the Stable from when they arrived as much as the food.

When they came here, the main sense Vira got from the collective minds in their crystalline domes was of boredom, a detachment from the world and their own equinity from being isolated and cyborg pony-machine hybrids for so long. Now she felt a new sense of hope and curiosity flowing from all of them, things had changed, things were going to change more, their dull lives had been interrupted by their guests and the future was lying open before them.

Vira and Nick had done that... Vira had helped make things better, a thought that filled her with satisfaction, along with a healthy dose of concern that things would go well for them. If Plaid's hopes worked out and they actually made contact with the refugees in Fog Harbor, they could have more living ponies here to feed their fancy food and watch eat it, to share their unused beds, their safe shelter from the fog, their lives.

While Vira wasn't so sure about feeding the undernourished refugees Zesty's tiny portions, she had real hopes it would work out. These robobrain ponies were lonely and disconnected, making friends with living, breathing wastelanders would surely be good for them. They could help each other, be stronger and happier together. Maybe not in the glory of Unity as her mother would have wished once, but community and friendship were a close second.

After enjoying the makeshift party, Vira made her rounds to the guests she had made friends with busily. Mr. Cane was lost to his work, pausing in his busy painting of a huge portrait of herself to hoof over her much smaller and more private pin-up picture he had already finished, along with all his reference photos... He had also done some obvious digging in his cluttered room, finding a leather bound collection of all his comics for her he signed with renewed pride, tucking her private picture done in the same style between the pages for safe keeping. A rolled up portrait of Nick and Vira together in a daring, comic-cover style image of two gumshoes wearing the uniform topped off these gifts, making Vira marvel how Mr. Cane could draw her in her new clothes so perfectly when she hadn't gotten to model them for him yet.

A stop by Suri Polomare's room to pick up the outfit resulted in a giddy game of dress up with the old seamstress and her actress friend Raspberry Beret. Not only was Vira's very first purchase resized and enchanted by the unicorn fashionista, but Raspberry had dragged in a box of her old props, costumes and makeup. The two of them used those disturbing metal claws on their forehooves to poke and prod in a frenzy, dressing her up in frilly black silk undergarments, squeezing her hindlegs in ancient stockings and garter belts, then covering it all with her lovely detective outfit and moving on to grooming and makeup with Plaid joining in the fun rather than see her to the exit as she came for.

By the time they were done it was getting to be late morning, making Vira flustered at keeping her boss waiting for all their enjoyable silliness. When Suri and Raspberry shoved her over to the large changing mirror on the wall, she had to admit maybe it had been worth the time though, gasping as she took herself in with wonder.

The mare looking back this time wasn't Virescent the dark child of the Goddess, or Virescent the fanatical priestess of the Church of Balefire, it was Junior Detective 3rd Class Vira... A much kinder, happier and brighter version of herself than she had ever seen. Her deep purple hat was cleaned and broken in to set atop her large head stylishly, the wide brim slightly hiding her smoky eyes and their new lilac eyeshadow matching the streak in her silky mane, lending her an alluring, mysterious air.

Her maroon trench coat was resized perfectly, the first time Vira had ever really worn clothes that fit her alicorn body. The long sleeves were poofy around the tight cuffs, the left loosened enough to allow easy access to her pip-buck after Suri saw the issue and adjusted it. Her green wings had room to move easily through the tailored holes in the sides, fluffing and flapping excitedly as Vira trotted in a slow circle to admire it.

She craned her neck back to take in the long tails of her coat swishing around her hindlegs, flicking her tail and frowning at the wobble of her rump sourly. (I do NOT have a big ass...) That minor annoyance was outweighed by the rest of what she saw, lifting the coat aside to admire the sheer black stockings leading to the darling dark violet shoes on her rear hooves clicking on the tiles.

They were a tight fit and a little much... but seeing them on her now, Vira actually enjoyed how they reminded her what her verdant fur used to look like. She had changed... wearing a reminder of that on her hindlegs made her proud of the difference that was so starkly delineated by the frilly garter belt.

The pink neckerchief competed with her floppy sweater collar a little, but it helped puff the bit of silky pink out a bit and the light yellow sweater complimented the maroon coat when she opened it. She wasn't too sure about the rich black holster under there holding a pearl handled 9mm pistol just as Raspberry promised, having no experience with firearms. It did go with the outfit well however, and Longfellow had repeatedly preached having more options than just her horn for defense.

The final piece of a long black cigarette holder made her feel a little silly, but posing with it in front of the mirror, she decided to hang onto the gifted prop anyway. She didn't see herself smoking like Nick, even though her alicorn biology mitigated most of the detrimental health effects such a habit came with, but she liked how it looked on getting a good look. From the memories and thoughts of her three mare friends with her, she enjoyed how it made them all think of Shadow Spade, a fictional detective mare from the old world who was cool, smart, mysterious, demure and sexy according to them.

Rushing up to the gear shaped Stable door to meet Nick and the sendoff of robobrains crowded into the cavern leading out, she was more sure and proud of her new outfit on feeling their reaction when she galloped in out of breath. Nick's jaw dropped nearly to the floor, rubbing his eyes and beaming to his assistant. The strange synth had funny thoughts and ideas, considering a proper trench coat to be a vital piece of equipment for a good detective. Seeing her dressing the part to the hilt made him cheer and stomp his hooves in applause along with the surprised residents of the Stable as they squeezed into the elevator back up.

Before Vira had managed to cram herself backwards into the cramped space, Plaid wheeled forward and wrapped her flexible forelegs around her neck and Nick's, giving a desperate, sniffling hug before the doors had a chance to close. "G-Goodbye detectives! Thanks so much for everything, be careful on your case! A-And come back and see us again before you go? You're both welcome here anytime, so don't be strangers ok? I'm really glad I met you both, I'll miss you too Vira, you're the first new friend I've made in ages! So don't just disappear like Ocean did, I mean I know you want to get back to the mainland for your stallion and all, but..."

"I will return to see you again Plaid, I promise. A-All of you! I'm sure if you treat the harbor ponies half as kindly as you treated us, you will be brimming with new friends in no time, so just don't forget me hmm?" Vira wrapped her wings around the orange brainbot still clinging to her, smiling out to the rest of the strange enclave of old world ponies waving them off wistfully.

"Never! How could I forget meeting a Princess!? See you soon you two, goodbye!" Plaid finally released her captives and let the doors slide shut, waving frantically as Stable 118 disappeared from view.

Vira sniffled as the elevator made its slow way back up to the Cliff's Edge Hotel above, crossing her eyes and willing herself not to cry. She refused to let her recent habit of randomly blubbering ruin the skillfully applied eyeshadow Raspberry had done for her. Not only because it represented a gift from a friend, but because she doubted she could do it again herself despite the compact makeup kit the actress had given her.

"You did a bang up job down there assistant, no getting misty eyed now, detectives have to be hard as nails and I doubt Plaid would want to see you all weepy. Don't worry, it's only professional to follow up on the case, so we'll come back." Nick put a soothing hoof on her back and made her give a shaky laugh at the anxiety tingling off him, crying mares were a soft spot for the old detective and he was secretly not nearly as cool and collected as he seemed at the prospect of her bawling.

"I will be fine Nick, all these feelings are new for me, but mostly enjoyable. Thank you though. I do look forward to returning to check on their progress, but I promise not to... 'pull the old heartstrings by making like Neighagra Falls' and ruin your tough image when you act on such kind and softhearted thoughts concerning my well being." Vira snickered softly as the doors dinged and opened on the hotel lounge, letting in the bright pinkish-grey light of another foggy day.

"Heeey now, what'd I say about listenin in on my noggin' dollface? You can't take away all my cool lines and stoic resolve by reading that mush outta my head. C'mon Junior Detective, we're back on the case! Ugh... guess your way back down may be faster..." Nick waved aside her teasing and trotted out to the cracked and broken windows overlooking the front of the hotel, staring down from his three story perch uncomfortably before gulping back to Vira already fluttering her wings.

"Oh yes, such a hard boiled and fearless detective... afraid of a little thing like flying... It's little more than a hop down Nick, you can close your eyes if it makes you feel better my brave employer." Flapping her way out the widest break in the glass, Vira turned and floated Nick out with a musical giggle covering his yelp, gliding her way down with his four hooves scrambling madly on empty air until they finally made contact with the cracked asphalt again.

"A-Ahem! Yeah, yeah, hilarious sweetheart. Earth ponies belong on the earth, cut me some slack and quit with the comedy routine. Soooo.... which way was it again assistant?" Nick yanked his rumpled blue tie and muttered about getting no respect, blinking up to the light drizzle dripping from the brim of his hat and tapping at his pip-buck.

Vira wasn't as comfortable as he was using the arcano-tech device on her foreleg, but brought her own up and tried to remember all the complicated button presses Sumi had shown her relating to the map function. She had to learn how to do this herself, and Nick was a thoroughly disorganized stallion, no wonder he needed an assistant. The very idea of him actually running a business in Diamond City himself would be ludicrous were it not for thoughts of this Ellie he spoke of sometimes, the mare who actually ran things and paid the bills. Vira actually felt a little nervous when he thought of explaining his new Mare Friday to the mature mare who actually ran the Hearts n' Hooves detective agency, hoping to do as much as possible to prove her worth to the exasperated teal unicorn Nick kept picturing.

It took her a few minutes, but she found what she was looking for well before Nick, glancing around at the drive leading away from the hotel and taking the lead at a light trot. She was surprised and happy to find that once she found the map marker reading 'The Cantrip' and thought about how to find it, a blinking arrow appeared on the compass hovering at the bottom of her vision, pointing out the direction the Church of Balefire could be found.

Unfortunately it didn't take the land or any obstacles into account, indicating which way to go as the pegasus flies. Since flying directly where the arrow indicated was out, both because of her acrophobic boss and the thick fog, along with whatever monsters it hid beyond the Mistgulls she had no interest in drawing the attention of again, Vira kept puzzling over the map in her vision and trying to find an efficient overland course there.

The pip-buck seemed aware of old world maps of the island and displayed the prominent roads, but only updated with wasteland era information once she inspected them for herself apparently. There was no way of telling which routes were intact or safe, so she settled on the most direct path there on the biggest old world roadways, those tended to be the safest paths all these years later.

She cast a dim shield overhead as they walked, fussy about keeping the light drizzle away from her new clothes, makeup and well groomed mane. Not that Vira was one of those dainty mares that couldn't stand to get their hooves dirty at all, but this was the first time she was wearing her new outfit proudly, confident in her appearance and unwilling to lose all the hard work Plaid, Suri and Raspberry had put in helping her.

While they wound their way down the mountain paths nearer the center of the island and made their way to the marshes in the south, Nick chuckled at her newfound fastidiousness as she flapped her way over a massive pothole. "You do look pretty as a picture there Vira. Speaking of... any chance I can get a peek at the ones the artist-bot made for..."

"No."

Ignoring Vira's huff of an answer and her sticking her nose up to hide her light blush, Nick trotted at her side and gave a friendly flank check, taking advantage of her dry rain shield to light a cigarette and whine. "Awwww, come on Junior Detective, I'll promote you up to second class... Just a little peek, you said he made one with me too right? I'm entitled to see that one at least, though I really wanna see how that pin-up turned out..."

Picking up the lewd merriment in his thoughts, Vira primped her wings and moved up to a canter, reluctantly pulling the rolled up poster featuring the two of them from her cracked saddlebags and unfurling it in her magic for him. "You may see that one then, the other is private. It's for Fast, so no peeking for dirty old detectives..."

Nick pouted at not getting to see the swimsuit picture, the memory of catching Vira in the skimpy outfit popping up in his mind to assuage himself with only making her squeak and whinny at him to focus on what he did get to look at. He grumbled at even his thoughts being monitored, but amused himself going over the poster of them back to back with steely guns drawn, nickering to himself happily at the poster.

"Woooo, looks like we got a new ad campaign for the Hearts n' Hooves Detective Agency! You'll bring the cases flying in dollface, sure beats my normal fliers. Have to talk to Piper about making copies, but Ellie will be happy. She's been bitching at me to come up with better marketing for ages, now that we got our own Detective Princess, I'll finally catch a break." Nick's open plotting to plaster her image all over Diamond City made Vira snatch the poster away, grumbling down to the synth at her side bashfully.

"Y-You can't! Er... I suppose you can, but you would really use me in your advertisements Nick? I'm just your assistant, a-and no Princess! You know better than Plaid and the others, d-don't call me that..."

The image of one of her blue sisters turning a furious red and shaking her pale mane in negation popped into Nick's mind, only increasing her annoyance at his laughter. "Your sis didn't like the title either dollface, but she makes a helluva Princess back home. Princess Jade even got her mark for it! Besides, I said Detective Princess, as in Princess of detectives, it's a much smaller and more select kingdom of subjects, lots less stressful. Plus it's good advertising, I can see it now; 'We give your case the royal touch!' or; 'Put a Princess on the case!'. Ellie will love it, and you I'm sure doll, just let me handle telling her about your salary..."

"What is she like? I hear you think of her often, is she your special somepony Nick?"

Vira's inquisitive look turned to a sly smirk on getting the synth to stop laughing with a flustered cough, flipping his wrinkled collar up defensively and sputtering in reply. "Ellie!? My.... n-no way dollface, she's my secretary, holds down the fort back home, always riding my case about charity work and not bringing back the caps. W-Why would I want a dame like that as my... N-Not that she would either, I mean who'd want to hook up with a clattering collection of reject parts like me?"

Fluttering over a rotten tree fallen across the road, Vira snickered into her hoof as Nick clambered over. After all his teasing, turning the tables was quite enjoyable. "Ohhhhh? So you have thought about it? How interesting.... I'd have to meet her to sense how she feels about you, but just from how you've spoken of her I assumed she cares about you a good deal Nick. Why would she care what you look like?"

"Ellie's a good mare, no reason to waste her time on a broken down old synth like me doll. She should find a good buck and have lots of little Ellie's running around, start training up her replacement for me. I'll be around a lot longer than she will anyway, and... and that's for the best. The last dame I got involved with, er.. back when I was more handsome and alive... she got hurt because of me. Don't want to see that happen again, still haven't even gotten justice for her for Celestia's sake. How could I... the way I am now..." Nick's answer took on a sad note, making Vira pause and tilt her head to him curiously.

She didn't mean for her playful teasing to actually make him feel bad, biting her lip at the mistake and trying to think from his perspective, sensing the somber thoughts filtering through his artificial mind. She could actually see the ghost of a pale mare with a curly pink mane in his mind, a pre-war filly dressed in a clean and cute rose dress with a matching, floppy hat. Her sparkling blue eyes were full of love in the painful memory, standing on her hindlegs to lean against the railing overlooking a clean river and the the sparkling towers of Trotson beyond.

This long dead mare competed in Nick's mind with images of the kind and patient blue filly Ellie, the upswept curls of her rich red mane falling into her brown eyes rolling with a smirk. The ghost from the past was taking up that space in his heart, while the thoughts of Ellie were kept at bay with worry and stubborn rejection. The long span of the centuries between them a good part of the cause apparently.

Nick was like her in a way, synths and alicorns both had drastically longer lifespans than normal ponies. Before Vira never really considered it as anything but proof of her mother's perfection, something all ponies should get to enjoy by being lifted up in Unity. Now that there was no hope of that happening and Vira had made friends with a few normal ponies herself, she suddenly had to consider the implications and didn't like what she came up with.

Longfellow was old and often gruffly joked that he wouldn't be around much longer, wanting to live out his remaining years undisturbed on his little plot of land. Vira understood that abstractly, his death was easier to contemplate due to his old age... But it wasn't just him... Even the filly Sumi Ink Vira had befriended would grow old and die, while Vira remained nearly untouched by time.

What had always been just one more perk to her alicorn perfection now felt like a problem waiting to rear its head. She'd just keep going like the robots of the Stable they left behind, like Nick himself and the ghouls still haunting the world after two centuries. Suddenly making friends with normal ponies left her open to feeling the pain of losing them in the future, pain she felt clearly from Nick and his thoughts of his prewar marefriend. The positives she had found made her reluctant to give up in the face of that, but worried nonetheless and empathetic to Nick's quiet thoughts.

"I'm sorry Nick... I didn't mean to pry or inspire painful thoughts. Though Sumi didn't think she could find romance as a synth either, if not for the same reasons. I will tell you the same as I did her however. I may not understand much about love yet, but I don't think it matters what you are, as much as who you are. 'Love is blind', isn't that the saying? Denying feelings because of all the what ifs of the future or memories of the past doesn't seem very wise, or fair if Miss Ellie does feel that way about you too. I'm sure she's a smart mare who's well aware of your differences, isn't she?"

Nick looked back to his assistant's hopeful, sparkling green eyes with a groan, sighing as he tucked the brim of his hat down and kept walking. "You've got a real one track mind there dollface... Maaaaaybe you have a point though. I'll take it under advisement Detective Princess, maybe take her out dancing when we get back. So long as my personal love doctor gets out there and shakes a hoof with us too. Maybe play the field a little yourself eh? Find yourself sone lucky buck for a dance partner?"

"Of course Nick! Consider it a date. One more reason to hurry our investigation along hmm? Though I am uninterested in other stallions, I only wish to find one."

Vira's sigh of an answer brought out a strange species of concern that focused her attention of the synth shuffling to himself, eventually speaking up cautiously. "Oh I know sweetheart, you're pretty clear about that. I was just... errr.... Look doll, as fun as it is teasing you about being a stalker pony, I don't want you actually turning into one. There's lots of fish in the sea you know, don't let Fast blind you to the opportunities eh?"

Sputtering back, Vira felt a little defensive at his careful broaching of the subject, giving a whinny and frowning back. "There are not lots of male alicorns in the sea, there is only one I know of. I don't care about relationships with normal ponies Nick, I care about..."

"About doing what your ma wanted, I know... Your sisters were pretty clear about why they wanted to hire me to find him too, so I get it. I just... You and Fast are both friends dollface, I'm trying to look out for both of you. How do you think he feels having all of your sisters hunting him down with only one thing in mind? And you've been making friends with plenty of normal and not so normal ponies lately, but you still turn your nose up and trying anything more?" Nick answered hesitantly, thinking carefully on is words and slowing their pace down the road.

She could feel how uncomfortable this was making him, read the real concern for her well being in his thoughts and recognized it, but she still didn't like what he was saying. The sting of reverting to talking of not needing normal ponies only planted a very unwelcome seed of doubt too, had she really changed or not? She wasn't an obsessed stalker pony... She wanted the male and nopony else, that was all... What was wrong with that? What business was it of Nick's anyway? Was he trying to weasel out of giving her the means to find him as promised?!

"I appreciate your concern Nick, but I'll thank you to mind your business... I don't only care about my mother's wish, I feel things for Fast I wish to explore with him alone. I don't need other males when I have already found the one I want."

Vira's grumble of a reply made Nick stop entirely, shifting anxiously on his hooves and scratching his neck. Finally he gave a sigh and shrugged. putting a friendly hoof on her shoulder and radiating a feeling of worry mixed with caring that cooled some of her annoyance. "I'm just trying to be a friend Vira. You're a great dame, but you admit yourself you don't know much about romance. I'm not telling you to find some buck to get hitched and settle down with here on beautiful Fog Harbor, but you can be open to playing the field a little before you go home and find Fast."

"Try things out, consider it practice if you want, just don't ignore the possibilities because you're pining after just one stallion who isn't here. Fast won't mind, he wanted you to be a better mare and make friends right? Don't turn away from making a different kind of friend is all I'm saying, I won't bring it up again if you don't want."

Looking down her nose at the sheepish synth, Vira sighed wearily and hung her head, hating that he had a point and the realization she hurt his feelings. Nick truly was just trying to help, it was silly to think he was trying to renege on his promise to help her find the male. Insulting even... She had started this by trying to meddle in his love life, yet got mad when the tables were turned, an undignified response to a friend.

She had considered her lack of experience herself anyway, mentally debating the idea of exploring certain aspects of more intimate relationships with normal bucks. She had even eyed a stallion or two in Fog Harbor when their lustful gazes and thoughts had focused on her, finding herself intrigued at some of the things they thought of. Being open to new experiences wasn't being unfaithful or anything, and she had to admit practice may be useful...

"I'm sorry Nick, thank you for worrying over me, I wouldn't want you to stop when it feels so nice. Perhaps you're right, though I doubt there are many opportunities for... 'a quick fling to paint the town', but I promise to not ignore the possibilities. I'll keep it in mind as... oh my..." Vira's reply withered away as the fog shifted enough to get a good look at the lowlands below the mountainside they had rounded and their destination.

The hills and mountains making up the center of the island sloped their way down to the southern shore, a warren of marshes and smaller islands connected to the main landmass by a series of broken bridges and roadways. Through the pinkish-grey mist, Vira could see the way one rather large hill to their west abruptly ended below their current elevation, spotting the backside of a huge concrete bunker cut into the mountain and dropping precipitously down to a wide bay.

Looking over it from their vantage point, Vira got the impression the bay surrounded by swamps had been dredged and expanded during the war, a forest of half sunken ships and creaking docks helped define the old Equestrian naval base all this time later. The concrete bunker was the obvious terminus, apparently some kind of shielded dry dock for war ships to shelter in. It was surrounded by rusty chain link fences, the stone docks and roads leading up to it littered with post-war additions for the community residing there now.

She only spotted a few green robed cultists roaming about down there, gulping to herself over each patrol or cluster of obvious guards. This chapter of the Church of Balefire inhabited the bunker itself, everything out here seemed to be related to their defense and security, something they looked to take seriously...

Nick's vision must be as sharp as her own, he took a minute to scan the same distant specks before dashing off the winding roadway, ducking into the sickly foliage for a better look without being quite so obvious as the large alicorn still frozen in the middle of the street. With a tinge of worry on looking back to his assistant, the old synth scampered back out and dragged her with him again, pulling out his battered notepad to scribble furiously on.

Discovered Location: The Cantrip blinked in the corner of Vira's eye, just ahead of Nick voicing the same thought. "Looks like we found the place sweetheart. Doesn't exactly scream 'welcome' does it? So... how do we handle this..."

Shaking off the surge of panic she had initially felt, Vira watched the heavily armed ponies marching around down there and furrowed her brow in thought. Officially they were here on the case, here to infiltrate the church and locate the downloaded memories of Nick's strange 'brother' Dima. Not because the weird synth had asked them though, but for Sumi Ink, their client. Unofficially they were after answers period, to find out why the mainland Church was on this small island, what they were up to, whether it posed a danger to the other factions on Fog Harbor, and what exactly Dima was hiding in memories Vira couldn't read out of his head since they had been downloaded here.

Frowning to herself, Vira reluctantly began to strip out of her beautiful new outfit as she replied, focusing on the largest cluster of cultists guarding the bunker below them. "We were asked since they hold my kind in such high regard, so I suppose I must put on the proper appearance and introduce myself, while you remain out of sight..."

Nick knew this part of the plan as well as she did, but didn't seem to like it any more than Vira herself now that they were here. "Ain't right sending my precious little assistant down there on her own dollface, maybe it's better if we're just square with 'em and go down together. Safer if things go south anyway..."

"You heard how they feel about the synths of Acadia Nick, let alone one who looks nearly identical to their leader. They will let me in and trust me, I hope... but they definitely won't if I appear with a protective synthetic gentlecolt at my side. I will be fine, we can remain in contact psychically, so if there is any trouble I will let you know so you may come to my rescue. Nnngh... i-if you could assist me in getting out of these clingy things first?"

Nick bristled and worried over her volunteering herself to go, though his chilly anxiety was somewhat soothed by the chuckle that escaped turning to his frustrated assistant flopping down to a mossy log and fighting with her stockings. She rolled her eyes at him holding his hat to his chest and kneeling to the task reverently, focusing on carefully folding her long maroon coat and tucking it in her saddlebags, while his plastic hooves gently rolled the dark leggings down.

As much as she loved her first purchase and how it made her look, the Church of Balefire would accept a properly vain, haughty and unadorned example of the Goddess' glory much sooner than they would one dressed up as a detective. That meant going in with only her saddlebags and putting on the right act, something she was nervous about regressing into after working so hard to change.

She had to keep in mind it was just an act now, she may pretend to be like she used to be, but she had changed and grown. Her lovely outfit was a symbol of that, but it was true regardless whether she wore it or not. All she had to do was let them believe as they liked, assume her rightful role above them according to their own dogma, snoop around and investigate once they let her in, then find where Dima had hidden these computer memories of his and get back out.

Once she had fought her way free of her sweater and shook the static frizzing her mane off, she packed away her precious clothing and stood to her full height before Nick getting to his hooves, flaring her wings and tossing her mane regally. "Well? Do I look properly great and powerful?"

"You look properly scared and naked... But you always look like my precious assistant to me dollface. I'm still not sure about letting you just stroll on in alone. C'mere a second anyway, we're not taking any chances and I owe you this before you put yourself at risk." Nick shuffled anxiously and gestured for her left foreleg, pulling out a long patch cable from his pip-buck and connecting the two devices to Vira's curious interest.

She heard her pip-buck and his give a chatter of noise to each other, floating green text in her vision zipping by rapidly as Nick tapped at the controls of the arcano-tech device on his hoof. He brought the map up and Vira watched as he ran through several menus she had never messed with, eventually ending at a drop down list of blank spaces that suddenly had two new ones added with a beep.

Staring at the new entries, Vira gasped reading the two names as she puzzled it out. The first entry read simply 'Nick Hearts n' Hooves -- Locator Tag #43820-134', the second he added with a grin was what really got her attention and helped forget most of her fear, the blinking words; 'Fast Times -- Locator Tag #42021-235'. Focusing intently on the male alicorn's name right in front of her eyes, the map suddenly flickered and zoomed out, zipping to the southwest and the mainland, then centering on a blinking arrow in the heart of a fuzzy clump on the western edge of the Commonwealth labeled 'Flutter Forest'.

"T-This is..."

Vira goggled at the map floating in her vision, a jittery, wonderful feeling dawning with her realization. Nick had given her the locator tag thing he had promised, and this was what it really meant. She knew where the male was... right now. She could find him any time she liked, wherever he went...

Now she felt especially bad for doubting him, he gave her this wonderful thing before embarking on the case. When if she truly hadn't changed or really was an obsessed stalker pony, she could just put the mark in her vision ahead of her and fly directly for it. He trusted her...

"Ahem.... I did promise after all dollface. Try to focus on the other tag I gave you for right now though, that's mine see? I know you're not nearly as interested in tracking down old detective bucks right in front of you, but you keep that one up so you can come right back once you're done in there. I'll be laying low, so I don't want you losing track of your backup sweetheart. Not that I don't trust you using that mindreading bit to stay in touch, but we're covering all the bases, right? If you're going in there, I want you safe and sou.... gah!" Nick's stern instructions and cautious planning was interrupted by the big alicorn crushing him in a sniffling hug, making him gasp and wince at a ton of happy filly smothering him.

"Thank you Nick! For your trust and everything else you have done for me! I promise to be careful and find a way to resolve our case here. I must do so to put this to use after all! Eeeeee! I'm so excited! Thank you!!!" Vira did at least let her poor employer go before she crushed him like a tin can in her enthusiasm, dumping him to the mossy ground before her long legs pistoning up and down on the spot.

Nick pulled himself back up to his hooves with a grunt, dusting himself off and righting his hat while watching the big filly engage in a prancing, snorting dance in little circles before him. He was glad to see her mood so vastly improved, though he may have overshot the mark he was aiming for a bit. He wanted to cheer and encourage her, give her something good to focus on when interacting with these Church of Balefire ponies had so clearly been weighing on her mind.

It wouldn't do any good for her to be quite so giddy however, forcing him to cough gruffly as he straightened his sloppy tie. "Ahem! N-No problem doll, just dial it back a little, you look like a filly that got just what she wanted for Hearth's Warming. You were saying haughty and cold was what they were expecting, right?"

Vira shook herself and nodded, calming her shaking legs and half closing her lilac shadowed eyelids, forcibly putting on a blank sneer as she flared her wings and tried to look imposing. She managed to hold that expression for about ten seconds, then her smirk started curling into a wide, genuine smile and her eyes closed in a blissful expression, her legs and wings trembling and her tail flicking back and forth happily. She got what she wanted! By being nice even!!

Opening her eyes to see Nick giving her an unconvinced head tilt, Vira stamped her hoof down and mastered the glee welling up inside her, focusing on the worry she felt crystallizing around her employer. She couldn't help leaning down to plant a wet kiss on his plastic cheek, pulling back and enjoying his flustered sputtering as she gave a determined nod and flared her wings for takeoff.

He did say to try other things... the happiness she felt just made it seem like the most natural thing in the world to express it. Actually... kisses were as nice as hugs had been so far, she'd have to remember to try them out more and idly wondered what one on the lips felt like. She'd seen ponies do that before too and always thought it odd, if not a little unsanitary, now she better understood the allure. Something to explore later, for now, she had a job to do.

Smiling at nick rubbing his cheek furiously and feeling a lot of heat in his synthetic face, Vira gave a firmer nod this time. "I will be convincing, don't worry so much Nick. Thanks to you I'm not so afraid of doing this anymore, so thank you, truly. I will return shortly and remain in touch, wish me luck!"

At that she soared up through the tree cover, climbing into the fog with Nick's yelp of, "Be careful sweetheart!" falling behind her.

Virescent took a long, looping flight around the hardened bunker below her, investigating the swampy area and hopefully obfuscating the direction she came from. She didn't want them following her back trail and finding Nick, plus her graceful course gave her time to get into character before coming in for a landing before the imposing steel doors of the dry dock.

There were a lot of ramshackle, post war additions around the obvious entrance and the marsh had done its best to overgrow the area, making her landing zone cluttered and narrow. She both saw and felt the green robed cultists below noticing her, a reverent sense of awe mixed with suspicion she didn't care for. The gaggle of ponies at the gates were focused on something else however, the swirl of fear, anxiety and religious fervor barely changing when she landed at the rusty gates nearby.

The center of focus was on the stern looking, pale tan pegasus wearing strangely decorated Enclave armor. If the stallion with the short yellow mane and scruffy beard had been part of the Grand Pegasus Enclave military, it looked like it was a long time ago. He clearly wasn't part of the remnants of the vicious group that still plagued Equestria anyway, from what Vira knew they had a habit of keeping to their old traditions, wearing crisp military uniforms and polished power armor.

They definitely didn't decorate their precious technology with the looping yellow and green swirls and patterns Vira made out on this example. Junkyard additions had been made to the menacing suit and the helmet was missing, letting her get a good look at the ...rather handsome stallion... His pale green eyes barely flicked her way, one of them surrounded by a complex tribal pattern of tattoos that matched the style of his armor.

Before him were two decidedly lowly looking acolytes, shivering in fear before him. One looked to Vira pausing at the gates, hesitant to interfere with all the robed onlookers keeping their odd magical energy weapons trained on her approach, along with the two who were the focus of some kind of... trial?

The surge of hope she felt from the scrawny, scarred pony whose bloodshot eyes widened on seeing her made Vira uncomfortable, more so when he put her on the spot with a reverent yelp and shaking hoof pointed her way. "T-There Richter! See! A sign from the Goddess! S-She has sent one of her children to prove our faith!"

A murmur ran through the crowd of robed guards at that, though it was quickly squashed by the power armored buck apparently named Richter stamping his hoof and speaking in a gravelly voice that carried well. "It's Grand Zealot Richter Scale to you, and the arrival of a daughter of the fallen Goddess is not enough to prove your doubtful faith. The High Inquisitor has learned of your blasphemous whispers and treachery, he has pronounced only one of you may return to the fold. Decide which one quickly so I may deal with our guest..."

While Vira's thoughts mirrored the confusion she felt from the dirty yellow buck who had turned to her for salvation, the merciless, cold emotion she felt hardening around the light pink mare beside him barely gave her any warning when she drew a cobbled together magical energy pistol in her mouth and fired without hesitation.

She managed to choke back a cry of shock and pain when the green blast of corrupted magic blasted out, vaporizing the buck arguing for the both of them in a cloud of sparkling green ash that made her pip-buck tick and her skin tingle. The mare holstering the strange weapon made it hard to keep up the act however, speaking in a voice as dead as her emotions, saying simply, "Will that be all, Grand Zealot?"

The armored pegasus Richter raised one of his hooves up in a salute to her mindless devotion, replying. "Very good Sister, you may rejoin the others. I'm certain we won't be hearing any more about making peace with the Harbor Ponies from now on, will we? Now run along, we have an interesting petitioner to attend to..."

Vira gulped as the crowd dispersed at the dismissal, returning to their patrols and mostly disregarding her. She sensed a little remorse and fear from some of them, but the pervading emotion was fear of this 'Grand Zealot' and fervent dedication to avoid a similar fate. Her newly acquired empathy for the poor pile of ash didn't serve her well here however, so she stamped down on all the things she wanted to say as Ripper approached, sticking her nose up in a haughty, disinterested expression and forcing herself to trot directly through the remains to meet him.

"Greetings, Grand Zealot was it? My name is Vir... Virescent, High Priestess of the Church of Balefire in Trotson. I am new to the island and recently discovered our order has spread to this island blessed by the holy glow. I have come to present myself to your... High Inquistor Tectonic I believe? If you could be useful and lead me to him, hurry up." Vira idly shook the ash from her hooves, wearing a genuine grimace of distaste as she spoke in a bored, dismissive tone.

She didn't get the instant submission and reverence she expected however. Richter's thoughts were prickly with suspicion and an undercurrent of fearful memories. She caught a flash of one her sisters in his mind, a terrifying image of a purple alicorn in narrow, cloudy halls lined with advanced technology, a cloudship? Fillydelphia... Richter was with the Enclave on their attack on Redeye's hellish city and had seen her kind destroying his comrades, no wonder he had mixed feelings facing the green alicorn before him.

The dogma of the Church of Balefire rattled off in his mind however, a collection of holy edicts and principles that clearly dictated Vira and her kind were the pinnacle of perfection, blessed by the Goddess and the holy glow of balefire. His sharp, taciturn thoughts might view her -and apparently everycreature- with suspicion, but he had no choice when it came to accepting her. Did he?

The stern frown he gave looking her over made Vira gulp, he knew what she was and still balked... "Greetings child of the Goddess. You wish to petition our church? Then you must do so as an initiate, no matter your rank on the mainland."

Vira's indignant whinny in response was entirely genuine. Not that she wanted to have anything to do with the church she helped found anymore, but she had helped start it. Why should she have to prostrate herself as some lowly initiate? Technically she outranked both this overblown doorpony and his 'High Confessor', a role she and the others in charge had never created.

She couldn't help bristling with anger at being snubbed like this, stamping her hoof and spreading her wings in a display of the mother's glory. "No matter my... Do you know who I am you insignificant pest? I am Lady Virescent, High Priestess and right hoof mare of Lady Evergreen herself! Why should I jump through your piddling hoops! I demand entrance to this citadel, immediately!"

Keeping an open mental connection to Nick watching nearby had the unfortunate effect of letting him feel the wave of frustration and anger baking off her, the synth detective's accented voice tentatively speaking in her mind as she snorted and puffed at the annoying pegasus. (Easy dollface... Play along, don't want to piss off the locals.)

The pegasus barring her way irritatingly spoke on the same lines, not flinching or backing away from her imposing tantrum, merely watching with a bored expression as he replied. "This isn't the mainland. Our chapter is an independent offshoot of that order, therefore any previous rank you may or may not have held makes no difference. Neither does your form for that matter, you could be a sister from the mainland, or you could be one of those naive Followers of the Apocalypse for all we know. Or worse, here for those hateful Harbor Ponies who profane the island and resist the will of the holy glow with their blasphemous technology, or perhaps you're in league with the mechanical demons that provide it for them. "

"All those who wish to enter the house of bale and fog must come as children reborn in the holy glow. If you truly wish to join us and dedicate yourself to our cause, you must take the same initiation all of us have on coming to this blessed island. Do so and I'm sure the High Confessor will be pleased to meet you."

Vira gritted her teeth in frustration at the ultimatum, seething as she focused on Nick hiding nearby and kept him up to date. (They wish me to perform some ridiculous 'initiation' before they will allow me inside Nick... This is not going as I expected, I believe this chapter of my former church has instituted some significant changes.)

(Huh... was afraid of that. Never as easy as you think it'll be. Ok doll, see what they want anyway, we'll figure out where to go from there.) Nick's smooth voice was calming when he replied, helping her compose herself before continuing.

"Very well... What exactly does this initiation entail 'Grand Zealot'... I'm sure it's a trivial matter for one of the Goddess' perfect children. We will consider entertaining your foolish demands." Vira returned to her superior tone like a well worn mask, arching an irritated eyebrow down at the gruff stallion and tapping her hoof impatiently.

In answer, Grand Zealot Richter pointed a foreleg to the north, up to the foggy hoofhills of the mountains taking up the island's center, towards a small cleft between the peaks beneath the floating fog factory overhead. "Not far that way is a holy spring, a site blessed by the Mother of the Fog and the spirit of the holy glow that has sanctified this island. You will travel there, offer a prayer to the glow and drink from the spring."

"That's all? Go take a drink from some brackish spring?" Vira snorted back, shaking her mane and flaring her wings to go and get this over with considering the flash of 'Map Updated' in her vision told her just where to go.

Richter gave a smirk in return, his thoughts smarmy and superior. "The unfaithful who attempt it are poisoned and stricken down by the Mother of the Fog, so it is an effective demonstration of faith. You will be watched to ensure you drink as well, though you will not see the faithful who do so and they will not follow where the spirits take you. Drink from the spring and return here if you're able. If you're truly such a high ranking and important mare in the church as you say you are, you may even be gifted a vision from the island. We shall see if you return."

"Yes, we shall just see then. Hmph!" Vira huffed and glared at the frustrating buck, launching herself into the air after getting the last word and ignoring the dismissal in his thoughts chasing her.

She rose up steadily, making sure she was clearly visible to Nick and banking towards the blinking arrow on the compass at the bottom of her vision. (They wish me to drink from some toxic spring nearby Nick. A test of faith they will be observing from hiding apparently. I am going that way now, but I do not believe it wise to rejoin you with them watching.)

(Damn... Alright sweetheart, you're calling the shots here. I'll lay low and follow at a distance, just take your time and stay where I can see you.) Nick's reply was tense, but the trust he felt for her came through and helped her calm down and get her head out of the character she had so easily fallen back into.

She could do without everypony everywhere she went having some little errand or test for her to perform before she got anywhere, but was confident in passing this one. Drinking from some contaminated puddle was foal's play for her, things toxic enough to kill normal ponies were usually a tasty beverage for her. She'd simply go take a sip, maybe make a show of having some kind of religious revelation, then fly right back and get back to her case. No former Enclave grunt with an overblown title was going to stand in her way.

'Discovered Location- Balefire Spring' blinked in the corner of her eye as Vira landed in a shady hollow in the hoofhills, the burbling of the sluggish spring trickling from the rock face before her competing with the chattering noise of her pip-buck. Not that she needed the device to tell her just how polluted this place was, the tingle of soothing radiation washed over her just standing in front of the ugly spring.

It was a cool and quiet little valley, the shadows of dead trees overhead and the gentle hills worked with the oppressive fog cascading down the mountains around it to isolate the area, lending it an eerie air that even Vira could mistake for a holy site according to the beliefs of her former church.

Her hooves splashed in the pools and puddles surrounding the spring, the rapid clicking of her pip-buck increasing as she approached the rocky spring rising up on the southern wall of the hilly enclosure. It appeared this place was once a favored dumping spot for magical waste, rusty orange barrels were piled high around the spring, obviously arranged and decorated with odd fetishes and talismans in the intervening years.

The spring still bubbled up from the top of the rocks and oozed down their smooth faces, a rainbow colored sludge that betrayed just how far down the contamination must go. It didn't exactly look appetizing, but Vira still didn't see much to worry about. She could just hold her nose and chug it down, radiation and taint were old friends after all.

She paused to look around the silent valley, sensing the watchful minds hiding nearby, but unable to pin down exactly where their thoughts originated. That was a little frustrating, but at least she had her audience for this bothersome little show. She was more sure of where Nick's anxious thoughts were coming from too, a bundle of concern and uncertainty she gave a quick wink towards.

(I'll be fine Nick, this kind of thing cannot hurt me. There are watchers nearby, so stay hidden and allow me to get this unpleasant business out of the way.)

Her reassurance didn't assuage the worry she felt coming from him with his reply, though Nick's kind concern did settle her nerves and make her nicker happily at his answer. (If you say so Vira, even I'd be concerned that stuff would melt what passes for my guts so better you than me. Just... be careful dollface, just take a tiny sip to convince these kooks and we're on our way.)

Mentally nuzzling into the warm feelings directed her way, Vira mustered her courage and fluttered up to the bubbling source of the spring, stretching her graceful neck out and pursing her lips to sip at the sludge. Surprisingly it was rather tasty, a sharp tingle on her tongue that spread along with the chill she felt sliding down her throat, sloshing against her fancy Stable 118 breakfast and turning into a warm ball that made her shiver.

She continued taking several long drinks, smacking her lips when she finally finished with a gasp and drifted back down to the ground. Definitely industrial waste, a hearty flavor mixed with the natural spring water far below her hooves, taking on hints of well aged toxic waste with a slightly mossy undercurrent.

The tingle spread from her tummy slowly, down her legs and twitching tail, up to her head and slowly laid back ears. She could feel a soft smile curling her muzzle as she closed her eyes blissfully, enjoying the wonderful sensations fogging her head and actually making her a little tipsy.

Vira swayed on her hooves as she fluttered her eyelids open, unable to see how her green eyes were mismatched sizes. She gave a cute little hiccup as she looked around blearily, the fog suddenly seemed thicker, a swirling curtain of pinkish grey that obscured everything, even the thoughts of Nick and her observers.

Normally that would make her panic, but somehow having her psychic senses clouded seemed dim and unimportant. The awful fog was even less oppressive and frightening, more of a cottony world of pink fluff Vira staggered through with a giggle, prancing in the puddles and lurching with the occasional misstep. She wasn't even sure what she was so worried about, that spring was quite delightful actually.

All her concerns slipped away and Vira stopped thinking about the Church of Balefire and Nick hiding close by, Stable 118 and her new robobrain friends, the synths of Acadia and Sumi, the harbor ponies of Fog Harbor and Longfellow, the Institute and Trotson, her sisters and even the male... The stress and tension she had been carrying melted away and Vira simply goggled at the curious shadows and shapes flitting through the fog.

"Great and Powerful..."

Vira spun and stumbled towards the whispering voice of her mother, catching the outline of the psionic projection of her head drifting behind a cleft in the valley. She had no clear thought in her head when she cantered after it, simply devotion to her mother and joy at seeing her again so long after her death. Despite all her growth as a pony, a good part of her still longed for the glory of Unity and the protective, nurturing presence of her mother.

In her current state of mind, she giddily chased after the shadow, stumbling up the mossy hills and down the winding dirt paths. Other wraiths and shadows flitted by her as she galloped off, disappearing into the fog, alone...

----------------------Level Up!------------------------

New Perk Added!---------------------

Lead Tummy-----------
---Being a child of the Goddess has its advantages. Radiation from contaminated food and water is now more efficiently absorbed, providing 50% more benefits to health and mana, while the effects of poisons or toxins you may consume are halved. As an added bonus, you have a wide ranging palette, able to gobble down fancy, four hourshoe restaurant delicacies and stale, 200 year old snack cakes with equal ease.

Reputation Change!----------------------

Church of Balefire (Fog Harbor Chapter) -- Shunned
---Infiltrating the Fog Harbor branch of the Church of Balefire turned out to be harder than you expected. While the cultists are currently non-hostile, they're not exactly welcoming either. Until you pass their initiation ritual, you are unable to enter their citadel and viewed with suspicion.

Ch. 7-- Visions in the Fog

"Mother! Wait for me! This is delightful!" Vira tittered and pranced through the vibrant, pink tinted woods, chasing after the star spangled cloak and peaked hat of the pony flying just ahead of her.

The day had taken a wonderful turn somehow and Vira felt fantastic, marveling at the cheery, living forest the blue alicorn leading her on kept disappearing and reappearing in. Her hooves splashed through a clear and cool babbling brook as she spotted her mother's pale tail flicking behind a sturdy oak up the latest hill.

If she wasn't quite so deliriously happy and tipsy, the green alicorn might stop to consider all the magical changes to the normally grim wasteland around her, but she was honestly enjoying herself far too much to care. She even gave a cute curtsy to a fuzzy bear wandering by, giving a little whinny when the image flickered for an instant to the hairless form of a yao guai she was more accustomed to. The mutated beasts weren't nearly so friendly and furry however, and certainly didn't belong in the enchanted forest of bright pink sunshine and rainbows.

Everything was green and alive, the blackened and skeletal trees she had grown so used to were healthy and growing. Vira didn't have many clear memories from the world before the great war via Unity, but she doubted even the golden age of Equestria looked so cheery and beautiful. Birds sang and she could smell the heady scent of pine in the air, heard distant calliope music in the direction her mother led her towards, and most of all she felt good! A warm fuzziness fogged her head and relaxed all her muscles, making her stumble a bit as she cantered after her, but still giggling as she fluttered over the rise and landed on the shady lane of smooth asphalt on the other side.

All these years after the Destroyer had killed her, Vira's heart soared to see her mother trotting down the lane, alive and well, looking back to her wayward daughter with a loving lavender gaze. She kept pausing so Vira could keep up, but maintained her distance and bounced between the happy ponies traveling the trail with them.

Even these strangers were wonderful, prompting Vira to stop and make her manners giddily at each friendly wave and smile. They were all well groomed and dressed, their vibrant pastel coats were clean, their manes and tails silky and styled, their crisp clothing didn't show a single rip, tear, patch or bloodstain as she was used to seeing. None of them looked at the tall alicorn as a monster or aimed a gun at her, they didn't even have any weapons at all!

Vira grinned and bowed to a pretty pink filly in a darling rose dress matching her mane who waved to her happily, blinking when her immaculate coat seemed rotten and dead for an instant, but shaking it off when she closed her eyes and smiled back.

"I've missed you so much mother! All of your children have soooo much! My sisters will be overjoyed! Are we going to see them too?" Vira babbled and wove her way through the increasing crowd, coming around a bend in the road and spotting what must be their destination.

There was a large, striped tent ahead that all the cheery ponies were congregating around, a simple wooden stage built in front of it that her mother flapped up to with a sweeping gesture and enigmatic smile. Vira didn't think much of not picking up any whispery thoughts from all the others, so long as she could hear the long missed sound of her mother speaking to her through Unity. "Daughter... Come..."

Spreading her wings, Vira flew over the crowd who cheered at the display, stomping their hooves in applause when she joined her beaming mother on stage. Seeing the Goddess like this was as strange as everything else today, but Vira knew the 'Great and Powerful Trixie', as the signs nearby proclaimed, was her mother. The smaller mare reached up and stroked her cheek with her hoof, nuzzling her when Vira leaned down into the contact with a happy sigh.

"Love you... daughter... missed you..." Vira's mother gave her the affection she had so longed for, taking her hoof and gently pulling her into the open flaps of the tent.

The momentary scent of must and damp was replaced by the clean smell of sawdust and Vira thought nothing of it, stumbling after her mother leading her deeper into the sun dappled tent. She followed to the tall center beam and the odd little candlelit altar there, puzzling over the strange, winged wooden statue holding the place of honor as her mother trotted around her in circles.

From the corner of her eye, she thought the blue alicorn shifted towards a sea green color closer to her own coat, glancing back sharply at the indistinct shape of her magician's hat and cloak rippling when her mother reached into her saddlebag. What seemed like a bedraggled mass of dirty pink mane resolved back into her mother's clean ribbon of white when she turned to her though, drawing out her warm sweater and smelling it as Vira shrugged and tittered again.

"I know you didn't like us wearing clothing mother, but a friend gave me that and it is very comfy! I hope you are not upset with me..." Vira smiled down to her mother holding the gifted sweater, relieved to see her give a short shake of her head in answer.

"Lovely... Not mad... love... All together again... Soon..." The Goddess' face was warm and forgiving, though her eyes flickered with annoyance and paled towards a blank pink for a split second at the pop of fireworks outside.

"Soon? But we are together again now mother, we never need be parted again! It has been so hard... so long without your presence... We are so happy!" Vira sniffled back, feeling a pang of sadness intruding on the bliss that had been filling her head.

More pops from outside darkened the pink haze surrounding everything and her mother's expression, only making Vira more concerned and afraid suddenly. The smaller blue alicorn pushed Vira's sweater back to her hooves and fluttered up, kissing her nose before drifting away towards the entrance again.

"Soon daughter... All together... family... soon... Go back..."

"Wait! Don't go!" Vira wailed, galloping after the goddess flying away in a wisp of pink fog.

When she charged back out from the tent, the crowd outside was milling around strangely, looking up to the pinkish skies where she had disappeared. Another pop of fireworks above was louder, the flare of multicolored light making the happy ponies' faces grow haggard and ugly with shadows. (Vira!)

Another pop made the world flicker this time, the wooden stage under her hooves turning to cracked and crumbling concrete. The nearby gypsy wagon looked to age centuries and change, a rusty hauling wagon taking its place. (VIRA!)

"Don't leave me again..." Vira slurred and staggered forward dizzily, unable to fly up to where her mother had disappeared.

A well dressed couple were holding her hooves in unwelcome greeting, keeping her from pressing through the crowd. The kind brown eyes of the stallion in a dapper blue suit turned blank and milky as she opened her mouth to excuse herself, turning to his pale marefriend instead and blinking at her shining golden mane turning wispy and thin with another burst of fireworks.

"VIRA!!! WAKE UP!" She heard Nick's voice shout above the loudest burst of fireworks yet, shaking herself in confusion and horror when the mare's head simply exploded in front of her, coating her in gore that washed away the illusion.

Vira pulled away from the splash of blackened blood and fell back, barely avoiding the snapping jaws of the buck on her other side. No... the undead buck on her other side... What?

She flapped and lurched backwards, flailing her forelegs drunkenly and knocking the smaller zombie aside. The crash of a revolver that she had mistaken for fireworks dropped the attacker while she was still trying to figure things out, looking up at Nick galloping towards her from the ruined roadway, pushing his way through a shambling crowd of undead ponies coming her way.

"Huh? Hiiiiiii Nick! W-Where... wooo... look at all the squishy ponies..." Vira felt she should probably be more concerned at the horde of undead suddenly surrounding her, but still felt oddly good and rather disconnected...

"Get outta there dollface! MOVE!" Nick shouted frantically and shook the spent casings from his revolver on the run, his frantic warning still not really sinking in.

Instead, Vira reared up and nearly knocked the head off another zombie charging her with a lazy swipe of her hoof. Giggling and slurring back without concern, "Squish! I'm... hic! fine Nick! These stinky ponies are noooooo problemo... Zap!"

The blasts of green beams shooting from her horn weren't all that accurate with everything spinning as it was, but trying to hit the zombies growling and hissing around her was becoming a fun game. She was rather disappointed the world stopped looking so bright and cheery, finding herself in a parking lot defined by rusty fencing and half full of ruined carriages in the middle of the foggy and dead forest. The elevated stage she had been standing on was actually a cracked loading bay, above the ramps sunken below the parking lot. A place for heavy wagons like the rusting hulk tipped over nearby to pull up to, somewhere for them to load or unload cargo to the large warehouse building behind her that had replaced the circus tent she had seen.

She flapped her wings and jumped over a feral ghoul flinging itself toward her, weaving in the air before dropping like a stone on top of another bloated, pinkish grey monster attacking Nick, while he hastily reloaded using a rusty carriage as cover.

Vira was very irritated at all these ugly zombies interrupting her reunion, sending out more green beams and managing to hit one out of four targets as she dove into the throng of monsters. She spun and danced like a dervish, snorting laughter and giving lurching little pirouettes around the wrecks, bucking and stomping with her hooves, rearing up and driving her foreleg right through the chest of an undead pegasus launching itself at her. She stuck her tongue out as she tried to shake the impaled zombie off, tossing it into the crowd of more coming their way.

Nick fired three more rounds and put down three more zombies expertly, looking up to Vira's mismatched green eyes worriedly as she kept flinging spells around as she pranced crazily. "You ain't fine sweetheart! You're ...drunk!? What the hell happened? Why'd you go running off!"

"Drunk? But I feel wooooonderful... I saw my mother Nick! The Goddess is alive and luuuuuvs me!" Vira tittered and managed to hit another of the snarling undead, turning it to a sparkling cloud of ash with a blast from her horn.

Her control and aim with her magic still left something to be desired. Another giggling beam shot out and missed a trio of zombies by a wide margin, hitting a tipped over sky carriage directly in the complicated arcano-tech guts rusting away to ruin. A large component behind the axles glowed brightly, going from the green of her magic, to orange, then white with an ominous whistling noise. The explosion that followed vaporized a large clump of the feral ghouls trying to navigate the parking lot, sending a rainbow colored cloud up that blew Vira's mane back and made her pip-buck chatter angrily.

Not that she needed the device to tell the burning wreck was highly radioactive, Vira's sleepy smile curled even wider and her ears laid back limply, basking in the soothing glow that made her skin tingle and filled her with power. A vicious attack from a rotting mare wearing the rags of dirty orange jumpsuit interrupted her enjoyment however. Vira winced at the snapping jaws clamping on the base of her wings, giving a wild buck that sent the zombie flying, landing with a sickening crack against the wall of the warehouse.

"Why is everything all... differenty? It was so nice... Mother took me to a magic show with lots of nice ponies... I want to go back there Nick, you could meet her!" Vira shook herself, sighing in contentment as her oozing wounds regenerated thanks to the rads blanketing the area.

Nick shot the last of the burning undead crawling away from the smoking crater, facehoofing at his assistant humming to herself happily. He didn't know what was wrong with the big green mare, but was worried by her unconcerned, out of character behavior.

At least she followed along at his urging, cantering behind him as he reloaded his revolver again and cautiously entered the ruined building. The faded sign above the large loading bay doors read 'Aegean Waste Management', making Nick glad he wasn't susceptible to the roaring chatter coming from his pip-buck when he entered. The crumbling building was stuffed to the rafters with rusty orange barrels, a good number of them dripping rainbow colored sludge to scum covered puddles on the floor below.

Taking the smaller entrance above the sunken loading ramps and rusting wagons lined up to haul the industrial magical waste away, Nick explored the narrow work area for the dead employees that had presumably been the horde of undead milling around the place. Lockers lined the wall near the entrance, several open to show dusty hardhats and tattered orange jumpsuits with the company logo barely legible on the back. A faded six pointed purple star surrounded by concentric rings of white sparkles.

Moving past a few cluttered desks and workbenches, Nick came to a caged aid station secured by a flickering terminal in the back. Vira wove her way behind him, stopping and falling back to her haunches when her muzzle ran into the heavy fencing blocking off the odd little altar contained within.

"Huh? This shouldn't be here... Mother showed me that thingy and I want it. Get it for me Nick... pleeeeeease?" Vira blinked at the barrier in confusion, turning down to Nick with sparkling green eyes and whining.

There was a large metal cabinet inside the cage, what looked like a place to store packets of Rad-Away and bottles of Rad-X pills for the employees. Only a few of these remained however, tossed aside to the floor or shoved to the corners to make room for the strange setup.

Taking their place was a bizarre altar of half burnt candles, strange fetishes made of twigs and rocks, and a crudely carved image of a winged mare in the place of honor. It was a creepy image of a pegasus apparently, a long, bedraggled mane leaving the eyes sunken hollows, the face was gaunt and the body was indistinct, engraved with swoops and curls of what seemed to be fog rising from the puffy base.

Shrugging to the sleepy nod Vira gave him, Nick bent to the terminal and started working his magic. He used up an attempt in surprise when Vira's hed thumped down and crushed his hat from behind however. Gasping at the inebriated filly nuzzling and purring in his ear, giving little moans of pleasure and stretching her wings.

"I like you NIck... you're niiiiice... I like some of the things you think about too... they sound fuuuuuun..." Vira mewled as Nick finally cracked the lock, prancing away from her roaming hooves trying to curl around him and cuddle.

"E-Easy there dollface! What'd I tell you about peeking in my noggin? Not that it's not tempting, but not taking advantage of such a silly filly. Oh jeez... we gotta get you outta here, those gams of yours are lookin' a little longer from down here..." Nick gulped and opened the cage, retreating away from Vira stalking after him with her ears laid back and her lidded eyes sparkling.

He knew radiation affected these alicorn dames in funny ways, but had never seen it personally. The roaring chatter of rads filling this place was making his already tall assistant stretch and whinny her way higher as he watched, banging her horn on the open gate and shaking her head.

He wasn't sure how much was sitting in the middle of all this industrial waste and how much was... whatever she drank that started all this, but he was getting worried. He didn't even think alicorns could get drunk, but Vira sure seemed like she was just that. What if she was poisoned? If those Church of Balefire kooks set her up?

At least her loopy attention switched from the anxious synth to the crude wooden statue in here. She floated the little idol up to her muzzle and beamed, hugging it to her chest and burbling. "A present from mother! Isn't it nice Nick? Like the statues I enjoy making, maybe I got it from her?"

"Sure sweetheart, talent must run in the family alright... Sure it's from your ma though? What's it doing here? How'd you know to come here in the first place? Sure looks like some kind of altar right up those Balefire nut's alley..." Nick wanted to get out of here, but considering his assistant was incapacitated, it was up to him to handle the case and he wasn't going to ignore a clue staring them right in the face.

There were a lot of rotting scraps of paper, mostly cryptic praises to the 'Holy Glow' and the complicated swirls and patterns of megaspell matrices. The shelf Vira had plucked the statue from had a sloppily applied message, easy to spot under the papers and hymns since it seemed to be spelled out in glowing green... blood?

"Mother of the Fog..." Nick frowned at the weird message, it was scrawled out in an arc around the spot Vira had taken the statue from, and the tacky, glowing medium definitely had the coppery scent of blood alright. Taken from a glowing zombie perhaps?

"She's not the mother of fog silly! She's the mother of alicorns! The Goddess!" Vira tittered and crossed her eyes, focusing on the odd statue and nickering when Nick gingerly took it to examine the clue.

It was definitely creepy... and not an alicorn, no matter what his quietly panting assistant thought. It looked like a piece of driftwood that had been carved and polished, the bulbous fluffs of fog composing the base trailed up to the wide wings, the ragged mane hung all the way from the shadowed face to the bottom, melding with the stylized fog. There was no signature of the artist on the base or positive message carved there like Nick had seen on a small collection of Ministry Mare statues. It was just another mystery...

One he didn't have time to puzzle over here either, a low moan drew his eye away from the disturbing statue, up to Vira giving an impatient little shimmy and spreading her wings. The gesture made him fall back and gape, Vira's verdant green wings were always big, but now they took up the entire cage when she fluffed them giddily. The steel mesh creaked when she gave a yawning stretch and ran into the barrier with her forelegs thrown wide. Her fluffy breast inflated at his eye level as she inhaled, even though she was sitting in the cramped cage with him standing before her.

Vira smacked her lips and blinked, vaguely recognizing her perspective had been slowly rising, but still not really grasping it. She was mainly focused on the statue, and on her cute little employer holding it... She stomped her forelegs down between her hindlegs drumming in a pout and leaned down, licking Nick's cheek and nuzzling happily.

"This is boooooring Nick... I want to have fun! I wish to try kissing... you said I should experiment..." Snuffling at his pale plastic face, Vira knocked Nick's fedora off the flustered synth and purred, managing to put on the 'sultry' face the old artist Mr. Cane had taught her.

He was surprisingly agile and squirmy... Nick managed to snatch his hat in his teeth and clamber over Vira in a flash, squeezing past her flanks and prancing back out of the cage. He held the wooden statue up to the frustrated filly, goading her after him and thinking desperately.

"No time for that right now Junior Detective! C'mon, we gotta get you outta here, while you still fit... I think we ought'a take a trip back to Fog Harbor, there's a doctor there, maybe he can figure out what's wrong with you." Nick gulped at Vira scrambling around and standing in the small cage, she knocked the heavy metal cabinet aside with her tail and stumbled, deforming the heavy gauge steel on one wall before bouncing back and lurching for the door.

She had to duck her head to make it, giving chase with a goofy grin that turned puzzled when she suddenly stopped and the cage gave a loud groan. Vira blinked and looked back at what stopped her, tilting her head at her finding her rump firmly stuck in the doorway, along with her too tight saddlebags.

Turning back with a grumble, Vira planted her legs and pulled, alternating between muttering under her breath and giggling at the amused synth waiting on her worriedly. "Nothing's wrong with me, I feel wonderful! I do not have a big ass either... S-Stop thinking about it... Well, maybe not entirely... I doooo like some of those thoughts. Do bucks really like them that much? OH! Do you think the male will? He had thoughts like that, but he ran away before I got to try. Yoooooou could show me!"

Nick didn't like the way her bright green eyes were different sizes and roamed dizzily, but at least she willingly followed after the statue he tossed up for her to catch in her magic and squeal like a schoofilly. He made sure to stay well ahead of her weaving course as she pranced away from the old warehouse, stomping on the scorched and blackened undead in her path across the parking lot. He had to chuckle at her fixation on their mutual male alicorn friend coming out in her drunken state, hoping that was all it was and anxious to find help to be sure.

A quick glance at his pip-buck as she squeezed her way through a gap in the chain link fence showed him how far he'd have to tempt her along. Fog Harbor wasn't far from where her galloping course through the woods had ended up, but they'd be lucky to get there before sunset, if they didn't run into any more surprises on the way...

"Wasn't what I had in mind when I said you should try new things dollface. I'll think about it if you're a good assistant and come with me, alright? Long trip ahead of us, so no time for hanky panky." Nick trotted down the winding roadway, glancing back to Vira staggering after him and huffing.

"Boooooo... you're no fun Nick... Oh! We can see Longfellow though... that will be nice! I like him too! And maybe Plaid has sent her robots there and we could see her soon! I have such goooood friends..."

"Ya got that right sweetheart, so trust this one and let's get goin' before it..." Nick lit a cigarette and turned to leave, freezing at the green hooded pony watching them from the road. His trusty service revolver snapped up and he mumbled a warning around the grip, warily keeping it trained on the approaching wraith. "Whoa! Hold it right there buddy, got no problem adding another ghoul to the pile out here..."

The stranger had come close enough to tell that much, the rotting muzzle poking out of the shadows of the green hood proved it was a ghoul under there. A ghoul mare as he found out when she pulled the ratty hood away, revealing her awed expression ignoring him and his gun entirely.

She looked like she was once a light cream color, the remains of her withered face were now a dirty parchment with a texture to match. The ghoul's mane was wispy and thin, strands of a pale blue tied up in a loose bun, held in a crude clip made from a corroded spark core. It must be one of those they were told would be watching, though Nick was surprised this old mare had managed to keep up with Vira's mad romp through the woods. He had barely kept pace himself at a dead run.

Her milky eyes were trained on Vira, unwavering as she approached the roadside and croaked. "The Mother of the Fog... You have received her divine blessing o' child of the goddess. It is a sign from the holy glow!"

Her shaking hoof pointed at the statute floating by Vira's head, quickly snatched up and hugged to her chest jealously as she pouted at the strange cultist that had appeared like a ghost out of the fog. "It's mine! You can't haz it!"

The ghoul didn't seem bothered by Vira's whine, bowing to the drunken alicorn and giving Nick an absent sneer. "Of course not divine one. You have more than passed the test, despite this ...blasphemous Acadia thing... you chose to travel with. The holy glow has brought you to us and blessed you, so your path must be righteous. Even if our lowly eyes cannot see."

"That's right! I'ma perfect daughter of the great and powerful mother, so you silly church ponies should'a just trusted-ed me!" Vira stamped her hooves and stuck her nose up, frowning at the awed ghoul nodding and backing away.

Once she reached the edge of the overgrown woods overtaking the roadway again, Nick holstered his revolver, watching carefully as she flipped her hood back up and melted away into the fog, her gravelly voice drifting back to them. "I must tell the others of this miracle. We look forward to you returning to our cathedral to discuss your visions of the Mother with High Confessor Tectonic. Travel your blessed path in the glory of the holy glow, may it return you to us soon."

Nick glowered at the shifting mist swirling at the spot she disappeared for a few long minutes. Not liking this case one bit, but forced to focus on one thing at a time. The open invite to the nearby Church of Balefire settlement wasn't very tempting, even if they might know better what was wrong with Vira, especially considering it was their damn fault to begin with.

No way they were going to those nuts though... His assistant needed help, they may have a longer way to go to reach Fog Harbor, but that was the best bet.

The ruins of the main two lane highway following the island's coast led them back to the settlement of Fog Harbor without any more major incidents thankfully. Trying to keep a drunken alicorn that was even bigger than normal out of sight of grizzly Trapper hideouts, fog zombies and unique mutated wildlife tromping through the woods was a difficult and nerve wracking experience for Nick. He was glad to end up breathing a weary sigh of relief as they approached the steel hull that acted as the main barricade and gate into the town of harbor ponies.

The residents were still a suspicious and standoffish lot, making the duo wait impatiently as the sun dipped towards the waters of the Celestial sea, adding hints of fiery oranges and reds to the oppressive greyish pink that tinted everything on this island. Thanks to their actions helping to rescue a group of locals when they arrived, they were eventually allowed in by the pale pink Mariner swatting the dubious guards angrily when she was called up.

Nick practically dragged his giggling assistant down the docks, tipping his hat to the middle aged mare responsible for the hull wall hurriedly and making a beeline for the ancient gift shop with a Ministry of Peace shingle hung above the peeling doors. He absently hoofed over the small wooden statue that had kept Vira obediently on his tail during the trip, hoping it would keep her occupied while he banged on the door and shouted in his Trotson accent.

"Hey! Open up in there mac! Got a sick filly here!" Nick pounded on the door and raised a racket, moving on to the dusty windows and peering in with a snort. "Dammit! What good's a sawbones if they ain't on call when you need 'em! Maybe the Captain can track him down for me. Vira... you stay right here, got it? Stay...."

Vira blinked woozily and nodded, following Nick's upheld hoof pointing to the weather beaten docks and planting her rump on the wooden surface. "Stay... staying is easy! I can do that Nick, don't worry!"

Nick looked uncertain despite her groggy assurance, but was left with little choice. At least she returned to proudly admiring her souvenir as he trotted off, remaining in place and keeping her rump right where directed. Unfortunately this only lasted until he was out of sight...

Giving a contented sigh, Vira floated her prize to the cracked leather saddlebags pinching her well padded flanks. As much as she loved the gift from her mother, she was in a busy town of interesting little ponies, the hum of their thoughts and steady noise of them finishing up their day was a pleasant distraction. Her muzzle fishing through her bags turned up the bundle of her cute new clothes and she settled for clapping her wide hat on her head, smiling under it and watching the town around her.

Several small boats were coming in to the docks, their crusty crews hopping out and tying them off with practiced ease. Others working further down the creaky boardwalk were hauling nets full of sickly looking fish up, dumping them in large containers of seawater or tossing the flopping fish up to long counters, where older and younger ponies were ready to butcher them with rusty knives. Even the dirty foals were working, leaping on and off the ancient boats to offload their catch and resupply them.

Vira wore a serene smile realizing for once she wasn't a focus of interest or mistrust. The locals all noticed her of course, it was rather hard to miss an oversized green alicorn sitting in the middle of the boardwalk and humming to herself, head and shoulders above the crowd even while seated. Since she had been here before and helped where she could however, she didn't feel the same wary unfriendliness. She was still an OUTSIDER, but apparently she was now counted as 'one of the good ones'.

Letting their busy thoughts and feelings wash over her, Vira's ears pricked up when she felt a glimmer of warmth focusing on her specifically. Her loopy green eyes slowly scanned the crowd, picking out a familiar brown earth pony stallion. His weary walk turned to a trot when he spotted her, an eager smile curling his white muzzle and very interesting thoughts going on behind his amber eyes.

He tugged his knit grey cap off nervously as he came closer, smoothing his sweaty dark mane and straightening his fish stained flannel shirt. "Miss Vira! Well ain't you a sight to brighten up a long day!"

Vira waved happily as he cantered up, tilting her head in thought a moment. This was the pony she had helped on her first visit, his brother had been wounded as they ran for the gates and she took him back over the wall for him. He had later reluctantly given her information about their case that helped find Sumi, along with a small pouch of caps and the nervous offer of a drink sometime.

"Mr.... Jar Head, wasn't it? Hellooooo... thank you for saying so! Do you really think so? I have a lovely new outfit, but I had to change out of it... I would look prettier in it I think, I could find it!" Vira bobbed her head in greeting, looking down to her bare hide and suddenly remembering she had a darling new outfit to wear.

The sudden spike of lust coming along with his bright blush and stammering reply pulled her attention away from trying to find it however. The harbor pony liked what she was wearing just fine, gulping at all that nothing on display. He came right up and took her outstretched foreleg, shaking it firmly and coughing to try to distract from the way his eyes lingered on her bare curves.

"O-Oh, you look pretty in anything ma'am! Glad to see you back in town. How's your case going Miss Detective? Did you and the funny robot find that filly you was after? S-Sorry I couldn't help more..." Jar Head remembered her and what she had been up to quite clearly, asking about her with honest interest that made Vira realize he had been thinking about her.

She nickered happily at the thought, looking down to the little stallion with a goofy grin. She vaguely remembered his offer of a drink and the hopeful thoughts that came with it. At the time she had even considered it, viewing the handsome buck as a potential experiment in social interraction. With the warm fuzziness in her head and Nick's recent talk about not being too fixated on only the male alicorn as a potential.... special friend... Vira giggled and shimmied on her haunches, flicking her tail and primping her wings coquettishly.

"Yes! We did Mr. Jar Head, thank you! She was safe and sound in Acadia, just as yous said. I knows why you didn't wanna tell now too, so I'm not toooooo mad."

Her teasing voice and lopsided arched eyebrow made the poor buck wince and scratch his mane nervously, gulping up to her with a shrug. "Heh heh... Yeah... s-sorry again Miss Vira, those folks up the mountain don't like us talkin' outta school about 'em and we owe 'em for the condensers, soooooo. J-Just call me Jar if ya like. Ummm... a-any chance I could buy you that drink to make up for it? You can tell me all about it."

Hmm... Vira somewhat remembered Nick telling her to stay here for some reason or other... But the hopeful excitement baking off the stallion was very intriguing and infectious. Some of his other 'in my dreams' thoughts flashing through his mind were even more so, making Vira shiver with a tingly feeling in her tummy. They were warm and fuzzy feelings that lodged right in her head, giving her an excuse to practice her 'sultry' look again and flutter her eyelashes down at him.

The response that got decided her. Jar Head's rich amber eyes widened with a dumbstruck look when she nodded in response, speaking in a demure titter of laughter behind her hoof. "Drinks? I would like drinks! I had a reeeeeally good one earlier today and still feel great! Nick says this is what drunk is like, so I like drinks. Maybe if I haz more normal pony drinks, they'll work too! I wanna keep feelin' like this foreeeeever!"

Giving a whoop of joy and holding a gentlecoltly hoof out to help her up, Jar Head grinned like a fool. He paused and blinked a moment when she stood and swayed in place finding her balance, looking up to her spinning eyes and tilting his head. The fluttery feelings in his mind only increased, but there was a bit of surprise and awe mixed in suddenly.

"Umm... Miss Vira? A-Are you... I mean... You seem a little ...t-taller... than the last time I saw you? I mean, you're one tall glass of water anyway, m-mighty fine looking glass at that, just.. I didn't think you was quite that tall. A-Actually makin' me feel a lil' puny here." Jar Head laughed nervously, looking up to Vira's lidded eyes and gaping as she sashayed her way towards the Last Plank bar side by side.

The sudden spike of inadequacy flashing in his mind realizing even a muscular and sturdy earth pony like himself barely came up to her withers just delighted Vira however. A good part of her still liked inspiring awe via her mother's perfect form after all. She licked her lips and leaned her head down to his level, purring in his ears in a husky whisper that turned him a bright red as they made their way to Fog Harbor's only bar.

"Oh noooooo... I don't knows what you're talking about Jar. Don't worry though... I'll tell you a secret..." Vira giggled and nibbled at jar Head's cute little ears, greatly enjoying manipulating him when his mind went entirely blank at her low, lusty whisper. "I happen to like short stallions... veeeeery much..."

The flickering old jukebox in the Last Plank blared an upbeat tune, an increasingly speedy tempo matching the large alicorn prancing about the bar. Vira stood up on her hindlegs and hung off the central support beam with her forelegs, her long, lilac streaked mane falling to the floor beneath her upside down face, while her voice rang out melodiously.

"So, who's ready for my big reprise?" Vira fluttered her eyelashes and grinned at the uproarious shout that answered, falling to her hooves and singing in a rapid, breathless voice full of mirth.

I'd like that shot of whiskey now
Some magic spell with some ka-pow
A firm "fuck you!" when raiders knock
A dozen Mintal doses"

"Some tabs of Buck will make strong
My body going all night long
A little Dash to ride the breeze
And some rubbers I suppose-es"

Prancing through the bar as she sang, Vira traced her wing down the fisherponies at the bar, pausing to tilt the smirking chin of the dark coated bartender up before cantering off again wildly. Everywhere she passed she got the customers to join in and stomp their hooves with the music, laughing at the bawdy old song.

"Jab a Med-X in my bum
And then rub it just for fun
Hay fries gimme some, tasty Fancy Buck cakes till they're only crumbs
A cuddle with a someone pretty and young
Somepony with a talented tongue
Lots of ammo for my favorite gun
Some Sparkle and rum, a pack of gum
And more and more and more and more to come!"

"Since my stomach's feeling crummy
Why not give my aching tummy
Something soothing, something yummy
Piled up with noodles?"

Flicking her tail and wiggling her flanks, Vira danced around the small tables, fluttering her wings to hop up to one, scattering glasses and bottles with little kicks before she hopped to another. It couldn't quite be called a graceful display the way the tables wobbled and glass broke, but she did manage to keep most of her weight on her wings and not smash them to tinders at least. She skipped off the last and landed by a cracked leather booth full of reveling locals beaming at her, cheering and singing when she threw her head back and continued.

"Add a glass of apple rye
With stacks of Cram way up high
Served with sides of mutfruit pie
More beer; I need oodles!"

"Make sure I'm drinking in the right
Amount of booze day and night
I wish I may, I wish I might
Have just one little thing
Oh, would you finally fucking bring
Me that tiny shot..."

"OF WHISKEYYYYY!!" The rowdy crowd drinking hard after a long day of work cheered and stamped their hooves together, joining in the croaking refrain of the funny old drinking song as it came to a close.

Vira gave a long series of snorting giggles that wrinkled her nose as the crowd hooted and laughed with her when the music ended, taking a low bow that nearly tipped her over before she recovered with a staggering step. The applause and offers of more drinks made her already flushed face brighten as she cantered back to her seat, tossing her flowing mane and sending drops of sparkling sweat shaking off her fur.

The ancient metal diner chair groaned when she sank into it, wiggling her way into a comfortable position at the small table tucked in the corner, recovering her hat from her awed date watching it for her. Jar Head's clopping hooves continued well past the other's cheers, looking up to her giddy grin with an besotted expression. His thoughts were most intriguing too... a flutter of infatuation coming on top of the more base desires he felt taking in the sheen of sweat defining her alluring curves.

At her blushing whinny, the handsome buck shook himself and pushed a glowing green Zip! Emerald towards her, chuckling at the big filly tossing her head back and draining the local beverage as he spoke. "That was awesome Miss Vira! Where'd you learn that?"

"It is something I picked-ed up in Unity! So I'm not sure exactly wheres I learned it, but it is very fun! I've never sung it before though! I guess what I've heard is true, ponies singing is as natural as Hellhounds digging. One of my sisters who likes singing always said that, but I never believed-ed her. She was super duper right though, it was most enjoyable! You really think I was good Jar?"

His crazily nodding head made her titter laughter again, enjoying his attentive and encouraging thoughts as much as she had singing to her surprise. Vira gasped as she swigged back the last of her radioactive drink, pouting at the empty bottle in her hooves, then giving a pleased nicker when a fresh one was floated to her table. She closed her eyes and beamed at the older stallion in the rain slicker tipping his floppy hat her way, grateful for the generous gift and even taking in his lewd thoughts with loopy interest.

She imagined herself doing the things he pictured with the young buck in front of her instead of the grizzled older stallion, feeling a tingle in her tummy and nearly missing his response. "I think you're amazing Miss Vira! T-The singing's just one more thing to like. Most of these ponies haven't sang anything other than a sea shanty their whole lives! They'll probably go back to being grouchy once they sober up, but I bet you won some more friends in town. I umm... k-know you've definitely got one more at least..."

"Oh? Whoooo? I like makin' friends! I never did that before either, but it's very nice. I made friends with Longfellow, and NIck, and Sumi, and Plaid, and... who else again?" Vira held up a pinion feather for each wonderful new friend she listed off, pausing to tilt her head at the blushing buck Jar Head stammering to reply.

She read the warm thoughts from his mind and gasped, realizing he was trying to come up with a smooth way to say himself and mentally bucking himself for every cheesy line he came up with. Jar Head had never met a filly like this one, though any outsider was exotic compared to the mares he had known all his life on the island. This one was something special however, all his normal pick up lines just felt ridiculous to even try.

"OH! You mean... of course! I like you too Jar, you are nice and fun and cute! I've never been on a date before either, but does this count as one? Nick said I should try it, so if it does that'll show him!" Vira babbled once she worked it out, stretching a long foreleg out to touch Jar Head's hoof nervously tapping the chipped wooden table between them.

The contact with her shapely leg felt like a bolt of lightning, making Jar's pale muzzle turn bright red as he nodded again. A date had been his intent alright, the fact she seemed puzzled by the concept just made her look cuter. Feeling like a million caps at her inviting smile in reply, Jar took that as a victory and cast out for something else before he ruined it.

"So umm... y-you were talking about your case before? That sounded really interesting, what were you saying about robots and a Stable? Have anything to do with that weird ball one that showed up around lunch?" Jar Head's thinking of the white bodied Miss Handy Pearl from Stable 118 made Vira whinny happily, leaning over the table in excitement.

"Ya-huh! I knows that robot! There was a whole Stable full of others with bubbly brains on top, and we caught a murderer! There were many nice pony... robot... thingys there, I made friends with several and I hope they can come here so I can see them again. There was Plaid... and Ms. Polomare made my pretty outfit... Oh! And Mr. Cane drew lots of pretty pictures, wanna see?" Vira babbled and tipped her wide brimmed hat, rooting around in her packs at Jar's eager nod.

She spread the photos and sketches out on the table proudly, all her previous shyness and inhibitions magically gone for some reason. She scratched her head puzzling over that for a minute, the delightful fuzziness in her head made her much less embarrassed over the seductive pictures Mr. Cane had made to give to the male alicorn she was infatuated with.

Returning her attention to Jar Head openly ogling the daring pictures, she blushed at the lust fogging his head, considering it a good trial run for the male's reaction when she found him. If Jar instantly turned red and thought such tingly things looking at them, she was hopeful she'd get the same reaction from who she really wanted to see them. So far the handsome local stallion was proving to be an excellent test subject and she shimmied in her seat thinking of what else to try out with him... Nick did say she should sample 'other fish in the sea' after all.

"T-These are... wow... Just, WOW! This Mr. Cane guy is really good Vira, and you look awesome! I heard Cap'n Berry's been talkin to that white robot all afternoon, so I hope it goes good too. Always heard stories about a Stable on the island, but nopony's ever really had much to do with em." Jar Head's amber eyes lingered on the image of Vira in a swimsuit, shaking his head and forcibly tearing his gaze away to return to hers and the conversation at hoof. "What else Vira? Did you really go to those crazy cult ponies at the Cantrip?"

"Yush! They were not very nice... they even made me go do some silly initiation thingy! Can you believe it? ME! It turned out alright though, I even got a new statue, like the ones I make!" Vira's head bobbed rapidly with the faint sound of a cowbell ringing.

"Yeah, nopony around here likes them much either Vira. So what was that about statues? You make stuff too? I whittle sometimes, but nothing so fancy. I bet they're as good as your singing though, do you have any I could I see?" Jar Head's genuine interest in her and what she liked doing was as flattering as some of his other thoughts, making Vira grin as she floated her collection of artwork out in a weaving line to the table.

She tapped her hooves together anxiously as he looked over each glass statue carefully, watching him hum thoughtfully at the blue, purple and green images of her sisters back in Trotson. He paused at the smoky crystal representation of the male alicorn in the comic book outfit, looking up to her curiously as her wings fluttered behind her and knocked an ancient life preserver from the wall.

Taking in her sleepy smile and limp ears, Jar Head felt a little crestfallen asking about that one, but her reaction was easy to read. "This one somepony special Miss Vira? Or uh... a s-special somepony?"

"Hmmm... I would like that.... yes..." Vira gave a slow, distracted nod in answer, shaking off the swarm of butterflies in her stomach when she felt his disappointment. "Oh! B-But he is far away and... not mine, yet... You remind me of him actually Jar, you are both very kind and sweet..."

The purr to her voice perked the earth pony's ears right up, pushing the dark statue aside with a tinge of jealousy fighting the happiness he felt. "W-Well... thanks Miss Vira, glad I'm in good company then! These are all really great, you're an amazing mare and he'd be stupid to let you get so far away. Though I'm awful glad you wound up here on Fog Harbor! So which one is the new one you were talking about? Oh, lemme guess, this wooden one? It's not near as good as... errr... Vira? Where'd you find this again?"

"Hmm? Oh, it was a gift from my mother! She led me to it in her tent, but then it wasn't a tent.... it was very confusing. There were squishy zombies there and I had to smoosh them! Why? You seem to recognize it, have you seen my mother too?! Do you know where she is on the island?"

Jar Head watched the big filly squee and wiggle in her seat, shrugging up to her sparkling, mismatched green eyes reluctantly. Vira didn't understand the chilly feelings of anxiety coming from the buck, but he definitely recognized her strange prize. There was a bit of ingrained wariness concerning outsiders mixed in with his thoughts, but the dark pools of her gaze blinking down at him sucked him in and he couldn't refuse her.

"This is a local thing Vira... it's called the Mother of the Fog. You're sure it's your ma?" Jar Head finally sighed, turning the crude statue in his hooves and regarding it as dangerous for some reason, dangerous and ...sad?

There was something about Longfellow mixed in with his reaction that caught her attention, sinking through the mellow buzz clouding her thoughts. "I think so? I saw her anyway... Nick said something about this Mother of the Fog thing too though... What is it? Can you tell me Jar Head? It's veeeeery important to me..."

"It's... well, it's a local ghost story Vira, an' us islanders don't like spreading gossip to outsiders. N-Not that I'd mind telling you! Just... Not sure it's my place to..." Jar Head struggled with his answer mightily, backtracking and waving his hooves up to her narrowed eyes when she snorted over the 'outsider' crack.

Finding out this had to do with her friend Longfellow just made her more determined to squeeze it out of him, literally if she had to... He did look exceptionally cuddly and easy to hug into submission. Some instinctual part of the nervous buck seemed to recognize Vira's predatory smile when she leaned forward and fluttered her wings contemplating it. He gulped at all that filly bearing down on him with her ears laid back, her lusty eyes twinkling and her teeth getting rather sharp looking in her crooked smile...

He was saved by the door to the bar being flung open and a very annoyed Nick Hearts n' Hooves charging in, chomping on the stub of his cigarette angrily. He galloped to the corner Vira cringed in, easily spotting the big mare hiding under the shaking corner table with her rump stuck up in the air just below eye level, her tail flicking anxiously and swatting an innocent waitress collecting empties in the face. Even sober, his new assistant was not exactly stealthy...

"VIRA! What are you doing in here dollface! I gave you one job! STAY. PUT. Dockin' yer pay for this sweetheart! Who the hell are you mac? You ponynap my assistant?" Nick leaned over to glare at his sheepish mare friday under the table, wheeling on the confused stallion still in his seat.

"Huh? Ponynap!? Asked Miss Vira out for a drink and she obliged is all! Count myself lucky for that, but didn't snatch her off the docks or nothin'! Don't like you bitchin' at her neither so mind yer manners. Just cause you're one of them Acadia dwellers don't mean you can run your mouth down here on the docks mister." Jar Head stood and stamped his hooves aggressively, rolling his tattered sleeves up and getting a chorus of grumbles on his side from the bar.

"Take it outside fellas, you know the rules..." The crimson maned bartender ended the standoff with a nail spiked bat thumping to the battered bar.

Nick snorted back in frustration, leaning up against Jar Head's matching pose while Vira goggled at the show, peeking out from under her hooves and the table overhead. How curious... they both felt protective of her... She wondered idly if they'd end up doing as the smirking bartender ordered, somewhat intrigued by the idea of the two stallions fighting over her.

She reluctantly came out at Nick's beckoning hoof, flinching when he pointed at her and glared to her date in response. "Ain't one of those Acadia synths if that's holding you back pally. No stranger to a good old bar room brawl neither... Specially over a dame getting taken advantage of. She ain't in her right mind at the moment Cassanobuck. Sorry to take away the easy pickin's, but she's got an appointment with the local sawbones she's late for. C'mon Vira, let's go..."

Her shoulders slumped and she trudged out, quickly collecting her scattered artwork and whimpering at Jar Head's reaction. The kind buck was still feeling a lot of aggression towards her employer, but that prickly sensation was overridden by a bright flash of concern for her that made her feel worse.

"M-Miss Vira, you're sick!? Something's wrong? We have to get you to Doc Teddy then, yeah. Is he awake? Sometimes he gets into the grain alcohol from his supply cabinet and..." Jar Head jabbered at her side, prancing around her slow steps slinking away from the patrons turning away in disappointment now that the fight didn't seem to be happening.

"But I'm fiiiiiiine... Really Nick, Jar... I feel super duper! I don't need to go to the doctor... I wanna stay and play! Does he even know anything abouts alicorns anyway? He doesn't sound very good..." Vira's whining went completely ignored, the pair of shorter stallions ushering her back outside. She fought to stretch her head back to the chuckles following her out, waving a wing to the friendly crowd and smiling brightly. "Byyyy-ieeeee everypony! I had lots of fun! I'll come back and drinks more soon!"

Doctor Teddy Bear was a bedraggled pale yellow unicorn, his light tan and pink mane stuck out at crazy angles, half hiding his bloodshot blue eyes looking up to his patient blearily. He smelled like Longfellow often did, the harsh tang of a lot of alcohol and little washing... making Vira wrinkle her nose as she sat on the ancient countertop of the gift shop he used as a makeshift exam table.

She fidgeted and drummed her hindlegs, but followed the doctor's hoof with her eyes as instructed, up and down... left and right... A loop de loop made her giggle, craning her neck forward to follow the hoof going waaaaay down, then snapping her head up when he raised his foreleg high and falling off her seat with a crash.

"She's drunk..." The annoyed doctor turned to Nick and offered his diagnosis, moving to return to the back room and his cot with a huff.

Nick grabbed his tail and pulled the weaving physician back, shoving at his chest once he spun him around and pointing back to Vira, knocking junk and boxes aside as she rolled on the floor and laughed. "No shit, yer a regular Fluttershy pally. Wondering if she ain't the only one in her cups... Take a better look, her kind don't get drunk."

Vira fluttered her wings and lurched up to the counter on the other side of the small, tiled cashier area of the gift shop, this side looking out on the twilit docks now that the rusty, roll up metal shutters were out of the way. Nick made the anxious local Jar Head wait outside, but he was leaning over the counter to watch and gave her a good target to return her attention to.

He sputtered when her head popped up like a jack in the box and she started nuzzling his bristly white muzzle, leaning up to speak over her flowing mane with a yelp. "C-C'mon doc! Be serious here, the synth is worried about her and so am I now.. Really, I didn't know it was like that for her neither Detective, just figured she was havin' a good time. B-Be serious about it and I'll get ya a bottle of Wild Pegasus Doc. Just take care of her right, same thing for my brother back there."

Bribery seemed to sink in and the doctor returned to his patient with a good deal more focus, patting the counter for Vira to hop up to with a pout. He waved absently to the half closed door to an storage room in the back, converted to hold a few cots for recovering patients. "He's fine dammit, needs rest... which is why I was havin' a little nap when this damn tin can dragged me outta bed. Alright, let's take a closer look missy, though it's probably the same prescription with her Jar, so quit your bitching."

Jar Head's brother had been wounded in the attack on the gates Vira helped save him from on her first visit. She enjoyed the family feelings Jar had for him sleeping back there, the concern for his sibling so similar to the warm emotions he had where she was concerned too.

Doctor Teddy's horn glowed a mellow pink, his magic assessing the alicorn filly as he went through a full exam with a bored yawn. His bloodshot eyes widened closer to wakefulness as he listened to the soft rising and fall of her breast with his stethoscope, surprised by the powerful thump-thump of her heart. This mare had a ticker to match an elephant!

"What'd she get into? Never had an alicorn patient, but figure there was somethin' that started all this, eh?" The doctor floated over a ragged old blood pressure cuff, squeezing it around her big foreleg and squinting at the cloudy gauge as he inflated it.

Nick was relieved to be getting somewhere, stroking Vira's free foreleg to keep her still and answering. "Some crazy spring up in the hills. Them Balefire assholes sent her up there to take a slug, then she went dancin' off into the woods like a mad mare. Lost her for awhile chasin' after, she didn't hear me shoutin' after her. Then she kept babbling about seeing things the whole way back to town. Swear I'm gonna go crack some cultist heads for sendin' her on this little errand..."

"Hmm? The Balefire Spring? No wonder... open up and say 'AH' missy..." The doctor had to climb up to his makeshift exam table with Vira to lean up to her gaping mouth, dueling with her long tongue darting playfully around with a wooden depressor.

"Mmwhaa... mmmrry tsssty wawa!" Vira mumbled back, drooling a little at the memory of the cool, tingly water.

"Those church ponies did this to her? Ailing Levee was right! They're a menace and we ought'a do something!" Jar Head scowled from outside, stamping his hooves and bristling with anger Vira could feel like the heat of a roaring fire.

"Ugh... don't tell me you're on that idiot's side too Jar Head. Leave it to the local weapon merchant to egg on a fight. FIgure maybe he's thinkin' of his bottom line first and the safety of the harbor second? Think it through a little before you wind up in a cot beside your brother. Anyway... guessin' your big friend here has a few things in common with ghouls then Detective. They used to go take a nip now and then from up there and go on a bender." The doctor stretched Vira's eyelid wide and peered into her green gaze closely, blinking at all the glowing green sparkles he could see twinkling in her irises.

He remained on the counter and tugged at her wing, getting her to stretch the appendage out and inspect the way her feathers ruffled at disheveled angles. When he finally got her to cooperate and flare it out to her full span, he lifted it up and eyed the click he heard from the joint dubiously. When he cautiously pressed down on her wing with a curious look, he fell to the floor when a beam of emerald magic blasted out of her horn and blew a smoking hole in his ceiling. Doctor Teddy hopped back up and glared at her just sitting there humming innocently, silently adding the repairs to the bill and continuing in a grumble.

"Not many know this, but some old world company stuffed toxic magical waste all over under the island. Between that, all the runoff from the fog factory, then the bombs lightin' it all up with rads, lots of the springs are poisonous enough to melt a hole through a normal pony's guts. Hold still an' quit kickin' ya goofy mare, lemme just.... WAAAAUGH!!!" The much more professional doctor hopped down as he explained, ending when he gave Vira's hindleg a tap with a rubber mallet and was sent flying when the limb spasmed out in a powerful kick in reflex.

"So she'll be ok? Go back to normal?" Nick asked in a relieved rush, helping the dazed physician up from the pile of empty whiskey bottles he landed in.

"Ugh... N-Not makin' any promises. Told you, ain't never had a patient like this one. I'd put caps on her makin' a full recovery though, just make her sleep it off." The doctor shook himself and rubbed his chest with a wince, grateful the big filly hadn't broken a few ribs. He yawned and turned to his small bedroom in the ancient managers office in the back, eyeing his unwelcome patients. "Speaking of which, I'm checkin' my patients and catchin' a little shuteye, still a few hours before the Last Plank really gets going. If that's all, it's 20 caps for the exam, plus my bottle Jar Head."

Since they appeared to be done, Vira hopped up and trotted to the restroom the doctor pointed out for her use while Nick settled the bill. He grumbled at hoofing over the caps for essentially being told to make her get some sleep, but the doc had given her a proper once over and used magic Nick had no access to. He was relieved enough that she should be fine that he wasn't that put out counting out the caps. He'd just count it under 'expenses' for the case when he returned to Ellie, hoping she wouldn't pry and give him an earfull about medical bills for drunken alicorns.

Jar Head tossed an amber bottle of Wild Pegasus to the doctor on his way past them, galloping off to check in on his wounded brother in the back. He was quiet, the soft murmur of conversation drifting from the cracked door, though it was nearly drowned out completely by the crashes and thumps coming from the tiny restroom nearby.

Facehoofing at Vira shaking the building and cursing, he shrugged when Jar Head came out with a confused look his way. "Don't look at me mac, guessing she's doing this for you to show off."

"Show off? Show off wha...aaaaaaaaAACK!" Jar's question was cut off when the door burst open, letting Vira come hopping out like a bunny on her hindlegs, fluttering up on her wingtips with each jump. She was grunting and pulling her black stockings on, not noticing the stunned stallion gaping up at the dark shadow of her rump, eclipsing his slack jawed face before she came down on top of him with a crash.

Vira blinked up from where she fell, floating her rich maroon shoes to her stocking clad hooves and straightening her matching trenchcoat. "Ow... I tripped-ed... Those things are very clingy and hard to get into, they feel even tighter too... Oh well! Where'd Jar go? I wanted him to see my pretty clothes!"

"Look down dollface..." Nick sighed at the goofy filly adjusting her hat, pointing down for her loopy eyes to follow the gesture between her hindlegs.

She gasped at the wriggling tail and hooves under her, turning to look behind her as she pranced up in a rush. Jar Head's deliriously happy face was unfocused and beet red when her soft rear came away, eventually whooping in a great breath of air as she picked him up in her magic and set him back to his hooves apologetically.

"OH! I'm super sorry Jar! I didn't realize I... a-are you ok? Why do you look like that?" Vira worried over the stallion swaying on his hooves, dusting him off with her wings and leaning down to his drooling face.

Looking up to the gorgeous filly fretting over him, Jar Head nodded slowly, taking in the alluring outfit she had crammed herself into with wonder. "F-Fine... Great... Fantastic... E-Er! I mean I'm ok Miss Vira! I just... Wow... you look amazing!"

Vira tilted her head curiously at all the interesting thoughts flowing off him, feeling a blush heat her cheeks to match Jar Head's as she saw herself through his eyes and nickered happily. He did think she looked pretty! Her lovely outfit was a success! He also seemed to have enjoyed getting smooshed under her (not fat!) rump for some reason... How curious...

Nick coughed loudly and shoved his way between the two bashfully giggling at each other, squishing Vira's warm cheeks in his hooves and dragging her lidded green eyes down to his yellow on black ones. "Alright, enough of that sweetheart. Thanks for your help kid, but I'll take care of her from here. Let's go assistant, hope there's room at the inn considering how overcrowded this burg is..."

"Nnnnn! I don't wanna sleep! I wanna go have more fun and drinks! I wuz havin' a nice date with Jar Head and he thinks such funny things... You said I should try out..." Vira whined and stamped her hooves in a tantrum as Nick dragged her back out to the docks, sticking her lower lip out in a pout to her employer shushing her.

"Ah-ah-ah! I said give regular bucks a chance and dip a hoof in to test the waters, not get hammered and cannonball right in! Make kissy faces all you want when you're sober, we need to find somewhere for you to sleep this off and hope you go back to normal..." Nick whinnied at the big filly's insistence, groaning at being made a chaperone for the naive mare.

When she stomped her hoof down and splintered the boards of the dock, she stopped being pulled along and wasn't moving anywhere if she didn't want to. "I. Don't. Wanna. Sleep. Yooooou could play with me instead Nick... AH! Or we could go see Longfellow! Yes! I wanna see Longfellow! Let's go fly to his land and visit!"

Nick yelped when her bright green telekinesis surrounded him and he floated up, bobbing along beside Vira as she spread her wings and flapped up from the docks with a smile. Only his frantic squirming and shouting managed to sink in, swimming through the air to hang off her neck and point back down to the nice, safe ground. "NO! No way are you cleared for takeoff assistant! Bad enough normally, not going along with a drunk pilot!"

Vira landed and slumped, scuffing the boardwalk and laying her ears back at the chuckles from passing harbor ponies. Jar Head trotted over and made her feel better though, raising a hoof to Nick hugging the creaking docks. "Er... If you wanted to go visit Longfellow Detective, I could take you across the bay real quick. I er... got a boat..."

"EEEE! You are a captain Jar? How wonderful! See Nick, Jar Head is a very nice buck who wants to help. We get to go see Longfellow! Eeeeee!" Vira squeeed and fluttered up with the poor buck crushed in a hug that threatened break him in half, though he looked like that was an ok way to go in his mind.

Turning his collar up and snorting, Nick sighed in defeat. "Alright dollface, you win. Your grumpy old pal will have somewhere for you to bunk down at least. Let's go mac, take us to your majestic vessel...."

"Ugh... not sure which is worse, flying or getting tossed around on this old tub..." Nick groaned and hung his head over the edge of the tiny boat, simultaneously glad he was incapable of vomiting, while wishing he could just toss his cookies and be done with it.

"Don't be a meanie Nick. I think it's a darling little boat Jar! I like it, it goes up and down and when I do this it gets really fun!" Vira tittered and grabbed the narrow sides of the rickety rowboat, flapping her wings and shaking the poor vessel back and forth.

"Urk..." Yep, Nick was leaning towards wishing he could puke alright...

"E-Easy Miss Vira! The Sequestria Pearl ain't much, but she is mine. Er... Mine an' my brother's anyway. Not exactly up to ridin' rough seas though, so take it easy on the poor girl." Jar Head yelped and tried to steady his puny little boat, returning to the oars when she wiggled in her seat at the stern and pouted.

"Sorry... I do like it though, you shouldn't be embarrassed about it." Vira read the slight shame darkening their captain's thoughts, stretching her neck to nuzzle at his knit cap and nibble his ears perking up in surprise.

It was a battered old ship peeling pale blue paint, the leaky bottom was cluttered with nets, fishing poles, spears, a battered old tacklebox alongside a wooden crate with a few sticks of dynamite, while a poorly maintained harpoon gun was slung on Jar Head's back when he had boarded. The short mast overhead bobbing back and forth looked like it was fashioned out of a candy cane striped lightpole and the furled sail was a patchwork collection of rags, while a lantern hanging from the bow lit the fog around them, leading the way.

The filly's cheery support did soothe his bruised ego, puffing up with pride and explaining even the tiny boat represented a degree of success on Fog Harbor. His brother Leather Neck and he had recovered it from a half collapsed boathouse on the other side of the island years ago, working on it in their free time when not out working on the bigger fishing boats when one of them could get hired on.

It wasn't much, but it was theirs, making them captains in their own right and masters of their own destiny. The captains of Fog Harbor pulled a lot of weight, Cap'n Berry was the leader of the town, but anypony that could call themselves captain got a vote on how things were done, and could even put their hat in the ring for the head job. They joked with each other with hopeful dreams of parleying the tiny boat into enough caps to take over a bigger one, working their way up in the world together. Chuckling at the dreams of a couple young bucks, Jar Head turned a bit somber thinking of his brother back in the Fog Harbor clinic. All the caps he earned would be going towards medical bills for awhile...

"I'm sorry about your brother... I wish I could have met him, but he actually needs ta sleep. Unlike me Nick! So quit thinkin' about it!" Vira tried to console her handsome captain on picking up his thoughts, turning to whinny at Nick silently hanging off the boat and weakly waving his tail in protest.

"Thanks Miss Vira, we're just lucky you was there to pull him over the wall. I'd rather him be laid up with the doc for awhile than dead, he's alive because of you. Course the only reason he's hurt ta begin with is the damn fog and those church assholes that tricked you into... umm... getting so tipsy... Ailing Levee is right, we should wipe them all out before they do it to us." Jar Head's earnest praise and slight hero worship of the stunning mare humming drunkenly to herself captured her attention, eliciting more of those nice tingly feelings before his thoughts turned dark again, seething at the Church of Balefire.

Nick groaned and sat up at that, straightening his tie and focusing on the case. "Sounds like they're not too popular back in town mac. The doc said this Ailing Levee is the weapon merchant? Think maybe Dr. Teddy was right and he's got a vested interest in stirring up trouble? What do those kooks have to do with the fog anyway?"

"They're nuts is what, they worship the stuff, want it to take over the whole island! One of those fanatics came preachin' out at the gates a few weeks back, screamin' that we were all goin' ta hell for runnin' the condensers that 'thwarted the will of the holy glow' or whatever. Said we should just shut em off and surrender ourselves to the Mother's will. I didn't like it at the time, but after hearin' how they done Miss Vira, I'm glad Mr. Levee shot that crazy bitch." Jar Head bent his back to the oars and huffed, grumbling a reply with a chilly feeling of anger that made even the loopy Vira lean away.

Checking his notes, Nick filled in some details and thought. He had heard rumors about a shooting that had stressed the relations between the Church and the Harbor ponies to the breaking point, having a few more details was useful. Nick hadn't particularly liked the palooka Vira had taken a liking to initially, but he didn't seem like he was trying to take advantage of her, he just caught her at a bad time. He still felt protective of his assistant, but the buck wasn't that bad he supposed. It was always good to cultivate contacts with the locals, as his offhooved muttering about the Church of Balefire proved.

"What's this about 'the Mother's will' pally? Wouldn't happen to have anything to do with this, would it?" Fighting with the squirming filly at his side, Nick managed to retrieve the weird wooden statue and held it up, noting the recognition in Jar Head's eyes before they looked away to the foggy waters.

"I was tellin' Vira, that's an old ghost story Detective. It's a local thing... Just... Don't let Longfellow see that statue, or say nothin' about no Mother of the Fog. Half the reason he hides out here by himself I think, he's actually a nice enough old buck, but after what happened... I don't blame him for being a hermit. Though I hear we've got you two to thank for changing that too. If it was anypony but Miss Vira, I wouldn't believe old Longfellow Steeds was actually takin' in refugees on his precious land." Jar's evasive answer shifted to a smile up to Vira, making her whinny with pride and beam back to the lovestruck buck.

It took her a minute to process what he said and shake off her dreamy blush, but her sparkling eyes shifted back to her crude wooden statue and she gasped, holding it up in her magic and shimmying those big flanks enough to rock the boat again to Nick's groans. "Longfellow knows my mother!? How wonderful! I bet he can find her, he is the bestest tracker on the island!"

With the shadowy shapes of Longfellow's wooded spit of land resolving out of the fog ahead, Jar Head slowed his rowing and shook his head sternly. Whatever this was about, it was enough for him to put his hoof down, even with the grinning mare giving him those bedroom eyes. "No Miss Vira, just trust me ok? Longfellow is the last pony you wanna ask about the Mother of the Fog. It... It'll hurt him if you do..."

Vira's ears went limp at the warning, her lip quivering as she read the hard truth to his words out of his head. "But... I want to see the mother again... I don't want to hurt Longfellow though... Why would it?"

Taking in Jar Head's helpless look over to him curiously, Nick decided to cover for the nervous buck and grill him once he managed to put down a fussy alicorn filly who didn't want to go to bed. "How about you let me talk to him about it Vira. You're a little too goofy still to be on the clock junior detective, leave it to your boss to handle this part of the case and get some rest."

"Ooookie dokie lokie... But I don't wanna sleep! If I'm not 'posed ta work, I wanna at least say hi to him! And show Jar Head around!" Vira drummed her hindlegs and whined as they drifted up to Longfellow's small dock on his sandy beach, making Nick glad their captain was so quick to hop out and hitch the poor boat up, holding a hoof out for Vira to come bounding out.

She had already pranced down the short dock and towards the weathered wooden steps leading up from the beach, turning back to flick her tail, happily pointing down the beach and babbling to herself. "Look! That is where I washed up Jar Head! Then Longfellow found me and took care of me! I don't know how he moved me though, at the time I was reeeeally..."

Nick hung back with Jar Head, letting the big filly's chatter fade to background noise as they took the opportunity to speak. Both of them looked over the otherwise empty dock and came to the same conclusion. "Don't look like he's here, huh mac?"

"Nope, he takes his rowboat out to some of his other hunting grounds sometimes though. He's usually back around dark, so he shouldn't be long. Umm... I can keep Miss Vira company and work on making her sleep it off if you want Detective." Jar Head shrugged to the green alicorn prancing in place with a sheepish smile, holding his hooves up in a 'what can you do' gesture that made Nick snort gruffly.

"Yeah, bet you're willing to make that sacrifice pally... She is a big girl and I ain't her keeper though, I'll let you finish your date with the silly dame. Provided you don't take advantage, and you tell me about this Mother of the Fog business once she finally passes out. It'll give me a chance to poke around and talk to some of these other ponies anyway. Deal?" Nick held a foreleg out and rolled his eyes at Jar eagerly returning the gesture, nodding crazily before dashing off to join Vira waiting on them.

Nick sighed and lit a cigarette as he trotted after them, absently hoping Vira wound up with one hell of a hangover to teach her a lesson. He did encourage her to spend time with other bucks instead of pining away for one male alicorn after all, so part of this was on him. If she was determined to fool around, there wasn't much he could do to stop her.

At least Jar Head seemed like a fairly upstanding young stallion, he worried for her and didn't act like he wanted to exploit her drunken state. Nick somewhat worried that the reverse wasn't true and he might end up with more filly than he could handle, but the few harbor ponies wandering about ahead were another source of information. The tension between the Church of Balefire and the residents of Fog Harbor was tickling his detective senses and needed to be investigated.

Vira was quite happy to see the hooffull of harbor ponies coming out to greet them, Prancing forward to introduce themselves and giddy that Longfellow had actually done as she asked. The old hermit had allowed the refugees of Fog Harbor to take shelter in his little pocket of land free of the fog overtaking the island.

It was mostly younger ponies, putting down their farming tools and trotting out from Longfellow's small fields of crops. A young adult, pale teal mare was tending a bubbling pot hung over a warm fire near his cottage. Floating a battered ladle back to the pot in her sea green magic, she blew her red and violet striped mane from her eyes and wiped her hooves on her dirty apron, looking between the outsiders warily until she spotted Jar Head half hidden by Vira's shadow.

Her dark blue eyes narrowed looking between the stallion and the alicorn, shaking her rich red mane and trotting right up. "Jar Head? What are you doing out this way? Who's your ...friend...?"

Vira had a hard time figuring out the chilly dislike flowing off the mare, it was directed her way and had something to do with Jar Head beside her, but it was a complicated feeling beyond her understanding. A little anger... some envy looking up and down at Vira's cute outfit and the curves under it... more anger at Jar Head, all carefully concealed under a disinterested huff.

Instead of blowing a gasket trying to puzzle over it, she held a dainty hoof out to the smaller mare and gave a crooked, friendly smile. "I'm Vira! Jar Head brought us here on his cute little boat so I could see Longfellow. He's my friend! I'm glad he let other ponies come here too, though you're not who I wanted to see. Who are you again?"

"Sea Kelp... Interesting company you're keeping Jar... Thought you were working on the Ocean Pearl for Barnacle Bill every minute you could spare for caps, but I see you've got enough to spend playing drinking games with big outsider fillies." The young unicorn mare returned Vira's giddy hoofshake coolly, glaring at Jar Head the whole time.

"I-It's not like that Kelpie! This is the detective that saved my brother the other day! I promised her a drink and... stuff happened... I uhh, I didn't know you were here, you were one of the ones Longfellow took in? Is Mossy here too?" Jar Head gulped at the intimidating mare nervously.

The younger dark brown filly bolting out from the fields managed to save him, galloping up and tackling Jar Head in a hug that put her between this Kelpie and Jar Head. "Jar! You came to visit us! Kelpie was mad that you didn't help us move and hadn't come yet, but I said you would! W-Who's the big pony? She's preeeeetty..."

Blinking down at the foal looking up to her with wide yellow eyes hidden under her blue and green mane, Vira closed her eyes in a beautiful grin, holding one long foreleg out to the filly shyly hiding behind Jar Head. "Hello little one! I'm Vira! I'm a detec-ative and friends with Longfellow! And Jar Head too! And this is my boss Nick, he's really nice!"

Nick chuckled as he trotted up, tipping his hat to the small gathering of ponies coming to watch the excitement of an alicorn showing up in front of Longfellow's cottage. "Pleasure to meet all of you folks. We were hoping for a place to bunk down and a chat with the old buck in charge."

Kelpie huffed at Vira dizzily nuzzling a blushing Jar Head, raising an eyebrow to the friendly synth and shrugging. "He's out hunting. Good luck talking to him or finding a place to rest, we're full up. Except his house of course, but nopony's allowed in there."

"Don't be silly! Longfellow lets me sleep on his couch and stay with him lots! Come on Jar Head, I'm booooored! I wanna show you around. Let's see... I washed up on the beach back there and Longfellow found-ed me! Then he let me stay in the barn first, it's this-a way!"

Vira picked up a bright flare of that unpleasant emotion baking off Kelpie again, cocking her ears listening to the low mutter of her thoughts and still not getting it. She shrugged and curled a wing over Jar Head's back, eliciting another sharp pang of that same feeling as she ushered her date off with a bounce in her step.

"Er... Forgive my assistant, she's not feeling herself today..." Nick scratched his pale neck and apologized to the young mare turning red and steaming as she watched them go.

He only hoped Kelpie would give Jar Head another reason to behave and fend off Vira's awkward advances. The old detective had none of the drunken alicorn's problems recognizing jealousy when he saw it.

"Hmm... well I stayed here in the barn to start, but it's all diferent-y now... I'm glad though!" Vira's tour had wound up at Longfellow's leaky old barn, standing in the mellow light spilling out of the tall doors and peering in at all the changes.

When she had woken up here, it smelled musty and the roof leaked, the wide open space was mostly empty too.... giving her room to recover when she was still overcharged much more than she was at the moment. She still felt a little embarrassed thinking about how big she had been, squinting at the cute little rainbow gauge on her pip-buck and reassured it was only hovering around the red-orange border.

She also hazily remembered her lust driven rampage that brought her to that oversized and wounded state, looking down to Jar Head beside her with a sleepy smile and warm blush. Being big hadn't been all bad... She might have lost control a little bit, but picturing the things she had wanted to do with the male at the time with the handsome buck with her now instead was most entertaining.

A colt excusing himself to squeeze past the majestic mare standing in front of the doors brought her back to the present and she pranced back, smiling at the foal galloping off to an older mare throwing her forelegs wide to catch him in a hug. His mother... mother's were wonderful...

She was on her own by the thoughts Vira absently picked up, just the mother and child against the world, making her glad they had found a new home in Longfellow's barn and had a chance. One of the dusty and long unused stalls for brahmim wasn't exactly high class living in Tenpony Tower, but they were together and safe. Their meager possessions were stashed in the little stall, they had a bedroll each and threadbare but warm looking blankets. Compared to the memories still close to the surface of the mother's mind of their time subsisting on the chilly and damp docks of Fog Harbor, the barn was as much a refuge for them as it had been for Vira herself when she needed it.

They weren't the only ones either, each of the old stalls was now a small room for a pony or two, most thinking thoughts not far removed from the mother and child. They were grateful for a place to lay their heads in safety, for the warm fire burning in a barrel in the center of the barn, the blankets, food, the staticky radio playing soft music, even the work on Longfellow's land that left them tired but proud.

Vira still found it difficult to puzzle these thoughts out as she strolled in the moonlight through Longfellow's spread, returning to giddily pointing out the sites of all her misadventures. She was grateful the spindly apple tree she nearly bucked down had survived, laughing with Jar Head over the mistake and being careful not to stomp on any more crops.

She raised a wing to the repaired shingles of Longfellow's cottage as they approached, proudly pointing out the repairs she had succeeded in helping with. Jar Head paused at the threshold when Vira simply flung the door open and trotted in, looking back to the refugee ponies watching anxiously. Nopony was allowed in Longfellow's cabin, but this strange filly barged right in like she owned the place...

"Umm... you sure we should be in here when Longfellow's not here Miss Vira? Doesn't seem right... I don't mind just walkin' around. M-Maybe you could find somewhere to take a little nap?" Jar Head tried once again to get through to the stubborn mare, hesitantly trotting over to the couch she fell back into like an old friend, patting the cushions beside her rump taking up most of the real estate.

It was a bit of a squeeze that put him in direct contact with the filly fluttering her eyelashes down at him, tapping his hooves together nervously as she tittered laughter. "Of course! Longfellow let me sleep right here, which is why it's all smooshed and comfy now. Not that I wanna sleep though! I'm having fun, I like you Jar! This has been a fun date thingy, I see why the male and Nick kept saying they were important. Keep talking with your mouth and telling me things, I like that lots! I used to just suck it all outta pony's heads, but this is nicer."

Jar Head didn't understand a lot of things the strange alicorn said, but found her interesting and alluring, enjoying their time together as much as she said she had. Any stories he could come up with seemed paltry and insignificant compared to the exotic alicorn and her wild tales of distant Trotson though, leaving him to twist his knit cap in his hooves and think. Something made even harder by those sparkling green eyes watching him so expectantly.

"Well... Like what Miss Vira? My life's pretty boring, t-till you showed up anyway. I work with the fishing crews when I can. You already saw my boat which is basically the most interesting thing about me. When the fog's not so bad, I scavenge the island when I can't get hired on. All pretty dull, see?" Jar Head's ears drooped as he muttered in response, feeling insignificant and ordinary compared to the stunning mare next to him.

His eyes hung on her stocking clad hindlegs crossing demurely, shaking his head to pay attention to her giggle. "It's neat to me! I never fished before or anything, so it's just a matter of perspecta-tive. Hmmm... what about that fussy mare outside? You know her and the little filly?"

"Huh? Oh, Kelpie? Y-Yeah, her and her sister Mossy are old friends. Me and my brother have known Kelpie since we were all foals. We all lost our folks during another bad fog year, so we ended up together. She was always the mom of the group, so she can't help being all responsible and crabby sometimes." Jar scratched his mane with a soft smile talking about his friend, remembering a lifetime together fondly as he spoke.

Vira blinked and leaned closer, tilting her head curiously. "Oh? Is she your special somepoooony?"

"W-What!? C'mon Miss Vira, d-don't make fun! I told you, we're old friends is all. Her and Mossy are like sisters! She'd never... I mean..." Jar Head's nervous jabbering was shushed with one of Vira's long feathers pressing against his lips, forcing him to look up to the tall mare leaning over him with a smile curling her muzzle.

"Ah... That's good then! I'm not very good at figuring things like that out, so I wasn't sure. But if she's nooooot..." Jar gulped at the big filly floating her wide hat aside, shaking her flowing mane loose as her hoof came up to the buttons of her trenchcoat and exposed the silken green fur of her chest.

Her honeyed voice cooed as her wings stood up, kept from reaching her full wingspan by the tiny couch and cottage cramping her, but still putting on an impressive display. "If she's not and you don't have a special somepony, it's ok to do things with you... Like a test! Nick said I should, and I like you... There's lots of other things I've never done besides singing and fishing, but I wanna try stuff, before I find the male...."

Anytime Vira mentioned this 'the male' she talked about sometimes, her eyes grew lidded and soft, while her ears drooped, a cute display that suddenly looked a lot more seductive and serious to the gulping buck gaping up at her. He gave a very unmasculine squeak when her muzzle darted forward, her soft lips pressing against his with a rumbling moan.

She grabbed the hoofrest behind him and pressed her weight down, pinning him in place as she broke off the kiss to let him gasp, smacking her lips thoughtfully and looking up in consideration. "Hmm... Yes, kisses are nice alright! I want more!"

Not that he had much say in the matter, but Jar didn't mind one bit when she dove forward again and repeated the breathless kiss. This time he wasn't so surprised, returning it with his tongue pressing against hers to a surprised mumble. She seemed hesitant and awkward at first, like she had never kissed a buck before. She was a quick study however, her tongue pulled back in surprise, then danced with his playfully.

His hooves roaming up her long sides made her wings flutter excitedly, knocking pictures from the walls and lifting her up to press him into the couch further, then pulling away to let him breathe and nuzzling his cheek with a purr. "Oh... Yes, very nice! This is good practice! What now? Ah! We need a bed!"

Groaning at all that soft, warm filly suddenly fluttering up and prancing about the cottage, Jar Head tried to get fight back the warm fog clouding his eyes. She was drunk dammit, he was just supposed to get her to sleep! Though she did say 'bed', that was good for sleeping, right?

"Duh... b-bed? Hey, wait up Miss Vira! Where are you running off to, I thought you said you slept on the couch!" Jar's yelp went mostly ignored, forcing him to follow her weaving course through the cottage and gulping at her giddy reply.

"Bed! That is how it's done, right? For mating? Longfellow's room is just back here and he haz a nice big one! Lots of room to try stuff!" Vira cantered down the short hallway, turning to the left at the still somewhat cleaner bathroom she had burned a lot of magic to sanitize, then pausing at Longfellow's open door and wrinkling her nose. "Ewww... I just cleaned all this up, but he already made it all messy and stinky again! I don't wanna fool around in there..."

"H-Hold on Miss Vira! I don't think Longfellow would appreciate you usin' his bed for that anyway! A-And I don't think we should be doin' anything to begin with! W-We could umm... k-kiss a little more I guess... but no bed, so no umm... Wait!" Jar wiped the sweat from his brow in short lived relief, yelping when Vira spun around and shoved open the opposite door.

She vaguely remembered this door was another bedroom, but had never been inside it. It was off limits for some reason she couldn't remember. She wasn't sure why though, and found what she wanted anyway. It was indeed a smaller bedroom, actually neat and tidy, if a bit dusty. It was a foal's room, she spotted faded crayon drawings done in a child's scrawl she pranced in to peer at curiously.

It was a family picture of a sea green pegasus with a coral pink mane, a pale blue stallion with a purple and grey beard, and a tiny dark green pegasus fillly with a pale blue and lilac mane in pigtails, beside a brown and white blob with a red... necklace? Ah, a collar.. a pet by its size and position, but the foal wasn't talented enough to distinguish what kind, not surprising as it was signed with a loopy scrawl of crayon reading; 'EmEraLd FLash - Age 5'. Looking around at the sunny yellow room, Vira inspected the toys scattered about, the chipped white paint on the small chest of drawers, the closet of little outfits.

The bed was still the focus of her loopy interest however, she flapped her wings and pounced on the tiny bed, bouncing on the musty quilt and grabbing a stuffed dragon to cuddle with from the pile of its fellows by the pillows. She leaned back against the wall, squeezing the toy in her forelegs and making it clear she wanted Jar Head to take its place, putting on her 'sultry' look as she had been taught and licking her lips.

Her wings had room to flare out against the wall behind her and her tail flicked between her drumming hindlegs. Her emerald magic surrounding herself to tug away her silky pink scarf and undo the remaining buttons and belt of her maroon coat, putting on the most provocative display she knew how and giving an impatient whinny.

"This will do... Come on Jar, I wanna try stuff! If kissing was that nice, I bet other things are even better. I need to try stuff out so I'll be good when I find the male. I wanna be reeeeeally good and impress him! Don't you want to teach me? You're thinkin' lots of things I'd like to tryyyyy-ieeee" Vira purred and cooed to the stunned buck, cheating a bit by tickling his mind with hers, enhancing those curious urges she wanted to explore racing behind his amber eyes as she bounced in place.

Between the silky whisper of her thoughts in his head and the view of all those frilly, black silk under garments her friends in Stable 118 had given her, Jar Head took a shaking step into the room, his throat making an audible click when he swallowed nervously and stalked towards the big filly sprawled out before him.

This was bad... he knew it was bad... he knew what this room had to be and knew he shouldn't be in here, definitely shouldn't do what she wanted... but all that gorgeous green alicorn fidgeting impatiently was a siren call he was having a hard time resisting.

"What in tarnation is going on here! What are you doing in... who the fuck! What are you... VIRA!!! You leave her alone and git! GET OUT!!!" The gravelly roar and whistling hoof punching the back of his head broke the spell Jar Head was under, falling to the floor and looking back to a furious Longfellow Steeds standing in the doorway.

"H-Hold on Mac! You don't understand, she's not exactly..." Nick called from the living room, his hoofsteps galloping in and trying to defuse the situation.

Vira blinked, her focus shifting immediately from what she had wanted to her friend finally showing up. "Longfellow!! Helloooooo! I looked all over for you! I'm happy to see you!"

"VIRA! Cover yourself girl! What in the hell do you think you're doing in here! You can't be sittin' there lookin' like some cheap filly down on the docks! You shouldn't be here at all dammit!!! I TOLD ALL OF YOU NOSY BASTARDS! NOPONY GOES IN THIS ROOM!!!!" Longfellow was torn between a strange paternal feeling on catching Vira sprawled out in her nickers and beckoning a young buck to her, and a red rage that made the psychic alicorn flinch back from its fury.

There was so much information flashing behind Longfellow's furious glare, so much hurt and hate... so much sadness... With her defenses weakened by the -up until now- pleasant buzz in her head, Vira reeled under the onslaught. Feeling so much anger directed at her, mixed in with that funny warmth Longfellow felt towards her, a sting of betrayal and pain that just added to his fury and shamed her, Vira swayed in place and clenched her eyes shut, rubbing between her eyes and whining.

"I-I'm sorry L-Longfellow...I.. didn't mean... I... Why do you feel so... w-what is all this... a filly? Your wife? I... nnngh.... t-think I s-should take that nap after all Nick... My head hurts..." Vira fought against the spring water still sloshing in her tummy, trying to keep out the torrent of thoughts and feelings pouring off Longfellow and losing the battle.

She moaned weakly and fell to the tiny bed, her head sinking among all the stuffed animals as everything went dark.

Nick and Jar Head remained silent, retreating to the hall and waiting on the shaking old buck to say something in response to her soft snores. Nick caught the glimmer of tears falling into his beard when he finally took an unsteady step forward, approaching Vira half sprawled on the foal's sized bed in complete silence.

Longfellow gently shoved her hindlegs up to the mattress, shuddering and weeping as he stretched his neck to pick at the old quilt in his teeth, pulling it over her sleeping form tenderly. Tucking her in like a very big filly, he moved to her furrowed brow and kissed her horn, tears clearly spilling from his beard to her flushed cheek.

Nick's hopes that whatever mistake his wandering assistant had made were forgiven were shattered when Longfellow wheeled on him and Jar Head at the door. Longfellow's long lever action rifle was in his hooves in a flash, a smoking hole blown through the wall directly between Nick and Jar's heads.

He snarled in the echoing silence, his brown eyes bloodshot and shrunk to hard dots. "Git out. Right now..."

Both of them took the advice without a word, the door slamming shut behind them as they ran down the hall, galloping through the living room and back out to the porch, not stopping until they hit the firelit yard and all the concerned ponies gaping at the source of all the shouting and gunshot echoing into the night.

Nick felt bad leaving Vira behind like that, but given the monumental fuck up she and Jar Head had somehow managed, he wasn't going to argue with the old buck in his own home, at least not until he cooled down. He panted and glared over to the sweaty, shivering buck beside him for now, choosing to blame him along with himself for letting Vira wander off with him.

"W-What the fuck was that!? What did you two do! Gah, not sure I even want to know what you did actually, considering what I walked in on there. But what the hell was that all about!? The old buck was grumpy, but not crazy last I saw him!" Nick fumed and growled, lighting a cigarette and drawing on it angrily.

The sad look Jar Head returned once he stopped cringing and caught his breath just took Nick by surprise. His voice a hoarse whisper, "S-Sorry Detective, I tried to stop her but... He's in his right to be mad, we're lucky he didn't blow our brains out actually..."

"What?! Why!? What the hell was with that kiddy room and why'd it set him off?" Nick gaped in confusion, stamping his synthetic hooves trying to get a straight answer.

The young buck's eventual pained reply dried up Nick's annoyance, stunning the synth detective into eerie silence shared by all the onlookers giving matching sad looks. "You wanted to know about the Mother of the Fog Detective... She's, She was... Longfellow's wife..."

--------------------Level Up!------------------

New Perk Added!-----------------

Unstoppable Mare--------
---You're a big filly that knows how to swing her hooves around! Be it cowering enemies, walls, furniture, or pieces of the landscape, everything falls before your might! Your hoof to hoof and melee weapon attacks do 4x damage through enemy blocks.

Reputation Change!-----------------------

Church of Balefire (Fog Harbor Chapter) -- Accepted
---Successfully passing the initiation ritual and even receiving a vision of the Mother of the Fog has opened the gates of the Cantrip for you. When you next visit the cultists, you should be welcomed with open hooves and able to get back to the case.

Fog Harbor -- Liked
--- You've had a positive effect on the grim harbor town thanks to your adventures! The robots of Stable 118 are making contact and even Longfellow has accepted a few refugees from the fog. Things are sure to improve and everypony in Fog Harbor knows who to thank. You may never be accepted as a local, but you're one of the good outsiders and will find the standoffish residents a bit more friendly, especially after your song and dance lifting their spirits!

Ch. 8-- Best Left Forgotten

"So you're here for an extra long visit? You can stay in your old room, punkie wunk! It's just like you left it!"

Vira found herself standing with a much younger Longfellow Steeds, watching the slightly brighter blue stallion pace the beach she had washed up on and mutter to himself, throwing anxious glances up towards his cottage, then returning to pacing a trench in the sand, scratching his purple and grey beard as he went.

"Longfellow? L-Longfellow I'm sorry, you told me not to enter that room and I did... I was feeling very funny and.. that's no excuse, but I do apologi... Longfellow?" Vira waved a hoof in front of his face, figuring out what was going on when the trotting buck simply walked right through it and continued.

"A memory? Why... I must be asleep. All those feelings, the intensity and feedback from your reaction... I am seeing what you thought about..." Vira puzzled it out, turning with the younger stallion to look out at the sea when he gasped.

The pinkish grey haze was thick, made even more oppressive by the solid ceiling of dark clouds overhead. Vira hadn't seen skies like this since the Day of Sunshine and Rainbows... Judging by Longfellow's young age, that wasn't all that surprising now that she was able to think about things clearly. What caught his attention was a rather rare sight outside of places like the Everfree Forest in those days, a ragged patch in the clouds let the fiery colors of sunset peek through, the brilliant view in all this grey getting the pacing Longfellow to pause and stare.

Through the limited window, they watched as the sun sank to the waters of the Celestial Sea, reaching the horizon and nearly lost behind it. The last glimmers of Goddess Celestia's fire were swallowed by the waters, disappearing with a bright green flash that made both Vira and the ghost of Longfellow beside her gasp.

The sound of a newborn foal's cries coming with the strange phenomena tore their gaze away, Longfellow yelped and ran for the cottage and the shrill cry, forcing Vira to canter after him when the beach faded and became insubstantial beneath her hooves. This was his memory, when Longfellow left the beach, he didn't have any more memories of it. She had to stay with him and the roving spot of awareness that followed him.

Rushing into a much neater and tidier cabin, Vira followed his mad gallop down the hall and to his own room, bursting in on an old stallion in a dirty lab coat packing his leather doctor's bag. The elderly unicorn grinned and nodded to Longfellow's big bed, the weary looking seafoam green pegasus mare lying there gave a weak smile back, staring back with sparkling blue eyes under her sweaty and bedraggled pink mane.

The squirming, squalling bundle of blankets in her hooves wriggled as she held it up slightly, nuzzling the screaming green face poking out as she spoke in a hoarse whisper. "C-Congratulations Longfellow, meet your daughter..."

Longfellow's face paled at the words, he reached up with shaking hooves and pulled off the battered white captains hat he wore instead of his knit one. Taking a shaking step forward, he came close to the proud new mother and her infant, gulping after kissing her cheek when he looked down at their baby. "D-Daughter.. I'm a dad..."

Seeing the small family together in a tight little huddle made Vira's heart flutter. Here was all her mother ever wanted for her children... To create the small miracle cradled in their hooves, to form families of their own, be prosperous and multiply... The three of them struck a chord with her, looking between them and sharing in their soft smiles. Mother, Father, Daughter... the words rang in her mind with feelings of happiness and longing.

This was everything Vira wanted for herself, why she was so focused on finding the male alicorn... Not just because he was her only option to create her own little filly or colt as her mother wanted, but because of those warm emotions forming a cocoon around the three before her. It was a a shield better than any Vira could cast herself, one that made the world outside of it and all its horrors fall away, powered not by magic, but love... a family.

"Yes you are dear, I suppose they'll let any fool be one these days huh? So? What do you think, did you figure out a name in all that pacing while you were totally not hiding, my big, brave captain?" The mare, Ocean Breeze... Longfellow's wife... giggled tiredly at Longfellow poking at the whining little bundle and cooing.

"A-Actually yes, told ya I just needed to step out and have a think about it is all, don't look so surprised. I saw something even a skeptic like me is willin' ta take as a sign from the Goddesses. How about... E-Emerald Flash?" Longfellow answered with a defensive snort, smiling as he stroked the tuft of blue and violet mane sticking up from the foal's head.

"Oh, that's lovely dear... Definitely worth the wait. Emerald Flash... our little filly..." Ocean Breeze's words echoed as everything faded and swirled away, the memory ending with such feelings of love and hope it made Vira's heart ache.

-------------oo00oo--------------

"So that old codger had a wife and kid?" Nick glanced up from the fire several settlers were huddled around, looking to the dark cottage and total silence that had reigned since Longfellow's fit.

He wasn't too worried that he'd hurt Vira, given what he knew of the old buck and how his assistant got along with him, but he couldn't help worrying. Returning to the local stallion that helped create this fiasco, Nick gestured with his hoof for Jar Head to continue the story, wanting to know just how concerned he should be.

"A long time ago, yeah... Longfellow used to be one of the most prominent Captains in Fog Harbor, could'a taken the top spot if he ever wanted it actually. My ma was the same age as their filly and was friends with her, so we were always kinda friends of the family. She told me all about it, since she was one of the few ponies Longfellow would tolerate coming by. I tried to keep it up after she died and he helped us out here and there, but he just got worse over the years." Jar Head sighed sadly, shrugging back and looking from the detective to the other islanders nodding along.

The stern looking mare Sea Kelp made a point of sitting at his side closely, raising a hoof and speaking in a whisper. "Most everypony knows the story, but we don't talk about it. Especially with outsiders... But if your ...assistant... in there set him off, you should know I guess. Why it's important not to bring this shit up when he finally let a few of us stay here. I swear if you fucked this up Jar..."

"I didn't know she was gonna do that Kelpie! I t-tried to tell her going in there was bad... it's just she..." Jar Head blushed furiously trying to explain what had happened yet again to the irate mare, without really getting into the specifics of being seduced by a drunken alicorn.

"You two lovebirds can squabble over what started this all you want later. Right now I'd appreciate getting clued in mac. I don't see no grandkids runnin' around, so I'm betting something happened and it wasn't them going to the mainland for a vacation to Sparkle World. I need to be worried he's gonna go completely crazy in there and try to hurt my hoofull of an assistant or himself?" Nick broke up the back and forth between them before it got started, making Jar Head cough and sputter at the synth detective calling things like he saw them concerning the mare glowering at him.

Flinching away from Kelpie's hard stare, Jar Head shook his head and picked up the story. "N-No! I mean... I don't think so. It's a sad story Detective, why nopony has really blamed Longfellow for hiding out on his land since then and not having anything to do with us. We might not gossip to outsiders much, but ponies on the harbor do talk. A juicy ghost story about the Mother of the Fog is one of those things that they don't forget or let go away either. From the story my ma told me, it all started with their pet dog..."

-------------oo00oo--------------

"Higher poppa! Higher!" Vira's mouth opened to speak her part in the latest memory, tears streaming behind her along with her whipping mane as she felt a dutiful shove at her back, soared higher on the odd swing composed of a rotting old tire and a rope.

Her much smaller wings fluttered behind her in joy she shared with the filly in Longfellow's memories. As the images and feelings had swirled from one memory to the next, she found herself more and more often inhabiting the role of Longfellow's daughter as Emerald Flash got older. Like the experiences contained in a memory orb, she was just a passenger filling a long past role, in this case melding with Longfellow's memories playing out before her.

Looking down at herself as she took an ungainly leap and flapped her little wings in a blur, only to crash in the bushes, Vira could understand. Both why she found herself taking the filly's place, and why Longfellow could have such paternal feelings for her in the real world. She was a gangly little green filly, the lilac in the blue mane falling into her eyes matched the streak in Vira's flowing dark one. Emerald was missing a horn which felt odd... but otherwise they looked similar enough to feel comfortable.

Her perspective also let her experience something she had never known, a father's love... There were plenty of memories where the kind pegasus mare Ocean Breeze now trotting up was present and just as caring, but these were Longfellow's memories and focused on his bond. Years of recollections had flashed by; bedtime stories, games of hide and seek, being made to eat yucky vegetables, getting in trouble and seeing that disappointed frown on Longfellow's bearded face, dressing up for Nightmare Night and singing Hearth's Warming carols, hundreds... thousands of hugs, kisses, nuzzles, playful hoofbumps and corrective swats to the flank... A life, Vira got to see what it was like to be born and raised a normal pony, reminded dimly of vague memory fragments of her own she had buried and forgotten long ago.

"But where'd Scraps go poppa?" Vira's mouth moved again, this time staring at a weathered wooden cross and a mound of fresh earth.

Vira felt a stab of sadness sitting between Longfellow and Ocean Breeze giving her sad, helpless looks. The foal she inhabited in the memory might not understand, but the beaten red leather collar hanging on the grave was enough for Vira to work it out. The filly's dog... the dog Longfellow had found as a pup after killing its feral mother, brought back to his daughter's squeals of gratitude and delight.

The alicorn had gotten to know the cute little animal and it was too adorable to not form some attachment to, even through mere flashes of memory. Scraps and Emerald were constant companions, the filly and the scruffy brown and white puppy explored all over the woods and beaches together. Now Longfellow remembered the day he buried the brave pooch with regret and remorse tinging the sky of the imagery.

"Damn Fog Hopper sweetheart... All my fault lettin' the thing sneak in, not watchin' close enough... but Scraps did for me. You remember how he protected you and got bit? T-That made him sick and... a-and..." Longfellow's hard face wavered and cracked, his brown eyes getting watery trying to explain death to his little filly.

"And he had to go away for awhile. But someday you'll see him again... He'll be waiting with the Goddesses and so happy to see you!" Ocean Breeze lied for her husband, stroking Vira's cheek with her own teary eyes hid under her curly pink mane.

The memory changed again and now Vira was herself again, standing beside Longfellow bucking pieces of deadfall from the forest into his rickety cart. The fog beyond the fence of condensers marching off into his wooded bit of land was thick and swirled against the barrier, a bad year by the echo of Longfellow's memories.

"I found more this way poppa!" Emerald's high pitched voice came over a rise, full of excitement over helping.

Time hadn't moved forward much, taking the filly out with him to do his chores had been an attempt to fill her time that she had normally played with the lost dog. It was also spending time together and giving the growing filly more responsibilities and freedom, though he didn't like losing sight of her.

The younger Longfellow leaned down and picked another bit of wood up in his teeth, shouting a deep voiced reply around it. "That's nice Emmy, but come on back here and help deal with what's on our line already."

"Scraps?" The curious yell of the filly was even further away, that and what she said causing a sliver of icy fear. She squealed happily from further still and Longfellow scrambled free of his harness at the retreating yell of, "Scraps! There you are! Wait for me silly!"

"No, no, no, no..." Vira ran right alongside the puffing buck breaking into a dead run, sharing the sensation of that chilly sliver turning into a dagger of fear to his heart when he crested the rise. One of the condensers was flickering weakly, allowing a tendril of dense fog to spill through the barrier. "FUCK! NO! EMERALD!! GiT BACK HERE!"

The world was swallowed up in pinkish grey as Longfellow charged directly through the fence. Even knowing these were all events that happened long ago, Vira shivered in fear too, sharing Longfellow's thoughts and feeling the necromantic mist crawling over them. It was a bad patch, the worst of the worst... one of those drifting bastards that moved like it had an evil will of its own, and it had his daughter.

They ran as fast as they could, avoiding trees looming up out of the fog with well practiced grace, stopping at the least little muffled sound hidden by the mist and flicking their ears together, then charging off in a new direction. Longfellow knew all the fog's tricks, shutting it out from latching on to the terror he felt, ignoring the way it made sound echo and mislead, avoiding its swirling depths hiding pitfalls.

Another giggle of, "Poppa? I found Scraps! C'mere you silly puppy!" sent him flying towards it, recognizing the slippery stone under his hooves and screaming himself raw. "EMERALD ESMERALDA FLASH, STOP THIS INSTANT!! DON"T LISTEN!'

"Wait up Scraps! You heard Poppa, we gotta go homeeeeEEEEE!" The much closer and clearer voice called back, the sadistic fog wanted him to hear now... Hear how it ended on a fading scream with a sudden stop...

He ran past the point he knew he should stop, dropping to his belly and skidding over sharp stone that tore through his coat and hide, to the edge of the cliff overlooking the rocks and crashing waves below. Longfellow held on by his bleeding belly and hindlegs only out of instinct, had he been capable of any kind of thought on seeing the bright red and dark green spot tossed limply in the foam below, he would have just let go.

As it was, he screamed. He screamed and screamed with a noise like the end of the world, the intensity of his grief and pain shattering the dream world around them, leading to darkness.

-------------oo00oo--------------

"That's a damn shame... all too common even in places without evil weather patterns too. No wonder the old buck freaked out finding you two fooling around in there..." Nick sighed wearily after getting the tale, scratching at his battered notebook without much feeling.

The fire had burned low and the shadows on the young mare Kelpie's face looked haggard and angry when she replied, agreeing with Nick by smacking Jar Head upside the head with her hoof. "Exactly... Outsider floozies like her might not know no better, but you sure as hell did Jar. What the hell were you even thinkin'!"

"Er... I wasn't thinking that much, heheh... s-sorry!" Jar Head flinched and gave a hasty answer that only earned him more smacks.

"That explains Longfellow, but not how he was married to this Mother of the Fog ghosty. Guessin' there's a little left to the story?" Nick's sleuthing trained mind already had a good idea where this was going, but he needed to hear it all now.

-------------oo00oo--------------

Eventually, other memories faded in and out of the darkness. A tiny coffin buried beside the faded cross with the dog collar, islanders offering their condolences that meant nothing, gloomy days where the rain drizzled in the silent and empty home robbed of all the filly's light and life. Longfellow and his wife appeared in these, but they were ghosts, even all the emotional context Vira normally felt from memories like this was a dead drone of nothing, emptiness...

Through it all Vira sobbed, crying for the two ponies who didn't have any tears left she saw flit by. Eventually recognizing slight changes when the images paused at a more solid memory. The bleary eyed Longfellow was sitting at the cozy little dining table Vira herself had eaten at, having a liquid dinner and eying the door to the cottage and the darkening twilight outside angrily.

The wraith that finally trudged her way in made Vira gasp and cry again, his wife Ocean breeze looked worse than he did... The sodden mess of her dirty mane falling nearly to the floor hid her sunken eyes. She dragged her mud splattered hooves, making a weak attempt at shaking the rain from her unkempt wings and losing a feather or two in the process. The gesture also gave a glimpse of her clearly defined ribs on her narrow chest, she looked like a walking corpse... Though she wasn't a ghoul, merely a mother who had lost everything.

She sat in the chair opposite Longfellow, keeping her head down and simply staring at the bowl of stew waiting there blankly. Her mane and tail dripped a spreading puddle beneath her, prompting Longfellow to finally slur out to fill the silence. "Eat Ocean."

Her sunken eyes never moved up to recognize him, but her hoof did finally rise at a glacial pace, fumbling at a spoon and shoveling a bite to her cracked and filthy muzzle, taking direction and chewing like a broken down old robot. Watching her at least put something in her mouth, Longfellow took a long swig from an amber bottle, draining it and tossing it out to join the numerous empties littering the much dirtier cottage.

Dragging another bottle across the table, Longfellow cracked the top and took another drink, letting his wife eat until the spoon clinked away after a few bites, then glowering at her staring at nothing again. "You have to eat Ocean, I know it's hard, but if yer gonna go out wanderin' around all day for no reason, ya gotta keep yer strength up."

"Find her..." A small, cracked voice drifted up in response, tinging the memory with a wave of anger flowing off Longfellow rising to lean over the table on his forelegs.

"She's gone! Ain't nothin' out there in that fog but evil an' misery that'll eat you up too if'n it can! Ya ain't findin' shit but a slow way to die out there Ocean! She's dead and buried and ya need ta find a way ta deal wit' it!" Longfellow snorted in a rage that trailed off into sadness, realizing it all over again and biting back a tear.

Ocean's cracked hoof reaching up and tipping over another liquor bottle to smash to pieces on the floor just brought that anger back with her gravelly whisper in reply. "Like you?"

Vira cringed when the young Longfellow flipped the whole table her way in a rage, the furniture passing through her harmlessly as he stomped through the vacated space and got right up in his wife's face, holding her sunken cheeks up and shaking her bedraggled mane away from her dead eyes.

"You think I don't feel like fuckin' dying too!? It was my fault! She was with me! I got her the damn dog ta begin with! Should'a told her it was dead and gone! Or maybe should'a let you teach her to fly a little better! Or just never let her get outta my sight! But she's gone Ocean! She ain't out there waitin' in the fog for you to find her! Emerald. Is. Dead." Longfellow panted and let her go, dropping to his hooves and slowly softening his glare at his wife curling in on herself and weeping.

"N-Neither one of us is doing too good love, I need to stop drinkin' and you need to stop... stop lookin'... We gotta help each other an'... a-and move on... It's what she'd want. M-Maybe I could take up Semper Fi and his family's offer of... h-help... Just a little mind ya, but... spendin' some time with his wife and kids would probably do you some good dear, they miss Emerald too, that filly of theirs especially. W-We'll get through this together somehow, someday we can even... t-try again..." Speaking sadly and struggling for sobriety, Longfellow gave his slouching wife a hopeful look at her weak nod, not recognizing it as a flinch at his mention of 'trying again' someday.

Bucking the table back in place and stroking her mane, Longfellow nuzzled her damp cheek and nodded out to the door. "T-Then how about I do that right now and you get some rest? Bet I can catch em in town now, we'll bring 'em back and get things cleaned up, how would that be darlin'?"

Taking in another weak nod, Longfellow stroked her back on his way to the door, shrugging into his rain slicker and captain's hat. He turned back one last time, what Vira could read from his memories truly was the last time... The last time Longfellow had seen his wife, slumped in her seat with her back to him, a wet, miserable mare staring at nothing.

The memory faded away entirely when he left the cottage, leaving Vira to cry in the cold, empty darkness that was left. For all the love and feelings of family she had drank in through the vantage of their daughter, the empty shell that was left after she was gone was all the lonelier, reminding her of when her mother the Goddess had left her children and how lost she had felt then.

-------------oo00oo--------------

Reaching the end of the sad tale, Nick lit a cigarette and blew a long plume out to mingle with the smoke of the campfire as he thought. No wonder the old buck had lost it. It was one more sad story in the wasteland, but Nick never got used to them. Part of being an old world pony underneath all the plastic hide and fancy arcano-tech guts.

"So, his wife turned into this... Mother of the Fog pony? How exactly?" He finally asked, looking between the fearful looks from the harbor ponies when he spoke of their old ghost story.

Kelpie snorted and picked up the story for Jar Head scratching his mane, rolling her blue eyes tiredly. "Outsiders... don't know nothin'... The fog Mister Detective, the fog here is evil case you ain't figured it out yet."

"Er... yeah, so I've been told... That's kind of a catch all statement though. You're saying she just left one day and has been out there wandering in it ever since doll?" Nick replied, arching a disbelieving eyebrow to the young mare.

Still looking pretty sheepish, Jar Head hushed her and continued softly. "The fog messes with ponies out in it, those that stay too long like the Trappers all go crazy Nick. Longfellow's wife... something else happened to her... For a long time, everypony just figured she died out there like she wanted, joined her filly ya know... But then stories started comin' in about a ghost out there, a pegasus that was like part of the fog itself. She wasn't crazy like the Trappers tryin' ta kill anypony she saw, a-actually helpful sometimes... but spooky. Foals especially would see her, but every once in awhile she'd lead somepony lost in the fog back home, or whisper from the edges of their camps before monsters came. All the stories and the way ponies like to tell 'em though... it got to Longfellow. Folks laughin' behind his back at his crazy wife goin' out in the fog and haunting the island... He stopped comin' around, except to trade or to drink."

Sea Kelp's sleepy sister Mossy Bark muttered quietly in the silence after Jar finished, adding to the story from a foal's perspective. "Kelpie always said not ta go out in the fog alone, or the Mother of tha Fog would come get me and take me away..."

Kelpie sputtered and blushed in shame, shushing her sister and shrugging sadly. "I-It's an old mare's tale nowadays... she heard it from other kids too... and it is a good way to scare 'em into not gettin' lost out in that soup. I-It's wrong though Mossy, it was hurtful to Mr. Steeds to tell you and you shouldn't say it where he can hear. I hope you'll just forget I said it..."

Nick nibbled on the scarred end of his stubby pencil in his teeth, adding to his sloppy notes and thinking. "Hmm... A ghost story, but she's real. Those Church of Balefire nuts seem to worship her... Think they might be right and Vira really saw her?"

"After seeing that statue you found, probably Detective. That was the Mother of the Fog alright, you see Trappers and other madponies like those Church fools carving them after seeing her." Jar Head's answer put another twist in the case, they had stumbled their way right into the local ghost story.

Vira being blessed by this Mother of the Fog might grease the wheels when dealing with the Church, but Nick didn't like getting caught up in supernatural shenanigans where he could avoid it. He especially didn't like her drunken romp piling on to the hurt that old buck in there was feeling, but the last thing Longfellow probably needed was Nick poking his snout in.

At least after hearing the tale and seeing how the enraged old stallion had so tenderly tucked Vira in, Nick wasn't worried about her safety anymore. He was concerned about the odd mare navigating the potential minefield of old pains and new anger when she woke up, but she was a big mare that decided to go making her own choices, she could deal with the fallout from this one.

He hoped...

When Vira's eyes cracked open, then immediately flinched shut at the bright sunshine filtering through the fog and lighting the cheery yellow foal's room up, she was sure it was reality and not another memory instantly. Dreams didn't feel so goddess damned miserable...

Her head throbbed dully, flaring with pain at the sounds of harbor ponies outside waking up and starting their day, all perfectly picked up by her sharp ears even lying back with her hooves pressed to them. She also felt parched and her stomach gurgled uncomfortably, the taste of bile rising in her throat enough to smack her lips and stick her tongue out with quiet 'urk' noises she struggled to quiet.

Worst of all was how emotionally wrung out she felt. She knew so much she hadn't about her friend Longfellow, so many sad things behind his gruff hermit attitude, when he had once felt such love. When she turned to find him sitting in a creaky old rocker beside the bed and raising a bushy eyebrow at her waking up, it all came rushing back and her eyes watered.

"There ya are... ain't none too happy with you young missy, been waitin' ta really let ya have it while ya was nice and hungover. So you can just sit there and take..." Longfellow's voice deliberately rose in volume catching her flinch at his first soft words, but he was silenced by the big filly lurching up and tackling him.

This was not going as planned... Longfellow knew he lost the trail somewhere along the way somehow, but wasn't sure why the big filly immediately started bawling. He wanted to really rip into her for abusing his trust, going where she was told to stay out, bringing up things he didn't want to think about... Having her crushing the air to complain out of him while simultaneously soaking his mane in a torrent of tears was completely unfair...

What she finally managed to blubber out made him tense up in her hooves and get a better idea anyway. "L-Longfellow! I-I-I'm s-so so-sor-sorrreeeeeeeeeee! Y-Your baaaaaabeeeeeee!"

She wailed like she knew... Had that snot nosed buck he caught her with told her? Or had she just used those fancy alicorn tricks to dig in his head? "Y-Yeah... this is her room and I don't want nopony botherin' it... N-Not even you Vira, only let ya stay cause movin' yer big ass around is hard on my back..."

"E-Emeraaaaald!! I saw! I was bad and c-c-caaame heeeeeeere! I felt funny, but.. I... I ... then you came and... I saw it all! I didn't mean to, but it hurt soooooo muh-muh-muuuuch!" Vira bawled and hugged him tighter, leaving the old buck no escape from the tears forming at the wrinkled corners of his eyes.

So alicorn telly-hoozit it was... Though it wasn't like everypony else on the island didn't already know, he had liked Vira was the one pony who didn't. Even with as mad as he wanted to be with her, the alicorn filly had become his weak spot and he just couldn't. Maybe it was how much she looked like his Emerald, or how much like a lost little filly she could be in some ways, but he had felt all those things he had thought died in him a long time ago when she came to stay with him.

Having the sobbing alicorn in his hooves made him feel like a father again, his natural reaction was to soothe her and savor the long lost feeling, burrowing into her flowing mane to wipe his eyes dry. "Wish you hadn't done that, but done bun can't be undone. Bound ta find out eventually anyway. All happened a long time ago too Vira... it's alright..."

"Nuh-uh... N-No its nooooot!" Vira hiccuped against him, tugging her wings free from the faded quilt she dragged with her and curling them into the embrace. "It's not ok. I didn't know... I never would h-have come here and... and made you remember... I'm SOR-REEEE-HEEEE-HEEEE!"

When she threw her head back, twin fountains of tears came pouring out, soaking Longfellow's grey mane as he sputtered and let them disguise his own. "A-Alright, alright ya big crybaby... n-nuff of that now. Hey... how about I make you some breakfast and we talk all about it with less waterworks, huh?"

Sniveling and hiccuping her distress, Vira looked down to the old stallion hopefully. "I'll try... Can I haz pancakes?"

Longfellow tilted his head at the odd request, fighting of the nostalgia to at least administer a little punishment lest he be viewed as a complete pushover. "Sure lassie. How about some Cram fried in Mirelurck fat on the side? Little Foghopper eyeball jelly to go with your toast?"

"Urk..." Vira turned even greener than her fur and held a hoof up to her puffed up cheeks, giving the half smirking buck a panicked look of betrayal.

"Some Radroach hashbrowns? Pickled Radhog hoof?"

Longfellow managed a chuckle and felt a little better watching Vira's eyes cross as she swayed, laughing openly when she shoved herself free of him and ran for the small bathroom. He even ignored when she put a significant dent in the plaster wall, skidding through the turn to reach it and knocking the door down entirely.

"Let that be a lesson missy!" Longfellow laughed after her from where she had stampeded over him, giving a weary, sad sigh at finding himself actually laughing in this room again.

"Vomiting is most unpleasant... that was not fair Longfellow." Vira muttered quietly in a corner of Longfellow's cozy kitchen, sullenly watching the buck wearing a gruff smile as he worked.

Vira had never been physically ill like that before and had not enjoyed the experience. At least she was allowed to use Longfellow's shower to put herself together afterwards, enjoying the warm water and taking her time grooming herself in the cramped space. She only vaguely remembered how giddy and good she felt while under the effects of the blasted spring water, wincing at each hazy memory and thoughts of how she had embarrassed herself that slowly came back while she soaked. When she came out wearing her new detective outfit, she felt a good deal better and enjoyed Longfellow making a production over how she looked in the outfit, lifting her low spirits.

At least sitting here and watching Longfellow throwing ingredients together and whipping up a thick batter further brightened both their moods. The old buck hummed as he ladled it out on the griddle of his wood burning stove, thinking bittersweet thoughts as he spoke."Take your punishment lassie. These will settle your stomach, used ta make em all the time for..."

"I know... I saw your memories, lived in them... T-That was why I requested them, after seeing how happy you and Emerald were, having this special treat together... I am sorry if asking you to make them again is painful, I just... wanted them..." Vira interrupted meekly, still sorting out the psychic backlash she had taken in, years of Longfellow and his daughter together.

Her ears drooped sensing the sadness pooling around him, hanging her head and tapping her hooves together anxiously as she listened to the mutter of his thoughts. When he shook himself and flipped the flapjacks with a deft move of the spatula in his teeth, he finally turned and gave her a sad smile.

"S'alright Vira, don't start gettin' all weepy again... I wanted ta be a mite bit madder at you, but you doin' that just ruins it." Longfellow nickered gruffly, nodding her towards the small dining table as he flipped the savory smelling flapjacks to a stack on one of his chipped plates that was mostly clean.

Vira cantered to her seat and licked her lips when he presented it with a flourish, floating a dusty bottle of Fog Harbor molasses and clapping her hooves together happily. Her first bite brought a blissful expression to her face, just as good as in Longfellow's memories! Her cheeks were completely stuffed in a flash and she almost missed his quiet musing.

"You remind me of her you know... Not just how you look neither, when you do stuff like that, or bawl, or whine, or break things... I laugh and think about Emerald. P-Probably why I took you in to begin with, when I saw you washed up on the shore, for just a second I thought the sea brought her back to me, just how I always pictured her all grown up... Er... little more grown up than I figured on, but you get what I'm saying..."

Nodding slowly and moving the pancake mush in her mouth to speak around it, Vira mumbled back. "Mmmhmm... I didn't know we looked so similar, it... it must have bothered you and influenced your decision to help me... B-But I'm glad it did... those father-y type feelings you have are... v-very nice..."

"Be lyin' if I said I hadn't caught myself thinkin' that way Vira, but it felt sorta good. You was so helpless and awful at everything, I couldn't just leave you be." Longfellow stared down at his own plate in thought, mulling over memories he'd buried for a long time, then finally turning back to her and putting on his grumpy growl to his voice. "Just tellin' ya all this 'cause I still ain't happy... If it was anypony but you foolin' around in that room, I'da shot the both of you once I got you outta there so you wouldn't bloody the place up. Might have a soft spot where yer concerned Vira, but don't abuse my trust an' hospitality again."

Throwing her head back to gulp down her mouthful in a rush, Vira lowered her gaze and spoke in a weak whisper in reply. "I won't Longfellow. I'm really sorry..."

"That's a start then, now eat yer pancakes 'fore they get cold ya big filly..." Longfellow gave a sharp nod of satisfaction at her clear remorse, turning to his own plate and getting a little misty eyed at the nostalgic taste.

A long silence stretched out, Vira could feel his thoughts chasing themselves over eating pancakes at this table with a filly he cared about again. The flashes of so many mornings with his little Emerald in the seat Vira occupied going on behind his bloodshot brown eyes, made her keep focusing on her own thoughts and feelings on the subject. How much she liked being the focus of just an inkling of that parental love and caring, how much Longfellow had done for her when it had clearly been hurting him to do so.

"Longfellow?" She whispered hoarsely, blinking down to the old buck sipping his coffee with an eyebrow raised.

Continuing in a slowly speeding rush, Vira gulped and dove in. "I... I never knew what fathers were before, why they were important... I didn't understand. My mother only taught us males were necessary to procreate, not all the other things they did. After seeing so much of your memories of your daughter, experiencing them from her place... You taught me what one is, because I know you are a very good father-pony Longfellow."

"I tried to be..." Longfellow sniffled with his head down, stuffing his mouth to cover up the unspoken thought of, 'not good enough.'

Vira panicked and stammered in reply, this wasn't what she wanted him to feel! Wasn't what she was trying to say... "But you were! You are! T-The way you feel... about me.... about her... I... I know I'm no Emerald, e-even if I remind you of her. But... B-But I'd be very happy if I was her... To have a f-father-pony like you... I wish I... I w-wish I really was your filly, I... I love you very much Longfellow..."

Longfellow's fork fell to the table at her bashful admission, blinking up to Vira tapping her hooves together anxiously waiting on a reply. She was hopeful at the surge of those paternal feelings flowing off him, but scared and vulnerable. She'd never told anypony she loved them, never felt that way really... She suspected she might about the male... but until she found him and sorted out her feelings herself, that could just be infatuation.

It wasn't in Longfellow's case however, she knew that much. New to the emotion or not, Vira knew she loved him. Not in a romantic kind of way, but in a new way she was still figuring out. She loved him like... like family... that was the closest psychic experience she had ever felt out of other ponies. Longfellow had been like a father to her after finding her on his beach.

He cared, he was gruff and firm, but could be soft and loving sometimes... He hugged her, stroked her back when she was sad, was quick to soothe her tears away when they came, laughed when she got frustrated trying to help in some way and failing, encouraging her to try again and teaching her how.

When the old stallion got up and trotted over to her, she worried she'd overstepped her bounds however, reading the conflicted feelings swirling around him. Seeing him standing next to her with his face screwed up and his brown eyes shimmering, she only got more concerned, cringing in her seat and trying to think of something to say to just forget she said anything.

When grumpy old Longfellow himself initiated a hug for once, her wings fluttered in surprise and she nearly fell back. He had gotten used to her grabbing him randomly when she felt like it, but he never hugged her... Feeling his bristly, scratchy muzzle at her neck and the warm wetness there, Vira relaxed and returned it softly, trying to comfort him the way he had done the same for her so many times.

His voice was thick, muffled by burrowing in her mane and cracking as he tried to maintain his crumbling resolve. "D-Dunno why ya would ever wanna old coot like me lassie... G-Guess I ended up carin' about you too though, whether I like it or not. Er... w-which I guess I do! I just... it's been a long time Vira, you just come bargin' in on my life an' makin' me give a damn again, feel things I ain't in years... S'pose the least you can do is take some responsibility an' let an' old buck be happy ta think of you that way too. I'd be p-proud if you was my filly Vira, an' I umm... l-l-love ya too..."

Vira gasped and burrowed against him tighter, savoring the wonderfully warm feeling and the elation she felt. This! This was what she had been seeking since feeling just a little of it from the male. Love! Maybe not quite the same flavor, but strong and pure and... right. A hole in her heart she hadn't realized was there ever since her mother the Goddess died, perhaps even before. Vira squealed happily and felt herself leaking more tears, but was so happy to have the wonderful emotion accepted and returned she could barely stand it.

"Ack!... V-Vira... t-too strong... e-easy girl..." Longfellow's pained wheeze finally brought her back, releasing the poor stallion before she broke his back in her tightening grip and smiling sheepishly.

"S-Sorry! I'm very sorry, I still overdo it... Ah! T-This is gentler, I practiced!" Watching him whoop in air and cough, Vira nickered behind her hoof, leaning down to plant a light kiss on his scratchy cheek that just made him sputter more.

Turning red and rubbing at the spot of warmth there, Vira could feel how much he liked that, despite his exaggerated protests and defensive muttering. "H-Hey! Warn a pony 'fore you do that Vira! Guess it is less likely ta be lethal and pretty nice, though I don't care fer your 'practicin'' I caught you at with that buck. So don't think a lil' peck on the cheek and a bunch of weepy sappiness is enough ta get outta trouble entirely. Gimme a break and eat your breakfast while I think on yer punishment, tell me about what you been up to with that tin can detective boss of yers."

"Tin? I always thought of myself as one of those fancier aluminum cans they were thinking of putting Sparkle Cola in mac. So, by the cozy scene I'm hopin' you won't feel to shooty at me checkin' in on my assistant here? Could help tell the tale of how invaluable she's been, maybe add a few notes on punishment considering how much of a hoofull she was..." Nick's nervous chuckle from the doorway got a surprise out of both of them, even though the synth detective was sticking close to the door out and only dipping a hoof in the waters.

Longfellow glowered at the advanced robot, but his unfriendly attitude lessened at Nick voicing their shared disappointment with Vira's drunken romp. She pouted at the two of them chuckling together at her expense, but was glad when Longfellow actually invited her employer in with a sigh, saying, "At least fancy robots don't eat. C'mon with you then..."

Vira was so glad to see her two friends getting along and all sitting together, she nearly missed Nick's terse thoughts calling out to her directly. Glancing at him only flicking his strange eyes her way occasionally and putting on a false, easy going face to Longfellow, she tilted her head trying to figure it out. He had braved coming in here to check on her once everypony outside could clearly hear them awake and moving around, he had been concerned for her and that was nice... She didn't understand why he was concerned for Longfellow too however, his short instructions didn't add up to her, though she trusted Nick and decided to follow them.

(Don't tell him about thinking you saw your ma dollface, or about that weird statue... Just leave it be for now.)

After their meal, Longfellow and Nick remained inside, smoking their pipe and cigarette together, then taking turns chiding Vira and sending her out to do chores to pay her penance. She didn't like them scoffing and making fun of her together, but could hardly deny she had made a foal of herself because of that blasted spring water. A point just further drove home nearly as soon as she stepped out the door in her clean maroon trenchcoat and stylish hat.

The stallion she had practically assaulted was waiting outside, scrambling to his hooves and away from the fussy mare she vaguely remembered meeting last night. She could feel betrayal and that strange, chilly emotion she remembered with more clarity than the mare staring daggers at her radiating it. Though from Jar Head cantering up to the porch she sensed much warmer feelings that offset it, some of which made her blush in embarrassment catching glimpses of what she had gotten up to while inebriated.

"Miss Vira! Are you... f-feelin' better this mornin'? You umm... look loads better!" Jar Head was full of nervous energy, prancing in place and ready to go, but unwilling to do so until he spoke with her.

"O-Oh... Thank you Jar, I do feel more myself today. I... I am very sorry for how I behaved, I didn't mean to take advantage of you or cause so many problems..." Vira replied meekly.

His overenthusiastic answer made her flinch, getting more images as he shook his head frantically. "No Way! I mean, you can take advantage of me any time you want Vira! I had a great time, er... until the end there... But really, it was no problem. Just seeing you singing and dancing was worth it!"

"Singing and dancing? Oh no..." Vira cringed catching memories of herself prancing around like a fool, laying her ears back and shrinking behind her wings with a whimper.

Seeing her fold in on herself was just 'cute' according to Jar Head's bright thoughts, chuckling openly at her and giving a friendly hoof to her shoulder. "Aw it was great! Don't worry, everypony does silly stuff their first time drinkin'! Me an my brother ended up sailin' an old washtub around the docks, only kept from makin' for the mainland an' raidin' Trotson as the Blacktail Pirates cause of..."

"Ahem!" The irritated cough of the blue green mare... Kelpie, that's the name he thought of and it did sound familiar, Kelpie was the filly who prevented Jar Head's amusing story from continuing. Both back then and now by her huff as she floated up a basket of tattered laundry and stuck her nose up. "You two idiots would'a been swallowed up by the fog and never known it. Somepony had to keep you in line, still does apparently... Weren't you running late already?"

"Huh? Oh! Shit, she's right Miss Vira! I gotta get back to the docks and hope they don't set sail without me. Just didn't wanna leave until I was sure you were ok... Umm... I'd really like to try taking you out for that drink again, now that you're not sick and all, but I had a great time! Do you and the Detective need a ride back to town?"

Vira floated up the bundle of Emerald's musty quilt and sheets from the door behind her in answer, giving a crooked smile and shaking her head softly. "N-No thank you Jar Head. I appreciate the offer, but I have some chores to atone for my mistakes... We will be fine getting around on our own, thank you. Please hurry off, I don't wish to make you late when you need your caps for your brother."

"R-Right! Hope to see you again soon then Miss Vira! Bye Kelpie!" Jar Head shook himself at the reminder and galloped off, waving to Kelpie's younger sister Mossy on his way to the beach and missing the elder sister's glare.

Since the unicorn mare seemed to be doing the same thing Vira needed to, the alicorn trotted after her with her bundle floating in tow. Several frayed, small ropes had been strung between a cluster of trees, a pair of salvaged old bathtub at the center of them, one full of sudsy water with a strange bit of corrugated metal sticking up and the other simply clear water.

Watching the smaller mare work carefully, Vira puzzled out what she was doing. Normally she'd think just her thoughts would inform her how to use the bar of crude soap and the... washboard... she got the names anyway, but everything was tinged with spiky irritation and anger.

"Are you gonna sit there and stare all day, or do you have some kind of thing you could be doing instead." Kelpie finally floated up the last of the flannel clothing she had vigorously washed and snarled over her shoulder, catching Vira by surprise at the aggressive thoughts turned her way.

While using her magic would clean the small blankets and sheets she held, she wanted to do a good job and be careful with Emerald's old possessions. So Vira swallowed her retort and took up the vacated washtub, dunking it all in the soapy water and sniffing a reply. "I was merely observing while I waited for a turn, no reason to be so snippy..."

Holding the slippery soap with her hoof and rubbing it across the washboard was difficult, then she had to be very careful with the old quilt so she didn't tear up the cute little patches of birds and fish. It took enough of her attention that the steadily rising steam whistle of anger she could hear coming from Kelpie was most distracting.

When she finally spoke, Vira was surprised at how light and controlled her voice was, speaking breezily with a hard edge. "I'm snippy 'cause your drunken show could'a gotten us all kicked outta here, but you don't care nothin' about that, do you? Yet somehow you end up havin' a cozy little breakfast with the old goat and only makin' a piss poor attempt at doing his laundry to apologize."

Vira flinched when Kelpie snapped her dripping clothes in her magic and flung them on the line, squinting at the unfriendly mare with a grumble as she copied her and hung Emerald's quite beside her. "I didn't mean to cause trouble for anypony... I was not myself, so I imagine we got off on the wrong hoof. I am glad Longfellow was so forgiving, and that he has allowed your sister and even unpleasant ponies such as yourself to stay here with the others."

"Unpleasant!?" Kelpie shouted and wheeled on her with a snort, the smaller filly tromping right up and pushing Vira back with a hard hoof to the chest. "You ain't seen unpleasant yet you overgrown floozie! Think we need outsider sluts like you comin' here and ruining things!? You just come on in, traipsing your way around, wiggling that giant ass an' having everypony fall all over you!"

"I do NOT have a giant ass!!" Vira's shock at the fury and hurt she felt coming from Kelpie was overcome by her own annoyance, standing to her full height and flaring her wings, getting the bitchy little unicorn to fall back a step as she stomped her hooves. "I don't know why you are so upset, but I don't know you and have no reason to suffer your c-completely groundless insults! I am not to blame for... for whatever is bothering you, I can't quite see it... Jar Head?"

Kelpie's blue green face turned as red as the bulk of her mane, squeaking and backing away from Vira's puzzled expression working it out. "H-He's got nothin' to do with nothin'! You just leave him out of it! L-Leave him alone entirely far as I'm concerned! That buck's a fool that falls for any pretty mare that gives him the time of day, but don't need nothin' from a big brahmim like you!"

"Jealousy?" Vira blinked at the fury and embarrassment warring in the unicorn, tilting her head and trying to ignore her insults to work it out. "Yes... jealousy... that is that funny emotion I keep feeling off you... You are jealous. You love Jar Head and feel threatened. Ah... you think I'm prettier than you too! Ha!"

Kelpie retreated from the grinning alicorn, yelping back in a panicked voice rising to a shout. "N-No I'm not! No I don't! NO! Get outta my head! Y-You just shut up and stay away freak! W-Why don't you just leave already outsider!!"

Vira flinched at being called a freak, remembering the same word hurled at her from far too many frightened and angry ponies over the years. Despite her efforts to be better than she had been back then, the cruel insult and hate she felt brought all her old anger bubbling back to the surface.

She stalked after the unicorn mare, reading enough out of her head to find just the right angle of attack to hurt her back, smirking down at her through half lidded eyes. "I will leave when I wish, just as I will associate with who I wish, how I wish... Jar Head denied being involved with you when I asked, viewing you as a sister, not a romantic interest. He was quite clear he saw me veeeery differently however..."

Still backing away from the large alicorn swaying her flanks to demonstrate just where Jar Head's interest lie, Kelpie scowled and stammered back. "S-Shut up! He... H-He just n-needs a little time, get leering after stupid whores like you outta his system... H-He'll see! I'll still be here and y-you'll be gone! Then...."

"Ah... you plan on chasing any other mares off and waiting in the wings, hmm? He certainly doesn't want me to go. I had been trying to return to Trotson as soon as possible, but now I think I will delay my travel plans long enough to pick up where we left off last night. I am still interested in gaining a little experience when it comes to mating, and Jar Head was very eager to teach me..." Part of Vira knew she was falling back into old habits, using her gifts to pick at every doubt and fear in Kelpie's mind and playing on them to torment her.

It was wrong... she should stop... Vira knew that... But the angry little mare started it, was she not supposed to defend herself from ponies who hated her for no good reason? No... Whether she was trying to be a better mare or not, she refused to allow anypony to hurt her and simply take it.

It did hurt too... being called a freak, monster, abomination, demon... She had heard it all before, too many times by too many hateful little ponies like this one. They'd run away screaming into the wastes when she was just trying to be friendly, drive her from their ramshackle towns, shoot at her on sight, jeer and throw rocks at her trying to preach the glory of Unity. Virescent had bottled all that pain and sadness up over the years, clinging to the desperate belief she was one of her mother's perfect children, not a monster like they said.

With foggy and drunken memories of seeing the Goddess again still fresh in her mind, along with the grief on realizing her mother was dead all over again, all that carefully suppressed pain broke free and took over. Vira's green eyes glowed under the wide brim of her hat as she backed Kelpie into the nearby clothesline, looming over the mare tripping and getting tangled in the dripping laundry, leaning her head down to sneer and twist the knife.

"Of course, who could blame him? Or you for being jealous? With an exotic alicorn beauty like myself showing up on the island, why would he ever pay any attention to a weak, inferior, mousy little mare like you? Do you really think you even have a chance? When Jar returns, perhaps I'll rut him silly just to spare you the embarrassment... That way when I do leave, when I want to, and you eventually worm your way into his bed after I'm gone, you'll always know who he's thinking of while he's giving you a mercy fuck..." Vira pushed her way muzzle to muzzle with the gaping mare, ignoring the curious looks they were attracting from the harbor ponies working nearby and speaking in a low purr they couldn't hear, digging in Kelpie's head to find the right words to hurt her.

She wasn't quite sure what 'mercy fuck' actually meant, but it was a deep, dark fear Vira exploited and threw at the cringing mare, satisfied by the stabbing pain to her heart it elicited. Her enjoyment only lasted a moment however, a disappointed echo imprinted in her mind drifted up and made her flinch and come back to herself.

'Be better Virescent... Please...'

Remembering the male alicorn's earnest plea made Vira canter back and shake her head, suddenly very ashamed of herself. She had been trying so hard... doing so well... What stung more wasn't just the thought of the male's disapproval and potentially declaring her 'not a good pony' now either, but the realization that Longfellow and Nick would be disappointed in her too, that she was disappointed in herself...

Being both physically and emotionally hung over was a poor excuse. All it took was being pushed to revert back to her old ways, to hurt others so they couldn't hurt her. After the kindness so many new friends had shown her, Vira felt true shame and regret at her vicious words.

She held a shaking hoof out, using her telekinesis to try to untangle Kelpie, looking down to the unicorn mare with her ears laid back miserably. "I... I'm sorry... I'm so sorry Kelpie, I... I didn't mean..."

The blue green filly smacked Vira's long foreleg away and stumbled to her hooves, her face a furious red even brighter than her mane and tears streaming down her blazing cheeks. "FUCK YOU! J-Just shut up and go away! I HATE YOU!! Get the fuck away from me! You horrible CUNT!!!"

The silence that fell on Longfellow's plot of land was broken by the door to the old stallion's cottage bursting open. Longfellow charged out with his long rifle clamped in his teeth, spitting it out to his hooves as he hissed in a low voice that carried, his steely eyes darting everywhere before settling on the two mares.

"Shut the fuck up! Both of you! You damn fools want to attract some beastie from the fog!? I told you idjits, there's shit wanderin' around out there I couldn't track down before dark yesterday! All you fresh meals on hooves I let stay here are already drawin' em in! Vira! What have you done now lassie!" Longfellow's snarl was masking the real worry he felt, the warmth and caring they had shared shoved aside to treat them all equally in his annoyance and fear.

Vira read enough of his thoughts to get a vague idea of what was upsetting him, glad to find a kernel of concern for his new guests hidden under his gruff demeanor. He hadn't been here when she arrived with Nick and Jar Head last night because he had been out tracking, trying to keep the very real threats the scent of a gathering of ponies was attracting since he allowed them here.

She couldn't quite make out the shadowy image matching the muddy tracks he had found that had him so worried, but the gulp of dread he felt when an inequine roar echoed out from the fog made searching his memories unneccessary. Something was coming, something all the local ponies recognized with a wave of terror spreading through them like wildfire as they ran for shelter.

The terrified chant of their thoughts was echoed by Longfellow's shout as he dove off his porch, waving them away on his way to his ramshackle shed. "FUCK! Rainbow Crawler! RUN!"

Vira gaped at the line of condensers keeping the fog back, transfixed by the shape charging through the mist like a freight train. When it burst out of the fog, she was able to understand the name of the thing, but not much else. It was something out of a nightmare, a very bizarre, technicolor nightmare...

It was some kind of mutated... bug? A crustacean maybe? It had a long, shell covered body, the bulk of which was a brilliant, iridescent blue and turquoise, ending at a fan shaped tail of violet and red. A number of blurring little red legs propelled it along the hilly ground like a centipede at a horrifying speed. This long lower body led up to an upright 'chest', covered in segmented plates of green, gold and orange.

A pair of huge, wickedly curved, neon green claws branching from the middle lent it the odd upright posture and multiple limbed appearance of a centaur. The arrow shaped head at the top darted from side to side at all the fleeing ponies, an absent swipe of those claws ripping a fleeing stallion in half as it snaked its way forward. The huge pink eyes then focused on Vira and Kelpie standing still as statues as the easiest prey, the long, golden antenna sprouting from it bent back when it poured on the speed.

The slobbering red mandibles opening in another roar finally broke Vira from her fearful frozen state, spreading her wings to flee from the monstrosity as quickly as possible. Sparing a glance down to Kelpie, Vira froze up again, seeing that the unicorn was trying to drag herself away, but remained caught up the clothesline Vira had backed her into. She couldn't escape, and it was Vira's fault...

A short hop put Vira between Kelpie and the crawler thing with no time to spare, crouching over the smaller pony protectively and summoning her blazing green shield a bare instant before it plowed into it, giving a confused roar when its pounce was brought up short by the barrier. The thing was even more hideous this close, separated only by an all too thin wall of magical force that gave a good view of its underbelly plastered against it, pressing down on the bubble of a shield with its considerable bulk and snapping at them uselessly. It was twice as tall as Vira and very strong...

"Untangle yourself, quickly! I do not know how long I can hold it back, we must run!" Vira hissed through gritted teeth, a light sweat springing up under her glowing horn as the monster tested the barrier.

"W-What?! You... r-right! Just gimme a second and..." Kelpie looked confused for a moment, gaping up to her alicorn savior before tugging at the thin rope wound around her hindleg frantically.

The crash of Nick's revolver from somewhere beyond the hulking thing covering her shield gave Vira a moment of hope, though it dimmed when she saw the .45 rounds harmlessly sparking off the multicolored shell. It didn't even turn his way, focusing on the meal it had trapped before it and drawing back one of those huge claws.

Vira poured magic into her shield in anticipation of the attack, barely beating the claw shooting forward with blinding speed that left a trail of sparkles in the air and impacted her shield with a dazzling flash. Vira's face paled when even her reinforced shield instantly cracked under the frighteningly powerful blow, forcing her to brighten her horn with a layer of overglow as it drew its other claw back to follow up.

She shared the relief she felt surge in Kelpie when the unicorn mare finally extricated herself, cringing to the back of Vira's bubble of a shield with her back pressed to the curved barrier, pushing with her hindlegs frantically to get as far from the threat as possible.

Vira could do without the screaming commentary however... "L-Let me go bitch! We have to get away! It's a Rainbow Crawler, it'll tear us to pieces! I have to find Mossy!!"

She could hardly spare the strength to do a quick scan of the frightened thoughts swirling around her, but Vira sought out the cute little foal and found her watching from the crowded barn, grunting a reassurance to her sister behind her. "S-She is fine! Safely with the others and hiding! We are in much greater danger than she is, I promise! Q-Quickly, climb on my back!"

Another lightning fast jab of the Crawler's claw made Vira stumble back as a spiderweb of cracks spread across her shield, lending urgency to her words Kelpie still tried to ignore. "W-What!? I'm not... just let me go dammit!"

"As soon as I lower my shield it will attack and it is far too fast! Hurry! I can fly us away, but I cannot take another strike like that!" Vira grunted, leaning against the force pushing against her on trembling legs.

She could sense the distaste and frustration Kelpie felt, but the unicorn put it aside with a force of will, hooking her forelegs over Vira's back and scrambling against her flank. If she could spare the magic, VIra' would just pick her up telekinetically and deposit her there by force, but every ounce of power she could muster was flowing into her shield already.

Unfortunately she could already tell it wasn't going to be enough as the beast drew its claw back again, the creak and click of the powerful tendons sounding like the cocking of a gun to her sharp ears. Before it struck and shattered her weakened barrier however, a loud, furious shout drew its attention, followed by an explosion at its tail made it rear back and roar. "Leave her alone ya big bastard! You won't hurt her!! Over here!! Come an' get me!"

The blast gave Vira the opening she needed to launch herself to the air with the screaming Kelping clutching at her neck, desperately hoping that whatever the monstrous Rainbow Crawler thing was mutated from, it didn't have some kind of range attack. Vira resettled Kelpie on her back and took advantage of her position to look over the situation from above, seeking out where the gruff shout and blast that saved her came from and gasping in fear when she and the Crawler found it at the same time.

Longfellow... He was standing beside the shed he had run for with a battered wooden box full of red sticks of dynamite, holding several in his teeth with Nick holding his tarnished gold lighter out to light the fuses. With the two mares making their escape to the air, the Crawler immediately spun and charged for the old buck and synth, skittering through Longfellow's crops on its multiple hindlegs and dodging through the trio of explosions tossed in its path.

The fury and panic blazing off of Longfellow was easy enough to figure out after learning so much through his memories and their heart to heart. The fog took his daughter from him, Longfellow was damned if a monster born from it was going to take Vira too. She could also sense the well controlled fear he felt though, his vast experience hunting on the island flitting through his mind as he frantically clutched more dynamite.

A Rainbow Crawler was one of the few creatures on the island even Longfellow didn't want to mess with. He avoided them wherever possible and had been trying to lead this one away last night, the most effective way to handle the horrifying creatures. Vira could read the grim thought out of his mind and overcame her own fear once she understood, Longfellow didn't expect to win a straight out fight with the creature smashing and swiping its claws at any obstacle or pony in its path, he just wanted to get it away from her... He wanted to protect her, like a good father...

"NO!" Vira's voice boomed like her mother the Goddess as she soared after the monster, dropping her shield to summon every scrap of magic she had left.

"What are you doing! Fly AWAY from that thing, not after it! L-Let me go already! LAND! NOW! I have to..." Kelpie screamed in Vira's ear, her forelegs nearly choking the alicorn in terror that went largely ignored.

"IT WILL NOT HURT LONGFELLOW!!" Vira screamed and zoomed after the beast, a swirling charge of magic collecting at her horn as it closed in on Longfellow and Nick uselessly firing their guns at it.

Her adrenaline and fear when it drew a claw back over Longfellow's head made time freeze as S.A.T.S. activated. Of all the available targets highlighted on the beast, only the bulbous pink eyes looked vulnerable, selected with a thought as Vira came up with a crude plan. If Longfellow thought drawing the creatures away was the best option, that was what she would do...

Time resumed and Kelpie's silent scream slowly continued like a record coming back to full speed and volume. The brilliant emerald blast from Vira's horn drowned her out however, lancing down on target despite the 40% odds and boiling the ugly round eye out of the Crawler's head. Longfellow and Nick's frozen leap away from its swiping claw was successful when it screeched and lurched from the attack, digging a long furrow in the ground at their hooves.

Launching several smaller beams down that scorched its brightly colored shell, Vira flapped in the air just out of its range and boomed down at it, getting the full attention of the remaining eye spinning on her. "HERE! COME AFTER ME MONSTER! THIS WAY!"

"Vira don't!" Longfellow yelped and pulled against Nick dragging him back, his warm concern for her safety giving Vira the courage she needed to do this. She snatched his abandoned crate of dynamite up in her magic as she swooped overhead, drawing its attention to herself over Longfellow's protests.

Her taunting was definitely successful, she couldn't read what passed for the thing's thoughts, but had no problem recognizing the fury in its roar when it charged after her. Vira had to resist the urge to climb higher and focused solely on dodging through blackened trees low to the ground, flying for all she was worth and barely remaining just ahead of the creature chasing her.

"What are you doing you crazy bitch! If you gotta death wish, let me go first! Go back! Mossy is..." Kelpie yelped and thrashed on her back, throwing off her already difficult flight and forcing Vira to growl over her shoulder.

"Shut up. I'm sorry but I can't take the time to drop you off. Unless you want me to buck you off so it can tear you apart, quit moving around and hold on tight. We must draw it away, for the safety of your sister, Longfellow and everypony else! We are responsible for bringing that monster here, it is only right we fix our mistake!" Vira's distracted shout brought a spike of anger from her passenger, but she did quit squirming when the Crawler slashed at a tree that came crashling down in their path, forcing her to do a looping dodge that silenced any complaints Kelpie had.

Staying low and launching harrassing shots over her shoulder, the two of them soared past the line of condensers and dove into the fog with the Rainbow Crawler hot on their tails. Leaving behind the worried yells of Longfellow and Nick unable to keep up.

"H-Here! Three more!" Kelpie yelled from Vira's back, lighting the fuses of the sticks of dynamite in her hooves on Vira's sparking horn.

The still frightened and annoyed unicorn had to lean over the wooden crate holding a diminishing supply of the dynamite nestled between Vira's wings and Kelpie's hindlegs straddling her barrel, shoving the hissing explosives forward for Vira to grab in her magic. Vira looped and dived around the crumbling ruins below, lining up on the monster chasing them and flinging the explosives at it.

Her aim was improving at least... Learning to lead the eerily fast Rainbow Crawler to account for the fuses burning down was difficult, only made more so with the way the long creature skittered in a weaving course down the cracked streets. It dodged the bright explosions again, but Vira spotted a couple of those tiny red legs propelling it along that were burnt or blasted, slowly chipping away and slowing it down.

With a terrible roar, it speared a rusting carriage on the side of the road and threw it up at them, forcing Vira to do a lurching dive that brought her in range of those claws, barely dodging another swipe and beating her wings frantically to pull away again.

Vira had never been dissatisfied with her goddess granted form before, but she desperately wished she was one of her blue or purple sisters at the moment rather than a green. The ability to simply turn invisible or teleport away would certainly be more useful than telepathy and fancy shields at the moment...

"Aren't we far enough away yet! We're halfway across the damn island! Just get away and go back already!" Kelpie's shout only annoyed her more, distracting her from the desperate chase.

"I've been trying dammit! How exactly am I supposed to lose it! This Crawler beast is very determined, not to mention fast! You saw what happened when I attempted to use the ruins to escape! Perhaps if I were not carrying such a heavy load I could outpace it!" Vira huffed back, ducking under a leaning telephone pole the monster toppled in her path.

"Are you calling me fat bitch!?" Vira groaned at Kelpie's indignant reply, gaining a little altitude again and slowly putting breathing room between them and the monster chasing them.

On the plus side, they hadn't had to worry about Trappers, Balewolves, Mistgulls, Fog Hoppers or any of the other mutated monsters on the island. Everything cleared a path ahead of them, wisely running away from a pissed off Rainbow Crawler that seemed to sit at the top of the food chain of the island's strange ecology. That and the fact they were somehow still alive were the only real positives so far however.

Vira had been trying for all she was worth to escape the Crawler and turn back, but it was not cooperating with that plan. She hadn't been able to lose it in the foggy forests, all the dodging around trees she hoped would slow it down only did the same for her, plus it simply plowed right through any obstacle. Coming out to the roads and ruins littering the island hadn't worked out much better either, even though it let her fly faster. Diving through a hole in the roof of a Super Duper Mart only gave her a moment to catch her breath before it smashed through the wall, shredding the moaning zombies in the empty aisles just starting to stagger their way to their hooves on smelling living ponies.

"I'm calling you and the box of dynamite on my back heavy, make of that what you will. We need somewhere to hide that it can't easily follow. You're the local, you must know somewhere to escape!" Vira called back in desperation, hoping the annoying mare could do something more useful than shoving more dynamite up for her to toss.

She could do without her yanking on her ears in response after a long pause, but turned her head where directed, feeling a spark of hope on spotting the looming ruins half hidden in the fog ahead. "T-There I guess! The old Zip! factory! It's big and built like a fortress, I don't think it can just smash its way in anyway! It's full of Trappers, but anything's better than this!"

Vira darted for the hulking ruins resolving out of the pinkish grey fog as fast as she could manage, puffing tiredly with each beat of her wings. She had to agree with the unicorn mare's idea, the huge complex at the end of a sunken bit of roadway leading out to the miniature island it was situated on definitely looked sturdy and big enough to hopefully hide in.

There were several distinct buildings clustered around each other, connected by rusty catwalks and passages that made it look like a maze to lose the monster in. What had to be the factory itself was a massive fortress of thick stone walls that had held up well over the centuries, four stories tall at the highest areas, the crumbling smokestacks on top were in the worst condition. The smaller and less intimidating building nestled against the factory was still in excellent shape too, built using the same ancient earth pony construction, just decorated to be more inviting with a huge bottle of the local soda leaning on the roof above the covered entryway.

Soaring over the parking lot full of ruined carriages the Rainbow Crawler smashed out of its way or crawled over, Vira flapped hard and climbed for the factory. The pops of gunfire below corresponding to the red dashes on E.F.S. lighting up in her vision made her bank and dodge, bringing up her flickering shield as she kept clawing at the air. Kelpie was right, a swarm of fog crazed Trappers surrounded the complex, insanely attacking both the two of them and the monster in their wake.

Finally making it to the edge of the roof far above, Vira hooked it with her forelegs and clambered her way up, flopping to the roof and panting as Kelpie jumped off her and hugged the ground, letting Vira shrug the crate of dynamite off her back and catch her breath with blessed relief.

Before Kelpie had the chance to start unleashing the stream of curses on standby in her mind, the rooftop doors to the factory burst open and a trio of fur wearing Trappers stormed out, firing their shotgun and hunting rifle wildly at the intruders, while the third earth pony waved a long fishing hook in his mouth with a manic warcry.

Buckshot peppered Vira's lovely maroon coat, making her wince at the impact as she and Kelpie dove for cover behind the large pipes and vents cluttering the roof. Looking down at the damage, Vira marveled at the magically armored clothing she had purchased from Stable 118, it had stopped the painful pellets from penetrating her hide, if not the buck to the side she felt when they hit.

"What now genius? Do something!" Kelpie scowled from behind a dead exhaust fan, drawing a long hunting knife from her tattered dress and jerking her muzzle to the Trappers closing in.

Well... This was definitely better than dealing with the Rainbow Crawler on the ground below, Vira could hear it roaring and tearing the Trappers down there apart, forcing her to try to shut out the pained, dying thoughts of the mad ponies. It was distracted and had lost sight of them, even if they had to deal with the crazed hunters up here, at least they had a chance of losing it now.

Unfortunately even that less difficult task might be a problem, Vira was exhausted and had used up a great deal of magic fending the beast off. Even a few simple beams spells to deal with the attackers trying to circle around them and attack from three sides may be too much to ask.

Thinking desperately, Vira remembered the pearl handled 9mm pistol Raspberry Beret had gifted her, still in the black leather holster under her coat. She floated the silver weapon out uncertainly, puzzling over the trigger and safety as she had been taught by Longfellow. Vira wasn't great with guns, but at least the old stallion had taken the time to teach her.

She was certainly glad for his stern insistence she have a backup means of defense now, thinking back to his target practice like he had always planned to teach his own little filly and taking a deep breath. Thoughts of his paternal care helped steel her resolve now, she was going to get back to Longfellow and Nick, these insane raiders weren't going to stand in her way...

With a nervous gulp, Vira popped up from behind the corroded pipes she hid behind and trained the pistol on the rifle wielding pink mare in mid gallop. She stilled her nerves as best she could, blowing a shaking breath out through pursed lips as she pulled the trigger.

Unlike Longfellow's powerful rifle, the tiny pistol only made a tiny pop like some kind of toy, the first shot impacting the Trapper mare's ugly leather armor in the chest and barely slowing her stride. In a panic Vira pulled the trigger again, somewhat surprised when the dinky pistol fired again immediately. She had to work the lever on Longfellow's rifle between shots, taking her time and aiming carefully. This thing seemed designed more towards sending a lot of lead out quickly however, a design concept Vira figured out when she followed up the second shot with a third, fourth, fifth and sixth.

The small caliber rounds hammered away at the charging Trapper, making her stagger as several actually hit the mark. Most were slowed to a painful halt by the mare's armor, but Vira caught the coppery scent of blood and was heartened when small, round red holes opened in her neck and foreleg. She still managed to fire her crude shotgun however, the poorly aimed shot slamming Vira's armored chest and left wing, knocking her wind out and shredding her unarmored feathers.

She managed to dodge to the side as the crazed mare went skidding past her, planting her forelegs and giving a powerful buck that sent the insane bitch sailing off the roof to the chaos below. Her victory was short lived though, interrupted by a high speed .308 round piercing the tails of her trenchcoat and wedging right in her flank.

Spinning towards the attack and stumbling when her hindleg came down spared her from a second shot at least, focusing on the dirty yellow buck chambering another round and Kelpie struggling between them. The unicorn mare was barely fending off the red earth pony with the fishing hook, her knife engaged in a losing tug of war with the long handle.

Her surge of panic activated S.A.T.S. again, freezing time and letting her take stock. She had already used half the clip of her pistol and only half of those had hit the mark. The strange targeting system told her what she already knew, she was unlikely to hit either target...

While the odds displayed frozen view were better on the fish hook armed pony attacking Kelpie, the pain in her flank made the rifle bearing buck the bigger threat. The only positive Vira could see was that queuing up attacks on either target didn't use up very much of the spell charge required for the arcano-tech device to work.

Taking in the yellow stallion's heavier looking leather armor festooned with bones, Vira didn't feel very positive about going with the highest chance to hit center body mass at 60%. If she wanted to put down the Trapper frozen in the act of adjusting his aim at her with the popgun, a headshot was the only real option. She'd seen the male do it... not fully appreciating his spooky accuracy in combat until she had her own pip-buck to explain it. Now that she was in his shoes, Vira thought of the male as she selected the Trapper's head as the target and used up every remaining bullet and bit of spell charge.

When time resumed, Vira goggled at the pistol floating in her magic swiveling and firing on its own, the rapid pops guided by her pip-buck instead of her admittedly poor skills. The fifth round finally struck home, blowing a hole through the buck's eye and blasting his brains out the other side. Unfortunately he fired his hunting rifle as he fell, the loud crack coming with a wave of pain when it hit her foreleg and sent her flopping to the rooftop.

Two down... Vira had managed to shoot two enemies on her own, she'd be prouder if it weren't for the blood soaking her lovely coat and the third snarling Trapper swiping at a ducking Kelpie. She had to do something... had to save her and escape somehow... Not just because she wouldn't be surprised if the roaring Rainbow Crawler below could climb right up the wall either. She might not particularly like Kelpie, but it was her fault the unicorn was dragged into all this, saving her was right... was being a good pony...

She couldn't move though, attempting to flap her wings and get to her hooves just made her fall again hissing in pain. Her pistol was empty too and Vira hadn't really looked into how to reload it. Kelpie might be able to take care of herself with her hunting knife, but she might not too... With Vira's magic exhausted and close to burnout, she only saw one option to help.

Closing her eyes and clearing her mind was difficult with the adrenaline and fear clouding her thoughts, but Vira focused her considerable mental abilities, locking on to the insane mind of the Trapper and overriding it. When she was sure she had him she opened her glowing green eyes, biting her lip in concentration and taking in the surprised Kelpie scampering away from the buck who had suddenly stopped attacking and stood stock still, his ugly fishing spear falling to the roof with a clatter.

Vira struggled to stay in control, nodding wearily to the edge of the rooftop and grunting. "T-Take a walk..."

The trapper spun on the spot and trotted obediently to the edge, climbing over the lip and simply stepping out into empty space. Vira abandoned her mental control once he was on his way down, the surprised buck barely had time to realize he was plummeting from the four story rooftop and scream before his cries stopped abruptly.

Kelpie had run behind Vira for cover, watching with wide blue eyes as the pony who had been viciously attacking her just walked right off the roof. The stunned unicorn mare warily came out from hiding and blinked down at Vira panting on the gritty rooftop, her mouth hanging open for a few moments in shock.

When Kelpie finally found her voice, it was tinged with a bit of fear that made Vira wince. "S-Sweet Celestia... you did that? H-Holy shit... m-maybe I'll be a little nicer to you from now on..."

Groaning from her hooves, Vira looked up tiredly and shook her head. "I... would appreciate that... but I promise not to... do that to you... N-Not that I can again at the moment..."

Kelpie didn't look convinced, but trotted to the edge and peered down in fascination, spotting the red stain on the ground far below and gulping back to Vira. While her worried fear hurt nearly as much as the insults that had started all this, the unicorn shook her head and whinnied when she saw the green alicorn wheezing and struggling on the ground.

A kind of determined caring welled up in the pale blue green mare, tossing her red mane as she trotted back and dug in the pockets of her paisley pink dress, pulling out a roll of magical bandages and a purple healing potion. "G-Good... now let's take care of you so we can get the hell out of here. That Crawler's still down there and it's running out of Trappers to slaughter. H-Here, let me see..."

Vira groaned and bit back a cry when Kelpie briskly grabbed her foreleg, rolling her sleeve up to examine her worst wound and pouring a bit of the healing potion into it. She tended Vira's bleeding leg with thoughts of taking care of her sister, Jar Head and his brother in her mind, moving quickly and brusquely to wrap the long leg in magical bandages before moving on to her wing and flank.

It was awkward being cared for by a mare she had been in such a vicious, hurtful argument with only an hour ago, made more so when Kelpie finally spoke in a quiet whisper. "H-Hey... bitch... Umm.... thank you."

Moving her damaged wing the smaller mare was tending hurt, but Vira bore the pain to gently curl it around Kelpie in an exhausted hug, answering in a croak. "T-Thank me when we're safely out of here. But... Thank you too Sea Kelp. I'm... I'm sorry for what I said... how I acted... Perhaps we could start over?"

While Kelpie gave an unconvinced snort as she tugged Vira's coat tail away from her flank, Vira was heartened to feel the wary hope and relief carefully masked by her gruff answer. "We'll see... like you said, once we're out of here bitch. Er... Vira... We're stuck together for now, so shut up and let me do what I can. I got a lot of experience fixing boo boos, so... hopefully you'll be ok. Can't have you dyin' on me till you fly me back, right?"

"R-Right..." Vira sighed and let the mare dig the bullet from her flank gratefully. The roar of the beast below reminded her they were still in a bad situation, but ponies working together could do amazing things. If they could put aside their differences, be better... maybe they'd get out of this yet.

-----------------------------Level Up!-----------------------------

New Perk Added!----------------------

Heave Ho!-------------------
---Making like a big green bomber mare with Longfellow's dynamite has given you a crash course on using explosives. You now gain 50% thrown weapon velocity and range.

Ch. 9-- The Great Hunt

"Just so you know, this doesn't mean we're gonna pick flowers or exchange necklaces or whatever pony friends do."

"I think I found another one... aha! Yup, at least it bein' the glowy ones that you want helps ta find them. Here, drink up." The light teal rump stuck up from beneath a pile of junk and office desks swished its red and violet striped tail, the pony it was attached to came up bearing a glowing green bottle in her teeth, which Kelpie trotted over proudly to an injured Vira leaning against the wall.

Vira tossed her head back and chugged the delightfully radioactive bottle of Zip! Emerald, ending with a gasp when she drained it and closing her eyes in relief as she felt a trickle of power to heal her wounds with. Finding more healing potions, bandages or something a little stronger would be more helpful, but at least they wound up in a soda factory that had something tingly among its product line. It would take a lot more of the local celery flavored drink to restore her, but every little bit helped.

"T-Thank you Kelpie, that feels a bit better, my magic may be up to the task of dealing with the next Trappers we run across. You are very good at finding those. Even though they are glowing, I would not have spotted that one."

The young mare gave a proud little whinny in response, coming close to peel up the edge of the bandages on her flanks and squinting at the flesh knitting together slowly with a look of disgusted wonder. "Been scavenging on the island since I was my little sister's age, none of the good stuff is easy to find anymore. Wow that's creepy... rads actually do heal you big bitches, huh?"

Vira frowned and clicked her teeth at the mild insult, coming to accept a certain level of animosity was just going to remain between them. At least it was down to offhoofed, almost friendly jibes like that one, rather than the screaming match that had brought the horrendous monster that chased them here down on their heads. Listening in to her companion's state of mind helped put up with it too, she was worried for her sister Mossy, just as Vira was concerned for Longfellow and Nick, all of whom they had left behind to lead the terrible Rainbow Crawler away.

"Yes, though a much stronger source would be better. With powerful enough radiation, all my wounds and flagging energy could be restored in moments. I thank you for finding this much Kelpie, but our situation is still rather dire and one admittedly tasty soda at a time will not... (Buuuurp!)" Vira answered wearily, flushing in embarrassment and holding a hoof up to her lips when her reply was ended by a ringing belch from drinking four sodas in a row.

Another series of distant gunshots from the filthy windows illustrated her point about the threat they faced, followed by the screams of more Trappers meeting very messy ends somewhere outside. The Rainbow Crawler was still out there... making anywhere else a preferable place to be, though the fact it hadn't found a way in yet simultaneously made hunkering down inside the fortress like Zip! Factory their best option.

She hobbled over to join Kelpie at the broken frosted glass of the door to the small office near the roof access they had used to get in. The halls outside were dirty and cluttered with rubble and trash, but thankfully silent and empty for the moment. Her wing was mostly mended at least, but she hardly had the strength to fly herself away from here, let alone take her unwilling passenger with her. She might be able to manage it alone, but leaving Kelpie behind wasn't being a good pony...

Ducking back from the door, Vira tilted her head down to Kelpie and the glow of her blue green magic surrounding the shotgun she had looted from a trapper on the roof. The rusty weapon was broken down, cleaned and reassembled in just a few deft movements and the aid of a repair spell.

She didn't need to ask considering she could sense all the years of experience Kelpie had at mending torn clothes, keeping ancient tools in shape and generally using the leftover junk of the old world to survive, but Vira was impressed and spoke up in a tired whisper. "Y-You are very good at that. I know a repair-pony who would approve back in Trotson."

"Why don't you go back there then? Provided we get out of this mess anyway..." Kelpie grumbled back, her thoughts turning prickly as they went back to images of Jarhead and their situation.

Vira sighed at her companion wavering between tolerating her in the interest of survival, versus carefully controlled disdain tinged with jealousy. The threat of the trappers proved they needed to work together and get along, but Vira hoped they could do so a little better anyway. Plus she did still feel somewhat shamed over her behavior, using her psychic abilities in anger to find the chinks in the tough little mare's emotional armor and hurt her.

Part of being a good pony was admitting when you were wrong and seeking forgiveness, something Vira had never really allowed herself to do before, so she grit her teeth and bowed her head to the task reluctantly now. "Kelpie... I am sorry. For the things I said, how I insulted you... for using your feelings for Jarhead... I would not have pursued him had I known he was your special somepony."

"H-He's not! I mean... I didn't like you throwing yourself at him like a big slut, but he's not mine or anything, so w-what do I care!? He's a grown buck, he can do what he wants. I just thought.. t-thought he had better tastes is all!" Kelpie's teal face turned a brilliant red as she stammered, growing flustered under Vira's raised eyebrow and waving her hooves in denial.

Giving a tired smirk at the insult and frantic thoughts, Vira shrugged back. "I have told you I can read minds Kelpie... Lying to either me or yourself is ineffective, whichever you are doing. I have my own special somepony, w-who is not necessarily mine either, so I can sympathize. I would be happy to return to him in Trotson as soon as I am able, but there are things I must do here first. I can promise not to seduce your Jarhead during my stay however. He is a very pleasant and friendly buck, but my feelings toward him were mainly concerned with e-experimenting..."

"Experimenting!? Like what, using some weird mutant mind control on him or something!?" Kelpie yelped and pointed an accusing hoof Vira's way, thoughts of the green alicorn as some kind of evil sorceress with an enthralled love slave flashing behind her blue eyes.

The image that popped into Kelpie's mind confused her too, sputtering at the very idea of wearing all that revealing black leather. She wondered how exactly the whip floating beside her factored into mating, insulted both for herself and for the imaginary Jar Head held by a leash and spiked collar the haughty, cackling and even taller version of herself was holding in her teeth. The poor buck mumbling around the gag in his muzzle was portrayed as pathetic and simpering, his eyes blank and enthralled, while Vira was sure her rump was nowhere near the bloated bubble butt Kelpie insultingly pictured...

Vira huffed the suspicious daydream away, biting her lip in thought and slumping as she came to a conclusion. Honesty was one of the important virtues of ponykind, she had to tell the truth... "Not that kind of experiment, no... I meant it innocently. I wish to return to my own stallion and... be with him, but I have never... and I wished to be good... Nick told me to try other fish in the sea after all, and he is a fisherpony... a-and handsome... and nice... soooo..."

Trotting across the room and stashing her rebuilt shotgun in her saddlebag, Kelpie came right up in Vira's shadow and tilted her head with a smirk of dawning comprehension. Most of her anger cooled at least, though it was replaced with a rather unpleasant superior attitude and enjoyment at watching the big green filly squirm.

"You're a big fat virgin! Aren't you!? HA! You look all tall and pretty, but you're nothing but a little filly! Oh this is rich!" Kelpie barked laughter as Vira turned red and backed away from the smaller mare teasing her.

"I-It is nothing to be ashamed of, s-so I will not be hurt by your jibes! My kind have had no use for... t-that! We have been unable to reproduce, so there has been no reason until now! Stop laughing!"

Kelpie did stop for a moment, goggling at Vira's defensive stammering before doubling over in fresh gales. "A-Are you kidding!? Most mares do everything they can to NOT get knocked up. You're complaining you haven't had to worry about that, but still haven't enjoyed it!? Jeez! I'm no oversized floozie like you, but even I've at least had a roll in the hay now and then!"

Vira regretted this entire line of conversation, sticking her nose up in a huff and limping away to the door out. "Good for you then! If I were interested in such, I could easily do the same you know. As I proved with Jarhead I'll remind you... T-Though I reiterate, he did not say he had a relationship with you when I asked, or I would have selected some other stallion to... J-Just come on, we have other things to worry about."

A light hoof to her shoulder made Vira pause, snorting down to the mare still giggling and wiping tears from her eyes. If it weren't for the warming emotion she felt coming off Kelpie, she would have kept right on stalking off until she found another trapper to end this whole embarrassing exchange.

"Wait up Bitch, sorry ok? You're right, it's nothing to be ashamed of and I shouldn't make fun. It's just... a mare like you? Never? It's kinda funny! I mean I hate to admit it, but you are really beautiful, so I just thought you were toying with the fool. Not that you... never!? Like never-ever?" Kelpie managed to slow her breathing and stop snickering at least, goggling up to Vira's bright green eyes flicking away to her hooves.

"O-Other reasons for mating were not something I understood before recently... Romantic f-feelings and expressing them, sharing physical pleasure, k-kissing even... it is all very new and I thought to p-practice. Though we all saw how that turned out. Just because I look this way, do not make assumptions Kelpie."

Kelpie rolled her eyes and answered in a whisper. "Oh boo-hoo. I'ma big ol' gorgeous virgin, woe is me... Don't whine to me about how hard you got it. I wish I looked like you, maybe then the goofball would pay me some attention too."

The wistful longing Vira could feel from Kelpie looking away was something Vira could relate to. Wanting somepony to feel for you the way you did for them, having that fluttery sensation in her heart just saying his name, feeling it swell in her chest until it ached... Vira still didn't like the jibes at her expense, but understood them a bit better and even saw a way to try to fix her mistakes with the lovelorn mare.

"Kelpie... Jarhead cares for you a great deal, I sensed that very clearly. Ponies are often blinded to the things right in front of their muzzles, seeing things as they expect to see them. You need not look like me to gain his attention, you are a lovely mare already. Just a tad... frumpy... and grouchy... and naggy... and..."

"Watch it..." Kelpie grumbled back defensively, her thoughts prickly but curious.

"Sorry, just being honest... I only meant... Kelpie, my mother made my sisters and I look as we do, formed in her image of perfection, dark and beautiful and all the same. I always believed I should fit the mold she cast me in, be as she intended me to be. That image became a monster to many in the wasteland after the things we did under her command, normal ponies feared and hated us on sight... For a time I hated all of you for that in turn, became what they saw when they looked at me... It took a long time and the help of one stubborn stallion, but I have learned that I can change and even change how others see me. Neither of us are defined by others, what they see is not who we are. You can do the same Kelpie. Jarhead sees you as a sister, show him you are more."

"Easy for you to say, even all beat to shit, you're still annoyingly, ridiculously hot you big bitch... T-Thanks though, if we get out of here I'll give it a try. Not sure how, but if you can, I can." Kelpie's reply was still full of doubt, but also a glimmer of wary hope Vira tried to encourage.

"As it so happens, I have made friends with a trio of robotic mares who quite enjoy giving makeovers and are very good at it. Let's escape this place and look forward to introducing you, right Kelpie?" Vira put on a tired smile and waved toward the door out, the two mares slipping out together cautiously.

The chaos still going on outside worked in their favor as Vira and Kelpie made their way through the ruined offices. Several times they had to duck and hide from trapper ponies charging through the halls to find some new vantage to fire on the monster Rainbow Crawler assaulting their fortress. From what she picked up, the tide seemed to be turning in their favor, which at least kept them busy and distracted from discovering they had intruders.

Vira was surprised to learn the fog crazed raiders weren't entirely insane, or their madness didn't preclude rational thought completely. They shouted to each other, communicating tactics and situational awareness, even if it was mixed in with a lot of cursing and garbled snarls. The Trappers weren't as brainless as she had initially assumed though, there was a method to their madness and even a kind of hierarchy. More than once, Vira caught the yelled name of 'Dragonslayer' and felt the fanatical faith they had in their apparent leader.

Asking Kelpie if she knew anything about the fearsome pony they all completely believed would handle the Rainbow Crawler, resulted in a bit of friendlier conversation as they paused in their slow trek through the maze of offices. The sneaky mare who had been leading the way (huffing at all the noise Vira made) taking the opportunity to scavenge as she replied.

"I've heard rumors, mainly from when this place became a Trapper stronghold years ago. They're not much better than the dragon, but I only ever heard stories of old Fogscale." Kelpie answered while exploring the room full of rotting cubicles, poking her head up from one to toss over another glowing green bottle for Vira.

"D-Dragon? There really was one? It is not just a boastful name?"

While she could do without the smirk at Vira's fearful stutter, Kelpie's voice wasn't teasing and her answer was honest. "Oh yeah, long time ago. Jar Head, his brother and I used to play games as foals about it. Actually I can't believe I'm really here after pretending to storm the dragon's castle and steal his treasure back then."

Smiling as she slugged down another radioactive beverage, Vira could see them in the mare's memories. A trio of little foals dreaming of grand adventure, the young version of the handsome stallion Jar Head was adorable, while even Kelpie's self image at that age was cute, far less frumpy playing the captive princess or daring thief anyway. The way her thoughts hung on that old dream again with the more practical, adult ideas about those fabulous riches piqued her interest too.

"Treasure? There is treasure here? It is something you dreamed of... you still hold out the tiniest kernel of hope for such, don't you?"

Trotting back out to move on to the next row of cubicles, Kelpie gave Vira a flat look and snorted gruffly. "I told you, I don't like you peeking in my head. But yeah, alright, of course I still wish for it. Supposedly, there's a mountain of caps from the bottling plant and a ton of gems they used for something or other, all piled up in a dragon's hoard somewhere in here. Money's important, didn't your freaky mom teach you that?"

"My mother wished for a world where that would no longer be the case. All ponies would be equal under Unity, so there would be no need for worldly riches. I have recently come to learn a little about it though, I got a job after all..."

"At least you learned here in the real world, ponies need caps to survive. That money could do a lot of good, I could take better care of my sister, pay Leather Neck's medical bills from that old drunk, Jar could even buy a big boat and be an upstanding captain, then someday he'd be THE Cap'n of the whole harbor and..." Kelpie kept talking as she rooted around in all the trash and ruin, losing herself to the enjoyable daydream, then turning beet red and wheeling on Vira giggling into her hoof. "S-Stay outta my head! Stop that!"

"I'm sorry, I'm not trying to pry... Some things I simply overhear without trying."

"Well it's rude you know! And weird! Especially getting me thinking about silly stuff that'll never happen and then eavesdropping! E-Everypony has some daydream of what they'd do with the Zip! treasure, but that's all it is, dreams that don't do anypony any good." Kelpie's ember of anger slowly fizzled out, leaving her to finish with a tinge of misery and bitterness that made Vira's heart hurt to hear from such a young mare.

"Well I think they do... I may have been a bit blindly devoted to my mother's dream, but she meant it well. When she... died, her dream died with her, I was very angry and lost for a... for a long time Kelpie. Without dreams to look to, there are only nightmares... I know. It took my friend to convince me I could have dreams of my own, but I am much happier now that I am pursuing them. Yours was a very pleasant example, I quite liked the pretty white dress you imagined for yourself. Actually, perhaps you could teach me about this marriage business, I'm very interested in that as well and have as little knowledge on that subject as I have with mating."

Kelpie sputtered at Vira's contemplative look and the curious tilt to her head, nearly losing a dusty old healing potion she had pried from a first aid kit hidden away behind a desk. "J-Jeez, you really are a big ol' virgin. Find yourself one of those ancient Hayley Quinn romance novels once we're out of here if you're so interested. We're not girlfriends, we're not going to hang around gossiping about bucks, we need to get the hell out of here. You've really got a one track mind when it comes to all that crap, don't you bitch?"

"So Nick has told me... Love may be something you take for granted, but it is fascinating to me in all its forms. You and Jar Head, Longfellow and his... his poor wife and daughter... Sumi and Plaid with their parents. So many different kinds... I only ever felt so strongly about my mother before."

Nickering at the dreamy tone to Vira's voice, Kelpie rolled her eyes and waved it all away. "You need to get laid. J-Just not with Jar Head! If I promise to gab with you about all this romantic nonsense, will you hush up already? We're lucky we haven't gotten..."

Grrrrrr....

Kelpie froze in the act of holding her hoof up to lecture to the big alicorn to focus as she so often had to with Jar Head, Leather Neck and her sister Mossy, earning her the (totally unfair!) reputation of being a bossy nag among the three layabout dreamers like this silly filly she had been saddled with. The rumbling growl coming from the door merely proved her point, like her trying to warn against just this kind of thing had summoned it.

A trio of mangy, snarling dogs met their shared gaze when Vira and Kelpie turned their heads together, what remained of their patchy coats raised up on their back, each wearing a spiked collar and scraps of metal and leather armor on their chests. Hunting dogs...

Moving very... very... slowly... Kelpie lowered her foreleg to the floor, wincing at the collective step the mutts took and their yip of warning, she whispered out the side of her mouth to the alicorn thankfully following her lead and not running like a fool. "Hey... do that thing, zap their brains or whatever!"

"I cannot... telepathy only works on ponies..." Vira whispered back, taking a step in retreat along with Kelpie.

"Fucking really!? What good is that!? Do something quiet anyway, they're guard dogs! They're going to..." Kelpie snarled back, facehoofing internally when she called for Discord to make a fool of her again and the lead dog threw its head back in a howl the other two took up.

Laying her ears back at the noise, Vira's hindleg came down on a coffee cup, the brittle snap enough of a signal for the dogs to leap forward and attack. Her horn flickered weakly as she tried to bring up a shield, interrupted from the too difficult spell by Kelpie's double barreled shotgun throwing the first mutt to leap at her back in a ringing blast.

Reminded again her magic was too depleted to be reliable, Vira shot the mare a grateful look in time to see one of the remaining dogs circling her while the last kept her attention. Vira fell back on telepathy in the heat of the moment, her loud mental shout of (Kelpie! DUCK!) enough for the unicorn filly to obey instantly. Kelpie hit the litter strewn floorboards as the hound behind her lunged, sailing over her back in surprise and smashing into his pack mate in a tangle.

Already Vira could hear thundering hoofsteps and raised voices approaching at the noise, forcing her to forgo subtlety. Casting spells might be hit or miss, but her telekinesis was still Celestia-tier even when weakened. Grunting with effort, Vira lifted one of the battered metal office desks and tossed it at the struggling dogs, heartened to hear the painful sounding yelps as she leaned down, yanking Kelpie up by her scruff in her teeth and back to her hooves in one motion and galloping off together.

They heard the angry snarling and yaps gaining on them when the dogs recovered, joined by more barks and howls, along with the shouts of ponies in the warren of hallways and offices they raced through blindly. The little red dashes on the compass displayed at the bottom of her vision were only so helpful in the maze, one Vira thought was right on top of them apparently belonging to a pony a floor lower she heard race right under their hooves. This Eyes Forward Sparkle thing her pip-buck provided could be more informative in an emergency...

Using it as a rudimentary guide kept them ahead of the shouting Trappers though, a bigger threat in Vira's mind than the hunting dogs running them down. They might be insane, but Vira had to respect the hunting and tracking skills the madponies still possessed. If they knew they had intruders, it wouldn't take them long to corner their prey. Even with the fancy arcano-tech gadget however, Vira was afraid they were caught when they galloped out to a slightly larger and fancier office space.

The half dozen cubicles in this room were larger than the numerous lower ranked examples they'd already passed, denoting a higher rank of office drone that once toiled away up here. The floor was riddled with gaping holes they had to weave around in a rush, Kelpie nervously gulping at the long three story drop down to a wide open lobby space below.

Vira didn't share the little unicorn's problem with heights, but even her rushed steps slowed as she tilted her head down at the gap curiously. Oddly enough, there was a whole building contained in the echoing and gloomy chamber down there... It was positively ancient, but still better maintained than most ruined buildings outside. It was a very old fashioned and primitive factory shack of some kind from what she could puzzle out, the frozen water wheel on one side must have once been fed by one of the numerous springs or creeks on the island. The painted billboard on the pink shingled roof read the same as the neon one on the huge stone complex outside, Zip! Brewing Co. was spelled out in flowing, ornate font, a newer addition tacked on to the end finished with 'Gift Shop'. They built a factory around a factory?

The more pressing concern was the lack of exits that didn't drop straight down to the lobby she could hear ponies passing through constantly. There were three doors in the office, not including the one they'd entered through with the dogs hot on their tails. Two were hanging open and ruined wooden portals, the sounds of approaching hoofsteps and shouts coming from both the left and right. The last was a much sturdier and intact steel door straight ahead, a corroded brass plate on the faux wood finish labeling it as; 'President Fizzydrink'.

Left with no other real options, Kelpie dashed to the President's office, hissing in frustration when it refused to budge at her frantic yanking. She flopped down to her haunches and dug in her sweaty red and violet tail immediately, pulling out a bobby pin to go along with the screwdriver she fished from her bag to start working the lock. Judging by the experience with the skill flashing through her mind, Vira stayed quiet and allowed her to concentrate, taking up a protective guard at the smaller mare's back and focusing on the barks growing closer.

It was surprising how often a locked door represented an impassable barrier even 200 years later, but Vira had hopes this one meant the Trappers hadn't been able to get in the office of the pony in charge. If so, they wouldn't be likely to think of looking there, but the dogs were a different matter. If on a determined hunt the Trappers had more such mutts to put on the trail, but these two had their scent and wouldn't be fooled just by ducking into a locked room. They had to be put down, before they could even hope to evade discovery.

A few radioactive drinks hadn't done enough to restore her nearly drained magic reserves, but gave her just enough to scrape together a sparking emerald glow at her horn with enough time to prepare. Other than being terrible with the 9mm pistol tucked in her garter belt, Vira wanted to do this silently if she could, so she'd only have one chance. Her tired green gaze didn't blink or waver from the door she heard the approaching snarls coming from, the charged spell she was focusing on trembling on a hair trigger while the seconds stretched out.

Vira activated S.A.T.S. as soon as they bolted out, for once intentionally using the strange targeting spell instead of having it pop up on its own. She didn't trust her blurry vision against the speedy little bastards loping across the room, still surprised to find the two mangy dogs made it halfway across the room before being frozen in the act of leaping and weaving through the holes in the floor.

She used the entire spell charge, selecting beam spells targeting the chests of both hounds as they had the highest odds to hit. When time resumed, the first one frozen in the act of pouncing at her was vaporized into a cloud of glittering green ash. Her second shot missed however, the third coming out as a fizzling beam that barely slowed the remaining armored hound leaping right at her.

Vira heard Kelpie give a victorious whinny behind her as the beast hit, knocking her off her hooves and tumbling backwards through both the unfortunate unicorn and the now opened door. The green alicorn wrestled and rolled across the tattered carpet in a ball of snapping jaws and flailing wings, reflecting sourly on how weak she was to be brought down by a mere mongrel.

This one was vicious and well trained however, bits of junk from the factory welded into crude barding that mitigated the impact of her strong hooves. The jagged metal armor had even been sharpened and had spikes added to it, slashing at her exposed hide as the squirming thing bit the base of her wing and savagely shook it.

Stifling a pained scream, Vira rolled over on top of it, feeling its ribs snap with some satisfaction. She crashed into some kind of minibar with the tinkle of glass shattering around them, one sturdy bottle thunking right into her head and dazing her. The moment's hesitation was all the vicious dog needed, yipping in pain as it ignored its wounds to lunge at Vira's neck when her head flinched back.

Before it had the chance to rip her throat out, Kelpie came to her rescue. The brave little unicorn dove forward with a furious yelp, plunging her hunting knife in the dog's neck, twisting and tearing it back out in her magic. Both the gurgling attack dog and Kelpie collapsed on her in a heap, allowing Vira to blink down at the unicorn mare dizzily. "Didn't know... you cared... Thank you Kelpie..."

"S-Shut up bitch... of course I.. Shit! The door!" Kelpie's teal face turned red and she stammered scrambling back to her hooves, galloping over to the open door and easing it shut just ahead of the sounds of Trappers entering the outer office. Biting her lip nervously, she relocked it and breathed a shaky sigh of relief, sliding down the door to her rump and trembling. "Phew... Close one. You ok bitch? That mutt really... oh goddesses! You're bleeding all over!"

Vira was only vaguely aware of the wounds she'd taken, not feeling nearly the amount of pain as the little cartoon alicorn her pip-buck flashed at her sternly, fuzzily trying to read all the angry medical alerts the image with the Xs for eyes was trying to tell her about. Of more interest was the chilly fear and warm concern she felt from her companion tearing at her coat buttons to find the bleeding beneath.

Kelpie's words blurred into a strident buzz as Vira's vision faded, but she felt the swirl of emotion going on around the jabbering mare even as she passed out, giving a tired smirk and mumbling. "You are... nice pony.... Kelpie..."

(Drink it! Drink it you big brahmim! Keep on chugging them down damn you! Don't tell me you're watching your figure you fat ass virgin...)

"N-Not... fat...." Vira sputtered and coughed on the tingly liquid being forced down her muzzle, wheezing a weak reply to the thoughts that had been running a worried, if mildly insulting, refrain in her head and blinking up to Kelpie's teary blue eyes widening down at her.

"Bitch! Oh thank the goddesses! T-That's it, keep drinkin' it down, stay with me!" Kelpie sniffled and yelped back, fumbling to her side to twist the cap off another Zip! soda and tilting the green bottle to Vira's lips.

Doing as ordered and nearly choking on the radioactive beverage in Kelpie's hoof, Vira raised an eyebrow to the mare wiping her eyes gruffly beaming down at her. She had Vira's head in her lap, supporting her neck on her outstretched hindlegs and gently tilting her back to drink more like a motherly mare feeding her foal. When she managed to drain the bottle, the smaller unicorn helped her sit up carefully, feeling her full tummy sloshing as her blurry vision took in all the empty bottles rolling around nearby.

"Ooogh... I need to pee...." Vira smacked her lips and looked around slowly, focusing on Kelpie's upheld hoof moving back and forth in front of her face fuzzily.

She'd stood to get up to eye level with the alicorn sitting on her haunches in the well appointed office, giving a satisfied nicker as Vira's sparkling green eyes followed the motion well enough that Kelpie wasn't too worried about any more brain damage than the weird mare had started with anyway. Kelpie gave a titter of tired of laughter at the big bitch shifting on her flanks in an uncomfortable little pee-pee dance, sidling next to her and carefully helping Vira to her hooves with a smirking nod to a small door in the corner.

"I'm not surprised, I just kept pourin' sodas down your gullet until you stopped dying on me! We're both lucky whoever was in charge here liked their own product! Really, how was I supposed to get out of here if you keeled over on me Bitch? I could barely drag you around this one room!" Kelpie helped Vira up, cautiously releasing her and keeping her hooves up just in case the woozy looking mare decided to fall over again.

It took a moment to find her balance and take things in, slowly panning her head from Kelpie watching so closely, over to the office that was apparently safe from the Trappers outside. This one office was nearly the size of the large room they'd escaped from with the cubicles for several workers, the center piece being a large obisidian topped desk Vira leaned on for support. Her fuzzy eyes widened when they focused on the familiar shape of a Steel Ranger with a flash of panic, but a better look showed it was merely a life sized advertising cut out of one of the intimidating suits worn by ponies who'd hunted her kind in the past, this one bizarrely painted in Zip! Soda livery with the logo prominently displayed on the metal flanks. Nearby the startling decoration that looked to be one of many pieces of Zip! advertising on the walls, was a mini-fridge spilling flickering light out in the gloomy room, the numerous colors of a full stock of Zip! sodas explaining where Kelpie had found the lifesaving radiation.

All that took a back seat to the overwhelming demands of her full bladder however, Vira was relieved to find Kelpie guiding her towards the unobtrusive little executive washroom in the corner and pranced forward as soon as she spotted the porcelain throne. She trampled over the dusty bones in the floor, plopping down and giving a long sigh of blissful relief, trying to ignore how her rump overflowed the small seat and the brittle crack her ears flicked at warily. They drooped along with her shadowed eyelids, her tongue lolling out as a what felt like a few gallons of local soda ran through her.

Blinking up to Kelpie snickering at her melting on her seat, Vira blushed and fluttered her wings primly, crossing her hindlegs and curling the feathery appendages in to hide behind. "I-I am not putting on a show! T-This is most embarrassing Kelpie, not funny!"

Still smirking, the teal unicorn mare floated over another glowing blue-green bottle before turning around politely, rolling a blue eye back to peek past the curls of her red mane and chuckling. "Sorry, you scared me there Bitch. Peace offering? It's the good stuff, hardly ever find this out on the island."

Vira raised an eyebrow as she took the brightly glowing bottle, peering at the faded label showing a bold looking cream colored griffoness standing on her hindlegs with her feathery chest thrust out. Her hindpaw was possessively planted on a treasure chest, while the other seemed to be a peg leg. She was dressed as a pirate of all things... wearing a big pirate hat atop her green plumage and an ornate outfit to match, including a long, curved sword at her flank. Above this bizarre mascot was the standard old timey Zip! logo in gold font, more flowing script identifying this variety as; 'Captain Calaeno's Blend'.

Twisting the cap and taking a big swig, Vira's eyes opened wide and her cheeks puffed out as she struggled with the overwhelming fishy taste. Who in their right mind would make fish flavored soda!? It was disgusting! This was the 'good stuff'!? If it weren't for the sharp tingle of radiation dancing on her tongue, Vira would have spewed the vile brew out and aimed for the mare who'd tricked her into drinking it.

As it was, she forced herself to gulp it down, sticking her tongue out and pawing at it, trying to wipe the aftertaste away ineffectually. "Ick! Kelpie that is horrible! Aren't there more of those lovely green ones? Who in the world would want this stuff?"

To her surprise, Kelpie laughed and floated the half full bottle back, taking a sip and smacking her lips thoughtfully as she returned it and forcefully nudged it towards Vira's puckered lips. The psychic alicorn would hardly believe it if she couldn't sense the honest enjoyment coming from the harbor mare, but Kelpie actually did like it!

"Ahhhh... that's the stuff. What's the matter mainlander? Too much for your delicate pallete? You have any idea how much I could barter for with just one of these back in Fog Harbor? The fisherponies love it! Suck it up and finish it off Princess, Captain's Blend has got twice the radiation and three times the flavor!"

"They should have stopped at twice the radiation... but thank you Kelpie, very much... Are we alright? How long was I out?" Vira dutifully slugged the fishy beverage down, standing and flexing her wing as she trotted back out to the office for a real look around that wasn't distracted by the urgent call of nature.

She stuck her tongue out at Kelpie prancing over to the mini-fridge and pulling out more jingling blue-green bottles, sticking her nose up and focusing on the green bottles she spotted in there. Vira was still weak, but her worst wounds were healing and her wing was nearly restored. The worst of the ragged bites had been wrapped in magical bandages, knitting together under their imbued healing spells and her own biology converting radiation to recovery. She even had a few dregs of magical power back, so she felt slightly less defenseless as she explored.

"You weren't down long, maybe an hour? I'm pretty sure we're ok in here, they haven't even tried the door. I think they killed the Rainbow Crawler though, it got quiet not long ago and they came tromping through downstairs. Lots of cheering and patting themselves on the back I could hear from here. I think they're partying somewhere now." Kelpie followed along with her as Vira trotted about, peering at all the old black and white photos on the walls curiously.

"It's unfortunate they're no longer distracted, but at least if that monster is gone, we can get away without worrying about it. Nick and Longfellow must be worried... Allow me to rest and recover a bit more, then I believe I'll be up to flying us out of here. Woooo.... what is this...?" Vira sighed wearily as she took in Kelpie's report on their situation, continuing their circuit of the room and pausing at an odd display hung on the wall.

It was a gun... A very fancy magical energy weapon of some kind, sleek black and boxy, it had multiple gems of differing colors on a circular drum feeding into the barrel. It was longer than a pistol, but not quite a rifle either, only about as long as her fetlock and with an extended magazine to feed spark cells into. The smooth casing had the Zip! logo etched into the metal, trimmed in gold and with a small emerald dotting the I.

Floating it down from its stand made her pip-buck chime with new inventory, drawing Vira's attention to the item sorting function of the funny little device. It listed the weapon as 'Fizzlepop Special' and assigned a high value for it, however the arcano-tech device decided what things were worth. She had to puzzle over it a moment, but knew more about magical energy weapons than she did normal firearms and was able to identify it as a kind of Magical RSW, a Rapid Sparkle Weapon that was a bit like a ballistic submachine gun. Vira immediately liked it, tucking it in her saddlebags and looking over the display she'd taken it from.

There were several pictures of prewar ponies shaking hooves and posing, a few examples of ads hung nearby with logos like 'Put a little Zip! in your Zap! Zip! Soda is the official drink of choice for Tempest Technologies!'. A framed newspaper clipping nearby showed the name again, 'Tempest Technolgies breaks ground on Fog Harbor Research Center', this one showing a stallion with an elaborate mustache shaking hooves with a severe looking unicorn mare with a broken horn, the two posing before a shovel stuck in the dirt on a forest hillside. Vira wondered why a magical energy weapons manufacturer would partner with a small soda company, but wasn't above snatching the lovely weapon for herself.

Kelpie huffed as she moved on, rooting around in cabinets and drawers and tossing interesting bits to her saddlebags. "I haven't had a chance to go looting 'cause I was taking care of you, then you go grab the best looking salvage before I can get to it? Bitch..."

"Oh! I... I didn't mean to... Y-You may have it, I just..."

"Kidding! Jeez, calm down, I was just teasing Bitch. Don't big mutants like you joke around?" Kelpie laughed and continued her looting, her relief over Vira's recovery making her playful and pleasant.

"My sisters and I joked with each other, yes... Ah! For example, our mother was so fat, she counted her weight in megatons Hahahahaeh...heh? Get it? Megatons! I-It is funny... though I suppose you had to know our mother..." Vira huffed and scratched her head to come up with one of her favorites, though her snickering and hopeful grin wilted under Kelpie's confused blank stare.

Raising an eyebrow at Vira's blush and continuing in a more serious tone, Kelpie shrugged and kept scavenging. "Anyway, don't worry about that gun, I don't know how to use those things for shit, if you do then have at it. So, do you and your sisters really miss your tubby mom?"

"Of course! She was our mother, we all loved her very much and miss her a great deal. I may have come to question some of the things she did and disagree with her plans, but I would give much to see her again. I hadn't realized how much before I saw a vision of her on the island thanks to that toxic spring. I miss my sisters as well... I look forward to seeing them again and... making amends." Vira's reply was soft and wistful, her eyes watering as she searched her feelings.

She turned to the scrutinizing look Kelpie had turned on her, the smaller unicorn looking up and tilting her head to the tall alicorn with a warm feeling of empathy flowing off her as she spoke. "I miss Mossy too, she must be freaking out by now... We umm... we lost our parents too, so we know how it feels. Sorry about your mom..."

"And I am sorry about yours Kelpie. You know, you remind me of one of my sisters. Umbra was the one who stepped up when our mother died, protected those of my sisters she found and brought us together to the Commonwealth. I did not appreciate how hard taking on so much responsibility must have been and fought with her, but I am grateful to her now. Jar Head told me you did the same for him, his brother and your sister when you were all orphaned. It must have been difficult for you too." Vira smiled and bowed her head to the mare giving a surprised whinny, unable to suppress a giggle at the pride Kelpie was trying to hide that so reminded her of her purple sister back home.

"W-Well, if you can admit that about her, maybe those three might figure it out someday too. You better get down and kiss this Umbra mare's hooves if she put up with as much shit as I do. It's not fun being called a nag and bossy, just for taking responsibility and doing the dirty jobs nopony else wants to do. T-Taking care of a bunch of goofballs... being forced to grow up early while they get to keep being kids... I... I really try hard you know..." Kelpie huffed back, but her voice cracked and her blue eyes shimmered with frustrated tears as she spoke.

Seeing the tears and sensing the conflict behind them, Vira hesitated and tapped her hooves together anxiously. She was trying to be nice! She'd already made Kelpie cry by being cruel and regretted it enough, how had she screwed things up now? She could hear Kelpie struggling with herself proudly, the shame over telling 'this nosy mutant bitch' things she never admitted to anypony front and center in her mind. Vira meant what she said about Kelpie reminding her of her sister, if she couldn't express how she felt to the unicorn mare she'd just met, how could she ever tell Umbra?

Unsure what to do, Vira was guided by her feelings and those she picked up from Kelpie, wrapping her wings around her in a warm, reassuring hug and nuzzling her mane anxiously. "Shhh... I know you do Kelpie, I can sense how hard it has been for you. I am sorry... f-for everything. Perhaps you should tell them how you feel when we return? It is unfair for you to keep shouldering this responsibility alone. I didn't understand what my sister went through because she was proud and stayed strong for all of us. If she told me though, perhaps I wouldn't have had to learn the hard way by making so many mistakes... She could have relied on me and shared the burden instead. You and she both deserve to be your own mares, to have fun and not feel you must do it all alone."

It took a minute for the wire taught tension in the little mare relaxed, slowly melting into the hug and sniffling against Vira's chest. The psychic alicorn could feel how long it had been since somepony had simply held Kelpie and been strong for her, instead of the other way around. No wonder she was so grumpy, she'd taken on so much for so long... Vira could see it flitting behind her teary eyes, years of acting as the mom for their little group, fixing boo-boos, learning to clean, to sew, to repair things until they wore down to nothing, to cook with what meager food they could find, to manage their pooled caps and eke out a living for four young ponies. She'd changed what seemed like thousands of diapers for an infant sister born not long before their parent's death, saw the bucks off to scavenge and work every morning and greeted them when the returned to their little hovel every night with stories of adventure. Kelpie had been forced into a role she never wanted when she was just a filly, but she met the challenge and never broke down or complained. The harbor mare was so strong...

When she cried herself out, that stubborn pride came back like a mask as she pulled away and rubbed her bloodshot eyes roughly, sniffling up to Vira's kind look and giving a tired sigh. "A-Alright, alright... quit looking at me like that Bitch, y-you're making me feel pathetic blubbering like a baby. But umm... t-thanks... Vira... I'm sorry we got off on the wrong hoof, I thought you were trying to steal Jar away and... a-and it wasn't your fault. I should have told him how I felt, instead of waiting for the big dummy to figure it out on his own. Er... c-could we maybe, like, start over? Friends?"

Blinking down to Kelpie's outstretched hoof, Vira's green eyes grew wide and dark, filling her whole face and making the unicorn filly understandably nervous. When the big alicorn squeed and lunged into another, bone crushing hug this time, Kelpie wheezed and fought against the big galoot rubbing her cheek against hers happily as she babbled. "Yes! I would like being friends! Very much! Thank you Kelpie!!"

"Gah! Leggo already weirdo! You're squishing me! A-And keep drinking those! Hold your nose and chug it if you have to, the fishy ones worked best on you." Kelpie squirmed her way free with a gasp, shoving another disgusting blue-green bottle of Captain's Blend to Vira's muzzle just to ward her off.

"Bleck... Very well... I am feeling better though, let us continue your scavenging and rest, then we can escape and see all our other friends again soon! I can't wait to tell Nick and Longfellow we made up and I made another friend, they'll be so proud!" Prancing in place in a little dance, Vira grinned and returned to looking around the untouched office.

She was so happy, she missed Kelpie rolling her eyes and groaning, Vira's own eyes closed in a giddy smile as she went cantering about the office with her wings fluttering weakly and her tail flicking. Vira's blind prancing and remaining wounds and weariness conspired with her general clumsiness however, her undamaged wing flapping out and knocking a large portrait of the mustachioed stallion in charge down with a clatter that made them both wince.

Sheepishly looking back at her latest act of unintentional destruction, Vira joined Kelpie in goggling at the large black safe hidden behind the painting. She tilted her head at it in confusion, nearly knocked aside by Kelpie charging past her and planting her forelegs on the wall to peer at the complicated looking combination dial. The unicorn mare huffed at it a moment, then dove for the large desk and glowing terminal atop it, tapping away at the keys frantically as Vira turned to watch over her shoulder.

"You know how to operate those ancient terminal things Kelpie? You must be very clever... I know there's a way to open them up, but have never understood the concept. How is it done? The male is very good with computers, I would like to learn..." Vira's chin flopped down on Kelpie's sweaty, violet striped mane, peering over her horn curiously to watch as she clicked through menus and brought up a screen full of garbled text and characters.

"You're really gaga over this 'the male' buck, aren't you? Play a little hard to get anyway Vira... Terminals aren't that hard really though. I'm not great with them, but I learned a little bit of everything being the mom for everybody. This is like a backdoor, a log of things typed into this terminal, somewhere in all that crap is the password. See here, that's how many characters it is, and that's how many tries I have left. You can usually crack one of these with enough time, if you back out it resets, but you also get a fresh number of tries. Now let's see... what would this buck use as a password..." Kelpie didn't seem to mind Vira's interest, ignoring the watchful alicorn overhead and patiently clicking through the words she found buried in all the code.

Vira got the basic gist by listening to Kelpie's thoughts, finding the arcane and mysterious process of hacking a terminal easier to understand as Kelpie tapped her chin in thought and glanced at the portrait on the floor. She didn't get the technology very well, but Vira liked the psychological aspect of the process. It was figuring out what the long dead pony would pick as a password, something personal to them that others wouldn't know easily.

It took a couple tries, but eventually the string of characters reading 'SparkleColaSucks' jumped out from the remaining options and gave a positive beep when Kelpie selected it, the terminal booting up and displaying a list of menus Kelpie flicked through rapidly. There was inter-office sparkle mails that caught Vira's eye as Kelpie scrolled through them, several concerning Hippocratic Industries and Sparkle Cola in particular. It didn't seem like the local island company had a very good relationship with the megalithic mainland corporation. A few subject lines talked about lawyers and stolen recipes, buyout offers and corporate espionage...

These fell by the wayside as Kelpie found what she was after however, a simple command buried down the list reading; 'Open Safe? Y/N?'. Kelpie hit the Y key with a happy whinny and hopped up, prancing in place as the large safe's combination dial spun on its own and it gave a dull 'clunk!' before creaking open a few inches.

Kelpie yanked the heavy door open in her teal magic, leaping to the open safe then slumping when faced with its contents. She snorted and started tossing stacks of prewar bits and paper money aside, rooting around up to her barrel in the large safe and not finding anything she hoped for. The prewar bits and gems she shoveled out to her hindlegs were somewhat valuable, but the books and ledgers Kelpie kept tossing out to go whizzing over Vira's head were viewed as worthless.

"Dammit! Really!? Nothing good at all!?" Kelpie snorted and scrambled with her hindlegs to crawl all the way up into the safe in her frustration, bucking more books out and making Vira dodge the missiles.

Snatching one out of the air that looked particularly old and weathered, Vira unwound the leather tassel holding it closed and studied the hoofwritten journal with interest, reading aloud as she puzzled it out. "Zip Classic- Corn, Fruit, Acid, Water, Sugar... Hmm... I believe these are recipes of some kind Kelpie, are they worth anything?"

The harbor mare's mouth fell open as she wiggled her way around to face Vira, lunging out and joining her in flipping through the brittle pages with a manic yelp. "Holy shit! The Zip! secret recipe!? Fuck yes it's valuable! Sweet Celestia, they're all here! Zip Classic, Zip Refresh, Zip Quartz... oh my goddesses, Captain Calaeno's Blend! I could brew my own and sell them!"

"P-Perhaps we should burn that last recipe..." Vira stuck her tongue out and her stomach gurgled on looking over the list of ingredients. Raw fish, clams, crawdad shells and shrimp did not belong in a soda... no matter the weird tastes of the locals.

"No way! You got a gun, I'm taking this!" Kelpie yelped and hugged the old tome to her chest defensively, her automatic frown relaxing into a wary grin at Vira smiling and shoving her playfully. "T-Thanks Vira, this is really something. There have been legends about the Zip! secret recipe on the island forever, but nopony's ever found it! Hey, maybe these other books are worth something too!"

At that, the two mares worked together collecting all the ledgers and journals Kelpie had tossed out to the room, carefully examining each for anything of interest. Most were boring, company ledgers full of numbers Vira basically muddled through enough to see the Zip! Brewing Company had been in dire financial straights before the end. Sparkle Cola had apparently been very aggressive in their attempts to run them out of business and buy the family company out. The duplicate ledgers with different sets of numbers didn't look all that good either...

A few journal entries she flipped through rapidly explained the odd partnership with the magical energy weapons maker she'd discovered earlier though. An infusion of cash from the foreign based Tempest Technologies that had their hooves in a lot of businesses apparently, breaking in to Equestrian markets through numerous other partnerships and building an Equestrian headquarters in the port city of nearby Trotson.

Somewhat interesting, but Vira generally didn't care for delving into mysteries of the Old World often. She knew some ponies liked collecting information like this and figuring it all out, using the signposts of the past to discover treasures just waiting in the ruins. She was delighted to find her pip-buck seemed to be copying and cataloguing everything she read though, maybe she'd show it to some smart explorer who could make use of them.

She turned to Kelpie's gasp behind her, finding the unicorn mare had returned to the safe and dragged out what looked like several large photo albums. When she trotted over to take a look at her discovery, even Vira gave a surprised squeal at the treasure trove Kelpie had uncovered.

They were full of bottlecaps... Hundreds... Thousands of them! Every one was carefully placed in the album like a stamp collection, each one bearing the Zip! logo, but each one slightly different. The ones of the first pages looked positively ancient and crude, hoof made caps given a simple logo stamp. They grew more complex and artistic as Kelpie turned the pages with shaking hooves, going through years of Zip! brewing history apparently. The president had collected all the bottlecaps they'd used on their product over the years, what was a fairly worthless sentimental collection in the old world becoming a dragon's hoard of treasure in the wasteland.

"L-Look at all of them... we're rich! We found the Zip! treasure Bitch! We actually found it!! I... I-I'll split it with you... that's still a ton of caps and..." Kelpie stammered in a hushed voice as she looked up, floating three more photo album's down and growing dizzy on confirming they all had bottlecaps stuck to their pages.

Smiling softly, Vira nudged the offered album back, focusing on one particularly pretty green bottlecap for Zip! Emerald that had a green star on the bottom side and floating only it up to her trenchocat's breast pocket. "You need the caps more than I do Kelpie, and you know how to manage money much better than I do. This one is enough for me, the rest are yours. I'll keep it as my lucky bottlecap, a memento of making a new friend. You take the rest, but you must treat yourself with some of it! As I said, I know a robot mare who has a wide selection of pretty dresses that would actually fit you. We will go together and see Ms. Polomare and the others when we escape, we could take your sister along too! Ah, and my other friend Sumi! I would like that..."

Kelpie gave a snort and rolled her eyes at Vira's excited tone, but sighed and cracked a crooked grin to the hopeful alicorn. "Deal... We'll do a regular shopping spree with just us gals, you big goofball. It's something to look forward to once we get outta here anyway. T-Thanks Vira... Now let's pack all this loot up and get going if you're up to it. I'm ready to go home..."

"Home..." Vira blinked down and smiled at Kelpie's warm thoughts, seeing Longfellow's land and images of Kelpie's friends and family.

Her own thoughts of the gruff old stallion and synth detective she'd left behind there joined Kelpie's, realizing the word resonated with her for the first time since her mother died and Maripony had burned at the Destroyer's hoof. It wasn't the place itself, it was the ponies waiting there that made it home, as much as Trinity Tower and her waiting sisters there... Vira had a home...

Feeling her heart swell with the epiphany, Vira sniffled and gave a firm nod, standing and flexing her wings in determination. "Right... let's go home Kelpie."

The two mares soon crept out from their refuge and slipped back into the upper hallways of the Zip! Factory silently, making their way down towards the main entrance as the closest way out of the den of Trappers. Vira poked her head over the open gaps in the floor to the preserved gift shop below, but Kelpie's dislike of heights and the numerous dogs prowling around down there made just gliding down a non-starter.

Instead they followed fading signs and evacuation route maps still hanging on the moldy walls, finding stairs down near the gift shop. The progress they were making without meeting any resistance was both heartening and worrisome, especially as they seemed to be getting closer to the source of a lot of noise and shouting from the crazed Trappers. As they descended, Vira recognized it as amplified and scratchy music playing from something a lot stronger than a radio.

The upbeat tempo and reverberating bass shook the ceilings as they slinked through more empty rooms on the second floor, making their way to the next set of stairs down to the lobby. They had to slip by a break room full of wounded Trappers moaning to themselves, but made it to a long hallway leading to the labeled stairwell door with a sigh of relief. One more floor, then if they had to they could just make a break for it at the lobby. As soon as they hit open sky, Vira's wings would get them out of this mess and back to their loved ones. Vira had seen almost no pegasus or griffon Trappers and was willing to brave flying in the fog if it meant leaving these lunatics behind.

When they opened the heavy steel door to the stairs after a determined nod to each other, they both laid their ears back and flinched at the wall of noise blasting out of the open portal. A quick peek down the gloomy stairs showed a huge hole in the wall to the left, opening out on a wide chamber spilling out flickering light and a jumble of raised voices from dozens of Trappers. E.F.S. showed a sea of red that way before they quickly slid the door shut again, flicking their ears to make sure nopony heard that and was coming to investigate.

"Fuck! What now Bitch? They're having a freaking party between us and the exit! Do we go around? Back up to the roof?" Kelpie hissed in frustration, prancing on her hooves impatiently.

Casting her psychic senses around now that she had a little bit of energy to work with, Vira tried to pin down how many fog rotted minds were nearby and bit her lip, shaking her head weakly to her companion. "There are several guards up on the roofs again, those who are not either wounded or celebrating right here are all keeping watch for any other threats from outside. The front door is the least watched and we've gone more than halfway. I believe we can slip by, they are very distracted celebrating down there..."

Facehoofing with a groan, Kelpie nodded and checked her shotgun as she replied. "Ok then, I trust your call Detective Bitch. Sure you can stop being such a klutz long enough to sneak past? That big booty of yours isn't exactly hard to miss."

Vira nickered at Kelpie's smirk, sticking her nose up as she placed a hoof on the door in readiness. "I do rather wish I was one of my blue sisters at the moment, but I'm sure I can manage Kelpie. I'm not that big and clumsy, and I do not have a big..."

"Sure you don't, you're a petite little waif Vira." Kelpie interrupted with a snicker, lightening the mood before turning serious and placing her hoof on Vira's on the door handle. "C'mon, let's do this Bitch. We got it."

They opened it together, ducking into the booming noise of ancient show tunes and rowdy cheering like they were diving into the sea surrounding Fog Harbor and quickly shutting the door behind them. Vira followed Kelpie's lead, creeping like a cat with her head down low and her rump unknowingly stuck up in the air, trying to move as the stealthy little unicorn did and place her hooves in Kelpie's hoofsteps leading the way.

As they stalked down the gloomy stairway and approached the gaping hole in the wall, Vira picked up a delicious smell that made her tummy grumble. She flinched at the too-loud seeming noise and blushed at Kelpie's raised eyebrow staring back over her withers, but she couldn't help it. Something down there smelled wonderful and her body was running on fumes, a few gallons of soda hadn't touched her recently acquired appetite for normal pony food.

Smoke wafted in from the gap in the wall, drifting up in the large chamber outside from a small bonfire built below. Vira paused as they reached the gap, peeking over the edge just to take a look at the madpony party below. It was some kind of movie theatre?

That's what it looked like, a good number of the seats placed in neat rows facing the tattered screen had been torn up or moved, making a wide open space full of dirty ponies celebrating. They were surrounding the bonfire in the middle of the room, tending the huge, rainbow colored carcass tied to a spit and slowly rotating over the flames. Rainbow Crawlers might be one of the most dangerous and horrifying wasteland monsters Vira had ever encountered, but they were apparently delicious too...

A fan of light illuminated the movie screen, playing some kind of tourist guide movie on the Zip! Factory that showed it operating as it had before the end. Endless rows of clean and new bottles of soda whizzed by on conveyor belts, tended by ponies wearing mane nets, smocks and rubber hoof gloves. Vira watched a pair of prewar mares waved from doing their work, one of them removing the rubber glove from her hoof and sticking it on a bottle passing by, the two giggling mares waving at it zooming off down the line. The soundtrack had been fiddled with, Vira's sharp ears flicked at the muted voice track mumbling about the factory's operation and history, it was drowned out by the musical score though, the beat for the party going on below.

The Trappers squabbled over the meat they tore off the dead Crawler, slugged down bottles of Zip! and alcohol equally, indulged in scattered drugs, while some of them in the corners were outright rutting each other in a celebratory orgy. Just looking them over made Vira sick, sensing the collective madness they were reveling in.

A deep baritone ringing out drew her eye to the stage however, focusing on the sharp mind stamping a hoof in front of the flickering film. "That's right bucks and fillies, party hard! It cost us a lot of fine Trappers, but who led you to bring down a Rainbow Crawler!?"

"Dragonslayer!" The crowd shouted back in a rough cheer, falling in line with the charismatic leader instantly.

"Who's the best hunter on the island!?" The large earth pony stallion shouted out again, puffing his leather armored chest out and holding a hoof up to his ear with a flourish.

"Dragonslayer!!"

"Who took this fortress and killed old Fogscale single-hooved!?" The leader shouted again, still wearing that smarmy look and tossing back his bedraggled green mane.

"Dragonslayer!!!"

"And who's gonna lead all of you brave hunters on the great hunt!? Who's gonna bring down the three great beasts of the island, unite all the trapper crews out there, hunt down the harbor ponies, the rad lovers and the synths until this whole island is our private hunting reserve!?" This Dragonslayer pony built up to a crazed cheer, stamping his hooves and waving out to the crowd doing the same in a rhythmic roar that shook the stairs under Vira's hooves.

"DRAGONSLAYER!!!!" The gaggle of trappers screamed back, dissolving into a mob cheering and shoving each other wildly.

Vira had frozen during the lunatic's speech, glaring at him with her mouth open and her head buzzing as she looked him over closely. He was filthy like other Trappers, but somewhat cleaner and wearing more ornate armor over his dark red fur that was ragged and unkempt at his fetlocks and spilled over his cracked hooves. His mostly leather armor had a textured green appearance that looked like Radigator hide, while Miretank shells formed large plates at his chest and flanks. It was studded with bony claws and fangs from more dangerous beasts and held together with fish netting, decorated with feathers and other trophies. The most prominent ones were the fresh looking prismatic colored Rainbow Crawler claw strapped to his foreleg, and a large, curved tooth worn on a rusty chain necklace.

It was what she got out of his diseased brain that really made Vira pause. Everything he said were lies... First of all, Vira knew that Longfellow was the best hunter on the island, this crazed fool wasn't half his measure. Secondly, his bragging over the well practiced story about slaying the dragon and taking over the Zip! Factory that Vira heard flashing in his mind wasn't the truth either.

It was the plans he worked his minions up with that made her worry though, they were organized under this maniac, planning to become a force on the island and attack the other three factions currently vying for control. To hunt them all down... The harbor ponies and Longfellow, the synths and Sumi, the Robobrains of Stable 118 and Plaid, even the Church of Balefire Vira was fairly ambivalent about... they were all in danger if these Trappers were allowed to fester and grow like a tumor on the island.

"Bitch! C'mon! Don't just stand there like a lump!" Kelpie hissed at her and tugged Vira's foreleg still stretched down to the next step, startling the green alicorn and breaking her mental focus on Dragonslayer.

(Kelpie! That pony is lying! He is no Dragon slayer! He is dangerous though, he wants to hurt our friends!) Vira blinked back and answered telepathically, slowly following along with Kelpie's pulling.

"Trappers are all crazy assholes, who cares about that one! We have our own problems! What can we do about it anyway, other than get the fuck out of this madhouse and tell everypony in charge like Cap'n Berry!? Just hustle those oversized flanks already!" Kelpie whispered back in frustration, tugging Vira along with her as she crept backwards down the stairs.

Shaking her head briskly, Vira nodded and turned away from the ugly celebration. Kelpie was right, they couldn't do anything on their own. They had to escape and let others know of the threat here. Thanks to the dragon's centuries long presence, the Zip! Factory had been mostly ignored and the Trappers had been growing stronger in their fortress, unnoticed by the squabbling groups outside. They'd managed to kill the terrifying Rainbow Crawler after all, they weren't to be taken lightly...

They nearly made it past the gap in the wall safely, but Kelpie was still walking backwards to keep the ditzy alicorn focused on escape. Neither of them noticed the chain strung up in the shadows from the rotting ceiling, giving a surprised squeak at the sudden jingle of the tin cans tied to it when Kelpie's flicking tail brushed it.

The raucous cheering below was instantly silenced, every eye turning up to the broken wall and the two fillies frozen under their surprised stares. Vira turned to the silence and her wings fluttered anxiously, turning the stunned expression on Dragonslayer's face to an eager grin as he pointed a hoof up at them and shouted. "Fresh prey! An alicorn! Capture her, I want the horn..."

At his order, nearly every partying Trapper below scrambled to their hooves and charged out, boiling down the remaining rows of seats and towards the various exits with wild whoops of glee and cocking weapons. Still gaping at the awful thoughts swirling in Dragonslayer's mind about her personally, Vira yelped when Kelpie slapped her face and screamed. "Fuck! Run Bitch! Let's go!!"

Right... Stealth was abandoned and the two new friends galloped down the stairs together, Vira's longer legs and wing assisted leaps letting her take the lead as they hit the ground floor. The stairwell opened out on the vast lobby containing the original factory gift shop, more large gaps in the walls above letting them see Trappers charging by and taking up positions to fire down on them. The lobby was lit in flickering firelight from various barrels, the wavering shadows making it difficult to spot all the doors and gaps in the walls the Trappers were bolting out from.

There was a large fountain dead ahead with an oversized bottle of Zip! at the top that once spewed out water. In front of that obvious landmark was a wide set of double doors leading to the front doors of the factory. Only thirty yards separated them from freedom! Vira and Kelpie galloped through the hail of gunfire side by side, the smaller unicorn taking the cover the big alicorn offered even before she cast a flickering shield.

Vira's barrier wouldn't hold up long, but staved off the shots coming from the upper floors as they ran. Kelpie's double barreled shotgun boomed when one speedy Trapper charged out of the Gift Shop with a manic warcry, throwing him back to go sliding across the tiled floor leaving a long streak of blood.

A gaggle of more of the raider-like ponies were bolting out of a door up ahead, trying to block their route and throwing themselves at them with wild abandon. Still unable to risk burning up too much magic, Vira went for her newly acquired weapon, tugging the sleek black Magic RSW from her saddlebags and pulling the trigger from the flank.

The stream of rainbow colored beams that blazed out surprised her, her steps faltering as the rapid weapon spewed out a torrent of magical death. There was no recoil since it was an M.E.W., but the fire rate was insane! The round drum containing multicolored gem capacitors whirred and spun, each time a different colored gem lined up with the barrel, another bright beam of a matching color shot out. The first two Trappers were vaporized by the stream of fire, turning into a blue and red pile of sparkly ash as Vira struggled with the weapon.

She waggled it back and forth with the drum still spinning madly, the rainbow colored beams pouring out hitting another three Trappers scrambling to retreat. The handy display in her vision rapidly counting down in the corner of her eye worried her though, Vira didn't have a lot of spark cells and this thing ate through them so fast it wasn't funny! With the group barring their path in retreat, Vira saved what few rounds she had left and restrained herself to using short bursts at anything else in the way. Kelpie backed her up with her shotgun, but reloading both barrels each time made her slow and selective in her shots, not as helpful in dealing with a horde of crazed enemies.

Vira's dim shield shattered under a barrage of assault rifle fire, but they were close! She spread her wings in readiness as they neared the exit, sidling closer to Kelpie and preparing to scoop her up to her back as soon as they were clear. A loud 'twang!' and weird, warbling, whistling noise behind her preceded her raised wings suddenly getting caught and tangled in something, a spinning weight twisting around them and binding her wings together above her back. Vira had a moment to puzzle over it with a glance back, finding a series of ropes tied in fancy harbor knots and with heavy fishing weights tied to the ends. A makeshift bola... They'd bound her wings!

Vira sent another stream of magical beams back at the familiar form of Dragonslayer wielding the cobbled together launcher he'd used to do it. Casually loading another bundle of ropes and weights as more Trappers charging out around him ate the burst of wild fire. Her attention was drawn away from trying again with her last few spark cells when Kelpie gave a pained scream and stumbled next to her, staggering on in a rapid, three legged hop as she held her bleeding foreleg to her chest. Vira slowed and tried to lift her to her back in her telekinesis, but turning back for her friend gave Dragonslayer the perfect shot.

Another loud 'twang!' sounded out and suddenly Vira's legs were tangled up in a spinning bola of strong ropes, sending her falling face first to the floor and skidding to a halt near the fountain. Kelpie limped to her and yanked out her long hunting knife to free her, but a young earth pony Trapper leapt at her, tackling her away from helping the bound alicorn and bashing her head with a lead pipe from the factory.

Before Vira could do more than scream and struggle to help the captured unicorn, a cluster of more Trappers reached her, forming a dogpile on her so she couldn't move, then dragging her and Kelpie to the dry fountain with victorious cheers. Vira's legs were unbound, but only so the gleeful Trappers could spread her out, pairs of the filthy ponies holding one leg each, throwing her and Kelpie up to the lip of the fountain on their bellies.

Vira struggled and fought, but even her great strength couldn't overcome the pile of ponies pinning her down, leaving her to seethe and grit her teeth at their gleeful and sadistic thoughts. She glared up to the clapping hooves of Dragonslayer approaching as things settled down, her green eyes turning to a dragonish scowl.

The evil leader of the Trappers cantered up happily, giving a leering grin at the two fillies spread out before him. He walked right up on the lip of the fountain, prowling around the circular bowl to stand over Vira's puffing grimace with slimy, disgusting thoughts swirling around him. When he hopped back down at Vira's side and tugged the tails of her trenchcoat up to paw at her rump, Vira shuddered in revulsion and renewed her struggles frantically.

She could see it in his head, the ugly, cruel lust and enjoyment at making her suffer. It was the opposite of the warm feelings she sought out so fervently, turning something she was just starting to explore about herself into something vile. Just his touch was revolting, but what he planned to do before killing them was worse, a violation... a corruption of those nice feelings she'd have if it was the male stroking her backside like that.

Kelpie may have teased her for being an overgrown virgin, but she didn't want that taken away from her by this... this monster! It was her gift to give, a special experience she wanted to choose who and how she wanted to share it! Dragonslayer lining up behind her and leaning up to whisper in her ear made her feel sick and furious, cringing at the feeling of him pressing up against her and chuckling.

"Such a pretty catch... We can't let it go to waste, now can we boys? Us Trappers use up every little bit of our prey pretty filly, so there's not gonna be much left when we're done. Nice of you two cuties to volunteer as entertainment for our little party! Never caught an alicorn before... Glad the big boss gets first turn..." Dragonslayer's rancid breath puffed in Vira's ear and he licked her cheek with his slimy tongue, making her fur stand on end and skin crawl as she just kept seeing all the awful things he planned to do to her.

The brute grunted and shifted against her, making Vira gag as she felt him awkwardly pawing her flanks. She wanted to male to do this! For it to be her choice! To feel his love and caring, not the sadistic lechery and savagery from this evil pony! Vira thrashed and bucked in desperation, tossing the smaller Trapper ponies off her, only for more to jump in and gleefully hold her tighter.

They were a mass of hooves and muzzles swarming around her, groping her wings, licking and biting her back, rubbing their filthy hooves through her mane and tearing at her hard won detective's outfit. She could hear Kelpie screaming beside her under the same treatment, her head forced to watch by cackling Trappers holding her down. All the while the grunting, gloating Dragonslayer was sedately climbing up her back, bashing the back of her head when her horn sparked frantically and knocking aside her wide hat.

The impact dazed her and ended any more attempts at mental manipulation. The damage was done though, Vira gave a hard grin as all the expectant faces of the Trappers holding her down turned confused at their leader wilting away and turning redder behind her. Blood ran down from her mane and squinted one green eye closed, but it was worth it to shut off certain active signals from what passed for Dragonslayer's brain. No matter what happened, Vira quite doubted he'd be up to tormenting any other victims that way for a long while, if ever...

"O-On second thought, rads'll probably rot my cock off! Don't you or this little harbor cunt worry though, I've got plenty of other toys that won't feel nearly so good. Even toxic cunts deserve the Dragonslayer touch, right fellas?!" The shamed stallion finally slid off her at least, snarling and slashing at her flanks with his Rainbow Crawler claw in an attempt to win back the crowd, leaving deep gouges that stung horribly.

Mustering what resistance and flagging energy she could, Vira barked laughter, putting on her old, haughty and cold tone of a child of the Goddess. "Dragon slayer, ha! A limp dick liar is more like it. You slayed no dragon, it's still here... It's.. aha, that''s how you did it..."

Dragonslayer's face paled as Vira focused on reading his mind, digging through the defenses and grabbing at the jumbled thoughts that flashed up in response to her goading. She saw his secret... Having his mask torn away was not something the earth pony Trapper would tolerate though, overriding her with a loud shout and a painful hoof to her grinning muzzle that crunched and filled her mouth with the taste of blood, making the room spin and a roaring noise fill her limp ears.

He took a rusty metal club wrapped in barbed wire from one of his underlings trotting up, holding it in his teeth and bringing it up to Vira's teary face with a vicious smirk. "Shut up Outsider, nopony will believe you. I think I'd rather hear you scream for me... Hold her down tight boys, this cunt is about to..."

"Leave my filly alone ya nasty fog brain!" A gruff shout echoed in the large chamber, followed by a loud blast of a rifle hammering Dragonslayer's Miretank breastplate, knocking him back as all eyes turned up to the furious old stallion who'd fired.

"L-Longfellow?" Vira gaped along with all the Trappers, looking up to the old buck perched behind the gift shop sign on the roof of the preserved building in the lobby, happy, relieved tears flowing down her cheeks as she sensed the absolute rage he felt on finding her in this position.

There were three dead Trappers in the hole in the wall leading to his perch, taken out silently by the true best hunter on the island, before he revealed himself to protect Vira. He worked the lever action of his rifle in his hooves rapidly before the stunned Trappers recovered, firing again at Dragonslayer and sending him prancing back, shouting furiously at the intrusion.

Most of the leering crowd of Trappers that had gathered at the fountain to watch and have their turn at violating the two mares darted for cover, whooping and firing back at Longfellow as another victim to overwhelm. Several remained where they were however, keeping Vira and Kelpie pinned and using them as living shields as much as possible. Vira was disgusted to find some were mad enough to keep right on groping her while they shot their crude weapons at the brave old buck, a little gunfire and their fellows being blasted by the rapid bark of Longfellow's rifle no discouragement to their sick fun.

A gaggle of the Trappers ran for the nearest set of stairs that would take them up to Longfellow's level, the high pitched 'beep-beep-beep!' noise Vira's ears flicked at hopefully nearly drowned out by their thundering hooves. The resounding explosion of the mine going off blew the crazed cluster to smoking bits, the haze of smoke and bloody chunks obscuring the two familiar shadows that leaned out from the doorway and started firing at the screaming survivors and Vira's captors.

"C'mon dollface! The calvary's here, so make yer move and buck those slobs off! Let's go!" Nick's Trotson accented voice called out and filled Vira with joy, the synth detective coming to her rescue and hammering the Trappers with his .45 revolver.

A spry and younger stallion shape charged out next to him, swinging a wickedly barbed fishing spear in his brown muzzle and shouting frantically as the tough earth pony buck knocked Trappers out of his path. "Kelpie!! Miss Vira!! We're here!"

Seeing Longfellow, Nick and even Jar Head gallantly charging to their rescue brought Vira back from the despair and disgust she'd just felt. They came... It took them time to follow Vira's flight leading the Rainbow Crawler away from Longfellow's land, but the best tracker on the island had found them, her employer hadn't abandoned her, the handsome local buck had put everything else aside to help them... Her friends came to help when she needed it...

The rising joy and warm, fluttery feeling in her heart on seeing them leaping into the fray filled Vira with reserves of strength, giving her the hope she needed to dig deep for the last scraps of her flagging energy. Giving a low growl, Vira planted her hooves on the crumbling fountain and gave a titantic buck, dislodging several of her captors and knocking a few into the ones holding Kelpie down.

They'd been so focused on tormenting them, the Trappers hadn't disarmed their prisoners yet, a mistake Vira took advantage of with a hard, predatory smile as she snapped the neck of a unicorn Trapper struggling to pin her down again with a vicious sweep of her foreleg. Vira tugged her new Fizzlepop Special weapon out and held the trigger down, waving the rapidly spinning RSW around her in a circle until the clip ran dry. With the flailing Trappers huddled around them at point blank range, she didn't need to be very accurate...

Half a dozen Trappers were torched into multicolored piles of ash before she ran out of ammo, thinning the herd nicely and also freeing Kelpie. The furious and crying unicorn filly blasted one of the survivors with her recovered shotgun, snatching Vira's hat from the floor as she ran for Jar Head fighting his way to them and calling back to Vira worriedly. "C'mon Bitch! Let's go!!"

A well aimed buck sent one of the few remaining nearby Trappers sailing across the lobby, drawing Vira's attention to the swarm of others realizing they had more intruders than just the old stallion still screeching and dropping one enemy after another from his unassailable perch. Vira heard more beeps and explosions shaking the building, clouds of smoke puffing out from the holes in the walls all around Longfellow. They were trying to flank him and he'd prepared a few surprises apparently, using traps against the Trappers... How poetic...

"Let's go you nitwits, can't keep this up all day! Vira! Move it ya silly filly!" Longfellow's gruff shout masked the worry and anger he was trying to keep a tight hold of, focusing Vira's loopy attention on the old buck waving her forward desperately.

He was seeking out Dragonslayer between well placed shots, still apoplectic over finding the slimy buck pawing at 'his filly', he said that... he thought that... Vira was his little filly in his mind, he failed to save one daughter, but now he was getting a second chance and would die fighting these disgusting Trappers if that's what it took. His wonderful caring emotion helping Vira stagger after Kelpie meeting Jar Head in a rushed embrace, the three of them quickly heading for the door Nick defended and the way out flashing in his synthetic mind.

The old detective was reloading in a rush when they dashed through the door, shaking spent casing from his revolver with a cheery grin to his grateful assistant panting down at him. "Heya sweetheart, guess this rates hazard pay, huh? You alright doll?"

Nick had very hard, angry thoughts as he looked over the tall green alicorn, his strange but kind yellow on black eyes roving over the bleeding wounds and her puffy face. If escape weren't forefront in his thoughts, Nick had a powerful urge to hunt down the prick who'd done the damage himself.

Instead he trotted along at Vira's side as Jar Head ran ahead, leading the way down the escape route clearly mapped out in his mind, while Vira leaned against her boss as they stumbled up a set of stairs and nodded weakly. "We will be fine, just as soon as we are far away from this madhouse Nick. Thank you... f-for coming to save us... I thought..."

"Don't you spend another second thinkin' on it dollface. If the old timer has his way, that sick bastard is gonna regret ever touching you. Let's go grab him and get goin', before he goes a little overboard on the ol' 'don't touch my daughter' routine, eh?" Nick gave a worried smile and urged her on, trying to hide his own boiling thoughts that agreed with Longfellow's response completely where his precious assistant was concerned.

They hit the second floor and galloped down the musty hallway it opened on, Jar Head and Kelpie in the lead, their fishing spear and shotgun at the ready to attack the Trappers charging out of connecting hallways and rooms in their path. Kelpie fired on a crazed pink mare lunging out of a hole in the wall with a fire axe in her teeth, panting to Jar Head covering her from the second leaping over the mare's corpse as she reloaded in a rush. "W-Why are we going up!? The doors were right there! N-Not that I don't appreciate the rescue boys, but really?"

"We gotta get Longfellow! Plus we got a ride waiting Kelpie, it's just this way! Don't argue and nag for once, just come on!" Jar Head mumbled around the shaft of his spear and snorted, the fear and worry for his friend making him snippy in the heat of the moment.

He was interrupted by a big earth pony Trapper roaring as he charged down a side hall, swinging his spear to meet the threat and brought up short when the crazed pony yowled in pain and hit the floor. His foreleg was nearly snapped in half by a rusty bear trap, allowing Nick to casually blow his brains out as they passed and met Longfellow galloping down a hall to the the left to meet them.

The old buck took up Vira's other side, helping her keep stumbling her way in a straight line and giving her a concerned nuzzle with his bristly beard that made Vira whinny happily. "You ok lassie? The difficult bit's up ahead, then we're home free. W-We'll get you outta here and back home, we're nearly there honey, just hang on!"

Their running firefight climbed another flight of stairs and kept weaving its way towards the rear of the Zip! Factory, ending at a heavy steel door opening on a vast chamber full of ancient machinery. The five friends skidded to a halt at the ragged edge of steel catwalks that once ranged above the huge factory floor below them. Now several large sections had fallen away, leaving them with a view of the bubbling vats and conveyor belts spread out before them.

They were in the bottling plant itself now, not the offices Vira and Kelpie had been sneaking through so far. The modern machinery was rusting away to ruin, but still absolutely filled the giant, echoing chamber. Far below their hooves, Vira could see the bottom of the factory floor was flooded with seawater towards the back, several large passages leading towards the loading bays for ships to the mainland. There were more of the steel mesh catwalks below at varying levels, leading all over the place with rotting boards placed down to cover the gaps present there too.

There were conveyor belts with strings of broken and tipped over bottles of Zip! Soda, all of them empty and leading towards a large gap in the machinery that looked like it had been torn out by some creature with incredible strength and large claws... Vira noted curiously it looked to be where bottlecaps would be stamped onto the bottles, a very valuable gadget in the wasteland that somecreature had already got to.

Directly below them were the huge vats of soda itself, waiting centuries to fill the waiting bottles. Several large and open vats were full of various colors of soda, dark brown, milky white, deep purple, glowing green and aquamarine... Hundred of gallons of the local flavor sitting here, stirred by tiredly squeaking, squealing, clattering machines still chugging along automatically.

Looking up to their level again, Vira saw Jar Head was cautiously stepping out to a long pipe leading across the room. It wove its way over to other sections of catwalks still hanging on, connected together in a rickety looking path to a modular capsule control room on the other side, the dim flicker of an exit sign the apparent goal.

Kelpie balked at Jar turning and waving her out after him soothingly, shivering as she put a trembling hoof on the rusty pipe and squeaking when it groaned. Trappers were pouring in to the factory below, firing up at them and making the crossing even more perilous.

Nick had to reluctantly leave Vira's side, trotting up to the anxious mare and reassuring her in a kind but stern voice shouting over the gunfire. "C'mon doll! I'm right behind ya, but we gotta move! Just don't look down!"

Vira groaned at his well meaning advice, watching tiredly as Kelpie did exactly what he said not to as soon as he said it. Kelpie's teal face paled and she skittered away from the ragged edge with a fearful whine, the view of a bubbling vat of Zip! Emerald below her hooves washing her in a wave of vertigo.

She had to limp her way forward and give the shaking mare a nudge with her muzzle, holding her shrunken blue eyes and using up a bit of magic to soothe her psychically. "Kelpie... you can do this. We are all right here, I will not allow you to fall. Surely you don't want Jar Head to think you're a scaredy-pony, hmm?"

"E-Easy for you to say with those wings you big bitch... I-I'm not losing to you though, s-so... just be ready to catch me!" Kelpie snorted and stood up to Vira's gentle teasing, mustering her courage and sticking her nose up as she stepped out to the pipe and hugged it to her barrel, inching her way along like a pony shaped catapillar.

Considering Vira's wings were still bound above her back in the tight ropes of Dragonslayer's bola, she rolled her eyes at the unicorn's complaint but held her tongue. Instead, Vira grit her teeth and lit her horn in a layer of overglow, draining the last of her magic to produce a dimly glowing shield between Jar Head helping Kelpie along and the Trappers shouting and shooting up at them. It wouldn't last long, but the least Vira could do was protect her friends during the crossing.

Nick followed Kelpie's torturously slow progress, trotting out on the narrow pipe easily with perfectly programmed, gyroscopic balance. Apparently he just disliked flying, not heights in general like poor Kelpie. Longfellow had taken up a position at the bent railing behind them, blazing away with his rifle to cover them as Vira sat beside him and did the same with her magic.

Once they reached the first island of remaining catwalks and moved on to the beams of the rafters for the next crossing, Vira gave Longfellow a weak shove towards the pipe. He grumbled and tried to be stubborn, but Vira was his match when it came to being hard headed, huffing and pushing the smaller earth pony along. "Go Longfellow! I must focus to maintain this spell! I will be right behind you!"

"Grrr... Fine! I want you right on my tail though missy! No running off again!" Longfellow groused and fired down at a Trapper attempting to throw a molotov up at them, the firey missile shattering down among a gaggle of Trappers that dove off the catwalks to the flooded floor below.

Despite his orders, Vira let Longfellow get well ahead of her before putting a hoof down on the rusty pipe, biting her lip at the groan of tired metal as soon as she put her weight on it. With her wings bound, she couldn't even use them to help balance, carefully inching her way out while maintaining her flickering shield, using the feathery tips tied straight up above her back to at least lessen her weight bearing down on the unsteady path.

"I am not fat... I am not fat... I am NOT fat..." Vira muttered sourly to herself at every creak and groan, but kept her eyes on Longfellows grey tail and put one hoof in front of the other.

Jar Head, Kelpie and Nick had made it to another firmer stop along the makeshift junk, shooting down at the swarming Trappers and trying to psych Kelpie up enough to make the final leap over a gap to the open doorway to the control room and exit. It took long enough that Longfellow and Vira caught up, crowding the small platform that once had a convenient bridge to the doorway they wanted. Now the wide gap just led straight down to a foul, fishy smelling, blue green vat of Captain Calaeno's Blend, making Vira wrinkle her nose and stick her tongue out as she joined the other's efforts and convincing the frightened unicorn mare.

"Kelpie, we gotta go! I'll jump across and show you how easy it is. I'll be right there to catch you, I promise!" Jar Head's worried voice was the best medicine for the poor filly, tilting her muzzle up to meet his determined gaze and bump noses, before he made a running leap and skidded to a landing in the control room.

He turned immediately and tried to make it look easy, holding his forelegs out and waving Kelpie forward frantically. Kelpie bit her lip and took one more inadvisable look down, but turned to Vira with a whinny and warily hopeful look. "Y-You won't let me fall, right Vira?"

"Never... Go on, show him how brave you are Kelpie, I'm right behind you."

Eyeing the space she had and taking a few steps back, Kelpie nodded and clenched her eyes shut, charging forward and making a flying leap out into the open space with a shrill scream. She should have looked where she was going however, misjudging when to jump and doing so early. Her arc peaked too soon, a bright wave of panic filling her mind as she peeked and scrambled her hooves in the empty air.

Hissing with effort, Vira surrounded the unicorn mare in a dim field of her telekinesis and gave her a boost, tossing her to Jar Head's open hooves that caught her in a strong embrace, falling back to the control room together and making room for the others.

Nick wasted no time, tipping his battered brown fedora to his assistant proudly in recognition of the effort she put in to do that. His eyes hung on her pale, sweaty face and tired green eyes, but the increasing gunfire left no time to quibble. Nick made the jump easily, turning back for Longfellow and Vira with his revolver drawn and firing at the first Trappers to follow their course and come bursting out of the door they'd taken in to the factory.

"You're not taking my prey away you old poacher! That mutant cunt is mine! I promised the boys entertainment and she looks sturdy enough to last! Bring 'em down you worthless fucks! Whoever brings the alicorn down gets first crack at her!" Dragonslayer was among that group, still hiding behind his minions and shouting across the difficult to cross expanse.

Just his voice filled Vira with revulsion and fear, she felt her legs trembling at his vile thoughts of the things he wanted to do to her. She'd never thought much of raider's propensity for rape and torture before, viewing it as just another form of cruelty from lowly insects that didn't deserve the glory of Unity. Never saw how it was a different, more insidious kind of assault than things like skinning their victims alive. Now she had changed, the idea of that monstrous pony touching her... violating her like that... Taking something beautiful and warm and turning it into a weapon... She'd never felt such terror before and suddenly sympathized with all the examples of raider's doing that to fillies and bucks alike she'd seen over the years.

She nearly froze feeling it all crashing down on her with Dragonslayer's sneering voice, flinching back and trembling from the barrage of bullets his crew of Trappers were sending their way. It was the burning torch of Longfellow's hate and rage at the evil Trapper that got her to look up, the old buck screaming himself hoarse as he kept firing his long rifle at Dragonslayer exclusively. He felt protective of her, in a blind rage over the sight of savage that dared touch her like that.

It also presented a problem, no matter how good his love underlying the anger felt. Longfellow had tunnel vision, only focusing on Dragonslayer and leaving himself exposed to keep shooting at him ducking behind his followers. He was wounded and blood spread in spots on his dark peacoat here and there, but too enraged to retreat until he killed that stallion, ignoring Nick, Kelpie and Jar Head shouting for them to hurry and trying desperately to cover them with their meager weapons.

"Sorry about this Longfellow..." Vira murmured and lined up her tail on the old buck, rearing back and bucking him hard enough to send him flying across the gap and to the others waiting to catch him.

He gave an indignant squawk and struggled against Jar Head's strong hooves holding him back, straining to reach the door and Vira prancing back for running room. The whine of bullets filled the air around her, some impacting her armored maroon coat and upheld wings straining against the ropes to flap and help as she charged forward.

Her long legs crossed the small platform in no time, coming together as she hit the edge and leapt. The ropes binding her wings creaked under the force of them trying to hold her up, but the bindings and gravity weren't going away, leaving her to make the jump the earth pony way. She was confident however, years of flying let her judge her arc of descent and speed in an instant as she hit the apex, her forelegs stretched ahead of her and her hindlegs and tail whipping behind her. Vira was sprawled out to her full, impressive length in a moment of frozen time, smiling to the waiting faces of her friends ready to catch her and cheering her on.

It was ended by a loud 'fwoomp!' sound and a blinding pain in her back, throwing off her leap to a panicked fall that smashed into the ragged metal edge of the missing catwalks at the door. Her forelegs scrambled at the doorway and her chin was at Nick and Longfellow's hooves, the two bucks grabbing a foreleg each and desperately trying to haul her weight up.

Looking behind her, Vira saw why she could hardly breathe. A long harpoon had pierced her back just below her wings, fired by the smirking Dragonslayer cooly watching his Trappers stumbling across the rickety path, feeling nothing for the ones who fell and grim anticipation for the ones who were howling for blood as they crossed and shot wildly.

Vira struggled and strained to pull herself up, but she had nothing left. She was too hurt and exhausted, coughing up bubbling blood that flecked on Nick's pale face. Looking up to Longfellow straining and puffing to pull her, she saw the tears flowing down to his scruffy beard as she slipped further back. He wouldn't stop trying to save her, even if it got him killed...

Giving another teary glance behind her as she slid another inch while Jar Head and Kelpie dove forward to squeeze in at the door and find a hoof hold to pull, she saw Dragonslayer loading that harpoon gun again and gulped. The one already puncturing her lung was making it impossible to get a breath and climb. The next shot would be too much, or it might hit the others instead... Her eyes fell in misery and looked over the long drop below, hanging on the bubbling blue green vat below her.

"I gotcha... nngh! J-Just hang on darlin'! Rrrggh! N-Not... lettin'... you... falll!" Longfellow wheezed down to her reassuringly, images of his poor daughter Emerald falling from the seaside cliffs flashing in his mind as he dug his hooves in and still skidded forward.

"Longfellow... it's alright... You have to let go... It will be ok... I love you..."

The old stallion paled and fought harder at Vira's words, all the pain he'd lived with since his little filly's death welling up in his chest. The alicorn mare simply stopped trying as she heard the click of Dragonslayer's harpoon gun, her hooves slipping from Nick and Longfellow's grasp, a few stray hairs of her mane caught by Kelpie's clicking teeth when she lunged after her and hung off the edge, watching Vira plummet to the bubbling vat below and disappear down into the glowing blue-green depths.

Longfellow's pained scream echoed in the factory, collapsing at the edge with, Nick, Kelpie and Jar Head howling in unison. "VIRA!!!"

Longfellow remained hanging off the edge and staring where Vira's flowing mane had disappeared into the vat below for several long minutes, bitter tears streaming down his face and falling to the ocean of soda. The sounds of the hooting, cheering Trappers, the gunfire, the sparks off the metal door around him, none of it mattered. He let her fall... again...

The pair of fellow harborponies, Kelpie and Jar, were perched to either side of his hanging head. The bossy little mare he'd let live on his land even rubbing his back and sobbing beside him, while the young buck looked furious, standing at their side and unslinging his rusty harpoon gun to scream and fire on the jeering Trappers.

For his part, Nick unhurriedly reloaded and continued firing, raising a plastic eyebrow at the glowing gunk his mare friday had fallen into and waiting... Not that he wasn't worried for her, but the old detective had a hunch...

There were no direct paths to the control room they huddled in, so the frustrated Trappers were swarming to other areas of their maze, trying to find a way to reach them. The leader of their rats nest here stayed where he was, laughing across the gap separating them and trying to goad the old asshole out again. "Ha! Got her! We'll fish her out, stuff her and mount her! In more ways than one old timer, bwahahaha! That's what she gets for messin' with the Dragonslayer!!"

"You're no dragon slayer..." The ugly puice Trapper mare standing beside him suddenly spoke up, her eyes glowing green as she casually turned to the stunned Trapper leader and spoke in a dreamy voice.

The crazed stallion slashed out with the chitinous claw strapped to his hoof to silence her in a panic, slicing her throat open to gush blood and foul the vat of Zip! Classic brewing below them. Before the silence that fell after suddenly killing one of his own had passed however, a scarred blue Trapper stallion spoke in the same voice, his eyes glowing green as well.

"You never killed Fogscale..." The dazed looking Trapper turned his head slowly to Dragonslayer, a mechanical smirk slowly spreading on his features as the sputtering leader aimed his harpoon gun at him speaking from a lower catwalk. "You lied... the great Dragonslayer, going into the dragon's lair as..."

With a shout and soft 'fwoomp!' from his weapon, Dragonslayer silenced this dissenter as well, giving a hysterical shout when one of the Trapper ponies carefully crossing the beams and pipes above the factory froze midstep and picked up the thread. "...as a colt and slaying the dread Fogscale... Quite a reputation you built for yourself based on dumb luck and a lie."

The pale stallion that spoke didn't even wait for Dragonslayer to shoot him, grinning cheerily and tipping a wink to Longfellow's stunned face, then simply stepping off his precarious perch and falling to the factory below with sickening cracks and crashes.

"T-That's me girl..." Longfellow sniffled and beamed, shaking off the sorrow that had threatened to swallow him up and standing on firm hooves with new hope shining in his heart. "C'mon you lot! We're all gettin' outta here, once my Vira's done givin' these fools what for!"

The old buck outright laughed when another Trapper on a walkway near the ground floor shouted up, grinning like a colt as he shoved a confused Kelpie and Jar Head away from the door and towards the exit. Kelpie had to be dragged away from staring at the glowing blue-green vat of Captain Calaeno's Blend, she could swear it was actually getting lower, dropping down an inch at a time in slow pulses. Nick just gave a mysterious smile and chuckled, lighting a cigarette and leaning against the metal doorframe to watch the show. He knew his assistant was a tough cookie...

Dragonslayer screamed at the new underling throwing his forelegs wide and inviting the quivering harpoon that shot down and speared his chest. A dingy yellow mare wading around in the flooded ground floor paused from her gallop and continued in a lilting, teasing tone, strolling along towards the ancient loading bays as she spoke.

"I mean it was clever to lead a feral rad-dragon down to the secure storage for the docks and lock it up, you didn't even need to lie about it. But you're a small, pathetic little stallion, aren't you?" The Trapper mare trotted towards the flooded passageways as Dragonslayer reloaded, but his frantic fumbling was cut off by a glowing fountain of Captain's Blend shooting up from the vat below, a large green shape erupting out and up.

Vira spread her wings and snapped the remaining ropes easily, her flowing green and lilac mane rippling around her and her wounds completely healed. She was also a good deal larger... straining the limits of her battered trenchcoat and crackling with power, sneering down at the gaping Dragonslayer as his harpoon gun clattered to the steel walkways.

Flapping sedately above it all, Vira's lidded eyes flicked over the frozen buck and she smirked. "A very small stallion indeed... aren't you, Mittens isn't it? Knit Mittens? Such a cute name to go with a wimpering little colt like you."

Dragonslayer... or Mittens' face glowed bright red under Vira's raised eyebrow, stamping his hooves and sputtering up to the hovering alicorn who'd paralyzed the now snickering Trappers watching the back and forth. "S-Shut up! I... I'm the Dragonslayer!! I took this factory! I killed the dragon!"

"Oh? Then you won't mind if I send your henchpony down there to open the door, will you? Luckily a new friend explained how to open the terminal sealing it, and I don't even have search for the password with it blinking in guilt ridden neon in your fog rotted brain. MittensRulz should do the trick dear, off you go..." Vira giggled and turned to the still trudging Trapper mare down below, her blank, glowing green eyes sparkling along with Vira's horn, then giving a sleepy nod and wandering off down the flooded passageways to Dragonslayer's horror.

"I'm sure you'll be fine if there really isn't a captive and very angry dragon down there... If there is... consider it my thank you for your unwanted affections... We'll just see ourselves out. Good luck!" Vira grinned and spun in the air with a bow, swooping towards her friends and folding her wings in at the last moment to fit in the doorway.

It was a squeeze and she frowned with her rump got stuck for a moment, but Vira pulled herself through before the Trappers collected themselves and started firing again. Dragonslayer's crazed screams drifted in behind her as she trotted over to her friends. "Stop her! STOP THAT CUNT! Don't let her get down there!!"

There was confusion among the Trappers now, torn between the escaping prey and their leader's orders to kill one of their own. It was enough to make their escape anyway, allowing Vira to plant her hooves and briskly shake herself somewhat dry, splattering her smaller friends in a shower of fishy soda.

She smiled brightly when she stood to her full height, brimming with energy and happiness at the chaos below and the warm feelings of relief from Longfellow and the others. She tutted on inspecting her poor trenchcoat, finding the sleeves had rode up her fetlocks and she'd bust a button or two at her wide barrel. She'd soaked up as much radiation as she could in a rush, so she'd wound up a little plus sized again...

Vira giggled and rolled her eyes at Kelpie simply gaping up at her with her mouth hanging open, gently pressing a large green pinion to her jabbering lips and narrowing her eyes. "Don't say it... I am not fat Kelpie, just a little overcharged is all. Are you all alright?"

The teasing helped Kelpie snap out of it as the big alicorn looked them all over worriedly, shaking her head briskly and trying to get over the idea of the big bitch getting even bigger. At least Jar Head had seen it before, explaining soothingly and trying to lead her to the exit. Longfellow threw himself against the floof of fur at Vira's breast when she turned to him, squeezing her in a tight, strong hug she curled her wings in to return softly.

Blowing lazy smoke rings and watching the reunions with a small smile curling up on his synthetic muzzle, Nick strolled to the exit door, gulping and turning serious with an enraged roar shook the factory from below. "Well folks, unless we wanna meet this dragon up close and personal like, how about we hit the road? Like now?"

Another roar and the fwoosh of flames heating the air all the way up to their high perch in the rafters punctuated the synth detective's point, everyone clattering to their hooves and rushing the exit Nick held open impatiently. They charged out to the open twilight skies above the Zip! Factory rooftops, Vira and Kelpie looking up in relief to breathe free air again. The moon was rising above the giant Zip! bottle standing before the pink smokestacks crumbling to ruin, the twinkling stars peeking out above them and the smell of the sea filling their nostrils.

More roars and shudders to the huge stone building kept them moving, tripping and stumbling each time the rooftop shook as they followed a trail of dead Trappers, taken down by somepony skilled at stalking and killing with a hunting knife. A little grim to take pleasure in their deaths, but Vira couldn't help but smile at the old stallion racing at her side, Longfellow'd gone on quite the killing spree to save them...

To Vira's confusion, the fog shrouded island was at their backs and the sea stretched out ahead, though she didn't doubt Longfellow taking the lead to fire his rifle at panicking Trappers racing across the rooftop along covered catwalks and rotting asphalt. They took a turn to one of the rickety catwalks descending the outer wall, racing down the stairs and towards the sounds of the lapping waves. It led down to a long, straight section covered by rusting metal panels, passing a door back into the factory a screaming fireball shaped like a pony burst out of ahead of them. The screeching mare never even saw them, galloping down to an open section of the walkway and throwing herself off the railing to the rocky shore below, streaming bright flames the whole way.

When they followed the roasted mare's hoofsteps and came out into the open again, Vira saw their destination and gasped in surprise. A rusty old fishing trawler was anchored below, bobbing along with the tide in the foggy waters surrounding the rocky island the factory was built on. It had a dark blue hull, the flaking paint at the prow reading; Ocean's Bounty.

"A ship?"

Panting as they ran down another set of stairs and got closer to the getaway ship, Jar Head answered Vira's curious exclamation with a grin. "Longfellow stole it!"

"I didn't steal it! It's my ship dammit! I let them fools in town borrow it so it wasn't going to waste, but she's my boat, I'll take it back if I want!" Longfellow rasped as the old buck struggled to keep up with his younger, synthetic or super charged companions.

"Those fisherponies sure didn't see it that way mac... Glad you had it around to... eh... let's say borrow though. We tracked you with your pip-buck there dollface, but it would'a taken forever crossing the island to catch up. Your grumpy buddy there really came through sweetheart, Longfellow there was worried about you..." Nick chuckled up to Vira, giving a subtle nod to the elder stallion puffing along with them.

Longfellow gave an indignant yelp when Vira's magic surrounded him and yanked the stallion to her broad back. He didn't have a chance to complain when Vira simply jumped over the railing as the flaming Trapper had done however, spreading her wings to glide along beside the others still charging down the rickety stairs rusting away to nothing as they neared the salty water. Vira spotted the rope tied to the broken end of the stairs and the tiny raft at the other end, banking that way and circling as the others slid down, allowing Vira to grab the thick harbor rope in her teeth and pull her friends to Longfellow's ship on a Fog Harbor sleigh ride.

Her dear friend sputtered and drummed his hindlegs against her ribs in a tantrum over being marehandled like a foal as she flew across the waves and bounced the little raft on the swells, but stilled when Vira tossed her sopping mane and smacked him in the face with a wet slap, leaning back to nuzzle and giggle tiredly.

"Then let's get the brave Captain back to his ship and go home Longfellow... I reeeeeeally need to use your bathroom..."

-----------------Level Up!---------------

New Perk Added!-------------

Cola Nut-----
---Drinking a lifetime worth of cola in one night has made you a regular soda sommelier! You now gain twice the benefits from drinking any carbonated beverage for double the duration, including Sparkle Cola, Sunrise Sarsparilla and of course, Zip! Soda.

Quest Perk Added!-----------

Zip! Secret Recipe------
---The treasures of the Zip! Factory ruins has taught you the long lost secret recipes of the Fog Harbor speciality. You gain new crafting recipes at any cookfire or oven, allowing you to brew all varieties of Zip! Soda with the proper ingredients.

Ch. 10-- Safe Passage

"I hope you don't mind, but I have a list of all the things I always wanted to do with my dad?"

The Ocean Pearl was the biggest ship Vira had ever been on, not that that was saying much, but the green alicorn was greatly enjoying her view from the elevated bridge. The little fishing boat chugged around the coast of Fog Harbor with Captain Longfellow at the large wheel. Actually, Vira was just happy period, beaming a smile and watching the gruff old pony operating the vehicle with a practiced hoof.

"Quit grinnin' like an idjit Vira, still mad at you fer runnin' off with that Crawler. I had it well in hoof ya know, brought down a few in my time. Lucky ya didn't get yer fool self killed lassie..." Longfellow chomped on his pipe puffing clouds of smoke up with his grumbles, squinting gruffly to the goofy filly.

His words phased Vira not at all however, she was basking in the warm glow she could feel under what he griped about. Longfellow came to her rescue, even now, he was lecturing her as he would his own daughter. Those wonderfully warm paternal feelings and love Vira was so interested in were radiating off the old buck giving a snort to her closing her eyes and smiling wider in response.

He blushed and sputtered when she leaned down to nuzzle his bristly bearded cheek, flailing his hooves at the still larger than normal mare squeezing him in a bonecrushing hug happily as she burbled. "But you saved me! I am happy feeling how much you care Longfellow, I love you too! And I like your boat you stole to gallantly ride to the rescue as well."

"G-Gah! Alright ya silly filly! 'Course I care, I already got all mushy with ya once today an' admitted it, ya don't have ta rub it in. An' I didn't steal it! I told all of ya, it's MY boat dammit! Though I'm sorta glad I get to show you an all I s'pose. I don't think yer boss likes it near so much though lassie." Longfellow huffed as Vira let him go, snickering out the cracked glass to the synth detective hanging his head off the prow.

Even though Nick's face was made of pale plastic, Vira giggled seeing how green he appeared. Her employer really was no good with boats or flying either one. She would go out to comfort and thank him for the daring rescue as well, but had been protectively ushered up to the bridge with Longfellow as soon as they were under way, making Vira tilt her head curiously and ask about it.

"It is a lovely boat though regardless. I'd very much like a tour, or to at least look around a little bit Longfellow. Why must I stay in here again?"

The old stallion propped the wheel in place to turn around and eye the oblivious alicorn filly with his eyelid twitching up at her looming over him. Vira had burned off at least some of the radiation that had saved her life, but still absolutely filled the small cabin. It took catching Longfellow's agitated brown eyes flicking out a side window to the handsome fisherpony stallion Jar Head, busily working the ropes and booms hanging off the side of the deck below, for her to at least have an inkling what the problem was, but she still blinked in confusion, getting an exasperated snort from Longfellow.

"Because yer runnin' around in yer nickers dammit! Ain't havin' my filly out there with that buck on my boat when I already caught ya foolin' around once! Show a little modesty Vira!" Longfellow waved his hooves at the tall and shapely alicorn, his eyes continually diverting away and a brighter blush showing through his beard.

Looking down at herself, Vira sighed again at the runs in her lovely dark stockings, unashamedly tugging at the silky black panties and garter belts that were pinching and tugging most uncomfortably. "But I outgrew my nice outfit.... At least Kelpie was nice enough to fix it for me. I still don't see the problem, I told you, Jar Head is her special somepony, so I promised not to 'fool around' as you put it. He seems busy anyway..."

"Not busy enough ta not get an eyeful! Trust me Vira, you go saunterin' around out there lookin' like that, no buck'll be able to resist. He's actually not that bad, insisted on comin' along soon as he heard you two was in trouble, so I'd sorta feel bad tossin' him off my boat in the middle of the sea. You just wait till that bossy lil' lassie finishes fixin' yer coat an' you can fit in it again, then I'll give ya the grand tour." Giving a huff and putting his hoof down, Longfellow turned back to navigating the rocky shores, resigning himself to Vira curling her wings around him and resting her chin on his old hat with a pleased nicker.

"We made friends though Longfellow! She is not... alright, maybe she is a little bossy, but she has her reasons."

"Hey, watch it bitch... Or maybe you don't want this back?" Speaking of the devil, they both turned to the teal mare poking her head in the cabin with a smirk, waggling Vira's maroon trenchcoat in her magic like she may just toss it overboard. She giggled with the big alicorn dove at it with a squeal, then goggled with a disbelieving shake of her head as Vira tried struggling into it. "Thanks for keeping her out of sight old timer, at least one of you has some shame. He's right Vira, I could do without you wobbling that giant ass around with yer panties in a bunch. Jar would be drooling a puddle on the deck and... i-it'd be hard to get any attention out of the goofball at all."

"It is not giant nor wobbling! This will wear off soon enough, nngh... I am... nearly... able... to... fit... unff!...a-already!" Vira stuck her nose up defensively and kept right on struggling to squeeze her way in her coat, pausing with a guilty start when she heard a freshly sewn seam give a warning pop of stitches.

She frowned at Kelpie's immediate admonishment, letting the poor coat rest around her shoulders and hanging her head as the naggy little mare fumed. "Don't tear it up again silly! That thing was hard to fix even that well, and it's not pretty. Just... shrink back down first. Goddesses that's weird bitch... I'm glad you're all totally healed, but getting even bigger is... just wow..."

Pouting as she tugged one of the side windows open and poked her head out to start firing out emerald beams of magic from her horn, Vira tossed her long mane and muttered back. "You should see my sister Swan if you're so impressed Kelpie, or the state I was in when I arrived on Fog Harbor for that matter."

Longfellow gave a bark of laughter at that, smiling to the stunned unicorn and nodding his agreement. "Oh aye, damn near filled my barn when she washed up on my land. Dunno about her sister or nothin', but she's a petite lil' filly compared to that. Worth it seein' them Trappers get theirs too! Heehee! My lassie really gave it to 'em!"

Even Kelpie laughed along with the old buck at the fate of the Trappers occupying the Zip! Factory, the two harbor ponies taking grim pleasure in the deaths of a lot of insane ponies. Kelpie relating more of their adventure along with showing off the fortune in bottlecaps they'd found gave Vira a few minutes to keep burning off magic, eventually able to carefully wriggle her coat back on with a victorious whinny.

Pulling her head back in the cabin, she donned her large hat again, stamping a hoof to interrupt Kelpie and Longfellow sharing stories mainly concerned with embarrassing her. "Ahem! If the two of you are quite done, I am presentable again Longfellow, I wish for my tour now."

"Alright, alright lassie. I'll show ya around all ya..." Longfellow started with a smile, then spun back to the controls when the ship lurched and chugged, slapping his hoof against the gauges angrily as he continued. "Aw dammit! What the hell those fools been doin' to my boat! Well, even more of a reason for the tour Vira, gotta see how much those harbor idjits have messed up and try to undo the damage..."

"Er... I could help take a look Longfellow... if you wanted anyway. Islanders pay their debts and I sure owe you old timer, I'm not bad at fixing crap you know." Kelpie's ears were flicking towards the rear of the ship as she spoke, trained on the unhealthy noises coming from the engine.

"Oh, yes! Kelpie is very good at fixing things, besides my lovely coat, thank you again Kelpie!" Vira brightened as she saw Longfellow considering it, trying to encourage the gruff old stallion and grabbing the unicorn mare to squeeze in a grateful hug she wiggled against playfully.

"H-Hey! Cut it out Bitch! You're still all sticky and smell like Captain's Blend!" Kelpie struggled and stuck her tongue out as she tried to pull away, reminding Vira sourly that her silky green coat was indeed still matted and sticky with the vat of local soda she had taken a swim in.

"Oh? But I thought you liked it Kelpie? Here, taste!"

Putting aside her distaste, Vira just squeezed harder in mock revenge, plastering Kelpie against her chest and rubbing her face in the matted floof of fur there. Vira couldn't wait to get back to Longfellow's home and use his shower again, thinking of the blissful relief even the cramped little stall waiting for her offered. If Kelpie was going to tease her though, turnabout was fair play and Vira enjoyed smearing the little unicorn with the disgusting fish flavored soda coating her.

Longfellow looked between the two mares and raised a bushy grey eyebrow, sighing softly and shrugging as he opened the opposite side window Vira had and nodded. "Hmm... alright then, let's see what you can do lassie. Ahoy! Jar Head! Get up here an' steer a minute!"

The fisherpony jumped at Longfellow's gruff shout, his hooves clattering across the deck as he dashed up the narrow stairs going up the larger above deck rooms the cabin was situated on, then giving an eager salute when he reached the door. "Aye, aye cap'n!"

"What the hell are ya even doin' runnin' the nets sonny? We ain't on a fishin' trip." Squinting at the nervous stallion, Longfellow's pipe puffed and waggled towards the ropes and booms hanging off the ship he'd called Jar away from.

Shifting on his hooves anxiously, Jar Head stammered a reply to the old buck. "Oh! Umm... w-well, partly it's force of habit I guess Cap'n. Feels wrong not fishin' on the Pearl. And besides, there's uh... well... The rest of the crew and the folks on the docks were pretty ticked at us stealin'..."

"I didn't steal it!!!"

He flinched at Longfellow's snorting interruption, sheepishly continuing under the elderly captain's glare. "....r-right... at us borrowing her sir. The harbor's overcrowded and every bit of food is needed, so I thought they might not be so mad if we came back with a little of her usual haul anyway."

Giving the young buck an appraising look that lingered long enough to make him even more nervous, Longfellow eventually huffed and directed Jar Head to the wheel. "It's MY boat, I'll do what I want with her. I let Barnacle Bill use her these years, but ain't never named nopony else captain. Still... suppose that's good thinkin' youngster. Ain't used ta considerin' them ponies on the docks anymore I guess."

Vira beamed at Longfellow offering just a bit of praise to the younger fisherpony, even though it was gruff and he immediately went back to shoving Jar Head around to follow his orders. The fact he was willing to open up and grudgingly befriend anypony else heartened her. She may have had to pester and whine to get him to try again, but she could feel how much happier he truly was and felt good for the part she'd played in that.

He paused and explained things well enough, but Vira could feel him testing the stallion's knowledge before hoofing over the controls to what he firmly viewed as his ship. Plus he gave a smack upside his head every time Jar Head's eyes flicked back towards Vira still filling out her Shadow Spade costume alluringly, making the alicorn giggle and blush at his protective feelings.

She also felt a twinge of sadness and longing from Kelpie at her side, realizing she was taking up the attention that should go to her and nudging the smaller unicorn forward. Flattering as his attention was and despite still being quite interested in at least experimenting with mating before returning to the mainland to find the male alicorn, Vira didn't want to come between the two foalhood friends. Now that she understood some things about their relationship and love in general a little better, Vira was rooting for her new friend and determined to help her somehow.

Cautiously backing her way out the door as Longfellow finished up with his gruff instruction, Vira sighed wondering how exactly she could though. Fascinating and wonderful as it was, love was very difficult...

Vira quickly found that while she liked riding on Longfellow's cute little boat while above decks, below decks was an entirely different matter... Even though she'd almost returned to normal size, following the nimble little unicorn and experienced earth pony captain quickly reminded her she was still a big mare.

She had to back her way down the stairs like a ladder, then fumble and squeeze her way around to follow Longfellow's tour towards the back of the ship, frequently bumping one side or another of the tiny halls and getting her wings or rump stuck at the rounded hatches. Longfellow and Kelpie both snickering playfully at her just added to the indignity...

"Sorry Vira dear, space is at a premium out on the sea, specially on a working boat like this. See, even the crew is stuffed in like sardines." Chuckling at Vira popping out of another doorway, Longfellow tilted her frowning muzzle up with a grin, pushing open another too small hatch to the side to show a bunkroom for four ponies to sleep, then wrinkling his muzzle and snorting angrily at the mess inside. "Course that don't mean they need ta smell like it too dammit! I told Bill to keep her ship shape, not let her turn into a chum bucket!"

"It's still a lovely boat though, despite being cramped... Why do you keep calling it 'she' though?"

"All boats are mares Vira, it's a rule." Longfellow answered cryptically, putting on an air of seaworthy wisdom that still left her confused over who exactly wrote such a rule.

"I see... I don't understand though, if it is your boat, why have you not continued on as captain Longfellow? You seem very at home here, despite the state of things agitating you so. You could have taken me back to the mainland when we met for that matter, rather than seeking out some other captain to do so. T-Though I am glad you didn't, otherwise I wouldn't have grown to care about you and make so many friends! I'm merely curious, why don't you... L-Longfellow?"

Vira flinched at the sadness her question elicited in Longfellow, worriedly biting her lip, even as he shook it off and gave her a forced smile. She asked innocently, but didn't realize it may cause him pain or why, until Kelpie cleared up some of her confusion with a snort. "Jeez Bitch... Think before you just blurt out whatever pops into that weird brain of yours." (His daughter dumb-dumb... Longfellow stopped going out after...)

Cutting off her sudden gasp at Kelpie's hard thought directed right at her, Longfellow sighed and shook his head somberly to confirm it. "It's alright lass. When I... when the sea took my Emmy away from me, I didn't feel like goin' out on her no more is all. Hung up my hat and lent the Pearl out to those what would use her. They gimme a cut of the caps and I didn't hafta do nothin' but sit on my land and sulk."

"Oh! Oh Longfellow... I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you... I was just confused and..."

She could still feel that sharp pang of sadness, but somehow it was lighter now. Longfellow even gave a more genuine smile and patted her shoulder soothingly as he continued over her jabbering. "S'alright Vira. Definitely worth it ta ride to the rescue like yer comic book pony yer so smitten with. Another thing you helped me get over dearie, so don't you worry, and DON'T get all weepy again. Not havin' you blubberin' over me again, got it?"

"Y-Yes Longfellow..." Vira sniffled sheepishly, but gave a bright smile and nod to the old stallion and continued her guided tour eagerly.

(Goddesses Bitch, what are you? One of those old timey heartmenders or something? How do you do that?) Vira blinked to Kelpie rolling her eyes while Longfellow took the lead again, tilting her head curiously to the unicorn filly falling back a step and speaking privately.

(Do what Kelpie? Stick my hoof in my mouth so frequently?)

Kelpie kept pace with her as they poked their heads in a tiny galley room that was more of a mess than the bunks, giggling at Longfellow throwing another tantrum while she kept up her more serious psychic conversation with no sign. (No, though yeah, you're damn awesome at that.... I mean... You got Longfellow freaking Steeds to stop being such a hermit. Got him to start caring again, he even treats you like his own filly! Hell, you got ME to be all sappy and tell you... s-stuff... I haven't told anypony, ever! Are you using some of that mind control magic like you did to the Trappers?)

(N-No! I don't know Kelpie, I just... listen? The stallion you all keep teasing me about helped me, showed me I don't have to put up a shield around my heart, that letting other ponies in is better than pushing them away. I guess I just don't like seeing others I care about making my mistakes.)

Kelpie blinked her bright blue eyes up to the green alicorn with a blush, raising an eyebrow and smiling with warm feelings of real friendship flowing off her that made Vira whinny happily. She chuckled and held a hoof out to help pull Vira through the door to the clattering engine room that made them both pin their ears back, putting aside the difficult thoughts of a reply to prance out into the deafening noise of chugging, smoking, filthy machinery Longfellow was already squawking about angrily.

"For Celestia's sake! I told those fools only high quality gulper grease!! And what's this doin' run through here! Did they shove fucking bits into the fusebox!?!" Even over the noise, Longfellow's stamping shouts were audible, his fury over his boat being in such a state overwhelming even the heat in the engine room.

It was all a mystery to Vira, but Kelpie seemed just as annoyed as Longfellow. She immediately grabbed a nearby wrench in her magic and set to work, using it to bash at some of the more unhealthy sounding bits as often as for its intended use. Watching her go, Longfellow stopped his stream of curses with an appreciative eye as she zeroed in on several problems on her own.

Of course it might have been appreciative for other reasons when Kelpie wriggled her way under one long metal housing with lots of wires and doo-dads, forcing Vira to blush and nip the old goat's bearded cheek when he lingered a little too long on the teal mare's rump stuck up in the air, her red and violet striped tail whipping back and forth in agitation.

She huffed and narrowed her eyes at Longfellow's innnocent shrug and grin, but let it go on feeling his honestly impressed thoughts over the unicorn mare Vira had befriended. He allowed Kelpie to work and watched her with more professional interest, smiling to himself as he took off his captain's hat and twisted it in his hooves a moment. Vira was worried he was still dwelling on painful memories, but was surprised when he turned his brown eyes up to her watching anxiously.

"You made a fine friend Vira. Er... I just wanted ta say, you know... I'm glad you washed up on my beach an brought all this excitement an' new ponies into my life. Still pretty ticked at you almost gettin' yerself kilt, but that's 'cause I er... I love ya lassie. So don't scare me like that again. And just cause I said it again, don't you go... GAH!" Longfellow muttered sheepishly as Vira's eyes grew wide and shimmered, but was prevented from finishing his warning by the very thing he was afraid of as Vira scooped him up and squealed happily.

Kelpie came crawling back out with grease staining her face and smirked at the old buck squirming in the hooves of the big green filly nuzzling and squeezing until his blue face was even bluer. She sighed at the strange alicorn mare and the way she seemed to have a talent for getting ponies to open up, even her. Eventually she shook her head at the mysterious mutant mare and counted herself lucky for the ability, deciding she better rescue the elder pony before she just crushed the life out of him.

"Bluuugh... Ponies weren't meant to go bobbing along the sea or flittin' around the air dollface... it ain't natural..." Nick was still hanging off the prow of Longfellow's boat when they came back to the deck and went to check on the synth detective, rolling his strange yellow on black eyes back to them weakly.

Fluffling her wings primly, Vira snorted as she rubbed her employer's back soothingly. "I disagree about the flying Nick, it's quite natural for me."

"Alright, earth ponies then. I still stand by my opinion sweetheart." Nick gurgled back, sliding down against the railing to sit and hold his plastic coated tummy and light a cigarette.

Nickering down at him gruffly, Longfellow joined him by stuffing his pipe and took a seat on a bundle of crates covered in soggy rope netting. "I'm an earth pony there laddie, an bein' back out ta sea is as natural as breathin' to me. Yer just a land lubber, quit yer whinin' and take in that sea air."

Vira, Longfellow and Kelpie all chuckled at Nick giving them a flat look, the green alicorn smiling as she sat beside Nick and leaned down to nuzzle his green face. "I'm still very happy you put aside your discomfort to come to my aid Nick. I'm sorry you had to do so, but very grateful."

"Yeah, well... dockin' your pay for that little misadventure there dollface. Wasn't gonna leave my assistant in the lurch though, glad you came out ok. Now we can get back to the case, hopefully with less fog monsters and armies of crazy ponies, huh?" Nick smirked back, pulling out his battered notebook to flip through the pages in thought.

"Vira said you have to go deal with those church assholes, so I don't think you're done with crazy ponies by a long shot Mr. Detective. You sure about that? Those rad worshipers are worse than the Trappers, we'd all be better off if they blew themselves to tartarus with that sub of theirs. Will you two be ok?" Kelpie hopped up to the crates to sit with Longfellow, giving a worried frown to the alicorn and synth duo that earned her a warm look from Longfellow beside her.

"Aye, listen to yer new friend Vira, she's a smart one, did a bang up job down in the engine room after all. I don't like the idea of you going to that place again neither... Last time they sent you off to go get plastered and you would up staggerin' around my place like a drunken yak. Long as I got the Pearl back out anyway, I should just take you down there if'n you insist on bein' foalish. So I can keep an eye on ya this time, an' you can make a quick getaway when it all goes ta hell." Longfellow nodded his agreement, pushing a sweaty strand of Kelpie's red and violet mane from her eyes in a gesture of approval that made the unicorn mare blush.

Nick groaned at his offer, but hung his head with his synthetic ears drooping as he replied. "May take you up on that mac, as much as I hate the idea. Those Church of Balefire ponies are in an old naval facility anyway, ought'a be able to take this tub right up to their front door. We're hopin' Vira passed their little initiation nonsense and it'll be a quick in and out, but starting to plan on Discord turning everything topsy turvy where my Mare Friday is involved."

Vira stuck her nose up at all the teasing directed her way, tossing her sticky mane and frowning at the way it didn't flow and whip through the air with the gesture as it should, instead remaining a matted mess frozen in wild angles. "It's not my fault! I didn't know that blasted spring would affect me that way! Besides, the worshiper we encountered already confirmed I had passed their test, I received the blessing from their Mother of the..."

Kelpie dove from her seat and tackled Vira at that, clamping her muzzle shut and thinking at her very loudly. (Shut up Bitch! Don't mention the Mother of the Fog in front of Longfellow! He's...)

Kelpie's attempt to cut her off was too late however, even as Vira's green eyes widened with a muffled gasp, she felt the complicated swirl of emotion around Longfellow harden as he gave a terse whisper. "The Mother of the Fog... You... You saw her Vira?"

"Way to go bitch... Go on, may as well tell him now." Kelpie clambered off the big alicorn wincing sheepishly, giving a light punch to her shoulder to get her going before slinking back to her seat beside Longfellow.

"I... We believe so Longfellow. I saw my mother, but I was delirious at the time. I did find this however, why? What is wrong? The others told me not to mention it, but I do not understand. Why do you feel so... conflicted?"

Longfellow gave a long, tired sigh when Vira floated the crude driftwood statue from her collection in her bag, sending the odd little likeness over to the old buck who took it in trembling hooves as he croaked. "Told her ta keep it quiet eh? There's yer first mistake, big filly's not that good at keepin' secrets... It's alright Vira, don't look so worried, I'm just a little... sad. Been awhile since I heard one of those ghost stories about my wife."

"Your wife!? Ocean? I... I saw the last time you saw her in your memories before and knew she was gone, but h-hadn't asked what happened yet. It seemed painful, but I didn't know she was... I'm sorry Longfellow. W-What happened? How...?" Vira gaped back, her ears pinned back as she spoke in a comforting whisper to the pained pony she loved like a father.

"It's a long story Vira, another one of those things I was trying to ignore by hiding out on my land I guess... High time I dealt with it though I suppose. You got a real knack fer dragging up old shit and making me face it honey." Longfellow sighed, but managed a weak chuckle at Vira's wince that made her feel better.

Nick broke the silence with a groan finally, flipping back through his notes and giving the old buck a sympathetic look. "We all got our pasts to deal with pally, I'm with you there. My assistant might not be too discreet, but may as well get it all out in the open. Those Balefire nuts are pretty damn sure she got your wife's blessing anyway, so knowing more about it may help when we go there."

Longfellow's ears drooped as he slumped on his seat, puffing at his pipe until Kelpie sidled closer and wrapped a foreleg around his back in a hug with a hopeful look. His aged brown eyes flicked over to the unicorn mare gratefully, then turned out to the fog shrouding the island they were slowly puttering around and grew misty in memory as he croaked.

"Alright then, I'll tell you what I know, though it ain't much. One of the reasons I became the best tracker on the island once I gave up the sea, was because I spent a good number of years out there lookin' for her. But she don't wanna be found I s'pose. Least not by me... If you saw her though Vira, maybe... maybe I can finally see her again." Longfellow's sad thoughts gave way to a glimmer of hope Vira could feel shining off him, making her feel better about her mistake as she leaned forward and perked her ears up when the old stallion started telling the tale, passing the time in a sad story while the old fishing boat slowly made its way back towards the town of Fog Harbor.

When the muted lights of Fog Harbor started glimmering through the pink mist, Longfellow had finished his tale and trotted off to relieve Jar Head from steering the ship as they came into port. A raw psychic wound Vira could feel had been reopened, but in this case it was like an infection had been drained from the festering wound. Longfellow felt hurt, but he also felt better in a way that relieved Vira enough to leave him be.

Besides, Longfellow wasn't the only pony Vira had decided to meddle with, out of caring of course! When she heard Jar Head's hooves clambering down the steps to the bridge, she grabbed the still groaning Nick by his rumpled trenchcoat collar in her teeth, yanking him from his seat near the railing. She ignored his surprised sputter to gallop off to the cabin on the opposite side the handsome buck was approaching from, leaving Kelpie alone with a confused tilt to her head watching the weird alicorn.

Vira tossed her surprised employer through the hatch with a yelp, then dove in after him, leaving Kelpie with the view of her hindlegs scrambling madly to shove her rump through the narrow opening. The teal unicorn's mouth was hanging open and she was squinting at her like Vira had lost it when her head popped up in one of the round portholes, giving an exaggerated wink when Jar Head came trotting on deck.

(There he is! Go on Kelpie, I believe in you!)

Kelpie facehoofed when she figured it out, then gulped with a blush lighting her cheeks as Jar Head walked over with that damnable smile that made her knees go weak. (Oh you bitch... really!?)

Vira had her hooves hooked on the lip of the porthole and was peeking up from below with a giddy grin, nodding eagerly before ducking back down where just her sparkling green eyes, frazzled mane and long horn were poking up. (Tell him how you feel! You said you would, why wait any longer?)

(Because! I...) Kelpie narrowed her blue eyes and hissed back in her head, but lost her train of thought completely when Jar Head took his knit cap off and tossed his brown mane, speaking in a buttery baritone that made her ears fall limply along with her lidded eyes. "Hey there Kelpie, some night huh? You sure you're ok?"

"Umm... Y-Yes? I mean! Er.. yeah Jar, I'm fine. I'm uh... r-really glad you came to help though, those Trappers were... I thought they were going to..." Kelpie stammered back, then her nervousness gave way to real fear again as she remembered those last desperate moments before her foalhood friend and the others had shown up.

He knew what she was talking about, even if she couldn't give voice to it. Jar's square jaw clenched and his brows came down in a hard line as he snorted back. "Fucking assholes... I hope Fogscale ate em all slow after that Kelpie."

"Yeah, hehe... g-guess we got to storm the dragon's castle after all huh, like when we were kids? Seriously Jar, thanks a lot. You really came to the rescue, like some knight in shining armor or something, just like back then. I-It was really awesome..." Kelpie fidgeted with her red mane and mentally bucked herself for sounding like a gushing schoolfilly, but the goofy bitch forcing her into this and making shooing gestures with her hooves behind Jar Head's back were seriously throwing her off.

(Sweet Celestia I sound like an idiot... why did you do this Bitch!?)

(It's working though! He liked that! He feels very proud and happy, keep going!) Vira's green eyes were wide as dinner plates in the porthole as she replied to Kelpie's sour thoughts.

Taking a look at Jar Head puffing his chest out and blushing with that stupid 'aw shucks' hoof scuffing the deck, Kelpie rolled her eyes, knowing when he was getting a big head. She had to bite back the urge to smack him down a peg, working on her tendency to be 'frumpy' and instead fluttering her lashes like an empty headed waif.

The way it seemed to work just rankled more, Jar stuck his nose up and did sound very pleased with himself when he answered. "Yeah well, Longfellow did most of the work. That old buck is scaaaary... I just followed his and the Detective's lead. When they came for his boat and told Bill and the crew what was going on though, I wasn't gonna just stay behind like them with you an' Miss Vira in danger!"

She giggled in response, actually fucking giggled... It was killing her, but all she had to do was ask herself what the romance crazed alicorn in her head would do and Jar just played right into it. Even now she could feel Vira giving a pleased little whinny and blush on getting mentioned.

At least the goofy mare was listening to more than that, rifling through her thoughts before speaking up again. (You need not pretend to be somepony you're not Kelpie, merely soften the rough edges a bit. Lower that shield and be honest, you promised to tell him how you felt...)

(I know I did dammit! Just quit rushing me!) Kelpie scowled back over Jar's back, then bit her lip under his confused amber eyes and stammered out loud. "Er... It was still really brave Jar, you umm... didn't get in trouble leaving work to help us though, did you?"

"Oh... Hmm, I guess maybe I did..." Jar Head slumped as he thought about it, but he shook it off with a shrug. "It was still worth it. Besides, it's not like they were gonna do anything without the ship, I just went along with Longfellow instead of sittin' on the docks an' watchin' him sail off like they did. I'll smooth things over Kelpie, you don't have to worry about everything. Losing the caps for a half day will suck, but I'll just work harder than anypony to make up for it. I haven't forgotten Leather's medical bills, no need to start nagging already silly."

Kelpie's eyelid twitched at his offhoofed joke and stupid grin as he punched her shoulder, she wasn't a nag! She was just the only one who thought ahead! His brother Leather Neck would be in trouble if it wasn't for... for something she could share with him that would fix that problem at least! Giving a gasp, Kelpie's teal magic rooted in her bag and pulled out one of the collector's albums she'd looted from the Zip! Factory, holding it out in her hooves to display the pages full of bottlecaps proudly.

"But you don't have to worry about that anymore! See!? Me and the Bitch... er... Vira I mean, we found the Zip! treasure! She let me have it, so Leather's bills are covered and then some! None of us have to work so hard for awhile Jar, we can actually do those things we always dreamed about!" Kelpie gave a wide, honest grin at her foalhood friend's slackjawed face, making her give a real giggle of pride.

The hug he snatched her up in sent all the blood in her brain directly to her brightly glowing face, feeling his strong hooves squeezing her as he gave a wild cheer. "Kelpie! That's great!! Oh goddesses, you found the treasure! You'll really pay for Leather... thank you! Praise Luna you're the greatest!"

The way he nuzzled cheek to cheek and babbled happily made her melt, Kelpie's normally no nonsense and practical mind fogged completely with bliss and she actually managed to murmur up to Jar's ear in a husky whisper, finding her courage hesitantly. "O-Of course I want to help your brother dummy... I care about both of you, you're family to me. I really... r-really... love..."

It felt like she was walking up to the edge of a high dive, then abruptly fell right to the hard, unforgiving ground of a dry swimming hole when Jar Head held her back by the shoulders to grin like an idiot and interrupt. "I still can't believe it! You found it and Miss Vira just let you have it!? What an amazing, generous mare, huh Kelpie!? You seen her around? I gotta thank her too!"

Kelpie's face fell looking up to his eager smile and darting eyes searching the deck for the green alicorn, even as the mare in question was facehoofing in the porthole behind him. The expression of joy on her face turning to a hard frown as her brows came down and she snorted at the stupid ass. "No, I haven't... Just... Just go find her yourself if that's all you care about!"

At that, the poor filly stomped off, leaving a confused Jar Head behind and managing not to show the tear trembling on her cheek or break into a gallop until she was out of sight around the cabin. She charged right by the door Vira was hidden behind, ignoring her sympathetic thoughts and reaching foreleg beckoning to her to make for the ship's stern alone. She didn't really blame Vira now, the psychic alicorn could feel that much in the whirling storm of thoughts and feelings around her, but she didn't want to talk to her either.

Nick patted her back as Vira cringed from peeking out the door with her ears laid back, shrugging up to her and sighing. "Give her a minute dollface... she'll be ok. I'll go have me a little chat with the numbskull out there and..."

Whatever Nick planned to do to the oblivious buck now shrugging to wander the deck and seek Vira out, they were interrupted by a sudden gruff shout filling the cramped cabin. Vira blinked and looked all around in confusion at Longfellow's voice coming from nowhere, finally finding the tarnished brass tube running from the ceiling near the door with the somewhat trumpet shaped end, the hinged cap open to allow their captain to yell through the speaking tube and get their attention.

"Ahoy, all hooves on deck down there! We're comin' into the harbor now, get ready to make fast youngster! Everypony else may wanna get out here too, looks like we gots a welcomin' committee." Longfellow's order at least got Jar Head to gallop off to start pulling on various ropes and get to work, though when Vira poked her head out to look over the town of Fog Harbor resolving from the pink mist shrouding it, she gulped nervously.

She couldn't see them clearly yet, but there were a lot of ponies on the docks they were approaching. What's more, even from this distance, she could feel a collective cloud of emotion above them, full of hard, angry thoughts...

Of all the sensations from ponies Vira's blessing from her mother let her experience, the one she hated the most had to be mob mentality. It brought out the absolute worst in ponies, worked them up into doing things they'd never do on their own. It changed them from a collection of individuals into some beastly amalgamation of their darkest impulses.

The gaggle of hard faced fisherponies glaring at them as the Ocean Pearl pulled up to the crowded docks was a mob. At least this one was held in check by the older mare at the head of them, Cap'n Berry still wore a frown herself as Jar Head trotted about to tie the old boat up and bucked a weathered gangplank out to land at her hooves, raising a greying blue eyebrow at Longfellow strutting out to the docks to meet her like nothing was wrong.

"Longfellow... While it's good to see you out on the water again, I understand you stole that ship..." The leader of Fog Harbor huffed, stamping a hoof for silence from the crowd murmuring their behind her.

"Oh fer fucks sake! I. Didn't. Steal. Her! IT'S MY DAMN BOAT!" Longfellow bellowed back, snorting pipesmoke from his nostrils like a locomotive and glaring back at the crowd flinching at the outburst. "Every one o' you wee minnows knows the code, I'm the captain of this here ship an' I decide what to do wit' her! Ain't none of you got any right to give me guff, so first one ta open their mouth about it is gettin' bucked right off this damn dock!"

"We're under an emergency here though Longfellow! You can't just come barging in and take one of the best fishing ships from the docks because you feel like a pleasure cruise!" The light grey mare shouted back, getting a mutter from the crowd at her back in agreement.

A portly, middle-aged purple earth pony stallion snorted and interjected himself before Longfellow could reply. He wore a captain's hat like Longfellow's on his thinning green mane too, though his was ragged and dirty like his flannel shirt and rubbery yellow coveralls, his blue-green eyes drawn down in a scowl. "We had us a deal Longfellow! There's folk starvin' on the docks, prices have never been better! Ya can't go back on our bargain like that, just cause yer off to go after some daffy mutant piece o' tail."

Longfellow drew his rifle in a flash at that, aiming down the long weapon at the scruffily mustachioed face of the fisherpony and seething to him and the crowd equally. "Yer talkin' bout my Vira there Bill, a filly what's like my own dear daughter, so watch yer damn mouth sonny... Already pissed at you anyway, our deal was you took care of the Pearl while you was usin' her, not turn her into a scow as sloppy as you. You ain't earned that hat, you ain't no captain and I'm reconsiderin' our whole arrangement. She's my boat an' I don't like her in yer hooves, so I'm takin' her back."

While Vira always enjoyed Longfellow's protective, paternal feelings directed towards her and blushed warmly at his declaration of her as his own filly in front of the whole harbor, she didn't want things to get out of hoof either. Leaning down to gently push the barrel of his lever action rifle down, she gave a slight bow to Cap'n Berry and the residents of Fog Harbor to calm things down.

"I'm sorry to have caused problems, but without Longfellow's ship, Kelpie and I would have been in trouble. If it makes up for anything, there was an army of Trappers in the Zip! Factory preparing to attack your town and the other groups on the island that will now no longer be an issue, thanks to the dragon they had imprisoned."

"Fogscale's still alive!? And you idjits let it loose again!? Luna damn it ya fools, I s'pose a quick death by dragon is better than a slow one by fog, but not by much!" The crusty fisherpony who'd gone after Longfellow shouted, his valid point making Vira wince, even as she sensed the thoughts consumed with what he clearly viewed as 'his' boat stewing in his mind.

Vira narrowed her eyes at the portly stallion, reading his greed and desire to turn this situation to getting his grubby hooves on Longfellow's boat officially. She didn't understand the inner workings of how the harbor ponies governed themselves very well, but had gotten the idea from Longfellow and Jar Head both that being a captain carried a lot of weight. The handsome young buck stamping his hooves and coming to her defense now had told her even the rusty sloop he and his brother had put together from junk gave him a say in things as a captain.

Enough for him to charge up with misplaced gallantry in his head and shout back to the unpleasant Barnacle Bill pony apparently. Jar's anger on her behalf was still flattering when he jabbed the older buck with a hoof to the chest. "Hey! Vira and Kelpie helped all of us dealing with those Trappers, I saw it myself! They were building a damn army and ready to hunt us all down for sport moron! The dragon always stayed around his lair, they weren't going to! Miss Vira helped us when she came here and Kelpie's one of us, but you were gonna leave them to die when Longfellow asked for help, 'cause you're a big fat coward Bill! If all you care about is yourselves, you can just shut up about that too! I ran the nets on the way back and nopony's been able to fish up near the Zip! shoals in forever. I bet I got more of a haul than you've managed to overcharge all these starving folks for in weeks!"

Even though Kelpie was still annoyed with him, she nodded back and joined his defense of the confused alicorn. Kelpie's horn lit up with her ruby magic as she turned back to the gently bobbing boat, pulling some unseen lever by the grinding noises Vira's ears flicked at, then huffing and pointing a foreleg back to the slow cranking, clicking noise drifting down to them.

The boom over the ship's hold slowly hauled a thick series of ropes, pulling a net full of flopping, slightly mutated looking fish that made the mob standing on the docks give a soft, collective 'Ahhh' of wonder as Kelpie shot back. "He's right! Take a look at all this ya ninnies! When's the last time this old walrus brought in so much, and Jar wasn't even really trying!"

Vira smiled to her new friend, though she sighed internally to the wistful feelings Kelpie was hiding over the snorting stallion standing between her and the crowd protectively, even as she greatly enjoyed the furious scowl he'd brought to Barnacle Bill's face. Jar Head still saw Kelpie coming to his aid proudly as a sisterly bit of help, oblivious to both her annoyance at him and her ability to put it aside to support him. For all her interest in the subject, she wouldn't have thought she'd want to turn away the very emotions she sought to learn about, and Vira had no idea how to redirect the lovestruck buck's attention to the unicorn mare it should go to.

Longfellow trotted forward and cut off her distracted thoughts on the complicated subject however, smirking at the fisherpony he'd leased his boat to with a proud tip of his battered captain's hat. Just to drive home whose boat it really was, he disregarded Bill and turned on Cap'n Berry and the crowd. "Ayuh, young lad there did a fine job, quite a haul for just keepin' you folks in mind when I couldn't care less. He's got me feelin' all generous even, so how 'bout I just donate it all to the needy of Fog Harbor an' we call it a day there Cap'n? Tired of dealin' with you fools and gots a big day tomorrow, takin' the Pearl out again to go help my filly here with some errands down south."

While she could sense reluctance coming from the light grey mare, Vira could feel her resolve born from true caring about the ponies she was responsible for as Cap'n Berry replied with a sigh. "We appreciate that, both of you... It doesn't change the fact we are in a crisis here Longfellow, I can't have you making off with your ship whenever you feel like it. We need every hoof working together to ride out the fog this year. Unless you plan on taking up the captain's mantle again full time, you need to let Bill go back to bringing in whatever he can with her for now Longfellow."

"When pigs fly ya bossy mare! It's MY boat, you've no right! Not hoofing her over to a buck what couldn't even keep to the bargain and take care of her proper! I'll scuttle her first!" Longfellow sputtered and raged back, stomping his way forward to snort and shove at the leader of Fog Harbor.

(Longfellow... it's alright, perhaps you should listen to her. We will make do without your lovely ship, they need the food it can bring in. Cap'n Berry is prepared to declare an emergency and name that unpleasant Barnacle Bill pony as captain of your ship if need be.) Vira managed to stop Longfellow's tantrum by psychicly soothing him, relating what she read from the mare weathering the storm of his anger with a firm stare.

He gaped back a moment, looking between Vira giving a nod of confirmation and Cap'n Berry's mouth drawn down in hard line. A glance over to Jar Head still puffing through his nostrils at his side brought a crafty grin to the old buck's face however, inspiration lighting his thoughts as he turned back to the leader of Fog Harbor with a carefree snort.

"Course maybe you've got a point Cap'n... T'wouldn't want ya deciding things are bad enough to call an emergency and force the issue..." Cap'n Berry's eyes widened and her confidence was shaken when Longfellow voiced the very thought running through her head, continuing with a wink as she gave a confused and wary look to the green alicorn at his side.

"Plus I am gettin' a little long in the tooth to go sailin' the seas again. Allowed Bill here to run the Pearl until I named a new captain so she'd still be of use, and for the caps o' course. After seein' how he treated her an' how he's profiting durin' yer big, important 'crisis' though, I'm thinkin' it's time I did. I think the whipper snapper here would make a good choice, he cares about you nitwits a lot more than I do anyway. I am still allowed to name my successor, right?" Longfellow smirked and paced the dock, speaking to the crowd and ending with a flourish to a very surprised Jar Head.

"M-Me!? You want..." Jar sputtered in shock, panicking at being put on the spot.

Cap'n Berry was nearly as surprised, her ears flicking at the interested and positive sounding murmurs from the mob turning to the new bit of theater. She recovered quickly though, raising an eyebrow and quirking her muzzle in a soft smile as she nodded back. "Aye old timer, if you were to name a new captain that clearly knows how to bring in full nets, I suppose that would calm a lot of fears here. What say you Jar Head? You're ready to take on becoming a full fledged captain of the Harbor? Abide by the old laws of the sea?"

Nodding eagerly with a stunned and goofy grin, Jar Head was prevented from answering by a furious Barnacle Bill. The portly purple stallion's face was red as he stamped a hoof down and tried to get the now happier crowd back on his side. "Hey! That's not how we do things! He can't just name some goofy colt barely out of diapers to take over the best ship in the harbor! I put in my time an' run a full crew, including that brat! He's gotta prove himself! If Longfellow wants to skip all that, then he's gotta do a Captain's Jig!"

Jar Head's mouth hung open in surprise with a bit of anxiety flowing off him, but Longfellow ignored him entirely. Instead he shoved his way forward, pushing the younger buck aside to answer for him by glaring combatively with Barnacle Bill. "Aye, that's fine then. We'll take the Pearl out tomorrow like I planned an' the young buck'll do the best Jig any o' you ponies have ever seen! Now if we're done, I need a drink ta wash the taste of all these horseapples outta my mouth. Move Bill..."

At that, Longfellow thrust his chest out and made the heavyset pony fall back a step with a flinch, then trotted off with his head held high through the crowd parting around him, leaving Vira, Nick, Jar Head and Kelpie blinking after him in shock and confusion. He paused after a few steps at least, turning back with a gruff snort that broke the spell of silence that had fallen over the docks.

"Oy! Let's go you lot! Vira me dear, come along, let's go have us a drink an' grub ta celebrate. I'll get ya one of them glowy green soda's ya like so much!"

Tilting her head, Vira wrinkled her nose at the offer for a moment, she'd had all the soda she could stand for awhile... The way he offered it however, like a doting father offering a sweet treat for his little filly, that made it very enticing... Giving a shrug to the others, Vira beamed and cantered after the old stallion, flicking her sticky tail to swat Barnacle Bill as she passed and joined Longfellow giving her a wink and turning to the Last Plank bar.

"Slow down Vira, you miss the part about food bein' an issue around here? What is that, your third order?" Nick leaned back in the cracked leather booth in a corner of the Last Plank, smirking at his assistant blinking up from the metal bucket she currently had her muzzle stuck in well after the other living ponies at the table had finished their meals.

Pausing in her crunching away, Vira blushed and mumbled back with her cheeks stuffed. "Mmno! Mt's jssh sccnd! Ss gud!"

"Well, I'm no expert fisherpony like these two, but I think you're supposed to just eat the meat out of Rad-Crab legs, not everything in the pail Vira..." Nick chuckled back, taking the break in Vira's so far voracious eating to light a cigarette and gesture towards the unused crabcracker resting on the worn table.

Looking from Nick's cheery grin to find Kelpie and Jar Head both goggling at her with slow nods of confirmation as bits of broken shell fell from her pouting lips, Vira tilted her head to Longfellow hooting laughter and piling on. "Glad you found something you like an all lassie, but yer robot boss is right. Plus you're gonna eat a hole right through my wallet at that rate. Not that I mind darlin', not much else to spend my caps on and it was worth it just for the show."

Vira blushed brighter when he jerked his muzzle out to the rest of the bar, pointing out Kelpie and Jar weren't the only ones staring in slack jawed shock at the big alicorn crunching her way through two buckets of crab legs with only a lot of butter poured right in the tub to lubricate things.

Kelpie finally finding her voice and squinting up to her forcibly gulping down her last stuffed mouthful just embarrassed her more. "Holy shit Bitch... your teeth..."

Running her tongue out to lick her lips of the delightful butter making them glisten (incidentally attracting too much lusty focus from Jar Head she was trying to avoid), Vira felt the sharp points of her fangs and held a hoof up to her mouth with a wince. Willing them back to her normally even and inviting smile, she took a rushed sip of her glowing green beverage sheepishly.

"Er... I'm sorry... I was famished and that was a wonderful meal, thank you Longfellow. I umm... n-never had anything so tasty, so I got a little too excited. I guess not eating the hard bits would have been easier, but they were nice and crunchy... T-They go back to normal though Kelpie, see?"

Kelpie just groaned and shook her head at the goof leaning over with that big maw open wide right in her face. All those gleaming teeth were indeed back to being the flat and disgustingly perfect pearly whites of a normal pony, but she'd been watching Vira just cramming her face with a shark-like grin of sharp and clearly strong chompers. She'd never get used to being friends with a mutant pony... never, ever, ever...

She was friends with her though, something that lightened her heart and helped her put aside her current annoyance with both the green alicorn and the oblivious earth pony sitting across the table from her. With a sigh, Kelpie found herself giggling and sticking her tongue out, feeling a bit like a manticore tamer by reaching out with her hooves to snap Vira's muzzle shut again. "Ick! C'mon Vira, gross! I don't wanna up close view of your dinner, I get it ok? No wonder you're such a fat ass, you freaking inhaled all that food, on Longfellow's cap even!"

"I am NOT fat!!" Vira stuck her nose up and huffed, but cracked a lidded green eye open and shifted in her seat to flank check the unicorn beside her with a giggle, nearly tossing the smaller mare out of the booth with an innocent snort. "I rarely ate food before, so you'll all just have to excuse poor manners. I really was starving though, after all that flying and running and fighting... The radiation may have recharged me, but this is more satisfying somehow. Thank you Longfellow, it was delicious! I can pay of course... er... can't I Nick?"

Puffing on his cigarette, Nick dug in his rumpled trenchcoat and pulled out a jingling bag of caps to the counter, then arched a plastic eyebrow and shook out a few before hoofing over the rest to his assistant with a chuckle. "Told ya I was docking your pay, but there you go, that should cover it dollface. Now, if everypony who has an old fashioned, flesh and blood tummy and gets to eat food is full, you wanna explain what just happened out there mac? You know, for us ignorant tourists and all? Not that I mind helping out pal, plus my mare friday is probably tagging along no matter what I say, just curious."

In answer, Longfellow pulled his intricately carved meerschaum pipe out to join the detective in an after dinner smoke, shrugging back in answer. "Damn pushy Cap'n forced my hoof, so figured I'd screw over Bill for pissin' me off. He's gotten a lot greedier and a lot fatter since I leased the Pearl out to him, could see he just wanted ta get his grubby mits on my boat, so I named the kid here Captain to fuck him."

"I still can't believe... Y-You really want me to take over for you sir? I mean... the Pearl is the best ship in the Harbor! Why'd you pick me to..." Jar Head shook his head as Vira felt the idea hit him again like a ton of bricks, holding back the elation he felt in favor of waiting for the other shoe to drop.

"Eh, you was there and convenient?" Longfellow shrugged back, then laughed at the younger buck's crestfallen expression and put a hoof on his shoulder as he continued. "I want to see her in good hooves lad. You dropped everything to help my Vira and the lassie here when nopony else would help, you thought to run the nets for those hungry fools on the docks, you know your business on the sea and you're a good sort. Plus I... Your ma was friends with my Emmy lad, I knew your grandparents and ma well once upon a time. When she died I... I should'a been there for you kids like she tried to be for me over the years. Just too busy wallowing in my own misery to think about anypony else/ Consider this me tryin' to make up for it."

Filling the stunned silence Longfellow's pained answer brought, Vira lunged forward to drag him across the table with her and Kelpie, hugging and nuzzling the sputtering old stallion with a squee of delight. He really was making an effort to let other ponies in again, had changed since she met him and he wanted nothing more than to be alone. Thinking of Kelpie and Jar Head as ponies he could trust again, helping them out and expressing regret he hadn't when they were growing up as orphans, these were all big steps for the stubborn old stallion and Vira was so happy for him she ignored the snickers from the bar over the legendary Longfellow getting brazenly cuddled.

"Vira, you're gonna crush him into chum if you keep that up, we need him alive long enough to do the Jig and make Jar captain you know. Wait till then to snuggle him to death..." Kelpie giggled and teased them both, helpfully pulling Longfellow from the alicorn's grasp and righting his captain's hat before hesitantly reaching for her own, less lethal hug, whispering against his scruffy cheek. "Thank you old timer... really..."

Vira had her lip stuck out in a pout watching the tender embrace, but felt happy at the surprised emotion from Longfellow slowly turning to happiness, patting Kelpie's back and whispering low enough Vira had to perk her ears to make it out. "There, there lass, s'alright. Just forgive an old fool for not helpin' out earlier. Me Vira here... she told me how hard things were for you growin' up. I could'a done somethin' sooner, I was just... just an idiot..."

Biting her lip and tapping her hooves together as she watched the two gruff and normally stone faced island ponies sniffling and letting their defenses down, Vira felt left out. She felt a tear roll down her cheek in sympathy and couldn't stand anymore, lunging forward to grab them both and curl her wings around the two equally stubborn ponies, giving them privacy from prying eyes while also getting to include herself.

When they finally broke apart, both Kelpie and Longfellow were forcefully rubbing their eyes and sniffling, the younger unicorn the first to put her mask back on with a weak snort. "A-Ahem, enough of all that mush, huh Longfellow? Er... b-back to your question detective, we have to do a jig for Jar to take over as captain. Normally it's not needed, but that's for first mates who've served a long time and built up trust and respect with their crews. Jar's too young and inexperienced, so it's like a way to prove himself to everypony. If you don't have the faith of ponies you're asking to follow your orders out on the sea, you won't get anywhere. It's an old tradition."

"Aye, an' we tend to do it down in the southern marshes too, so be goin' the same way we wanted to anyway. It's no big deal detective, we'll set sail in the mornin' with a gaggle o' witnesses followin' along in their own boat, the young buck here dances his jig, then it's all settled. No more meddlin' from NOSY DAMN TOWNIES WHAT SHOULD MIND THEIR OWN DAMN BUSINESS!" Longfellow wiped his nose on his dark peacoat, ending by glaring and shouting over the music playing from the jukebox to the patrons in the bar hurriedly flicking their eyes away from their corner booth.

"I still can't believe it, b-but I promise to do a good job sir! This is so awesome, I can't wait to tell Leather... oh! A-Actually, I need to go do that while we're in town, and umm... pay Dr. Teddy? If you're not still mad, are you Kelpie? I thought we could go see him before taking everypony back home to Longfellow's for the night, he'd really like seeing you an' Miss Vira both to thank you." Jar Head spoke up first once the normal hum of the bar settled back out, sliding out of the booth and giving with a hopeful look to Kelpie.

She rolled her eyes and huffed, but Kelpie hopped up and made to follow him, pausing to turn back and make her manners. "I'm still annoyed.... but that doesn't change anything. We've got a bill to pay real quick, will you guys be ok waiting a minute?"

"Oh aye, ain't even got that deep in me cups what with all the cozy dinner. You kids go have fun, me an the detective here will amuse ourselves like a pair of old fogies." Longfellow shuffled around in his new seat across from Nick with a grin, reaching out for his bottle of Wild Pegasus and pouring a pair of shots.

Chuckling back, Nick took the offered shotglass and downed it smoothly. "Well if you insist mac, though I'm a lot older than you. Never get in a drinking contest with a synth whipper snapper. Go on assistant, you're off the clock and deserve a little down time."

"Coming Bitch? Leather Neck's cute, you should meet the buck you're helping so much, I bet seeing you would help his recovery even." Kelpie held an inviting foreleg out to help Vira clamber her way over Longfellow and out wiggle of the cramped booth. She only partially upended the table and buried the old buck under a lot of squirming filly until she popped out, forcing him to shove past her rump and flicking tail to save the bottle of Wild Pegasus from her graceful efforts.

Looking between Kelpie and Jar Head, Vira fidgeted with her mane and shook her head. "Oh... I look frightful still, I'd rather not meet Jar's brother all sticky with soda and exhausted. You two should go! Together! Maybe talk about... things... I will... just have a trot about town, please send my regards though."

(Smooth Vira... but thanks...) Kelpie raised an eyebrow at Vira's unconvincing smile, but a blushing glance to a confused Jar Head was enough for her to go along with the alicorn's gentle nudging. "You do look like hell Bitch, you'd probably scare him into a coma. Wait until his heart can take meeting his savior when she's cleaned up. C'mon Jar, let's pay off the old drunk so he'll finally stop bitching and maybe try to do his job better."

(Good luck! Don't give up, keep trying! You promised and I wish to hear...)

Vira felt the disappointment from Jar Head over her polite decline, but ignored the warm flush his thoughts inspired and gave Kelpie an exagerrated wink before seeing them off at the docks. She pranced along until they were out of sight, then slowed her pace and sighed, floating out her dark crystal likeness of the male alicorn to pout at. He never said all the tingly feelings he'd opened her to were so complicated. She was happy for her new friends and hoped Kelpie would find some way to tell Jar how she felt, she really was rooting for her, it was just... lonely.

Unbeknownst to the alicorn, Nick and Longfellow clinked their second shots and downed the firey liquid together, enjoying a comfortable silence for a moment. After a suitable pause, the synth detective tipped the brim of his battered brown fedora and gave the old stallion an appraising look with his strange yellow on black eyes, pouring another shot before speaking in a soft murmur.

"My assistant is new to the detective game, but I'm not mac. You're throwin' up some red flags here... Giving your stuff away like that, if a buck didn't know better, he'd start to worry you're not taking news about your long lost love that well after all. You alright old timer?"

"Mind yer business robot... I'm feelin' a mite generous is all..." Longfellow grumbled back unconvincingly.

Nick's gaze flicked out the dirty windows to see Vira's lilac striped green tail disappearing down the dock, then downed his shot and gave the sulking Longfellow a steely look. "Sure pally, not that it's my business or I haven't had those kinda thoughts myself. Vira is my business though, I care about her too. Just remember, you'll break her heart..."

That made the grumpy old stallion flinch, dragging the bottle from the table to sulk on his side of the booth and mutter back. "Guess you're smarter than those kids Detective Hearts n' Hooves. Don't worry so much, just thinkin' ahead a little. I am an old pony after all. Things happen in the fog..."

With her pay for the long day burning a hole in her saddlebags, Vira decided to try her hoof at shopping again since Longfellow wouldn't let her pay for all the wonderful food. With a full tummy, she felt like a pony again, though until she got to a shower and a bed she was resigned to feeling uncomfortable and tired. Strolling down the docks and poking her head into the various shop made her feel better somehow though, even just browsing. With the lovely new magical energy weapon in her bag though, she considered saving her caps for spark cells for the ammo glutton of a RSW gun.

She also took her time since she'd not heard much good about the proprietor of Fog Harbor's weapon shop, a crusty dark red pony named Ailing Levee she peeked at, hanging out over the counter facing the docks like many shops had with a permanent scowl under his curly green beard and tattered knit hat. The fact he was holding court with a gaggle of other rough looking customers, including the very sour faced Barnacle Bill glaring at her, just made waiting less of an issue.

The local tailor looked like a friendlier mare at least, a pretty pale unicorn with a dark brown and gold striped mane the alicorn with her face pressed against the glass window of her shop spotted working in the rear. Most of the wares on the poniquins in the window wore talented leather and fur armor pieces, some of which Vira just imagined Longfellow had provided the pelts for himself. There were several pretty dresses and accessories Vira liked looking at though, and the dusty glass cases with a few glimmering bits of jewelery she could just make out inside had her interest.

After her ordeal in the Zip! Factory however, more practical considerations took precedence. Ammo first, then pretty things... yes.. that's definitely what she should do. She eventually pulled herself away from the window with a sigh, nearly running directly into a round white Ms. Handy robot bobbing out the door in front of her.

"Oh! Excusez-moi mademoiselle, so sorry I... Ah! Madame Detective! A pleasure to see vou again!" The bubbly robot babbled at Vira cantering back a step to avoid the collision, doing a little hovering curtsie in greeting.

Blinking at it curiously, Vira smiled in recognition and returned the strange bow. "...Pearl wasn't it? You are Plaid's assistant? She's already sent you to town I see, how is she? Has everything gone well so far?"

"Oui oui mademoiselle, I 'ave been most successful, merci! I vas just negotiating on behalf of Madame Polomare vith the local seamstress! Ah, it seems vou may need her services as well, your poor ensemble!" The robot was as cheery as ever, giving a mock gasp and gesturing a claw to Vira's mended maroon trenchcoat.

"Oh... y-yes, I suppose so. My friend fixed it for me, but she says it was difficult to repair a magically armored garment. Maybe I should bring it back to Suri, will she and the others be leaving the Stable anytime soon?"

"An expedition is being prepared, oui Detective, though it may be a day or two and only a trial I believe. The proprietor of this shop is quite talented however, please don't tell Ms. Polomare I vould recommend anypony else though! She'd scramble my circuits, then vhere vould Miss Plaid be?" Pearl gave an artificial giggle and spun in the air, helpfully opening the door with a tinny jingle from overhead as Vira trotted in.

Before she'd done more than wander a few steps into the shop, the mare behind the old fashioned, ruby red, magic powered sewing machine proved the odd robot right by arching an eyebrow and speaking in an islander accented drawl. "Ho there missy, in to buy, or for alterations? That get up is a size too small, ain't it?"

Blinking down with a blush lighting her cheeks over how stuffed into her nice coat she felt, Vira scuffed her hoof and muttered in response. "Er... no, it is actually custom tailored and a perfect fit, it's more that I am a size too big at the moment..."

The local mare wasn't phased at all, tossing her dark chocolate and sunny yellow striped mane and putting aside the thick leather and fur coat she was working on to trot right up. "Uh-huh... yer one o' them mainland mutant ponies, right? Yer kind does the whole blowing up like a balloon with enough rads, instead of gettin' all glowy, huh?"

Vira didn't sense any disgust or disapproval with the term 'mutant' or her frank discussion of Vira's nature, just a statement of facts as she huffed over Kelpie's rushed repairs and started hovering over bobbins of thread in different shades of purple, while Vira gave a sheepish nod. "Y-Yes... it can be inconvenient, but also quite handy sometimes. It's terrible on clothing however, a-as you can see. Perhaps that's why my mother was against wearing them... My friend tried to repair it, but it is of a special make and..."

"Ayuh, the armoring spells make it hell ta get a needle through. I can fix it. There's an enchantment to keep this kind of thing from happening again too missy, 15 caps for the repairs, 25 for the spell work." The mare's horn lit up and the golden glow of her magic surrounded Vira's outfit a moment, then roved over to a glass doored bookshelf she unlocked to rifle through the battered spell books within, turning back with a firm nod once she pulled down an ancient tome reading 'Elegant Enchantments, by Rococo Froufrou'.

"R-Really? There's a spell that can do something to keep it from happening again? Y-Yes! Of course, I would be so happy if you could help! Umm... how long must I leave it in your care Miss...?"

"Rushing Brook, and it'll take me about fifteen minutes, ten with a couple caps tip for an incentive. It's not that complicated, that fancy doo-dad on yer hoof has the same kinda size adjustment spell. Not that different from repair enchantments really if you want me to throw one in the matrix. Not doin' nothing about whatever made it smell like that and be so... ugh... sticky though." The brusque but nice mare shrugged, taking Vira's trenchcoat and wrinkling her nose at the odor.

Vira groaned at the reminder with her ears drooping, "It's soda... something called Captain's Blend, not... anything more disgusting. I can manage cleaning it myself, I just learned how! Er... sorry I hadn't had a chance to before, I assumed I'd have to return it to its maker to do anything, but the robot outside recommended you and... Please, I'd be very appreciative!"

"Ah, you mean the weird white one still bobbin' along out there?" Miss Brook smirked and rolled her eyes to the poniquin filled window of her shop, pointing out Pearl staring in with her three eyes and waving with a cheery 'Alloooo!' before continuing with a chuckle. "Helpin' me work out a deal with those Stable ponies, robots... whatever up there at the Cliffside. You're that mare what went up there and got em to come outta their hole too, aren't ya missy? Hear you been helpin' out all over lately. Tell you what, I'll give you a discount. Some of those fools out there might wanna get their tails in a twist, but the fog always goes away eventually. We were a tourist island once and yer one of the good ones."

Vira gave the shopkeep a teary thank you and shook her hoof hard enough to rattle the glasses down her muzzle, then spent her time waiting by browsing her shop and all the cute clothing and sturdy armor on display. One shelf was full of ornate leather holsters, saddlebags, belts, bandoliers and other leatherwork she looked at appreciatively.

When Rushing Brook called her back, Vira had selected a finely etched, dark 'gulper' leather bandolier to add to her purchase. A gift for Longfellow to replace the ratty strap he wore over his peacoat to hold his lever action rifle. It nearly wiped out her meager supply of caps, but having her own money gave her a sense a pride and being able to spend it on her adopted father made her surprisingly happy, hoping he'd like it.

She facehoofed when she left and remembered she was supposed to save some money for ammo however, biting her lip and wondering absently if it would count as 'expenses' Nick had told her was part of her pay. By the thoughts she picked up from him when the subject came up, it seemed his previous assistant had a very loose definition of expenses and had taken advantage of it. Surely ammunition she used on the case would be an actual expense though, wouldn't it?

Vira resolved to ask him about it after purchasing what she could and seeing how many spark cells they even had in stock. So far, she hadn't seen many islanders using magical energy weapons, instead favoring ballistic firearms, harpoon guns and the varied fishing spears and barbed hooks she saw arrayed out on the counter under the crudely painted shingle of 'Levee's Tacklebox'. Unfortunately, that's all she saw there, the unpleasant looking ponies milling around the place were gone.

Raised voices at the nearby gates drew her eye that way, spotting the gaggle of missing ponies jeering and shouting out to the fog beyond. Vira made to trot up and ask the shopkeep to actually keep his shop, then paused when she squinted through the haze and spotted a green robed cultist prostelitizing fanatically. "Repent sinners! Repent and welcome the holy fog, it's the Mother's will! Quit hiding and holding back paradise with these foul technological tools of false ponies!"

The weapon merchant Ailing Levee, Barnacle Bill and another pair of cruel looking bucks were tromping out to the line of condensers the Church of Balefire missionary was standing behind, Levee apparently the ringleader by his gruff shout in reply. "Thought you would'a learned yer lesson after I took care of the last of you cultists to come preachin'! We don't want your bullshit around here! It's blasphemy against the goddesses!"

"The Goddesses abandoned us! They watch our suffering from on high without ever lifting a hoof. The Mother of the Fog watches over us and aids the needy, she spreads the holy glow of the fog and you reject her gifts! Murder her messengers! You harbor ponies are the blasphemers, not us!" The rad sore marked buck under the ragged green hood shot back, a lot of long held animosity on both sides close to boiling over already.

Seeing how the harbor ponies came closer and made to draw various clubs, bowie knives and fishing hooks, Vira gulped and trotted ahead anxiously, clearing her throat to get their attention before things escalated. "A-Ahem! Excuse me, Mr. Levee I believe? I w-was hoping to purchase spark cells from your shop, if you could leave this addled pony alone a moment?"

She was trying to be friendly and defuse things, feeling some sympathy for the Church stallion so blinded by the offshoot branch of the church she'd once been a high priestess of. Plus Vira truly didn't want to see things go bad, thinking of the poor mare like she'd found torn to shreds by wolves on the way up to Acadia. She felt afraid and ashamed about the Church of Balefire, but had found she'd actually started to care about random ponies and didn't want to see this one killed for spreading the gospel.

Vira didn't like how their anger didn't cool one iota when they turned back to her in surprise, Barnacle Bill especially was glaring daggers at her. The cultist behind them giving a gasp didn't help either, pointing a hoof her way and renewing his fervor. "Child of the Goddess! You've received the Mother's blessing! Tell these heretics the glory of the holy glow and to abandon their blasphemy!"

"See! I told'ya Levee, big bitch isn't just a synth lover, she's with these Balefire fanatics too! Might look like a goddess, but that don't mean she believes in em like a proper pony! Hear 'em? She's blessed by Longfellow's wife, I bet she's a damn rad worshipper too!" Barnacle Bill reminded Vira of nothing so much as a yapping little dog at Levee's side, pointing his hoof at her and trying to stir up conflict, forcing her back a step as they turned their collective glare to her and the cultist equally.

When she cantered back towards the quietly mumbling cultist stallion engaged in some kind of prayer, they spread out and started surrounding them both, their thoughts turning darker and crueler under Levee's gruff voice playing ringleader. "He's right lass, first you wander around askin' questions with that fancy robot boss of yers, then you go up to Acadia and find a whole bunker full o' more robots under the Cliffside ruins what are pokin' around town now, plus you freed the dragon, and now yer stickin' up for this lunatic? Might not know better since yer an outsider, but you better pick yer sides better..."

"I'm not picking sides, I merely wish to be a good pony.... to everyone. Four of you picking on one mentally unsound buck doesn't seem very fair to me, and I believe Cap'n Berry was most upset at the last of their order you decided to murder, isn't that so Mr. Levee? That's what you're thinking about anyway... how to get away with it again..." Vira's heart sped at the smaller ponies circling her threateningly, flashes of being surrounded by blood crazed Trappers in the Zip! Factory coming back to her in a rush.

The thoughts of one of the bucks who'd moved behind her only added to the panic she felt remembering it now. He wasn't really in it for any firm beliefs about goddesses, synths or Balefire cultists, just a weak pony going along with the strong. His main motivations were selfish, including the slimy lust that was so familiar after Vira's run in with Dragonslayer, sending a shiver down her matted tail.

"They should'a learned after that one, just have to keep teachin' the lesson till they get it. This one though... we don't need to kill her, right Levee? I mean, she's a fair sight prettier than those rad sore covered freaks and ghouls from the church, maybe we can teach her a different way..." The weasly, sallow faced blue violet unicorn sneered and snickered from behind her, picturing images of Vira doing things with him that made her stomach turn and a cold sweat break out on her coat.

When he made the mistake of actually touching her rump with his filthy hooves, Vira reacted in automatic revulsion. She bucked as hard as she had when the Trappers did the same thing, pawing at her like a piece of meat they'd caught... She didn't think or even aim, she just gagged as one hindleg shot out and sent the slimy buck flying into the fog. The other three tensed and readied their weapons, forcing Vira to deal with the situation even if she hadn't meant to bring it to violence first.

Flapping her wings, Vira shot backwards in a short hop that bought her breathing room and landed her right in front of the surprised cultist, looking up with a worshipful expression at the green alicorn towering over his prayers. She rolled her eyes and huffed at the religious devotion, but brought up the glowing green bubble of her shield and planted her hooves in front of the crazed pony protectively, giving a flat stare back to the harbor ponies helping their groaning cohort back.

Bill's dark purple face was red with fury, but Mr. Levee merely stared back, looking between Vira, the cultist and Vira's crackling barrier in frustration with a judgmental note to his thoughts. Surprisingly, he wasn't upset in the least that Vira' had knocked his friend into next week, giving the senseless pony trying to stay upright while clutching between his hindlegs and moaning a disgusted look, believing Vira was well within her rights to do what she had to the 'sleazeball' as he thought of him. It seemed the weapons merchant wasn't really a bad pony, but one who had very firm, if negative, beliefs.

"Ahoy down there... quit fucking around by my wall you lot! You heard the Cap'n and you know what she said, leave those nuts alone if they come round, so long as they're peaceful! And if I see you even look at that mare the wrong way, I'm gonna make a purse outta yer nuts Chum Bucket! Go on, git!" A hard, harsh voice broke the standoff before it could get any worse, coming from a light pink mare wearing thick framed glasses under her auburn mane, glaring down from atop the hulk of the ship's hull wall.

Considering she had a very large and clearly modified harpoon gun trained down on them, specifically on the whining buck who'd touched her, Vira was immediately grateful and lowered her shield as they shuffled off. Barnacle Bill looked back with dark anger still tinging his thoughts focusing on her, but Ailing Levee managed to give her a curt nod of respect, shoving his minions along and gruffly muttering back that, "Shop's open again then Miss Detective, if ya still wanted to buy."

"Oh thank you glorious child of the Goddess! Truly you are blessed by the Mother of the Fog and..." The cultist bowing and scraping as Vira breathed a sigh of relief made her continue exhaling into a groan, hanging her head and glancing back to the fanatic.

"Yes, yes, none of that... I'm just a pony, I have no desire whatsoever for worship or praise. If you're grateful, perhaps it would be best if you went on home now, please? I hope to visit the Cantrip tomorrow, m-maybe I shall see you there Mr...?"

"Zealot Wares ma'am, I'll go tell Grand Zealot Richter and the High Inquistor to expect you as a friend of the faith." When he answered, the thus far weak hunch and submissive behavior evaporated, the deceptively smaller stallion straightening up and giving a firmer bow.

Tilting her head down at him curiously, Vira was surprised. He'd been putting on an act... pretending to be weak and addled... A closer look under his ratty green robes showed very dense and fancy looking prewar armor, with a fishscale pattern here and there on the thick black plates and a strangely modified rifle was slung at his side. All that plus his title he gave to her made Vira pause and venture an unsure guess at his true purpose here.

"Zealot... back on the mainland, those of that rank were warriors Mr. Wares, I assume the same is true here? You were here to deal with those ponies, weren't you?"

Giving her a wink with the bright pink eye surrounded by loops of facial tattoos, Zealot Wares shrugged before turning to trot off into the fog. "I was sent to spread the message of the holy glow. We're just not sending defenseless initiates anymore... If those ponies who admitted to what they did to Sister Curie just now thought I was weak and would try it again, it wouldn't be my fault if I defended myself, would it? Thank you for coming to my rescue though ma'am, come look me up when you arrive at the Cantrip."

Vira watched as he disappeared into the pinkish grey mist beyond the line of condensers. Now that she thought of it, she'd never really gotten to know any of her flock back in Trotson, so didn't realize even the desperate fanatics were individuals with worth. She was still concerned about going to their church and facing whatever leadership had caused so many problems on Fog Harbor since coming here, but wasn't as afraid of the normal membership anymore somehow. She still had a lot to atone for as far as the Church was concerned, treating them as more than cardboard cutouts was the least she could do.

Fluttering over the wall rather than through the gate, she paused to land daintily atop the rusty barrier and bow her head to the gruff mare still standing guard there. "Thank you. If you hadn't intervened, that may have gone poorly..."

"Meh, I owed ya one for yer trick with the glowy shield at my gates. Islanders pay their debts. Plus Chum is a creepy fuck, just along for the ride to be a bully, doesn't give a shit about Levee an' his Goddesses superiority complex." The middle aged pink unicorn huffed, giving a gruff shake of her hoof in introduction while keeping one wary teal eye on the fog. "Name's The Mariner, glad I could help. You've just been makin' friends all over town, ain't ya?"

Unsure if the mare was being sarcastic or not with that deadpan voice of hers, Vira nodded and took it as sincere. "Er... yes? I like to think so anyway, though I suppose I won't get along with everypony, I can try. I owe the islanders here a good deal, maybe you're rubbing off on me and I wish to pay my debts as well?"

Vira giggled at getting a surprised snort of laughter from the Mariner, even if she shook it off quickly and returned to being serious as she tilted her glasses up to squint at Vira. "Don't joke about living by the code around here too much there Miss Detective, your friend Jar Head is up to his eyeballs in it goin' out to do a jig. Better hope he doesn't run into the Red Death."

Tilting her head curiously, Vira finally thought to inquire after more details now that she had an outside local to ask. "What is a jig anyway? Is it dangerous? What's this Red Death thing, you are quite afraid of it."

The Mariner sputtered at Vira picking up on the chilly fear she was hiding, her pink cheeks turning red as she shook her head vehemently. "Not scared! Sensible dammit! The Red Death has sunk many a ship out the way yer goin' missy, more ponies would be better off if they had a healthy respect for it and steered clear of that Miretank monster! As fer the jig, yer pal Longfellow didn't explain it?"

"Sorry, I didn't mean to make fun. And no, Longfellow has been very cryptic about it, as have Jar and Kelpie for that matter. Could I impose on you?" Vira was more than curious now, what she sensed from the Mariner was annoyance over 'The Old Coot' dragging her into things she didn't understand, dangerous things...

She grumbled and sighed eventually, "Yer potential captain has to go out and piss off a bunch of creepy crawlies in the marshes. If he survives, he's got the brine in his veins to lead ponies out on the sea. If not... well, he doesn't."

"W-What!? But that's.... Longfellow wouldn't put him in danger like that! Would he?"

The Mariner shrugged back, like none of this was that big a deal. "Not a lot of options, only way a youngster like that or an outsider would be accepted as a true captain of the harbor so quick. He's allowed to have help too, don't worry too much. Leading ponies in rough seas is what it's all about, so he doesn't have to do it all on his lonesome. Jar Head's a fool, but he's strong and a hard worker, he knew what he was gettin' into and I give him fair odds. Especially if he's got a big mare like you with all yer fancy magic tricks on his side."

"Well he does, so... so I will trust him and Longfellow, we'll just have to do our best to support him. Like friends are supposed to do, right?"

Vira enjoyed the warm smile that earned her, the mature mare nodded smartly and turned back to the fog. Her thoughts turned somber a moment as she stared out into the swirling mist, then she raised an auburn eyebrow and glanced up to Vira with a hesitant question percolating in her mind. "Was that way in the old days from what I hear anyway. Ponies were better once... Hey Detective, mind if I ask..."

"A favor? It doesn't hurt to ask, you needn't be so conflicted over it. If I can help, of course I'll try." Vira beamed back, deciding to cut to the chase so she could find Longfellow and give him a piece of her mind over not explaining things better.

The Mariner gasped at the interruption, then rolled her eyes and nickered. "Oh yeah, heard about that mindreadin' business, seen a lot between the sea and fog in my day, but that's just plain weird... Alright smarty pants, yeah I want somethin'... Tools. I hear yer goin' to those kooks up in the Cantrip, right? Well, that's an old naval base, they gots the kinda tools I need to reinforce the hull here. Ol' girl's been taken a beating lately, she needs work or one day them beasties out there are gonna tear right through her."

Blinking down to the Mariner giving a loving tap of her hoof to the metallic wall composed of a large ship's hull below her, Vira considered it before simply accepting. The wall protected the ponies of the harbor, without it, things would indeed get very bad. Surely getting her hooves on some tools wouldn't be as hard as the memories Dima sent them to the Cantrip for to begin with.

Vira turned away from the fog as she hummed in thought, looking over the lights twinkling bravely against the darkness and fog all around them. From her perch on the wall, she could see Jar Head and Kelpie leaving the Helpinghoof Clinic. Judging by Kelpie's awkward posture and Jar's oblivious trot in the lead, Vira nickered to herself in exasperation and already knew the poor filly still hadn't told him how she felt. Further down the docks, Longfellow and Nick were smoking by Jar's little sailboat, chatting in a serious bit of conversation to themselves and waiting for 'all the youngsters', as they thought of Vira and her friends, to show up.

Moving on and just letting her eyes rove around the busy harbor, Vira took in all the different ponies living their lives here. There were mare's in skimpy clothes that peaked her interest calling out to buck's passing by, foals running through the ropes and boxes in complicated games of hide and seek, drunken old sailor-ponies staggering out of the Last Plank, fisher-ponies mending nets and boats for another hard day tomorrow.

Vira realized she'd come to care about them, even the ponies she didn't know personally. She wanted them to remain safe. Glancing up the mountain behind her, she spotted the Starswirl Observatory against the starry sky and amended the thought to include Sumi and the strange synths. Looking back to the fog where the mysterious Zealot had disappeared, she added them too actually.

She didn't want the three groups to fight, for any of them to be hurt and die for stupid pride or misunderstandings. Cruel, dangerous ponies like the Trappers deserved their fate, but Vira had finally started to see the love she was so interested in didn't have to be focused on one male or even one small group of friends. It could be an abstract and extend to creatures she'd never met and never would. Caring about others in general was a revelation and still new, filling her with a warm glow that wasn't quite what she'd felt from the male, but close.

Thinking of him and fumbling with her pip-buck a moment, she managed to bring up the locator tag thing Nick had given her and smiled softly. The blinking arrow reading 'Fast Times' was now sitting on a gear shaped icon that said Stable 75, making her hope he was somewhere as nice as Stable 118 had been, meeting somepony like Plaid and the Robobrain inhabitants there, making new friends...

"This is what you meant... isn't it?" Vira whispered to herself as she glanced up to see Longfellow, Nick, Kelpie and Jar all gathering on the docks and looking around for her, surrounded by the ebb and flow of ponies living their lives.

She finally understood why Fast asked her to be better, to be a good pony... She'd found a new place in a wider world, closing her eyes to drink in the collective sensations of Fog Harbor, she could picture all those other creatures in the wasteland and felt that abstract caring for them too. Even if she never met them, she wished the best for all of them too, hoped they were living good lives and were granted a second chance like she was if they weren't. It meant so much...

"Of course I'd be willing to help Mariner. If I can find tools to aid the Harbor, I'll bring them back. Now, if you'll excuse me, my... my family is looking for me." Vira sniffled with a beautiful smile, spreading her wings to glide back to her adopted father and the others before the mare could even grunt a surprised thanks.

Before she could however, she felt a strange tingle and a glow from behind softly lit up the fog, getting her and the Mariner to look back just in time to see the tails of her long coat flapping in an unseen wind. Her flank was... glowing!? Vira blinked in stunned silence as the magical sparkle spread and brightened, then faded away again, leaving an image on her forest green fur that hadn't been there before. A cutie mark...

It went along with her new job, actually somewhat similar to Nick's to her further surprise. While he had a magnifying glass and a gun however, Vira's had a magnifying glass centered on a bright red heart, pointing it out and making the tiny heart she saw under the somewhat fancier golden frame look huge.

Puzzling over it all took a backseat to the shere surprise and joy of it though. Vira had a mark... Vira found her cutie mark! What had been intended as a slow flight down to the others turned into a rocketing takeoff as she squealed in delight. "Longfellow! Nick! Kelpie! Jar! LOOK!"

"You're sure about this Longfellow? I... I can find somewhere else, the couch again..." Some time later, Vira tapped her hooves together anxiously as she was tucked in under a wonderfully soft and cleaned quilt, giving the doting old pony with the blanket in his teeth an unsure look as he tugged it up past her tummy.

"The nitwit is on the couch, an' you two ain't sleepin' in the same room ta git up ta shenanigans again missy! You just hush up an' lemme do this, I... I want to. Besides, we have to celebrate, right?" Longfellow gave her a stern, mock frown and patted her freshly cleaned and shining mane lovingly, leaving her little choice but to nod sheepishly as he turned and settled in the old rocker by the little bed.

They'd sailed back across the bay from the harbor and to Longfellow's spit of land, all tired from their adventure and glad to be... home... Longfellow's little cabin had become home and Vira had again basked in the realization, nuzzling the old goat as they trotted up the seaside steps and were greeted by the refugees waiting for them.

Kelpie's sister had tackled the unicorn mare and drummed her forelegs against her for scaring her, the fear and relief Vira picked up from the filly making her wince in shame for being the one that took her sister away, even if it was to escape a rampaging fog crawler. She got a very dirty look from the foal Mossy, but was apparently forgiven once Kelpie had recovered and they all sat at the fire to relate their escapades in the Zip! Factory to their rapt audience. Vira even got a grudging hug once Kelpie told her how they saved each other more than once and even recovered fabulous riches, not to mention her very own cute-cenera put on by all her friends and the harbor ponies eager to celebrate with her.

After that, they all made their way to get some rest before their big day tomorrow. Kelpie had left with her sister to the stall they occupied together in Longfellow's barn, giving an embarrassed shake of her head when Vira tried to nudge her after Jar Head when he made to leave on his boat to his own hovel back in the harbor.

Longfellow cut him off however, to both of their surprise. Since they'd be going right back out "bright an' early dammit" as Longfellow put it, there was no reason for the young buck to go back only to turn right around after a few hours sleep. Vira's mouth hung open along with Kelpie's when the old stallion invited Jar Head into his home, allowing him to take the couch and not listening to any word against it.

It was Vira's couch though... leaving her confused about where she was meant to stay, until she'd finally come out of the bliss of Longfellow's shower to ask. She may have spent a lot of extra time cleaning her flanks and admiring her cutie mark... but eventually came out wearing the worn and comfy Hoofington Reaper's jersey Plaid let her have as pajamas and feeling much better, now that she wasn't sticky and smelling like a cannery.

That led to where she was sitting now, thinking very light and non-destructive thoughts while propped up in the bed of Longfellow's daughter Emerald... She'd objected, especially since it was a small bed and creaked ominously when he coaxed her into it, but it was well crafted by Longfellow's own hooves and held up admirably. Considering Longfellow had not allowed anypony to even step hoof in this room for decades however, Vira was still nervous, not wishing to desecrate the place further than she already had once.

"I-If you are sure then... thank you Longfellow, it's very nice..." Vira finally murmured back, glad to see the old stallion smile brightly as she primped her wings and laid back, curling up on her side to fit comfortably and lay her chin on the musty mattress, staring up to him rocking gently with wide green eyes.

"Good, because it's yers now Vira, you hear?" Longfellow replied in a hoarse whisper, furrowing his bushy brows when her head shot up to object. "No, don't ya start lassie, that's final. Consider it my cute-cenera gift if you want. This is yer room now, this is yer home, you ken? I want you to know that. Holdin' on to the past hasn't done me or anypony else any good, you getting your mark helped me decide, it's time I started lookin' to the fog ahead again. Yer my filly and this is yer home, it's yer house and land when I pass on too. No matter if yer off chasin' yer comic book buck or wherever you go, you can always come home."

Vira didn't like the complicated, somber thoughts she couldn't quite decipher in Longfellow's mind, but was so shocked and overjoyed, she didn't focus on them long. Tears welled in her wide eyes getting dark and round, her lip quivering enough warning for the now painfully experienced Longfellow to lean forward into her range with a groan, before she simply lunged at him.

He patted her back as she sniveled and did her damndest to crush the life out of him to get her inheritence early, nuzzling her sodden cheek with his bristly beard and cooing to her ear hidden by her flowing mane he burrowed against. "There, there, supposed ta be happy gettin' a gift on your cutie mark day ya silly filly, not blubbery again..."

"I a-am ha-happy! Sooooo ha-happy Longfellow!" Vira wailed back and squeezed tighter, not being very convincingly happy but for the overjoyed smile she wore as she hiccuped back. "I love you so mu-much! A-All of you! I'll always come home, lots! Y-You won't be alone anymore, n-neither of us will again!"

His thoughts turned sad at that, the image of his wife Ocean popping in his head enough of an explanation for Vira not to pry over the hint of shame he felt too. Instead they just held each other, rocking together and sniffling until they could speak again in something more than a croak.

"I love ya too lass, you remember that 'fore you go off doin' anything so foalish again, huh? Me ol' heart can't take it. Now you get some sleep, sure even you must be tired, 'cause I'm dead on me hooves after all that an' we gots more ta do tomorrow." Longfellow coaxed her back into laying down with a kiss to her horn, then stood and clicked the bedside lamp off with a quiet whisper. "Good night honey, sleep tight."

Vira watched his silhouette framed in the doorway with her heart full to bursting with love for the old stallion, snuggling into her new bed gratefully and drifting off to sleep almost immediately. Longfellow crossed the hall after closing the door most of the way, narrowing his eyes towards the living room and the snoring buck he could hear from here, leaving his own door open wide just in case.

He trotted in and discarded his tattered peacoat, smiling at the well crafted bandolier his filly had given him before hanging it up with his rifle above his dresser. He paused there, his bloodshot brown eyes hanging on a faded photograph of himself, his wife Ocean and his daughter Emerald.

He'd finally learned how to keep up certain mental defenses around his adopted daughter after enough trial and error, making sure to keep them up even as he gently stroked the dusty glass clean over his wife's face, his voice a low mutter in the quiet house. "I'm comin' Ocean..."

----------------Level Up!----------------

New Perk Added!------------------

The Magic of Friendship--------------------------

After your trial and epiphany about caring for others, you finally understand more about love and how to be a better pony, grasping the true magic of friendship! When your HP or the HP of any member of your party drops below 30%, all members of your party (including yourself) gain much greater resistance to damage.

Ch. 1-- Far From Home (Prologue)

"Just because one has the ability to perform lots of magic does not make one better than the rest of us."

Once upon a time, in the magical land of Equestria...

In a land torn by war and uncertainty, resorts and vacation spots became the focus of a lot of ponies, trying to escape the horrors of the conflict with the zebras and forget about the world they were making. Among these locales raking in bits from ponies weary with Wartime Stress Disorder, the tiny island of Fog Harbor became a favored hotspot.

Off the coast of the Trotson Commonwealth, Fog Harbor was previously a rural community of woodlands and parks, the main draw being the pegasus operated Fog Factory. As war consumed Equestria, outsiders began descending on the island in droves. Trotson was already a haven for war weary vets and students preparing to go into the grinder, tourism and relaxation became Fog Harbor's bread and butter.

A huge resort hotel was built in the foothills of the island's largest mountaintop, spas, drive in theaters and more sprang up like weeds, even the local soda factory saw a boom in business as tourists sampled the quaint local flavor, allowing them to compete in their small slice of the market with even the megalithic Sparkle Cola.

Not that everything was sunshine and rainbows of course, the war that ended everything reached even to the island. An island off the eastern coast of Equestria was on the frontlines with the zebra empire across the Celestial Sea. The Ministries and Equestrian military established new bases and defenses for the island, commandeering the Fog Factory and establishing a huge naval installation. The military presence was worrying for the locals, but they were more guests on their booming island, their bits were as good as any other after all.

Many clung to the old ways, the fishing village sharing the name of the island continued as they always had for the most part, sending boats out each day and returning with their haul each night. Happy to take the money of the tourists and soldiers on leave, but gruff and unfriendly towards outsiders nosing in to local haunts. Still, things were good for Fog Harbor, despite the war things were going well.

Then came the Last Day...

The balefire bombs and tidal waves turned Fog Harbor into a wasteland like the rest of Equestria, the Fog Factory spread a radioactive blanket of dense mist that shrouded the island in a cloak of secrecy and it was largely forgotten. Still life endured, the islanders were hearty ponies and a little thing like the end of the world wasn't enough to stop them.

Nature took its mutated new course, the forests and marshes of the island produced strange new wildlife the ponies learned to hunt like any other game, the dangers of the island were learned and adapted to, brave explorers took roughly repaired boats to shore, while others from outside found ways to reach the island themselves, life went on.

So it was that when a crotchety old dark blue stallion spotted a big green mare washed up on the shore of his land one fine morning, he wasn't particularly surprised.

Grumbling to himself, the grey maned old buck approached the prone form cautiously. Bodies washed up on his little stretch of beach sometimes, a spur of land that caught a current from the mainland, often they had valuables so it was worth investigating, rarely one might even be alive. "Of course, friggin traps all come up empty but I haul in a pony of all things... couldn'ta washed up near town could ya? Alright, let's see what.... we... got...?"

The elderly stallion stopped a good distance away from the soggy green mare, reaching a shaking hoof up to the tight knit blue cap atop his grey mane and simply staring. She looked like a fairly big mare as he had trotted down the beach towards her, but now that he was closer...

"Sweet Celestia... w-what the hell is this then?" A hint of awed concern crept into his voice, taking an irresistible step closer to the ...very big mare...

The leaning wreck of an old pleasure boat sticking straight out of the surf nearby gave him something for comparison, but his brown eyes refused to accept the scale he was taking in. Some ponies were tall yes... He'd met a few with a little Clydesdale in their family tree that towered over him, this however... this filly put them all to shame...

She had to be twice his size or more.... She was huge... there just wasn't any other word for it, he'd never in all his long years seen a pony this big. The bedraggled, wet mass of her dark mane surged with the waves in a curtain that would cover his windows from floor to ceiling, her outstretched foreleg half buried in the damp sand was easily as long as his entire body, the more than ample rump sticking out of the water would take up his whole ratty couch... big... really big pony... The fact it was a very attractive mare just made taking it in all the more jarring.

Longfellow Steeds wasn't a scaredy-pony though, he'd seen a lot in his long life, he lived on his own and survived whatever dangers the island had thrown at him. A pretty mare was nothing to be scared of, no matter how huge she was. Just in case, he worked his gleaming old lever action rifle before he got closer, keeping it trained on her as she gave a low moan and those big eyes fluttered open at his approach.

"Mmmmnnn.... h-hello? W-Who... where?" The big pony whined weakly, struggling to raise her head and flopping back to the sand. Her wings fluttered a moment with the effort and made Longfellow fall back a step in surprise, an alicorn?

That's what she was alright... wings and a long, graceful horn... a big, green alicorn was his catch of the day it seemed. Longfellow had heard stories of such creatures, lots of rumors and gossip in the Last Plank bar in town when he chose to visit and get drunk. He'd never personally seen one, he'd heard they were tall, but not this tall... Goddess Celestia was supposed to be the biggest pony around in the old days, but even pictures he'd seen of her failed to match this mare's stature.

Mentally berating himself for the quaver in his voice when he answered her weak questions, Longfellow shook himself and stomped forward. He was tougher than this dammit, so what if she was big, she was also clearly hurt and weak as a kitten. "E-Easy there missy, you alright? Can ya stand?"

The forest green mare blinked from under her dark mane, raising a shaking hoof up to push away the sopping mass of hair falling in her eyes and pausing at the silvery lilac streak running under her horn. Said horn lit up in a flickering glow of green magic and Longfellow felt the oddest sensation, like a breezy tickle in his head, there and gone when her magic gave out.

"Hello... L-Longfellow... hurt, tired... can't move.... h-help?" The massive filly groaned up from the foamy water surging around her as the tide started coming in. One long foreleg reaching out and feebly trying to drag her bulk forward to no avail.

Longfellow pulled his hat back over his mane and holstered his rifle on his back, glowering at the big guest in thought. She asked for help, Longfellow kept to the old ways, a visitor asking for help couldn't just be ignored... Trying to help with this one presented problems though, how was he supposed to move her? For that matter how'd she know his name? If he did help, what was he supposed to do with her?

He'd have to bring the doctor here from the village, no way to take the patient to him. He didn't see anything obviously wrong with her either, though her coat and wings were covered in dried blood, there wasn't any wounds to account for it. What if she got better and started eating him out of house and home once he had extended his hospitality? Or decided to flutter on over to town and buck the walls down? She'd be his responsibility...

Her tired green eyes looked up hopefully, full of apprehension and worry. That decided him, Longfellow believed in the old ways, she asked for help and he was obliged to give it. He did wish she had washed up somewhere else however...

"Stay right there missy, I'll be back directly and we'll get you out of there. Name's Longfellow, er... not sure how you knew already, but proper introductions an' all that. I'll get you sorted out alright?"

The huge filly gave a crooked, unsure smile back, looking up through dull lidded eyes and whispering a reply before passing out. "V-Virescent... pleased to... meet..."

Great... a giant, unconscious mare to deal with no less... Because dead weight was sooooo much better. Kicking at the sand in frustration, Longfellow turned to trot off to the rickety steps up towards his cabin and get his cart, no way was he carrying her on his back... He turned back at the first plank of weathered wood to take in the waterlogged filly.

Well... she was certainly easy on the eyes, that was something. Maybe a little company wouldn't be too bad, for a little while at least. Though paraphrasing an old joke made him uneasy about taking on a houseguest that may just decide she liked where she wound up once she felt better, where does a 600 pound filly go? Anywhere she wants...

When Virescent woke up, she held perfectly still and peeked between her eyelashes to look around while still appearing asleep. Experience had taught her to be wary of ponies who could be so cruel, turn away from the perfection that was the mother's glorious form, shout names, throw rocks... shoot guns... hate...

She shoved that nagging worry aside and opened her eyes fully on taking in her surroundings, she was alone so it seemed safe. The thoughts chasing themselves in her mind were pushed back by the new one she was still struggling with, not all ponies were bad... An annoying, infuriating, earnest, ...cute face and pleading voice in her jumbled memory flooded back, 'Be better Virescent... please...'

That warm voice was irksome... throwing everything she had believed in turmoil. Setting her adrift both figuratively and literally, as it was the last thing she heard before plunging to the icy ocean and winding up... wherever she was. Her situation seemed to support his naive point of view, now that she was trying to be open to it anyway, the blanket draped over her back had been put there by somepony after all. She was in a roughly repaired and rickety barn, the smells of ancient hay and damp weather leaking in spots through the roof filling the large space.

Well, relatively large space... Virescent's left wing stretching out in a yawn hit the nearest wall, while the right thumped against a central support beam that gave a warning creak. What was probably a king sized quilt on her back didn't quite cover all of her, leaving her rump exposed, her blank flank staring back at her. She was still overgrown...

Puzzling over that brought back her most recent memories, foggy and dim flashes, what she had been doing, just how much radiation she had absorbed, how gigantic and out of control she ended up as a result... Her cheeks heating up was an unfamiliar sensation for her, but Virescent knew it and couldn't argue, she was embarrassed... ashamed... a little frustrated too if she was honest with herself.

If only she had caught the male... the rather pleasant stirring in her nethers and shiver running up her spine reminded her why she had been on a rampage, what she had wanted... There was a real male alicorn out there and she had been so close! Everything the Goddess had ever wanted, a true, viable male to let her kind reproduce and spread! She trapped him, toyed with him, even got him to come to her! Everything went according her plans and he felt soooo wonderful...

Then he had her shot with a cannon...

And then he had saved her life... made her doubt and question... made her feel... confused. Mating for pleasure had always been a mystery to Virescent, she was fairly certain it didn't normally involve so much trouble. Still, she was starting to see the allure, but wished it had been with a more cooperative stallion...

The whole experience just left her more unsure of herself, scary for a mare who had always been full of unwavering faith. She had once spread the glorious message of the mother's Unity, to prepare the lowly masses to be lifted up. More recently she had her own flock of worshipers via the Church of Balefire and believed completely in the sermons she had given. Now... nothing made sense.

At least she was in her right mind now, tired and sore, an itch deep in her side under her hide as her insides continued to rebuild themselves. Being a little bigger wasn't so bad, a little disorienting waking in a large barn that felt cramped, but she could think straight again so that was an improvement. Trying to do so however left her flummoxed and a little frightened.

Taking stock of things, Virescent was pretty screwed... She had been working with the shadowy Institute, believing she was helping them perfect a version of the Impelled Metamorphosis Potion to create male alicorns. Actually seeing a successful result with her own eyes seemed to support their promises. Fast Times had been perfect, a little short maybe... but a perfect male alicorn, a way to breed and follow her mother's wish, to survive and propagate. Then he had shared his memories of how he was changed, of the creature masquerading as synthetic ponies to lie and use her...

That's how she felt now, used. The Institute used her, had her capture test subjects to intentionally mutate into flawed, genderless failures. Just another pawn in their insane plans. Just as even the Goddess, whom she had been devoted to and loved as her mother, had used her to spread the message of Unity before the Destroyer came. Was that all she was good for? An expendable stooge?

The male hadn't thought so, only making her more bewildered. Fast was infuriatingly stubborn, he was a male alicorn, he was meant to mate with her kind, ensure the survival of her species! Instead he refused! Ran from her! Granted at the time she was the size of a dragonlord and a little ...overstimulated... but she only wanted to do what she knew nearly all males always wanted anyway! As a green alicorn she could read the dirty thoughts out of their heads, had lived with feeling their lust along with their lewd stares wherever she went, when they didn't think she was a monster anyway.

He refused her though, wouldn't let her play with him, made her think he would, did such delightful things to her, then flew away! To top it all off, he lured her in front of a pair of anti-dragon cannons and had her shot chasing him, leaving her in this weakened state. Then when he had won, had her at his mercy, he protected her from those who wanted her dead, let her escape their vengeance, begged her to be better and promised if she changed that he would...

She agreed, though she didn't understand. Most of her memories while she was giant and rampaging were hazy actually... But the feelings she had read out of his mind... those stuck with her. She never felt anything like it before, it was better than unity, better than dominating others through fear and power, better than... than everything she had been.

Love... Virescent had never felt love before, despite everything she had done, how she had trapped him and tormented him, killed a pony right in front of him, not to mention how close she came to making him into a squirming little sex toy... using him like she was used... But he still felt such a warm, caring emotion, towards her?

Now she was alone, more alone than she had ever been, no Unity, no sisters, no Church of Balefire, no Institute, nothing. Weak and alone, washed up on some unknown shore with only the vague plea of 'Be Better' to guide her. But how was she supposed to be better on her own? With no one to tell her what to do? All her life someone had told her what to do, given her something to believe in. Thanks to Fast her belief had been shattered, replaced with only ephemeral faith in a better way.

Being used was at least simple. Finding her own way was hard, and scary...

With her mind racing as it was, she was actually eager for the company when the elderly stallion from before opened the barn door and trudged in, a small work cart full of spindly, mutated fruit and canned goods hauled behind him. "Ah, yer up. Yer ...smaller too, ain't ya? That's weird... wish ya would'a done that 'fore I hauled ya up here. Here, wasn't sure what you ate so got a little of everything. Includin' my rifle if pony happens ta be in yer diet, so no funny business..."

Longfellow stamped a hoof and hauled his laden cart in, stepping out of the harness and back towards the door cautiously, but putting effort into not showing any fear. Long years hunting on the island taught him that lesson long ago, showing fear only caused more problems.

Of course being able to master external signs of fear was still no defense against a telepath. Virescent stared down at the small stallion and read his surface thoughts quickly, finding his fear and feeling her face heat up again. He was forced to look up at a mare that was laying down in front of him, concern and an odd feeling of inadequacy were carefully concealed in his mind.

Seeing herself through his eyes, she thought again of the blurry memories of the male when she had been truly huge. Was this how he had felt? Her vague recollections said no... not quite, the male was a great deal more attracted to her than this old buck, making his rejection of her all the more puzzling, but she realized some of the same fear had been there yes, she was scary like this...

Of course it was only natural for such a puny and weak pony to be intimidated in the presence of the mother's perfect form, her every glorious inch was a testament to the power and majesty of the superior species of... No... 'Be Better Virescent'. Fast's worried plea was annoying all right, but forced her to try adjusting her thinking. She was bigger and stronger than the old buck, not better. She had needed his help after all, and he had given it for some reason.

Feeling Longfellow's worry and impatience rising, Virescent shook herself out of the reverie and spoke in a hoarse whisper. She was unsure how to deal with him, her first instincts of either 'kill him' or 'control him' seemed wrong. How would her blue sister Jade handle this? The male loved her, merely feeling an inkling of that warm emotion directed her way left her hungry for more. She wanted to feel that again, but the male only loved 'good' ponies... Good ponies typically didn't kill or mentally enslave their rescuers.

"T-Thank you... for your help. I don't eat ponies so you needn't worry. My condition is temporary if you're afraid, I will continue to shrink for awhile yet. If I could rest a bit longer, I will leave as soon as I'm able, p-please?" Reaching out with one big foreleg made the little stallion flinch internally, he had admirable mental discipline however, showing no outward sign and reaching out a steady foreleg to return the gesture.

Feeling his small hoof touching her own gave Virescent another unfamiliar feeling to puzzle out, she wasn't used to ...kindness, from ponies. This old stallion was gruff and grumpy, but treated her the same as he would anypony else by his thoughts. Granted that wasn't great by what she was reading out of his mind, but it was fair.

He didn't want company period, but was obliged by some firm code of honor to help her apparently, the same as he would for any other. She also got the barest whispers of the lewd thoughts that seemed to run through the minds of all male ponies every few seconds. Such background thoughts had always been an annoyance before, now... it was somewhat more interesting.

Longfellow's muttered response made her glad she hadn't just enslaved his mind out of hoof, pulling away from the light hoofbump and nodding to the cart of food. "Offered my hospitality, ain't gonna run ya off right off. If yer ...recoverin', then get some rest, eat somethin' so long as it ain't me. Then leave."

The rising panic she felt when Longfellow turned to trot back out was surprising, proof of how at sea she felt she supposed. Most of her life she could have cared less about normal ponies company, but now she had to admit... she didn't want to be alone. "W-Wait! I... I don't know where I am, could you speak with me a moment? Please?"

A gruff sigh answered as he hung his head, but Longfellow did turn back around and come closer. "Fog Harbor is where. Assumin' ya come from the mainland? Trotson? So, talking.... Hmmm... yer one of them alicorn ponies I heard about? Never seen many of yer kind on the island before, how'd you end up here?"

While she didn't feel that hungry, Virescent took one of the offered mutfruits and nodded, the whole misshapen purple fruit making little more than a mouthful she chewed thoughtfully before answering. "It's a long story... I... I was hurt, a ...friend... saved me, I must have drifted on the current here. My memories are a bit cloudy, this is an island?"

Longfellow's thoughts were confusing but interesting, he didn't talk to others often at all, living alone on his land and clearly proud of it. Even hermits got lonely sometimes though, despite himself he was warming to the conversation, pulling a dented silver flask from his dark peacoat and taking a drink. "Aye, an island. Not much of a friend if'n they left ya to wash up like driftwood on the shore here."

Another odd feeling she wasn't used to rose up at that, defensive anger... how strange. Virescent gave a whinny and shook her head forcefully, sending her long, dark mane swirling around her and letting her catch that pale lilac streak that wasn't there before. She puffed it out of her eyes absently and stamped a hoof down by the small fire, burning in a rusty shell of a barbecue grill between them.

"He had no choice! The Brotherhood wanted to kill me, escape to the sea was the only option. I... I had done bad things... but he still..." Virescent's voice started getting thick as she answered, a trembling hoof reached up to wipe away a bit of warmth on her cheek and she licked it curiously. A salty tear... she never cried, all her tears were long dried up, why?...

The rush of panicked apology just added to her confusion, Longfellow felt bad... for her... for making her cry? Sympathy? He did sound consoling as he rushed forward, gulping to himself before reaching up to pat her shoulder. "Hey, none of that now. Didn't mean nothing by it, just curious missy. Dunno what a Brotherhood is, but guessin' they must be bad news. Sounds like this pony means a lot to you? Didn't mean to insult him."

"He... he does? Yes. I suppose so. I... you have met me at a difficult time. Everything I knew was wrong... a lie. I'm lost... alone..." More tears started spilling down her big face, only making her more ashamed and confused.

Why was she leaking like this? Pinnacles of ponykind perfection didn't cry, foalish overgrown fillies on the other hoof, apparently they blubbered like babies. Virescent missed the absolute certainty she was part of the former group, being shown she really belonged to the latter was no fun.

A surge of a curious emotion ran through Longfellow's mind, something warm and caring buried under the gruff exterior and surface thoughts grumbling about wanting to be left alone. Something... paternal, he saw a crying filly and was reminded of the past. The warm feeling wasn't quite the same as what she had experienced from the male, but it was similar and so nice. Why such a pleasant emotion would make her cry more was an enigma to her, but the feel of Longfellow's hoof stroking her neck made her feel better.

"Everypony's done bad shit missy, done things myself that'd curl yer mane. I'm sure you're not that bad. Get some rest, I got chores ta get to. Yell if'n ya need something, leave whenever you're ready. Yer my guest for now, so not alone eh? But I uh... got lots ta do out here... already behind after haulin' yer big butt up here ya know..."

"I... I can stay? It isn't a bother? M-More of one I mean? I have nowhere else to go... you don't mind the company? My butt is not big however... a-any more than the rest of me..." She couldn't keep the reticent hope out of her voice entirely, looking down with cautious green eyes to the gruff older buck.

Longfellow's warm thoughts turned hurt and cold suddenly, the paternal feelings he was experiencing made him happy, then hurt him deeply, making the old stallion close up mentally as he trotted to the barn door. "Don't need company, live away from them fools in town fer a reason. Stay out here and rest up, then you can go there. Wanna be left alone."

Virescent drew her hoof back from reaching to his retreating back longingly, flinching at the wooden doors being flung closed. If she wanted, she could dig in his mind, force answers out of him. The temptation was there, she liked the good thoughts and feelings he had directed towards her, she wanted him to keep feeling that way and consoling her, not return to his cold, distant behavior and leave her alone in the barn. Her fellow green sister Ivy had rules for dealing with normal ponies though, she had always thought them silly and ignored them before, but... 'Be Better...'

Empathically sensing emotions and reading surface thoughts was one thing, but Virescent now saw it was rude to go further without permission. The old stallion helped her, talked to her like a normal pony, even with her filling his barn with an oversized body that proved she wasn't one. He was gruff and crotchety, but nice...

The thought of leaving here, choosing what to do, starting a new and unknown chapter of her life... it terrified Virescent. Longfellow's advice seemed best, she'd rest and count herself lucky for a place to recover and the lonely hermit who helped her. Letting the radiation wear off and finish healing her would make things better soon, then she'd... she'd think of something. Somehow.

"Told ya'll fools ta git off my land dammit! Don't give a fart in the wind what you think, this is my land and I ain't leavin' it!"

Voices raised in anger and arguing woke Virescent up and her big ears pricked up, alicorn senses were well above normal ponies so she could clearly make out Longfellow's shout and the stern voices of whoever he was arguing with. Again her first thoughts were negative, expecting trouble, her horn lighting up as she reached out to touch the nearby minds and learn what she could.

"And we told you a week ago we'd come back you old codger! Fog's worst it's ever been, leavin' all these condensers runnin' just for one pony's farm is stupid. We need them back in Fog Harbor more than just you do here. Come on Longfellow, Brew Barrel offered you a free tab at the Last Plank, drink all you want! Maybe find a filly for a little fun? Livin' all alone out here's no good for ya anyway. Be reasonable!" The stallion in charge of the outsiders grumbled to Longfellow, trying several approaches to get what he wanted and sounding friendly.

His thoughts were less so, as was usually the case with ponies. they said one thing and thought another...

(Come on you stupid old buck, don't do this the hard way. We need those condensers... Spread out the fence and push back the fog around town, I'll be a hero for this, bet even Coral will be grateful... Just hafta get this dumb nut to cooperate, greedy old fool, all this clear space for one pony... not fair...)

Virescent slowly stood up with only a slight wince, looking down at herself and around the cramped barn. Not much time had passed then, she still filled the space with her overgrown curves and had to weave around the central beams, creeping up to the door and nudging it open a crack to peek out.

Three ponies were facing off with Longfellow at the path leading into the woods, the old earth pony stallion had his lever action rifle out, but not pointed their way. He was angry, she could feel the simmering fury baking off him easily. The outsider at the head of the group was a dingy brown earth pony, wearing patched yellow overalls and a flannel shirt, with a knit cap over his dark orange mane, thick, tall rubber boots were on his hooves and a strange harpoon gun was slung on his back.

The other two with him were plainly lackeys, their thoughts were focused on... Spear Fisher, that was the name running through their minds. He was in charge, the unicorn mare and earth pony buck were subservient to him, following his lead and joining in the annoyance swirling around him.

This was the first view she had of where she had wound up, other than her muddy memories of the beach, so Virescent took a moment to try to take in the sight. The group of ponies were stopped at the entrance to Longfellow's property, a hilly bit of land mostly cleared of blackened trees, with a few spindly crops growing here and there.

A small cabin was not far away in the opposite direction, Longfellow's home... She didn't feel insulted being stuck in the barn though, the little shack was far too small for her to squeeze her way in as she was at the moment, she was actually surprised and grateful the old buck had managed to get her to the barn at all.

The border of Longfellow's land was easy to figure out, a row of strange fenceposts marched off through the woods marking the edge, though there was no fence strung between them. Instead, the odd orange posts glowing with dim magic marked the border thanks to the dense fog beyond them. Longfellow's land was clear if gloomy, while the woods the path disappeared into behind them was cloaked in thick, pinkish grey fog, the tall, scorched trees turning into indistinct shapes in the mist beyond the fenceposts.

Each of these posts had a large jug connected to a bit of flexible hose wound around the post, up to the jeweled top spreading a field of magic around it. Judging by how all of their thoughts kept focusing on the orange posts, Virescent assumed these must be the 'condensers' the outsiders wanted.

The leader stamped his hooves and his annoyance deepened, Longfellow was being unreasonable according to him, his mental refrain of 'stupid old stallion' was bringing out an unfamiliar form of anger in the green alicorn. She didn't like how they were thinking of pushing him around, taking what they wanted, these were thoughts from ponies she was used to and expected, and they never ended well.

"Not goin' nowhere, you want more condensers, talk to them synth weirdos. These are mine, my land, if I wanna stay here, that's what I'm gonna do. Lived here all my life, plan on dyin' here too. Guess you can have them then." Longfellow grumbled back, waving out to his land and imperceptibly pausing as his gaze fell on the barn, catching the big green eye peering out from the cracked door.

The hoof held up to wait kept her in place for the moment, but he didn't have her advantages. Didn't sense the murderous impulse racing through Spear Fisher's mind like a flicker of lightning on the horizon before a storm. The other two might just be toadies and bullies, but for an instant Spear Fisher thought (if you want to die here first, that can be arranged old fool).

He probably wouldn't do it unless pushed, but he thought it... That was another aspect of ponykind psychology she was intimately familiar with, once that bitter seed had been planted, it tended to find fertile soil in too many hearts. The wasteland that birthed her kind was testament to that fact.

Instead of going for their weapons and escalating things, the trio of ponies started pushing Longfellow back, bringing the cluster of ponies closer and closer to the barn she sheltered in. Speaking like Longfellow was a dottering old coot that needed to be looked after, something she knew to be untrue just from limited exposure to his sharp mind.

"Don't be like that pops, we're trying to help ya out here. Old buck living alone on the island can get hurt, monsters in the fog have been getting bold you know." The unicorn mare cooed and trotted around to the left.

"Yeah gramps, everypony's bein' shoved out to the edges this year, monsters have been meaner and overrun Echo Lake a few weeks back, bet they'll come after you next huh?" The dullwitted earth pony buck drawled out as he moved to the right.

Spear Fisher nodded like he was trying to explain why a spoiled foal couldn't have another cookie, "See pops? We're runnin' outta room for all the refugees, everypony's gotta pitch in and do their part, us locals gotta stick together right? When the fog rolls back, you can move back out and wait fer the second coming of Celestia for all we care, but this is an emergency."

"If'n it was a real emergency, would expect ta see Cap'n Berry, not you three thugs Fisher. Guessin' she don't know about your little visit does she? Get off my land before I use yer naughty bits for bait in my traps. I keep the old ways, I answer the call if needed, but you ain't the Cap'n, nitwit like you never will be neither so quit with the delusions o' grandeur." Longfellow dismissed the three ponies in a semicircle around him, either unaware or unconcerned by the dim thread of mob mentality already spreading between them.

He had to know what kind of buttons he was pressing though, Spear Fisher turned red being so easily figured out and embarassed. The burly, bigger buck thrust his chest forward to shove at Longfellow, who may be old but seemed to be carved of Stubbornonium, not giving an inch to the stallion.

"I will so old buck, then things will change around here! Crazy old codgers living on their own won't be put up with for one! 'Specially nasty old bastards who run their mouths when they should just shut up and do what younger, smarter ponies say! Now why don't I give you one more chance to do the right thing, come on in, we look good, you look good. Free drinks, your own room instead of some cot on the overcrowded docks, maybe you can even get that wrinkled old wick wet huh? How long's it been Longfellow? Don't tell me you haven't since your wife went and..." Fisher thumped a hoof into Longfellow's chest aggressively, sneering as his jibes turned lewd.

"Don't you dare say a word about her punk!" The tidal wave of rage pouring off Longfellow made Virescent flinch back from the fury, a faded mental image of a sea green pegasus mare with a windswept, coral pink mane standing before the sea came to his mind as his hoof shot out, decking the smarmy younger stallion and knocking him to the dirt.

That spark of murder flickered in Spear Fisher's mind again as he spit out blood and leapt back up, rolling up his threadbare flannel sleeve and stomping back to the older stallion. Taking a bare second to search her thoughts and feelings, Virescent decided enough was enough. The things these ponies wanted made this place safe from what she gathered, she needed somewhere safe to rest, she couldn't allow them to come in and take that away. Besides, she realized she didn't like this, Longfellow had been nice to her, if a bit unfriendly, she should repay his charity.

For effect, she gave the barn door a gentle shove, as if the wind blew it open rather than kicking it open in a rage. The shoving match in the yard outside had most of their attention anyway, only the unicorn mare glanced her way. The way her orange eyes shrank to tiny dots and her face paled was satisfying, she reached a shaking hoof out to the earth pony egging the argument on, missing a few times as she couldn't tear her eyes away from the gloomy barn.

Virescent let her finally get the buck's attention, snorting back to her in annoyance at being torn away from Fisher and Longfellow shoving each other. He rolled his eyes and looked the way his companion was facing after she tried several times to speak, only making strangled little noises in her throat but getting the point across. The buck's jaw nearly hit the floor, letting Virescent disguise her limp partway out the wide doors and stomp her huge hoof to the ground to a cowed audience.

"What the fuck are you two thumpin' around... like... t-that.... Sweet Celestia!!! W-What in the name of the goddesses is that!?!" Spear Fisher turned to shove his frozen toadies around, following their stares to look up, and up... to the giant mare looming over him.

Taking a bit of enjoyment at the awe and fear her glorious body inspired in insignificant little ponies like this, Virescent leaned down to give a toothy, predatory smile and paw at the damp ground, purring down to the bully who probably grew up shoving his weight around, suddenly finding out how it felt. "Leave my friend alone..."

She wanted to toy with him... stomp forward and watch him skitter back in fear, push him around as he had pushed so many others by his memories, maybe sit on him... That was probably wrong though... good ponies didn't torment others, even if they deserved it. On further reflection, she didn't want to draw attention to herself here either, better to just get rid of them quietly...

Her long horn lit up brightly and she waved a hoof before their stunned, upturned faces, using a simple alicorn mind trick to plant a suggestion in rather simple minds to begin with. "You decided you didn't want these condenser things after all."

"Didn't want 'em after all..." All three chorused back, a green glow lighting their eyes while she had them.

"You don't want to bother Longfellow anymore."

"Don't want to bother..."

"You were never here and certainly never saw me, did you?"

"Never here, never saw anyone..."

Nodding to herself with satisfaction, Virescent finished with "Go Home." in a deep, rumbling growl and turned back to the barn, flopping down tiredly as the three uninvited guests marched off obediently.

There was a hint of carefully controlled concern behind Longfellow's bushy eyebrows raised in surprise when he poked his head in, but his deep voice was still even and unsurprised. "Huh... that was something. I had it well in hoof ya know, didn't need help... but, thanks anyway. Saved me the trouble of teachin' those punks a lesson."

A soft smile curled the large mare's muzzle and she nodded wearily, "I'm sure. They were annoying and I'm tired though. I'll get some more rest and be out of your mane as soon as I'm able Longfellow. Sorry to step on your hooves."

The old stallion scuffed at the dirt and took his knit cap off, twisting it in his hooves anxiously and tugging it back down again as he spoke. "You er... a-ain't gotta rush off I guess. Might'a been a little unfriendly earlier... not exactly sociable ya understand? S'pose I could do with a bit of company if you wanted ta take yer time. I make a mean fog hopper stew if yer hungry later? Have a little chin waggle maybe?"

"I would like that Longfellow, I do have many questions. If I'm not imposing, I'd like to take you up on your hospitality. I really do need to rest first though." A wide, genuine smile spread on Virescent's face, most of Longfellow's thoughts were chaotic and confused, but there was a core of gruff kindness and apology in there. He wanted her to stay, not something Virescent had experienced often.

The grey maned stallion gave a curt nod and pushed the door mostly shut slowly, leaving a crack for her to stare out at the cloudy, drizzly day and listen to the ceaseless sound of the Celestial Sea. "Sure, take yer time, no hurry. I'll let you get some sleep, we'll talk later alright Vira?"

The elderly blue stallion paused at her quiet call after him, looking back over his shoulder through the crack in the door to her curious face and voice. "V-Vira?"

"Er... yeah, yer name's a mouthful missy, Vira just rolls right off the tongue though. If ya don't mind o' course."

Mulling it over, the big green alicorn's smile widened. "Y-Yes of course. I just... I never had a friendly appellation before, I... I think I like it. Thank you Longfellow."

The smile peeking through Longfellow's scruffy beard was like a ray of sunshine, warming the big mare's wounded heart and sticking with her as she drifted off. His kindness added to her confusion and soul searching, Fast was right, not all ponies were bad... The thought that he would make an excellent candidate to be turned into one of her kind bubbled up quickly and she added him to her mental list.

It was a short list, but some ponies deserved the gift of her mother's perfect form, were worthy of ascending to the glory of being an alicorn. Ones like the bullies still deserved to be crushed like the bugs they were, but some really weren't so bad after all.

"I'm sorry about your door..."

Virescent called softly to the next room of Longfellow's tiny cottage from her seat at a well polished, if nicked and cluttered dining table, glancing to the front door with a blushing wince at the cracked and splintered doorframe. She had thought she was small enough to fit by the time the sun set behind the sea, misjudging only slightly as her head, shoulders, wings and barrel had all squeezed in with minimal effort, her jiggling round rump however had not managed so well.

Getting wedged in the door to the tidy cottage was embarrassing enough, having to ask for help from Longfellow's strong hooves shoving her prodigious rear through was worse, leaving her still bright red at the memory and the curved dent near the top of the doorframe staring back at her in silent accusation. Her sister Ivy's recent teasing rang in her mind and she muttered sheepishly to herself, "I don't have a big ass..."

"No big deal Vira, old place is always in need of a fix here and there, gives me something to putter with. I think we're even anyway, sorry for..." Longfellow's nervous chuckle came back, his apology just making her face heat up more and her ears droop.

"It's alright! I needed help, you were invited, it was an innocent mistake..." The tall green mare whimpered back in a rush, cutting him off.

She was still stirred up from several very pleasant dreams about the male alicorn when she woke in the evening, coming to Longfellow's cottage at his invitation. Having a stallion nervously groping her rump to shove her through from behind just got her going again, imagining it wasn't an old earth pony but a young male alicorn grunting and throwing his shoulder into it, burying his head in her tail and pushing into a very sensitive area back there before she popped free.

Playing with the tarnished silverware laid out on the small square table before her in a pout, Virescent hung her head and grumbled to herself. It took some unforeseen and embarrassing work, but she had shrunk enough to fit inside at least, though her horn kept scraping the water damaged ceiling. Sitting at Longfellow's table made her feel like she was at a foal's tea party, tiny chairs, tiny table, tiny dinnerware...

The whole cabin exacerbated the feeling too, even for normal ponies, it was a tiny little cottage on the sea. The ancient furniture was damaged and repaired, but showed signs of care in the past that had been mostly abandoned at some point. A layer of dust coated most surfaces, post war made doilies and quilts had been made and spread about by somepony, but all smelled musty like nopony had done much cleaning for quite awhile, as the variety of empty liquor bottles attested to.

A potbellied stove in the living room filled the small building with warmth, not that the cold bothered the green alicorn much at all, but it was pleasant. The same could be said of the smells and noises coming from Longfellow cursing to himself in the tiny kitchen, she didn't need to eat really, but doing so could be enjoyable, as the savory scents reaching her superior sense of smell promised.

A short hall led to a trio of doors past the living room, the open one at the end of the hall was a somewhat filthy bathroom she wrinkled her nose at, while the two closed doors to either side were bedrooms she presumed. By the noises and thoughts coming from the kitchen, she had a few minutes, so she carefully stood and picked her way through the house, examining the decorations with interest.

Longfellow didn't strike her as much of an interior decorator, the cute curtains and various salvaged paintings and statues must be the work of the wife she heard his uninvited guests mention. Considering his reaction when they did so, she didn't think it was a good topic of conversation and she didn't see signs of anypony else living here. Something must have happened to her...

There was a tattered old poster hung up on one wall she stopped to puzzle over, 'Visit Beautiful Fog Harbor' was written in bright block letters across the top, a picture of a verdant forest island filled the big poster and gave her a prewar view of where she was at least. A sprawling island of dense forests and sparkling blue lakes, brightly colored ships around a busy boardwalk and docks, clusters of tidy buildings scattered about.

Atop the tallest mountain peak was an odd domed building with a giant telescope poking out of the top, giving her a shudder, looking far too much like the massive cannons that had blasted a hole in her side recently. Floating above the second highest mountain across the large lake in the middle of the island was an impressive cloud structure, a factory that was sending tendrils of fog down the mountainside to roll across the lake. So this was Fog Harbor...

"C'mon, soups on, sure you must be starvin eh? Let's have a little dinner and chat if you feel up to it. Mite curious how you ended up here like that, sure you got questions too right?" Longfellow's gruff voice was welcoming and pulled her away from the poster, leading the way as she cautiously picked her way around the furniture on the way to the dining table.

Even attempting to use one of the small wooden chairs ringing the table was right out, she'd smash it to splinters with her (not fat!) rump, so she sat down on the floor, still easily above the table's level and forced to lean down to eye her steaming bowl of stew. It smelled good, spicy and meaty, getting a gurgling grumble from her empty stomach that made her blush.

She was an example of the mother's perfection, she didn't need to eat, making such disgraceful noises was embarrassing... Though considering the way she salivated at the smell and licked her lips over another gurgle, she started trying to change her view there. She felt like a normal, hungry pony...

A dainty spoonful of the stew made her abandon pretenses, Longfellow may not be much of a housekeeper, but he was an excellent cook! The spoon quickly fell by the wayside and she floated the whole bowl to her muzzle, tilting it back and slurping it all down in a couple big gulps. As soon as she set the bowl back down with a satisfied gasp, Longfellow dipped a ladle into the pot on the table and filled it again with a smirk.

"Figured a big gal like you would have an appetite ta match, take it you like it?" He chuckled up to her, pride over his hard won culinary knowledge flowing off him.

"Yes! This is excellent, thank you Longfellow! I hadn't realized how hungry I was, I don't mean to make a pig of myself... I'm not hogging all your food am I? It is alright to take more?" Realizing how that display looked made Virescent stop and actually consider another pony's situation for once, normal ponies had to eat while she didn't necessarily. What if she was gobbling up food meant to let him survive for a week? A month? What if he didn't have much? Thinking of others was hard...

"Take all ya want Vira, never short of critters for the pot and harvest is coming along good. All from my land, which you helped me defend, you earned it. So, seems like you need somepony ta talk to, twouldn't mind a chat myself, helps ta practice every once in awhile. Want to tell me what happened? Ask any questions?" The small stallion's deep voice was a soothing balm, those paternal feelings bubbling up from watching her happily slurping stew were something Virescent didn't know what to make of, but very nice.

If she didn't know what to do with herself, she may as well talk. The closest thing to a plan she had devised while slipping in and out of restorative slumber full of curious dreams, was to find out about where she wound up and which way to go to get back to Trotson, then fly back as soon as she was able. She'd leave this old hermit to his land and put this island behind her, so she'd probably never see him again.

Talking to him was safe enough, plus she had resolved to do one thing if nothing else, the male begged her to be better, she'd try to be better. Unfortunately, she was fairly certain being better entailed honesty, one of the most important virtues of ponykind, and nothing honest sounded very good...

"I... I was off the coast of Trotson, in a battle... I was wounded and fell to the sea... then I awoke here on the beach." That covered the main points, it was ok to leave out a few little details here and there right?

Looking down at Longfellow slurping his own stew and staring up curiously, she could practically feel the disappointment from that annoying version of the male alicorn in her mind. Being forced to accept she was lying through omission, and that she was doing so because she was ashamed, left her feeling worse the more she went over her actions, collecting her thoughts and recent memories.

Her eyes started leaking those annoying tears again, sniffling as her ears drooped and she licked stew from her muzzle absently. "You are kind Longfellow, I should tell the truth. I was lied to. I did bad things for those liars... hurt many ponies... killed them and worse... The battle I was in was my own doing, I was no victim... My friend, he still defended me, begged me to be better and helped me escape punishment. Now I'm alone and.. f-frightened... hurt... confused... I don't know what to do now, where to go, who to be, anything! B-But I want to be better, I'm trying, I just don't know how."

The long stare he gave made Virescent feel small, even towering over him across the table. She fidgeted in place anxiously, wincing when he let loose a long sigh and shrugged. "Glad you told the truth, you're no raider right? Long as you behave and your past doesn't come chasing you, it's your own ta share or keep to yourself Vira. So, yer friend huh? How'd they inspire ya to turn over a new leaf an' all?"

The relief of not feeling fear or disgust from Longfellow brightened her face beautifully. Virescent had been afraid she'd be turned away, chased off like a monster, his grudging acceptance and curious question was more than she had dared to hope for. She beamed down at him and nodded happily as she gave her honest reply.

"Oh, I want to mate with him."

The sputtering stream of soda from an unfamiliar, non-Sparkle Cola bottle he spewed from his puffed out cheeks brought out a tired, sniffling giggle from the weak mare. Ponies were so funny about certain subjects, by his blush under his beard and embarrassed thoughts, she realized casually talking about mating was odd for him. "M-Mate with?! This buck yer special somepony then? Not so sure ya should try ta change just ta get in some buck's pants, but it's yer life I suppose."

"He's not mine... it... it is complicated. You don't know much about my kind do you Longfellow? There are only females... well, there were. My friend is a male, pretty much the only male. Our mother's greatest wish was to find a way to make a male, for her children to be bountiful and multiply. It is very important to me."

The old buck kept giving her that flat stare, making her glad she was a telepath. If she had to guess what it meant, she'd probably start panicking and offering up anything to get it to stop, what she imagined the point was to the well practiced glower. She read a paternal disapproval flowing off him, giving her a idea what the problem was as she continued.

"I... I don't want to change merely because of one stallion though, it's just another reason. It's not merely to 'get in his pants', he also told me the truth, tried to help me, cared about me... He made me realize I've done wrong, been u-used by evil ponies for wicked deeds, and that not all ponies are bad like them, that some are good like you and... deserve a chance, could even be my friends. Friendship is apparently important... I'm sorry to dump all my thoughts on you like this, you've been very kind helping me and I know you value your privacy. I'll leave as soon as I'm able and fly back to Trotson. As you say, it is my life, I must decide what to do with it." Virescent wiped her dripping muzzle and nodded in determination.

Whatever she did, she needed to get back, she could always go back to her sisters there, maybe find the male and ask him what to do. He usually had some opinion anyway, and she wanted to feel that different caring emotion he felt for her again. Perhaps she was just looking for someone to tell her what to do, first the mother had filled her with a sense of purpose and religious fervor, then after the Goddess fell her sister Umbra had gathered up her sisters and led them to the Commonwealth, finally Evergreen had splintered off from the group, so sure of herself and her lying Institute allies who made her believe they truly wished to help.

Maybe looking to the male as a replacement was wrong, but following was in her nature, she needed someone to believe in. The daunting thought of being in charge of her own fate was too much to handle right now. Despite her initial belief, the male had proven himself worthy of her loyalty, kind and surprisingly wise in some areas, she'd follow him and decide what to do from there. That meant getting back to the Commonwealth.

Longfellow simply added to her uncertainty, shooting down the one decision she had tried making for herself. "Welp, whatever the reason, I wouldn't recommend flyin' back Vira. Never navigate the fog, probably kill ya before you wind up back where you started."

"Fog would kill me?" Viresent tried to keep the whine out of her voice, with little success by the way Longfellow tried to console her.

"The fog here is ...different Vira, dangerous. It's radioactive for one, tears shit up and eats away at yer health too. Worse though is it's... it's hard ta explain to a tourist, but the fog is evil Vira, it messes with ponies' minds, gets in their heads, turns em around ta get em lost and wandering out in it, drives em crazy. It's bad this year too, doesn't usually spread quite this far." Longfellow spoke like he was telling a ghost story to a little filly, but she sensed nothing but the truth from him.

That was curious, and a problem. She didn't have the strength to go getting lost in evil fog over the sea and wandering aimlessly. Flying around the island would be problematic too, if she couldn't see approaching obstacles, she risked running right into something deadly.

Even though she knew he believed what he said, she couldn't keep the skeptical look off her face as she replied warily. "Evil fog? I've heard of many unique wasteland dangers and megaspell fallout, but never something quite like that Longfellow. Is there a way through it? A safe way back to Trotson?"

"Take a look around the property when you feel up to it and see for yourself, just don't go past the condensers. Even walkin' out in it is dangerous, need a good guide to get anywhere. Look, if you need to get back to Trotson.... hell, I'm running low on a few supplies, can make a trip into town tomorrow if you like. Ought'a be able to charter a boat there that'll get you back, those fancy old world navigation systems can get there."

The momentary hope he instilled quickly faded as Virescent looked back to her blank flanks. She was naked... She had been far too big for her saddlebags or clothing, now she had nothing... no possessions, most importantly, no caps... Her ears drooped as her face fell, obstacles kept discouraging her from every choice she tried making for herself.

Of course she could simply find the captain of one of these boats Longfellow spoke of and force them to take her... Taking control of a pony's mind and making them do as she wished wouldn't be that hard. She could make the puny pony captain do what she wanted and... 'Be better...'

Giving a groan, Virescent hung her head, crossing her forelegs and pouting, looking to Longfellow sitting before her. Mind control wasn't very nice or friendly... the male wouldn't be happy if she did it. Leaving her somewhat stuck. "I don't have any money... or anything actually... The radiation won't kill me though, you're sure I can't simply fly out?"

Longfellow rubbed his grey beard in thought and shrugged back, reaching out slowly to pat her foreleg in a most soothing way. He must have a child, this paternal affection was practiced and so nice, it made the worry clawing at her thoughts less important with just a simple touch. "Hmm... if it don't hurt you, I guess you could try. Local fliers won't do it though, an they know what they're doin' and the land. I wouldn't recommend it, especially for a hurt filly."

She was leaking again... tears were welling in her eyes and falling into her bowl far below, making her wipe forcefully at her eyes and only add to the frustrated crying. Why couldn't she just get the nice emotions like Fast's love or Longfellow's concern, without all this sadness and worry? Trying to absorb that she really was just a pony and not perfection came with so much baggage...

"But... I must get back! I... I don't really have anywhere to go, or anyone waiting for me, or... o-or anything... b-but still! I... I don't know what to do Longfellow, I'm so confused! The only friend I can think of is there, my sisters too! Getting back is the only thing I know to do, but I have nothing..." Trying to stop crying only made her cry harder, this was infuriating! And it hurt... loneliness and fear threatened to consume her, what was she supposed to do?

Longfellow kept patting her shaking foreleg across the table, pulling the big hoof closer and grasping it firmly to get her to look down through watery green eyes. The old stallion sighed in resignation finally, scratching his scruffy grey beard thoughtfully. "Look Vira, I ain't no charity, but er... Well, big young mare like yourself, there's a few chores round the spread that I could use a little help with. Ya can see I ain't really much fer cleaning for example? If you give me a helping hoof here and there, I'll pay you a few caps. That an' callin' in a favor should be enough to get a ride eh? Why don't you stay with me a day or two, do some work and heal up, get your head straight and earn some money. We can go together on my regular trip into town instead of rushing, then I'll take you to a captain that can get you home. Everypony wins."

Looking down to the old stallion's kind, weathered face, Virescent's eyes tried watering again and she gave a meek nod in return. Fast and her sister were right... not all ponies were bad, weak, inferior... some were nice. The fates had brought her to just the kind of pony they had tried to convince her to give a chance to, she wasn't going to ignore her good fortune or rack it up to chance.

A weak but genuine smile lit her face up and she nodded through lidded, bloodshot eyes sleepily. "Thank you Longfellow. Thank you so much... I would be happy to earn my passage and repay your kindness. If you'll have me, I think staying and sorting things out would be for the best. I promise to work hard and stay out from underhoof."

It was Longfellow's turn to give a skeptical look, raising a bushy eyebrow up to the big mare and sighing to himself. His thoughts were conflicted but dedicated to his choice regardless, he didn't want company, to let anypony in... but he was a good pony and couldn't turn away somepony in need.

Finally he shrugged up to her, rolling his eyes up to her horn leaving weaving trails and scrapes across the ceiling. "It's fine Vira, just don't add more repairs if you can help it. You uh... will get smaller than this, right? Don't feel right puttin' a guest out in the barn, but don't think either my doors or my furniture can take that big ol' booty swingin around a few days, eh?"

Sniffling against a giggle despite herself, Virescent nodded. "I will. Though the barn is fine with me if need be, by morning I should be normal again. And I do NOT have a big butt!"

Joining in gradually growing chuckles together, the green alicorn and the hermit warmed to each other and returned to their meal. The soft whisper of cautious happiness running through Virescent's mind was simply; 'A friend... I have a friend."

The grey outside the dirty windows of Longfellow's cabin slowly lightened, eventually reaching a bright pinkish grey that filtered in to the furrowed eyes of the green alicorn sprawled across the tattered couch. With the damage she had done squeezing her way inside to begin with, Longfellow had insisted she not go back out to the barn like a brahmim, but stay inside his tiny cottage and therefore not have the chance to to inflict further destruction.

A good idea in theory and also motivated out of genuine hospitality, but not so good in practice if the goal was sparing his small home. Virescent had tried to be grateful and it was more comfortable, but she had a rough night and was in no mood to wake with the sun. Groaning at the old stallion cantering out of his bedroom, bright eyed and bushy tailed.

She had never taken advantage of her species' ability to absorb enough radiation to increase in size and power before her recent, disastrous experiment. Now that she had, she had more respect for her sister Swan back in Trotson, a mare she had always considered odd and fairly simple minded. Being big was fun... she had to give her that, Swan spent all her time at a truly massive size and extolled the virtues regularly, she liked it so much she simply didn't let herself bleed off radiation to shrink again.

Swan was also experienced enough to keep her impulses in check and not smash things she didn't intend to however, both things Virescent had never appreciated until she failed miserably at them. An out of control, lust driven rampage had wound her up here to begin with. Then just trying to navigate Longfellow's home during the night at less than double her normal height ended with; multiple dents in the wall from a clumsy motion, a coffee table broken in half by a misplaced hoof, a corroded light fixture nearly ripped down by her long horn and dangling from the wiring above, and several pictures and loose knick knacks on the walls and shelves knocked askew if not over by her long tail or a twitch from her wings.

That wasn't even mentioning trying to use the cabin's disgusting bathroom either. Virescent would be loathe to actually touch the filthy porcelain throne in there at her normal size, awkwardly hovering over it both because it was foul and because her (perfectly proportioned!) rear would shatter the ceramic seat had been especially annoying. Made harder as it was a tiny half bath, leaving her no room to maneuver and forced to leave the door open.

Then as the final insult, there was the couch she groggily woke on now, the legs were snapped and she heard more than a couple springs just give up entirely when she sank into it last night at Longfellow's urging. Only having the old stallion toss a big quilt over her as she settled in had made up for the indignity, almost like being tucked in by a loving parent... she had greatly enjoyed the feelings he had at the time.

It didn't make her bed any more comfortable though... She had finally found an acceptable enough position with her graceful neck and head hanging off the hoofrest to a few pillows arranged on the dusty coffee table, her wings spread under her, the right hanging limply off the seat and the left stretched up against the wall. Her big body was stuck in a kind of half twist from there, her rump wedged against the opposite hoofrest, letting her legs hang over it and scrape the wall.

Waking up was made worse by the realization that she was finally, actually comfortable. Completely covered by the warm, heavy quilt, able to burrow her head down against the light and curl up in a moaning ball that essentially fit across the wide couch, back to almost her normal size and no longer brimming with power. Her wounds felt totally restored, adding to the deep, restful sleep and delightful dreams she had been torn away from.

A fatty, meaty smell filling the air got her to poke her muzzle out from under the blanket finally, blinking sleepily under her wild mane and finding out how wonderful 'bacon' was. Longfellow whipped up a quick but hearty breakfast, softening the blow of becoming Virescent's new taskmaster.

Apparently, despite his caring feelings and desire to help her, he fully meant what he said about not being a charity. It was against his odd code she heard in his mind more than once, 'the old ways'. He was giving her a job to earn caps and return to Trotson on her own, not doing everything for her, therefore she was expected to work, and work she did.

She had worked as a servant of the goddess in Unity before, done as commanded and always gave her all then, but it was primarily as a messenger spreading the divine glory of Unity, a preacher, a job she had continued after her mother was destroyed. Never before had Virescent actually toiled in the dirt like normal ponies, put her own back into hard work that they took for granted.

She didn't particularly like her first experience...

Longfellow worked her hard, but didn't ask anything he didn't do himself, without all her obvious advantages over the smaller earth pony. Watching him easily manage chores that frustrated her just added to the idea slowly seeping in, she wasn't automatically superior to normal ponies...

Swinging a heavy axe to chop firewood looked so easy, Longfellow did so smoothly holding the long tool in his mouth for Celestia's sake! Even using her magic to copy his motion hadn't gone well, fumbling and knocking the dead logs she swung at aside repeatedly, burying the head of the axe in the stump to prop them on and falling over backwards trying to tug it free.

Trying to harvest the spindly crops growing on Longfellow's land wasn't as simple as it appeared either, she had to crouch to get to the sickly looking carrots and radishes, stomped a big hoof right into a bulbous pumpkin and pranced around with it stuck on her leg, knocking the shrubby mutfruit plants around with her rump clumsily. Then she had nearly uprooted a wilted apple tree free of the soft ground with one titantic buck, sheepishly grabbing the wounded plant in her magic and putting it upright again, stamping the dirt back down and hoping Longfellow hadn't seen that.

After lunch she had been relegated to cleaning duty before she did more damage outside, hoping for more success with simpler, indoor chores. Flushing under Longfellow's instructions as she felt him torn between exasperation and amusement over her antics. She was good at following, doing as told if he was supervising, lifting heavy loads, fetching tools, fluttering up to places he couldn't reach, but so far she was not good on her own.

That thought only made her more concerned too, if she couldn't even manage chores on her own, how was she supposed to manage her own life now?

"Oh how the mighty have fallen..." The tall green alicorn grumbled and kept floating the ratty feather duster around the living room, kicking up a cloud of dust that had settled like a blanket of snow since the last such efforts, giving a tiny sneeze that was rather comical coming out of such a big filly.

Going from a leader and mare of importance in the ranks of the Institute's Church of Balefire, down to a lowly housemaid... This must be her penance, she thought, though a strange image of herself in a funny black and white outfit bubbled up and gave her cause to laugh to herself.

She had been in such intimate telepathic connection with the prewar stallion Fast Times recently, that she was getting a kind of echo of his thoughts, foreign memories and ideas that were attached to the neural pathways of her own brain. Not like the majesty of true Unity and having the voices and memories of thousands in her mind, but a distant relative of that sensation and it left a mental ghost of the male's thoughts while she assimilated them as a result. She thought 'Housemaid' and one of his entertaining images associated with the word was the utterly impractical, frilly, very short skirted outfit she pictured herself in now.

"The things bucks like... I'll have to hold on to that image, find something like that when I see him again..." Vira... she was growing to like that nickname... kept up her magically aided cleaning and muttered to herself, peeking out the window to see how far along the beach Longfellow's fog obscured shadow had gotten.

He was heading back from checking his traps, hoping for Rock Lobsters but usually settling for Miretank hatchlings. That gave her a safe margin to keep talking to herself anyway, speeding up a bit to have more progress to show for her time. At least she retained a healthy selection of spells from the Goddess, making the work go quicker.

Part of being a representative of Unity had been presenting a good image to the pitiful masses ...no... normal ponies, be better Virescent... She had always been fastidiously clean in her role, grooming herself regularly, keeping her now long gone ornate green and gold robes from the Church of Balefire immaculate, her personal surroundings and possessions neat and tidy. So she found she was more successful using her skills cleaning than working outside at least.

While she whined and groused at having to really work, doing such simple chores that had always been beneath her divine standing, part of her actually enjoyed the tedium. She caught herself humming and sashaying about the small cottage several times, only knocking over a lamp here or there with her swaying flanks and swishing tail. Moving from room to room restoring order was soothing, though the nagging curiosity of the bedroom Longfellow told her not to open stuck with her. His thoughts had been very firm and guarded on the subject though and she didn't want to insult or anger her host.

She poured a good deal of magical power into a handy cleaning spell to tackle the horrid bathroom, mended a few tattered bits of clothing tossed haphazardly in corners, and had resorted to using transformation magic on the profusion of empty alcohol bottles strewn everywhere.

The difficult spell let her get the kinks out of her magic, not taxing it too far. Another issue to taking in so much power as she had done, it left her feeling... 'hung over' was the closest she could come, though that was just secondhoof knowledge as alcohol didn't work on her at all. She was drained now that the radiation had finally worn off, a bit of transformation magic came harder than it should for merely turning the glass bottles into glass statuettes and sculpture, some of it matching things she broke just so she'd have backups.

Others ended up being more creative and actually impressed herself, she'd never really spent the time to try being creative before and was surprised to find she both liked it and seemed to have some talent. A wine-bottle green depiction of herself came out well, a mountain of brown beer bottles was morphed into a good try at Longfellow. The crystal decanters of what Longfellow thought of as 'the good stuff' had caught her by surprise when she turned back to see a delicate statuette of a certain male alicorn in smoky crystal.

Sending the rugs and curtains out the window to shake vigorously in her magic, Virescent floated the tiny statue up to her eyes and glowered at it. "This is all your fault... why couldn't you just cooperate and do your job? Why do I have to jump through hoops to mate? Act how you want just for you to care about me?"

'Be Better Virescent...' seemed to answer back from the statuette of the little male alicorn in a hat and trenchcoat, speaking in that earnest, caring voice that just made her scowl back with a whinny. The echo of his mind in her head now had a focus for her to pout at.

"That's worse you know, why do you have to be so annoyingly right? I am being better! I'm working my tail off instead of just taking what I want. Are you happy now? When I return to Trotson, I want to feel more of that love feeling again, you had better deliver for all this. Are all Stable Dwellers so infuriating? Do they teach classes on being preachy agents of chaos? I wonder..."

Thinking about Stables and Stable Dwellers, a few particular Stable Dwellers especially..., her eyes hung on a familiar dusty object tucked away on a bookshelf and she paused her grumbling, cautiously levitating it away from the forest of sea shells on the shelf around it to take a closer look. A dull green shackle... a dusty, dark screen surrounded by buttons and dials, the gear shaped logo of Stable-Tec stamped into the nearly indestructible casing. A pip-buck...

"That old thing catch yer fancy?" Longfellow's deep voice startled her, spinning to see the smaller stallion who had entered and sidled up beside her.

"Oh! Er.... yes, it reminds me of a f-friend. The one who saved me, he came from a Stable. I... I thought he was another Destroyer because of that, but I was wrong. About a lot things I think... Were you from a Stable as well Longfellow?"

Longfellow chuckled and shook his head, grabbing the arcano-tech device from the shelf and turning it in his hooves, blowing the dust off and wiping the screen on his peacoat. "Nah, I'm a native son of the island Vira. My... wife, she'd go dicker with those crazy robots up in 118 sometimes though. They had a bunch of these things they didn't need anymore, gave her one as a gift. My Ocean wasn't one for fancy tech, but she liked how it looked and held onto what she thought was pretty. That's why there's so much ta dust. Just goin' ta waste here I suppose, if it reminds you of your friend what means so much to you, do you want it?"

"Want? I can... n-no, you're already paying me, right? I don't know much about pony technology either Longfellow, I wouldn't know what to do with it. I couldn't take something of your wife's like that..." Virescent stammered back, a selfish bit of desire warring with what she thought she should say. She did want it, but taking gifts didn't seem right.

Longfellow snorted in reply and flipped the padded cuff open, he smirked and pointed towards her bit of sculpture still floating by her head. "Nonsense, don't mean nothin' to me, looks like it does to you. This him? Why's he look like that silly comic book pony? This buck really exists right? Not some made up coltfriend from a comic or anything?"

Virescent sent the rough statue bobbing behind her head quickly, her face turning red under the old stallion's brown eyes following it. "Yes this is him, and he is real! He is merely ...eccentric..."

She could feel his joking enjoyment at her blushing reaction and was unable to stop it anyway. Ribbing and teasing was another one of those aspects of interpony interaction she had never had to navigate, it felt different from being laughed at though, that she was familiar with. This was embarrassing, but nice in a strange way too. Laughter... laughter could be nice.

Longfellow stretched the pip-buck out towards her bare foreleg invitingly and paused at the clear size difference. "Er... they left it open for her, but not sure this poor thing was made with a gal your size in mind, you sure you ain't gonna shrink a little more maybe Vira?"

"As I said this morning, this is the normal size for the Goddess' divine children Longfellow. That seems wrong though... my sister wore one of these with no issue, even when she was larger than I was before. I-If you are sure... may I?" Stretching her long foreleg forward let Longfellow shrug and press the open cuff to it, jumping in surprise when the clever device hummed to life in his hooves.

Longfellow let go when the pip-buck beeped and seemed to move in his grip, flinching back from the crazy prewar technology lighting up like it was a dangerous species of bug. The impression was only reinforced when it landed on her foreleg and twitched, the open cuff clamping on her leg like it was biting her. That would be his luck, he tried giving a gift and it bit the mare's leg off... he never trusted any of that insane prewar junk to begin with. Almost all of it still littering the ruined world it created was nothing but trouble.

Instead of chomping her, the pip-buck glowed and stretched to accommodate the thick foreleg, beeping and chattering while it clicked in place and locked. Virescent shook her head at the pictures and text flashing in her vision, this was unexpected... 'Stable-Tec Pip-Buck model 3000 initializing' blinked in her eyes, replaced by a cartoon image of an earth pony that flickered a moment, then came back with a horn and wings, a self satisfied flurry of text zipping by her crossed green eyes.

'Unknown biology scanned, adjusting for new user. Health status: Nominal, Warning! Radiation poisoning detected, seek medical treatment! Inventory scanned: No inventory detected. Updating Map Database, primary connection to Stable-Tec database unavailable, secondary connection... unavailable, M.A.S.E.B.S. signal detected, tertiary connection found, updating local navigation database. Radio signals detected. Startup sequence completed."

The needle on the cute little rainbow colored radiation meter jumped directly to the yellow section of the dial, as a green display settled into the edges of her vision. It was strange seeing the little compass at the bottom of her view, a green dash above it moved with Longfellow shifting on his hooves in front of her and a bar to the left filled nearly to full. A prompt was dead center, blocking her view of the old stallion's worried face, asking if she wanted to read the tutorial now or later.

'Well I don't want to now... how do I tell it that? One of these buttons maybe?' Virescent thought to herself, wanting the prompt to go away so she could see without the obstruction, but confused how to do so. At the thought, the 'Later' button blinked and the prompt went away. That was interesting, some kind of mental interface? The psychic alicorn found the idea of being able to think at the machine comforting, stretching her foreleg out to admire the accessory in the grey light of sunset through the fog, from the now clean windows.

"Thank you very much Longfellow, I promise to treasure it." The soft smile warmed her face and heart, she had never gotten a gift willingly given by a friend before. Most things she wanted she had simply taken, forced their owners to hoof over if she desired. This was better somehow, it meant more than those meaningless trinkets and she hugged the hoof mounted computer to herself happily.

"No big deal Vira, like I said, goin' ta waste otherwise. If it makes ya feel better, I'll charge ya for yer other gifts, can't go wandering the fog stark nekid without even a saddlebag. Got some layin' around somewhere I'll let you have cheap, if you really don't wanna take gifts and all, plenty more chores to get to tomorrow!"

Wilting at the thoughts of long delayed roof repairs as his brown eyes hung on her wings, Virescent sighed and nodded back. Though heartened at the thoughts she picked out of his mind as he grinned back and started counting out caps for her work today. He didn't intend to really charge her, he was teasing again... Though a bit conflicted thinking about where he planned to come up with clothing and a dusty pair of leather saddlebags he was picturing for her.

"You're very generous Longfellow, I'm glad I washed up here. I suppose I can get started by helping you prepare the evening meal. Oh! These devices have a radio, we can have a little music while we work even. Let me see..." Virescent gasped at the realization and started fumbling at her pip-buck.

She stubbornly insisted on figuring out the controls without the tutorial, stumbling her way to the radio function with a satisfied nicker. When she returned to Trotson and found the male, she'd be a regular expert with the arcano-tech device and share something in common to talk about with the male alicorn, he liked fancy gadgets like this. That would be nice, how hard could it be?

Music filled the small kitchen as the two ponies slowly settled into a rhythm and stopped stepping on each other's hooves, Virescent was only forced to apologize for knocking the smaller stallion down a couple times. Her rump was not fat! His surprised thoughts betrayed that he even seemed to like being smooshed against the wall by the bouncy caboose at one point, making her a little more confident about how normal males viewed her appearance. She knew the male alicorn liked it, even if he ran away. Not fat...

They fell into comfortable silence and a gentle dance of work together, swaying to the sweet notes of a talented prewar singer. Virescent paused and stared down at her leg holding the wilted celery stalks she was chopping when the song changed, hearing her own sister Magnolia's voice pouring out of the tiny speaker was a surprise, all the more jarring as her song seemed to speak to her directly.

Her eyes watered a bit ...from the onions... and she smiled softly at the upbeat music filling the kitchen, tapping her hooves and swaying her flanks to the beat. Even without her sister here to read the thoughts from her mind in Unity, the music transmitted the positive feelings as well as telepathy.

Hearing one of her own playing on Diamond City Radio gave her hope for the uncertain future as the foggy island outside grew dark, making her happy to have this spot of light and companionship instead of being out there, alone. The brilliant singer was one of her kind, a fellow alicorn who she remembered singing to herself in their home of Trinity Tower not so long ago. She had found her way... followed her dream and learned to be a good pony, if she could do it, so could Virescent.

She was embarking on her own adventure, her own life... She might have to work and struggle, things might be hard, she may have to wait as the sweet song advised, but she knew what she wanted now.

I need love, love
To ease my mind
I need to find, find somepony to call mine
But mama said

You can't hurry love
No, you just have to wait
She said love don't come easy
It's a game of give and take

You can't hurry love
No, you just have to wait
You got to trust, give it time
No matter how long it takes

-------------------------Game Start!-------------------------

Virescent - Level 1- Female Alicorn

Strength -- 7
Perception -- 6
Endurance -- 7
Agility -- 5
Charisma -- 9
Intelligence -- 7
Luck -- 5

Tag Skills---

Speech +15
Magic +15
Magical Energy Weapons +15

Traits---

Gifted by the Goddess-------
---As one of the Goddess' emissaries, care was put into your creation to prove the perfection of Unity, you gain +1 to all SPECIAL stats. Though believing in your innate superiority left you a bit lazy, resulting in -10% to all skills. Learning to be a normal pony and undoing a lifetime of bad habits is hard too, so you gain 5 less skill points at level up

Big Boned---------
You're one big filly, and a big target... you suffer -1 Agility for being such a large example of perfection. As a plus, your ample (not fat!) flanks can haul an additional 25 carry weight in your saddlebags.

Spell Perk Added!----------------

Alicorn Mind Trick-----
---Being so weakened and drained after your traumatic experience, you have to regain your spells and practice with them. Luckily the Alicorn Mind Trick is a simple skill and very useful. You can use this spell to plant suggestions in pony's minds, clouding their thoughts and memories. The lower the intelligence of the target, the better the results, gaining +10% towards success for each point below 5 intelligence, but -10% for each point above. Not complete mental enslavement by any means, but enough to nudge them into doing what you want.

Author's Note

Thanks to Kkat for creating such an interesting and delightful world to explore of course. Just playing around with a side story for DLC content rather than trying to squeeze it all into one story, changing up the voice to get a break from first person and experiment too, so hope it's enjoyable.

Ch. 11-- Rite of Passage

"You may have huge teeth, and sharp scales, and snore smoke, and breathe fire. But you do not—I repeat—you do not! Hurt! My! Friends! You got that?"

The southern shores of Fog Harbor were low and marshy, a few smaller islands were connected to the main landmass by the crumbling remains of ancient bridges slowly getting swallowed up by the swamp. With the pervasive fog added to the scene, Vira reflected on just how creepy the place looked as she stood on the deck of Longfellow's boat chugging down the coast.

Her eyes kept getting drawn to the rocky hills and overgrown channels leading towards the arrow displayed on her compass, just making out the squat, square, concrete shape jutting from one of the smaller mountains of the main island. The Cantrip... They'd already gone further south than the base of the Church of Balefire, but Vira could still make it out and kept worrying over it as their next stop. She was finally being forced to face her past, tasked with finding a way in to the old Equestrian Navy facility and recovering Dima's lost memories.

She kept looking for pretty much anything else to distract herself, settling on the second highest peak of Fog Harbor and the strange island of pinkish-grey cloud that hovered above it. It was difficult to spot in the haze and gloom, but she kept making out shapes that were far too regular for a natural, wild cloud. Broken fans, funnels, conical spouts and pipes were barely visible at this distance, what was easy to make out however was the practical waterfall of pink fog pouring down from the stationary cloud island.

It was a torrent of the necromantic fog that plagued the island and nearly all who lived there. The Church of Balefire may view it as a blessing, but Vira had seen and heard enough about it to believe as the islanders did, that fog was evil... Now she knew where it came from, watching as it just kept spewing out and cascading down to a nearly hidden lake, nestled in a valley between that mountain and the slightly taller peak where the dim shadow of the Starswirl Observatory and Acadia was.

"Nasty place up yonder darlin', t'wouldn't suggest flyin' up for a peek." Longfellow trotted up and broke Vira from her thoughts, startling the green alicorn as he lit his pipe and waggled it towards the floating island.

"That is where the fog originates Longfellow? Why not go there? Perhaps there's a way to stop it?"

The old stallion chuckled and shook his head in answer, sighing wearily as he spoke. "You ain't the first pony ta' think o' that Vira. Even my Ocean went up and took a look, it can't be done though. Assumin' you even get through the swarm of zombies up there that is."

"Zombies? Feral ghouls reside there? What is that place, tell me more about it Longfellow. Help keep my mind off... t-things..."

Longfellow smiled kindly and patted Vira's slumping shoulders, his concern and caring helping still her queasy stomach. "Ayuh, worried about those church nuts o' yers, ain't ya? Well... there's not much to the place really. Was an old fog making plant back before the war, best fog in Equestria came from Fog Harbor don't ya know. We shipped it all over Equestria and beyond, from Canterlot to Trottingham. Ocean was right proud of that as a pegasus, so she read all about it. Way it's posed ta work is, the big cone doo-dads and such you can barely see up there sucked up clouds once they was done floatin' over Equestria and made it to the coast. The really big one was fer the occasional water delivery from the lake, she told me a whole mess of pegasi would tornado it on up there if ya can believe it!"

Vira laughed with Longfellow, nodding her head with memories she'd retained from Unity confirming what he thought to be a wild story. She'd seen the pegasi of the past doing just that when she'd shared the memories of thousands with her mother, dozens of different images of those prewar ponies flying faster and faster flashed in her mind as she replied with a giggle.. "Oh I can Longfellow, I certainly can. Go on, they sent fog to the rest of Equestria? How?"

"See the lake under the factory? Those ruins there? It's the old Echo Lake Weather Mill, figure on waiting for you to finish your business there actually, used to be a proper settlement 'fore the fog overtook it this year. See, they'd let the fog fall to the lake, then cut it up an' ship it out all over. Neither me or Ocean ever figured out why ponies would want fog, but those old world pegasi did a lot o' weather related nonsense. Their descendants did a helluva worse job of it though I guess, so a little fog here an' there's not so bad. Least not compared to 200 years of clouds an' rain anyway."

"When it's not tinted pink and out to kill you, fog can be very scenic. It's quiet and beautiful, even romantic..." Vira answered based on more shared memories, trailing off dreamily and patting at the tattered book hidden away in her maroon coat.

Following the gesture, Longfellow smirked at the pink blush lighting Vira's cheeks and nickered to snap her out of it, waving to the teal unicorn mare idly pushing a mop across the deck in her ruby magic not far away. "Yer still thinkin' o' that naughty book I caught you readin' under the covers till all hours, ain't ya dear? Ought'a have a lil chat with your new friend about encouraging all that mush when yer head's already stewin' in it enough as is. What was the title again?"

"F-Fog of Love... Tales of the Lusty Maid Argonia...." Vira blushed brighter and answered sheepishly, continuing over Longfellow's loud snickering defensively. "Kelpie promised to teach me things about romance and thought I would enjoy it! I-It is most instructive and helpful!"

"Vira dear, I'm glad you like it and made a friend, but don't go tryin' none of that hooey on anypony. Especially not Jar Head... fool's got enough on his mind today. Don't need you fryin' what passes for his brains by playin' hopeless romantic." Longfellow kept laughing at her as he answered, but managed to put a little bit of a stern edge to his voice as he gestured up to the wheelhouse of the little boat and the handsome stallion setting their course.

Huffing back, Vira's long, lilac streaked green mane whipped as she shook her head forcefully. "I told you Longellow, he is Kelpie's special somepony, I am rooting for her and trying to help them be together now. Though I'm unsure how to do so, he seems infatuated with me unfortunately..."

"Well can ya blame him? Don't forget, I caught ya clamberin' on top of the idjit just the other day, that kinda thing from a mare like you leaves an impression dear. Yer friend Kelpie will have to work to get through to an oblivious buck like him after that, an ya won't find it in those silly stories. An' don't you think of usin' anything you read there on that comic book weirdo yer after in Trotson neither lassie. Those kinda books ain't for real romance anyway, just a bunch of silly drivel for mares ta fantasize over. Real love ain't that way." Longfellow's chuckles tapered off as his aged brown eyes drifted up to the fog factory again, his thoughts turning wistful and a frown half hidden by his beard.

Vira bit her lip when she followed his gaze and sensed his sad thoughts, leaning her head down to the railing and speaking in a hesitant whisper. "I know Longfellow, even I don't think things actually work that way. I would be more interested in hearing about real love than enjoyable fantasies, i-if you could anyway. Perhaps it would help Kelpie as well? You are thinking of your wife.... You and Jar Head seem very similar in some ways, how did you and Ocean end up together? Can you talk about her?"

She felt the oddest sensation as soon as she mentioned Longfellow's wife. The older buck thought of the ocean instead of his lost love who shared the name, picturing the unceasing waves rolling up the beaches of his own land as he gave a gruff snort. Vira blinked in surprise as he tore his gaze away from the fog factory and raised a bushy brow at her, Longfellow had learned to throw up mental barriers... quite effectively in fact.

He did at least give a short verbal answer, but his thoughts were guarded as he spoke in a tired sigh and gestured out to the marshes they were approaching. "Ocean had a lot of suitors, still no idea why she picked me all those years ago lass, so no help there. Told her how I felt at a festival on the docks though. We was both young and when I saw her all gussied up with a bunch of slobberin' fools surrounding her, I knew I wanted to make her mine forever."

While she understood Longfellow's desire for privacy and was impressed he'd learned so quickly how to stymie a psychic, Vira didn't like how evasive Longfellow was being. He did share an image in his head as he pulled away from the railing and pointed to the aft of his boat, towards the pair of smaller vessels tailing them from Fog Harbor. It was of the teal pegasus he still loved so much it hurt, tinging the memory of a young Ocean Breeze wearing a dark blue dress that shimmered under the twinkling lights of some kind of party on the docks of Fog Harbor so many years ago. Her pink mane was swept up and her blue eyes sparkled, while a pretty pink blush lit her cheeks and a smile quirked her muzzle.

It was a memory so intense and powerful with the feeling of true love Vira sought out, she completely forgot about anything else however, trotting along behind him as he climbed up to the wheelhouse and directed Jar Head towards the marshes. "Now then, enough rootin' around in my noggin' for mush Vira, we gots work ta do and an audience a waitin'. Ahoy Jar, pull her in here an' make anchor, let's get this over with!"

"Aye aye captain!" Jar Head gave a salute and answered with his voice cracking nervously, dutifully turning the ship towards the overgrown marshes.

Kelpie put aside swabbing the decks to scamper all over the boat without being asked, making it ready with an expert hoof that impressed the overwhelmed Vira just trying to stay out of the way. Just watching the unicorn mare go with her own anxious thoughts weighing her down, Vira was startled by Nick's slow Trotson drawl speaking up beside her, checking over his revolver and jerking his muzzle up towards Longfellow barking orders. "Keep an eye on him dollface..."

"Longfellow? Why Nick? He knows more about all of this than the rest of us combined and seems quite happy, I'm more worried for Jar Head engaging in this silly tradition." Vira tilted her head as the synth detective loaded his silver revolver and flicked the cylinder shut.

Nick shrugged and lit a cigarette in response, blowing out a plume of smoke with a sigh as he looked up to his curious mare friday. "Just a hunch Vira. Sometimes kids have to watch out for their parents too."

Leaving on that cryptic note, Nick trotted off with grim and gritty thoughts from several lifetimes worth of detective work running through his mind, heading for the waiting rowboat Longfellow was already making ready. Vira was confused by the surface thoughts and emotions she picked up from both the older stallions, but had promised herself she wouldn't pry into ponies' thoughts uninvited and learning more would require just that, frustrating the psychic mare and sorely tempting her.

Instead she shrugged it off however, getting swept up in the busy activity and excitement, her own thoughts as exhilarated and nervous as Kelpie and Jar Head rushing to join her and board the small boat together. Whatever this jig thing was, Vira was about to find out.

"The freak shouldn't be allowed Berry, you know it well as I do!" Vira scowled at the red faced Barnacle Bill shouting to the leader of Fog Harbor, giving a loud 'Hmmf!' at the insult from the midst of the crowd milling around on the marshy island they'd landed on.

Before they'd even begun, the sour faced stallion had started making a nuisance of himself, his thoughts filled with any trick he could pull to ruin Jar Head's chances. Since the residents of Fog Harbor had seen what the alicorn was capable of when she'd first arrived, she was viewed as a major threat and the purple buck led off with trying to disqualify Vira from helping in any way.

Unfortunately, the so far neutral and fair minded Cap'n Berry gave his complaint consideration, humming in thought and giving Vira's hopeful look a raised eyebrow before turning on Longfellow glaring in her defense. "Hmm... He has a point old timer. Outsiders are allowed to dance their own jig to prove themselves, but never heard of one acting as crew for a local. Plus she's... well..."

"She's what!? Mind yer manners Berry..." Longfellow growled menacingly to cut her off, snorting as she held her hooves up.

"Easy Longfellow, I just mean your Vira here is... umm.... a unique case? I mean, she is an alicorn... that could be viewed as an unfair advantage, right? No offense Miss, but we never had an alicorn around before. If you pull out those fancy shield spells and such, it kinda defeats the whole purpose of testing Jar Head like this." The pale blue mare spoke up to Vira in an apologetic tone, truly stuck in a difficult position with both Longfellow and Barnacle Bill snorting and stamping on either side of her.

Biting her lip and rifling through her surface thoughts, Vira had to admit she was being fair and may have a point, though she didn't like it. This whole test of theirs seemed silly and dangerous enough to Vira, her worries had only been calmed by thinking she'd be right there to help her new friends if things went poorly. Being told she wasn't allowed to help because she was too great and powerful hurt.

"Don't worry dollface, I'll fill in for you, eh? I assume there's no problem with an outsider synth lending a hoof, is there mac?" Nick patted her slumping shoulders and stepped forward, blowing a combative plume of smoke at Barnacle Bill just as he inhaled to object, silencing him with a coughing fit.

"Aye, the fancy robot's an earth pony, ya can't be pissy about him too Bill! Buck needs a crew an' one little mare ain't gonna cut it, let him help!" Longfellow stamped his hooves in agreement, vouching for Vira's employer volunteering to help.

Giving a contemplative look and pretending to consider it in the face of Barnacle Bill sputtering, Vira could sense Cap'n Berry's mind was already made up well before she finally spoke. "Well... This one does look just like Dima up on the mountain, and he's a local. I take it you two are related, so that sort of makes you one too. Plus we know synths like him don't have any major advantages over normal ponies, so I don't see a problem Bill, you can't just stop your whining. The detective can help, but the alicorn can't, that's fair. Now let's get down to it already, this many ponies taking half the day off to deal with this during an emergency is already bad enough, we're not wasting even more time arguing."

Barnacle Bill huffed and glared at everyone involved, but the murmurs of agreement from the other witnesses from town hushed him before he started. Vira still didn't like the devious and angry thoughts she could feel boiling in his fat head, but the rush of activity that followed distracted her from keeping an eye on him. She was much more concerned about her friends, shifting on her hooves nervously as she watched Jar Head and Kelpie returning to their rowboat and pulling on sets of dark rubber boots that went most of the way up their legs.

"You are sure about this? I could demand I be allowed to help as well, maybe if I promise not to use magic, or tie my wings behind my back! If nothing else, it wouldn't take much to be very... convincing..." Vira whined as her friends checked over their weapons, lowering to a conspiratorial whisper and narrowing her eyes at Cap'n Berry and the other townies. "Just a little mental push is all..."

Longfellow snorted gruff laughter at the anxious filly, pulling a pair of rusty buckets from the boat that Vira wrinkled her nose at as he shot her down. "Oh I'm sure you could get yer way if you really wanted darlin', but best we do this all above board. You can just stick with me and we'll watch the show together, if it gets bad, we'll all step in so don't you worry so much. You ready there youngsters?"

Nodding nervously, Jar Head and Kelpie each took a bucket full of the foul concoction of blood, fish heads and hopper guts. Kelpie at least got to float hers up in her red telekinetic hold, while Jar Head was forced to carry it just under his muzzle mumbling back. "A-Aye Longfellow, and thanks a lot Detective, I really appreciate the help. Umm... y-you sure you wanna do this too Kelpie, it's dangerous and..."

The flat look Kelpie turned on him was withering, cutting off his stammering before she even stuck her nose up and huffed back. "I'm not letting you do this alone stupid, so don't even start. Don't forget, I just fought my way out of a whole fortress full of crazy Trappers, dancing a dumb jig with you is foal's play compared to that, right Vira?"

Vira smiled to the wink Kelpie gave her, amazed again over the way the tough little unicorn could push all her own fears and worries aside for others. If she wasn't a psychic, she'd have no idea Kelpie's stomach was in knots by the brave face she put on. The least she could do is go along with it and trust her friends, nodding back with a forced cheeriness to her voice. "R-Right! Kelpie is very brave and tough Jar Head, so you should just be grateful for the help."

"Oh I know she is Miss Vira, harder than any old salt on the docks Kelpie is, and lots prettier than those old bucks too. Thanks again, all of you. O-Ok, let's do this thing." Jar Head's absent reply brought out a blush on Kelpie's cheeks she tried to hide, cantering behind Nick when he turned and started wading out into the marsh.

Not liking it but left with little choice, Vira sat beside Longfellow lighting his pipe and the other harbor ponies there to watch, following their progress out into the scummy waters and towards a low, rather squishy looking spit of land some ways out into the marsh. When they arrived, Nick clambered his way up first, complaining about his gaskets as he shook himself dry, while Kelpie and Jar Head stayed in the muck and made a slow circuit of the little island, shaking their buckets of chum into the water before joining the synth detective.

With the bait laid out, Jar spoke to the two ponies constituting his 'crew' for this strange test, directing them to either side of the island before climbing atop a huge stump of one of the sickly willows dotting the marsh. Vira's mouth fell open in stunned surprise when Jar Head took a deep breath, then started literally dancing a jig on his perch, his rubber booted hooves tapping away and matching the cadence of the song he started belting out at the top of his lungs;

"Oh, poor old mare your horse will die
And we say so, and we know so
Oh, poor old mare your horse will die
Oh, poor old mare"

"We'll hoist him up to the main yardarm
We'll hoist him up to the main yardarm"

"Say I, old mare your horse will die
Say I, old mare your horse will die"

"We'll drop him down to the depths of the sea
We'll drop him down to the bottom of the sea"

"We'll sing him down with a long, long roll
Where the sharks'll have his body
and Discord have his soul."

Vira laid her ears back at the croaking melody, raising a curious eyebrow to Longfellow cackling laughter at the young buck who obviously wasn't much of a singer or dancer. "What in the..."

"Sea shanty Vira, gots ta make noise and lure 'em in. What, you think we was just bein' figurative when we said dance a jig?" Longfellow answered her unspoken question with a chuckle up to her gaping between him and the show, waving a hoof out to the marshes and the low noise of screeches and roars she could just make out over Jar Head's singing.

"Well, it seems like a very poor choice of songs to me..."

Cap'n Berry laughed at Vira's sullen pout, shrugging as she set out a very old looking hourglass timer and sidled her way a little closer, bridging the distance between the harbor ponies near their rowboats and Vira and Longfellow beside theirs. "It's better when somepony else is singing it, but I see what you mean. Most sea shanties aren't exactly optimistic though Miss Vira, a life on the sea isn't an easy thing, a pony has to be tough as nails and have the respect of his crew to be a captain. That's what this whole thing is all about. I'm sure Jar is up to the test though, don't you worry. We're all here if not, so try to relax. That's the other part of this kind of life, we all have to look out for each other. Harbor ponies trust each other with their lives out on the sea, anypony not part of that life just doesn't understand. Why we can be a little standoffish to outsiders."

"A little...?" Vira snorted back, frowning at the gaggle of Fog Harbor residents sharing a good chuckle between themselves over her dubious response.

Still giggling, Berry shrugged to the tall alicorn and smiled. "Give them a few years and you'd be one of us Miss Vira. They already like you quite a bit to let you come along though. You've done a lot for us since you've arrived, so they're actually warming up to you a lot. Plus they're still talking about you dancing and singing your own jig in the Last Plank the other night... Shame I missed that, I hear you were...."

"LALALALA! I don't know what you're talking about!" Vira held her hooves to her ears and clenched her eyes being reminded of her drunken romp, trying to shut out the flashes of memory she got from a few bar patrons laughing over the images of her prancing around like a fool.

The way some of the stallions were nudging and winking each other with much more lurid thoughts concerning the naked green alicorn swaying her flanks and singing on top of the tables didn't help either. Longfellow snickering into his hoof was just salt in the wound, his merriment earning him a nip to the neck from a very embarrassed filly looking for safe harbor and only finding more teasing.

Vira was actually grateful for the distraction when she spotted the first of the local mutated wildlife crawling out of the marshes, pointing them out and speaking over all the laughter. "Oh look, terrible monsters out to hurt my friends, how wonderful! Let's just stop talking and watch!"

Everypony still laughed at Vira's embarrassed yelp, but their friendly ribbing tapered off as they followed her wing pointing out the first hostiles her pip-buck had identified for her with red dashes winking on at the bottom of her vision. What looked like several round rocks moving through the water rose up with chittering screeches, a number of shelled Miretanks the first to respond to the dinner bell Jar Head and the others had rung.

Vira shivered at the shelled horrors approaching the marshy island, she'd seen Miretanks before back in Trotson and never cared for the mutated tortoises. They weren't much of a threat to a divine child of the goddess since she could simply fly away, but they were notoriously difficult to kill too. Nick demonstrated his own experience dealing with the shelled horrors right off though, his .45 revolver booming at the first to hit the shore and nailing the tiny beaked head that represented the only weak point.

From his perch atop the rotting stump, Jar Head called out where to go to meet the Miretanks as they arrived before hopping down to join the fray. The three of them galloped around madly, playing defense to keep their opponents from climbing up on relatively dry land with them, Jar's harpoon gun and Kelpie's double barreled shotgun joining the sound of Nick's revolver in both eliminating the threat and drawing in more.

More than once, Vira's wings shot up and covered her eyes as she squeaked and half strangled Longfellow watching stoicly beside her. Nick was practically a pro when it came to shooting since his training with the Trotson P.D. centuries ago and had his repair talisman to fall back on, more than once taking risks and relying on it to fix the damage a lot easier than what could be done for his living companions. Jar Head was less a fighter than a fisherpony, but there was enough crossover considering how many mutant monsters came up with any catch so he was in his element too at least. Vira was most worried for poor Kelpie, finding it harder and harder to remain as an observer as she watched her friend fire and rapidly reload her shotgun, sensing the brave little unicorn's fear and inexperience when it came to combat.

Kelpie was out there to support her special somepony though, her love for the big dope Jar lending her courage when her own was lacking. Vira focused most of her mental energy on her and savored the sensation, wondering if she'd feel the same if the male needed her, or if he might go through so much for her someday. She'd heard the phrase 'the things we do for love' before, but hadn't fully understood it until she saw and felt her friend Kelpie putting her life on the line.

Being so tightly focused on Kelpie also meant she couldn't help it when she saw a dangerous looking radigator lunge out of the water behind her, her mental shout of (Kelpie! Look out!!) coming just ahead of the thing's fang filled maw snapping on the air where she'd been.

(Thanks Bitch! Hey, this is like having another pair of eyes out here!) Kelpie thought back at her as she rolled across the soggy ground, snapping her shotgun up on the fly by relying on the images Vira broadcast to her and blowing the brains out of the beast.

Feeling the flush of pride swelling in Kelpie's breast when Jar Head shouted, "Way to go Kelpie!" over her victory, Vira felt a sneaky, guilty grin spread across her muzzle and stopped hiding behind her feathers to watch closely, answering psychically. (It is, isn't it... I may not be allowed to help you directly, but no one said anything about indirectly... The harbor ponies are shouting their own encouragements and commentary too, so it's not even really cheating! Ah! There are several of those slimy fog hopper things approaching from the south, see?)

Kelpie considered it as she yelled out a warning to the others, Jar's grateful shout in reply deciding her as he charged off to deal with the new threat. (I don't think it's cheating either, but maybe don't do any of that telepathic 'helping' to Jar directly huh? I don't want him getting too full of himself, but he's trying really hard and might not see it that way.)

(Oh... oh of course! It wouldn't do to draw any more of his admiration either. The two of us working together to make you look good however... He will have to pay attention!)

(Let's focus on surviving and making sure he passes this stupid test Bitch, don't worry about all that lovey-dovey crap for five freaking minutes!) Kelpie's gruff answer as she rolled away from a disgusting ball of bile one of the hopping frog things spit at her made Vira realize she was grinning and squeeing over her brilliant idea too much to keep up with actually helping.

(Right, sorry! There is a... oh my, much larger frog thing trying to circle around behind you, see?)

Sharing the image of the yellow-green blob with too many red eyes peeking up from the water, Vira helped Kelpie in turning away from the numerous smaller Fog Hoppers Nick and Jar were dealing with on the other side of the island in time to meet it. Whatever it was, it was smarter and much larger than the regular fog hoppers, displacing a huge wave when it lunged from the water breathing a noxious green fog Kelpie pranced away from as she fired both barrels and blew it back to the water.

(Mutfrogen! Thanks Vira, those things are nasty and there's usually one at the head of a pack of hoppers!) Kelpie was almost enjoying herself when she shouted back, reloading and firing at the bleeding lump in the water again for good measure.

Feeling much less useless now that she could actually help her friends, Vira focused on keeping Kelpie informed and one step ahead of the horde of swamp creatures swarming the island. The ongoing battle had a few close calls that made her gulp, but between Jar Head's shouted orders as 'captain' and Vira's coordination, things started going very smoothly, elicting wild whoops and cheers from the audience of observers.

All except a few holdouts anyway, the most sour faced of which was starting to sweat as the sands in the hourglass timer started running out. Vira and everypony else were so focused on the jig reaching a fever pitch, nopony noticed when Barnacle Bill slipped off, muttering to himself and fishing a cloudy glass jar full of viscous greenish liquid from his saddlebags.

By the time he returned, puffing out of breath and stained by sludgy swamp water, things were winding down and the time limit had nearly been reached, prompting Longfellow to chuckle and nudge Vira and Cap'n Berry proudly. "Welp, looks like that's just about all she wrote, eh? Told ya the young buck could handle it lassie!"

Eyeing the last dregs of sand in her timer swirling away closely, Cap'n Berry nodded her agreement to the cackling old stallion and spoke up for the crowd watching Jar, Kelpie and Nick fending off the thinnest wave yet. "I think so too old timer. What say you folks? Can we all agree this was a fair and well danced jig that young Jar Head has and his crew have sailed through?"

Barnacle Bill had to shout to be heard over the resounding 'Aye's and stamping hooves of the crowd of harbor ponies, spoiling Jar Head's moment of triumph with his sputtering whines. "W-Wait a minute! It's not over yet dammit! Just you wait till time's up! We all know a rogue wave can come up any old time, even on calm seas!"

"Give it up Bill, ya sloppy old asshole! The buck did good and she's my boat to give a proper captain. You lose! At least do so with a little grace!" Longfellow snorted back, shoving at the overweight stallion and drawing Vira's divided attention to the scuffle.

Now that she was paying attention to what was going on around her and not on keeping Kelpie informed, Vira narrowed her green eyes on the shifty looking Bill. Waves of oily guilt and deviousness were pouring off him, his panic over losing Longfellow's boat a bright flare in his mind that cast dark shadows of desperate acts.

"What have you done..."

"What!? N-Nothin'! I ain't done a thing, I'm just sayin' it ain't over till the fat mare sings is all! K-Keep your pet mutie on a leash Longfellow!" Barnacle Bill stammered back nervously, instantly getting an enraged reaction from Longfellow as he backed away from Vira guiltily and tried to play to the crowd. "S-She's a big freak and a liar, just tryin' to help her buckfriend out there win with her fancy mutie tricks I bet! I ain't done a thing so..."

Before he could continue insulting Vira or get a buck to the face from Longfellow stomping after him, an earsplitting roar sounded out from the marshes and drew everyone's attention back to the forests and bogs. The Eyes Forward Sparkle system of Vira's pip-buck barely had time to identify the new threat and let her give a shrill shout of "Watch out!" before the thing loped out of the water and charged right for the island Vira's friends were still on.

It was fast... scary fast... Whatever the thing was, it swam through the water and lunged at Jar Head just starting to turn in the blink of an eye. If it weren't for Vira's warning and psychic images, it would have taken the handsome young buck out just that quickly. As it was, Kelpie was forewarned just enough to leap and tackle her special somepony out of the way, pushing Jar Head aside and giving a shrill scream as the flash of claws ripped through the back of her tattered dress.

"A King!? What the hell is that thing doin' comin' out!?" Longfellow's worried gulp did nothing to soothe Vira's terror on seeing the blood rapidly staining her friend as Nick and Jar fired at it wildly, driving the monster back to circle their island while they tried to tend Kelpie's wounds at the same time.

It was hard to recognize as a Miretank, but clearly related to them. What Longfellow thought of as Miretank King lacked the bulky shell the other types Vira had seen had weighing them down. Instead it skittered on its six muscular, scaly limbs, the flash of shell segments molded to its back the closest similarity it had to the tortoise like beasts. It was as quick on the land or water, leaping up to the trees to avoid the gunfire chasing it and opening its beaked maw to screech visible waves of destructive sound back at her friends.

Vira spread her wings and barely spared the nearly forgotten hourglass a second glance, gritting her teeth to focus on the danger at hoof first and the coward before her second. "There is no more sand, I assume I'm free to help my friends now!? Rather, I am GOING to do so, whether you like it or not!"

At that she rocketed into the air, making a beeline directly for Kelpie being tended by Nick doing his best to cover her and take the attacks the King kept launching. Parts of his plastic hide had been shredded, showing the gleaming metal bones and wires beneath, but Nick focused on protecting the gasping mare while Jar Head was galloping off and trying to draw its attention away.

Vira's emerald shield bloomed to life around Nick, Kelpie and herself, giving Nick leave to leap back to his hooves and reload his revolver as Vira frantically checked over Kelpie. On looking over the gouges in Kelpie's back, Vira despeartely wished she knew healing magic, settling for pulling out the bare healing supplies her employer had suggested she carry on her for emergencies.

Vira shoved a purple healing potion in her muzzle and forced Kelpie to drink, unwinding magical bandages in her telekinesis and speaking rapidly. "Shhh, it will be alright Kelpie, I'm here! Just... just don't move! Drink! Just like all those Zip! sodas you gave me, drink it all down!"

Between the roars of the King and her own heartbeat pounding in her ears, Vira barely heard a crackling knock at her shield. She looked up with tears standing in her eyes to find Cap'n Berry pounding against the glowing green barrier with a hung over looking Dr. Teddy in tow, the full crowd of harbor ponies charging into the fray behind her as she shouted to be heard over the chaos. "Let me in! We can help!!"

A gap opened in Vira's shield and the pale blue mare and light yellow stallion charged in with no hesitation, the Fog Harbor physician pushing the big alicorn aside to light his horn in a bright glow of healing magic that started knitting Kelpie's poor back together again. Vira tapped her hooves and hovered over the older stallion with the leader of the harbor harranguing him to sober up and work faster, "W-Will she be alright? Can you help her?"

"Fine if I have anything to say about it, both of you quit freaking pestering me and let me work! We need to bring that monster down though, Miretank King claws are poisonous, but I can make an antivenom with its corpse!" The doctor answered through gritted teeth, pouring magic into the weakly stirring Kelpie.

Vira's eyes blazed when she looked up and sought out the screeching monster, finding her dome of a shield had been surrounded by the harbor pony observers guarding them. Faced with the superior numbers or defenders though, the Miretank King was retreating from the hail of gunfire, filling Vira with a surge of panic.

(Nick! Longfellow! Jar! We must not allow it to escape! Kelpie is hurt and needs antivenom from it!!) Vira's mental shout to her friends was enough to rock everypony in range on their hooves at the sheer mental force of the command, instantly directing the three stallions she wanted as her shield faded and she shot into the air to give chase.

The King was making for the wooded edge of the marsh, aiming to disappear into the sickly looking willow fronds and muck, even as the harbor pony defenders' fire slackened as they rubbed their foreheads and looked around in confusion for the source of the scream right into their brains. Whatever had drawn it out wasn't enough for it to remain when faced with so many armed ponies, but Vira wasn't going to allow it to escape now, leaving a green contrail behind her streaking flight as she cut it off and drove it back with a brilliant emerald beam from her horn.

Skimming low to the water to corral the thing back, Vira briefly considered using her new M.E.W. weapon before thinking better of it. It may be a rare occurance, but she couldn't afford to vaporize the beast when she needed the body. While she was figuring out what to do beyond penning the thing in, the loud crack of Longfellow's rifle gave her more time and breathing room at least. One of the King's four hindlegs was blown off in a spray of blood that made it falter a bare instant in its rapid skittering, followed by the rapid barks of Nick's .45 hammering the thing's armored chest slowing it down more when the synth dashed out of the marsh to force it to turn.

That gave Vira enough time to climb into the air, her powerful wings earning her altitude rapidly. Once she had enough she did a graceful spin and dove back down, for once glad she was... not fat, but substantial... All her mass was transfered to energy as she fell like a stone, adding her own wing power to gravity's pull and making a whistling noise like a bomb lining up on the screeching monster.

It was aiming to plow right through Nick rather than turn back towards the firing squad of harbor ponies, too focused on the battered synth to recognize the growing shadow in front of it as a threat until it had already crossed under it. Vira landed with all four hooves slamming into the shelled back of the King, creating a shockwave in the shallow water that exploded upward in a foul smelling fountain, driving the squirming monster down into the muck by several feet.

The soft mud of the marsh absorbed all the strength the King threw at it trying to escape like quicksand, effectively keeping it in place. It was unable to retaliate with anything other than one set of foreclaws and its snapping beak Vira dodged away from, every other limb thrashing up a muddy froth in the water as it tried to pull itself free. It was still fast enough to give Vira a nasty set of slashes down her side with its curved claws, but the alicorn was fairly confident in her species' resistance to poison, swinging a foreleg back without fear and smashing the thing right in the jaw with a hoof that dazed it.

Unfortunately she forgot the damn thing had a ranged attack... Vira was sent flying by a wall of noise when the thing roared like a cannon, the booming rings of the sonic attack throwing her back to splashdown into a copse of cat tail reeds that obscured her loopy vision.

Vira's heart sped up as soon as she lost sight of the thing, with good reason as she heard it roar and slither away from where it had been stuck as she flopped in the mud. No sooner did she have her hooves under her and managed to stand to her full height that put the reeds below her, the Miretank King pounced at her head popping up.

She was embarrassed by the shrill scream that came out of her muzzle, but fighting one of these monsters down in the muck where it had the advantage was terrifying. Hell, Miretank Kings were terrifying period! Its slobbering beak was open wide and its razor sharp foreclaws were extended to rip her throat out. Despite being a great and powerful child of the goddess, Vira was afraid and faltered.

If it weren't for a bellowing brown blur tackling the horrific thing from the air, she may have died then and there. As it was she watched in shock as Jar Head launched himself at the King with no more than his hooked fishing spear. The earth pony was a master with the simple tool though, the hook had found purchase in the king's neck and Jar performed a deft move with the long pole in his teeth as soon as it did, sliding off the other side of its shelled back liked greased lightning and using the king's momentum against it. She still wasn't quite sure how he did it, but Jar wound up on his hooves, while the king wound up spinning through the air rapidly, its head smashing into a moss covered stone poking up from the peat with a loud and painful sounding 'crack!'.

As soon as it was clear of Jar Head and Vira, six rapid cannon blasts from Nick's gleaming revolver hammered away at it and kept it down and dazed. The speed and accuracy of the shots had to be assisted by the pip-buck on the synth detective's foreleg, as each of its limbs were nailed when it lay sprawled in the marsh for a bare instant.

The king was finally stunned by something, holding still just long enough for Longfellow galloping up to draw a bead with his lever action rifle. Vira could feel the tightening of focus coming from the old stallion as he blew a breath out slowly, just as he'd taught her to shoot, then there was a deafening blast from his long gun and the king's brains were splattered across the rock it had smashed against.

In the silence that followed, Vira focused on her breathing and slowing her pounding heart, not liking how her long legs were shaking and trying to dispell the fear off with a tremulous whinny. "T-Thank you... All of you, that was... m-most frightening."

"I should goddess damned say so you daffy filly! What'd I tell you about runnin' off tanglin' with island beasties you got no business messin' with Vira!?" Longfellow holstered his rifle in the leather bandolier Vira had given him with a frustrated snort, then stamped his hooves with a squelch and turned his ire on the harbor ponies watching from the little island Kelpie waited on. "Oy! You useless bastards, it's safe now! C'mere and drag this carcass over for the lassie, double time!"

Giving a shaky sigh as he reloaded his revolver, Nick shrugged wearily and joined his assistant as the gaggle of wide eyed harbor ponies followed Longfellow's gruff commands. "Take it easy on her mac, just worried about her friend. Not that I totally disagree with the old timer dollface, but good job there, really leapt in to save her."

"Are you alright Miss Vira!? That thing came so close! You could'a been kilt! I didn't think I was gonna make it!" Jar Head joined them in following behind the throng of ponies carrying the dead king to the waiting Dr. Teddy shouting at them, covered in muck and jabbering a mile a minute as his amber eyes roved over her frantically. Only once he was sure Vira wasn't really injured did a fresh wave of panic hit him, feeling like a wave of ice to the psychic alicorn as he turned and galloped off toward the doctor and shouted. "Shit! Kelpie!? You alright!?"

Vira sighed with a soft smile watching him, at once glad for his concern and worried it equaled what he felt for the brave unicorn mare who'd saved him. At least that was something though, if he'd fretted over her more than Kelpie, Vira believed she may just pull her mane out in frustration. She was tired and sore, shaking as the adrenaline wore off and ready for this ridiculous jig nonsense to be over, but reminded there was one more thing to take care of as she approached the crowd and spotted the guilty stallion hovering at the edges.

Speeding her slow trot up to a stomping gait directly for him, Vira's long horn lit up and Barnacle Bill was surrounded by the emerald glow of her telekinesis, yanked off his hooves to come floating right up to her dragonish scowl. "You... What did you do..."

"H-HEY! Lemme go! I didn't do nothin'! Somepony make this big mutie freak lemme go!" Bill only made things worse by lying, sorely tempting Vira to forget everything she'd learned about being a good pony as the crowd turned from Kelpie being treated to one of their own being threatened.

"Er... hey sweetheart, may not wanna go pissin' off the locals right now. How about you put the palooka down?" Nick laid a gentle hoof on Vira's shoulder and spoke soothingly, but did nothing to calm the fury she felt as she wheeled on him and the crowd in turn.

"This was all HIS FAULT! He did it! I can feel the guilt oozing off him! I could MAKE him tell you if I wanted!" Vira's eyes glowed brightly as she snarled back, her teeth growing sharp as she turned back to a very nervous looking Bill and purred menacingly. "I want him to say it though... I want him to ADMIT IT! I am not above pulling enough out of what passes for his mind to prove my point however!"

"I may be an outsider, but I know this was far more dangerous than a traditional jig is meant to be, isn't it!? Thanks to Longfellow I also know a Miretank King doesn't usually come out for a few buckets of chum, isn't that right? They have the lower monsters hunt for them... a King would have to be lured specifically... wouldn't it?"

There was a murmur through the crowd at that, all eyes shifting between Bill floating helplessly in Vira's magic and Longfellow blinking up to her before answering slowly. "Ayuh... that's about the long and short of it. Need somethin' like queen pheromones to draw one of them critters out. Wouldn't happen to know anything about that, would you Bill?"

A note of panic crept into Bill's shouted reply, his legs scrambling uselessly on thin air. "N-No! Young buck's just unlucky is all! Stumbled in his territory when he was in a bad mood or somethin'! Now somepony make this bitch let me go!"

Longfellow's rifle was back out and cocked before the crowd could blink, a low growl coming from his throat as he hissed back. "Bill... we known each other a long time, but I swear to Celestia, you insult my filly like that one. more. time..."

"Longfellow! That's enough, both of you! I admit this whole thing is suspicious, but it's the alicorn's word against Bill's. Kelpie's going to be alright, let's just all calm down. We're not devolving to murder out here over nothing solid!" Cap'n Berry tried valiantly to grab the reins on the situation, holding her hooves up for peace and stilling the rising mutters back and forth from the crowd of onlookers.

"Ahem..." Nick's soft interruption drew every eye to the synth trotting back up from the marsh with a younger fisherpony buck in tow, letting him pose dramatically and light a cigarette for effect before continuing on the exhale. "Thing about that there doll, you do have a detective along for this shindig, so I may as well earn my salt, hmm? Thought I'd take a little trot around to look for clues when my mare friday went bananas and lookie what me and my helpful guide found... You drop this mac?"

Vira felt Bill's panic sink to outright dread when Nick held up a cloudy glass jar for the crowd. Even as furious as she still was, her predatory expression softened and she gave her boss a genuine smile. The old detective was clever... had he come back with a clue he'd found with no witnesses, the slimy buck wriggling in her grip would say it was planted. Nick knew every trick in the book though, a fat, stupid fisherpony like Barnacle Bill was miles out of his league with Nick Hearts n' Hooves on the case.

"Now, I'm no expert like you folks, but this jar sure stinks to high heaven to me. I'm betting its the kind of thing creepy crawlies like that tough customer love though. Me an' my new friend Sinker here didn't even have to look very far, did we son?" Nick turned things over to the younger stallion he'd brought along with him, raising a plastic eyebrow and waving the buck on when he gulped as the crowd turned on him.

"Y-Yes sir Mr. detective! He's tellin' the truth, just tossed out in the reeds over yonder everypony! Where that scary thing came from even!" The lime green colt's voice cracked with excitement as he nodded, holding up the jar Nick held out for him and waving it around.

One of their own confirming that much was bad enough, but the murmurs from the crowd rose in volume and a few angry shouts stood out;

"Saw Bill with a jar like that earlier!"

"Didn't he wander off to take a piss right before..."

"You think he really..."

Longfellow summed up the growing anger in the crowd by stomping his way closer and scowling up to the floating purple stallion. "Oh you bastard Bill... keeping my boat meant so much you'd throw lives away? Vira, do yer telehoozit and melt his brain..."

"Gladly..."

"Whoa, whoa, whoaaaaa.... easy there sweetheart, no brain melting today." Nick interrupted just as Vira's glowing eyes narrowed and her horn brightened, preventing the alicorn and the old stallion from taking things too far.

He wiped a bead of imaginary sweat from his plastic brow and gave a crooked grin to Cap'n Berry sputtering as she caught up, 'W-Wait, brain melting!? She can... I agree with the detective, we take care of justice in the harbor ourselves Miss Vira, as you well know Longfellow! Really! Telling her to... you're still an incorrigible old coot! Put Bill down and let us handle this!"

Vira neighed and snorted breath through her nostrils in rejection, but felt the serious insistence behind Nick's easy going smile and reluctantly obeyed her employer, the field of her telekinesis surrounding the squirming Barnacle Bill popping like a soap bubble and dumping him uncermoniously to the muck. She still glared down at the vile buck along with Longfellow, watching him scramble backwards on his haunches as soon as he was free until running into the legs of the stone faced crowd surrounding him.

"I-I didn't... this is all... You're gonna believe that monster mare an' not..." Bill jabbered as he slowly stood, pleading to the harbor ponies who looked distinctly uninterested in his lies.

They even gave a murmur of approval when he was suddenly shut up by one of their own, a white tufted brown foreleg shot out and socked him in the jaw, dumping him back to the ground as the furious attacker snorted and kept advancing. Jar Head had left Kelpie's side and heard enough to be nearly consumed by a red rage that made Vira flinch, tromping after Bill skittering away only to again be blocked by the crowd encircling him.

"Kelpie got hurt because of you!" WHAM! Jar shouted and socked him again, continuing to alternate furious shouts with hard hoof strikes to the tubby stallion. "You could have gotten her killed!" WHAM! "You could have gotten Miss Vira killed!" WHAM! "Any of us! Just so long as you got what you wanted!" WHAM! "What kind of a captain would you be, willing to sacrifice anypony like that!" WHAM!

Bill's face was bloody and bruised but still Jar kept going, ignoring Cap'n Berry shouting for him to stop and the hooves of the harbor ponies trying to hold him back. It wasn't until a soft, weak voice called out that he ceased his unrelenting assault, turning to Kelpie being helped forward by Dr. Teddy. "Jar... stop, that's enough. You'll kill him..."

"He deserves it! He..." Jar shouted back, but had stopped and slumped at Kelpie shaking her head softly.

Taking advantage of the lull, Cap'n Berry tried again to exert some kind of control over the situation as the leader of Fog Harbor, directing a trio of stallions to pick Bill back up and get between him and Jar Head as she spoke with authority. "He broke the laws of the island, so he will be punished accordingly. Not by you and not by the outsiders though, by the code. We're not a bunch of fog crazed trappers Jar Head, young Kelpie knows that. We're civilized ponies. Barnacle Bill, based on the evidence at hoof, you'll be taken back to the docks and pilloried for a week. I seriously doubt anypony will want to take somepony like you on with their crew from now on. What say you folks, is that fair justice for this scurvy dog?"

With a resounding chorus of 'Aye!' the matter seemed to be settled, the harbor ponies bowed to Cap'n Berry's authority and hustled the still sputtering Bill away to the waiting boats. Vira could still feel a bright torch of anger coming from Jar Head, matching what she felt herself, but it slowly cooled as the stallion trotted over to check on Kelpie. A weary nuzzle from the teal unicorn calmed him down as Berry walked up and laid a hoof on his shoulder, holding out a battered captain's hat as she turned to play to the crowd and salvage this shitshow of a day.

Cap'n Berry waited for Jar to take the offered hat at Kelpie's proud nudge, then held his foreleg high with hers and shouted to the crowd in a voice full of forced cheer. "Ahem! Well then, unpleasantness aside, we had a right proper and well danced jig, didn't we folks!? As such, it's my pleasure to declare young Jar Head here the newest Captain of the Harbor, taking the helm of the Ocean Pearl! Let's all get to work cleaning up this haul Captain Jar Head and his brave crew brought in, eh folks!? Not often we get a taste of Miretank King either, so we'll be able to throw one hell of a celebration feast when you all get back tonight!"

She was good at playing to the crowd, Vira had to give her that. The psychic alicorn could feel the shift in the harbor ponies' dark mood, lifting instantly along with Jar's upheld hoof as they gave a cheer and got to work. They expertly started dressing the carcasses of all the beasts that had crawled out of the woodwork during the jig, thoughts of a feast and party to come brightening their spirits.

Once they were all busily working and starting to sing shanties to work by, Berry released Jar Head and lowered her voice, speaking to Longfellow and the rest of Vira's friends now standing in a huddle together. "I take it you folks are still going off on your little pleasure cruise, but don't keep these ponies waiting on you too long. They want to celebrate and we could use something positive to get past all of... all of Bill's bullshit. He will be punished, but I can't let anypony dwell on the negative too much with things as they are. I know you're all mad, but let us handle it."

"Hmmph... Should'a just let my Vira or the young buck handle it, save everypony a lot of time. Whatever though Cap'n, if the filly what got hurt wants it your way, that's fine by me. We'll take as long as we need to do our errands though! Not rushin' on yer schedule just to throw some silly party!" Longfellow snorted back, then turned on his heel and stomped off to the waiting rowboat, gruffly grumbling as he went. "Well come on you lot, time's wastin' and we gots an injured crewmate!"

"He's right dollface, c'mon, let's get you checked out too huh? Leave the crook to the islanders and let's get goin' Vira." Nick nudged his assistant, breaking her scowl from following Barnacle Bill being led away with a guilty start.

She didn't like it... but she reluctantly followed Nick towards Longfellow and Jar Head already gingerly loading Kelpie onto their rowboat, willing to put it behind her in favor of trotting up and checking on her friend.

It took the rest of the morning to reach their destination after leaving the marshes, unable to plot a direct course to the empty icon on Vira's map reading; Echo Lake Weather Mill due to the jagged coastline, crumbling bridges blocking their way and shallow swamps. Longfellow took over at the helm to get them there, knowing all the channels and currents to get where they wanted to go like the back of his hoof, even after his long absence from the sea.

Vira spent her time alternating between checking on Kelpie below decks and stewing sullenly above. She wasn't sure about allowing the injured unicorn to come along with them, despite the fog harbor doctor's assurances all she needed was some rest. Quite frankly, she didn't trust that drunk Dr. Teddy and had nearly stomped him through the deck when he had the gall to ask to be paid. One look at Vira's green eyes turning dragonish and glowing again was enough for him to reconsider who he sent the bill to at least, nervously leaving the Pearl after getting Kelpie settled and leaving the medicine and antivenom for her care. He proclaimed that since it was an islander event he was dragged off to attend by Cap'n Berry, the city of Fog Harbor could hoof the bill.

Eventually Nick came ambling up to the prow where she had her chin resting on her hooves at the railing, sidling up to his frustrated assistant and lighting a cigarette to watch the scenery drift by with her. "Doin' alright there dollface? Look like you still got your nickers in a twist over that big dumbell. Wanna gab about it?"

In answer, Vira stuck her lip out in a pout and huffed, her long tail flicking on the deck at Nick's hooves. He didn't seem to mind her silence however, chuckling under his breath and focusing on his smoke instead of the ceaseless up and down of the blasted boat making his stomach do the mambo. Nick wasn't one to brag, but he knew dames well enough after having more than a century to puzzle them out, all he had to do was wait.

He was rewarded by Vira breaking the long silence with a snort, rolling a lidded emerald eye back to him and pouting. "I wanted to make that fat pony pay, so did Longfellow and Jar, why did you and Kelpie disagree?"

"You mean why can't you just kill a palooka that hurt your friend? It's complicated sweetheart." Nick sighed back, on uncertain moral ground with his new mare friday and forced to have the talk about this part of the business already.

"You aren't sure, are you? I hear you thinking Nick... Why would it be alright if that Bill pony was actively trying to hurt us, but not after he already had, after he could have killed any of us! I don't understand the difference!"

Nick reached into his rumpled trenchcoat and pulled out his tarnished golden badge in reply, turning it in his hooves and speaking softly. "All I can teach you is the gumshoe's code doll, it ain't much, but it's what I've relied on all these years. If killing some joker is the only way to protect yourself or save lives, that's justifiable. If it's after the fact or just cause you're steamed at em, that's nothin' but cold blooded murder and revenge, no different than them. When I started with the Trotson P.D. all ponies got up to could be solved with a stern lecture, when things started getting worse because of the war... we got taught that code. It didn't always hold up as things got bad, but it was something to hold on to."

Vira lifted her head and blinked down at the somber synth, feeling the years of experience flowing off him and slightly in awe. She saw him as a fresh faced recruit colt in a blue uniform, saw him directing traffic when the first auto carriages showed up, saw him age with the world as the first guns and drugs appeared and were discussed by grim faced police ponies in bullpens. Nick had seen it all, had been around long enough to watch the world he knew turn to a dark and gritty place, yet his belief in what that badge represented had truly carried him through it all, even after the end of that world it had kept him going somehow.

More than anything though, she could sense Nick was somepony she could really talk to. Even if he wasn't one of her sisters and couldn't join in Unity with her, he guessed enough of what she was thinking to be worried and make himself available, something she decided to take advantage of with a hesitant gulp. "I've met many ponies like that awful Bill, Nick. I've sensed terrible things in them, for awhile I thought that was all there was to normal ponies, that's why I was...."

"A regular femme fatale, eh? But you've changed doll, I've seen that much myself. You worried about a relapse or something?" Nick finished for her, cuffing her shoulder in a supportive gesture that helped her keep going.

"A little... I've been trying to be a good pony like I was asked to, I'd gotten encouraged by my success. I even got my cutie mark on realizing I'd been wrong and that there was something to love about all of ponykind, but all it took was one rotten apple to... I've made friends with you and the others, but he could have hurt one of you and that made me so furious! Before, when I didn't care at all, I wouldn't have been so scared and angry over such a thing. Does loving others make you weak Nick? Would it be better not to?"

There was a long pause and Vira got a very clear image of the mare she'd seen in Nick's memories before, the golden maned beauty by the Trotson riverside before the war. The mare Nick loved with all his heart once upon a time. To her surprise, the synth loosed a single tear as he stared out at the waves. It was thick and oily, looking very odd coming from his yellow on black eyes with a sniffle, but he actually cried for just an instant, though it was quickly wiped away and he turned a serious stare up to her, shaking his head firmly.

"No Vira. Love makes us all stronger. I ain't gonna lie, it can hurt and... and bad ponies can use it against us sometimes, I know all about that... but still, it's better to have loved and lost than never loved at all. Even that hate you felt over the palooka, that was just love turned all topsy turvy. You have to care to feel that strong about anything and you care about your friends. That's a good thing, maybe the best thing there is. Don't go doubting yourself doll, not when you've come so far."

"Don't miss a good thing because you're scared of getting hurt, look at me or your old pal Longfellow if you wanna see where that can lead you. You helped both of us take a look at ourselves, I think that's what that stamp on your caboose means dollface. It's all so new to you, you remind us what love is when it's new and fresh, what it can be. Hell, I'd be willing to bet that's your virtue Vira, love. You're a regular Princess Cadence sweetheart." Nick finished his heartfelt speech by blowing one of his heart shaped smoke rings out into the fog, waggling his brows and grinning as he held a hoof to one nostril and blew an arrow out to pierce it to Vira's sniffling laughter.

Nick knew the trash compactor hug was coming before she squeed and lunged at him, but his old metal bones could take it and his mare friday earned it. He found himself nuzzling and stroking her back in return as he felt some of the tension run out of her, glad he'd found her and she'd found him. This was exactly why he had a weakness for dames in the lurch, it was always so gorgeous when they turned it all around.

"Ahoy! Quit that snugglin' on my boat dammit! Vira! If yer done with yer poutin', help your little friend make the ship ready, we're almost there!" Longfellow's gruff shout from the bridge startled the two detectives from the embrace, laughing together at him hopping up and down in a mock fit. He'd been concerned over Vira's mood too, but hadn't known what to say, Vira could sense how relieved he was to see her 'back to her sappy self'.

"Y-Yes Longfellow..." She giggled back, then amended herself when he snorted and fumed. "I mean, aye aye captain... Thank you Nick, let's do as he says. We do have a case to get back to, right boss?"

"Aye-aye dollface, back into the fray once more dear assistant."

---------Level Up!----------

New Perk Added-----------------

The Stare-----
---It might be falling back on old habits, but it's over your friends now and when you get mad all those puny ponies better watch out! Being an daunting example of the Goddess' perfection, you are now able to make special speech checks and intimidate through eye contact when you have to put a pony in their place.