Fallout Equestria: Winding Rivers

Chapters

Prologue: Those Who Fail
Chapter 1: To Learn
Chapter 2: From the Past
Chapter 4: Feel the Black
Chapter 5: Reaching Out
Chapter 3: Are Doomed to Repeat it

Prologue: Those Who Fail

"Since when does Twilight Sparkle ever fail?"

oooOOOooo

“Ready, Twilight?” the host’s eyes opened to a large, white room. In the center sat a small metal chair, just as boring as its surroundings. A balcony ran the perimeter above, with doorways and a large, round window directly above.

The unicorn in the chair sighed, “I guess. Let’s try again.”

“Take 5!” shouted the host in her most obnoxious voice possible, making Twilight giggle slightly.

“Thanks, Sweetie Belle, I needed that,” a deep breath, and the Ministry Mare looked straight ahead and began her prepared speech.

“Welcome, fillies and gentlecolts, to your new home.

“Stable-Tech has worked hard, these last few years, preparing for the unthinkable,” she paused, her eyes glossing slightly, then continued, her voice catching a little at the first words, “If you are watching this, we have... lost the war… or worse… it doesn’t matter, I guess... but you are safe. This Stable was personally designed by yours truly, to protect ponykind and all of its knowledge.

“This is where you come in. You have been chosen for your desire to learn. Your skills at preservation. Your need for truth. Inside these tunnels, you will find copies of every book, recording, and memory orb I could get my hooves on. Every one is unedited and original,” her face darkened and she muttered something about Rarity, then regained her composure and continued, “your job is the safety and care of these documents.

“In addition, your foals will be taught through our patented Stable-Tech Educational Program, or S.T.E.P.: a series of memory orbs of myself, my friends, and many other experienced ponies, personally teaching subjects ranging from history, magic, modern technology, and more.

“Therefore, even if...”

There was a long silence, filled only with soft sobbing, before Sweetie Belle’s quiet voice asked, “Twilight? Do we need to try again?”

The purple pony shook her head slightly, “I can’t. No time. I have to get back to Maripony for a very important experiment. This has to be the last take.”

“Well,” the host said after another moment of silence, “that’s okay. I doubt anypony will even see this,” her voice had the feeling of forced cheer. They both knew the truth. ‘Unthinkable’ was merely a word, at this point. Still, she continued her pep-talk, “I’m sure before too long, we will be tearing this place apart, or turning it into a proper library! Or maybe a museum! Or both!”

Twilight smiled slightly, but it didn’t reach her tired, hopeless eyes, now wet with tears, “yeah, Sweetie. I’m sure we will. Soon, this will all be behind us.”

The memory blurred slightly as the host’s eyes grew wet, as well, “okay, let’s finish so you can get back to work. Sorry, to anypony who is watching this. Hopefully it’s just someone in a history class about the war.”

“Learning about how much we bucked up...” Twilight’s voice was barely noticeable, and there was another pause. She closed her eyes and put her hoof to her chest, taking a deep breath. She extended her leg as she let it out, then spoke again, “Where was I? Oh, right. S.T.E.P.

“Even if there are no living professionals in Equestria, you can rest assured your fillies and colts will get the best education ever.

“So, from everypony at Stable-Tech, the Ministries, the Princesses, my friends, and myself. From all of Equestria. Please keep our history and knowledge safe for future generations.

“Welcome to Stable 42.”

oooOOOooo

Author's Note

Okay. I had some depression and "I suck" issues. Went though and deleted my stuff. I'm reposting it now. I'll work on finishing it.

Chapter 1: To Learn

“Books! I read several on the subject.”

“Hello, students,” I strode into the classroom and looked over the new first years. Most looked nervous. No doubt, the older fillies and colts had told them stories of the first day of school. Sure, it made my job more difficult, but foals will be foals. Many of the stories were amusing, anyway. My favorite thus far was “the teacher will put you to sleep and steal your soul.”

Memory Lane: Soul Stealer. Had a nice ring to it.

“Welcome to your first day of school. I know you're all excited. You're all scared,” I suppressed a laugh as a few of the colts sat up straighter, trying to hide any fear. It was the same, every year, “but my job in this Stable is to teach and protect you. I've taught many of your brothers and sisters, even some of your parents. Most of them have turned out alright.” Those who didn't, weren't my fault. Mostly.

I moved to the large desk at the front of the room and rested my hoof on the intricate machine sitting atop. A mess of wires was strung to the ceiling, then to each student’s desk, where a foal-sized hat sat in front of the fillies and colts, looking like sci-fi colanders, “this, for those who don't know, is a Memory Recollector. It allows every one of you to watch a memory orb, even if you are an earth pony, like me. Normally, only unicorns can interact with these magical devices.

“We will all be in the memory together, with me monitoring everything. If any of you have worries, I would just like to remind you,” I turned my flank to them and showed off my cutiemark – a milky white ball with a pale yellow starburst, “this is my special talent.”

I began to walk around the room, looking over each student as I passed. This was a fairly large Stable, as far as I knew. Each of the ten classes had a couple dozen students. This one had a few more than the others. As I inspected my students, I continued my lecture, “you may be wondering what to expect. Memory orbs are unique pieces of magical technology that allow you to live a memory of another pony. It is much like watching a movie, with a few important differences.

“Firstly, you will feel like you are the pony you are viewing. You will experience everything physical – smells, sounds, temperature, pain. I will warn you of any memories with unpleasant events. You will not have any for a while, though. You will not experience any mental sensations. The pony’s internal thoughts and feelings are not shared through a normal memory orb.

“Second, you will have no control. Again, like a movie, the other pony will move according to what they did in the past. This is the most jarring part of the process for many. You will feel paralyzed and helpless. This first orientation memory will help you adjust to this and other things. Panic is normal the first time, but I assure you it is nothing to be concerned about.

“Third, I want to warn you we will be in the memories of many types of ponies and even other creatures. It is obviously very strange to feel the body of the opposite gender, or a dragon with hands and claws. It is also quite fun!

“Finally, I will be monitoring everything from my Eyes Forward Sparkle. I will know who is reacting in what ways, so do not feel afraid of coming to me about concerns or help. I promise to keep everything personal.

“That said. While in the memory, your real body will be magically paralyzed, unable to move, with all bodily functions shut down. When you end the memory, however, this will all return. Do not be ashamed of any reactions your body has when waking up. If I catch anypony teasing another student in this regard, it will be immediate detention!”

By now, most of the students had calmed a little, “now, please put on the hats at each of your desks, and we will begin the introductory lesson.”

Little hooves picked up little metal hats and put them on little heads as the nervous looks reappeared. I walked around the room, making sure each foal had it strapped properly and all the wires leading back to the main machine were in working order. Without another word, I stood behind my desk and rested an orb labeled “TS Orient 1” into its little cradle on the machine. I set my own recollector on my head and closed my eyes. With a soft, magical hum, the other ponies in the room relaxed in their chairs, being drawn into the memory. I followed a moment later.

oooOOOooo

Darkness.

It was the students’ first time in a memory, so the memory introduced one sensation at a time. On my version, my Eyes Forward Sparkle showed the vitals of my students in a nice, alphabetical chart. Obviously designed by Twilight, herself. I noted increased heart rates, but nothing unusual. I made mental and digital notes of each foal’s reactions as the memory progressed. It was always helpful to see who struggled to adjust, as well as seeing the progress of each student through the year.

We were in a young earth pony filly sitting in a desk. A little strange, to the colts and unicorns, but better than alternatives. Fillies tended to react adversely to being in a colt, and suddenly having unicorn magic was a little jarring to the earth ponies, at first. The fewer shocks at a time, the better.

The host’s hooves moved one at a time, slowly, getting the viewers used to the sensation of movement beyond their control. I watched the vitals as a few had slight muscle reactions in response to them trying to move, consciously. For a few more minutes, the memory consisted of this literal orientation, and the stats in my EFS leveled out to normal.

“Hello, students,” a mare's soft voice quietly met the ears of the filly, “my name is Twilight Sparkle. Welcome to the Stable-Tech Education Program. You are currently viewing the memories of a filly your age, in order for consistent, accurate education through the ages. No matter the time or place, you will get proper education from experts to further all of ponykind and preserve our ways of life.”

The filly's eyes opened slowly, revealing a purple unicorn standing a few feet away in a plain, white room. The lighting was soft, pleasant on the eyes. Twilight smiled as she continued her speech, “I know being in a memory orb is often disorienting. I have done my fair share. Don’t worry about any reactions you may have, all are normal, and nothing can harm you while in a memory,” as she spoke, the host began walking around the room. She sped to a trot and then a gallop in a few laps around the room. I noted which students had physical reactions to this (surprisingly few, this year) and tagged them. Can’t have a young one walking around for real when in a memory. A simple re-tuning of the paralysis spell matrix would smooth out the reactions.

The filly slowed to a stop in front of Twilight, who beamed at them all with one of the biggest smiles I could imagine. I always loved that part. Twilight had her flaws and made her mistakes, but this memory always reminded me how much she truly cared. She did all of this for Equestria. She wanted to help everypony, especially the young ones. I suspect if it hadn’t been for the war, she would have made a good teacher.

“The other wonderful advantage to the STEP program is the ability to live major historical events in person, through the memories of another pony. Obviously, we are quite limited in what memories are available for this, but through carefully-researched reenactments, we believe we have properly filled any gaps in the history of Equestria.

“I hope you are now familiar enough with memory orbs to ease any discomfort and fears you may have. In the years to come, the STEP program will serve you well, even in the event of an apocalypse. I look forward to teaching you in the next lesson, and many more to follow.”

oooOOOooo

We all awoke and I looked out at the class. Most were calm, a few breathed heavily, and I took note of who was struggling to wake up, to decrease the paralysis spell for them. Some of the unicorns and colts felt around to their returned parts and I smirked, “very good, everypony. That's all for today.

“I understand some of you had adverse reactions to the recollector. This is normal, and nothing to be ashamed of. You all did really well for your first time,” I noted the lack of any wet chairs. Thank Celestia, “you may go back to your quarters and recover from the experience. We will begin proper lessons with “Equestria History: The Founding of Equestria” with Miss Sparkle, tomorrow.”

The students put down their recollectors and filed out of the room. I stood by the door and gave each a reassuring smile. I remembered my first time in a memory, all those years ago. It didn’t go so well. Astounding how it became my biggest strength. Fate was funny, like that.

Windigo. Fascinating creatures. I couldn't help but think how much they must have loved the war as I hung the life-sized cartoon figures from the walls for the next day's lesson. The students had left, and I had a few hours before I had to get to the next room for my second year class. I liked to decorate for lessons. It was relaxing, and a good distraction from the mundane of academia.

“How'd the first years do, Mem?” Straw Bale appeared in the doorway, “any wet themselves?”

I chuckled, “not this year, Straw. Thank Celestia.”

“Damn. I owe Gutter a round of drinks,” he grinned and watched me stretch on my hind legs to hang a plastic icicle from the ceiling with my mouth, “need any help?” he indicated his horn.

“Nah, this is the closest I get to exercise, and it's relaxing. Kind of like that 'yoga' stuff they did before the war.”

“Uh huh,” he nickered, “well, don't 'yoga' too hard. Wouldn't want you to pull something. I'm going to go check the kitchen and try out Bell Pepper's latest creation. See you at the canteen for drinks, tonight?”

“Sure, sure. Did I hear first round’s on you?”

“Only for Gutter Ball. Though, you might need one, so we'll see.”

A nod and he was gone, leaving me to hang decorations.

Windigo. Fed on disharmony and conflict. There was plenty of that a few centuries ago. Why weren't there any in the more recent history orbs? Twilight never mentioned them. Applejack never told how to fight them. Where had they gone in those thousand years? What of Discord? He would have loved the strife, as well. The Changeling Empire? Well, okay, that was understandable, they fed on love. Not much of that in war. The point was, I knew every story by heart, but it never quite added up. As if somepony had written recent history before ancient history.

I sighed and shrugged, looking over my work. I could chase this train of thought every day, but it never led anywhere useful. I had my orbs. I had my job. This Stable was built on education and preservation. If doubts crept in, Stable 42 would suffer. My speculation had to stay speculation. Right now, I had another class to prepare for.

The second years were more relaxed about the recollector, but far more rambunctious, in general. Five minutes into class, I had finally gotten them mostly herded into their seats.

“Welcome back, everypony. I hope you all had a good break from classes and are ready to jump right in. This year, we are starting with Wartime History and the Ministries. I have a very special treat for you, today, with Princess Celestia, herself, giving the first lesson,” I smiled as every eye widened. The Princesses had done a few of the orbs in the archive. I had no idea how they ever got time to do them, around their duties, but I had my theories. Mostly, they involved time travel.

No sooner had I uttered, “please put on your recollectors,” every student had eagerly done so. I smiled warmly and took my seat. “PC WT Hist” was placed into the unit, and we delved into the year’s lesson introduction.

oooOOOooo

Oh, how I always loved this part. The magnificence of the Princess, standing in the throne room of Canterlot Palace. Her colorful mane and tail billowing in a non-existent breeze. The soft, regal music playing in the background. Multi-colored stained glass windows bathing the scene in a multitude of rainbow light. The childrens’ heart monitors beeping in excitement. I wish I could get back the feeling of first seeing Celestia. I settled on vicariously enjoying my students’ reactions, every year.

“Good morning, my little ponies. Welcome to your first lesson on the Great War and the Ministries.

“Years ago, Equestria entered a great industrial expansion. It was a wonderful period with much innovation. However, this led to a need for fuel. Luckily for us, the zebras had plenty of coal, once our supplies were quickly depleted. We entered a trade agreement for gemstones, which they used for their magic. I gloss over this, as I know you have learned it in Pre-War Industrial History. If you were paying attention,” the Princess gave the most wonderful look I have ever seen. A perfect blend of compassion, expectation, and trust. I always felt sorry this lesson wasn’t sooner. Students always did better for a few weeks, after seeing that sunny, heartwarming smile.

“You also know of the conflict that arose about trade prices. This led to an increase in piracy in the zebra nations. It is still heavily debated how closely tied these pirates were to the Caesar, but, personally, I believe there was little relation.

“Regardless, a band of pirates kidnapped seventeen of our citizens, and the Wonderbolts flew to their rescue, at my command. Unfortunately, while all of those captured survived, four of the Wonderbolts did not,” Celestia paused, composing herself, before continuing, “furthermore, the mission ended up in zebra territory. Not only did this trespass increase tensions, despite my apologies, but increased Equestria’s suspicion of the Caesar’s involvement.

“After much debate amongst myself, my sister, and the nobles of Equestria, war was declared on the Zebra Empire. This decision was further reinforced after an infiltrator attacked Luna’s Academy in Littlehorn Valley,” another pause. This one longer. A few tears fell from Celestia’s face, and her voice shook almost imperceptibly when she spoke again, “it was then, I abdicated the throne. With the help of Director Goldenblood, my sister formed the Ministries with my student and her friends.

“The Ministry of Morale, headed by Pinkie Pie.

“The Ministry of Wartime Technology, with Applejack.

“Rarity’s Ministry of Image.

“Fluttershy’s Ministry of Peace.

“The Rainbow Dash Ministry of Awesome,” she rolled her eyes.

“And, of course, the Ministry of Arcane Science, or Ministry of Magic, led by my faithful student, Twilight Sparkle.

"Finally, there was the Office of Inter-Ministry Affairs, with Director Goldenblood managing relations between the six Ministries.

“Over the next few weeks, you will view memories of these events and others, to learn about and from them. Some stories will be from well-known ponies, others from those who have small parts in our story, and still others who few know exist, yet have played a large role. There will be some hard moments. Death. Suffering. Heartache. These are all parts of war.

“Please know, my little ponies, I am truly sorry. I never wanted any of this. We cannot change the past, however, we can only learn from it. Take these lessons to heart, so you never repeat the mistakes of your ancestors.

“And know I will do my best to always be here, keeping you all safe and sound.”

oooOOOooo

Four classes later and I slouched in a beanbag chair in the atrium, sipping a stiff drink and venting to Gutter and Straw, “I can't believe that filly. Tried to make a pass on me for good grades this year! First day, and she's already trying to bribe me. Usually we have at least one test before the bribes start.”

Gutter laughed, “not surprising, knowing her mother. Sunburst would lift her tail for any stallion who looks her way.”

“Pretty sure Sungleam has taken the innocence of every colt in her class,” I muttered, “Luna only knows who her filly's father would have been,” I smirked at the shock on their faces, “what, you didn't hear? She got pregnant over the break. Not sure there was a colt in this Stable who wasn't nervous. Only fifth year, and already pregnant. She didn't keep it, of course,” I shrugged, “I'll tell you one thing, starting the year with the 'sex education' orb is going to be fun,” that was one memory I would never forget. Judging by the looks on my friends faces, neither would they.

Straw gave me a grin, “at least those orbs shut down every bodily function, huh?

I rolled my eyes, “oh, Tartarus, yes. I would not want to clean that up,” I finished my drink and got up to get another, swaying a little, “though, it would be amusing, otherwise. You should see their faces when they come out of that little gem,” half way to the bar, I turned back, “oh, oh. Wait, hold that thought,” I got my drink and returned, “anyhoo, one year, I forgot to switch the orbs in time, from female to male. No smooth transition between memories. They all woke up. It was like pulling teeth to get them back in for the second half. The colts were traumatized from the filly orb, and the fillies were scared to get the colts' perspective. I almost had to get Anna in to use a sleep spell!”

My drinking buddies laughed and a calm silence fell a moment as we just drank.

“How's life in the kitchen?” Gutter asked after a moment.

Straw shrugged, “same ol’ same ol’. Bell made a new dish for tonight. She called it a 'chimicherry.' I suggested cherrychanga.”

I rubbed my chin, “chimicherry, cherrychanga, chimicherry, cherrychanga. What about chimicherrychanga?”

“That's a mouthful,” Gutter said, “call it what you want. I just want it to taste good. Last week's… what did you call it? The chupaqueso?” he shuddered, “it was just so. Cheesy.”

Straw sighed, “okay, so fried cheese wrapped in fried cheese may not have been the best idea.”

“Definitely,” I added, “I’m sure the maintenance crew wasn’t too happy about the toilet situation, either.”

“You try keeping the meals interesting three times a day. Your lessons come prepackaged, Memory, and each of us only sees them once,” (I added a “usually.”) “and Gutter, it's not like you have to constantly figure out new games to play.”

That made Gutter put his hoof to his chin in thought, and I shot a glance to Straw, “oh, no, Gutter Ball. Do not go down that road. Remember last time? When Rugby thought it would be a good idea to play baseball in here? I think every window and light in the atrium had to be replaced.”

He grinned, “what about archery, or competitive shooting?”

I facehoofed, “broken windows would be the least of our problems. Besides, we have no guns or even bows in here.”

He continued his thoughts, occasionally throwing out a new idea. We laughed and bantered until we were too drunk to talk. I stumbled my way to my quarters and flopped into bed. I'd be hung over in the morning, but it was nothing a Fixer and a shower wouldn't cure. Besides, running the recollector wasn't exactly brain surgery.

Oh. Right. Brain Surgery 101. That class was today for the seventh years. Well, okay, not technically Brain Surgery 101. Concepts of Neurolinguistics 101. Same basic idea. Brain Surgery was saved for the higher grades.

I staggered into the classroom after all my students. Bad start to the year, especially for teenagers. I heard the murmuring. I didn’t care.

“Uh. Hello, everypony. Welcome to another wonderful year of classes. I hope you all had a good break and are ready to get started on newro… neero…” I sighed and rubbed my temple, “yeah, sorry. Brain speech science.” Very bad start.

I sat at my desk and put the orb in the machine after triple checking the label, “This will be the first step in any learning involving memory magic, interactive AI, and brain surgery,” there we go. Half the class went wide-eyed. The tables were turned, “that’s right. You will learn brain surgery. Not today, not tomorrow, but you will learn it. You might even get a cutie mark in it. For now, however, we are simply learning about speech in the brain. As usual, put on your recollectors for the first lesson.”

Ouch. Ouch ouch ouch ouch ouch. Going into a memory hung over is easy. It all fades away. Coming back, however, is the worst experience ever. The pain came back with a vengeance. Why did I never learn?

I took an aspirin and groaned, “well. Lesson over. On to your next classes. This lesson is a bit long, so I’ve got ten minutes before my next one,” I need a nap. Maybe some Med-X. Yeah, that would work. I stumbled out of the room after my students. Put away the orb, get some painkillers, get to my next class. In ten minutes. Hungover. Why. Didn’t. I. Learn?

“Memory?” my pipbuck crackled, “Hey, Mem? You there?”

What now? I dropped my head and literally hit a button, “what? I’ve got the mother of all headaches and five minutes to get my next class ready.”

The Overmare’s voice was clear and recognizable now, “sorry, old man, but class is canceled, today. We’ve got something you need to see.”

Footnote: N/A

Chapter 2: From the Past

“What happened to you? The future must be awful.”

“Huh.”

A three foot by three foot panel had opened up in one of the maintenance halls. Inside sat what looked like a recollector combined with gold foil, connected to a pristine terminal.

“Yup,” Overmare Rand replied, “little Max found it between classes. Reported it straight to me.”

“I assume you called me since it’s a memory recollector?”

She nodded, “don’t worry, we have Anna right here to monitor your vitals, and fix you up if something breaks.”

We sat there a moment as I stared at the machine and they stared expectantly at me.

“Why are we talking so matter-of-fact about this? A strange panel opened in our Stable with a strange device and we’re just going to jump right in?”

“You are going to jump right in,” the Overmare replied.

Anna spoke up, “seriously, though. It is strange. Everything I’ve been taught tells me to wait until we have more information. We need to trace everything to find out why it’s here and what it will do to you. Yet, I want to run over and put that mesh on my head without a second thought. Like a jet addict with an inhaler.”

“You think it’s enchanted?” Rand asked after a moment.

“Want-it-need-it spell?” I replied, looking the machine over.

Anna nodded, “or a variant. A tuned down version, maybe.”

The Overmare snorted, “I can see Sparkle doing that. Doesn’t make me feel good about the situation. You still okay with this, Memory? We could call in Lucy to do a spell scan, and Kailie for tech,” she grimaced, “What the hell? Thinking about that makes my head split.”

I just sat on the floor and took the strange recollector into my hooves. As Anna said, it was a compulsion, “I really don’t like this,” my objections went unnoticed, even by myself, as I lowered the mesh onto my head.

oooOOOooo

Darkness was no stranger to me. Many memories began with closed eyes. This, however, was not simple darkness. This was nothingness. There were no sensations, no feelings. I had no body, no eyes, mouth, or ears. It was as if I was a disembodied soul, floating in the void of oblivion.

A few moments passed, before words appeared in my mind.

LOADING…

I would have sighed, if I could. Finally:

SUBJECT DETECTED.

CALIBRATING…

Oh, great. More waiting. Now I knew how my students felt when I passed out tests.

PIPBUCK DETECTED. LOADING DATA...

SUBJECT:

NAME: MEMORY LANE

GENDER: MALE

RACE: EARTH

S: 1

P: 5

E: 2

C: 3

I: 10

A: 2

L: 5

CALIBRATING APPEARANCE...

Then I could see. A stallion appeared before me, white as snow. His mane-style began to change, as if scrolling through options, before settling on one much like my own. It flowed through the colors, from blue up to red, before turning a burnt orange-brown.

I understood, now, as the coat became my off-white-grey one, and the physique of the body slimmed to my gaunt form. Finally, my cutiemark appeared on the flank. Most memories put the user inside the mind of another pony. This one was putting all of me in.

The brown eyes blinked a few times, then I was seeing from them. I lifted my leg, then the other. The area around me was just as empty, but here I was, in the computer. I had full control. This was a simulation, not a memory!

DOWNLOADING MEMORIES...

Wait, what?

Images flooded around me, barraging me with events from my past. First day of class. Getting my cutiemark. My first kiss. Straw Bale bullying me as a kid. Us later becoming best friends. Last night’s drinking session. Sitting on the floor. Putting on a strange, gold mesh hat.

DOWNLOAD COMPLETE.

The world around me faded, and I was back in the Stable. Anna and Rand stood and removed the hat from my head.

“Well?” the Overmare asked.

“I...” my head tilted to the side as I thought, “it just took a copy of me. My body. My memories. Then I came back out.”

She sighed, “well, my drive to find out is gone, so that’s good. Don’t know what Twilight thought she would accomplish with this, but I’m done wondering. I’ll get a tech down here to pack this stuff away in the archive and look it over. I need a drink.”

Anna looked me over as the grumpy older mare trotted away to do paperwork or whatever it was she did all day, probably alongside a gin and tonic, “everything seems good,” the nurse said, “heart rate normal, blood pressure high but not more than usual for you.”

“Yeah yeah. Blame Straw and Bell. They need to cut down on the salt.”

She nickered, “you need to cut down on the late night drinking sessions.”

I grumbled and cracked my neck, “I know. You try dealing with foals all day without drinking.”

There was a slight nuzzle on my cheek, making me blush, slightly, “I do deal with foals. Of all ages.”

Without another word, she trotted away, leaving me in the hallway with the computer. Rand might be fed up and not care about the old world, anymore, but I did. What had Twilight planned, with this hidden device? Maybe we were supposed to all download our minds? No, it would have opened sooner, for my parents, and their parents. The compulsion would not have ended after just me.

I put the recollector on top of the terminal and looked around. I couldn’t just leave it alone. A foal might try it. With a sigh, I leaned against the wall and closed my eyes. Classes had already been canceled. I might as well take a nap.

A blaring alarm and flashing red lights woke me from a dreamless sleep. There wasn’t a drill planned, was there? I sprang to my feet, straining my ears to hear down the hall toward the better-traveled parts of the Stable. I could hear shouting and screaming.

The hall blurred past, turning into an atrium in chaos.

“What’s going on?” I shouted at nopony in particular.

My question was answered as four ponytron robots marched in from the entry room. Ministry of Morale logos emblazoned their flanks where cutie marks would be on real ponies. Without a word, they opened fire on my friends and family.

The ponies ducked and fell behind anything they could find. They screamed and cried as they cowered under tables and chairs. I did the same, hiding behind a large support pillar. What was happening?

Was this my fault?

Maybe that computer had sent my information to the MoM. Had a memory it downloaded been incriminating to the Stable? That had to be it, the timing was too perfect. I didn’t know what, but something in my life had brought the full wrath of the government down on my home.

I stepped out from my hiding spot. If it was my fault, I would take the consequences. My voice shook as I shouted, “it’s me you want!” The ponytrons stopped shooting and turned toward me. There was a tense moment of silence.

“Memory Lane,” one of them buzzed, “due to recently received files, you and this Stable have been deemed traitors. All seditious materials and ponies will be eliminated. How do you plea?”

Seditious? Oh, the unedited zebra texts. Right.

I sighed. They knew the truth. What could I do? I stood tall and looked them in the… face. They didn’t really have eyes. They barely had faces.

“Guilty,” I took a deep breath and a step forward. The ponies around me stared in wide-eyed horror as I stared down the mechanical abominations. None of them would do this. A century-and-a-half stuck in this place had left them apathetic and hopeless. Through courage or insanity, however, I still had hope, “I stand here by order of Twilight Sparkle,” my voice shook, but rose in volume, leveling out as my adrenaline overtook my fears, “we hold this Stable and all in it by order of the Ministry of Arcane Science. If you have a problem with that, you have a problem with the Ministry Mares. And I take offense to that.”

Oh Celestia, what was I doing?

Four pairs of guns leveled on me, and I closed my eyes, ready for the worst.

A hoof rested on my shoulder, and I looked back to see Anna, a grim but determined look on her face. On the my other side I noticed Straw Bale and Bell Pepper step up, as well. Soon, the whole Stable stood behind me, ready to do their duty to protect Equestria’s legacy.

“Keep our history and knowledge safe for future generations,” Twilight had said.

We intended to.

“Surrender,” the robot stated, emotionlessly, “and be destroyed.”

They opened fire, and we charged, swarming the invaders with sheer numbers. I watched as ponies I had known my whole life were mowed down like a field of grain. My eyes went wide as Straw fell back onto two other Stable dwellers, a pool of blood forming and mixing between them. I had done this. I had to stop it before everypony I knew died.

As my friends and family fought, I found myself face-to-face with the ponytron that had spoken. We stood as if in a stadium, the others in the room separated by an endless expanse. I knew this would be my death, but I had a duty. Most of the ponies born in Stable 42 felt they had no choice. They despised the job thrust upon them. But I knew I had a choice, now, more than ever.

I embraced it.

The Stable-Tech Arcane Targeting Spell saw little use in a Stable. It had been developed for military use, but Pipbucks were mass-produced, so they all got every feature. I knew just enough about SATS to be dangerous. Or so I hoped.

Time slowed to a crawl, not quite stopping, but giving me more than enough time to plan my attack. Ponytrons were machines. Like every machine, they could be hacked and reprogrammed. I just needed to get close enough. I grabbed a broken pipe from the floor and queued up an automatic attack. SATS took over and my muscles automatically moved at the command of my Pipbuck into a crude swing of my improvised weapon, toward the ponytron’s legs. Without the assistance, I knew I wouldn’t have hit, but Arcane Science was my friend, and the robot fell to the ground with a loud clang, giving me time to get behind it.

By the time I had a screwdriver out of my pocket and into my target’s neck, it had risen to its feet and turned toward me. I ducked the sweep of its guns and slipped back into SATS. My power bar was still less than a quarter full. Before exiting the magical time field, I took stock of my situation. Heavy metal pony inches from me. Shooting very large caliber bullets in a few seconds. I could try to sweep it again, without SATS, but I didn’t feel very confident in that. I certainly couldn’t hack it in time. Maybe disable it with a paradox? I doubted that would actually work, and would just make my last words really lame. I settled on my one option, as much as I didn’t like it.

Dropping out of SATS, I immediately jumped, clumsily wrapping my hooves around its neck and swinging awkwardly around toward its back. It took a moment for it to register what had happened, giving me time to jab my screwdriver into an access panel behind the head and pry it open. As soon as it had figured out what was going on, however, I was immediately bucked off to the ground with a sickening thud and cracking of ribs.

A quick check showed SATS was charged. I could see the spinal wiring trunk clearly, just out of reach as the ponytron began to turn back toward me. I had one shot at this. The attack was queued and my improvised weapon jabbed through the air between us. The target was small, but I was still only a few feet from it. The pipe tore through the wiring, sending sparks into my face as the discharge blasted me backward, into the ground once more.

My enemy stood stock still a moment, smoking and whirring.

Beep.

Oh…

Beep.

Buck me...

Beep.

...with the Moon and Sun.

The robot self-destructed. Shrapnel tore through me and heat lashed at my mane and fur. I lay there, motionless, the battle raging around me as my friends fought the other three mechanical invaders. Every movement I made sent pain through my whole body. My Pipbuck warned of every conceivable medical issue as my vision faded.

SIMULATION COMPLETE.

oooOOOooo

My host walked down the mountains toward the desert, below. In the near distance, however, a ciff stood supporting a small military compound. Behind it, I could see the faint outline of Appleloosa on the horizon. Its fields of apple trees bright against the dismal landscape.

“The recording is done with Sweetie Belle. Are we all set up at the warehouse?” the unmistakable voice of Twilight Sparkle came from my lips as she turned to glance at a young orange pegasus to her right.

“The subject is in stasis,” Scootaloo replied, “would you like to see her, before we lock her away?”

Twilight cringed a bit at the phrasing, but nodded, “of course. I’m not saying I don’t trust you girls, obviously, I just… want to see her, again.”

The Crusader just nodded, silently, and they continued down the path, toward the barracks.

A few ponies milled around the base in uniform, but, this far south, on the border, the compound was more ceremonial, than anything. All the action was on the western front. Only minotaurs and cyclops gave real problems, here.

They entered one of the warehouses and continued to the back. Nobody disturbed them or gave second glances. Everypony knew they were here on secret Ministry business, and asking was a good way to get in trouble.

Built into a stack of crates sat a hidden door. I didn’t notice it, at first, as it looked like any other large, pony-sized crate, but Twilight tapped the box’s lock with her hoof and the front panel slid downward, revealing a dimly-lit flight of stairs. Down, they went. After a minute or two, they reached a small room at the bottom. It was a sterile white, like a medical bay in a Stable. The walls were featureless and bare. All it contained was a computer, a shiny new medical ponytron, and a pony-sized, pill-shaped container that hummed softly.

“Everything okay, down here?” Scootaloo asked, more out of ritual than actual concern.

“Subject stable,” the robot replied, “Vitals are normal. Estimated maximum stasis period is five hundred years.”

Twilight sighed and rolled her eyes, “it had better not be that long. Even if things do go wrong, it should be about a century-and-a-half. But thank you,” she walked over and I felt the cold metal as she laid a hoof on the container, “don’t worry,” she muttered, “you will be fine. I’m leaving you in Scootaloo’s care. I know I promised your mother...” she shook her head, “I’m sorry. At least I can do this. I said I would protect you, and I will,” the viewport on the pod was frosted over, obscuring the pony inside, so I only saw a faint silhouette of a young mare.

After a few moments, the Ministry Mare turned and walked away, and the memory faded as she ascended the stairs.

oooOOOooo

A feeling of deja-vu overtook me as I looked through the eyes of Sweetie Belle at Twilight Sparkle sitting in the Stable 42 atrium, but this wasn’t the introductory memory. The mood was more subdued.

Twilight’s face was hard and emotionless as she spoke, her voice seeming to carry across the decades, even more so than a normal recording.

“Hello, resident of Stable 42. If you are seeing this, you have completed the test. With luck, it has only been about one-hundred-fifty years after the Stable has been locked. It’s now time for you to leave.

“While, depending on the state of Equestria when you view this, your friends and family may stay behind to continue their task of protecting our history, you must leave your home, no matter how bad it is, outside.

“Project Infinity is in your hooves, now. While I cannot tell you everything, you must find the subject of the previous memory, she will guide you.

“If you believe in such, you are fated to change Equestria. Like my friends and me before, you will do great things, and save many lives.

“Unlike us, I hope it stays that way.

“Good luck.”

oooOOOooo

Okay. I was waking up for real, this time. The head-splitting hangover I had otherwise forgotten made sure I knew that.

“Well?” Overmare Rand immediately asked in her testy tone.

“Ugh.”

Anna handed me a pill and I swallowed greedily, immediately feeling a bit of relief.

“It was...” I shook my head to clear it, “a test. It analyzed me, tricked me, tested me, then...”

“Did you pass?” Rand asked.

I nodded. My hesitation was apparent, and they both grew a touch worried.

“But…?” Anna guessed.

With a sigh, I sat up straight and put the hat on its terminal, “in passing the test, I seem to have been chosen for a task,” I phrased, carefully, “to go outside.”

Their eyes went wide, “you can’t be serious.”

“That’s what Twilight, herself, said. No matter what, I have to go. Just me, you can stay or not, it’s up to you.”

Silence.

“Who is she to tell you,” Rand said after a moment, “after all this time, with her dead and gone,” she was starting to get worked up, but I spoke up.

“It’s fine.”

“Fine? Fine?! Even if you are okay with leaving,” she was nearly shouting now, and my headache, though better, was really not appreciating it, “who will take your place? You are the best, most senior teacher we have! I won’t allow it!”

I held my head and groaned, “I don’t think it’s an incredibly pressing matter,” I lied, “let’s sit on it for a couple days, then talk it over. That calmed her, a bit, and she stalked off toward her office, probably to throw darts at the picture of Twilight she had in there, and drink a gin sans tonic.

Anna looked me right in the eyes, tears starting to well up, “you’re not going to wait,” she murmured, “I know that look. It’s your ‘I’m going to do something stupid’ look. Like when we sneaked to the maintenance levels in ninth year.”

I hung my head a bit, unable to match her gaze, “you know Twilight as well as any of us. Rand knows too, even if she gets angry and refuses to acknowledge it,” she lifted my chin in a hoof to see the few tears in my eyes, as well, “if the Minister of Magic has a plan, it needs to be done. There’s something bigger here. Bigger than you. Bigger than me. Bigger than the whole Stable. I truly believe she cared about protecting these memories, books, everything, but what I just saw...” I shook my head, slightly, “there’s something else. This Stable has another purpose. That purpose has been put on my shoulders.”

“Why yours?” she pleaded, quietly.

“I’m not sure. Chance? Fate? Either way, that test was meant to make sure I was able and willing to hold this weight. A large part of me wants to go back to class tomorrow like nothing ever happened. I know, though, I can’t. I can’t just sit back while something bigger flies by. I’ve seen everything there is to offer through the memories of others. Every day I live other ponies’ lives, then end the day sitting in a gray room with an empty bottle and emptier life. Now I can live it for real. The rush I felt during that test was like nothing else I’ve ever experienced. It was real I want to feel it again and again. I want to make a difference, like the Ministry Mares, or the Marauders, or the Cutie Mark Crusaders. I want to uncover the mysteries that have bugged me my whole life.

“I can’t do any of that here, and now, I have another option.”

We sat there in silence, looking into each others eyes. A part of me wanted so desperately for her to beg me to let her go too, but I knew she wouldn’t. She was comfortable here, and felt the fulfillment I had never known. So, we just sat there, silently saying our goodbyes, neither able to say another word. Finally, she embraced me, and we both sat a long while and sobbed.

I stood there, staring at the huge steel door that sealed Stable 42 away from the world outside. It was quiet, as I stood there, alone. Nopony had seen me get up in middle of the night and slip down the halls. When they awoke, a note scrawled neatly on the chalk board of classroom 1 would tell them all where I went. Until then, I was a ghost. Neither here nor gone.

I stood at the controls, entering the passcode we all knew, but never cared to use: Smarty Pants.

“Memory?”

Oh no. I turned slowly toward the hallway to see Overmare Rand looking sorrowfully up at me.

“Memory. You don’t have to do this.”

“Yes, I do. We both know it. I’ll be back.”

She shook her head, “I can’t promise you that, and nor can you.”

For a moment, I stood there. I knew she was right. I might die. If I came home, they might not know to open the door.

I had my choice to make, one last time. In the simulation, it was life or death. Here, it wasn’t so immediate, but it was the same choice, nonetheless.

“I’m sorry, Random,” I turned my head back to the controls. Without another word, I slapped the button with my hoof.

A large arm swung down as the bolts holding the door slid to the side. Slowly, the gear-shaped door rolled to the side with a loud clang and hiss. The tunnel beyond beckoned me forward, and I obliged. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the Overmare step up to the controls to close the door behind me, leaving me in the dark cave, outside.

A click of a button turned my Pipbuck’s lamp on, illuminating the passage with its eerie green glow.

“42” read the door behind me as it shut. In front was a wooden door, a few hundred feet forward. I took a deep breath and trotted toward it.

Footnote:

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[Finished - Exit the Stable]

Chapter 4: Feel the Black

“I can kill you with my brain.”

"Who is coming?" I followed Starshatter up the stairs into the warehouse, "you can't just cryptically say "they are coming" and not give details."

"I don't know," she continued on without looking back, though her head made small movements back and forth, as if catching movement in every corner.

I put a foreleg over my face and sighed, "how can you know somepony is coming, but not know who? That makes no sense."

At this, she did stop, and turned to me, "Mister Lane. Why did you come find me?"

My hoof dropped back to the floor and after a short moment I answered, "because Twilight Sparkle told me to."

"You trust Twilight?"

"Of course. I wouldn't have come, otherwise."

"Well, Twilight trusted me, so don't you think you should, as well?"

We stood there a moment, just looking at each other. With a nod from me, she wordlessly turned toward the front door and we continued.

"How long do we have? Can we look around here for supplies, first?"

She shook her head, "we have at most ten minutes. They come from Maripony. The thread is strong, and appeared as soon as the terminal downstairs connected to the network."

"Thread?"

"I will explain later, when we aren't pressed for time. Just know, if I say something will happen, it likely will. Now," she didn't finish. She froze in place, one hoof still in the air, mid-step, "how? How are they already here?" She looked around, frantically, then locked eyes with me.

No, she was looking past me.

"Memory, duck!"

I fell to my belly, but nothing seemed to happen, until a neon blue bolt of energy flew from Starshatter's horn, over my head and struck the empty air, above. There was a shimmer of light and a large, blue unicorn appeared.

A unicorn with wings.

An alicorn.

"What the-?" two more alicorns, one purple, one green, appeared to either side of her, and I found myself surrounded by a green bubble shield.

"This one is no threat," the purple muttered to her comrades about me, "focus on the filly. She is the one we need."

Another blast of Starshatter's magic impacted the shield, but to no effect. The newcomers stood calmly as the blue one composed itself from the hit. From what I could tell, the attack had merely startled her out of her invisibility spell without actually doing any damage.

All I could think to say was, "who are you?"

For a moment, I thought they planned to just ignore me, as they stood stoically still, but then the purple one's eyes lowered to me in a contemptuous gaze, "We are The Goddess. This land and everything in it belongs to Us. We have come to reclaim Our faithful student, here," her gaze lifted to meet Starshatter's.

She simply stared back in confusion, "student? What are you talking about?"

The large, purple alicorn strode forward, confidently, and I began to understand, as its dark violet mane billowed in a non-existent breeze. I saw it, now, and the look on Starshatter's face told me she did, as well.

"Twilight?" we spoke in unison, my voice slightly startling the pseudo-Twilight-alicorn-thing, but she recomposed herself and stepped to the edge of the shield.

"Yes, Starshatter. I am your mentor and teacher, Twilight Sparkle. Come with me. We can reclaim Equestria and rule together."

Silence. We both stared at this strange creature who looked so much like Twilight Sparkle, but somehow seemed... off. I felt like I was in some bizarro world, slightly offset from my own, where everything felt familiar, but wrong.

What was I missing?

"Wh-what happened to you?"

The Twilight-thing bowed its head, "it is a long story, my faithful student. Nearly two hundred years have happened to me," as she spoke, I looked around. There was something here to answer my questions, I just knew it. The purple alicorn stood a few feet away back turned from me to face Starshatter. The other two stood side-by-side opposite. Not a muscle moved. They didn't so much as blink, just staring straight ahead, as if in a trance. I just lay there, feeling... itchy?

"But you... you're an alicorn! Like the Princesses! And you call yourself a goddess?"

"THE Goddess!" Twilight bellowed, "I am The One and Only, Great and Powerful Goddess!"

Great and Powerful? Where had I heard that, before?

"The Twilight I know," Starshatter began, hesitantly, "she wouldn't say things like that."

"As I said, my little pony, a lot has happened in a century-and-a-half. The world we knew has ended. I have a duty to my fellow ponies, and to Equestria."

Wait a minute. As she spoke, the itching got worse. Now I realized it wasn't itching. It was static, like from a radio, but it seemed to fill my whole body. I looked up and saw the other two alicorns cringing slightly, as if from migraines.

Something was most definitely wrong. I glanced over at Starshatter, and she, as if feeling my gaze, met it. The look in her eyes was one of absolute fear. She knew as well as I: this was wrong. It needed to end. We could not go with them.

Slowly, I stood. I heard Starshatter begin talking again, but didn't pay attention. What she said was meant to distract pseudo-Twilight, not be anything meaningful for me. I took a few cautious steps, watching the blue and green alicorns for reaction, but they stood as still as before. As quietly as I could, I slipped behind them and into the maze of boxes, letting the voices fade away.

What was I supposed to do? Last night, I had fought a rabid pony zombie, but this was different. These were alicorns! Three of them! Casually standing in a warehouse in the middle of nowhere, talking to me and a pony I just met.

I guess I had asked for adventure.

With a soft sigh, I scanned the boxes around me for anything I could use. Explosives would be too dangerous to us, especially with all the other boxes of explosives, around. I was pretty sure a simple rifle or handgun wouldn't do much, especially after seeing how much Starshatter's magic missile didn't do. Then there was that shield to factor in.

Did it only protect from magic? I walked through it just fine. Would a bullet go through? I couldn't risk the time to try. I had one shot at this.

Suddenly, the weight of what I was thinking hit like a pallet of bricks. I was casually thinking about killing three alicorns. What was wrong with me? Zombies are one thing, but these were sentient, thinking ponies. On top of that, they had done nothing to us, aside from being creepy and demanding.

My butt hit the floor as I just sat there a moment, letting my thoughts and feelings settle. Right now, Starshatter was stalling for me as best she could. I had to make a choice. I didn't have enough information. This thing claimed to be Twilight. What if she was? Had she been mutated? What if it was a changeling? Or something worse, brought on by the ambient radiation and end of the world? If we trusted it, would it help us, or eat us? Or worse.

"Find Starshatter. She will guide you. You are fated to save Equestria," Twilight's words echoed through my head. Starshatter didn't like this situation. She knew before these alicorns arrived, they were bad news. Twilight had trusted her. I needed to do the same. That didn't mean I had to kill.

The static came to mind. It seemed to hurt them, but seemed to be coming from the purple one. Was she the one in command? If I disabled her, the other two might go down, too. I was sure, somewhere in here, was a non-lethal weapon of some kind.

Danger – Starmetal.

The static I had felt before seemed to be stronger, here. It echoed in my head and through my bones. As I approached, my whole body began to feel like a tuning-fork. I remembered a lesson about starmetal. It wasn't incredibly long or detailed, and was steeped in unconfirmed myth and legend, but I recalled the experiments into magic-dampening effects.

This was it. My silver bullet. I pulled a crowbar from a nearby rack and pried open the crate to reveal a small case of silver bullets. How poetic.

I didn't want literal bullets, though. I needed something less puncturing. Luckily, there were a plethora of other options in this small treasure chest. After checking my pipbuck's inventory screen, I grabbed everything I could and hurried back the way I came.

Starshatter was still talking with the purple alicorn when I returned. The conversation had turned to the past, and I saw tears in the younger mare's eyes. Her attention briefly turned to me when I sneaked up and I waved the needle gun I had found. A moment passed as I waited for confirmation. What had she learned in those minutes I was gone? Had things changed? Was this actually Twilight?

The look she gave me was pure anguish. There was no Twilight here. Even if this thing had been, at one time, it was not, anymore. I lifted the gun and approached the shield. With a shimmer, I passed through and came up behind the purple not-Twilight. My aim shook as I held the dart gun in my mouth, inching ever closer to ensure I got a good shot.

S.A.T.S. flicked on and gave me a 100% chance of a hit on her torso. I queued up the attack and the little gun fired its silvery meteorite dart. The magic of my E.F.S. guided my vision in slow motion as the needle sliced through the air in a precise arc, ending in the rump of the so-called Goddess.

Never had I heard a more horrible sound than the scream she let out. It was as if hundreds of voices were wailing in my head. The static rose to a brain-melting crescendo. I felt something wet on my lips and wiped it away, only to find blood on my leg. The blue and green alicorns were screaming now, as well. With a flicker, the shield disappeared. The blue flickered in and out of visability. Then they all disappeared. The screaming stopped, though the static remained in the back of my head, like a bad case of tinnitus.

Neither of us spoke. I saw blood dripping from Starshatter’s nose, as well, and hobbled over to gently wipe it away. She flinched back, then looked at my bloody hoof with wide eyes.

“That can’t be healthy,” she managed after a moment.

I chuckled, half-heartedly, “what do you think that was about?”

She looked around the warehouse with that dancing blue gaze, then back to me, “there was a thread from the green one back toward Maripony,” she spoke quietly, still in pain, “it linked them all. But it was fuzzy, at times. When that dart hit…” she shuddered, “it was like a balefire bomb going off in my head, and they felt it too. What did you hit it with?”

“Starmetal. I found a crate of the stuff. Figured it would be non-lethal. I didn’t expect...” I gestured helplessly as she nodded.

“It doesn’t matter now. They are gone, but we should still leave, at once.”

We made our way carefully through the warehouse. My vision was slightly blurred, making every step in the cluttered space a hazard, but we eventually made it to the big main doors. They were closed.

“Is this how you entered?”

I nodded and shoved the door, with no effect, save a slight rattle, “locked.”

Her vision became magical as she looked around the room. I’d had enough time in the dark, and spoke up, “okay, we have a moment. We’re stuck here anyway, so why don’t you explain this thing with ‘threads’ and that blue glow in your eyes?”

She looked back to me and the glow died. With a sigh, she sat against a crate and waited for me to do the same, “my special talent,” she said, slowly, “is to see connections. I can see everything as if it is connected by strings. For example, a mother and daughter, when together, will have a unique string, due to their familial bond. It is further unique based on their specific relationship. An abusive relationship will change the thread in one way, while a co-dependent thread will look another way.

“This can be used to make assumptions about the past and future. For example, I see a few threads coming from you,” as she spoke, the magic returned to her eyes, and she looked from me, into the distance, and back, a few times, “one is connected to me. It is our current relationship, and our joined destiny. Another two lead to the south. One seems distressed, the other feels like it leads to your home. It carries comfort, and familiarity.”

I nodded, “my home is to the south. The other is likely the slavers and ghouls that attacked me, last night.”

“So it is the past I see. Another thread links you far to the north. It is intertwined with my own, so I assume it leads to our destiny, whatever it may be.”

We sat there in silence, for a moment as I processed all of this. Finally, “but it’s just vague images?”

She shook her head, “not even images, really. More like emotional cues. It’s like a splash of color, or varying brightness. My own mood seems to affect it, sometimes. I can never be sure of what it tells me, though it always makes a good guide.”

A laugh stopped me from answering, and the voice of the purple alicorn echoed through the building, “we isn’t that good for us, then?” she appeared between us and the door with a flash. I raised the needle gun but just as quickly found it flying from my mouth as her telekinesis yanked it away, “fool me once,” not-Twilight growled, “your little stunt may have worked the first time, but nopony can defeat The Goddess.”

I was in the air, now. A purple glow surrounded me and then tossed me down the row, into a stack of crates, which came tumbling down on top of me. Starshatter rose to help, but the green alicorn appeared and the shield with it. This time, it didn’t allow ponies through, and Star’s hoof tapped helplessly against it.

“Enough games, my student. Come with me, and we will add your power to the Unity. With it, we will be truly omniscient,” I watched helplessly as my new companion was lifted into the air. Frantically, I scanned the area for anything that could help. A row down was the label “Danger – Explosives.” The idea forming in my head was very crude and very bad.

What the hay. I had survived zombies, alicorns, and slavers. What was a little fire and shrapnel? My inventory told me I had three incendiary starmetal bullets. Why those pieces of overkill existed, I will never know. What I do know, now: they were scary.

One of the pipe pistols I had taken from the slaver camp was the right caliber, so I chambered one of the magic bullets and took careful aim. Out of the corner of my eye, the alicorns gathered close together, with Starshatter between them. The purple and green’s horns glowed brightly as I pulled the trigger.

Like a rainboom, the bullet split the air in an iridescent ripple, seeming to set the very atmosphere on fire. No time passed between the impact and the explosion of crates upon crates of high-explosive munitions. All of Equestria seemed to shake around me. Splinters of wood, metal, plastic, and more spread from the epicenter as if in slow motion, taking surrounding crates with them, igniting anything explosive within range in a deadly chain reaction.

I turned to see the alicorns startled out of their spell. For a moment, the green shield faltered, but held strong against the flying debris and flame. Starshatter’s horn flared in that moment of confusion.

Slow motion ended. I found myself flying again. This time, it was lateral to the others, as the massive explosion shoved me clear across the warehouse. I lay against the far wall, unable to see the other ponies. What I could see was the carnage I caused. The explosions were dying, now. Just the occasional pop of a lone grenade or pressurized tank. The flames, however, were just starting. They climbed their way up the piles of crates to lick the sheet metal ceiling. They weren’t yet to me, but I could already feel their heat against me. The warehouse was turning into an oven. The metal above was starting to glow a dim red.

The heat was too much. I felt myself slipping into unconsciousness. I had to hold on. The smoke filled my lungs and I coughed, “S-Sta-cough-arsh-cough-cough,” I rose unsteadily to my feet. As the heat pummeled me and my bones creaked and cracked inside, I felt that same feeling I had, last night. I knew I could do this. I had to. Starshatter had seen that thread. It connected us and pulled us north. I had to trust her and her talent. We were going to get through this!

I found myself galloping through the halls, despite the protestations of my damaged body. I hardly felt the lick of the flames as I wove between pillars of fire and raining shards of flame. A faint white light in a sea of orange guided my way back to the now-open front door.

“Open” was relative, I found when I got there. More like blown off its tracks.

Three alicorns lay outside, unconscious. Starshatter stood over them, watching the warehouse, intently. As I staggered out, she rushed to meet me, “I knew you would make it! I don’t know how, you did, but I followed your thread the whole way,” she looked back to the other three, “I managed to put a sleep spell on them during the initial confusion. I don’t think it will last much longer, though. We need to leave now.”

“You don’t have to tell me, twice,” ignoring my broken bones and burned flesh, we hurried out the gate and down the slope, into the foothills, below.

Footnote: Level Up

New Perk Added: Toughness – If nothing else, you can take a beating! Instantly gain 20% more Damage Resistance.

Chapter 5: Reaching Out

“I swallowed a bug.”

We had gone a kilometer or two when Starshatter turned back toward the compound and spoke, "they are waking up."

"How do you..." I stopped myself, "right. We should find somewhere to hide."

A few minutes of searching found us under a small outcropping of rocks. It was more an awning than a cave, with three of four directions exposed. It was better than nothing, but certainly not enough. We hunkered down and I shrugged off my saddlebags with a groan.

“I think I can handle cover,” I said as I thumbed through my Pipbuck’s inventory, “we have two healing potions and a med-x. I think half the bones in my body are broken. Do you know healing spells?”

She hesitated, but nodded, “I can do very basic healing. Enough to supplement a potion.”

“Good. If you’ll fix me up, I’ll get us hidden,” a vial and bottle of water were taken from my bag and I moved closer to Starshatter. She drank one of the healing potions to mend her minor injuries, then stuck the painkiller into me.

“Even with the medicine, this will hurt. I’m not...” she shook her head and sighed, “I’ll manage. Just try to hold still.”

I did as she asked, mostly. Only my forelegs and head moved as I poured some water into the flask and went back to my Pipbuck’s inventory screen. A light blue glow surrounded me and I felt my insides begin to move around. A cracked rib re-positioned to its proper place. My hips shifted back square. I winced with every movement, but the med-x made it tolerable enough to focus on my potion ingredients.

“Are you making more healing potions?” she asked after a moment. I chuckled and shook my head.

“I wish. That’s master level stuff. I know the concepts, but definitely couldn’t manage, myself,” I rolled the mixture around a bit and held it up to my face, “no, this is basic, foal-level alchemy. We need concealment, so I’m going to make some.”

“Right,” she replied, “you told me that. I’m sorry.”

I shrugged, then regretted the motion as my shoulders popped and I was giving an admonishment from my healer. After a moment, I was the one to break the silence, “your healing spell is interesting,” I commented, “non-standard, for sure,” she blushed, and I hurried to expand my statement, “you’re using your thread magic, aren’t you? Looking at the connections in my body, then using telekinesis to move them home, so the potion has better effect,” as I spoke, I plucked a few dead grasses from the ground and added them to my potion. It let out a puff of smoke and turned a pleasant purple, “could you take a moment and pour this along the perimeter of our little cave?”

Her magic levitated the vial, “you are interesting, Mister Lane,” poured the potion around us, “you have quite the knowledge of magic, for an earth pony.”

I smiled as little green shoots of grass began to sprout and grow, “well, I grew up in a Stable dedicated to knowledge, and I was the teacher,” my grass had already reached a foot tall, and was still growing, “I think I read or watched every scrap of material in that place,” three feet tall, and the plants stopped.

Then promptly withered and died.

“Get into practical usage, though,” I sighed, heavily, “and I tend to fall flat. I guess, in a way, we are all one trick ponies, huh?”

Starshatter chuckled and resumed her work on my injuries, “your potion performed its function. The dead grass is more natural looking, anyway. I’ve not seen much living foliage around.”

I yelped as a muscle snapped into place, but nodded in agreement, “I knew things would be bad, after the war, but this is beyond anything I could have imagined.”

“It is hard to believe, after a century-and-a-half,” she added, “everything is still so… dead.”

“Last night,” I looked up at the clouds, through the grass, “there was a storm. Not a normal one, either. The rain burned like acid, and every lightning strike tripped my radiometer.”

“So it was a radiation storm?”

I nodded, “and with it came mindless, mutated, glowing zombie ponies. For lack of a better description. It makes no sense.”

We both sat a moment in silence. It was interrupted a moment later by a grumble from Starshatter’s stomach. She blushed, but I just laughed a bit, “you haven’t eaten in over a century, have you?”

At this, she laughed, too, “they made me fast for a whole day before I went to sleep.”

I thumbed through my Pipbuck and brought out a paper-wrapped package, “here, I have some food from my Stable. The cooks back there came up with this thing they call a ‘cherrychanga,’” she was just staring at me, “I know, stupid name, but it’s really good.”

She shook her head, “it’s not that. But… are you sure you read every book in your Stable?”

“Yes… why?”

“Well, your friends didn’t invent the cherrychanga. It was made long before the war. By Pinkie Pie.”

Silence, again.

“Damn it, Bell Pepper.”

Starshatter laughed again and took one of the pastries, “anyway, I finished with your injuries. The potion should finish the healing process.”

I thanked her and drank my potion, chasing it down with a cherrychanga after cursing Straw and Bell, again. All those years. How many other “original creations” had been stolen from secret cookbooks? Prepackaged lessons, my flank.

A yawn escaped my mouth and my healing bones cracked as I reflexively stretched and winced. It had been over a day since I last slept, and I was feeling it. Or was that a concussion?

“Get some rest, Mister Lane. I can keep watch. I have been asleep for one hundred and fifty years, after all.”

I chucked again and moved to the back of the little cave, “only if you stop calling me Mister Lane. Memory is fine. Or even Mem. All my friends call me Mem. Only my students call me Mister Lane,” I shrugged off my saddlebags and stretched out in the cool shade, “or, I guess, called,” I think I heard her say something, but I was already drifting into sleep.

My dreams were filled with putrid green clouds. They swirled and danced and spit their acid rain in torrents. As I floated among them, a pair of glowing green eyes lanced out of the fog and bore into me. Two more pairs, purple and blue, opened on either side of the first set.

Unity...

I watched as the clouds swirled in a maelstrom of acid and baleful green lightning around the three pairs of disembodied eyes.

The One and Only.

Great and Powerful.

Goddess.

Great and Powerful

A hideous laugh echoed across my mindscape, sending ripples through the storm. Small eddies and whirlpools coalesced into shambling pony forms. They let out their damned wails, causing more ripples to condense into the wretched abominations.

Still, the alicorn eyes watched me.

The Great and Powerful...

Where had I heard that?

Witness the magic...

The eyes grew wide in shock and the shambling horde ceased their mindless roaming to stare at me.

Witness the magic of the Great...

They charged me, screaming their cry of endless pain. The click-click-click of a Geiger counter set a percussive drumbeat to their endless song and steady march.

and Powerful...

I was surrounded. A wave of toxic, screaming monsters crashed upon me.

T-

I woke with a start, unsure how long I had actually been asleep.

“Are you okay, Mis- er, Memory?”

My neck cracked as I sat up, “just a bad dream. No surprise, all things considered,” Starshatter was sitting a few feet from me. My saddlebags were beside her, with the contents arrayed in a half-circle around her. She wore a pitch-black cloak woven with some form of silver thread. Was that…?

“Oh,” she blushed, mistaking my stare, “I’m sorry. I asked, but you were already asleep. I shouldn’t have gone through your things without permission.”

“No, no. It’s fine. I’m just looking at that cloak. Was that in my bags? Is that starmetal wire woven into it?”

She looked down, “yes. It was probably in the crate you took everything else from. I got cold, and thought it was pretty, so I put it on. I hope that’s okay.”

“Of course. It suits you. The pattern looks like a field of stars. Couldn’t be more perfect for somepony named Star.”

A giggle and another blush were her reply. She went back to sifting through my acquisitions, and I re-positioned so I could watch, “did I get anything else interesting? We were in a hurry, so I just hit the ‘take all’ button on my pipbuck. Heh.”

She picked up items as she spoke of them, “well, it is mostly starmetal bullets of various kinds. About a dozen normal ones,” she scoffed “as normal as a bullet made from a meteorite can be. There are also a couple each of incendiary, shock, acid, and...” she trailed off, holding a pair of purple-banded silver slugs, “taint?”

I shrugged, “all I know is those incendiary rounds are mean. One of them is what took out that warehouse. More or less.”

Starshatter was extra careful as she set the bullets back, “then there’s one huge bullet. Looks like it belongs to an anti-tank rifle, or something. It was in a black box that opened when I touched it,” she slid the plain black box toward me and I looked inside. A shell as big as my foreleg sat on a velvet bed.

“Pretty. Don’t see much use to it, though.”

“It has its own thread,” she took it back, “like it has a destiny of its own. Its not unheard of for objects, but usually only highly magical artifacts have obvious threads.”

We sat in silence a moment. I stood carefully and moved beside my companion, “any sign of our three creepy friends?”

“Once. They flew overhead, toward Maripony. I haven’t seen them, since. There is no sign of their threads, either.”

I picked up one of the crude pipe rifles I scavenged off of the slavers, “I can’t see them giving up, so easily,” the gun was rusty and in dire need of repair. The other rifle and two pistols I had were in similar states. I remembered courses on gun maintenance and repair, but without a workbench or magic, I knew it would be a waste of time.

“I agree. It is almost nightfall. We should wait until then. I believe, with my magic, we might have an advantage over them, in the dark.”

“What about the starmetal?” she just looked at me, so I clarified, “I mean, it seemed to hurt them, right? Like normal silver and werewolves? I’m sure we could use that against them.”

Star put her hoof to her chin in thought, “we don’t know for sure if it was the starmetal, though. The dart you used could have been special. If they infuse bullets with magic, they could do so to darts, as well. Some kind of fast-acting neurotoxin, or insanity spell.”

“Fair enough. There was a static, though. In my head. I’m sure you felt it, too. It seemed to get louder when I was near the crate of starmetal. It was worst when the dart hit the alicorn’s flank.”

Another moment of silence. One by one, we picked the scavenged items off the ground and returned them to my saddlebags, letting my Pipbuck’s inventory spell auto-organize them all. Aside from the bullets, there was a set of heavy boots, which I put on over my Stable jumpsuit. They were a fine blue dragonhide, with a single large scale on the front of each one, adding rigidity and a magical aura of strength. As I slipped them on, I swear I felt lighter on my feet.

“As much as I appreciate experimentation and the scientific method,” Star picked up the remain starmetal object in her magic, “I don’t think we should be gambling our lives, especially when we only have a cloak, a few bullets, and...” she twirled the three-foot rod, “a bo staff..”

“I cannot even imagine how much that piece cost to make.”

She shook her head, “I heard rumors of a large meteorite under Hoofington. It’s possible it was found and mined. Still, to use it all for a staff? Seems a waste.”

“I’m sure they had a reason. Not necessarily a good reason, but a reason,” I looked long and hard at the two-dozen small metal darts I had acquired. They didn’t look special, aside from the obvious space-rock aspect. No poisons or glows of enchantment. Then again, I had little practical experience with item appraisal. So, I shoved them into my bags. They weren’t much use, without the dart gun, but hopefully I would find a new one.

By now, the sun was settling on the distant horizon. After a brief cherry-filled meal, we poked our heads out from my dead grass. The night was quiet and dark. Clouds still obscured any signs of stars or moon. The only light was the faint orange glow of the setting sun reflecting off the underside of the cloud curtain. I saw Starshatter pull the hood of her cloak over her head, making her all-but-disappear amongst the shadows. Hopefully my blue outfit was dark enough to grant me similar advantages, though I didn’t hold my breath.

The ground down here at the base of the mountain range was much smoother and easier to traverse than the cliffs we had descended from. The path northward was winding and indirect, however. We had to stay in the lower valleys, both for ease and cover. Occasionally, my new friend would pause in front of me, look around, and continue on. I knew she was looking at and for threads, but it was still a bit unsettling. We spoke little, only brief warnings about sharp rocks, holes, or navigational inquiries. Overall, though, we followed our woven threads north. Towards our destinies, but also toward Maripony, and toward the strange alicorns who called themselves Twilight.

“Of course there are giant bucking cockroaches,” my pipe rifle spit a bullet into the head of one such ‘radroach’ as Starshatter impaled another on her staff, “radiation, zombies, and cockroaches. The apocalypse triad is complete. Now we just need the Four Ponies and it’s a full house.”

“Well you would make a good Pale Pony.”

“Gee, thanks,” the last roach fell to my gun and I holstered the weapon, “though I do seem good at killing roaches,” I grimaced.

“You would have made a decent soldier in the War,” she agreed, “I’m lucky to have you as my bodyguard.”

“Never thought I’d be accused of being somepony’s bodyguard.”

“Strength isn’t everything needed in a knight.”

“Now I know you’re just buttering me up. You don’t need to flatter me so much. Even if I hated you, we are stuck together,” I facehoofed, “that came out wrong. I don’t hate you. I like you. Well, not like that. I mean, you’re young enough to be my daughter!”

She giggled and continued past the dead insects, “I understand, Memory. Please, just quit talking.”

I did as I was told and shut up, following the mare I was sworn to protect. She was right, though. Despite the unorthodox methods, I was doing a decent job of protecting and escorting her, thus far. Escort was the wrong word, again. I meant…

Another facehoof and I shook the stupid thoughts from my head. Walking behind her as her hips swayed, though…

UGH.

It was just stress. Definitely just stress. I might as well have had these thoughts about my students! That was it. I would think of her as a student. I guessed she was maybe eleventh or twelfth year equivalent, but wasn’t sure.

“Can I ask a very personal question?”

She looked over her shoulder at me, “I am twenty-one. I was a student of Twilight’s when I was frozen, remember?”

Was I that obvious?

“And yes, you are easier to read than a book. Don’t take it personally.”

I grumbled incoherently under my breath as we wound through the valley. So she was technically young enough to be my daughter, though not a student, anymore. There went my coping mechanism. It also made me feel old. I could have an adult daughter, my now. I didn’t even have a special somepony.

I kicked a rock. The rock hissed at me. Great. Now the rocks were alive, too.

Ten little legs extended from the overturned stone and flailed wildly in the air. It was sad, but comical. I took pity on it and flipped it back over. It was small and harmless, anyway. It skittered off into the cracks of the canyon wall. My pipbuck told me it was a rock crab. Biology lessons from my past confirmed it in my mind. Hardy little creatures. No surprise they survived the end of the world.

“Hurry up, Memory!” I looked up to see Starshatter had climbed half way up the stone face, to a ledge about five feet up, “we need to find a place to camp by daybreak.”

I scrambled up after her and we walked along the narrow path. It was just wide enough for two ponies to walk side-by-side, but I still walked behind her. The first signs of sunlight were peeking over the ridge when we found low cave in the rocks.

“How far do you think we’ve gone?”

I checked my pipbuck, “my map shows us about a quarter of the way to Appleloosa. We should be near the old Pie Rock Farm.”

“Is it too far out of the way?” when I shook my head, she continued, “we should stop by there and see if we can get any useful crystals.”

“Can you enchant them?”

She hesitated, “sort of. In the same manner I can heal.”

“You can jury rig a spell with a thread?”

“More or less. It isn’t stable, and might destroy the stone, but it would be better than nothing.”

“It would certainly help,” I looked around the cave as Starshatter set her horn aglow. It was small, barely two ponies wide, and half a head taller than he, but it stretched and wound far back into the cliff, “I’m worried about what might be in here, but if we don’t go too far, it should be okay.”

She nodded and we settled down a few meters from the opening.

I was just digging into my saddlebag for food, when I heard a skittering noise. It was much louder than the crab I had saved earlier, as if the legs were the size of a pony’s. The clack-clack-clack echoed through the chamber as whatever it was crawled across the ground above us, toward the small canyon we just left.

The source of the noise appeared in the mouth of the cave, clinging to the ceiling, now. A rock crab of enormous size, twice the size of a large stallion. It froze when it saw us and let out a horrendous hiss.

Starshatter and I shared a wide-eyed glance, hastily picked up our supplies, and retreated farther into the cave, as the clicking of giant claws thundered behind us.

Footnote: Level Up

New Perk Added: Alchemist – Potions you create last 20% longer.

Chapter 3: Are Doomed to Repeat it

“What makes you think you're so special?! Like the rules of common courtesy don't apply to you?! Why don't you pick on somepony your own size!”

It was dark. Honestly, that kind of surprised me, even though my Pipbuck said it was late night. After a century-and-a-half, I figured something would have slipped a cog, and our clocks would be wrong. I also got a bit of disappointment when I looked up at the sky. Instead of stars and Luna’s moon, all I could see were clouds, as far as the eye could see. A faint drizzle coated everything, including me, after just a few minutes.

As I stood on the cliff, midway up one of the Macintosh Hills (“hill” was a bit of an understatement, in my opinion), I was saddened at the view before me. Just that morning, I had had this exact view from a memory. Now, here I was, with the ruins of Appleloosa barely visible on the horizon, the scorched gray buildings blending in to the bleak, dreary surroundings. The old orchards were now a cemetery of ghostly trees. Closer, I could see the old military base, a few miles away, and the torn-up path down to it, rising back to the low plateau the base rested on.

With a sigh, I started down, picking carefully around rocks, concrete, and thin, thorny bushes. My laden saddle bags rocked heavily against my flank, and my Pipbuck cast a dim green light ahead of me. After a few minutes of walking, I decided to experiment as I went. A soft click, followed by static signaled my Pipbuck’s radio turning on. I flipped between stations, not really expecting to find anything in this barren waste.

“Heeelloooo, chiiildren! This is DJ PON3! Your voice in the Wasteland!”

I tripped and fell to my face. Another voice! There was somepony out there with a transmitter! Doing a radio show, no less! As my brain refocused, I took stock of what I had just heard. DJ PON3. That name sounded familiar, though I couldn’t place where. I’m sure it was a footnote in a lesson, or something. It would probably strike me in an hour or two, after the moment had passed.

“How are all my little ponies out there, this fine evening?” he laughed, half-heartedly, “well, fine by Wasteland standards, anyway. I’m doing just peachy, myself. There’s very little news, tonight, and you all know the saying: no news is good news!” he laughed again, “we do, however, have one small piece of news. It seems there is an unusually high amount of raider activity on the southern borders, south of Appleloosa, into northern Caledonia. My sources can’t say for sure what’s going on, but they seemed better armed and more organized, than usual. So if, for some strange reason, you find yourself down south, be careful. And now I grace you with an old Sweetie Belle classic.”

Well that was… strangely relevant. As the song started, I analyzed the situation. Raiders? I knew the word, of course, but couldn’t figure out the meaning in this context. Maybe the zebras were still attacking Equestrian cities, after all this time. I’d have to keep watch for that. Maybe I could find one of those towns to rest in for the night.

My journey seemed to be taking far longer than Twilight’s in the memory. The path was no longer much of a path, and I had to tip-toe around rocks and scale small cliffs to continue my trek.

The faint glow an hour in was a welcome sight. Assuming it wasn’t a zebra camp, it had to be a town. My map was unhelpful in this regard, giving me no icons, save “Stable 42” behind me.

I approached cautiously, until I saw the ponies around the single campfire, and no zebras. A few battered tents encircled the meager camp. My EFS showed the ponies as green, non-hostile. I stepped into the clearing and waved, “hello, every-” I found four guns shoved into my face before I could finish.

“Well, well well, what do we have here?” a pure-red unicorn said with a smirk. Closer up, and in the glow of his red magic, I could see he wore thick armor that looked like hide, adorned in metal spikes. Now that I looked, they all wore similar get-ups. One by one, they changed to red on my EFS.

“He’s kinda skinny, but looks healthy enough,” a pony who looked like nothing but a silhouette said, “think that new guy up in Filly would like him?”

“Worth a shot,” red replied, “though, he might not make it that far. Small loss, I guess,” he pressed his face close to mine, “good Goddesses, he’s got all his teeth, even. Looks clean as a whistle, too.”

An earth pony with a gun in his mouth spat it out and started toward my saddle bags, “let’s see what he has here.”

I started to back away, but bumped into the fourth pony and felt his shotgun press against the back of my head, “where do you think you’re going, you’re ours, now,” he chuckled.

The scream made everyone freeze. My blood ran cold as ice. My attackers looked between each other, then to the outskirts of the camp. Another scream answered from the opposite side, then another from the north, much closer. A faint green glow appeared over a nearby hill, and the red unicorn actually relaxed, a bit.

“Just a radiation storm, you pussies,” he said, “must have been the wind howling through the canyons. Get him chained up and get to bed. I want to make Appleloosa tomorrow.”

I soon found myself with chains on my legs, binding me to a tent post at the edge of the camp. My saddle bags and few possessions had been taken to another tent. I watched as the dark sky started to glow a faint green. An occasional flash could be seen to the west, accompanied by a rumble of thunder and a click of my Pipbuck’s Geiger counter. Radiation storm. It was all I feared it would be, as a trickle of acid raid began to fall around me, burning my coat and forcing me to hunker as close to the tent as I could for protection. Every drop felt like hot needles searing my flesh. Flashes of high-radiation discharges made the clicking increase, slowly tapering until another flew across the sky like an angry Windigo. The green tinge to the sky only made the whole ordeal more depressing. I found myself wondering if things could get worse.

Then came the screams, again. An unearthly scream, as if the storm itself were wailing from the pain it caused. The glow brightened to the north, and a new red marker appeared on my EFS. Then another. And another. From all sides. Half-a-dozen new hostiles were approaching the camp. Before long, I could see the northernmost one.

It was kind of hard not to, as it glowed brighter than the raging storm. It looked like a pony, but its flesh was exposed and wrinkled, its mouth hanging agape in an endless wail. The abomination charged down the hill, rousing my captors to groggily grab their guns and look around in confusion. Once they saw the newcomer, however, they balked.

“Ghouls!” I heard one shout, “everypony run! Leave the prisoner, we have to get out of here!” the four of them started south, only to be met with another two zombies, though not glowing, charging toward them. Another two pairs closed in from the east and west.

I struggled against my chains to no avail. Looking down, I couldn’t help but wonder if I could pick them, especially with all the commotion around. I dropped into SATS and queued up a- Oh. Right. They took my saddlebags. I looked around. My Pipbuck told me these zombies were “ghouls,” except for the glowing one, which was called, well, a “glowing one.” Original. My captors were listed as “slavers.” Go figure. Right now, the chains were my main concern. I couldn’t pick them. I couldn’t break them. It was like the simulation: not enough tools for the job. I had to think differently.

The tent. Of course. As was everything in this camp (except the chains, which were surprisingly well-maintained, go figure), the tent I was chained to was old and worn. The wooden post was no bigger around than my leg, and half-rotten. I wasn’t the strongest of stallions, but I gave it a few swift kicks, anyway. I was rewarded with a crack as my hooves, though still tied together, were at least free of the camp.

Only to be pounced by a ghoul. Thankfully, not the glowing one, but this one was bad enough, as its teeth snapped at my throat and I pushed it away. It was unusually strong, and my rad meter clicked faster than ever from its ambient radiation. I started SATS, again, queuing up an attack on its head. I felt my foreleg punch automatically. It didn’t do much, but sent the creature reeling enough for me to crawl free. A quick look around showed the slavers fairing no better, despite having guns.

Red was blasting away at the glowing ghoul, his buckshot mostly melting before it even reached the monster. Two ghouls were snacking on a fallen earth pony, and the other two ponies sprayed their bullets wildly at the remaining monsters. The fallen pony was about a hundred feet from me, and his crude rifle rested beside him. It seemed my only chance, so I crawled toward him. The ravenous ghouls took little notice of me, being too busy with their meal, until my hoof was rested on the gun. The soft “click” of my chains on the weapon made them both turn their heads and scream.

SATS opened again and a bullet flew, punching clean through the closest skull, as the other two charged from either side. I rolled clumsily to the side, my chains tangling and jingling. My spell matrix couldn’t charge fast enough as I scrambled backward. I smacked the snapping jaws away with the butt of the gun, barely keeping them off of me.

My back hit something and I turned to find the red unicorn’s body, the glowing ghoul looming over it and me. I swore loudly and blinked into my compressed time spell, again. What did I have to work with, this time? 50% SATS charge. This crude pipe rifle, a beat-up shotgun, and…

I did a double-take as my eyes swept over red’s body. In his front pocket was a rainbow-colored inhaler. I recognized it from my classes – Dash. I’d never done drugs, before. I knew what it did to a pony. I also knew what these ghouls would do to this pony. A small chance of dying was much better than surely being eaten by ghouls.

The inventory spell built into my Pipbuck snatched up the inhaler and I took a large puff. Real life felt like SATS and I felt…

AWESOME.

I could do this! 50% SATS charge was more than enough. Red’s shotgun replaced the pipe rifle in my mouth and a thunderous crack sent the green ghoul sprawling and myself thrown onto my back. I rolled and returned to the piece of junk pipe rifle, sending a flurry of non-assisted bullets into the approaching attackers. Most missed, but enough hit to slow them.

Crawling to my feet, I hobbled backward, alternating between the two guns, reloading and firing, not stopping to let them get close enough. Around and around the camp we went. The tents made adequate cover from the mindless ponies, allowing me to keep distance from them. One by one, the ghouls fell, until all that was left was the glowing one, staring blankly at me from across the smoking remains of the campfire.

The acid rain and radiation were taking their toll on me, but only seemed to make this beast stronger. I panted and shook as the Dash wore off. Only two shotgun shells were left, two slugs. I had to make them count, but my legs felt weak, my eyelids heavy. “Mild Rad Poisoning” appeared in the corner of my EFS, beside “Dash Withdrawal.” Less than a day, and I was going to die.

I closed my eyes, ready to give up.

No.

I saw Anna’s tears as I told her I was leaving. The pain in Random’s face as she closed the Stable door. Twilight’s tears as she made a promise to a frozen mare. The words she spoke to me across time:

“You will do great things,”

I rose to my hooves.

“and save many lives.”

The shotgun rose.

“Project Infinity is in your hooves.”

I had a mission. A purpose. I couldn’t fail. The ghoul charged with a ghastly wail. Lightning and thunder crashed around us as I met it head-on in my own charge. Two shotgun blasts rang through the camp as the barrels plunged into the monster’s open mouth. With a final, pitiful screech, it slumped. I followed suit.

As I lay there, the green began to fade, and the rain lessened to a faint, non-poisonous trickle. Real water felt nice as it sizzled on my burnt skin. I sat up and watched as the faint orange glow of sunrise replaced the green to light the gray clouds. Turning, I saw a faint rainbow to the west, and couldn’t help but smile. I was alive. Highly-irradiated, burned, and locked in chains, but alive.

Slowly, I rose back to my hooves and over to a tent. Somewhere in this camp were my saddlebags, and a few packs of radaway in them. There should also be a key for my shackles. I searched the whole camp, even after finding the tangy orange drinks, and came out a little ahead on supplies, even after healing my burns and poisoning. By early afternoon, I was on my way again.

Needless to say, I was much more careful as I approached the military base. It looked abandoned, but I had already encountered slavers and zombies, so paranoia felt justified. For all I knew, this place could be home to aliens, mutants, or mutant alien zebras.

There wasn’t much left of the base. The perimeter fence was tangled, bent, and missing large sections. All but a few guard towers lay in crumpled heaps of rubble.

My mind went back to that memory. West warehouse, back corner. I looked around. Only a few buildings still stood. Luckily, the one I needed still looked strong and sturdy, so I trotted up and put all my weight into the large doors. They slid aside slowly and with a loud, rusty groan.

The inside looked exactly as it had in the memory. Crates stacked to the ceiling, marked with everything from “rations” to “ammunition.” I noted one small case marked “Danger – Starmetal” and took note to look again later. The place was abandoned, so why shouldn’t I have a poke around?

First came the mission. I found my way to the back of the gigantic building through the maze of supplies. The unmarked crate stood as it had for over a hundred years, and I touched the lock. A loud groan indicated it hadn’t opened in nearly as long, and I slowly descended the stairs into darkness, the light from my Pipbuck the only illumination I had.

“Halt,” the medical ponytron stood before me, rusty, but functioning, “this is a restricted area. State your name and business.”

I hesitated, but answered after a moment, “Memory Lane… here by order of Twilight Sparkle?”

It just looked at me, “Memory Lane. Authorization not found. Please vacate these premises and report to the nearest Ministry of Arcane Science agent for memory modification.”

“Wait,” I stammered, “I’m from Stable 42. Twilight told me to come down here!”

Its gaze swept over me again. There was a long, awkward pause, “Stable-Tech uniform identified. Stable 42 resident. Welcome. Subject is stable. Please Stand by for dehibernation procedures.”

I wasn’t entirely sure “dehibernation” was a word, but I did as I was told and waited as the pod at the back of the room began to glow brighter and hiss with steam. Minutes passed slowly as I sat in the boring room. Eventually, the stasis chamber rotated up and I stepped forward. With one final hiss, the lid cracked open and I gazed inside.

A young unicorn mare lay curled up inside the padded container, like a sausage in a cooler. Her coat was paler than mine, with a slight yellow tinge, and the two-tone violet mane and tail contrasted starkly. A blue web sat on her flank as a cutie mark, meaningless to me.

She opened her eyes and gasped for air. The ponytron stepped up beside me and spoke, “greetings, Starshatter. It has been one hundred fifty five years since induced hibernation. Welcome, to the world of tomorrow!”

“Was that really necessary?” I said.

“Haven’t you ever heard of a thing called showmanship?” replied the snarky robot, before returning to his computers, for whatever reason, “anyway, you should go. Your destiny awaits.”

Her eyes grew wide, and she curled up tighter, not even hearing my exchange with the ponytron. Her horn glowed a pale blue. She looked around, between various objects, and through them, and seemed to calm, though her sad expression remained. When she spoke, her voice was raw and harsh, “the world is gone, isn’t it?”

All I could do was nod.

“My mother. My father...” she stared through me, “the Crystal Empire. Our town. All gone.”

“No,” I replied, quietly, “not all. I’m here, still. Some ponies are alive. In Stables, at least in Stable 42, maybe more!”

“Stable-Tech networks currently show 23 Stables communicating with this terminal,” the robot piped up, “logic dictates more than that still function.”

“See? And I heard a pony on the radio, last night!”

Starshatter sighed, “I’m not looking for you to cheer me up…?” she looked me over.

“Oh!” I facehoofed, “I’m so sorry. Strange pony wandering in and waking you up without even giving you my name! I’m Memory Lane. Twilight sent me here to find you.”

Her eyes lit up, “is Twilight still?” she stopped, her eyes dancing with that strange magic, again, “no. She’s… wait…” the blue glow grew more chaotic and her head darted around in panic, as if a swarm of bugs was set upon her.

She met my gaze and I saw the blue in her eyes fade to a normal iris “we need to leave now. They’re coming.”

Footnote: Level Up

New Perk Added: Egghead Rage - Fluttershy. Is. ANGRY! When your Health drops below 20%, time slows and you gain +20 Damage resistance and do 20% more damage while the effect lasts.