“If you could only sense how important you are to the lives of those you meet; how important you can be to people you may never even dream of. There is something of yourself that you leave at every meeting with another person. That something will always leave a change. Don’t you want it to be for good?”
-Fred Rogers

Pink was the first one to speak. “YES! It worked! Stable-Tec made a new me, and you just used magic that hasn’t existed in 182 years!” In that moment, everyone turned towards Pink like they could all see and hear her. Pink froze and blinked a few times, “Umm… Sunrise, can they hear me?”

“Yes, we can hear you, one of Pink, but how is far beyond my brink. I need a moment to think; she did all this with but a wink?”

The rush of emotions, mostly surprise and astoundment, was hard to fight through. I took a deep inhale before calling out, “Everyone calm down please. We are linked through a telepathy spell Pink taught me to use.” The whole group turned their thoughts towards me.

Scopola Mina was the first to say anything. “I think I need a good dose of dash right now. She did what?”

Quick Stitch actually finally lost his cool. “I… you… you are not scientifically possible. Earth ponies cannot use unicorn magic. That is completely scientifically not possible. You are scientifically impossible!”

I cleared my throat with a grin to make sure he didn’t go overboard as Nyota snickered, “So is dying and coming back to life, but she did that. I would say we should open our minds, like when I meditate or Chifundo communes with spirits.” There was a slow nod of agreement between everyone.

Alguacil looked at each of us. “So how does ‘his work? What exactly did she just do?”

Pink stood up to explain, “The Friendship Circle spell was created in the old world to allow true friends to be linked together. So long as none of you stop being friends or try to enter a new circle, you can know exactly how each other is doing. You can cast spells on each other from anywhere in Equus, possibly even in space or on the moon. That’s why her telepathy spell is working right now; Quick Stitch can heal you from hundreds of miles away or Scopola Mina can levitate you from anywhere in the world. Even in death, you can still check on each other so long as none of you stopped being friends, so Chifundo can do the spirit communion thing with your soul too.” Pink was wearing a science hat and lab coat as she pulled out a chalkboard and a white board before drawing with chalk on the white board and marker on the black board. Yet, we could all somehow both see it and understand what she was drawing on the boards.

It wasn’t because we could see the boards, but because Pink was showing it to my mind and I was relaying it to everyone else as both voice and images. It took several long seconds after that for everyone to take all that in. It wasn’t that it was hard to understand, it was just that all the rules of magic, physics, and reality we had been taught all our lives were being broken here. “I mean, I don’t wanna be rude ‘ta y’all, but Chifundo did say we ain’t exactly got a ton of time. What all can you do with this Sunrise?”

I thought about it and sighed, “Not a lot. I can blink up to 30 meters to somewhere I can already see, cast a light spell, the friendship magic one you just saw, and telepathy. That is about it. That is all Pink taught me.

“Well, in the meantime, we’ll experiment with it tonight. Sunrise, Chifundo doesn’t seem like he is going to last much longer. We are coming for you in the morning. Be ready.” Nyota motioned everyone around to come in and give me a hug. The hug held, and I could feel the love being shared between those I considered family, me, and our new foals. The feelings of how they thought they were adorable. The amazement we could have this moment, as all the emotions passed between us until they slowly faded back to the real world, and I dropped the telepathic connection from the strain of holding it.

I looked at my two foals, who smacked their lips and sleepily snuggled back in. They had barely been disturbed by all of this. My world had just expanded, and now I needed time to take it all in. I reached out to Nyota as I felt sleep overtake me. Pink took over and soon, I was locked in a space all to myself with him.

ooOOoo

“Nyota? Are you here? Not sure how long I can hold this without being slammed back into my… oh… yep, awake now.” I called out as the dreamscape faded and I was in the hospital bed again.

Great. Note to self, no secret is safe, I talk in my sleep. I looked down to see my foals curled against me. The room was quiet, and life was serene for the moment.

“Who’s Nyota? That sounds like a zebra name. Is he their father?” I looked around again to see Delta Sierra standing there with a tray of food as he talked quietly to let the foals sleep. It was the usual recaf, bran flakes, and other tasteless efficient Enclave food.

What I wouldn’t give for a fancy princess snack cake now. Even if they are two hundred years old.

“Well, it’s too bad they’ll never meet him.” Delta replied and set the tray down. A flash of fear ran through my body.

Did their plan fail? Is Nyota dead?

“Ya know, being that he is on the ground and you are permanently up here in the clouds with us?” I felt a wave of relief, yet at the same time, something I hadn’t really felt since I woke up: hatred. I glared at Delta, then relaxed once he looked nervous and stood stock still for a few seconds.

“Sorry, just a question for you,” Delta tilted his head curiously at my rollercoaster of expression and sudden cordialness. I took a breath and decided to roll the dice. “What if that were not the case? What if the Enclave is wrong and I should go free?”

Delta gave me a hard stare, pulling himself in close to look me over and then he let out a chuckle. “Had me going there for a bit. Thought I might need to report you for anti-Enclave thoughts.” I was stunned there, trying to figure him out, trying to understand what he meant. He could see my expression and then nodded as he started to explain.

“The Enclave has a very strict system with rewards for reporting those with anti-Enclave thoughts or the very idea that the Enclave is not the best and superior option for everyone. I firmly believe that the Enclave is the only thing that can save the wasteland and hope that you one day will come to see it that way. Now eat your breakfast, we have work to get to soon.” He left with a very self righteous way of holding his head high and stormed off. I knew I had offended him, and realized in that moment something horrific.

“Sometimes you simply cannot save them, Sunrise.” I heard Pink’s words and my heart felt as though a tiny tear had formed on it. It wasn’t so bad that I wanted to cry or scream, but it was just enough that I felt pity for ponies like Delta Sierra.

He’s so blinded by everything he’s always been told and taught; he cannot see a chance for freedom as anything but oppression.

Pink nodded, “My indoctrination and propaganda programs were sometimes just as brutally effective. This however, this is on a nation-wide scale. You were extremely lucky to meet Grapevine. Without him, I don’t think this souffle would souffler. We should—” Pink was interpreted as the ship rocked. I heard a distant explosion.

What? Is it— My own thoughts were drowned out by the roar of a dragon that shook my bones to their core. My heart pounded in my chest, my skin got clammy, and my blood ran cold.

That dragon that… is… bigger than this ship. I only could guess that because the next thing was another explosion and impact as the ship rocked.

I threw the breakfast down and secured my now-crying foals, their ears burning red from the sudden exposure to a terrifying dragon roar. I held them close and tried to figure out what was going on. My hooves standing in the hot recaf did not help as once I had the foals on my back, I realized how scalding that was and jumped out of it.

Right, motherly instincts make you ignore pain… note to self; check for pain first. I winced while rubbing my sensitive hooves. Pink, instead of giggling, was remaining hyper alert for something coming.

The steel door burst open from the ship’s alarm resounding, the alarm that somehow I knew was for battlestations. Grapevine was standing there, holding a bunch of my things on his back, consisting of my armor, my father’s pistol, and my bags. “Sunrise, we don’t have a lot of time! Get armored up and secure the small ones. My wife is gonna meet us, time to go!”

He put all my belongings onto the bed I had been sleeping in and took the foals into his wings, trying to shush them as he closed the door behind him and sealed it. He took my crowbar and jammed it into the manual wheel that would release the hydraulic lock.

“Where did you get my dad’s gun?” I was scrambling to get my armor plating on, not sure what good it would do to get me to the ground once we got off the ship.

“Your mother was careless and in a hurry, didn’t notice the gun disappear off her desk. Now quit talking and hurry up, your friends are here and they brought a fucking dragon with a damn cannon strapped to it’s arm!” My brain raced with possibilities as to what this was and how this was possible. I kept scrambling to get armored up. My stable-suit had to have a couple of extra places strapped tighter than normal, since I wasn’t pregnant anymore and I had less toned muscle. Once every piece was on, I took my explosives bag, which was armored to prevent the bombs inside from going off but now was empty of anything and motioned Grapevine to me.

“What is it? Can’t you see—” Grapevine continued as I took Jumoke while placing the pillow I had slept on inside the bag. Then him, followed by his sister.

“Jumoke, take care of your sister and both of you behave.” The two foals stared at me wide eyed, finally having ceased crying before I pulled the lid over the bag and prayed they would remain quiet.

“Armored bag. It is made to house my explosives, but should keep them contained and safer than riding on our backs or anywhere else.” I checked the sidearm, which had no bullets in it.

“You did not steal some bullets too?” Grapevine blushed and sighed.

“Right, I’m used to energy weapons. They weigh the same regardless if the battery is dead or not. Stupid bullet-taking guns and needing to check that.” I went to the door and removed the crowbar, unlatching it and pulling it towards me. I made sure to stay behind it and motioned Grapevine forward to check the hallway, the alarm still blaring as the ship shook again and again. It was a struggle for us to keep our hooves on the deck and not fall down. My armor did help stabilize me, but Grapevine nearly fell into the hallway.

He took in a breath and brought his head back out. “Coast is clear, they’re likely getting armed up or at battlestations. We should get you out of here.” From there it was a race. We darted through the ship and moved towards the rear of the vessel. Grapevine was taking extra care to not get near the firing station, damage control stations, or ship’s outer hull. The shaking and quaking as well as frantic radio chatter we heard passing one of the relay stations was evident that there was more than just the dragon.

We rounded a corner and Delta Sierra was standing there, staring at us in shock. “Where are you going? Shouldn’t you be in your quarters locked up tight? Why are you in your armor?” It was then that we could see him putting the pieces together with shock painting his face.

“Delta listen, we—” I didn’t get to say another word, the sound of a plasma bolt firing and his face caving in under the energy, heat, and shock of the bolt.

I turned to Grapevine, “What in Tartarus? We are not supposed to be killing ponies willy nilly!”

Grapevine snapped his head back down to me, “This is all or nothing, and Delta Sierra has been the ship’s little snitch about anti-Enclave activities since he came on board. Why did you think he was assigned to watch and work with you? He was far too brainwashed to ever see the light. We don’t have time to argue.” He pushed me on and checked around as the body lay smoking on the ground. We started down the hallway as Grapevine let out a sigh and kept the plasma pistol in his wing at the ready. “Besides, his name wasn’t really Delta Sierra, that’s just what we call him. Earth ponies don’t get names in the Enclave, you get serial numbers. DS1178-R144. That was his name. You would have gotten one too and certainly wouldn’t be called Sunrise anymore. Now keep moving.”

He kept us hustling despite my heart’s protest of how wrong it was to kill an unarmed pony. We kept galloping further along, and ahead of us at an exit shaft for pegasi to come out of the bottom of the raptor, was Orchard Blossom. She was holding her small foal tight to her chest with one hoof and looked incredibly worried as we got up to her. Then we heard armor on steel behind us and I turned, coming up behind us, was Puff Creamer and a small gang of pegasi soldiers. He was in his full power armor and they all had guns trained on us.

“STOP! That’s an Order, Grapevine!” He snarled at him as though orders mattered anymore. I turned to Grapevine and tossed my bag containing Magical Miracle and Jumoke to him.

He gave me a surprised look as he caught the bag. “I am trusting you, see you in Silver Fang in three days, now go!” I turned back and angled myself broadside in the last bulkhead doorway to block their path and shield as much of the two pegasi behind me as I could. The gang of troops stumbled as a blast rocked the ship again and the dragon’s roar pierced our ears. The next thing I could hear from the bells ringing were the sounds of pegasus wings fluttering behind me, heading down the exit shaft.

Puff Creamer kept running up to me and tried to jump over, but the bulkhead wasn’t high enough and all it took was me standing up on my hind legs to pull us both into a tumble on the ground. My armor made it hard to move, but his power armor gave him the edge in strength. He was on top of me, and by then Grapevine and Orchard Blossom were long gone.

“Damn you!” He slammed his power armored hoof towards my face as I instinctively pulled my face guard up. The hoof hit and stopped. The stubbornite did not even give him the satisfaction of a dent, though my ears were ringing from the concussion. A few more hits like that and he might not even need to pierce the armor plating.

“I swear to the Twin Sisters, I will ruin you when it’s my time, you little slutty runt!” He stepped off me and turned to his soldiers. “Get her up! We’re taking this dumb cunt to the bridge. Only thing here that might stop this insanity.”

The ship rocked again as the lights flickered on and off. Emergency lights turned on for a brief period. Just before we could adjust to the new lightning, the main power came back. It took four of their soldiers without power armor to get me to move. Between the weight of my armor and my sheer earth pony stubbornness, I was just that difficult. So close! So close!

“At least the foals are safe.” I looked at Pink, hoping she was right, hoping that I was right to trust Grapevine. The battle was raging and I could hear automatic weapons fire from somewhere in the ship.

“Hurry up with her. She might be able to stop them. They’re already in the damn hangar and four of our eight vertibucks were wrecked before we could even get them off the platforms.” The dragon roared and the sound of weapons fire grew louder. The cannons firing and impacting along with the sound of high energy weapons ripped through the air with smaller weapons both distant and echoing from somewhere in the ship hit our ears.

They’re on board, I just have to stall. I just have to stall... I thought to myself as I tasted ozone from the high caliber laser weapons of the vessel’s main gun firing over and over again. Then there was a spark, and the hallway behind us exploded. I looked back as we got to the top deck where the bridge was, one of the conduits I had “repaired” just blew. Looks like my work is paying off.

The bridge had several blast doors down, though the one person I might have identified as the captain was facedown on a console, his lower half blown clear apart. “Damn dragon, who the hell mounts a tank turret to a dragon?”

The soldier next to me turned to hurl at the sight of a bisected pegasus, with several parts of the captain having been atomized or pulverized all over his chair. “Did that thing’s first shot get the captain?”

Puff Creamer snarled, “Yes, and I’m the highest ranking fucking officer now. When this is all over, we’re putting her in stocks for all of us to use. Fuck whatever the Superindent says, payback is required.”

He motioned one of the crewponies towards him, “You there, bring me a radio broadcaster and broadcast on all frequencies. in case these fucking savages don’t have radios, make sure it goes to the external loudspeaker too.”

He grabbed me and with all his strength shoved me against the console. I felt all of the air in my lungs being forced out by the impact. I had been shot with shotguns with less force than that. My armor held, and the console was dented with a me-shaped wedge. The crewpony came back with a radio speaker and a long cord.

“Tell them to back the hell off, or you’re going down with this ship.” I stared at him. I hesitated and gulped.

My eyes moved to the radio transmitter, then at the newly promoted Captain Puff Creamer, then back down to the transmitter he thrust into my chest. “DO IT! Tell them to back off you little brat! I swear if you don’t, I’m gonna see if you really can regenerate when we’re done with you and how many times I can get off with your head exploding!” He was snarling mad and I honestly was simply terrified at that moment.

Pink, what do I do?

Pink was looking at Cream Puffer—no, I followed her gaze as she was looking past him. Her face was beaming, smiling so broad she could only be described as ecstatic. “Play along.” I was stunned by that, unsure what Pink meant in that moment.

He raised his hoof to strike me and I gulped. I had to make my choice, I had to decide here and now; my mother or my friends. Honestly, this choice was looking easier by the second. Right, play along, live free or die?

Pink nodded at me, “Let’s live free or die. I’m all in, Sunrise.” I looked at my E.F.S. Tags were lit up according to the H.U.D. with a dozen names. Names I cared for deeply, my closest friends who traveled with me and several more we had made along the way. The biggest dot was one that said Jackal. How did they get him so big? I grabbed the radio transmitter before Puff Creamer decided another beating was due. I sensed a reassuring presence near me but could not place it. A shadow seemed to be moving unnaturally near the door, but I did not understand why.

I pressed the button and started to speak, “To everyone out there trying to rescue me. Pony, Griffin, Dragon, and T’Doshian alike, I want to thank you. From the bottom of my heart I must say that your sacrifice is a worthy thing.” I paused and let out a sigh. Pink brushed my mane to get my attention.

“Do it Sunrise! Make the right choice and put a giant turd in his cheesecake!” Pink actually raised my spirit. Even if I had to die a cruel death a hundred times, I wasn’t going to let him win.

I pushed down my survival instinct and went with my heart. I felt Pink reaching from wherever she was to hold my hoof tightly. I squeezed it back, feeling my friend in what was to be my glorious last stand. I realized there was only one guard still in the room with the two of us. Where did the other one go? Puff Creamer was getting impatient and starting to raise his hoof to strike me again. “I want to let you know, I truly appreciate it. But you need to do what is right.”

Puff Creamer tilted his head in confusion as a slow smile coursed up my lips. “That’s it Sunrise! Greet your enemy with a smile.” I stared right into the eyes of Puff Creamer. All my rage and fury rose to the surface. That glare alone made him take a pause and a half-step away from me. I took a step towards him, with a defiance that would have scared even a hungry manticore back. Something deep inside was cresting to the surface, a feeling I had never felt before. I saw Nyota appear from nowhere and suddenly the other guard was on the floor, his jaw shattered and his wing being broken in Nyota’s expert hooves.

“Remember his last words, honor them now.” Pink smiled at me, holding a salute. My thoughts drifted to Silver Zoom, remembering what he told me even with dying breath.

“RESIST AND BITE!” I screamed into the intercom. Puff Creamer slapped me. His hit was pathetic, especially for a pony in power armor. It hadn’t even made me stop smiling. I couldn’t help myself and I returned his slap with a laugh. Not just any laugh, but a cackle of genuine enjoyment. I kept my hoof on the radio transmitter button, making sure every word got broadcast.

“You hit like a unicorn filly! My friends are coming, and we are rolling tight!” I saw Nyota’s expression as he glared at Puff Creamer. His eyes told me one thing: ‘That hoof gets cut off first.’ But upon hearing my words, Nyota smiled at me. In that moment, we both realized the side I had chosen all along, all my doubts, all my questions, answered with my next three words.

“Finish This Fight!” Another slap, and my laughter escalated as Puff Creamer looked shocked at first, then growled at me. He lunged towards me and I rolled away. With a springboard jump Nyota had taught me, I landed on the console to stay out of his range, crushing several controls under my armor’s weight with sparks flying.

“Give me that! You stupid cunt!” I kept smiling and laughing which only served to make Puff Creamer more desperate to snatch the radio from my hoof, as I jumped from panel to panel to get distance. I stretched the cord for the radio as far as it would go.

Nyota looked at me stunned for a moment, never knowing I could move like that. But just as I had been moving, Puff Creamer slammed his tail forward, catching my helmet right in the buckle, snapping it open and causing the life-saving protection to roll onto the deck of the bridge. Nyota was on him, about to strike his face with an expression of determination and raw rage. I wasn’t sure if he would be fast enough as the poison-laced tail of Cream Puffer’s power armor reared up for another go at my head.

“I’m rolling in tight with you—” I shouted into the microphone through my stunned state from the headshot. He finally yanked it away but did not hit the off switch. His deadly power armor tail lanced forward. I couldn’t dodge, and I did not have my helmet on. He was going to gut my skull with it. The instant before it slammed into my eye, Nyota did just what I asked. He rolled in tight against my flank; pushing me out of the way. With both hooves, Nyota stopped the tail cold.

He caught it! He actually caught it! Puff Creamer tried to pull away and found he was firmly held in place. Nyota’s eyes blazed at him, his legs filled with an inequine strength. The panels under Nyota gave way and completely dented in so Nyota was knee deep in the circuits and electrical wires.

Nyota rolled his back to the side and a gun fell off. It clattered to the deck in front of me as Nyota strained to hold the power armor tail in place. A Whinnycity Typewriter was on the floor, with a 100 round .45 caliber drum attached. Not my shotgun, but a new weapon. I quickly snatched it into my hooves. The trigger went to my mouth while my hoof came up and grabbed the handle on the barrel end to hold it steady. I bore down the sight and hit S.A.T.S. to get the precise shot I wanted. Puff Creamer hadn’t pressed the off button yet, as the broadcaster still had its red light on. He was angry and surprised to do anything more than press his attack on Nyota. I queued up the entire drum magazine, With Enclave in my sights… I thought in the slowed world as I finished the speech in my head. Somehow I felt they heard me over the radio, or perhaps it was Pink messing with telepathy. In that moment it did not matter as I simply released the spell from S.A.T.S. and time sped back up. I bit into the trigger and ripped into Puff Creamer with a full drum from the gun.

Round after round rippled and echoed around us. I held my ground against the recoil. Most bounced off his armor or compressed flat against the broad flank. A few found the chinks in the medium power armor, freeing a spurt of blood, then another. The armor wasn’t made to just take this kind of beating from the side. I saw his wing joint ripping open and focused on firing there until he fell off the console into the deeper part of the bridge. Crewponies screaming and scattering to take cover. Cream Puffer fell with a bang to the floor of the raptor’s bridge. Nyota grabbed the radio and yelled into it: “We’ve got her! Double down! We’re fighting our way out!”

The chorus of cheers and shouts of delight echoed across the frequencies in return. The Enclave’s radio was drowned out by the roar coming from outside as the raptor shook from the impact of another cannon shot. There was a loud bang, louder than any before and the ship began to quake under our hooves, the sound of one of the four main engines blowing completely as the vessel desperately now tried to compensate.

This was no longer a fight for escape, it was a race for survival. My heart was pounding as Nyota slammed my helmet back on, roughly. There was no time to kiss, to realize this moment of being reunited in the flesh. We had to go, now.

We bolted down the hallway, checking door to door with his Whinnycity Typewriter and hoof. “Nyota, where did you get a dragon?” I asked as I kept moving with him towards the hangar bay.

“We gave Jackal the tank, dragon greed magic took over the rest, made him bigger than a skyscraper.” I snapped my head towards him as we came to the stairs that led into the hangar. I was genuinely stunned and shocked at this as I understood why there was a tank turret on his arm. They replaced his cyberclaw with a tank turret! Someone was in that, crewing it!

“You did what!?” I gasped, not getting an answer as we entered the hangar that was set ablaze with fires and gunshots. The Winnebago that had once been ruined at the end of The Roof was repaired and had a flight engine along with pegasus carriage wings rigged to it. It looked so familiar yet so strange; an RV with wings and engines. The beige and brown color scheme really reminded me of something I thought I’d seen in a movie. Four of the eight vertibucks were burning on the flight deck, one of which was blocking the port side exit completely.

Several ponies dressed in filly scout armor, Roof armor, and bearing flight talismans were fighting to keep the hangar secure from any incoming pegasi trying to land or storm through the doors. A unicorn I recognized lit up her horn when she saw me barrelling towards her.

“Fancy Cannon! No, it’s me, Sunrise!” The horn with a bright light suddenly dimmed and Fancy Cannon let out a sigh of relief.

“We’ve got them! Where are the foals?” I heard her ask as we came up to the Winnebago. Quick Stitch came out, holding more healing potions and his horn alight. He threw me a small tooth-looking necklace with several feathers on it and a red gem.

I shook my head at Fancy Cannon. “A friend has them, he’s already out.” I turned as a host of pegasi soldiers stormed in and started firing at them. They unleashed laser fire at the group and the Winnebago.

Fancy Cannon turned her head, “Flight talisman out on your own, everyone else in the Winnie! We’re out of here!” She shouted while her horn lit up and fired huge bursts of energy that left holes in the walls of the ship with their impacts. A pegasus was there one moment and then next, he was simply gone, turned to ash.

Fancy Cannon was panting as I took my place beside her and started firing repeatedly, trying to cover everyone. I noticed her horn was sparking as if she were running out of power. I kept firing the tommy gun as Nyota got the talisman around my neck and put the drums of ammo in my tac-vest.

Scopola Mina landed upon the deck with a pair of translucent bat wings, unleashing withering fire from her four laser rifles held aloft by her horn. She shot anything that had Enclave armor on, moving while the remaining injured were loaded onto the Winnebago as the engine on it started up.

A teenage sized dragon emerged from the Winnebago, firing off two bursts of plasma fire from a rifle as he approached me. I turned and went to reload the now empty drum with the ones Nyota had placed into my armored vest. The dragon I had seen was my kind of lime green with black accents along his face, muzzle, and wings. He ran up to me and slapped a device against my vest. It attached on its own, and I felt magic coursing through me. “Here, you’ll need this. Winnie is full! That unicorn made sure no one died, but we’ve got lots of wounded. We’re leaving, now.”

Fancy Cannon nodded to the dragon, “Right Fang, go! Get the Winnie out, I’m right behind you.” Fang, as the dragon was called, stormed back to the Winnie, firing his plasma rifle at anything that moved, while I resumed laying down my Typewriter and keeping the Enclave from waltzing into the hangar. All the noise around us was drowned out as the winnie’s engines powered up.

Just as I started to fall back and grab onto the Winnie I was knocked to my side. My heavy metal facemask was hit with a laser blast that snapped my head and sent me onto my back. Why do lasers have impact!

Pink snickered, “Because the boiling of air and water creates a physics bubble of sudden air that needs to expand somewhere. You’re fine, the moisture in the air boiled.” Nyota appeared beside me and helped me up. I now got a look at the thing attached to my chest. It was a large red gem and several dragon’s teeth with pegasi feathers on it. He tapped it and suddenly I felt a whole lot larger.

My body was so strange. Beside me were those same translucent wings as Scopola Mina’s, which made me very confused. “Flight talisman, like the shield one the Goddess had, but this one gives you wings. How else did you think zebras could challenge the sky?”

I nodded, and we ran for the nearest hangar exit to the open sky. The wings were easy to control, like my brain had been wired instinctively to know that I just had to think, “Fly,” and I would feel them beat on my sides. The Winniebeigo roared to life, the engines and wings attached to it pushing the heavily armored vehicle out and rushing past us as we got onto the exit ramp outside the hangar door.

Fancy Cannon was falling back, so I stopped to take cover at the doorway, laying down covering fire for her. She was the only one behind us still. “Scopola!” I shouted through my armored mask. Scopola Mina nodded and came up beside me. Chifundo got on the opposite side of the hangar door and we unleashed a hail of bullets and lasers, with Scopola Mina firing 4 laser rifles in sequence over and over again.

Chifundo’s rifle cracked over the noise of air whipping by us. Our bodies were held to the platform by the weight of our armor. Fancy Cannon wasn’t running, but slowly falling back, while I made sure to fire everything I could at anything that tried to get too close to her.

“Come on! We have got you!” I shouted while trying to hastily put one of my two remaining drums into the Typewriter. I pulled the bolt and that is when he appeared. Moving faster than I thought possible, propelled by his power armor, Cream Puffer came out of the hangar door like an angry hornet. I could see the blood on his side where my rounds had hurt him earlier but he was far from dead.

“Fancy, DOWN!” I shouted, but she didn’t make it out clearly, so she turned her head, looking surprised. His power armored scorpion tail whipped forward and Fancy’s face exploded. Her head had been penetrated through her light helmet, and her horn now dislodged for the stinger of the power armor that took its spot.

Scopola Mina snarled and yelled out, “Oh, Tartarus Na’!” As Fancy fell to the floor lifeless, Scopola’s rate of fire skyrocketed, and every rifle she had railed onto the power-armored form. The first blasts didn’t do much beyond score the power armored plates in burn marks. But Scopola’s sheer rate of fire was phenomenal. Cream Puffer actually had to stagger back just to stay standing. I watched as her laser rifles turned red from overheating, their olive green painted cases peeling their paint away.

Then a set of yellow and red bolts punched through his armor. Cream Puffer rose up onto his hind hooves, tumbling backwards as he tried to spread his wings to fly, and that is when the mistake was made. Blast after blast ripped apart his eye protection, the mouth speaker box, his rear leg ripped wide open where the armor had flexible joins, then Scopola snarled and unleashed all four rifles at once as their energy cells all popped out, overheated and spent. But the combined yellow, blue, green, and red bolts of death in the air pierced Cream Puffer like an avenging rainbow.

The pegasus fell onto his back with so many holes in his body, I could almost see the ship decked underneath him through the marks. Finally, he was dead. The world came out of slow motion as Fancy Cannon laid there dead beside him.

I reacted, charging forward and Nyota turned his head in disbelief as I ran towards Fancy Cannon’s body, “Sunrise! What are you doing? We have to go!”

I turned my head, “I am not leaving anyone behind even if they are dead!” I shouted back and stopped at the body, struggling to pick her up. If I had my usual weapons and explosives gear, I wouldn’t have been able to manage it, but now I didn’t. I managed to get her onto my back as I struggled to get out of the hangar. A brown earth pony with a strange fluffy tail landed with his flight talisman on his back and took her off my back.

“I got her darling,” he said, tipping his cowboy hat to me. “Now you lot get out of here so we can withdraw.” He had an almost Appleloosan accent as he took flight with Fancy Cannon’s lifeless form on his back.

My friends and I were the last ponies left on the hangar landing pad. We ran to the edge and took a leap of faith, our translucent wings spreading as we took flight into the battle around us. Jackal roared again and it vibrated to my bones, sending a chill down my back as we gained distance. The cannon fired and the raptor shuddered from another impact. Quick Stitch, Nyota, Chifundo, Scopola Mina, and myself took up formation, with them guiding me away from the aircraft.

I shouted to be heard over the rush of air and roar of battle. “Where is Alguacil? We cannot leave without him!” I yelled and Nyota nodded, reaching up to pull Scopola Mina to him. He pointed towards some specks in the distance on the opposite side of the Raptor from where we took off. He had to lean in close and yell in her ear, she nodded and started in that direction.

“Hey Dummy! Hit S.A.T.S. and look around! His name should light up from his TAG you put on him.” Pink reminded me, so I did just that.

The world slowed to a crawl, and after some searching I did find Alguacil. I had to target him with the spell to zoom in. Alguacil was fighting off at least five pegasi all by himself, his revolver spinning and firing with numerous bruises on his flanks and blood pouring from one of his wings. Oh no! I thought to myself and dove towards him without telling the others.

I surged as fast as the talisman wings could take me. I felt the heat of the magic in it through my armor as it strained to carry me faster and faster. “Alguacil!” I shouted to him as something slammed into my side and sent me into a tailspin. I was looking up at a pegasus charging me, a power hoof assault shoe on his right hoof as he dove after me. It hadn’t penetrated my armor, but it was enough to send me into a tumble. The pegasus was in power armor just like Cream Puffer, but lacked the scorpion tail, instead devoting the extra power to make his punches even stronger.

I pointed my weapon at him and winced. I was spinning too fast, I couldn’t get a bead on the vulnerable points as my talisman wings struggled to find purchase against the screaming air around me. I heard S.A.T.S. ding and pressed it immediately. Thank the Twin Sisters. The world slowed down to fractions of a second. I targeted the pegasus, his name appearing as “Sergeant Stargazer Song.” I put my dot over the vulnerable point at the shoulder joint on his left side.

I could see him smiling through his cracked helmet, as if he thought he had me. I queued up every single bit of my S.A.T.S. for nothing but shooting. The Whinnycity Typewriter barely took up a single percent of my S.A.T.S. spell power per round, meaning every single round in the drum was going to be guided. I winced and released the spell.

I felt the unseen hands of the S.A.T.S. magic wrapping around me, my PipBuck heating up as it strained to use its spell matrix to guide every shot inside the drum. The fresh drum began firing as I could feel the spell pushing and pulling against my tailspin, timing my mouth to punch and release, punch and release the submachine gun, everything being guided to shoot at the point I had selected. The pegasus continued forward confidently until he winced.

The world moved in slow motion as adrenaline kicked in. I could see the sparks as the bullets bounced off his armor harmlessly in several places, but every bullet that found that shoulder joint struck and blood flowed forth from the wounds. The pegasus winced and tried to arrest his descent at me. He had believed that my Whinnycity Typewriter wouldn’t hurt him. However, I noticed it now on my H.U.D. My magazine was labelled .45 FML instead of .45 standard.

Nyota gave me a full drum of full metal jackets? I was using them all now as Stargazer Song started to spin into his own tailspin and finally tumbled towards the ground.

My wings found purchase as the weapon in my hooves clicked repeatedly. Stargazer Song fell into a cloud and disappeared from my view. I turned back to where Alguacil was and flew as fast as the talisman could manage. I dropped the empty drum and fumbled with a spent magazine as it fell past the clouds as well. I grabbed onto the last drum I had been given and loaded the weapon, flying at full speed towards Alguacil, who was falling, his back towards the ground and his wings up to the sky.

Two pegasi remained. I’m gonna be too late! Come on talisman, make me go faster! Scopola Mina and Quick Stitch had passed me while I was in the tailspin and were heading to him. I could see it from here though, as Scopola Mina opened fire on one pegasi and Alguacil, despite all his injuries, raised his revolver and fired it one last time. Just as the two of them fired, one of the pegasi got a bead and fired his rifle.

There was a flash where Quick Stitch was as bright as staring into the sun. I couldn’t look into it as Quick Stitch was absorbed into a bright explosion of light. I had other problems to deal with, but Alguacil was all that I wanted to reach.

Alguacil’s chest was pierced, the last bolt going clean through him. The recoil of his revolver took the gun from his still talon as Alguacil started falling to the ground, his face full of shock. Feathers fell from Alguacil as I dove to chase after him. I dove and dove, but I wasn’t going to catch him. The ground was rapidly approaching and just before I felt I would have to pull up, Scopola Mina’s rifles fell past me and both myself and Alguacil were wrapped up in her telekinetic power. She let her four rifles all smash against the ground at terminal velocity while she directed our energy elsewhere. We had left the battle, but Alguacil wasn’t breathing; his eyes were staring off into space, and he wasn’t moving either.

“Scopola! Land us now! Please!” Scopola nodded as I turned my head and set us down in the dirt. I rushed to Alguacil immediately, No Pulse… come on Alguacil, breathe, please just breathe. Alguacil’s revolver pummeled into the dirt a football field away from us.

“Sunrise, we have to go darling, before those pegasi rally and come after us.” I shook my head as tears were streaming down my face.

“I cannot just leave him. Alguacil, come on. Wake up, please!” I begged like a child, trying to get him to move, hoping against hope he would. I looked at the hole in his chest, and could see where his heart should have been. There was nothing there but blood and cauterized veins. My heart sank as all the hope I had came crashing down. I slammed my head onto my feathered friend and bawled like a child.

Gentle, strong hooves wrapped under my forelegs and lifted me up into the sky. It wasn’t a pony I knew, but they were wearing an old uniform that read Jackpot Prancer with a coloration of gray coat and a bright green mane with a simple single stripe of tesla blue through it. It was that moment that it truly sunk in, as Scopola levitated Alguacil’s lifeless body and recovered what was left of her and his weapons.

“He’s gone… he’s gone!” I screamed out as the world started to go black from all the strain on me.

*****

I was bawling upon Nyota’s shoulder, crying my eyes out. Quick Stitch was inside a makeshift medical tent. We were kilometers away from the raptor, though we could still see the smoke from the damage drifting through the sky, and in the distance a speck that was the vessel. It wasn’t crashing to the ground, at least not yet, but the sky-ship was barely away from sinking and smashing against the ground. Even we could tell that, from the pieces littering the ground from our battle of bodies, ship, and even an entire engine as well as half of the E.S.S. Vulture's bow wing.

Nyota was stroking my back as I looked out over the battlefield. “Please tell me he is still with us?” I begged him, which just made Nyota tighten his grip upon my back and shush me. I felt this in my soul, and this hurt worse than when I set off that dirty megaspell bomb. This felt worse than Corners or Buddy. This was the absolute greatest hammer to my heart and soul I had ever experienced. I kept seeing memory after memory of Alguacil. His first time picking me up and complaining about never having seen a dead body before. Now, I have seen far too many. To his date with Stormy, and every single event of his life with her, together. I could only weep and wait for Quick Stitch to finish whatever he was trying inside that tent. It had been hours, and I wondered if this is what my friends went through when I nearly died that night in Silver Fang Shanty. I did not have to wait nearly as long.

Quick Stitch emerged from the tent, his head held low as I felt a shift in Nyota, turning away from the scattered remains on the ground of the battle in the clouds. I saw Quick Stitch’s long face. I wasn’t sure how, but his flesh and the metal of his armor looked painfully merged together.

He gulped and let out a long sigh, “There was nothing that even I could do. His heart was blown apart by that final parting shot. He was dead before he even dropped his revolver.” He looked up at me, and I stared at him through broken tear filled eyes. “I am very sorry Sunrise, but even I cannot cure death.”

My ability to stand was gone, and I collapsed onto my knees, then to my belly. My eyes dripped forth with new tears as the news I already knew had now been confirmed. Alguacil, the Long Eye of the Law, our griffon and true friend, had died to save me.

*****

I slept for quite some time. I had spent the entire first day of my liberation, burying the dead. friend and foe alike, it did not matter to me. We were not going to leave this battlefield with a single corpse. I knew the risks of doing this, but after a lot of nudging and my outright refusal to leave them, we buried them. Yes, we salvaged anything that wasn’t a personal object, not jewelry or “valuables”, but weapons, armor, rations, useful gear. We took everything useful with us.

We were traveling as a huge army at this point. At least to me. There were more than a hundred ponies gathered together. I decided to seclude myself to the Winnebago all day, which rolled along at a walking pace so that the army had its protection. The vehicle shook with the rhythm of Jackal’s massive body walking along, escorting us. That was who the dragon was, they had given him the tank. As such, his magical Greedy Guts had turned him into a being worthy of his horde.

I was not sure if we were far enough away to prevent an Enclave assault attempt. Nor did I know if the raptor had called reinforcements to pursue or was simply desperately limping home. We could see the smoke trail that hung in the distance still, the E.S.S. clearly beaten beyond any ability to fight back, at least last we saw it.

We paused finally as darkness engulfed our army, and went about making camp. Nyota came inside the Winnebago and looked me over. “The last of our survivors have made it to us. Come on Sunrise, most ponies are gonna start separating and heading their way in the morning. You should come out.” I felt like the weight of Atlas was weighing down upon my body. Alguacil’s body was sitting in the bunk close to me, covered in a sheet and on a magically freezing slab. We hadn’t buried him, as we weren't sure if he would get back up like Hollow Feather or what would happen with that magical box in his chest.

“I do not want to face them,” I said with a light sniffle. I had been crying till there were no more tears. I had only been sleeping from exhaustion. Nyota placed a hoof on my armored side and shook his head.

“You aren’t getting out of this, Sunrise. They need to see you, they need to know the dead and wounded were worth it.” I fidgeted against him, but he wasn’t having any of my sass and rolled me over out of the bed, forcing me to land upon my hooves in the center of the vehicle.

“Nyota, we lost him,” I whimpered as I felt Nyota undoing the armor straps on my legs that held most of the other layers in place. My body ached and hurt from all the stubbornite and metallic plates pressing into places that had been irritated and sensitive with nearly a day lying upon them in bed.

Nyota paused as he was taking the plating off. “By the Goddesses! Sunrise!” He suddenly wrapped his hooves around my neck and I tilted my head from a sudden burst of pain that hit my neck. While it hurt, my emotional state meant I barely showed the pain. “Sunrise, you’ve got laser burns and bullet bruises under here. How many times were you hit?”

I shrugged, “I really do not feel the hits unless they physically make me flinch. The plating absorbs most of it.” I looked down at my mostly numb leg. My mind and body were just that: numb. There were at least two small burns there, nothing more than the outer layer of fur turned to ash, but as I rubbed them, they fell away. The fresh fur healed there was underneath, and I could see the bruising Nyota was talking about.

Layer by layer, Nyota peeled my armor off. I stood there, looking at Alguacil’s body, trying to piece together the events of what had happened. I searched my memories for anything I could have done, a different decision to make, a different path to take, something I could have done instead so everyone was still breathing.

Pink chimed in finally after nearly two full days of silence, “Sunrise, this isn’t like Buddy. It isn’t like Corners. If you hadn’t frozen up, Buddy might still be alive, but being new to that sort of brutality, no one can blame you. With Corners, you had to make a choice, but I think you made the right one. This is simply bad luck.” I glared at Pink, wanting to scream at her but held my tongue. Pink nodded at me and I felt a hoof against my bare cheek as my helmet fell to the ground with a thud.

Nyota nuzzled my cheek and it ached. The shots to my face mask had protected me, but that did not mean my face wasn’t badly bruised. I could feel the tension in my jaw from having the helmet strap no longer holding it. I winced when Nyota touched my cheek.

“Love, you really should have Quick Stitch look at these injuries, wouldn’t want you getting scars.” My mind was slowly coming around to realize I was still alive and had certain needs. The least of which would have been food and water; as well as some relief for myself.

“I…” I started through parched lips and Nyota put a hoof in my mouth to silence me. I looked at him surprised and for the first time in nearly two days actually feeling some emotion. I wanted to swat the hoof away but it was replaced by a canteen of purified water that now had Nyota’s hint of sandalwood soap taste to it, since his hoof had left that behind.

“Nope, no talking until you are cleaned up and have eaten, there are a lot of ponies that need to see you and I’m afraid this is no longer optional.” I glared at him.

How can you be so easy going about losing our friend!? What is… Nyota caressed my cheek and leaned in to kiss my forehead, the feeling of his lips against my flesh ending my thought train.

“Look, there will be a time to grieve, but right now, brave face. Okay Sunny? Just like you showed us with Buddy and how you sang for us with Corners. I need the same from you here and now, okay?” I was stunned by his words. I took in a breath and tried to push my grief induced numbness aside. Nyota’s touch, the water coursing down my throat, had a kind of resurrection effect upon my mind. I gulped down the water, letting it cool me and remind me I was alive. The feeling was the first real thing beyond the grief and numbness I had felt all day.

I let out a gasp for air and felt my body seemingly come to life as Nyota removed the plated vest, dropping it to the floor with a heavy thud. The driver of the Winnebago, the dragon Fang from earlier, looked up in the rear view mirror.

“How in a volcano’s ass is your armor that heavy?” He had slowed us down and was pulling up to a level spot as I heard a parking brake kick in with a loud clunk.

“We’re campin’ here tonight. So you should get out, see yer friends. I need a stretch anyway.” Fang said and stepped off the vehicle onto the ground. I looked up at Nyota, my eyes full of pain. I could feel how bloodshot they were from my weeping. He took the canteen out of my hoof, and then tilted my head back.

“Deep breath, Sunny.” I took in a breath and then he poured water over my face. It wasn’t a bath, instead just him casually washing my face. “I am hurting just like you are, but you showed me what a little smile and some life can do. All our friends are hurting too. Go on, go out to them. We need to make sure they know we are thankful. They all came together for you, and we may need that again. No sense in wasting it.”

I groaned and licked the water around my lips, still thirsty. “Since when did you become a PR manager?”

Nyota chuckled, “A what?”

I cleared my throat, “Public Relations Manager, a pony whose job is to talk to the public for famous ponies or big companies.”

Nyota snickered and leaned up beside my ear, “Since I started helping a pony who became famous enough to get four settlements who dislike each other to agree to be allies to save her.” Nyota promptly swatted my ass and I gasped out a groan, quickly looking around as my face flushed to see if anyone noticed. Thankfully the curtains were pulled and we were towards the back of the large vehicle.

“So you are just cleaning me up so I can be presentable?” Nyota nodded as he kept rubbing at various bruises and bits of ash from energy weapons that had tried to kill me.

“Listen love, I don’t want you to have to do this either. But there are a lot of ponies out there waiting to see you. Many of them you know, and quite a large number just want to touch you to know you are real, okay?” I nodded, looking at Nyota with a confused expression. A combination of bewilderment and fear pushed through me. I didn't quite understand what he was getting at.

“Why me?” I took the canteen after speaking and started sipping on the water again.

“You brought them together, and you are officially the first pony to challenge the Enclave and win.” Nyota took out a rag and put warm wet water on it. He started rubbing the dirt, grime, and ash from my cheeks.

“The rigors of combat certainly did not do your face any favors.” He teased as he rubbed my face in a very motherly way to clean it. I looked up at him with eyes full of hurt and wanted to express just how I felt but could not find the right words.

“Love, it is okay, I get it. I know you don’t wanna be teased right now, and that you want to sit in here and weep over our friend. I have been more social than I have ever been in my life since you’ve been hidden away.” I felt guilty over Nyota having to do that, and nodded at him. He let out a long sigh and nuzzled my neck. “But we need to go out there, okay?”

I nodded to him and took in a breath. I tried to steel my nerves, to feel my tears dry and stay back. Slowly, I stepped off the Winnebago’s steps and into the light of campfires, as well as the fading sunset. We could just barely see it through the clouds tonight, the orange mixing with the reds across the bottom of the grey sky ceiling.

I felt the harsh arid climate buffet me over my face. I had been in a climate controlled environment for a couple of days, and had gotten used to the air conditioner and humidity that was now gone. There was a lull over the camp for a time, which seemed to break when someone noticed me.

“Sunrise! She’s up everyone!” I felt eyes upon me and suddenly felt very small inside as I looked around, seeing familiar and unfamiliar faces all before me.

A camp easily containing a hundred creatures suddenly surged towards me. Coffee Stain lunged at me into a tight hug, Nyota moved around me in a way to shield me from being overrun as ponies tried talking all at once.

“Hey now, one at a time. She is here, safe and uninjured. Just one at a time!” He declared.

I looked at the faces. I could see Sparrow, Hot Cross Buns, Nuka Nugget, Soot, Lunar Spice and his wife, Jackal raising his head enough to see me over the crowd, and there were a large number of ponies I did not recognize. Coffee Stain continued to charge me and slammed into me for a tight hug. If not for Nyota standing behind me, I would have barrelled over hooves over ears. Instead, I staggered back and gave her a light hug.

“I am so very happy you are alive. You have done so much for the scouts, though even with the rescue we may not be even.” I raised an eyebrow, confused as Scopola Mina let out a chuckle.

“I think she takin’ me in is worth one rescue by itself.” I blushed and sighed as Scopola gave me a pat on the head. Nyota focused on herding the crowd and making sure they couldn’t rush or overwhelm me.

I was feeling incredibly self-conscious when Coffee Stain just straight up kissed me without warning while I was watching the crowd. There was a chorus of hoots and awws as I looked at her eyes, my own widened in shock.

She pulled back with a smile on her face. “For old times’ sake,” The filly scout commented, and then trotted off like she owned the place.

I turned my head and looked at Nyota, rather embarrassed. He leaned up and whispered in my ear, “I’ll get you back, Sunny, when we get a private room at The Roof.” I felt my heart racing, my cheeks burning bright, and my head lighten as I tried to take all this in. The emotional rollercoaster I was on wasn’t letting up yet.

Another scout came forward and let out a hoot. “Sunrise you sure do know how to make an entrance! I’m trying to be just like you with the explosives too! I umm…” A scout next to her nudged her to help keep her speaking, “Would you sign my detonator?”

My brain recoiled as I tried to comprehend somepony wanting me to sign anything, much less a detonator. I looked at Nyota, then at Scopola Mina, who produced a pen. I took the pen into my mouth and the detonator into a hoof. I looked at the device.

It was ramshackle at best, certainly not the arcane forge printed device I had. I checked on it, examining it carefully and taking my time.

“I made it myself!” The filly scout added with a happy smile.

I can see that… will this even work? I can’t tell without opening it.

“Just sign it and move on, Sunrise.”

No, Pink. I can’t let a pony play with explosives with faulty equipment. I can fix this, but I don’t think this is a patient one.

“Sooo… Give her yours?”

I considered Pink’s idea for a few moments, then put the detonator in my hoof into my pack before pulling out my own factory-new detonation device. The radio antenna boinged when it let go of the pack as I adjusted the knobs to scramble my explosives frequency so she wouldn’t trigger my primer caps or detonator caps for things like the C4. Then I signed it, though my hoof and mouth writing were both atrocious. I shrugged. Can’t expect them to be perfect.

Then I handed the scout the detonator. Her eyes brightened like a lighthouse at first lightning in the middle of a dark and stormy night.

“Really?” She was completely in disbelief. I nodded to her and the squeal would have deafened any pony who wasn’t prepared for it. “My name’s Flash Boom! Thank you! Thank You! Thank You!” She spilled off at the rate a small child would. I patted her shoulder to try to bring the earth pony back down to the ground.

“Use it well, and be careful with it, I do not think I can ever make another one that good.” I spoke, making a mental note to take apart the homemade detonator as soon as possible and repair it.

On and on they came, ponies, griffons, dragons, and zebras from all across the wasteland. Several dozen had flight talismans, others had things for me to sign, others still told me how I had changed their lives in Silver Fang, The Roof, Upsville, or even residents wearing Stable-Barding with Stable Phi’s symbol on it, explaining how the T’Doshians had been more than welcoming of them in their new home.

Some paid condolences to Alguacil and his lost wing of Regulators, and others championed the blow we struck to the Enclave. Personally, I was just as happy to be alive and was glad we hadn’t shot The E.S.S. Vulture down outright. If the ship had been lost completely, I had no doubt the Enclave would have launched mass retaliation.

Once the crowd withdrew, I gathered up a few select ponies into the back of the Winnebago. It was cramped with Sparrow, Coffee Stain, Blood Work, Soot, and Mountain back there, and Alguacil’s body taking up the freezer top to keep it relatively cool.

“Y’all haven’t buried him? That isn’t like you Sunrise, and that is really disrespectful don’t you think?” Sparrow gave a look of disgust at the body as the leaders of various settlements and organizations gathered inside.

I shook my head. “Quick Stitch insisted. He may be like Hallow Feather.” Mountain was the only pony who gave any look of understanding from that statement. I let out a sigh, “That is a long explanation, and I am tired, as I am sure the rest of you are.”

Come on Sunrise, they want to get to the point and we should not let this go to waste. I held up a hoof to prevent any more questions and wanted to try to get the room to something that resembled order in the cramped space, especially since Mountain was taller than the roof inside the vehicle.

“I am requesting that all of you meet at The Roof for discussions of a treaty between your settlements, something moving towards an actual alliance or form of government.” I looked at their faces, and they seemed unconvinced. Sparrow had an eyebrow raised questioningly. Mountain blinked a few times, but it was always hard to read a Tadoshin face. Soot tilted her head like a confused bird. Coffee Stain was the only one who looked hopefully at the proposal.

“Look, we can talk about it all then in person, when we are safe and less stressed. I feel like such a thing as this massive rescue operation has proven how strong you are all together.” I hesitated for the next part and gulped. “I also fear that the Enclave or some other power may target all of you, together or individually. If we do not agree to work together for at least each other’s protection, then we may very well doom ourselves and our respective towns.” I let out a long sigh and took in a breath, “Two days from now, can we at least agree to meet?”

After some discussion between each other that was not directed at me, there was a series of nods.

“Alright Sunrise, because it’s you. If it was any other pony, I’d say hell no.” Sparrow replied and took out a flask to take a swig. I shot her a look, and she held out her wings like she had been wounded. “What? It ain’t booze, it’s tea. Here, taste it yourself.” I nodded and gave her a sly, knowing smile.

Coffee Stain nodded as well. “The Scouts would certainly benefit from safer routes, and at least be able to standardize military protection for traders and prospectors.”

Mountain nodded. “Would make getting what we need easier, faster.” His voice vibrated the aluminum in the walls. “This trust thing you have shown us has been beneficial.”

Once the round of agreements finished, we packed it in for the night, and for the first time in over a week, I curled up against Nyota, and he wrapped his hooves around my small frame. I let out a sigh of sheer exhaustion before a dreamless wondrous sleep overtook me. The coming days were going to require rest and patience.

Quest Perk Unlocked - Friendship Bonds Reforged
Though one of the members of the Bonds of Friendship has fallen, that does not break the bonds. Their death becomes a fulcrum to drive the friendship forward and solidify it. You merely must take the time to heal and honor them. So long as none of the friends decide Alguacil was never their friend, their bond remains.

ARE YOU KIDDING ME!? That spell is overpowered to a fault! With this, you could literally be down to 2 creatures and still get the full benefits… Great, I thought I had you there. Okay fair enough, even I don’t know how some parts of this world works. You think I read the whole rulebook? Name me one Game Master who has, and doesn’t have to look stuff up.

Author's Note

It has been a pleasure and an honor to get this far.

I will be working on a Book 4 but I will be silent until the entire book 4 is ready.

There is a reason for that, as of today, I am tasked by Games Workshop with writing a new novel for them titled: The First Raven.

Thank you and if you're at Everfree when this releases, come to my table, we can talk about it.

Come check us out at: Shotgun Angel Productions