"A real friend is one who walks in when the rest of the world walks out." -Walter Winchell.

The tension was worse than waiting for the raider leader to come through the doorway to us. Everypony was staring at me and stunned by my reaction. I pointed my shotgun to Alguacil first, then to Nyota, and finally at Corners. My seething rage demanded some sort of penance. My tail came up to take the trigger from my mouth so I could speak.

"Buddy died already! I'm sure he wouldn't want us killing or hurting the ponies he died for! BACK OFF!" My voice was a shrill of shouts and veiled threats at my friends.

"You are threatening your friends." Pink said in the right side of my view.

They aren't my friends if they aren't willing to back down. I don't care what this Unicorn has done, he clearly deserves another chance.

Pink started to make an argument, stopped herself and went back to munching on popcorn.

Alguacil uncocked his magnum and Corners retracted her machine gun barrels. I let out two huffs and then a snort to drain some of my own anger out. My tail however kept the shotgun at the ready, still pointed at Corners.

“He deserves another chance.” I grumbled as my legs started to get weak again. I could see the shaking in the shotgun now, how much I was barely holding onto my feelings from becoming a burst of death.

“Chifundo, take off his inhibiting ring,” Nyota said, giving me an indignant snort and stomping away. His hooves leaving deep prints in the dirt that wouldn't just be blown away by the wind. “I'm going to cook dinner. If this comes back to bite us, I'm holding Sunrise responsible.”

Alguacil pushed my shotgun down so it was pointed harmlessly at the ground. “Calm down Sunrise. No sense in getting so hasty on your friends.” Yeah because pointing a firearm at my friends was just getting hasty with them.

I passed my shotgun to my tail entirely, removing my hoof from the pump action. There was a smooth leather on metal sound as it slid into the holster on my saddlebags. I stepped off of the black unicorn only when I was certain no one was going to harm him. “Colt Chaser, it's okay. We're not gonna hurt you,” He gave me a baffled look for the words.

“I'm Mauve... who is Colt Chaser?” he asked, rather puzzled.

“It was the name on your PipBuck. Do you remember how you got it?” I asked leaning in so my head was next to his. I wanted to see what he had to say about it as Chifundo used the release key upon his horn and removed his inhibitor. He too walked off afterward and I laid back into the dirt next to the black stallion. Great you just alienated your friends too. Congrats on that one, these farm ponies had better be worth it.

Alguacil stood there as Corners led the freed slaves over to the campfire. There was a faint stench on the air and Chifundo talking to somepony; the words were far enough away to be indistinct. Alguacil kept shifting his eye towards me and Corners's eye slit never left my return stare. “Sunrise?” Algaucil started but stopped immediately as my eyes shot to him. I removed the stare and lay there against Mauve, trying to comfort him or seek some solace with dealing through the events of the evening.

Then I heard Mauve's deeper, yet softer, unicorn voice, “What is that smell? That isn't the zebra cooking is it?” The tremble in his voice was still raw unadulterated fear. There was a calming down happening slowly when Alguacil approached as quietly as possible. I noticed him but Mauve either didn't or didn't want to look at the scary griffin again.

“No, I set the raider bodies to burning after I took their ears,” Alguacil interrupted, placing a talon tightly onto Mauve's spine making the Unicorn flinch and try to shift away in protest. The griffin was having none of it and put his weight into him to hold the pony still. “If I ever catch you helping raiders, slavers, bandits, or any creature doing anything like this again; I don't care what Sunrise says. I'm taking your ears and putting you on the pyre as well. Do I make myself clear?” As the griffin spoke he moved down to head level with Mauve and had his eye directly into Mauve's face staring him eye to eye and giving him that terrifying griffin glare.

“Ye-ye-yes sir. I won't be, never again.” Mauve's teeth chattered through the entire experience but it was clear he got the message.

“Sunrise come on, let's get you two over to where the food is. Crying and not eating isn't going to make this better.” Alguacil said as he extended a talon to help me up.

“No, Mauve go over with the others. Alguacil, show me Buddy's grave,” I demanded, looking up at him with pure determination in my eyes. I want you away from Mauve right now and I want to see Buddy.

He didn't say anything just started walking behind the farmhouse and I followed. There behind the grenade damaged home were six graves; all had been dug recently. Five? I thought there were only two dead in the barn? Where did the other three come from?

My head was running through events when I saw Buddy's hat pinned down by a rock. My mind blanked out completely any thought I had was just gone. All I could do was walk up to it and lay down, sobbing against the hat as I looked at the larger grave. Tears rolled down my cheeks in streams, splattering against the churned earth of his final resting place. My heart wrenched with remorse and my stomach twisted with failure upon seeing each one of the pellet marks that had penetrated his hat.

I could see it all, him ripping and tearing with his claws at the raider, forcing the mad mare back. Then he missed one shot, missed one of his attacks and that was long enough for the caravan gun to be leveled at him. The unicorn in a spit second taking aim at his head and her magic pulling both triggers. He never knew what hit him, Buddy's head simply disintegrated into a red, white, and pink pulp. I wanted to rush forward, to put my flak between Buddy and the blast. I wanted to stop it, I wanted to get Buddy to buy a helmet and armor him up like he did me.

I screamed out a cry of agony, rage, and despair. I'd had so few friends in life, so very few. Now, I had one less. Nothing could compare to the pain I felt right now. NOTHING! It was a combination of a dagger thrust into my heart and twisted mixed with a brass hoof to my head for every decision I could have made that might have stopped this. I wailed till my voice couldn't find anymore then just sobbed into his hat as both my hooves gripped onto it and tugged at it's anchor beneath the rock Alguacil had used.

I don't know how much time had passed before Chifundo approached me. Alguacil was gone and the pink striped stallion placed a hoof on my shoulder.

“Sunrise, he is at peace and that is not something that comes with ease. He doesn't regret his pact, Buddy knew he may not come back,” Chifundo soothed to me. His hoof rubbed at my side then softly stroked my mane trying to calm the sobbing. I could hear the sound myself; I hated the sound of my sobbing. “I spoke with his spirit, please trust me with it. He doesn't regret, except how soon his depart.” I could feel his hoof stroking across my head, down my mane. I looked over at him and shuddered when I looked like his shadow moving on it's own. The entity slithering away; but his face was bright and welcoming. I tried to pull myself from the grave only to slowly turn back towards Buddy's resting place.

I looked up at Chifundo and remembered the cave. He can talk to spirits, that shadow of his is just the spirits playing with it. I wonder what that is like, to have them talk to you. I want to hear it one day, in Buddy's own words. I guess I would have to trust him for now. I doubted my mind was ready for such an experience yet. I would have to trust that Buddy had no regrets save for him leaving us so soon.

“Come join us, when you feel purpose,” Chifundo gave me a squeeze, and walked away towards where I could hear the campfire crackling behind me. I sniffed back the last few tears, a faint smile crossing my face as the scent of Nyota's cooking drifted over. Maybe it was the draining of sorrows or just the long march but food started to overtake every inch of my mind.

Eventually I dragged myself towards the cooking pit. The former captives were huddled together away from our group and the zebras were having an argument over what to do with them.

“We should get them setup here and make their lives better here,” Nyota tried to be the authority in the situation.

“We could take them back, and see if the town can help them find a knack,” Chifundo shot back.

I took in the surrounding buildings, at least what was left of them. My mind was piecing it all together as I poked Corners or rather her box, “Could you repair the buildings while I work on getting a proper fence in place around here? That way they can defend this place.” I pointed at pieces of fencing we had torn up as well as a couple of places that may need to be reinforced. She turned around and looked at my tear stained face. I however was glad to have anything to talk about other than Buddy's death and just started to ramble away ideas.

“We would have to give up the weapons we looted from the raiders as well. Is everypony okay with that?” I suggested as I forced the grim business of death out of my mind. I needed a focus and making sure these ponies would be okay was just that. I buried myself working on solutions, mechanics, buildings, was better than feeling the caked blood on my tear raw face. It's your fault.

“I'm sure I can build it better and easier to fortify than what is there right now,” Corners chimed in and I could see the smug smile under the box. I want to slap that metal box to see if it will ring like a bell you little brat! But we'll talk about that later when I'm not angry at myself. Don't think for one second that Old Yeller comment is going to get a free pass.

"Time and place Sunrise. Go on get your idea out there." Pink interrupted with a burst into my view from above, upside down in my vision without anything holding her there. Yep totally crazy, Pink defies gravity now.

“Alright let me ask what they wanna do and we'll figure it out from there,” I stated as I looked to see if they were all in agreement.

There were nods all around from the rest of our party and then I approached the huddled group of hungry, abused frightened ponies. “Calm down, we aren't going to hurt you. I promise." First thing I had to say, to make sure they stayed calm and I didn't make them run away. "Now do all of you wanna stay here and make a life here or should we escort you back to Silver Fang Shanty?” I put on the most reassuring smile I could muster and prayed to the Goddesses it worked.

How threatening could a little filly look right? Your face is caked in the blood of your enemies and you threw a grenade that demolished the inside of that farmhouse. Not to mention Mauve looks like a freight train hit him. You also had no issue pointing a shotgun at the ponies whom you came here with but sure you can totally prove you aren't here to hurt anypony right?

Mauve stepped forward, he held his head low and wouldn't look me in the eye at first. There was a tense silence between myself and the unicorn while my friends were talking behind me. I tuned them out, putting all my energy towards Mauve. You should have been there to help your friend. SHUT UP! I can't fix it but I can at least make his sacrifice mean something. So either give me something useful brain or by Celestia's Bucking hooves shut up! I pressed a hoof up against Mauve's chin and lifted it so he would have to look at me with his charcoal eyes. “It's okay Mauve. Tell me what you want to do?”

He turned his head to the other ponies and then back to me. For the first time this stallion smiled, nervously but he was at least smiling. “I think it would be best if we headed back with your group. This place has too much pain and suffering for us now,” He timidly rubbed at his left forehoof while he talked. My own hoof wasn't applying that much pressure but it was enough to offer resistance when he tried to look away again.

I looked deep into his wounded eyes and smiled, before giving him a hug around his neck with both my hooves. The sudden hug caught him off guard and put an expression of shock onto his face. I leaned up so I could whisper into his ear, “We've got you. You all should relax. We'll get dinner out and keep watches.”

Nyota had somehow managed a decent vegetable stew and I served it till every pony had their fill. I wasn't eating myself yet, too much of my gut twisted up when I thought about it. I have to make up for not being there fore Buddy.

I found out that many of them were missing caravaneers; apparently that is what they called traders and merchants in the wasteland. They had been captured by the raiders similar to how we had been ambushed. The amount of pain in camp was devastatingly heavy.

Talk of the bodies in the shed brought tears to their eyes and cries of painful turmoil when I talked about them. It was like they knew those who had been taken from them were dead and I was just confirming it. None of them wanted to go inside any of the buildings once they knew about the deaths. Everypony laid down eventually under the stars, either passing out from emotional exhaustion or relief to just not be dead or in a cage.

I took first watch but I wasn't spending it watching. With all the strength I could muster, I decided to follow Alguacil's example. I put a blanket from one of the gore ridden cages over the corpse in the shed. I could barely hold down the few bites of food I had managed from Nyota's stew. With strength I never knew I could muster I drug it over to where I found the graves. I found myself scanning around with my PipBuck EFS turning in a circle looking for any red blips to pop up. Sunrise, your friends are making you paranoid. I admonished myself, but they have proven being paranoid was a good idea. That sobering thought kept me checking my EFS after every single shovelful of dirt I lifted.

Two hours later, there were four more shallow graves. One for the corpse and three for the skeletons I had put together. I don't wanna do this, ever again.

"You will have to Sunrise but the important thing is to never get used to it. If you truly have what it takes to be my friend, you will never get used to it." Pink stated and that left me confused. Was Pink just a figment of my imagination or was she really a different entity? Something like the spirits that Chifundo talked to, that could talk in my head and was something utterly separate from my person. What was that pink fluffy maned pony?

Finally I put the shovel back against the metal building and checked EFS again. I wasn't sure if the task being complete or the ting of metal signalling it's finale, but my thoughts were back to this moment. I span in a full circle and checked every single direction. Please let this stupid Eyes Forward Sparkle be more reliable than my eyes, or at least able to keep them safe while I do this. I dragged a bunch of rocks over Buddy's grave, then finally got the largest one I could move and pinned his hat down at the edge of it.

I drew the image from my dreams. The red-orange sunrise over the horizon of a green field. An angel pony holding a shotgun floating just under the cloud. With the chalk on the rock, I used gunpowder and oil to seal it against the weather. “There. Now at least the world will know you were here,” I said and falling down onto my haunches to stare at the grave marker. I checked my EFS all around one more time, ten green dots and one gray one still.

“Buddy, I'm sorry. I wasn't strong enough to face the danger. You prepared me as best you could and I wasn't ready. It... it... cost you-” Tears and sniffles silenced me for a moment as I drew in a ragged cursed breath. “Your life.” The tears were rolling down my cheeks like Rainbow Falls water as I forced the words out loud. They washed parts of the raider blood off my face with them. “I don't know why you did it, you barely knew me. But we are friends and I'm not going to say were because I still think we are. I hope that one day I can make up for it.” Every word spoken brought more tears. Every bit of pain in me was pouring out.

You barely knew him. For all you knew he was trying to use you to atone for something he'd done.

“Yes but he was good to you regardless Sunrise. Kindness gives kindness.”

“Buddy I promise I will force myself to act next time. If for no other reason that I don't want to ever do this again. Please, rest now. You've done everything you could for me and so much more.” I gave another loud sniff and sucked up a few more tears. “I've only known you for two days but, I can say you were a good dog.” I took a set of smaller rocks and placed them around the brim of Buddy's hat to hold it down completely and resigned to myself to dragging my hooves away.

“At the very least, I'll make sure the world knew you were here.” I then checked my EFS again through the tears I was wiping away. Eleven dots lit up the bottom of the HUD, ten green and one gray; no red. I checked the time on my PipBuck one final time. My shift was over an hour ago according to the chronometer on the PipBuck. At least everyone else could get some extra rest on my account.

I gently poked the gray and black zebra. His eyes snapped open, Yes I said eyes because I swear there is something behind that eye patch. You can't see it but you certainly can sense it when Nyota looks at you. He was on his hooves in a split second. I fell onto my flanks and opened my mouth to yelp when Nyota's hoof snapped out to keep my lips closed and he shook his head very slowly side to side. I followed his other hoof to where he was pointing at the sleeping former slaves.

“You'll wake the others. Now get your rest. It is my turn to watch over us.” the zebra stallion coldly whispered in one breath. I nodded through my mouthful of hoof and then started towards my saddlebags before I was stopped by a hoof on my tail. I turned to see Nyota holding my tail.

“No, the noise will wake up the others. Leave your sleeping bag in there and use mine.” He released me and walked over to the fire looking like a sentinel pony statue. If not for the occasional slow fluffing out of his chest and flattening it to breath; you would think he was a perfect black and gray zebra statue.

I simply curled up in his bedroll and started to drift off to sleep. Sleep wasn't hard and came on quickly. Between emotional and physical exhaustion, I just wanted to be lost to the world for a bit.

ooOOoo
???

A classroom? Where was I? What was this? I seemed to be in a classroom, but it wasn't one I remembered. The ponies and surroundings were just off. The place was clean and pristine, it sparkled like gemstones and the teacher sparkled like that as well when she closed the door as the bell rang. I looked down to the corner of the vision and I had red hooves at this desk and yes I was a colt. Well this is different. Not sure I like how it feels to have a-

My eyes followed back up to the front of the room. The mare was a lovely shade of sapphire blue and had an odd reflection about her. Wait? Reflecting light? Like a crystal? Where am I? I checked my own hooves again out of the corner of my eye as my host moved to look at a piece of paper. My host reflected as well, bright and shimmering.

What is this place? What kind of ponies are these that they reflect light? Was this an orb from the Stable? I think so but where did it come from? How did they get it? The teacher interrupted my thoughts and my host sat up straight when the mare started talking. I got a sense her name was Shimmering Lantern from the host.

“Alright class, today we will talk about the Crystal Fair and just what it is meant to do,” the mare up front started her lesson. "Now think carefully, what do all of you know as the purpose of our fair?"

She was drawing upon the chalk board as she spoke when the outside light got dark, incredibly dark. “What in the world?” I felt a hoof poking my side and my host chose to ignore it.

My hosts head turned to the window away from the hoof as dark clouds gathered around, the daylight completely blacked out by the surrounding clouds. The ground erupted in a dark black crystal and then another. I felt fear and horror in my host's mind. The colt I was riding headed for the door out of the classroom and then-

ooOOoo

“Sunrise get up, now!” Nyota ordered poking me with a hoof repeatedly.

I checked my PipBuck, just over an hour had passed. “Nyota it's only been an hour, what-”

“Listen!” Nyota declared and I heard it. The sound of insects? No, yes, something with many legs and carapace moving towards us chirping loudly. The noise echoed through the buildings and had a volume that could only be generated by hundreds of bugs. I looked to see all the rescued ponies were still fast asleep but my companions were already up and moving.

The tension was rising as the noise came nearer. Alguacil took to his wings and got onto the nearest building. Chifundo quickly used some overturned boxes to get onto the farm house roof. Cautiously the zebra checked the tiles to make sure they would support him. After a few steps to be certain, he laid down to scope out the shadows with his varmint rifle. He was aimed in the direction Nyota pointed. I stepped around the sleeping refugee ponies and took out my shotgun. Sunrise, EFS turn it on. Now. I flicked the PipBuck and my vision was overrun with red dots along the interface. It was less individual pips and simply one moving mass of something and there were hundreds of them.

I turned and dashed over to Mauve. My hooves were on his side shaking him awake, “Get up now! Get everyone up! Nyota, move them anywhere but that way,” I said while pointing a hoof to the open area we had come in through.

The panicked stampede of farm ponies drew Alguacil's eye as they thundered past him, squeezing through the buildings towards the impromptu graveyard. He flew down and landed next to me as I looked up with terrified eyes. “What is it?”

“So many, I don't know what it is but there are a whole lot of them!” I exclaimed and looked back at the dark shapes moving beyond the edge of our light.

The griffin pulled out several bottles with paper and rags stopping them up. “Will these help?” I looked at the bottles and then inhaled their smell. Gasoline. These are molotrots.

“How many of these do you got?” I looked around starting to formulate a plan and get the pieces in place. My mind started visually placement of several between the farmhouse and the L building Buddy died in. I was trying to piece together it all just right so that I could get maximum burn and not destroy the graves.

“Over a dozen,” the gruff law-griffin was business as usual. I was already darting around and planting the molotrots onto the ground in places to create a burn zone. I stepped into SATS and time slowed down for me, this gave me time to think. My eyes analyzing exactly the right spots to put those infernos in a bottle. If I place them there between those two buildings, I could protect the graves and put a wall of fire between us and the horde. I just have to set it up.

"Glad to know I gave you the right cutie mark! You little wasteland style party pony." Pink exclaimed for a second then was gone again.

“Alguacil, get working and move everyone out of here. Corners with me, we have to plant these,” I said passing the box pone three of the explosive cocktails. I glanced back with my PipBuck light on and could make out the wave of roaches only they were massive. My heart skipped a beat at the sight of one of the creatures in the light of our campfire. Roaches? Are these what roaches look like now? The size of a school foal!

Ponies galloped around us, running for the clear fields beyond as I set up the last linchpin to my little fire trap. Deeply focused on the approaching horde, I passed the last molotov back to my tail, which somehow knew to hold it upright, fuse sticking out towards my mouth. My hoof grabbed my lighter from my kitchen kit and lit the fuse.

I glanced up at the incoming onslaught of red. What had been off in the darkness minutes before was now practically on top of us, the flickering lights of our campfire reflecting off their chitin. Each of them was half my size, and it wasn’t hard to imagine how three of them could rip me to pieces, turning my heart into a cold lump. I could see it clearly now, not just shadows of oversized bugs and roaches but actual roaches. They were half my size, as big as my shotgun or my saddle bags. Dear Goddess what are these things and why are they so huge! Is this what radiation does to them?

“Rad roaches,” Alguacil spit towards the molotov field. “Probably drawn here by the smell of the bodies. Sunrise, wait till they get a little closer and then light-”

I was already ahead of him and it was too late to turn back. My tail hurled the light firebomb into the air, watching it tumble end over end. The world moved in slow motion with the flicking light of fire slowly drawn to the ground by gravity, in the exact right spot.

“You might only have one match but you can start an explosion!” The little pink pony in my head sang out as I watched a fireball erupt between us and the rad roach overrun campsite. The chirping screams of rad roaches filled the air as they were incinerated instantly if they were inside the initial blast. A wave of heat washed over me and singed the edges of my manes as well as my eyebrows.

I stumbled back a few steps from the firestorm. The rad roaches rushed into the flames, trying to get at their cooking comrades; all of them driven by hunger. I took another step back and felt Buddy's hat at my hoof. I stopped there. No! You won't get him! I don't care how many shells I have to waste, this is as far as you get. None of you are going to defile my friend's grave.

I kept my shotgun pointed at the creatures through the firestorm. They hurled themselves at the burning flames that slowly consumed them. A few got through the flames only to fall to the ground just as quickly. They had fought through the fire and brimstone only to cook inside their own carapace. The RAD counter on my PipBuck clicked a few times but I dismissed it as nothing dangerous; nothing that would have made me back away from defending Buddy's final resting place. Even as I felt a slight tingle on my face between the flames that I knew was magical radiation poisoning me.

The smell was oddly, good. It smelled of cooking meat like I would expect to get from a sand dog tavern or in Griffinstone. Dear Goddesses, meat smelled good! I'm a pony! The roaches couldn't get through the flames and soon stopped trying, instead they started eating each other as they cooked.

What madness is this that bugs don't have sense of self preservation? I hung my head and felt the tears well up as the screaming of magical radiation mutant bugs saturated the air. I turned around now that I was certain the firestorm would keep Buddy's resting place safe and I bolted away from the fire to catch up. Soon only my PipBuck light was illuminating the world around me.

Alguacil landed next to me and I felt a talon pushing me along by the flank. I just hoped we had done enough that Buddy's grave would be protected from the ravages of time for a bit longer. I kept trying to take a look back only to have Alguacil's gaze meet me through the light telling me to keep looking where we were going and not to the burning horror scene of the rad roach assault.

Slowly the flames faded leaving us in the dead of night and eventually my PipBuck light caught the end of a flank belonging to a pony still moving. Nyota was bringing up the rear to ensure none of us were left behind. They had slowed at some point, I looked back and could make out the barest light against the black night clouds where the farmhouse burned.

I traveled for over an hour with my PipBuck light still on before Nyota approached me. “Cut that off, if something is out there; they will be able to see us long before we are able to see them.” His tone struck me like a whip, leaving me flinching from his direct order. I reached down and cut off the light much to the moans and complaints of the freed ponies traveling with us.

“Nyota, is it always this cloudy?” I asked looking at him once my eyes got used to the darkness. I was hoping to get something out of him besides borderline rage.

“The pegasi above have sealed the clouds. When the bombs started falling they did so to keep us from them, and prevent any further megaspells from hitting their cities. Now we on the ground must suffer the eternal cloud cover,” Nyota explained with something that sounded like a grudge directly against the pegasi above. He was clearly mad about it but then again, he was mad about everything.

“Can I ask you, why you're so angry all the time?” I asked hesitantly.

“And you are not? You woke up to a world devastated, turned into the wasteland that took Buddy and so many others like him. You are a filly that is supposed to be attending school in the pre-war time. Now you are forced to use firebombs to exterminate bugs that would devour you in your sleep.” Nyota coldly deflected. You could just say, I don't wanna talk about it. Not make me feel like I should be upset as well.

Chifundo put a hoof around me and pushed me over towards the ponies that were walking behind us. “Surely you do not think it all as bad as Nyota? Look at the ones whom walk with ya?” he began as I looked at them. They were a sad lot. Two stallions, Mauve included, three mares, and two fillies. Any colts had been among the skeletons I had buried next to Buddy, the raiders had taken particular glee in tormenting them for some reason.

None of them walked with their backs straight or heads held high. They looked broken; like something inside them had been shattered. The filly closest to me, she had a golden brown coat and soft purple mane that should have been well cared for, instead it was ragged. I could see the cuts and scrapes along her flanks and face. Those silver eyes reflected a pain that I had never experienced. There were stains in her coat that I recognized as something from our Hearts and Hooves class. Had they, raped her too? What kind of fucked up thought was that! Raiders weren't that bad were they?

“Sadly little Sunrise, yes they are. They are some bad ponies. You should remember, raiders are bad ponies.”

Dammit pink pony I didn't ask you! My eyes drifted up to Chifundo's face in the dark, it was hard to make out his expression. All I could really see was that it was him and his bright blue eyes next to pink stripes.

“Yeah, but what safe haven are we taking them to? Since I've been awake I've found ghouls, molerats, rad roaches, raiders, and killer robots. Not to mention I'm reasonably sure I've taken just enough radiation to equal a year's supply of Sparkle Cola. No, survival isn't enough.” I felt a bitter taste in my mouth. Sunrise, you have to know what that vault did to you. You've been lucky and some of the things that have happened shouldn't have happened. For right now that is what you live for. You aren't just surviving, you have to find out exactly what happened. Buddy died for that, you can't let it be in vain.

Nyota snorted at what I had said. Chifundo looked at him and snorted back mockingly. Nyota stomped his hoof on the next step. Chifundo did the same and then intentionally rolled head over flank like an acrobat back to his feet. Nyota stared at him and growled angrily. Chifundo growled back, only his was playful.

All of us had stopped in the dark to stare at the two zebras who had lost their minds. That was until I felt a smile curling on my lips and both of the little fillies burst out into laughter. Laughter, that was something I missed. Smiles and cupcakes were another thing on the list. The two zebras stared at each other as Nyota's anger stopped and Chifundo had a smile that I could see even in the night. The other ponies gave half-hearted smiles and nervous chuckles. Corners was giggling like a school filly and my heart was lifted a bit.

“Now Sunrise, show them the sunrise.”

What? What are you- My tail was holding my thermos full of coffee, freshly brewed at dinner and warmed by the fire while we slept. I grabbed it with my hoof and undid the cap, pouring enough to split as I passed it around to the shattered ponies. Their spirits started to lift, I could see it in their faces despite the lack of light.

Happiness has it's own light even in the dead of night... Chifundo I hate and love you so much right now. I kept smiling, enjoying the thought of maybe putting some joy back into them. Even if I spoke in my own mind with Chifundo's cadence. I looked in my pack, there were cookies from Freida Waffles and three sweet cake rolls; like something straight out of my world before I went into the Stable.

I took my thermos back, now empty and handed out the cookies along with two of my sweet cake rolls going to the pair of fillies. “You do remember those have drugs in them right?”

Yes of course I do, but I can hope they get a reaction like Buddy got instead of the one I got right. If they do, then it will brighten their smiles even more. The pink pony in my head nodded and grinned ear to ear as she darted out of my sight. Almost like the mare was encouraging the use of drugs.

Nyota stared at me and then at the slave ponies. He put a hoof to his face and I heard the slightest bit of a chuckle that he was trying to stifle. The golden brown filly walked up to me and shyly scuffed her hoof across the dirt, not quite making eye contact. The filly was blushing like a school filly with a crush. “My name is Nuka Nugget. I didn't know there were ponies who would be nice to strangers,” Her words were timid, almost like she expected me to lash out and hit her at any second. I moved to hug her neck and she winced until she felt my hooves around her shoulders and pulling us filly to budding mare.

“Of course Nuka. More ponies should be this way,” I said and felt her hooves around me in return. They were clinging tightly as a few tears rolled down her cheeks. I could feel them dotting my neck, sliding into the reinforcement plating around my Stable-Tec barding. I held her close and could feel her soul growing through me at that moment. The fire inside restored and hope brought back to her body. I softly stroked her mane and the party had come to a stop. Alguacil landed among us.

“What is the hold up? You need, oh,” He paused as he noticed the filly hugging my neck. He took stock of the situation and then looked at Nyota. The black striped zebra had a smile on his face for the first time I'd ever seen as the night itself felt brighter and less oppressive.

Alguacil shrugged and Nyota shrugged back at him as the two exchanged a weary smile. They were both utterly confused at the laughter and suddenly warm spirits but neither could deny they needed it. I watched the two of them for a while, my mind wanting to ask them both a hundred questions but none of them appropriate right now. “Alright Nuka, we need to keep moving. We're already tired and we won't be safe till we get to Silver Fang,” I was reminded as a red dot pipped up on the PipBuck. It winked out a few seconds later.

As we started moving, I kept looking for that red dot and sure enough it came into view every so often. Nyota sensed it too, looking with his eye and turning his head in that direction when the pip would appear on EFS then looking away as it faded. We got another hour of walking and the red dot was joined by a second now, from the same direction. Why didn't some pony think to give EFS any information beyond Hostile, Friendly, Neutral? Seriously! Distance, type, species, anything at all? But I doubt anyone could have planned needing a giant cockroach, an undead pony, or a psycho-raider setting.

We walked for nearly another seven hours before Silver Fang came into view. Thankfully the red dot was just that, fading in and out. Not that it helped our frazzled nerves, but every pony else got 5 hours of sleep, while I had barely nodded off before the swarm came for us. Not to mention our two one-eyed members paranoia, I could see the hairs of zebra mane and griffin's feathers peaking up.

Sparrow came out to greet us as we arrived at the gates of Silver Fang Shanty. The pegasus leader looked at the battered ponies, then back to us, then back to them. “Are you bringing in refugees now? I thought when you left this morning that would be the last we saw of you. What are we supposed to do with them?” The pegasus merc asked as I walked up to her.

“Well, they probably want some payback at the raiders that did this to them. You sounded like you could use the recruits. Imagine the PR.” Assuming the Wasteland still cares about PR or reputation. “You could play it up around the merchants that stop by. Silver Fang Shanty takes in and recruits former raider prisoners, mercs with a heart they are!”

Alguacil pointed out as I slowly walked forward, still bright eyed and looking chipper despite my brain screaming, SLEEP NOW! The griffin used the last of his words in a different voice as if to mimic a grateful merchant.

Sparrow took a few moments to examine me. She could clearly see the blood stains on my face, helmet, and barding. It seemed like she was staring at me for what was an eternity. I wasn't sure what she was studying. The sleepless blood shot eyes, the brains and blood smeared all the way down to my collar. The bushy-tailed smile I gave to try to make it seem like everything was perfectly fine. Do I really look that bad?

“Hi Sparrow, glad to see you too.” I broke the silence as she looked at me much closer than she had in the past. The voice made me stumble back and shake her eyes free of me. Sparrow's gaze swung over past me to the filly next to me, she trotted up to Nuka Nugget and I looked from the older pegasus mare to back to the smaller filly. I swore they were family somehow, even down to their matching set of silver eyes. Nuka's lack of wings did not spur or knock away the feeling the two were somehow related, very close if the impression I felt was right. You wouldn't piece it together looking at them separately but right next to each other, it just clicked.

“Unless this little one has parents here, I'm taking her in,” she declared and I saw it for the first time. Not a look of relief or laughter out of need to find something to cling to, but genuine hope. It filled Nuka Nugget's eyes and the hardened merc mask of Sparrow was slipped away. I never would have guessed her to be the motherly type but once the facade was down; there was no denying it.

No one spoke up, so she took Nuka under her wing and pulled her tight to her flank against the black armor with the white fang marks. They walked back through the gates with the sun rising up before them on the other side of town. The heartfelt moment was almost framed by the rush of bright light from the morning sun. It was poetic or ordained by fate, either way my eyes darted from rescued pony to rescued pony; they looked like ponies now. The spark of magic had returned to their souls.

“You guards show them some quarters and figure out what roles we need filled by the adults. Also if the other little one doesn't have a parent among them, get them one.” There was that hardcore merc attitude back. Then with a voice that could shatter metal, she turned her head, “That's an order you lot!” The gate guards jump to and started checking on the group of bedraggled ponies behind us.

I let out a sigh of relief and started to walk through the gate when a blip on my EFS made me stop again. The red dot on my PipBuck kicked up again. What was that? Had it really shadowed us all night? We were safe inside Silver Fang right? Whatever it was couldn't get inside if it intended harm right?

Quest Perk Acquired - Coffee Addict - Who knew coffee could be a drug right? Well guess what, for some reason when you think of something to spark yourself or pick yourself up, you go right for the black nectar of the Goddesses.

Author's Note

First off thanks to Kkat for creating Fallout: Equestria and letting the Project Dead Tree guys compile edit and make the full version of the Fallout: Equestria into a Pen and Paper game we can all play.

Second thanks to the Project Dead Tree guys for making the game and running it for me on Wednesday nights for the live stream.

Third, thanks to Hitomi for the edits turning this into something at least readable and more fun for us all.

Fourth thanks to our Artist for Images Imbedded: Glacier Frostclaw
https://ankokufang.deviantart.com/

Lastly, this will be the final writing session broken up into 3 or more pieces. From here on the chapters will be significantly longer; don't be afraid to use the bookmark function and come back.