Fallout Equestria; Radio Static

by MMBK

Rating: mature
Tags: My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Dark, Death, Alternate Universe, Human, Narcotics, Original Character, Mystery, Suicide / Self Harm, Non-consensual, Adventure, Violence, Crossover, Sex, Fallout, Profanity, Gore
Length: 212671

A troubled engineer to a corrupt chapter of the Steel Rangers finds things out about his past, and while trying to fix prior mistakes and make things right for the wasteland, tries to discover the truth about his own, fleeting self.

A former Steel Ranger engineer by the name of Charger is lost in the mystery of his past, struggling through his present from realization of what is happening, and threatened by his future, while his life rests on Time. With his days counting down until he succumbs, he fights to find the truth of himself, and make things right for those he's wronged. All while trying to find his former lover, Snow Star.
As he wanders, he starts to find not only missing pieces of his life and things about the Steel Ranger bunker he grew up in, but mysteries of the wasteland he found himself in.
Life is easier to live with eyes closed.

Please note that this story steers away from the usual stories set in the Fallout Equestria setting.

Published 2018-08-07 06:20:01 UTC
Last updated 2021-11-13 20:18:28 UTC

Channel 000.2; Party of Four

Got lots of stuff going down in Post Apocalyptia these days. Here's some of the latest news...

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

I didn't know much of the town, or the forested city it resided in, but I imagined that the small, remote settlement had been peaceful, before I came around and took part in shooting up the place.

With little to no knowledge about the inhabitants of Saddle, I had killed them. Gunned them down for an order. Murdered them for a generator we had no intention of using.

There were other ways we could have gone about this, without bloodshed. We could have made a trade. A generator for a megaspell generator. We could have offered anything they needed for that stupid machine... I get that we needed to stop it from being used any further, but we just went about it the wrong way...

Was it really worth killing over...?

I expected that soon, I'd pay the price of their blood with my own, and I'd deserve it.

There was nothing I could do to fix what I had done. No matter what I did to try and make things better, I'd still be that ex Steel Ranger that murdered helpless ponies.

I was alone in the wasteland, now. No allies. No friends. No family. No protection, with the exception of the two laser rifles on my sides, and the armor that relied too much on power cores and most definitely smelled of my urine.

Para's music blasted ahead of me, bringing me back to reality and out of my deep, depressive thoughts.

Okay, yes... I was traveling with somepony. So technically, I wasn't physically alone.

But mentally and emotionally?

I was alone.

Besides, this pony... Para. He was batshit insane and 120 percent delusional. There was no denying that.

"So..." I started, sticking close behind him, seeing as the trees didn't care for his presence. I had to admit, I felt better being next to him. I felt... safer. "How long have you been out here?"

"Since this morning." He said in that happy tone he usually had in his voice, before humming to the song that played on his radio. I didn't hear any lyrics thus far.

"No, I mean... overall, how long have you lived out here?" I gestured to the wasteland before us.

"Hm..." He kept walking in silence for a while, before finally answering. "Far as I can remember, three years."

"And you've been walking out here this whole time, with no means of defense?"

"Yep!"

"All be yourself?"

"Yep!"

I just couldn't believe anything he was saying... Nopony could survive 3 years out here without something to protect themselves with. Nopony.

"Were you heading anywhere specific?"

"Not really." He shook his head.

We stumbled upon the path that led to Saddle and came to a brief stop. Looking north, I saw a tower that leaned against another; the same one we flew under the other day.

"There's something I need to get at Saddle." Para said. "It's super important."

I nodded. "Alright. I was thinking on heading that way, anyways."

Para looked over and smiled faintly, before turning back north and walking. I stayed by his side.

"So what's this important thing you have to get?"

"A bag of rare treasures, the likes of which will probably never be seen again. The only place I know that has it is Saddle."

I regarded him for a few seconds.

Treasure, huh? As intrigued as I was, I knew that greed came with the territory of treasure, and I now knew what greed could make ponies do.

The looks on the ponies faces as they were gunned down haunted my memories. Their bodies falling and spilling blood on the asphalt played on an endless loop...

"Did you... by any chance... hear any gunfire yesterday?"

"Nope." He shook his head. "Heard fireworks, though. I think there was some sort of celebration or something. It's a shame I missed it." His smile faltered a little.

Fireworks... right.

"Be glad you missed it..." I muttered under my breath.

"How long have you lived here?"

"Since yesterday." I spoke up, looking at the machine on his back. "So, what's the critter's name?"

Wait... Did I just say 'critter?' Oh no... I was being brainwashed into thinking that it was a living creature!

"Hm?" He looked at me, then glanced back at the 'rabbit.' "Oh, my little buddy? She hasn't told me, yet."

Her... Yeah, okay... No... I can't...

"I'm telling you, that's not a living creature."

He looked to his pet, then back at me with a frown. "She looks fine to me."

Fine? What...? "She's never been alive!" I was starting to shout.

"Never been a five? She's not a number, she's a bunny!" He beamed at me. "You really are one weird pony, you know that?" He patted my armored head with a hoof. "Were you referring to her age? Cause even then, I don't think she's five just yet."

I... wha... UGH! Nevermind...

His ignorance and stupidity only made me more upset when I tried explaining the reality of... well, anything and everything.

He just couldn't comprehend it, I guess. He seemed to see the world through rose colored glasses.

Must have been nice.

As we walked, I looked around in each direction of the path we walked on. I had no idea how they kept the trees from swarming it for as long as it was there, but they did a great job.

Magic, maybe?

Freaky magic...

Maybe I could ask Para... no. No, he wouldn't know... He didn't seem to know much of anything.

Then again, it didn't hurt to just ask...

"Hey, would you by any chance know why the trees haven't taken over the path?"

He smirked as he turned to me. "Well, it hasn't been that long for nature to take over again."

Yep... I knew it. I wasn't going to get an answer from him. I don't know why I had any hope for one.

If I remembered correctly about my time in the Vertibuck, and if I was right about our distance from the towers that I used as a landmark, we would arrive in Saddle in about an hour or two. Maybe three.

... A Vertibuck sounded great right now.

I hated the idea of going back to Saddle, but it was the closest and relatively safest place I knew of, at the moment. There was food, shelter, and the trees didn't invade the town for some odd reason.

That was good enough for me.

Out in the wasteland, Saddle was all I knew.

About forty minutes, give or take, passed, as we traversed through the eerie woods with the screeches, howls, and hissing of what was mistaken as 'nature.'

There was nothing natural about this place. Not in the slightest.

Trees weren't supposed to move, attack, or even talk, for that matter. I had no idea what else lurked in the deepest parts of this hell, but I was comfortable with the idea of never finding out.

We were just starting to pass under the colossal, leaning structure and through its shadow. Nothing grew under its shade, save for the hints of weeds and grass in the cracks of the street, and moss hanging from the sides of the two buildings.

You know... real nature.

Even being all the way down on the surface, I could still hear the protests of the metal threatening to give out and plummet down atop us. I didn't value the idea of having a tower that reached up to the heavens drop down on me.

"Hello wastelanders!" The voice of a stallion that did a fairly good impression of a radio show host boomed over the radio. He definitely had the voice to be one. His voice carried through the streets, after the song that was playing, came to an end. I didn't recognize the song. "Uh oh... It seems to me we're in a bit of a pickle..." The signal started to give out hints of static. "Ah pony feathers! Our signal is getting cut! We're having some technical difficulties folks, but if all goes right, we'll be back momen-" Chhk! "We need-" Fzzt! "Run!" Despite whatever was happening at the station he used to broadcast, he kept his radio host attitude up pretty well. It sounded stupid at the moment, seeing as he was in the face of danger. "We're und-" Bzzt! "-tack!"

The signal died.

We both stopped and looked at the radio as Para tried changing the station to something else. I imagined that out in the wasteland, there weren't many other stations to listen to. Maybe one or two, but that was it.

I had a strong feeling that everything else consisted of radio static.

The light within the cracked casing died, and I watched as his smile turned into a frown, clearly annoyed with the flaw of technology.

Batteries.

"What was that all about?" I asked, pointing a hoof at his radio. He looked at me, returning a faint smile.

"Well, we have these ponies called DJs, and-"

"No, stop." I sighed and waved a dismissive hoof at him. "I know about DJs. What I mean is, why was he so... I don't know... chill about being under attack?"

"Why would he be under a tak? That's just silly." He made sure to differentiate 'a' and 'tak' from each other.

Oh my fu... He can't be serious right now! He just can't! Nopony can be that stupid!

"Ponies putting taks in their ceilings..." He shook his head and continued. "I mean, if you prefer posters on your ceiling, more than on your walls, then that's your thing. But I think it's weird. I shouldn't have to look up and strain my neck to see a picture."

Oh sweet Celestia... he was serious.

I didn't care how handsome he was. This was just annoying.

But... at the same time, I had to admit... it was kind of cute. An annoying type of cute. A little funny, in fact.

I found myself laughing under my breath as I shook my head softly. "You're one weird guy, you know that?"

"I'm feared? No, that can't be right... I'm Para!" He beamed at me, like he often times did. I couldn't tell if he was being serious, or just joking around with me.

I sighed and put my hoof on his shoulder, looking directly into the black that was trapped within the golden rings of his eyes, smiling softly. It probably would have meant more to him if my helmet was off right now.

Then a red blip appeared on my EFS, behind him.

Then another...

... And another.

Within a span of just five seconds, there were ten... and that was only facing north.

Looking around, I found just as many in every other direction.

"Not again..." I muttered.

"What's wrong?" Para asked.

I looked back at him quickly. "How fast can you run?"

"What?" He raised an eyebrow, cocking his head to the side a little. "Why? Are we having a marathon?"

Okay, there was a time for jokes, and this was not it! "... Fuck it. Sure. Why the hell not?" I looked around and started to see silhouettes of beasts raising from the ground and standing tall, on two rear legs. Dark wisps of cloud traveled around their form, and glowing eyes of white opened up all around us, watching...

Claws stretched out, ready to dig in.

Para looked at a group to the north and waved a hoof at them. "Hello!" He smiled.

I turned around in a counterclockwise, 360 degree rotation, checking our complete surroundings.

Thankfully, they made the mistake of being spread two thin to the west. However, if we went that route, the only way of escape was to go through the tower that... well... towered over us.

I opened fire on the beasts to our left, and found that lasers cut right through them like smoke, before reforming to their original form.

Okay, so entities made of smoke... Lasers did fuck all against them... How was that even remotely fair? How do you kill smoke!?

"Para..." I spoke softly, backing up to him, as I kept my eyes locked on to the monsters that grew closer each second. They were slow, for now. But they were also big. And their arms were pretty long... They stumbled, I noticed... As if they were drunk, or hurt. "I need you to listen to me..."

"I need to listen to the bees? What for?"

"Para, I'm being serious! Listen to what I'm about to tell you! How fast can you run?" I spoke as clearly as I could, hoping he wasn't going to get my words mistaken for something else.

"I'm kinda slow with all this weight on my back." He looked at his cargo.

"Then get on my back, and hang on tight."

"Ooo! A piggyback ride! Yay!" I glanced back to see him climbing aboard and wrapping his hooves around my neck.

"Hang on tight..." I reiterated, dragging my left forehoof across the ground twice, kicking up some dirt in the process. I charged west, blasting one of the smoke creatures with excessive laser fire. Each individual shot made more of the smoke dissipate from the rest of its form. My last shot in the microfusion cell struck it in the arm, before I rammed through the rest of its body.

Para started coughing violently, and I myself, felt a sudden disappearance of air to my lungs.

The air tasted sour, and I felt something growing inside me. Something that was not meant to be.

But I didn't have time to stop. I didn't have time to catch my breath.

Oh, but I wanted to so bad... My lungs were burning already, and the air was growing thick.

Whatever these things were made of, they had easily bypassed my air filtration unit. I didn't know if there was a resistance to it, but Para was going through the same thing I was, if not worse. We both needed to find safety, and fast.

I charged in through what was once a glass door and looked around frantically, losing breath the more time passed by.

On the far side of the marble floored lobby, at the exit opposite of us, I saw the roots coming in, ready to violate the source of the noise that had intruded into their territory. I still didn't know for sure what they did to ponies, but I caught a glimpse of something, and I knew that they loved making them suffer.

Between us and the roots, were four sets of elevators; each door closed.

The power was off, seeing as there was no lighting in the building, at all. We only had the sun's altered light and my helmet's headlamp to help guide the way.

Of course the power was off. Why had I expected anything here to actually work? Especially in a building that was leaning towards one side?

Besides that, just like the last elevator I came across, I lacked some key items. Three, this time. Though, to be fair, I probably needed the third item, the other time, back in the apartments.

My trusty toolbox to repair any damage and ensure the safety while in use.

Time to be able to fix it, without something trying to kill us.

And a generator to power it up.

I had none of the above.

Which meant...

Sigh...

We had to take the stairs...

I looked to my left, but found nothing with the exception of wall, on the far side of the room.

I swung my head right and found a metal door with a small, square window on its upper half. On the other side, even though it was fairly dark, I saw exactly what I was looking for; the faint vision of stairs.

I ran for the door, coughing and hacking up... Wait, did I taste iron...?

"Para!" I rasped, fighting to keep myself from collapsing as both the roots and the shadow beings came in after us. "You..." I was thrown into a violent fit of coughing, which staggered my movement for a brief moment. "You okay!?" I moved with haste.

"My lungs hurt..." He spoke in a soft, raspy whisper in the ear of my helmet, along with a continuous wheezing; the audio sensors picking up everything. "This is why I gave up smoking..."

"Hang on!" I shouted, trying to stay awake and not lose consciousness. "Don't let go!"

I reached the door and rammed my shoulder against it, but it didn't budge.

"Damn it, come on!" I quickly wrapped my hoof around the handle and swung it open, ran inside, and bucked it shut behind me, nearly knocking Para off in the process.

My helmet beeped, and the gauge blinked red at me.

I was running off five percent power... Damn it, no!

"Para, I need a new core!"

"I... I got you... covered..." He gasped for breath, before sending another violent coughing fit in my ear.

Come on, Para... Hang in there... Fight it...

The five percent dropped to zero, and I couldn't move. I wasn't going to bother trying, either. The constant beeping of my helmet started, and I already felt a headache coming.

The roots hissed outside the door, and a growl joined them. I assumed it was from the smoke creatures, but I couldn't check for sure. I couldn't turn around, and I didn't want to anyways. I was fine with just looking at stairs.

A new core was slipped into my back, and the power went up to 98 percent. This one was one number higher than the former. I could use all the power I could get. Especially seeing as we needed to...

RUN!

Para hung onto my neck again as the monsters started pounding at the door. I heard the window to the door start to crack.

"Yessssssssss!"

"Fuck you too!" I shouted in a dry tone as I bolted up the flight of stairs. Oh, my lungs... Celestia have mercy on my... physical health...

The corners of my vision were growing darker, and I felt myself growing weaker. Wisps of smoke grew closer, reaching out to the center of my sight.

What was happening to me...?

Everything was growing darker. I turned the headlamp on, which bought me a few more seconds of sight, but it wasn't enough...

I managed to make it to the third floor, but after that, I was blind, and my thoughts were drifting away to another place far from my own mind.

I fell to the floor with a heavy, metallic thud.

I drifted away...

Sweet Celestia, the surface was bizarre...

(((((((◉)))))))

I found myself lying in my comfy bed, back in the bunker. The radio at the side of my bed played static. Of course it did. It always played static...

Damn it, Fire...

I hit the snooze before I developed a headache from the obnoxious sound and sat up to stretch. My charcoal black, bedhead of a mane covered my eyes. As I brushed it to the side, I saw my door open.

Nopony was on the other side.

Hm... Odd.

It must have been one of Fire's early morning pranks. A bucket of cold water, perhaps? Wouldn't be the first time...

I didn't hear any hoofsteps or voices. No machinery. Nothing.

All was silent in the bunker.

As cliche as it was... it was too quiet.

Was everypony taking the day off all at once? That didn't seem right.

I hopped off my bed and got into my engineer outfit, before giving a long stare at the power armor that stood tall before me, beside my locker.

I was more of a constructor than a destructor. I fixed things. That was what the hammer and wrench on my flank told me.

Point was, that it was a bit odd to be in the ranks of a ranger now. By my understanding, they shot things. Killed, conquered, and destroyed. I was the opposite.

They defended their home against raiders and other dangerous beings. Us engineers did so in a different way. We walked around the station, fixing anything that seemed out of place. From an armor's maneframe, to gas leaks in pipes, around the bunker. I learned, over the years, that there was always something to fix. Something was always falling apart somewhere. It was just a matter of finding out where the damage was, and how to fix it, before it got too bad.

It was not to say that I didn't love the promotion. As I previously mentioned before, I always had a vision to get to where I was now. A dream that I could one day patrol the wasteland and defend my home against the hostilities that threatened to take over our precious home. But it was... odd... being a ranger, now.

I suppose it was just something I had to get used to.

In the meantime, since I wasn't called to surface duty or security detail, I figured I'd patrol the station and look for anything that needed fixing.

I bit down on the red, rectangular, metal toolbox by the handle, pulling it out of my locker and tossing it on my back, balancing it perfectly.

I then peeked my head out into the corridor, only to find it empty. Nopony was patrolling, and nopony was heading to their shift. All the doors, save for my own, were closed. Even Fire's, which was right across from mine.

Hm... This didn't seem right...

I looked up, but I didn't see any traps set to pour freezing hydration on me, or anything of that sort, for that matter.

I stepped out, shrugging it off, and turned left down the corridor. Maybe somepony was in the mess hall? It had to have been around the time for breakfast, so I was sure I'd see somepony. Even so, I would expect there to still be security stationed around the bunker. We didn't all take breaks at once. That would be stupid, to say in the very least.

I pressed my hoof against the panel to the door, and before I could see what was on the other side, my vision had been covered by a pillar of black smoke that lunged at me!

With little to no warning, I still tried to jump back. To my misfortune, I was too slow.

I couldn't move. I couldn't breathe. I couldn't see. I couldn't speak.

But I could feel... and what I felt was a tugging at something inside me. Something trying to take some vital part of me... I wanted to scream, but I had no voice. I wanted to run, but I had no control.

I was fading...

For a split second, I heard a crackle in the speaker above me, right outside the mess hall. I felt the thing that tried taking me away lurch and squirm, before letting go.

At that moment, all sensation slipped from my grasp.

(((((((◉)))))))

"Wakey wakey wastelanders! Today's another day!" That same radio host I heard earlier pulled me out of a slumber, and my eyes cracked open to see I was laying on my side, in the corner of what I imagined was an office, at one point. The desk was overturned and laying next to my head, and paperwork from long ago, covered in dirt and grime, littered the ground I rested on.

One of the first things I noticed, was that my helmet was off, and my skin felt as if it were breathing. I looked up at the exit, realizing that the room was tilted towards one side, and my armor was looking down at me, hanging by a black cable from the tail; all four hooves standing on the ground.

"We got some work to do, folks! It's all about survival! And if, by some chance, you just came out from underground, like say, a stable, and this is your very first time out in the wastes, then listen to these helpful tips. Don't try meddling with things you have no chance of winning against. Stay off the mane roads. Raiders like to set up ambushes there. Keep your eyes peeled, and your guard up always. Even when you think it's safe. Some may be friendly, but think of you as hostile, and some may be hostile, and think of you as easy pickin'. Don't be. Run if you have to... Oh, and stay out of Saddle Forest, 'kay kiddos? That place is a big no-no. If you find you're already in there, by some off chance... get out."

I felt a thick, sticky substance come out from my lips in a drool, which I smacked a few times before getting up. My muscles were still really sore, and whatever that black smoke stuff was, it didn't do too well on my lungs. I breathed in rasps.

I looked down as I lifted my upper body, and... oh... what the bloody hell is that?

I spat on the floor, and a black ooze parted from my lips. It didn't have any taste... but seeing it come out of me had freaked me out to where I imagined something sour and bitter.

I took a step back, watching it closely as I wiped my hoof on my tongue, trying to get it all off.

My stomach clenched suddenly, and I felt something big coming up...

Oh... oh no... Here it comes!

A stream of the black, tar-like goo was released from my stomach, forming a puddle before me. I already had a sore throat, and maybe even sore lungs... but puking while having sore respiratory systems burnt like hell times ten!

When I had gotten it all out of my system, I panted and looked down at the unknown liquid. What the hell was this stuff...?

And then it twitched.

I jumped back, hitting my flank against the wall and screaming. Not just from the sudden, burning sensation I felt from those shots earlier, but from the horror of what was happening in front of me.

The puddle grew a variety of appendages, which allowed it to quickly scurry away and have a smaller, more high pitched scream than mine as it ran for the exit.

"And now, for music." The radio host said, before a beat started to play.

Somewhere over Cloudsdale

Way up high

And the spells that you worked on

Endlessly 'till dawn

Sometimes, I wish upon a star

I heard Para yawn, and soon after, saw him poke his head out on the other end of the desk, smiling faintly at me.

I was breathing heavily, freaked out of my mind. That was beyond anything I ever saw before... What was that doing inside me?

"Bad dream?" He asked calmly.

I focused on him and sighed, sitting on my haunches; my back leaned against the wall. "I wish it was..." I replied, looking back at the black stain on the floor that was left behind. It was hidden from him by the desk between us.

Somewhere over Cloudsdale

Griffins fly

And the spells that you worked on

Spells really do work well

Someday, I wish upon a star

Fly up where the worries are far behind me

Where troubles flow like apple cider

High above the cottage top

That's where you'll find me

"Oh, I like this song." His smile widened as he closed his eyes, taking it in.

I glanced at my armor, before returning to him. "You saved me... Didn't you?"

He nodded, keeping his eyes closed. "You passed out."

"And... just how did you manage to haul me all the way to... wherever it is we are?" I looked around. We must have been in the tower, somewhere. Just didn't know where, exactly.

"Well, I'll admit... you were pretty heavy, and even dragging you was difficult. Especially since I was having a super bad cough. That dry day air really got to me, I guess..." He shook his head, and got back to the topic. "Well, there I was, trying to drag you up the stairs, and suddenly, your robo suit just opened up on me! I pulled you out and brought you somewhere you could rest. I went back for your suit." He wrinkled his nose, as if he smelled something foul. "It smelled like pee pee, by the way... and it was kinda sticky in one of the hooves. Sticky and icky."

I felt myself turn bright red. "I... I don't know anything about that. Must be your imagination..." I looked away and found myself facing the window to my left. I didn't even know it was there until just now.

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand that was enough sightseeing for me for a while. It was bad enough we were in a room tilted towards the window, and for that matter, had a very good chance of falling out, but seeing how high up we were...

I was about to piss myself... again.

Well, it was now confirmed we were in the tower. From what little I saw, I had to guess maybe the... 8th floor? I hated to imagine what it was like looking down from the top...

The song on his radio ended, and another one of Octavia's pieces started.

I quickly looked back at him, and when I spoke, my voice squeaked from the nervous feeling that grew in my now shaking body. "Did you sleep well, Para?"

He nodded happily, not really caring how high up we were. "I did. And you?"

"I've had better..." I murmured, looking at my armor. I noticed the cable was leading out through the door. "Thank you for saving me, Para. I mean it. I'm grateful."

"Thanks for being interesting company." He beamed at me.

I was interesting company? Yeah, I don't think so...

He leaned his back against the slanted wall, beside another window of his very own, smiling as he crossed his forehooves across his chest, as if he were playing it cool.

And he did. I didn't see one bead of sweat form on that sexy body of h... Damn it Charger... STOP!

The point is, he didn't seem worried in the slightest.

Either he had a death wish, or he didn't feel fear.

"So where did you come from?" He asked, smirking as he looked over.

"Underground." I replied, then added to my response. "In a bunker south of here."

I watched as he pulled out another black and red candy cane, then proceeded to stick it in his mouth, acting as if it were a cigarette.

"What's the last thing you remember?" I asked.

He looked up in thought. "Hm..." He paused for a few seconds; his brows knitted as he thought long and hard. "Waking up."

"Waking up?" I raised an eyebrow. "Like, just a few minutes ago?"

"No..." He shook his head and looked back at me. "I mean waking up for the very first time."

Wait... What?

"Uh... I'm afraid I don't understand..." I cocked my head to the side, looking on in confusion.

He smiled faintly, then looked away. "I'm not sure I do, either. The whole thing is a bit foggy. Bits and pieces, here and there."

"No full picture?"

He nodded as he looked out the window, but for some reason, he was still smiling.

"Don't you... you know... want to see the full picture?"

He turned back to me, his smile widening a bit. "Nope." He said in a cheerful tone as he shook his head; those golden rings meeting my green ones. "I don't care to know. I'm happy. I don't need a 10-19 on whatever happened."

"Like..." I paused, fearing I was going into personal territory. "With what happened to your wings?" Good thing I knew radio talk.

His smile faltered a little.

I knew it...

"It's just... I noticed they were... missing. You were a pegasus once... weren't you? You lived among the Enclave? But something must have happened, and... and you moved down here, right? Banished?"

He simply shrugged, but I could tell I was getting into something he didn't like thinking about. There was a hint of a sulk on his features as he sucked on the candy cane hanging from his lips.

"I don't know. Whatever happened, happened. I'm fine with how my life turned out. More than fine, in fact." His smile started to slowly return, but I felt there was more to this. I was starting to think that he was just faking his carelessness. But... he didn't seem to want to talk about it. It was best to just leave well enough alone. I suppose I couldn't blame him, really. He didn't want to talk about home. Neither did I. I understood enough to just leave it be.

Para had to have lived with the Grand Pegasus Enclave at one point, though. All pegasi seemed to. I never heard of a pegasus living outside of the "safety" of their clouds.

Usually, this would have automatically branded Para as an enemy to the Steel Rangers, and maybe even the entire surface, judging from what I heard go down, months ago, in the east.

There was something about a civil war between the Enclave, or something like that... Neighvarro and Thunderhead at each other's throats. I found that, like most things, I didn't know the full story.

I think I heard a cyberpony unicorn was involved with it, though...

I dunno... Stories are just stories. Ponies are always adding to them to try and make them more 'interesting.' And... seeing as this story traveled all along the wasteland, from east to west... there was probably a lot of unnecessary drama added to it.

Unfortunately, there had been more Enclave units sighted around Las Pegasus lately, including an entire Enclave base.

They had put the Steel Rangers all along the west coast under high alert, and we have all been watching them, since that time.

"Want a cane?" He asked, regarding me with a grin, to which I shook my head.

"No thank you."

He smiled brighter for a split second and shrugged, then resumed sucking the flavor out of his, as he reached into one of his many pockets, pulling out a deck of cards. "You play?"

He wanted to play a card game... now? Of all times?

... Actually, that didn't sound half bad. A break would be nice.

"Depends." I smiled faintly. "What game are we talking about?"

"Goldfish!" He beamed at me.

"Goldfish..." I nodded. "Alright, let's do it." Looking around the room we sat in, I continued with a frown. "Though, it'd be a lot nicer if we could play on flat ground."

He simply shrugged it off - which seemed to be a thing for him - as he smiled and shuffled the cards like a... pro... Okay, how was he doing that!?

Was this guy secretly a unicorn or something?

The beautiful, soothing notes of Octavia's cello ended, and soon enough, a vocalized song came on.

This next one had a moderately paced guitar strum that was soon accompanied with a rhythmic, steady pace of a hoof stomping, and another guitar in the background; this one with more of an echo behind it.

When I die, and they lay me to rest

Gonna go to the place that's the best

When I lay down to die

Going off to the spirit in the sky

Going off to the spirit in the sky

A mare sang in the background, just after the last line, saying "spirit in the sky!"

For a song about dying, this was a little... upbeat.

Spirit gonna go, when I die

(When I die!)

When I die, and they lay me to rest

I'm gonna go to the place that's the best

Para resumed shuffling the cards as the guitar resumed its steady beat with the hoof stomping.

I didn't know what this radio station was. I never picked it up on my radio, but I was starting to fall in love with the DJ behind all this.

Tell yourself, you know it's a must

Gotta have a friend in Luna!

So you know that, when you die

Stars will commend you as a spirit in the sky

(Spirit in the sky!)

They'll commend you as a spirit in the sky

That's where you're gonna go, when you die

(When you die!)

When you die, and they lay you to rest

You're gonna go to the place that's the best

"How often do you get to play?" I asked, looking down at the growing hand of cards that he kept tossing to me, after giving himself one, and so forth.

"Last time I did, they said I was cheating. I didn't even know what I was playing!"

I raised a skeptical eyebrow. "Cheating, huh?" Suddenly, I didn't feel too comfortable playing with him.

"Hey, it's not my fault I'm that good." He smiled faintly.

"I imagine ponies don't take too kindly to cheating. I know I don't..."

"Some security mare way back in Hoofington didn't, either. Threw me out in the streets." He shook his head after dealing the right amount of cards to both parties. "She was not a very nice pony..."

"Wait, whoa, whoa, whoa... You were in Hoofington!?" I balked.

"Yep!" He nodded as he beamed at me.

"When?" I asked in desperation. The attack between the Enclave happened over Hoofington, and even though I wasn't a Steel Ranger anymore, the story still intrigued me. I just wanted to know for the sake of my own curiosity.

"Long ago." He picked up his hand, looking through his selection. "I don't remember a whole lot of that place. Might have been a few months or so..."

Well, I guess I wasn't getting any info on the attack, since he didn't remember a whole lot... Typical.

Never been a sinner

I never sin

I got a friend in Luna!

So you know that, when I die

She's gonna send me up as a spirit in the sky

Oh, send me up as a spirit in the sky!

That's where I'm gonna go, when I die

(When I die!)

When I die, and you lay me to rest

I'm gonna go to the place that's the best

Go to the place that's the best!

The song let out one final guitar solo for the remainder of its length as we played Go Fish. Not for profit, thankfully. Just for fun.

Good thing, too. I didn't have any caps on me, and he had just won the first round.

"That was 'Mare in the Moon,' by Normane Greenhoof." The nameless DJ said over the radio broadcast. "I'll say, that's a pretty good song for the wasteland." He chuckled. "Certainly a song I'd want to die listening to." Things got quiet for a few seconds, and he coughed. When he spoke up again, he sounded more somber. "Well, it appears it's that time again, folks. Lock your doors. Cover your windows, and pray for the dawn of a new day. Darkness is coming to swallow the wasteland once more, and with it, the real dangers of Saddle will awaken. So if you're in that area, hunker down. Stay inside. Barricade the doors and windows. Wait until morning. Do not step in the dark. Keep a light on at all costs, but don't make it too noticeable. Keep it close. Hell walks the surface tonight..." He paused, and I looked over at the radio kept on his person. "Goodnight, wastelanders. Here's to the hope of a brand new tomorrow."

A soft, classical tune filled the room as we played.

Para kept winning, somehow... I just kept getting really bad hands. This sucked...

When it got darker out, and the room grew dim, I activated the headlamp on my armor, which continued to look down at both of us; still bound by the cable around the tail's frame. If it broke, we'd both be crushed, since we met in the middle of the desk that had fallen on its side.

We'd be killed instantly, if we were lucky.

I was a glass half full type... usually.

The light shined down on us like a spotlight, but it also meant that anything from the outside would see a certain lit up window in a dead city and get curious.

Chances were, the core in my armor would have a gradual decrease in the power level overnight, what with the light being on until morning came. But judging from what the DJ said, that was a sacrifice I was willing to make.

By my understanding, the trees couldn't see. Only touch and listen. So we didn't need to worry about the-

And I lost another round. Great.

This was getting ridiculous.

I looked up at Para to see him smiling that same damn smile he almost always had on his stupid, cute face... Smug bastard.

There had to be a trick up his sleeve... That, or he didn't shuffle the deck good enough.

"Shuffle the deck again." I said softly, frowning as I threw the cards at him. Despite my annoyance, I knew to keep my voice low. The DJ had me really spooked on what was out there now.

He nodded, put both our hands in the deck, and started doing his magic shuffling tricks. I had no idea how he did that so well... It seemed so... impossible for anypony except unicorns.

I watched closely... waiting. If I saw anything out of the ordinary, I'd call him out on cheating.

But... I didn't see anything suspicious. Okay... either he had great sleight-of-hoof, or he wasn't actually cheating...

... Or I just had horrible perception...

After three games of me constantly losing and not winning a single round, I grudgingly called it a night, and laid in my corner of the tilted room, where I woke up earlier. He went back to his corner after putting the cards away, and after about a minute of getting comfortable, had fallen into a slumber, still smiling as he did.

Lucky... He was probably dreaming about puppies and kittens, or frolicking through fields of healthy, un-irradiated flowers with butterflies... all while listening to his radio, most likely.

I noticed he never turned it off. Ever.

I eye'd it for a while as it kept the symphony going. It wasn't too loud, and even then, it was turned down to much more tolerable sleeping levels. If anything, it was relaxing. It made me remember that even in the darkest of places, there was still beauty.

But... did he really keep it on 24/7?

What was up with that?

No wonder it shut down earlier.

I closed my eyes and waited for sleep to take me.

But it didn't come. I was still too worried if this was it for me. If I was ever going to wake up again. Perhaps something would sneak in and eat me... or kill me just for the fuck of it.

The wasteland was unpredictable.

... And I was just another toy that joined its sandbox.

(((((((◉)))))))

I opened my eyes, and I found myself in the tower, untouched. That was a huge relief on my part. That relief started draining from me, when I was reminded of how unstable the tower's structure was, via its continuous groans, telling us to get out of here before it became the death of us.

I didn't have any dreams the night prior to this morning. At least, none that I could remember. Judging by my last one, maybe that was a good thing. I was in no mood for jumpscares.

Para was still fast asleep, and he seemed to be doing it well. I don't know how... Maybe it was just a wastelander thing. But I heard his snores pretty clearly.

I carefully stood up, walked around the desk, and nudged his shoulder.

"Mmm..." He groaned under his breath. "Five more minutes..."

"Para, we should go..." I spoke softly, looking around. "I don't feel safe here any longer..."

His eyes cracked open, and he sighed, smiling faintly. "Alright, alright..." They widened as he stood up, but closed soon after, as he stretched. He raised one hoof in the air. "10-18 to Saddle!" He said in a happy tone. "Wrap up your goods, get in your porta-potty suit, and..." He paused and cocked his head to the side, smiling. "Do you need a cup of hundred mile coffee before we go?"

I blushed at what he just called my suit and looked away. "No, no..." I muttered. "And actually... I don't think we should go to Saddle. The road is too dangerous. We should just get out while we can. Who knows what else is ahead..."

He balked at me as his eyes looked into mine. "But... but the treasure! Charger, you can't expect me to be a suicide jockey by myself, in this. Other ponies are out there, looking for it!" He spoke in a desperate cry. "I'm not leaving it behind, and I need you as my lookout!"

"Look, Para... It's just too dangerous." I looked down and sighed. "You just said yourself that it's dangerous carrying around. I don't want to be a target. Plus, the DJ on the channel you keep playing through your radio says we should stay away. And with my first-hoof experience of this place, I have to agree with him."

"But... the treasure..." He sulked as he sat on his haunches, and despair grew in his eyes.

"Why didn't you grab it when you were in Saddle?" I cocked my head to the side, raising a brow as I looked back at him.

"Well, I didn't have the green stamps, and stealing is a big no no."

"So... What, it's in a store?"

"Yes..." He nodded, looking at me. "And if I don't get it, then somepony else will. I can't let it fall into the wrong hooves!"

I let out another sigh and shook my head gently. "Well... thank you for saving me earlier, Para... But I can't go with you. You're free to go, yourself. I cannot and will not stop you." I walked up to him and gave him a comforting pat on the shoulder. At least... I hoped it was comforting.

"Goodbye, Para."

I started to walk up the steep incline that was the floor, towards my power armor. The only real problem was that I kept sliding back down. My hooves couldn't gain any purchase for me to make any progress on leaving. I was stuck in here.

"Charger..." Para said in a soft voice. "Don't 10-7 on me... Please?"

Even though I understood the radio talk, I didn't know why he kept using it. It was getting mildly irritating, actually.

I didn't bother looking at him as I kept trying to get up and out of the tilted room. Pulling my armor out might be a hassle, but so long as I have the right tools, I might be able to make a pulley system to do it for me.

I just... needed... to... GET OUT!

Siiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiigh!

"Sorry, Para." I said in an annoyed tone, looking up at the door. "I'm looking to survive. What you're asking of me is a very good way to do quite the opposite."

"... The roads are awfully lonesome..."

I gave up and looked at him. He had hung his head down, and his mane covered his facial features. I imagined he would be crying or something, but I didn't hear any sobs.

Still, it made me feel bad...

"Hey... Hey now..." I walked up to him and gave him another pat on the shoulder. Man... I probably sucked at this... "Don't feel like that. You have your... bunny... thing." I glanced at it, only to see it was looking up at me, staring into my soul with its red, glowing, mechanical eyes.

Okaaaaaaaaaaaaaay... Time to move on out of creepy town and into sympathy valley.

Looking back at Para, I resumed. "You're not alone. You have your little buddy with you. Your... little bunny buddy." I gave a forceful smile, but it quickly vanished into a frown when I found my humor didn't work on him. It didn't work on anyone but me, it seemed. Not even Fire thought my jokes were funny.

"Not many ponies are willing to ride the roads with me. I'd hoped I'd find a pony like you to enjoy the slow life with me for a while. It ain't gotta be too long..."

I had a strong feeling that I wouldn't be coming across many ponies either... Especially nice ones. I was alone the moment I told the Steel Rangers to go fuck themselves, and I'd do it again in a heartbeat, if I was given the chance. But ever since I started traveling with Para, I was feeling a little better. I didn't know if I could call him a friend just yet. But he wasn't an enemy, and that was pretty good in my books.

Besides... Safety in numbers, and all that...

I sighed and smiled with more sincerity. "Alright, Para..." He looked up a little to catch my smile. "I'll stick around. For now."

"No... No foolin'?" He raised his head a bit more, revealing a sad blush on him, like a colt, after crying.

Yikes... I kinda felt like an asshole now.

I nodded. "Let's go."

"Thank you!" He smiled brightly and quickly wrapped his hooves around me, taking me in one, big, bear hug of an embrace. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

Oof... He was strong... Too strong for my lungs to handle!

I tapped him on the back, wheezing a little as I spoke. "Para! Can't breathe!"

He loosened his grip a little, and I chuckled softly. "Okay, Para. It's no big de-"

"Thank you!" He interrupted, looking deep into my eyes, just a few inches away from mine.

"... It's no big deal." I smiled, putting my hoof to his chest and gently pushing him back just a little bit, for some room. "Really."

"I know, I know, but... Thank you!" He said happily, once more.

He was acting a lot like me, when I was a colt getting new toys from the rangers.

I sighed and shook my head, smiling faintly. "Let's get out of here, then." I turned my head and looked up at the armor that hung from the black cable, by its tail. "I imagine we won't have much luck getting that out of here and taking it with us... Damn shame."

I really didn't want to leave it behind, but I didn't see any other way.

Para looked at me after slipping on his shirt and jacket. "Anything is possible, if you put your mind to it." He beamed at me.

He certainly changed from sad to happy pretty quick. Too quick, really... Was he just manipulating me?

He slipped on the rest of his belongings and started walking up the... WHAT? HOW!?

My jaw dropped as I watched him walk up the steep incline that I had so much trouble with. He had no problem with it, whatsoever. What the hell!? Not fair!

Lucky son of a...

I gave it one more shot, and... Wow. Okay. Now I'm able to leave? Not before, but now?

I didn't have much trouble, myself. At least... now I didn't. I did, however, tread carefully. I felt my hooves slide a bit, every so often, but not enough to make me fall. Just enough to make me worry.

Para slapped his hoof against the suit's back, and it opened up before us.

In doing so, the tail spread apart, snapping the cable and sending it plummeting towards the window, still standing on all four hooves. It left two thick trails into the carpet, behind it as it sped forward, revealing the flooring beneath and therefore ruining it.

The head crashed through the window frame, and the front end of the body slammed through the wall, hanging out of the tower; it's frame still open.

Its back end kept it from falling out completely, but now there was no way I was getting into that thing while it was hanging there.

I scowled at Para, and he gave me a sheepish grin in response. "I uh... I meant to do that."

Mentally, I slapped my hoof against my face and groaned out of frustration.

I went back down to the armor and kept my hoof over the mechanism that sealed it. This was a really bad idea... But... Damn it, I really wanted this armor! It was at least worth a shot!

I pressed down, and the suit closed up. As it did, it slipped out through the hole it had made, and fell to the surface. I watched as it plummeted to what might have just been the end of its value.

"Well, that was fun." Para said. "Now what?"

I almost believed that was sarcasm. But he sounded sincere.

I looked back, and that's when I started to feel the flooring beneath me give out.

I screamed and jumped back as it crumbled under my hooves, then darted towards the wall beside it, panting heavily. My back was leaned up against the wall; my hoof over my heart as my chest went up and down.

"I... hate... heights!" I spoke between each deep breath.

"I have no problem with it." Para smiled.

"You're a pegasus!" I stated, pointing a hoof at him and glaring. "Of course you don't have a problem with it!"

"Pegasus with no wings." He added with a faint smile. "I can't recall ever having wings. I have no memories of flying. That makes me an earth pony. Just like you."

I straightened myself out, feeling horrible about what I just said. "S-sorry... I didn't mean to..."

He waved a hoof at me and smiled happily. "Don't fret." There was a brief pause, and I took that time to 'not fret.'

"Ready to go?" I asked, after taking another deep breath.

He nodded, and I looked back out of the hole that my armor had made, to see that it had come into contact with the surface. I couldn't tell for sure, but it looked fine so far. I didn't see it in pieces, so that was a plus.

I turned around and walked back up the slope with ease.

During his wait for me to catch up, he fed his bunny two carrots, then took a third one out for himself.

Together, we made our way to the door of the office, and into the corridor.

(((((((◉)))))))

The streets caught in the shade of the tower didn't seem to have any hostile life forms at the moment, but it was hard to tell without my EFS. I didn't like not knowing...

Putting my paranoia aside, I studied the armor that laid before me. I didn't see any physical damage, but it had fallen on its side. That was going to be a problem...

I tried opening the suit, but it had jammed on me again...

Great. I broke it.

I was willing to at least try to fix it, though.

First things first... Get it up on its hooves again.

"Para, can you give me a hoof?" I asked, going to one end.

He stretched out his hoof toward me, smiling. "Here ya go."

I looked on for a brief second, before planting my hoof into my face, releasing an exasperated sigh. "Okay, now can you help me lift my armor?"

"You mean the robo suit? Sure thing!" He smiled brightly and went to the other end opposite me.

"Okay, on the count of three, we lift. Got it?"

"Mhm!" He nodded and grabbed a hold of the armor as best he could. I did the same on my end.

"One... Two... Three!" We both groaned as we strained our muscles, fighting to lift the overweight mass of steel back onto its hooves.

We just barely got its upper half off the ground before we gave up. It was too much for just two ponies. But I was desperate... I didn't want to be stuck in the armor again, and it was amazing being outside of it, but it offered a great deal of protection, and I was a newbie to the wasteland.

Panting, I looked back at him. "Okay... Let's try again."

"You got it!" He swung his hoof from left to right, across his chest, as if he was being very supportive. I could start to see sweat forming on his perfect, white coat.

We grabbed a hold of some part of the armor and tried again at the count of three, but it only strained our muscles more so than they already were. I wanted to just drop and rest right there. My arms and legs felt like jelly.

Then, quite suddenly, the armor opened up, making us both drop it out of surprise.

I balked at it, then at Para, who gave me a casual smile.

"What did you do?" I asked quickly, looking back at the armor.

"Well, I was just pushing it, like you asked." His smile quickly diminished, and he looked worried as he stared down at it. "I didn't break something, did I?" He got down to its level. "Oh, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to!"

"It's fine, Para." I said, rolling my eyes, which quickly locked onto him soon after some realization. "Wait... did you just say you were pushing it?"

He looked up at me. "Well, yeah. That's what you wanted, right?"

"Which way were you pushing it?"

"Down."

"Damn it, Para..." I muttered, shaking my head and putting my hoof to my temple. I felt a headache start to form. "I said lift. Not push... LIFT!"

He flinched. "Don't yell. It's rude."

I groaned, then looked back down at my armor. "Well... I suppose I can just... I dunno... Crawl inside."

I got down to work, and what would usually just take three seconds, ended up taking about half a minute, at the very least.

The back sealed up, and the suit tightened around my figure once more. Save for the chestplate, which was still red, and the left shoulder, which was yellow, everything else was fine and in the green.

The power gauge was at 67 percent. Not too bad.

I stood up, and to my relief, the suit moved just fine.

I checked the compartment for my two snack cakes, only to find that they weren't crushed.

Good. I hated squished food.

I closed the compartment and looked at Para.

"Saddle up." I said in the deep tone behind the helmet.

(((((((◉)))))))

Nothing had attempted jumping out at us for the duration of the trip. Luck seemed to be favoring us... for the time being. Who knew how long that was going to last.

Still, it was more than pleasant for me, and I imagined for Para, too. I didn't have any ammo left, so my guns were all but useful.

The trees minded their own business, and we minded ours.

Occasionally, we'd hear something hissing, but it wasn't like how the trees did it. This sounded more... feral. As if that made any sense...

Among the hissing was a variety of howls and screams. I didn't feel like identifying any new species in the area. Ever. The noises alone did it for me.

I had felt as if we were being watched, and even followed. Whatever it was, if it was indeed anything more than just my paranoia, was staying away. This was just another appreciation added to my list of appreciations.

The trail still remained noticeable. Nothing bothered covering it up, to my surprise. There had to be some explanation for that. There just had to be...

About an hour after leaving the tower, we had stopped for a break at what was once a restaurant. A few trees had made home within the dining section of the building, but it didn't seem to be too much of a problem for us. Did they only attack at certain times? I didn't understand this crazy world... This was not the Equestria I read about in books.

Para sat at a table layered in dust and grime as I went behind the counter to see if there was anything worth taking.

Hm... No bits in the register... No caps. No food. Nothing. Nada. Zip. Zilch.

Damn it...

I realized, after opening the fridge, that this place was picked clean, and if my suspicions were correct, the supplies went to Saddle, which meant that the now dead inhabitants knew about the tree's sensitivities to sound, and used that to their advantage when going on supply runs into the city.

I could hear the radio playing some Songbird Serenade from where I was. Para wasn't blasting it at full volume like he did when I first met him, thankfully. It was actually at a nice, relaxing level. Not too loud. Not too quiet.

Though, to be fair... there was no such thing as too quiet, here. At least, not until I met Para. There was something off about him... Why did the trees leave him alone...? Why were they leaving me alone now? Not too long ago, they were pretty set on capturing me and doing something nasty... Just like with the other two rangers...

I went back to the table, and once the armor opened up, I slipped out and sat on the opposite side from where he was, stretching my forehooves wide above me as I groaned, shortly after setting my sore rump in the chair.

I peeked at where I was shot, and low and behold, there was a red rash just over my cutiemark. Oh boy...

Damn it, Fire... I wish I could get you back for that...

It was nice to finally be able to get out of that armor every once in a while and stretch. More than nice. It was wonderful! I wasn't going to be stuck inside that suit anymore! I felt free! I was free!

I caught myself smiling, as I looked at Para play with his little bunny buddy. I didn't really know what to call it, as a name. Rabbit? I dunno...

Robit? No chance I was calling it that...

Or... Or how about... Little Buddy?

Yeah. That worked. Little Buddy. It was already starting to grow on me.

I glanced at my armor, then back at him as he fed Little Buddy another carrot and smiled at it.

... Her. Whatever.

"My core is at 12 percent." I stated. "How much longer until we get back to Saddle?"

"Oh, it shouldn't be too much longer." He smiled back at me. "Just wanted to stop by here. It feels comforting, for some reason. I can't seem to put my hoof on it, though..." He rubbed his chin, then looked around the scenery. "It feels like I was here before..." There was a long pause as he just stared off into the distance, before quickly snapping back to reality and pointing his hoof up as if he had a brilliant idea. "Oh right! Duh! I was here earlier!"

I raised an eyebrow. "Were you the one that emptied the register at the counter?"

"No." He shook his head. "It was like that when I came by."

I looked around and took a deep breath of air. It wasn't fresh, but it was still breathable, so there was that. "We should hit the road."

I didn't really want to go back to Saddle. Not after what happened. But I was stuck between a rock and hard place. I didn't want to be in the forest, either. It was either feel guilt and be relatively safer, or feel guilt and be surrounded by trees with a bloodlust that just might have matched the Steel Rangers.

No matter what I chose, I lost.

No matter what I chose, I'd feel guilt for everything that happened.

Para nodded and put the cage back on his back, while I got back in my armor and stood as still as a statue - or the next best thing - until he was ready to leave. I didn't want to waste what limited energy I had left, turning my head or moving a hoof.

(((((((◉)))))))

Here we were.

Saddle.

What I believed was once a lively town, had recently become a graveyard.

The fires had died out, and with it, entire buildings had fallen into heaps of scorched wood and ash.

The bodies still laid in the streets, baking in the sun.

A field of clouds was rolling in from the east, with the threat of rain.

Color had restored itself to its former glory, once we left the forest. Well... It was nice seeing full color again. It was going to take some getting used to, though, with how long I spent back there.

I looked at Para, expecting nothing short of a horrified expression.

What I saw astonished me.

He was smiling, as if nothing was amiss...

"Para..." I muttered, and he looked back at me, after taking his eyes off a dead mare that had a hole torn through her blue-coated chest via laser arsenal.

"Hm?"

"Why are you smiling...?" I glanced back at the streets of decaying corpses. I imagined they smelled horrid by now. I wasn't going to take my helmet off to find out.

The music from his radio cut out abruptly, and for a while, I thought it died again. But that wasn't the case. I still saw the faint, blue glow within the device, escaping even through his pocket. The meter that showed the radio stations had an amber glow.

"Why not?" He shrugged. "We made it to Saddle. Now the treasure's all mine! I have the caps!" He beamed at me, before trotting down the street happily.

I went after him. "But... everypony here is..." I couldn't say it... Just trying to get it out tasted wrong on my tongue. The word was stuck inside my head.

He continued on his way. "A bit strange, I know. They're all a bunch of lazy ponies... sleeping in the middle of the street like that. Fireworks and parties are no excuse to nap on the streets!" He trotted into a store that had the two front doors caved in.

I slowed to a walk, going in after him. My core was at 2 percent. This armor was as good as gone. I had used up all the cores I had on me. Or... Para had on him, I mean.

I kept my distance and watched as Para stepped up to the counter, looking around with a raised eyebrow and an expression that implied curiosity.

Then he looked down at a small, brass dome before him, resting on the wooden surface of the counter; a tiny knob sticking out of the top.

He tapped his hoof down on the bell, and it rang.

There was no customer service coming to assist him, and after a few seconds of waiting, he slumped his shoulders. "Hello?" He called out.

There was no response.

Ring!

Nothing.

Ring! Ring!

Silence.

Ring! Ring! Ring!

"Is this thing working...?" He muttered, then spoke up. "You have a customer waiting out here, and it's very rude to keep them waiting!" He spoke louder and with a more strained irritation behind his tone.

Ring! Ring! Ring! Ring! Ring! Ring! RING! RING! RING! RING! RING! RING!

Fuck! I couldn't take it anymore! This was worse than the beeping in my helmet, whenever my core was depleted or taken out! Far worse!

I shook my head quickly, hung my head down, and groaned.

"Please, Para... Stop." Despite the increased levels of agitation that were growing inside me, I wanted to keep calm. I was getting really tired of yelling.

He looked back at me. "Stop what? I'm trying to buy the treasure!" He resumed ringing the bell, and the agitation was mutating into anger.

"Para, stop." I spoke more strict. "I mean it."

"Everypony's sleeping on the job..." He muttered, before looking around more. "Hellooooooooooooo? Anypony here?"

RING! RING! RING! RING! RING! RING!

That was it. I couldn't hold it back anymore.

I glared at him behind my visor. "STOP RINGING THAT FUCKING BELL!"

He stared back at me; his hoof a few centimeters away from hitting the brass mistake. He kept it over the instrument as he just stared back, out of surprise.

Ring!

"You're insufferable!" I pointed a metal hoof at him.

"I'm insuff-" He gasped. "Hey, I'm just trying to get some service here! Maybe they're on lunch break or something... Surely somepony here is awake."

"Why can't you just see that everyone is dead!?" My voice wobbled, and I felt the tears start fighting to escape my eyes. "Everyone is de-" I choked and gasped on my own tears and turned my back to him, making my way to the exit. I came to a stop halfway through the doorframe and murmured to myself behind a broken voice.

"I killed them..."

"Everypony is deaf?" Para started. "Well then... Why am I ringing this bell, if they can't even hear it? Why do they even have one? Well... I guess they don't need it anymore... I wish it was for sale... Such a shame. It had a good ring to it." He looked around and huffed. "Well, no use standing here then..."

I shook my head in both annoyance, anger, and the loss of hope that I could get through to him, as I walked out.

A light drizzle washed down the surface as the field of light grey clouds covered the sky in its entirety, like a blanket.

The rain deluded the puddles of blood around me as I sat on my haunches, surrounded by the deceased in every direction.

What was red was now turning a faint pink, over time.

I looked up at the grey, and rain drops splashed down on my visor, distorting my vision.

The clouds had moved in a lot faster than I thought they would have. I didn't catch a hint of blue up above, at this point.

The color reminded me of Fire's coat. Perhaps a little lighter than hers, but it still made me think of her...

It had more of a resemblance of that grey, steel ceiling I always woke up to, though.

It didn't just make me think of family...

It made me think of the safe, warm confines of home.

Something I was never going to have ever again...

I removed my helmet and set it down before me, resting one hoof atop its structure, as I continued to gaze up at the sky.

The rain pattered against my armored body, and the touch of it against my coat was... bittersweet. A cold breeze brushed through my mane; strong enough to let it sway to one side, as it traveled west, judging by what my EFS told me before I removed the helmet.

I closed my eyes, taking in the sound of the rain pattering down on my steel form. The brush of the wind against me. The cool air.

I did my best to ignore the rotten stench around me, but the more I focused on trying to ignore it, the more I noticed it.

I sighed and hung my head down, mixing my tears for the fallen with the rain drops that covered my face.

After what felt like minutes of silence, I cleared my throat and redirected my attention away from my thoughts, and to everything around me.

My mane and coat was soaked to the core.

I couldn't hear the radio, and looking back at the shop, I saw it was void of any life.

How long was I sitting out here...?

"Para...?" I stood up on all fours, slipping my helmet on, and readied my rifles, despite the fact I had no ammo. I approached the entrance to the shop warily. "Para, where are you?" There was a small sack of bottle caps lying on the counter; some of which had spilled out.

"Para?" I poked my head in, looking around the room frantically. It wouldn't surprise me if he left me behind, with how I've treated him lately. "Para, where are you?" I spoke in a more panicked tone, and my heart was starting to race. I scanned my surroundings with my EFS, desperate to find his blip as I spun in circles.

I couldn't find it! Where was he!?

"Para!" I shouted in a desperate cry. "Pa-"

Two amber blips were south of me.

I walked the length of two houses, before they both started sliding off my EFS, to the left. From there, I heard voices. I moved in closer to find out what they were saying, and who they both were. There was no knowing for certain who it was inside.

I ducked underneath one of the windows and listened.

"Where are your parents?" I heard Para ask in a soft tone.

"They're... dead."

Wait a second... I knew that voice!

"Ugh! Why did they make such big fireworks!? Didn't they know it would make them deaf? I just don't get it..." He whined. "You're not deaf. What's your secret?"

"Dead..." She said in a mutter that spoke emotional distress.

"Yeah. That's what I said. Deaf."

She sighed. "What are you doing here...?"

"Oh, I just came by to get this here valuable treasure. The journey was long, but it was worth it!" I didn't need to see him to know that he was smiling right now. The tone said it all.

Regardless, I was curious about what this treasure was all about. What made it so important?

I peeked my head over the wall, underneath the window, and saw him holding a brown cloth bag and pulling out...

No.

Fuck you, Para! That wasn't important at all, you addict!

I came here with you thinking that this was vital, and that you needed help retrieving it, knowing full well what went down in Saddle, but candy canes are not important!

"No thanks..." The filly I met earlier turned her head away from him. She sat on her haunches, next to the couch I found her at, about two days ago. "Just leave me alone..."

I stepped into view, looking through the doorframe, and when the filly looked up, her mournful eyes widened with terror.

"Y-you..." She pointed a trembling hoof at me as she backed up towards the wall, where I caught her hiding on Saddle's D-Day. "Please don't hurt me..." Her back struck the wall, and realizing she was cornered, she whimpered and curled up into fetal position, wincing and expecting it to be the end for her.

"I'm not going to hurt you..." I said softly. "It's me... Remember? The one that told you to... stay quiet?"

One eye opened and looked up at me, and not long after, her look softened just a touch. I could still see hints of fear in those dark violets. Regardless, she nodded with a brief hesitation.

Right... Now that that was out of the way...

I turned to Para. "You. Outside. We need to talk."

"Okay." He beamed at me, and I turned around, heading back out in the rain. He followed close behind.

Once we reached the middle of the street, I turned to face him, only to witness him bump into my chest. He grunted upon contact, then backed up a few steps, looking up at me as I towered over him.

"What the hell is your problem?" I asked behind clenched teeth.

He cocked his head to the side, raising an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"What do I mean?" I laughed sarcastically. "You tell me this treasure is super frickin' important, and we almost died getting here. I was ready to just give up and leave this horrible place behind, but nooo... You just had to have it. And I'm just now finding out that your supposed 'treasure' is nothing more than a flimsy bag of candy canes!"

He grinned in response, looking up at my visor. "Oh, they aren't just any ordinary candy canes." He peeked inside the bag. "Let's see... We got Krampus canes, Sparkle Cola canes, Apple Cider canes, Zap Apple ca-"

"Shut up." I snapped.

He frowned as he studied the contents within, then looked back up at me, shaking his head with remorse. "I'm so sorry..." He paused.

My coldness was starting to diminish as I looked into his eyes. I saw true regret... He just might have been sincere... He just might have been learning.

"... I'm afraid we don't have that flavor."

I felt my eye twitch, and anger began to pool up inside me once more.

"Never even heard of it before." He continued. "Is it any good?"

I immediately snatched the bag from his hooves and crammed it into a compartment in the armor.

"Wha-hey! Give those back!" He slammed his hooves against the plating in desperate attempts to get his candy back, but it slid closed before he could get to it. I stared down at him as he fought my armor.

"You can have them back when you learn to not get us killed for petty bullshit."

"Get us billed? But I already paid for them!" He scowled and stomped his forehooves down on the street like a foal not getting what they want. "Give me back my candy canes!"

"Stop it, Para. You're not getting them back at all, if you keep acting like this. They're about to be all mine, now."

His lips trembled as he collapsed on his haunches. "My canes..." He muttered softly. "You're mean..."

"Maybe this'll teach you to not go after small things of little importance when there's a lot of death between you and it."

I started making my way back to the house, when I heard him say something softly, behind me.

"Maybe you should learn to enjoy the small things..."

I stopped at the doorframe, ignoring Para's comment as I looked down at the paranoid filly who had been crying her eyes out for far too long, judging by how red they were. Bags hung under both. Sleep deprivation did that, unfortunately...

"Do you have anywhere to go?" I asked softly.

"There's no place I want to go..." She replied, refusing to make eye contact with the visor that stared back at her.

"You can't stay here forever... You're bound to run out of food eventually, and that'll be the least of your worries. Once news gets out that Saddle is... well, you know... Raiders will come for the scraps." I shook my head. "I don't want to even think of you being... tormented by them..." I had to choose my wording carefully. She was still a kid... I hoped she didn't already know about what happened out here in the wasteland. I wish I never knew.

"I already have been..." She sobbed, and her eyes welled up more as she looked up at me with cold eyes.

She was referring to me... and the Steel Rangers.

I sighed and sat down. "I know... What I didn't know was what we were going to do when we got here... I spoke against them, but I did it a little too late... and I'm sorry... And no matter how sorry I am, I'll still pay for what happened. I accept that punishment. But in the meantime, while I'm still able, I want to do some good. Something worthy." I paused, hoping that all this was sinking in a little, for her. "But... I was referring to a much worse torment. A fate that some would call worse than death. Nopony should have to go through it, but raiders will make it happen, if they see you here." Or so the stories go... "Please... Come with us. Or just get out of here before it's too late. But don't let the raiders catch you."

She regarded me, and after a while, she wiped the tears from her face with a hoof as she sniffled.

"I'll... I'll go with you..." She said quietly. "Until we get out of the creepy forest... But then I want to go my own way... Away from you..."

I nodded. Really, I couldn't blame her... I didn't even want to be with me right now. "Alright..." I looked over my shoulder to see Para was still sulking about me taking the candy canes from him, then turned back to her. "What's your name?"

"F-Fluky..." She looked out the window, watching as the rain slid down the glass pane like a never ending curtain.

"Fluky, I'm Charger."

I heard her murmur something, but I couldn't understand what it was.

"What was that?"

She murmured again; this time just a little louder, but like the first time, I still couldn't hear it.

"You're gonna have to speak up."

"Robutt... That's your name... Because... You're a butt... A great, big, robotic butt..."

I couldn't tell if she was trying to kill the tension, but I didn't see even a hint of a smile on her.

Again, I couldn't blame her...

We both found ourselves without a home...

... Or a family...

We were both alone in the wasteland...

Author's Note

Wow. I went through hell with this chapter. I got a new job that's kicking my ass (pardon my French), my coordinator/supervisor was screwing me over, and then there's the Writer's Block, the constant distractions, the set up, revisions, the copy edit, the research, the continuity, and on top of all this, I'm doing two other collaboration stories, as well as three other solo projects, two of which will be books, and the other being put on here, after I take care of the first one (MLP related, of course). Oh, and then there was the eviction notice, so that was fun. XD

So yeah. This chapter had bad luck all over it. But I pushed through. Sorry for the long wait. But I do want to address that I've been wanting to work on my other books just a little bit more than I have been, seeing as I've been putting 90 percent of my free time on this story. I'll still be working on it, of course. Just not excessively, like I have been. But this story will continue, I assure all of you. I'm just trying to get my other work out there as well. I hope you all understand. Please don't mistake this as a hiatus from Radio Static. It's not that. I promise.

Anyways, enough of my rambling! I hope you're enjoying the story so far, even though nothing really happened yet. XD

Thank you Kkat for making the first FoE story, and thank you Somber, for making Project Horizons. And thank the rest of you for adding to the FoE universe. I'm almost done with reading PH, and then I can move onto other FoE stories. ^^

Credit for Para and Fluky goes to Pines. Credit for Charger, Firebright, Crimson, and the others goes to me.

Credit for the parody lyrics of "Somewhere Over The Rainbow" (Somewhere Over Cloudsdale) goes to Pines. Credit for the parody lyrics of "Spirit In The Sky" (Mare In The Moon) goes to mwah, though I didn't really change much.
Credit for the original singers go to Judy Garland from the 1939 version of Wizard of Oz... I think? XD
Credit also goes to Normal Greenbaum, for Spirit in the Sky.
Enough about me! Now it's Pine's turn to talk!

Pines: Want some more? Getting that static itch? Tune in next episode and maybe our little friend Para might get his candy back!

Channel 000.3; A Grin From the Past

But now, for some miraculous reason, he's had a change of heart! He's actually done something that can be considered - dare I say it? - good!

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

As much as I hated to do it, my armor was useless now. That one percent soon dropped to zero, but I made sure to have it reside in Fluky's cellar while I still had the opportunity to do so. If I ever found the chance again, I'd come back for it.

The cellar itself didn't have much in the way of valuables for our trek out of Saddle, but I found the dead radroach that Darkspark had killed earlier. That was good protein just going to waste!

I grabbed the dead, oversized insect, put it on my back, along with the bag of candy canes and the fancy buck cakes, then stepped back out into the streets.

Fluky was grabbing some personal belongings, along with some food, in her house, and Para was... well... who knew what Para was doing? He was all sorts of weird...

I kept wanting to look up at the now non-existent EFS that would have been in my field of view, if I had my armor, so I could find out where he was.

Damn it... It was gonna be tough surviving out here without it...

It was still raining out. I didn't expect it to stop anytime soon. I didn't know much about how weather worked without the help of the pegasi, but judging by the outstretched cloudy sky above, it was gonna last the better part of a day. Maybe longer.

I didn't really have a problem with that. I kinda liked it, actually. Felt refreshing. A bit on the cold side... But refreshing!

My wasteland experience was complete shit so far, but this was one of the very few things that made it just a little more enjoyable.

That joy didn't last long with the aftermath of what happened to Saddle... What I did...

I shot a blue unicorn mare in the chest. Blood spilled. They fell.

I shot a grey elder in the head. Blood spilled, and brain melted. They fell.

I shot a colt in the side. Blood spilled, and organs failed. They fell.

I shot another.

And another...

... And another...

The kills kept going, playing over and over again. I saw each and every one vividly; the fear and pain in their dying eyes. The blood pooled out of them, forming puddles. The realization of what I did the moment that I pulled the trigger...

... Right... Um... Okay, moving on...

I didn't want to think about it anymore. I didn't want to remember it. I just wanted to get out of here... But I had to wait on everyone else, first.

I stopped at where the generator was torn out and looked through the gaping hole in the side of the building.

Well... As much as I liked the rain, it'd be nice to get at least a little warmth... Plus, there might be something that could prove useful to me inside.

I climbed up the mound of rubble and set hoof inside the building. The wooden floorboards creaked underneath my steps as I walked the corridor. Three doors were on both sides of me, before a cross intersection split off into three different paths, not including the one I was already in.

The inside was a lot more down-putting than I had thought. It was too dark without the power. I could still see, but I really needed to focus on the outlines of things to figure out what they were, which didn't help the paranoia that crept into my mind.

I swear, if something jumped out at me...

... Well, I'm not sure what I'd do. But I most certainly wouldn't be happy...

Wait... Shadows walked the dark... SHIT!

I looked around in a panic that skyrocketed in my heart. Without my EFS, I was pretty much blind. I imagine they blended in well with the dark.

I didn't see any movement... And I didn't hear anything apart from the rain, the rapid beating of my own heart, and the shakiness of my breath. Maybe it was safe...?

The rain got heavier overtime, and soon enough, the building was filled with a continuous rumble against the rooftop of the three story structure.

I opened the first door on my right, only to be greeted by a vacant office. Nopony was in here, dead or alive, but the place had been overturned. The rangers must have scrounged for caps and ammo in their free time, after the incursion.

They were monsters, but I was no better. Hell, I was scavenging the same place I shot up for caps and ammo, myself. Armor, especially. Or at least something to keep me a little warmer out in the rain. I couldn't afford getting sick out here.

I had the excuse to say it was for survival.

What excuse did they have?

It was all about the hunger for greed and power.

I was contradicting myself... I felt bad for the things I did; for everything that happened. But that didn't make me any less of a monster... Did it?

I had a good excuse as to why I was looting the dead, but that only made me feel worse.

Was I really a bad pony...?

I shook the thoughts out of my head and continued down to next room; the first door on the left.

Nope. Nothing here, either. Just a broken terminal, a safe that was cracked open, and a...

Actually, I had never seen anything like that before.

Within the safe, was a single white, glowing orb, about the size of my hoof. Whatever had been in it previously was now property of the Steel Rangers.

Still... Why did they leave this...? It was an uncanny thing to leave behind.

I poked it gently, and immediately retracted my hoof, expecting it to attack. Instead, it just rolled to the back of the steel container, revealing a note that once rested beneath it.

Happy.

Happy? About what? What is there to be happy about?

I rubbed my chin, trying to figure all this out, but it was to no avail.

Well... At the very least, it'd prove as a viable light source. I didn't like walking in the dark. I didn't like being in the dark.

I carefully rolled it out of the safe and bit down on it gently. It had the texture of glass, and I didn't know how fragile it really was. I had too much on my back as it was, and I didn't want to risk this falling off and breaking. Whatever it was, it stopped being that and became my new lantern. A bit dim in the lighting, but it worked all the same.

I continued to the next room, and the next, and so on, until I ran out of doors on this side of the building. This place was nearly picked clean. I had come across three Sparkle Cola bottle caps, a terminal that was shut down long ago, judging by the dust that had built up on it over the years, and a bobby pin, of all the four remaining rooms in this section of the corridor. There were six more waiting for me on the other side of the intersection, however.

To my left were some stairs that led up to the second floor, while the right had a lobby.

I'd get to the stairs shortly. I wanted to search the rest of this floor, first.

The first door had been caved in, and a thought occurred to me. Why didn't the rangers just bust down every other door?

Looking inside, I saw why.

A group of eight had tried boarding themselves up inside to keep them safe from the rangers... Only, they had failed.

The rangers must have known no one was in the other rooms I had searched, via EFS, and so they didn't bother.

I dared not set hoof beyond the doorway. Whatever was in here, it wasn't for me. I felt bad enough just taking a bobby pin off the floor. I wanted to at least show some respect for the dead.

I heard Para's radio from outside, and I waited at the intersection until, soon enough, I saw him climb up the rubble from the far end of the large, makeshift town hall. At least... That's what it reminded me of.

He trotted over and stopped a few feet in front of me, looking behind me with curiosity and mild disgust.

"What?" I asked.

"You have a bug on you." He pointed a hoof at my chest.

I looked behind me, only to be greeted by the dead radroach. Turning back to him, I replied. "That's my dinner."

"Ew!" He backed up a little. "Yuck! I hope you brush your teeth after!"

I rolled my eyes. "Yeah, whatever. Can you do me a favor?"

"What kind of flavor?" He smirked.

"I'm... just going to ignore that." I shook my head softly, then spoke up. "Go to the second floor for me, and look for anything worth taking. Guns, ammo, armor... That sort of thing."

"Gum, camo, and farmers?" He raised an eyebrow. He looked puzzled. "Well, alright... Weird thing to want all at once, if you ask me." He trotted up the stairs before I could say anything. He was just gonna take some getting used to, I guess...

I opened the next door and was greeted by a desk, a dark terminal, and on the seat before it, a black leather jacket. I had high doubts that it provided much warmth, but it was something, and something was better than nothing.

I carefully set the orb down before me, took the stuff off my back, and slipped the jacket on. The bag of candy and fancy buck cakes went in one pocket, while the caps and bobby pin went in another. I put the radroach on my back, once more.

The jacket itself wasn't all that bad, honestly. A bit of a loose fit. Whoever owned it before me was a bit bigger than I, but that gave me some space. After everything I went through with the power armor, I considered that a blessing.

I picked up the orb with my mouth again, then made my way towards the exit of the room. There was nothing left of interest here, and just like every other terminal here, this one didn't look like it worked.

Before I could leave, I heard the floorboards of the floor above me creak and snap. Hints of dust rained down on me.

Oh no...

I bolted out of the room and spun around just in time to see the ceiling collapse over where I was just a second ago. Atop the debris was the one and only Para, who had collapsed on his stomach from the fall.

I cocked my head to the side a little. I couldn't help but get a bit of humor off the whole thing, which made me smile after I removed the orb from my maw.

"You okay there?"

He grunted and winced as he got back up on all fours. "I'm going to file a complaint to the management about this..."

I chuckled softly before he reached his hoof out. Wrapped around it was a saddlebag.

"I couldn't find any gum, camo, or even farmers, but I found this, and even some nuggets!" He smiled brightly.

Nu... Nuggets?

"What do you mean by... nuggets?" I raised a brow.

"They're inside." He nudged the bags with his muzzle, smirking.

I took them and pulled the flaps open to reveal a scrambled assortment of 20 gauge shells, .308s, .357s, and 9mms.

My jaw dropped to the sight for a few second, before realizing all this was worthless without the damn guns to go with them.

And if I remembered correctly, the Steel Rangers confiscated those, too.

I'm surprised they didn't take the ammo as well.

Well... with this, I was one step ahead at surviving out here.

"Where did you find this?" I asked, looking back up at him.

"It was just lying there in the hall, and nopony had dibsies, so I figured I'd take them." Horror crept up on his face soon after. "Oh, that's not stealing, is it...? Oh, I hope I'm not stealing... Maybe we should give it back... I feel-"

"It's not stealing." I interrupted, closing the bags and putting the strap over my backside, letting both of the brown, leather compartments hang down over both flanks, therefore covering my cutiemark in its entirety. "Do you know how much ammo we have?"

"You mean nuggets? I already told you I didn't find any camo."

I sighed. "Okay, fine... How many nuggets do we have?"

"12 fat ones, 38 tall ones, 18 tiny skinny ones, and 9 stubby ones."

... Okay. The fat ones I knew were the 20 gauge shells. Tall ones... Hm... I'd have to guess those were the .308s. Tiny skinny ones... .357s? Which made the 9mms the stubby ones.

I really needed to get used to Para's... everything.

I didn't know if I believed he just found a bunch of ammo lying around in the open like that, but he didn't seem like the type to lie about stuff... I think. I didn't really know him all that well, and I needed to be more careful, just in case.

But if he was giving me ammo, then I wasn't gonna complain.

"Did you find anything else?" I asked, slipping the orb into one of the bags. I kept the flap open so that we had some light, even if it was mostly directed to the ceiling. I hated the idea of being in the dark, after what that DJ said.

He shook his head hard. "Nope. Can I have a candy cane?"

"Nope." I started to walk for the exit, but noticed he wasn't following. I looked back to see him pouting. Damn it... "Alright, here." I reached into the pocket of my new jacket and opened the bag upon pulling it out. "You can have one. No more than that."

He squee'd as he beamed at me, then hopped forward, burrowing his muzzle in, only to pull out a random one not long after. Red and white. He quickly removed the plastic wrapping and let the cane hang from his bottom lip as his taste buds absorbed the flavor of the treat.

What was his deal with those things...? They couldn't have been that good.

I sighed and put the bag back in my pocket, heading for the exit. Para followed close behind this time.

Fluky had been waiting at the bottom of the heap as we stepped out into the downpour. Seemed long enough for her to be soaked to the core, and she didn't have anything to keep her warm... I hoped she didn't get sick out here.

She had saddlebags of her own.

"Cluck, cluck, chicken buck!" Para said happily as he trotted past, before coming to a stop behind her.

"Uh... What?" She looked at him questioningly.

I sighed and shook my head. "It's a Radio talk for hello."

I noticed her grimace as I started to walk past, and that stopped me in my tracks as I looked down at her warily.

"What?" I asked.

"You're not going to... eat that, are you?" She glanced at the meat on my back.

I looked back at it, before returning to her. "Yes, I am. Why are you two so disgusted by that?"

"That's not normal..." She looked into my eyes with sincerity. "Eating meat... That's just wrong."

"Tell him about the importance of dental hygiene!" Para said aloud in desperation.

That earned him a look from both Fluky and I, which made him grin sheepishly, revealing his impossibly perfect, clean teeth, as he spoke in a soft voice.

"What?"

"Idiot..." I murmured, rolling my eyes and looking back down at the filly, who looked back up at me with a raised eyebrow. "Ready to go?"

She shrugged. "I guess..."

I looked over her body and frowned. "Don't you want something to keep you warm and dry?"

"Not really." She stated simply. "Let's just go..." She turned and started walking, and I swore I heard her say something under her breath... Something that hit me hard.

"Murderer..."

A sharp, emotional dagger lodged into my heart... But I couldn't try and justify what I had done, nor would I.

I couldn't imagine what she was going through... I mean, yes, we were both under similar circumstances... kind of... but she had parents to lose...

I never even knew my mom or dad.

I wasn't going to play the victim.

... Especially when I was looking at one right now...

(((((((◉)))))))

The raindrops, which were now a heavy downpour, ran through the colorless leaves overhead, hitting us all with a cold drench that made the small comfort for this weather wither and die.

We all walked side by side; Para on my right, and Fluky on his. It was blatantly obvious she didn't want to be near me.

None of us had really said a word to each other for the duration of most of the trip. Para had chewed up the rest of his cane before we even set hoof in the forest. He kept the volume on his radio mute. I didn't understand why he wouldn't just turn it off and save the battery, rather than keeping it on with the volume all the way down. I especially didn't understand why he still had a slight dance to his walk, even with the lack of music.

Still... I had to admit... The 'silence' was nice. The rain, not so much...

I grew tired of the rain a lot quicker than I thought...

I also didn't like that we were traveling through a deadly forest that covered an entire city.

I officially hated the surface. I hated trees. I hated rain. I hated heights. I hated stairs, clouds, the sun, the moon, the stars... everything. I had enough of the surface! I wanted to crawl back underground and never come out!

About what I estimated as an hour passed, and we came across a billboard from before the bombs fell, to the right side of the highway we walked along. The edges were covered by the trees and their roots, but the center gave us more than enough space, due to the trail.

The picture was ragged and torn, and there was a series of vandalism displayed over parts of it, but the sign itself showed a pony grinning ahead. Most of the text beside his forehead was missing, but in big, bold, black letters, and reading through the decay of the sign, I made out a '-PY.'

That pony was the same one I saw in the wanted poster...

I remembered the first part of his name had an H. H-py. Was it... Was it 'Happy?' Mr. Happy? Weird name... That couldn't be it...

But I found my mind drift off to the note in the safe.

Happy.

Hm...

His coat was caught in the drainage of color, just like everything else in this forest, but it was most definitely the same guy from the wanted poster. He even wore the same overcoat and shirt!

Just who was he...? And... hold up...

Upon further inspection of the sign, as we walked past, and after piecing some missing letters to words, I discovered that it was a sign to a... dentistry? That couldn't be right...

The vandalism consisted of messages of a variety of haters he had made, way back when, but just like the billboard, the graffiti was worn out.

'Murder!'

'Psychopath!'

'Butcher!'

'Rot in Hell!'

'How could you!?'

'We trusted a monster.'

These messages were directed to someone that died long before I was even born. Everyone that wrote those messages had died with him under one big atomic blast. Turned to ash and swept away as one.

Even then, I felt a pain from them, as if they were directed toward me and what I did.

Maybe I was the wasteland's Happy.

What kind of sick joke was this?

Para nudged my shoulder, and I looked at him. He pointed a hoof at the billboard, looking up at it. "See, even he says you should brush your teeth. He's a smart pony. He knows what he's talking about."

"Do you?" I asked, then looked back up at the picture. "There's something really off about him..."

He shrugged. "I dunno. I mean... look at that smile. How could you not trust a pony like that?"

"Smile or no smile, ponies hated him. I know next to nothing about this pony, but I do know that the biggest monsters are the ones that look trustworthy. Appearance doesn't make justifications."

I did something horrible, too. I didn't really have room to talk, and so with that, I didn't bother opening my mouth anymore on the subject, which was fine, because the conversation had ended with my statement anyways.

I looked over at the filly to see her head was hung down, covering her eyes again, just like when I first saw her.

"Hey." I spoke softly. "You okay, Flukes?"

"Don't call me that..." She muttered.

"Okay... Are you o-"

"Fine." She snapped, but did well to keep her voice down. "Just leave me alone..."

I hesitantly nodded, then looked forward again.

For a while, things between the three of us were back to being quiet. It was for the best anyways. I didn't need any problems occurring. I was busy with all the chatter in my radio as it was.

Para looked over at the filly. "Heya, Flakes. Let's turn that frown upside down!" I looked at her again to see she was giving him a weird look.

"My name's not-"

"I'd give you a cupcake candy cane, if Mr. No Fun would let me have any!" He swung his head toward me, giving me a spiteful look, before returning to Fluky.

I rolled my eyes in reply and looked ahead at the towers, once more.

My hooves were starting to ache, and my back was doing no better. We were all soaked and cold.

We were just starting to pass by a motel to our left, and I stopped.

The other two looked at me.

"We should stop and get some rest. Get out of the rain." I looked back at them.

Fluky sighed. "Fine." She started walking for the building I had observed. Para stayed by my side.

"Can I have a-"

"No." I interrupted. Damn it, he was more childish than the kid!

He started pouting again, like he did earlier, but this time, I ignored him and walked after her.

"Hey." I said softly. "Stay close."

"Leave me alone. Stay away from me." She approached a door with the number '12,' on the bottom floor.

"Please, Fluky. At least let me check if it's safe, first."

"I told you to go away!" She shouted.

She reached her hoof out to the door, and just as she pushed it, something inside shattered, which was soon followed with the hissing of what I imagined to be the roots.

"Fluky, get away from the door..." I whispered, hoping she could hear my voice over the rain.

She slowly backed away from it, and I did the same myself.

Nothing was trying to break out yet, so that was a-

Para performed a hop, skip, and a jump at the start of a dance, as he made his way to the door, singing. Oh no...

"With a smile and a trot, a hop to the top! A tune that never stops, and a bunny that never flops!"

"Para, no!" I whispered, trying my best to keep my voice down but get his attention all at once. "Get away from the door!"

Of course, he ignored me, and burst through the door, singing as he raised his forehooves in the air and waving them a little. "It's Pa-Pa-Pa-Para!"

Several roots and vines lunged out at him as they screeched to ear deafening levels.

Two flaps opened up on the ends of the vines as they charged at him. I looked around, panicked, wondering if there were anymore coming for us, but in doing so, I caught the glimpse of Fluky's tail descending into a dumpster.

She was safe there, for now.

I didn't see any other hostile vegetation except the ones at the motel.

I charged after Para to get him out of the way. Time was not on my side.

The vines started spraying a misty substance in the air, which I could only imagine did wonders to their prey.

"Para, move!" I shouted.

He turned around to me and smiled.

Damn it, Para! MOVE!

I tackled him from the side just in time, before the roots were ready to snatch him.

We both tumbled to the concrete walkway, and a few of Para's personal belongings flew from his pockets, including my cores.

The cage to his little buddy fell off and landed on its side. The bunny within squeaked and looked around frantically.

The item that caught my immediate attention, however, was a gun.

Not just any gun...

This was more advanced than anything I'd ever seen before. It had a slick, silver, curved body, and the barrel had three, different sized, orange, glowing rings; the one on the end being the smallest, and the one in the rear being the largest.

He had a gun... He had. A gun!

Fucking liar!

Para reached out for the gun as we laid on the ground, but I lunged for it before he could get a hold of it and bit down on the grip, putting my tongue against the trigger.

"Hey, that's not yours!" Para protested.

"SHU UF!" I released a muffled scream as I swung around, jumped back from a hissing vine that sprayed its fumes at me and fired blindly in its direction. In jumping back, I was standing over the delusional stallion; his head between both of my rear hooves. I managed to get away from the green mist before it could do Celestia knew what to me.

The first three shots had missed; the green energy blasts striking nearby wagons and asphalt. I witnessed them melt away into a pile of bright, glowing green goo.

Just what was this thing?

One of the vines lunged at me, and before I could fire, had rammed into my chest, knocking me back. I almost lost my grip on the gun. The others surrounded Para and sprayed at him, while that one stayed on me.

He coughed violently as he laid on the ground, and as staggered as I was, the vine took its opportunity to put me through that same coughing fit.

I did everything I could in my power to hold on to the gun, but it was getting more difficult with each attack. My eyes and nostrils were burning. My lungs were being drained of any oxygen, and I wasn't receiving any more.

I closed my eyes to try and evade the burn to my sight as I fired repeatedly, hoping I hit the right target.

If I hit Para...

Well... That'd be just one more kill added to my count...

I heard a screech after my fourth shot, and opening my eyes, I saw the vine writhe in agony, before whipping through the air as it retreated. A green glow brightened over time, where the two flaps parted ways, like a hooded cobra, and it spread throughout its form.

It fell in its struggles to get away, and became nothing more than a pile of green, glowing sludge.

That's right! There's more where that came... from...

... Oh dear...

I realized they felt the same way, once roots and vines started closing in from every direction.

Oh shit...

The tearing of roots sounded around us, and the trees shook as I backed away from the building and into the parking lot. I aimed around frantically and fired at anything that tried getting close.

We were outnumbered. There was no way we could get out of this. Para stopped coughing, but the vines kept on him. He was going to die, and I couldn't do anything to stop it.

Something rough wrapped around my hind leg, but before I could look, I was yanked across the lot, towards the forest. The gun fell from my mouth from the surprise, and I screamed as I fought to grab a hold of something that just might save me!

To my misfortune, all that I could reach was air and cracked, worn out asphalt.

I fought to get away as much as I could, but the more I did, the tighter they squeezed my leg, getting to the point where it felt like it was about to fall off, and experiencing how strong these roots were. Judging by what I saw them do to power armor, I wasn't entirely surprised.

Is this what River felt back on the crashed Vertibuck?

My scream shifted, mixing fear with excruciating, crippling pain.

This was it. My short lived time in the wasteland was coming to an end.

I was going to the place that was the best... Or... I hoped I was. After what I did, chances were I was going to the place that was the worst.

Then, suddenly, a burst of light emerged from the dumpster, and both roots and vines spasmed uncontrollably. I felt the root around my leg lose its grip, but it fought to hang on and pull me away.

The vines that sprayed their fumes at an unconscious Para jerked about, and turned to sludge. The roots cracked and withered away, blowing off into the wind and staining the wet ground.

I felt the appendage around my hoof vanish as I laid there, sprawled out on my stomach. After a few seconds of trying to figure out what just happened, I got up.

... Okay, tried to get up.

I cried out in pain as I put pressure on my hoof, and looking back, I discovered a red, dripping ring that ran around the width of the limb, over a puddle of grey ash that was once the vicious cause of the injury.

Okay, new plan...

I got up on three hooves and kept my injured one lifted off the ground. It stung like crazy to the touch of rain, but there was nothing I could have done about that, at the moment. It was just another problem I had to deal with, like the rash on my flank.

I limped carefully to Para, who laid still in the walkway of the motel.

I looked around to see what remained of the trees in the vicinity were still in the process of withering away with the rain and wind. The vines had all melted into the ground with that sludge-like texture.

I stopped at Para. His radio was hanging out of his pocket, and I had noticed it was off. I didn't see the glow. It must have gotten damaged some time, during the attack.

... Probably when I tackled him.

If not the attack, then the rain.

"Fluky!" I turned to the dumpster. "Come on out. It's safe." I paused, scanning the treeline in the distance, then added with a murmur. "... I think."

The lid opened and she crawled out, rubbing her temple.

"My head hurts..." She shook it and blinked a few times, before looking up at me, then at Para, then at our surroundings. "What happened?"

"Your guess is as good as mine." That was a lie. I had a pretty good idea what happened, judging by the light that came from her hiding spot. But if she didn't know what happened, maybe it was best to keep it from her. I had a feeling in my gut that I shouldn't tell.

I put all the stuff that fell from his pockets back in, hoisted him up on my back, went back for the gun that laid in the lot, pocketed it, and returned to Fluky, looking at the doors to our left and right.

"Think it's safe now?" I asked.

"I hope so." She looked on at the building skeptically.

"Well..." I paused, taking one last long look at the dead 'plants' around us. "If there was anything in there, they would have come for us by now." Even if they were in hiding for an ambush, that was unlikely now, seeing as they could have very well been caught in the radius of Fluky's freaky, magic light. However, if they were behind closed doors, then there was a chance they didn't get as affected as the others, so I still needed to tread carefully.

I set Para down beside Fluky.

Room 12 wasn't an option anymore, what with the door being smashed to thousands of pieces. We needed something that kept the outside, out.

I carefully approached Room 10, taking the gun out of my pocket and biting down on the grip. My tongue felt around for the trigger and stayed glued to it as I opened the door cautiously.

The lack of attention and care for over 200 years to the hinges resulted in an excessive creak as I pushed my hoof against the door.

I cringed and closed my eyes, but I didn't hear anything on the other side of the door. I took a deep breath through my nostrils, opened my eyes, and swung the door open the rest of the way. I backed up and aimed inside the room, only to find that it was vacant.

I looked at Fluky to see her looking back up at me with wary eyes, standing beside Para, before I walked into the gloomy, dim-lit room. I didn't see anything unusual here, yet. Could use a bit of dusting, but it looked like an ordinary motel, judging by what I saw in the pamphlets and brochures I used to read as a colt.

A double bed in the main room. T.V. on the other side, across from the mattress. Small table near the window, with two chairs to accompany it.

I looked in the closet.

Empty coat hangars and a hooflocker. I opened the metal, rectangular container, but it was empty. Guess no one had checked this room out before the bombs fell.

I closed the door to the closet and proceeded to the bathroom...

... Only to find an ordinary bathroom.

After one final look around, I trotted back to the front door and looked at the two ponies I traveled with. 'Trotted' wasn't the right word. More like... Stumbled.

"All clear." I said after putting the gun away. I trotted to Para - or tried to, - lifted him on my back, and walked back in the room. Damn it, my leg hurt like Hell...

Fluky dragged the cage with her, and did a good job at sticking close to me, in the process.

I set Para down on the bed as the filly closed the door behind us. I heard the click of the lock and smiled faintly as I looked back at her.

"What?" She asked, staying near the door.

"Just glad you wised up."

"I still hate you..." She glared.

"And you have every right to." I stated bluntly as my smile faltered, before turning around and starting for the bathroom. I came to a complete stop and looked back. "Did you pack any medical supplies?"

"Nope." She dumped the contents of her bags out on the floor before her.

Oh sweet Celestia...

"You... You packed up a bunch of comic books?" I raised an eyebrow.

She nodded.

"I was hoping you'd have packed something more useful..." I murmured under my breath, turning back to the bathroom and closing the door behind me.

I ripped off the shower curtain, ripped it into smaller strips, and wrapped one around my leg, before tying it. I made sure not to make it too tight. It hurt enough as it was. Plus, I needed blood circulation running in that limb still, anyways.

I hope I didn't get an infection from the lack of antiseptic...

I continued to keep pressure off my hoof as I went back into the main room. Fluky was sitting at the table, reading one of her many useless comic books. The others were stacked up into a pile, resting on the table before her.

Ah... That wasn't fair to her. After everything I did to her... She had every right to pack them. They were hers. And for all I knew, they were her coping mechanism. Unlike Para's candy canes, they didn't jeopardize our safety. I hope they never did, either.

I'd have to give her a gun and some ammo, when she was ready to part ways, but at the moment, all I had was this weird... yet amazing plasma pistol of sorts. It worked like one, but there was something different about it. I couldn't quite place it...

I took off my bags and jacket and laid down on the bed, getting under the covers. Para was still knocked out, lying on his stomach. Nothing was taken off him except for the rabbit cage, which sat beside the bed. I wasn't going to bother trying to take it off, anyways. That looked like too much work, and I was tired.

And in pain.

Oh, was I in pain...

The pitter patter of the rain gradually grew louder as time went on, but every so often, it would quiet down just a little, only to get stronger a few minutes later.

I closed my eyes, listening to the downpour outside and the occasional turn of a page, until I didn't anymore.

Sleep finally took me.

Author's Note

Sorry for the long wait. Also, apologies for the chapter being shorter. It was meant to be longer, but hopefully it's still worth the read.

I wanted to address something that I kept forgetting to mention, ever since the first chapter.

The reason why Charger is a male.
See, originally, Charger was supposed to play a female role, but my other stories had a crap tone of female protagonists, and antagonists. I needed a change of pace. Something that felt fresh. So I made Charger a male character. The book I had finished recently seemed to have more female roles than male, I think. Not that I don't love it, but... I need a break from all that. XD

Which is a part of why Firebright exists. She was what he was going to be, but it didn't sit right by me.

So there's a "Behind the Scenes."

Update [12:52 A.M.]: So little did I know, that halfway through the second edit, the wifi died on me because of the frickin' insane levels of bass blasting in the house. Friday is party night, I guess... I kept writing. So nothing saved. So I had to do all that work... AGAIN. Tonight's been a long night for me, and I'm tired...

Anyways, thanks to Kkat for creating the FoE universe, thanks to Somber for PH, thanks to those who read and leave feedback (you know who you are ;) ), and thanks to Pines for fixing the mistakes I made and making Para's dialogue more "Para" and less "me."

Pines: What will happen to Para? Will Charger finally get rid of his rash? Did Fluky pack enough comics? Find out next chapter of RADIO STATIC!

Channel 000.4; Raindrop Motel

Hold on a second! Eternal chaos comes with chocolate rain, you guys! CHOCOLATE RAIN!

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

The first thing that came to my senses upon waking from my slumber was the thunderous rain outside. My leg still hurt, and the rash on my rump still burned. More so, as I was lying on it.

The blanket kept me warm, but the room smelled musty. I must have been too distracted to notice it before.

I opened my eyes, but instead of looking up at the ceiling, I was looking up at a smiling Para, who looked down at me as he stood over my body.

I yelped and tried jumping up, but I soon discovered that I couldn't move my limbs... or my tail, for that matter!

"What's going on?" I asked, breathing heavily and in a panic, looking around. "What are you doing?" I spotted the gun right beside my head, but I couldn't reach it; even with my tongue, it was out of reach. "Why can't I move!? What did you do to me!?" I looked back at him, wide-eye'd.

He simply shook his head, keeping that smile up. He spoke in a calm, yet happy tone. "You should know better." He moved his muzzle down beside my head, bit down on the gun's grip, and came back with it; barrel pointing at me.

He stared me down through those two golden rings, contemplating something...

What was going on in his head...?

For the longest time, I was convinced he was going to pull the trigger, and the longer he stood there, the more I expected it...

... Instead, he pocketed the gun and looked back at me with that same smile he had before.

"Stealing is bad." He paused, scanning my eyes with his, before resuming. "Besides... Aren't ya too old to be playing with toys?" His eyes narrowed on mine.

Toys...?

He thought that was a toy!?

Oh Celestia, we're doomed...

... Or, I was doomed...

I was still convinced he was going to do something to me. This wasn't normal.

I looked around the room, only to find that Fluky was gone. Damn it... Not like she'd help me out of this situation, anyways...

An abrupt hissing of static emanated from his radio. Para stood there for a few seconds, before backing off. He was still smiling as he sat on the floor, facing me.

The DJ pony spoke a few seconds later.

"Now, would you just look at that weather..." He sounded almost surprised. "We didn't have any readings for this, but let's hope it doesn't last too long. Consider this a lazy day, ponies of the wasteland! Don't wanna be stuck out in that dreadful rain now, do we? Stay indoors, wherever you are, kick your hooves back, and chillax to these fine tunes."

The song started with a moderately paced beat of the higher notes of a guitar.

Well, take me back down where the cool waters flow, yeah

Let me remember things I love

Stoppin' at the log where catfish bite

Walkin' along the river road at night

Barehoof mares dancin' in the moonlight

Para closed his eyes and took in the music; his smile brightening.

... Okaaaaaaaaaaaaay then.

I sat up, and when the blanket fell off my upper half, I looked down at my body.

Oh no...

A sturdy length of rope was tied firmly around my forehooves...

I kicked off the rest of the blanket from my form.

Oh, that... that... Why!?

I gaped down at my tail, which was tied around my hind legs. I snapped a look at Para, who kept his mind on the music.

"Para..." I said behind clenched teeth.

He opened his eyes. "Hm?"

"Care to explain why I'm tied up?" I felt my eye twitch.

"Oh, that?" He beamed at me. "You can blame your sticky, greedy hooves." He pointed a hoof up to the ceiling, keeping it level with his smug expression.

"I wasn't stealing it." I stated with strain in my voice as I tried getting out of the bindings around my forehooves. "I was using it to fight off the... er... vegetation." Okay, that sounded stupid...

"It's a toy, silly!" He shook his head. "You don't need toys. You're a stallion."

"Then why do you have it?" I snapped. "You're a full grown stallion, too! Maybe not in the brain, but you have the body of one!"

"Oh, it's not for me, silly! I just keep it around. I'm sure some kid is missing it, somewhere. I just want to see the smile on their face after I bring it to them!"

Oh... Para...

I swear, I felt my brain cells killing themselves...

I shook my head from what he just said. "Okay, I... learned my lesson, I guess. Untie me."

"Okay." He got up, smiling like he always did, and bit down on the rope. With one pull, it came loose.

Okay... It couldn't have been that easy! Still, I felt stupid that he did it with no troubles whatsoever, when I couldn't. It was like being in the tilted tower all over again.

He got to work on my tail, but before he could get a bite down, I put a hoof to his shoulder. "Whoa, what are you doing?"

He looked up at me. "Removing your tail around your legs."

"Okay, but... you're not going to remove my tail altogether, are you?"

"Of course not." He gave me a weird look and got back down to my hindquarters, removing the tail around my hocks with his teeth.

Despite everything that just happened... The creepy smile I woke up to, the gun being pulled on me... The rather intimidating lesson... I could feel his breath rather close to a sensitive area as he worked on getting my tail off from around my legs. Occasionally, I felt it directly on that sensitive area, and I did my best to not think like that.

"So, uh... Where is Fluky?" I asked in a voice crack, before coughing a bit.

He pulled my tail loose, and I held onto it with my fores, covering a certain something up that was starting to grow, behind a curtain of black hair.

"She went out there." He nodded to the door, sitting up straight.

"You let her go out there alone?" I stared at the door for a few seconds, then back at him, feeling myself finally calm down. "Why?"

"She wanted to check out the gift shop." He smiled.

I sighed and stood up, suddenly remembering my injury. I winced and lifted my leg off the ground, then limped on three hooves, heading for the door.

The rain was even heavier than I remembered. Any harder, and I'd be worried about the roof caving in.

I cracked the door open just a little and peeked outside.

Rain and hail the size of tennis balls dived down, striking anything out in the open.

I stepped out, closed the door behind me, and stayed under the second story balcony, walking towards the sign above the door at the far end of the motel, which read 'OFFICE & GIFT SHOP.'

Even through the heavy rain, I could hear stuff being moved around in there.

I stopped at the wooden door with a rectangular window on the upper half. The door itself remained ajar.

"Fluky." I said softly.

The sounds within ceased.

"Can I come in?"

I didn't hear a response.

"Fluky..."

"Yeah, sure... Come in..." She didn't sound too pleased.

I gently eased my hoof on the door and pushed my way in.

The office was a mess. Papers everywhere. Overturned chairs. Blinds over the windows that couldn't even really be called that, anymore.

Fluky stood at a desk in the room behind the counter, keeping her attention away from me.

I limped around the counter and stopped at the doorway to the room she was in.

"Hey."

"What do you want, Robutt?"

I looked around at the mess surrounding us. "Are you okay?"

"What do you think?" She asked, looking over her shoulder. "You and your friends killed mine... My friends... My family..."

"I'm sorry..." I said with remorse. "If I could take it back, I would."

She 'hmphed' and went back to picking a lock on the desk drawer with a bobby pin.

"I know sorry will never be enough, but..."

"Please..." She interrupted behind clenched teeth, biting down hard on the pin. "I don't want to talk to you, and I don't want to talk about that, so if we're gonna talk, make it about something else." The pin snapped, and she spat out the other half. "Ah, pony feathers!" She punched her hoof against the drawer and sat there, facing away from me, before sighing and turning around. "I... found something for you, by the way..." She looked down, refusing to make eye contact with me.

I raised an eyebrow. "What is it?"

She turned towards the desk once more and pulled open a separate drawer. She reached her head in, bit down on the glass neck of a bottle, and pulled it out, only to set it down before me.

A bottle half full of vodka.

"For your leg." She said quietly, turning back to the desk drawer that remained locked. "Just wish I could have opened that one..."

"Thanks, Fluky..." I sat down and removed the bandages around my leg, then unscrewed the cap off the bottle, pouring a little over the red.

I winced and groaned as a sudden, sharp sting spread throughout the injury. In doing so, I nearly dropped the bottle entirely.

Fluky looked back at me with no expression. She just watched silently.

I drenched my makeshift bandage with alcohol, put the bottle down, and wrapped the sheet fragment around my injury, feeling a more concentrated burn behind it.

Well... That's how I knew it was working, at least...

I tied it and collapsed on my back, waiting for the burn to subside just a little.

"So..." I winced. "Do you have any medical training?"

"No." She shook her head. "I just know the basics. Mommy and daddy both taught me about how alcohol works on cleaning wounds... You know... Before they were killed..." She finished bluntly.

I sighed. "Look... Fluky..."

"You had no right."

Thunder rolled outside.

"I know, but..."

"No buts!" She shouted. "You're a murderer!" She pointed at the bottle with a sickening grimace. "I only gave that to you so that you could either drink yourself to death, or stay in shape long enough to get me out of here. That wasn't me being nice!" She glared, and another roll of thunder came to pass.

"Fluky, it's complicated..."

Was it just me, or was the rain getting even louder?

"Oh, it's complicated enough to kill of an entire town!?" A yellow aura flared to life around her horn.

"Fluky, what are you doing...?" I backed up a few steps.

"You think you have an excuse for what you did!? IS THAT IT!?" She stomped her hooves down, and lightning flashed outside, making me jump. "YOU'RE A MONSTER!" Tears ran down her cheeks. "YOU'LL NEVER DO ANYTHING GOOD!"

The land outside was growing darker by the second.

"Fluky, calm down..."

"DON'T TELL ME TO CALM DOWN! YOU KILLED EVERYPONY I CARED..." She choked on her own voice and collapsed, hiding her face with her hooves as she bawled; the tip of her muzzle showing. The light around her horn faded, and the land outside started growing back to its original dullness once more. "Everypony I cared for! We did nothing to you ponies! And you murdered them all! Why!?"

Why...

There were more than a few answers to that.

Orders.

Greed.

Corruption.

Fun.

Fear.

Survival.

I had three reasons. The rest of the Steel Rangers had other reasons in that list.

Orders, fear, and survival were mine. I guess, in a way, that led to greed as well. Greed for my own safety. For my own life. I took the lives of others so that I may continue mine.

I had greed in me, after all, it seemed...

I stood up as she wept and calmly approached, but she backed away from me before I could reach her.

I nodded silently, grabbed the bottle with my teeth, and limped out into the lobby. She needed her own space for now. In the meantime, I'd keep a lookout for anything that tried sneaking its way in.

I sat there, looking out the window. The parking lot was flooded. I imagined that, before long, all of Saddle would be, if this rain kept up.

Her screams and cries for everything she loved and lost mixed in with the storm.

And there was nothing I could do to console her...

(((((((◉)))))))

It felt like hours had passed by, before she finally calmed down.

I respected her grief, though. She definitely needed to let it out.

She returned to me as I laid under one of the windows near the door. I made sure to keep the outside in my field of view, just in case.

I looked at her to see she was still avoiding making eye contact with me.

"Do you want to head back to the room now?" I asked softly, as if it were a sensitive subject.

She sniffled and nodded.

I stood up and took a long look at the outside, though, with the end-of-the-world weather obscuring my vision, I couldn't see very far. Still, it looked safe to leave, so far. And I didn't hear anything unusual throughout the time I waited here.

I opened the door and stepped outside, looking around some more.

Nothing unusual yet.

I looked back and nodded, and then Fluky came out with a much slower pace than my own... and I was crippled.

We didn't say a word to each other the entire walk back. There was nothing to say. She hated me, and I hated me, too. I just wanted to make things right for her, but that wasn't going to happen.

All I could do was try and protect her until she decided to go her own way.

I opened the door to our motel room.

Para sat there, smiling, with three different flavors of candy canes in his mouth.

I sighed and put my hoof over my face as I hung my head down. "Para..."

Fluky stepped in, and Para reached into the candy bag. He pulled out a red and white cane, and tossed it to Fluky. "Told ya I'd give ya one." He smiled brighter before adjusting the three canes in his mouth with his tongue.

I stepped in and closed the door behind me with the tip of my injured hoof. "Para, what did I say about the candy canes?"

His ears folded back, and he frowned, like a colt that got scolded. "That they're... yours?"

"And what are you doing?" I raised an eyebrow, looking at him coolly.

"... Eating your candy canes..." He took a step back.

"What's the lesson here?" I took a step forward. "You told me it, not too long ago."

"To not... touch... what isn't mine...?"

I nodded. "Good." I snatched the bag of canes. "These... are mine. No touching. You can have what's already in your mouth, but no more, unless I offer them. Got it?" I slipped my jacket on and put the pouch in my pocket.

"Yes..." He hung his head down, sulking.

I took a Fancy Buck cake out and unwrapped it. I was hungry, but I wasn't able to cook the radroach I kept around. I wasn't trying to set fire to our shelter, and I couldn't start a fire out there, with the rain. I didn't favor the idea of eating it raw, either.

(((((((◉)))))))

It had been one day since we waited in the motel.

I thought that maybe the storm would have passed by now, but it was still as strong as ever. Going out there may have been a death sentence for us.

Para kept his radio playing throughout the day. The DJ would talk about the weather, and only that, when he wasn't playing music.

I suppose it was better than complete silence, a part from the thundering rain that seemed to almost try and break in.

Fluky had her comics, Para had his music, and I had... Hm...

A dead, rotting radroach.

I had grabbed a bucket I found around the building and set it outside so that we could get some water. I couldn't boil it. I had nothing to boil it with. I had a feeling that if there was one thing that would kill us out here, it'd be infection. Sickness.

For all I knew, the rain out there was radioactive.

If only I had a geiger counter...

My armor had one installed, and for the time that I had been on the surface with it, I didn't once hear any clicks. Was the surface clean? Was everything I was taught, a lie?

Maybe Saddle was okay. Maybe it didn't get hit as bad as other places.

Later on in the day, I brought the bucket back in.

Fluky and Para were eager to drink the water within, but I stopped them with a raised hoof.

"Wait." I said. "I don't know if it's toxic or not."

Fluky raised an eyebrow. "Then why did you bring it in...?"

"If somepony is going to test it, it's going to be me. I don't want any of you having to deal with radiation poisoning."

"I've been on the surface all my life, Robutt." She stated. "I'm fine, and so is the water."

"I don't want to risk it. Just let me try it first."

"I'm telling you, it's fine. But hey..." She shrugged. "If there's a chance it's deadly, I'd be more than happy to let you try it first." She smirked.

I looked down at the bucket, my heart pounding in my chest, as I fought to take even a sip of it. I was beyond terrified of the thought of getting radiation poisoning. I knew what it could do to ponies... Or... At least, I think I knew... I was obviously brainwashed to think a lot of things about the surface. I didn't know what was true and what wasn't, anymore.

I took a deep breath and moved my head down, taking a few gulps of the water.

It was cold. Freezing, in fact. There was a slight, salty taste to it... Almost like tears.

I waited a minute as everypony looked at me, and I at them.

I felt fine. It tasted fine, for the most part. A little off in terms of flavor. After all, water wasn't supposed to have flavor. It especially wasn't meant to be salty.

I didn't feel sick, though. I didn't feel wrong about it.

"I think it's fine." I said calmly.

Fluky rolled her eyes and trotted to the bucket. "Such a shame..." She muttered, before taking a few gulps. She recoiled, then spat, frowning at me afterward. "Ew! You didn't tell me it was salty!"

I looked back with a faint smile. "I guess the saltiness of my soul canceled it out."

She stared for a few seconds, then shook her head, rolling her eyes again. She returned to the bucket and reluctantly resumed drinking.

Once she was done, Para started drinking.

Bottles would have been nice. It was a bit weird... and gross... to be drinking from the same source.

(((((((◉)))))))

Two days had passed since we seeked shelter in the motel.

It was still raining as hard as ever. Thunder boomed through the sky, and on occasion, abrupt flashes of light lit up the room through the windows.

We were all bored out of our minds. Well... except Para. He just kept bobbing his head to the music. Even when the radio was off, he was bobbing his head to... something.

The radroach was starting to make the room smell like rot and decay, and I knew I'd just get sick trying to eat it at this point.

I tossed it out in the rain and locked the door. I was really looking forward to eating that, too...

(((((((◉)))))))

Three days had passed.

We were all getting hungry, and I gave my last Fancy Buck cake to Fluky so she could eat. It wasn't a real meal, but hopefully it satisfied her.

It wasn't enough, though. Fluky was still hungry, I could tell. I was too. Even Para was starting to complain.

I stood up on three hooves, as my injury still hurt. "You two stay here. I'll see if I can't find something for us to eat."

After they both agreed to stay, I left our room and went to the next.

And the next, and so forth.

I had to make a few trips back, but I found maybe a week's worth of food - all of it being Sugar Apple Bombs and canned goods - and even a 6 pack of Sparkle Cola! Untouched for Celestia knew how long, but still as good as ever.

I made a few non-food related trips for extra pillows and blankets. They smelled awful, but it was deal with it, or freeze to death. The motel wasn't getting any warmer.

(((((((◉)))))))

Four days...

And it was still raining. It hadn't calmed down even a little.

We had limited resources, and it seemed that the longer we waited here, the colder it got.

We couldn't wait anymore... If it was still raining by tomorrow... Well, we just needed to push through it and start moving again...

Rain was now something on my list of most hated things in the wasteland.

We spent the day sitting around and doing... well, nothing. Para still had his music on, but he turned the volume down to a level that was almost mute, and Fluky was on her last comic book.

"Hey, Flukes." I said softly with a faint smile, limping over to her.

"Don't call me that." She said without so much as glancing in my direction. Her eyes were glued to the page.

I chuckled softly and sat down at the opposite end of the table. "Whatcha reading there?"

"A comic book." She stated bluntly.

"What's it about?" My smile widened a little.

She looked up at me with a cold expression. "It's about a murderer who minded his own business and avoided the filly whose life he destroyed."

My smile diminished as I sat there a moment, looking down at the table's dusty surface between us. "I'll... leave you to it, then..." I quietly got up and limped back to the bed. I looked back, before getting on the mattress, and continued. "Just a heads up, we're heading out tomorrow, so long as it's okay with everypony. It'd be best if we left while we still had food for the road... even if it's still raining."

Fluky mumbled something to herself, but I couldn't understand what it was. Probably something about how evil I was, and how I killed helpless ponies...

I laid down on the bed and kept my injured hoof stretched out and straightened. It still hurt, but it was a lot more bearable than it was when I first got it. I made sure to clean out the wound until it closed up on a daily. It was taking its time, but the bleeding stopped. I changed the ripped sheeting to something cleaner once a day. I had half a quarter of vodka left, and I hadn't put a single drop of it on my tongue. It all went to my leg and bandages.

Besides... Who had the time to get drunk out here, anyways? That seemed like a horrible idea!

Para hopped on the bed, landing on his stomach. His little buddy hopped up on the mattress after he rolled over on his back. She squeaked, and he picked her up, only to set her down on his chest. He looked at me as he patted her metal frame and smiled. "Can I have a cane?"

I rolled my eyes and gave him a faint smile in return. "I don't see why not." I reached into my jacket pocket and took the pouch out. "Any specific flavor?" I asked, looking inside.

"Green!" He raised a hoof to the ceiling, grinning.

I had to look carefully for a while. Stupid colorless land had to affect everything...

After minutes of close observation, I finally figured out which one was which, and pulled it out. I tossed it to Para, and he caught it in his mouth.

I giggled softly, and he took the wrapping off and let the cane hang on his bottom lip.

"Do you wanna play a card game or something?" I asked. "I could use something to help pass the time."

He nodded happily and reached into the pocket of his jacket, which he had hung up on the corner of the bed frame. Atop that, was his straw hat.

Just like last time, he was winning. Every. Single. Round. I don't know what it was with him in winning all the time. He just had luck on his side, I suppose.

This time, I learned to not take it seriously. It was still fun to try and win even a single round of Go Fish.

We wrapped up in blankets for warmth as we played.

Music played, and the radio host came around every so often with something to say about weather or his 'travels.'

After a while, something caught my full, undivided attention.

"I just came back from Saddle, everypony. I'm sorry to say, but... that peaceful little community of ponies is no more... They're all dead. Any merchants that are looking to trade, stay away from there. None of you should go near Saddle regardless, but... Now there's absolutely no reason to go there. There's nothing for you there. Stay away from the city, the forest... All of it.

"As for what happened, I'm not quite sure... But this wasn't raider activity. This was something bigger, folks... I mean something organized. Stay tuned, my little ponies... and stay safe out there... There's something dark out in the wastes."

No... No... Don't think about it... I know I messed up...

I kept my smile up, but inside, I was bawling my eyes out and screaming. Fluky was right... I was a murderer. And it hurt so much more, because I knew she was right...

Once the sun tucked itself beneath the horizon and all light was gone from this corner of Equestria, we called it a night.

(((((((◉)))))))

I awoke to the heavy pounding of rain, as I did for four days before this one. The first thought wasn't what I did in Saddle, for once.

It was more... 'What the Hell is on me, and can I kill it?'

It wasn't moving, and I didn't hear any hisses, growls, or anything of that sort.

I cracked open one eye, and what I saw was much more welcoming than what I thought it was.

Para had his hoof stretched out across my chest. His ear was pressed to the steady rhythm of my heart, and I saw him smiling in his sleep.

His body was snuggled up to mine, and I shared his warmth with my own.

Seeing him smile made me smile. Feeling him was... satisfying, to say in the least. Actual physical contact with another... I definitely needed it.

I wrapped my arm around him and pulled him in closer, and he groaned softly, nuzzling me and adjusting himself to get a little closer. His rear hooves crossed and tangled with my own.

His mane... It was so soft. It smelled great! How a wastelander pony such as himself managed to keep such a perfect cleanliness was beyond my comprehension.

I wanted more. Maybe it was my loneliness, or maybe I was starting to develop feelings for him...

I wanted to kiss him. Temptation was pushing me to do it. I had the chance to do it...

But I was a coward.

I gently stroked his mane and looked up at the stained ceiling.

We were still covered under the two layers of musty blankets that got mixed up sometime, in the middle of the night.

I closed my eyes and took in the moment.

For the first time on the surface, I felt comfort. Real comfort.

Maybe everything wasn't as fucked up, here on the surface, as I thought it was.

I patted the top of his head gently for a bit, until I attempted to fall back asleep again. We all needed a little more rest, it seemed.

I had noticed Fluky was out like a light, in the blanket fort she had made on the floor, which was held up by furniture. I made sure to get her a lot more blankets and pillows, so she could build it. It made me want to go back to being a colt, again. It looked fun.

She had put up a cardboard sign in front of the entrance, which read in big, black, bold letters, "No Robutts Allowed!"

The 'e' was backwards.

I was surprised Para didn't try making one, himself. He seemed like the type to do something like that.

I soon dozed off, letting sleep take me once more.

(((((((◉)))))))

I felt something soft, yet violent, strike me in the face, waking me up from what was a nice sleep. I sat up in a hurry and shook my head, looking around after. Fluky was on her back, laughing hysterically. Actually laughing! That was wonderful!

I looked to the other side of the bed, and saw Para holding the corner of his pillow between his teeth, smiling, before he smacked it against my head again.

"Hey, cut that out!" Ashamed to say, I laughed a little myself.

I knew Fluky was laughing at my expense, but it was so nice to hear her laugh. I let her have this. It was the least I could do for her, so far.

I got up from the mattress as he threw another swing at my head, which I ended up shaking before I fell on my side. He hit pretty hard, and I was starting to get dizzy.

"Oh yeah?" I got back up and bit down on the corner of my pillow, swinging it at him. It struck his face.

He shook his head and took a few steps back, trying to recover from my blow.

Then I felt a pillow smack the back of my head, knocking me forward, causing me to fall off the bed and land on my face.

Now that hurt.

Fluky burst into laughter even more than she was earlier, and when I recovered, I saw her rolling around on the floor, unable to contain herself.

I smiled and rubbed the back of my head. Somehow she hit harder than Para did. I looked down at the pillow to see it became nothing more than a pile of feathers.

I felt a bit woozy, so I sat down and chuckled softly. "Ya got me." I spoke quietly. "I've been vanquished by the great and powerful Fluky."

She looked at me and, getting up on all fours, she... she smiled at me. It was faint, but it was there. "I got you good." She pointed a hoof at me.

I nodded and giggled. "Yeah. That you did."

Another pillow smacked me in the back of the head, causing me to face plant in the mattress.

Fluky burst into laughter once more.

Okay, my brain was starting to feel rattled now.

I turned to Para to see him grinning with the pillow in his mouth. I grabbed the other end with my teeth and pulled.

He pulled back harder, knocking me forward.

I laid there on my stomach, the corner of pillow still between my clenched teeth as I groaned in defeat.

Damn, I was weak, compared to these two. Even a filly beat me in a pillow fight! Though, to be fair, I didn't want to hit her with anything. Even lightly and playfully, I felt it wasn't in my place to do so. She was just a kid, and I didn't want to hurt her anymore than I already...

Stop it, Charger... Don't think about that now...

I was just glad to hear and see her laughing. This little moment... This now... This was what we all needed.

Then, something unexpected happened.

The once heavy rain softened down just a little. Granted, it was still heavy, and it was still going to be rough to walk in, but I'd take what blessings I could. The rain subsided a bit? Fine by me. Meant I didn't have to walk in what the rain was, just a few seconds ago.

After all, it was the little things that mattered.

I got up, dropping the pillow, and looked at Fluky after she calmed down to see she was smiling still.

Para dropped the other end of the pillow in his mouth and smiled at me too.

I stretched my hooves out, popping my joints as I yawned and closed my eyes, then smiled at both of them after. "Well, I suppose we should have something to eat and hit the road."

Fluky nodded a little and took out a can of beans for herself.

Out of the selection this motel offered, I took out a can of mixed fruit, while Para took a can of peaches for himself.

Breakfast of champions.

Before long, after we finished our cans, we grabbed all our stuff and put it on.

I opened the door and looked outside. I didn't understand how or why the hostilities of this place left us alone. They didn't leave me alone when I was... by... myself...

... Oh...

I looked back at Fluky and Para to see them both booping each other. Fluky laughed, while Para just smiled.

There was something about both of them that made them blind to the forest... I already knew there was something about Fluky that kept them at bay. Her magic. That much was obvious.

But Para...? When I first met him, he was swinging in a hammock, by two of those horrifying trees, blasting 'What A Wonderful Trot' with a smile on his face! There was something about him that, when I started traveling with him, it affected me too...

But then... Why did they attack us outside the motel? If it wasn't for Fluky, we would have died.

Ugh! None of this made any sense!

I stepped outside, into the cold, wet rain.

My leg felt fine before I stepped out. Sure, there was still that limp, and I wasn't going to be running marathons any time soon, but now, with the rain pounding on it and feeling the sting behind each drop, it made matters worse for me. Pour salt in the wound why don't you...

They both trotted up to both sides of me, which caught me by surprise. I looked down at Fluky, and she looked back up at me with that faint smile.

"I still don't like you all that much..." She stated. "But I'm willing to tolerate you, for the time being."

I nodded and smiled back just a little. "Fair enough." I looked ahead at the trail that moved down to the south.

We got out of the parking lot, and proceeded our course out of Saddle.

(((((((◉)))))))

... Until there was a fork in the path, and the trail ahead turned right a ways away.

The three of us stopped and looked over our options. The left path went left, respectively. The right one seemed to circle around and turn back.

"Hey, Flukes..."

"Don't call me that."

I kept my eyes on the three paths as I continued. "Did you ever hear anything about there being more than one path...?"

"No..." She looked at each one individually. "The travel ponies only spoke of one path... Never mentioned others, before."

The trees were sentient, of course. What if all this was a way to throw us off track. It was clear they were all watching us. Er... Listening to us, I mean. I had doubts they could actually see.

They could have very easily made dummy trails, so long as it didn't interfere with the real path, right?

... Right...?

I still had no idea why they couldn't mess with the real one. Again, I had theories, but I had no real answers to those theories.

Even then, the most obvious route was straight ahead. We were past all those high towers, and this area was entirely new to me.

I started walking forward, through the path in the middle, and the others followed; Para still walking with a little dance in his movement, like he always did.

"Should we just cut through the forest and make a b-line out of here?" I asked, looking ahead at our turn.

"I don't think it's a good idea." Fluky answered. "I heard there was a disaster over there, and a bunch of radiation or something filled the area."

"Right..." I muttered, before speaking up. "Detour it is."

Para turned up the volume on his radio a bit. It was astonishing that it still worked out here, in the rain. Water damage didn't seem to have an effect, even with the cracked casing and exposed, glowing, cylinder battery.

Music played through the rain as we trekked on the path, through the forest.

One hoof forward was a step closer out of Saddle.

I couldn't wait to see unaltered color again.

We turned where the path took us and kept going. I just hoped it led out of this chaotic place. I didn't want to be here anymore.

Saddle sucked.

Author's Note

This chapter took a lot more time than usual to make, for some reason. The next chapter will be more exciting, I promise. It's already planned out. It just needs to be written. I sincerely hope you're all enjoying this story. I and Pines enjoy making it. Sorry it's taking so long to put each chapter out there. I've been trying to make time for all the projects I'm doing at the moment, this one included.

Anyways, thanks to Kkat for making FoE, thanks to Somber for not only making Project Horizons, but also giving me some of his time to help me with this project to keep the continuity of his own story, hence the hints to the previous chapters. Thanks to Pines for his great, much needed help on both Fluky and Para's characters/dialogues, and thanks to those who give us their time to read this story. It's much appreciated. Thank you all who read this.

The song that I "parodied" is Creedence Clearwater's "Green River." Honestly, I only changed one word... >.>
But I thought the song was fitting for the situation they were in, for more than one reason. ;)

Pines: A Splish and a Splash, the rain keeps pouring. Will this rain ever stop? Will Fluky open up to Charger? Will they ever find Para's hidden mattress fort? Find out when we are back with RADIO STATIC!

Channel 000.5; Address Unknown

Now what if I, the all powerful Three Dog, bow-wow-wow, were to tell you that somewhere right here in the Capital Wasteland, is a place with lots of trees?

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Unfortunately, the path took another right turn, which meant we were being turned around in one giant circle, heading back to the dead town. The rain wasn't getting any harder than it already was, thank Celestia.

What I didn't thank was the agonizing stings and burns at my wound. I may as well have just been pouring salt over it, just by being out here.

And don't get me started on the rump rash...

Sigh...

This was going to take a lot longer than it needed to be.

A part of me wanted to risk cutting through the forest and walking until we reached the end of the killer trees, but if there was a problem, and we needed to run... Actually, I was screwed either way. But I at least had more chances of surviving on the path than I did in the forest... surrounded by all those icky trees...

Icky...? Oh no... My vocabulary was devolving! Para, what did you do to me!?

"An umbrella would have been nice..." I said softly behind my pained expression and clenched teeth. The rain was even starting to affect my rash. It hurt even more than it did without the rain.

"Oh wah." Fluky rolled her eyes. "What a baby. It's just rain." She paused, putting her hoof to her muzzle, thinking to herself. "Salty rain, but rain."

"I spent my entire life living underground until about a week and a half ago." I started, looking down at her. "My world consisted of steel walls, and my sky was a grey ceiling, so pardon me for not getting used to having water fall on me from my new sky. Plus, it's burning incredibly bad on both my flank and my leg."

She looked away and nickered softly. "Oh salty rain... How I love you."

"You enjoy my pain, I take it." I glared.

She looked back at me with a faint smile. "Mhm."

Para poked my shoulder, and when I looked over, he was pulling his hat up from over his eyes, smiling. "Can I have a candy cane?"

"Is that all you have to offer to this conversation?" I raised a brow, tilting my head to my right a little.

"Condensation? Who's Condensation? Why would I offer them something if I don't know them? You're making stuff up." He pointed an accusing hoof at me. "That's not even a word."

"It's a word." Fluky and I both said in unison.

I couldn't help but smile a little at that.

"Both of you are silly ponies." He smirked, then reiterated. "Can I have a candy cane?"

I released a resigned sigh and dug into my pocket. "What flavor would you like?"

"Sparkle Cola!" He grinned.

I gazed into the bag after pulling it out, but none of them had any labels...

"Uh..." I stopped dead in my tracks, looking down at the sack full of 'treasure.' "I don't know which one that would be..."

Para pressed his forehead against mine, looking down into the bag. "Hm..." He rubbed his chin with a hoof. "We're in a bit of a pickle." He gasped as he continued to peer inside. "What if they made pickle flavored candy canes?"

"Ew!" Fluky looked in the bag next, pressing the top of her head against both of us. "That's gross, Para!"

"Have to agree with the filly on this one." I said. "That is the worst idea in the history of ideas." Looking up at them without moving my head, I continued. "So why are we all huddled up like this?"

"I wanted a cane too." She admitted, smiling a little.

"I guess I'll just take... this one." Para dug his muzzle in and took an orange cane out. Or... I thought it was orange. Dull colors made things more challenging than I would have ever thought.

Fluky took a dark grey one out, and I put the bag back in my pocket and watched as they both removed the plastic wrappings of their treats.

Para got his in his mouth first. He seemed to be a master at doing things with his hooves... Shuffling cards, removing wrappers... What else could he do?

He froze with a look of absolute dread on his face, then spat the cane out.

"BLEGH!" He rubbed his hooves over his tongue repeatedly, in attempts to wipe the taste off.

His cane landed in a puddle on the ground, and he stared it down as he pointed a hoof at it. "That cane is rotten!"

"What?" I asked, looking at it in curiosity. "That doesn't make any sense, Para. I don't think canes can-"

"Evil cane." He interrupted. "Nasty!"

"Oh come on..." I rolled my eyes, getting ready to pick it up and taste it for myself. "It can't be that bad."

Famous last words... I've been wrong before.

One lick sent me tossing it back on the ground and spitting. "Yep, it's bad."

The two of them just stared at me in silence as I stood there, doing my best to not show the disgust on my face. I couldn't keep it in anymore, though... It was too much... The longer the taste resided on my tongue, the worse it got!

I eventually broke and spat in the puddle repeatedly, wiping my tongue with the tip of my hoof as I gagged. "Oh, it's horrible! It's like if cold medicine could grow mold!" I coughed and hacked and spat, but the taste wouldn't leave!

Fluky giggled uncontrollably as I freaked out over its flavor, and Para started shuddering and coughing. "Yucky!"

I looked at the filly with a disturbed expression etched on my face. "Well, what flavor did you get?" I pointed my hoof in her direction as I was about ready to dunk my muzzle into a puddle and start drinking. Hell, I bet mud tasted better than this.

She stuck it in her mouth after finishing removing the wrapper, then beamed at us. "Sparkle cola!"

My jaw dropped for a second, before I shook my head and spat once more. "Let's keep going." I started walking again, taking out the bag of canes and placing a green one in my mouth, after dealing with the removal process of the wrapper. Sour, sweet... Green apple. Much better than salty rain and orange candy canes combined.

Huh... I guess candy canes weren't that bad, after all...

Once that was gone, I washed the remaining flavor of the orange cane away with a bottle of Sparkle Cola.

(((((((◉)))))))

Throughout our journey, we had frequently heard the hissing of trees, but no matter how loud they were, they didn't bother us. I had no idea what triggered their aggressive nature. It seemed random... but there had to be something that caused them to freak out.

The music on Para's radio came to a close, and the DJ started speaking.

"I hate rain..."

A new song came on.

I looked over at the machine in his pocket with a raised brow. "Oh, is that all?"

"I was hoping to hear one of his adventures." Fluky stated. "We all hate rain, alright?" She threw her hooves in the air, looking up at the sky with a familiar glare she gave me many times before. "But the mean robutt is making us walk in it!"

"Aww, what's wrong, Flukes? I thought you loved the rain." I chuckled softly to myself, but that only earned me the same glare she was giving the sky a few seconds ago... and a kick to my hock, causing me to collapse.

Okay, ow...

"It's... for the greater good..." I pulled myself up and looked at her. "You should have grabbed a jacket when you had the chance." Despite the immense pain in my hindquarters, I smirked and patted her on the head.

She swiped a hoof at me, but missed entirely, now that my reflexes were kicking in. "No touching!"

I rolled my eyes and started to look ahead, until my eyes caught something in an alleyway between two buildings made of brick. I stopped dead in my tracks and stared at it, expecting it to move and come at us, whatever it was. The distance between me and it had its appearance come out as a black lump, just lying there.

A body, perhaps?

No... No, that wouldn't make any sense. I hadn't spotted a single skeleton, or a bone for that matter, the entire time I was here.

So... scratch that off the list of possibilities.

"Robutt?"

I looked at the others to see they were looking back at me; Para smiling, and Fluky questioningly.

"Hold on." I said, warily making my way over to the object of interest.

The closer I got, the clearer the lump became. I only had to stop a few feet in front of it to figure out just what it was that lay here.

I grinned and looked back, waving the others over.

They stopped at my side, looking down at the wet, soggy lump before us.

"What is it?" Para asked.

I rolled my eyes and looked over. "Did you seriously just ask that?"

He nodded with a faint smile, and I sighed, looking back down at it with a much more satisfied smirk. "It's a duffel bag."

"Full of what?" Fluky asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Something good, I hope." I bit down on the rusty zipper, opened the compartment, spat out the horrible flavor of rust, and looked down. My hopes of survival just increased as I pulled out a double barreled, sawn-off shotgun with my mouth. If it wasn't full, I'd be grinning, laughing, and jumping around like a little filly in a candy store! It felt like Hearth's Warming!

"Gunz!" I said happily.

"Gums?" Para tilted his head. "Those aren't gums. Those are toys!" He beamed at me, and I gave an exasperated, muffled sigh, before turning to Fluky.

"You good with a gun?"

She looked down at the selection. They were all smaller armaments such as pistols, sawn-offs, and even a few grenades! After a few seconds, she looked back up at me in worry. "Mommy and daddy always told me to not play with guns..."

"Circumstances have changed." I just realized I was pointing the gun at her, and I immediately tucked it into my saddle bag - which took a lot of effort and reach before I achieved my short term goal - then smiled apologetically at her. "Sorry about that..."

Her worried expression faded a little, and she nodded silently, before returning to the bag. "Are you sure it's okay...?"

"As long as you don't try shooting me." I laughed softly, but she didn't share it.

"No promises..." She muttered, before picking up a pistol. "I'f nefer shof a gunf beforef."

I laughed nervously as I looked at her, aiming the gun at me. "M-maybe I should take the gun, just until you know how to operate one."

She rolled her eyes, then spat it back into the bag. "It's uncomfortable having in my mouth, anyways."

I looked at Para. "What about you? Can you handle a gun?"

He shook his head. "I don't really like gum. I'll have a candy cane, though!"

I looked at him as if he solved a simple math question for the very first time, then turned back to the bag, zipping it up. I put the strap around my neck and started back for the path. The more guns we had, the better.

I pulled the sawn-off out of my bag - which took a lot more effort than it did putting in - and held it out to Para. "I need you to load this." He looked at me in confusion, and I thought about what I was asking Para to do. "Load it with... uhh..." Come on, Charger... What was it he called them again? Oh! Right. "Fat nuggets."

"Well, that's weird." He looked at me as if I were mentally disturbed, and I smiled sheepishly.

"I guess I'm just a... weird pony..."

He took the gun and snapped the barrel open with his hooves, but discovered that there were already two shells within its chamber. He looked back at me. "Someone beat me to it. Should I take these ones out?"

I shook my head quickly. "No. Ignore my previous request. It's fine the way it is."

He nodded, whipped the barrel upright to snap back in place, and gave it back. I slipped it into the collar of my jacket this time, finding that it was a much more convenient spot for me to put it. That way, if we ran into trouble, all I had to do was turn my head to the right and pull out the gun, instead of trying to reach it from behind, towards my rear. A real holster for this would have sealed the deal. Sucks that wasn't included with the gift from the unknown.

Para's music stopped abruptly, and we all stopped and looked at the radio on his side.

"Ah darn..." Para said, frowning as he tapped the machine with his hoof a few times. "I'm not wall to wall, treetops tall, no more..."

Through the hissing of static, I made out a deep, systematic tone, speaking a series of... numbers?

"Wait." I said before he turned the volume down. The two of them looked at me, awaiting me to continue what I was going to say. "Hold on... I think I hear something." I took the radio, and to my surprise, Para didn't whine about it or tie my tail around my legs. I carefully adjusted the dial to the right, but it was becoming faint. I turned it left, and it started to clear up.

"-9821..." The channel went to static. Not the usual type that we just heard, but the white noise of a silent comms line. Not long after, it was invaded by three beeps, followed by three more beeps that lasted a bit longer than the former, and then three more beeps that sounded just like the first set. I immediately knew what this was...

It was morse code for 'SOS.'

"I am in desperate need of help. My stable is overrun, and the bottom floors are flooded." The pony behind the broadcast spoke in a calm manner, for someone that needed urgent help. "I have food, water, shelter, medical supplies, ammunition, and I can help, if you are in need of medical attention. I am the sole survivor of Stable 32. If you can hear this... If you can hear me... I need help. Everything is wrong... It's all wrong... Please... Hurry... Help me..."

The rest of the broadcast went to a song from way back when.

It started with a single guitar playing a soft, less-than-moderately paced note, which was soon followed by a slightly higher pitched stallion humming. Following the voice and the guitar was the notes of a piano.

Address unknown

Not even a trace of you

Oh, what I'd give

To see the pace of you

I was a fool to stay away

From you so long

I should have known there'd come a day, when you'd be gone

Address unknown

Oh, how could I be so blind?

To think that you

Would never be hard to find

From the place of your birth

To the ends of Equus

I've searched, only to find

Only to find

Address unknown

We all stood there, silent in the rain, listening to the song and looking at one another, until I spoke up towards the end of the song.

"Have any clue where Stable 32 is?"

Para shrugged, and Fluky looked clueless.

"Well..." She started. "I heard rumors of a stable somewhere in the city, but nopony knew where it was. Everyone was too scared to wander too far off the trail. I honestly thought it was a myth until now..."

When the song came to an end, the deep voice I heard earlier started again.

"ITERATION; 9887359822." The channel went quiet again, and the morse code started once more, followed by the broadcast of the survivor in 32... if they were even alive at this point. The iteration count was rather high... The chances of finding them still alive, and sane for that matter, was quite slim. But if there was ammo and food, which I knew we'd need a whole lot more of, then it was worth investigating.

So long as it was all still there, that is. Worse case scenario, we get to sleep out of the rain and cold.

... And away from the trees.

"I think we should try and find Stable 32." I said. "We definitely need the supplies, and-"

"And canes." Para added.

I narrowed my eyes at him, then looked back at Fluky. "Yes... Cause that's exactly what we need. More... candy canes..."

The song ended, and the next iteration ended on '9823.'

I shook my head. "If that pony is still alive, I'd like to help them with whatever is going on over there."

"So..." Fluky paused. "How are we going to find Stable 32?" She put a hoof to her muzzle, thinking to herself, though I knew sarcasm when I saw it. "I did mention that nopony could find it, right?"

Aaaand there came the snarky remark. Right on cue.

I sighed and looked around my surroundings. "Yeah... you did..." Then my mind jumped on an idea. "Do you know where the town hall would be? Surely they'd have records of 32's location."

"Uh..." She paused, this time actually thinking to herself. "Last I heard, it was still standing, but I don't know where it is."

I slumped, and she glared at me. "Hey, this is my first time out of Saddle, alright? So don't give me that!" She pointed a hoof at me.

I looked up at the grey, cloudy sky, then at the horizons. "Hm..." There had to be somethi...

Wait! That's it!

I pointed back to the bigger part of the city that held all the towers. There was a crane that was closer to us than the rest of the buildings, but it was still a bit of a walk back to where we came from. "I'll just climb the crane over there, and see if I can't find it that way!" I smiled nervously, trying my best to not give in to my recently discovered fear of heights. The more I looked at it, the harder it was for me to not break down from the idea of climbing it.

Fluky groaned out of irritation. Honestly, I felt her pain. I didn't want to go back, either. But Stable 32 sounded like a great deal for us. Plus, I was in desperate need of medical attention... My ass hurt like hell, and my leg was no better.

Even if there wasn't anypony left alive in there, the real medical supplies would be nice, and I had a bit of medical experience with patching up injuries, though that wasn't my profession. I knew I could do the basics myself, though, and I only had basic injuries.

(((((((◉)))))))

The route back, I had a sneaking suspicion we were being watched. I felt it in my gut... and I didn't think it was just the vegetation...

This felt like more.

Para and Fluky seemed completely oblivious to the feeling I had, so I just shrugged it off for the most part, but a part of me kept my guard up, in case something lunged out at us.

I missed my E.F.S...

We kept the channel playing, letting it run through its endless loop until its power source was ready to call it quits.

Morse. Message. Address Unknown. Iteration. Morse. Message. Address Unknown. Iteration. More. Message. Address Unknown. Iteration.

On and on it went, just like it had for years, presumably. I wasn't the best at math, as well as time, I'll admit, but the numbers it was giving off were a lot.

Oh, who was I kidding? The power wasn't going to go out any time soon. And that radio battery didn't seem to want to die for good, either.

After a nice, long journey through the pouring rain, cold winds, and hissing forest, we came to a stop at the construction site that held the crane in its perimeters.

It looked to me as if they were building another tower, before the bombs went off.

We had to wander off the path in order to get here, but fortunately, for all of us, the trees didn't seem to have an interest for the company of three. At least, not for now.

We stepped into the muddy compound and made our way to a small trailer that resembled an office.

After checking if the inside was clear, I held the door open for them, and they walked in, one by one. Fluky was first, Para second.

Flukes collapsed in a chair and sighed with relief, rubbing her hindquarters. Para shook his coat like a dog, spraying everything around him down with water, ourselves included.

"Ah, come on, Para!" I said, shielding my face with a hoof. Fluky grimaced as she did the same for herself.

He smiled at me after he stopped. "What? I want to get dry."

"There's other ways." I shook my head, smiling softly as I lowered my hoof. During my head shake, I caught a glimpse of something moving outside, through the window. I turned to look, but I wasn't able to make out its figure, before it flew from my field of view.

It left a trail of black smoke, which soon dissipated in a short span of a few seconds of it being made. In its trail of black, were hints of a blue, electric, glowing current.

"Did anypony else just... see that?" I looked back at them, pointing a hoof at the window.

"See what?" Para trotted over after setting his little bunny buddy cage down in a corner. He looked out, but seemed entirely clueless.

I sighed and put my hoof down after seeing Fluky staring at me as if I said something stupid. "Nothing." I smiled. "Please... both of you, stay here until I get back. I'll climb up and see if I can't find the town hall."

I put the duffel down, stepped out into the cold weather once more and closed the door behind me quickly. Looking back at the crane, I sighed, before hanging my head down and making my way there. "I can't believe I came up with this idea... What the hell was I thinking?" I muttered under my breath. "Oh yeah, sure! I'll go and climb the very high, metal structure just to find a stupid building, just so we can find the stable! Heights? What are those? That doesn't sound scary at all!" I grimaced and shook my head, closing my eyes and sighing a second time.

All of this was my idea... It was my idea to go check out the stable. It was my idea to go to the town hall and to find out where it would be. It was my idea to backtrack and climb the damn crane.

What was I even thinking?

I stopped at the base of the steel structure and looked up at the groaning, decaying metal of two centuries.

"Ohhhh sweet Celestia..." I whispered, closing my eyes as my vertigo set in to motion.

This was gonna be real good!

Okay... I did good to leave the duffel bag behind in the trailer. It would have weighed me down, and who knew how slippery those rungs were right now?

I pressed my cheek against the butt of the sawn-off for reassurance that I still had it with me.

Right... no time to lose...

I started my slow, careful climb to the top, making sure to get a secure hold of each and every rung as I did.

About half an hour passed, and I had only reached about halfway. Rain splashed against my coat violently; the wind howled and roared as it pushed against me, and the rusted steel creaked and groaned in protest for standing tall as long as it did, which only put the horrible thought of it collapsing while I was still up here in my head.

Something flew by at a startling speed, catching me off guard as I was reaching my good rear hoof up a step. I slipped, no thanks to the distraction, and now I was hanging off my two fores!

I screamed and held on for dear mercy! The wind knocked the rest of my body against the ladder a couple times as I hung there, trying to gain purchase beneath my rears. Each time I hit the ladder, it meant hitting my injury against a rung, and I winced and cried out each and every time.

Finally, after countless attempts of trying to get a hold of something, I recovered completely, and as I did, I hung onto the rung for dear life, panting heavily, which soon turned into a laugh under my panicked breath.

I... was alive.

I was alive!

Ha! Sweet royal sunbutt, I was alive!

I looked around in hopes to find whoever or whatever it was that had distracted me from my climb, but all I saw was cloud and city. I was pretty high up, and I could see a lot more than I could down there, but it still wasn't enough. Of course it wasn't...

I needed a better view, and some of the towers were blocking my view of a lot beyond them.

Of course they were...

I slowly resumed my ascension up the ladder.

Ladders had made it on my list of things I hated, now. Stairs? Oh no. I'll take stairs any day, now that I know that some sadistic asshole thought it was a great idea to make ladders! Stairs sounded like a precious commodity, and I was really wishing that I never had to climb a ladder ever again, after this.

I felt a powerful wind of something move past me, on my back. I turned to look, but only caught the electric, black cloud, which soon dissipated in the atmosphere.

There was another force of wind in front of me, but I turned to look, only to find that same electric trail of cloud.

"Oh, this isn't good..." I clung tight to the rung as I looked around more frantically. The rain had drenched my mane, which obscured my vision after forming a black curtain before my eyes. Damn it...

I used a hoof to swipe the hair to the side as best I could, and the first thing I was greeted with was a massive, smoky figure that resembled a bird, flying straight for me as it stretched its beak to unfathomable lengths!

Oh no... No, no! Not me! Go after somepony else!

I clung even tighter to the rung as it rammed into the metal-framed tower, causing it to protest to the immediate assault that was applied to it.

"No, no, NO, PLEASE, NO!" Okay, so I wailing... "NOT LIKE THIS!"

The bolts on the ladder started to give, and the structure around me was bending out of place.

"You bitch!" I screamed at it as it tried reaching its beak to me. I got a better look at its white, glowing eyes, and I noticed they seemed to have the same properties of the rest of its smoky form. Wisps of white trailed off endlessly from them, before fading completely, about a few inches from the source.

The electricity didn't seem to put much of a current on the metal, thank Celestia. But damn it, it really needed to fuck off!

The smoke that emanated from its form was pretty toxic, and I was back to coughing violently and losing the air in my lungs, just like with the smoke things on the surface...

These seemed more advanced, though. For one, they were out during the day. From what I heard, the others couldn't do that.

It screeched in my face as it tried reaching out for me again, with intent to harm.

I kicked at it, but that only caused tremendous levels of pain to anything that it touched... including my bandaged wound...

I screamed, winced, and did my best to keep climbing up. That's all that mattered now. Just keep climbing and get away...

I had almost lost my grip on the rungs, no thanks to the pain that traveled through my legs and to my hooves and rear... among other sensitive areas... It was too much...

It climbed after me, but I didn't stop. I couldn't! I needed to keep pushing forward. Or... upward.

I couldn't even touch the beast! My rear hooves phased right through it when I attempted delivering a good kick to its face. That wasn't fair! Come on!

Stupid fucking wasteland! I HATE YOU SO MUCH!

No matter how fast I went up, it seemed to be catching up with me. That was to be expected. I was crippled. It wasn't, as far as I was aware.

That was it... I had it...

I bit down on the grip of my shotgun, spun my head around toward it, and squeezed the trigger with my tongue.

Click!

...

We both froze as I just hanged there on the ladder, looking absolutely dumbfounded and baffled with a gun in my mouth. Tiny hints of smoke emerged from both barrels.

"OH COME ON!" I shouted, dropping the gun from my mouth and letting it plummet down to the land below. It struck the frame, as well as the ladder, several dozen times before reaching its destination.

Well, there was no way it worked now...

It didn't really matter that I dropped it, anyways. Piece of shit was jammed and worthless as it was.

I quickly resumed my climb, but now, instead of full on chasing me, it seemed to be playing cat and mouse... and I was the mouse.

It tore the frame apart from one side and swiped at me in an almost taunting manner, before climbing up a little higher and doing the same steps over again. Though it never actually hit me, it was doing a great job at keeping me on edge... for a time.

After the fifth swing, after I slowed down and looked at it, it tore the frame open and stared back.

"Look..." I started. Goddesses, I hoped this worked... "I know I probably look like a nice, hot-blooded meal to you, but maybe we can find a peaceful resolution and talk this out? I don't want to hurt you, and you don't want to hurt me... I hope..." I smiled sheepishly. "Right...?" It continued to stare in ominous silence, and I shook my head. "Right..." I muttered under my breath. The route of reason didn't look to be doing a whole lot for me at the moment... "I'll totally forget any of this happened if we just part ways."

Was it just me, or was it... grinning?

Oh... Oh yes, it was definitely grinning... All those sharp teeth... Oh my...

Second after second, its mouth grew wider, and the more I watched, the more I felt my heart get ready to explode from fear itself.

Fight or flight, don't fail me now!

I started my ascension once more, breathing heavily, as I was fatigued from the close proximity of the beast.

"Climbing, climbing, climbing, climbing!" I kept saying in a panicked, out of breath tone.

My arms and legs were tired, my lungs were downright exhausted, and the head rush was... quite literally, a headache to deal with, but before I knew it, I was finally reaching the top.

The beast spread its wings and let go of the tower, plummeting down for a few seconds before flying back up and circling me like a hawk to its prey. It screamed through the air as its electric glow started to brighten up the dark and stormy skies. Lightning flashed underneath the massive clouds overhead in roots of white, and thunder joined in with the beast's bone chilling symphony.

I didn't stop. I couldn't. It was back to charging right at me!

My leg was aching, and I swore, I may have torn the scab open, cause I saw and felt blood leaking through the fresh sheeting around the injury.

No... No time for breaks! It was closing in faster and faster by the second!

For a second, I didn't believe I was going to make it... For a second, I thought that was it for me... I was almost entirely convinced of it.

But how many other times have I thought that out here?

With absolutely no more time to spare, I crawled up onto the metal grated catwalk, looking down as the beast swept past, continuing its horrifying screech.

The monster had disappeared above the clouds... leaving me be, I had hoped.

I stood up on all fours and carefully walked across the metal grating, towards the end, as I observed my surroundings. The monster was gone... for now. I at least had time to do what I came up here for.

I looked around in each direction, but no matter how hard I looked, I couldn't find even a hint of a town hall...

And to top it all off, the rain was too thick to really see too far.

Great... just wonderful...

Another meaningless adventu...

The crane jolted, and I tensed up before falling to the floor.

"No. Just no..." I said, closing my eyes. "Stop. I'm not dealing with this..."

I waited for a few seconds, but all I could hear was the boom of thunder, the howling of wind, and the hissing of rain.

The crane remained still, and I looked around in search for the beast that lingered.

I turned in every direction, but it yet remained to be seen. Even its trail seemed to completely evade my perception.

Our game of cat and mouse continued, only I was in a slightly better position to play, this time.

The rain beat against me, and the wind swayed both my mane and tail to one side. Through each lightning strike, my shadow was cast on the steel surface of the catwalk as I glared in the distance, in search for my hunter.

So much for coming to terms with a truce.

The beast dived down to the crane and tore a fraction of the metal bars above me off with one pass.

Shrapnel rained down on me, causing me to cover my eyes with my hoof, before turning my head and looking behind me with that same hostile glare and gritted teeth.

"Bring it on..." I muttered under my breath, still fatigued from the smoke. At least I had stopped coughing... Though, my lungs were still burning.

As it came by for a second run, I turned my body to face it completely.

I knew I couldn't fight it. But maybe I could find a way around it... A way to best it... A way to beat it through its own actions... I just had to think...

Let's see... It was able to interact with the world and its surroundings, but nothing could interact with it...

... Well... Brainstorming over. I was fucked, pure and simple.

I couldn't think of anything that could possibly beat this thing.

Maybe a blow dryer, or a leafblower, but that's it... I didn't even have that on me.

I kept my eyes locked on to the creature's, ready for it to strike.

As it made another sweep down, stretching its talons out to grab me, I lunged forward, landing on my belly.

It passed by, unsuccessful of its goal, and knowing that its current form of approach would be a waste of time, it circled around and landed on the end, staring me down. Between the two of us was a comforting stretch of catwalk. It couldn't reach me where it was, and I... I didn't want to reach it. I was fine being as far away from it as possible.

It started walking forward, and I took steps back, until my backside... my sore backside... struck the small metal cabin that resembled the control room.

"MOVE!" A deep, male voice shouted from my left, and before I could turn to look, a leather-armored, black feathered griffin flew overhead, wielding a battle saddle with two built in cannons on each wing that looked big enough to weigh any pegasus down. I guess griffins were an exception. He seemed to handle it just fine.

The bird redirected its attention on the... well... new bird, and roared at him as he circled around and aimed his cannons down on the crane.

"I SAID MOVE!" He shouted once more, but looking down from where I came, I was gifted with the wonderful feeling of deep dread and the loss of hope.

Oh, and the irrational fear of heights. Can't forget that.

The ladder was torn to pieces, and then some.

I looked back to see the griffin fire a massive beam of light from each cannon as he glided down.

The beast shrieked as the energy washed over its form. It writhed in agony for several seconds. To my surprise, it was actually getting hurt!

It lunged at its new sworn enemy, but he took evasive action, ceasing fire as he circled around to its backside.

The shadow creature continued to shriek and stumble around, shaking its head aggressively, discovering with a few flaps of its wings and jumps, that it couldn't fly anymore.

It slammed against any bars that it hadn't already taken out in a disoriented state, mixed with rage.

Gradually, over time, its body started to vanish, smoke and all. It stared at me once more, ignoring what was happening to itself, and started to charge for me once again.

The crane started to shake and cry. I kept my ground as it came after me, but the platform was starting to tilt to one side. I started sliding closer to the ledge, and the monster was starting to have more difficulties getting to me as well. With its wings disabled, it wasn't as powerful and quick as it was earlier.

I looked down at the ground as I backed up toward the exterior wall of the cabin.

"Oh, I hate heights..." I muttered softly.

Another round of beams tore into the creature's back just before it could reach me, and a hole was torn through its chest. The beams continued from there and struck the catwalk before me, and then the supports below, making the tower lose its balance much faster than it was earlier.

The smoke was deteriorating faster, but it was still putting up a fight to take me down with it. I backed up towards the ledge and stopped. There was nowhere else to go but down... and I really didn't like the idea of that. If only this had been built with stairs... I was finding a whole new love for them. Anything but ladders... I was so wrong about how evil stairs were.

Just as the crane was ready to give up completely, and the bird was ready to lunge at me, the griffin swooped in and lifted me off my hooves, only to launch again.

I thrashed around in a panic, feeling like I was falling! Nothing was underneath my hooves but air, and that was more than enough to send me screaming.

"Cut it out!" The griffin ordered. "I'm saving your sorry ass!"

I did as he was told, but clung tight to his body as we flew away from the collapsing crane. The beast within was nothing more than a few wisps of black cloud, before the crane had fallen completely, leaving a great big cloud of dirt and debris in the construction yard. The trailer was still intact, thank Celestia... In fact, the crane was nowhere near hitting the trailer. I couldn't bear to have them die because of me... Too much blood was on my hooves as it was.

The griffin set me down on the roof of a neighboring tower and stepped back, glaring at me. "What the Hell is a surface pony doing in a place like this? Are you trying to get yourself killed?"

I shuddered as I looked down at the forest-covered streets below, then looked up into his hazel eyes. "On the contrary, actually..." I stood up, but my hooves were shaking from the adrenaline. "I'm trying to escape this Celestia-forbidden place, but not without some supplies, first."

He laughed. "Supplies? Here? Good luck finding anything worth a damn. This place is a dump, and everything that hasn't already been taken, is broken."

"Well, good news for me then. I like fixing things." I smiled faintly, trying to ignore the fear that was set in my pounding heart.

He rolled his eyes and huffed. "Yeah, whatever. You owe me big time. I just fired 4 megaspell cannons at that abomination before it had pony on the menu... twice. Do you have any idea what that's going to do to me?"

"Uhhh..."

"Newsflash, kid! I have a higher risk of getting hard-to-remove tumors each time I fire this thing." He flapped his wings up a bit, showing the cannons. "And I just shortened my chances of survival, all because of your recklessness!"

"Me?" I glared back, pointing a hoof to my chest. "I didn't ask you to fire them! You did that yourself!" I pointed my hoof on the eighth word of my argument. "Wait..." I sat up straight and looked at him curiously. "Why are you using something so dangerous to begin with? Just use a regular gun."

"Did you crawl out of the ground or something? In case you haven't noticed, you can't kill a megaspell creature with with anything normal. You gotta fight fire with fire..." He put a claw to his beak, thinking to himself with a frown. "Or... megaspell with megaspell, in this case."

"Those... are megaspell creatures?" I looked back at the crane debris.

"What am I, a broken record?" He muttered. "YES, YOU DIMWIT! Pull your head out of your ass and listen to what I'm saying! I'm not gonna tell you again!"

I sighed and closed my eyes. "I'm glad you saved me... whoever you are... But why don't you just calm down?"

He took a deep lungful of air, then shook his head hard. "Alright... Well... where are you off to? Do you have any place in mind for supplies?"

Just like that? Huh... I didn't expect that to actually work. I knew griffins were naturally aggressive, judging by what I read about them, but for one to calm down, just like that? Odd...

"Uh..." I paused. "Yeah, I'm looking for the town hall."

He cocked his head to the side, raising a brow. "What for? There's nothing there but papers of a bygone era."

"I know. That's why I'm going there."

He looked at me, just like Fluky did whenever I spoke; as if I just said the stupidest thing that could be said in all of Equus.

"And... what, you're going to build a paper hat or something?"

Okay, now it was my turn to look at him as if he was the stupid one. "No... I'm trying to find Stable 32. If anything had its whereabouts, it'd be the town hall."

He looked at me for a few seconds, then shook his head, chuckling softly to himself.

"What?"

"Nothing." He lifted a talon to me. "I'm actually kind of impressed. You're smarter than I thought, for a surface pony."

"Uh..." I raised an eyebrow. "Thanks?"

He nodded. "I'll do you one better." With that, he turned around and pointed his talon to a patch of... oh.

... The palm trees I saw earlier, back in the apartment.

"Just head into the park over there. Can't miss it." He looked back at me and smiled sincerely. "A plus for thinking ahead, though. Not many do nowadays."

I narrowed my eyes at him. "For a griffin, you seemed to have changed your attitude rather quick."

He shrugged with a roll of his eyes. "I'm still not happy I had to use these bastards to save your hide, but... no point in living in constant anger. Gets me nowhere."

"Right..." I backed up a little, unsure of him. There was something off about his character... "Well, again, thanks for saving me. Do you think maybe you can get me back to the construction yard? I have to get back to my group."

"You mean the filly and the wingless pegasus?"

I raised an eyebrow at his response, to which he explained himself.

"I've been watching the three of you for some time, now."

"Why...?"

"Three ponies walking through a deadly forest that attacks anything that makes noise. Yet, there you are blasting music on a radio, and nothing is happening to any of you. The real question is 'why wouldn't I?'"

"Fair point..." I looked back down at the yard, and he started up again.

"Alright." He turned around. "Get on my back... And don't freak out this time."

I hesitantly did as he said, and we dived down to the ground upon take off. I clung tight around his neck, but after a series of chokes and gags, I loosened my grip a bit, grinning sheepishly.

"Sorry about that..." I whispered into his ear.

The rest of the trip back was made in silence, though that meant nothing, seeing as we were only a block away.

We landed next to the debris and I got off of him to discover that my arms and legs were shaking again. I hated heights... so much!

"Well, be more careful." The griffin said, looking at me. "If you can, avoid anything that moves that isn't any of your friends."

They weren't exactly my friends, but...

He started to take off again, but I raised a hoof. "Wait, where are you going?"

He gave me a puzzled look. "Away."

"Why? I mean... you could stick with me and the others for a bit. Safety in numbers, and all that."

He grimaced. "Yeah, I don't think so... I don't do teamwork." He spoke as if the sound of that last word disgusted him. "I saved you. That's that. Really, I shouldn't have even done that, but seeing as I was hired to take down the Shadow Pheonix... Well... two birds, one stone."

"Shadow Pheonix? That didn't look anything like a pheonix."

"It's just a name. Really, it looks more like a vulture."

"So... you were going to fire those guns, regardless if I was there or not. And you still blamed me for firing..."

"Yes, I know!" He interrupted. "Why do you think I calmed down so easily?" He paused, then sighed. "Maybe my good deed will pay off for helping you." He shrugged. "Maybe I'll get free medical or something, I don't know..." He paused again, narrowing his eyes at me. "Got any caps?"

"Wait, if you're doing good deeds just to get stuff out of it, I don't really think that's..."

"Point is, I don't do teamwork!" He shouted. "I showed you Stable 32. Have fun." Before I could reply, he took off for the skies within the blink of an eye.

I sighed and turned to the trailer. Fluky was staring at me through the window with a dropped jaw, and Para was just smiling at me through the window on the other end of the door.

I smiled sheepishly and stepped inside, tracking muddy hoofprints within.

The radio was still playing the SOS, and I walked in on the iteration.

"Who was that?" Fluky asked, pointing at the window pane.

"No idea, honestly." I answered. "He didn't give me a name, but he saved me from the crane." I paused, then added with some thought. "Don't make yourself known to any shadow birds... Seriously. Vicious things." I shuddered and looked back at the crane. "Are you two alright?"

"Yeah..." Fluky answered. "A bit shaken up, but I'll live..."

"I'm just fine!" Para said with a cheerful smile.

I nodded, and Fluky continued. "Did you see the town hall?"

I looked at her and shook my head. "No, but I know where 32 is, now. We don't need the town hall."

"Great!" Para jumped up with joy and a grin on his face. "Let's hit the road!"

"In a bit..." I 'laid' down on my stomach and sighed. When I say 'laid,' I really meant 'collapse' from quivering hooves. "I need to process what just happened..." I closed my eyes. "With a nice... long... nap..."

(((((((◉)))))))

When I awoke, the musty carpet around me was drenched in rain water that I had supplied with my own body. My stomach was wet, but the rest of me was less than damp.

I got up on three hooves and stretched, groaning as I did.

Para and Fluky were playing a card game, while the radio still played the SOS broadcast.

I could still hear the rain outside, which dampened my mood a bit. I had hoped that when I woke up, the storm would have finally cleared.

I limped towards the company of two and sat awkwardly on my haunches, watching their game. My leg still hurt, so I had a bit of trouble sitting properly... Not to mention the flank rash...

"So who's winning?"

Fluky pointed a hoof at Para without tearing her eyes away from her own hand. "He is."

He smiled a little as he looked at me. "Have a nice nap?"

"As nice a nap as I could have, out in the wasteland." I smirked.

Para looked back at his hand for a few seconds before setting it down, revealing what he had to everyone. A king and a queen.

"Soggy apples!" Fluky threw her hand down on the floor between the two of them and pouted. "You're always winning!" They landed face down, and so I only assumed that was a fold.

Para beamed at her and took every last card, stacked them neatly, before he put them in the small, black and white, decorated, cardboard box, to which he slipped into his jacket pocket. "10-18 to 32?" He looked at me with a smile as he put his hat on, adjusting it via the brim. I nodded in reply.

"10-18 to 32."

(((((((◉)))))))

Through the wet of the rain we walked... again... for the third time since I came here. Saying 'I'm tired of the rain' would be both needless and a huge understatement.

I think I was starting to catch a cold, too. My sinuses were starting to clog.

Para, on the other hoof, had finally turned down the volume of the broadcast that I imagined he had no intention of changing any time soon. I had heard it long enough, that I made note of each iteration, and by some psychological, super magical ability, predicted what the next number would end at.

Fluky was walking along the other side of Para this time, which meant avoiding me. I had noticed her catch a few glimpses in my direction, however.

"Are we there yet?" Para whined.

"Does it look like we're there yet?" I glared at him. "Please save my brain cells the trouble, and don't ask stupid questions." I looked ahead again.

"Are we there yet?" At first, he looked - and sounded - impatient, but that quickly changed with a smile. "Also, can I have a cane?"

"No... and no!" I looked around, but the palm trees had been out of my sight for a while now. I was walking blindly in the direction that I thought they were at. I stopped, and the others followed my lead. "Besides... I think we're lost..." I muttered.

"Where is there?" Para cocked his head to the side.

I sighed and put my hoof to my face.

"I thought it was over there." Fluky pointed in the direction we had been going all along, and I groaned.

"Not you too..."

"If we keep walking, we'll get there." She continued. "But... dare I even go there? I heard spooky stories about that place. Creatures that'll tear right into you, so much as look at ya."

"Oh, I don't think I could bear that."

"Stop... please." I closed my eyes and hung my head.

"So, if we're here, and there is over there somewhere..." Para pointed ahead. "Then where is a shortcut to get there faster? Cause I wanna be there!" He stomped his hooves in a tantrum.

I swear, he was such a foal...

"I thought you said you couldn't bear it!" I shouted.

He calmed down, looked at me for a few seconds, smiled, then shrugged. "Eh. Sounds like a spooky house of jumpscares!" That smile became a grin. "And I didn't hear anything about there being a fare, so that seems more than fair to me. Better be free, with all this walking in the rain." He flicked a hoof forward, and rain drops launched forward, only for more to take their place on said hoof.

"Okay, you know what..." I started walking forward again. "It just feels to me like this place is a lot farther than it looked. I think we might have passed it."

"And so the question remains..." He rubbed his chin with a hoof as he looked ahead in contemplation. "Where... is there?"

I groaned and rolled my eyes. "Stop."

"Could it be over there somewhere?" Fluky asked.

"Stop it. Seriously."

"No, I'm being serious!"

I looked at her to see she was pointing to our right. I looked over to see the umbrella-like tops of palm trees, and I grinned.

"Yep, that's it!" I looked back at her and raised a hoof. "Score one for Fluky!"

She looked at me skeptically, then backed up. "You still don't get it, do you?"

I frowned.

"We're not friends... and we never will be." She and Para started down an alleyway, towards our destination.

Through the trees.

I sighed and hung my head again, following in their hoofsteps.

"Hey..." Para whispered, looking back at me as he slowed down a bit, until catching my pace at my side. "I have a question..."

I looked at him and smiled faintly. "Yeah? What is it, Para?"

"I've been thinking about it for a long time now, and... It's crazy to think about... Ponies might make fun of me for it, so keep this a secret, but..." He paused and looked around, then moved in closer. "Do you think unicorns exist...?"

...

......

That's it. My brain cells were now murdering each other. Mental genocide was happening in my squishy thought noodle. I swear, I could feel myself get stupider just by hearing what he had to say!

(((((((◉)))))))

At the end of the maze-like alley, we heard two voices. For a second, I mistook it for the trees, rain, or even the faint voice on the radio, but this sounded like an actual conversation between two individuals.

One was a scratchy and raspy female tone, and the other was that of a male.

I raised a hoof and whispered just loud enough for my party to hear. "Stop."

Thankfully, Fluky listened to me. She turned to me, then back to the end of the alley, as the voices were now a lot more noticeable.

Para was just bobbing his head to... Celestia knows what.

I shook my head and turned back to her. "You wait here." I continued in my whispery voice. "I'll go check it out."

She nodded and stuck by Para's side as I made my way to the edge of the alley. I peeked my head around the corner, and for a split second, before I retreated, I caught the glimpse of a red feathered, female griffin, and a dark blue stallion sitting around a bonfire, while seeking protection from the rain under a shanty roof.

The griffin wore spiked armor plating around her form. Her helmet rested before her, at her steel-clad talons.

The stallion wore leather padding, and I spotted a pistol holstered on his side. The griffin had a battle saddle, I think. It was hard to tell from here. I didn't see much of anything else on her that could be used as a weapon, but seeing as she may as well have been a weapon, that didn't really make me feel any better.

After I retreated, I stood there, looking at the ground as rain washed down my mane, and I listened to their conversation.

"Ha!" The stallion laughed. "That was a good one! Do you have any more stories like that?"

"How much time ya got?" The griffin asked.

"All the time in the world."

"Heh... Yeah, I got a few. Let me see..." There was a brief pause before she resumed. "Alright, so a couple years back, before I met Sting, me and a couple of my friends found a colt on the north side of the Vanhoover river. Wasn't that young, though. Maybe 18 or so. Anyways, after hanging out with him for a while, it started to get dark, so I built a fire. I shit you not, as soon as I lit the match, the kid screams, 'what are you doing!?' Knocks it right out of my talon."

"He knocked the match out of your claw? Why would he do that?"

"Shh! I'm telling a story!" The griffin scolded. "... So yeah, he knocks the match right out of my claw. I was so surprised, I swung and broke his nose. He said he was sorry and..." She laughed under her breath. "Get this... He said he was afraid of fire!"

"Ha! He was afraid of fire...?"

Oh dear... He was about as bad as Para...

"I just told you he was afraid of fire!" The griffin said in an agitated tone. "You keep interrupting me. It's irritating!" She sighed and took a deep breath of air. "Well... as soon as he told me that, I thought of something. I quickly apologized for hitting him and told him that it was nothing to be ashamed of. So that night, me and the others got him so drunk, so fast, he passed out within the hour. We then dragged him to the banks of the river, along with six or seven mattresses. Tied them all in a circle, with one in the middle."

"Mattresses?" The pony asked. "What did you need the mattresses for?"

She growled in anger. "Really!? Did you seriously just ask me that question? It's a goddess-damned story! All you have to do is sit and listen!" She cooled herself down, then resumed. "So... yeah. We tied all the mattresses together and put one in the middle, then put the kid on it. We doused all the mattresses with gas and lit them on fire after pushing him down into the water. We followed the burning mattresses down the river, laughing our asses off, waiting for the kid to wake up. That wasn't happening, so we threw rocks at him. After a couple hits, he wakes up. At this point, the flames are huge! Just imagine what that must have been like for him. Waking up, not knowing where he was, and all he sees is fire! He tries to get up, but can't get his hooves up on the soggy mattress. At this point, I'm laughing so hard, I practically wet myself."

"That's crazy! I bet he overcame his fear of heights then, eh?" He laughed softly. "Trial by fire."

"Nah, he never did. Turns out the kid couldn't swim." I peeked around the corner just in time to see her shrug. "Anyways, that's that."

The stallion rubbed the back of his head awkwardly. "Didn't see that... coming..."

They continued to sit around the fire, trying to keep warm. I didn't understand why they didn't just go in a building and rest there.

... Okay, I kind of understood. The trees could get pissed... I think... Not sure just yet. How they operated and reacted to certain things still confused my incredibly.

But... wait... The pair was talking loud enough for me to hear them, even through the rainfall. How were they not being attacked? How come none of us were being attacked?

UGH!

I mean... not that I value the idea of being attacked by a bunch of trees, but... I'd like answers!

She groaned. "Where the hell is the rest of the group? This is why I hate scout duty..." She stood up and stretched her wings, giving me a better look at her battle saddle. It wasn't anything as powerful as four megaspell cannons, but they still looked vicious. Well... At least I had confirmation of what I saw on her.

"Maybe they got lost?"

"Sting isn't a dumbass! He wouldn't just 'get lost.' Him and I have been here several times before. I just wanna loot that damn stable, already!"

Wait... Stable? They were here because of the stable, too?

"Well, he's probably just over there somewhere." The raider waved his hoof to the south without looking.

Oh... Fuck you! Don't start that again!

I hid behind the corner, thankful they didn't bother turning their head towards me.

"Or maybe he's right behind you..." Came a male voice... from behind. Before I could turn around, I felt a barrel press up against the back of my head.

"We have company!" He called out, and the barrel jabbed at me, making me move forward into the open.

The griffin looked to me coolly as I came to a stop, then at the pony behind me. "It's about time, Sting. I'm tired of sitting here, rubbing my clit all damn day. When are we going to strike?"

"In due time, Bloodwing." He spoke calmly. Para appeared on my left, and Fluky on my right. The three of us looked at each other. Even Para seemed a touch concerned. "Have patience."

"Who are the ponies?" The stallion asked, regarding us.

"We caught them in the alley way." I felt a pressure build up on my right side, and then I felt a soft whisper in my ear. "Don't you know it's rude to eavesdrop?"

Suddenly, I felt a shove from behind, forcing me to the wet pavement, on my stomach.

Bloodwing laughed, and before I could get up, her talon dug into my back.

"Oh, this one's ripe. Been a long time since I've seen meat this fresh."

I winced as the claws dug deeper. I felt my bags get lifted off me, as well as everything else, save for the jacket I wore.

"Let me go!" Fluky shouted. I turned to my right to see her struggling in a male griffin's grasp. He had a cocky smirk on his face, until she bit down on the grey feathers of his chest, and ripped out a mouthful, leaving behind a bald patch.

He yelped and threw her back down to the ground, glaring at her. "You bitch! I say we kill them all, right now!"

"Calm yourself." Sting spoke in his calm tone. "Your aggressive behavior is putting me in a dour mood."

I turned to Para as they stripped him of his gear. When the gun was taken, he fought with all his strength to get it back, but the butt of a rifle against his head stopped him completely.

"Leave them alone!" I shouted.

"Shut up!" Bloodwing applied more pressure to my back, and I groaned in pain behind clenched teeth.

I turned to Fluky. She was staring right at me with fear in her eyes. She had the same look she had when I first met her, cowering behind a couch...

She was pinned on her stomach, but her eyes stayed locked with mine. The hoof of the dark blue stallion was pressed down on her back.

I mouthed the words 'stay strong,' and she nodded with a small whimper.

One of the raiders took Para's radio and walked away with it as they turned the volume up.

"-ess unknown. Oh, how could I be so blind? To think that you would never be hard to find. From the place of your birth, to the ends of Equus. I've searched, only to find... Only to find... Address unkno-" The radio cut out abruptly, and the light within died.

"You know..." The stallion that towered over her said. "I gotta say, it's been a while since I've felt something as tight as she looks." I had noticed he was gazing down at her nether region, keeping her tail out of the way.

"Don't you dare!" I shouted, but that only earned me the honor of a set of claws digging deeper inside my back. That only made me scream louder. "LEAVE HER ALONE!" Deeper they went, and she started tearing them down gradually...

Fluky whimpered and tried to drag herself away, but again, it was to no avail.

A white coated unicorn with a black tux stepped into view, adjusting a tie. His mane was about as long as mine, but it was red with hints of black. He looked at me through green eyes and smirked. "Oh hush now. The more you fight, the more it will hurt."

I noticed that the rain seemed to fade out of existence around him before it could make contact with his body, therefore keeping him dry. He must have had a spell to keep him out of the weather.

There was no way out of this... not through violence, anyways...

Unlike that weird bird thing, he might have been interested in listening to reason.

"Sting." I said, wincing.

His eyes met mine, but he said nothing.

"That's your name, right?"

He nodded. "Correct."

"You're going to Stable 32." I stated matter of factly.

"Your point being?"

"We are too."

"Old news." He smiled, looking at Para's radio. "You were playing the broadcast. It's quite obvious where you were going. The question remains..." He looked at me again. "Your point being?"

I tried to get up, but Bloodwing kept me pinned with the claws that tore into my coat. "Well..." I winced. "We can help you get there, just as long as you let us go, afterwards."

He raised an eyebrow and looked me over coolly. "And why, pray tell, would you help a group of raiders?"

"Call it a stupid choice to stay alive." I looked into his eyes, realizing I had made a stupid choice to stay alive not too long ago. "We leave, you get what you want from 32, and everypony wins."

Fluky struggled as the stallion over her got himself into position. His excitement started to grow beneath his legs as he rubbed himself on her.

"Stop..." I said.

Sting looked over at him, then back at me. I looked at him in return.

"Please... tell him to stop. I'll help you. Just leave her alone. She's been through enough already..."

For a brief second, I saw sympathy in his eyes, and he looked back at the two. "That's enough, Blueshade."

Blueshade? Pfft... What kind of name was that?

I sighed with relief and looked at her as he got off, mumbling to himself about not having any fun.

Fluky quickly rolled over on her back; her tail covering her regions, as she breathed frantically, looking around in a panic.

"So, tell me..." Sting started. "Why would I keep the three of you alive? How do I know you won't try and kill us?"

"Because we want to survive." I answered calmly. "And we're outnumbered. You have guns, ammo, griffins, armor. Me? I have a filly and a delusional stallion with a fixation on candy canes."

"Then what use are you?"

"I'm an engineer and a repair pony, back where I'm from. I can help you get into rooms that are terminal-locked, or disable any alarms."

"And where are you from?"

"The Steel Rangers..." I looked down, and he smiled sincerely.

"Where?"

"Back in..." I paused. I knew why he was asking... I may have hated them, but... I couldn't do that to them. I had no idea how strong this pony was, or how many worked for him. I sighed and looked up at him. "Hoofington... I came from Hoofington. My chapter was split up after the HMS Celestia blew up."

He regarded me for a few seconds, before nodding. "Well, your talents will be much needed, where we're going." He nodded to Bloodwing, and she pulled her claws out of my back. I gasped, winced, then shuddered. I was definitely bleeding... but there was nothing I could do about that right now. "You and your friends can come with us, but don't expect to get your stuff back, and don't expect anything from this run." He regarded Para's little buddy with a raised eyebrow. "And what is that?"

"It's a bunny." I stated. "Mechanical bunny, but..."

He looked at me questioningly, then turned to the raider that had it in his possession. "Leave it behind. It'll only slow us down."

The raider dropped the cage on its side and laughed softly to himself as it recovered from being tossed around.

One of the ponies looked through my saddle bags, and his eyes got wide. "Damn... Someone's been stockpiling." He grinned and started loading the .357s into the gun that levitated before him, via his magic. He looked through the other pouch and raised an eyebrow, looking up at me afterwards. "Seriously? A memory orb? Earth ponies can't access these, dumbass."

Memory orb? Wait, what's a memory orb?

He put the flaps over the two bags and put them on.

"Come on!" Bloodwing forced Fluky back on her hooves and pushed her against me. "I've waited too long for this!"

Para was pushed against my other side. "No separating." The raider with my stuff said. "The three of you stay together, or I'll shoot. Say anything, you die. Make any noise, you die. Now move it."

Bloodwing and Sting stuck side by side as we moved through the forest, towards the palm trees in the distance. Everyone went quiet, as if now it became dangerous to make noise.

"Are you okay, Fluky?" I whispered as low as I could, but my voice was drowned out by the rain. I tapped her shoulder, and she looked up at me from the ground. I mouthed the words, and she looked back down, giving a slight nod.

I looked at Para and nudged him. He looked back, and I mouthed the words 'are you okay?'

He nodded, though he wasn't smiling. He rubbed the back of his head and looked down again. Blood had trickled through his mane and stained his coat. He looked like he was about ready to pass out...

We stopped at the open, black metal gate of what was once a park. On both ends of said gate, were brick walls, and the space within the park was littered in various plant life. Green plant life! Lots and lots of green! They didn't look like the others I've seen, either! They looked normal!

Sting looked to his group, raised a hoof, mouthed the word 'stay,' then made his way past the gate. He stopped on the other end and looked around for a few seconds, before levitating a rock with his magic and banging it against a rusted bench. The clangs of rock meeting metal echoed, and he made sure to stay a few dozen feet away from the bench as he waited. He let the rock drop out of his telekinetic grasp as he stood there in silence.

Everyone watched, expecting something to happen.

He turned around to his group of eight, not including us, with a smile, and waved them over. We all moved as one unit through the gate.

Sting nodded pleasantly. "Looks like it's safe to talk, here."

"Nice to finally see color, again." Bloodwing said, looking around at the nature around us. "So, when are we getting to the stable? I wanna get my claws bloody." She grinned and looked at me. I guess I was her favorite...

"Patience, love." Sting put his hoof underneath her chin, looking into her eyes with a loving and caring smile. "You'll get as you wish, in due time."

Well, that was unsettling.

He kissed her passionately, and she accepted his loving embrace; tongue meeting his. He broke it after several seconds of them having fun, and looked to the rest. "Carry on." He started forward, and the group, along with us, followed.

About three minutes passed of venturing through the tropical/mainland forest, until we came across a lake with water as clear as ever. The rain would have made it salty by now, unfortunately. Otherwise, I would have dived right in and started chugging. I was getting really thirsty and the rain water wasn't enough.

"Oh thank fuck!" The unicorn with my equipment said. "Water! Fresh, fulfilling water!" He dropped all his stuff, along with mine, and ran for it.

"Wait!" Bloodwing shouted. "We don't know if it's..."

He jumped in and disappeared beneath the surface for a few seconds, before coming back up and smiling. He collected some water in his mouth and spat it out in a fountain. "Fuck the rain! This feels great!"

Bloodwing rolled her eyes and looked away. "You're an idiot..."

He started drinking a bit and swam around.

Sting sighed as he put his hoof over his face. "We don't have time for this. Put your armor back on, and let's go. My dearest is growing impatient, and so am I, for that matter."

He sighed and started swimming back to shore. "Alright, alright... The water's getting a bit cold, anyways..." He put his armor back on, grabbed our stuff, and continued on.

For a while, the trip was silent. No one had anything to say, and I didn't want to say anything.

The raider with my stuff stopped and froze, looking down at the ground. "O-Oh..."

Bloodwing turned around and looked at him. "What is it now?" She asked in a spiteful tone.

"I don't... don't feel so good..." He put his hoof to his chest and groaned. "Mah th... mah thr..." He put his hoof over his throat and opened his mouth again, but found he couldn't speak. He started to stumble to the left, and then the right, before falling to the ground; his eyes wandering off in two different directions. He breathed hard and deep, as if he were struggling for air.

He reached his hoof out for Sting and barely managed to mouth the word 'help,' before his limb collapsed.

Everyone watched as he laid there, just fighting to get a single breath out.

But he couldn't... His body had shut down, and his eyes grew distant...

"Hm..." Sting nudged his limp body. "Interesting." He turned to Bloodwing. "Something in the water, perhaps?"

"Well, at least there's a silver lining. Now we know." She smirked and looked at one of the other raiders. "Grab his stuff and let's go."

"I bet you all have such wonderful smiles..." Para said in a slightly deepened tone, catching me and everypony else off guard. I looked at him to see the color of his eyes were slightly faded.

"Whatever, freak." The raider said as he passed by to get the corpse's gear.

It didn't take long for us to get on the move again.

During our resumed trip to 32, the radio had turned on by pure happenstance. I was looking at it when it did, and no one had touched it.

"I have some very urgent news!" The DJ pony spoke. "Mr. Happy has been spotted near stable 32. I repeat, Happy has been spotted near..." Static took over the signal for a few seconds, just before the radio was shut off again.

"Happy?" One of the raiders looked around. "Oh no... I'm not dealing with that psychopath again! I thought he was killed!"

"What's he even doing here?" Another asked. "I thought he was around the Hoofington area when he died! How can he even be alive!? Guys, this is a bad ide-"

"Shut it!" Bloodwing shouted, turning around and scratching his hide with her metal talons. He fell back and screamed in agony as blood spilled on the muddy ground he laid on. The cuts went deep... Too deep to just ignore... but no one was helping him. She continued on without so much as a single care in the world. "We're here, we're getting what we came for, and this 'Mr. Happy' can go fuck himself. I don't care who he is, he's just a person! Now stop wetting yourselves and let's fucking go already!"

"What did you say?" The raider with Para's radio asked Sting.

"What?" He looked back at him. "I didn't say anything."

"I could have sworn you said something..." He rubbed his hoof over his ear and shook his head. "Probably just my imagination... Let's go." Sting and Bloodwing both looked at him in question, then at each other. She shrugged, and they started moving again, leaving the raider on the ground behind to let him bleed out.

Para lunged for the raider that held his stuff and tackled him, but that was as far as he got, before Bloodwing tore him from the raider and threw him to the muddy ground before me.

"What the hell is your problem!?" She glared down at him, then at me. She looked up at the raider as he got up, rubbing his head. "He's all yours." She smiled as she backed away.

"Wait!" I stepped over Para, my heart pounding. "Wait, don't! He won't do it again!"

"Move it!" He stomped his hooves down on Para's gut, making him cry out. "I'm gonna make it hurt!"

"Para!" I shouted, trying to get to the raider. Bloodwing held me back as I watched him get beaten before me.

"Shut up!" She punched me in the gut and laughed as I fell on my side, holding my stomach and wincing. I felt a gentle hoof on my arm, and when I opened my eyes, I saw Fluky looking into my own with worry. "Oh, enough with this..." She pushed Fluky back, rolled me over on my back, and put a claw against my neck, cutting into my coat. She started to drag it across my esophagus, but before she could, Sting spoke.

"Don't."

She looked back at him in confusion.

"If what he said is true... If he really was a Steel Ranger, we'll need him."

She groaned in irritation and took her claw away from my neck. "Alright, fine..." She looked at the raider that beat Para senseless with two bloody hooves. "Catch up when you're done with him. I'm going to the stable."

Sting looked to his group. "The rest of you, on us." He glanced down at Fluky and I. "And someone get them back on their hooves."

We were forced up and back to moving for the stable. Fluky was reunited with me again, and she wasn't leaving my side. She was practically glued to it.

For several minutes, my gut hurt, and there were a few times I felt like I was about ready to puke up anything that was in my stomach. But nothing ever came up.

That was fine. I couldn't stop moving, or Fluky would probably be...

A gunshot echoed throughout the forest, coming from behind. A single gunshot...

... Next...

I felt my legs give out from under me, and I laid there in the mud, shuddering under my shaky breath. I closed my eyes tight as my tear ducts burned and my heart ached.

Para was gone...

And it was my fault...

"Keep moving!" Bloodwing yelled, coming back to me and lifting me off the ground by the neck. She tightened her grip, crushing my wind pipe.

"Please..." Tears broke free as I struggled for breath. "No one else needs to get hurt..."

She laughed and threw me forward. I rolled and slid across the mud for a few feet, before coming to a halt at Sting's hooves. He looked down at me with a faint smile and whispered softly. "Get up, or I'll shoot your daughter."

My... daughter?

I rolled over on my stomach and forced myself to get back up on my hooves. The pain made me want to lie there and never get up... and the physical pain didn't help with that.

But Fluky's life depended on me...

"Boss!" The raider with my gear cocked his gun as he looked ahead. "I think we got company..."

Sting turned around, and Bloodwing joined his side. I looked ahead at four red, glowing dots, through the trees, which seemed to belong to a bulky figure of a pony; the dots being where their eyes would be.

"Sentinel." Sting looked to Bloodwing. "I guess they're expecting us..."

I had heard about Sentinels before. I had even requested one to be brought to me once, so I could study them and, at the time, hopefully, be able to reprogram it to work with the Steel Rangers. But I had never even seen one, up until now.

Another Sentinel followed it.

And another.

"Everyone, hide." Sting got behind a tree and stayed quiet, and pretty soon, everyone else was doing the same.

I went back to Fluky, helped her on her hooves, and hurried her to the treeline, where we both hid.

The sentinels had made a turn onto the path and rolled down steadily.

At that moment, an idea struck me... but it was dangerous...

"Fluky..." I whispered.

She looked up at me.

"On the count of three, I want you to follow me..."

"What...?"

"It's our only chance to get away... Are you with me...?"

She looked into my eyes for several moments, contemplating if this was the smartest move. It was all I could think of... Otherwise, the raiders would finish us off once we gave them what they wanted. They didn't need to say it. I already knew what they had planned for us.

She nodded firmly.

"Good..." I peeked around the trunk to see the Sentinels were just now passing by. I waited until the last one disappeared from my field of view, which was partially blocked by the trunk of the tree, then started counting. "One... Two..." I looked at her. She was waiting eagerly for the next number.

"THREE!" Fluky and I charged out of the tree line and ran across the path. I looked back to see Sting was already aiming a rifle at us, ready to pull the trigger. "OVER HERE!" I called out at the Sentinels. They turned around in unison and aimed their gatlings and missiles at us, and I charged out of there as fast as I could. Fluky was in the lead, and was just about to reach the treeline opposite from the one we came from.

Lasers of red sprayed wildly at us, while one of the raiders came out after us, firing wildly. He was a bad aim, but I received a few shots from the laser to my side, which was now burning about as bad as my rump rash did, if not worse.

"Get back here!" Blueshade shouted as ran after us.

Fluky made it past the treeline and took cover behind one.

"Blueshade, you frickin' moron!" Bloodwing flew out and aimed the barrels of her battle saddle at the three sentinels, which refocused their attention on the raiders.

I dove into the treeline and looked back to see Sting jump out and help attack the machines. Fluky was panting heavily as she pressed her back against the trunk of the tree next to me. She looked at me, and I nodded.

"Let's get out of-"

A sudden hissing of air and fire grew louder. I knew what that was...

"RUN!" I shouted and pushed Fluky away from the trunk, just before a missile struck the tree she was hiding behind a second ago. Chips of wood and bark flew in all directions. I was launched back from the explosion and thrown into a bush. Everything was muffled except for the sharp ringing in my ears, which didn't seem to want to go away. My hoof was aching like nothing I had ever felt before, and I wanted to scream. I might have been, but I couldn't tell. I couldn't hear. I couldn't get enough focus even for my own actions.

I felt a hoof press up against my chest, and opening my tear-drenched eyes, I saw Fluky looking down at me with terror as the battle continued behind us.

She touched my hoof with her own, and I felt myself cry out and jolt back. She retreated her hoof with an apologetic look before she shook her head and gave me more stern eyes. She pointed behind her, saying something. Shouting, by the looks of it.

I looked down at my hoof to see it was... oh Goddess...

I rolled over on my side and released whatever contents were in my stomach all over the bush.

Chips of wood had been lodged into my arm in several areas, but that wasn't the worst of it... Hooves weren't supposed to be bent that way... and twisted that way, for that matter. I was surprised it didn't even fall off!

I rolled over on my stomach and felt myself groan. Fluky tugged my not-so-fucked-up hoof as if she were an impatient filly that wanted to go home to hang out with her friends. I pulled it back and stood up on three hooves... Only, this time, it wasn't my two fores.

My hind leg still hurt to hell and back, but at least I could still walk with it, even though I'd rather I didn't. Each step sent me through one great big adventure of agony.

As if I wasn't in enough of that already...

I limped forward as fast as I could. Fluky stayed by my side, watching my six as we got farther from the battle. My vision was growing dark around the edges the more I went, but stopping didn't just mean dying. It meant Fluky was alone... and I couldn't have that.

I tripped over rocks and roots constantly, but kept forcing myself back up. My body was shaking, and tears burned at my eyes and washed down my cheeks. The darkness was closing in for the center of my vision, and I cried out in desperate attempts to keep going.

Fluky stopped and looked back, but I didn't. I couldn't. I needed to keep... going...

The ringing in my ears was finally fading, and I could hear things around me better, but it was still muffled.

"Stop." Fluky said, putting her hoof on my shoulder. "You need to stop..."

I looked at her and shook my head. "I have... to keep... going..."

"We're safe now..." She looked behind her one more time, and I found myself doing the same.

She was right. The battle could still be heard, but it was distant. I couldn't see the path anymore. Just trees... in every direction.

How far did we go...?

I sighed and collapsed under my own weight, exhausted.

Fluky sat on her haunches, by my side. A tension was building up between us. There was something she wanted to say, but her voice was caught in her throat.

I rolled over on my back and looked up at the leaves that sheltered us from the rainy sky. She looked down at the ground before her, dragging her hoof around in the mud in a circular motion.

"What's going on, Fluky?" I asked softly.

"What?" She looked at me, and I at her.

"There's something you want to say, isn't there?"

She sighed and hung her head down, covering her eyes with her green mane. "I don't... blame you..." She seemed almost embarrassed to admit it. "For Para, I mean..."

I looked back up at the sky and wiped my eyes with my good hoof. "Well, I do... It was my idea to come here... I didn't... I didn't expect..."

She put the tip of her hoof to my muzzle, silencing me. She looked deep into my eyes. "I don't blame you. You didn't... know." She took her hoof away and I sighed.

"How are you holding up? With what... happened back there, I mean."

"I'm fine. I didn't get hurt, so I'm fine... I didn't know what was going to happen to me, but... I was terrified... for some reason..." She took a deep breath and shuddered. "I don't want to talk about it, though..."

"Fair enough..."

She sat there, and I laid there; both of us in silence, listening to the rain try and breach the shelter of the leaves overhead.

"I'm sorry about your hoof." She said, breaking the three minute silence.

"You have nothing to be sorry about." I held my arm with my hoof gently. "I did something good for once." I looked at her with a faint smile, and she looked up in my eyes again. "I saved you."

She gave me a feeble smile in return. "Thank you..." She whispered, then cleared her throat, looking away. "I... I still don't like you all that much, but..." There was a pause in her voice. "I think that you really do mean well. You're not as bad as... you know... I made you out to be." She shuffled her hoof on the ground again. "This doesn't make us friends. And... and when we leave Saddle, I'm still going my own path. I hope you know that..."

I frowned and looked back up at the green above us. "I understand."

She nodded very faintly, before going to the tree trunk and getting comfy against it. "You should rest for a bit. It looks like you need it..."

I nodded and closed my eyes. Despite the pain, I had still managed to fall asleep.

... Or maybe I just passed out from said pain.

(((((((◉)))))))

When I awoke, the battle had ceased. There were no more explosions, no more laser fire, and no more shots of a rifle or pistol.

The rain had subsided a lot more, but it was still pretty persistent.

I had no guns, no armor, no food, and no medical supplies. All I had was a leather jacket and a filly that hated me a little less than she did earlier.

I looked over at her to see she had her head hung down. For a second, I thought she was sleeping, but she lifted her head not long after I turned mine.

"Ready?" She said softly.

I rolled over on my stomach and started to get up. "About as ready as I'll ever be..."

She quickly got up and helped me back on my hooves.

We didn't have to rush now, thankfully. My body couldn't take it. I was torn up, and everything still hurt. I had discovered that there were a lot of wooden shards all along my side, as well. I didn't dare take them out, though. If they had hit an artery, and I pulled them out...

We walked for about an hour and a half, before coming back to another part of the path. If I wasn't so beaten up, the forest would have probably made a nice shortcut. But in the end, it only made a good escape route.

Two Sentinels stood at the entrance of the large, thick, steel cogwheel of a door, which was left ajar. Plant life had grown around it over the years. By the looks of it, there was a lot more green within, as well.

A body laid before the machines, which seemed to be disabled, as their lights weren't glowing, and they were stationary.

On top of that, one of the arms on the one to the right had been ripped off, and the one on the left was tilting to the side with a missing wheel.

The body belonged to the raider that had my stuff. The corpse had been shot up and ripped apart; missiles and gatlings would have been my best guess.

Unfortunately, the duffel bag of guns was gone, and so were the saddle bags.

What wasn't taken was his armor, though it was shredded, so there was no real use to even take that.

I heard something rustling in the bush to our left, and I stepped back, expecting something to jump out at us.

The purple head of the pony that killed Para popped up over the bush, and his eyes met mine.

I glared at him, ready to strike, but he just grinned, turned around, and walked away calmly.

Completely clueless as to what just happened, I hesitantly turned to the yellow, tilted, aged '32' on the door. Chances were those who survived the Sentinel attack were already inside. I'd have to deal with that...

I looked at Fluky, and she looked back up at me with sad eyes.

"I guess this is it..." I patted her gently on the head, and to my surprise, she didn't back away.

We walked forward.

Together.

Into Stable 32.

The unknown address...

... Without Para...

Author's Note

Wow. Long chapter. Lot of editing. Lot of stuff happening in real life. Lot of revising for this. Sorry for the long wait, everyone. I was trying to make this as good as possible. And less flawed. Hope this makes up for the boredom that was chapter 4.

The song in the broadcast belongs to The Ink Spots, and the name of the song is called... I'll give you one guess. If you thought it was Address Unknown, then YOU'RE WRONG!

Special thanks to Kkat for making Fallout; Equestria, and special thanks to Somber for making Project Horizons (and being fun to talk to ^^), and Pines for being a good partner and helping with the brainstorming... and being reasonable with new ideas.
Also, this chapter was chaotic. Pines ended up losing brief contact with me because his laptop was messing up big time, and on top of that, he's in the Marines. From what I hear, he has about three months before he's deployed. He'll still be able to talk, just not as much as he does at the moment. Which sucks for me. I'm gonna miss Boo.

Pines:
Well, well, well... It seems our little group has got themselves out of a sticky situation, and into a possibly worse one. What will ever happen to them? What resides within Stable 32? What will they do without the best character, Para? Find out on the next issue of RADIO STATIC!

MMBT: "Best character." Okay.

Channel 000.6; S.O.S. Response

Just ain't natural... The plants grow...

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

The steel walls of 32 were covered in a thick blanket of moss. Blades of grass stuck through the grated floor of the room, beyond the 24 inches of reinforced steel that would have once been considered the only thing keeping the inhabitants of 32 alive.

Roots and vines dangled from the ceiling, which would have had me running, had they been hissing. But these ones were silent, and they weren't moving. That was good enough for me.

I found myself holding my breath, after I found them to be normal, then exhaled with relief, before continuing on my way. Fluky stayed by my side; just as wary as I was, I had noticed.

The lights that weren't already torn from the ceiling or shattered were either flickering uncontrollably, or just weren't doing anything. Some were even dangling, all while casting our shadow on the floor.

Even then, the ones that showed a hint that the power was still working were quite dim, even when they did light up for a brief second.

That was definitely going to be troublesome on my sight, and Fluky's... Especially with the raiders still wandering about, seeing what they could take... and kill.

The intercom was crackling, but I caught the faint sign of a message through all the crude interruptions that communicable technology had to offer.

Flaws...

I approached it silently and tried to listen to what the message was. I had doubts that I'd get the full thing, but I'd at least try to put the scrambled mess together to try and get the most of it.

"-sperate need of-" Chhk! "-ors are floo-" Fzzt! "-munition-" I heard an alarm blaring in the background, during what little I could hear of the message. "-sole survivor of-" Static had decided to take up the rest of it, but I didn't need to hear the rest to find out what the message was. I had heard it plenty times before, save for the alarm. The heavy downpour outside had canceled out that noise.

One final part came in, before the intercom gave up completely, and let the static take over once more.

"Help me..."

"If you're still alive, I'll do my best..." I spoke softly, staring at the intercom before me.

I felt eyes on me, and I discovered whose, after looking down at Fluky. She gave me a single nod of her head and started for the door on the other end of the room. It remained open, considering a root had grown through its passage and laid along the floor. The other side, beyond the door, looked as if it led to a corridor.

I caught up with her, and just like when we stepped past the door that was marked '32,' we stuck by each other's side.

We stepped into the next room, and despite the dim, orange lighting, we didn't have to deal with the strobe lights at the stable entrance, which put a lot of ease on my sight.

Roots, flowers, and grass grew from a field of moss that stretched along the corridor for a bit of ways. Where moss ended, dirt began, and through that, floral life looked to grow stronger and healthier than the life that arose from said moss. Even then, the plants from the moss looked fairly normal. Everything in here looked just like the flora I read about in books... only, they were in gardens. Not underground bomb shelters.

Something in my gut was screaming at me to get out of there. That whatever was here, it was best left undiscovered.

But... well... Curiosity killed the cat.

I really hoped that wasn't going to be the case, here.

We had already sacrificed the life of a pony to get here... I... I didn't want Para's death to be in vain... It didn't feel right...

"Fluky." I looked down at her, and she looked back up at me. "I think maybe I should go the rest of the way on my own. I don't think it's safe for you."

She frowned. "Don't worry about me. I'll be fine."

I looked down the corridor, all the way down to the end, where it turned left. "I couldn't promise Para's safety... I can't promise yours, either. In the end, it's your choice, but I'm asking that you think about this carefully..." I looked back down at her. "Are you sure you want to come with me?"

She glanced down the same stretch of corridor, then back to me with a sad smile. "I'm a tough girl. I'll get through it."

I gave a single nod in reply. "I sure hope so..." I murmured under my breath, before continuing on.

For a second, I heard a voice at the far end, making me stop dead in my tracks as I stared ahead; my heart pounding in my chest.

Then came the hissing of static and the crackling of a malfunctioning system.

It wasn't just one intercom that was playing the message from earlier. It seemed to be the entire first floor of the stable, though most of the speakers and intercoms here were busted... thankfully. Otherwise, this would have just been another headache to deal with. Plus, I wanted to keep my ears open for any of the raiders, so that we could have enough time to find someplace to hide.

Without weapons or armor, I didn't stand a chance against anything right now.

"Watch my six, Flukes..." I said softly as we continued forward.

"Watch your... what?" She raised a brow. "Also, what have I said about calling me that?"

I shook my head and sighed. "Keep an eye on our rear. Make sure nothing is sneaking up behind us."

She nodded. "Got it."

We kept at a slow, cautious pace, and just as we were about to turn the corner, Fluky pressed her hoof into my side, causing me to wince and look over with annoyance. She immediately took her hoof away with an apologetic look, then looked down before her.

"What's that?" She asked.

I observed a variety of metal scraps, and picked up a burnt out motherboard and a thin, metal tube. I looked up at an empty, crackling socket in the ceiling, and that's when I knew what we were going to have to deal with.

"Turret..." I muttered, dropping the contents back down on the floor. "Sentry turret." I looked down at her with worried eyes. "Be vigilant. Try not to wander."

She quietly nodded, and I peeked around the corner to be greeted by another long stretch of corridor. At the end was a set of stairs that descended further into the stable. There were four doors on each side of the hall.

I didn't see anything that posed a threat, thus far, so I signaled Fluky to stay, stepped out into the open, and waited a few seconds.

Nothing beeped, clicked, or whirred, and I wasn't shot yet, so that had to count for something.

I nodded to Fluky, and together, we ventured down the new corridor, until we reached the first two doors. I tried opening both, but they seemed to be jammed.

Along the way, I tried the others.

The left door of the second set had succumbed to the vegetation over the last two centuries, and I couldn't find a way of going in there, even if I wanted to. The right door was jammed, just like the first two.

The left door on the third row didn't appear to be jammed, by my surprise.

But it was locked...

Sigh...

The right, however, was unlocked and unjammed, but upon it opening, all I was greeted with was a wall of dirt, rocks, and roots.

I shook my head in annoyance and continued on to the final set of doors.

The left was unlocked, unjammed, and didn't have a wall of dirt to disappoint me.

It led to a dimly lit maintenance closet, filled with a large variety of metal scraps. There was a series of tools that was secured in a thick, rolled up, black fabric on a shelf - which, admittedly, made my eyes light up with joy - a few busted radios, which rested next to the tools on the third shelf, and some hooflockers, which resided in the corner of the room.

I snatched the set of tools and discovered that there was a strap just big enough to fit around my chest. I wasted no time wrapping the strap around me and moved on to the hooflockers.

Inside the first one was nothing more than electronic scraps. Wires here, circuit boards there. By the looks of it, they were beyond fried, so nothing really fascinated me here. I moved on to the other locker. Chances were it was just the same as the first one, but it was still worth a look, either way.

I opened it, expecting nothing more than trash. Instead, I was greeted with a set of black and blue Stable-Tec security barding, a helmet with a protective visor that covered the upper half of a ponies facial features, a baton, and a 10 millimeter pistol with a box of ammo and two spare clips!

"Uh..." I heard Fluky say, but I didn't bother looking over. Finally, her hoof caught my attention, once she waved it in front of my eyes. "You okay there, Robutt?"

I blinked and looked at her, then closed my mouth and wiped away the drool that had been dripping from my bottom lip. "Oh, I'm just fine." I smirked, then grabbed the helmet and slipped it over my head.

I removed the leather jacket and slipped into the barding that bared the mark '32.' I'd have given Fluky the leather jacket, but she was far too small for it. It was loose, even on me. There was no way it was going to fit her.

I looked back in to take the baton and ten mil, but something else had caught my eye.

A folded note.

I blinked, then calmly reached out for it. I was curious what it had to say... or who wrote it, for that matter.

I unfolded it and started reading.

The overmare doesn't know what she's doing. I knew from the start that opening that mine was a big mistake. First, we turn from a medical station to a goddess-damned production line, and now we have... whatever the fuck these things are, wandering the damn stable and killing everyone. She needs to pay with her blood. Coward is hiding in her office, while everyone else is getting eaten alive and screaming. She keeps four guards with her. All of them are inside the office.

I managed to sneak some stuff out of the armory, during the confusion. Full set of security armor, 10 millimeter pistol, box of ammo, two extra clips, baton. If you can, try and make it look like an accident. Use some tools to make something burst or something, I don't know... If you take the security route, make sure you look the part, and don't let anyone recognize you. If you can, by any chance, lure the guards out, that would be the most advised option, in my book. I like to see it as taking the moral high ground. I'd do this myself, but we both know what's happening to me, and I'm too weak to fight at this point...

Remember. Try not to kill anyone else. Nopony else needs to die.

Just the one that started this whole mess. - O

Looked like whoever was going to assassinate the overmare never got around to it, seeing as all the equipment was still here.

And what was this about a mine?

I had a new series of questions popping up in my head, that I could only hope I'd get the answers to, for the sake of satisfying my own curiosity. This seemed a little more promising than my former experiences with the fragmented past, when it came to getting answers.

I dropped the note, bit down on the handle of the baton, and dropped it in front of Fluky. "Let's start you off with something simple."

She looked up at me with a raised brow and a mild frown. "You want me to get closer to danger?"

I shook my head. "No. But if you find yourself cornered, I want you to use it. Don't be merciful... The raiders won't give you the same courtesy."

"Sooo..." She paused, regarding me. "You want me to be you?"

I sighed and rolled my eyes, before giving her a disapproving look.

"I'm kidding." She stated simply. "Thanks, Robutt." With that, she closed her eyes. Her horn started to light up, and that same, yellow aura surrounded the baton. The weapon twitched a few times before gradually raising off the ground by a few inches. She groaned and winced in desperate attempts to wield it telekinetically. Tears escaped her eyes as she fought to keep it under control. However, it seemed that the longer and harder she tried, the weaker her grip became.

It finally came down to her horn flickering a few times, along with the light around the baton, before it fell against the hard, steel floor with a metal clang that had me worried that we may have alerted our presence.

She sighed and hung her head down in defeat as she took large gulps of air into her lungs. Seconds passed, and she finally opened her eyes again. "I'm a joke..." She muttered under her breath.

"It takes time, Fluky." I said with a reassuring smile. "Equestria wasn't built in a day, you know."

"It was destroyed in one." She looked up at me with sad eyes, which soon became stern. "You're an Earth pony. What do you know about magic anyways?"

I let out a sigh. "You're great with magic, Fluky. I've seen it."

She raised an eyebrow. "What are you talking about?"

"Back at the motel, when Para and I were a few seconds away from being torn apart? I don't know what you did, but I saw a light come from the dumpster you were hiding in, and that's when they stopped attacking. That's when they died." I pointed my hoof to her chest. "You have a gift when it comes to magic. But you just don't know how to control it, yet."

She sat on her haunches and looked down. "Hm..."

I sat down before her. "And to answer your previous question, where I'm from, the unicorns your age don't have nearly enough ability to perform a telekinesis spell like you just did. If you had lived in my... er... the bunker, you would have been the most skilled one there."

"Yeah..." She hung her head down again. "Well, thanks for the pep talk, Robutt." She stood up as she spoke dismissively. She bit down on the baton and continued in a muffled tone. "Can we go now?"

Reluctantly, I nodded, before biting down on the grip of the pistol and slipping it into the holster of the armor I wore. I took the spare clips, checked if they were full, and after discovering that they were, I slipped those into a small satchel on my left side, towards the front. The box of ammo went in there with them.

We stepped out into the main corridor, and I tried the final door, across from the one we just left. I wasn't too surprised when I found out it was locked.

We both faced the plant-infested stairs that led further down into the stable, before looking to one another.

"You can turn back now." I said with a somber tone. "Once you go down there, that chance might cease to exist."

"I could say the same to you." Fluky replied with a blank expression.

I looked down the stairs and took a deep breath. "No... I won't let Para's death be in vain... and if there really is somebody left alive down there, I am going to help them..."

Fluky nodded silently, and together, we moved down into the second floor of Stable 32.

(((((((◉)))))))

The bottom of the stairs had brought us to a T-intersection. Our options were either to go straight ahead, or turn left.

The route ahead had a series of window panes all along the left side, though many of them were covered in moss and various other plant life.

The left route went down a level, then ended with a door on the right side, remaining closed in the flickering stretch.

Yeah, I... didn't like the look of that.

I looked up at the two dimly lit, dirt-covered signs above us, which were side by side with each other.

The sign on the left read 'ATRIUM' and had an arrow pointing left, respectively. The sign on the right pointed forward, reading 'LIVING QUARTE-' A vine had covered up the last part of the sign.

Well, I knew where I was going.

I looked down to the filly beside me. "I'm going to check on the living quarters, and see if I can't find the pony on the broadcast." If they're alive, that is... "You coming?"

She raised an eyebrow as she looked up at me. "I have a choice?"

"Everyone has a choice."

Her lips curled into a mirthless smirk. "I'll stick with you."

"Safety in numbers." I nodded. "That's a good choice."

She turned her head and giggled softly, though I could tell she was trying to hide it from me. She was just failing miserably at it.

We made our way forward, and as we passed the first window that wasn't entirely covered in moss, vines, roots, and all of the above, I got a good view of what I figured was the atrium.

A tree stood tall and alone in the very center of the room, reaching up as far as the ceiling would allow it. Tables and chairs had been overturned or pushed to the sides, along the walls. The roots spread across the floor like snakes, and made their way up walls and into the vents. Some of them had even reached the ceiling.

All around the tree were various figures of ponies, standing still... As still and quiet as statues in a garden. There was an unsettling nature about all this that made me just want to keep moving forward and away from the atrium...

Upon reaching the end of the hall, we turned right, down another set of stairs. The door to the living quarters had been opened by brute force, causing us to carefully walk over the thick, metal steel slab with a series of warning labels about proximity while it was closing.

A rather large dent had impacted one side of the door like a crater to land, after say... a megaspell bomb went off. I imagined that the opposite end had a hill formed into it.

I found myself wondering what this door's metaphorical megaspell was, and that whatever it was, it was long gone.

That was a question I preferred to leave unanswered.

We stepped into the residential section of the stable and came to a stop at a four way intersection. I looked left, but was only greeted by a lot of roots, vines, and flowers, which resided on a floor of dirt. I had already seen what was ahead of me, which was pretty much the same thing, with the exception that there was a T-intersection at the end, so I turned right, and that was when I froze. My breath caught in my throat.

A sentry stood before us, on all four wheels... and fully operational. It's red, intimidating glare of a light shined through the bars of its head, looking directly at us with what I assumed was malicious intent.

"PRESENT YOUR BADGE."

I raised a brow as I looked on at the machine. "My... My badge?"

It raised its gatling at me immediately. "PRESENT YOUR BADGE."

I looked around in a state of panic. "I uh... I forgot it. Can I go back and get it? It'll just be real qui-"

"PRESENT YOUR BADGE. FINAL WARNING."

"Wait!" Fluky shouted, ripping something off the side of my barding. She stepped between me and the sentry, holding out a badge. "Here it is!"

The sentry grew quiet as it stared...

Staring... Staring... Scaring both of us in the process. We didn't know what to expect. Would it let us pass? Would it just bombard us without word of warning? Would it spontaneously combust!? The not knowing was starting to freak me out!

Agh! The silence was getting unbeara-

"INVALID. PRESENTATION OF PROPER BADGE HAS FAILED TO BEEN MET. LETHAL ACTION IS PERMITTED."

"Fuck, Fluky run!"

She dropped the badge and immediately booked it down the corridor across from the doorframe we just stepped through.

I had thought that I'd have at least a second to get out of the sentries sight, but the moment she ran was the same moment its gatling sprayed me with scorching hot lasers that, even through the protective barding, I felt all too well...

My chest was burning even worse than my flank was, back when Fire had shot me.

I turned left and started to make a run for it. I caught sight of Fluky jumping through the circular opening of a vent, just as a red light started coming down from the intersection ahead.

Before I could react, another sentry stopped me in my tracks, and I ran back out, heading for the left corridor. I wasted no time reaching the first door.

My flank was getting a lot of attention these past two weeks... First, I got shot by my good for nothing sister, and now I was receiving a full barrage of laser to the ass, making me cry out in agony and run just a little more unusual than I was earlier.

If only things were as easy as turning around, yelling 'TIMES!' and having everypony cease fire on me, back when I was a colt that had toy gun battles with the others. Ah, those were the times...

I certainly didn't have to deal with this bullshit.

Something I find myself thankful for was that there was a cooldown on the gatling, and the sentry was stuck on a root, so it couldn't follow me. It didn't seem to even consider using the missiles, for some reason.

I slammed against the panel to the first door, and to my surprise, it actually opened! Finally, some luck was coming my wa-

The door opened, and I found myself face to... sphere... with a dirt covered Mr. Handy. Part of its frame had rusted away, but it was still operational, it seemed.

"Well, my goodness! It seems we have an imposter on the loose!" The machine spoke in a classy tone as the rotary saw blade of one of its three arms came to life. It adjusted itself to swing down on me in attempts to dug into my skull.

Spoke... er... thought too soon.

I jumped back as it swung down and kept running. At that point, the gatling started up again. Most of my body had suffered injuries from it, and I didn't know how much left I had in me...

However, due to the distance between us, I wasn't getting hit nearly as much as I was earlier.

"Stop right there, you impersonating embezzler!" The Mr. Handy continued as he left the room, coming after me, to which the sentry ceased fire. "I know a klepto when I see one! Did you really think you could just saunter right in and take what isn't yours!? Pilfering is most unruly, and will not be condoned here, thank you very much!"

I slammed my hoof against the next door, and like the first one, this one opened, but looking back, I saw that hiding in here wasn't going to be an option. They'd search this room top to bottom until I was found, and there was nothing to really stop them from getting in.

With that in mind, I kept running.

I found myself reaching the end of the corridor. I didn't see it from back there, but there was another route to the right.

Another thing I didn't see was another Mr. Handy coming around the corner. It had one appendage that resembled its eye, instead of three, like it would have had if it came right off the assembly line at Robronco. Said appendage started from the upper half of its sphere-like body, then arched downward; the end being a smaller sphere with a yellow light that resembled its retina.

"I urge you to halt this commotion at once!" It blurted as it spun and looked at me. "This is a safe, peaceful society of ponies, and you are disturbing this fine establishment!"

"Get out of my fucking way!" I shouted as it pointed its flamer at me.

Before it could engulf me in flame, I passed by it, raised my two hind legs, and bucked it as hard as I could muster, which admittedly, didn't do any favors for the comfort on my injured hoof.

I glanced back to see it slam against the wall with a loud thud. It quickly recovered and shook its eye, before staring at me again.

"Well, I never!" He started chasing after me, and I spun around, bit down on the grip of my newly acquired pistol, and aimed at the machine that was about ready to cut my head clean off my body, as the saw buzzed to life. "Your behavior is most discourteous, and must be concluded at once!"

I aimed down the sight and pulled the trigger with my tongue, but the rounds only bounced off its frame, having no effect on it in the slightest.

The other Handy unit turned the corner, closing in after me.

"At once I say! I demand you stop!"

I couldn't keep running forever. I developed stitches in my sides, and I was far too injured to keep this up. My lungs were burning from the exhaustion; I didn't run far, but the amount of energy it took to even do so wore me out incredibly fast.

In my state of panic as I watched it grow closer to me, aiming was a bit tricky. Nevertheless, I aimed a little upwards and squeezed the trigger. The round struck the top of its frame.

Damn unicorns... They had a lot of benefits with telekinesis. Hell, with horns in general. Us Earth ponies had it rough. No flying, no magic... Ugh...

I kept firing blindly in its direction as it closed in on me, ready to swing the saw from left to right across my neck. The rounds kept hitting its frame, and I was growing even more anxious and irritated than I was not too long ago. The next shot had ricocheted off its metal sphere and struck my right forehoof. Had it not been for the protective plating that covered the area, I was more than sure the bullet would have penetrated and made home there.

I groaned in pain from the shot; despite the security armor deflecting the bullet, I imagined there'd still be a nasty bruise there, later on. I'd say it was the equivalent of slamming a heavy, metal door on my hoof... twice.

Not too fun...

Neither was being decapitated.

The Handy was a few feet away from reaching me, and the pain that lingered in my hoof wasn't doing any help on letting me focus my shots. Each pull of the trigger was a miss in regards to what I was trying to hit, but I wasn't giving up. I couldn't. Despite how much I just wanted to lie down and rest, I knew there wasn't any time for that. I had to fight.

To the best of my abilities, I steadied my aim, praying that I'd get this shot in. I didn't know who or what I was praying to... I was just praying to anything that was listening, I guess. This was starting to look like my last chance.

I squeezed the trigger.

The yellow light of its eye shattered, causing it to stagger and swing all of its arms around in a panic.

"Ah, blast! Where did you run off to, you pompous mule!? I'll find you!" He paused, then added in a hushed, sulky tone as I slowly and quietly backed away so that I was out of reach of one of its many arms. "... Eventually..."

The second Mr. Handy was still coming after me, completely unaware of the first one being blinded and thrashing about, despite it being in front of him.

I simply raised my hoof and gave a light wave with a boastful grin on my face.

"Yes, I see you, you treacherous meat bag!" The second one blurted. "You'll have to answer to the-"

Before he could finish his statement, he slammed into the blinded machine, which swung the saw blade at his body, grinding into the metal mercilessly.

And to think that was going to be if I had missed that last shot...

"Ah ha!" The blind unit shouted. "I knew I'd find you! Thought you could run so easily, hm?"

"I knew you were a stripe-spy! Have at thee!" The second handy swung his saw at him.

I'll admit, metal grinding against metal was like claws on a chalkboard. I had the misfortune to know what that sounded like, no thanks to Firebright's... er... imaginative creations, such as the severed hand of a hellhound turned into a gauntlet fitted for a pony...

My grin quickly turned into a grimace in the blink of an eye as I backed away, letting the two robots take out their... well, whatever it is they had... on each other.

I think the best way to describe it was 'confused anger.'

But even then, machines didn't feel emotions. They couldn't feel pain, whether that be emotional or physical. Not unless one programmed them to do so, but then again... it wouldn't be real. It'd be real to them, no doubt, but...

Right. No time for thinking.

I turned around and started down the plant-infested corridor, but one step forward into it, I heard another Handy unit coming in from the four way intersection. I wasn't sure if it was from the left or the right, but it clearly wasn't happy about my 'commotion' either.

"Where are ya, ya zebra scum!? I'll gut ya like a fish!"

Seriously, why were they going crazy about zebras now? Not too long ago, I was an identify thief and burglar in their eyes. Now, a zebra?

The two Handy units behind me had succumbed to each other's... eh... 'anger issues,' and had both fallen to their... how should I say it... Expiration?

I couldn't keep fighting these things off. I barely made it through the first two!

I looked to my left after holstering the pistol and immediately hit the door panel, but it was jammed.

Typical...

I swung my head to the right and hit the next panel. The mechanism within groaned in protest, but the door stilled opened just wide enough for me to crawl in.

Oh, I would have been so pissed if the door decided to close right then and there...

Well, I wouldn't exactly be pissed, per se... I'd be cut in half before I even knew what hit me. That'd probably be one of the better ways to go, honestly.

I guess those warning labels were there for a reason.

Just before I could shimmy the rest of myself in, I felt a clasp grab a hold of my rear hoof and start to drag me back out.

"No!" My fores scrambled for anything to grab a hold of, in desperate attempts to keep me from going back out there. The floor was a smooth metal surface, so there wasn't any luck there. I couldn't see much of anything inside, with the exception of the bottom of a few cardboard boxes, straight ahead. Those wouldn't have saved me either, though... "Let go of me!"

"Filthy stripe!" The Handy unit blurted. "No better than those pesky roaches!"

While the rest of the room was dark, I caught the faint lights of the buttons to the door panel on this side.

Celestia, I hoped this worked...

I put one rear hoof to the upper slab of metal that refused to raise anymore than it already did, then bit down on the grip of the firearm in my holster. I slipped it out and aimed at the panel, keeping my tongue on the trigger. That's when I realized this was a really bad idea. My panic would have had me losing a hoof.

I quickly diverted my attention to the clasp that held a firm grasp of my leg and fired repeatedly; some of the shots striking my leg, some of them missing entirely, and the last shot striking the clasp.

The wiring within burnt out, judging by the sounds of a malfunctioning tool I was hearing, and it let go, sliding back out of the gap. I pulled my hoof in, aimed up at the panel, and put a round in that as well.

The door slammed shut with a loud bang, and everything fell into silence. I holstered the gun again.

Phew...

I was safe.

In a dark room.

Where I had no idea where... anything was...

And... I just... probably... destroyed my only way of... getting out...

Oh... Oh dear...

I sat up and felt around the wall near where the door was, until I felt a button. Upon pressing it, the ceiling lights flickered to life, showing a variety of cardboard boxes, shelves, and a table; all of which held nothing more than metal scraps.

I turned my back to nearest corner of the room and sat against the wall, next to the door, sighing and removing my helmet. I tossed it on the ground in front of me, letting it clang against the metal surface. Everything was sore, and a large portion of iron coated my tongue... My insides felt chewed up, my rear hoof was burning like hell, and the wooden shards of the tree in my side wasn't feeling any better, either.

I hung my head down and spat blood.

That's when I heard a gasp...

Before I could react, the pile of boxes before me sprang to life, and out came a poorly made version of a Mr. Handy. One eye, no frame, one arm; a saw blade.

"YOU DARE SPILL BLOOD ON THIS SACRED GROUND!?" It yelled in a war general's voice as it charged for me, readying the saw blade.

"Goddess damn it!" I grabbed my pistol, aimed, and pulled the trigger.

Click!

...

... I hate everything...

I rolled over to get on my hooves, but before I could get up and get away, the saw slammed into my bloody, splintered side, and started digging through the barding. At first, I felt the pressure building, and the distance between the saw and my coat getting shorter.

Then, I felt it dig in, and go beyond...

I don't think I had ever screamed as loud as I had at that moment. I do know that I had never felt anything as worse as this, though...

I was getting chewed up, and I was finding it difficult to get away...

Even if I did, where would I run? There was nowhere to go...

Blood spilled from the crevice of my barding, and the saw made more than enough of it fly across the room, painting the walls, floor, ceiling, and anything that resided within its space.

"DIE, DIE, DIE!" He let out a sadistic laugh as it continued cutting away at me.

I reached out and grabbed the closest thing I could find; a damaged sprite bot on the table. I threw it as best I could at the Gutsy's eye.

He recoiled and shook his appendage, swiping the saw left and right, but not hitting anything.

"You... first..." I panted heavily, trying to keep myself from passing out as I moved to the other side of the room quietly.

"Oh, it's going to be like that, is it?"

I looked back after biting down on a metal rod on one of the shelves to see that I had cracked the lens of the Gutsy's eye. It looked towards me and charged again. Judging by how it held the saw, and how it was going to swing at me, I presumed it was going for the neck.

Before it could strike, I jumped to the side, which meant slamming against the shelf next to me. I wasn't in the most agile or fit state at the moment.

Still, though, the Gutsy scraped the saw against the wall.

"Ah, you bastard! Where did you run off to!?" He seemed to be having troubles moving his eye around.

I recovered as fast as I could, and with a muffled tone, I replied. "Over here."

Before he could look, I slammed the bar into the engine that kept him afloat. It sputtered, but didn't go out completely.

I continued striking it, refusing to give in. I had it... I wasn't playing nice anymore...

I started seeing other ponies faces from my past...

"Fuck you, Firebright!" Wack! In my mind's eye, I saw her beaten and bruised, and nothing satisfied me more. She looked up at me with pleading eyes of terror. I wasn't holding back... "You fucking bitch!" Wack! "You had this coming!" Wack! Tears escaped from my eyes as I kept beating her senseless, but the feeling felt so... rewarding. Blood stained her face as she lied there, crying.

Then came Crimsonthunder.

"You murderous cunt!" Upon striking him, he fell on his stomach, groaning in pain. "You monster!" I slammed the rod against his back, hearing something crack within. He cried out in agony as he laid there; his back arched. "Shut the fuck up!" I roared, slamming the bar into him over and over again, until blood gushed out with each strike.

Then came Shadowmark...

His eyes had been swollen shut by the time I was done with him...

Darkspark had bone sticking out from his hind leg.

Bristle; a missing ear.

Their screams were my muse. My inspiration to keep going. To be ruthless.

Blueshade was left gelded for touching Fluky...

Sting got his head bashed in.

Bloodwing, broken wings and crippled talons.

I was merciless. I was tired. I was fueled and blinded by rage from all the bullshit I had to endure this past week, and I had let it all bottle up, only to take it out on a machine that had nothing to do about what everyone else did to me and the ponies that accompanied me.

I found myself standing over a twitching heap of a Gutsy unit, out of breath from all the destruction I was causing to it. There were no arms left on it. The casing for the engine was far too damaged to use anymore. It's eye entirely missin- No. Not missing. I dropped it from my mouth, letting it strike the machine. I had beaten it with its own parts.

My body was shaking, and I was on the verge of collapsing. Blood was still spilling out from me...

I looked over at a bent metal rod. I couldn't remember anything that I had done to the Gutsy. Only what I did to the monsters in my head.

What had I become...?

The kill switch would have been the easier option, but that wasn't enough for me, apparently. I needed to relieve myself of my anger, and this was it.

I flicked the switch inside, and the Gutsy went limp immediately after.

I sighed, hung my head down, and after a few seconds of standing on wobbly hooves, I slowly slipped out of my barding. The inside of the suit rubbed against my newly acquired injury, making me wince and groan, but I knew it needed to be done.

I couldn't cauterize the wound with the Gutsy's thruster, seeing as it was far too broken. I wasn't seeing a whole lot of other options lying around, either...

After I got out of the suit, I stumbled around the room, throwing useless junk aside in search for something that would prove useful.

Broken toasters, radios, and pieces of other robots, here and there... If I had the time, I'd have been able to jury rig a toaster and hold it against my side until the problem was dealt with.

Darkness crept in from the corners, and I was growing weaker to the point where I couldn't stand anymore. I collapsed on my side, barely able to move. Blood filled my mouth, and I spat. Red continued to drip from my lips. Weights pulled my eyelids down, telling me it was time to rest...

Fate had other plans for me.

Author's Note

This. Was. A. Disaster.

First off, I felt like I got a bit snappy when it came to brainstorming with Pines, and I thank him so much for keeping his patience with me, even though he said he didn't really think of me as being bitchy.
Second, the stupid winter cold disabled my wifi, and I can't use it when I'm at home, so I have to take my laptop to my brother's place and use his. How dare the world throw me into social situations!
Third, my employers are messed up in the head, and rather sexist towards males, so that's been on my mind and distracting me from things I enjoy. I didn't get holiday pay for Thanksgiving, unfortunately. Which means I won't get holiday pay for Christmas, and I can't work on Christmas, because no one is going to be there. So I'm screwed there.

Stupid scam artists...

Anyways, this was chapter 6. A total pain in my ass to get done, but worth it in the end.

Special thanks to Kkat for creating the Fallout Equestria universe, special thanks to Somber for the beauty that is Project Horizons, special thanks to Pines for helping me out a ton with brainstorming ideas and sticking with me, and special thanks to Xfinity and Kelly Services for fucking me over and both taking my money and giving me nothing in return, or just not paying me in general.

I really need to get a permanent position at this job, so I don't have to deal with Kelly's shit anymore.

Ahem... In other news, let's hear what Pine's word of the chapter is. ^^

Now, a word from Pines: See folks? This is why I hate robots. Not because they can't be useful. I find them very useful. But unlike us, robots can't be reasoned with. They have what we call tunnel vision based on their programming. Let's hope our little pony here can make it out of this one. Find out next chapter of RADIO STATIC!

Channel 000.7; Vortex

I'm the fresh casualty of an unusually unfortunate circumstance. My lot in life, I suppose

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

The cloudy skies overhead were lit up in blood red glares, with hints of black as dark as the void. The air was heavy and hot with fire and ash, and reeked of decay. A violent wind howled as it pushed against me.

The trees were dead and barren like the land it stood on. Just like how I imagined the wasteland would look like before I arose from below the ground. I looked to my right to see the distant towers of Saddle; one of them leaned against the other, as it had been for two centuries.

I felt a hole in my chest, about an inch just above my heart. I had noticed that, after putting my hoof over what I imagined was a gunshot, that my coat was silver.

I looked at the ground before me and spotted a trail of blood that led through the dead woods. I started to trot forward, following the trail, as I hummed a tune.

Rocks had crumbled, trees had been torn from the dark soil, and by the looks of it, for all I knew, all of Equus was dying entirely before me.

I came to a stop at the sight of a familiar landmark, smiling, despite all the chaos and destruction around me.

Two ponies were strapped to the front of both disabled sentries, still screaming and thrashing about. The steel door of 32 was behind them. Their eyes were missing, and blood spilled from their mouth. Barbed wire wrapped around their forms, digging into their bleeding coats. Their screams were nothing I had ever heard before. Not even I had made something as horrible as the shrieks I was hearing, when the... wait, how did I even get here? I couldn't exactly remember what happened to make me come here... Nothing good, but that was about all I knew...

The screams echoed and distorted constantly, but it never died. I found myself grinning as I stared into the dark red pits where their eyes had once been.

I focused on the entrance of the stable, and spoke in a voice that wasn't my own.

"Soon..."

With that, I turned back to the trail of blood and continued following it.

As the wind roared past me in a hasty current, it started to sound more and more like the screams of millions... perhaps billions of other ponies in a never ending trip of agony. Ahead, in the distance, just a little bit over the horizon, I saw a vortex of black, and around it, a ring of red that bent upwards into the sky, made up of the clouds. White orbs raised from the earth and met there, only to get sucked in like a vacuum as the screams and shrieks went on.

My attention was diverted to the grunts and struggles of a pony in the vicinity.

I looked over at a boulder to my left, where the noise was coming from, and smirked as I calmly approached.

Making my around its mass, I came across the same, purple coated raider that had killed Para. He was beaten pretty badly, and a bullet had even clipped his ear. He looked up into my eyes with plea as I stopped before him.

"Please..." He shielded his face with a hoof, as if he was expecting to get beaten more. "Please, no more... I'm sorry..."

I simply shook my head, keeping my smile. Before too long, I found myself singing. "If you're Happy and you know it, stomp your hooves." I slammed both my forehooves down into his gut, making him cry out and spit blood; making red join the purple. "If you're Happy and you know it, stomp your hooves." I gave him another set of hoof stomps; this time, over his chest. I kept them pressed down as he wheezed and gasped for air, begging me to stop. "If you're Happy and you know it, and you really oughta show it..." I raised up on my rears, smiling down at him in a calm manner. He stared back in horror, barely audible.

"Please... no..." He whispered.

My hooves slammed down into his head, caving his face into his skull. Red stained my hooves, and I kept them dipped into his brain as I stood there, looking down at him with that calm smile.

"... If you're Happy and you know it, stomp your hooves." I finished in a soft note, before looking up at the blood red sky.

(((((((◉)))))))

"Come on, Robutt..." I heard the familiar voice of a filly say in desperation. "Wake up..."

Something was lodged between my lips, and a tangy fluid washed down my throat, making me gag. I coughed, to which the neck of the bottle vacated the premises.

The hole in my side was gradually feeling better as I rolled over, coughing and hacking. My flank and my hooves were both starting to feel a little better as well. A little sore, maybe. But not like what it was.

I laid on my side and cracked my eyes open, only to see a set of violets looking back at me.

"Good..." She sighed and hung her head down. "You're alive."

"I thought you didn't like me." I spoke in a soft, raspy tone.

She quickly looked back into my eyes, stunned. Her mouth hung open, but nothing came out for a few seconds. "I... I don't. But letting you die wouldn't make anything right. Besides... you saved my life. Figured I owed you."

I felt my lips curl in a faint smile. "You're a good kid..." I looked down at the floor between us to see a bottle lying on its side, with a purple liquid within. Some of it had spilled out, mixing with the blood that pooled around me. "Where'd you get that?"

"Went through the vents and came across a medical bay. I thought it'd be useful along the way. Turns out I was right." She beamed at me. I wrapped a hoof around her to pull her into a hug.

She tensed up, and that grin became a grimace, which gave me pause. I took my hoof away and instead, gave her two pats on the head.

"Thanks, Flukes..." I rolled onto my back and looked up at the ceiling.

"Don't call me that."

"What, Flukes?"

She gritted her teeth and groaned in annoyance. "Yes..."

I glanced over at the door to see it was still sealed shut. "Hey, how did you get in here anyways?"

"Hm?"

I looked at her and pointed a hoof to the door. "The door. It's jammed. How did you get in here?"

"I used the vents."

... Oh.

Well, I felt stupid.

"You got yourself pretty beaten up." She stated.

"You think?" I replied in a sarcastic tone as I raised an eyebrow at her. "I totally planned on getting my gut shredded."

She gave me a more sympathetic smile and tilted her head to the side. "Do you wanna rest here for a bit?"

I nodded. "Just for a few minutes." I needed to relax a bit after what just happened.

"Alright." She stood up and made her way to the shelves. "I'm gonna look around, see if I can't find anything useful."

I continued to lie there on my back as she dug through metal scraps and broken appliances. Every so often, she'd pick something up, examine it for a few seconds, then put it to her ear and give it a shake, before muttering to herself as she tossed it behind her.

As I looked up at the ceiling, the dream I had earlier played over and over in my head. I remembered it vividly, as if it happened to me personally.

The screaming wouldn't leave... The vortex in the sky that consumed the mysterious orbs...

"Cap for your thoughts?"

"What?" I looked over to see Fluky was looking back with a curious smile. "Oh. Yeah, uh... Just a dream I had when I was... dying." I scoffed and shook my head, but she trotted to my side and sat on her haunches. Alright, I guess it was story time... "It was as real as you... As real as me..." I looked around the room. "As real as this place..."

After going into vivid detail about everything that had happened in the dream, the only reaction I got from her was a worried expression, and, "sounds like you need a therapist."

"Gee... Thanks." I rolled my eyes and sat up, groaning. My side felt stitches, but it was a lot better than feeling splinters and a giant, gaping hole in my side. I looked down to see several wooden shards lying around in the puddle. I looked at her, baffled, to which she beamed at me again, tilting her head and closing her eyes.

"Not sure if I got them all, but I tried."

"How?"

She waved her hooves around in front of her face and whispered. "Magic." Then she put her hooves down and looked more serious. "Seriously, though. Magic. Had to pull one out at a time so that I didn't end up burning my horn out, and again, I don't know if I got them all or not. But it should feel better than it did before."

"It does." I nodded with a faint smile. "Thank you again, Flukes."

She scowled. "Stop calling me that!"

"Stop calling me Robutt." I grinned.

"Never! You earned your title!" She pointed a hoof at me.

"So did you."

"I..." She froze, blinked, then shook her head. "AGH!" She huffed and pouted. "Stupid Robutt..."

"Silly Flukes." I patted her on the head again, and she swiped a hoof at mine. I pulled away before she could hit it, which earned me another scowl.

"Whatever." She rolled her eyes and started to trot back to the shelves. "Far as I know, the world is still there." She started sorting through the junk again. "Dead, but there."

I leaned my back against the wall and took a deep breath as I looked up at the ceiling again. If I went out there to find the wasteland like it was in the dream...

"Hey, Fluke..." I looked at her to see she was glaring at me. "... ey." She calmed down a little.

"What?"

"Can you give me a radio? I need to check something."

"They're busted." She stated, looking at a pile that she had categorized from the rest of the crap here.

"Yes, I know. In that case, give me a few."

She raised an eyebrow, and I grabbed the rolled up fabric of tools and put them on display before me.

She grabbed one and set it down next to me, then went back for another, and another.

For a while, I stared at the three of them; studying their frame, wiring, and circuitry. The one on the far right was the better of the three when it came to operational value. There were a few things that needed fixing, but it didn't seem to be too much of a problem, and the other radios supplied the parts I needed to replace the ones that were too damaged in the radio I selected for repair.

Seriously, what was wrong with this stable when it came to broken radios? It was like somepony absolutely hated them.

Where one of the spare radios didn't have a functional system that I needed, then the other usually did. When it didn't, I sent Fluky to hunt for another radio.

By the time I was theoretically done fixing the device, there were up to nine spares lying around me. Clearly, I had underestimated how this was going to go. Still, I hadn't dropped a bead of sweat or show even a hint of frustration.

"Here goes..." I said, about to flick the switch up with my hoof. Before I could, Fluky flinched and ducked behind a mound of metal scrap she had made in her search for useful tech. There was nothing that caught her attention.

I looked over with a raised brow. "What gives?"

She peeked her head out from the mound. "For all I know, you're a horrible repair pony. I'm not getting my face blown off because you put a wire in the wrong area." She ducked her head behind the detritus once more.

I sighed and rolled me eyes, before flicking the switch. "Nice to know you have faith in me..." The light within the radio flickered to life, and a gentle static filled the room.

Fluky peeked her head out once more; this time, only to her eye level.

"Alright, do you remember the channel that Para was always on? Maybe the DJ can give us some insight on the surface."

"I don't remember..." She said as she kept her distance.

"I never bothered to look..." I sighed and started turning the dial. There was nothing but static on the waves.

Still, I kept going back and forth in the desperate hope that I'd find something out there. I needed to hear that the surface wasn't what it was like in the dream. It was probably just paranoia, but it could have also been something else. Something more. All I could do was hope it wasn't.

It didn't matter, though... No matter how slow I turned the dial, no matter how many times I went back, it wasn't there. Nothing was.

It was all dead...

This wasn't important right now, anyways... If worse came to worse, I'd deal with it later. In the meantime, I had to focus on our survival in 32.

"Come on out, Fluky." I said with a smile, turning up the volume of static.

She started to step out from the cover and warily approach.

"See?" I pointed at the radio. "It works just fi-" Suddenly, the machine popped in front of me in a flash of white. My ears rang. I couldn't see. There was a sharp pain in my chest, about an inch above my heart, just like in the dream. I felt the cold surface of the floor pressed up against my back.

I felt myself screaming, and not long after, I heard said screams, though they were muffled.

I moved my hoof around my chest, only to feel a jagged tooth of shrapnel lodged in. A second later, I felt Fluky's hooves over mine. She seemed to be trying to pull them away from the piece of metal that stuck out of me. I did what I assumed she wanted me to do, to which I felt her grab a hold of the shrapnel.

Before I could think about what was going to happen, she yanked hard, and the jagged edge left my body as I cried out in agony. Those cries were quickly interrupted with the neck of a bottle to my lips. The rest of its contents washed down my throat.

The wound started to close, and my vision started to come back, as did my hearing.

"Well, that's twice I saved you." She stated, looking down at me as she set an empty bottle down.

"Three times, actually." I muttered, moving my hoof over my chest. There wasn't even a scar left. "You're forgetting about the motel." I rolled over on my stomach and stood up on all fours. I was definitely feeling better at this point. Not just in my chest, but everywhere. Both hooves were back to working order, my flank wasn't on fire, and while I still felt a few things left in my side, it wasn't all that painful. Uncomfortable, maybe. But not painful. "I owe you, Fluky. Thank you."

"You're right." She said with a blank expression. "You do. You've owed me since Saddle." She tore her eyes away from mine after a few seconds, and looked down at the radio. "So does this mean you're a bad repair pony?"

"No." I shook my head hard, glad that the topic was changed. "Some tech shouldn't be messed with, is all. I know my way around a radio."

"Uh huh... Sure you do." She looked up at me skeptically, then nodded her head to the vent behind the pile of boxes that the Gutsy sprang out from. "Ready to hit it, then? Or do you need more time?"

"Just give me a second. I need to do something."

She nodded, then sat on her haunches, waiting quietly.

I stretched my legs and groaned, before releasing a satisfied sigh. I got back into my armor, packed up the tools, loaded in a fresh clip to the pistol, resupplied the old one, and holstered the gun. I slipped the spare in the pouch with the rest of the ammo, and the other spare.

The barding had a slit in its side, and my blood had painted the area around it. The rest of it was fine, so there was no reason to leave it behind. Just needed to be more cautious and aware of my surroundings. Not many ponies got second chances. Wait, would this be my third chance? Those weird smoke monsters back at the towers made me think so.

I looked at her once I knew I had everything and gave her a single nod. "Let's go."

(((((((◉)))))))

The air ducts were a bit of a tight squeeze for me, and the armor and gear wasn't helping in the slightest. Fluky, however, was doing just fine. Being smaller had its benefits, I guess.

I had noticed that she slipped the baton into the ammo pouch of my armor; the end sticking out.

Throughout our claustrophobic expedition, every once in a while, we'd come across a grate that led down to a room or corridor in the residential wing of the stable. Every so often, we'd see a sentry, Handy, or Gutsy patrolling the area or just sitting there, doing nothing.

There was a room I wanted to stop to drop down in, after seeing three health potions and a rifle locked away in a cabinet, along with three magazines. It was a living quarter, and the cabinet was left alone in the master bedroom, which remained wide open, taunting me.

However, a Gutsy appeared to be guarding it. I didn't want to deal with that again... I felt a twinge of pain in my gut just looking at it.

As painful as it was to leave that equipment behind, it was probably for the best. At least, for the time being. I needed to play it smart. I'd go back if I found my chances of survival increase. Though, that was unlikely. Not impossible... Just unlikely.

Gunfire echoed through the stable suddenly, causing both Fluky and I to look at one another with concern. There were faint shouts and orders behind those shots, along with the deep, metallic voices of sentries, and the cries of a war general offering nothing but death to whoever they were screaming at.

"Keep going." I said, tapping Fluky on the shoulder.

She flinched, glanced back at me with worry, then resumed her crawl. I followed close behind. It appeared the Gutsy guarding the cabinet wasn't going to move for anything.

The farther we traveled, the louder the shots became, respectively. The shaft eventually brought us closer to the ground, and not long after, we reached a grate that gave us a view of a firefight occurring in a corridor. I couldn't see who was shooting at who, but judging by the voices, I had a pretty good idea.

It went to show that traveling through the ducts was a much safer bet than the alternative.

Fluky crossed the vent and turned around to look through, giving me room so that I could see what was happening as well.

A sentry rolled down the plant infested hallway, spraying gatling laser ahead, while the Gutsy covered it with plasma fire.

"DO NOT RESIST." The sentry bellowed as it pushed forward.

Before I knew it, Bloodwing launched forward and ripped the sentry's head clean off its body, then threw it at the Gutsy that was approaching from behind the machine.

"FUCK YOU!" She screamed, knocking the Gutsy back. She blasted both the decapitated sentry and the stunned Gutsy unit with the barrels of her battle saddle. The time gap between each thunderous shot was maybe half a second. It left my ears ringing. Fluky too, I imagined. The world may have well been tearing apart from its shots.

Both of the machines went limp and died out fairly quick, which only made me want those guns. Shame I wasn't a pegasus...

She spun around, glaring back at the crew that approached. "Hurry your ass up!"

Several ponies wasted no time running past her in a panic as she resumed fire down the way she came.

There was a series of hissings and growls, but it wasn't like the roots. There was a rattling behind these ones.

Bloodwing started backing up as she opened fire on the mysterious sound. Sting stopped at her side, levitated his rifle, and started emptying his magazine on whatever was down there.

"Agh, fuck!" Bloodwing's guns started turning red around the barrels, and smoke started to emerge from her wings from the heat. "There's too many!" She started backing up again, as the remaining of the crew fled past them.

"Go." Sting said in a calm manner that I could barely hear, before he turned around and ran. Bloodwing stood there and glared ahead as her guns cooled down.

One final raider; the grey coated griffin that threw Fluky down on the ground when she ripped his feathers out, flew forward to catch up with the rest. A series of grey, almost moldy vines snapped forward, grabbing his wings and grounding him right before Bloodwing, who jumped back; her jaw dropped.

He cried out in fear as he attempted crawling forward, but more vines came and wrapped around his form, one limb at a time. He looked up at Bloodwing for help, but she closed her beak and shook her head slowly. His eyes grew wide in terror.

"You or me." She smiled faintly, then glanced at the creature that had him in custody. Looking back down at him, she continued. "Thanks for the sacrifice." With that, she spun around and flew off.

"No! Come back! Don't leave me here with these things! PLEASE! Kill me!"

A grey, severely injured... 'pony' stumbled forward; the vines coming from both of its sides. It took me a moment to realize that there was barely any fur left. A series of holes had dug into the skin. Where there wasn't holes, there were cysts and warts, some of which pulsated, as if ready to burst. Its green, glowing eyes stared down at its prey as it hissed; baring a set of black, thin fangs. It stepped over him as he begged and fought to get away, then came to a stop.

Its abdomen split open down the middle, and several other tendrils - these ones red and dripping - spilled out like guts, before snaking their way around the griffin's form as he screamed from pure horror.

A few of them had silenced him by securely wrapping around his neck, choking him. He tried using his talons to cut through them, but they had been apprehended before any major damage could be inflicted.

A larger tendril with a pod at the end emerged. The pod opened like a gory, slimy flower, and several dozen smaller tendrils slithered out from the center as it got closer to the griffin's beak. He fought to turn away, squeeling at this point.

Another tendril came down from the insides of the monster and wrapped around the top of his head, keeping it in place as the suction launched forward. It wrapped around his beak and pumped violently, as if it were force feeding him something.

His squirming body was lifted up into the split abdomen, before it sealed back up. Several others like it moved forward after the group of raiders that had left behind one of their own.

The bulge inside the monster squirmed around, trying to break free. I could still hear his muffled cries...

They weren't good people. They were raiders. They killed, raped, defiled, and pillaged.

But no one... no one deserved the kind of fate that I had just witnessed. I didn't fully understand what was happening in there, and I was okay with that.

I heard a shudder, and looking over at Fluky, I saw her looking away from the grate, crying softly to herself.

I carefully reached my hoof out and placed it on her shoulder, but she only gasped and flinched away. She looked back at me with eyes of terror. It was worse than when I saw her behind the couch, or pinned by the raiders.

Far worse.

She may have just seen a glimpse of hell.

Tears ran down her cheeks. I could hear it in her whimpered breaths. Could see it in her eyes. She was doing all she could to not break down completely from what she just witnessed. She did all she could to not make a sound, and while she failed at that, none of them had noticed.

I mouthed the words 'keeping going' and glanced to the left once more. The creature that had abducted the griffin continued to stand still. Its hooves seemed to be growing into the ground like roots.

She turned back around and resumed her crawl, therefore allowing me to move forward. She was shaking.

I was too...

Not too far ahead was an incline back toward the ceiling. I could only assume that the vent we had stopped at was an access point for maintenance, in case there was something wrong with the ventilation, back when this stable was... well, I had doubts that this place was ever normal. I guess the most accurate word for this was... living?

After a few minutes of venturing the ducts, she turned to me again and pointed down at a vent before her, then mouthed the word 'in.'

I listened closely, but couldn't hear the whirring of machinery. The hissing in the background made it hard to determine whether or not there was any of those abominations wherever that vent led to.

I squeezed forward, to which Fluky groaned in disgust. This duct was too small for the two of us...

"Ever hear of personal space?"

"Shush." I replied quickly, looking down through the grate. There was a bed directly below us. I didn't see anything moving down there.

I moved the vent aside, rolled onto my back, and peeked into the room; my head upside down. The bedroom was empty of any life; hostile or otherwise.

It was surprisingly cleaner than everything else I had seen, so far. A bookshelf stood tall next to the exit, and the books were neatly organized, instead of thrown about. It was... uncanny, seeing something so tidy in a place like this.

I looked back at a flustered Fluky and nodded, then slid the vent aside completely.

Fluky peeked her head down into the room for a few seconds, scanning the perimeter, before dropping down and landing on the mattress. The springs creaked in protest. She hopped off the double bed and sat on the floor, panting under her breath and shaking.

I dropped down on the bed with a bit more noise than Fluky had made, but it went unnoticed. I got off and sat beside her.

"What..." She choked. "What w-was that...?"

"I don't know..." I said softly, still worried about making any noise.

"That's been... that's been living under us all this time..." She winced as tears fought themselves free, and she hissed from the burn. "That's been under... under us..." She looked up at me with dread. "I want to get out of here... I don't want to be here... I don't-" A sudden stream of tears broke loose, and she with it, shaking even more than she had been earlier.

I put my arm around her and drew her in close. I had expected her to push me away, but to my surprise, she buried her head in my armored chest, weeping.

My jaw dropped for a few seconds, before I snapped it back shut and started to remove my armor. She looked up at me with fear and curiosity mixed, and I leaned my back against the bed, reaching out both hooves, after I had finished taking the armor off.

She nodded and came to me, and I lifted her up in my arms, cradling her as she buried her muzzle in the coat of my chest, allowing me to offer something a lot more than a cold, rough barding.

I could still hear the monsters outside. It didn't put either of us at ease, but instead, made things worse for the both of us. She couldn't stop crying, and I couldn't stop assuming the worst for us.

"I don't want to die..." She whimpered. "I don't want what happened out there to happen to me... or even you..."

I looked down at her coolly, but remained quiet.

"Don't let that happen... Don't let it... Don't leave me..."

"Shh..." I gently rubbed my hoof through her mane as I whispered. "I'm not going anywhere... I'm right here..."

She closed her eyes and continued to shudder as I sat there, holding her close. I didn't know what we were doing. I didn't know if I was waiting for the next bad thing to happen. Something breaking in and killing us all...

The Gutsy was a much better way to go than the latter.

(((((((◉)))))))

Beyond the gate of the dry, barren park, was a forest of gore and rot. The trees weren't that of bark, but instead, the bloody coats of ponies. Bones stuck out like branches, covered in red. The air was heavy with the acrid scent of decay. Ponies of all ages hung by their necks from the 'branches,' via a noose made of intestines.

The howls of the wind blew past, heading for the vortex in the sky, behind me.

I took a deep breath of air and exhaled, as if I were enjoying a fresh spring, before trotting further into the forest, towards the towers in the distance.

(((((((◉)))))))

I opened my eyes, looking ahead at the closed door. The lights in the bedroom were still working fine, so I wasn't worried about anything being in here with us.

I hadn't realized that I had fallen asleep here. I suppose that the stillness of the room had gotten to me.

I yawned and looked down at Fluky, who remained snuggled up to me, fast asleep.

The hissing of the monsters outside was at the same volume as before, when we got in here. There were far too many to deal with, judging by how many I heard out there. I couldn't put it in numbers. That didn't really matter at this point. We were both screwed if we went out there. There had to be another way out. That, or we just waited until they all passed by... But who knew how long that would take.

I gently lifted Fluky up off of me. She reached out her hooves and groaned softly under her breath, trying to grab a hold of me again. Her arms waved around a bit.

I smiled softly and gently laid her down on the bed I had been leaning my back against for the better part of... however long we were sleeping here. She rolled over on her side and curled up as I pulled the blanket over her tiny form.

We were stuck here for however long it took for a horde to pass through, so I may as well have started searching the place for anything good.

The dresser consisted of nothing more than clothing of a pre war time, and a few bits. That was all but useful, so I moved on to a desk in the opposite corner of the room. Inside was a series of paperwork, and the surface of it provided just as much yawn material as what was in the desk's drawers.

The bookshelf was more medical encyclopedias than fiction... YAWN!

I looked to the door, listening to the hisses. After about a minute of putting all my attention on it, I had noticed they weren't coming from the other side of the door. Only the vent.

I turned back to the sleeping filly with a somber expression, before turning back to the door and pressing my hoof on the panel.

It slid open before me with ease, like it was supposed to, and I was greeted by a living room. There were a few plants here and there; many of which were actually potted. Somehow, after all this, they had managed to stay alive. Other than the few unwelcome plants, this place seemed pretty normal. Smelled musty, but it wasn't too bad.

There were two couches on one side, a jukebox - which, of course, was broken - a desk in the far left corner, behind one of the couches, and atop that, a terminal that still looked functional. Well... the frame looked good, anyways. Who knew what the inside looked like...

Nevertheless, that was the first thing I approached. I pressed the tip of my hoof against the power button. The insides whirred and clicked, and the screen slowly lit up.

WELCOME BACK, DR. PETIOLE

The glowing, green text disappeared, and in its place, came a password entry.

"Damn it..." I muttered, thumping my head against the keyboard.

I was a repair pony... Not a hacker.

Wait...

I lifted my head from the keyboard and stared at the series of dots that filled the task bar. Luck had seemed to be on our side a lot of times. Maybe my head slam had put in the right password!

I grinned at the idea and hit 'enter.'

INVALID ENTRY

That grin vanished, and my shoulders slumped in disappointment.

Okay... Think... Think...

I rubbed the tips of my fores over my temple in a circular motion and closed my eyes for a few seconds, before opening them again and looking around the wooden desk. 'Kay... my thinking cap is on and ready to... uh... think.

Yeah, okay...

Lamp... no.

Phone? Doubt it.

I froze when my eyes came across a framed photo; the picture face down on the dusty surface.

I lifted it up to discover that this 'Petiole' had a special somepony in their life. She held her lover in a comforting embrace as they held a kiss that lasted until the end of time. Her eyes were closed, as were his. They were lost in that moment. Lost in each other. Nothing else mattered in that moment. They had each other. That was all they cared about.

The picture must have been taken before the bombs, seeing as they stood in a wooded area. Beautiful, green life flourished around them, and the sun shined down on the two lovebirds.

She had a tan coat, and he, a light grey. Her bangs curled at the end, just above her eyes, and her mane was the color of snow. His remained straight, but stayed about the same length as hers; it being a much darker shade of grey than his coat.

They looked happy. They looked like they were...

Hm...

I put the picture down and typed in 'love,' then hit enter.

A smaller message appeared under the password bar, which read 'INVALID ENTRY.'

I typed 'lover,' then hit enter again.

INVALID ENTRY
SEE HINT?
Y/N

I hit 'Y,' then read the following message that popped up below the password entry.

SOMETHING LOST, AND NEVER TO BE FOUND.

Something lost, and never to be found...? Well, that was vague. A lot of things could have been lost. Was she talking about something of hers, personally, or the war, or what? Ugh... I was horrible at this.

Hope? Peace? Love? No wait, I already tried that... Happiness? Sweet Celestia, was I always this depressing...? Uhhh... House keys! Is it house keys? Everyone loses house keys! I typed it in.

... Nope.

... Not house keys.

Sanity? I was certainly losing mine, trying to figure out how to unlock this damn terminal.

"Agh!" I slammed my head against the keyboard. "I just! Want to! Know! What's! Inside!" With each pause, I smacked my head against the keys. It was started to hurt... Probably best to stop... What the hell was happening to me...?

Despite my frustration, I spoke in a hushed tone.

A pony with passwords is a pony of secrets, but not if I can help it! I wanted to know what happened here to cause all the shit out there to exist. Maybe I could find a weakness against the monsters out there, if I opened this up.

I opened the desk drawers and started digging through the papers again. Everything here was just paperwork and documents on patients.

And then I found it...

I looked down at a small photo of Petiole sitting beside her lover, pointing a hoof at her overgrown tummy and grinning. The stallion smiled thoughtfully as he glanced down at their future. They were going to have a baby.

I gently put the photo down where I found it, as if it were fragile, then quietly closed the drawer. I stared back at the screen and typed my next answer.

FAMILY
ACCESS GRANTED

I took a deep breath as I continued to stare at the screen. Eventually, the message vanished, and a new one appeared.

FILES CORRUPT.
PLEASE INSERT BACKUP DRIVES FOR REBOOT

Well... if it wasn't one thing... it was another.

I sighed and slumped in my seat, pouting.

Of course it wasn't going to be this 'easy...' It never was.

"Ro-Robutt?" I heard Fluky say in a panicked tone, in the other room. "Robutt, where are you?" She started to raise her voice out of fear of being left behind.

I jumped to my hooves and ran to the other room, stopping in the doorway.

She was sitting up straight, pressed up in the corner, holding the blanket up to her neck, as if it would keep the monsters away.

The fear etched onto her face quickly vacated the premises once she laid eyes on me, and sighed with relief. "I thought you were gone..."

I smiled softly and calmly approached, then sat at the side of the bed. "Never. Not until you want me to be."

She looked around her surroundings, then down at the blanket with a slightly confused look, to which I replied.

"I figured you'd want to keep sleeping, so I tucked you in."

She looked up at me and gave a wan smile, after putting the blanket down and shifting out of the corner. "Thanks, Robutt."

"Are you gonna keep calling me that?"

She nodded. "Yep."

"I'm still a butt, then?"

She gave me another short nod. "Yep."

"So, I guess this means that everything that comes out of my mouth is shit."

She giggled softly and rolled her eyes. "Well, I wouldn't say that. You're sincere. I can see it. And... you mean well."

We both went silent as the hissing and growling outside started to gradually get quieter.

"Sounds like they're finally starting to pass." I said softly, looking up at the vent. I stood up and started to put the security barding back on. "Chances are they'll be blocking the exit of the stable, though."

"So, what are we going to do?" Fluky asked, turning her head from the vent and back to me.

"What we came here to do." I slipped the helmet on; my visor tinting my vision just a little as I looked at Fluky. "Search and rescue." With that, I started for the exit.

"So this isn't about supplies anymore?"

I paused and glanced back. "Well... that too. Just not my top priority at the moment..."

"Whenever you're ready." She spoke with determination, and I looked over to see the most sincere smile I've seen from her for the entire time I've known her.

That warmed my heart.

(((((((◉)))))))

The door slid open before us, and we both stepped out into a corridor littered with spent shell casings, burnt energy cartridges, destroyed turret parts, and a lot of vegetation. The hissing was a lot quieter, and I wasn't witnessing any traffic coming through. Still, as a precaution, we kept quiet.

I started for the left, towards a four way intersection, where I imagined the raiders ran, and ultimately, where the fungal specimens stumbled off to.

Coming to a stop just before stepping out into the open, I peeked around the corner, to my right; to where the creatures went. I didn't see any movement, and the hissing was only growing more distant, so I turned to the left to see a sentry in the middle of the corridor, at the far end.

Instinct had me tense up and freeze. My heart started pounding again. Any more of this, and I imagined I'd have to be worrying about heart failure.

After a few seconds of staring, wide-eye'd, I discovered it was broken down. The lights were out, and it wasn't emitting any noise. It wasn't going to be a problem.

I sighed and hung my head down, smiling softly to myself and shaking my head, before I turned and looked at her. She raised a brow at me, clearly wondering what was going on with me.

"I... may or may not have PTSD from robots, now."

"PTS... huh?" She wrinkled her nose and frowned.

"Post traumatic stress." I answered simply, looking back at the broken mech. "Something you get when you face something terrible."

"Like hearing your family, friends, and home getting destroyed?"

"Er... yeah..." I paused, wearing guilt on my features. I couldn't bear to look at her at that time. Not after what she said... Why did she have to remind me...? "Like that..."

I started walking down the corridor, towards the sentry. Fluky stayed by my side. "So what's the D stand for?"

"D?" I kept my eyes forward.

"Yeah. PSD, or whatever you called it."

"Disorder."

"What?"

"Post traumatic stress disorder. PTSD." I walked past the expired sentry, watching it closely, half expecting it to come back to life and start firing at us.

I had noticed that the creature that abducted the griffin was nowhere to be found. Perhaps it had moved on with the rest of the horde, after a while.

We moved on with, thank Celestia, no problems.

So far...

(((((((◉)))))))

On our way through the residential section of 32, we encountered several other fungal creatures that had succumbed to heavy gunfire. Even then, we took extra caution making our way around them. We knew nothing of these things. For all we knew, they were just sleeping and waiting for someone to make a noise or inspect them.

The farther we got, the bigger the body count became. We had to hug the right wall for a while, then the left, then the right, and so forth. It was a labyrinth of corpses. Make the wrong move and... well, I didn't want to think about that.

It was getting problematic for us, to say in the least. More so, for Fluky. She had to jump over any and all appendages that lay sprawled along the floor, in front of her path. All I had to do was step over them.

Being bigger had its benefits, too.

I turned around and looked at her as she stood there, panting from the constant leaps. She looked up at me, then looked down at the thick tendril before her, then back up at me.

I lifted her up and put her on my back. Navigating through this wasn't too much of a problem for me. I just had to be careful not to bump into anything, and consider each and every path to take.

Thankfully, she didn't protest against it. On the contrary, actually. She seemed to have welcomed it.

Continuing on our way, I had to divert from the wall again, due to a pile of bodies that lied against it, therefore blocking my path.

Zig zagging through the corridor took a lot longer, but there was no way I was going to risk it. We were still getting somewhere. It was just taking a lot longer than I would have liked.

Ahead of us was another four way intersection, and straight ahead, beyond said intersection, was a large, more complicated door than the ones I had been dealing with earlier. There was a flickering, dirt covered sign that read 'LIBRARY.'

As much as I loved books, I didn't have time to stop and check out their selection.

I proceeded, and one hoof forward had a turret drop down from the ceiling. I nearly jumped out of my hide from the surprise. I was ready to turn around and make a run for it. I'd have brought Fluky to my front to shield her from the imminent attack, once I turned. It quickly spun around, aimed at me, and...

Clicked.

Over and over again, in a rapid annoyance, it clicked at me, refusing to give up its aggression.

Looking around my surroundings, I found that none of the bodies moved or made any noise.

"I guess we're safe..." I spoke quietly, as I looked behind us.

Fluky looked around at the corpses for a bit, before focusing on me. "Can I still stay up here? I don't want to touch them..."

Focusing back on her, I nodded and smiled faintly. "Of course you can." Turning back to the clicking turret that tried in desperate attempts to kill us, I continued. "Looks like it ran out of ammo."

"Gee, I wouldn't have guessed!" She said in a sarcastic tone that had me roll my eyes. "Do you have to state the obvious?"

"Probably." I replied. "Oh, I guess I must have triggered it through proximity! What else could have made it come dow-"

"Yeah, yeah. Shut up." I heard a faint giggle in that voice.

With that, I continued on my way.

The turret followed my movement, still peppering me with imaginary bullets as I passed by.

I stopped before stepping out into the open, as I had been doing whenever we came across an intersection, then peeked my head out and looked both ways.

The left route was blocked by a mountain of lockers, tables, chairs, and dressers.

The right, however, was open to us.

The ground wasn't littered with corpses as much, this way, either. Several dismantled Handy and Gutsy units lied about, however. I could only assume this was Bloodwing's handiwork. Made sense. She appeared to be the more brutal one of that group. It went without saying that they were all aggressive on some level. But Bloodwing... she had pent up anger issues. Not even Sting seemed all that bad. If anything, he was the most considerate of the lot, and that was saying something.

He spared Fluky the trauma and humiliation though. That had to mean something. Maybe he was just a little more decent than the rest? Maybe something happened? Fuck if I knew...

He most definitely wasn't good. But he was reasonable. I wasn't sure if that was good, or if that made him the most dangerous one of that group...

I turned right and started down the only real option we had. The library certainly wasn't going to do.

The corridor turned left at the end. To me, that meant progress.

I stopped at the rolling of wheels, and looking ahead, I noticed the right wall at the far end started to glow red.

I pulled out the pistol from its holster and aimed at where the sentry was going to come from. I didn't know how good a ten mil was going to do against one, but I needed to go this way, and I was tired of the shit in this stable.

... Okay, was it just me, or was it a bit louder than the usual...?

The front half a voluminous, buffer sentry rolled into view. Its protective plating was a polished grayish silver, and between said plating, was a bright green glow. I didn't see any damage inflicted on the machine, after it rolled into the corridor in full view. It was maybe twice the size of a normal one...

It stopped and started to turn. There was no way I could take this on...

I turned and booked it, keeping Fluky on my back. It didn't see me yet, but it was about to if I didn't hurry. If so, I'd bring in her front, just like with the turret. I didn't want her getting hurt...

I could barely live with what I did to her town, as it was.

Just as I turned right, into the hall that led to the library, I heard the sentry speak in a loud, booming volume that put the other sentries to shame.

"SUSPICIOUS ACTIVITY DETECTED. INVESTIGATING."

Shit... Shit, shit, shit!

Its wheels started rolling down the corridor again.

I ran for the large, glorified door that led to the library, and hit the button beside it. The locks clicked, and the wheel in the center started to turn, allowing two bars in the mechanism to sink in the ground, while two others raised up into the ceiling. Both sides of the door folded in on themselves and slid into the walls, and only after, did the steel slab in the center slide into the slot in the ground, where two of the four bars hid.

To my surprise, it had actually opened with no problems. But in doing so, it created a lot of noise, as the metal had grinded on each other obnoxiously, causing both Fluky and I to cringe.

I ran inside with no hesitation, spun around - and nearly knocking Fluky off my back in the process - and hit the switch on the other side. As the door reversed its animation, I saw the sentry's red glare, and then the front half of it rolled into view once again. That green glow between the plating had changed to a dark blue.

... And then the door jammed on itself before it could close entirely.

"No, no, no!" I whispered. "Don't do that!"

The sentry started to turn to face us, and I quickly hid behind the center slab that came up about halfway. Fluky jumped off and hid underneath me just as the red glare swept over the slab. A beam of red struck the floor of the library's entrance. We were hidden within the space of the small rectangle of shadow that the slab had created. If she had stayed up there for a second longer, that would have been it for her.

Both sides of the walls were blocked by bookshelves, so those weren't options when it came to hiding elsewhere.

The machine stopped on the other side of the door. I knew it, because its wheels stopped moving just before hitting the other end. Admittedly, they were a bit squeaky.

For moments, we sat there, waiting for it to leave, but it seemed it wasn't going to leave us alone. The tension was getting unbearable... If only getting up and yelling at it to fuck off would actually work...

After what felt like forever, the sphere-like wheels started moving again, and after a few seconds, I peeked around the corner to see it was turning around and heading back down the corridor, therefore giving up its search. Judging by how big it was, there was no way it could fit through the doorframe.

"Ha... Dumb bitch..." I muttered, once it started heading down the way we came, passing the intersection.

I stood up and shook my head, thumping my hoof against the door, annoyed that it didn't close when I needed it to.

It slid closed as easily as it had opened, from there.

That one hit... just one... fucking... hit... and it fixed the jam right up...

I sighed with resigned anger and turned away from it, looking around the room.

The library was probably the cleanest part of this stable when it came to vegetation. But there were books and binders littered around the desk that formed a circle in the center of the room. Certain parts of the walls and floors were stained with brown splotches for obvious reasons, as there were a few skeletons of ponies either under the splashes on the walls, or over the dried up pools on the floor. They were only located towards the center of the room, by the looks of it.

But there were no plants here. No plants whatsoever. And I didn't hear or see any machines here. I wanted to believe we were safe here, but... but I've been wrong before.

I stepped forward, towards a flickering terminal on the surface of the desk in the center. Just like almost every other technological system here, this was useless.

I turned right, first. There was a series of aisles, most of which were left unlabeled. The final six, at the very far end of the long stretch of walkway, had labels, but I couldn't make them out just yet.

Looking to the left, I found more aisles. Reaching the end would take maybe three to four minutes, due to the length between me and it. Both sides were clean of any bodies, which was definitely a nice change of scenery. No bones. No corpses. No old blood stains. Just a few binders and books lying scattered around. I was grateful that the rest of the room wasn't as messy as the center.

There were five labels for the shelves closest to me, but beyond that, it was bare.

M.E.A. -2066

M.E.A. -2067

M.E.A. -2068

M.E.A. -2069

M.E.A. -2070

"Stay here, Fluky..." I said under my breath, before turning around and took a few steps forward, only to stop at the edge of the right aisle. I stared at the far end, looking for any movement; listening for any sound. The room had an old book smell, and nothing more than that. Everything was quiet, save for my breathing. I didn't see anything move. Even between the empty shelves.

Still... I didn't trust anything.

"Come on out!" I shouted in a muffled tone, biting down hard on the grip of the pistol as I kept it aimed forward.

Nothing.

I turned and looked down the other end. In the process, I saw Fluky giving me a worried look. I ignored it and kept to my own business.

"Show yourself!"

"Robutt!" Fluky hissed in a hushed tone.

I glanced over, then looked back down the hall. "What'll it be!?"

She trotted up to me. "Robutt, stop. There's nothing here."

I looked to her, then back to both sides of the library. "Just... wait here. I'm gonna scope the place out, make sure everything is safe..."

"What's wrong with you?" She asked, raising an eyebrow. "There's nothing here." She started to raise her voice.

"Better safe than sorry..." I muttered as I started for the right side of the library.

She groaned in frustration and leaned against the desk.

(((((((◉)))))))

Minutes had gone by where I quietly walked forward, looking through each individual aisle I passed by, ready to shoot anything that moved. I didn't know how much time had passed, but I could tell Fluky was getting impatient.

The labels for the right side of the library consisted of five 'L.E.A.'s,' and the last aisle read 'FICTION.' The aisle opposite of that was too tattered and scratched up to read.

With nothing on the L.E.A. side, I turned and doubled back for the M.E.A section. As I started to reach the center of the room, Fluky looked at me with a bored expression. "You done yet?"

I shook my head, and she sighed and smacked the back of her head against the desk behind her. She rubbed the back of it with her hoof as she closed her eyes tight. "Okay, ouch..."

I continued on my way.

Left, nothing. Right, nothing. Moving on.

Left, nothing. Right, nothing. Moving on...

I kept moving forward ever so slowly, being thorough in my search for other hostile life. I didn't want anymore surprises jumping out at me and ripping my gut open... again.

Eventually, I had reached the end, then doubled back to the center once more.

"Okay, now I'm done." I holstered the pistol.

"And?" She looked on with irritation.

"And you were right. Nothing is here. I just needed to be sure."

"You called out to nothing, Robutt!" She threw her arms up in the air. "And nothing came out. I swear, you're just wasting time now. Was that not evidence enough?"

"Guess not." I answered, giving her a simple look.

"What's going on?" She asked in a more serious note, but willing to listen. "You've been acting strange."

I sighed and looked over to the door. "I'm guessing we're not going back out that way. But I found a vent we can use down there." I pointed my hoof towards the L.E.A. side.

"Don't change the subject." She glared and stood up on all fours, inches from my muzzle, once I turned to look back at her. "What's going on with you?"

I sat down and took a deep breath. "Doesn't really matter what's going on with me."

"Stop with the self pity and answer me!"

I hung my head down for a few seconds and sighed, before looking deep into her eyes, then spoke in a somber tone. "I don't trust anything anymore. I've been out here for a little over a week, and I don't trust anything." My answer softened her glare. "I lost trust in the Steel Rangers that I once called family. I lost trust for my own sister. I lost trust for pretty much everything... But worst of all, I lost trust in myself..."

"What are you talking about?" She asked in a more calm, understanding tone.

"My people killed yours. I helped. It all happened so fast, and I couldn't think straight... I got Para killed over my plans to come here, and you were almost..." I stopped myself. I didn't want to say that word. I didn't want to hear it. I didn't want to even think it. "And now we're stuck down here, in a stable filled with... whatever the fuck those things are out there, and a bunch of violent tech. I brought us here, because all I wanted to do was help someone, and who knows if they're even alive anymore. Fluky, I messed up. And now we're gonna die down here, because of my own stupid plan to save a pony that's most likely a pile of bones, or one of those things shambling around out there."

And here I was, venting to a filly whose life I destroyed.

Sweet Celestia, I was a goddess damned mess...

I closed my eyes and hung my head down, sighing. I fought my tears. I didn't want to cry. Not because I was a full grown stallion, and crying was considered 'weak' to the male spectrum. No, crying was for everyone, regardless of gender or age. It was a healthy venting source. I didn't want to cry, because I didn't deserve it. And so I did everything in my power to stop it from happening. I was not going to play the victim...

Especially in front of the victim...

I felt a hoof touch my shoulder, and opening my eyes, I saw Fluky's, staring back at mine.

"We're not dead yet, Robutt." She smiled softly. "I know I can't do much, but for what it's worth, I got your back. So long as you got mine."

I smiled back faintly and scoffed, nodding. "You're too smart for your own good, Flukes..." I took her hoof in both of mine, gently squeezing it for reassurance.

And then, while still keeping that smile up, she responded with four words.

"Don't call me that."

I chuckled softly and sat up. "Well, I guess we could take a break here. Wait for things to die down outside a bit. Then move again."

"Sounds like a plan." Fluky looked around. "Mind if I check out some of the books here?"

I turned to the L.E.A. section. Each binder had a lockbox underneath it, in a smaller shelf. "Afraid most of the stuff here is just binders for... whatever this place was used for. But I saw a fiction section at the far end that you can check out."

She nodded, then started to run for the fiction aisle like a filly eager to see her friend after a day of chores.

I laughed a little as I watched her go for it. She occasionally almost slipped on a paper or a binder that had been knocked down off a shelf, but she kept going.

I followed her to the end, but kept myself at a nice trot, until I reached the 2066 aisle.

The left seemed to start off closer to the beginning of the year, while the right reached for the end.

Respectively, I went for the left. Perhaps I'd find something out about this place, for once. Maybe, if I was lucky, find out what happened here.

I went for the end of the aisle, where it started a little before what was once Nightmare Night.

Like most of my knowledge of the past, I obtained it through books. Lots of books. I had a curious mind for what life was like back then.

Some of the binders were missing from the shelves, which I assumed were mixed with others, on the floor. I couldn't go in exact order, but that was fine. I wasn't planning on reading them all, anyways. That would take far too much time that we probably didn't have.

Despite it being close to the ending of the year, they had a lot to say. I imagine I would too, if I was in their situation.

Each binder had a date printed on the side, and so I picked the one that was closest to when the bombs dropped. It wasn't the exact date, and I'm sure they didn't even do anything on that day. They must have all been in shock.

This date was on the 28th. A few days before Nightmare Night.

I sat down and opened the binder, starting from the first page.

:Lab Entry Archive #03:

Date: 10/28/2066

Test: Convenience in Plant Growth Time Duration

Notes:

The chemical that was used in this session only showed negative effects to not just the organic matter, but the soil it resided on, as well. About 0300 hours after applying a drop of the Colodium compound, it had rotted the strawberry seed before it could start to grow, and the soil started to deteriorate due to long term exposure of said compound. Almost immediately after the soil started deterioration, the seed started to show acidic behaviors. A toxin grew in the air around the testing station, which quickly led to the subject being disposed of in a timely manner.

There were moderate casualties, and there is a death count of two. One injured, who is now recovering in the medical bay.

The session was terminated, and the test was recorded as inconclusive.

Plant growth, huh? Something told me that backfired on their part.

I continued reading the rest of the pages, but there weren't very many, and it had nothing to do with plant growth. Just notes on different gems, metals, and minerals, and how they reacted to certain things.

I had no idea what was going on in the rest of the binder, so I gave up about three pages in, put the binder back, then moved on to the next. And the next.

... And the next...

I spent more then enough time skimming through each of the binders, until I actually found something about the plant growth. Everything else just seemed like a waste of time to read about. By the time I had found another entry in regards to the plants, I was much closer to the end of the year, meaning I was towards the end of the aisle opposite from the one I started in.

:Lab Entry Archive #89:

Date: 12/24/2066

Test: Convenience in Plant Growth Time Duration

Notes: Furonite Acitane showed the same, negative effect on each seed we tested, save for one. While every other subject melted upon being exposed to the chemical, apple seeds hardened and petrified within mere seconds of coming in contact. After about three minutes, the soil began to turn red and grow in temperature to the point where the lab had to be evacuated. About a minute after everyone had left, and the room was secured, the sprinkler system and the alarms had both gone off. The water seemed to have an effect on the soil, while still in contact with Furonite Acitane, as it started to grow into an agitated state and swell to voluminous levels. From there, they proceeded to form into what appeared to be a sac, or a larvae of sorts.

Just before they could reach the ceiling, they had exploded, sending red, glowing thorns in each direction. Thorns have been taken in for further research.

There were no casualties.

The session was terminated after coming to the conclusion that all seeds, soils, and fertilizers ended with the same results. The test was recorded as non-applicable.

So far, it seemed like the chemicals they were using hated organic life.

I flipped to the next page, expecting a continuation of their tedious research on metals, minerals, and gems.

Instead, I found the notes on the thorn study.

:Lab Entry Archive #89:

Date: 12/24/2066

Test: Research on Thorn

Notes:

Each thorn from the Furonite Acitane incident appeared to be the same size in width and length as all the others. (6 inches in width, 12 inches in length). This includes all thorns, even if they had emerged from a separate sac. The reasoning behind this anomaly remains unknown, but further studies will occur in the near future, regarding this subject.

Each individual subject to this cause has a dark, red, polished texture to it. Upon closer inspection, it became known that, like the seed in the experiment prior to this one, they appear petrified.

These specimens show no reaction to Furonite Acitane, or any other element from the periodic table.

The session was terminated, and the samples were stored away in Cold Storage Cell #309. The test was recorded as inconclusive.

Okay, I couldn't really talk, but... These scientists didn't seem to know what they hell they were doing. I read three entries so far, and they hadn't solved anything. In fact, it looked like they went overboard on the research, seeing as the stable was overrun with... quite a bit, actually. Not just one creature, but plant life, and robots. Probably even more than that. Good one, guys. Ya done fucked up.

I decided to finally check on what was inside the small boxes underneath the binders, but was only greeted with a hard drive that I assumed contained a - now - corrupt, digital copy of the same thing I was reading. The EMP could have wiped out all virtual memory of this place...

I started to head for the next aisle, until I heard Fluky talking to herself quietly. I stopped and listened.

"Whoa... I never saw anything like this, before... Feels kinda... tingly down there, for some reason..."

Oh... OH!

I hastily trotted out of the aisle and stopped behind her. "What are you reading, Fluky?" I asked nervously, my voice cracking a little.

"Some comic." She kept her eyes fixated on the page. "There's a lot of fighting going on in it. I don't know why, but... I really like it."

I peeked over her shoulder.

That wasn't a comic...

"Fluky, uh..."

"I mean, the story isn't all that good. If there even is one. I can't tell. And they keep introducing all these new characters with like, no context or backstory, but man... there's just something about it that just... heh... gets me excited." She flipped to a new page and stared at the steel grey buck who mounted a pink coated mare, rutting her, the way nature intended. They looked like they were both having a great time together. Fuck, I missed those days... It's been a while, for sure. "I noticed they're never really saying anything, either. And some of the pages are kinda stuck to each other for some reason. I mean, if you're gonna eat while reading, at least be respectful about it and keep it out of the books! Other people wanna read too, ya know!" She gestured her hoof to the page as she complained.

"Um..." I stepped around her and grabbed the comic... the 'comic.'

"Wha-hey!" She stood up quickly, and I noticed a little wet splotch on the grou-okay, no. No.

I looked away nervously, and she reached out for it to try and take it back. I closed it and slid it in my bag with the ammo, then looked at her, doing my best to avoid looking at that certain spot on the floor. "Fluky... you're not ready for the talk of the birds and the bees, just yet."

"Birds and the bees?" She stopped trying to get the 'comic' back, and raised a brow, looking at me. "What do you mean?"

Oh Goddess, she had no idea what she just got into...

"Birds, bees, trains, tunnels. When you're older, you can have the uh... comic... back." I shook my head hard. "That's all I'm gonna say. You'll understand when you're older." Seriously, who leaves behind a playpony magazine in a library that mostly consisted of scientific data? A used playpony magazine, no less!

... WHY DID I HAVE TO ASK THAT QUESTION TO BEGIN WITH!?

Fluky pouted and hung her head down, but submitted. "Well, now I'm disappointed. That feeling is going away..."

"That's probably for the best." I answered, refusing to look back at her as I made my way forward. She followed close behind.

In all honesty, I felt slightly aroused from what I saw in that magazine. I'd just have to take care of that later...

"I noticed you were reading some stuff." She started in a sulky tone. "What did you find?"

"Eh. Just some science mumbo jumbo. Nothing fancy."

"So, does this mean we're leaving?"

I nodded and glanced back. "Yep. So long as you're ready to."

"I mean..." She paused, and I focused on her. She looked a bit shy. "This feeling... I wanna do something, I just don't know what."

"I know what it is, and I'd rather you didn't." I said quickly, taking a deep breath after. "And everything you saw in that magazine... I'd really appreciate it if you didn't do that with anyone, at your age." I turned to face forward once more, then resumed walking, until I found the vent I mentioned earlier, in the side of the wall, at the end of an aisle. "So, I'll ask again. Are you ready to go?"

She sighed and nodded. "Yes."

(((((((◉)))))))

We were back to crawling through the air ducts, which I had truly realized that, at this time, was definitely the safest route to take. Through each vent, I had witnessed a lot more security patrols of sentries as big as the one that had nearly caught us in the library, as well as bulkier Handy and Gutsy units. They all had the bright green glow between the armor plating, and their weapons were both bigger, deadlier, and extended farther, by the looks of it.

I had my fair share of gut extraction for one lifetime. Just looking at the sawblade made my stomach tighten.

The gunfire, I could handle. It hurt like a bitch, but I could take it. But buzzsaws...

And that wasn't all...

Some of the fungal creatures stumbled around the corridors below us, wandering aimlessly. Some bumped into each other, walls, or even other machines, who ignored them and continued on their way.

I shuddered from the creatures, and the sight of the saws, as I looked down through the vent. Fluky tapped me on the shoulder, and I looked back at her. She shared a sympathetic look and nodded silently.

I nodded back and continued forward.

Eventually, we had reached a dead end in the shaft. Below us was a vent that dropped down into a corridor, where a door remained shut. Next to the vent, was a yellow tinted, flickering sign that read 'RECREATION.'

We didn't hear anything close by, and heading back and going through another route sounded like a bad idea. This was the first real 'exit' we had actually found out of the residential section. This was a good place to stop at.

At least... I hoped so.

We removed the vent, and Fluky peeked her head out to look around her surroundings. After a few seconds, she came back up and looked at me. "Clear." She whispered.

One by one, we got out and landed on the floor. The softer landing on the dirt had silenced our fall, so I had no worries that we alerted our presence.

After looking down the stretch of corridor to find that we were still in the clear, we turned to each other, then to the door behind us. I pressed the button beside the large door, like the one the library had, and watched as it folded in on itself and slid into the walls and floor.

Beyond that was something I hadn't entirely expected.

There was a forest, and in this forest, a park, with fancy street lights, cobblestone walkways, and benches. Birds sang their songs. The light air was ever so sweet. The trees were healthy, green, and strong. Sunlight shot down through the leaves on their branches in beams, mixing with an early morning fog.

I stepped forward onto the cobblestone path, and Fluky followed; her jaw dropped.

Yeah, that's about how I felt, too...

I looked up at a bright blue, sunlit sky; only a few streaks of white, puffy cloud had floated on by.

I closed the door behind us, in case something had the bright idea to sneak up behind us and attack. If something was in here with us, I guess we were screwed either way.

This was something I wanted to leave uninterrupted.

It was like how the books I read as a colt described it, but better. This must have been what life was like before the war. The air itself was addicting. The books had left a lot out... This was so much better to experience in person. I wanted to sit here forever and just take in the beauty... one breath at a time.

And then the sky flickered out, before turning to black. The birds died, and the sweet air turned musty and old. The room grew dead silent, save for our breath. The temperature quickly dropped.

"What just happened...?" Fluky asked softly, as if she were scared to talk too loud.

"I'm not su-"

The sky flickered back to existence, but instead of that wonderful, blue sky, and that glorious, bright sun, we were only greeted with large, green, digital text.

REBOOTING

A few seconds went by, and the text disappeared. The birds resumed singing. The gentle breeze brushed through the leaves and blades of grass. Brushed past our coats. The sun and sky was back.

"I knew it was too good to be true..." I muttered, then looked down at her as she studied her surroundings with narrow eyes. "It's just a digital recreation."

"What a shame..." She said quietly. "For a second there, I thought we stepped into another dimension."

"Keep dreamin', Flukes..." I spoke in a somber tone.

She sighed and looked away. "Don't call me that."

(((((((◉)))))))

As we ventured through the park's walkway, the scenery would black out every so often, which had us stop dead in our tracks and listen for anything that could be in the area, just in case we weren't alone. I hated being out in the dark like this. I felt... exposed. I wouldn't put it past anything to lurk in the dark and stalk us.

When the sun and sky came back, and the birds crackled back to life through the speakers, we took a look at our surroundings to make sure we were in the clear, before moving on. So far, it seemed to be only us.

Still... I didn't trust it. I couldn't. I wasn't letting my guard down again.

Eventually, after what felt like an hour of walking cautiously, stopping when the lights turned out, checking our surroundings when they came back on, and kept walking, we had come across a dry fountain with a statue of a pony standing on its rears, pointing up at the digital sky with one forehoof while staring up.

The pathway circled the structure, and went off in two different directions.

Beyond the fountain was a small lake. I stepped up to the shore. This was the first one I had ever really seen outside, and it wasn't really outside. Wasn't that just sad?

This time, Fluky stayed behind to observe the statue on the fountain.

The fog was heavier over the water, so there wasn't much to see ahead, but as I stopped at the edge of the grass and looked down at my reflection, a small tide distorted my image.

Water wasn't supposed to move like that, unless there was something in it... right?

I backed up and pulled out the 10 mil., and aimed it ahead as the waves started to gradually get bigger and more restless. Something was splashing in the distance, but I couldn't see anything.

"Fluky...?" I said softly. Soon enough, my rump hit the outer rim of the fountain. "Fluky, we need to go..."

"What? What are you ta-"

I turned to look at her, biting down on the grip of the pistol, then nodded off to the lake as the water continued its splashes.

She stopped and stared in silence for a few seconds, before turning back to me. "Whatever it is, don't fight it." She whispered.

"I don't intend to." I whispered back as best I could, while remaining coherent. " Which is why I said we. Need. To. Go."

She quickly nodded, then stopped to think to herself for a bit, before turning back the way we came. "You don't mean back there, do you...?"

I shook my head. "Follow me..."

With that, we silently made our way to the path, left of the fountain. The waves were getting louder, as if something was walking... walking towards us...

I glanced to my right to see, even through the thick fog over the water, a giant black lump moving in the distance.

Then, the sun turned off...

I slowed down a little and put my hoof on Fluky's back, bringing her to my pace. I wasn't going to stop, but I wasn't going to be reckless, either.

The water sloshed and splashed against the land, before I heard - and felt - several heavy thumps against the ground, coming closer...

It stopped behind me, and I heard a chittering, along with a series of clicks...

The sun turned on.

Before I could turn around and see what it was, Fluky was already screaming in horror, and I was knocked forward.

I quickly recovered and spun around to see a creature with two antennae, an intimidating set of serrated mandibles that clicked together as it stared down at me with those large, dark eyes, and a black, shiny, massive exoskeleton around its head, thorax, and abdomen. Its legs were serrated at the ends, as well.

I never read about beetles being this size before...

I quickly aimed up at its head and pulled the trigger repeatedly, striking the creature. That seemed to do fuck all for me...

Instead, the insect seemed to get more agitated and charged at me. Before I could move out of the way with little no warning, it had grabbed a hold of my hindleg with its mandibles and raised me in the air, swinging me around as I screamed and fought, therefore losing the grip of my gun.

Oh, I was gonna be sick...

That was the least of my worries, though. I could feel my hoof being torn into by the serrated edges of the mandibles, and as each second passed, it cut deeper to the bone... I could feel it starting to crack...

My body was flung across the path, until my back struck the trunk of a tree. I heard the bang of metal as a sharp pain shot up in my spine and the back of my head. I couldn't scream. I couldn't move. Everything was ringing and throbbing.

My weight shifted to one side, and I laid there on the grass, watching the beetle approach to finish me off.

Fluky... Where was Flukes...? Did she make it out...?

I felt blood spill from my leg and pool around the limb. The room was growing colder...

Everything started getting blurry, and the sound was growing quieter as the beast approached...

Then, I heard a muffled shout of a familiar filly.

"Over here, bug butt!" I heard a few gunshots, and the silhouette of the beetle turned to face a blurry Fluky. "Oh... man, you're big... Uh..." She shook her head and stared up at the monster. "Y-Yeah, that's right! Come and get me, you big ol' meanie! Filly fillet is on the menu!" She paused as she started to back up. "Can't believe I just said that..." With that, she turned and ran through the woods as the beetle started to chase after her. "Gotta try harder than that!"

I tried to force myself back up, but in doing so, I both heard and felt something snap, therefore causing me to collapse on my back and groan.

I just barely managed to turn my head to my right, towards the forest that Fluky ran in. The back of my neck was going through absolute hell, as was the rest of my back... and my hoof... again.

Didn't I just get that healed up?

Fluky ran through the forest, circling around the metal trees as the oversized beetle came charging after her, knocking anything down that got in its way.

She jumped up, bit down on a hanging vine, and ripped it from the tree, providing her a decent amount of the stuff. She continued running, letting the rest of it drag along the ground behind her, until I couldn't see her anymore. Too many trees blocked my view.

And then the sun turned off.

I could hear metal creaking in the distance, and 'trees' being torn from the ground and come tumbling down. It grew more distant as time went on. I couldn't see anything. Only listen.

Then, quite suddenly, a bright white light flashed through the trees in the horizon, like the moon lighting up a dark land, or a spotlight flashing on and aiming at me.

When the sun came back, Fluky didn't... and the sound of the trees falling had ceased. I was growing more worried each second.

I forced myself to stand up, crying out in agony as I did. My spine and hoof were both protesting through the whole effort, and I really wanted to fall back down and never get up again. But if I had anything to say about it, that wasn't going to happen. And so far, I did.

I moved for the newly made path that the beetle had made through sheer brute force, picked up the pistol that lied on the grass at the entrance, holstered it, and made my way into the forest. A lot of trees that had fallen were in the way, and so I had to make some detours here and there, making my journey last a lot longer than it should have. I couldn't go over them with my condition. I wasn't going to even try. I already knew I'd regret it. Hell, I was regretting just getting up. It was hard enough just walking at the slow pace that I was.

In taking these detours, I got to see that the inside of the trunks consisted of a series of wires and circuitry. For what it was for, I had no clue.

Farther in, I heard the clicks of the beetle's mandibles going at it. I could see the top of its body moving around frantically.

Please... No. Don't tell me...

"Hey there, Robutt."

I quickly swung my head to the right - which was a horrible idea - to see Fluky standing there with a smile as she panted.

Oh, my head... Why did I do that...?

"You alright?" She asked, raising a brow.

I smiled back and sighed with relief, though I was still in a great deal of pain. "I'll... be okay. You?"

"Oh, I'm fine." She grinned. "Got that giant bug tied up pretty good when the light show on the ceiling vanished." She glanced up at the digital sun.

"You..." I peeked over the tree trunk in my way to see it struggling against the vines that she had grabbed earlier. Ohhh my neck... They went around every leg several times, and for extra measure, the rest of it wrapped around the abdomen, keeping its wings from expanding. That is, if it had any. I wasn't sure, yet. I looked back to Fluky, smiling. "How did you do that?" I already knew the answer, but I wanted to see if she knew.

"Honestly..." She put her hoof to her muzzle, looking down and thinking hard. "I'm not quite sure... I just... did it." She sat down, now realizing what she did. "I might have actually blacked out... I remembered the lights going out, and I got scared. Super scared. Next thing I know, I'm standing there, the power is back on, and I'm staring at a tied down beetle. What if..." She looked up at me with wonder. "What if there's somepony else here, helping us?"

"Doubt it." I replied with a skeptical look. "Told ya before, you have a magical talent. Maybe it kicked in."

"You... really think I did..." She looked over at the beetle questioningly, as if it was going to answer for her. "That...?"

I nodded with a faint smile. "Yes."

"Hm..." She thought quietly to herself for a while, then gasped and stood up quickly, as if she had just had a great idea for something. "Maybe I got a cutiemark as a monster hunter!" She beamed at me, before turning to look at her flank, only to be disappointed by its blank, yellow, canvas. She frowned and looked back down at the ground before her, kicking some dirt aside with a hoof. "Pooey..."

I laughed softly and looked back the way I came. "One day, Flukes... One day."

"Don't call me that." She spoke behind clenched teeth. I looked back at her to see her roll her eyes at me.

I poked my head back over the tree trunk to watch the insect.

It wasn't giving up against the vines. Maybe it would escape. Few hours. Few days, maybe? But I wasn't going to be around when it did.

I wasn't going to kill it, either. I had enough blood on my hooves. It was trying to survive like the rest of us. We invaded its home. We were the intruders. We were the bad guys. I couldn't kill it for that...

"We should go." I said, looking back down the way we came.

"Are you sure?" She asked, giving me a skeptical look. "I mean... I saw how you hit that tree. Figured you'd wanna rest your back or something." She paused once I gave her a blank expression, then continued as she glanced at my rear hoof with a grimace. "The way you've been walking makes me think you need it. I'll see what I can do about that hoof."

Yeahhh... She was probably right. Otherwise, I'd die from blood loss. I was already halfway there...

I nodded in agreement. "'Kay... Ten minutes, then we go." I glanced back at the bug, before turning back to her. "But let's get somewhere safe, first."

Author's Note

So. Much. Chaos... SO MUCH CHAOS... SOOOO MUCH CHAOS occurred through the making of this chapter. First, my birthday (though, that wasn't chaotic, it did get in the way of me working on this), then Pines had to go to his hometown for a family member's funeral, then work getting hectic, me getting exhausted almost every day after work, then Christmas happened, and New Years, I ended up getting... um... molested. That wasn't fun...
Oh, and my internet crapped out again. Fuck you, Xfinity. Taking my money, but not giving me anything in return. Thanks for that.
Anyways, we finally got the chapter done.
Fact: When we came up with the monster pony things for the stable, we only planned on having fungus-type zombies. They bit, they infected... basic zombie stuff. But for me, it didn't feel like enough. So I just wrote whatever came to my mind, and it made... whatever the fuck those things are.
Ahem... Click here for a good time/reference. ;)

Also, Stable 32 was meant to be a two part chapter, but with all the stuff in this, there was no way to finish it up. So Stable 32 might be a 3 parter, if not 4. Sorry, not sorry. We're thorough.

Anyways, special thanks to Kkat for making the wonderful world of Fallout Equestria, Somber for making Project Horizons, anyone who reads Radio Static and keeps up with the story, Alchestbreach for leading the rebellion against the radios, Pines for dealing with my shit, my good friend Nylten Emeda, for making the cover picture for Radio Static, and the constant distractions that life provides.

Also, I want to address the date that this is set in. I couldn't really find a date that the FoE universe is set in, so I just went for the regular Fallout date, even though it's probably *very* inaccurate to FoE. So, my apologies if that's the case.

Pines, your up, bud.

Pines:
Remember, colts and fillies... when you hear a creepy noise, stay away. Especially when an adult that made you an orphan is leading you towards it. But in all seriousness... stay safe out there. Tune in for the next episode of RADIO STATIC!

Channel 000.8; Roots of Something Bigger

Just a friendly reminder to all you would-be bigots out there, ghouls are people too. You see, children, ghouls are simply humans who've been exposed to an ungodly amount of radiation and haven't had the good fortune to die. Sure, they may look like hideous zombies from an old monster flick, but their hearts, their souls, their tears are all very much human. So please, if you meet one of the Capital Wasteland's many ghouls, leave your prejudice at the door and your pistol in its holster. Ah yes, one important caveat, kiddies. Those feral ghouls that prefer the dark, dank underground? They are basically mindless zombies. So kill as many as you damn well please.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Together Fluky and I sat, in a small opening surrounded by... trees. It'd have made a good spot for a campfire, if the trees weren't made of metal. These branches weren't exactly flammable...

Whose idea was it to make metal trees?

Oh, don't mind me! Just gonna turn nature's oxygen supply into fucking metal! Hey! While I'm at it, why don't I just go ahead and turn the air into chlorine!?

Ugh... my back hurts... and my head... and everything else...

It was safe to assume that I wasn't in a good mood, considering my situation...

I lied down in the grass - which, to my surprise, was real grass - and stared up at the virtual sky, until it went dark on me. The two of us remained dead silent the whole time we were blinded. When it came back, Fluky turned and looked at me.

"You alright?"

"Come back to me with that question in an hour and try again."

She lied down on her stomach and looked out at the moderate stretch of bridge ahead, on the path, maybe a few dozen yards away. On the other side, was the door out of this place. At least... I hoped it was. It was kind of hard to tell. For all I knew, it could have led to another section of the residential area.

Please don't let it lead there...

About a minute passed by, and I felt my rear hoof get raised, which only agitated the entire limb...

I looked down to see Fluky by my side, holding it up. She glanced at me, then returned to my hoof. She proceeded to prod at the injury, to which I winced, groaned, and jolted a bit. She took her hoof away immediately.

"Sorry about that..." She gently set it down on the grass and went for a hanging vine. "I'm gonna have to patch it up." She bit down on the nearest vine and ripped it loose from the tree it hung from, then came back. "Unfortunately, we'll have to make do with what we got."

"Wait, whoa..." I sat up, wincing, and she looked at me in worry. I put my hooves over my injury. "That doesn't sound like a good idea... What about infection?"

She looked on for a few seconds in thought, then dropped the vine in her mouth with a nod of understanding. "Hm..." She proceeded to look around. "Well... I'm not exactly seeing other alternatives..." Then she turned to the bridge... "I'll be right back."

"Flukes, no!" I started to get up, but a sharp pain in my leg flared up, causing me to moan and lie back down. It was astonishing I was still conscious at this point.

"Don't call me that." She replied, heading off for the bridge. "I'll be back. Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye."

"Fluky..." I tried to get up again, but my leg and back both worked together to keep me down. "Damn it, don't!"

She returned to me and looked down, deep in my eyes. "If I don't, you'll die." She stated with mild worry in her voice.

"Then I'll get what's coming." I shook my head with worry. "Don't go..."

She gently placed her hoof on my cheek and looked on, smiling sadly. "You're allowed to die when I say you can. Right now is not that time." With that, she ran off for the bridge.

"Fluky!" I called out. "Don't-AGH!" My hoof was flared up and burning, and my back was aching like nothing I had ever felt before. "Fluky!"

There was no response.

Goddess damn it... I swear, if anything happened to her...

I wouldn't be able to handle that...

I was stuck there with the recording of birds chirping, until everything in here shut down, then had everything reboot and continue their singing.

Whenever the lights went out, I imagined something would come out and finish me off. Or that, when they came back on, I'd be face to face with one of those fungal things...

I kept my ears open for anything when everything turned off, but all I heard was my own panicked breathing, the rapid beating in my chest, and the distant struggles of the beetle that Fluky had trapped.

I didn't know what was keeping me alive this long... Fate? Karma? Adrenaline? I should've passed out long ago, but I was fading away slowly, rather than what would have been the norm for my situation.

Still... Over time, I found it harder to keep my eyes open... I was losing too much blood...

Too... much...

(((((((◉)))))))

The air was hot and heavy with fire and ash. Sweat dripped down my form in mere seconds of being exposed to the outside.

The sky glowed red overhead, with the same wide patches of black I had seen earlier. The screams of souls cried out once more in a choir. Looking to the horizons, in every direction, was a torn and desiccated city. The bloody skies blanketed over the land for as far as the naked eye could see. I had noticed something else, as well...

I could see the park in the far distance, but the vortex that was once behind it, appeared to be gradually moving off towards the east, as if drawn by something. As it slowly swept past, more of the white orbs were ripped from the earth, sucking them up like a vacuum; ensnaring them.

I stood upon the tower that still remained standing upright, and looking down, I was greeted by the massive field of gore that consisted of... trees...

I had noticed my hoof wasn't hurting anymore. I didn't know if that meant that I was dead, or if I was just too out of it to feel anymore. Either way, it wasn't something worth celebrating.

"It's a beautiful day, yes?" Someone spoke from behind in a rather charming voice. Slightly cheerful, too. I spun around and looked at the silver coated stallion, standing there with a grin as clean as...

... Para's...

The gunshot in his chest was left untreated, but he didn't seem to pay it any mind. His mane was black, raggedy, and covering one eye, like a certain pony I saw on billboards and posters...

"Who... who are you...?" I asked, keeping my distance.

He gestured to himself and spoke with confidence. "I am Happy." Then he pointed a hoof to me. "And you must be Charger."

"How do you know my name?"

He gave an amused 'hmph' and looked on with blue eyes. "Well, why wouldn't I?" He paused, putting a hoof to his muzzle and thought to himself with pursed lips as I stared quietly. "That question kind of answers itself, doesn't it...?" He reached out a hoof and smiled once more, looking at me. "I suppose we haven't formerly been introduced."

"Your face is on billboards and posters." I stated simply.

He put his hoof down, and his smile faded. "Yes, well... I've taken better pictures than that..." That grin came back. "Smaller too, if ya want something for your wallet."

"How are you here?"

That question seemed to kill that grin, and he looked on with a more serious expression, as if I had offended him. "I beg your pardon?"

"The billboards couldn't have been put up after the bombs. Which means you were around before that happened. So, you're either a copycat killer, or you're the real thing. Though that could be unlikely... I mean... Look at you. You haven't aged a day. I'm... finding it hard to decide my theory..." I observed him carefully. Yep, he looked exactly like the one in the poster... But the poster was offering caps for him, which meant that he had also done things after the war... right? Ugh... This was giving me a headache. I loved a good mystery book, but this was beyond my skills. "There were some things said on a billboard, claiming you were a murderer and a psychopath. What's that all about?" I narrowed my eyes.

"False accusations." He waved a hoof, dismissing what I had said and looking to his left with mild irritation on his features. "I only made people happy. They always smiled."

"How?"

He looked back at me with a raised brow. "How what?"

"Come on, you know what." I rolled my eyes. "How did you make ponies happy?"

"By giving them what they sought."

"And what exactly did they seek?" I asked quickly.

"Freedom." That grin came back once more. "They sought freedom, and so I gave to them what others feared to give. I gave to them their desires. The others hated it, because they thought it was against the rules. They thought it as evil. And so I was punished for it."

"You killed."

"That's where you're mistaken, Charger." He stepped forward, and I stepped back, closer to the ledge. My rear hoof nearly slipped off, but I quickly corrected myself, looking at the ledge. He gently put his hoof on the side of my face, turning me to face him with ease, as if it were a romantic gesture. Our eyes locked with each other, and he smiled warmly. "I helped ponies. I could help you."

Okay, maybe I was dead, because my heart would have been thumping hard inside me right now, and it wasn't. I couldn't feel anything in there but a cold emptiness...

I glanced around our surroundings, before locking eyes with him again, hoping I could change the topic. "Where are we?"

He put his hoof down, but kept his muzzle less than in inch from mine. "Saddle. My hometown. It's been a while, I'll admit."

"Why does it look like this?" I gestured to the ruins.

"What do you mean?" He raised a brow and looked around, before returning to me again. "It's always looked like this."

I spun back to him. "Always looked like..." I shook my head hard. "Okay then..." I spoke in disbelief of what I just heard. "Why are we up here?" I still hated the idea of heights...

"Mm." He nodded. "Yeah, I was hoping you could help me with that. See, I seem to have misplaced something, and I can't find it. Will you help me?"

Something told me that if I refused, I'd be dead. Though, that didn't seem like much of a difference now. Still, I may as well have played along. Maybe it'd save me from getting tortured for the horrible things I've done.

"What did you lose?"

He grinned at my reply and spoke. "I lost a battery."

(((((((◉)))))))

The real world - or, what I hoped was the real world - rushed back to me with a sudden, sharp pain in my chest. I gasped hard; my lungs wheezing as oxygen flooded the air sacs. I almost shot up from the shock, but my body preferred to stay down at the moment.

Then, somehow, everything started feeling better. I felt stronger. Much stronger. Much more awake. Much more alive. The pain subsided.

I opened my eyes, and Fluky stood before me, pulling a syringe out of my chest with her teeth, before dropping it between us. She regarded my coolly. "What did I say about you dying?"

Panting, I couldn't help but be playful. "To die without your permission?"

She raised a brow. "Funny." She paused, then added. "I got five more of those needles to stab into your chest, should the need..." Her eyes moved over my form, up and down, while her head remained still. "... Arise."

I smiled faintly and spoke with sarcasm. "I'll definitely look forward to that."

She shook her head and revealed some bandages. "Hold still, you butt. I need to take care of your leg."

I kept my back against the grassy surface and looked up at the sky... er... the 'sky,' as Fluky got to work on my leg. There were still sudden, sharp pains that flared up at her touch, but it wasn't enough to make me jolt.

I felt a liquid pour over it, and that's when the entire vicinity burned like hell... That made me jolt a bit. A lot, actually. I looked down shortly after, to find Fluky was in between my legs, observing and cleaning the area with alcohol.

"Where did you find all that stuff, anyways?" I winced.

She glanced at me and smirked, before resuming her operation. "Around."

"Thanks for painting a picture." I said flatly. "I mean, what's ahead?"

She looked behind her, then back at me, pointing a hoof the other way. "A tree."

...

I stared flatly, before sighing with exasperation. I swear, she was as bad as Fire with her snarky attitude...

Finally, she chuckled and shook her head, before putting the bottle of alcohol down and going for the bandages. "Looks like a medical wing, but further in, it starts becoming more..." She paused, but continued wrapping the fabric around my leg. "I don't know how to put it... Mechanical?" She looked to me for clarification, but I just shrugged. "There was an entrance to a mine or something, but the door is fused shut. There were a lot of sentries around that area anyways, so I steered clear."

I nodded and looked at her sincerely. "Thank you, Fluky. I wouldn't have made it if it wasn't for you."

She smiled faintly, then averted her eyes back to my leg. "Well..." She gently set it down after tying it off. "I think that'll do for now."

A sudden realization washed over me. I had died. Or... at the very least, came very close to it. Close enough that I stopped breathing. This place would have been my steel coffin, if it wasn't for that needle. Fluky was doing more good for me than I was for her... My life seemed to be in her hooves on more than one occasion.

Sweet Celestia, the surface was biza-wait... I'm not on the surface. The underground was just as bizarre as the rest of the world, I guess.

... I dunno...

(((((((◉)))))))

I was back to limping on three hooves. There was no way I was going to even attempt putting any pressure on my injured hoof. Judging by how it looked, it'd fall off if I tried.

The stretch of bridge curved upwards, allowing me to see only the top of the door ahead. Fluky must have closed it when she came back. She was playing it safe. I liked that.

We got to the door, and I looked over at her. "So, did you by any chance find any healing potions when you went in here?"

She shook her head slowly. "Sorry... Otherwise, I would've just used that on you."

I sighed and patted her head gently. "It's okay." With that, I hit the door switch, to which the door folded in on itself, moving aside to grant us entry.

We stepped forward together in a plant-infested corridor. The lights hummed softly above us, while all else was silent.

There were two signs ahead; one pointed left, while the other pointed right. The one on the left read 'MACH. MANUFACTURE' while the other read 'MINE.'

"Did you check out the left?" I asked quietly, keeping my eyes ahead, but leaning closer to her.

"Tried." She replied. "But honestly, it's best if we don't..." I looked at her, to which she resumed. "Sentries and those spider-like robots that float... They just kept coming out of that room in never ending waves..."

Yikes... I really didn't want to have to deal with any of that...

"There's a vent to the right." She continued as she made her way forward. "Follow me."

She had the right idea. It was best to just travel through the air ducts from here on out. There was just too much dangerous activity going around, and all Fluky had was a baton that she could barely lift with her magic, if at all, and all I had was a pistol, with not a whole lot of ammo. Even then, it was kind of useless. I wanted to avoid as much fighting as possible.

We turned right, at the intersection, and came to a stop at a vent in the wall - and found that I was correct about them being maintenance hatches, judging by the label above the grate - and crawled inside, one after the other. She got in first, since she had more knowledge of this section than I. Where she had little, I had none.

The stronger additions of the sentries, Handy's, and Gutsy's patrolled the grid in teams of three... As if they weren't strong enough as it was... Sheesh...

Their one major flaw was that they didn't seem to think of anything traveling through air ducts. As long as we stayed quiet, then we wouldn't have any troubles.

Then I noticed something strange as I looked down through one of the grates...

The ground consisted of quite a lot of distorted pony faces; all the same color... And I use the term 'pony' lightly. Really, it was those fungal abominations. Their coats were pancaked against the floor, with the tread marks of sentry wheels embedded into them.

They must have gotten in their way, and because of that, they were run over repeatedly, over and over again, for as long as they've been patrolling the same section. The machines weren't shooting at them, for some reason. That much was revealed, back in the residential area of 32.

We continued on our way. I was hoping none of those fungal things would be there, but this place had been compromised long ago, unfortunately. It seemed the entire stable was overrun with them, specifically. The robots were a hassle, yes. But the pony... tentacle... things... they were far worse. They traveled in massive numbers, had a decent reach to them, and did... unexplainable things to their... prey.

I shuddered and closed my eyes just at the thought of that griffin getting pulled into the creature's stomach, screaming and trying to break free as it 'fed' him...

The metal surroundings started to creak, causing us both to stop. Fluky looked back at me, and I at her; both of us concerned, judging by how I felt, and her expression.

Then our floor fell, and us with it.

So... it probably wasn't a good idea for us to stop over a weak spot in the vent...

There was no telling where we were, before the fall. We had been going for a while, with only one choice ahead of us.

Fluky screamed as we plummeted down, and in less than a second, we struck the surface.

"Gah!" A Handy shouted in their posh tone. "Intruders!"

"Fuck me sideways..." I shook my head and quickly pulled out the baton, slid it over to a slowly recovering Fluky, who wouldn't have known it was there, had it not bumped into her hip, and unholstered the pistol. My tongue worked around the trigger.

Fluky bit down on the grip of the baton.

Suddenly, the screeching of metal on metal occurred just outside the shaft. My ears rang with the horrible piercing that traveled through the sound waves. I had nearly pulled the trigger from the surprise, which would have ended in Fluky having a bullet up her ass.

I quickly looked away, just in case I did end up firing on accident.

A buzzsaw worked its way through the top right hoof corner of the shaft, trying to break in. I quickly backed up from the weapon that gradually cut through.

My heart thumped hard enough that it was starting to hurt... Bad. Fear grew inside me faster than my newly developed hate for buzzsaws.

It was going to gut me... I was going to die. No, no... please, fuck... NO! Don't let it get me! I don't want to die!

Fluky crawled for the other end, and before leaving, looked back at me. I saw her mouth moving, as if she were talking. I couldn't understand her. I couldn't hear her. Only the buzzing of saws against metal...

I stared at her for what must have been minutes. The saw had almost cut between us completely. Then her horn flashed a bright yellow, her eyes glowed white, and her voice boomed through the waves.

"MOVE!"

I snapped out of it and shook my head. Her eyes went dim, returning to her normal colors. The aura around her horn disappeared, and she shook her head, rubbing her temple and blinking as she looked around her surroundings. Ignoring the saw, I backed out immediately. Fluky started to crawl out the other end, after seeing me do it.

Three of the bigger, upgraded Handy units hovered there, waiting eagerly to deal with their 'intruders.' The light between the plating wasn't green, or even blue for that matter, but instead, a bright red.

I quickly aimed at the one closest to me, which had been digging into the air duct we were once in. One of its three eyes circled around to face me. "Ah ha! Found you!"

I pulled the trigger twice, but they just deflected off its frame, not leaving so much as a dent. It pulled its buzzsaw free from the duct, and its three arms rotated, only to aim a device with a lit blowtorch on the end, just below a small gun barrel.

The other two seemed to share the same idea...

I turned around as fast as the armor would allow me and booked it for the nearest thing I could find for shelter; a metal desk.

Before I could even get around it, they had doused me in flame. The heat grew on my back and rear excessively, and I was already starting to sweat, after just a second of it. Fire danced in the corners of my vision as I ran...

But I had noticed that it didn't hurt. I had expected horrible, agonizing pain that would scorch my hide and boil my skin; that would eventually kill me for good and leave me as a barbecue.

Instead, there was just an increase in temperature that was more annoying than it was painful.

I ducked behind the desk as pillars of fire shot out at me. I spared myself maybe a few seconds of time, if that. This pistol was useless here. I needed something stronger...

I would have loved guns like Bloodwing's, right about now...

My eyes darted for the left as I prepped myself to jump out of cover and start shooting again, despite my chances of having anything successfully hit being quite slim. That's when I noticed the drawer beside me was left ajar. Inside, I caught the glimpse of a clip, along with a box of ammo.

I yanked it open and quickly pocketed both the clip and the box. Chances were I'd be needing it very soon, assuming I survived this. I had more than enough doubt that it'd work against these units, but every little bit helped. Maybe one of my shots would get lucky and hit something vital.

The large torrent of flame that swept over the surface of the desk had ceased, and I could hear the Handy's advancing from both sides, flanking me.

My armor sizzled from the abuse it had endured as I stayed crouched, ready to fire at the one that would come out before me. If I was lucky, I could turn fast enough and fire at that one too, if the first one was stunned, or better yet, expired. That was more unlikely, however. So I prepared to evade, if I couldn't at least stun it.

I caught the very edge of a buzzsaw start to come out of cover from the desk, before Fluky shouted.

"Hey, you big cyber bullies! Go beat each other up for caps, or something!"

Or something? Seriously...?

The buzzsaw retreated from my view. "Come here, you immature midget!"

She scoffed. "Midget!? I'm not a mi-" She stopped, only to release another scoff.

I shook my head, clenched my teeth down on the grip harder, came out from the cover that the desk offered, and opened fire on the Handy closest to Fluky, getting ready to cut into her. As I had expected, the round ricocheted off its metal plating...

... And struck me in the head.

I fell back, groaning, as a sharp, ringing pain lingered in my temple. Placing my hoof over where the bullet had struck, I felt a flattened piece of metal stuck in a tiny crater in my helmet. If I hadn't been wearing that...

Okay, deep thoughts for later...

I shook my head to try and snap out of it and focus, then got up. My head still hurt, but there was nothing I could do about that at the moment. The armor was strong enough to not make me pass out, or better yet, die. I wasn't going to look a gift-horse in the mouth.

I grabbed a hold of my pistol, which had fallen from my grip when I got shot, then aimed it back at the Handy units, firing in random order. Concentrate, Charger... Concentrate!

They were still going for Fluky, who was giving them the run-around, clanging her baton against anything she passed by to keep their attention on her... and it was working.

What wasn't working were these bullets against their armor. What were these machines made of!?

After repeated pings and ricochets, which had me ducking back for cover for a few seconds each time, my gun had finally clicked. I ejected the clip, letting it drop to the ground, to which I grabbed a fresh one from my pouch, slid it into the gun, and cocked the chamber back.

Retreating from cover, it came to my attention that they had cornered Fluky and were getting ready to cut into her. She tried running under them, but one of them grabbed a hold of her, keeping her from escaping.

"No!" She shouted. "Get off me!" She turned and looked at me... looked at me with those eyes I've seen one too many times before...

I pulled the trigger...

Three Handy's became two.

The third that had a firm grasp on Fluky had fallen; the light within it flickering out.

The other two immediately stopped what they were doing and looked at me. They had a threat now.

I quickly aimed at the next one and fired, taken out of my moment of surprise that things had actually gone my way for once.

It didn't go down instantly, but the round penetrated the armor, which was more than I was getting less than a minute ago.

Fluky got to work on removing the clasp that held her leg. It had locked around her limb, by the looks of it.

They came at me with their buzzsaws, instead of their flamers. I imagined they needed refueling, after throwing all that fire my way. Which meant that these units didn't have restoration talismans built into them. That was a big plus.

I noticed that these ones were a lot quieter than the ones I fought before, though. They didn't talk as much.

I continued firing, but within a matter of seconds, they had reached the desk and were ready to cut my head off in one fell swoop. One Handy swung from one side, for my neck, while the other swung from the other side.

I ducked just as the saws came around, then came back up to resume firing.

The plating of the left was riddled with holes, and sparks flashed about within. I could hear the internal mechanics going on the fritz, and soon enough, after a series of uncontrollably twitching, its arms spasmed, causing me to go back for cover.

The other unit went around the desk to deal with me. It had decided to take the route I was facing; the right. Otherwise I probably wouldn't have noticed, until it started digging through my armor.

The first few shots were a miss, as I was aiming at the jet that kept it aloft. Three bullets... what a waste. I had about six shots left in the clip.

My fourth shot hit towards the base of the jet, causing it to stagger and struggle to keep itself up off the ground. It made attempts to swing at me, but I jumped back and leaned my head back. By the time the saw came around, it felt as if it were about an inch or so away from nicking my muzzle... Too close for comfort.

I backed up more, but kept away from the spasming unit. That was when I found my heart was still pounding hard in my chest. I was breathing heavily out of panic.

It seemed I was right about the arms stretching out farther than the earlier models... Yikes...

It didn't come for me, and it didn't back away. Instead, it seemed to focus solely on trying to keep itself up.

I calmed myself and looked down the sight, aiming at the gap between the plating. Once I had a good shot, I took it.

The machine fell instantly.

The other Handy was still having a mechanical seizure, so I put that out of its 'misery' as well. It was probably for the best, anyways. Eventually, it could have fixed something on the inside and become operational again, though that was unlikely without a restoration talisman. Still, I wasn't taking my chances.

I looked over at Fluky to see she was still struggling with the clasp. She was beating it with the baton, but that wasn't going too well for her. I walked over, put the gun down beside her, and tried removing the plating so I could see what was keeping her shackled like that. Unfortunately, it seemed to be a lot more secure than I would have liked. Removing it without welding gear wasn't an option.

I picked my gun back up, aimed it at the joint between the arm and the clasp, and put a bullet in.

The clasp immediately released, and Fluky backed away from the expired Handy. She looked up at me with sincerity in her eyes and sighed with a slight nod. "Thank you."

"You didn't have to distract them, you know." I put the gun down and slid the clip out, then cocked the chamber back. I caught the bullet that sprang out from the gun in midair, then slid it back into the clip. I had two rounds left.

"I was trying to help you." She stated, looking down as if she were being scolded.

I smiled faintly. "Guess that puts us Fluky, 5, Charger, 3, on the who-saves-who count."

She smiled back. "Robutt, 4. You're missing one."

"I am?" I raised a brow.

"You just saved me from getting ripped apart, you pushed me out of the way from that explosion, back in the park, you saved me from getting attacked by the group of bad guys, and you saved me from when the other robutts attacked my home."

"Oh..." I didn't think of that last one as saving her... But she did. And that made me feel at least... a little better...

"Which ones are you counting towards me?"

"You gave the Handy's a run around to distract them, you helped me with my hoof the best you could, you helped me when that radio blew up in my face, you saved me from dying when my gut was torn open, and you saved us from the motel encounter." I paused, then added. "Guess I'm never gonna catch up, huh?"

"You never know." She smirked.

I looked down at the clip in my hoof. "Well, if worse comes to worse, we can always just hit the off switch. Got only two bullets left. One for each of us."

She stared at me in worry; all wide-eye'd, like she got whenever something freaked her out.

I tilted my head to the side a little and smirked, narrowing my eyes. "Gotcha." I pulled out the box of rounds I had taken from the desk and dropped them before me. The inventory inside clattered around to the impact against the ground.

She took a deep breath and shook her head. "You had me worried for a second, there."

I chuckled softly as I opened the box. Now that I thought about it...

I pulled out the other box and looked inside, only to see normal rounds. But the ones in the new box were slightly bulkier... and a bit heavier, too. I went to read the label, but all I got was a sticky note on the side of the yellow box, which read 'T rounds. Use only in emergencies.' They were the same exact silver color as the plating of the Handy's we had just finished fighting.

So regular bullets didn't work on these upgraded machines. It was T rounds that got the job done... Sure wish I had known that before wasting an entire clip of the regulars on them.

I loaded the clip with the T rounds, then grabbed the empty spare to fill that one up with the same rounds as the other. I had a strong feeling in my gut that we'd be dealing with a lot of buzzsaws and gatlings from here on out. Hopefully, they worked just as good on the fungal creatures as they did on the machines. I wasn't ready to fight them. But I had to stomach it and do it regardless, if they got in our way. In this crazy, underground station of death, it was me or them. And I chose them. I've been out here for a little over a week, and I had already come close to dying on several counts. I had caught a glimpse of Hell. I have had enough encounters I wouldn't have ever dreamt of, but there was more coming. I knew it. I needed to be ready.

"Let's search the room, and then we'll be on our way." I said, just before slapping the clip back home and putting the spare in the pouch, along with both boxes of ammo. I was getting low on the regulars, but thankfully, the box of T rounds was full when I found it. If I was smart about it, they'd last a while. I guess the pony that owned the T rounds never lived long enough to use them for emergencies.

I stood up and started to head for the filing cabinets, while Fluky searched the other side of the room. There wasn't much of anything, except boring paperwork and medical results. After skimming through the papers, something had caught my attention, however. There was a name written in cursive. They had signed for a medical examination, but it didn't say what for.

The name written on the bottom was none other than Petiole.

I put the paper back and resumed my search for anything useful.

Throughout my search, I had found nothing. Not much time passed though, so it wasn't a complete waste. I moved to the desk to finish my search for more resources, but there was nothing else in there that would have proved useful. I had already grabbed the ammo, but the gun that belonged with it was nowhere to be found.

Just before it was concluded that we had searched everything, I found a piece of paper lying in the bottom of the upper desk drawer.

'Note to self. Find a way to turn oxygen into chlorine.'

Oh, those motherfu-

(((((((◉)))))))

With the airduct being broken, there was no traveling the safer route anymore. We had to walk the grounds that the machines endlessly patrolled.

Upon poking my head out of the open doorway, I found the coast was clear. To the right was a sign that pointed off towards the mine which, according to the direction the arrow pointed, took another right, just down the hall.

The left theoretically led back to where we came from. At least, judging by where we were going and where we came from before the vent dropped.

We would have to continue on until we found another entry hatch, as the one back there was now worthless to us.

We started for the direction of the mine, and upon stepping into the intersection, we stopped. The route ahead of us led down, but the floor beneath us had been flooded with brown, murky water. A long stretch of corridor was on our right, and at the very end, machines patrolled. There was a massive door at the far end, unlike any other I had seen here so far.

The water started rippling...

Without hesitation, I grabbed Fluky, who complained about personal space and the lack of. I put her on my back and booked it to the left as best as a pony could with a crippled hoof that was threatening to fall off if they weren't careful.

A sentry started to come into view ahead, but I wasn't stopping there. Instead, I pressed forward, hoping I could reach the next door before that green light between its black plating became red.

Something burst from the water behind us, and the lights of the sentry flashed blue. I wasn't sure if it was because of me, or because of whatever was behind us.

"SUSPICIOUS ACTIVITY DETECTED. INVESTIGATING."

Before it could turn its heavy mass to face us directly, I slammed my hoof against a door panel and jumped inside, right after the door slid open. I slammed the button of the panel on the other side, and the door closed behind us. There was a window that gave us a view of the corridor outside, and after looking around the room to find that it was clear, I set a confused Fluky down beside me and got up on the couch underneath that window, peeking out. I could hear the booming voice of the sentry as it approached.

"UNKNOWN LIFEFORM DETECTED. USE OF LETHAL FORCE AUTHORIZED."

A massive flurry of lasers flew to the right, while a bunch of oversized crab-like creatures with four legs charged for the left, towards the overpowered machine that ripped into them without any real challenge. A few had already fallen or just downright disintegrated into a red, glowing powder, right before me. Piles of the red powder blew away from any wind currents, no thanks to the army of crabs that ran forward. Some of them had stepped right over what remained of them, knocking their glowing remains around along the metal flooring.

I lied my back against the couch, looking up at the ceiling. My hoof was aching from the sorry excuse of running that I had just done. I looked over at Fluky to see she was staring up at a vent in the ceiling.

No time like the present...

I got up, groaning from the pain that my leg was being put through... and then I heard a hissing...

Fluky snapped her head in my direction, then looked towards the bedroom door, which was left open.

One of the fungal creatures stumbled out and looked at me, baring those black fangs. I quickly reached for my gun, but before I could bite the grip, those 'fangs' shot out in slimy tendrils, wrapping around my helmet and ripping it off. I started to jump back for cover, but they moved with haste, grabbing a firm hold of my head, to which they pulled me closer to the monster. Its mouth was held wide open as my hooves dragged along the ground. I couldn't stop myself from moving...

"Fuck, fuck, fuck, Fluky!"

She ran up to me and grabbed a hold of my pistol, ripping it from the holster and aiming it at the monster before me. The slime around the tendrils started rubbing off on my mane, and I could feel it in my coat. I looked ahead to see something moving deep within its throat, before emerging like the pod thing that I had seen come out of the stomach of the first one. It unfolded like a flower, revealing several small fangs, while the center had several smaller, wiggling tendrils awaiting my arrival.

"It's not working!" She shouted.

"Pull the trigger!"

"I am! It won't move!"

"Damn it, hit the safety!" I shouted back in desperation, doing all I could to pull away. I wasn't far now...

"The what!?"

"The switch on the side of the fucking gun! HIT IT! PLEASE, FUCK, JUST HIT IT!" It was stronger than I. No matter how hard I pulled back, it pulled back harder.

The 'pedals' of the flower-like suction that emerged from its mouth dug into the sides of my face; its tiny, sharp fangs digging in and pulling me in closer, only to let go and get a better hold of my head. The tendrils in the center of the flower were slapping against my muzzle, trying to get in. All I could see was the red, fleshy insides of the flower. I wanted to scream just at the touch of it, but the moment I opened my mouth, that would have been it for me.

The tentacles started to enter through my nostrils... They were delving deep. All I could do was scream with my lips sealed tightly together...

Then came the loud bang of a gun. I felt the tendrils around and inside me tense up, before writhing around. There was another shot that followed, and the creature tore its pedals off, leaving holes in my face that allowed blood to flow freely. The two that had been traveling through my nasal passage quickly recoiled as I fought to back away; finally able to breathe again. Even then, I didn't want to open my mouth.

The black tendrils that I had thought were its fangs let go of my head and whipped around to grab a hold of Fluky. Their new threat. Her eyes grew wide with fear and realization that she was being targeted.

I ran for her, pushed her out of the way, and received a very discomforting, wet slap to my side, knocking me back and causing me to fall down on her baton. Despite the barding, that was probably going to leave a mark...

Fluky got up and fired one more shot before they grabbed a hold of her head as they did mine. She fired again and again, striking its head repeatedly, but one of the tendrils around her let go and tore it from her grasp, throwing it across the room. She screamed in terror as it dragged her in; moving a lot faster than it had done with me. I assumed it was because she was a lot lighter than I.

I got up, grabbed the baton I lied on, and ran forward. "LEAVE HER ALONE!" I shouted in a muffled cry, before striking the tendrils between her and the monster, only to find that they had a rubbery texture to them. Seeing as that didn't do a whole lot for me, or for her for that matter, I swung the baton at its head. It recoiled and threw her back, then faced me, ready to take me on once more.

"Fluky, grab the gun!" I shouted behind the weapon in my mouth, before lodging it into its right eye and jumping back.

It recoiled further, taking the baton with it. I continued to back away, watching it closely. Fluky was still on the ground, slowly recovering from the knock back. I made my way for the couch, where the gun was tossed. Just outside, the massive sentry rolled past, crushing and obliterating all that was in its way. We had gone unnoticed by it. Even if it had noticed us, there was nothing it could do at this time.

One of the black tendrils moved up and wrapped around the hilt of the baton, tore it from its eye, and dropped it on the metal floor with a loud clang. There was a thick, green pus on the end, and more dripped out from its orifice.

Grimacing, I went down for the gun. Upon doing so, I heard the snapping and cracking of bones; the ripping and tearing of hide. I quickly shot back up to see its back was bulging as it stared directly at me with one glowing eye. Dark brown, hairy appendages had grown out from its mutilated back, and the ends touched down on the floor, lifting its body off the ground as it continued to hiss and growl in a note I hadn't heard from them before. There was another voice behind it; something of a demented roar as its tentacles writhed around viciously, eager to take me again.

It had grown the legs that of a spider, but unlike the common arachnid, it only had four.

By the time it had risen, it was nearly touching the ceiling. It stomach split open, and several other tendrils spilled out like guts, writhing around as if enraged.

Something swelled in the center of the flower-like appendage that stuck out of its gaping mouth, looking a lot like a bulbous pustule. I quickly grabbed my helmet off the floor between me and it, slammed it on my head, and grabbed the table in front of the sofa just as it was ready to burst. I dragged it over to Fluky and tipped it over, not giving a damn about any of the contents that lied on its surface.

Before I could duck, it had burst...

I turned my head away just as a wall of white splattered against my armored form. Looking over on my left shoulder, I saw several white, maggoty parasites crawling around me. One by one, with haste, I tore them off wherever I could find them and threw the disgusting critters across the room, away from us. Some had splattered against the wall and exploded in bursts of white. They were probably already really weak, but the force behind my throws were pretty violent as well. Others that hadn't hit me, struck the wall behind us, or the table, killing them instantly.

I looked at Fluky afterward, but she seemed fixated on my groinal region. I looked down... Oh hell no.

I tore one last parasite from my crotch and threw it at the beast. Thank the royal sisters that that part of me was just as armored up as the rest of my body...

The towering abomination responded with shooting a stream of unknown liquid at me, via the burst pustule that had been carrying its... babies, or whatever the fuck those things were. The monster's distorted screams went on.

I kept my head turned away and ducked; one half of my barding drenched in pus and whatever it just shot at me. Its piss?

Fluky looked at me in worry.

"Don't touch me." I spoke with warning, looking at her. "I think it did something to my armor. It could be contagious... or lethal."

"What are we gonna do...?" She whimpered as it roared. I was barely able to make out what it was she had asked.

"We're gonna fight it..."

"How...?" She peeked around the corner, then quickly retreated as the stream of liquid sprayed at where her head once was. She looked at me in horror and asked aloud. "How!?"

"I don't know yet... The bullets didn't seem to do much for us..."

"Where's the baton?"

I shook my head hard. "I don't think we should use it anymore. It's covered..."

"Covered...?"

"Don't ask..." With that, I tried to prepare myself for what I was about to do, which admittedly, was a stupid plan, but it was all I had. I took a deep breath and exhaled behind clenched teeth. "Here we go..." I jumped out from cover to see the monster had been making its way for the tipped over table, and started firing blind shots at its body, over and over again, as I strafed around the room. It stayed focused on me. Some of the rounds had struck the spider-like appendages, but not even that had much of an effect on it.

"Goddess damn it, just die!" I shouted, before resuming fire.

It turned and faced me, and immediately, the pustule began again, spraying my visor. Hints of it got into my mouth upon the stream focusing on the gun. The taste was rancid and was almost like moldy, rotted food. Bitter and sour. I gagged and choked, and through all that, my shots were getting misplaced. I was still firing, despite all that. I couldn't stop. One hit the window, another hit the door. A third bounced off the floor, then the wall, then the ceiling, and only then, did it strike the back of the creature's head. Still, that didn't do much in my favor.

One of its tendrils wrapped around my left foreleg, and the other wrapped around my right. I kept firing. There was no way I was going to sto-

The gun clicked.

"Damn it!" I tried pulling my hooves back as the gun fell to the ground, and this time I had actually managed to pull back. It wasn't futile after all. I raised on my hind legs and kept pulling back. "BRING IT ON, FUCKER! YOU AND ME!"

The other two black tendrils wrapped around my hind legs and lifted me off the ground as I waved my arms and legs around in a frantic effort to escape.

I felt one of its appendages tighten around my bandaged leg, causing me to scream behind my clenched teeth. I knew what it was trying to do... Trying to get me to open wide for it... That wasn't going to happen...

Not gonna happen...

It knew I wasn't going to so easily, either... and so it tightened its grip even more, to the point where I heard a snap, a pop, and a tear... and holy shit, did I feel it...

It held my own severed hoof in front of me in a taunting wave as I cried out, doing my best to keep my mouth closed. It was hard... It was so hard... I was getting weaker by the second from blood loss... How much blood did I have left to lose, at this point? Not a whole lot, I imagined...

It tossed my hoof aside and wrapped around my stump tightly, stopping the circulation, therefore causing the drainage of my blood to cease for the most part.

I heard a few items clatter along the ground behind me, but I couldn't see what they were.

Two of the tendrils from its abdomen came up and forced my maw open with impatience. I jolted around as it brought me closer to its mouth; the tendrils in its flower eager to reach me.

They started whipping around my muzzle once more... and then my lips. I felt them on my teeth; on my tongue. Starting to explore the inside of my mouth as they made their way for my throat. A sour, rotten taste started to fill me...

I heard the gun click, and a second later, several gunshots. The tentacles writhed again, and the creature threw me back. I slid along the floor inside the bedroom, coughing and hacking from what was just inside me. I looked down through the open doorway to see Fluky shooting at the monster as she ran around the room, making it turn around in circles. Tentacles from its stomach lashed out at her, but her reflexes were good. Too good for a pony her age...

I had underestimated her.

Then I noticed her eyes were flashing white, and her horn was flared up in a bright yellow aura.

It was no wonder she was kicking ass right now. Her magic had kicked in again.

The gun wasn't in her mouth, but instead, flew around the room, firing in an organized sequence. With each shot, the rounds stayed frozen in midair; evenly spaced from each other. The gun increased in speed that started to become a blur to me. By the time that clip had been emptied, every bullet moved in unison, striking the monster all at once, from every side. The whole time, she jumped, somersaulted, slid, and dodged any attacks that came to her, all while running around the room. As she did, the box of T rounds opened up, and the gun hovered over it; the clip sliding out. Within a span of 2 seconds, bullets had flown in from the box in a line, loading the clip in full. It slammed home, and she resumed her trick prior to the loading of the gun.

I quickly looked around the room to conveniently find a handgun and a few grenades with red bands around them, along with a note, and the skeleton of a pony on the mattress with a bullet driven through the skull.

I immediately got up and grabbed the pistol, rushed back to the doorway, and started firing repeatedly at the bea-

Damn it, no bullets! Seriously!?

I dropped the gun and went for the grenades. "Fluky, look out!" I shouted, holding out a grenade, standing in the doorway.

She didn't look in my direction. Honestly, I didn't think she could even see or hear me.

I pulled the pin with my teeth and chucked the grenade at the monster. It landed beneath the beast and stayed still for a few seconds.

Fluky was giving it the run around, and suddenly, right after ducking from a swing of a black tendril, she tensed up and disappeared in a flash of yellow.

Then the room lit up in a fiery blaze. The bullets that had been dropped in the living room exploded from the excessive, sudden heat, shooting off in a variety of directions. I was caught in the edge of the blast radius, but before the flames could reach me, the force knocked me back, slamming me against the wall and punching the wind out of me. I collapsed on my stomach and looked into the living room to see the monster thrashing about as flames danced around its form. It screamed in high, shrill tones that I was convinced I was going to go deaf over, if it kept up.

It wasn't focused on anyone, anymore. Just its own escape. And it was failing.

I watched as it ran around the room on its four spider legs, trying to find a place to break free. It rammed against walls and slammed against windows, but they were too strong and shatter proof. It tried the door, but it was too big for it to fit through.

It started to slow as it looked around in desperate attempts to break free from its prison; from its imminent demise.

I struggled to get up. I was losing blood, and fast... But even through all that, I smiled as I stared on.

It had taken me down, but I dragged it down with me.

It collapsed on itself, looking at me with that one glowing eye as flame devoured its form. It saw my smile. It saw that, even in my condition, I found myself the victor.

"I have seen Hell. You're not it." I said as I watched its eye dilate and grow distant through all the fire that danced between us.

Smoke started to cover the ceiling, and it was getting harder to breathe. I needed to get out of here, but my first priority was my leg.

I stumbled over to the dresser and opened one of the drawers to reveal some Stable-Tec jumpsuits, along with a small selection of pre war design.

I removed my helmet, took a shirt, ripped it into sheets, then firmly tied them around my stump, bandaging it and doing all I could to cut off the circulation. Each and every strip of ripped clothing went to that leg until I felt satisfied with it... which wasn't happening. Groaning out of frustration and pain, I dug into the other drawers. Then I found it...

I ripped a black, leather belt from a pair of pants and started tying off my stump as tight as I could get it. Even if it hurt. Of course I was still going to be in pain, but I didn't see so much spillage as there was not too long ago. It was working.

I grabbed another shirt and used that to clean off the blood that had been dripping down my face for some time now. My coat was stained in red, and I wasn't feeling too good. If I collapsed here, that would have been it for me. I couldn't pass out. I'd never wake up again, if I did.

I wrapped the shirt around my head, from top to bottom, so that my wounds were covered up entirely. I looked like a flat out idiot, but it was that, or suffer more blood loss. I slipped the helmet back on, limped over to the bed, and looked over the note.

That son of a bitch got me, Iron. I've seen what happens when someone gets nicked by those nightmares from the mine. I ain't goin' down like that, ya hear? So I'm spending my last bullet on my noggin'. If you're readin' this, I love you. Always have. Always will. I know I didn't tell you enough. For that, I am sorry.

I know. Sappy as shit. You can laugh at me in the Everafter, if that's where we're even goin'.

I left three grenades for you, in case you try and make it for the exit. I know the sentries are preventing everyone from leaving, due to containment bs. Fuckers have a mind of their own, I swear. The overmare is hiding in her office, hoping this'll all blow over. Hope she starves in there. Whatever you do, don't take the tram station. Everyone has that idea, but it's gonna get 'em killed. Either they get fed into a blender o' gatling, or the zomponies get 'em.

Sorry I don't have any shock 'nades for ya, but the fires should help against the zoms. There's a gun locker in medical lab A-9-h. Has a rifle, some mags, filled with T rounds, and some health potions. To my knowledge, no one's gotten to it yet, and no one knows the password. Get to it. Password is 'Cocksock69.' I set it myself. Gutsy will let you right in if you say it. Well, I best cut it short, before I decide to write an entire book of my final thoughts.

You're one hell of a guy, and one hell of a stallion in bed. See ya on the other side, whenever your time comes. - XOXO, your hot little cum slut, Bouncy House

P.S. I'm still gonna shove my entire hoof up your ass for giving me that stupid nickname...

I pocketed the note, the grenades, and looked frantically around the room, coughing violently from the smoke that filled up the area. My vision was getting more obscured as time passed, and my lungs were starting to burn. Probably wasn't a good idea to stop and read the damn note while I was losing oxygen. Somehow, I imagined the pony that wrote the suicide note was looking down at me, getting ready to smack me upside the head and say 'good one, ya frickin' idiot.'

Above the dresser, I found a vent to the airducts. I looked back to the living room. My barding was flame retardant, but that didn't mean I could just run through so easily without getting burnt. Half of my face was covered, while the rest was left exposed. There was no way I was going to make that...

I jumped up for the vent, but it was too high. I quickly went for the bed, pulled it over, and climbed on top, gaining my balance from the soft mattress for a few seconds, before reaching up and pushing the vent up and over. I jumped up and pulled myself inside, then began my crawl through the shaft. The metal was growing hot, but it was either I moved forward and stayed alive, or be stubborn and just let myself suffocate and burn. For someone that feared for their own survival, it was safe to assume I preferred the former, rather than the latter.

The smoke had made its way through the airducts, still choking me out. I had to keep moving...

My stomach was burning from the heat, and my lungs felt torched from the smoke. Under the armor, sweat formed.

I passed by the vent to the living room, and the temperature grew more. I looked back to find flames dancing through the grating. I pushed forward faster. I had to get out. My lungs couldn't take it anymore. My sight was a blur. Each blink of the eyes stung. Each breath of the lungs felt like the fire on my stomach I had felt not too long ago.

I stopped at the next grate, which looked out at the end of the corridor. I applied brute force to it a few times, before it finally dropped down to the ground with a heavy thud against the dirt below. I poked my head out afterward to find that the coast wasn't clear, but that all attention was turned away from where I was.

I slipped out, fell on my back, groaning softly to myself as I felt the vent that had fallen press against my back, seeing as I landed on it, then lifted myself up.

The sentries rolled on down the corridors, and other fungus specimens stumbled around aimlessly, not paying me any mind. I looked to my right to see that I had dropped out at the T-intersection. I still heard the sentry fighting off the army of crabs that had emerged from the waters of the lower levels.

I peeked my head out to see its progress, and immediately recoiled at the sight of a zompony face to face with me; its green, glowing eyes looking into mine for the split second that I looked out.

It stumbled forward, and I backed up. I had no weapons on me, save for the grenades. I pulled one out and bit down on the pin, ready to pull.

Instead, it crossed the hall, to the other side, avoiding and ignoring me entirely, as if I didn't exist. I stared in wonder as it stumbled by like a drunk, bumping into walls and tripping every so often.

Could they not... see me, anymore...?

I ventured down the same way the creature was going, only I moved faster than it. I still kept my eyes on it as I passed by, in case it changed its mind about me. But it didn't even look at me. Not even glance in my direction. It was as if I didn't exist...

The sentry ahead of us had turned right, and proceeded on from there; the lights between its armor green. Between me and it were a few other zomponies, but they were just like the one behind me; ignorant of my existence. I limped past them, and some had bumped into me, but not even that had any effect on them. They kept stumbling around, as if nothing had happened...

A thought entered my mind... A dangerous thought... A thought I didn't want to think about... Something I wish I had been ignorant of... I didn't want to believe it, but...

No...

I shook my head and kept on. I wasn't going to let it stop me.

I stopped at the intersection that the sentry had turned down and peeked out to see it was starting to make another right, at the next turn. The moment it disappeared, I limped across and made my way forward. There was a large, metal door at the end that read 'METRO.'

I had no idea where Fluky had gone, but she had a fresh clip of those T rounds I was growing fond of, along with a gun. I could only hope that she was somewhere safe. Somewhere much safer than this place. I didn't know much about unicorns and their ability of teleportation, especially seeing as the only ones I've ever really known were very inexperienced, due to Bristle's orders against them learning too much magic, in case they got the idea to take over. I had no idea how it worked, or if there were any limits to how far it could go. I knew nothing.

All I could hope was that Fluky was safe and unharmed...

I stopped before the door and pressed the button on the side. As the door folded in on itself, I heard a massive horde... hissing and growling. As the slab in the center lowered, I was greeted by a subway station that probably reached the maximum occupancy with the fungal zomponies.

They stumbled around in one, big, rotten, fleshy mass, bumping into each other and hissing constantly. The smell... Oh goddesses, the smell...

They started to stumble out into the corridor, exploring new ground; passing by me with ignorant bumps. I stood there as they passed by me, before shaking my head and stepping forward.

I made my way through the mass, having to push some aside to get through. A tram was waiting on the tracks; the lights within flickering.

During my travels through the mob of... whatever these things really were, it had come to my attention that some of them were actually fused together by the skin of their coats; forced to move together as one. One of them that had caught my attention had engulfed another's head with the melted flesh of its own, as if they were stuck in some morbid kiss. Their lips didn't exist anymore, but through the burst pustules in their face, black tendrils wiggled out.

I carefully moved through the disgust that this place had become. Along the way, I found remnants of the past, lying along the filthy, bloody tiles. The pasts of other ponies... Guns, spent shells, keys...

... A teddy bear with a missing arm, the stuffing exposed...

No... I had to keep moving... Don't think about it... Don't...

I stepped through the open doors of the tram. The inside was crowded, and so I worked on pushing them out, one at a time. They didn't protest or retaliate, but I felt disgusted with myself for even touching them...

Regardless, they seemed to obey.

One after another, I pushed them out of the vehicle. Every so often, a straggler would wander in, but I'd push them back out. Once they were all vacated from the vehicle, I quickly limped for the controls in the front of the tram, before anymore could get in. After a few seconds of closely examining the controls in the cab, I found the door switch and hit it. Looking through the open door that revealed to me the rest of the flickering tram, all exits and entrances were sealed off.

Good start.

A screen flashed before the driver seat, and looking back, I saw the layout of the subway's systems and where it led. There was a large variety to choose from. A lot more than I had suspected there'd be.

Recreation was under the massive room that I could only assume was the park. Beyond that, was Living Quarters, which branched off from the main path. Opposite of that, was another path that circled around to a dead end, which read Generators. The main path itself led to the Atrium, Cafeteria, Maintenance, and then lastly, Stable Exit/Entrance. The location that was highlighted with an intricate, rotating, green dot, that I only assumed was where I was, for obvious reasons, was called Labs. The path turned for a more crude, distorted diagram of the structure, which was a dead end that read Mine.

I tapped my hoof over Atrium, and the circle highlighted the selected option. A green light flashed on beside it, which I soon discovered to be a button. Upon pressing it, the headlights flashed on, and the machine jolted forward, screeching along the tracks. I was surprised it still worked, after all this time. A red light flashed underneath the green, which I assumed meant to stop the ride, should there be an emergency.

Sparks flew out from above and below, but the tram pushed forward all the same. It wasn't all that fast, but it was still a lot better than walking. Especially for someone in my condition. This stable was a lot bigger than I had initially thought.

I stepped out of the cab and lied down on the row of three seats that had been built into the wall, underneath a window pane that looked out into the dark tunnels. I looked up at the flickering lights overhead, which soon enough, put a strain on my eyes. I was already feeling a headache, after a few seconds.

I sighed and sat up, frowning as my back pressed up against the wall behind me; the same wall that separated the cab from the rest of the tram. My rear hoof rested on the ground, while my stumped leg remained sprawled out along the row of seats. My fores rested on my lap as I looked out the window, peering through the darkness outside.

The lights in the tunnel remained every few dozen feet or so from each other, and through that, I caught the silhouettes of those zomponies stumbling around. There were a few thumps throughout the ride, which I imagined was something that was in the wrong place at the wrong time.

I looked down at the belt that wrapped firmly around my stump, then hung my head down, closing my eyes. I had lost too much blood in such a short amount of time, and I was definitely starting to feel it more, now...

That syringe... The syringe that Fluky struck me with. That must have kept my adrenaline up and kept me awake, where others wouldn't manage.

(((((((◉)))))))

A loud buzz occurred, causing me to jump in my seat and look around frantically. I looked up at the speaker overhead, which turned off shortly after. Turning to the window, I noticed we were slowing down at a station of benches, vending machines, restrooms, and trashcans. Trash littered the floor. Papers, wrappers, empty cans...

The lights flickered here as well, but it seemed that nothing had reached here, with me being that exception. This place seemed abandoned a long time ago.

There was an escalator that went up to another floor, but it looked to be shut off for good.

The tram stopped, and the doors slid open. I got up and limped out of the vessel, making my way for the stairs. Along the way, I found a few caps, to which I pocketed.

I made my way up the stairs, one hoof at a time. I was in far too much pain to worry about making haste anymore. I didn't have it in me. I was mentally exhausted. I was physically exhausted... My bones ached and protested against any movement I made. My coat was bruised and bloody... I didn't want to run anymore, and with there being nothing to run from at this moment, I took my time climbing the steps.

But that wasn't true... was it? There was always something to run from. There was never an exception. Even when nothing physical was chasing you, something else was. An invisible beast that would never fade from existence...

Time.

Time was a hunter, chasing me, and I was tired of running from it. But as I ran from time, I also ran out of it. It was going to win sooner, rather than later, if my theory was true... No matter what, time always won. There was no killing it. There was no running from it. There was no hiding. There was no escape... It was a merciless thing that did no favors for anyone, but instead, targeted all. It wasn't an enemy, nor was it a friend. It was time... and time always had its own agenda.

I made my way to the top, already fatigued from the short distance I had made. At the other end of the long stretch of tiled hall was a set of turn styles, and a door with a sign above it, which read 'Atrium.'

Hopefully, Fluky was already outside of the stable, waiting in that park. The chances of it happening were very slim. She could have been anywhere in all of Equus, for all I knew... but I had high hopes that she was okay, and safe, and that I'd find her again...

I had to go... This place had chewed me up and spat me out, and then chewed me up some more. It was a miracle I was even alive at this point. Something told me that wasn't going to last much longer, though... Not now...

I didn't find any survivor of 32. Everyone was dead. I was a fool to think otherwise, and I was paying the price for it now. Just like I deserved.

The ponies that accompanied me here did not deserve this, though... And I felt great shame for it... For as long as I'd live, I knew I was going to dwell on it... I messed up... I messed everything up...

I climbed over the turn style and opened the door before me, stepping through afterwards.

The room was dark and grey. The lights through the windows on the second floor continued to flicker, and several dozen silhouettes stumbled down the corridor, towards the exit.

I looked around the room to see several of those ponies I noticed earlier, standing around the room, still and silent as ever. I approached one carefully, but upon closer inspection...

They were statues. Wooden statues, yet they looked like real ponies. They probably were, at one point. Each one had fear and distress forever etched into their features, as if their last moments of life were spent screaming for mercy. Leaves and branches stuck out from their forms.

I looked up at the tree in the center to see a variety of blue, beautiful flowers, blooming with life.

Despite everything that happened, I smiled and sat before it, marveling at its glory. I took comfort in its health. It stood tall, nearly reaching the ceiling.

"You've finally arrived." Someone spoke from behind in a monotone, tired voice.

I spun around quickly, but all I saw were statues.

Then... one of them blinked at me with milky white eyes and a light grey, wrinkly hide. Patches of his coat were ripped from him. A hint of pink mist blew out from his nostrils with each breath. A twig stuck out from the side of his head, with a leaf on the end. His dark grey mane was messy and torn in a lot of areas that would make a hairdresser cringe. He wore what was once a lab coat around his body.

He was a ghoul...

The freak took a step forward, causing me to jump back.

"Don't touch the tree." He pointed behind me, and I glanced back at it, before quickly returning to him. He had the same exact voice of the pony that was in the distress call. "It's contagious." He then proceeded to put his hoof down as he looked around the room, at the statues that surrounded us. "They've all been infected because they got too close." He shook his head and looked down at the ground before him. "It's sad, really. The most beautiful things in life are often times the most dangerous." He noticed my stare, then continued. "So how did you find this place, stranger? Why are you here?"

"I heard an S.O.S. on the radio. I came to see if I could be of any help."

His eyes grew wide, and he shook his head. "Damn it..."

"What?"

"I should have destroyed that message long ago. It was a mistake putting it up..."

"How so?" I sat down. It was pretty obvious that he was the one that set it, judging by his voice. That was no mystery.

He looked at me and sighed, releasing a slightly thicker cloud of pink, which raised up to the ceiling, before dissipating. Hadn't Firebright warned me to stay away from that stuff? "When I made that broadcast, this place was starting to fail. There were a few ponies left alive around the stable, and I had... hoped... that someone would come here to save us from what we had discovered."

"You mean those fungus things?"

He nodded as he closed his eyes. "Days passed by. Weeks. It was too late. Everyone had died, save for me. I barricaded myself in here until the infection ceased to spread, because there was nothing left to infect. Stayed away from the tree behind you, and kept to my research." I got up and moved away from the tree, only to sit down again. "Truth be told..." He paused for a deep breath, then shook his head with regret. "I should have stayed away from that, too... I am like this, because of what I was researching." He gestured a hoof to himself, before resuming. "Anyways... power goes out across the entire stable. Machines shut off... Lockdown stays up. All is safe." He started coughing and hacking violently, then groaned. "It... hadn't come to my attention that the power would ever turn on again, and so I never bothered going back to destroy the recording I had made so long ago. About a week... or, at least, I think it was a week ago from today... had passed, and the power came back. The machines are moving once more, and the lockdown was lifted. Everything had rebooted... and I don't know why."

I hung my head down. "I might have an idea."

"Oh?" He raised a brow.

"There was an EMP around the Saddle area, when I was... around. There's a very good chance it hit your stable."

He nodded slowly. "Hm... Seems viable." He seemed to be regarding the shirt that was tied all around my head. He must have seen it along the bottom of my chin, seeing as my helmet was still on.

"Oh..." I smiled nervously, removing the helmet, and then the shirt. "Yeah, had a run in with something..." His eyes grew wide at the wounds in my head.

"I see..."

"I'm fine. Hurts a little, but it's nothing fatal."

"Hm..." He looked around the room for a few seconds, before turning back to me as I put the shirt back on, and then the helmet. It needed readjusting, anyways. "Would you like me to check up on you? See how you're holding up? After coming all this way, you may as well get something out of it."

I shook my head, smiling faintly. "No, it's okay." I think I knew why he was asking that... I definitely didn't want him checking up on me now.

"Fair enough." He took another deep breath as he made his way for the wall closest to us, slowly.

"I came here with a filly, but she teleported, and I don't know where she went off to. Can you help me find her?"

He sighed and coughed for a short while, before speaking. "Damn sorcery... Yeah, I'll help you." He paused, then looked at me. "But only if you help me."

"Well, that's what I came here to do." I smiled faintly. "I don't have a whole lot of fight left in me, but I can try."

He nodded, then looked down at the floor before him, behind a crate. "I suppose now that the power has been restored, and everything is reset, there is something that needs to be done about it." He coughed a bit, before getting to work on something on the ground. "We can't contain anything anymore. And turning the power off would be all but useful... So I have another option."

"What is it?" I stood up, almost taking a step forward. The pink cloud escaping from his nasal passage brought me to a sudden, alarming halt.

He looked back at me after lifting a custom made suit that looked like it belonged out in the wasteland above us. It bore white linings all along the sleeves and body. Even the neck. There was a metal helmet resting on the crate before him, with a blank, horizontal visor, and a dual respirator where the mouth would be. He looked back to the wall as he got dressed in the gear, then slipped the helmet on. The lining of his suit lit up in green, just like the upgraded machines that wandered this stable.

Finally, he looked back at me and spoke in his simple voice, as if what he was saying was perfectly normal.

"We're going to have to detonate Stable 32."

Author's Note

Sorry for the long wait again. I was busy with a lot. Oh, and pain. Lots and lots of pain. That's what I get for not getting proper sleep and working 9 hours a day... even though I'm trying my best to sleep more. Anyways, this was chapter 8. I hope it was worth the wait. I had a lot of fun writing this one, and the ending of this chapter was originally going to be in chapter 9, but it felt wrong. So Pines and I changed some things up, and agreed for this to be in chapter 8 instead.

Oh, and Pines hasn't heard of The Last Unicorn. The movie, or the book. Someone slap him. Slap him hard. Slap him with a paperback version of The Last Unicorn, and then slap him again with the DVD case.

Also, it's rather unfortunate to say that Pines and I are no longer significant others. I won't go into details, but despite our break up, we're still working together on this project, and we're still friends.

Anyways, special thanks to Kkat for making Fallout Equestria, very special thanks to Somber for making Project Horizons, Pines for being a good collab partner and working with me on this, and special thanks to Alchestbreach for hating the radios.

Also, I finally finished reading Project Horizons. Now I'm depressed, because the story ended. So I'm gonna let Pines take over the rest of this A.N.

And now, a word from Pines.
Pines:
You know, I never understood why Handy's were called Handy's. They seem to make things worse over them giving a "hand." They either get in the way or are the problem. But hey, what do I know? I'm more of a Botanist than an Engineer.

MMBT: Handy's can be helpful... At killing. ;)

Channel 000.9; Memories Carved in Wood

These hallways are familiar to me... I think I used to be a resident here in better times. I wish I could remember more, but I'm afraid it's all a blur...

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

After a series of trips of us hauling gear and saddle bags filled with books to the abandoned, eerie subway station in silence, we had stopped side by side. Though, I made sure to keep myself a few feet away from him, at the very least. I still didn't know what to think of ghouls...

Not to mention the pink mist...

"I assure you, when the helmet is on, I am completely safe to be around." He said calmly, keeping his armored head facing the tram. "Embark. I'll bring the supplies on board, seeing as you're..." He paused and looked down at my stump, then at me through that black visor. "... More impaired than I."

I nodded in agreement, then limped inside.

"And for the record, your help was not taken in vain. I greatly appreciate it."

My lips curled into a brief smile from that, before taking the same spot I had taken before; sitting in the same position as I had earlier as well. It seemed to be the only way I could sit that came even close to comfortable.

I watched as he made a series of trips back and forth, setting the inventory on the floor in the middle of the aisle.

When he had finished, he gave me one long look, then wandered off to the vending machines. He put a few bits in the soda machine, hit a button with his hoof, and waited for his selection to drop. A few seconds had passed, and he pulled out three Sparkle Colas; each one different than the other in terms of color.

He came back and put the bottles on the seat next to me, then faced me directly. "For you."

I smiled and took a bottle, which read 'Sparkle Cola Rad,' while he went off into the cab. The other two were Sparkle Cola Cherry, and White Grape.

I opened the bottle and started drinking the fizzy goodness from within. Not long after he disappeared from my sight, I heard him talk.

"Initiate commanding override, Petiole 78396510308."

Wait... did he just say Petiole...?

"Access granted." A female A.I. spoke over the intercom. "Welcome back, Dr. Petiole."

I raised a brow after gulping down what was in my mouth, keeping my ears open. I didn't know that was a feature...

"Transport to Gamma Station 5.8-4."

"En route to Gamma Station 5.8-4. Please standby."

The doors to the outside closed, and the tram started moving forward. Not long after, did this... Petiole step out and sit across from me. He took a deep breath and looked at me.

"You're Petoolee?" I asked, balking.

He stared for a few seconds, before answering. "It's Peteeole, actually. But yes."

I raised a brow. "Are you sure it's Peteeole? Looks more like Petoolee..."

"I'm sure how my own name is pronounced, thank you." He said in a slightly snappy tone.

I laughed awkwardly and rubbed the back of my head, before putting the bottle to my lips and taking another swig. "Um... I could have sworn you were a female... in the pictures I saw you in, back in your... living quarter... I mean, the name just..." I smiled faintly and took another few gulps from the rad, to which he sighed.

"Two centuries..." He muttered. "Two centuries alone, and the first real contact I get is a pony who has trouble figuring out how names are pronounced and gets caught up on gender identity... Nice." He shook his head as my brows knitted, and continued. "The mare in the pictures you saw was my love." He looked down at the metal bracelet around his forehoof that was none other than a Pipbuck. A 9000 model, by the looks of it. I noticed that the hud was in red, instead of the standard issue green, while the body was black. He wasn't really doing anything on it. Just... pressing buttons. Must of been out of boredom.

"Well, that's obvious now. Unless... turning ghoul also changes gender."

"It doesn't." He replied flatly.

"I didn't think it did." I looked outside for a few seconds as the lights scrolled past. They hardly lit up the dark space outside, which meant there wasn't really anything to see. I turned back to him after taking in the last few gulps of my rad. "So what was all that command stuff about? Where are we going?"

"I can't have you slowing me down." He looked down at my stump again, to which I raised a brow.

"If I didn't know any better, I'd say you're considering either leaving me behind or killing me."

He shook his head and scoffed, raising a hoof halfway up, right after turning off his Pipbuck screen. "Please. I may take the form of a monster, but that doesn't mean my mind is that of one." He broke into an abrupt, violent cough, slouching over and putting his hoof to his chest. "Ugh... Damn it..."

"You okay?"

"I'm never okay..." He looked back up at me behind that pitch dark visor, then cleared his throat from the raspy tones his voice carried.

"You said that you take the form of a monster..." I started, and he stared silently. It was impossible to tell what his body language was behind that armor. "Do you see ghouls as that? Monsters?"

"Yes."

"But..." I paused. "You're a gho-"

"I know what I am." He interrupted. "You need not remind me." He looked down. "If it were up to me, I'd kill them all. Feral and non-feral alike."

I frowned. "But... you..."

He sat firm before me, looking back into my eyes through that visor. "You think I haven't tried? I don't appreciate what I am. When I died, I wanted to stay dead. Instead, I'm this... thing." He looked away quickly.

"Sorry..." I hung my head down, and for a while, things went quiet between us. I guess some ponies valued death more than others...

"No... I'm sorry..." He sighed, then coughed a little. "I'm just tired of thinking about it. Gets me in a bad mood... That, and... thinking about her..." He grew quiet for a moment, before continuing. "Thinking about Mansia..."

Okay... time to change the subject. I didn't come all this way just to make someone feel like shit. I caused enough of that as it was. But then again... I didn't want to seem insensitive, either...

So instead, I just sat there quietly, not knowing what to do in this situation I got myself into. Eventually, Petiole spoke again.

"Sorry. I highly doubt you came all this way just to hear an undead pony venting about their past. I'm just rambling... Happens after two centuries in isolation, I suppose."

"Don't worry about it." I said with a shrug, smiling faintly. "There's no need to apologize."

He took his helmet off, smiling back a little. "So, did you find anything useful on your way over here?"

I took the pouches off and handed them over. He opened one of them, and his eyes went wide as he pulled out a certain... comic book...

He stared at me in mild disgust, to which I smiled nervously. "I know what you're thinking..." I started, raising a hoof halfway. "I only have that because Fluky was looking through it behind my back, and I took it from her."

"Fluky?" He raised a brow.

"The filly. The one I was traveling with?"

He sighed, releasing a small portion of pink cloud. Thankfully, he was far away enough that it didn't matter. "You gave the filly porn?"

"Hey, I didn't know she was looking at it until later!" I blurted defensively.

"And so you kept it." He stated with a flat expression.

"Well..." I paused as I felt my cheeks start turning a shade of red. "Yeah. I mean, it could be useful..." I looked down, now nervous.

He rolled up the magazine and tossed it at me. It struck me in the head and would have landed on the floor, had I not rushed to grab it. "Useful for what?"

"Well... you know... a man gets lonely sometimes..."

He quickly raised a hoof and looked away. "Please stop. I regret asking." He resumed looking through my inventory once more, but found nothing of interest. He gave the bags back to me, which I attached back to my barding. "What was with the suicide note?"

I put the magazine back in the pouch that once held my ammo, before it exploded. "The code on it. I think I saw where the locker was that it belongs to. I want that rifle... and the health potions."

He shook his head and laughed softly. "She was always an odd one..."

"Who?"

"Bouncy House. She was a security mare. Kinda crazy, and had a serious sex addiction, not to mention alcohol, but... she was loyal, at least. Not just to her job, but to her personal life, as well. Didn't go around sleeping with everypony. Only had room for one, and that was all she needed."

"Why was she nicknamed Bouncy House?"

"Why do you think?" He replied with a smirk.

"Well... because she was hyper?"

"Ohhh..." He chuckled.

"What?"

"She was hyper, alright. Hyper in bed. I could hear her through walls. Other security personnel had to respond to noise complaints because of her."

"Well, she sounded... fun." I laughed softly.

He nodded before looking serious again. "What's your name?"

"Charger."

He nodded again, then paused. "Do you get headaches often, Charger?" He started to rasp, but cleared his throat before his coughing started up again.

His question made me tense up. "Uh... Y-yeah, actually... Why?"

"How long have they been occurring?"

"For as long as I can remember..." My brows knitted as I looked at him.

"Mhm..." He stared for a few seconds as he nodded slowly.

"Why are you asking me these questions?"

"No reason." He said quickly. "What about night terrors? Are nightmares common?"

I shook my head with disbelief and sighed. "Y-yeah... Seriously, man. What's all this about?"

"Anxiety? Depression?"

"Yes!" I snapped, now glaring at him. "Now are you going to answer my question? What's with the whole analysis?"

"No reason behind it." He shrugged calmly, then sighed. "Tell me a bit about yourself."

Uh... what?

He continued upon seeing my confused expression. "Call it a way to get to know each other better."

I nodded in agreement, then spoke. "Well, my name is Charger. That much you know already. I was a Steel Ranger, back on the surface."

"A Steel Ranger?" He raised a brow.

"Some advanced force in the wasteland." I stated, not wanting to get worked up on the details... and for good reason...

"And what happened to make you split up from them?"

"What makes you say I did?"

"Well, if I didn't know any better..." He looked around at our surroundings. "I'd say you were lost. Something must have happened to have you get separated from the rest of your group."

I sat there in silence for a few seconds, staring, before I came up with an answer. "We didn't see eye to eye on some things."

"Hm..." He stared back for a while, but the more it did, the creepier it got. I wasn't used to... ghouls. "And this... Fluky. Is she your daughter?"

"My daughter?" I balked. I swear, I've never turned as red as I was right now. "I... no. I uh..." I looked down and closed my eyes, sighing. "I never had a daughter before..."

"Are you a virgin?"

My brows knitted as I looked up at him with an uncanny expression. "Uh... definitely not." I cracked a smile, but deep down, I was feeling miserable... "There was a mare, back in my bunker. Her name was Snow Star. Most beautiful mare I'd ever known."

"Why the past tense?"

I shook my head and sighed. "Because... I can't ever go back... I've been condemned." I lied. Not about being condemned. All that was true. No, I lied about the past tense. I didn't want him knowing... I didn't want anyone knowing...

"So you've been living underground too, huh?"

I nodded. "Yep."

"Do you miss it?"

That question gave me pause. I loathed Bristle, Crimson, Fire, and any other Steel Ranger that was stupid enough to follow through with the orders that were given. But... it was home... Once, it was home... It was all I really knew.

"I think a part of me will always miss it, but like I said, I can't ever return..."

He nodded. "I'll admit, I don't really like your type... but I know what it's like to lose a part of yourself..." The sincerity in his non-scratchy voice said it, too. I swear, I remembered hearing that ghouls weren't supposed to have such smooth voices. His sounded just fine. Another one of the ranger's lies, most likely...

"My type?" I asked, raising a brow. "But you're an earth pony too!"

He paused for several seconds, before continuing. "What an unfortunate circumstance..." He lowered his head. "My deepest condolences for whatever happened to you..."

Uh... okay? What the hell was he talking about...?

With that, I looked down at the stuff he brought on board and lifted one of the bags of books up to me. The first one I pulled had most definitely caught my attention.

The Happy Murder Case.

The cover was black and made of leather, while the text was red.

"This." I quickly turned it over, looking at him in desperate need for answers, pointing a hoof at the title. "What can you tell me about this."

He smiled faintly. "Ah yes... The Happy Case. Dentist gone crazy, back before the bombs. Constantly changed his looks to sway the authorities. No one knew how he did it, but it was done. Always left the sticker of a smiley face next to his victims..." That smile vanished completely as he looked down. "Said victims were left smiling themselves. The book could definitely knock out the duration of this train ride."

I opened the book to the first page.

'Written by Arum Petiole.'

I looked back up at him. "You wrote this?"

He nodded. "I did. I was around when he was, so I figured the knowledge I carried of him could go into text. Plus, the detective that studied the case was in the stable with us. He told me more than his career would have allowed him, but seeing as the world ended..."

I put the book back in the bag and looked outside. "You still haven't told me where we're going."

He rasped, then coughed, turning away from me, as to avoid hurling pink cloud my way. Once he calmed down, he looked back at me with a blank look. "Don't worry about it."

"You know... telling me not to worry about only makes me worry about it." I quickly interjected. "So come on. Enough with the mysterious crap. We gotta work together." I smiled faintly. "Spill it, man."

To my surprise, he nodded in agreement. "Where we're going is for your own benefit. Then we'll find your Fluky and destroy this place once and for all."

Well... that didn't really reveal much, other than it's for my own benefit. Guess I wasn't getting a direct answer from him...

"What is the surface like?" He asked softly.

"Dying." I muttered, to which he slouched.

"Should have figured." He entered another fit of coughing not long after, turning his head away from me. Wisps of pink cloud made their way to the back of the tram. That's when I noticed it was starting to build up. He calmed down and looked back at me. "Word of advice? Don't become a ghoul."

"How did you even become one?"

"I thought I told you. I was experimenting, and it backfired."

"Yes, but you didn't specify how. I mean, where's the scratchy voice? Why aren't you like the ones I kept hearing about?"

He sighed, glanced at the rear of the tram, gritted his rotted teeth, and looked back at me. "Sorry..." He put his helmet on and continued. "I was trying to find a cure for the F-virus."

"F-virus."

"Fungus." He replied simply. "I was trying all these different components, but nothing was working. I had even gone into cold storage and picked out some samples to see if anything would." He shook his head. "No luck there. I went to the one last place I dared to go." He paused and shuddered. "The tree..."

"Is that why there's a small branch sticking out of your head?"

He nodded. "Unfortunately. The T-virus-"

"Wait, T-virus?"

"Short for Timber. Stop interrupting. It's rude." We both went quiet for a few seconds, and he resumed. "Anyways... the T-virus didn't exactly work with me too well. Upon letting it interact with the F-virus, there were... complications."

"Like?"

"They fought each other for control. But through their fighting, they became stronger simultaneously. They were helping each other, even if by accident." He sighed and shook his head, looking down. "There are infected around the stable that are... stronger than just a normal one. Should we come across any, I strongly advise you to turn and run the other way."

I nodded slowly. "Alright... But what about you? What happened to you?"

"Since I was infected with the T-virus, I put a halt on my research on the F-virus to attempt finding a cure for myself. In doing so, I came across a discovery in the lab notes, prior to the infection of 32. It was strictly prohibited to be made, but I was running out of time, and there weren't a whole lot of other options left."

"What did you make?"

"The pink cloud... I knew how dangerous it was, but if I had just a small sample of it... maybe it would work. Maybe."

"And it did?"

There was a brief pause before he answered, almost as if he were trying to find the right way to say it. "Within a manner of speaking... See, the T-virus couldn't continue the spread of infection, or the stages of infection, if the host was dead. I was already halfway through the stages before I would have succumbed to it. But upon dying from the pink, it halted the infection."

"So you intended to kill yourself?"

"Absolutely not. I knew the risk, but I was hoping to have survived through its effects. I had reason to believe that if it could kill fairly easily, that it could kill off the virus. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case. I both underestimated and overestimated its power."

There was a brief pause between us, before I started up again. "Have you ever tried to tear out the branch in the side of your head?"

"Many times. But it's both excruciating and a waste of time. It'll just grow back."

My brows knitted as I looked at him, confused. "But wait... you just said that the infection-"

"Came to a halt, yes. I can't quite explain why the branch keeps growing... As for my voice, I was lucky enough to keep my original one. The T-virus had messed with my vocals to the point where it canceled out certain elements of ghoulification. Most of my vocal cords now consist of... well, the best way to describe it is 'vines.'"

"Is that why you're coughing all the time?"

"No." He shook his head. "That would be from the pink."

"Why not just call it the P-virus?" I smirked, but something told me he didn't share my sentiment under that helmet, which made my smirk vanish after a few seconds of silence between us.

"It's not a virus." He replied in a cold, harsh tone. "It's a chemical-based weapon. There's a distinct difference between the two." He paused, then added, remaining still as if moving would hurt him somehow. "The pink was used in certain areas around Equestria, when the bombs dropped. I heard Canterlot was hit pretty hard by it... but those are just rumors. A nation-wide terror, some of the channels on the radio said. The rest said it was worldwide, reaching all the way to the Zebra Lands and beyond. As far as I care, the media was all just full of rumors too."

"Actually..." I started, looking down with a somber expression. "It's true. We got video footage from another chapter of the Steel Rangers. Celestia and Luna's shield still surround the area, and there was a massive cloud of pink held within. I saw it myself. I don't know about the disaster being worldwide though."

"Hm..." He looked out the window and went silent for a short while. "I suppose that means the princesses are dead, then."

"One can only assume. I mean, no one's heard from them in over two centuries."

"Only makes sense." He rasped, then coughed for a bit. "I imagine the world would be a lot better, had they still been around. They would have done something to make life better for all of us." He put a hoof to his throat and groaned. "I'm going to rest my voice for a bit. Talking too much strains my vocals..." He pointed his other hoof at the several saddle bags between us. "Feel free to look through anything during the ride. It'll take some time before we arrive."

I nodded, then reached down for one of the bags, bringing it up with me, doing my best to not move my injured leg. All the books in here were leather journals, all of which had Petiole's name written on the inside, followed by an issue number. They started from 1 and ended at 5. He kept it all organized, seeing as the first book I had pulled out from the selection was issue 1, and the last one was the fifth.

Most of the first journal consisted of stuff about medical procedures and theories on different medicines. There were notes here and there, which belonged more in a diary than it did a medical journal.

This would be my first week in Stable 32. First week underground... I can't believe they actually did it... I imagine by now that the world is no more than fire and ash, consuming all.

There are some here that are claustrophobic, which isn't helping any of the others cope with what happened. Mansia and I were lucky enough to get a spot reserved for us on that list, when we did. Otherwise, we... Well... no point in getting into that.

The lab equipment here is top of the line. Stable-Tec went all out with this place. I guess considering this stable was specifically designed for medicinal research, it was to be expected. The labs here are very spacious, which is good for operations and experiments.

There's a rather... unusual elevator, however. I discovered through the map layout of the stable that it goes in all directions, instead of just up and down. How weird is that?

Another thing I discovered is that this stable was equipped with its own subway station that, by the looks of it, goes all around the structure. That'll definitely come in handy. So long as everypony gives others the chance to use it. I'm still not sure how I feel about that elevator...

Mansia is distracting herself with her studies. It's not going so well for me, unfortunately. Sleepless nights, despite how tired I am... I work myself too hard, I wouldn't be surprised if I just died from exhaustion.

I noticed through the subway maps that there's an unmarked station in the stable. The tracks just lead to a dead end, but I feel like there's something more there... Something that we're being kept in the dark about.

I looked for more on that, but for a while, the pages just showed diagrams of plants, descriptions, and more medicinal facts that went right over my head. Serves me right for not being a scientist know-it-all. This stuff was beyond boring to me.

Eventually, I came across another entry.

The overmare called everypony up for a meeting, maybe a month after we first moved in. Honestly, I don't know what day it is anymore. We don't get out much...

Anyways, she spoke of the dead end in the subway. Guess I wasn't the only one wondering about it.

She went on to say that the dead end had led to a farm of sorts. A... get this... mushroom farm. She had kept it closed off from even security personnel until she deemed it safe for entry. Guess she was worried about cave-ins or something like that. Who knows...

Anyways, it turns out that Stable-Tec wasn't able to complete the tram system to the farm, so she's hiring any security and maintenance to create an end to it, so that when we go down there, we won't race right off the tracks and kill ourselves. A sort of expansion for 32. Smart thinking, hoss.

Me? I'll keep to my science. I didn't come here for heavy lifting. I'm a scientist, not a bodybuilder.

I flipped the page, expecting more science notes. I had been right. Too right, actually, seeing as the rest of the book was filled with science stuff.

I closed the book and went to the second issue. After several pages of more gibberish that I couldn't wrap my head around, I found another entry.

There's rumor going around that deep beyond the farm, they found a mine. There was the beginning of a track for mining carts, but the rest of it was blocked off by a cave in. Security and maintenance went to the overmare with this news. According to Bouncy House, she demanded it be opened and searched.

There are some, however, who feel something darker at play here. Omegas won't go in the tunnels again, and he's the chief of security. To think he'd be spooked by this. Said he keeps hearing something on the other side. Everyone else is just telling him it's rocks falling from the blockage, but he won't let it go. He's been pretty snappy lately, too. I can't say I blame him, really. The world blew up about five months ago (I think).

Iron and Bouncy are more on the curious side, but they told me they've been hearing some things too. They say they're more on the skeptical side, but... I can see the worry in their eyes.

The overmare ordered everyone down there to keep it hush hush, and even though they shouldn't have, they told Mansia and I anyways. We can keep a secret though. It's nice to know they trust us so easily.

To my surprise, the next page contained another entry. No scientific data was in the way this time.

I've been debating on what to give Mansia on our four year anniversary. She's been 'subtly' hinting that she would like a new accessory for her mane. However, I'm afraid that the stuff in 32 wouldn't really suit her. I've been pondering on giving her something to satisfy her sweet tooth. Just need to make sure it doesn't contain tree nuts. She would never forgive me for nearly killing her... not that I want to. Ever.

Honestly, I might get her some pomegranates. They're expensive - especially now that the world ended - but anything is worth it if it means making my love happy. Mansia's been craving sex a lot lately, I noticed. I'm not really big on the whole thing, but I like making her happy.

I'll see about stocking up on extra bits to get her the best accessory on the market, and some pomegranates. Might only be able to get one of the two, anyhow.

I looked through the rest of the book, but there was nothing about his personal life. Just more notes on science. I did, however, find a small note on the second to last page.

A pony has 32 chromosomes. This place, which is meant for the research on biology and growth, is called Stable 32. Coincidence?

Huh... The more you know...

I closed the book, then went to the next. There was nothing of any real interest to me, so I moved on to the next. Still, there was nothing. I moved to the last issue, and towards the end, I found another entry. One last entry, on the last page filled with scientific data.

Hey, Mansia. I'm writing to you because... well, I'm alone now. Everyone is dead... yourself included... But you're the closest one to my heart, and writing a letter, even though it'll never be read by your eyes... it brings me some small comfort... Almost like I'm talking to you.

Funny how our lives turned out in the end, huh? Everyone gets infected with that damn fungus... All our friends... Our neighbors... The machines going berserk and killing everyone that hadn't already been infected... They seem to be building more models with that stupid assembly line the overmare ordered to be built, once that mine was opened. Turns out Omegas was right about the mine being a mistake, after all. He's probably dead, too. I imagine Bouncy is as well. Hopefully Iron and the others got out of the station, but I doubt it.

I'm... afraid this may be the end for me, too. I don't want to die. I'm scared, Mansia... And I miss you. I miss everyone. I wish things could go back to normal...

I'm infected with the T-virus. I've been trying to find a cure, but... nothing so far. I have one last idea, but it's extremely dangerous, and there's a very good chance that I could die from it. But if it works, and I live... maybe I could bring you back. Bring everyone back... and we could put an end to this nightmare once and for all.

I love you, Mansia. If I die with this one final desperate attempt, then I'll see you in the Everafter, should that be where my soul ends up.

Goodbye, my love.

Petiole.

I gently closed the book and tucked it back in the saddle bag, along with the others; making sure to keep them all organized. I put it back down with the rest of his stuff as if it were fragile glass and kept my head down.

I shouldn't have read something so personal. I should have stopped once I found out this was more on a personal level. It wasn't my business.

"You read my entries." He stated softly; his voice hoarse.

"Yeah, uh..." I looked out at the faint lights that scrolled past outside of the tram. "I'm sorry..."

"Don't be. They were written long ago." He looked away from me, towards the front of the tram. "I still miss her, though. I always have... and I always will."

"Did you and her ever...?" He looked at me for a few seconds, waiting for me to finish my question. "You know... have children?"

He sighed and shook his head. "No... We tried many times, but... it never worked. We both had an analysis done on us, but there was something wrong on her end. They couldn't figure out the cause, but the foal would always come out stillborn..." He shook his head again. "Can we not talk about it? Two centuries later, and it still brings tears, even as an undead monster."

"I'm sorry..." I said softly. "I'll drop it."

The two of us went quiet. There wasn't much more to be said. Even if there was, I didn't think he was really in the mood to talk anymore.

I laid my head against the wall behind me and looked out the window, watching the dim lights of the tunnel zoom past, until my eyelids forced themselves shut.

(((((((◉)))))))

At once, I shot up gasping, flailing my arms around as the high pitched tone of an alarm woke me from my slumber.

I was sitting in the tram, and it came to my attention that we were coming up to another subway station. I turned to Petiole, who was watching me silently behind his visor.

"Nightmare?"

I sighed, closed my mouth, and then smacked the back of my head against the wall behind me with a light thud. "More like a memory..."

"Must have been a bad one, then." He stated. He wasn't entirely wrong. It was nice at one point in my life. But after a while, it just hurt to think about. Things went quiet between us until the tram came to a complete stop. "We're here. Can you walk?"

I sat up straight, then landed on three hooves. "Let's hit the road." I said with a pained smirk and groggy tone.

He regarded me for a short while before leading the way.

"Hey, what about your stuff?" I pointed at the various saddle bags he brought with him on the tram.

"Leave them." He said calmly. "We'll be coming back here shortly."

I looked back at his supplies, then hesitantly followed him through the station we had stopped at. This one was much smaller than the one we were at previously, as that one was more for the public. This one seemed more... reserved.

There weren't any vending machines, ticket booths, or turnstyles. Not even a second floor. Just a restroom and a door at the end of a short stretch of corridor. Everything was of metal instead of tile, but it looked rather grimy, rough, and uncared for.

Probably because it was uncared for.

The lights flickered and buzzed overhead, but it was nowhere near as bad as the entrance to the stable.

He started for the metal door on the other end of the corridor, and I followed; doing my best to stay off my stump.

The trip was made in silence. He had nothing to say to me, apparently. I had a lot of questions, but I had a strong feeling in my gut that at this point, they would go unanswered.

We stopped at a door, and he looked up at something that could only be described as a complicated intercom. I had never seen anything like it before, which was weird for an ex Steel Ranger to think about. It was built in above the door.

"Initiate commanding override, Petiole 78396510308." A red light flashed next to the apparatus he spoke to, and a loud buzzing echoed throughout the station, causing me to jump back in alarm. I looked around, expecting something to come out and ambush us from behind, but so far, nothing showed. I continued to keep watch on our six, just in case.

The obnoxious buzzing came to a sudden halt, and he spoke to the system again, as if he were waiting for the noise to cease. "Open lab door to Gamma Station 5.8-4."

The red light turned green after a few seconds of metal clicking from within the lock mechanism of the door, and it slid open with one metallic scream.

"Follow." Petiole said, walking in calmly.

Reluctantly, I did as he said, taking in my new surroundings.

Inside the room, which also consisted of a steel interior, were three tables; one in the center, and two more pressed up against the left wall. The first one to the left held a series of tools and equipment. If I didn't know any better, this was an interrogation room...

Straight ahead, there was another door. But it remained shut.

"Uh... what is this?" I looked around the room warily; my ears folding back as I lifted one forehoof a bit and rubbed it along my other nervously.

"This... Charger..." He turned and regarded me; his rear now facing the startling display of tools. "Will help you." He turned around, picking up a syringe off the right table. There was a clear liquid held within, but I didn't know what it was. He nodded his head to the table. "Strip and lie down."

"Wait, hold on... what is that?" I pointed at the syringe that had been attached to his hoof by a metal brace that I hadn't quite noticed was there until just now. It looked to be a part of the armor he wore.

He released an exasperated sigh behind his helmet, staring at me. "It'll help you."

"How do I know I can trust you?" I asked defensively, backing up towards the door.

"The same reason I can trust you, Charger. You, a complete stranger, came here, even through all the danger you had to face. That earned you some level of trust, at least. I just want to help you." He paused, but my expression wasn't changing for the better. He shook his head and looked down. "Please, let me help..."

I glanced behind me, then back at him. "If you kill me, I'm going to come back as a ghost and haunt your ass."

"Duly noted." He replied with a single nod. "Take off your armor and lie your back against the table."

I sighed before, with a great deal of hesitation, I stripped from my barding and got up on the metal surface of the table, rolling over on my back.

I looked over at his masked figure, finally realizing something he had said to me when we first met. He was in the process of cleaning an area with some alcohol, which gave a beige spot on my coat, surrounded by red. I really needed to take a shower after this... if I survived, that is.

"Hey, before you stab me with that..." I started, and his visor met my eyes. "You said something earlier about me... finally arriving. Did you mean me specifically?"

He laughed softly and shook his head. "You wouldn't believe me if I told you."

"Oh yeah?" I smirked. "Try me. I have enough crazy stuff happening in my life that chances are I will believe you."

"No." He said firmly, making me frown. "We're on the clock. Maybe someday, I'll tell you. But not right now." Without warning, he gently stuck the needle into my skin. It didn't hurt as bad as I had thought it would, actually. It didn't feel good, but it wasn't horrible, like some people made it out to be.

... Then I felt myself getting strapped down to the table by my limbs. "H-Hey!" I called out. "What gives?"

"This is for your own good." Petiole replied. "You... might feel a tiny pinch." Then I heard something sizzling as he walked to my legs, as if metal were burning.

"L-let me go you psychopath!"

"I really am sorry about this." Before I could say anything, the hissing of a hot, metal surface amplified at the touch of my stump. I screamed and thrashed around in the binds, but he kept it there for a long period of time that felt like forever to me. The corners of my vision were quickly growing darker, as they had many times before in certain, recent situations. Sounds became muffled, and despite the horrible burning sensation against my skin, I found myself too weak to fight it anymore. The stench of my burning coat filled my nostrils as my eyes closed.

All went dark...

(((((((◉)))))))

My eyes shot open wide as I took deep breaths, groaning. My stump felt like it was on fire, and the air still reeked of burnt flesh.

I looked to my left and right, but Petiole wasn't on either side. Tilting my head up, I was only greeted by the closed door that led to the station.

First ghoul I ever met, and I ended up getting tortured by him... Lovely.

Clenching my teeth, I forced myself to sit up, realizing I wasn't strapped down anymore. "Goddess damn it..." I opened my eyes and immediately froze at what I saw.

I had a hoof again. Not my hoof, but it was a hoof...

I ran the tip of my left fore against its metal surface. It was black, like the upgraded sentries I had seen earlier. That's when I noticed another addition to my body. I had a black Pipbuck locked around my left forehoof. Well... at least that was detachable...

There were six tiny furrows that ran up and down the metal structure of the hoof, and in each one were two small tesla coils; one on one end, and the other on the opposite, pointing at each other.

I gently traced the tip of my forehoof along the edge, where it began to meet burnt, scarred flesh. The seering pain in my leg flared up, immediately causing me to pull it back and hiss behind my teeth. "Okay... No touching..." I shook my head and whimpered, tilting my head to the ceiling. "Fuck... why...?"

This wasn't what I expected... I didn't want this...

A small, red light lit up on each end of the trenches simultaneously, and quite suddenly, everything grew lighter. Like it had been before losing my real hoof. The one I wanted back...

I heard Petiole speaking in the distance, and looking ahead at the door I had made note of earlier, which was now left open, I saw him standing there alone, facing away from me. All around him was a small field of flowers and trees, and a single light shined down on him as he whispered to himself.

I rolled off the table, and upon impact, a loud, metal bang occurred. More of that agonizing torment shot through my leg, causing me to raise it a little so that it didn't have to interact with the floor.

Why did my head hurt so much...?

I limped through the open doorway after slipping back into my barding and made my way through the field. Like the park in 32, it was as if I stepped into a completely different area in Equus that was left untouched by the bombs or their aftermath. Perhaps even another dimension. That wasn't the case though, and I knew that.

Once Petiole was in hearing range, maybe a few feet away, I stopped. He was talking to someone else. Something that was once living...

She stood before him; her head bent down, and her horn pointing at him. Her solidified mane sheltered her eyes. Vines wrapped around her hooves, and flowers grew around her. Even in her situation, I couldn't help but think of her as beautiful. The others showed pain and anguish, but she looked like she had gone peacefully.

"-love you, my shining star." Petiole whispered as he caressed her cheek with an armored hoof. "I... I'm sorry I wasn't able to help you... I failed... and I'm sorry..." He hung his head down and stood there in silence for what felt like minutes, until he finally resumed. "I'll carry you in my heart, always. I hope that one day, we are to meet again..." He leaned in for a gentle, loving kiss on the cheek.

I shouldn't have been listening to this. It wasn't my business... but... surely he knew I was there, right? I mean, I wasn't exactly quiet on the way here. If he had a problem with me being here, surely he would have said something.

He grabbed his helmet from the ground before him and slipped it on over his head, before continuing. "I have to go now, my love... I'm so sorry, Mansia..." He placed a hoof under her chin, but shortly after, backed away from her, just out of reach. He sighed and looked straight ahead. "You're awake."

I limped forward a few steps. "Yeah."

"Does it hurt?" He asked simply before looking back at me.

"Yes." The entire time I stood there, I had been fighting to keep my hoof off the ground, but my leg was starting to ache.

He pulled out a syringe from a pouch in his armor and stepped forward. "Lucky for you, I have a Med-X supply. Helps soothe the pain."

I kept my ground as he approached, and he poked my raised hindleg with the needle, injecting the medicine into my system. It acted quick, for sure. I was already feeling it simmer down the moment he took the needle out.

"That should do it." He said in his monotone voice as he put the syringe back in his pouch. "Now, do you have any questions?"

"Yeah, actually." I stared flatly. "Quite a few." I pointed an accusing hoof at him, glaring now. "You never mentioned turning me into a cyberpony! I mean, how the hell am I supposed to get anywhere like this!?"

"You got this far on your own, didn't you?"

My mouth opened, then closed as my brows knitted. "I... oh... you... Urgh!" I sat my rear down hard, wincing a little. Without the Med-X, I wouldn't have even tried. "I didn't ask for this!" I pointed at the metal hoof that was now a part of me. The Pipbuck was actually pretty nice, but the metal hoof... That was a deal breaker.

"Would you rather go without a hoof, period?"

I took a deep breath and shook my head, trying to calm myself. "Well... no... but... surely there could have been other alternatives!?"

"I'm afraid not. Not at this moment, anyways. We don't have the right equipment, and we don't have the time. This was the quickest way."

"Fuck!" I slammed my hoof on a bed of flowers, and quite suddenly, came the sound of electricity crackling. I looked around in a panic. "What is that!?" I really didn't want to have to fight something...

"That's you." Petiole stated casually, then pointed at the metal hoof. I looked down to find red electrical currents dancing between the coils in each slit.

"W-what the fuck!?" I stared at him in bafflement. "Why is it happening!?"

He rubbed his chin. "Well, the implant I put in your brain is working, at least."

I was quickly back to glaring, and the electrical current grew brighter. "The what?"

"I put a chip in your head that reads your emotions, and sends the signal to your hoof. Depending on how you feel, the charge will activate. Like right now, for instance." He paused, then added with a slight chuckle under his breath. "A fitting trait for a pony with a name such as yours... Charger."

"Okayyy..." I gritted my teeth, trying my best to ignore his little comment about my name suiting this new... ability. "That's great... Now how do I turn the bastard off?"

"By calming down." He started to walk past me casually. "I did you a favor, Charger. I hope you come to realize that soon." There was a short pause before I heard him stop in his tracks. "Let's go. We must act with haste. There's not much time. I imagine by now that the infected have already reached the park on the surface. It'll be difficult just finding all the ones that escaped before they reach other ponies... Hopefully the blast will wipe them all out."

I nodded slowly before standing up and turning around to follow him.

Our trip back to the tram was made in silence. That was fine by me. I didn't want to talk. Not now. I was definitely not in the mood, judging by the raging electrical storm in my new hoof.

When we stepped out of the room and into the corridor to the station, he looked back for one long moment at his wife, who stood in a spotlight, surrounded by nature. For one moment, he just stared. Silently watching her, as if he were waiting for her to come back.

But that moment passed. He turned his head and spoke as he walked down the hall. "Seal lab door to Gamma Station 5.8-4"

The alarm buzzed, and soon after, she disappeared behind a wall of thick steel. The green light overhead that had flashed when the alarm went off soon turned red, and then turned off completely.

I stared at the door for a few more seconds in silence before turning away and following close behind.

The replacement was a bit weird to work with, and each step both sent a sharp pain in my leg, along with a loud metal stomp.

The two of us got back in the tram and I sat down in my original spot, while Petiole went in the cab. Throughout the time we were stopped at this station, the pink cloud in the back of the tram had escaped and dissipated. I hoped it didn't linger as an invisible danger.

Petiole poked his head out of the cab and looked at me behind his black, thin visor. "Retrace your steps. What are all the places you visited since you got here?"

I looked back at him, thinking for a few seconds. "Well... we came in through the main entrance."

"Obviously..." He muttered.

I stared at him flatly, and the electrical current boosted. "You want me to be thorough, or are you gonna make little remarks like that?"

He paused for a second, before continuing with a slight nod. "My apologies. Please, continue."

I told him of all the places Fluky and I had visited along the way, making sure to keep it short.

His only response was, "Oh my... This may be harder than I thought."

"Yeah, you think?" I faced the back of the train again, closing my eyes.

"We'll need to make a stop at another station, then. You're gonna need a gun if you're going back there."

I cracked open an eye, looking at him. "You don't have a gun on you?"

He shook his head. "Didn't think I'd ever need one, seeing as I never really had to deal with the threats once I learned how to cloak myself from the machines." He traced a hoof along the green, glowing lines along his suit.

"That actually works?" I opened my other eye and studied his armor. "The machines leave you alone?"

"So long as I keep it on and lit, yes."

"Great." I grinned. "So then we can go back to that room that Bouncy House was talking about and get that rifle. And by we, I of course mean you." I pointed a hoof at him, keeping that grin.

"Me?" He said, taken aback as he pointed a hoof to his chest. "But..."

I interrupted him with a nod to my metal hoof. "You really think I'm fit to be going anywhere? I'm a target. Unlike you. Who can walk through all of Stable 32, all willy nilly, no harm done. So you can go get it, and I'll sit here on my sweet ass napping until you get back."

I heard him grumble under his breath, and then finally sigh. "I suppose that's... fair..."

"Good." My smile returned. I didn't realize I was clenching my teeth until my lips curled. I relaxed my aching jaw and groaned from the slight pain in my leg that refused to go away entirely. "I'm glad we agreed on this."

"I'm not..." He muttered, turning back to the controls of the cab. "But... I will admit, it does make more sense if I go. Like you said, you're in no condition for battle."

"Looks like we have a new manager for the stating-the-obvious department, folks."

I heard him sigh, just before the doors to the tram closed. We started moving back the way we came as he stepped out of the cab. "Are you always a smart ass?"

I smiled faintly and shook my head. "Nope. Only sometimes." I pointed a hoof at him as my smile widened a little. "I do, however, have a sweet ass."

He looked away, and I imagined he rolled his eyes behind that helmet. "I should knock her upside the head for it. It's unbecoming."

My smile faltered. "Believe me, I'd do it myself, just for the sake of it." I looked out the window as we made our way down to the residential part of the stable. "Fucking piece of shit..." My hoof started crackling louder.

"I sense conflict."

I looked over at him, then sighed. "Long story. Not gonna get into it right now." I glanced at my electrically charged hoof, then back at him. "Probably for the best we avoid talking about it anyways."

"Judging by the way your hoof is acting, I second that."

"So... is there any real purpose to the light show?" I pointed at the active teslas, but kept my hoof a safe distance away from the dancing bolts of electricity. "Or did you just add them as some sort of sick joke in regards to my name?"

He shook his head calmly and replied. "That was just a bonus feature. Static charged bucks. Hit something, it discharges the energy that's built up and sends it all to the sorry loser that had the misfortune to cross you."

... Okay, that was actually pretty useful. I was still upset about having this forever be a part of me, but at least I had a silver lining. My head was still pounding like crazy, though. I didn't feel any scars around my head.

"How did you get the chip in my brain?" I asked, rubbing my temple gently.

"Needle injection."

"So... it's-"

"-of a microscopic level."

A microchip...

I nodded slowly, and we both seemed to notice that the electrical storm in my hoof was slowly starting to calm down.

"So why is it red then? That doesn't make sense. Electricity shouldn't be red."

"Yes. It's odd, isn't it?" He looked down at my hoof. "I suppose that's what happens when we use tungstian as a conductor."

"Tungstian?" I raised a brow in response. "Don't you mean tungsten?"

"No. I mean tungstian. It's a rare metal." He looked down and spoke softer. "It's the reason 32 is how it is now. Had it not been for the overmare's obsession for the resource, we wouldn't have been slaughtered. Now machines are building themselves, and viruses run rampant."

"Tell me more about that." I adjusted myself to sit more comfortably. I was starting to grow aches from sitting still too long. "The machines, I mean."

"What would you like to know?"

"Well... how did it get out of control? How did it all start?"

He paused for a few seconds, thinking to himself. "Hm... At first, we had Robronco's robots to help us around the place. Everything was fine with them. But once the tungstian was being put to use, and the overmare decided to make an assembly line for more, using the new metal from the mine... we were asking for trouble. By the time the machines turned on us, we had built an army of them. We were going to use them to fend off any intruders. Anything that managed to break into the stable from the surface, or the things from the mine. Instead, they went haywire with security protocols and started gunning everypony down to 'contain the threat of infection.' Their orders were in the right place, but the way they executed those orders was most unorthodox."

I imagined other ponies that had once lived here getting their guts torn open by Gutsy and Handy units. With that mental image, I shuddered and shook the thought away. "What about the original models, though? What made them go crazy?"

"They were all connected to the same server." Petiole said simply. "So they all went corrupt. Something I can't quite describe, however, is that Robronco models and the Tungstian models seem to be at war with each other. They've been going at it ever since the outbreak."

"Sounds like jealousy." I smirked.

"If they had emotions, I'd agree."

There was a brief moment of silence as we looked at each other, to which I spoke. "I was... kidding..."

"I know."

Shaking my head and rolling my eyes, I decided to change the topic. This guy didn't really know what a joke was, did he? "So what happened to the overmare?"

"I'm not quite sure, honestly. I imagine by now, she's either a ghoul or dead. The latter is more possible than the former though. As far as I'm aware, she wasn't exposed to the pink, or any gamma waves."

The stable door's been left open for a long time, by the looks of it. Do you think maybe she could have opened it and escaped?"

"It's possible." Petiole nodded. "If that's the case, then I only hope that someone gave 32 justice for all the damage she's caused. She was never fit to be in charge of anything this big..."

"Sounds like someone I knew." I said under my breath, looking ahead.

A spotlight moved in the distance before us. I stopped and stared, and soon enough, I realized it was getting bigger and brighter.

"Petiole, make the tram go the other way..." I pointed a hoof at the light that moved dangerously close, and upon looking over, he jumped to his hooves, groaning as he walked to the controls. The wheels of the tram on the tracks screeched as we slowed to a halt, but the light didn't slow down.

Petiole stopped by my side, watching it. We were slowly starting to move the other direction, but we weren't picking up enough speed.

"It's going to hit us." He stated simply.

I grabbed a hold of one of the bars next to me and held on, ready for the impact.

The sound of wheels and something heavy rolling through grew as time went on. The blinding light shined through the windows of the tram.

With an ear deafening crash of metal against metal, the tram jolted about. Petiole collapsed on his stomach, and I was thrown around in my seat, before feeling the back of my head slam against the wall behind me...

(((((((◉)))))))

I found myself sitting in a theater. All the seats - which were red - were empty, save for mine. The walls to my left and right were of red velvet, and stretched out before me was a clean, black screen. The lights in the corners of the room allowed me to see all around, but there wasn't much to look at. It was lonely in here... Cold, quiet, and lonely...

Looking behind me, I found a small window. A camera pointed at the glass pane, but that was all I saw from where I sat, which was fairly close to the back row.

The lights went dim, and not long after, did I hear the reeling of a film. The screen lit up, showing a countdown that started from 5.

4.

3.

It hadn't reached 1, or even 2 for that matter, before the screen went black, followed by an abrupt beep, which only lasted for a fraction of a second.

An image popped up a few seconds later, showing from a first person view, a small, tan colored fox and a white, furry stomach with big, pointy ears atop it's head. It lied on the host's legs, sleeping. A tiny, grey coated hoof stroked its head gently as it snoozed happily.

The scene quickly changed to the host - who was now a little bit taller than before, judging by how high up the view was from the floor - walking through a park that flourished with life. Colts and fillies ran around, laughing and playing. Other ponies, such as the host, took in the beauty of this place. The nature. The fresh air.

Birds - real, living birds - sang as they soared through the calm breeze that brushed against the leaves of trees. The sky was a bright blue; a few clouds here and there.

The host seemed to admire their surroundings. A little too much, as they weren't paying attention to what was ahead of them.

Before they knew it, he slammed into another, making an 'umph' sound as he fell back. The unicorn mare before him was on the ground; a series of papers scattered around her, looking a little dazed.

She shook her head and looked at him with a simple expression after blinking once, to which he stood up and reached out a hoof. "I am so sorry... I wasn't paying attention."

She grabbed his hoof and smiled faintly as she rose to her hooves, then spoke in a soft voice. "Oh, it's okay... I suppose I wasn't really paying much attention either..." She looked around at the mess, and her horn lit up. The pale brown aura from her horn wrapped around the papers and levitated them into one, neat stack. She sighed and smiled, then looked back at the host. "Sorry for... all this." She laughed under her breath and look around. She turned back to him with a raised brow and a smirk. "What's your name?"

"Petiole." The host replied. "And yours?"

"Mansia."

The scene quickly shifted to another; showing her in the entrance of a cave with a drenched mane, looking out at the dark, rainy forest outside. Petiole was beside her, laughing softly.

"Well... look at the bright side." He started. "It could have been a lot worse."

She looked back at him and smiled. "How optimistic of you."

"You still have a dorky first name." He laughed more aloud, and her ears folded back as she frowned.

"I should have kept you believing Mansia was my first name..."

"Oh, come on." He poked her chest with a hoof. "I still like you. A lot."

Her smiled soon returned, and she hugged him tight. "I like you too, Petooee."

"It's Petiole, actually."

That earned him a giggle behind his ear.

The scene changed; this time, it showed a letter from a medical school. I didn't get to read it all before he tore his eyes from the paper. Turned out he was a faster reader than I.

He looked up at Mansia, who seemed eager to find out what it said.

"I got in!" Petiole said happily, to which she cheered and hugged him tight.

"I knew you would!"

A new scene took place, showing her in a wedding dress, staring into his eyes lovingly, with a smile that told him she was the happiest mare in the world. A stallion stood in a tuxedo between Petiole and Mansia, awaiting her response.

"I do." She said with that same, soft voice as earlier.

The scene changed again, showing her in a red, velvet dress. Much like the walls of the theater I sat in.

She stood in the doorway of a high end hotel room, giving him seductive eyes and a bite of her bottom lip. The room was dimly lit by candle light.

The next scene that followed was of her out of that dress; her back pressed up against the bed as her body was pushed up and down along the sheets. Her eyes were closed as she moaned his name, and in the background, I could hear a distinct, wet slapping sound that I knew all too well with my experiences with Snow Star, back in the bunker.

I missed her... I missed sex, too... But I missed her the most. I missed her company...

Another scene took place, showing him standing on a stage, looking out at a small audience, while another pony announced his graduation. Mansia was in that crowd, smiling up at him.

The next scene quickly came up, showing her holding a pregnancy test in her magic. It came up positive. She was jumping up and down in excitement, cheering and laughing, before looking at Petiole, who was laughing as he watched her.

She moved in for a deep, passionate kiss, and he embraced her. The screen went dark for a few seconds, but when his eyelids cracked open, she was looking deep into his eyes, smiling.

"I love you so much, Petiole..." She said in a whisper, before hugging him tight.

"I love you too, my shining star..."

Another scene was revealed, showing him performing surgery on a patient. There were a few other doctors in the room with him, watching from a distance until he gave orders.

Not much happened, before a new scene took place. He sat in a waiting room, but for what, I didn't know.

He looked over to reveal Mansia sitting beside him. "I'm sure things will be okay..." He put his hoof over hers, and she looked over with a worried expression.

"But what if... what if it's not...?"

"Then..." He took a deep breath. "We'll keep trying. I won't give up on this..."

She nodded slowly, but there was no smile of reassurance on her face. She looked away and sighed. "I mean... we could always adopt... if it ever came to that... but..." She froze.

"But it wouldn't be the same..." Petiole finished, looking down.

The scene changed again. Mansia was sitting at a table, covering her face with her hooves as she broke down in tears.

Petiole sat beside her, reaching his arm out across her shoulders and holding her close. "I'm so sorry..." He spoke softly. "Surely there's something we can do..."

She turned to him with red, puffy eyes. Tears streamed down her cheeks. "I don't believe him! It can't be true!" She shouted. "It's not!"

"He's a doctor..."

"Doctor's have been wrong before!" She shook her head hard and looked down. "No... I don't believe him. I want to try again." She looked up into his eyes. "I need to. Please..." She hugged him tight; her snotty muzzle buried into his chest. "Please, let us try again..."

He nodded slowly and kissed the top of her head. "We'll try for as long as you wish... Anything for you, Mansia..."

She shuddered and whimpered under her breath, but through all that, she kept reiterating the same thing.

"It's not fair..."

When the scene changed again, so did her mood. She was smiling. She was happy. She was tucked in bed with a bulge for a belly. Petiole walked in with a tray of breakfast and set it down before her.

"There you are, my queen."

She laughed and blushed. "Such a charmer." She leaned in and kissed him on the lips. "I don't know what I'd do without you, my king."

He opened the blinds to let the sunlight pour in, then turned around to face her. "How are they doing?" He looked down at her belly, and she murred softly.

"I felt a kick earlier." She stifled a giggle with her hoof. "They're excited to meet you."

"I'm excited to meet them." He said happily before sitting beside her, looking into those beautiful violet eyes of hers.

The scene changed.

This time, it was of her sitting in bed, looking down at the sheets before her, in a dark room. Rain pattered against the window outside. The blinds were closed.

Petiole stood in the doorway quietly. She didn't seem to notice him.

"Mansia...?" He asked in a near whisper.

She looked up at him with a blank expression on her face. "Hey... Petiole..."

"What... what's going on...?" He stepped forward, then noticed the surgical scar on her flattened stomach. "W-what happened to our baby...?"

She choked and gasped, wincing as if she were just burnt.

"Mansia... baby, please..." He rushed forward and sat down before her. "What happened?" He spoke louder out of worry.

"Oh stop." She rolled her eyes and lifted a bottle of whiskey to her lips, taking a few large gulps, before coughing and dropping the bottle on the mattress, spilling a good portion over the sheets. "We both know what happened..." She looked back into his eyes as tears broke free. "I'm broken." She smiled sadly, tears forming. "Nothing but damaged goods..."

Tears obscured his vision of her as he sobbed, getting onto the bed with her and hugging her tight. "Mansia... Y-you're more than that. A lot more... Don't... don't say that about yourself..."

"Why do you even want me, Petiole?" She snapped. "I'm no good!"

He looked at her for a few quiet seconds as she continued to break down. "I want you, because I love you for who you are..." He moved in close again and hugged her. She sat there, stiff for a short while, before she gave in and hugged him back, bawling her eyes out.

"I love you too, Petiole!" She cried out. "Please don't ever leave..."

"I'd never..." He spoke softly in her ear, followed by a kiss on the cheek. "We can... we can keep trying if you'd like..."

She looked back at him, smiling sadly, but nodded. "I want to... I can't give up..."

"I can't either. I won't."

The next scene showed a rather intriguing headline.

HAPPY CASE CLOSED, CULPRIT APPREHENDED

As of the 24th of October, the terror of the Happy killer is no more, as he had been caught and arrested for several unfortunate deaths around Saddle. Rumor has it that he had been targeting children, but Omegas, the chief of police of Saddle claims otherwise.

"Happy was very proud of his work, and he made sure we knew it," Omegas went on to say, a few hours after the capture of the infamous Killer Grin. "He always left behind a sticker of a smiley face. It was his trademark. The recent, unfortunate disappearances and demise of the children of Saddle are not of his doing, however. There's another at play, and I can't help but think about the Angel of Death, back east."

He went on to talk about the 'Angel of Death,' and how they usually targeted children, but then made note of their capture.

"I had contacted Hightower prison, and sure enough, the real Angel of Death had been killed. Which means we may have a copy cat killer on the loose. An admirer of her work. Stay safe out there, kiddos. Lock your doors. The world gets more dangerous each and every day. We just do what we can to make it as safe as it can get for the ponies of Equestria. With Happy gone, things will be looking up."

The Happy killer is now being delivered in a block of ice in a skywagon, en route to Hightower prison, which ensures the most durable security measures, should anything try to escape. The mare that successfully captured Happy was none other than Floe Glaze, a specialist in cryogenics whom Happy tried making another victim to his cause.

"It all happened so fast. He was right behind me, so I did the only thing I could think of..." She continued to point at her cutiemark - a blue chemistry flask of ice - as she spoke. "Ice, ice, baby. But all jokes aside, I'm glad I was able to do some good for the community. There's enough going on in the world already, with the war. We don't need more chaos."

Petiole tore his eyes from the paper as Mansia swung the front door open, breathing heavily. She looked at him with heart stricken fear...

Just then, did he notice the panicked voices outside.

"We need to go." She said sternly, rushing into the bedroom.

"Wait, what?" He sat up, putting the paper down. "What are you talking about? What's with the noise outside?" He approached the window and looked out to see ponies running all in one direction. Wagons had crashed into each other in the streets.

She levitated a suitcase on the bed and started throwing clothes in when he walked into their bedroom. "Hun, what-"

"The zebras!" She blurted, breathing heavily as if she were trying to prevent herself from crying. "They frickin' did it... It's over..."

"What? What's over?"

"Turn on the news, Petiole!" She dumped a tin of bits into the suitcase next.

Petiole walked back to the living room and turned the tv on to show a pony standing behind a desk, looking down.

"-erlot has been hit... If you are hearing this, make your way to the nearest stable immediately. If your name isn't on Stable-Tec's roster, then find the nearest underground shelter, such as basements, cellars, and metro stations. Bring food, water, medical supplies, batteries..." He sighed and shook his head. "I can't believe it... I never thought I'd see the end of the world for myself..." He got up, shaking his head again. "I have to go... I need to spend my final moments with my wife and son... If... by some chance I don't make it there in time... and you're hearing this..." He looked into the camera lens with sad eyes; his lips trembling. "I love you..." With that, he ran off screen.

A klaxon began to roar through the city, raising in pitch for several long seconds, then lowering, only to repeat the process over and over again.

A film leader took over on the screen of the tv, showing a variety of numbers and circles. The center of the screen read 'PLEASE STAND BY.'

Petiole continued to stand there, frozen at the image displayed before him. Not long after, did Mansia rush out with two heavy looking suitcases wrapped in her magic.

"I packed your stuff, love." She said, giving him a quick kiss on the cheek. "We need to hurry... There's not much time left..." She left his sight.

"I... can't believe it..." He murmured.

"Petiole!" She called out, and looking over, she was already at the door, which was left wide open. Other ponies were racing around and crying out in a panic.

He nodded quickly and raced after her as they ran for the shelter from what was going to obliterate the surface of Equestria.

Ponies ran across the street. Many wagons were left abandoned or even destroyed from impacting one another, leaving pummeled meat at the wheels. Petiole froze and stared at what was once a pony, caught under the wheel of a wagon...

Or... had been, before they were split in half along the torso. Intestines spilled out onto the asphalt.

The world around him started to go muffled as he stared at the deceased civilian before him. He was just a kid...

A tan coated hoof reached out and turned his head, making him look at Mansia. Her mouth was moving, but he couldn't hear what she was saying. I didn't read lips too well, but it looked like she was calling out his name.

He didn't register any of it, however. She grabbed him by the shoulders and shook him. "PETIOLE! LET'S GO!"

He shook his head and blinked as he looked around; the sound much clearer now. Ponies were screaming, but it was soon drowned out by the siren's high pitch.

A filly stood in the middle of the sidewalk, looking down at what I assumed was her father, screaming for him to come back. Tears washed down her face.

His head had been bashed in, and the weapon that was used to do so lied beside him; a metal rod, which had been severely damaged. Blood stained one end, while more gushed out the side of his head, forming a pool on the sidewalk around him.

Petiole's head was turned to his love again. "Come on!"

"Y-yeah, let's..." He looked back at the girl, then shook his head, closing his eyes. "No..." He started running after Mansia.

Halfway down the street, he heard a DJ speaking through a radio.

"-ucking cowards! Yeah, that's right! FLY! Hide behind your clouds, you flock of feather brains! I hope the blast sweeps over your precious little homes and kills you all, you fucking assholes! Cover the skies all you want! It won't save you from your guilt!"

Petiole looked up at the skies, but it was broad daylight. There were clouds here and there, but nothing was being covered up. There were, however, a bunch of pegasi racing off the east. Some, faster than others.

That's when he noticed in the far distance, to said east, was a thick layer of cloud that shrouded the land underneath in a dark gloom. It was spreading out.

Several blocks later, Mansia was about to cross the street to the park. Petiole glanced right, then lunged forward, pulling her back just as a wagon raced past, nearly crushing her. Their luggage dropped on the street, slamming against the wagon. The locks broke upon impact, and all their belongings went airborne, scattering along the ground when they landed.

She quickly got back up and started levitating their belongings with her magic, shoving them back in the broken suitcases.

"Mansia!" Petiole called out, running to her side. She didn't stop trying. "Mansia, leave it! We need to go!"

"We need them!"

"No!" He turned her to face him. "I need you to be safe... We need to go!"

She glanced back at the mess, then at the gate that everyone was rushing through, before resuming her long run.

Petiole looked down at a photo album tucked away in one of the suitcases, along with a framed photograph. Hanging out of his, was his old saddlebag, with five journals in one pouch, and nothing in the other. He quickly grabbed it, put it on over his flank, and slipped the photo album and framed picture in the other pouch. From there, he ran after his lover.

The park was much too familiar... Not just to me, but through his eyes, as well.

This was the park where he and Mansia first met...

He ran past the spot where they had first bumped into each other because of their distractions.

Mansia was waiting in the back of a line of terrified, anxious ponies. One of them was in a police uniform. The label on his outfit, when he looked back at the clouds that were moving in, read 'Omegas.'

At the entrance of the stable was a pony with a clipboard, wearing a Stable 32 jumpsuit. On both sides of him was one sentry, and a pony dressed in the armor that the Steel Rangers would eventually base themselves around.

He trotted up to Mansia who saw him coming, as she was looking around for him desperately, before her eyes met him. Judging by the way she looked, she was about ready to risk not getting into the stable and go back to look for him.

Once her eyes met his, she looked mildly relieved.

"Where were you?" She asked worriedly.

"I was getting something." He answered, then unfolded one of the flaps to the left saddle bag, revealing the picture and the photo album. "There's some things we do need with us..." He closed it again.

She hugged him tight and sniffled into his mane. "I love you, Petiole..."

He hugged her gently. "I love you too... my shining star..."

The line shortened, one pony at a time. Every so often, one of them would get denied, because they weren't on the list. When they protested, the barrels to the guns built into the sides of the steel-clad ponies would spin with a whir that shut them up instantly, causing them to run back.

Eventually, it came down to Mansia and Petiole.

"Name?" The pony with the clipboard said in a surprisingly calm, yet annoyed tone.

"Mansia."

He read over the list carefully, then looked at her behind his glasses. "Brug Mansia Petiole?"

"Er... yes..." She admitted nervously.

"Go on in."

As she passed by him, she muttered to herself. "I always hated that name..."

"Name?" The pony asked, looking at the host.

"Arum Petiole."

He looked at the list of names on the clipboard carefully once more, then nodded. "Go on in."

Petiole stepped past, and just before he was about to step through the entrance, there was a sudden roar, followed by an abrupt shake of the earth he stood on. His shadow was cast before him as a bright, burning light lit up behind him. He turned around, covering his eyes with a hoof as a mushroom of green stood tall from the horizon, constantly growing. A ring expanded around the stem.

The attendance pony gaped at the imminent destruction, then ran for the entrance of the stable. His shadow was bleached into the ground, as, when he ran, the shadow stayed.

Petiole ran inside shortly after, but the guards stayed, save for the two sentries, who followed him inside.

He looked back as the giant cog wheel of a door rolled into the place. A red light flashed, and an alarm blared. His last view of the outside was spent looking at his own shadow stained on the entrance floor. Most of it was inside the stable, while the rest was left outside.

The two ponies that stood guard. They didn't bother trying to get in. They knew what their orders were, and they seemed to be okay with what was going to happen to them... They seemed to accept it, anyways.

A wind rushed through the closing gap, and the roar grew louder, causing the others around him to panic.

"Close already!" One of them shouted.

"Hurry up!"

Others cried, wondering if they were going to die regardless of making it to the stable.

A mechanical arm moved into place, and a bolt on the end inserted itself into the slot in the door. With the push of the arm came a loud shriek of metal, and the door slid in, sealing them off from the outside for good. The alarm stopped, and the red, flashing light turned off. The arm retracted from the door and ascended back to the ceiling.

The scene ended, and the one that took its place was of him setting down the framed photograph of Mansia and him on the desk.

It quickly shifted to another scene. Something I hadn't entirely expected at that moment.

Mansia was on top of him, sliding up and down along his shaft, moaning and having the time of her life. He wasn't really one for making noise, even when he was alive. But even then, there were a few times I caught him panting and moaning from the pleasure.

However, he seemed more pulled in to her beauty. Her white, messy mane draped over one eye as she looked down at him, smiling. A shade of red had grown on her cheek. The other was covered with her mane.

I didn't see much of their surroundings, but if I had to guess, they were in their sleeping quarters, on the bed that I...

Oh... Oh fuck... Fluky slept in that bed...

I hope the sheets were changed before the stable went to shit!

He rubbed her flank with his hooves, admiring her cutiemark - a circuit chip - as they had their fun.

For a split second, the scenery changed to the atrium. A tree had grown in the center, and other scientists and security personnel stood around it, observing it closely. Past the tree, the overmare was seen looking down through the circular window that led to her office.

The scene changed again. Petiole was talking to a security pony as they walked down the medical wing of Stable 32.

"I don't know what to think anymore, Bouncy... I just... I keep letting her down..."

She glanced over and looked at him behind the visor of her half-face helmet, before looking ahead again. "You do realize that what you're saying is... pretty much going against everything your career stands for, right?"

"I'm telling you... I feel there's something foul at play here..."

She sighed and shook her head. "Omegas gets a stomach ache over the mine, and now you're freaking out that you might have a curse on you that brings misfortune to everyone around you. Come on, man... You're a scientist. Aren't you supposed to be smarter than this?"

"And in most cases, I don't believe this crap myself." He said defensively. "But it could be possible, right...?"

She laughed under her breath and shook her head again, looking down. "Man... did you go to the other lab coats with this idea?"

Petiole quietly looked away. "... No..."

"Keep it that way. Otherwise, you'll be the laughing stock of the century... and the next. And the next..." She smirked.

"Bouncy, I'm serious!" He looked back at her.

"I fucking hate that name..." She muttered with an irritated look as she stared at him. "Are you intentionally being a douche, or does it just come naturally?"

Petiole sighed. "Azure, please listen..."

She rolled her eyes, but awaited what he had to say.

"Everything around my life has been falling apart, one way or another. When I was a kid, my pet died..."

"Which is bound to happen." She interjected. "Animals die."

"Let me finish."

"Fine." She huffed, then looked ahead as they continued walking.

"Rose... my pet. She was a fennec fox. Cute little thing. Always liked to cuddle up with me." He paused and took a deep, shaky breath. "One day, I couldn't find her. I looked all over, but she was just... gone. Then I went outside, and that's when I saw her... Legs broken..." He shuddered and closed his eyes. "She was alive, but there was blood... Lots of it... I..." He gulped and looked down. "She died in my arms... and it came to my attention that someone did it to her..."

"What?" Azure cocked a brow.

"There was a sticker of a smiley face stuck to her fur. And ever since I saw that sticker, everything turned to shit..." There was a brief pause before he resumed, seeing as Azure had nothing to say. "Back just before the bombs dropped, there was this little girl... She was at her father's corpse, crying out for him. I could have helped her... I was right there. I could have asked her to come with us. Try and convince them to let her come in with us..."

"... So why didn't you?" She asked, looking over with curiosity.

"Because I was absolutely certain that if I asked her to come along, she'd have died on the way there."

"... Okay. And she wasn't going to die just sitting there?"

"She probably had better chances of survival than she did being around me. I'm a bad omen..."

"You and your belief in curses... Next thing you're gonna tell me is that there's an evil star spirit hiding underneath Equestria." She waved her hooves in front of her, poorly imitating ghost sounds. "OoooOOOOooooOOOOoooo..."

Petiole shook his head hard, and she continued.

"Look, man... I can't understand what you're going through with Mansia. I've never experienced it myself... and I'm sorry it's happening." She patted him on the shoulder. "But don't go making up a guinea pig to dump all the blame on. You're looking for an excuse that doesn't exist. It's just life... and life is a sadistic, fickle bitch. No morals. No sympathy. No. Exceptions. So what if Mansia can't have children? It's up to you to make the most of what you got. And you got her. So quit messing around with these lame thoughts about how your life is 'cursed' and go love her."

"But-"

"Nah, ah, ah!" She put a hoof over his mouth, glaring at him. "No buts. Unless it's her butt against your nuts. Got it mister?"

Things were quiet for a few seconds, and she took her hoof away, still awaiting a response.

"My life is cu-"

"HER BUTT AGAINST YOUR NUTS!" She shouted, looking stern but smiling. Her muzzle was pressed up against his. "NUT. HER. BUTT. AND NUT IT GOOD!"

One of the doctors had been walking down the corridor when she shouted, and he froze, just staring in confusion. Azure looked over and beamed at him. "Carry on!" She said in a cheerful tone.

The doctor shook his head as he walked past, pulling out a clipboard from his coat pocket and reading over the info it provided. "Fuckin' weirdo..." He muttered under his breath.

She looked back at Petiole. "So what'll it be, broski? You gonna keep bitching about how miserable your life is, or are you gonna go tell fate to suck a smelly donkey dick and hold that sexy mare tight? Cause let me tell ya, you got someone great in your life, who loves you for who you are. Even if she can't carry to term, she's still happy, because she has you. Don't ever let that go, my dude."

"I'd never. I love her."

"How much?" She kept her eyes locked with his.

"More than anything. I just wish I could do more for-"

"NAH!" She was glaring at him again. "NAH NAH NAH AH AH AH! NEIGH! NO! Stop. Thinking. Like. That!" With each word, she poked him in the chest. "No curses! No 'I wish I could do more' crap! You are doing plenty for her, and she's noticed. Trust me. So... Her butt." She pointed at his crotch. "Your nuts."

"Stop saying that." He looked down a little, and she laughed.

"Why should I stop?"

"No curses."

"That's right." She lifted his head up to look at her. "And if I hear another word about you saying you're 'cursed,' I'm gonna have Mansia convince you otherwise. In bed. Strapped down. Gag in mouth." She winked, and he looked away quickly.

"Whoa, holy shit..." She laughed. "You're blushing!"

"Am not... Just... ate something sour..."

"Bullshit. You're a terrible liar."

He shook his head and sighed. "I gotta go look over the patient from the mine."

"Alright, alright." She trotted up alongside him. "I got guard duty down there anyways. Gotta hoof it if I'm gonna make it to my shift in time. We still on for movie night?"

"Yes."

With that, she started running. "No curses, Petiole! Remember that!"

From there, the scene changed yet again.

Plant life had spread across the stable's corridors and rooms. Petiole sighed as he walked down. "Sick of all this... When are they gonna cut all this down...?"

And then the scene changed again.

Red lights flashed, and an alarm blared, just like when the thick, steel door of 32 was closing them off from the outside world. Doctors, scientists, and engineers ran one direction, while security ran down the other, fully equipped for battle.

There wasn't a whole lot of plant growth in this area, it seemed.

Petiole stood just outside an office, looking around in what I assumed was bafflement.

"What in Celestia's name is going on?" He asked, but didn't receive an answer.

Gunfire sounded off in the distance, causing Petiole to focus his attention on the security ponies at the far end of the long stretch of corridor. They blasted away at something out of his view. Gatling laser fired back, but that didn't seem to be their primary focus. Some of the security personnel got struck by the incoming fire, but they retreated behind cover before there was any real damage inflicted on them.

Not long after, some of the red streams of energy abruptly stopped, and the crumpled up remains of a sentry was thrown at the ponies, striking one unlucky mare and crushing her against the wall, leaving behind a great big patch of gore.

"Fuck! Fall back!" A dark blue unicorn stallion shouted as he ran across the hall to the other side. Before he could make it, a writhing mass of... something... lunged out and wrapped around him. He screamed, trying to break free as the other security ponies backed away, firing at the monster before them.

I looked closer, and... horrifying would be an understatement. There were no words to express my terror over the beast on the screen. A writhing mass of ponies - some infected, others not - had been fused together by their coats, becoming a unified being of horror. The infected ones worked as a muscle... and the ones that weren't infected?

They were being fed the infection forcefully... Just like the griffin from earlier. Only, these ones weren't pulled into their stomach. I saw it all. The fear. The tears. The torture.

The stallion that had been grabbed screamed and fought, firing blindly at it. But it was to no avail. Within seconds of being grabbed, his skin was already melting with the others. One of the flower-like suctions whipped out and wrapped around his muzzle in an instant, pumping the virus into him.

The group of security personnel that survived were retreating with the rest of the ponies as the creature started moving further into view. It crawled on four limbs, and its entire mass consisted of other ponies, infected or otherwise. Its head was comprised of three massive tentacles, made up of bone and organs.

"Petiole!" A familiar voice called out, and upon turning around, he was staring at his wife. Omegas and Azure were right behind her, aiming at the beast that slowly made its way forward.

"What the hell is that thing!?" Petiole shouted.

"Don't know, don't care!" Omegas replied. "We need to leave! You and Mansia get to the tram station and get out of here! This stable is no longer safe!"

"No longer sa-"

"Move it!" He interjected, backing up as Azure fired at the beast in the distance. Like earlier, it didn't have any real effect on it.

The four of them ran down the corridor that everyone else had gone down to escape the monster, and at the next intersection - which looked rather familiar to me - turned right. Just ahead, at the far end of the hall, was the door to the tram station. Security ponies stood guard at the closed door, wielding their guns. For a second, they aimed their weapons at the four, then lowered them a little, though they were still expecting something to be following, judging by their stance.

A roar echoed through the station, and the two security ponies in front of them grew uneasy expressions of dread. They raised their guns and started firing.

"Fuck!" Omegas shouted as the four of them ran. "Keep going!" The ground shook with each thunderous stomp, and with each step, the beast seemed to be closing in on them.

Bullets whizzed past them either from the sides, or overhead. Petiole dared not look back.

One of the bullets had buried itself into Azure's barding just as they made their way past the last intersection, causing her to stagger as she put a hoof to her chest. "Damn it!" She bolted for the right.

"Azure!" Omegas shouted, looking back. His eyes said he was about ready to go back for her, but she quickly replied.

"Just keep going!"

He shook his head hard as he looked forward, staying on task.

Petiole and Mansia ran into the station once the door opened, and upon looking back, Omegas had his back turned to them, aiming at the beast that charged down the corridor after them. The door closed and sealed the panicked scientists, doctors, and engineers away from whatever that monstrosity was.

Petiole turned to look ahead at the tram car. Everyone was in a rush to get in and get out of here, but five security ponies stood guard, keeping things relatively under control. Or... trying to.

A stallion rushed forward, pushing a filly out of his way so he could get in the tram car faster. She fell on her side, and four of the security guards pushed the stallion back out of the vehicle, while the one went to help her up.

"One at a time!" One of them shouted as they held a scanner over the stallion's eyes, who fought to look away. One of the others held his head in place. When he tried to close his eyes, they were forced open telekinetically. When the scan finished, the guard looked over to the others and nodded. His mouth was moving, but it was hard to figure out what he was saying through all the panic. The stallion was escorted away by two others as he screamed to be let go, and went on about basic pony rights.

The girl continued to lie there on the cold, tile floor, motionless as the guard that went to check on her grew concerned. He looked back to the others that stayed with the tram, and as one of them started to walk forward to investigate, several black tendrils slipped out of her maw, wrapping around the guard's leg and tightening its grip.

He looked back at her, screaming as he felt his hoof getting severed from the rest of his body. The crowd hastily vacated from the scene, trying to get as far away as they could from her and the security pony. But there was little to no room.

Blood gushed out from his armor, around his hoof as he fought to pull away. The other guards started firing at the infected girl; whose body started twitching uncontrollably as it growled. Her hide bubbled, and something crawled around beneath the seams. Several somethings...

She roared as pustules began to form, and then burst; spraying that same white gunk that I had a rather unfortunate encounter with. Upon bursting, came the writhing maggoty parasites. Many had landed on the pony who couldn't escape her grasp, while the others landed around the area, crawling for the crowded ponies.

There was a gunshot... and then another. And another. It was at ear deafening levels. With each shot, one of the parasites exploded into a white, pasty substance.

Petiole looked to his left to see a light blue coated stallion standing beside him, firing at the creatures. His horn glowed bright blue through his helmet, wielding the pistol that hovered in front of him. He looked to Petiole and his wife, then glared back at the creatures that looked to infect, firing carefully placed shots, as to not waste his ammo.

"Where's Bouncy!?" He shouted through the gunfire.

"She got hit by a bullet on the way here!" Mansia answered. "She's alive, as far as I know! But she got shot!"

He shook his head with a grimace, killing off the last of the parasites that made their way to the crowded ponies. "Get on the tram! Both of you!"

"What about you, Iron?" She asked in a worried tone.

"Overmare's orders! Gotta stay put!" He aimed at the little girl and started planting shots in the back of her head as she removed the ponies' rear hoof entirely. Blood gushed out, but the tendrils quickly cut off the circulation. One of the parasites left on him crawled in through his injury, and a bulge traveled up his leg as he screamed, trying to pull away. Another one of the parasites quickly crawled into his mouth and traveled down his throat, while another went in through an ear.

"Fuck..." Iron said before driving a bullet through the afflicted stallion's head, putting him out of his misery. For a second, the other guards looked at him in disbelief, but quickly regained their motives to kill the creature, as black claws formed out of its hooves, digging into the floor as it stood up. The tendrils let go of the corpse and lashed out at one of the security ponies, knocking them back and tearing a chunk of meat from their shoulder, right through the barding.

Iron looked back at them. "Get the fuck out of here! What are you waiting for, Hearths Warming? Go!" He turned to the crowd and started to give the same order to them.

The security ponies near the tram lured the creature away from the transport, while several dozen others ran for it. Mansia and Petiole quickly joined them, but there were still many who were too afraid to move. Iron urged them on to go, but they wouldn't.

The tram doors slid shut behind Petiole, who was the last one in the crammed vessel. He looked to Mansia who, in mere seconds, whimpered and hugged him tight, pressing the side of her head against his neck. He held her close and kissed the top of her head, before looking out the window as, one by one, the security ponies were being killed off.

The tram started to proceed down the subway tunnel of 32.

The next vision consisted of the remaining survivors that had escaped, standing around in the atrium. More so as an angry mob staring up at the overmare's window on the second floor, than as a concourse of ponies trying to cope with what just happened on the lower floors.

"I'm sorry, but this is for your own safety, everypony." The overmare called out through the speakers as she looked down at everyone through the safety of her window, out of reach from them. The unicorn mare had a purple mane with a black streak running along it, and a dark blue coat under her skin tight, blue and gold Stable 32 jumpsuit.

"There's nowhere else to go, damn it!" One of the ponies among the crowd shouted. "Everyone's dying!"

"And I assure you," she interrupted with a glare as she stared down at them. "That if you attempt leaving this stable, you will all die! If the sentries don't kill you, then the surface will!"

"You're gonna get us all killed!" Another shouted. "At least give us the chance to try and make it to the surface!"

"This place isn't safe! The F-virus is spreading like wild fire!" A scientist stated. "Please, let us go!"

"No!" She stomped her hoof down. "The stable will be safe again! You'll see! Security will take care of everything!"

Petiole stepped up. "If you're so sure of that, then why are you cowering in your office? Come out here and join us, if you're so convinced that things will turn out fine." She glared down at him and opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came out.

"Exactly." His calm tone seemed to have been carried with him when he had died. Everyone else was shouting out of anger and fear when they tried getting a point across, but he stayed calm and collected, offering more logic to the argument for the other ponies' freedom. "You haven't seen it for yourself, Haze. It's chaos down there, and it's spreading. We may as well have opened the gates of Tartarus when we opened that mine. That was your doing, overmare." He pointed a hoof up at her, and she gasped, raising one of her fores halfway in shock. "None of this would have happened if we left it alone. And now we have belligerent machines and infected ponies melting into one another. Our friends are dying down there to save us, and their deaths will only be in vain if you continue keeping us locked away like sheep in a pen. And that'll be on your conscience until your last, dying breath."

She shook her head. "I'm sorry, but no." She concised. "There is nowhere else to go. This debate is over." With that, she stepped away from the window, out of view, while the other ponies around him protested. Petiole hung his head down and sighed, then looked over at Mansia, who placed a hoof on his shoulder as she smiled at him faintly.

"It doesn't matter..." She said softly, which was surprisingly heard throughout the angry concourse. "We have each other." She wrapped her hoof around the back of his neck and pulled him into a loving embrace, to which he returned to her the comfort she gave to him, in the middle of a panicked room of ponies.

And then the clip changed...

The view was from within what I assumed was Petiole's suit, looking at his lover, who stood before him; her head hung down. All around them were the ponies that I had seen protesting against the overmare's motives, just a few seconds ago... turned to wooden statues.

Mansia had branches sticking out from her. Wood had covered almost all of her body, all the way up to her neck. She was trembling... Aching...

"All we have is each other..." She muttered, and I caught her smiling a little, underneath her mane.

"There has to be something I can do..." Petiole started to walk away. "I will find a cure."

"Petiole!" She called out; her voice wobbling. "Don't go."

He stopped and looked back, then sighed as he approached. "But-"

"I think we both know it's too late for me." She kept that smile as her hide continued to solidify into wood. "Just... want to spend my final moments with the stallion that made my life worth living."

"Mansia..."

"Petooee..."

He paused and stared, and she giggled under her pained voice.

"I'm sorry I couldn't... give you everything you wanted..." Petiole said.

"Don't sweat it. I don't want my last moments crying about the sucky things. Let's just... enjoy life, while it's there." Petiole sat down before her and wiped the mane from her eyes. She looked up at him - unable to move her head - and smiled a bit brighter. "There's my hottie." He started to remove his helmet, but her eyes went wide, and her smile quickly vanished. "No! I can't have you getting sick..." He shook his head, but kept it on. She sighed with relief and closed her eyes. "Your touch is perfect enough as it is." Her smile came back as he caressed her cheek. For several quiet minutes, he sat with her. They said nothing to each other. All she needed was his company.

Eventually, he broke the silence.

"I love you, Mansia... You'll be in my heart always."

"I love you too, Petiole. More than anything." She winced, and he took his hoof away, letting her mane hang over her eyes again. "It's happening..." She groaned.

Petiole hung his head down, shedding tears as he heard her whimpers and struggles. Her pain.

And then... nothing.

He looked back up to see she was completely turned, just like everyone else in the room, save for him.

His vision became obscured as he wept. He stood up and wrapped his hooves around her still form as the clip blurred into a new one.

His hooves were cracked, and branches were starting to stick out from his coat as he worked carefully at removing the lid of a jar, containing the pink within. He tossed the lid to the side and watched as the cloud broke free from the opening.

He took a deep, shuddering breath, before moving his mouth closer to the chemical and breathing it in. In an instant, he dropped the jar, gasping and wheezing. He stumbled around the room, crying out in pain as it spread through his system.

It didn't last long before the video went dark.

The lights in the theater I sat in flickered a bit, before shattering. The velvet walls became torn and dirty. The seats reeked of rot and decay, and the window to the camera that played the video cracked. The screen before me received a variety of tears, and the footage became grainy.

When the video started up again, Petiole was tearing himself off the floor.

Actually tearing himself off the floor. Ripping parts of himself off the metal surface where he had fallen as he cried out in agony. His skin was wrinkly and old, and his white lab coat seemed to be fused with him.

He stumbled out of the room. Each breath he took generated some of the pink from his lungs as he wheezed, yet his voice was as it had always been before.

The next clip was of him sitting at a radio, speaking into the mic that it came with. Making the distress call that I had heard so many times before, on my way to Stable 32. I made note of something.

After he had made the S.O.S. and sat there, listening to his own voice on loop, followed by the iteration count, starting at 1, I noticed that there was no song in between. There was no Address Unknown. At all. Period.

After the second iteration, he got up and started to leave.

The next part showed him continuing his research, observing a small sample of the blue flowers from the tree that stood in the atrium. He moved on to a sample of a mushroom, jabbed a needle into it, and sucked out yellow, pus-like innards. He pointed the same syringe over the flower and started to release the contents down over it.

Halfway through, the lights shut off, and the humming of the power went quiet. His breath was all that could be heard, before he spoke to himself.

"Here we go..."

For over 200 years, he stayed there... alone...

(((((((◉)))))))

"Robutt!" I felt two small hooves pressing against my chest, along with a tiny body sitting on my stomach. "Wake up!"

I cracked open my eyes to see Fluky was on top of me, nudging me until she saw my pupils come across hers. She sighed and relaxed, smiling faintly. "Man, you were out of it. You and him both." She looked over at Petiole, who was sitting across from us, where he had been before, staring at me in cold silence behind his visor. "What have I said about you dying?"

"Wasn't dying... just knocked out..." I paused for a few seconds, before clearing my raspy throat. "P... Petiole..." I groaned, rubbing my head. Felt like I had a hangover...

"Charger." Petiole replied in a cold tone, sitting there frozen.

"What..." I looked around. We were still in the tram, so that was... well... the next best thing to pleasant. The catch was we weren't moving anymore. One of the doors was left open. "What happened?"

"Your guess is as good as mine. We were hit, and the next thing I know, I black out. When I wake up, I'm in a bunker I've never seen before."

I looked at him and froze, and he continued.

"I was in a bunker I'd never seen before, in a body that wasn't mine." He looked down a little. "I'm sorry about Snow Star..."

I nodded. "I'm sorry about Mansia..."

I looked back up at Fluky, who still remained on top of me. She looked down and rubbed her forehoof. "I don't... remember anything that happened either. We were fighting off that... freaky pony thing, and I saw it grab you and do icky things to you... and then I just blacked out. Next thing I know, I'm sitting in a minecart that crashed against your train, clutching a teddy bear."

"A teddy bear?" I raised a brow.

She pulled up a stuffed teddy bear from beside us. I was thankful that it wasn't the one in the infested subway station I had went through earlier. This one was still in pretty good condition. She hugged it tight to her chest, kissing the top of its head and smiling as she looked down at me with those cute eyes of hers.

I smiled back and soon noticed worry grow in her eyes. She rushed in before I could say anything and hugged me as tight as she was hugging that bear, which was now crammed between us.

"I don't know what happened..." She started in a soft voice. "But I'm glad you're okay..."

Surprised, I lightly hugged her back, to which she resumed.

"This doesn't mean I like you. I'm still pretty upset..."

"I know..." I whispered, giving her a bit more of a squeeze.

Hey... wait a second! My hoof stopped emitting electricity! Finally! It was getting really annoying to hear...

"So who's the horn head?" Petiole asked, looking at her. He spoke in that same, cold tone.

I looked over, smiling faintly. "Her name is Fluky."

"Keep your freaky magic to yourself, unicorn." He spoke with disgust, catching me off guard.

"Hey, wait..." I started.

"I never really liked unicorns... I don't agree with how Bristle ran things, but I can agree with him that unicorns are... foul."

Fluky pulled away from me a bit and looked at me with hurt eyes, but before she could reply to Petiole's statement, I ran a hoof through her mane.

"Watch what you say." I snapped. "Fluky is fine just the way she is!"

He scoffed and looked out the window for a few seconds before getting up from his seat. "I need to get the tram running again."

"Mansia was a unicorn!" I blurted.

He stopped dead in his tracks, looking forward. He didn't say anything. He didn't look at me. Just stared ahead in empty silence, facing the cab.

Moments passed, and without saying a thing - without so much as a deep breath - he stepped into the cabin, closing the door behind him.

And locking it.

Author's Note

Another chapter done. Thankfully. It took a lot of time getting this one finished, but it was worth it, I think.
I don't know about Pines, but here is how my writing process goes.

STEP I

Brainstorm.

STEP II

Start writing and brainstorm along the way.

STEP III

After finishing up the chapter, send it to Pines for reviewing.

STEP IV

Once he's confirmed it's good, start rewriting it on fimfic. Otherwise known as copy edit (I do that with all my work).

STEP V

Along the way of the copy edit phase, sometimes we'll get a better idea on a certain part in the chapter, and so we have to go back and change it up, which takes a bit more time.

STEP VI

After the copy edit phase is complete, I go back and read the chapter over from top to bottom thoroughly to ensure that I am not leaving any typos or mistakes in the story. This does not mean that I'll catch every error/typo. But it really does help a lot.

STEP VII

Once everything is good, I submit.
_______________________________________________________________________________

This chapter was meant to wrap everything up in Stable 32, buuuut... if I went through with that, then this chapter would be far too long. So I had to cut it short. The next chapter should wrap up 32.
I want to say that while I know Petiole's story is pretty much told in full, which is... odd for me to do with a character, especially this early on from their introduction... I never really saw his character being a mystery. Hope this was worth the read!
Special thanks to Kkat for making Fallout Equestria, Somber for making Project Horizons, Pines for taking time to work with me on this and brainstorm like crazy (cause there was a crap ton of that going on, which is another reason it took so long to get this chapter out, apart from the length and time it took to edit), and Alchestbreach for killing the radios and keeping us safe.

Pines: You know, respecting and liking someone are two different things. As a man going into the military, I experience this daily. Just remember, just because someone might be spiteful or rude, doesn't mean they don't respect you. They just suck at being polite. Anyway, Catch you viewers later, in the next chapter of RADIO STATIC!

Channel 001.0; Last Stop of 32

Two hundred years, and the first person who comes through my door is a smart-ass.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Alone I walked down the lower steel halls of the bunker with my jumpsuit securely wrapped around my form, and my toolbox balancing on my back. I had gotten reports of some pipes bursting from too much pressure down here, so I had volunteered to fix them. It was generally a unicorn's job, but it was my cutiemark. I fixed things.

And I liked it, too. Even in my free time, I'd find myself fixing a busted radio, fried pipbucks, and sometimes, even a busted laser rifle or suit of power armor that was sent to maintenance for repairs.

I couldn't help myself. It was in my nature to fix what was broken.

Three unicorns were observing a pipe that had been shut off, due to a puncture that had come from the inside. Two were mares, and one was a stallion. They all looked over as I approached, then quickly turned away and walked from the scene as I approached, going to another pipe.

Sigh... Damn it... No friends... again.

The unicorns were too scared of us earth ponies, and the earth ponies thought I was too weak, therefore leaving me stuck... alone...

I grudgingly set my toolbox down and opened the case, before examining the busted pipe before me.

"Hm..." I rubbed my chin, frowning. "Lovely... Gotta call in a new F.P..." Looking at the size and width, I'd say it was a model 6.

"Um... excuse me...?" I heard the soft, gentle voice of a mare call out, and I turned to my left to see one of the unicorn mares standing before me, smiling. Something I wasn't used to from unicorn or earth pony.

She had a white coat and a dark blue mane and tail. Her bangs hung over her indigo eyes, curling upwards a little. Her jumpsuit was covered in oil and grease, but that was to be expected with this line of work. Mine was no better.

"Uh... hey." I said awkwardly. Why was one of them talking to me now? "Something I can help you with?"

I noticed her friends were staring silently at the two of us in the background with worried looks.

"Actually..." She nodded to the busted pipe between us. "I was hoping there was anything I could help you with."

I looked at the pipe, then at her. "Uh... yeah! Sure!"

She studied the damage on the pipe. "New forged pipe might be in order."

"I was thinking the same thing." I said, staring at the damage flatly.

"M-6?"

I nodded. "Looks like it." With a smirk, I looked over at her. "You sure know your stuff."

"Same goes for you." She returned the look I gave her with a glance. "It's not uncommon for a unicorn here to know about maintenance hocus pokum, but an earth pony such as yourself?" She turned to face my completely, and her lips curled into a pleased smile. "That's a first. Usually, you're all scribing or going out on the surface."

I shrugged and sighed. "Well... the other earth ponies kinda make fun of me because of my smaller build... Not strong enough to be like them, I guess."

She regarded my body for a few seconds before returning to the pipe. "You have a feminine side to you. Definitely not a bad thing. Certainly doesn't make you weak. I see muscle. I kinda like it, actually. Not too buff. Too much muscle is just..." She gritted her teeth. "Eh..."

Her horn lit up in a white haze, and that same white aura wrapped around the pipe. It detached from the rest of the structure shortly after.

I didn't really know how I felt about that whole feminine comment...

"What's your name?"

"Charger. And yours?"

She looked over and smiled as she reached out a hoof. "Snow Star." We shook hooves and started to walk back to the upper levels together, to which she resumed. "I'm gonna get a replacement fitted to the right size. Hopefully this'll be the last of the busted pipes for a while... Noticed we've been getting them a lot more lately..."

(((((((◉)))))))

I stared ahead at the empty space across from me, where Petiole was sitting before he locked himself away in the cab. We were back on the move, but the trip was quiet, save for the shrieks of the wheels on the tracks outside. We were moving a lot slower now that we were pushing a minecart with us. Thankfully, it hadn't gotten us stuck out here. I really didn't want to walk in the dark with those things out there... and who knows what else...

Fluky tapped me on the shoulder, causing me to snap back into reality.

"Hm?" I looked down at her as she sat beside me, holding a White Grape Sparkle Cola.

"Can I have it?" She asked with a hopeful smile, looking into my eyes.

"Knock yourself out, kid." I nodded, before looking back ahead at the nothing.

"What's wrong?" She asked after the bottle hissed upon the cap being twisted off the neck. She slipped said cap into the pouch on my barding.

"Nothing." I shook my head. "Just... thinking about stuff." I blinked and looked back at her, offering a smile. The way she looked at me told me it was the most unconvincing smile I had to offer. It certainly felt unconvincing...

"Alright..." She muttered. I could tell she didn't believe me, but she wasn't going to push. "Well... where are we going?"

"Petiole is getting a gun for me, and some healing potions for everyone else."

"Oh..." She looked around at our surroundings, confused. "Are we still in the stable?"

I nodded with a somber look. "Unfortunately."

"What happened to your hoof?" She stared down at it and poked where metal met flesh, to which I groaned.

"No touching." My brows knitted as I stared her down. It was still touchy, and the Med-x was starting to wear off...

She took her hoof away quickly and looked down. "Sorry..."

I sighed and shook my head. "Lost it from the monster we were fighting earlier..." I rubbed my fore nervously, turning my head to face away from her. I didn't want to think about it... About what it was doing to me... Goddess', I could still taste it on my tongue...

Petiole's voice spoke over the intercom, which I found myself thankful for. It was a decent distraction from the dangerous thoughts in my head. Not entirely, but... for the time being, it was.

"I'm dropping you off, Charger. Fluky, you can go with him if you want."

I looked up at the speaker. "Why?"

"I promised food, medical, guns, and ammo. You'll get the food, and I'll get the rest. Take to your heart's content. Whatever isn't being taken with us is going down in flames within the next hour. Two, tops." The tram came to a stop at an isolated station, and the doors slid open.

"The route there should be safe. Just... don't eat any lemons. They're... temperamental... Watermelons, too."

"Sweet Celestia, what have you been doing to the food?"

"Mistakes." He answered. "Now move. Clock is ticking."

I got up, wincing from the pain.

"I'll come with you." Fluky said, hopping off the seat and downing the rest of her soda.

We disembarked, and soon enough, the tram doors slid shut, before the vehicle continued its course.

The station was quiet. There were no machines or monsters. Just the humming of the lights overhead, which gave the occasional crackle that resembled they were going out soon. This station was public, but there was no one here, thankfully. I didn't have to fight.

Fluky and I looked at each other, and then at the escalator ahead. I started forward, and she followed.

"So, who's the guy on the train?" She asked.

"His name is Arum Petiole. He's the last known survivor of 32." I paused briefly, then added as we reached the top step. "Well... kind of. He's a ghoul."

"Oh, I know about them! Kinda ugly, but all the ones I've met were really nice!" She beamed up at me.

"Well, wipe the stars from your eyes. This ghoul isn't so nice. And pray he never sees another one of your nice ghouls... He seems to have a personal vendetta against them."

That smile of hers died in an instant.

We made our way across the tiled hall and past the turnstyles, before I pressed my hoof against the panel beside the door before us. It folded in on itself in three's, then parted ways to reveal a flickering corridor, which went down quite a ways away. Each door had a sign above it.

"I'll... stick with you..." Fluky's ears folded back as she stared down the corridor. "This place already gives me the creeps..."

"You and me both..." I muttered before stepping in. Petiole said this place should safe, but I still didn't want to let my guard down. I didn't want another... tentacle incident taking place...

I shuddered at the thought and looked down at Fluky to see she was staring up at me in confusion.

"Sorry. Just... thinking too much..." I looked to the sign for the first door on the left. It read, 'Apples.' I looked back to Fluky. "Do you have anymore of those needles, by any chance? My leg is aching..."

She shook her head with remorse. "Sorry, Robutt... When I woke up in the cart, they were gone."

I sighed and hung my head down. Of course they were...

I turned and opened the door beside me, only to reveal several apple trees stored within. A variety of different apples were hanging off the branches, and I caught myself grinning.

"Jackpot..."

I stepped inside, checking all corners of the large room as I did. Okay, good... It wasn't a trap.

I stopped at one of the trees and reached up for a green apple, plucking it off the branch. I gave it a good whiff. Didn't smell funny...

I chomped down on it, and my eyes grew wide.

This...

Was...

THE BEST DAMN APPLE I'VE EVER TASTED!

I barely gave myself time to chew as I kept biting into it, scarfing it down. It was so sweet! So sour! So awesome!

I don't know what experiments 32 was running on the apples, but they opened the gates to the everafter with this discovery!

"Floofy!" I turned around, smiling with chewed up apple in my mouth. She recoiled in disgust at my expression, and her ears folded back. I didn't care how I looked. These were perfect! "Graf some affles! Graf as many as ya can!" I started chewing, until I was able to swallow. I removed the seeds from the core and put them in my pouch. I definitely wanted to grow these later if we found a nice, quiet spot to call home.

I went back for more, stocking the rest of my pouch full of the apples. I took different varieties as well. Diversity was always nice.

"Shouldn't we get... other fruits too...?" Fluky asked, looking around the room warily.

My ears perked up, and I stopped the picking with a grin plastered on my face. If the apples tasted this good...

I spun around quickly. "Yes!"

Her ears folded back again as she looked at me in worry. "Robutt, what's wrong with you...? I've never seen you like this before..."

"What's wrong?" I raised a brow and smirked. "Right now, nothing!" I took another apple off the tree next to me and rolled it over to her. "Come on. You gotta try it."

She looked down at it, then up at me for a few seconds, before going back down to it. "Well, alright... I am a bit hungry." She picked it up and took a bite, and her eyes went wide. "Whoa..." She said behind her chewing. "This is... This is great!" She started scarfing it down like I had done, and within a matter of seconds, all that remained was the core. She tossed it to the side and sat down.

"Okay, you're right. That was actually really good." She smiled. "Can I have another?"

"Absolutely!" I grinned before starting to reach up to snag another. Before I could reach however, something struck me in the stomach, causing me to launch back and strike the trunk of another tree. At least these ones were made of wood...

But still... ouch.

I heard leaves rustling, and looking up, I saw the branches coming down like tentacles.

Fuck, NOT AGAIN!

I got up, feeling my stomach turn on itself. Despite that and the growing pain in my rear hoof, I started running for the exit as Fluky stood in the doorway, looking at me in worry.

"Robutt!" She called out as I raced forward.

The tree that I had been taking apples from tore its roots from the earth and started carrying itself along the ground as its branches whipped around, trying to grab me.

I heard the static in my hoof building up.

Just as I was about to get through the doorway, one of the branches tightened around my organic hoof, pulling me away.

"No!" I scrambled, trying to grab a hold of the ground and pull myself away. But I couldn't get a grip, as the surface was of dirt. I looked back to see the trunk of the tree open up in a great, big, wide maw, ready to devour me whole. The inside was black. Pitch black...

I couldn't begin to imagine what was in there, waiting for me...

"NO!" I screamed before glaring ahead. I raised my metal hoof and slammed it against the trunk, just below the gaping hole that I was about to be shoved in. In a thunderous buck, that may as well have been thunder, came the cracking and splintering of wood as fiery shards went flying in all directions.

I heard the current of electricity travel behind me, and looking around, I discovered that my hit had split the tree in half, and was starting to smoke from the inside. I caught sight of a few flames within, starting to build up and grow.

It had let go of my hoof - its tendril... branch... thing gone limp - but now it was getting ready to fall on top of me. The other trees seemed to be keeping their distance after that.

There was more where that came from...

I wasted no time running through the exit, and just as I made it out, did the tree crash down. I slammed my hoof against the panel, and the door closed.

I turned to Fluky, panting. "Okay... I wasn't... expecting... that to happen..."

"Are you okay...?" She asked, regarding me.

I nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine. You?"

"I'm okay." She replied, looking down. "Kinda... grossed out about those apples now, though..." She put a hoof to her stomach as she grimaced.

"Yeah... me too." I dumped the apples I had collected out from my pouch. When I looked back at her, she was smiling faintly.

"How did you do that with your hoof? That was... pretty awesome, actually."

I chuckled softly, looking back at my metal casing. "Yeah, I suppose it was..." I turned back to her and waved my hooves around in front of me. "Magic."

She laughed softly and shook her head. "Dork."

I shook the seeds from the apples out and tossed them on the metal floor. "Guess I won't be planting those, then. The wasteland has enough problems as it is. Too many killer trees already." I looked down the corridor. Specifically, the signs in said corridor. The one across from apples was apricots. The rooms appeared to be in alphabetical order. From there, it went on to asparagus, then bananas, blueberries, celery, and so on.

The rest of the rooms weren't as deadly as the apples, but there were a few... odd... selections. Celery wasn't supposed to ooze what both looked and smelled like peanut butter, and cucumbers weren't supposed to pickle within mere seconds of making contact with someone.

This place was bizarre...

"I was expecting normal food..." I said, stepping out of the cucumber room.

Fluky stepped out of celery with a disturbed look on her face. "I don't wanna know what's happening in there." She pointed behind her.

You and me both...

"This place just went from creepy to downright weird." She looked around. "Is any of the food here normal?"

"Probably not. But I say we keep looking."

She nodded in agreement. "Right there with you."

We continued onward, and by the end of our journey, we had grabbed a few hooffuls of kumquats, lemons, limes, mangoes, and oranges. Everything else was just... wrong.

I knew what Petiole said about the lemons, but if that was true, and at this case, it probably was, then we could at least use them as weapons. Combustible lemons sounded somewhat appealing.

Fluky and I both waited at the subway station with a pile of fruit sitting on the floor; the lethal ones separated from the ones we suspected were okay to eat.

Fluky sat with her back against a tiled support beam, drinking a Sparkle Cola she got from the vending machine here, and I sat at the edge of the platform, peeking my head out and looking both ways. I was keeping an eye out for Fluky's safety, in case a zompony was coming this way. It was clear they weren't after me now... but Fluky was still a target to them, I imagined.

About twenty to thirty minutes went by, and I heard the tram in the distance. Then came the headlights of the transportation.

I backed up and let it roll up. It stopped at the station, and behind the glass doors was Petiole staring at me, before they slid open. He calmly stepped out and looked down at the variety of fruits. Then he turned to me. "No apples?"

"Fuck the apples." I shuddered. "You neglected to tell me that the trees were a bunch of splintery tentacles."

"They are?" He said in surprise. "Damn it, sorry about that... Guess they must have mutated after two generations. They weren't like that before..." He looked down at the fruit. "Ghouls don't need to eat, so I never really bothered checking this place..."

My anger subsided, and I sighed. "It's fine. Funny enough, the metal hoof actually helped a lot." I smiled faintly, looking at him.

"I told you it would." He nodded. "Well, alright. Let's get this all on board then. I'll give you that rifle soon." He looked over at the lemons and paused. "You don't... plan on eating those, do you? I did mention that they're dangerous?"

"You did." I smirked. "Got me thinking. Why not use them to our advantage?"

He stared at me for a few seconds before returning to them. "Sounds like a fair point. We'll need all the weapons we can get, after all."

Fluky got up after downing the rest of her Sparkle Cola and started to assist us in getting the food on the train. With the three of us at work, it took no more than a few minutes.

Before too long, we were back on the move in a train full of books, guns, healing potions, ammo, and food. There were even some bandages and a bottle of antiseptic stuffed in one of the bags. That was a decent alternative if we ran out of potions.

The rifle that I had requested was modified since the last time I saw it. There was a shoulder grip around the butt and a scope on the side, while the gun would sit upright if it was equipped. The trigger was connected to a handle that would reach across my muzzle, if I were wearing it.

I looked up at Petiole as he stood before me, expecting something.

"You modified the gun?"

"Hopefully to your liking." He replied. "I'll need you to remove your armor as well. I have something that'll make it better. Plus..." He regarded the bloody patch on my side, around the deep slit that was cut into my barding from a certain... Gutsy... "It needs repairs."

I nodded with a faint smile and stripped myself from my gear, handing it over to him. He took it and went to the cabin as we rolled down the dark tunnels. He closed and locked the door behind him.

Fluky sat down next to me, grabbing the last Sparkle Cola Petiole had given me.

"Hey." I looked over with a blank expression. "That's mine."

She smiled sheepishly. "Can I have it?"

"I was gonna drink it."

"Pleasssssssssssssse?" She gave me puppy eyes.

No... don't fall for it.

"No." I looked at the seat ahead of me, frowning.

"Pleasssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssse?" She scooted closer.

"Nng... no. I want it."

"PLEASSSSSSSSSSSSSSSE?"

"Fine!" I shouted with a pout and folded my arms. "Take it."

She did a little celebratory dance in her seat, cheering softly about her victory, before she unscrewed the cap and put it between us. She began chugging.

That was my Sparkle Cola...

She seemed to read my mind, cause afterwards, she looked over and nudged me, smiling. "I'll make it up to you, Robutt. You'll see." And with that, she continued to drink the fizzy, carroty goodness that my taste buds were dying for...

(((((((◉)))))))

"Honestly though, I think we're gonna need a new water talisman." I said, rubbing my hoof against the back of my head.

"Nonsense." Snow Star answered, looking at the burnt out talisman in the machine before us. "It's bad enough the Steel Rangers have trouble finding just one out there. Replacing one entirely would be a heart breaker."

"But it's just gonna keep breaking down until it can't take it anymore."

She looked over and smirked. "So we use it until we can't. No point in wasting valuable tech."

"But... it's dangerous! If it blows up in someone's face..."

"It's not gonna blow up in someone's face!" She laughed aloud. "You look too deep into things, Charger."

"Better being safe than sorry..." I muttered under my breath, looking away.

I felt her hoof tap me on the shoulder, and when I looked over, her lips pressed against mine, catching me entirely by surprise. My eyes shot open wide, but after a few seconds of the kiss getting deeper, they closed. I could feel her tongue on mine... I could feel her breath...

When she pulled away, my eyes flickered open, and she gazed at me.

"Snow Star..." I said softly, looking around us before returning to her. "It's... not allowed..."

"I know." She replied with that same smirk. "But I trust you. My life is now in your hooves. You could turn around and tell Elder Bristle about what I did. Have me executed for touching another, let alone an earth pony. There's nothing I could do to stop you." She gave me another smaller kiss, before resuming. "I trust you with my life, Charger. Trust me with yours. It won't blow up. I promise."

I stared into her indigo eyes for several long seconds before returning to the talisman. That was... the biggest sign of trust I had ever seen, or even felt, for that matter.

I gave a slight nod of my head. "I trust you."

She smiled back, and together, we went to work on the talisman.

(((((((◉)))))))

"Charger." Petiole said, peeking his head out of the door of the cab, looking at me.

I quickly shook my head, snapping out of it and looking back at him. "Yeah. What's up?"

"Are you alright? I called your name three times, but you seemed... lost."

I looked over at Fluky to see she was giving me a concerned look. I turned back to Petiole. "Just lost in thought, I guess."

"Well..." He paused. "Hate to burst your bubble, but I need to speak with you." He glanced at Fluky, before returning to me. "In private."

I got up, and he backed away from the door to let me in.

When I stepped inside the crammed cabin, he closed and locked the door behind me.

"What's going on?" I asked, looking down at the barding at our hooves. He seemed to have not only repaired it, but reinforced the padding, as well. It looked just a little bit bulkier than it did before.

"I need you to try on the armor. See if it's to your liking."

"Alright." I started to slip into the barding. "Something tells me you didn't call me in here for privacy, just so you could be my tailor."

"Charger..." He started, looking ahead of the tram as we pushed forward. "I don't know how else to say this, so I'll just get to the point... You're infected."

I raised a brow. "Infected?"

He nodded hesitantly. "With the F-virus..."

I froze in place. "Oh..."

I had suspected it... theorized that I was... Ever since that first zompony ignored me, I was starting to think I was infected with their virus. But I had also hoped that I wasn't... A small, dying hope... but a hope nonetheless.

And now that hope was dead and gone entirely...

"I'm sorry, Charger..."

"How long do I have left until...?" I couldn't finish my question. The words didn't want to leave my mouth.

"Judging by what I saw when I was in your head... my estimate would be about a year. Maybe a few months extra. You didn't get a large dosage, which means it's going to take time to grow throughout your body and infect other cells." He shuddered and looked down. "I'm sorry you had to experience that... Not to mention the taste and smell..."

"You've tasted it before...?"

"No. You did. I was living through your memories through your perspective. I imagined it was the same for you, when you were in my head."

I sighed and shook my head. "Is there anything you can do?"

"I'm sorry... but I don't have a cure or any remedy to stop it, except pink. And that would only kill you. You'd be unlucky to come back a ghoul such as myself. Your whole world would be agony."

"Like it isn't already..." I muttered. "My whole life has been shit. Horrible sister. Never met my parents. Kicked out of the closest thing to a home I've ever had... and now I'm the key to a worldwide epidemic."

"I'll try to do what I can, but... I can't promise that I'll be able to cure you."

"Yeah..." I hung my head down, slipping the rest of the barding on. "Kinda figured..."

After slipping my left forehoof through the sleeve, I noticed a section of it was cut out to display the pipbuck. I checked out the rest of my body after the armor was fitted. It was a bit heavier than earlier, but it wasn't enough to overburden me.

"I'm going to need you to open your pipbuck for me." Petiole said, looking down at the device on my arm.

I looked at him as I raised my hoof, giving the middle button a single tap. The screen lit up in red text.

WELCOME, BRUG MANSIA PETIOLE

I looked up at him with a cocked brow. "This was your wife's?"

He stared at me for a few quiet seconds before looking at the screen. "I... thought I took care of that... Hold on..." He pulled my arm toward him and started messing with the pipbuck. I stood there, waiting for him to finish up, and I found my mind crawling back to dangerous thoughts...

Before too long, he let go. "There. That should do it. I have your information now. I can work with that for the time being, but later I'll need some samples."

"My information?" I looked down at the screen to see more red text.

CHARGER
' SEX: MALE

AGE: 25

RACE: UNICORN

BLOOD TYPE: PA

"Unicorn?" I stared at Petiole, annoyed that it couldn't even get my race right. "I'm not a unicorn. I'm an earth pony!" I proceeded to point at my forehead. "Do you see a horn? This thing is broken..."

"Hm..." He looked ahead of us for a short while as I continued to stare at my pipbuck screen.

"Unicorn... Pfft..." I rolled my eyes and turned the screen off. Still... the whole body scan wasn't a feature I had heard any pipbuck do before. These must have been specifically designed for 32. I didn't even know what my blood type was before it told me.

But... that could have been wrong too...

"What else can these pipbucks do?"

He continued to stare ahead at the tracks as he spoke, as if he expected me to ask. "They automatically inject medicines into your system, depending on what you need and when you need it."

That sounded pretty useful! "Neat!"

"Just one more thing before I let you go." He picked up the shoulder mounted rifle and started attaching it to my right side.

"Uh, wait..." I started, to which he paused and looked at me directly. "I'm... blind in my right eye." He continued to stare silently, and I resumed, feeling awkward with the staring contest I was having with a visor I couldn't see through. "I mean... not fully blind. But everything's like, wicked blurry."

He stepped back. "... I see. What caused that?"

"Nothing, really." I shrugged. "Just a birth defect."

"Hm..." He nodded. "Well, it's a good thing that this is flexible, then." He put the weapon down and moved the scope to the other side of the gun as if it were a lever, then did the same thing for the handle, pushing it along the underside instead of over the top. From there, he moved the arm that held the gun around like a crank until it was on the side opposite from its original position. "Done." He finally said, looking back at me. "Ready?"

"That's convenient." I replied with a slight smirk.

"Don't act too surprised." He started attaching the mechanism to my armor as I stood there. "Your sister is a cunt, by the way."

"Gee." I deadpanned. "Ya think?"

"She's a monster." He continued. "Bristle too. Even Crimson. But Firebright..." He stopped for a second, looking me in the eyes through his visor. "I'm surprised you haven't killed her."

"I am too..." I looked down, before closing my eyes and shuddering at the thoughts that were sure to haunt me for the rest of my life, considering I had a year left to live.

Things went quiet between us for a short while before I broke the silence.

"So... how does this... medicine injector thing work?"

"S.M.I.P." He quickly corrected as he stopped what he was doing to raise his arm halfway. He slid a part of the frame to the side to reveal a small compartment. "Systematic Medical Injector Program." He continued, pointing at the inside. "You can't really put the bottles for health potions in due to their size, but that was made up for. Just put the neck of the bottle in the compartment, and when it registers the item, it'll open it and empty the bottle. When you're in need of a boost, it'll discharge the required amount into your system. Just enough to get you back on your hooves. But don't rely on it too much..." He coughed and hacked a bit, before resuming his tour of the medical properties of the pipbuck I now owned. "Other drugs, such as Med-x can be put in there too. Same with pills. Just... be careful around it. It won't cure you for addiction."

"Alright." I said as he slid his pipbuck compartment shut. He immediately went back to work on the gun for a short while.

"There." He said, backing up. "Check it out. Just don't fire it in here."

I looked through the scope of my rifle to find the alignment between my eye and the sights was very convenient for me, and it seemed to be easy to move out of my way, too!

My muzzle bumped the handle that was connected to the trigger, but thankfully nothing fired.

"Now..." He continued, and I looked at him as he pulled out a box of red, striped munition from his saddle bag, which he set down before me. "These are extremely dangerous, Charger. But with what we're facing ahead, we're going to need every single round."

"What are they?" I asked, picking one up and taking a closer look.

"They've been crafted from a certain element we had... accidentally made. These bullets originate from a series of red thorns."

I raised a brow and looked back at him. "They burst from a bunch of sacs, right? During an experiment on trying to grow food faster?"

He nodded slowly. "I guess you've been reading along the way. Well, just be careful with them. One shot from those can easily be the end for any organic mass. Though, it takes a bit more for the infected... Still, it disintegrates from the inside."

"Alright." I put the round back in the box and stuffed the box in my pouch. Petiole slipped five magazines in there with it and a full, red striped mag in the side of the gun.

"Now..." I started, looking at him as I moved the arm back so that the gun was secured against my side and out of my view. "I need to tell you something." I stared with a clenched jaw as he regarded me. I could already feel tears burning, and I haven't even said it yet. The thought alone was nerve-racking. The dangerous thought...

"What is it?"

I took a deep, shaky breath and exhaled, letting a few tears escape. "I need you to promise me that... you'll kill me before I turn into one of those things."

He looked down and sighed. "I won't like it, but... I can't afford to let the virus spread. Assuming it hasn't already..." He nodded and looked back up at me. "Consider it done." Not long after, did he reach out a hoof. "I promise."

I took his hoof with my own and gave it a firm shake. I started to turn for the door after wiping the tears away and clearing my throat, but Petiole slipped a box of T-rounds and regulars in my pouch.

"Make sure you have enough for yourself, Petiole. Never know when you might need to end me..."

"I'm not much of a fighter, but I assure you, I'll carry at least one bullet around. For you."

I turned back to the door and opened it, ready to step out.

"Charger."

I stopped once more and turned back to him. His visor was fixated on me, and I suspected he was looking me in the eyes.

"I'm going to do everything I can to cure you..."

I smiled softly, tearing up again. "Cure or kill..."

No one spoke. I stared quietly for a while, keeping my smile up, before turning my head and walking out. The door closed behind me, but this time it didn't lock.

(((((((◉)))))))

I was surrounded by the steel interior walls of the bunker. My room, to be specific.

I sat up in my bed and stretched. For once, my radio didn't scream at me. Nope. Instead, it was playing a pretty nice tune. Another one of Octavia's works, if I was right. And I believe I was. Her music was an inspiration...

I smiled faintly as I looked around my room, and for once, my door remained locked. Wasn't that a surprise? I would have expected Firebright to pour a bucket of ice cold water over me before I could even open my eyes.

I rolled out of bed to the soothing music that the cello offered through my radio.

I grabbed my uniform, zipped up, then placed my toolkit on my back.

After the locks in my door clicked and it slid open, I found another pony on the other side. A familiar face, but - thankfully - wasn't Firebright ready to pull another 'joke' on me.

"Oh... h-hey, Charger!" She chimed nervously. "Ready for another big day?"

"Another big day, huh?" I smirked.

She nodded. "Yep. Working with you is always fun."

I laughed softly and stepped out. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say you liked me."

She rolled her eyes and giggled. "Well, duh. I mean... you're nice to me, you're highly attractive... Plus, we are dating." She kept her voice low as she looked around, making sure we were alone.

With a chuckle, I ran my hoof through her mane, causing her to back up and gasp.

"Hey!" She glared for a second, before calming down.

"I like having you around, Snow Star." I booped her muzzle and she blushed, smiling and looking down.

"I like having you around too, Charger."

I turned to my left, looking down the end of the wide corridor. I closed the door to my room behind me, and we started for the end, where the stairs to maintenance resided.

"So." Snow started as we trotted side by side. "Did your sister pull any pranks this morning?"

"Nope. And I hope it stays that way."

After a short trot down the corridor, we turned right and opened the door to the stairwell, descending further into the bunker. On our way down, a Steel Ranger was walking up. Upon noticing him, the two of us stopped and moved aside. He casually passed by us, and along the way, glanced at me and Snow Star. From there, I heard him mutter beneath his helmet. "Fucking horn heads..."

My mare friend tensed up as he continued up the stairs. When we heard the door open and close above us, she sighed, slouched, and hung her head down.

"I'm sorry, Snow Star..." I moved in and wrapped my hoof around her shoulder. She pressed her head against my neck and closed her eyes. "Some ponies just don't get it..."

There was a brief moment of silence between us before she spoke in her soft voice. "Charger...?"

"Yeah?"

She looked up at me and smiled, though there was a sadness behind it. "I'm glad you understand... I'm glad to have you as a friend, and more... You're the only earth pony around here that actually cares about us."

I nuzzled her mane; smelling the wonderful aroma that found its way in my nostrils. She must have showered this morning, as it was still wet, and smelled of lavender.

I gave the tip of her horn a little kiss, to which she shuddered and moaned softly. "W-whoa... Charger..." She giggled. "Not in public. You know that's a sensitive spot."

I laughed softly, to which she looked up into my eyes, giving me that adorable smile that, no matter how many times I've seen it, never got old.

"I've always had a good feeling about y-" She started to say, before a familiar, raspy voice invaded from behind... Therefore ruining the moment and making my skin crawl...

"Hey, lil' bro!"

I sighed, but kept my head forward. "Hey, Firebright..." I let go of Snow Star and glanced back at my sister. She and two others stood at the top step, dressed in their power armor and looking down at us. Fire's helmet was off.

"What's this?" She asked, regarding the two of us with a cocky grin. "You a unicorn lover now?"

I turned around to face her directly, smirking. "Yeah. Pretty much."

She clicked her tongue a few times as she shook her head in disapproval. "Bad business, lil' bro. You know it's against the rules. Elder Bristle wouldn't be too happy if he knew you were bangin' some unicorn mare."

"Um..." Snow Star kept her head down. "Actually, we haven't-"

"Quiet!" Fire snapped. "I'm not talking to you!"

"Okay then." I said, glaring up at her. "Since you won't let her finish, I'll finish what she was going to say. We haven't had sex. We've been obeying the rules. There's nothing that says we can't be together. We just aren't allowed to have sex."

"Likely story." She said, giving me some stink eye, but soon enough a smile grew. "But hey... you don't gotta worry about me, lil' bro." She stepped forward and patted me on the head. I backed up; my brows knitting. "You can go sucking horn for as long as you want." She turned back to her two accomplices. "Come on, boys. Salvage duty is calling."

The two followed as she descended the stairs, heading for the hangars. After about a minute of total silence between me and Snow Star, she finally looked back at me.

"Do you think she'll be a problem?" She asked in a hushed whisper.

"Hardly. Firebright is many things, but I've never known her to be a snitch."

That didn't seem to sway her. "Do you think she knows that we had sex...?"

I shook my head with a smile. "I don't think she does. We've been careful."

She looked down and sighed. "I hope you're right... I love you, Charger." She immediately tensed up, going bright red. "I-I uh..."

I balked as I looked at her, but after a few seconds, the shock turned into a grin. "Did I just hear the 'L' word?" My heart pounded in my chest with excitement.

"S-so what if you did?" She looked back at me, smiling nervously. "I don't take it ba-"

She was left interrupted with my lips pressed against hers. Both our eyes stayed closed as we held each other in a loving embrace.

(((((((◉)))))))

"Robutt?"

I looked over from my seat to see Fluky sitting beside me.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong." I said with a shake of my head. I wasn't smiling though. I couldn't smile. Not now...

"I don't believe that for even a second."

"Well aren't you the skeptic..."

She sighed and shook her head, looking mildly irritated by my comment. "You've been spacing out ever since we started moving again. Come on, Robutt. You can tell me."

"No." I snapped, looking away. "I can't."

I refused to vent to a pony that I helped make an orphan... Venting wouldn't solve this matter anyways. It wouldn't solve my past, my present... or my future. It was all carved in stone. I was infected with a virus with no known cure. Not to mention everything in my past had already happened...

So why was I thinking of it now? Now, of all times...?

I looked back at the filly and sighed upon seeing her hanging her head down as if she did something wrong. "Sorry, kid... Fluky. But I can't tell you. I'm sure you'll find out soon enough..."

After Petiole drives a well earned bullet through my skull...

She kept her head down as I examined the rifle attached to my barding. I wasn't a big gun fanatic like the other rangers back in the bunker, but I had to admit, this thing was a beauty. And like many beautiful things, it was a force to be reckoned with.

There were three options to choose from on the side. Semi, auto, and safety. I kept it on the third for obvious reasons.

The tram slowed, and I looked out the window.

"Why are we stopping?" Fluky asked, looking around in confusion.

I got up and tapped my hoof on the door to the cabin, but there was no response.

"Petiole, what's going on in there?"

By the time the tram stopped, the door opened, and he faced me directly. "I'm afraid we can't continue any further."

"What?" My brows knitted. "Why?"

"There's debris in the way ahead."

"Okay." I said simply. "So we go out there and clear it out."

"That'll take time we don't have."

I shook my head hard, feeling an annoyance grow within me. "How far are we from the reactor?"

He didn't reply, and I smirked.

"Exactly. So let's stop bickering and just get this over with. I'd like to get out of this shit hole before I..." The words still didn't want to leave my mouth. I didn't want to believe it... but I knew it was true.

He nodded in agreement. "Alright, then. Let's go."

I nodded back, and after Petiole opened the tram doors, we started to head out together. I looked at Fluky as we started to pass by her.

"Stay here, alright? We'll be right outside. I promise."

She gave me a worried nod. "Be safe, Robutt..."

Petiole looked at her next. "I need you to do something."

Both Fluky and I looked at him; her expression filled with confusion, and mine with worry.

"Do you know how to read?" He continued.

"I know a saddle bag full of comic books that seems to think so." She smirked, pointing at the bag on her flank.

"... Okay. Look for a button that says 'open/close tram doors' in the cabin once we leave. There are things in these tunnels that you don't want getting in here."

She nodded and got up from her seat.

"And keep your eyes and ears open. If you can't see us when we want back in, I'm going to knock on the door three times, but it's going to be spaced out, like this." He proceeded to stomp his forehoof on the ground three times.

Knock, knock... knock... slide.

He had slid his hoof along the ground after the few knocks. "Can you remember that?"

She nodded. "Mhm."

"Good." He looked outside and started to walk. "I'll be right back, Mansia."

"Mansia?" She raised a brow.

He froze in the doorway, staring outside for a while, before turning to her. "... Fluky." With that, he left.

She looked to me for answers, but I just shrugged, before following him out.

The tram doors slid shut behind us as we walked along the side of the vehicle. I really didn't like the idea of being out here, but I guess that didn't really matter anymore...

"What was all that about, Petiole?"

"What was what about?"

"You called her Mansia."

We walked in silence for a bit, before coming up to the front of the tram.

"She has her eyes..."

Things grew quiet between us as we moved scraps of metal out of the way. The headlights of the tram offered us sight for us to work.

(((((((◉)))))))

"Hey, lil' bro." Firebright said, lying on her back as I stepped into her room.

"You... wanted to talk to me?" I asked, looking around at her posters of the Steel Rangers and their emblem. I've never really been in her room before, so this was all new territory for me.

She sat up halfway, her arms supporting her weight as she smiled at me. From there, she spread her hindlegs, revealing her marehood.

"Uh..." I backed up towards the door, but my rump pressed against the front of a Steel Ranger that stood in the way. I looked back to see them towering over me in their armor.

"Where you going, kid?" Crimson asked in a sinister tone. He forced me forward, and the door closed behind him. It locked soon after.

I turned back to my sister. "Fire... What are you doing...? What is this?"

"I want to see how good you are with that tongue of yours. Seeing as you've had loads of practice with that unicorn..." She smirked.

"I don't... want to..." I looked down a bit at her parts.

"Pfft." She rolled her eyes. "I don't care if you don't want to. You're going to."

I glared. "No. I'm not. I'm a living thing, Fire. You can't just treat me like some sex toy."

Crimson chuckled beneath his helmet, and I looked back at him, glaring. "And why are you here? To rape me if I resist?"

He shook his head. "I'm more of a voyeur."

I spun back to Fire. "You can't do this! You can't treat me like a sex doll!"

"Oh, you mean how Bristle is with Snow Star?" She grinned as she rubbed a hoof over her slit, and my jaw dropped.

"What are you talking about...?"

She pointed a remote at the screen behind her, and it showed Snow and Bristle in a room. She was backed up against the wall as he stepped forward.

"What's this?" Crimson said, taking a step forward, therefore pressing against my flank and forcing me forward a bit. "A two in one special? It seems I'm getting more than I paid for."

"Only you, Crimson." Firebright smirked and blew a kiss to him.

"Are you going to give me what I want, or am I going to have to take it from you?" Bristle said, approaching her.

"Please, no... Just... let me go... please..."

"Turn, or I swear, I'll kill you... I already know about you and Charger. Consider yourself lucky I don't do it right now."

His statement made my heart sink deep in my chest... and the way she looked up at him, she felt it too...

Reluctantly, she turned around, hanging her head down and crying softly to herself.

Bristle raised her tail with a hoof and examined the area. "I can see why Charger likes you. You're very... attractive. For a unicorn." Then he raised up and mounted her...

I couldn't watch anymore. I could hear it. Her whimpers, his groans... The slapping... Hearing it all was enough to destroy my heart...

"I'm gonna keep that playing for you." Fire said, putting the remote down. "At least you'll get to hear Snow's voice when you're down there. Help you pretend it's her you're playing with." She pointed at her nethers. "So what'll it be, lil' bro? Are you going to get down to business? Or am I gonna have to make like Bristle and threaten somepony you love?"

"Fine..." I muttered, stepping forward. "I'll do it..."

"Good boy..." She smirked and laid back, looking up at the ceiling as Crimson continued to stand there, watching both the video and us. "Don't stop until I say you can."

I got up on the bed and prepared myself before licking... All while I was forced to hear Snow struggle with what Bristle was putting her through...

Fire's pleasure helped block the sound on the screen, but not entirely.

It didn't take long before she forced my muzzle in, making me lick the walls on the inside. I closed my eyes, just waiting for all this to be over...

(((((((◉)))))))

With the tracks clear of debris, Petiole waved at Fluky through the window of the cabin. She opened the doors for us and we got in. I sat down as Petiole made his way for the cabin. Fluky was just about to leave, but Petiole spoke up.

"Stay in there. There's a few things I need to show you."

Fluky hesitantly nodded before backing up in the cabin, allowing him to enter.

"I'm gonna show you how to start the tram, in case none of us are around and you need to escape." There was a brief pause before he resumed. "So first, you press this button..."

I lost track of their conversation rather quick as I started thinking about the bunker... again. Thinking about how quickly my life shifted. I went from being sexually abused and harassed to being post-assimilated by tentacles. At this point, I couldn't tell what was worse. They were both awful experiences...

We were both 17 when Bristle took her...

It was hard to imagine that in a year, I was going to die...

The tram started to ease forward, and Fluky stepped out shortly after. Petiole followed.

"Not bad..." He said, sitting down and looking at her. "For a unicorn."

She sighed and looked at me. "You alright, Robutt?"

"Ask me in a year." I looked out the window behind me "How long until we get there? A year?"

"About forty minutes." Petiole stated with an unamused tone.

Great...

(((((((◉)))))))

Moments passed.

I don't know how long. I wasn't exactly counting.

I looked up from the ground after a sorry attempt of pulling myself out of my catatonic state to see Petiole seemed to be lost in his own world as well. I took a glance at Fluky to see she was reading one of her comics again.

Wait...

I peeked at the cover, and... Okay. Good. It was nothing more than a comic. She didn't need to be looking through adult magazines. She was too young for that.

I stood up and sat next to Petiole, who looked at me in silence. His helmet was still on, as it had been since Fluky came by.

"I have a question." I asked quietly, trying my best to not disturb Fluky from her reading.

"I have an answer."

"You saw my memories..." I started, then looked at him; my muzzle inches from his armored one as I stared into his visor. "Which means you most likely saw what happened to Snow..."

He nodded and spoke in a whisper. "I did."

"Do you... do you think she did the right thing?"

He stared in silence for a moment, thinking to himself. "She saw a chance, and she took it. Even if it meant leaving you." He paused before adding more. "Call me biased, but I say yes. She did the right thing. She sacrificed her 'safety.' I'd... give anything to have her opportunity..." He looked down and sighed.

"What do you think... happened to them?" I asked.

"Hard to tell. I've not been on the surface in over 200 years... I think. I don't really know what it's like up there."

"Fair point..." We both went silent for a few seconds as he continued to look down. "I'm sorry if I upset you..."

I wrapped my hoof around his shoulder and he looked over at it, then at me.

"Just what in Tartarus do you think you're doing?" He spoke aloud in annoyance.

I reluctantly took my hoof away. "What?"

"Don't. Touch me. I don't. Like. Being. Touched."

"S... sorry." I scooted away from him.

"Go sit over there." He pointed a hoof at my original spot. "Away from me. And leave. Me. Alone."

I quickly got up and sat over in my designated spot, looking away from him. Way to make a pony feel awkward...

Fluky had watched the whole thing, I had just noticed... Thankfully, she didn't really offer anything to that conversation. No, instead she looked through Petiole's bags, after I had sat down beside her. She pulled out a small sack of candy canes.

"Hey, you have candy canes...?" She asked, looking through the different colors that resembled different flavors.

"Yes." Petiole answered, regarding them. "I gave one to each of my patients after doing a check up."

Fluky and I shared the same, sad look, with the same, sad thought...

Para would have loved those candy canes...

A few minutes went by in silence. Fluky had put the canes back where she found them and went back to her comic, and Petiole went back to his own private world, which left me back to my deep, dangerous thoughts...

Thankfully, those minutes were short lived. The tram came to a stop at a dead end, next to a station on our right. The alarm inside the vehicle screamed at us as it did whenever we were about to stop at a station, and the doors opened.

"Guessing that means we're here." I said, standing up and flipping the gun out in front of me from my side. I switched it to semi.

Petiole stood up soon after. "Fluky. Stay here. Where we're going is too dangerous for you... and you may need to start up the tram by the time we get back... We might have some company."

"Why are you coming?" I asked, regarding him. "You said you can't fight."

He stared back at me. "You need someone to override the system."

"I can manage. I was maintenance and engineer, remember?"

"You're not doing this alone. You don't know what's in there..."

"Do you?" I frowned.

He nodded. "And I assure you, it doesn't care what you are. Infected, healthy, or even machine... you're still a target."

"Fine." I cocked the rifle. "Let's quit talking and kill the sorry fucker."

(((((((◉)))))))

I walked down the corridor of the residential wing. Two fully armored Steel Rangers walked behind me as we made our way to the exit of the base. No one spoke to me, nor I to them. The march was silent, save for the stomps of metal hooves.

The heart in my chest pounded. Filled with worry for what was going to happen next. Was it happening to me, or was it going to happen to her? I prayed that it happened to me... I wanted to spare her... I was willing to do anything to keep her safe...

... But I was only praying to a dead goddess that couldn't hear me or anyone else in this age of decay...

We traveled up a short flight of stairs until coming across a big metal door that looked almost like an intricate wall than anything else.

Firebright, CrimsonThunder, and Bristle all stood behind Snow Star, who hung her head down as she sat there, facing me.

Fire looked up at me from her, smirking. I didn't share it.

I hated her. But there was nothing I could do to keep her away. We all lived in the same, damned steel box in the ground, and leaving wasn't really an option. I had to tolerate her...

"Congratulations." Bristle said, looking over me coolly. "You impregnated the unicorn bitch sitting before you."

"I know what you did, Elder." I said, staring him down. "You raped her. I saw it."

Firebright stifled a giggle behind her hoof, and Bristle scowled down at her. She went quiet after that.

"Perhaps I did." He started, looking back at me. "But she confessed that it was you. She was in heat when you two shared your... sentiments for each other." He looked at me with disgust. "It's sickening."

I looked down at Snow Star, who glanced up at me, keeping her head down.

"Snow..." I started to step forward, but one of the rangers held me back.

"I love you, Charger."

I looked up at Bristle, who loaded a laser pistol with a fresh energy cell. "Please... don't kill her..."

He regarded me. "You can't go through life without consequences." He pressed the gun to the back of her head, and I saw tears slide down her face, dripping down on the floor below her.

"Please!" I begged. "I'll do anything!"

"I want you to watch." He said behind clenched teeth as he started to squeeze the trigger with his tongue.

"Elder, wait." Fire said, stepping in after a few seconds of looking at me. He froze and looked at her, taking his tongue off the trigger.

"Maybe we should give her a chance." Her smirk came back, and she moved closer, whispering into his ear.

He nodded in agreement; his lips curling into a mirthless smirk as he took the gun off her head. "Very well. You have two options, unicorn."

She looked up at me, then turned to him, awaiting the two options.

"You can abort that parasite growing inside you and stay here with that parasite..." He pointed a hoof at me. "Or... you can leave the bunker, leave him, but keep that foul bastard growing inside you. Raise it, if you survive out there long enough. The choice is yours."

She looked back at me with tears streaming down her face. "I can't just... choose..."

"Let me clarify..." Bristle continued. "Choose, or a third option will be in order." His gun pressed against the back of her head again. "A shot to the head. You have one minute to decide."

"I..." She bawled. "It's not that easy! Please, can't I just raise our baby and stay...?"

"We don't have enough resources to feed you filthy things. The last thing we need is more unicorns. We have enough as it is..."

"Please, Elder..." I pleaded. "Let her stay..."

"Forty seconds." He declared, glaring at me, then looking back at her. "What'll it be, Snow? The baby, or Charger?"

"I... I can't just..." She shook her head hard and looked away from me. "I..." She wept.

"30 seconds!"

She turned and looked up at him. "I'll... leave..." She turned to me as Bristle put the gun away.

I... I couldn't believe it...

"I'm sorry... Charger..." She sniffled, and more tears gave way from both of us. "I'm... sorry..." She moved in to hug me, but Crimson pointed his rifle at her.

"Nah, ah, ah! Get moving, freak."

She froze, and I tried to move toward her, but he pointed the gun at me next.

"Stay put."

Bristle went to a control panel on the side of the door, which soon raised open, revealing the gray outside.

"Get moving." Crimson said, pointing the gun back at her.

"I love you, Charger..." She said before turning around.

I couldn't say anything... It hurt too much...

She started to walk among the surface of a dead world...

Before she took her first step outside, I heard one more thing from her.

"... Goodbye..."

Before I knew it, the door slid shut...

She was gone...

"Well, would ya look at that?" Firebright stepped towards me. "She chose an unborn thing over you, Chargie." She patted my head. "Think about that for a second. She chose an unborn freak.... over your love. Ain't that just sad?"

"What do you want from me!?" I cried out, shuddering under the burn in my eyes as I closed them tight.

"For you to learn." Bristle stated.

"You're all a bunch of fucking assholes!" I shouted, glaring at Fire first. "This was all your fault, wasn't it!?"

Crimson looked to the two rangers that escorted me here. "Please escort Charger to his room and make sure he stays put. We wouldn't want him playing around with another unicorn..."

One of the rangers behind me nudged my flank. "Move it."

I spun around and stormed off back downstairs. I didn't want to see them anymore anyways. I didn't want to think about them. I wanted them dead. To have never existed! Fucking monsters!

The two rangers followed me down, and as I stormed off, I heard Fire speak.

"Do you think he'll become a problem?"

"Hardly." Crimson stated.

"We'll see..." Bristle said softly. "Give him some time to think... Then we'll put it to the test..."

(((((((◉)))))))

Nine years...

They had given me nine years to think...

Through those nine years, they played tricks on my mind. I had always hated Fire, Crimson, and Bristle after that. Even before that... but again, there wasn't much I could do about it. I wouldn't have even gotten away, had it not been for the roots in the Saddle Forest.

This station was like the one that Petiole brought me to when he went to operate on my... stump...

It wasn't meant for the public, so this one was smaller than the one I started at, but bigger than the one that held Mansia.

There was a door at the end, and upon opening the door was a much longer stretch of hallway. There were no doors on either side. Just one where we were, and another at the far end.

I slid the compartment to my pipbuck open and looked at Petiole. Without a word, he gave me two potions, which I emptied into the pipbuck, one by one. I put the empty bottles in the pouch opposite my ammo, after sealing the housing of the device on my arm. They could be useful later, if we ever found a way to manufacture the purple liquid.

"Don't forget to use your SATS."

"My what?" I raised a brow as I looked over.

"Stable-Tec Arcane Targeting Spell." He replied. "It'll make a huge difference in combat. And I know you know that, because I've been in your mind. I know the Steel Rangers have them built into their armor."

"Okay..." I said, gritting my teeth. Honestly, I kinda forgot that it existed... I never really did anything with it. "How do I use it?" I examined the pipbuck on my arm.

"Your cerebral cortex will send a message through your aorta, which will then travel through your arterioles and capillaries, where your pipbuck will read the signal. From there, depending on what that message is, your SATS will be triggered."

... What the hell did he just say to me? What the... fuck...?

I stared, dumbfounded by his... whatever the fuck that was.

He sighed and shook his head. "Your brain is sending a message to your pipbuck, which is constantly reading the brain waves to check and see if you want to activate your SATS."

"Ohhhh...." I paused, looking ahead. "Well, why didn't you just say so?"

He let out another sigh and hung his head down. "I weep for this generation..."

"So all I have to do is mentally request for this... SATS thing, and it'll happen?"

"So long as there's enough energy built up, yes. Then SATS will send a message to your brain, showing you the possibilities of what you do next, and give you extra time to think about your next move and what you want to do."

"SATS!" I shouted, and he quickly turned to look at me.

"It doesn't work like th-" Suddenly, his voice became deeper and a lot more drawn out. Everything became slower for me.

Highlights appeared around his body.

Head, 95 percent. Torso, 78. The forehoof closest to me was 50, and the opposite of that was 43.

... Huh. Interesting. Okay, so how do I get out of this then?

... Oh no... He never told me how to get out!

Uhhh...

I heard a sudden click, and two red brackets appeared around Petiole's head.

Oh fuck! Shoo! Go away! Out! Undo! Cancel!

The brackets went away, and I thought the word 'cancel' again.

Suddenly, the world went back to normal speed.

"-at." He finished, then stopped and stared in silence. I looked back, wide-eye'd. I noticed a red compass bearing appear at the bottom of my vision, like an E.F.S. Exactly like an E.F.S., actually. Petiole's marker was blue. It was nice to see that the red hud didn't add confusion to what was an enemy and what wasn't.

"What?" He asked. "Wait... did you target me in SATS?"

"M-maybe..." I grinned sheepishly, backing up a bit.

"Sweet Celestia, be careful Charger!" He raised his voice slightly, then winced and groaned, holding a hoof to his throat. "Fuck me..." He looked back up at me and spoke a bit softer. "I'm not target practice."

"Hey, I didn't actually shoot you. I managed to pull out! So you don't get to complain!"

He sighed once more and laughed softly. "Yeah, I suppose you did. I commend you for that." He continued walking. "At least you have... a little... experience with it, now."

I followed beside him.

We got to the door, and he pressed a hoof against the panel on the side. The door slid open to reveal a massive bridge. In the center of the colossal room was a large, humming machine that I could only imagine being the reactor. We both stepped forward.

Looking down, I saw nothing but black. Looking up was the same view as looking down... Just infinite black...

"Stay alert..." He whispered, leaning in close. "I don't think we're alone here..."

I looked around, but the only blip on the E.F.S. I had was his.

We quietly made our way across the bridge. Wrapping around the reactor in the center was a platform that seemed to be able to disconnect from the rest of the bridge. There was a support beam that ran through the reactor, which had evenly spaced pulses of blue running into the machine from both the top and bottom.

All around us, along the walls, was a series of green lights on the edges of slabs that jutted out. They certainly weren't bright enough to light this place up.

Petiole stepped on the middle platform and walked around to the right, until he stopped at a terminal built into the reactor. He looked over and waved me over.

I stepped onto the platform and stood beside him as he scrolled down to something titled 'Zero.'

"Last stop of 32..." He whispered, before hitting enter.

The platform we stood on jolted a little, causing me to tense up as we descended down the dark shaft.

I did not like heights...

Petiole gave me a Med-X dose to my leg once he removed a small part of the legging of my suit, and I sighed with relief as the pain subsided. He put it all back in place as I looked down at the darkness.

"How deep does this thing go...?" I asked quietly, afraid to make too much noise.

He looked up, and then down, before answering. "Deep."

... Very descriptive of you...

The platform continued to lower as I looked at our surroundings. Some of the lights on the slabs flickered, or just didn't work at all. I made note that some of the slabs were also missing from the walls, or were severely damaged.

As we descended down the colossal, dark shaft, I kept my mouth around the handle of the rifle, ready to fight if one was headed our way.

Eventually, the platform reached the very bottom of the shaft, and we were greeted with another long, yet much wider hall that led to a large, metal door, much like the one at the bunker. The lights flickered in the stretch, so I caught glimpses of what was ahead.

Petiole started walking, and I joined his side.

"Please tell me you have a gun..." I muttered.

"Don't need one. If worse comes to worse, you'll distract it, while I overheat the reactor."

I sighed as we made our way forward. "This plan would have been a lot better if you brought a gun with you... You're not a pacifist, are you?" I stared flatly, to which he chuckled softly.

"Tell you what... Set me up with a meeting filled with ghouls, and I'll start carrying a gun with me."

I rolled my eyes and shook my head as we continued down the flickering hallway.

"So... why are we going over here? Isn't the reactor back that way?"

He didn't answer my question. Instead, he pulled out a red pill and held it out to me. "Swallow it. You'll need it for what's ahead."

I hesitantly took the pill and swallowed. It was bland, but that was better than tasting something awful. Like tentacles.

When we got to the door, Petiole started operating the control panel. The door screeched as it slid open to one side, echoing throughout the emptiness of the shaft.

I looked behind us, but thankfully, nothing was trying to sneak up.

Then I turned ahead at the sound of machinery, and the soft clicking of geiger counters from our pipbucks.

There was the reactor...

A massive beast of a machine, thumping and humming as pistons within cranked and pumped in and out of the apparatus. A soft green glow emerged from the space of the top of the arms that held the pistons whenever they went up.

Looking up was another shaft that seemed to go on forever, and a bright blue beam of light shot out from the top of the reactor, reaching for the ceiling that seemed non-existent.

There were slabs in the walls here, as well, with the same green lights.

Petiole's clicked a lot faster than mine for some reas-

Oh. The pill. Right. Rad-x.

I didn't know a whole lot about ghouls, but I knew that radiation was their primary source of healing. So this wasn't really a problem for him.

"Be careful..." I said quietly as Petiole made his way forward. I didn't know if he could even hear me through all the machinery.

I circled around, checking my surroundings as he approached the terminal built into the machine, ready to shoot something.

Petiole tapped a key on the terminal, and the screen lit up. He started to input a password, and first try, he was in.

From there, he began typing in codes and bypassing security locks while I stood around, making sure to keep our surroundings in check.

Minutes passed, and a klaxon blared in the room. I had nearly fired a shot from the surprise, but I loosened my grip around the handle and looked at Petiole, who continued typing, but at a rapid pace, as if he were in a hurry.

"INTRUDER DETECTED." The same A.I. voice from the tram said. "SECURITY IS EN ROUTE. PLEASE STEP AWAY FROM THE MACHINERY."

The klaxon resumed, and all the while, my heart was pounding. I suspected that if anything was around, it'd have heard this.

I stood there impatiently, eager to just get out of here. I didn't want to stick around in the same place for much lo-

There was a roar from above, and looking up the dark shaft...

... Fuck...

The thing from Petiole's memory... The beast that consisted of hundreds of other ponies and machines melted together dropped down on the floor and roared at me, spraying slimy spittle my way. I turned my head fast enough that it only splashed against the side of my helmet and visor. The front of my armor was hit, but that didn't matter.

The smell though... Ugh...

Once it stopped screaming, I backed up and started firing; looking through the scope of the gun. A few shots to the chest sent it crawling back and writhing about in agony as it tore at its chest.

"Petiole, what's the status?" I called out, keeping my eyes locked on the beast.

"Don't bother me!" He said in a raised, rushed tone, which had him coughing and putting a hoof to his throat from the strain to his vocals. It seemed he was incapable of yelling. He quickly went back to typing, and he was going faster than ever.

"INTRUDER DETECTED. YOU ARE NOW IN VIOLATION OF MULTIPLE SUBSECTIONS OF STABLE-TEC. STAND CLEAR OF ALL MACHINERY IMMEDIATELY."

The beast looked at me and started to approach; each step a stomp that shook the ground I stood on.

I resumed fire as I backed up against one of the slabs, aiming at its shoulder. The bullets burrowed deep within, but it wasn't enough to stop it. In fact... it seemed to be regenerating...

"WARNING. REACTOR SHIELDING HAS BEEN LOWERED."

My pipbuck started clicking faster, and the slabs started flashing blue in rhythmic waves, moving up the shaft.

I ran to the left as it moved forward, ready to swing one of its appendages and crush me. Just as I booked it, it came down on several of the slabs, knocking them out of place from the wall. I spun around, sliding on the slick floor on all fours for a bit as I continued blasting away at the monster, who seemed to completely ignore Petiole's presence.

One of the tendrils wrapped around the broken slabs and swung it around, before flinging it in my direction.

I ducked as it came hurling towards me like a frisby. If I hadn't done so when I did, my head would have been no more than slush...

I got back up as it started chucking the other broken slabs my way. I couldn't keep ducking. It knew better than to throw them like that again. So instead, I ran. I ran as fast as I could possibly go, around the reactor that had my pipbuck scream at me. The sound of metal crashing just inches behind me was my motivation to keep going, even when I was out of breath. This armor was getting heavier... I was exerted... Stitches in my sides, fire in my lungs... But I kept going. I dared not stop.

As I circled around the bulky reactor, I bit down on the handle before me, ready to squeeze and fire away when it came back in my view. I took a sharp right at the corner of the machine and started blasting away again.

Leg, torso, arm, neck.

Great way to get the adrenaline pumping!

It reeled and screeched as its insides burnt. Its tendrils whipped around violently, striking other slabs that were still in its walls; breaking them, but not removing them from their initial location.

I couldn't help but grin behind the handle as I continued to run. This was fun!

I spun right again, rushing past Petiole. I had nearly slammed into him, actually. But I had managed to jump to the left a bit before continuing on. Seems the Run-n-Gun technique was great for me. Exhausting, but great!

I spun around once more at the door, sliding on my hooves a bit, just like last time.

"OVER HERE, FUCK NUGGET!" I called out, grinning. "GOTTA TRY HARDER THAN THAT!"

It roared and started running over to me... Something I hadn't expected it to do.

Guess it was trying harder...

I fired a few more blind shots, two of which missed, and the other, not, before spinning and running down the hall again. I had to get it away from Petiole, in case it decided to focus on him.

As I bolted down the hall, so did the beast. But it was bigger, which made it travel farther distances quicker by default. That was a problem...

I felt its stomps getting heavier and more powerful with each passing second.

"Come on!" I shouted to myself, trying to go faster. Damn it, this armor was heavy to run in!

Just as I exited the hall, I jumped to the left, taking cover behind the wall. Not even a second later, did the beast come sliding out, trying to stop and take the same turn I did. It's body slammed against the pillar in the center that supported the platform that was going to be our escape once Petiole had gotten through the mainframe of the reactor.

Thankfully, when it recovered, I didn't see any damage inflicted on its frame.

I looked through the scope to make sure none of my shots struck the terminal, and started firing at its torso again. One shot, two shot, three, click!

I ejected the magazine, caught it before it could hit the ground, buried it in my ammo pouch, and pulled out a fresh one, before slamming it home and cocking the rifle. All the while, the beast cried out and thrashed around in agony.

I didn't stop there.

I switched to full auto and bit down on the handle, firing a rapid stream of lead at the abomination before me, pausing every few seconds only to recover from the recoil. Even then, it wasn't that bad. The arm that held the gun helped reduce it by a landslide.

The monster growled and looked down at me, before walking forward.

Wait, why weren't the bullets doing anything anymore...?

I checked the magazine for a brief second.

Damn it, I put normal rounds in!

I didn't have time to replace it, so I just slammed it back in and gave it the run around. However, this time, it was playing its moves smarter. Instead of chasing me around the pillar, it wrapped one of its arms around it and swung around, cutting me off from the path ahead and trying to swipe at me.

I jumped back, falling on my flank as I stared up at the beast that was about to consume me like it had done to so many others, long ago. I scrambled to get back up on my hooves, but before I could, it grabbed a hold of my metal hoof and lifted me off the ground, bringing me up to its head.

Your mistake.

I grinned, slipping into SATS. Three shots were targeted for its head, as it was a 95 percent chance of success, before I executed the order.

Most of the bullets had struck home, but even then, it didn't do anything. And now I was out of ammo.

"REACTOR UNDER IMMINENT MELTDOWN. EVACUATE THE STABLE IMMEDIATELY."

The klaxon's roar put the beast's to shame.

Bursts of fire came from the reactor in the distance as Petiole casually walked his way back. The blue lights in the shaft all flashed red, traveling up to the top. Some of them had burst from the walls and came plummeting down atop the beast, who roared at the annoyance.

One of the slabs struck a part of my body.

I gasped as a sudden pain ran through me.

And then it was gone, once I felt a large dosage of the health potion heal the physical damage inside me.

Phew...

I glared up at the monster, and that's when I heard my hoof crackling with electricity.

It looked down at me and brought me to its chest, ready to fuse me in with the rest. Before it could, my hoof flared with power; bolts of red electrical currents traveling up its arm. It screeched and let go, causing me to fall on my back. I quickly rolled over, stood up, and ran to the lift. Petiole had just stepped on board and was accessing the terminal. Not long after, did it start to rise.

I looked at him, baffled. "You couldn't hoof it?"

"Running hurts." He started simply.

"Living hurts!" I ejected the magazine and stuffed it in my pouch, before slipping out a red striped one. "How much time we got?"

"Can't say." He answered, looking up as the station shook and rumbled. Bursts of fire were heard below, followed by the monster's screams.

I cocked the rifle and gazed down at the fiery abyss.

"We ain't done yet!" I called out as I watched the beast climb up the slabs, after us. I looked through the scope again and started firing down at it, but this wasn't exactly a sniper. Plus, I failed to realize it was still on full auto.

I switched to semi and carefully planned my shots on its limbs. A lot were misses, as it was climbing up with haste. To get away from the fire below, to get to us, or both, was beyond me.

Some of the slabs bent under its weight, threatening to give way and fall. Some did, but it only stalled the abomination momentarily before finding something else to use as support.

The rounds were hurting it. But due to its mass, it wasn't stopping it entirely...

Then the gun clicked.

"Petiole! Reload me! Thorns, double time!"

He stepped up to me, reached into my pouch, pulled out my last red magazine, and ejected the old one.

"Put more thorn rounds in the empty mags!" I grabbed the full magazine and slammed it into the gun before cocking it and resuming fire. It was almost caught up with us.

Meanwhile, Petiole was working on getting more bullets in. He was moving at a normal pace though, and I really didn't like that...

"It's not going down!" I shouted.

"Keep trying." He spoke calmly.

I shook my head and bit back down on the handle before giving it all I had.

It had reached the slabs directly ahead of me, before turning, staring me down, and lunging across. It grabbed a hold of the ledge of the platform we stood upon, pulling itself up and snarling.

I switched back to full auto and unleashed the rest of my mag on the tendril that kept it up. It looked at me as it started to pull itself up, and I heard the electricity crackling again.

I spun around, raised my hoof, and screamed.

"Get. OFF!"

With the boom of thunder and the discharge of electricity, the beast wailed at my wrath and slid off the platform, falling to the flames below, where it'd be consumed.

I looked to Petiole, who had just finished one mag and was starting another. I replaced the spent one and started slipping thorn rounds in as we ascended.

(((((((◉)))))))

Fire and I walked down the corridor of the living quarters as I made my way back to my room. I wore my jumpsuit, and my tools were resting in the box on my back. Fire wore her armor, but her helmet was off, as it usually was when she was in the bunker.

"So, I fixed the speakers that were busted from last month's incident." I said as we walked past a few other rangers. "Examined the pipes of that sector, too. They shouldn't burst any time soon, but I'll supervise some of the horns there and have them keep it under control. They'll report to me if anything looks suspicious."

"What happened to the ones responsible?" Fire asked, looking down at my hooves.

"I dealt with them personally..." I said with a smirk. "Speaking of which..." I looked down at the blood stained around the hooves of my jumpsuit. "I need to run this through the wash. They left quite the mess, but I got their names." I pulled up a paper containing the list of unicorns that were involved with the incident last month. Three scribes and two rangers had been killed because of it. "Bristle may want in on the fun." I grinned.

She grinned back and looked into my eyes. "Damn, lil' bro." She placed a kiss on my cheek and put a steel hoof around my shoulder as we stopped outside my door. "I'm loving the new you."

"Hey." I shrugged, pulling her in close. "I have you to thank for this, sis. If Snow hadn't been exiled, I'd still be some blind, dumbass horn lover. She was distracting me from my work, and she needed to go. Now that she's gone..." I pulled away, still smiling as I looked into my sister's eyes. "I can focus on serving the Steel Rangers. That's all I need."

"One hell of a way to look at it, lil' bro." She ran her hoof through my mane, messing it up as she grinned.

I chuckled and pulled away. "Come on, Fire. Stop." I started fixing it and looked back at her to see she was smiling sincerely.

"I'm proud of you, Charger. Really, I am. Unicorns are nothing but trouble. So... I'm glad you realized that."

I nodded and hugged her once more. "Thank you, Firebright. See ya tonight?"

I felt her nibble my ear, then whisper softly. "Let's try and break last week's record."

I chuckled, blushing as I pulled away. I caught a shade of red on her cheeks as she bit her bottom lip.

"I'll see you around, Charger." With that, she winked and walked off.

I turned and opened the door to my room, walked in, and closed and locked it behind me. I took the jumpsuit off and reached in the inside of the collar, only to pull out a small photograph.

It was of Snow Star and I, holding each other close. I was kissing her on the cheek, and she was laughing.

I put the photo to my lips and closed my eyes as I held it there. I missed her...

But I had a plan, and it was put in place. It took patience to build Bristle's trust... But once I was there, I'd get out of this place...

Admittedly, I didn't want to leave the comfort of my room. That one, small comfort that I could call my own. But it was a sacrifice I was willing to make. It'd just... take some getting used to. There was nothing really left for me here. I just had to play along...

I would also have to do some unexplainable things to gain his trust... Like what I had done earlier that day to five harmless unicorns...

... But sometimes, in order to do some good, I had to be the bad guy...

Maybe someday, I would do something good...

Maybe...

(((((((◉)))))))

The lift stopped at the bridge that we had used earlier. The station was shaking, while the slabs in the wall burst into flame. Shrapnel flew from the blasts, but we were far away enough that it didn't get us.

I started to run across the bridge, and looking back, I- UGH!

I ran back and stopped before Petiole, who was casually walking across the bridge.

"What the hell is your problem!?" I shouted through the explosions and rumble of the station. I was nearly knocked off my hooves, but I kept my balance in check.

"I can't run. It hurts too much."

I didn't have time for this... "Fine!" I got down on my stomach. "Get on my back!"

"What?" He took a step back. "No."

"Do you wanna die... again!?" I glared at him.

He shook his head.

"Then get on my FUCKING back! We're going!"

"I don't like being touched..." He backed up another step.

Ohhhhh you have got to be...

I stood up, grabbed him by the shoulders, and forced him up on my back. He gasped and groaned.

"I don't give two shits if you don't like being touched!" I started as parts of the ceiling started falling down on us.

I heard a familiar roar from below, and peeking over the ledge of the bridge, I saw the monster crawling out of the fire, coming up for round 3.

"BRING IT!" I screamed, before continuing on ahead. If outrunning it was a possibility, I had to try. It was kicking up my adrenaline again, for sure. Put a grin on my face as I hoofed it.

We went through the door and bolted down the hallway that led to the tram station, which was receiving a lot of damage from the meltdown. It was getting really hot in here...

The tram was just ahead, and through the side window of the cabin, I could see Fluky operating the controls. She glanced at us, and in an instant, her eyes grew wide with fear. She started scrambling for the controls, and the tram started to move the way we came.

I heard the stomping of the beast behind us, and I groaned behind clenched teeth as I picked up speed. I couldn't turn and fire. Not that it would have mattered.

Fluky kept the doors to the tram open, and she waited inside, waving us over. "HURRY!"

We had made it out of the hall and were cutting across the station floor. If it had been a public subway station, we were sure to miss the train. But due to the shorter distance between the vehicle and the hall, we had a chance...

It wasn't 100 percent guaranteed... but it was a chance.

The beast was close. The floor shook with each stomp, and my hoof started to crackle with electricity once more.

The rear of the tram disappeared from our sight as it pushed into the dark tunnel. Then went the first set of doors.

Halfway across the station, a little less than half of the tram was in the tunnel. No matter how fast I ran, it felt like it was a million miles away...

"It's right behind us!" Petiole shouted.

Fuck it!

In that instant, I spun around and slipped into SATS to see he wasn't lying. Another second, and we would have been pummeled piles of meat.

I plotted three shots to its chest and fired away as everything moved no more than a snail's pace.

The beast's slowed screeches warped into real time as we did, and I turned back around, resuming my course for the tram as it struggled with the bullets that ate away at its insides.

The last door of the train had disappeared from view, and all that remained was the cabin windows and the nose.

I screamed at the top of my burning lungs as, with all my effort; all my strength; all my will, I pushed forward. My hoof flared up with the electrical current. Bolts of red lightning were traveling ahead of me!

If only it made me faster.

With a running leap, I smashed through the side window of the cabin and landed on the floor. Petiole was lying atop me, holding his hooves firmly around my neck and shaking.

"Get off me!" I snapped as I tried getting up, panting from the high exertion.

He let go and looked down at me. "We made it?"

"Get the fuck off."

Trembling, he raised on all fours and stepped out of the cabin. I joined him shortly after getting some of my breath back.

I looked down at Fluky and smiled, removing my helmet and tossing it on the ground. "Good job, Flukes."

She sighed, smiled, and rolled her eyes. "Stop calling me that."

The tram shook a bit, and the station we were just at had been engulfed in flame.

"Everyone, pack up what you can." I said, staring at the explosion behind us. "Don't overstock, though. Once this ride stops, we need to hoof it as far as we can out of this place."

I looked back to see Fluky and Petiole packing up the saddle bags. Petiole grabbed his journals, along with a few others. Fluky gathered up her comic books.

Petiole was biting off more than he could chew, however...

He wore four saddle bag pairs all along his body, which added up to 8 bags in total. Four of them were stored with food, medicine, and ammo, and the other four were filled with books.

"I said don't overstock!" I put a hoof to my face and groaned.

"I'm not." He replied calmly. "I can manage this."

"Am I going to have to carry you?" I stared flatly.

"I'd prefer it if you didn't..."

"Are you going to start running when I tell you?" The tunnels shook a bit to another distant explosion, and we stumbled around a little. When we recovered, so did the conversation.

"No." He replied. "I already told you, it hurts too much."

I groaned and buried my face in both hooves. "I'm carrying you... But if we make it out of here alive, you owe me." I pointed a hoof at him; my brows knitting as I looked into his visor. "Big time." I looked away and muttered under my breath. "My body is gonna be so sore after this..."

I started putting a few thorn rounds in the mag, in case there was anything else ahead. Unfortunately, we had went through most of the box with the monster back at the reactor. I only hoped that monster stayed dead... But probably not.

There were only two bullets left inside when I finished reloading.

With nothing else to do but wait, I sat down and stocked my right pouch with the food they didn't take. No point in letting it go to waste...

(((((((◉)))))))

"So, do you have a name for the thing back there?" I asked, looking at Petiole as we raced down the tracks toward the exit of 32.

"Not exactly. No one survived long enough to give it one. And I didn't care much to do so."

I looked down at Fluky, who was sitting there quietly on one of the seats.

We had switched tracks once we got on the main line, and proceeded forward; nose and cab pointing to our destination.

Petiole stepped into the cab and looked at the map, before stepping back out. "We should be there in less than a minute."

I nodded, then returned to Fluky. "How you holding up?"

She looked up at me as I slipped my helmet back on. "I'm okay..." She got up off the seat. "I just... hope we don't see Para's body..."

I sighed and hung my head down. "Yeah... me too..."

The tram jolted abruptly, causing the three of us to lose our balance and fall. I quickly stood back up and looked through the cabin window to see a much larger set of green, glowing eyes, followed by a bigger wooden mass attacking the front of the vehicle, preventing us from going any further. The glass shattered, and several tendrils broke through, reaching out for Fluky.

"Go!" I shouted as I stood in the way, blasting the fleshy tentacles with lead.

The zompony screeched as the appendages whipped around. One of them had struck me before burning off the rest of its body. I fell back, feeling more of the health potion from the pipbuck seeping into my system. The impact on my chest was feeling better already, but it wasn't fast enough.

Still, I didn't waste time getting back up and turning to Petiole and Fluky. The ghoul slammed his hoof against a red button on the side of the door, to which they slid open. The two of them ran out into the tunnel. Well, Petiole didn't...

I turned back to the zompony covered in wood and blasted away at it once more. Even with the armor, it didn't stand a chance against the thorn rounds. I watched as its body burnt away on the inside.

But still, burning, it attacked the tram, destroying the system's controls in the process. Sparks flew from the cabin, while gas leaked out from the flooring.

Oh... shit...

I bolted through the doors just as fire spread through the inside of the vehicle, dousing the monster in flame. The force of the explosion had slammed me against the wall of the tunnel. My entire left side ached horribly, and the pipbuck notified me that the last of the health potion that was stored within was used to treat my injuries.

I looked back at the train to see all the windows had shattered. I could feel the immense heat beaming off the vessel. The inside was fire, and that was it. Nothing else remained.

"Let's go!" Fluky shouted as the facility continued to rumble. A light grew from the end of the tunnel where we came from. A bright, orange, fiery light...

I got up and lifted Petiole on my back, who reluctantly accepted, and made haste down the tunnel. My left side was still aching, but the potion had taken away most of the damage.

Fluky ran alongside me as the zompony burnt to a crisp, screaming in its final moments.

The station was just ahead. I could see the opening.

The hissing of a great fire grew from behind as explosions continued to rock the area around us. Bits of ceiling crumbled down on us. Fire and steam burst from pipes and walls, launching tile at us from both sides, but we kept on track. Every second mattered.

The merciless beast called Time didn't do any favors for anyone or anything. It always had its own agenda... and it was to chase us.

Eventually, it would win. It always won.

But that didn't mean that it had to win today.

Upon reaching the opening of the station, I stopped and lifted Fluky up onto the tiled floor. I let Petiole climb off my back and get up next, before I jumped and pulled myself up onto the platform. I heaved Petiole on my back once more, who grumbled under his breath, and the three of us bolted for the stairs ahead.

The roar of fire had grown to ear deafening levels, ready to devour all.

We reached the top of the stairs to see a set of turnstyles. Beyond that was a door. Fluky and I jumped over as we ran for it.

Tiles burst from the floor, ceiling, and walls around us, and water hosed us down from burst pipes. Better than fire.

I tried the door, but it didn't open.

"Fuck!" I slammed my hoof against it, noticing the electrical current was starting up again.

Petiole slipped off my back, pulling out a card from his suit. He held it out before a small, circular red light on the side, which soon turned green. The door slid down, revealing the corridor that Fluky and I had walked through when we first entered the stable.

This time, Petiole jumped on my back on his own accord. We turned right and hoofed it through the corridor, as the left was the stairs that led down. Thankfully, nothing was in our way. The infected must have all cleared out... which I wasn't so thankful for. It meant we had an epidemic on our hooves...

The hall shook violently, causing all of us to lose our balance and fall over. I quickly lifted myself up as the fire behind us roared loud enough to make a dragon proud. The temperature was rising to unbearable levels...

I lifted Fluky back on her hooves, put Petiole back on my back, and continued our marathon. Sparks flew from the cables and lights overhead, some of which shattered.

Upon reaching the end, we turned right and bolted down the next corridor of moss and dirt. Reaching the end of that, we turned left. As Fluky ran for the stable exit, I looked down where we came from to see a blazing inferno coming at us at speeds none of us could outrun for very long.

I charged for the exit as Fluky hoofed it to the outdoors. She jumped to the left, seeking shelter from what was coming.

Outside, I could see fire was already burning away at the forests. The cloudy skies were red, just like in my visions...

Parts of the ground burst, and pillars of fire broke free, reaching for the skies.

It must have been night, since a lot of that sky was dark.

I ran through the cogwheel shaped doorway and jumped to the right, taking cover just as fire spat out from the stable's opening.

Petiole was on the ground covering his head, while my back was pressed up against the metal, exterior wall of the stable. I closed my eyes as the roar of fire surrounded us.

The ground shook beneath us, and soon enough, I heard the distant rumbles of explosions from below.

When I opened my eyes, I saw Fluky ahead; her coat covered in black. She was hacking before she looked at me and started shouting. I couldn't hear her, but I understood what she was trying to say.

I picked Petiole up, put him on my back once more, and started running again. The air was becoming unbreathable here. It was time to go.

A little more than halfway through the park, Fluky and I froze at the sight of a pony standing before us...

With the scorching roar in the distance, we were able to hear the radio blasting a tune while he danced happily, holding the robotic bunny rabbit that I still had a hard time comprehending.

Here comes the sun

Here comes the sun, and I say

It's all right

Little darling, it's been a long, cold, lonely winter

Little darling, it feels like years since it's been here

Here comes the sun

Here comes the sun, and I say

It's all right

There was a fresh, bloody wound in his chest... One of a bullet.

Yet there he was, ignoring it completely and dancing to the music in a burning park in the middle of the night.

His golden eyes locked on mine, and he smiled. "Hey there, Churro!" He continued dancing with his pet bunny. Bunny...

Little darling, the smiles returning to the faces

Little darling, it seems like years since it's been here

Here comes the sun

Here comes the sun, and I say

It's all right

"P... PARA!?" Fluky and I looked at each other for reassurance that we weren't crazy, but she was just as baffled as I was. "YOU'RE ALIVE!"

"Not for long, if we don't get out of here." Petiole said, hanging off my back.

I glanced back at him, then nodded, realizing he was right. "Para, we need to go!"

"Say no more! I'm in!" He grinned before nuzzling his little bunny buddy and putting her in the cage beside him, which he tied to his back soon after.

"Can you run?"

"Sure can!" He beamed at me.

Little darling, I feel that ice is slowly melting

Little darling, it seems like years since it's been clear

Here comes the sun

Here comes the sun, and I say

It's all right

The bullet wound in his chest had me concerned... Not just for his safety, but... Happy had that same gunshot in my vision...

Right now it didn't matter... We needed to get out of here... I'd think more on it later...

From there, Fluky and I started running, and Para followed close behind with a happy canter as the music continued to play.

Author's Note

So this is the end of 32, folks! Gotta say, it's been fun writing the adventure of Stable 32, but now a new one must take place. An adventure among the wasteland.
Unfortunately, there won't be any new chapters for about 3 months, as Pines has left for the military, and now that Para is back, I can't exactly continue on without him editing his dialogue. I could make an attempt at getting his character right, but I usually focus on making characters like Petiole and Charger. So it'd be a challenge.
However, I'll continue working on more chapters while he's away. I just won't be able to release them until he's reviewed them.

The song in the end belongs to The Beatles. There's a clue in the lyrics, but it shouldn't be too hard to find now.

Also, I was listening to this song when I was revising the reactor battle scene, and I realized how well it fit. Sucks the radio wasn't there to play it.
Shrugs.
This was another song that I listened to when working on the reactor fight.
Shrugs again.

Also, red text like that generally means there's a youtube link behind it. I am addressing this, because one of the readers didn't understand. This goes for both the author notes, and the chapter. But for the chapters, chances are it'll only be for single words like song), or tune. Or beat. So if you see anything like that, like you did in the end of this chapter, you might wanna click on it, cause technically, it's a part of the story. That, and music is a beautiful creation that makes life worth living. What's not to love? ^^

Pines: When you are having a bad time, sometimes it's good to lay back and remember the good times. The things that you once had. For some, even you, you might get those things back. We can all get our Paras back. Well, by the time you're reading this, I'll be in Marine Basic Training. But that won't stop us from making more! Stay tuned for more RADIO STATIC!

Channel 001.1; Radio Nowhere

In a world filled with misery and uncertainty, it is a great comfort to know that in the end, there is a light in the darkness.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

The clouds in the distance were of red and black, while the ones above us just consisted of the void. Ash from the burning trees of Saddle snowed down on us as we sat on the side of the highway on a small field of grass, around a campfire. The scent of burning wood filled the air. But another scent lingered with it...

Burning flesh.

The air wasn't as heavy where we were. We had gotten far away enough from the city that we could breathe properly, and we didn't have to worry about the killer trees now that we were out of the forest. I didn't see any of the shadow things either, but regardless, I kept watch for any trouble as we sat around our main light source and warmth.

Petiole had a set of pliers dug in Para's chest, who squirmed and groaned as he laid there. The red LED lighting on his armor had changed to green by the time we escaped the forest and city.

"Hold still." Petiole snapped. "You don't want this inside you when you're healing."

"But it hurts!" He cried out in a whiny tone.

"Where was this attitude when you were dancing in the park?" Petiole asked flatly. He sighed and hung his head down a bit. "Look... If you're good for it, I'll give you a candy cane by the end of this. Okay?"

Immediately, his ears perked up, and he grinned. "Candy cane?"

"Uh... Y-yeah..."

He nodded happily and beamed at him. "Deal!"

Petiole turned to me, but I shrugged with a faint smile. "Para's a slut for them."

He turned back to Para and resumed digging the pliers in.

Para groaned in pain as he gritted his teeth. "Just... don't touch the sides." I caught a smile behind that pained expression.

Petiole shook his head as he operated on him. "I think I got the bullet... Just... hold... still..." He slowly pulled the pliers out with the bullet in his grasp. "Almost there..."

"Bzzt!"

Petiole looked up at Para to see him grinning.

"What the hell is-" Para quickly flung a pebble at his head, knocking it against the visor. "Hey, what the fu-" Another pebble struck him in the side of his head. "Stop that!" He shook his head hard and backed up. I was stifling a giggle, but Fluky stayed focused on the fire in the distance... Where her home once was...

"What is your problem?" Petiole continued. "Do you want the bullet out or not?"

"Eh." Para shrugged with a smile. "Doesn't matter to me."

Petiole sighed. "Let me take it out and stitch you up. Otherwise, it's going to get infected, and you're going to die."

"I'm going to fly?" He raised a brow. "But I don't have wings!" He sat up straight, and I caught the bandaged stubs of where his wings once were wiggle.

"... What?" Petiole deadpanned, before looking to me for clarification.

"I don't think the word 'death' or 'die' or anything like that is in his vocabulary... Or the idea of it, for that matter."

Petiole groaned and rubbed his temple. "That's it." He looked back at Para. "Lie down, let me take the bullet out, and let me stitch you up. Or you're not getting a candy cane. Final warning."

Para gasped and immediately lied on his back. "Just hurry... It hurts."

"This would have been done already if you weren't messing around..." He stuck the pliers in once more, found the bullet, and pulled it out. "There. See?" He held the bullet out in front of him, then muttered to himself. "Freak..."

"Oooo!" He grabbed the bullet. "Red and shiny! Can I keep it?"

"... Sure. Why not?" He grabbed some sewing supplies. "Now stay still. This shouldn't take long..."

I looked over at Fluky to see she hadn't taken her eyes off the red glow in the distance. It was awfully warm out here tonight.

I quietly stepped forward and sat beside her. She still didn't take her eyes off the glow, and I noticed she was hugging the teddy bear she had gotten from Stable 32.

"Hey Fluky..."

"Robutt." She replied simply.

I watched the view she seemed to be lost in. "What's on your mind?"

She sighed and hung her head. "I miss my parents... My home..." She looked away and spoke softer. "I don't... blame you for what happened... I'm not happy with you for participating in it... but I also can't really blame you... It's the others." She hugged my forehoof and nuzzled it gently. "If it hadn't been for you, I'm sure they would have found me and killed me."

I looked down at her with a thought I dreaded.

"I'm guessing come tomorrow, we'll be parting ways. I got you out of Saddle, like I promised I would."

She was back to staring at the horizon, but her side was pressed up against mine. "We'll see..."

I wrapped my arm around her shoulder and together, we silently watched the city burn in the distance.

(((((((◉)))))))

I felt a hoof tap me on the arm. I opened my eyes to see Petiole looking down at me, wearing his helmet and armor like he usually did.

"We need to talk..." He spoke softly, as to not wake the others.

"This couldn't wait 'till morning?" I asked in a groggy tone, looking around. My armor was beside me, and the rifle was disconnected from it.

"I wanted to speak with you while the others were asleep." He replied before turning around. "Walk with me."

I got up and followed as we stepped away from the campfire and into the darkness of the street. Several wagons had been left abandoned here; some of which had crashed into one another. I saw mangled pony skeletons lying underneath some when I turned my pipbuck light on.

I stopped at a tipped over wagon at the sight of a full bottle of absinthe and a pack of cigarettes. I snatched both with a wide grin on my face, looking at Petiole. "Got a light?"

He turned to me, spotted the alcohol and cigs, then sighed. "So you're going to kill yourself now. Is that it?"

I shrugged with a mirthless smile. "Why wouldn't I? Dying in a year anyways." I paused briefly, shaking the pack. "So about that light..."

He shook his head. "I didn't bring you out here so we could talk about your... situation. Though, I will need some samples off you later, once we're in a safer environment."

I sat down, putting the bottle and pack down between us. "So why am I out here then?"

"There's something wrong with Para."

I scoffed at his statement. "You mean apart from him getting dropped on his head too many times when he was little? This'll be a doozy..." I deadpanned.

"Not that. But... it could be connected."

"Connected to what?" I raised a brow.

"There's a part of him that's... missing. I looked inside him, and... a big part of his soul is just... gone."

Wait... was this guy serious right now?

"I know... I know." Petiole looked down. "It's crazy talk. But ever since I died and came back, I could see into other ponies' souls. Even if they were completely infected and turned. I could see... or, at least... get an idea as to what they were like. A lot of Para's soul is missing... and it worries me. Whenever I try and look deeper, it hurts..."

"... Uh, okay then." I shrugged. "What do you want me to do about it?"

"There's nothing you can do. There's nothing I can do. But I wanted to get it off my chest. There's something wrong, and you needed to know."

I nodded for a few seconds before frowning. "Wait... is that why you were doing an analysis on me earlier, back in the stable? Were you looking into my soul?" Oof, that sounded weird to say...

He nodded, and my brows knitted as I looked at him.

"And what did you see?"

"You don't want to know what I saw..."

"Stop it, Petiole." I sat up straight; my muzzle a few inches from his. "What did you see?"

"... I saw a lot of pain, Charger." He spoke softly. "Pain... neglect... sorrow..." He looked away. "You're lost, and you can't find the missing pieces to complete yourself."

"Do you know what the missing pieces are?"

He shook his head. "I don't. I'm sorry. I'd help you if I knew. But not even your memories held the answers you seek."

"Of course they didn't..." I murmured, looking off into the darkness.

Two white lights wandered the distance, down the road. A few seconds after looking at them, they had stopped... almost as if they were looking back...

"Hey, do you see that...?" I pointed at it, and Petiole turned to look.

"See what?" He stared for a few seconds, then turned to me.

"Those lights over there..." I couldn't take my eyes off them...

He looked back, but said nothing until he turned to me once more. "Let's head back, Charger..."

I sighed, stood up, grabbed the bottle and pack, and together, we walked back to the campfire. I looked back to check on the lights that watched me in the distance, but they were nowhere to be seen.

(((((((◉)))))))

My eyelids cracked open to the crude intrusion of my slumber that the sun felt was necessary. The radio was playing a soft tune - another one of Octavia's works - while everyone else was awake.

Fluky was chowing down on some fruit, while Petiole was checking something on his pipbuck. Para was just... sitting there with his tongue hanging out in a playful manner, watching me...

I've had creepier ways to wake up, but... dude, that's creepy.

"Good morning, Churro!" He said happily.

"Charger..." I murmured.

"Farther!" He quickly... corrected. Whatever...

He tilted his head, smiling. "Did you sleep well?"

"Meh..." I looked down at the bottle of absinthe I found last night to find a quarter of it was gone. I could still feel the warmth it provided in my gut. That nice, comfy, yet sickening warmth...

I unscrewed the cap and took one last gulp off it for the road, before screwing it back on and storing it in my pouch. I lightly smacked the bottom of the pack of cigs against my hoof a few times, to which Para raised a brow.

"What are you doing?"

"Waking up the cancer." I deadpanned before opening the pack and slipping one into my mouth. "Does anyone have a light?"

Petiole shook his head, Fluky shrugged, and Para replied with "a fight? That doesn't sound too pleasant. Why would I have a fight?"

... I wasn't even gonna bother. It was too early in the morning for this...

The campfire was burnt out. Nothing but smoldering wood, and that wasn't enough to light the cig.

"Alright..." I said with the cig in my mouth. "Fine. No light, no problem." And with that, I pulled the cigarette further into my mouth and started chewing.

Fluky and Petiole just stared at me, but Para didn't seem to realize that cigarettes tasted horrible... Goddess', the taste...

"Can I have one?" Para asked.

"No." I said behind a mouthful of cig. His ears folded back as he pouted.

It was hard to get down... But I got this far. I closed my eyes and shuddered after downing it.

"Why did you do that, Charger?" Petiole finally asked in disgust.

"Cause it tastes better than tentacles." I smiled back faintly. "And after having nightmares of tentacles, I needed something to cancel it out." I put the pack back in my pouch with the alcohol before continuing. "And the absinthe wasn't doing it for me. So I improvised."

He sighed and shook his head. "I don't approve."

"Well, you wouldn't, now would you? Seeing as you're a doctor and all." I waved a hoof at him and sat up, getting into my armor.

"I could really go for a kumquat right about now..." Para muttered, still sulking around the burnt out pile of sticks.

I reached into my pouch, pulled one out, and tossed it at him. "There ya go." I said with a smile.

He looked up and caught it, grinning again. "Oh!" He immediately starting chowing down on it. It was gone within a matter of seconds. "Sweet!" He looked back at me, smacking his lips. "Are you some sort of magic, that whenever I want something, you can make it happen?" His eyes grew full of hope.

Petiole groaned in annoyance. "Yeah, we're all in some failed Twilight Zone episode. Plot twist, Fluky is secretly a synth from the Institute, and Charger here shits rainbow-" He was quickly interrupted with a pebble striking his visor. He stared at Para silently for a while before resuming. "I'm going to punch you in the face if you keep doing that."

"No swearing in front of children." He replied with a frown. "It's rude."

He looked down at Fluky for a few seconds before returning to Para. "You could have just told me that, instead of throwing shi-" Pebble. "Dam-" A slightly larger pebble. "Okay!" He raised his voice a bit, then started coughing and hacking for a long while. When he calmed himself down, he resumed. "You're starting to irritate me."

"You get used to it after a while." I said with a smirk as I nudged Petiole's shoulder. "We all ready to head out?"

Fluky nodded, picking up her saddle bags and letting the teddy bear ride on her back.

Para nodded happily, and Petiole slowly turned to look at me with a simple reply.

"Yes."

(((((((◉)))))))

"So..." I said as I walked alongside Petiole. "What the hel-" A pebble struck me behind the ear, and I sighed. "What's this 'Institute' that you mentioned?"

"Not quite sure, honestly." He replied. "But what I do know is that a lot of scientists in 32 had some sort of relation with them. " He paused for a short while, thinking to himself. "There were some... strange sightings, back when 32 was alive and kicking. Ponies we never even met just walking around as if they knew the place. Sometimes, they'd stop and talk to some of us. Ask us questions. And then we wouldn't see that individual again. I ended up having a conversation with one of them myself."

The road ahead was littered with crashed and abandoned wagons. The sky was still hot with smoke, and it still snowed burnt tree ash. But we were safe from the Saddle fires, at least.

"And?" I looked over.

"I asked where he came from, cause he sure as shi-" A pebble struck the back of his head, and he growled. "I asked where he came from, because he certainly wasn't a resident of 32. All he gave me was 'The Institute.' When I asked what he was doing in 32, he replied with 'studying.' Then he just walked off. Never saw him again after that."

My brows knitted. "Wait... but what was all that about... synths, was it? As in, synthetic?"

He nodded. "Security caught one of the visitors after it injured one of our engineers. It shut itself down, so in the confusion, we did an autopsy to find it was filled with wires and circuitry. Never saw any new visitors after that."

"Maybe that was a good thing."

"Definitely. The overmare was ready to start a war with them if they ever showed up again. Another reason she started the assembly line of robots." He went quiet, but even with the helmet on, I could tell there was something else he wasn't saying. He seemed to read my mind, as he started to continue after a short while. "When I died... I saw you."

Wait, what?

I turned and looked at him, my brow raised. "What do you mean?"

"In a vision. I saw you. It was just you... nothing else. But you told me you were going to find me."

"That's..."

I didn't really know how to respond to that... Huh...

"Crazy, I know." He continued as we stared ahead at the hundreds of scattered wagons. At the far end of the highway was a tunnel that ran underground.

We stopped as we waited for Para and Fluky to catch up. They had fallen behind... somehow.

We looked at the burning city together as we waited. Black, fiery smoke rose into the clouds in great big stacks. Pillars that looked as if they held the sky itself up. The sun was an ugly, sickly yellow through the clouds overhead.

"Would it be wrong to take comfort in seeing that place burn?" Petiole asked softly, keeping his green, glowing visor locked on the ruins.

"If it is, then I guess we're both fucked up." Thankfully, Para's pebbles didn't meet me. They were too far away to hear us.

"Heh... Yeah..." Petiole sat down, and soon after, I joined. "There's a certain beauty behind it..."

"I see it." I replied with a nod as we gazed out at the burning horizon.

Para and Flukes trotted up to us, and the filly dropped a few bottle caps from her mouth, letting them drop on the asphalt before me.

"I found a bit of money." She said with a smile.

"You keep it." I replied, looking down at them. "If you're gonna be leaving us, I can only imagine you'll have more use for it than we will."

She looked down at the caps, then back up at me with sad eyes. "Yeah... Well..."

The radio broke into static, interrupting her. Para frowned at the intrusion. "Darn thing. Always breakin' down." He pulled it out and started smacking it against the side of a wagon. "Work, you stupid radio! Work!"

"Here, let me see it..." I took the radio from him before he broke it for good and examined the inside through the cracked casing. It all looked... Wait... This shouldn't have been-

"What's that noise?" Petiole asked, looking around. His ears were folded back, as if he were worried.

I stopped and looked around, just now noticing the faint buzzing of spinning propellers. They were getting louder...

I tried to turn the volume down on the radio, but it seemed to have jammed on me.

Before I knew it, two Vertibucks flew down from the clouds, tearing holes through the thick curtain to reveal the bright blue before it was sealed away from the surface once more.

Fluky was already hiding underneath one of the wagons next to us, and Petiole pulled Para into a separate one with him.

"Charger, hide." Petiole said calmly, looking at me. His visor and LEDs had changed from green to red.

It was already too late. I already knew they could see me. If I hid, then I'd sacrifice the safety of my party. I couldn't do that.

The two Vertibucks flanked me on both sides of the road, and a familiar voice spoke through the speaker as two Steel Rangers aimed the mounted guns at me. A voice that triggered my anger...

Electricity started crackling in my hoof...

"Give it up, Charger!" Crimson shouted. "Surrender the anomaly!"

Anomaly...?

I looked around at both of the Vertibucks that kept their guns locked on me. "Shit..." A pebble struck me in the back of the head, but despite the increasing level of annoyance, I chose not to acknowledge it. I slipped the radio in my ammo pouch.

"Uh oh!" The host on the radio channel said as the static faded away, and the beginning of a song took place. "Seems we're in a bit of trouble, folks. But don't touch that dial! We're just getting started..." At once, the music increased in temp with the rapid strum of a guitar.

My instinct was to run. Just run. Don't fight! Run!

The barrels of the guns spun to life as lead shredded the asphalt all around me. Splinters of wood swept over me from the wagons left and right of me, while chips of road struck my armor.

SWEET FUCKING CELESTIA, HOW WAS I NOT DEAD YET!?

The two miniguns buzzed aggressively as they rained hellfire down on me, but somehow not a single bullet struck me.

"Oh, for fuck's sake!" Crimson shouted over the speaker. "He's just one pony! Kill him! Wait... was that a pebble...?"

I kept running! I couldn't stop!

The music was certainly motivational, considering the situation!

My hoof was growing a bigger charge as I bolted down the street. A rush of wind grew before the wagon to my right became fire. Planks of wood rammed against me, and splinters stabbed at my armor, but I wasn't knocked off course.

A missile sprung asphalt up from my left, clouding my vision momentarily. The missile, however, didn't detonate. It was a dud!

I swerved right and slipped into SATS as the Vertibucks continued to fly past, and I looked through the scope, aiming up at the ranger spraying lead down at me. I aimed, and without hesitation, bit down on the handle. The thorn round penetrated through his visor, and blood spewed out as he fell back, crying out. His body fell out the other side, landing on the street below the overpass I was crossing.

I went back to running. If I stopped for too long, then I was asking to be killed.

Two more Vertibucks flew in ahead, and four Steel Rangers dropped down between the street tunnel and where I was.

"YOU'RE DONE, CHARGER!" Crimson shouted as I witnessed he too, was jumping out of the Vertibuck on my right. "YOU'RE MINE!"

He landed a few feet to my right, bringing up a cloud of asphalt upon impact. As he recovered, I looked to my left to see the ranger beside the pony operating the turret was about to launch another missile my way from the cannons built into both sides of his armor. I had witnessed the last moments of their reload.

In an attempt to fire them down at me, the first one jammed. Flames burst from his side as he panicked to get the armor off, but that too, seemed to be malfunctioning.

I ran around a wagon just as Crimson fired a shot from his cannon, causing one side of it to explode in a wave of splinters.

"I SHOULD HAVE KILLED YOU WHEN YOU WERE BORN!" He called out, and shortly after, I heard the heavy hooffalls of his armor chasing after me.

The flames in the ranger's cannon to my left grew before the Vertibuck detonated from the inside. It spun out of control, heading for my path ahead. The Steel Rangers that had landed had formed a firing squad ahead of me, ready to eliminate just as I made one final turn around a wagon.

Before they could, the Vertibuck slammed down on them; the propellers cutting through their armor like a blender, before detonating completely. Shrapnel whizzed past like bullets, some of which struck Crimson's armor. It was a shame it didn't do anything to him.

Wagons were set on fire in the general area of the explosion. Scorched pieces of wood rained down on the two of us.

"Give me the fucking anomaly, Charger!" His voice sounded much closer than it did earlier... and so did his stomping, for that matter!

I leaped through the burning wreckage of the Vertibuck before me and came out the other side, unscathed.

Crimson charged through the same wreckage, but stopped in his tracks as I continued to run for the dark tunnel ahead.

The 50. caliber cannon on his left side fired heavy, rapid rounds at me, leaving half of a second of a time gap between each shot.

Asphalt sprayed at me, stinging the parts of my hide that wasn't protected. Missiles whistled as they flew past, blowing up the wagons in the tunnel.

I turned, slipped into SATS, and looked at my options. 5 percent for the head!? What the fuck!? Damn it!

The missile launcher was a fiver as well, seeing as there was a missile currently blocking the way. But... hm...

I plotted two shots at the missile launcher, and one on the 50 cal., in case things didn't work out. I had a 25 percent chance of hitting the 50 cal.

I fired my first shot at the missile launcher, but ended up striking the missile instead; causing it to explode in midair before getting anywhere near me. The next shot went through the flames and struck the cannon, but failed to hit any of the missiles within. Go figure...

My third shot bolted for the caliber and, to my surprise, traveled down the barrel of the gun, causing it to smoke from the inside after a tiny burst had occurred from the bullet that waited in the chamber.

I slipped out of SATS, and the world went back to its regular pace. Fuck, the adrenaline felt good!

I spun around for the tunnel as Crimson continued to launch missiles my way. It was a shame I couldn't get rid of that, and him with it!

"SEE YA, FUCKER!" I called out as I ran into the dark tunnel ahead. Missiles continued to fly in after me, striking the wagons around me as I ran further into the depths.

The music seemed to go on in a loop, and turning it down didn't seem to be an option. Once I escaped Crimson's wrath, maybe I could find a way to fix that.

Dust and dirt fell from the ceiling with each rumble of explosion. Looking behind me, I saw the light at the end of the tunnel, followed with the occasional explosion. I continued running, in case he decided to come after me.

I looked ahead, but I couldn't see anything in front of me. It was too dark in here...

I slowed down for a few, pulled out the radio, and tried the volume again. It still wasn't turning down! Damn it!

I hit the power button, but the music resumed. Agh, damn it!

Groaning out of frustration, I slipped it back into my pouch and looked at my E.F.S.

Oh fuck...

There were dozens of hostiles in the area ahead... and behind. Judging by how fast they were moving around, they were pretty close...

I turned on the pipbuck light, and my surroundings lit up in red. In an instant, I flicked the gun to full auto.

For there before me was what I was afraid of lurking in the dark...

Ferals.

They hissed and growled as they charged for me. I backed up, spraying a stream of thorn rounds at them. Their bodies convulsed as they fell at the first sign of penetration. Blood spewed from their eyes, ears, nose and mouth, and after a few seconds, a few red markers vacated from my Eyes Forward Sparkle.

I could hear more in the distance, aggravated from the sound of gunfire and the radio, which was echoing through the tunnel. I switched to semi and continued running ahead with the music, realizing that using full auto with thorn rounds was a waste of resources when facing ferals.

Running around a line of wagons, I came to an opening with five more ferals... and one of the zomponies from 32. Tentacles spilled out from its sides and lashed out at the ferals as it hissed. The ferals attacked it from all sides as a group, going in to rip and tear the flesh with their teeth. The zompony growled as they tore away at it, and the tendrils wrapped around them. Some were forced into its abdomen, which split apart for entry, while others were being fused to its body. There, fused and melted into the hide of the zompony, they continued to thrash around, trying to bite at it.

Didn't the hosts need to be living in order to infect...? What was this then...?

Was it trying to grow like the beast back in 32...?

I didn't want to wait to find out.

I pelted the monster with the rest of my mag, which didn't hold much more rounds.

As it screamed and burned away from the inside, I switched out the spent mag with some normal rounds and continued running further into the tunnel once I had heard several more ferals closing in from behind.

I switched to full auto again, thinking that normal rounds wouldn't be anywhere close as effective as the thorns. I didn't want to use the Tungstian rounds on ferals, because it seemed especially useful against machines.

I heard Crimson's screams far behind me.

"YOU CAN'T RUN FOREVER, CHARGER! WHEN I FIND YOU, I'M GONNA FINISH THE JOB LIKE I SHOULD HAVE, THE DAY I CRUSHED YOUR MOTHER'S SKULL!"

I stopped, dead in my tracks.

He... he did what...?

My heart... felt like it had stopped beating...

Several ferals moved in from ahead and behind, ready to strike...

My... mother...?

One pounced on me from behind, trying to bite into the armor. I rolled over on top of it and struck it repeatedly in the gut until it let go. I jumped up, aimed the rifle down, and riddled it with holes until it stopped thrashing. Another feral moved in, biting into my side while another went for the neck. I kept the barrel of my rifle against the neck biter's chest, keeping it at bay. A third went for the other side of my neck, but I raised a forehoof to keep it away from me as I filled the second ghoul's chest with lead. After maybe half a mag later, it dropped dead. I spun to face the third ghoul; my rear facing the first. As I spent the rest of my magazine on the ghoul in front of me, I raised my hind quarters and gave the feral behind me a good set of bucks. I heard bones snap upon impact, along with the thunderous boom of the electrical discharge. I looked back to discover I had not only electrocuted it, but I had also snapped its neck.

With the three bodies around me, dead, I looked around my surroundings on my E.F.S. to find I was surrounded in nearly every direction.

I had woken up the tunnel.

I looked to my left, and at the far end, on the wall opposite me, was a door to maintenance. Without having a second thought, I pushed forward.

Two ghouls ran into view and came at me, snarling. I bit down on the handle, but the gun simply clicked.

I shook my head hard and pressed on. My hoof was building up another charge with the frustration that I was in. And it was building up fast.

I took a chance at seeing what was behind me, and found several more ferals on my tail.

I quickly jumped up on the back of a wagon, ejected the magazine, and popped the first one I pulled out from the ammo pouch in. Unfortunately, it was T-rounds.

I didn't care. I didn't have the time to go searching for normies.

I cocked the rifle, aimed it down at them as they gathered around the wagon, and unleashed a storm of lead down on their undead forms. It wasn't as effective as the thorns, but it wasn't as weak as the normal rounds, either. Each round definitely packed a punch.

Fragments of brain and skull flew out from their heads, and some of those skull fragments had even tore new holes through the back of their head as T-rounds entered through the front. Coagulated blood oozed out of their wounds as, one by one, I put an end to their miserable, undead life.

By the time the magazine was empty, a bunch of corpses laid before me.

I pocketed the empty mag at my hooves, hopped off the wagon, and continued running for the door. There were more coming, and I didn't have the ammo or the focus to take them all on... My E.F.S. was pretty much red all around.

My mother...

I opened the door, ran in after seeing it was safe, and closed and locked it behind me. Ferals hissed and growled on the other side as their beat their hooves bloody against the metal surface. I swapped out the old mag with a new normie and aimed around the storage room. There was a hall at the far end of the room, in the corner opposite of me.

My E.F.S. didn't show any hostiles around that area, so I let my guard down, even though I knew it was a bad idea, and took out the two boxes of ammo, followed by all the empty mags. The two full ones in the pouch were filled with normies, so I filled the three empties with T-rounds. Tungstian rounds weren't that bad to use against ferals, after all.

I released an exasperated sigh at my situation as I put the boxes of ammo away. I leaned the back of my head against the door, looking up at the ceiling. I was locked in here... alone...

The ferals kept at it with the door, eager to get their next meal.

They'd have to try harder than that.

I hoped that Petiole, Para, and Fluky were safe...

Suddenly, the music stopped.

"Psst!"

I looked around the room, but I didn't see anybody.

"Hey, you with the face."

I continued looking around, puzzled as I pointed a hoof to my chest and mouthing the word 'me?'

"Yeah, you."

Wait... that voice...

I took the radio out and looked at it. No, that couldn't be possi-

"So you finally figured it out, huh?" The DJ that played on Para's radio said through the speaker with a soft chuckle.

"W-wait... what the hell?" I turned the radio around, examining the body. This had to be some sort of trick... Maybe he heard me through the intercom of the radio, seeing as it was a HAM. But... how did he know what I was doing...?

"Ah, ah, ah!" The DJ continued in his cheerful tone. "Make sure Para doesn't hear you say that around Flukes. Unless, of course... you like pebbles being thrown at you."

"Who... What? HOW!?" I asked, baffled at the radio before me. This wasn't happening, was it? Have I flipped? Gone mad?

"Heh... Consider yourself lucky, Chargie. You're the first one I've ever come out of the closet for. You're very special. As for the who of the question... My name is Tuner. I've been watching you for quite some time now. Been watching others as well, but... you? Mmm... you're a sight for sore eyes. Tellin' you right now, if you were in here with me, I'd let you plug your auxiliary cable in my AUX input anytime, anyday babe." He let out a small laugh that implied he was enjoying himself a little too much.

"This is some sort of joke, right?" I asked, still checking around the radio. Maybe there was a hidden camera or something... "You're just some DJ in the wasteland somewhere, and you have a connection to this radio?"

"I wish it were a joke. But I'm a pony stuck inside a radio. Or... actually, a battery. The radio is just the messenger."

I stopped and observed the blue glow through the casing in the back, where the battery resided. "Wait... Battery?"

"Mhm. There I am, listening to some tunes and relaxin' on my couch back home, and suddenly BAM! Get knocked out. When I wake up, my body is gone, I'm somewhere I've never even been before, and my new body is that of a battery. The one you're seeing now. The adventures I went through after that... Bombs drop. I get tossed around. I've been put into a crap ton of stuff throughout the generations in the wasteland. The sex toys were the most... awkward..."

"But... wait... Crimson... anomaly... wha?"

"Yep. I'm the anomaly. Was hoping they wouldn't see me on their scannermajigs, but look where we are now. And man, did you kick some serious tail out there. I'd pay to see that body in action again."

"Wait, hold on..." I frowned, and my hoof started to generate a soft electric current. "You were keeping me from turning off the music, weren't you!?"

"Yep. Hope you like music from beyond the stars, cause that's mostly what I've been feedin' ya even since you stumbled across Para."

I glared down at the radio I held. "You fucking asshole. Why did you do that!? I was trying to get away from danger, not lure it in! And now I'm stuck down here alone!"

"I was protecting you."

"Protecting me?" I raised a brow. "You sure have a funny way of 'protecting.'"

"Take a look at yourself, man. Do you see any bullet wounds? Any bites, scratches, or burns?"

I paused, remembering that not too long ago, I was running through gunfire of not one, but two miniguns, missile launchers, and 50 calibers... and I got through it all unscathed.

"Well... no..." I murmured, looking away.

"Exactly. So you can call me Blackjack, cause I just gave you a big stroke of luck."

"Blackjack?"

"Heh, yep. Been keeping an eye on her, too. And Little Pip."

"Her?" I asked puzzled. "Who's... Blackjack? Who's Little Pip?"

"You know that story you heard from your steel buddies out there about Thunderhead being destroyed, over in Hoofington?"

"Yeah, what about it?"

"That was from Blackjack. Security. Or... she was involved, anyways. Right now, she's flying off to the moon to get her body back. As for Little Pip... Ahem... Lightbringer."

Uh... okay then. Kinda hard to tell if this... Tuner... was crazy or not. Lightbringer was enough for me, though. The Steel Rangers were invested on trying to reach out to her... or so I thought. I had high doubts they just wanted to talk.

"Don't believe me? Take a look at the night sky tomorrow. Hoofington is going through the grinder right now. Keep an eye on the moon."

I blinked once, before resuming my series of questions. "Sooo... what, you can just see things, even if you're not there?"

"Oh Charger, of course! I've seen beyond the stars. I know things that no one in all of Equus know about. Not even the zebras."

"Prove it."

"I can't." He said quickly. "There are rules... and if I break them, then you can kiss all of ponykind goodbye. Honestly, that thing about the music from beyond the stars might have been pushing it, but no one's blown up yet, so..."

"How wonderfully convenient..." I deadpanned.

"Charger. Male. 25 years old. Born and raised among the Steel Rangers, but had difficulties with them growing up. Always considered the weakest link. Unicorns were scared of being affiliated with you, and earth ponies always picked on you for not being as physically strong as they were. So it made you lonely. Until, of course, Snow Star entered your life. You two fell in love with each other."

I froze as he told me my life story...

"You got her pregnant, and she was found out. Your good for nothing sister gave your 'fearless' leader the idea to either have her abort it, or leave the bunker and make you suffer the heartache. Snow left, and your soft, fluffy heart was left cold and broken. Throughout the years, you pushed on and built their trust, making them think that you were on board with whatever they did. And you did so by believing your own lies. So you hurt unicorns. Killed them at times, even. It hurt you immensely, but the show had to go on. You buried your true feelings behind a mask, until one day you were promoted to Knight. Your plan was to get away from them and go looking for Snow Star, should she still be alive."

This... this wasn't possible... How...?

"I know who you are, Charger. I know what you are."

"Then..." I started in a low tone. "What am I...?"

"I'm... afraid we aren't ready for that just yet."

I sighed and shook my head, quietly setting the radio down before me. "Well... since you seem to know a lot that's happening around the wasteland..." I paused and regarded the radio. "Is Snow Star alive...?"

My heart pounded for the answer. I was scared, but also hopeful that she was. I needed her to be alive...

"I can't answer that, either. It breaks the rules of the game."

"This isn't a game... I need to know if she's out there..."

"Everything's a game, Chargie. But some games just aren't as fun as others..."

I groaned and rolled my eyes. "Alright, well... tell me more about this... battery. Seeing as I'm being hunted down for it, I should get to know what it actually is."

"Little Pip controls the SPP. Blackjack held EC-1101. And you possess the UPC-07. Consider yourself a cornerstone of the wasteland now. The UPC-07 stands for 'Ultimate Power Cell - Prototype 7.' What happened to the others, I'm not quite sure. It was a little before my time in this one, and I can't see anything that happened before I was put in here." He paused as I sat there, waiting for more explanation.

"Oddly enough, there are seven souls in this thing, including my own. Some are just fragments of others, but there are some who have most of their being poured into this. There's only one in here that has all of their soul trapped within, however. Me. Therefore, I have the most control in here. Every once in a while however, one of them slips through the cracks and takes control. So... be careful. Some of a bit unstable."

"Duly noted."

I couldn't believe I was talking to a radio that turned out to carry a battery filled with souls... This was absurd.

"Who are the other souls that are trapped in there with you?"

"One was a bum on the streets of Manehatten, two was put through flying lessons, three was me, who found some glee when I was finally put into a radio, four tore into gore, five went to thrive behind a killer grin, six was kind of a bitch, seven was eleven, and eight was a bit late. All but one of them came from before the bombs, but only one had a part of their soul trapped in here, two centuries after the fact."

"Implying that they're immortal." I stared flatly.

He laughed softly. "Hardly."

"Didn't you say something about there being only seven? Why did you bring up eight?"

"Because what fun is there in making sense?"

"Who is 8?" I spoke emphatically.

"8 takes great caution around your kind, yet they are also quite... curious."

Okay, I guess I wasn't getting a straight answer from him... again.

I thought back on Petiole's memory...

"Five is the Killer Grin, right? Mr. Happy? He was in the papers about how he was frozen in a block of ice."

"That block of ice still exists, too. Kinda... And a part of Happy remains frozen within. Yet he walks around the wasteland, still smiling." There was a brief pause before he continued. "I think by now, you've had a growing suspicion that Para isn't all that he seems. I heard you and Petiole talking last night."

"Para is... Happy...?" My ears folded back as I grew worried for the others. As if I wasn't already...

"Not anymore. When he found me, I took away the demented parts of his soul and kept it safe from himself... and others, for that matter. So long as he has the radio around, and it stays on, Happy stays away. But if he's away from me for too long... then Happy is back to murdering other ponies, thinking he's saving them from misery. And you should know that fighting him is a death sentence. He's a lot stronger than you think. Even as Para."

He was right about me having a sneaking suspicion... It started with the bullet hole in his chest, but my belief became stronger after my conversation with Petiole.

"What happened to his wings?" I asked, frowning.

"That would be where the block of ice comes into play..."

"His wings are still in there...?"

"Mhm. Not a very pleasant story, I'm afraid. One that even the Grand Pegasus Enclave would shudder at. There's something about it, though... It feels almost like there's a connection between you and him. You both relate to something similar... tragic. Some part of you being taken away."

I looked down at my metal hoof, sighing as I rubbed it gently with a fore. "Yeah, well... we're nothing alike..." I rubbed my eyes, wanting to change the topic. "How did you two come across each other?"

"That makes for an interesting story. But I'm gonna save that for another time. Tuner's tired, and he needs his shut eye."

I rolled my eyes and shook my head.

"Wake me if you need anything. I'll keep some tunes playin' for ya."

And with that, came the sudden shredding of a guitar.

I was tryin' to find my way home

But all I heard was a drone

Bouncin' off a satellite

Crushin' the last lone Equestrian night

This is radio nowhere, is there anybody alive out there?

This is radio nowhere, is there anybody alive out there?

I got up and started searching through the lockers and cabinets in the room while the music continued. I found a few bottle caps here and there, along with a zippo lighter. I shook it next to my ear to hear some fluid swishing around within.

Yes!

I was spinnin' 'round a dead dial

Just another lost number in a file

Dancin' down a dark hole

Just searchin' for a world with some soul

This is radio nowhere, is there anybody alive out there?

This is radio nowhere, is there anybody alive out there?

Is there anybody alive out there?

I had to admit, this song was pretty good. I hadn't quite heard anything like this before. It was new... I had never really imagined music like this before.

I sat down, pulled out the pack of cigs, the bottle of absinthe, and flicked the lighter open to test the wheel. First test was just sparks, but the second worked just fine. Juuuuuust fine...

I put a cig to my lips, lit the end, and took a nice, long pull off it before looking up at the ceiling and blowing smoke up into the air.

I want a thousand guitars

I want poundin' drums

I want a million different voices speakin' in tongues

This is radio nowhere, is there anybody alive out there?

This is radio nowhere, is there anybody alive out there?

Is there anybody alive out there?

I spun the cap off the bottle of alcohol and raised it to my lips, taking a few large gulps before the burn became too much for me. I choked a bit and coughed as I set the bottle back down. There wasn't really much else to do except wait for those damn ghouls outside to shut up and leave...

Did ferals ever give up...?

I was drivin' through the misty rain

Yeah, searchin' for a mystery train

Boppin' through the wild blue

Tryin' to make a connection with you

This is radio nowhere, is there anybody alive out there?

This is radio nowhere, is there anybody alive out there?

Is there anybody alive out the-

The music shut off abruptly, and the light within the battery died.

"Enough of that..."

I quickly looked up to see... myself...?

They had my coat and mane, but no cutiemark. She had a horn, but her eyes... Her eyes were like the static of a tv channel that was either out of reach or dead. She grinned as she looked at me.

"Hello, father."

"W-who are you?" I stood up, swaying a bit from the alcohol. I kept my gun on her, in case she tried anything.

"I am your gehenna. I am your sad but true. I am you."

... What was that supposed to mean?

"What's your name?" I asked, studying her from afar.

"I do not have a name, for you never gave me one." She paused and tilted her head to the side, still grinning. "Tell me father. What do you see in my eyes?"

I looked for a few seconds before closing mine. It hurt too much to stare. I looked down at her chest when I opened my eyes again. "... White Noise...?"

"Then that shall be my name." She nodded and stepped forward, but I backed away. She stopped and regarded me. "You do not trust a being of your own making?"

"What are you talking about?"

She clicked her tongue and shook her head gently, still smiling. "You really do not remember, do you?"

Her horn lit up in black and white smoke, and everything around me changed.

I was back in the leaning tower, hacking up the black gunk from my second day in the wasteland. It grew a set of tendrils and ran off, squealing.

Reality came rushing back, and my limbs shook for a few seconds, trying to adjust from lying down one second, and standing up the very next with little to no motion...

"You're...?" I pointed a hoof at her, feeling my stomach start to turn again.

She nodded. "Yes."

"What do you want from me?"

"I want to bear witness." She stepped closer.

I backed away until my flank pressed against the wall. She took a few more steps until the barrel of my rifle pressed against her chest. My mouth worked around the handle, ready to fire.

She moved in; her muzzle a few inches from meeting mine. I could feel her breath... but it was cold...

"Why do you not trust me...?"

Looking into her eyes hurt more and more. Not only did it send my head spinning - the absinthe probably didn't help with that either - but the glow behind them blinded me and made them burn. I closed my eyes, but even through my eyelids, I could still see the glow.

"Is it because you do not trust yourself? Because you know you are a monster for the things you have done? Even before you left the bunker, you were a monster. The acts you have made, you did for yourself. You are of greed. Just like the rangers you loath. You think you will go to the place that is the best? You think you are pure of heart to be accepted? Hell awaits for the wicked, father."

"Go away." I said around the grip.

"You are pathetic. You have to poison your insides to shut out the poison in your mind, because you are too weak to face your demons. But unfortunately for you... your demons are stronger than alcohol and cigarettes, and they will go uninterrupted."

I bit down, and a bullet drove through. She just laughed, and opening my eyes, I saw a hole start to close in her chest. There was no blood. Her insides were black...

"This is not the first time you have resorted to alcohol and cigarettes, is it, father?" She smiled. "You have slept more comfortable at night with a bottle beside your bed, back in that place you used to call home. Nothing you did to others mattered, because at the end of the day, you could forget it all at the bottom of a glass. Your sister raped you? Made you do things you did not wish to happen? You would forget it for a night. When you thought of Snow Star and what could have been? You would forget it for a night. When the thoughts came too early, you would go for more. Because you are weak minded and frail. You are afraid."

"Shut up!" I glared, wanting to shoot her again. But it was just a waste of ammo if she could regenerate. Instead, my hoof expressed my anger. "I said shut up!"

She chuckled. "Does it hurt too much to think about?" She caressed the side of my face with a hoof, looking into my eyes, which I closed soon after. I swear, I was going to go blind if I kept looking... "You may run from the truth, but like the demon you refer to as time, it always catches up and wins. No matter what. Because that is life... and life is a sadistic. Fickle. Bitch."

Her hoof slid away from the side of my head, and the lights of her eyes grew distant.

"I will see you around, father."

When I opened my eyes, she was gone.

I looked down at the lit cigarette on the floor, next to my bottle. I walked over and picked it up, before putting it back in my mouth and taking another pull off it.

It was hard to tell if she appeared from the absinthe, or if she was really there... really was a part of me...

I picked up the bottle, stuffed it in my pouch, put an extra bullet in my mag, and started for the hallway. If I couldn't get out the same way I came in, maybe there was another way further in. At this point, there was an angry undead mob at the door, judging by the big patch of red on my E.F.S.

The hall turned right. When I turned, the hall continued on, but I couldn't see where it ended, as all the power was off in the tunnel, and my pipbuck light didn't travel very far. The good news was that my E.F.S. didn't show any hostiles ahead.

Still, I moved with caution.

For a short while, I walked until a door swung open ahead of me in the distance. I didn't even know it was there, had I not heard the creaky hinges rub against each other, followed by the metal door slam against the wall.

Two white, static glowing eyes looked at me as they approached in a calm manner.

I took a quick peek at my E.F.S. and... well, the blip wasn't there.

Even though I couldn't see its body, I knew what it was.

I held my fire and stayed my ground as it walked toward me; stepping in the red light my pipbuck provided.

"Expect to see me so soon?" She asked, smiling at me.

"Not particularly..." I muttered, looking away from White Noise's eyes.

She released an amused chuckle and nuzzled my neck, to which I pulled away a bit. She turned around.

"Walk with me, father. We must talk."

"About what?"

She looked back with a calm smile, but it was more creepy... what with those eyes of hers...

"Your past, present, and future."

I rolled my eyes, but reluctantly followed beside her. "Stop calling me father, then."

"I cannot." She looked over. "For you are my father. I am your daughter."

"You're not my daughter." I snapped, and the electricity grew a bit. I looked ahead of us, but all I was greeted with was black. "I don't have a..." I tensed up and closed my eyes, hanging my head down. "I never had a kid..."

"I could give you one." There she went, nuzzling my neck again...

I pulled away and glared at her; the electricity around my hoof flaring up a bit. "I'm not having sex with you."

She laughed softly at my response.

"What, did I say something funny?"

She shook her head as we stepped through the doorway she came through, and found ourselves on the second floor to a generator room. We walked for the catwalks that hung over the heavy, long dead machinery.

"Say you did find Snow Star out here. Alive. What would happen next?"

"What are you going on about?" I asked as my brows knitted.

"What would you tell her?"

I didn't say anything... I just stared down at the machinery that was caught in the dim glow of the pipbuck.

I... hadn't thought of what I would say to her... if I ever found her...

"Would you tell her of how you planned your escape? Of the things you had done to plot your little runaway? I find it odd that, even when you were on the surface, you still stuck around to kill off a town full of helpless ponies trying to survive the cold, harsh wasteland. Why did you not run then, father?"

"Shut up..."

"Did you need a little more target practice? Did you enjoy it?"

"I said shut up!" My rear hoof flared up to the point I could see bolts of the red current without turning around. She laughed.

"And now look at yourself. You are a wreck. Made up of flesh and machine, and infected twice over."

"What do you mean, 'twice over?'"

She wrapped a hoof around my shoulder and pulled me in close. "You think that this 'F-virus' is all that you have to worry about growing inside you? Have your good, undead friend Petiole take a closer look if you really wish to know the truth. But life is a lot easier with eyes closed." She smiled again, looking at me. Her muzzle was practically pressed up against mine. I wouldn't entirely be surprised if tentacles came out...

We got to the other side of the catwalk, and she let go of me to open a door ahead of us. It led to another hallway, similar to the one we were in earlier. I followed beside her as she continued on.

"What are your... kind... called?" I asked, glancing at her.

"We do not have a name, for one is not given to us but the names you desire." She kept her eyes focused on whatever was ahead of us.

"Like... White Noise?"

"The very same." She nodded. "My species is not of this world, as you may have gathered. But your kind became reckless, and a gate opened for us. Allowed us to seep in and grow here. Grow stronger."

"With the generator..." I muttered under my breath, to which she nodded. "Whose side are you on?" I asked, looking over.

"Sides are petty." She looked back at me. "Sides are for those who cannot fathom the idea of unity. Sides are what scorched the surface of your once lively little world and soured the soil your ancestors once walked. Sides are what turned the air they breathed to bitter toxins. We do not like the idea of 'sides.'"

We stopped at a door, to which she opened. We walked through to find ourselves back in the tunnel.

I quickly spun around while searching my E.F.S. There were still a few reds here and there; some closer than others, judging by how fast certain markers moved.

"Didn't really give me a straight answer..." I murmured, biting down on the grip to my rifle. It'd certainly be nice to see farther than what my pipbuck light offered.

She didn't reply, and that was starting to make me worry more than I already was...

Keep the suspense, why don't you?

Eventually, as we walked further into the tunnel, away from where I came, I looked over at her. "So, you're not gonn-" I froze for a few seconds before looking around at the wreckage around me. She was nowhere to be found...

A door creaked open behind me, and I spun around, ready to fire at the sound of a snarling feral. But at the sight, I took my mouth off the grip, feeling relief wash over me in one big wave.

"It's nice to see you alive and well, Charger." Petiole said, standing in the doorway. He held a feral by the neck as it hissed and snapped its jaw at me, trying to dig in. He calmly snapped its neck, and once it fell to the ground, he stomped its head in.

"I don't know about well, but I'm alive..." I muttered, looking up at him from the corpse.

He looked down at his victim, then back at me. "I hate ghouls..."

(((((((◉)))))))

"How did you find me?" I asked, stepping over a bunch of feral corpses as we made our way down the way he came in. The hall was packed with the dead, and the stench...

I quickly pulled out my pack of cigs and lit the end of one, but damn it, if that wasn't gonna do it...

I put the cig out after a few puffs and swallowed it with a shudder. It still tasted better than tentacles and the smell of rotting meat combined...

Petiole looked away from me with a sigh before speaking. "I tracked your pipbuck tag. Figured you were in trouble." He looked to me again. "Before I opened that door on you, I heard you talking to someone. But there was no one there. Are you alright?"

I shook my head and laughed. "Let's see... I got demons in my head, the taste of tentacle juice haunting my tongue, a fucked up series of decisions, and a permission slip to die in a year. I'd say I'm doing just peachy."

Petiole was silent for a moment before he spoke. In that time, we were starting to descend a flight of stairs with just as many bodies as the hall behind us.

"Fluky told me about what you did." He regarded me. "How you two first met."

I sighed and looked back at him. "Yep... I'm a real monster, aren't I?"

He didn't respond. Just stared quietly behind his visor.

I looked ahead and continued. "Guess I deserved getting infected with that virus. And everything else that's happened to me."

"Maybe. Maybe not. It's not my place to decide your judgement." He looked ahead finally.

I raised a brow and looked back at him, realizing something. "So Fluky told you? You hadn't already seen it in my memories?"

He shook his head. "No. My best guess is you were trying to block out what you had done."

I looked down and sighed. "Guess I could have handled my escape plan a lot better, huh?"

He nodded simply. "Definitely. But mistakes are made. Some worse than others. The world ended. That was a mistake. What you did was horrible, I won't deny that. But worse things have happened, Charger."

For a while, we walked down what felt like was going to be a never ending descent. I pulled out another cig and ate it to try and block out the awful scent of decay around us... Admittedly, it helped for about a minute or two.

"I'm starting to think you wanna die..." Petiole muttered, keeping his visor ahead.

"Hey, where are Para and Fluky anyways?" I asked abruptly, ignoring his statement intentionally.

"The unicorn mentioned that caravans used to go to Saddle for trades from the south, and that, according to the scouts and caravaneers of her home, the outsiders were coming from said trading town. A few miles or so away from the forest. Para and her are heading there now. We'll meet them there."

I smiled faintly, glad to hear nothing bad happened to them. The smile, however, was short lived. "So... are you sure it's a good idea for Para and her to be traveling together?"

He looked at me as we approached a metal door to the outside, judging by the light underneath.

"It's just... that talk we had last night... What if he ends up being dangerous?"

He looked at the door and cracked it open to take a peek. "When we get to this trading town, I'll do an analysis on him, if it makes you feel better."

I rubbed my hoof against the back of my armored head, to which he noticed. Well, no point in keeping quiet now...

"Can you do some tests on my blood when we're there as well...? I... need to know if there's anything else inside me..."

He nodded and looked back out through the crack. "Of course." With that, he swung the door open to reveal the outside. The land was coated in a sick smoke that tested my sight. Flakes of ash fell from the white, foggy skies, and the scent of burning wood mixed with the stench of rot.

"Your sad but true will bear witness..."

I looked behind me to see the glowing eyes of White Noise over the corpses of ferals at the top of the stairs, looking down at me.

Author's Note

We're back, everyone. Sorry for the long wait. Pines is back from the army, and it's permanent. Nothing bad he did. Just medical issues. I hope this chapter was entertaining. It was fun writing. The copy edit, not so much...
Also, it came to my attention that I tend to make characters with missing body parts. I wondered why this was for a time, then realized it's because I have a part of me that's missing as well. Each character I make is a part of me in some way, as it should be. A part of my skull is missing. Replaced with a metal plate.
Just thought it was interesting enough to point out.
Credit for the songs go to Dick Dale & The Deltones (for the chase scene) and Bruce Springsteen, for Radio Nowhere.
Also, I know caravaneer isn't a word. But it should be. So I made it one.
Special thanks goes to Kkat for making the wonderful world of Fallout Equestria, Somber for PH, Pines for getting back to business (slowly), and Alchestbreach for making sure the radio army doesn't grow too large in numbers and take over the world.
Hope this chapter was worth the wait.

Now for Pines:
Ladies, Gentleman, I know it's been a rough life out there in the wasteland, but I'm back. You get to listen to this idiot speech once again!

Channel 001.3; Red Moon

Who you are comes from the choices you make when life gets tough.

___________________________________________________________________________________________

I trotted up to the wagon facing south while Rivet flew ahead of me, meeting up with the other guards that were taking the same job as I.

There was quite a variety when it came to arsenal. It was a wonder why one caravan needed so much protection.

Fluky had just finished helping load the wagon up. After she and an earth pony lifted the tailgate, she stopped and regarded me, while the pony she was helping out went for the next wagon. I stopped next to her, and the caravaneer looked back.

"Everypony ready?"

The team nodded.

I noticed one of them was dressed in Steel Ranger power armor, which almost had me running. But it became evident that this armor didn't belong to the rangers anymore. This was more... raider-ish.

Over the chestplate were welded steel bars that acted like the wall of a cage... almost. Or a fence... I couldn't quite tell what the welder was going for in terms of design... or added protection, for that matter.

The guns on both sides were that of 50 cals, and the tail had a series of steel spikes jutting out.

Another guard had flamers on either side of him. He was dressed in black combat armor that was a bit bulkier and protective than mine. He wore a skull mask that covered the lower half of his face. His eyes were blue. The rest of his head was protected by a combat helmet that fit well with the armor.

The one beside him, however, was a dragon! A live, dark red scaled dragon that was a little bigger than the flamer. He went without armor or guns, seeing as he was a fire breathing dragon, and his scales were enough protection as it was.

Another was a unicorn with three shotguns in his holster, who wore a black suit with absolutely no armor whatsoever, and the other was a pegasus with a battle saddle.

Then there was Rivet.

"Go on without me. I'll catch up, I promise." I said with a nervous grin.

The caravaneer nodded and started pulling the wagon. The guards went with him.

I turned back to Fluky, who raised a skeptical brow as she looked up at me. "So, you're off playing bodyguard now, huh?"

"We need the caps, and I figured I may as well pitch in. I'll be back though. Besides... I've been playing bodyguard. For you." I chuckled softly as I ran a hoof through her mane, but she pulled back.

"I've been getting us caps." She deadpanned. "50 caps a wagon." She then proceeded to point a hoof at the wagon that was rolling off, still staring at me in the eye. "That was my third."

I stopped and stared. I was proud of her for taking initiative, but... I didn't want her working herself too hard...

"Are you still going to be here when I get back...?" I asked softly.

She blinked, and her coldness died down by a landslide.

She turned to the bright orange glow in the distance, through the fog, just staring at the obscured view of where her home once was.

She turned back to me, and with a bit of hesitation, she nodded. "Yeah... I'll be here." I caught a faint smile on her lips as she looked up at me. "Don't go dying, Robutt. You're only allowed to die by my hooves only."

"No promises, Flukes." I smiled faintly. "Can you do me a favor?"

She nodded with a frown. "Don't call me that."

I moved in closer. I didn't really want anyone else hearing this and causing problems...

"Keep an eye on Omegas. Pony dressed in NCR gear. Red, glowing-"

"I know who Omegas is." She interrupted.

"Okay." I nodded. "Just... keep an eye on him. Make sure he's never alone with Petiole, got it?"

"This is about Petiole's hate for ghouls, isn't it?"

I nodded with a somber look. "Don't let Petiole do anything stupid."

She smiled and nodded back, before looking down and kicking the mud with a hoof, as if there was something on her mind.

"What's wrong?" I tilted my head as I raised a brow.

One second, she was looking up at me silently.

The next, her hooves were wrapped around my neck, and her ear pressed up against my chestplate. It would have probably been more comforting without the armor, but I wasn't going to even bother taking it off this time. I had work to do.

Still, I smiled and hugged her back. She looked up at me; still in my embrace.

"Thank you for keeping me safe, Robutt. Stay safe..."

We let go of each other, and she backed up to give me a bit of room before continuing.

"I don't really know why you did what you did back in Saddle, and I don't think I can ever truly... forgive you for it... But the least I can do is try. Like I said before... you mean well."

I caressed the side of her face with a hoof as I looked into her eyes.

"Thanks, Fluky. But... I don't deserve forgiveness."

"Maybe not." She stated, keeping her eyes on mine. "But if I find I forgive you, then there's probably a good reason for it." She paused and glanced at the wagon behind me before returning to me with a faint smile. "Well, I won't keep you any longer. Might wanna catch up with the caravan before they leave town." She gave me one more hug before running off to help the loading of the next wagon.

I watched her go for a few seconds, before turning and running for the caravan in the distance.

(((((((◉)))))))

Along the way, I had been given a spare box of normal rounds for the rifle, in case we ran into trouble. 30 'bronze nuggets' wasn't sufficient, I guess.

"So how far is this train station?" I asked as Rivet and I walked alongside the right of the wagon. Two of the other guards were on the other side, while the last two were up front with the caravaneer.

"If we're left uninterrupted, I'd say about 8 hours."

"8 hours...?" I was suddenly regretting taking this job... Apparently, my face showed that, too.

Rivet looked me over coolly. "Having second thoughts?"

"N-no... I already took the job. I'm not backing down now."

"Good." He gave a firm nod before looking ahead. "Just keep an eye out. Fester's been sending scouting parties lately."

I scanned the horizons as we continued on our way.

Things were quiet between the group for a few hours. Eventually, we had gotten clear of the fog, but it was still snowing ash. It got me wondering...

"Hey, Rivet?"

"Shoot."

"What do you know about the attack at Saddle?" I hoped no one knew it was me...

"I know that the Steel Rangers attacked it for a megaspell generator, and I know that you were involved with the shooting."

My heart dropped.

"You... know...?"

"We all know, Charger." He looked me over. "Why?"

"It's just... well... why are all of you being so... accepting, then?"

"Because Virtue is about forgiveness." The pegasus ahead slowed down a bit until meeting my side. "Name's Thunderwing." She reached a yellow, feathery wing out, to which I held out my hoof. She wrapped it around my limb, gave it a shake, then returned it to her barrel. Unlike Rivet's battle saddle, the guns were over her wings, instead of under.

She had a blonde, slightly curly mane and tail with hints of black. Her eyes were a navy blue.

"I'm not sure I really deserve forgiveness..." Didn't I have this conversation with Fluky earlier?

She shrugged. "Well, if you do right by us, we'll do right by you. And if the NCR is looking to protect you, then the residents of Virtue are willing to put aside their differences and let bygones be bygones. Surely you didn't expect shit to hit the fan back in Saddle. Right?"

I shook my head.

"Then you're not at fault for what happened."

"But... I participated." I replied, hanging my head down.

"Mistakes happen, Charger. We've all done shit we aren't happy about."

I looked over to see the pinions of her wing press against her chest. "Before I came to Virtue, I had gotten a colt killed. It was an accident... but it was my fault." She returned her wing to her barrel and looked at me. "We can't change what's already been done. The best we can do is try and move forward. Take the knowledge that we have to be better. Do better." She smiled faintly, but I sensed she was still hurting.

"I've done things that weren't exactly... on accident..."

"And?" She smirked. "I was a Mojave raider before I came to Virtue. I've robbed, killed, and tortured more ponies than I care to remember. Killing a kid, though... that's when I knew I had to change." She cleared her throat after a few seconds and resumed. "Before my raider days, I was with the Enclave." She shuffled her wings a bit as a look of discomfort grew on her features. "Till they removed my cutiemark, anyways..."

I glanced back at her flank to see the dark grey branding of a Dashite; a cloud with a bolt of lightning shooting out from the bottom. I imagined the symbol was to resemble Rainbow Dash's supposed 'betrayal,' shortly after the bombs.

I read it up on a report, back in the bunkers. Seriously... what didn't I read?

"What did you do to be labeled a Dashite?" I asked, looking back at her.

"Insubordination." She smirked again as she regarded me. "How'd you tick off the rangers?"

"Told them to go fuck themselves."

She laughed softly. "Nice. My kinda style." She looked ahead with a confident smile. "I have a feeling we're gonna get along great, you and I."

The caravan came to a halt, and I stopped with them, looking around on my E.F.S. I didn't see any reds.

"Why are we stopping?" I asked quietly.

She looked around before speaking softly. "Stay alert. Rivet, check for lead slingers."

"On it." He was gone in a heartbeat.

"Destrier." She continued.

"No hostile visuals." A deep voice behind a helmet of metal replied from the other side of the wagon. "Something ahead, though. Couple dozen yards. Could be a trap."

"Identify. Check for mines."

The steel-clad pony advanced forward as we all waited quietly. I kept my attention on my E.F.S., in case this was an ambush.

He stopped in the middle of the street, looking down at whatever it was that had us stopped here. He turned back to us, then back to it, before picking it up, and along with the item of interest, a piece of paper. He began his return.

"Report." Thunderwing demanded.

"It's for the rookie." He replied, looking down at me. He towered over me before dropping a plastic container with a black cap. Inside was a tan powder.

He dropped the piece of paper next, and it drifted down to the cement, landing upright at my hooves. It was a note, with only two words.

For Charger.

I felt all eyes on me.

"What is that?" The caravaneer asked, looking back at it.

"I have no idea..." I picked it up, examining it closely. Whatever this was, there wasn't a whole lot of it inside. But if it was meant to go to me, then it was most likely from either Firebright, Crimson, or Bristle himself. Someone knew I was out here... That I'd come through this way.

Opening it would have been a bad idea.

But at the same time, I wanted answers too. I was just as curious as everyone else appeared to be on the matter.

I stuffed it in my pouch.

"I don't know what it is, but I have an idea who it's from." I replied, looking at the caravaneer.

"Doesn't matter what it is." Destrier started, before turning away from me to look at the caravaneer. "Getting dark. Should rest at the Donut Joe's shop ahead."

Rivet returned from his patrol, landing on all fours in an impact that looked like it would have hurt, if not cause an injury. However, I didn't see even a hint of pain on his features. "Negative on that. There's raider activity ahead. They already took the place for themselves. We should circle around them and just get to Checkpoint Bravo."

"Negative." Thunderwing looked at him coolly. "It'd take too long to go around, and by the time the sun set, we'd still be off the road. We don't have time, and we don't travel at night..."

Rivet rolled his eyes as he turned away from the group.

"So we take it back." The dragon replied in a raspy tone, with slight amusement behind it. That was the first time he had spoken throughout this whole journey.

"How many are there?" Thunderwing asked, looking at the griffin.

"I counted 16, not including however many are inside."

"Could be one of Fester's assault parties." She shook her head. "We can't let them stick around. They'll just ambush future caravans."

"We should go under the cover of night." I stated, and everyone turned to me in silence. Did... did I say something wrong...? I continued. "We'll have the element of surprise, and it'll give us time to devise a plan of approach, until the sun goes down. Unless... you're all afraid of something out here at night...?"

Destrier shook his head. "We don't travel at night, only for safety reasons. So we don't get lost."

Thunderwing smiled at me. "Good looking and smart."

"What are you, a lesbian?" The shotgun wielding unicorn asked. He had a brown coat, a dark red mane, and yellow eyes. "He looks like a mare!"

"Hey." I deadpanned, to which Thunderwing giggled.

Seriously, I was getting irritated with ponies focusing more on my... feminine features. I'M A STALLION, DAMN IT!

"Plan, boss?" Destrier asked, looking at her.

"Let's get off the road for now." She replied. "Find somewhere to hide the cargo. Then we'll strategize our approach."

(((((((◉)))))))

I stayed crouched behind a dead tree under the cover of night as ash fell from the dark, smoggy skies. The air was uncomfortably warm and smelled of a burning forest, as it had since we left Saddle. The moon was painted red from the heat of the fires up north.

Rivet stayed by my side as we observed the building.

We had stowed the wagon away at the bottom of a ditch farther on the left side of the road. Two of the guards - the flamer known as Blaze, and the dragon known as Tezu - stayed behind with the caravaneer, as it wasn't wise to leave the cargo unprotected.

We had gone through each other's names at the caravan, before we set up our plan, so that if things went south, we didn't have to shout 'hey you' in order to get their attention.

The building was silent. I didn't see any movement within or around the structure, save for the dance of fire that stretched out from a barrel that stood in the lot. I didn't see any reds on my E.F.S., either. Odd. At the proximity we were at with the building, I was sure we would have picked something up by now.

But alas, there was nothing.

"Something doesn't seem right..." Rivet muttered. "I'm gonna go investigate. Cover me."

I pulled the arm to the gun forward and looked through the scope, checking the rear entrance. I didn't get a very good luck on the inside from this vantage point, as it appeared the rest of the way inside from this route was through a hallway that went off to the right.

Rivet took to the sky and came to a soft, careful landing on the roof. He looked down through the sunroof, froze, then turned to me. He backed away, spread his wings out, and flew back. The expression on his face was of worry and fear.

"Well?" I asked, looking away from the scope. "What did you see?"

"They're... they're all dead." He scratched his head. "They were alive just moments ago, and now they're just... torn up."

"But you said-"

"I know..." He interrupted, looking back at the building. "I know... I saw them just hanging around not too long ago."

I started forward, and his eyes went wide as he regarded me.

"What are you doing?"

"Investigating. Worse case scenario, we can find something valuable."

"Or all four limbs torn off and used for some sort of sick art piece..." He muttered, following behind. "Whoever did that, they were using the remains to shape some sort of... symbol... I can't describe it, but it felt dark..."

"Scared?" I asked, keeping my head forward.

"I've seen lots of shit, Charger. I've dealt with ferals, alicorns, hellhounds, raiders, and centaurs. And I have never seen anything as gruesome as what's in there. If something can do all of what I just saw in such a short time frame, then you're damn right I'm scared."

I glanced to my left and right to see the rest of the team's markers on my E.F.S., before stepping in through the back door of the shop. I kept my mouth on the grip, just in case.

Rivet followed close behind as I stepped into the dining part of the pre war establishment.

... Only to see an interior littered with dirt, grime, and trash. But no bodies, and certainly no blood.

I looked back at Rivet's baffled expression, giving him a wry smile.

"Oh my..." I spoke with sarcasm. "It's so terrifying!"

"I swear..." He started as he looked me in the eye with sincerity. "I swear, I just saw a pile of body parts!"

"Raiders, Rivet." Destrier said, looking around the room as he and the rest of the assault team stepped in. "Where?"

"I swear, they were right here."

"Dead, apparently." I added.

"And now they're just missing?" Thunderwing raised a brow while the stallion with the shotguns - whose name happened to be Riot - sighed. "And here I was thinking I'd get to kill something tonight."

Destrier's headlamp flashed on as he pointed it around the room, observing the scenery. "No blood in sight." Then the light froze as it moved to the counter... over a folded note.

Rivet snagged the note and opened it, reading the message intently. He looked back up at us with worry, before carefully flipping it over to face us.

Silence.

For your crippled wasteland slumbers.

Ask Charger what to do next.

Everyone looked at me in a cold, uncomfortable, confused silence for the longest time as I stood there, looking back at them.

"What? I don't know anything about this!"

"Surely there's something." Thunderwing said.

I thought carefully...

Wait, Tuner! Tuner said something about the moon! I didn't think it had anything to do with what was happening in here, but he said something about the moon... Ah, what did he say? Look up at the moon tomor-tonight!

I quickly turned to the front exit and stepped out. Everyone followed behind as I looked up at the sky. There were a few clouds here and there, but nothing excessive. The red moon was...

"What the hell...?" Thunderwing said beside me as she looked up at the same thing I was.

"Well, that's a first." Riot muttered.

There was a light moving away from the moon, like a star. As it flew away, it seemed to take some of the moon with it, as if it had blasted out from the giant rock.

"How did you know about this?" Rivet asked, regarding me.

"Something sort of like a... premonition?" I said nervously.

Rivet scoffed and looked back at the moon. "Yeah, whatever..." He turned to the others. "I'll go back and get the wagon here. The four of you wait here and hold down the fort."

"It's not safe to travel alone at night." Thunderwing stated as she stepped closer to him. "I'm coming with."

"No. I travel alone. It's better that way." He glared. "Besides, you ponies just slow me down."

"So why are you traveling with him, then?" She asked with a wry smile as she brushed her pinion against my chest.

"Because I was hired to watch over his clumsy ass. I'm just here to get paid."

My ears folded back as I looked down. Payment didn't sound like a great motivator to ensure someone's safety...

"So why did you take the job then?" Riot asked, raising a brow.

Rivet looked me over coolly. "Because Charger wanted to, and Charger's safety offers enough caps for me to face my retirement." His wings flapped open as he turned back to Thunderwing. "You four stay here. I'll be back." And with that, he was gone.

"Who put him in charge...?" Riot asked, looking at the pegasus mare before us. "Last I recall, you were the squad leader."

"I'm still in charge." She declared with a frustrated look. "He's not with us long term. He's only here because of Charger."

"Gee." I deadpanned, keeping my head down. "Thanks for laying the guilt on me."

Thunderwing turned to me, and her wing stretched out, gently lifting my head up to look at her. Her expression had softened as she looked into my eyes.

"I didn't mean it like that." She said softly. "We really appreciate that you're out here with us."

"Doesn't sound like it."

"We do." She said assertively. "Rivet's just a pain in the ass. He always thinks he's better than everyone else."

"Narcissist." Destrier spoke.

"And because he believes he's better than everyone else, he thinks the only way for him to succeed is to work alone, because everyone else is 'too weak, and just slows him down.'" Riot stepped in.

Thunderwing sighed as she covered her face with a wing. "Right..." She muttered, before taking it away and looking at us. "Destrier, Shotty, you're both on patrol. Charger, check the rest of the building. I'll keep lookout on the roof."

"Damn it, Thunder..." Riot hissed. "What have I said about calling me Shotty?"

"Lose the shotguns, and I'll call you something else." She smiled, before taking off through the sun roof.

Riot started muttering to himself as he and Destrier went for the exit, and I moved behind the counter. The cash registers were broken into long ago. There were scraps of food wrappers, empty bottles, and moldy... sniff, sniff... Urk... ugh... doughnuts? It was hard to tell what they were at this point, but it smelled horrible. They were probably a virus of their very own.

I backed away and went to the kitchen. There wasn't really anything to look at here, but fuck, it reeked of sex!

I backed out of there as fast as I could, once I confirmed the area was clear. I didn't want to go back in there... The scent was bringing me back to the bunker... Bringing me back to my experiences with Firebright...

I removed my helmet and took a seat at one of the tables to try and clear my head of the memories...

(((((((◉)))))))

It wasn't too much longer until the wagon was parked alongside the building. The whole caravan, the caravaneer and Rivet excluded, sat down at one of the tables that this diner provided. The same one I sat at, no less.

The caravaneer was counting caps, while everyone else seemed to be doing their own thing. Tezu and Blaze were lost in their own world, however. Turned out that Blaze preferred being the little spoon. They didn't really have much to say to anyone else.

Rivet was spending his time drinking at another table, away from us. Destrier had finally stepped out of the power armor. His black coat was covered in scars, and his black and white striped mane was disheveled. It just barely covered his eyes, which were both a different color. The left was purple, while the right was orange. That was... unusual.

Even out of the armor, he was still big and intimidating.

When he caught me staring, he turned to face me directly with a scowl. "What?" He said in a deep, scratchy tone.

I looked away after that.

"Ah, don't mind him none." Thunderwing patted me on the back. "He's always grumpy. Even in bed." She winked at him, but his scowl turned to her. She waved a hoof at him and smiled. "Ah relax, Destrier. Have a little fun."

"Like it's so easy..." He kept glaring. Didn't even blink. Did I ever see him blink yet? How has he not blinked!?

"Awww..." She pouted. "Does someone need to get his fuck on?"

"No." He stood up and approached his armor to check the plating. That, or he was trying to look busy.

She sighed and shook her head. "He's probably just grumpy because we didn't get to kill any raiders today."

I looked back at her. "Are you and him...?"

"Together?" She smirked. "Something like that. Friends, mostly. With benefits. We were in the same group of raiders before we left for Virtue. Poor guy's been through some shit, I'm afraid... I guess I have too, but not like him..."

"What's his story?"

Riot stretched and pulled out a cigarette. "I'm gonna go have a smoke... You two have fun, or whatever..." With that, he stood up and started for the exit. "Fuck, I don't care..." He muttered under his breath.

Thunderwing rolled her eyes before looking at Destrier tinker with his armor. "Well... he was a father once. Had a colt. That was his world. Sure, he loved killing as much as the next raider, but his son always came first."

"You said something about you accidentally getting a colt killed earlier?"

"Mm." She nodded. "Yeah, I did. Different story, though. Wasn't his. If it was, I wouldn't be breathing right now." She pulled out a smoke and held it between her pinions as she lit the end. She took a pull off it before resuming. A cig sure did sound good right about now... I pulled one out for myself. "So we were having trouble finding food one winter. Caravans were getting smart. Taking different routes we weren't really familiar with. Not to mention they started traveling with NCR patrols. To attack was risky, and we needed to play it smart. Even then, we were losing ponies. We were getting too weak to fight." She took another pull off her cigarette and blew out the smoke. I took one not long after. "Well, with food becoming scarce, the rest of the group that survived had the wonderful idea to expand their diet and try eating pony. Destrier wouldn't stand for it, and because of that, his son was targeted. I stood by his side and tried to fight them off, but that only earned me a nasty cut on my head and a camp of 16 raiders taking their turn on me, after they had their dinner. I guess I was dessert..." She lifted her mane a bit to reveal a scar above her right brow. "They had beat and cut Destrier to a bloody pulp that night..."

I tensed up just thinking about it... My sister may have raped me, and Crimson may have watched, but I never had a line build up to take turns... I couldn't begin to imagine what that was like...

"Lucky I wasn't on the dinner menu. Or maybe unlucky..." She shrugged behind another puff of smoke. "Sometimes I think death would have been nicer than what I experienced back there."

"I'm sorry that happened..." I looked down.

"Eh..." She put out the rest of her cigarette and flicked it away from the table. I put mine out on the table and ate whatever remained, only to shudder afterwards. Still tasted better than tentacles...

Thunderwing looked both concerned and confused as she stared at me with one brow raised. Her mouth hung open a little, and I shrugged with a faint smile.

"Tastes better than tentacles."

"Tastes better than..." She froze. "Oh fuck, I really don't wanna know..."

"I don't wanna remember." I shuddered again, hugging myself. "I still can't get the taste off my tongue." And so I reached into the pouch on my armor and pulled out the bottle of absinthe. "Which is why I carry this baby around." I unscrewed the cap and took a few large gulps from it, before setting it back down with a smile. "Gah, that burns so good..."

I couldn't hold that smile for much longer, though. I broke into a fit of coughing for a short while, before sliding the bottle over to her. "Ya want some?"

"Uh, that's not how you're supposed to drink absinthe..." She looked at the contents within the bottle.

"Pfft!" I waved a dismissive hoof at her and rolled my eyes. "And you call yourself a raider! Aren't your kind supposed to be all about anarchy or some shit like that? There is no proper or improper way to drink. Fuck the system, and fuck whoever tries to enforce it."

She laughed softly and grabbed the bottle. "Former raider, but... gotta say, I kinda admire your way of thinking." She proceeded to take a quick swig off the bottle. As she slid the bottle back over, she entered a mild coughing fit. "Fuck, that's strong..."

"Better than tentacles." I smirked, grabbing the bottle and taking another few gulps.

"Hey, you're not doing this on an empty stomach, are you...?" She looked at me in growing concern.

... So that was probably a good reason why I was already starting to feel the alcohol taking effect after the first few gulps.

Oh, and there's a growing mushroom at the front door!

The sudden realization that I had just fucked up must have been etched onto my face, cause Thunderwing shook her head, smiling, before getting up and reaching a wing out to me. "Come on, ya drunk dummy. You gotta rest."

I stood up from the seat, and... whoa. My limbs were weaker than usual. Not to mention the room was starting to spin, and it started to rain caps. I shook my head and held out a hoof before me. Her wing wrapped around it as she smiled at me. Not long after, she turned to her crew.

"Destrier, take first shift. Shotty'll take second."

Destrier looked back and nodded as he held out a bouquet of... what was that... flowers? Was he holding flowers out to his armor?

The suit of power armor turned and looked at me.

Uh, okay... I have questions!

"Hey, you okay?" I heard a familiar voice that I hadn't heard in ages. One that I was searching for.

I turned to a mare with a coat as white as snow, and a dark blue mane and tail. The unicorn's crimson eyes locked with mine as she smiled faintly.

Snow Star.

"I-I'm fine..." I replied in a slurred tone. "Just need to... lie down..."

Like now.

Right now.

Immediately.

... Hey, who turned off the lights?

(((((((◉)))))))

I cracked open my eyes to a silent night, looking up at a dark ceiling. I didn't have much of a view, but if I had to guess, the counter to my left meant I was behind it.

Honestly, I expected a hangover when I woke up. But I didn't feel sick, I didn't have a headache, the room wasn't spinning anymore, and I seemed sober enough to think. Didn't I have absinthe? One of the strongest drinks out there?

Suddenly, something bumped against my metal hoof. I looked down to see White Noise standing there, looking down at me. I couldn't see much of her. Just her eyes.

She nodded her head to the side, and in a poof of black smoke, disappeared.

Quietly, I got up and felt around the counter top as I moved forward. Eventually, my hoof slid off to the opening, and I worked my way around. I could see the exit, thanks to the stars outside. The land outside, however, was pitch black.

Blaze and Tezu seemed to have a good night... but now there was the stench of sex outside of the kitchen. Damn it...

I stepped out and looked to my left. White Noise stood at the corner of the building, looking at me, before she nodded her head to her right. She stepped out of view after.

I followed, now realizing that I was going in defenseless. Thunderwing must have taken my armor off when I was wasted, so that I could sleep more comfortably.

I stepped around the corner, and there she was. Standing there before me, looking up at the night sky while flakes of ash snowed down on us.

I stood beside her, looking up at the same sky.

"What are you doing here?" I asked softly.

"I saved you, father." She replied, keeping her eyes on the sky.

"What? From who?"

"Yourself." There was a brief pause as she turned to look at me. "Had I not come along, you may have easily died from intoxication. I purged the toxins from your system. I did you a favor."

Well... that explains why I didn't have a hangover, or felt like shit.

... I always felt like shit though. I just felt like less shit than I would with the alcohol.

"I'm not doing anything for you." I said behind a scowl.

"There was nothing I was to ask of you. This was no gesture of good will. I need you alive." She stopped and regarded me in silence for a short while, before resuming. "Greed infects all, after all."

She sat down, and soon after, I joined her as we looked out at the darkness.

It was... surreal, to say in the least. Sitting with... whatever this thing was. My... daughter, apparently?

She came from me, but she most certainly wasn't my daughter. I didn't even really know much about her or her kind. And that was a startling thought in and of itself. Who knew just what she was really capable of...

"So..." I started after a few moments of silence between us. "Did you have something to do with the raiders that were camped out here?"

"I disposed of them for you, father." She smiled, keeping her creepy eyes fixated on the darkness.

"Why?"

She paused and looked over, raising a brow. "Were you not going to dispose of them yourself?"

"I was going to, but... why did you do it instead?"

Her smile came back as she regarded me. "Because sides are petty."

Well, that was reassuring...

"I take it you found the gift I laid out for you."

"You mean the powdery stuff? That was you?" I raised a brow as I looked over, and she nodded. Huh... "Yeah. What about it?"

"You have not opened it yet." She stated matter of factly.

"For all I know, it's dangerous." I looked ahead again. "There's no way I'm opening it."

"If you are not to open it, then why did you take it?"

"Because..." I paused. "Because I want answers..."

"Your answers are in that container, father. But be warned. Sometimes life is easier to live with eyes closed. Your life will most certainly not be easier to live once yours are open."

I frowned at her response. "And... that's supposed to convince me to open it?"

"Yes."

I laughed and shook my head. Wow... "You really gotta work on your sales pitch."

"Everything comes at a cost. Everything has consequences. This too, applies to your hidden past. However, there is more than just answers within. There is more than truth. Open the container, and you shall restore what has been lost."

"That's vague." I deadpanned as my ears folded back. "In case you haven't noticed, a lot of shit's been lost."

"That may be so..." She stood up and looked down at me. "But the one thing that ever truly mattered will come back to you."

I looked up at her in silence for a few seconds, wondering what she meant by that.

"How do you know so much about me...? You and Tuner both... Hell, even Petiole knows something..." I hung my head down, but she put a hoof underneath my chin to lift my eyes back up to her.

"Because we have seen your soul. And seeing a soul is seeing their truth."

And then, in a cloud of black smoke, she vanished once again.

I sighed and stood up. "Well, I can't see mine..." I muttered as I made my way back to the front entrance of the building. At least I was sober now...

Sober and depressed.

Upon turning the corner, I spotted Thunderwing out by the door with a cigarette between her pinions. She was looking out at the starry night. The smoke from the Saddle fires were starting to fog the place up ever so slowly.

"Couldn't sleep?" I asked as I trotted up to her.

She shook her head before taking a pull off her cig. "Nightmares. You?"

"Had to take a piss." I said casually.

"Must've been a nice one." She looked over and smirked.

I smiled back before rubbing the back of my neck awkwardly. "Hey, I just want to apologize if I ended up doing anything... stupid."

"You mean apart from drinking absinthe straight out of the bottle? Pfft." She rolled her eyes and waved a hoof at me. "Don't sweat it, man. You're good. Kept calling me Snow Star, though."

I tensed up at the name as my heart felt as if it had skipped a beat...

She shrugged and nudged my shoulder. "You don't have to explain yourself. I know when something is personal."

"Thanks..." I sat down beside her, and she looked ahead, taking another pull.

"I love nights like this..." She said softly. "The silence... The cold air..." She paused, then sighed as she dropped the cigarette butt after one more pull. She stomped it out. "Guess it's not so cold out here now that you guys blew up Stable 32."

I spun around at her statement, and she was looking back with a wry smile. "Yeah, we know about that too. Your friend Petiole had a lot to say to Omegas."

"And you're not mad?"

She rolled her eyes, keeping that smile. "Why would I be? Way I see it, if someone goes out of their way to detonate a Stable reactor, there's probably a pretty damn good reason for it."

I smiled back once more.

"Anyways, I'm gonna head back inside and try and get some shuteye. We got a long day ahead of us." She turned around and started to head inside, before turning back to me. "You coming?"

"In a bit. Just need to catch some fresh air."

She nodded, turned around, and continued on.

I looked up at the moon. There was still a big line of red flowing from the rest of the rock, like blood. The star... thing... That was nowhere to be seen. Just what happened up there...?

What did Blackjack do...?

(((((((◉)))))))

The following morning, we had started the day with a short lived breakfast that consisted of whatever we had on us, or what we found that was either left behind from the raider party, or previous caravans that passed through here.

For me, it was a cigarette. But I found a box of sugar apple bombs in the room that reeked of sex. Unfortunately, during my scavenge, I had discovered a set of chains stuck to the wall, and the source of the smell that brought up things I was trying to forget.

There were a few stains around the area that I did well to avoid. I noticed that some of the stains that were closer to the chains were more blood than semen, however.

I stepped out of the room with a lost appetite, but I pocketed the box of cereal regardless. If I got hungry on the road, then at least I didn't have to rely on cigarettes.

Seriously... I was going to get a stomach ache if I continued eating them... and probably some health issues, as well. As if smoking them wasn't causing enough damage to my lungs already.

Still, they tasted better than tentacles. Anything tasted better than that haunting flavor... Even my sister's nethers! Which... okay, admittedly, while I didn't like doing that stuff with her, she didn't taste all that bad...

... Stop thinking, Charger. Stop. Thinking.

I shook my head as I walked around the counter, slipping my helmet off its surface and putting it on.

"Ready?" Thunderwing asked as she looked at her team, myself included.

"As I'll ever be." Rivet muttered. I caught a few eye rolls from the others.

Before too long, we were back on the road. The air was a bit warmer than the night prior. The sun shined down on the smoggy land that; for a moment, I had mistaken as a morning fog. The sickly discoloration was a dead giveaway though.

Most of the trip was made in silence as we walked alongside the wagon. Eventually, I had trotted up to Thunderwing, who took the same position as yesterday.

"Hey." I said softly, to which she looked over.

"Hey yourself, Drunky." She smirked. "How ya feelin'?"

"Not hungover, if that's what you're asking."

She giggled and gave a nod. "That's good to hear. I'll need you at your best, in case we got trouble ahead."

I nodded back. "Of course." There were a few seconds of silence between us before I resumed. "Hey, I got a question."

"Go on." She looked ahead.

"What's up with Destrier's eyes?"

"Ah. Yeah. That." She cracked a smile. "Nothing, really. He was just born that way. Something genetically wrong or whatever. His parents probably had some exposure to radiation when they had him. I dunno." She shrugged. "Doesn't exactly do him any favors, though. He can barely see if he's not wearing that helmet. I had it modified for him."

"He's blind?"

She looked over, somber. "Pretty much. Just don't go asking him about it. Puts him in a bad mood."

"Thanks for the warning."

"Don't mention i-"

"Contact, 12." Destrier said aloud, cocking the massive guns on his sides. At once, the rest of the team readied up, aiming their weapons ahead. I quickly swung the arm on my shoulder around and looked through the scope as I worked my mouth around the grip.

There were a few red blips on my E.F.S.

And then there were six.

Ten.

I lost count after that! Shit!

I couldn't see anything ahead. None of us could. Our vision was obscured from the fog. But we did hear the distant growling of ferals.

"Fuck..." Riot lowered his three levitated shotguns just a little, before bringing them back up. "They overran the fucking checkpoint..."

"Too many to take on." Destrier stated.

"We should circle around." Thunderwing said, keeping her eyes forward. "We have time. Maybe we can get to the caravan on the other side before they reach the checkpoint and warn them."

"If only Petiole was here with us..." I said aloud, to which everyone turned to me at once. I looked around at the surrounding party for a few seconds before explaining. "He... really hates ghouls. Ferals and non-ferals alike. Plus, he's a ghoul. Aren't ghouls like... I dunno..." I rubbed the back of my head, feeling awkward now that everyone was looking at me with blank expressions. "Kinda invisible to ferals?"

"Petiole's a ghoul?" Rivet raised a brow, to which I nodded.

"Well, going back to get him isn't an option." Thunderwing stated. "We're too far from Virtue."

"Okay..." I rubbed my temple as I closed my eyes. "So... we go and deal with the ferals then?"

"Haven't been listening?" Destrier looked over with an annoyed tone in his voice. "Too many to take on."

"We can take them on if we do it carefully. Besides... if I understand this whole caravan system right, the group ahead of us was sent around four hours before we were. Which means there's another caravan four hours behind us. Correct?"

Thunderwing nodded. "Well, with the exception that caravans often stay at the depot for the rest of the day. The one ahead of us should be heading to the checkpoint now."

"By the time we get to the station, the party behind us will have to deal with the ferals at the checkpoint." I looked over at Thunderwing. "Do the other caravans have pipbucks, or anything with an E.F.S.?"

"Not... all..." She muttered, looking down as she bit her lip. "Damn it, Charger..." She looked back up at me with annoyance. "You don't know what these things are capable of in hordes."

"I have a general idea. I was stuck in a tunnel with a crap ton of them before I got to Virtue."

"I can't believe I'm agreeing to this..." She shook her head as she covered her face with a wing. "Destrier, Blaze, you're with Charger. The rest of us need to keep moving."

Blaze and Tezu looked at each other, and the dragon smiled. "See you on the other side."

"Definitely." Blaze replied just before going in for a hug.

"Just don't have too much fun without me."

"Wouldn't dream of it." Blaze said as he nuzzled the dragon's neck.

"I'm sticking with Charger." Rivet stepped in.

Thunderwing nodded. "Good riddance."

"Yeah, fuck you too..." He muttered.

"Everyone else," she resumed. "Move out."

The wagon steered off the road to the right, taking the more scenic route as the four of us stood there.

Thunderwing looked back at me with a scowl. "If any of them die..."

"I won't let that happen." I replied, before she could finish.

"Better not..." With that, she left with the rest of the caravan.

Blaze turned to me. "So, how's the hangover treatin' ya?"

I turned to him, smirking. "It's not. I don't have one."

"Yeah, yeah, good for you." Rivet rolled his eyes. "Can we stay on task now? We need a plan."

"Why do we need a plan, when I have two flamethrowers?" Blaze said amusingly.

Oh, I like him.

Rivet shook his head, but... he was smiling! "Ohhh... I have a plan."

Great! Wait... why was he looking at me like that...?

(((((((◉)))))))

Fuck, fuck, fuck! Oh fuck me in the ass with three shotgun barrels and pull the triggers!

How did I get dragged into this!?

I could hear the horde of pissed off, hungry feral ghouls chasing after me as I ran down the street! Sweet FUCKING CELESTIA, THIS WAS INSANE!

I glanced back to see many of them were airborne... with wings!

My hoof was flaring with electricity as I ran as fast as my body would let me.

The entire south was painted red on my E.F.S., but I didn't need that to tell me how royally fucked I was! I could see it myself just fine!

The pegasi were a lot faster than the mob of undead that ran at me, which meant they were faster than me!

"ANYTIME NOW!" I shouted at the top of my burning, exerted lungs as I ran for dear life. Another glance behind me revealed that even runners were faster than me! Shit! "SERIOUSLY, ANY FUCKING TIME NOW!"

The pegasi were getting close! Too close!

One of them reached out for me, and just as it grabbed a hold, ready to tear through my armor and sink its teeth in, it fell.

I continued running as I looked back at it. A harpoon had been driven through its skull. Several more shot out at the other pegasi, who seemed to be too distracted with me to be bothered by projectiles. Even if they were slaughtering them.

I passed by a tipped over wagon, and looking back, I saw Blaze standing inside, flamers ready to torch.

Ferals passed by, completely unaware of his presence. He didn't do anything as they chased after me. It wasn't his time yet, according to Rivet's horrible put-together 'plan.'

The majority of the air units were out of the sky. But the ones that remained had spotted Rivet's position and went for new prey. I caught him retreating; trying to evade their attacks. There were still too many for him to take on alone. But he was on his own for now, regardless.

Ahead, I caught a faint orange light on the ground. And another, and another, evenly spaced from each other. I kept my distance as I ran around each one, and after I got through the mine-covered street, I stopped and looked back, bringing the rifle out in front of me. The scope slid from the top, down to the side, and in front of my eye. Wish I knew about this feature earlier. It was a lot easier to use.

Sure enough, the ferals were stupid enough to follow me.

Mines exploded, and body parts flew. Sections of the asphalt road shot up in clouds with the detonations. My E.F.S. was sure enough starting to clear up, but there were still too many to deal with alone.

I switched to full auto and fired at the ghouls that continued to chase after me. One down. Two, three. I swapped the magazine out with a fresh normal rounded mag immediately after the first one was depleted, then resumed blasting away at them. The firepower wasn't enough to keep them at bay, however. They were still closing in, and there weren't very mines left between them and me. I started to back up.

My rear pressed up against something big, heavy, and hard. I turned around to see Crimson standing there, looking down at me...

My heart started racing even faster than it had before, and the scenery started to change around me. I was back in Fire's room. He blocked the doorway so I couldn't leave... Fire lied on her bed, waiting for me...

I closed my eyes and got down on my stomach, sheltering my head with my forehooves as tears fought their way through.

50 caliber guns blasted away, and opening my eyes, I was back on the infested street. Destrier was standing by my side, killing off the hostiles in a continuous, thunderous boom. Empty shells flung out from the top of both chambers as the ammo belts fed into the guns; some of which rained down on me.

I got up, wiped the tears away, and moved to the right a little, before firing again. Behind them, I caught the dim glow of fire through the fog, shortly followed by the smell of burning flesh.

It didn't take very long before the second magazine was depleted. They were still pushing forward, and the last mine was just seconds away from detonating.

I went to switch out the depleted mag for a T-round magazine, but my hoof came across something else...

I pulled out a lemon and proceeded to stare at it for a few seconds.

The last mine detonated, taking a decent chunk of the horde out. Right after the detonation, I chucked the lemon at the wave of red that was displayed on my E.F.S.

There was a boom, a wet splash, and what sounded like an acidic substance eating away at something.

Some of the ferals crawled through the smoke that the mines left behind. Sure enough, their bodies were being melted from acid. Smoke raised off their form as they desperately tried to come at us.

Destrier put a round to each crawler's head before continuing to fire off into the fog.

"Hope you got more of those!" He shouted through the gunfire. "Not done yet!"

I slapped in the T-round mag I was initially going for, and along the way, I pulled out another lemon.

"Not yet!" He shouted, glancing at me.

"Tell me when!" I replied as I cocked the rifle. The reds were slowly starting to disappear to a more manageable level, but it was still a lot to take in. If it wasn't for Blaze torching them from behind, we would have most definitely been overrun. I didn't have enough ammo for this, and Destrier's sexy guns could only do so much.

... Then his guns clicked.

"Empty!" He called out, which led me to lay down heavy fire against the horde. My gun wasn't enough, though. We barely held the line with his and mine going at the same time.

The horde was pushing forward, all clumped together in a crowd.

"When!" He shouted.

"When!?" I glanced over in the corner of my vision as I kept the barrel of my gun hot.

"Throw!"

Oh, right!

I quickly chucked the lemon at the mob that was ready to overwhelm us. Upon impact, it exploded in a citrusy fluid that seemed to burn away at anything it landed on. The explosion itself had enough force behind it to act as a regular grenade, and the splash damage was wiping them out by a landslide.

I put a few rounds in the remaining crawlers that didn't know when enough was enough. There were still more in the distance, judging by the E.F.S., but none of them seemed to be going after us anymore.

I checked my magazine to find it was completely emptied, so I swapped it out with a new one along the way as Destrier and I made our way around the melting bodies. We rushed for the wagon that Blaze had been hiding behind. I could barely make out his blip through all the red markers. He was getting overrun!

We charged forward in hopes that it wasn't too late for him...

The silhouette of the wagon came into view through the fog, and what I saw next was a weight lifted off my mind.

"BURN, BITCHES!" Blaze shouted as torrents of flame washed down on the ferals that crowded around the wagon. He stood atop, glaring down at the monsters below him; laughing as they were engulfed in flame.

Destrier and I stopped and stared for a few seconds in silence.

I guess he had that covered.

"GAH, GET OFF ME!" I heard Rivet shout through the fog, and looking to my left, I could barely make out his blip from all the red around him. He began screaming in agony.

"Rivet needs help." I said as I started to run for him. Thankfully, Destrier followed behind. I really didn't want to have to fight them off alone.

By the time he came into view, the feral pegasi had already pinned him down, eating away at his flesh as he lied there, screaming.

In an instant, I stopped, but Destrier kept going. With his guns being depleted of ammo, it was left to me to do the shooting.

I looked through the scope, switched to semi, and blasted away at their heads.

Destrier slammed into one that was digging into Rivet's left wing. He landed on top of it, and it thrashed around below him; it's body crushed from the weight of his metal body. He stood up, looked down at it, and crushed it's skull with one quick stomp.

I had killed three in that short time frame, and Destrier ripped the last one off of the griffin. He twisted the head off its body in one clean motion.

I ran up to Rivet to find him covered in his own blood. Chunks of flesh were ripped out of him, and I started to take notice that his entrails were spilled out below him.

His breath was weak and shaky. He was hanging onto life by a thread; losing grip the more time passed by. He coughed, and blood came up through his beak.

I got down next to him and quickly rummaged through my saddle bag. Come on, come on... Where's a healing potion...?

Don't do this to me...

Rivet looked up at me with tired eyes as blood spilled out of his beak. "Fuck, kid... glad ya made it."

"You're not dying!" I blurted, tears starting to emerge. I was getting really tired of death... Death and time... both real big assholes that loved to terrorize...

"Of course I'm... not..." He coughed up some more blood. "Reach into my... my bags... Got a potion in there with... mah name on it..." More blood leaked out. "Hurry th... fuck up... Feelin' m'self starting to..." He shook his head as he tried to keep his eyes open. "Mm... Starting to slip..."

I hastily dug into his bags to find the purple liquid he spoke of. I opened the bottle and put it to his beak, to which he drank. He coughed a little up, along with some blood, but he was already starting to regenerate. His intestines were pulling themselves back into his gut. It didn't do anything for the blood that had already left his body, though. There was only one solution to that.

A bath.

He rolled onto his back as his stomach finished closing itself up, and he shuddered. "I'll never get used to that feeling..." He stood up and groaned as he spread his wings out in a stretch. In the process, I heard a few bones crack.

My E.F.S. was now clear of hostiles, and Blaze was making his way to us.

Rivet looked at me and spoke casually. "So... What say we clear the checkpoint?"

Destrier nodded. "That's the idea. Find out why they were attracted to it."

"Ferals don't travel this far in with a horde as big as that." Blaze said as he stepped up. "This was organized."

"Ferals don't plan." Rivet said with a roll of his eyes.

"I didn't say anything about ferals planning." Blaze countered. "I'm saying someone put them there. Someone like Fester."

"He proves a point." Destrier stepped in.

"Yeah, he does..." Rivet muttered, stretching his left wing a bit more with a grimace.

Destrier and Blaze walked side by side, but I stayed with Rivet as we moved for the checkpoint.

"Are you alright?" I asked quietly, looking at the griffin.

"Nothing a little gambling at New Pegasus can't fix." He smiled, regarding me. "You did good, kid."

I scoffed. "Yeah, I did great at being bait." I deadpanned, and he chuckled.

"Sorry about that. But a bad plan is better than no plan."

"That's highly debatable." I said as I loaded in a fresh Tungstian mag. Wasn't he hired to keep me safe?

A sudden idea struck me. Something a lot more convenient and less time consuming for combat. "Hey, do you got any duct tape?"

"I do." He nodded.

"Can I see it when we get to the checkpoint?" I started to grin at the idea.

(((((((◉)))))))

There I sat in the tunnel, next to a bonfire. Wagons made barricades for both exits and entrances, and the remains of turrets laid strewn about.

"Well, there's your problem." Rivet started, looking around. "You have horrible management skills."

Blaze and Destrier stared at him silently, and he looked back at them, smiling. "What?"

Blaze rolled his eyes and looked off into the darkness.

"There." I said with a smile, lifting two magazines that were duct taped together; each facing opposite ends. "Project 69 is complete." I stuck the normal rounds into the gun.

Blaze chuckled softly to himself, and Rivet rolled his eyes at me. "What is with you ponies in always making sex jokes?"

I tucked the other two magazines I had 'modified' and restocked into my pouch. The first went into the gun. The way I designed it was that for each set, one magazine would be reserved for normal rounds, and the magazine connected to it would be reserved for Tungstian, or any other ammo type I got my hooves on. I marked the special ammo mags with red paint that I found in the tunnel, so that I knew which one was which. Categorizing for the win!

Unfortunately, the box of T-rounds had been emptied. The 23 'blue nuggets' went into only one magazine.

"Wrong question. How do you not make sex jokes?" I smirked and stood up, nudging his flank with my own. He quickly pulled away from me, glaring.

"I don't. Do. Sex. Jokes. I don't do sex."

"Welp, someone had a bad experience as a young 'un." Blaze looked back.

"I did not!" Rivet shouted.

"Young 'un..." Destrier muttered. "Interesting choice of words."

"Oh, I didn't mean it like that, and you know it." Blaze said, turning his attention to the steel-clad pony.

I leaned in to Rivet, whispering while Blaze and Destrier verbally went at it. "Maybe someone didn't give you good sex. I can make up for that. I can give you great sex." I gave him a wink, which earned me a look of disgust. I laughed as he shook his head and backed away.

"You ponies and your... sexual fixations..." He turned to Destrier and Blaze. "You two stop arguing!"

"Look, all I'm saying is that maybe you should stop trying to grasp at straws, Destrier!" Blaze pointed an accusing hoof at him. "It's not always about you, you know! We're not always talking about you, you entitled prick!"

"Guys!" I called out.

Destrier stepped forward; his chest practically bumping into Blaze's face. "I am not. Self. Centered."

"I didn't say that!"

"Yes. You did."

Rivet and I looked at each other with worry, then turned back to the two.

"BE QUIET!" We both shouted simultaneously, and at once, they both turned to us.

Rivet sighed and continued in a calm manner as I looked at him. "We're here, alright? We came here to deal with the situation, so let's deal with it, then catch up with the caravan. I just want to get this over with."

Blaze and Destrier looked at each other again in a moment of silence.

"Sorry, Dessy..." He looked down.

"I am too." Destrier said in a soft tone.

"We're cool?" He looked back up at the former raider before him, who backed away.

"Always."

"Yeah, enough of this..." Rivet mocked a sock puppet with his talon, looking at them flatly. "Can we get going now?"

Blaze rolled his eyes, and Destrier started to walk down the tunnel. Rivet and I followed behind, but we came to another stop a few seconds in.

"What is i-" I froze as I saw one red blip appear just ahead of us, shortly followed by another, and another. I cocked my rifle as Destrier loaded up. The good news was that he had more ammo for his guns. The bad news? He didn't have a whole lot left on him. The rest must've either been in his house back at Virtue, or with the caravan. His guns seemed to load themselves, as they hugged his sides as a belt slid out, entering the gun's chambers.

Rivet spread his wings out, aiming his harpoons ahead. Blaze sent a few torrents of flame in the air, which lapped up at the ceiling.

I could hear the faint snarls and growls of ferals closing in.

"They must have heard us arguing..." Destrier stated.

"Red, dead ahead." I smirked, to which Blaze chuckled.

I caught Rivet rolling his eyes, but he kept his attention on the incoming horde.

The front of the mob revealed itself around a shanty house that was made for whoever was staying down here - presumably whoever was part of whatever caravan was passing through - and at that moment, all guns went ablaze.

Destrier's calibers echoed throughout the tunnel. They may as well have been cannons, what with how loud they were. I swear, I could feel my ear drums start to bleed...

Not to mention I was getting struck with empty shells again.

I backed away from him a little bit - though it didn't help much in regards of volume - and continued firing.

The dead came at us full force with an insatiable hunger for flesh. Between Blaze's inferno, Destrier's storm of bulky lead, Rivet's projectile lances, and my... tiny ass rifle... we barely managed to hold them off. But it wasn't going to last long. Ammo was scarce as it was, and the wave didn't seem to die off that easily. A minute in, I still didn't find an end to it, via E.F.S.

My gun went dry, and I dug into my saddle bags to pull out another lemon. With no hesitation, I chucked it forward, striking the front of the horde, where bodies were piling up.

Upon impact, it burst, spreading its acidic after effects on the ferals that didn't already blow up instantly. The ferals behind them were too stupid to realize the dangers that were ahead, and so they ran forward, losing their limbs as they proceeded for us. A mound of bodies were starting to form before us, which was starting to provide cover for the ones on the other side. Which was a problem...

It meant there was a shorter distance between us and them...

Blaze started torching the corpses, while Destrier focused on taking out the ferals that were coming in from the top of the hill. Rivet and I focused on the sides after I spun the mag around, slamming in the T-rounds. I still had one more Tungstian magazine after this, but once that was gone, I was back to the normies.

The stench of burning flesh invaded my nasal passage, but I did what I could to ignore the smell and kept fighting them back.

They were starting to roll down the hill of bodies and into the flames that grew at the base, only to feed the fire. Make it grow stronger.

The torrents of fire stopped, and Blaze shouted through the gunfire. I couldn't understand what he said, but his actions said enough once I caught sight of him putting in two new fuel canisters that he pulled from his back. The fire continued to burn away at them shortly after.

The rifle clicked, and I quickly ejected the magazine, stuffed it into my pouch with the others, and pulled out another lemon. I chucked it at the hill and watched as they started deteriorating. With the time that I had bought us, I took the last T-round mag I had on me and slammed it home, before continuing blasting away at the horde.

The never... ending... horde...

My E.F.S. was STILL covered in red! We hadn't made any progress!

As I continued to fire, I clenched my teeth around the bit, shouting. "TOO MANY!"

The sides were starting to pile up with corpses, all the way to the walls. We backed up, due to proximity.

I started to pull another lemon out.

"No!" Destrier shouted, glancing at me. "No more of those!"

I looked around at our situation, and after putting the pieces together, I realized what he was trying to do.

I was 100 percent on board with this.

I tucked the lemon back into the bag and resumed firing off the last of my T-rounds. This time, aiming at the top left side of the mound, where the ferals began pouring through. Rivet took the right. Blaze set a line of fire along the entire base of the hill, so when they fell, they'd burn away. It wasn't the best idea, and it wasn't the most efficient, seeing as they'd stumble out of the flames, but we had to work with what we had at our disposal.

Destrier took out any of the more stubborn ones that charged through the flames.

One magazine later, the bodies had piled up to the ceiling on the left side. Rivet had patched up the right shortly after.

The guns ceased, and as smoke blew out of our barrels, we looked at one another, listening to the mob on the other side of the makeshift wall that kept them from getting through. They continued growling and snarling, trying to break through, regardless.

My E.F.S. was still one big red blob ahead of us.

"That was fun." Destrier stated in a calm manner. "Killing ferals makes a great substitute to killing raiders."

I looked to the flames that continued to burn away at the bodies. "Yeah, that was real nice, but we should get out of here. The smoke is gonna eat up our oxygen fast."

Rivet nodded. "Agreed."

Blaze sighed as he disabled the tiny flames that waited on the end of both barrels, turning around and walking alongside us. "Someone's gonna have to take care of the infestation here, though..."

"Volunteering?" Destrier asked.

"Me? No. I've had my fair share of feral slaughter for now. I'm just saying... someone's gonna need to take care of it. We can't lose this checkpoint."

"I'm sure they'll put up an offer on the bounty board, back home."

The hot air trapped inside the tunnel was quickly replaced with the slightly lighter humidity of the outdoors once we stepped through the door to the outside. It didn't help that Saddle was on fire...

Destrier stopped at the corpse of a feral, looking down at it. When we stopped to see what he was doing, he looked back up at the three of us. "Go without me. Have to do something. Won't be long."

"We'll be catching up with the caravan." Blaze replied, before turning around and walking off the road to the right, where said caravan went.

Destrier nodded, and Rivet and I turned to follow Blaze.

Minutes went by without a word spoken from either of us. The land was still covered in a sickly fog that didn't seem to want to leave. It was glued to the spoiled land of Equestria. I suppose that was partly my fault, what with the detonation of Stable 32.

Another thing to add to my list of things I'm held accountable for...

(((((((◉)))))))

"How'd it go?" Thunderwing asked, looking at the three of us as we approached. She paused and raised a brow, looking at all of us individually. "Where's Destrier?" She spoke in alarm, and her eyes fell on mine.

"Said he had some business to tend to." Blaze replied before meeting Tezu's side and nuzzling his neck. Did he always wear that face mask?

Rivet landed beside her and shook his head. "Your checkpoint is a lost cause. Whole place is overrun."

She gave me a questioning look, which I soon realized was the seek of confirmation.

"Yeah..." I muttered. "We ended up blocking one end off with their bodies."

"What?" Tezu spoke up; his eyes going wide. "That sounds badass. Blaze, I told you not to have too much fun without me!" He grinned, revealing a series of... oh my... That's... a lot... of fangs. "Now I'm gonna have to fuck you good and hard to make up for the absence of feral slaughter action." He looked over at his lover and smacked his armored flank with his scaly tail. "Tell me more about it later tonight, alright?"

"Oh, you got it." Blaze chuckled.

"So, how have things been?" I asked, looking back at Thunderwing.

"Bumpy." The caravaneer grumbled, to which Thunderwing chuckled.

"Yeah, he is kinda right about that. More so on his part." She flapped her wings a few times, grinning. "I don't have to worry about it too much, cause I'm a pegasus." She gestured a wing to her chest, wearing a proud look on her features.

"Wing flapping bitch, more like it..."

She stuck her tongue out at him, but looked back at me with a smile. "How about a story for the road?"

"Oh, uh... I dunno..." I looked away. "All my stories are depressing..."

"How about the time Rivet cried for hours on end because he got a splinter in his paw?" Blaze asked.

"How about the time I told you all to shut up." He stared flatly at Tezu and Blaze, to which the masked flamer giggled.

"Yeah, tell that one." Tezu started, smirking.

Rivet sighed and slumped as he walked with us. "Once upon a time, shut up."

There was momentary silence between the group.

"Well, that was disappointing." Thunderwing smirked, looking back at me. "Maybe we give Charger the chance to tell a story now."

"Hey Charger," Rivet began. "Tell them the story of how that armored ghoul diagnosed you with STDs."

My heart felt like it stopped in my chest, and all in one motion, everyone turned to look at me... silently judging...

"How did you hear about that...?" I asked quietly, looking at the griffin. I got a few raised eyebrows from that.

"He's not denying it..." Blaze whispered over to the dragon. "And to think we were going to invite him to a three way..."

"I-I don't have any STDs!" I blurted. "Or STIs!" I pointed a hoof at Rivet, scowling. "He just misheard my conversation with Petiole!"

"Uh huh." Thunderwing shook her head, smiling. "You got aids."

"No. He just has too much shit in his ears." I glared at the griffin, who was now smiling at me, enjoying the torture. "How did you even hear any of what Petiole and I were talking about? You were far away!"

"Griffins have exceptional hearing. Duh."

"Not exceptional enough, because I don't have any sexual diseases. I've only had sex with two ponies in my entire life, damn it!"

Wait... did I say that out loud?

The gay couple snickered.

"Doesn't matter how little you fuck." Rivet started. "All it takes is one wrong, smelly, diseased hole. One wrong choice."

"I didn't really have a choice with one of them..." I admitted, looking down.

The snickering stopped, and everyone went quiet.

Thunderwing looked the other way, and I heard her mutter under her breath. "Sorry..."

I shook the thought away. "I don't have any diseases like that..."

"Right..." Rivet cleared his throat. "So what do you have? Cause I know you were diagnosed with something."

I sighed and turned toward the wagon, staying on the move. "That's not any of your business, and you don't need to worry about it... It's not contagious..."

"This conversation got dark..." The caravaneer stated. "I vote for a topic change."

"Second that." Destrier muttered, approaching from behind.

Thunderwing looked back with relief. "You're back."

"No shit." He grabbed some ammo from the back and started loading up. "What else did I miss?"

"Nothing worth mentioning. Just shitty stories..." Thunderwing said quickly before anyone could speak. She then gave me a look that said 'I got you.'

I smiled at her. It was a sad smile, but it was a smile nonetheless.

Destrier walked along the other side of the wagon as we advanced over the bumpy hills and through the woodwork. The group fell silent, but Thunderwing stuck close to my side.

After several minutes, she leaned in and whispered. "So who's the other pony you had sex with?"

"What?" I raised a brow, looking over.

"You said there were two. You said that one of them wasn't consensual. So who's the other one that was?"

Now, that was a story worth telling...

Well... the good parts, anyways...

Author's Note

So I finally figured out how to make permanent links for my Discord server. I hope to see it grow, and I'd love to talk to all of you there. I hope to see you all there. I'll also leave the same link on my fimfic bio, just in case.
https://discord.gg/783mVdd

Special thanks to Kkat for FoE, Somber for PH, Pines for looking through the work, Alchestbreach for hating radios, and the fans that read through this story. Pines and I really appreciate it.

Pines:
Hello viewers. Pines here. I would like to say, isn't the night beautiful? The stars, the moon, even the clouds. So, if you are having some troubles with your life, go for a walk at night. Of course, if you live somewhere that's dangerous, I'd avoid doing so. Look out a window in that case. I'd just like to say, if you're going through hell, keep on going. I would like to see you lad and lassies on the next chapter of RADIO STATIC!

Channel 001.4; Trains And Tunnels

The thing about happiness is that you only realize you had it when it's gone.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

By midday, we had arrived at the station. There weren't anymore troubles after our stand against the ferals at the checkpoint. A red marker would pop up here and there on my E.F.S., only to disappear shortly after. Probably a radroach or a radhog.

Something we had noticed was that the caravan that was supposed to be returning to Virtue from the station hadn't met us along the road, or the hill over the tunnel. I had only hoped that they decided to take the route on the opposite side of the checkpoint; the one we didn't take.

The station was more like a depot... Exactly that, actually.

A series of tracks left through a gate, while the rest of the compound was fenced off and barricaded. In the distance was a giant concrete building where all the tracks led to. There were windows along the top, some of which were shattered.

Canvas tents were pitched, and older buildings were reinforced with the scraps of whatever they had at their disposal. Some of them, however, may as well have been held together by duct tape and wonderglue.

The front of a steam engine was poked out of the blue, steel gates of the massive structure. The headlight sent a bright beam through the thin fog as it waited on the tracks.

Two NCR grunts waited at the front gate, eyeing us as we approached.

The caravaneer that hauled the wagon stopped before them, pulling out some papers. One of the grunts took them, reading them over carefully. With that, he turned around and proceeded for a desk near the fence. He grabbed a stamp and slammed it down on the bottom of the first sheet, then returned it to the caravaneer.

"Go." Was all he said as they stood guard.

Meanwhile, the guards on the other side opened the gate for us.

"What's with the extra security?" I asked, looking around in wonder as we made our way forward.

"Fester wants this place, so that he can 'expand his interests.'" Thunderwing said with a disturbed look on her face. "That wrinkly sack of flesh doesn't know when to quit. Fuck, if he had an opportunity to take the whole world, I'm sure he'd accept it in a heartbe..." She frowned, thinking to herself. "He's a ghoul..." She muttered as she rubbed her chin with a wing, trying to come up with an accurate statement. "I'm sure he'd accept it in someone else's heartbeat?" Finally, she shrugged and looked me over as she started to trail off from the rest of the caravan, towards one of the buildings with a poor excuse of reinforced structural support and integrity. "Let's get something to drink. I could use a bottle of whiskey or two, after a trek like that."

Two? Yeah, have fun dying from alcohol poisoning...

"Can I take a rain check?" I asked. "I really should go and figure out what's wrong with their train car."

She nodded with a faint smile. "Right. Forgot you accepted that mechanic job. Alright, I'll let you get to it, then. If you need me, you know where I'll be." She moved in for a hug, and I returned the favor.

After a short while, we parted ways. She walked off to the nearest bar, and I to the nearest soldier, who was just walking past the building across from the bar; his rifle holstered.

"Hey." I said casually as I caught up.

He turned his head to look at me, then stopped once he noticed I was trying to get his attention. "Yeah?"

I stopped before him, smiling faintly. "I was hired to help restore one of the train cars here to working order."

"Okay." He said simply.

There was a moment of silence as we stood there, looking at each other. The more the silence carried on, the more awkward it got.

"Well..." I cleared my throat. "Can you... tell me where to find the car?"

He pointed a hoof over to the giant building, before continuing on his patrol.

(((((((◉)))))))

Two guards and a sentry bot stood at the entrance, behind a barrier of sandbags. The soldiers, upon seeing my approach, readied up for any trouble. I continued on my way, regardless. I wasn't trouble, so I had nothing to worry about.

"Who are you?" One of them asked.

"Just here for the job." I reached into my pouch, and within a fraction of a second, all their guns were on me. "Whoa, hey..." I froze, looking at the three. "I'm just pulling out a note..." I gently slipped my hoof out of the pouch and reached out to them; the paper to the job resting on it. One of the soldiers stepped forward, grabbed it, and read quietly to themselves.

"I'm just here to fix your car. Well... also because I came in with one of the caravans." I smiled sheepishly.

"Came here from Virtue, I imagine. Not gonna ask again. Who are you?"

I really didn't want to give my name out to anyone in the NCR, but... there was no way out of this, was there? Unless...

"My name is Churro."

"And I'm in charge of the NCR." One of them stated, glaring at me. "So how about the truth?"

I sighed before answering. "My name is Charger."

The two of them froze before looking at each other and whispering.

"Yeah, yeah..." I replied with a roll of my eyes. "Don't cream yourselves..."

They returned to me after a few seconds.

"Go on in and take care of the car, but if anyone in there finds you snooping around, you're going to be shot."

"The sentry will escort you to the car." The other guard replied, handing me the slip of paper. I stuffed it in my pouch as the sentry turned towards the door, rolling forward. The door was the same as the one for the library in Stable 32.

It slid down, granting access to the sentry, which I began following.

The inside of the building looked even bigger than it did on the outside.

There was an office to my left with two ponies inside, talking to each other. It looked serious, but I couldn't hear what they were talking about. They must have restored the windows to that part of the building, because they looked perfect. Maybe a bit dirty, but I didn't see so much as a crack in the glass.

The stallion paced around the room frantically, while the mare stood there, still and silent, and without a care.

Her coat was a dark purple, while her eyes were a slightly light shade of the same color. Her mane and tail were both dark blue, with streaks of purple. Her cutiemark was a ball of fiery light.

His coat was a dark blue; his eyes dark brown. His short mane and tail were a dark grey, and his cutiemark was a train.

The still one with tired eyes moved her mouth, and the stallion stopped his pacing to look back at her for a few seconds, before slamming his hoof down on the table between them, shouting. It was muffled, but I still couldn't really make out what he was saying. If only I could read lips...

His eyes quickly shifted from her to me, and she turned to look, keeping up that surprising careless attitude as her eyes met mine.

I quickly turned away and continued following the sentry.

The majority of the inside - at least, on the first floor - was the series of train tracks, all of which led to one circular pad that looked like it was able to rotate. I could only imagine it was to turn a locomotive around. That was a convenient thing to have around...

The sentry and I moved across the concrete walkway along the side of the tracks, towards that circular, metal pad.

There was a metal stairway that went up to a series of catwalks, which led into rooms formed by steel walls, floors, and ceilings. One of those led up to the windows at the top of the building.

There was also a bridge for hoof traffic on the first floor to get across the series of tracks to the other side, which was pretty much the same as the side we were on.

The sentry rolled down a small ramp and made its way to the platform that could potentially rotate. I stepped on soon after, and the sentry stopped and turned around to face me, saying nothing all the while.

Then the platform jolted, before rotating and... descending. Descending down a big hole underneath the building. Okay, this was unexpected...

Lights scrolled up the sides of the hole as we went deeper. After a few minutes, I looked up to find I could barely see the top anymore. There was only a small speck of light above.

Then the lift stopped abruptly.

I looked around my surroundings, only for darkness to greet me with its presence. There was the flicking of switches, and then...

With several loud thuds that echoed throughout the underground facility, came light. Flood lights, too.

I covered my eyes at the blinding view for a short while, until my eyes adjusted accordingly.

When I moved it away, I found myself in a station with several other trains much like the one above me, along with cars and engines, many of which had been stripped for parts.

Many of these locomotives seemed severely damaged, and in desperate need of repair. Some of them seemed to be in the process of it, actually. Though, at this moment, no one was down here but me and the sentry that guided me to my destination.

I followed as the sentry rolled down the set of tracks, which gradually dispersed into several other sets, a lot of which were occupied by many of the other locomotives.

"Sure they don't need help with a lot more than just a car...?" I muttered as I examined the broken machinery around me.

The sentry didn't reply, but I didn't expect it to anyways.

After several minutes of walking down the brightly lit tunnel, the sentry came to a stop at a car.

The car.

Okay... Now I knew why they wanted this thing repaired to working order.

I studied the massive barrels atop the car that were left bent and melted. The exposed wiring and circuitry that had clearly been fried. The armored sides that had been ripped open...

This wasn't just an ordinary train car...

This was a weapon.

(((((((◉)))))))

I spent a good half hour or so examining the exterior of the car, before having the sentry go back and get me an extra set of hooves. There was no way I could do this alone. This was going to require a lot of heavy lifting, and... I was pretty weak for an earth pony...

A unicorn that was great with telekinetic magic was ideal for a job like this...

Didn't I hear something about the Lightbringer lifting a train car with her magic to crush her foes at some point...? Man... a unicorn like that would be perfect for this job.

The sentry rolled back to the lift, leaving me here in this eerie... place. Alone. It was already a bit discomforting being down here, but alone...?

I was starting to really hate the underground...

It wouldn't last forever, though. Someone would come back.

Besides... it wasn't like anything hostile was down here with me. This was NCR territory. I was safe. Well... for now, anyways. I still didn't know what the NCR's plans were for me, long term... Or why they hired Rivet to keep me alive... But I was certain it had something to do with the battery.

What would my value be to them if I hadn't come across it...? If I hadn't come across Para...?

Would I have even mattered to them...? To anyone?

A set of hoofsteps sounded along the concrete tunnels behind me, and I turned to see...

"FUCK!" I jumped back, bringing the rifle in front of me and nearly firing a shot at the pony... THING... before me.

She shook her head at me with a faint smile. "I missed you too, father."

"What the hell are you doing here?" I asked quickly, frowning at her. "How did you get in here!?"

"Do you really believe that your flawed species would be a problem for me? They do not pay enough attention. They are incapable. I could wipe them all out without any alarm." White Noise stepped forward, and I backed up. She walked past me, eyeing the car. "I am here, because you need help."

"And... what, you're just going to extend your hoof out of the kindness of your heart?"

"Kindness?" She smirked, looking at me. Fuck, her eyes hurt... "No. Kindness is a system built by the minds of the frail. The ones who could not bear the pain that words could deliver. Kindness is a weapon. Much stronger than this..." She looked back up at the car, then back at me. "Kindness builds sensitivity to the mind, and that makes weakness spread through generations. Who knew that sounds could cause so much heartache? Who knew it could cause so much destruction?" She laughed softly to herself, looking up at the cannon. "That is the fascinating thing about your kind. Your people had worked so hard on building a better way of life. Had built a system to tear themselves out of more primitive times. But in the end, you all went back to the way it all started. You could not ignore your primal needs. So your people pressed a button to reset the world. But even then, two generations after the fact, you are all still trying to hold on to your old ways. Even many of the zebra, your foes... the ones who pressed the button, have been trying to be what they think is better. But your history will only repeat itself over and over again, until there is nothing left to repeat." She paused and regarded me. "I am not here out of the kindness of my heart, for I do not believe in such a flawed system. Much like I do not believe in the idea of choosing sides. I am simply here to bear witness."

"Bear witness to what?" I glared.

"What do you think?"

"I don't know!" I backed away from her, noticing she was starting to get closer. "That's why I asked!" I groaned in frustration and shook my head, closing my eyes. "Look, if you're going to help me with the car, then let's get it over with."

"Oh, I think you misunderstood me, father." I looked over to her, and she continued. "I never said anything about helping with this..." She shook her head. "No, I am here to remind you of the importance of the container you carry with you."

"Again with the container..." I muttered. "Look, if I don't know what's in it, then it stays closed.

"Then have the one you call Petiole study it."

"Why do you want it opened so badly?" I frowned; my ears folding back. "What is so important about a little powder in a plastic container?"

She smiled and backed up. "Find out."

And with that, she turned into the black, squelchy thing I had regurgitated back in Saddle, before using its several dozen tendrils to escape the scene.

Not long after, I heard another set of hooves behind me. I turned to look to see a regular unicorn. Blue coat, pink eyes, and a lighter blue mane and tail. He had a railroad spike for a cutiemark.

"You needed help?" He said with a faint smile, looking me over.

(((((((◉)))))))

The inside of the car was just as fried as the rest of it. There was a seat in the center that sat before a shattered computer screen. Along the interior walls were columns of shells, but most of them had exploded; probably when the transport caved in a little.

How in the fuck was I going to fix any of this...?

"What even happened for the car to end up like this?" I asked aloud as I gaped at the broken machinery before me.

Rails, the mechanic that came to assist me with restoration of the car, shouted between grunts, as I could hear him trying to remove the barrels of the turret above me via magic.

"No one really knows! Come on, you son of a..." He struggled to remove one of the barrels, before continuing. "We just... found it in the middle of nowhere. Hnnng!" I could hear him breathing heavily as if he were taking a short rest. "The crew that we sent with it was nowhere to be found. Assumed... dead!"

There was a sudden metal grinding, shortly followed by probably the loudest metal bang against the cement floor I had ever heard in my life.

My ears rang as I clenched my teeth, wincing my eyes. Sweet Celestia, my ear drums...

"Sorry about that! Got one more comin' down! Brace yourself!"

I sat on my haunches and covered my ears with both hooves, waiting for the second barrel to drop. Instead, I heard a muffled grunting again.

"Whenever this damn thing will come... loose!" He cried out. Almost immediately after, there was another loud grinding. I went to cover my ears again, as I had started to remove my hooves, but even then, when the barrel dropped, it made my headache worse. I was bound to get headaches anyways... Got them all my life, after all. Day after day, for as long as I could remember. I seemed to always have headaches or migraines. But there were times where it was more subtle.

Not like right now... Damn it.

I wouldn't be surprised if one more barrel drop would make me deaf.

"Phew!" He laughed under his breath.

I uncovered my ears and poked my head out. "Hey, I don't think the stuff in here is going to work. I'd need new hardware."

"Assuming there's anything new to remain on this radioactive rock." He chuckled, looking down at me with a gentle smile. "I'll see what I can hook you up with. Just see what you can do in the meantime, alright?"

I nodded and went back to the computer. The monitor may have been busted, but if I could get the computer itself to start up, then that meant progress. I could easily install a new screen, if I needed to.

... I definitely needed to. But one thing at a time...

(((((((◉)))))))

Several hours in, Rails had let me get out for a breath of fresh air. I had managed to fix the majority of the computer with some of the spare parts he sent my way, but the screen was still a problem.

I had also fixed some of the column racks that held the ammo for the turret above me, along with patching up and fortifying the holes on the side of the car. It wasn't perfect, but I was working with what I had at my disposal. We both were.

All that was left that needed fixing were some of the wheels, the latch to connect to other cars, the screen to the computer, and the turret on the top. Everything else looked like it was set.

By the time I had seen the light of day, it was past 5 in the P.M. The sun was out, but the fog made everything look sickly. And it was still raining flakes of ash.

I left the train depot where the idle locomotive sat, and made my way to the bar that Thunderwing spoke of.

Thankfully, none of the soldiers gave me any shit for wandering about. Especially the ones at the depot entrance.

I entered the bar to see a unicorn cleaning out a few glasses with a washcloth. She looked up at me, rolled her eyes, then continued cleaning the glass that was wrapped in her magic.

At the right side of the bar counter, I saw Thunderwing; her right ear pressed against the surface as she snored quietly. One arm was stretched across the counter, next to a half empty glass of whiskey, while the other hoof dangled below her.

I pulled up a seat next to her, smiling. I wasn't expecting the tiles of the floor to scream when I moved the chair, so when I moved said chair, I grit my teeth to the sound. A second after, Thunderwing snorted, cracked open her eyes, wiped the drool from her mouth that pooled up on the counter's surface, and smacked her lips.

"Numb..." She muttered as she raised her head and looked around. She spotted the glass, gave it a tired smile, lifted it up with a wing, then gulped down the rest of what she couldn't finish before. She set the glass down and looked at the bartender. "Thas it fer naw..." She wavered a little before turning to me. Her eyes lit up a little. "Heyyy, is you!" She patted me on the back, smiling, but that was soon interrupted with an abrupt hiccup. "Where yoo been? I bee waitin' on yoo."

"I was working." I smiled sheepishly. I sure hoped I didn't act like that when I was drunk...

"Ah, work, smork, smirk, salami-" Her gibberish was quickly interrupted with a loud, crude belch. She paused, looked at me with a faint smile, and continued whatever it was she was saying. "Burp."

I sighed and rolled my eyes. "I think you should get some rest."

"Yer pros ri..." Her slurs became too deep as her eyes started to force themselves shut. She slouched over, starting to snore before she jumped up and looked around. "I awake! Dun worry none 'bou me!"

I laughed under my breath and stood up. "Come on, Thunderwing. You need rest."

She leaned to the side, getting ready to fall over. I quickly moved over to where she was about to fall, only for her to lie over my back. I looked over at the bartender, smiling sheepishly. "Is there someplace I can take her so that she can sleep it off?"

"There's a bunk down the hall." She pointed a hoof down the hall that had been behind us for as long as we were sitting there. "15 caps a night. Not to mention she still didn't pay for that drink... or the other three."

"Right... How much is that gonna cost?"

"For the three? 90 caps."

... Oh...

"I... don't have that much on me..." I'm not sure I even had 15 caps.

"I'm not telling you to pay. I'm telling her." She glared at the unconscious mare on my back. "She always does this."

"Well... maybe we can work out a deal? See, I'm working on repairing the turret car for the train. Maybe you can let her off the hook this one time? And in return, I fix that car to make up for the payment?" Wasn't the best negotiation, but it was all I had.

She huffed and looked away. "Yeah, fine, sure, whatever..."

Okaaaaay then. Guess that worked.

I carried Thunderwing down the hall and entered a room at the far left. Inside was over a dozen bunks, all of which were empty.

I set Thunderwing down on the closest one to the door, making sure to keep her on her side. I fortified her back with a wall of pillows so she didn't end up choking on her own puke later. I was sure there was going to be a mess of the stuff later...

I stepped out and approached the bar, regarding the mare before me for the longest time, until she caught me looking. She caught my smirk as well, implying I knew something. I did. She didn't have to tell me. I felt the same way at the bunker. I knew exactly how she was feeling.

"What the fuck are you looking at?" She snapped.

"Let me guess..." I sat down upright, using my hooves to support my head as my arms rested on the counter that separated me from her. "You feel that what you're doing here is meaningless to the war effort. I mean... serving beer? At an NCR installation?" I clicked my tongue a few times and shook my head. "I get it. I do."

She froze, keeping her eyes locked with mine for a few seconds. In those seconds, I saw her expression start to change to a lighter tone. I could feel the way she thought about me start to change for the better. I wasn't just another guy looking for a drink.

But then she glared again.

"And what the hell do you think you're talking about? What is it you get?"

I smirked and leaned forward in my seat. "Buy me a drink, and I'll tell you."

She raised a brow at my expression, then shook her head, laughing under my breath.

"Alright, I gotta admit, you have me intrigued..." She smiled back faintly. "What's your poison?"

"I'll take a whiskey. May as well get something for yourself while you're at it."

"I don't drink on the job." She replied quickly, as if someone's pulled that card on her before.

Okay, backing off from that then. I shrugged as she levitated a bottle over to me. I went to grab it, but she pulled it away. I raised a brow at her, noticing she was still smiling... and glaring.

"Tell me first."

I nodded and leaned back a little, still keeping my own smile up. "Fair enough. You want to offer more than just serving drinks. You were promised to help this place better for ponykind. I was promised the same thing back home. Until I realized how fucked up everything there was." Annnnnd there went my smile.

She froze for a short while before letting her glare die down, and after a bit longer, she brought the bottle back to me. "Maybe you do understand..." She sighed, keeping her smile.

I opened the bottle and took a quick gulp, before coughing a little. "Have you tried getting yourself out of this job? Try and do something better?"

She hung her head down in disappointment. "Yeah, but... they won't listen... So I've been trying to save up enough caps so I can get far away from this place. Might go somewhere overseas, so long as the pirates don't hit whatever ship I'm on first. Might go to Hoofington, assuming the right side of the battle there wins. New Pegasus, maybe..." She shrugged and looked me over as she began washing another glass. "I don't have a set course just yet. But anywhere is better than this place."

... Well, now I felt like an asshole for taking that bottle.

I reached into my pouch and pulled out every last bottle cap I had saved up. There were only eight. It certainly wasn't enough to cover the bottle... but it was all I had.

"I'm sorry I don't have more..." I muttered, sliding them over.

"Hey, don't worry about it. That one's on the house." She smirked, eyeing the drink. She slid the caps back over to me, to which I hesitantly pocketed them.

"Well... thanks, I guess." I smiled faintly, though I still felt shitty about not paying her. Maybe I could change the topic. "What's your name?"

She blushed and looked down. "Whiskey River..." She replied quietly.

"Whiskey River?"

"I know... it's stupid." She shook her head. "That's what I get for having alcoholic parents."

"It doesn't have to be." I smiled, before taking another gulp from the bottle. My lips were already getting numb, and I was starting to feel a warmth in my gut. "I mean, it almost sounds like it could be the title for a song."

She laughed softly before her yellow eyes stayed glued to mine. Her rose colored mane obscured her vision a little, and so she brushed it away with her amber colored hoof. Fitting color for a fitting name, I suppose.

Fuck, Petiole was right about my new hoof fitting my name! I just proved him right!

"What?" I asked politely, smiling sincerely.

She smirked. "How long are you sticking around?"

"I'm not sure. Why?"

"If you're still here by nightfall, come to my place. It's right next door. I'll leave the door unlocked for you."

I felt myself turn red as I looked back at her, and she giggled under her breath.

"I meant for dinner. Get your mind out of the gutter."

"Oh... right." I chuckled and took another gulp from the bottle. One quarter done, two to go.

(((((((◉)))))))

I spent maybe an hour at the bar, before I decided I had enough to drink. I wasn't trying to get wasted, so I made an attempt to pace out each drink from the bottle. By the time I left, I was borderline drunk, and I had a little less than half a bottle left. The amber contents filled my gut with a satisfying, full warmth.

I wasn't much of a lightweight. Not like back then. White Noise was right about me. I did drown my sorrows with alcohol and cigarettes. Hell, even cigars, if I could get my hooves on them. It wasn't healthy, and I knew that. But it was all I could rely on, back then. And when someone goes through life using alcohol as a crutch to dig through the shit called life, it would be hard to quit old habits once they got through.

Even then, I wasn't really through, was I? I had entered a new chapter in my life, but that didn't mean I was through. I was still buried in shit, and it was piling up, weighing down on me. Crushing me, more and more each day. I was still digging through.

"Fuck, I need happy booze..." I said in a slurred tone as I slightly stumbled back to the massive building down the tracks. The train still hadn't left yet.

The two guards at the entrance let me in without question, and I made my way back to the sub levels.

Rails was snoozing with his back pressed up against one of the wheels of the car. I don't know how that would be comfortable, but to each their own, I guess...

I nudged his shoulder, and he opened his eyes, blinking a few times as he looked around. Finally, he focused on me.

"Oh hey, you're back." He smiled faintly. "Everything alright?"

I nodded, though that wasn't true. My mind was wandering to more dark, dangerous places. "How's the car coming along?"

He tapped his hoof against the steel frame behind him, smirking. "Could have her done by tonight, if all goes well. Just need to fix some of the gears in the turret, reroute the terminal to the guns, and fix the loading racks a bit more so that there's reduced risk of any jams happening during travel."

The holes had all been patched up by the looks of it, so that was one less thing to deal with, and I didn't think we'd have to work too long on the loading racks, seeing as I had already worked on the majority of them.

"Alright, then." I smiled. "Let's get to work."

(((((((◉)))))))

It took a lot of patience and communication, but by the time we got it done, the time on my pipbuck read six past ten.

The car wasn't exactly restored to its former glory - I didn't need to see how it looked before to know that - but it was repaired. All the holes were patched up with reinforced metal plating, the doors at the front and back were working, the terminal inside operated just fine, and the turret was able to rotate both directions with no troubles.

We couldn't exactly test the ammo racks in here, so that was left to whoever was taking this out on the field. I only hoped it would help prevent this Fester guy from ambushing more shipments to Hoofington. Or anywhere else, for that matter.

Rails and I stood there, looking at our achievement, smiling. We were both exhausted. I imagined he had one hell of a migraine after using that much telekinesis magic to get things done around here. It was definitely needed, seeing as there were things that would have been impossible for us to lift by ourselves. He needed more rest than I at that point.

I probably wouldn't get paid as much because I had help, but I wasn't going to complain. He earned a payment for all the hard work he did as well.

He looked to me, and I at him, and the two of us smiled at each other. We both reached out a hoof and bumped them together.

"We make an awesome team." He said, looking back at the car, panting softly. I joined him at the sightsee once more.

"Hell yeah, we do."

He slouched and stumbled a little bit, before leaning against me. I looked back over, taking notice that his legs were shaking.

"Hey, you alright...?"

"Just... exhausted." He hung his head down, closing his eyes. "I'm not too strong with my horn just yet."

"Bullshit. You were lifting steel earlier."

"Okay..." He laughed under his breath. "Fair point... Let me rephrase..." He took a deep breath before continuing. "I can't use my magic very long before it drains me... I exceeded my capabilities today..."

"Do you want me to take you back to your place? You shouldn't walk back alone, if you're about to pass out."

He smiled faintly, keeping his eyes closed. "That'd be awesome, Charger... Thank you." He barely managed to lift his head up and open his eyes, all while keeping that smile. Today's work seemed to really take it out of him...

I smiled back faintly. "Here... put an arm around my shoulder." He did as he was told, which meant getting closer to me. "Let's get you home."

We continued on for a while in silence, until we got to the lift. As it started to ascend, he spoke.

"So... you used to be a Steel Ranger, huh?"

I rolled my eyes. "Don't remind me..."

"Can I ask a question?"

"Sure..." I stared ahead flatly.

"I heard rumors that you were involved in Bristle's little circle. Is that true?"

"Eh... somewhat." I shrugged.

"What's he like?"

"He's a piece of shit. As are the rest of the ponies in his circle... and any other pony that chooses to follow him." I deadpanned, looking over at Rails. "Why would you like to know?"

He shrugged, but refused to look at me, as if he were in trouble. "Just trying to make conversation..."

"Well, choose a different topic then. I don't want to think about him. I don't want to think about the Steel Rangers. I just want to go my own way and find..." I stopped myself, and my body tensed up. Only then, did I realize my hoof was crackling with a soft electricity.

"Find...?" He raised a brow, glancing at my rear hoof.

I shook my head hard. "It doesn't matter. Please just drop it."

"Alright... Consider it dropped..." He hung his head down again.

When the lift brought us back to the surface, we made our way along the concrete path, back for the exit. I noticed the mare from the office earlier, standing right outside of the same room; a lit cigarette hanging between her lips. She seemed to be focused on us. Or maybe she was just looking in our general direction... It was hard to tell. She had a dead, careless stare...

My eyes went down to her flank again... That cutiemark had me intrigued. That ball of fire. I really wanted to know what it meant.

Was her talent light...? Fire...? What was it?

"That's Firefly." Rails went on to say, glancing up from the ground. "A lot of the things that happen here are because of her. This place would've fallen apart long ago if it wasn't for her taking initiative."

"I saw her in an argument with someone else earlier. What was that all about?"

He sighed. "Blitz... The two of them are always fighting. He's trying to keep everything under lockdown. Thinks that Hoofington isn't our problem. She feels differently. So far, we're still moving stuff out east, but Blitz hates it."

"So whose side are you on?"

He looked over and smiled. "Hers. From what I've been hearing, the war in Hoofington regards all life in Equestria, if not all of Equus. Everyone will be affected, no matter which side wins. Therefore, we need to do our part in making sure the right side wins. But Blitz..." He shook his head. "He refuses to look at the bigger picture..."

"But he's not in charge here."

Rails smiled nervously. "D-don't let him hear you say that..."

We stopped a few feet before her, and he spoke, regarding her. "Charger and I finished repairing the gunner car."

She sighed and closed her eyes, taking a long pull off her cigarette. "Thanks, you two. At least now I can sleep with a bit of good news for once."

"What is it this time?" Rails raised a brow as he spoke with annoyance.

She laughed under her breath and shook her head, taking another pull. It's more effective if you just eat them...

"Your loving father believes I should relinquish my power and stand aside, because 'I don't know what I'm doing. That I'm only tearing everything down, and will be a downfall to the NCR.'" She scoffed, then took another pull before continuing her vent. "He pulled the cutiemark card on me again and said my talent was tearing things down. I swear, I don't know what I ever saw in him... The only good he's ever done is help bring you into this world." She smiled faintly and caressed the side of his face with a forehoof.

His father?

Huh...

She continued after taking her hoof away. "I swear, if he keeps this up, I won't be held accountable for what I'm going to do to him..."

Rails sighed and hung his head down. "Just hang in there, mom."

"Believe me, I'm trying. But it's getting to look like it's him or me. Celestia knows he wants me dead as much as I want him six feet under." She regarded me coolly as she took another long pull off her cig, then turned back to her son. "So what's up with you two?"

Rails smiled wanly, looking back up at her. "Charger is taking me back home."

"He has a really bad migraine." I filled in.

"I can only imagine our bickering over power is helping with that." She replied sarcastically, before looking me over again. "You treat my son well, you understand? Or it'll be your balls in my Hearth's Warming tree."

"Uh... what...?" I raised a brow, and Rails blushed.

"Mom, don't say that. We're not... like that..."

"Not like wha..." I froze, realizing what they were talking about. "Oh..." Well, this was awkward...

"Mom, for the last time, I'm not gay."

She smirked, dropped what little remained of her cig, and stomped it out with a hoof. "If you say so." She began to stretch, and in the process, came the series of cracking from her bones. She sighed with a little more relief. "Well, I'm gonna go back in and replace your father's heart medication for Sildenafil, and not doing anything to resolve his erection issue. Should be an eventful night."

Rails rolled his eyes, laughing softly. "That's mean..." He gave her a calm look afterwards and nodded. "Good luck."

She smiled back wanly, giving him that dead-eye'd, yet cool look. For the time I had seen her, her eyelids were always half closed. "Thanks, homo." She gave him a wink, then glanced at me, gave me a brief nod, then turned around and opened the door to the office. She closed it behind her, and we continued on our path to the exit.

"Well, now you met my dysfunctional family."

"At least yours can joke around... kinda. All I have left is my sister, and she's a rapist. Hell, I never even met my mom. Or my dad. Apparently they were killed in combat before I could remember anything. And I recently realized that story is false, in regards to my mom. Still have no clue what happened to my dad."

"Oh..." He looked away. "S-sorry, I didn't mean to..."

"Hey, don't worry about it, man." I smiled forcefully. "It's in the past now."

In the past... Man, wasn't that a lie...?

"Right..."

The rest of the walk to his place was made in silence. Things grew awkward between us after we had left the depot...

His place wasn't too far from the massive structure. When we got to his door, he opened it, turned around, and smiled faintly. I could tell right then and there he was trying to keep himself from passing out.

"Thanks for taking me home, Charger. Hope I see you around more."

I nodded and smiled; this time, with sincerity. "One more thing."

"Yeah?" He smiled back.

"Are you actually gay?" That smile of mine turned into a grin. He wasn't bad looking... and his mom? For a pony at her estimated age, she did good at taking care of herself. Especially under all this stress with her husband. I'd have fooled around a bit with her, there, if she offered.

"I..." His jaw dropped a bit, and he turned bright red. "Uh... I... I mean..." He chuckled nervously, rubbing the back of his head with a hoof as he looked down at mine. "I've... experimented a bit... with one other. But it wasn't really enough experience for me to know for sure." He looked back up at me, smiling nervously. "W-why do you ask...?"

"As a bi-sexual, I was curious." I gave him a wink, turned around, and gave my tail a little flick in his direction after. My rump may have been armored, but it still made him even more flustered than he already was. I chuckled softly and gave him a little nod as I looked back at him. "Rest well, Rails."

"You too, C-Charger." He said with a warm smile as he disappeared behind his door. He seemed to be in a bit of a hurry, and he seemed nervous. I could only imagine what he was getting ready to do behind that door.

(((((((◉)))))))

I opened the front door to Whiskey's house on the side of the bar to see her at the dining table, eating quietly by herself. She seemed a bit bored, but after I pushed the door open and stepped inside, she looked up and smiled faintly.

"You came."

I closed the door behind me with a rear hoof. "Sorry if I'm late. We were trying to finish up the train car."

She nodded quietly, and I approached the dining table and pulled up a seat across from her. "Is it okay if I slip out of my armor?"

"Go ahead." She said with another little nod as she lifted a small glass of whiskey to her lips. She took a few gulps, coughed from the afterburn, then set it back down.

I stripped myself of my gear, put it on top of a wooden chest against the wall, and sat down at the other end of the table. There were some instamash potatoes, carrots, and four fancy buck cakes. I was kind of hoping for some meat, but... food was better than no food. Plus, this did look mighty tasty...

"Looks good." I smiled at her, and she levitated a glass of whiskey over to me after pouring some from a glass bottle. Wild Pegasus. The good stuff.

I took a drink from it before serving myself some of the food that was displayed.

"So, did Thunderwing ever wake up?"

"Only to puke." She replied as her ears folded back, clearly irritated. "And to bitch about how her head felt." She took another gulp from her glass. "Not my problem right now." She set the glass down, smirking as she put a hoof over her belly, licking her lips and closing her eyes. "Mm..." She closed her eyes, clearly satisfied by its warmth. "Gotta love the little things in life..."

"I'll drink to that." I said, raising my glass and taking a large gulp. I shuddered from the afterburn, as I did almost every other time I had alcohol. But hey! I didn't cough that time!

I had spent a few minutes eating the dinner that Whiskey had prepared, before going for another drink. However... my drink appeared to be empty. It wasn't like that earlier...

I swayed in my seat a little bit. The room started to spin, and my mouth was numb. I didn't even remember it going numb. Just, suddenly became numb. Weird... My gut carried a sweet warmth that was almost sickening.

I looked at the bottle of whiskey we had been drinking from, and found that most of it was already gone.

"Thas odd..." I slurred, looking at her. "I dun remember us drunkin' so mush..."

She laughed and shook her head. She was saying something, but my mind couldn't comprehend it. Her words were alien to me.

Time jumped ahead, and in an instant, I was out of my seat to the dining table and in the living room, dancing to some swing music that played on her gramophone.

Holy shit, whoever was shaking the room needed to stop right NOW!

Despite the sickness I was starting to feel, I continued dancing to the fast paced music. I couldn't control myself, or my thoughts! The alcohol was definitely in effect, now.

Whiskey sat on the couch, watching the show I provided, laughing.

I reached out a hoof, feeling myself smile, even through the numb sensation.

"C'mon, whiskey flank! Dance with me!"

I gave her a nickname now?

"No, no." She laughed. "I'm good."

"Ohhhh come on..." I took her hoof in mine and started to pull her out of her seat.

"No!" She shook her head, laughing a little more now. I could tell she was embarrassed. "I'm a horrible dancer!"

The needle of the record player jumped to a different song, and with it, time; our moods.

I was gazing into her eyes as she gazed into mine, smiling. We danced in the same manner that the soft, steady music suggested. Her hooves were wrapped around me, and mine around her.

Before I knew it, time jumped again, and I was back in the dining room, as if I had just been teleported. I witnessed the bottom of a glass that was shortly emptied of burn-throat amber goodness, and beyond that, a ceiling.

I lowered my head after gulping down the glass in one go.

"You good?" I heard Whiskey ask.

I turned around to see her looking at me with a wry smile.

"I'm awesome." I replied with a grin plastered on my face.

There time went again, hitting me more and more with unexpected jumps. Ugh...

Oh, whoa! Okay then!

This time, I was surprised to find myself lying over her; our lips locked with each other, and our tongues meeting. She tasted like whiskey, but I suppose I did too, at this point.

I closed my eyes, taking her embrace.

Fuck, the room was spinning more now than ever...

She pushed deeper into the kiss, and I started to roll off to the side. My initial plan was to swap places; her being on top, and me on bottom.

But my intoxicated mind didn't think that through.

Instead, I rolled off the couch, and seeing as I had a hold of Whiskey, she came with, about to land on top of me.

But time skipped again.

This time, we stayed on the floor. Sweating... Panting... Moaning...

A certain, fun part of me could feel her from the inside. And holy fuck, she felt amazing...

I opened my eyes to get a look at her up there, on me. Her bedraggled, rose colored mane hung over one eye as her horn pointed up at the ceiling. Her back was arched as she bounced up and down.

"Ahh, fuck... Whiskey..."

"Charger..." She moaned out in response, taking my forehoof in hers as she went at it.

I used my free hoof to caress her sweet, amber flank, over the two clinked shot glasses that resembled her cutiemark.

And then she changed.

Changed to Brug Mansia Petiole. Fucking me just like she did with Arum.

Get... get out of my head...

The next second... the next blink of my eyes, her tan coat changed to the same shade as mine. Her white mane changed to the same black as mine. Her violet eyes, to white noise...

She grinned down at me with malice...

Get out of my head.

I closed my eyes, mentally counting to five before opening them again.

The tan coat changed to white. The black mane to a dark blue. The eyes, from static to crimson, and her flank without a cutiemark.

GET OUT OF MY HEAD!

My heart ached... My eyes burned with hot tears as she smiled down at me, enjoying herself.

Suddenly, she stopped, noticing the anguish on my face.

"Hey, what's wrong...?" She asked softly. "Are you okay?"

I closed my eyes, hissing behind clenched teeth as I fought to not cry. I had already gone limp at that point.

"It's nothing..." I muttered, opening my eyes again. I was somewhat satisfied to see Whiskey River sitting atop me again. As much as I loved Snow Star... it hurt too much to see her...

"Hey, you can talk to me..." She caressed the side of my face with her hoof. "What's going on?"

I took a deep, shuddering breath. "I... I miss he-"

And then everything went black. All went silent.

Author's Note

Sorry it took so long to get this chapter out there, everyone. Work's been busy lately. I got a promotion.
I'd like to address that it's been a little over year now, since the first chapter was released. And look how far we've come.
Blows a party horn with lack of enthusiasm
I got drunk on the anniversary.

Anyways, special thanks to Kkat for FoE, Somber for PH, the endless list of writers out there that help build the FoE universe.

Oh, and that reminds me. I've been meaning to bring this up. I know that Blackjack and Little Pip are mentioned in this story a bit, but I in no way ever planned to have this story canon with theirs. Not that it would be anyways.

Also, special thanks to the readers and fans out there. It's appreciated. And special thanks to Nylten for her wonderful work on art for RS, Pines for the reviewing, and Alchestbreach for leading the rebellion on the radios.

Oh, and special thanks to my friend Scraton, as of chapter 18, for letting me use his music.

Here's an invite link to my Discord server, in case you want to talk to me or Pines, and meet other people. Just a hang out place.

https://discord.gg/783mVdd

Tell me if it doesn't work. It should, but who knows?

Channel 001.5; Old Friends, New Faces

A new face? Strong, but... not perfect. For a nominal fee, Doc Crocker can give you the looks you've only dreamed about before.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Morning came, and I felt as if someone had just performed brain surgery on me without knocking me out, or giving me something for the pain. Hangovers... gotta love 'em...

I groaned in pain; my ears folding back as I turned my head to the side. The surface I was pressed up against was soft, but kinda scratchy, too. I cracked my eyes open to find myself on the couch. Whiskey's couch.

What the fuck happened last night...?

I looked down to see a blanket over my body, and looking down at the floor, a metal bucket. It was filled about halfway with vomit. Guess that explained why my stomach hurt...

I let my head collapse back on the cushion, sighing.

"Fuck... my head..." I muttered groggily.

Sure felt like someone fucked my head... with a crowbar.

"Good morning, Charger." I heard Whiskey say in a soft, caring tone behind the couch. I really didn't want to think about her name right now... It made my stomach turn...

"Don't know about it being good..." I muttered, sitting up and groaning after. Ooo, that head rush though... "But it is a morning."

I looked over to see her smiling faintly as she set down two plates of breakfast at the dining table.

"Eggs are good for the hangover." She stated, sitting down. "So eat." I noticed she hadn't looked at me. Not even a glance...

I removed the blanket, got up, and stumbled over to the seat that awaited me. I sat slouched as I ate.

"Thanks, Whisk."

"Yeah..." She blushed a little, but she wasn't smiling. "Look... Charger... You're a nice guy and all, but... I just don't see you like that. It can't happen between us."

"I get it." I said simply, shrugging as I ate. "We were both pretty drunk last night. Sorry if I overstepped any boundaries."

"No..." She shook her head. "You didn't overstep anything. I had fun. I just didn't want you thinking there was something... more between us?" She looked on with a nervous grin.

"So I was a one night stand." I continued eating the breakfast she had made, all while keeping my eyes down on the plate.

"I... no! I mean... I guess... yeah..." She sighed and covered her face with a hoof. "But that's not what my initial plans were... I genuinely just wanted to hang out."

"Sounds like you have regrets."

"I... I dunno..." I looked up to see her hanging her head down. "I'm sorry about last night, Charger. I didn't know about Snow Star... or Firebright... If I had, I wouldn't have... you know..."

... What. Happened. Last. Night?

"What all did I tell you?" I asked, frowning and taking a break from the food to focus on her.

"Well... you said you were looking for your marefriend, Snow Star. And... you told me what Firebright did to you... The, uh... rape..."

"Hm..."

"I'm sorry I ruined it for you." She looked on with plea in her eyes.

"Honestly..." I looked down at the table. "Snow Star and I had an agreement, where if something happened to the other, that it wasn't wrong to move on with someone else. It's been so long, even if Snow Star is still alive, I doubt we'd still be together. If she is still out there somewhere, and got in with a group of other ponies, then chances are she found somepony else to keep her warm at night... I don't think you ruined anything."

"That... that sounds like the type of thing someone would say if they were giving up."

I shook my head hard, which I realized was a big mistake before it was too late to take it back. Damn hangover...

"I'm not giving up. I'm still going to look for her. If she is with some other stallion, then that's that. The thought hurts like hell, but I'd have closure. I'd know that she was alive, and that she found someone that made her happy. As much as it would kill me, I'd be happy for her. I love her, but I shouldn't fool myself. Sometimes... we just need to move on..." I resented that idea, but I knew I was right. There were just too many variables to this. "Besides... she moved on from me the moment she left..." That frown of mine became a bitter scowl.

She regarded me coolly. "If you're going to be passive aggressive about it, then what's the point?"

"Fuck if I know..." I shrugged, looking down.

"Well..." She paused. "I'm sorry, but I'm not the one for you."

"I know." I replied, looking back up at her once more.

"So there's no hard feelings then?"

"No hard feelings." I smiled faintly.

There was a brief moment of silence between us as we continued to eat our food. She broke it with a smirk as she looked at me.

"Kinda sucks we didn't get to finish our fun last night."

I smiled back, and soon found myself laughing a little. She joined me.

At least the day didn't start out with a bunch of dramatic bullshit. Didn't start out great, either. But it could have been worse.

Shortly after breakfast, there was a knock at the door.

Whiskey stood up and opened it to find Destrier standing there. Alongside him was a hungover Thunderwing, leaning against his armored frame with a bag of ice pressed against her temple. She looked me over, and I guess my physical appearance said a lot.

"You too, huh...?" She muttered groggily.

Destrier looked past Whiskey River, at me. "Caravan's heading back."

"Alright." I said, standing up and gathering my gear. "I'll catch up. Have Rivet wait for me."

Destrier nodded, then started to turn around. "He has your payment for the protection job." With that, the two of them were gone. I could hear Thunder's groans of discomfort gradually fade.

Whiskey closed the door and walked back to me. "Guessing I won't be seeing you for a while." She said quietly.

"Maybe. If I find myself around these parts again, I'll stop by."

She nodded with a faint smile. "It was nice to meet you, Charger. Glad someone understands me for a change. Even a little." She reached out a hoof, requesting a hug in a timid manner.

I wrapped my hoof around her and gave her what she wanted. She wasn't as firm as I was with my embrace, though.

"We had sex, whiskey flank." I said softly into her ear, which flicked my muzzle once the message was out there. I laughed under my breath and continued. "No need to be awkward about a hug."

She laughed softly in my ear and squeezed a little tighter before letting go.

I dressed into my armor, made an inventory check, and looked back at her. "See ya around, whiskey flank." I prodded at her chest, to which she giggled.

"See ya... Charger Surge Outlet."

Oh GODDESS FUCKING DAMN IT! She knew too!?

How much did I have to drink last night!?

"R-right..." I planted my face in my hoof and sighed. "Well... I should really start heading out before I say more embarrassing shit about my life."

She laughed under her breath. "It's really not that bad, but I understand you gotta go. Reckon I oughta open my bar for the NCR drunkies, anyways."

I gave her one last smile before I headed out.

The smoke from the fires were still there, and it was still snowing ash. I wondered how long this was going to last. It was starting to get really hot out, even from where I was standing.

Rivet landed next to me suddenly, causing me to jump back from the surprise.

"Ready to head out?" He asked, looking me over. "Fuck, you look like a train wreck."

"I feel like one, too." I smiled. "But yeah, I'm ready to g-"

"There you are." The familiar voice of a mare said from behind, towards the depot. I turned around to see Firefly trotting up to us; A lit cigarette hovering beside her. She wore a set of saddlebags, but I could still see her cutiemark. I still couldn't figure out what her talent was... "I'm glad I caught you before you left." She said as she stopped before me.

Uh oh... Was I in trouble...? She didn't really seem like the type of pony to mess with... Especially with that threat she threw at me involving my testicles and a Hearth's Warming Tree...

One of the bags glowed with the aura of her magic, and the flap folded back. She pulled out a rather large pouch, along with a piece of paper.

"Here's your payment for the repairs you did last night." She moved in a little closer, smiling faintly as she spoke in a lower volume. "I threw in a little bonus, cause I heard how well you and my son got along. He doesn't get many friendly faces around here, and he's been depressed lately, so I'm glad you gave him something good."

"T-thanks..." I replied cautiously.

She stuffed the pouch in one of my bags, along with the paper. It turned out to be the contract for the repairs, which had a red stamp on it, reading 'rectified.'

She took a pull off her cig and continued. "If you ever need more work, we have more than enough to go around."

"I'll take that into consideration." I nodded. "How come Rails doesn't have a whole lot of friends around here?"

She let out an exasperated sigh and shook her head, looking exhausted just at the thought. "Cause he's the son of two leaders of the compound that they're working on. Even worse, is the constant fighting. They don't want to get involved, and personally, I can't blame them. Even without the fighting, he wouldn't have any friends. That just seems to always be the way, for some reason. Pick on the child of the ponies that are in charge. Makes total sense..." She cracked a smile as she regarded me, then pulled me in for a brief hug. "Thank you." She started to turn around and head back.

"One more thing."

Rivet rolled his eyes, but remained quiet.

She paused and looked back with a raised brow.

"What's your cutiemark mean? I can't for the life of me figure it out."

She held her very faint smile and faced me directly once more. After taking another long pull off her cigarette, she started. "I come up with bright ideas. I specialize in pyro magic. I'm good at burning down the foundations of order. Really, it's all open to interpretation. Now, if you're going to stare at my flank, don't use the cutiemark as an excuse." She smirked as her tail flicked upward, and I began turning a dark shade of red. Ah, damn it... Well, she was very attractive...

"I... I don't think that last one is true." I said, trying to change the subject. "Goddess forbid there be a downfall to this place, I don't think you're the one to be the catalyst. From what I hear, you're the one keeping it up and running."

She looked at me for a few quiet seconds with a blank expression, before giving me a brief nod. "Hope to see you around again, kid."

Then she turned and left.

(((((((◉)))))))

The trip back was exhausting, but along the way, at the checkpoint, we crossed paths with the caravan that was enroute to the depot with the next batch of supplies for Hoofington. We greeted each other, and the caravaneer that hauled the goods thanked whoever left the message at the checkpoint.

I didn't know what that meant, but I assumed Destrier was the one behind it.

They had given us confirmation that the caravan before us made it back safely. Thankfully...

When we reached the entrance to the tunnel of the checkpoint, where we had our stand off against the ferals, I took notice to the message the caravan was referring to. It was written in the blood and intestines of ghouls, reading 'DON'T ENTER, FERALS INSIDE.'

"As if the hundred plus body count wasn't a dead give-away." I stated with a deadpan, looking over at Destrier.

"Puns?" Rivet raised a brow. "Really?"

... Huh. Didn't realize I had made a pun... Heh... That was a good one...

We took a break at the Donut Joe restaurant for a long while, as we were all cramping at that point. Fours hours of trekking can do that.

Most of my break was spent smoking half of a cig, eating the rest, and examining the weird powder in the plastic container that was meant for me, and me alone. I couldn't begin to fathom what it was... If it was even dangerous or not. All I could do was assume. And that assumption kept the container sealed tight. I wasn't going to take my chances. Not until Petiole studied it first. Surely he could find something out with his weird science fetish. White Noise didn't believe in sides, so I didn't know if this was to help me, or hurt me in some way.

By the time we had made it back to Virtue, the sun was already tucking itself underneath the horizon.

"Fuck..." Thunderwing said as she stretched her hindquarters out. "If anyone needs me, I'll be at Decon 6." She flapped her wings a few times before taking to the skies.

"Decon 6?" I asked, raising a brow.

"Virtue's spa." Blaze replied.

"Honestly..." His lover started. "That doesn't sound like a bad idea right about now." He nuzzled Blaze, stretched his wings, and took off after Blaze gave him a quick kiss on his muzzle. He turned to the remaining party.

"Don't know about the lot of you, but I'm gonna catch some zzzs." He nodded just before trotting away. "Night."

"Goodbye." Destrier said, walking in a different direction.

The caravaneer was already taking leave without so much as a word. He didn't really seem like the social type anyways.

Then there were two.

I looked over at Rivet, rubbing the back of my head with a nervous grin. "So... you wanna grab a drink or somethin'?"

He regarded me with a flat, unamused expression. "Not with you. I'm your bodyguard. Not your friend. You're nothing more than a constant supply of caps." He reached into his bags, pulled out a sack that was double the size of the previous, then tossed it at my chest. I grunted, and upon impact, my hoof flared up with red, electrical current. The sack fell in the mud, and some of the caps spilled out. "I'm out. Bye." He took to the air before I could say anything.

Oh, I was NOT letting him have the last word! I glared up at him, raised a hoof to the sky, and shouted as loud as my voice would let me. "YEAH, FUCK YOU TOO, YOU GREEDY SON OF A BITCH! AT LEAST I HAVE FRIENDS!"

That earned me a few looks from the ponies in the vicinity, but I didn't care. With my metal hoof crackling like crazy, I gathered up the caps that spilled out and put both them and the sack in my bag with the other, before taking off for the motel.

I opened the door to our room; my mood now ruined from that stupid griffin. But that mood quickly went from angry to slightly amused at what I found inside.

Para was wiping white paint on Fluky's face, who sat there before him, smiling. Little Buddy was sitting beside him, and Petiole was leaned back in the chair I caught Happy in when I first walked in. He was checking the scope on a rifle he had acquired.

I noticed that Para had also changed his wardrobe. The straw hat was upgraded to a black stetson, and the jacket was replaced with a black one; still with as many pockets as before. The sleeves were red.

Simultaneously, the three of them turned to look who walked in, and I was greeted with two smiles. Petiole was still hiding behind his mask. Typical.

"You're back!" Para said happily.

"I'm back." I smiled back at them. "Seems I missed a lot while I was away."

"It's good to see you again, Robutt." Fluky responded with sincerity. Her face was white, while the rest of her coat was still yellow.

I stepped in and closed the door behind me, stripping myself of my gear after. "It feels good to be back, believe me." I set my gear down next to the bed and looked over at Petiole, nodding him over.

He nodded back and stood up, to which I discovered he had the same arm attachment for his shoulder and rifle that I did. He calmly walked over as Para happily continued smearing white paint on Fluky's coat.

"What's the problem?" He asked quietly, inches from my muzzle.

I slipped the container out and held it between us. "I need you to study this. Analyze it, figure out what it is."

"What is it?" He looked down at it.

I let out an exasperated sigh and planted my hoof over my face. Damn it, Petiole... you did not just ask that...

"I don't know. That's why I need you to analyze it. It was found on the streets, on the way to the depot. There was a note underneath it that had my name on it. So I really need to know what it is..." Not to mention I had some demon trying to get me to open it...

"Consider it done." He took the container and slipped it into one of his bags. "Now I need to tell you something. Walk with me." He started for the door, and I hesitantly followed.

We left the room, and he closed the door behind us, turned to me, and continued.

"I did the analysis on Para. Fluky, even." He started messing with his pipbuck, and soon enough, two audio files were delivered to mine. "Listen to them in your own time, but be warned... Para is not what he seems... Be careful around him..."

I looked up from my screen, into his visor. "What did he say to you...?"

He stared back for the longest time, in eerie silence, before replying. "Find out for yourself."

With that, he opened the door again and stepped inside. I followed him in and closed the door, heading straight for the bed. I fell back, letting my back press into its soft, welcoming surface. Felt great to be back...

Oh. Another pun. Heh... Woops!

Oddly enough, I didn't hear the radio playing any music. I looked over to see it was still on, so that was relieving. Happy wasn't out and about.

Petiole was back to checking the sights on his new gun as he sat back in his seat.

Things were quiet in the room for a while.

I sat up on the bed, and at once, noticed Petiole aiming the barrel of the rifle directly at me. My heart stopped in my chest for a moment. What was this...?

I frowned. "You aim that thing at me, you better know how to pull the trigger, ghoul."

He chuckled softly. "Maybe someday. Cure or kill, after all." He aimed the gun away from me and looked down at Fluky. Para was working on painting her chest now. "Para, don't paint all of her."

"Awwww, but it's fun!" He pouted, but kept painting.

"Yeah, come on!" Fluky started, looking at him with pleading eyes.

"I don't want you sleeping in that stuff." He looked back at her. "It can be toxic."

"So can you, Petiole." I smirked as he spun his head around at me.

"Good way to get shot."

"I call bullshi-"

Before I could finish my sentence, something smacked me across the cheek. Hard. Whatever it was dropped down on the mattress, right in front of me.

It was a pebble painted white...

I looked over at Para to see him shaking his head at me in disapproval.

Ugh... not this pebble thing again...

Petiole continued to stare me down through his visor; his LEDs red. "Don't become a ghoul, or your sentence will start early. And become summary."

I sighed, ready for a topic change. I looked over at Para. "So where are you getting this paint?"

"Oh, it's not paint." He grinned, still keeping his eyes on his work. "It's Para Approved Dye."

"Hey, you said it wasn't going to be permanent." Petiole stated. "Dye is permanent. You lied."

"Glide?" He frowned and looked at the stubs of his wings, which wiggled a little bit. "I don't glide. I can't even fly."

Petiole stared at him for a while, before hanging his head down in defeat. "I give up with you..."

"You give up with chew?" Para's face lit up with joy. "Well, good for you! Stay away from tobacco, I say!"

"I don't chew tobacco."

He paused, thinking to himself for a bit. "So... you don't chew tobacco... So you give up on chewing food? Well, I'd be more careful with eating, if I were you..."

Petiole shook his head, stood up, and made his way for the door. "I'm going out for a walk. Charger, if you need me, track my pipbuck tag."

"Wait!" Para reached a hoof out to him as he looked over at the ghoul, who had just opened the door. "If you have trouble swallowing the food, then down a bar of butter first! It should help things slide down so much easier!"

Petiole closed the door behind him without saying a word, and Para turned to me with a worried expression. His ears folded back. "Do you think he heard me...?"

I nodded slowly. "Yes, Para. He heard you."

He sighed and smiled faintly after a few seconds. "Phew! That's a relief." He resumed painting Fluky white, as if nothing had happened.

"I'm no expert, but I don't think that's how dyes generally work..." I stated, examining her coat. "The color comes in only after it's washed out, doesn't it?"

"Ah, but this is Para-Approved." He raised a hoof halfway, grinning with confidence. "It's instant. No need for rinsing, no burns. It's clean, and it's quick."

"So you've used it before, then?" I raised a brow, regarding him.

"I..." He paused, thinking to himself. "I... can't seem to remember... I think so...? Maybe I did in a dream...?" He looked down at the filly, completely baffled and confused. I didn't know what to make of that... "Huh..." Finally, he shrugged and continued. "Oh well. It doesn't matter."

"Well... just be careful with her, alright?" I rolled off the bed and started to head for the door. "I'm gonna go for a bit of a walk myself."

"If you see Petty Old, remind him to swallow a bar of butter before eating anything! He gave up on chewing, after all!"

"I don't think that's what he said..." Fluky stated softly.

"Yeah, Para. I'll... tell him..." I walked out, shaking my head. "Fuckin' weirdo." That was too much crazy for me in such short notice.

"I'm... sorry...?"

I looked to my right to find Shadow Hoof standing there with a puzzled look.

I smiled faintly and shook my head. "It's nothing. Good to see you again."

"Likewise... I think." He gave me a brief nod. "So, you finished your business at the station then, huh?"

I nodded. "Yep."

"Sounds like good, honest work." He smiled and patted me on the shoulder. He was still awkward about things, but he seemed to be coming out of his shell a bit more.

"Do you wanna grab a drink with me?" I asked, before looking around. "Is there a bar anywhere around here?"

"Oh, I don't drink..." He started blushing. "I try to keep my mind fresh and in control of itself. But we do have a club just down the street."

"A club?" I grinned happily. "Hell yeah! Let's go dance then!"

"Oh, I don't dance..." He smiled sheepishly.

I immediately scowled at his reply, to which he continued.

"I'm bad at it."

"Pfft, so what?" I nudged his chest with a hoof. "So am I. Doesn't mean we can't have fun!"

He rolled his eyes and smiled. "Well... alright. I'll go. But I don't know about dancing..."

"You'll change your mind." I walked past him, giving his flank a smack with my tail. He gasped and turned bright red at the contact, and I chuckled softly to myself. It was far too fun to tease.

(((((((◉)))))))

"Heyyy..." I started, narrowing my eyes as I looked around the room that I had built too much excitement for. It was too still here... "I thought you said this was a club..." Nopony danced, no one seemed to be having fun... Probably because no one was here!

"I... guess everyone's been busy with the shipments to Hoofington. Usually, this place is packed."

"Newsflash." I looked around at the few Handy units that hovered behind the counter. My gut jolted at the sight of them. My memory of buzzsaws had been drilled into my head, cause it was as if my thoughts were feeling it all over again. They didn't seem hostile though, and there was no red on my E.F.S. I kept my eyes on them regardless. "It's not."

I started for the bar.

"Hey, where're you going?"

I glanced back with a smirk. "We came here to have fun, didn't we? So let's get on with it! I wanna rock out with my cock out!"

"O-oh my..." I heard Shadow Hoof whisper behind me.

I grinned before stopping at the bar, and laid a forehoof down on the surface as I looked at one of the units that seemed eerily fixated on me.

"Two shots of whiskey." I nodded my head behind me. "This guy's payin'."

"Hey, what?" He balked as he moved to my side.

"Don't worry. I'll pay you back." I said, smiling sincerely. "I didn't exactly bring my caps with me..."

He sighed, rolled his eyes grudgingly, and dropped some caps on the counter.

The shot glasses were set down before us, and we watched as they were filled with that sweet, burning amber.

"Down the hatch, sailor." I lifted my glass, and he hesitantly lifted his with his magic. He seemed to struggle with his horn a bit, for some reason, cause the glass dropped from his telekinetic grasp a few times before he caught it again.

We clinked glasses, and I downed mine in two gulps. He started sipping on his before coughing.

"Ah..." I moved forward and pressed my muzzle against the bottom of his glass, making him drink it all in one go. He protested, but only vocally.

"Wa-gak! Urk! Glk." He didn't pull away, though.

"There's a reason we call them shots, love. Cause we drink them... in one shot."

He coughed and shuddered excessively after the glass was pulled away, and he set it down, giving me a sour, bitter look. "W-whoa... Geez, that's rough..."

"Just the way I like it." I winked and looked back at the bartender. "Give us 'nother two!" I blurted as I raised my hoof triumphantly.

"Wait, more!?" He balked again.

"Damn right, more! Gonna show you how to party, Charger style!"

He rolled his eyes with annoyance and put more caps down. "This is how you hate yourself in the morning, Charger..."

My smile faded at the tone in his voice... He wasn't having fun...

"Hey..." I gently placed a hoof on his shoulder, and he looked over as our shots were getting filled. "Tell you what... After this, we can do something you want, okay? It can be anything." I looked over at the machine that still made me feel a little uneasy. It didn't help that it had a buzzsaw, too... "Give, uh... Um..." I froze; my eyes fixated on that polished, circular saw on the end of its arm. Fuck, my gut...

Something touched my shoulder, and I flinched, spinning towards...

Shadow Hoof. A worried, startled Shadow Hoof.

I took a deep breath, finally remembering how to breathe again, and shook my head, keeping my eyes away from the Handy unit altogether.

"Give my friend a Sparkle Cola for a chaser..."

The arms began to rotate, causing me to jolt away from the counter a bit. The buzzsaw was getting closer, and I wasn't having that...

I jumped back, gasping as the saw stopped in front of me. I bit down on air, instead of the bit to my rifle, trying to shoot the metal thing before me. My heart pounded in my chest...

"Hey, you okay...?" Shadow asked softly.

I looked over, trying to gulp down my fear, and nodded back at him with a forced smile. "Mhm..."

The clasp grabbed a hold of the neck of a regular cola bottle, brought it back around, and set it down before him. It twisted off the cap soon after, and Shadow Hoof tossed down a couple more of his own bottle caps for the soda, before smiling at me.

"Well, it sounds like a good deal to me." He finally replied. "I accept. And uh... maybe we can party out with our cocks out?" He grinned sheepishly, starting to blush.

I grinned back, trying to forget about the buzzsaws and throw them into the part of my brain that housed my deep, dangerous thoughts. "I'll drink to that..." We clinked glasses again, before downing our whiskey.

He coughed and shuddered, but quickly went for the chaser straight after, gulping down about a quarter of the bottle.

Mmm... Good gag reflexes...

He shook his head and laughed under his breath. "W-wow, that stuff's strong..."

"You don't have to drink anymore, if you don't want to."

Hic! "Yeah, maybe we shoul-hic!-ugh... should stop. Feelin'... hic! ... it..." He began to sway in his seat a little bit.

Okay, either he was a really bad lightweight, or he couldn't tell the difference between being buzzed and being drunk. Still, I got some humor out of it.

"Alright, let's get you back to your place." I stood up and helped him off his stool.

He smiled at me faintly after he got down, and we began to make our way back.

Wasn't the most fun I've had, but I guess I'd just have to find a different drinking buddy... and a bar where the bartenders weren't Handy units... Thunderwing sounded like a good match.

"Gosh, I'm such a hic! wreck..." He said as we left the building and walked the streets. "I'm hic! boring, aren't I...?"

I shook my head in a calm manner. "No, you're not boring. A bit nervous, but not boring."

"I feel...hic!... boring..." He hung his head down and groaned as we walked side by side. I sighed and patted him on the back.

"Let's get you home."

(((((((◉)))))))

"You do realize you're not drunk, right?" I said as I watched him stumble over to his bed, mumbling to himself.

We were in the same room I had first seen him come out of. Bookshelves were lined up all along the walls of what was clearly his bedroom, filled with classic literature, as well as more modern day works. Stuff like how to survive in the wasteland, and how to cook food out in said wasteland.

He seemed to keep things well organized too, as I noticed the fiction was kept separate from the non-fiction, and everything was kept in alphabetic order, going by the author's first and last name, and then the title of the book.

"Huh...?" He spun around and looked me over, before collapsing on his bed and groaning. "I feel so weird..."

I shook my head and stepped forward. "Just get some rest, then."

Within a few seconds, he was already snoring.

... Alright, then...

I put his blanket over his body, up to his neck, then went for the restroom that I had spotted in his place of residence, just down a short hall that was connected to his bedroom. I came back with a metal bucket. There were two there, and judging by the condition of one of them, it was meant to relieve ones bowel movements. I wasn't touching that...

I set the clean bucket down beside his bed. Now if he, for some reason, started puking, it wouldn't get all over the place. I also made sure to keep him on his side and fortified his back against the wall, so he wouldn't choke on any vomit in the middle of the night.

I watched over him for a short while, but he was out like a light. There was no real reason to stick around anymore, so I showed myself out and locked his office up, just in case someone got the idea to rob him.

This place seemed peaceful enough, but... it was better to be safe, rather than sorry.

I went back to our room to find that Fluky was painted completely white, with a black and red mane and tail. I had no idea where the red eye contacts came from...

And she had a cutiemark now. Two playing cards; An ace and a queen.

Para looked over with a wide grin on his face, pointing both forehooves at her, giving her the spotlight as he stood on his hind legs with absolutely no trouble at all. Odd how he was able to do something like that... "Lookie here, Churger! I made us a mini Blackjack!"

I didn't even know what Blackjack looked like, but he claimed he was in Hoofington at one point. Perhaps he had met her once.

Wait... didn't he say something about a security mare kicking him out during a card game, once...? It could have just been my imagination, or maybe just a strong coincidence... Blackjack wasn't the only security mare out there, obviously. I imagined there was a lot of security out in the wasteland.

Fluky smiled up at me. "How do I look?"

"You look good, Flukes." I smiled back, but she quickly frowned and stomped a hoof.

"Stop calling me that!"

I chuckled in response. "Stop calling me Robutt."

"Never!"

"Then I'll never stop calling you Flukes. No one's winning here... Flukes."

She turned bright red with fuming anger and frustration as I grinned.

Shortly after, she closed her eyes and shook her head rapidly. "Agh!" She sat on her haunches and pouted. "Stupid Robutt!"

I closed the door behind me and sat on the bed, looking over at Para.

"So how did we get all this stuff, anyways?"

He smiled at me before replying. "Turns out Vroom Chu needed help counting nuggets."

"Vroom Chu?" I raised a questioning brow.

"So who better to do the job than me?" He pointed a hoof at his chest happily. "They paid me, so I bought some stuff." He began to reach into one of his jacket pockets. "By the way, I found this."

The object in his hoof glowed white.

"The merchant said it was found on a sleeping baddie just north of here, and I remember a baddie taking one of these off you, so I wanted to replace the one that was lost. They're so pretty... and so warm." He gently rolled it over to me along the floor, and I set a hoof down on it before it could roll underneath the bed.

The raider called it a memory orb before pocketing it. I didn't know how I could get into it, though. I was an earth pony.

Could this even be the same orb that was taken from me? The one labeled as 'Happy?' A part of me really hoped that was the case... I needed to know what I was dealing with...

I slipped it into the pouch on my barding for later. I'd try and figure something out.

"-addle fires are spreading to the outskirts." Tuner started abruptly. "Let's hope they burn themselves out, or somepony out there has a good heart and works on trying to take it out before it gets too out of control. Even then, it's going to take more than just one pair of hooves to deal with this. A lot more."

"Ugh..." Para shook his head, messing with the volume dial. "I think the dial on this is broken. It keeps turning itself up."

"I thought you liked music..." I stated, narrowing my eyes at him.

"I do, but I got this massive headache, and I'm trying to get rid of it." He began rubbing his temples with the tips of both forehooves.

"There's an interesting story behind these fires." Tuner continued. "See, it all started with one pony. One became two. Two became three. One got lost, and another took his place. The trio remained underground, where the beasts of nightmares waited. They sought to destroy hell, and all that came with it, and so they went to the heart of the beast, and destroyed it. They ran after that. Ran as the raging fires of hell chased after them. They made it out by the skin of their teeth, but the fires escaped with them, and at once, began the consumption of Saddle."

I sat up quickly and grabbed the radio from Para.

"Hey, what are you doing?"

I looked at him and paused as Tuner kept talking about my friends and I. "Uh... just gonna try and fix it. Don't worry. I'll bring it back. Promise." With that, I stepped into the bathroom and locked the door behind me.

"Tuner."

"And their names are Charger."

"Tuner, stop."

"Fluky."

"Tuner, I know you can hear me!" I gave the radio a smack, and he stopped.

"Ahem... yes, Charger?"

"What the fuck are you doing? Are you actually broadcasting out to the wasteland? Or are you just playing around with us?"

"I was broadcasting. Until you rattled my cage, that is." He sounded mildly frustrated.

I balked. "Are you insane? The wrong ponies can hear that, and I already have a ton on my plate!" I was starting to shout in my own frustration of this whole situation.

"Oh yes." Happy started. "You do. Because you're important, and important ponies always have a lot on their plate. They have jobs. Important jobs. I'm sure you already know yours by now. You need only act on it."

"Get out of here." I glared down at the radio. "I'm not talking to you. Put Tuner back on."

"Oh, he stepped out for a little while. I think he said something about getting a pack of smokes."

Bullshit... "What do you want?" I snapped. My ears folded back, and my hoof lit up in a red electrical current. "Why are you talking to me?"

"Why wouldn't I? You and I have the same goal. Relieve ponies of their pain. And win. We can win, and make others happy. I can make you happy."

"Shut up."

"I can take away the pain of your home. I know what your sister did to you. Tuner talks too much."

"Shut up!" I gave the radio another whack, and the electricity grew.

There was a sudden knock at the door, and I tensed up.

"You okay in there?" Fluky asked.

"Uh, y-yeah!" I shouted, looking back at the door. "I'm fine!" I looked back to the radio and spoke in a lower voice, sitting down. My hoof mildly subsided the electrical current. It was a relief it didn't ever target my body. In fact, it seemed to avoid my body entirely. Never to burn or scar me. It always wrapped around my mass whenever it got too close. I was starting to notice that now.

"You're not going to kill anyone, Happy. I'll make sure that you stay in there, where you can't hurt anyone anymore."

"Ugh..." Tuner groaned. "Sorry about that... Happy gained control for a bit."

I sighed and closed my eyes, calming myself. My hoof only buzzed and crackled softly now.

"I do have to say, though... I think you and P-21 would have gotten along quite well. Maybe even become more than just friends."

"Who the hell is P-21?" I raised a brow, frowning as I asked in an exasperated tone.

"Blackjack's friend. You two share something common."

"And what's that?"

"Females took advantage of him, too. Threatened to have him killed if he didn't do what he demanded. I also think that you could learn something from him."

"I have a lot to learn." I stated simply, caressing the frame of my metal hoof with a fore. Still felt weird having... and off-putting, not being able to feel the contact through my Tungstian appendage. But the pain was gone, at least. Healed nicely, considering...

"You certainly do. And one of those lessons is forgiveness. Acceptance. He forgave Blackjack, who did a lot of damage over the years. Accepted it. It took time, but maybe you should try and forgive your sister."

I quickly stood up, already feeling the anger build up again. With it, came the sudden outburst of electricity. "Are. You. Insane?" My voice started to raise once more. "She took everything from me, Tuner! Everything!"

"Maybe so. But Virtue is about forgiveness, isn't it? Forgive others. Not because they deserve it, but because you deserve peace. Because you deserve happiness."

"Easy for you to say..." I muttered, really wanting to change the topic. "Why does Para have a migraine?" I asked grumpily.

"Something's coming. And Happy knows it. He wants to finish what he started, but I've been doing what I can to prevent him from getting back in his body. Hence the migraine you mentioned."

I froze for a brief second, staring down at the device. "What's coming?"

I didn't get a reply. I knew why...

I shook my head, more frustration building. "Okay, fine... Then answer me this. Does Para need to have the radio on him to keep Happy away? Or can the radio just be around him?"

"It can be around, but it works better, the closer it is to him."

"Noted." I grabbed the radio, still looking down at it. My hoof had gone cold again. Phew... "I'd prefer it if you didn't hurt Para anymore."

"Sorry. I don't meant to. But Happy is making it rather difficult for me..."

I nodded somberly. "Don't let him out..."

"Doing my best not to."

I opened the door and stepped out. Fluky was giving me a weird look of worry and confusion, but I gave her a faint smile.

"Hey."

"Are you SURE you're okay? I heard you talking to yourself in there. And it started to sound like fighting..." She took a glance at the bathroom behind me, leaning to the side a bit.

"I'm fine. I was just trying to fix the radio, and it was being stubborn." I put the radio beside Para and looked at him, who was still rubbing his temple. "You'll be okay, Para. Promise." I gave him a reassuring smile, and a pat on the back, to which he looked at me and gave me a beaming smile. His forearms spread out wide, and he gave me the most body crushing hug I had ever felt! Agh, fuck! Damn, he was strong!

I tapped on his back, gasping for breath. I felt my back pop! Though, that didn't really hurt. Felt good, actually.

Shortly after picking up my signals, he let go, still giving me that endearing grin. "You're such a nice friend."

I chuckled awkwardly and rubbed the back of my head. "Don't know about that, but I try..."

He looked down at the radio for a few seconds, and that smile faded to distaste. He picked it up and shoved it against my chest.

Oof...

I quickly took it with both forehooves, staying upright on my haunches as I looked at him in confusion; my ears wilting.

"You take it for a little while. I don't want it around. The frequency hurts..."

Uh... okay. It was kinda hard to tell if it was Para saying that sincerely, or if Happy was reaching out to me again. Regardless, I hugged the radio close to my chest as I walked for the bed. If I was going to hold on to the battery, I needed to stay close to Para.

"Wake me if you need anything."

(((((((◉)))))))

That night, I appeared to be restless.

Wooden floorboards creaked in the dead of night, which didn't help. It made me paranoid, more than anything... Wondering if it was a pony lurking about, or just the wind...

Para and Fluky were fast asleep. She was lying atop his stomach, snuggled up close. Para had his hooves wrapped around her like a teddy bear, which was somewhat amusing, seeing as she was also snuggling the teddy bear she got from 32. I found it rather adorable.

I had no idea where Petiole was, anymore. Hopefully on patrol or something...

I stared up at the dark ceiling above me after what felt like hours of just lying there. I couldn't sleep. I couldn't stop thinking. A lot of the thoughts weren't even important. It mostly consisted of small things, or small little stories I was telling myself. Stuff that made no sense. I was bored as hell...

I looked at the radio to my left for a short while, finally, taking in the dim, amber glow in the small, dirty glassed frame that housed the needle.

I sighed, looked back up at the ceiling, then got up, leaving the radio on the mattress. If I couldn't get some shut eye, then maybe some fresh air would have done me some good.

I stepped out quietly, as to not wake the others, then closed the door with the same care that I had used in opening it.

I sat down on the front porch, leaned up against one of the wooden support beams, looking out at the still night. The sky was black. No stars were to be seen this night. The air carried a mild warmth behind its breeze, and the scent of burning wood still remained.

I pulled out a cig, lit the end, and took a pull before operating my pipbuck. Now was as good a time as any to check on the analysis files that Petiole had made for me.

The files were simply named after my friends. I clicked on the first one, which was Fluky. Though I don't think she considered me a friend, I know I considered her one.

It was hard to tell with just two files here, but it was listed in alphabetical order so far. I could only assume the pipbuck would be doing all the organizing for me.

Petiole's voice started, and I made sure to keep the volume down a little. I didn't want to disturb anyone.

"Tell me about yourself."

"Well, you already know my name." Fluky stated.

"Say it for the recording."

She sighed. "Fluky."

"How old are you?"

"12."

"Do you know any magic?"

"No... not really. I try to teach myself, but... I guess I'm just a slow learner."

"Charger feels differently."

"He's an earth pony." She spoke with distaste. "He doesn't know what he's talking about."

There was a brief moment of silence between the two, before Petiole sighed. "How did you two meet?"

There was another moment of silence, before she replied quietly. My heart was starting to race... I knew how much she despised me for what I did. I knew she saw me as a monster... And now she had told Petiole. She had-

"He saved me." She stated in a soft, careful tone.

I... wasn't expecting that...

"He saved me..." She reiterated. "... And a part of me hates him for it..."

"Why?"

"Cause I'd have preferred dying with the rest of my friends and family than being the one he decided to rescue. I can still hear them screaming..." Her voice began to shake. "I don't... I don't want to hear them anymore... I need it to be over... I want to die..."

I quickly turned the file off. My hooves were trembling, and I was shuddering under my breath. Tears burned at my eyes. Not for what I did... but for how she felt, deep down... It was my fault she felt like this... I became my sister... I had ripped everything Fluky ever loved, right out of her arms. And she had to listen to all of them die...

"Damn i-" I muttered before my throat gave out, forcefully swallowing as a reflex. Tears slid down my face. "No..." I closed them and began taking deep breaths. Deep, slow breaths of oxygen that I had no business taking for myself. I was better off dead... I was a murderer, even before Saddle...

But... if I got my wish, and I died, then everyone I murdered would have died for nothing... Right? All those unicorns back at the bunker that I tortured... They were all just means to an end for my own benefit. To gain the trust of the tyrants known as the Steel Rangers. To gain their trust until I found my opportunity to run and track down Snow Star. But even when I had my opportunity, I stuck around to assist in the massacre of Saddle...

I was so used to killing helpless ponies, that it had become second nature for me. It was what I was good at... And at that time, I didn't see my opportunity. I didn't want to. Hence my hesitation before joining the rangers in the killing. A part of myself knew that... Knew that I didn't have to... That I could run... Some small part of me knew... Run like a coward...

But I had shut it out anyways...

Because for me, killing was second nature... It was the natural order of things for me to murder... I had become the ranger's weapon. My plan to escape was so convoluted, but after a few victims, I was starting to get better at not caring... It was them or me... And I chose me...

Throughout those years, my plans had started becoming distorted, and there were times that I forgot why I was doing it...

I was a natural born killer...

It was second nature...

And so a demon had convinced me to start killing Saddle's inhabitants...

A demon named Charger...

And after all these years, I was only recently starting to realize how much I was destroying... How much I destroyed Fluky, among oh so many others...

I shook my head, opened my eyes, and looked at the screen through my obscured vision, courtesy of the tears I wept for the deceased. The deceased who covered my hooves in their own blood, and haunted me in nightmares.

I hesitantly clicked on Para's file, hissing behind clenched teeth and shuddering behind more tears that threatened to give way.

Music played in the background.

"Can you turn that down?" Petiole asked aloud in an annoyed tone. "I'm trying to talk to you. It's rude."

"I need it on."

"Fine, then turn it down, at least."

"Awwwww, but I like this song!"

"Para." Petiole rasped, before coughing and hacking violently.

"Alright, alright!" The volume was lowered, and Petiole began to calm down.

"Now..." The ghoul began. "Why can't you turn it down? Why does it need to stay on?"

"Well, whenever I turn it off, I fall asleep. When I wake up, bad things have happened..."

"What bad things?"

"Messy things..." Para muttered in shame.

"Murder?"

"Burger?" Para asked. "Oh, no thanks. I just ate." Judging by how he sounded right there, I imagined he was beaming at Petiole with that impossibly white grin of his.

Petiole took a deep breath before resuming. His patience was clearly being put to the test. "Why do you have trouble understanding others?"

"Bubble understanding brothers? Pfft, you're weird."

"Are. You. Deaf?" Petiole asked emphatically.

A few seconds of silence occurred, before Petiole resumed.

"Say it for the recording."

"I don't really know. Sometimes things seem quieter than they should. And there's times I get this really bad ringing in my ears."

"It's probably because you blast music so close to your ear drums." Petiole spoke in clear distaste of that part of him. "I'll take a look at that later."

Para suddenly gasped. "There's drums in my ears!? Oh man, I knew I was made for music!"

There was some movement, shortly followed by an annoyed Petiole. "Have you ever suffered any trauma? Specifically to the head?"

"Not that I know of."

"Does your family have a history of mental disorders?"

"Family...?" Para's voice got quiet at that moment.

"Your mother or father?"

"Not... sure..."

There was a brief moment of silence. "Tell me about your wings. Or lack of... What happened to them?"

"I... I woke up like this..."

"You woke up with your wings gone?"

"Y-yeah... They were already wrapped up... But they still hurt when I woke up... For the first time..."

"Where did you wake up?" Petiole resumed.

"Near a bunker. It was abandoned, though."

"Where was this bunker located?"

"To the east. Near Hoofington."

"Was there anything else over there?"

"... A battery..."

"Battery?"

"It's... nng... It's powering my... powering... my... Agh!"

His groans and shouts of pain were a little unsettling, but what really had me concerned was the heavy thud of a body, shortly after.

"Para? Are you okay?"

"Para isn't here anymore." Happy replied.

"... And who are you?"

"Oh, our paths have crossed before, Petiole. I must say, though... It certainly has been a while."

"How do you know my name? Who are you?"

"I have many names, but I'm mostly referred to as Happy. I hope you found the present I left on your pet fox."

There was a long moment of silence between the two, before Happy resumed.

"She was suffering. She was in pain. So I made her happy."

"You killed her...?" Petiole asked softly.

"I did no such thing. I only made her feel better. You're just like the others. Always judging. No one can see the bigger picture. Well... except for Charger, of course..."

"I'm going to destroy you." Petiole said; his voice wobbling as if he were on the brink of tears.

"No, you're not. You can't. Souls are way too powerful to destroy. And even if you managed to take out the battery that houses us, then you'd be the killer."

"W-what are you talking about...?"

"Back, you little gremlin!" Tuner shouted at once.

"What's going on here?" Petiole asked quickly. He coughed a little bit from the strain put to his vocals.

"Stupid murdering psychopath..." Tuner sighed. "Sorry about that, Petiole. My name is Tuner."

"What is all this...?"

"We're... gonna need to have a talk. I'll have to ask that you to turn off the recording first, though."

There were a few seconds left in silence before the file ended.

I stared at the pipbuck screen for the longest time, before finishing off my cig, stomping it out, stepping inside, grabbing the radio, and walking into the restroom and locking the door behind me.

I stared intently at the needle, as if it were Tuner's eyes.

"What did you and Petiole talk about?"

"I asked him to do something for you." Tuner replied instantly.

"Do what?" I hissed, clenching my jaw.

"You'll find out eventually. Don't worry about it."

"Look, Tuner." My hoof started building up a mild charge as the frustration inside me grew. I didn't like secrets being kept from me. Especially if they were about me... "I'm getting sick and tired of all the mystery bullshit. I'm getting tired of the games... Just tell me what it is you and Petiole talked about, or tell me where Snow Star is. Or Celestia as my witness, I am going to rip that fucking battery out. Para doesn't need the radio. Just the battery."

"Hm..." Tuner chuckled. "Well... I gotta say, you put me in a tough spot there. Not gonna take the chance of calling your bluff. I prefer having a voice. Alright... I can't tell you directly what I told Petiole, but I can say that it is in your favor. All I can really say is that things are gonna get a hell of a lot worse, before they get better..." He paused, then added. "Does that save me from not having a voice?"

I sighed and closed my eyes, and the electricity started to die down a little. "I suppose, Tuner..." I ran my hoof across the top of the radio's frame gently, looking down at it. "Did you tell Petiole anything about the battery?"

"I did. And that, I can actually tell you, as well."

"So start with what Happy was talking about when he said Petiole would be the killer if he destroyed the battery."

"Okay..." Tuner took a deep breath, as if he were bracing himself for whatever he was about to say. "I don't want you to freak out, so let me start off by saying that soul magic has a way of giving inanimate objects a sort of... shield, I guess is the word that comes to mind. It doesn't make things indestructible, but it takes a lot to destroy something if it's being used as a soul jar."

"Alright, whatever. Spill it."

"So... assume the battery was destroyed, right? What happens when batteries, generators, and engines get destroyed?"

"They... stop working?"

Tuner went silent for a few moments after that. "Uh... okay, what happens when batteries, generators, and engines overheat?"

"They explode...?"

"They explode." He stated matter of factly. "The destruction of the UPC-07 would be about the equivalent of roughly 1,000 megaspell nukes."

My heart sank the moment I heard that number...

Holy fuck... The fate of Equus sat right in front of me...

"Just enough to completely level Equestria, and then some..."

"B-buh..." I gulped and blinked a few times. "But... if the power of a thousand bombs is focused on only one section of Equus... What happens to the other side of the planet?"

"The world would have cracked like an egg, and the remnants would scatter across your universe. There wouldn't be anything left."

Okay... That was a lot to take in...

Holy fuck, holy fuck... The very fate of Equus rested in my hooves! It's no wonder the Steel Rangers had a hard on for it! Holy SHIT!

I had tensed up at the thought of the destruction of the battery. "What, uh... What if we buried it? Kept it safe from ever detonating? Hide it away somewhere, where no one would ever have the hopes of finding it?"

"As much as I love the idea of being buried away and forgotten, I'm afraid it wouldn't work out like that. Nothing stays buried forever. Someone would find it eventually. But like I said earlier... Soul magic has a way of protecting things. Because souls, no matter if they are good or bad, are extremely powerful. So long as our souls are in here, then there shouldn't be anything to worry about."

"Just..." I scoffed, shaking my head. "Who in their right mind would make something like this...?"

"I wish I knew. But that part is a bit of a mystery to me, as well. I suppose we'll just have to work together to find out."

"I knew it!" A scruffy voice called out through the radio. "But they didn't believe me! The government was stealing little children and stuffing them inside glowing capsules for their horrifying experiments! But I proved everyone wrong!"

"Ugh, not this guy again..." Tuner groaned.

"Who..." I raised a brow. "Who is that?"

"That would be One. The bum on the streets of Manehattan. Complete nutter. Always going on about government conspiracies."

"The moon landing was a fake, and I can prove that, too!"

"Okay, first off?" Tuner began angrily. "Blackjack just came from the moon and found a stable full of other ponies. So that's bull. Second off, the government is dead! There's no reason for conspiracies anymore!"

"You. Boy." One said, completely ignoring Tuner. "Your life is a lie. They don't want you knowing the truth. It would hurt too much. But she will show you the way to the truth, and at long last, your eyes will have been opened!"

"What are you talking about?" I asked, looking down at the radio questioningly. "Who?"

"That's enough out of you." Tuner blurted. "Stop taking over. You lot have been more active than ever, ever since we stumbled across Charger."

"Well, now why wouldn't we be?" A voice that belonged to what I imagined was a really good looking stallion at one point, said. I really liked how he sounded... "We've only been waiting for his arrival for, what... 200 some years?"

"My arrival specifically?" I tilted my head, frowning as my ears wilted.

"They mean someone like you, dipshit." A raspy female voice started. "Don't start thinking this is some prophecy bs. You're not special. Maybe special in the head."

Tuner sighed. "Like I said... Six is kind of a bitch..."

"Yeah, fuck you too. All you ponies are weak."

"Okay, you know what..." Tuner's patience sounded like it had reached its limits right then and there. "I'm pulling the plug for the night."

The light in the radio died, but the battery's glow remained.

That was fine. I had more than enough crazy for one night...

I quietly stepped out of the restroom to find that Fluky and Para were still fast asleep. I put the radio back on the bed, stepped back out of our room, and made my way for the office of the motel, letting myself in. I locked the door behind me and went for the room in the back.

Shadow Hoof was still passed out on his bed, so I lied down on the couch. If I couldn't sleep, then I could at least be there for him if he needed anything. It was my fault he was like this, anyways.

It was my fault for a lot of things...

Author's Note

Special thanks to Kkat for FoE, Somber for PH, Pines for glossing over the chapters, Alchestbreach for hating radios, Nylten for taking her very limited free time to work on all the pictures I've requested of her (it's so very much appreciated), and all the fans out there. Sorry it took so long getting this chapter out there. Work has been hectic.
Link to my Discord server here.
It's been getting more active and gradually growing. If you wanna see Pines and I constantly arguing with each other, then this is the place to go.
... I'm mostly joking. >.>
It really is a nice place to be around.
Goodnight, everyone.

Pines: Never be afraid to be yourself. Unless yourself is mean. Then shame. I don't have much to say, can't think of much. I'll let the story talk for me in the next episode of RADIO STATIC!!!

Channel 001.6; On The Road Again

Nobody's dick's that long, not even Long Dick Johnson, and he had a fucking long dick. Thus, the name.

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

The following morning, I found that I still couldn't sleep. My body and my mind were both tired, but I still remained restless.

Shadow Hoof was still passed out, and he hadn't woken up in the middle of the night to puke. I had a strong feeling that the way he felt last night was all in his head. Newbie...

I had read through two books off his shelf by the time the sun was up. One of which was a cookbook for the wasteland. I wanted to try these recipes sometime. They sounded good...

The other was a pre-war fiction piece; Daring Do. Great series. I hadn't read this one yet, and it was a shame I didn't know the rest of the title. The cover was pretty damaged...

I didn't really have any other reason to stick around for now, so I got up, filled a cup of water, put it next to his bed, and left his place, making sure to lock the office up behind me. He'd wake up when he was ready.

I pulled out a cigarette, put it to my lips, and lit the end as I made my way back to our room. Para and Fluky were still probably asleep. As for Petiole... Well... did ghouls even sleep?

By the time I got to the door, my cigarette was three quarters away from done. I pressed the smoldering end against the doorframe outside our room until it was out, then consumed whatever remained.

Hurk!

Still... still tasted better than tentacles... Fuck, I should have let that cool down a bit...

I winced as I opened the door, feeling it travel down to my stomach.

The two of them were still fast asleep, snuggled up close to each other.

Petiole wasn't anywhere to be seen, however.

I stepped inside, gently closing the door behind me. My equipment was still on the floor, next to the bed. The least I could do was take a shift on patrol and earn us some more caps. And so I began to slip into my barding with a new goal for a portion of the day.

By the time I was about halfway armored up, there was a light knock on the door. I finished getting my hooves in the appropriate slots so I didn't trip or stumble on my way to the entrance.

I cracked it open to see a full set of NCR ranger armor standing outside. It turned its head a little, looking directly at me.

"Charger." Omegas said with a nod. Agh... It'd take some time getting used to the voice of ghouls...

"Oh. It's you." I widened the door a bit and poked my head out. "Glad to see Petiole hasn't killed you."

He nodded again. "Speaking of which... Is he around?"

"Sorry, no. I haven't seen him all morning. Or most of last night, for that matter."

"Hm... Guess he left sooner than I expected."

"Left?" I raised a brow, opening the door all the way. "Left where?"

"Nothing to worry about, I assure you. He's just taking care of the ghoul infestation at the checkpoint. Volunteered for it. And seeing as ferals don't attack other ghouls... he sounded perfect for the job." He began to study my armored body before looking back up at me. "What's the occasion?"

"Oh." I smiled faintly. "I figured you'd want someone to do some patrol duty. I was willing to pitch in and do my part."

"That's thoughtful of you," he started quickly. "But no. Right now, we don't need anymore help."

I froze at his response. By my understanding, you could never have too much help... Now I just felt like I... wasn't wanted...

"If you want to catch up with Petiole, I'm sure you'll come across him on the road." He started to turn and walk away.

"What gives, man?" I asked aloud, stepping out and closing the door behind me.

He stopped, but didn't look back. "Have you ever been used, Charger?"

What... what type of question was that...?

"Yes..." I spoke softly, lowering my head a bit. "What of it?"

"How did you feel when it happened?"

"I felt... unimportant. A tool. Like I didn't belong..."

He turned and looked back at me finally. "I assume you didn't like it."

"Obviously..." I deadpanned.

"Then I suggest you leave. You and your friends. Take that radio with you, and stay away from Rivet. Stay away from the NCR. They're just going to try and use you."

"For what?" I raised a brow, tilting my head to the side a little.

"They want you to try and find the bunker again, so that they can wipe it out and take it over."

"So what?" I said, frowning. "Even if I knew where it was, I wouldn't stop them from taking it for themselves." I paused, then added on a softer note. "... So long as they didn't kill any of the unicorns there..."

"I imagine that after that, some with power would try and get you to give up the battery. At first, it might start with trying to buy it off you with caps or favors. Perhaps both. But after a while, they'd start to grow restless. Desperate. And so they'd start trying to frame you for things that the NCR frowns upon. And if that never worked, then they'd kill you and your friends. See, that's the thing about greed. Ponies think they're safe from it, but it's like a virus. No one is invulnerable from its effects. It can drive ponies to do things they'd never dreamt of doing."

"So, where does that leave you?" I replied coldly.

He paused for a few seconds before replying, staring behind that red, glowing visor that stayed fixated on my eyes. "I'm just trying to do the right thing. Most of the NCR is full of good hearted ponies, but every so often, there's one with more self interest. Even if they say it's for the good of the NCR."

"How do you know that?"

"Because I've killed a few of them in my time. It always comes down to the same thing in the end... Greed." He turned back around and started to leave. "Best of luck to you and your people, Charger. It was nice meeting you. I don't expect us to ever meet again."

"You're wrong, by the way." I called out, to which Omegas turned around, awaiting a further response. "About greed." I stepped forward. "Granted, it's not very common. Especially nowadays. But I believe that there still are truly good ponies out there somewhere, with wills of Tungstian." I felt a smile creeping on my lips.

He chuckled in his raspy, ghoul voice as he shook his head softly. But that only made my smile short lived, gave me a clenched jaw, and made my skin crawl. Blegh...

"If there are, then this world will devour them, assuming it hasn't already. In my eyes, everyone carries greed like lungs carry oxygen. It's inevitable. Greed is a means of survival."

Okay, now he was starting to sound like White Noise...

"Tell me something, Charger. When you were about to go help us with patrol duty, what were you really doing it for? The protection of others? Or the promise of caps?"

...

... I guess I was doing it for myself, wasn't I...?

My face seemed to wear the answer he was searching for, cause he continued.

"Exactly. Sometimes, we don't think about what we're doing. Even if it seems like we're doing something good and true, there's always a part of us that is doing it for personal gain. Payment, praise, or even to feel better, it doesn't matter. It's greed. And greed is a psychological virus that has infected this world far before the bombs ever dropped."

I hung my head down at the ghoul's... surprisingly wise, yet super depressing words.

"Thank you for everything you did, Charger. Pass it on to your friends."

With that, he turned and left.

(((((((◉)))))))

"Para..." I said quietly as I nudged him. He groaned in response. "Para, wake up..."

"Five more... hours..."

"No, Para." I nudged his side with my hoof harder, and he cracked open his eyes, looking up at me, clearly tired. "We should leave..."

"What for?" He started to sit up, but stopped himself when Fluky hugged him tighter, pressing her ear against his chest. He looked back up at me with confusion in his eyes.

"I just... think we can do better elsewhere, in terms of living. I don't want to be in a motel any longer. After that motel in Saddle, they've grown tiresome. Need something fresh."

"I dunno, this place kinda grows on you after a while." He smiled faintly, to which I gave him a roll of my eyes.

"If I see another motel, it'll be too soon. I'm leaving, Para. You can join me if you want, but either way, I'm gone..."

We stared at each other for a short while in silence, until I moved in for a gentle embrace. I whispered in his ear before placing a soft kiss on his cheek. "Goodbye, Para... I had fun."

He didn't hug back, but instead, replied. "I don't know about Go Fish here, but where you go, I go too." I felt him nuzzle my neck affectionately, and I closed my eyes at his touch, before opening them and letting go.

"Go Fish?" I raised a brow, to which he regarded Fluky.

"Blackjack." He stated with a proud smile.

"... You do know that's not really Blackjack, right...?"

He scoffed and rolled his eyes, widening his smile. "Well DUH."

"Kinda hard to tell if you're being serious or not sometimes."

He shrugged as he looked up at me, then nudged Fluky gently. She groaned, cracked her eyes open, and blinked a few times, before studying her surroundings. "Waz goin' on...?" She muttered in a slurred speech.

"We're leaving, Fluky." I stated casually. "Do you want to come with?"

"Yeah, yeah..." She sighed as she stood up, stretching her limbs and cracking her neck. "I'm up, I'm up..." She squinted up at me, frowning. "Where are we going...?"

"Somewhere safer." I hope...

"Did something happen here?" She asked in alarm; her eyes growing wide with worry.

"No. Just... I don't trust some here... I don't trust Rivet..."

"Ribbit?" Para grinned. "Who's Ribbit? His name sounds like a frog."

"Ribbit..." Fluky giggled softly. "Ribbit, ribbit."

"Ribbit, ribbit." Para joined in, but never let out so much as a chuckle. He never laughed, now that I thought about it... Odd...

"Ribbit!" Fluky started hopping around the room, sitting on her haunches after each jump to imitate a frog.

Para started getting into it as well...

Sweet Celestia, I was surrounded by idiots!

"I didn't say ribbit!" I called out, looking at the two of them.

Para looked at me, tilting his head curiously. "Ribbit?"

"RiVET!" I put emphasis behind his name as I put a hoof to my temple. I was already developing a headache, and I hadn't even been awake for an hour. I knew this wasn't from the alcohol, either. Not this time, anyways.

"Yeah, ribbit!" Para grinned again.

I let out a resigned sigh and shook my head. "Alright, whatever... Just pack your things. I wanted us out the door five minutes ago.

Fluky nodded, stood straight, and started packing her belongings into her saddle bags. Afterwards, she slid into a black, leather jacket that was just her size. She must have gotten it when I was away at the depot. It looked good on her, though. She looked punk, though I suppose the whole Blackjack body paint helped with that a lot. I just hoped her appearance wouldn't lead to any problems...

Then I saw her pick up a multi-colored launcher of some sort. I hadn't seen anything like it before, but it looked like it could certainly pack a punch.

She hoisted it on her back and slid some cartridges into her bags.

Well, so long as she had something to defend herself with... I was okay with that. Just hoped she knew the dangers of not just guns in general, but explosives especially.

Para got dressed, packed up his gear, and we started to head out.

Upon opening the door, we were greeted with a grumpy Rivet, who frowned down at me specifically.

"What gives? Why are you leaving?"

"How did you-" Oh. Right. Griffins have good hearing... Forgot about that.

"So what... I save your life, and you don't trust me now? That's that?" He began to glare. "What the fu-"

A pebble struck him in the beak, catching him by surprise, but only for a brief second. He stared Para down. "Do not tempt me..." He turned back to me; his eyes locked with mine.

"I can't trust someone that only protects me if they're getting paid for it. You're greedy. Like you said, I'm nothing more than bottle caps to you."

He sighed as he pinched the space between his closed eyes with his talon. "Look, kid... You go out there, chances are, you're going to die. If the ferals don't get to you, or the hell hounds, or the radiation, or some other monster in the wasteland, then Bristle or Fester will."

"That's a chance I'm willing to take. You're not getting the anomaly, and you're not helping the NCR get it."

"The anomaly?" He raised a brow. "Screw the anomaly! I'm just trying to look out for you."

"Yeah, for your own personal gain." I poked his chest with a hoof as I glared back, stepping forward. To my surprise, he actually backed up a little. "Kiss my ass."

...

I was genuinely expecting Para to throw a pebble at me for that. Instead, he spoke as my backside began to feel a little lighter.

"Well... if you insist..."

Then I felt my tail get raised... and a set of lips on my-OH FUCK ME!

I jumped from the surprising, yet arousing contact. He... didn't... kiss the flank...

He went straight for the hole...

... And he didn't just kiss...

I looked back at him in complete shock after feeling his tongue to see him grinning at me, giving me a quick wink. How did he manage to remove that part of my armor so quickly!?

"Para, why!?"

"Not Para." He stuck his tongue out playfully, and a second later, he blinked a few times, then shook his head before looking around, as if he had just woken up. He finally turned to me and smiled.

"Hiya."

"H-hi..." I gave him an odd look before re-attaching the armor and hesitantly turned back to Rivet. "I-If I find you following us, I'm going to shoot you..."

He stood there in silence, staring at me with a blank expression.

"Come on..." I continued as I walked past, leaving him to his thoughts. "Let's blow this popsicle stand..."

Para gasped as he followed close behind. "Popsicles!? I want popsicles!"

"There's no popsi-" I began to shout, before muttering to myself. "Why do I even bother...?"

(((((((◉)))))))

We were back on the empty stretch of highway, heading south to the checkpoint. When we caught up with Petiole, we'd discuss where to go next.

Personally, I wanted to go somewhere far away from here. Somewhere out of Bristle's reach. Or Fester's, for that matter. Hoofington was a pretty good distance away, but that meant finding a mode of transportation. And even if we found one and went there, we'd still have to deal with the war that was happening. And while I was already going to die in about a year, I couldn't jeopardize my friend's safety. Not anymore than I already have.

Hoofington was out of the question. At least, for now, it was.

I didn't really know many areas outside of the bunker still, so I'd start thinking on it again when we were reunited with Petiole.

"I can't believe you did that, Para." Fluky said with what I could assume was a grimace. "That was nasty."

He raised a brow as he regarded her. "What did I do?"

"You seriously don't remember? You-"

"-Don't need to know." I interrupted, looking at her and shaking my head slowly. "It doesn't matter."

"Look..." She resumed. "All I'm saying is that he complained about you wanting to eat a dead radroach because of 'dental hygiene,' and he goes and does something like that?" She shuddered under her breath. "Blegh..."

"If I recall correctly, you were right there with him in the complaints." I regarded her coolly, and she hung her head a bit.

"Well... it is pretty gross..."

"Hey, it's good eatin'." I snapped, looking ahead once more. "It's nice to expand the taste buds every so often. You should try it sometime."

"Gonna start eating other ponies, while you're at it?" She said in a spiteful tone. Here it comes... "Or are you just gonna shoot them without finding out who they are?"

I kept my head forward, and my mouth shut. I know I fucked up with Saddle... and so I wasn't going to defend myself.

Besides... she had opened up to me a lot more, compared to how she was when we first met. I wanted to think of that as progress.

Hours later, down the road, we were starting to pass the donut shop that I had rested in with the caravan not too long ago. Fluky was on my back, as she was starting to complain about her legs cramping up from all the walking, about an hour ago.

Music played softly on the radio through our trek. Some of the songs, I had never heard before, but some, I had heard from before I came across Para and the UP-what's-it. Battery thing. Some were pre war, some were modern day, some were interdimensional... apparently.

I looked over at Para and poked his shoulder. He looked back at me, smiling proud.

"How's your head?" I asked.

"Hurts less." He said with a firm nod. "Headache is still there, but it's subsiding."

I didn't know what to make of that. Didn't know if it meant Happy was coming back and winning his body over again, or if he was giving up, and Tuner was winning. Still... Para was hurting less, and that was a small relief.

"Can we rest here?" Fluky asked, pointing at the building as we were starting to pass by it. "All this trekking is tiring."

"Excuse me?" I looked back at her from behind the visor of my helmet. "You're not the one covered head to hoof in heavy armor that's been gradually turning into a furnace for the past three to four hours. You can't complain about being tired from this..." I paused, then added more. "And it doesn't help that the Saddle fires are making everything uncomfortably warm out here. It's too hot, but you don't hear me complaining."

"Except now..." She muttered grumpily.

"Only because you are." I said with a faint smirk, looking ahead. "We're gonna keep going. Petiole shouldn't be that far now."

Suddenly, I felt Para blowing on the side of my cheek. I looked over, and he continued drawing in air, then blowing it back at me.

"Para..." I backed away from him a little. "What are you doing?" Weirdo...

He grinned suddenly. "Oh, you said it was really hot out here, so I figured I'd give you a blow job to help you cool down."

A BLOW WHAT!?

"P-Para!" I balked. "I don't think you know what that means! Don't... don't say stuff like that!" I felt myself blushing now. Damn it... I mean, getting a bj from that sexy stallion sounded nice and all, but... not in front of the filly! Agh, my suit was getting tighter!

"What's a blow job mean?" Fluky asked, to which I swung my head back at her, a nervous smile creeping up on my features.

"Don't say that. Please, don't say that..." I laughed nervously as I turned even more red than I already was.

"Why? Is it a bad word?"

"N-no... Not really... But... Fluky, you're too young to know... what that means..."

Birds, bees, trains, and tunnels...

"Unless you're a mare from Stable 99." Tuner stated with amusement after the song had come to a close. "Or Stable 89. Though, now it's referred to as 69. Wink, wink, nudge, nudge."

A look of dread grew on the fillies' features as she regarded Para's radio. He didn't really seem to process what just happened. Almost as if he hadn't heard Tuner.

Fluky turned back to me and whispered. "Did the radio just...?"

I nodded and put the tip of my hoof to my lips. "Keep quiet about it..." I spoke in whispers. "I don't want a whole lot of people knowing... I'll explain later..."

She hesitantly nodded and stared back at the radio questioningly.

Para was still clueless as to what was going on. He didn't even seem to be paying attention to our conversation.

"You know what...?" I turned back to the donut shop. "Let's catch a break here. I have to check on something anyways."

"Right there with ya!" Para beamed at me as he trotted for the building.

"Para, be careful!" I hissed. "Last time we were here, there were raiders!" My ears folded back. "... Sort of..."

"Neighbors? Here?" He said as he continued to trot. "If they're having a little get-together, I want in!"

Erngh... Damn it, PARA!

"Para, wait!" I started to go after him once I spotted a few reds on my E.F.S. in the same direction.

"With a smile and a trot. A hop to the top. A tune that never stops, and a bunny that never flops..."

"Para!" I began to run faster.

He burst through the front door and waved his fores over his head, shouting in a singing voice. "IT'S PA-PA-PA-PARA!"

Several of whatever occupied the reds screeched as they started to bundle up, going for him. He looked back at them and waved happily.

"Hiya!"

Deva Vu, anyone...?

"PARA, MOVE!" I shouted, charging full speed ahead. Fluky clung tight to my neck as I brought the rifle forward. My rear hoof burst with electricity in fear of him getting hurt. Or worse...

He looked back at me, keeping his smile. The next second, he was thrown to the ground and pinned by two radhogs that snarled and tried biting at him.

My hooves obtained purchase against the asphalt road as I stopped and aimed ahead. One was just about to sink its jagged teeth into his neck as he laughed, going on about how lovable they were. I quickly jumped into SATS to buy me some time. Time slowed down, and after targeting its head, I successfully drove a few rounds through its skull. I wasn't too worried about the other one just yet, as it wasn't close to ripping into him. But it was trying.

Or, at least it was, until it saw its friend die. It turned and growled at me.

That was the last thing it ever did, before three rounds shot down its throat and came out the back of its head.

As time began to speed up once more, Para got up, brushed himself off, grabbed his stetson, and placed it back atop his head before looking down at them. "Awwww... They're sleeping!"

Damn it, Para...

One more stepped out of the building. A big one... Bigger than any of us, combined. I was surprised it managed to squeeze through the window. I could only imagine it was the mother...

"Para, get out of there!" I shouted, before aiming at the creature and firing.

It screamed as bullets dug into its hide. But it wasn't enough. These were no more than the pokes of needles to it.

Para shrugged and trotted away happily as the beast went to focus on me.

"Fluky, I need you to run..." I muttered behind the bit.

"What?" She asked in alarm.

"Get off!" I blurted, switching to full auto and letting out a stream of lead, bloodying its face as it charged us.

Fluky hopped off at once and made a run for it, away from me.

The massive rat was about to run me down and stomp me out before I jumped to the side and started to make a break for it. The bullets seemed only to anger it...

It came to a stop and started to swing around. The last thing I saw before I was launched across the highway and rolling across the hard, cracked pavement was a tail about my size, swinging at me.

I was getting really tired of being knocked around like this... First, a giant beetle... and now, a giant radhog... What next?

Something had cracked inside. Something close to my gut... My ribcage felt like it had turned to glass, only so it could shatter. I coughed and wheezed, looking at the fight. If it could even be called that anymore...

The distinct taste of iron coated my tongue, and the warm substance leaked from my lips, forming a puddle on the floor. Spittle shot out as I coughed and struggled for breath.

Fluky was on the run, and Para just stood off to the side, watching her get chased at a distance. Could he be anymore useful...?

I felt the health potions in my pipbuck tending to my injuries, but it was taking all its energy just to repair my broken ribs and stop the bleeding. It felt horrible feeling a part of me break on the inside. It felt just as bad feeling it the other way around. I wish it had given me something for the pain...

I noticed a figure standing atop the roof of the shop, looking down at us through the scope of a sniper rifle. His armored form was lit up with a red LED.

Petiole...

Thank Celestia...

He aimed down at the beast and placed a round to the side of its head, but even then, that didn't seem to do much in terms of damage.

It did, however, turn its focus on him in a cry of rage. It started for the building, looking up at him. He placed another shot to its frontal lobe... or, at least, he tried. The hide was too thick, even for him...

It raised up on its rear legs, able to reach him quite easily now. He backed up, firing one more shot before he dropped down through the sun roof. Running never seemed to be an option for him. He seemed rather calm, considering his situation.

The radhog started making an attempt to squeeze through the window frame, this time, to get back in.

Suddenly, Fluky ran around the corner of the shop; her launcher hoisted over her shoulder, and the grip in her mouth. She fired a ball of red light at it, and with it, came a loud whistling, as if a bomb was ready to drop to the surface and destroy all.

Upon impact, the ball of light expanded into various flashing colors, such as red, blue, green, yellow, and white. With that, came an ear deafening boom of gunpowder detonating in what was once a small, compact, concentrated container.

The animal howled and screeched as its hide burned from the blast, thrashing about and swinging its claws at the air wildly. It turned towards me, and that's when I saw it...

She had taken out its eyes. There was nothing left of its left, and the right was dangling out of its socket, coated in red.

All the while, she opened the chamber much like a double-barreled shotgun would be opened, started loading in another mortar, then slammed it shut, aiming back at the beast.

Three friendly blips appeared on my E.F.S., directly ahead. They were bunched up together, but I didn't see anyone apart from Fluky and Para. Petiole's blip was still there, but I could't see him in the building from where I lied.

I continued to look around, and upon looking up, I saw three figures flying, but only two had wings.

One, a pegasus, another, a rather familiar dragon...

The third was being carried by the two, covered head to hoof in a set of power armor.

Damn it... Not them...

As they flew over, they released Destrier, who came plummeting down atop the beast. He aimed his cannons down and blasted it away with heavy, thunderous firepower. His guns seemed to do the trick, cause blood was gushing out with each shot, drenching his armor in red.

Tezu came in for another fly-by, breathing hellfire down on the animal's head. Thunderwing followed shortly after, letting out a barrage of lasers against where Tezu hit.

It screeched, growled, and thrashed around at the pain the three were delivering to it. Destrier fell off its back, but quickly recovered. Well, as quickly as one could in power armor. He aimed his cannons at its head, continuing to fire. It collapsed on its stomach, crying out in agony. Getting weaker by the second.

By the time his guns were run dry and in need of reloading, there was a ditch in the side of its head, exposing a brain now turned to mush.

The creature had fallen, and the team looked around at my party.

Petiole stepped out, reloading his rifle with ease. His LEDs turned green.

Thunderwing fluttered her wings as she made her way to me, before making a soft landing. She held out a hoof, looking down at me with a faint, warm smile. I grabbed it, and she helped me up. My body still hurt... But I wasn't dying anymore.

"Good thing we came when we did." She started. "Would've been a radhog's dinner, otherwise."

"I didn't ask for help..." I replied coldly, before glaring. "Who sent you?"

Her smile faded almost instantly. "Omegas told us you and your friends left, and why. We're not asking you to go back to Virtue."

"Good. Cause we're not going back."

"I wouldn't expect it of you." She smiled again, giving me a short nod. "It's just, you helped us. I figured we'd return the favor. That, and I imagined Petiole would have cleaned out the checkpoint by now. So someone had to pay him for a hard day's work." She reached into her saddle bags and pulled out a pouch as he started to make his way towards us. By the time he was passing by her, she tossed it to him. He let it strike his side and land on the ground; rattling the contents within.

He stopped and stared down at the bag. His LEDs turned blue as he looked up at her, then down at the bag again. "What was that for?"

"Your payment." She replied simply.

Without saying a word, he grabbed and pocketed it. His LED went green again.

"Well, my group and I are gonna take a break at Donut Joe's for a bit, before we hit the road again." I regarded Petiole. "We'll need to discuss our next destination."

"Why?" He tilted his head to the side.

"We're not staying here. I don't trust the NCR..." I looked back at Thunderwing, gritting my teeth at the realization I was in front of NCR company. "No offense..."

"None taken." She smiled and shook her head. "I'll admit, the NCR has problems. Maybe not as much as other factions, but there are still problems, as there are with any other organization or establishment. Nothing's perfect."

"Let me guess..." I started with a deadpan. "Omegas gave you his opinion on greed?"

She laughed softly. "Oh, you have no idea..."

(((((((◉)))))))

"So, where are we going?" Thunderwing asked as we sat at one of the dining tables in the building. Destrier chose to stand, however.

My helmet was off, resting on the table the majority of us sat around.

"My friends and I are going to decide that." I stated, looking at her with a mild annoyance. "I didn't invite any of you to come along."

"Ah, but why not? I could use a little adventure. Get away from Virtue for a bit."

I sighed and shook my head. "Look... you're all nice. But I don't want any of you following us. It's nothing personal. But you're with the NCR, and I'm trying to get away from it."

"We don't work for the NCR." Tezu stated, regarding me. "We work for Omegas."

"Who is working for the NCR." I noted quickly.

"And who went against their orders when he told you to get out of Virtue, I might add." Thunderwing filled in, knitting her brows. "If that doesn't earn some level of trust, I don't know what will."

Blaze stumbled in through the doorway, gasping and panting. He wiped some sweat off his brow as he leaned against the counter, taking in as much oxygen as he could as he removed the face mask. It was the first time I saw him without it, but honestly, he looked just fine without it. Well... apart from the massive scar that traveled across his lips from top to bottom.

"Sorry I'm... late... to the party..." He said between deep, labored breaths.

Tezu smirked as he shook his head. "I told you that you wouldn't be able to keep up."

"Hey, I'm... only a few... minutes... late..."

Tezu rolled his eyes and pointed him to a seat at the table. The moment he sat down, I caught an aroma of sweat. I did my best to not show disgust at the nasty scent, but I couldn't exactly blame him, either. Hell, he ran what would take four hours to walk. That was actually very impressive!

Still didn't help the fact that he smelled like the locker room at the bunker, after a full day of PT.

"How did you run all this way?" I asked, regarding him.

He looked over and smirked, still panting as he removed his helmet. "Ask... Tezu." Then he winked.

Uh... Ask Tez-Oh!

My face must have turned bright red from his response, cause they were both laughing.

They must have been having A LOT of sex to build that kind of stamina up! Made me kinda jealous, actually...

Destrier put a hoof down on the table. "Enough chatter."

Everyone turned and looked at him, but he seemed mainly focused on me. "Where do we go?"

"Why are you looking at me?" I asked, before looking at everyone else. Okay, now all eyes were on me... "What?"

"Well, you do seem like the leader of your group." Thunderwing stated, nudging my shoulder with a hoof. "Makes sense to ask the one in charge... Charger."

Wait, why was I the one in charge, all of a sudden?

I looked to Petiole, but he just shrugged. "Sorry, Charger. But you are the leader here."

There was no sorry about it, honestly. I didn't have a problem being the leader. I spent my life being told what to do. I spent my life being used. I wasn't in control.

But now I was... and that felt... invigorating...

I felt powerful. Like I had meaning.

But it made me wonder why I was elected as the leader of my group. I was bound to make mistakes along the way. I had to plan carefully, and everything had to be well thought out. I wanted as little mistakes as possible... And the idea of making mistakes that hurt others made me anxious...

But... I was in charge...

I was in charge.

I was in charge!

I nodded before turning to the rest of the party. I tapped my forehoof against the table's scratchy surface a couple times as I started to speak. "I'm not familiar with the surface. I've been underground up until a few weeks or so ago. I know about Hoofington, Manehatten, New Pegasus, and Canterlot. And I'll say it right now; Canterlot is off limits. Period. So suggestions are welcome. Anywhere far from here, preferably. I want to get away from Fester and my chapter."

"What about Vanhoover?" Tezu asked.

"Vanhoover?" I asked flatly, raising a brow. I couldn't tell if he was joking or not... "That's Steel Ranger territory. I'm not going back there."

"Not that Vanhoover. I'm talking about the one up north of Saddle."

Blaze nodded in agreement. "That's not ranger territory. So we circle around Saddle and make our way up."

"I don't know... I don't really wanna go back that way..." I muttered, looking down. Fluky seemed to share the same sentiments as I. She was hugging her teddy bear close to her chest, and her ears were folded back as she hung her head down. I couldn't see her eyes past her mane.

"Well, in that case, there's Whinniapolis, Trottingham, Appleloosa, Fillydelphia, blah, blah, blah, shooba, dooba, bop, glop, chop, clippity clop..." Thunderwing said with a dismissive twist of her hoof as she rolled her eyes carelessly. "It'd help if we had a map, honestly."

I looked at Para's radio for a few seconds, before Destrier noticed.

"What are you thinking?"

"Para, I need your radio really quick."

He nodded happily and handed it over. I grabbed it and stood up, making my way to the restroom.

"Where are you going?" Thunderwing asked, raising a brow.

"Thinking."

"With the radio?"

"Don't question it..." Petiole filled in.

I closed the door behind me and locked it for good measure, before sitting down on my haunches, still holding the radio.

"Alright, Tuner. What do you got for me?"

"Hm?" He started. "Oh... Right. Sorry. I was paying attention to what was happening in Hoofington. Some crazy shit's been going down."

"So I keep hearing..." I said with a roll of my eyes. "Where should we go?"

"Well, I know where I'd go. Back downtown on Charger's ass." He chuckled as I clenched my jaw. "You taste wonderful..."

"So you possessed Para's body and did that...?"

"Ah, relax Charger. He doesn't know anything about it. I mean, Happy does... and let me tell you, he anything but happy about it."

"No more." I snapped, glaring down at the radio as I set the radio down. "No more possessing Para, or anyone else, for that matter. Using his body to do shit like that...? That's just another form of molesting, isn't it?"

"Well, I didn't hear him saying no." Tuner replied with amusement in his voice. I felt the anger inside me start to boil. My hoof started to build up a charge... "Alright, alright... Calm down... I thought you would have liked it... I won't do it anymore..."

"Better not, Tuner... I won't stand for shit like that..." My charge was starting to die down a little, but it still lingered, all the same. "Now... where should we go?"

"You're asking me? I thought you were the one in charge."

"Sometimes even leaders need a push in the right direction. So where would you suggest we go?"

"Hm... let me take a look around. You're looking for an escape from your past, right?"

"Right."

There were a few moments of silence before he began. "Okay, well... it's infested with ferals, but I suppose we could cut across the river and go to Portlandia."

I sighed, planting my face in my hooves.

"No, no... Hear me out." Tuner said quickly. "If the Steel Rangers are trying to find you, and they know that you know that you're being hunted, which they do, then they'd naturally assume you'd try and get as far away from here as you could. The last thing they'd expect is for you to be right next door to them. This gives you the advantage."

My ears perked up and I looked down at the radio, smiling faintly. "You know... when you put it like that, it actually does sound like a good plan... kinda. What's there?"

"Ferals. Lots of 'em."

Pfft... "We can handle ferals." Especially since we had Petiole. "What else is there?"

"A weapon. One that could prove extremely useful to you. It's a prototype, so finding it anywhere else is highly unlikely."

I nodded. This was starting to sound better... "Anything else?"

"... My past..."

For once, he actually sounded somber. He not only sounded sincere, but it felt like he was, too. Like I was seeing him for who he really was. No mask to hide behind...

"You used to live there?"

"Yeah... Some apartment complex in the city. It's still standing, but there's a lot of feral activity surrounding it."

"Do you want to go there...?"

"Y-yeah... Plus, there's that weapon... And anything else that's there might turn a profit. But please... be careful... The last thing I want is for someone to get hurt because of me. Guess I kinda already screwed that up with Para though, huh?"

I laid a hoof on the top of the radio, caressing its frame. "We all make mistakes, Tuner. I, of all ponies, know what I'm talking about. It's up to us to learn from those mistakes and better ourselves."

"Thanks, Charger..." He said softly. "You're a good pony..."

"I'm not so sure about that..." I stood up and grabbed the radio. "But thanks, all the same..."

I unlocked the door and stepped out. Everyone was still sitting at the table, discussing a variety of locations and what they were like, according to others in the party. The one I was hearing about currently was a personal experience.

Thunderwing's experience, back in the Mojave.

It didn't sound like she wanted to go there. I couldn't blame her...

"Hey." I stepped forward, catching everyone's attention. "I have an idea where we could go."

"Well, spit it out, then." Tezu said impatiently.

"Portlandia."

"Portlandia?" Blaze sat up straight. "I thought you were trying to get out of this place!"

"Think about it. The Steel Rangers know I'd try and get as far from here as possible, right? So they'd send search parties far and wide to hunt me down and get the anomaly. I don't think they'd expect me to stay right under their nose."

Destrier turned to Thunderwing. "He proves a valid point... But it's risky."

"Yeah, well..." She started to pull out a cig from her pack. "What's life without risk?" She lit the end and took a pull off it, keeping the butt wedged between her pinions. She didn't sound too happy. I could only imagine the topic of the Mojave was to blame.

"There's something there I need. Not to mention that there's most likely some valuable loot. There's, however, a lot of feral activity there." I stated, to which Petiole sat up straight.

"I'm in."

"Knew you'd be." I said with a smile. I gave Para his radio back and sat down at the table again.

Blaze looked around at the group, clearly expecting something. But no one said or did anything. Eventually, he broke. "Seriously? No one's gonna say it? I can't be the only one thinking it..."

"Thinking what?" I asked, looking at him. He turned to me with a flat expression, then everyone else, expecting an answer. Still, none was given to him.

"Okay, maybe I am the only one thinking it..." He shook his head hard and sighed. "It's only a matter of time before they find you snooping around under their radar. So what do we do when that time comes?"

I sighed as I pulled out my pack and smacked the top with a hoof a few times, before putting a cig to my lips, lighting up, and taking a pull off it.

"I'll come up with something..."

"Well, you best come up with something quick, cause they won't wait."

"I know that." I replied with a frown.

"And what about the other flaws to this plan?" He continued. "We're crossing Steel Ranger and raider territory to go someplace that no one dares to go, for loot and whatever Charger needs to get that probably won't even be worth the risk!"

"Whatever we don't need, we can sell. We could always use the extra caps. And a plan is better than no plan."

Thunderwing stood up and stuck the cig in her mouth before talking. "I'm with Charger. We got what it takes. But I think we should rest a bit before we head out. Spend the rest of the day, where we know it's safe."

"I second that." Tezu stated.

I looked around, finally noticing that one of the ponies were missing from her crew. "Hey, where's Riot?"

"On his way." Destrier answered before heading to a more isolated part of the building.

"He doesn't have the stamina to move like Blaze." Tezu grinned, nudging his lover. Blaze kissed him on the cheek and smiled back.

"How long have you two been together?" I asked, eyeing the cute couple.

"Five years now." Tezu replied.

Thunderwing left the table and flew through the broken sun roof. Fluky and Para went to a separate part of the building together.

"So..." Blaze raised a questioning brow, looking me over after Para and Fluky vanished to the back of the building. "Why does the filly look like Blackjack...?"

"Eh... Yeah, sorry about that... Para dyed her coat and mane. She's not in danger for looking like that, is she?"

"Not in any more danger than anyone else in the wasteland. She's too small to be the real thing, and she doesn't have cybernetics. Only an idiot would think she's the real one."

Wasn't the best of news, but... I'd take what I could get.

"So, tell me a bit about yourselves." I put both forehooves on the table between us, smiling faintly at the pair. I took another pull off the cig tucked between my lips and exhaled.

Tezu smirked. "What part of our story do you want to hear? When and how we got together? Or when I tried killing him?"

"You tried killing him?" I cocked my head to the side a little.

Blaze nodded simply. "How do you think I got this scar on my face?"

"Happened when we first met."

"And to think we were enemies at one point..." Blaze said softly, wrapping a hoof around the dragon. Tezu licked the side of his face playfully, and the pony laughed softly.

They were good together, by the looks of it. They were both happy. They loved each other. I could see it. They didn't have to say it, cause they knew it too. They carried a strong bond between each other's soul.

"Do you have anyone in your life, Charger?" Tezu asked as Blaze nuzzled his neck.

"What? Oh... No." I looked down at my helmet, running a hoof across the top of it. "Not anymore..." I took another pull off the cig and leaned back in my seat. "Didn't die as far as I know. Just... left... Was given a choice, but honestly... there was no real wrong answer." Maybe she did the right thing, after all... Petiole was right about her. She had a chance to create life, and she took it. I wasn't so sure I could be mad at her for that...

"What was her name?"

I smiled softly as I looked at the two lovers. "Snow Star."

Blaze stopped nuzzling into his neck, and the two looked at each other silently, before turning back to me.

"What?"

"Red eyes, white coat? Blue mane? Unicorn? No cutiemark?"

"Y-yeah... Why?" I sat up, my heart starting to beat rapidly. "You met her?"

"Long time ago, but yeah. She was passing through Virtue. Shadow Hoof gave her a place to stay for a while, but one night, she just left. Didn't say goodbye."

"How..." I started to choke on my words as tears threatened to break loose. "How did she look...?"

"When she first showed up? Like she traveled far. Tired... Later on, it was revealed to us that she was pregnant. We offered to let her stay and live there, but she always seemed against the idea."

Tears burned at my eyes more and more as I was fed this news. She had survived. At least, she had, long enough to get to Virtue. I still didn't know about her present conditions, but this... this was great to hear. It gave me hope that she was still out there. Alive and well.

"I'm assuming that the baby is yours?" Tezu smiled thoughtfully, to which I nodded, sobbing a little.

"Y-yeah."

He nodded back, his smile growing a little more. "Well, if we had known where she went off to, we'd tell you."

I nodded again, smiling with welled up tears. "Thank you, Tezu."

"Don't mention it." He looked over at his boyfriend and booped his muzzle with his own. "On that note, Blaze and I are gonna go fuck one out. Catch ya later, Charger... Unless you wanna join us..." I felt myself blushing as they both looked me over as if I were eye candy, grinning.

I smiled back. "Heh... Maybe some other time..."

Blaze and Tezu both nodded happily before the two of them took off for the back of the building.

(((((((◉)))))))

For hours, my heart was jumping with the joy with the news that Snow Star had made it as far as Virtue. I knew it happened years ago, but that was still great news. I needed that. It meant she knew what she was doing in order to stay alive. I imagined she had to face a lot of dangers on the road. Raiders, hellhounds, radioactive zones... She knew what to avoid. At least, in order to get as far as Virtue. And that gave me hope. Hope that she was still out there.

The excitement had traveled between my legs after a while, and Thunderwing and Destrier had noticed it, when she had returned to him to talk to him about something. The pegasus was laughing, but I also saw her blushing as her eyes took brief peeks downward. Destrier was just standing there, still and silent as a statue.

I got up nervously and made my way to the restroom. I locked the door behind me and pulled out the magazine I had gotten from 32 - the one Fluky had found - and opened to the page that she had landed on a while back. Where the lucky stallion was dominating that sexy mare...

I stared at the picture for a while, feeling the heat build up inside me, before I closed my eyes and imagined it was Snow Star and I in that situation... again. It was once. It could be again. And nothing could take us away from each other again. No Firebright. No Crimson. No Bristle. We could finally be ourselves. We wouldn't have to hide our true feelings for each other anymore...

I got to work with the thought of us being in that picture after stripping myself from my gear. It had been a while since I've done this in a while, anyways. I needed a little private vacation.

(((((((◉)))))))

About ten minutes later, there was a hot, sticky mess in the toilet. I doubt anyone was going to use it, anyways.

I panted as I sat there, smiling at the thought of me and her as I pressed my back against the wall, looking up at the ceiling. I missed her so much, but I was going to find her... She was out there.

I shook myself from my daydream and looked down to see there was a bit of a mess on myself that I needed to clean up.

Right... right. Okay... uh...

I looked around for anything that I could use to wash myself. I could only imagine the water here was radioactive, so that was a no go. And I couldn't find any toilet paper... Hm...

I reached into one of the pouches on my armor and... Ah hah! I found paper!

I pulled it out and started wiping the messy parts down, before cleaning my manhood.

I sighed happily before I looked down, and that's when I saw it...

My heart sank deep in my chest when I saw writing on the paper...

Oh... no...

I quickly opened the cum-drenched note.

'That son of a bitch got me, Iron. I've seen what happens when someone gets nicked by those nightmares from the mi-'

The rest of the note was covered in the aftermath of my excitement. Didn't matter... I knew what this note was...

I had used someone's suicide note as a means to clean up my jizz! What the fuck was wrong with me!?

I heard a knock at the door, and I quickly scrambled to hide the note.

"Charger?" Petiole asked from the other side. "Are you done in there?"

Ahhh... fuck!

I quickly unlocked the door, cracked it open, and looked at him. His LEDs were blue for some reason.

"Charger, what's going on?"

"Oh, nothing!" I smiled nervously. "Nothing wrong! Just... musta been something I ate! Yeah, something I ate! That's it!"

He pushed his forehoof against the door, but I kept it from moving any further.

"Really, I'll be okay." I said with gritted teeth. "Just... need a minute."

"I smell semen."

Damn it, Petiole!

I groaned, opened the door a bit more, and pulled him in hastily, only to close it soon after.

He looked around at the mess I had made, then down at the note between us.

"... Oh." Was all he said before looking up at me, then back down at the note, then at me again. "You know... a lot of ponies would be furious if they found out somepony had used their final thoughts as a cum rag. But not Bouncy. No, I bet she's looking down at you right now, rolling around and laughing her giggly, horny ass off."

"You're not... mad?" I asked as my ears wilted.

He shook his head. "Not in the slightest. Though, I don't know how someone could stomach such an act."

"It was... an accident..." I hung my head down, feeling more miserable by the second. "I didn't know what was on the paper before it was too late..."

"Don't let this ruin the fun you had." He replied, pulling out a small, plastic container and making his way to the toilet.

"Hey, what are you doing?" I asked with a questioning raise of a brow.

"Collecting more DNA samples off you. I keep telling you, I'm thorough."

... Okay, gross...

That was unsanitary...

"I can just give you a fresh sample later, Petiole... Don't dig one out of the toilet, that's nasty."

"I'd prefer to not wait." Aaand there he went, scraping out his samples. That was just... engh...

"Alright, you have fun with that..." I said as I began slipping back into my armor. When I was suited up, I looked back at him to find he was still at it, but his LEDs were green again. Ugh... "I'm gonna go now..."

"Mhm..." He muttered, as if he weren't really listening.

With that, I left the room and closed the door behind me, making sure the magazine was secured in my pouch.

Riot had just stepping in through the front entrance. "Sorry I'm tardy. I tried teleporting, but my horn's burnt out for the time being. I went over my limits..." He rubbed his horn gently, wincing as he did. "Fucker's giving me one bitch of a headache..."

"Need some Med-x?" Thunderwing asked, reaching into her pouch as she sat at another table.

"Wouldn't hurt." He said softly, walking over to her. She gave him a wry smile.

"Well, that is the purpose of Med-x, hun."

He chuckled softly and shook his head. "Right."

She injected him with a shot, and he sighed with relief. "That'll do it..." He sat down beside her at the table and slouched. "Fuck, it feels good to sit down again..."

"Not for me." Blaze said as he stepped up with a smirk plastered on his face. "Tezu got a bit aggressive on my ass again." He proceeded to sit down and groan softly to himself as Riot gave him a disturbed look, scooting away from him a little, closer to Thunder.

"Must you share this information?"

"Well, if no one else will listen, then who else but you? I mean... he's so big, and he carries a massive load. Wouldn't be surprised if one of these days, he fills me up completely."

"Remember when we talked about watching what you say in public matters?" Riot stared flatly. "Yeah, this is one of those moments. Not all of us are gay."

"I am." I said, stepping forward with a faint smile. "Well, bi really."

"Oh trust me." Blaze replied, looking me up and down. "Tezu and I already knew." Then he winked.

"Ugh..." Riot slammed his head against the table's surface. "Ow, damn it..." He began rubbing his head from the impact. "I walk eight hours, and I finally arrive only to hear about someone's anal fixations..."

"I remember this one time, when Destrier gave my ass a good pounding..." Thunderwing said with a smirk. "So there we were on patrol duty, and-"

"Please, Celestia... if you're merciful, kill me now!" Riot blurted, covering his ears.

Thunder, Blaze, and I all shared a laugh at Riot's misery.

"Sorry, Riot." Thunderwing said, stretching out a wing across his shoulder. "We'll stop."

"Yeah..." He muttered as he looked down, before getting up. "Think I'm just gonna... sit somewhere else now."

With that, he walked over to a separate table to keep to himself.

I couldn't help but feel bad for the joking around. "Did we do something wrong?" I asked, looking to Blaze and Thunder.

"Guessing he's still upset over his girl..." Thunder replied with a somber look.

"She's not my girl anymore!" He snapped, glaring at her with murder in his eyes.

Ouch... touchy subject?

I knew what that was like...

"Right..." She paused, looking down.

"What happened...?" I asked quietly.

"Dumb cunt cheated on him, then got killed for it." I caught a smile creeping on her face. "Bitch deserved it."

"... Oh..." I slumped down in my seat. "Damn... Who killed her?"

She pointed a wing over at Riot silently before reaching into her bag and pulling out her pack of cigs. She looked me over before lighting hers, then rolled a spare across the table. "My treat."

I smiled faintly and took the offer, lighting the end with my zippo.

She continued on from there. "Found out where they were hiding, loaded up his shotgun, broke in while they were testing the bed springs, and blew both their brains out."

"Holy shit..." I muttered before taking a pull.

"Yeah..." She looked down as she took a pull off hers. "He's not really someone that'll just let his heart be played with like that. Can't say I blame him either..."

"When Tezu and I were on a scavenger run, we found him outside the house, holding his shotgun to his head, crying. We could both feel the anger and frustration trapped inside him, so we tried to help." Blaze took Thunderwing's cig and took a pull off it. All the while, she scowled at him until he put it back between her lips. "A few days later, he agreed to come to Virtue with us."

"He really proved himself when a radscorpion tried making its way into town." Thunderwing added. "Dual wielded combat shotguns like a mad pony and blasted away at its eyes. He seemed to really enjoy it, too. So we made him a part of Virtue's security team."

"He sounds like a badass." I said, before taking another pull off my cig, smiling as I looked at him. He was having a cigarette too, but he wasn't acknowledging anyone.

"Oh yeah." Thunderwing chuckled. "He sure knows how to put on a show. Sucks he wasn't there to take on that radhog. I'd have paid to see that... No offense to Destrier, of course. That was pretty badass, too."

I heard an acoustic guitar playing softly towards the back. It was coming from the radio. At least I knew where Para was.

Lyrics started, but I couldn't make them out from here.

Petiole stepped out of the restroom, then eye'd the giant radhog outside, before walking over to our table. "I imagine we're staying here for the night. So I'm going to cook what I can of the rat outside, in case anyone's hungry."

I quickly raised my hoof with a broad smile, waving it around frantically. "Yes, me! I'm hungry! I want!" I started pointing at my chest with my hooves, tapping them against me repeatedly. "Me! Over here!"

"Settle down, kid." Petiole said calmly, before looking at the others. "The radiation levels aren't high enough to be a problem, but it wouldn't hurt to take a rad-x before consumption, just to be safe."

Oh, it's been so long since I had food I favored. I didn't care about the radiation that may have come with it. I'd deal with it later.

"We don't travel at night, so it'd be best if we hunkered down here for the rest of the day." Thunderwing said with a firm nod. "Good thinking, Petiole. I'd rather not be at the checkpoint with the smell of burnt flesh..."

Petiole nodded back. "I'll get to cooking then."

I stood up as a harmonica began to play, and I followed the source of the sound, going through the back exit of the building.

I walked down the short stretch of hallway and stopped at the door that remained ajar. I carefully opened it and peeked my head out to see Para sitting on his haunches.

Fluky sat beside him on his right as they looked out at the distance. Little Buddy was on his shoulder.

Para had his hoof around her shoulder, bringing her in close as she sobbed and whimpered under her breath.

Well, I got a job and tried to put my money away.

But I got in too deep, and I could not pay.

So I drew what I had from the Central Trust.

And I bought us two tickets on that Coast City bus.

Everything dies, baby, that's a fact.

But maybe everything that dies someday comes back.

Put your makeup on, fix your hair up pretty, and meet me tonight in Atlantic City.

The harmonica came back, and the two of them - three of them - just sat there in silence as the music played.

I knew what Tuner was trying to do. I couldn't really tell if it was working for her, though...

Now, our luck may have died, and our love may be cold.

But with you, forever I'll stay.

We're goin' out where the sands turnin' to gold.

So put on your stockin's.

Cause the night's gettin' cold, and maybe everything dies.

That's a fact, but maybe everything that dies.

Someday comes back...

The guitar made a few more quiet strums, as if the song was coming to an end, but the harmonica made another auditory appearance a few seconds later.

Para started rubbing Fluky's arm a bit, trying to comfort her as she cried in his embrace. Shortly after, he took off his stetson and placed it atop her head with a faint, yet sad smile.

"It's not fair..." Her voice wobbled. "What did I do wrong to deserve this...? To deserve him...?"

Para didn't reply. I wasn't entirely sure he understood what was even happening. He knew she was sad, but that was it, as far as I knew. Death was an unknown concept for him.

Now, I been lookin' for a job.

But it's hard to find down here.

It's just winners and losers.

And don't get caught on the wrong side of that line.

Well, I'm tired of comin' down on the losin' end.

So honey, last night I met this guy.

And I'm gonna do a little favor for him.

Well, I guess everything dies, baby, that's a fact.

But maybe everything that dies, someday comes back.

Put your makeup on, fix your hair up pretty.

And meet me tonight in Atlantic City...

The song started to fade as the last line repeated itself, but her tears kept coming. The song was a bit dramatic for this specific situation, but everything was a game to Tuner, after all...

"I can't live with him, but I... can't live without him, either..." She said in a broken voice. "He's trying hard to keep me safe, and I get it, but... the memories are killing me, Para... And whenever I see him, I see what happened back at Saddle... I hear it... How do I forget something like that...?"

"You just gotta not worry, and be happy." Para replied. "Don't worry, be happy now." I caught him smiling, and she laughed under her sobbing breath.

"You're bad at this, Para..."

"I'm back at this? Back at what? Being the light of the party?" He grinned, looking down at her.

She giggled a little more at that and began wiping her eyes with her hooves. Shortly after, she clung tight to him and nuzzled his chest, closing her eyes in the process. If she hadn't, she could've have seen me right then and there, eavesdropping...

I backed away and closed the door as gently as I had opened it, then calmly stepped back into the diner where everyone else was.

Before I could sit back in my initial spot, Petiole waved me over from outside. I stepped out, next to the campfire he was preparing.

He placed a few branches down before going back to collect some more from a nearby tree.

"I've been thinking on what I saw in your memories, and I need to ask..." He paused and regarded me. "What are your thoughts on Para?"

"I thought we already went through this." I said, raising a brow.

"Yes. But there's something else, isn't there? Something you're not talking about?"

"I don't..." I shrugged awkwardly. "I don't know what you're talking about..."

"I saw your dream about him, back in the motel, way back in Saddle. The one where you two were cuddling?"

"Dream?" I frowned. "That wasn't a dream."

"Gotcha." He pointed a hoof at me.

Damn it...

"Okay, so I might have a crush on him. So what?" I shrugged again, smirking. "Can't handle the gay?" I paused, and that smug look vanished. "Was... was that cuddling thing really a dream...?"

He nodded before snapping a branch in half and picking up both ends, then tossing them in a small pile, before going for more. "Yes, it was a dream." He paused, only to break another branch and throw the smaller pieces in the same pile as before. "Do you plan on doing anything with him?"

"I dunno. I don't see why it really matters." This was getting a little personal now... This wasn't really his business.

"It matters, because he has the mentality of a colt."

"So? He has the body of a full grown stallion." I replied with a sheepish grin.

At once, his LEDs flashed red, then blue, and he looked me over, staring for the longest time...

"What?" I scowled. "What now?"

"And he has the mind of a colt." He reiterated with emphasis. "A child. You don't see anything wrong with that?"

"Don't see why I should. It's not like he's actually a colt."

"He is, mentally. The things you're saying... that's dangerously close to pedophilia, Charger!"

"Oh come on!" I laughed, waving a hoof at him. "Pedophilia, my ass."

"Do you have a thing for Fluky, too?"

That's when I stopped and stared at him in cold silence...

"... That's different, Petiole. She's a kid. Both mentally and physically. Sure, I like her. But in that way? Hell no."

"What do you like about her?" He asked quickly, before coughing a little. He put a hoof to his throat as he tried controlling his vocals.

"She's tough." I replied just as fast. "Doesn't take shit from anybody. If there's a problem, she'll make sure to let you know. But she also has a soft side... She was raised well, which I imagine isn't common on the surface nowadays." I began to glare at him as he went back to snapping branches. My hoof started to crackle with electricity as a red glow grew behind me. "And I resent your false assumptions that I'm some filly fondler... or colt catcher..."

"Just needed to be sure, Charger. Looking out for the group and all that..."

I walked around him and stepped in his path, looking deep into his visor. I was beyond pissed at that point... My hoof proved it. "How about you take a deeper look in my head then, you undead, soul whispering, sack of pink shit." My hoof began to flare up even more than it already was as I gave him the look I gave so many other unicorns before I tortured and killed them. "I'm a murderer. Not some freak that molests children... But of course, if you don't believe me, you can always just put a gun to my head and fulfill our agreement a year early. I'll even make it easy for you." I pressed my head against the barrel of his rifle, still glaring up at him. "Go on, Petiole. Do it. We both know I deserve it. What are you waiting for?" My voice started to raise. "Do it, motherfucker! Pull the trigger! Be a hero!" I started breathing heavily... shaking...

Admittedly, I was scared of what was waiting for me once I died... But I knew that whatever hell I was going to be thrown into, I deserved it.

He stared down at me in silence for a long while, before backing up and walking around me to drop more branches in the pile that he was going to set on fire for tonight.

"Come on, you wrinkly raisin!" I looked back at him. "Do it! We both know you want to!"

He looked back at me without saying a word, and I continued to glare back at him. His LEDs remained blue.

"Whatever, freak..." I said, making my way past him and going back to where I was going to sit earlier.

Some of Thunder's team were watching from a distance, then stepped aside once I made my way in the building.

"Hey, are you alright...?" Blaze asked, looking me over with worry.

Tezu had joined the table while I was gone, and was now sitting beside his lover.

"Don't wanna talk about it..." I muttered as I pulled out my bottle of absinthe. I ripped the cork off the bottle with my teeth, spat it out, and started chugging.

"Whoa..." Thunderwing spoke softly. I could feel them watching... Judging... Fuck, I didn't care. I needed this... "Hey, slow down..." I felt her wing on my arm, trying to bring it down.

The burn ended up making that happen, however. Not her.

I coughed violently as I slouched over the table, slamming the bottle on the surface.

"What's goin' on, man?" She asked carefully, as if it were a sensitive topic.

"Doesn't matter." I looked at the contents within my bottle to see I had gotten down a quarter of it just now. Half empty, give or take...

I could already feel it starting to hit me. Figured as much. I was drinking on an empty stomach.

"Just gotta have fun." I smiled forcefully at the people around me, then went back to chugging.

They weren't buying it.

Couldn't really blame them...

I wasn't either.

(((((((◉)))))))

That fun I mentioned?

Yeah, that was very short lived.

At some point, I had passed out on an empty stomach.

Guess I wasn't having dinner tonight.

When I woke up, it was sometime in the middle of the night, when everyone - or almost everyone, as I was sure there was someone on watch - was asleep.

It came to my attention that my helmet was on backwards. When I removed it from my head, a puddle of drool parted from my lips - which I proceeded to smack together a few times - and slid out of the protective head gear onto the table.

My bladder was urging me to go outside and find a nice, quiet place to take a piss, so I quickly stood up, slipped my helmet back on properly, and activated my pipbuck light. The room lit up in a dim red as I made my way for the back exit. I had doubts the plumbing here worked anyways...

Along the way, I caught Para and Fluky cuddled up together once more in the corner, fast asleep. In most cases, I thought it was sweet. But this time, it was only a foul reminder of what Petiole said to me earlier that night.

My hoof started to crackle again, shaking me out of my deep thoughts. I looked back to the hall that led to the back of the building and resumed course. My bladder certainly wasn't going to wait...

I checked around my surroundings once I stepped outside, but I didn't see any reds on my E.F.S. Just blues.

One of them was moving around from either inside the building, or on the roof, but I couldn't tell who it was.

I hastily slipped behind a green dumpster and did my business, standing up on my rear hooves as one of my fores pressed against the exterior wall of the building, while the other assisted in aiming the stream somewhere where it wouldn't splash against my rear hooves.

My body was thanking me for it, and I sighed with relief as I released what had been slowly building up inside me for hours. Now, if only there was a way I could release the anger that was being bottled up...

I didn't want to lash out at anyone. But if it came out all at once, then that was exactly what would happen...

A part of me wanted to punch Petiole in his stupid undead face, but that wouldn't solve anything. Only that I respond to problems with retaliation. I didn't want to be that guy...

I sighed as I hung my head down, took my forehoof off the wall that I was using as a support to keep me up on my two hind legs, and dropped down to all fours once my business was concluded. Usually, I wouldn't have had to stand like that, but it seemed morning wood came a bit early for me tonight... The slightly cold night air probably had something to do with that.

Sigh...

I carefully zipped up the groinal part of my armor and started to walk back inside. It was a bit tight, considering the hard on I had... But I'd just have to try and ignore it. I was most definitely not in the mood...

I'd just have to deal with Petiole in the morning...

Author's Note

Special thanks to Kkat for FoE, Somber for PH, Alchestbreach for radio genocide, Nylten for drawing awesome pictures for Radio Static, my dear friends and fans that read through this story (and love it), and Pines.

The song in this is Atlantic City, by Bruce Springsteen. For some reason, I had the urge to add that song into the scene with Para and Flukes. Hope you like it.

Channel 001.7; Numb

Let's get the other bit of politeness taken care of, shall we? What the bloody, bloody, bloody hell are you doing here?!

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

I awoke to a soft, yet slightly colder temperature and breeze. It was warm out here and reeked of burning forest and flesh, but then again, it had been that way for days now. That's not what concerned me...

What did concern me was that my armor was off, even though I distinctly remember falling asleep with it on. What concerned me even more was that when I opened my eyes, I found myself alone, in the middle of a field of grass; dead and dry.

I stood up, groaning before looking behind me to see the treeline of a forest. Looking back ahead of me, I found the highway that led up to the checkpoint tunnel in the far distance. The smoke was getting thinner, but it was still a challenge to make out the silhouette of the donut shop the group and I were resting in for the night.

Suddenly, I felt my stomach lurch. I heaved and retched as I felt something coming up. I hadn't eaten anything last night...

I regurgitated whatever my body was trying to purge itself of, and found a pile of the black, oily gunk that I had puked up, back when I was in the tower with Para.

I quickly backed away from it, halfway between gasping for air and screaming out of horror. I landed on my back in a panic, then quickly rolled over, getting back on my hooves. After staring at it for a long period of time while I panted for breath, I came to the conclusion that it wasn't going to scurry away or attack me. It wasn't moving at all. It was just... there...

Ahead, in the distance, just over the building, I saw what I imagined was Thunderwing taking to the air. Presumably trying to find me.

There was a fit of coughing, hacking, and retching behind me, causing me to swiftly turn around and look. I couldn't see anyone there, but the noise was coming from beyond the treeline.

I made a run for the sound, passing through the brush with haste. The branches scratching against my coat wasn't really a problem for me, though it wasn't the best feeling, either. Still... I've had worse.

Far worse.

I came to a stop when I found Para puking up the same black substance that I had, a few minutes ago. He was stripped of all his gear, too...

"Para..." I moved in close, and he looked up at me, panting. He then wiped his lips clean of the gunk and smiled, but I could tell he was in pain behind that mask. I was too...

"Changer." He coughed up some more of the black, then sighed as he sat on his haunches, trying to catch his breath. He wiped some more of the substance away from his mouth and shook his head. "Must've eaten something bad last night..."

"Para..." I took another step forward. "Do you know why we're out here...?"

He shrugged with a simple smile. "We both sleep walk, I guess. Reckon we wanted to have a camp-out."

I stared down at the pile of vomit between us.

I hadn't thought of it before... Why hadn't I thought about it before...?

It made sense if he was infected with the same virus I had. This... disease... This... darkness that Petiole had described it as. He was right there with me when I charged through the smoke monster... thing, back at the tower.

Why didn't I think of him being infected...?

What did I do...?

... How... how long did we have left to live...?

I sighed as I put a hoof on his shoulder. He looked back up at me with a calm smile, then took my hoof in his. I smiled back, but I was worried as all hell...

I had gotten us both killed...

"We should get back to the others before they assume the worst and move on..." I said softly, to which he stood up. We started walking side by side, back to the shop.

"Before they assume to burst?" He looked me over with a raised brow. "Like, into bubbles? I like bubbles."

I laughed softly and brushed my tail against his flank. "Come on, ya dork." I started to walk a bit faster, and he stayed caught up by my side.

(((((((◉)))))))

I caught Petiole on the roof of the shop, scoping out the land for us. His LEDs shined blue through the smoke, but once the barrel of his sniper moved on to us, they went green.

Shortly after, Thunderwing and her group, along with Fluky, met us at the back exit. I did my best to not look at the filly. I didn't want her on my mind at that time.

"What happened to you two?" Thunderwing asked as we approached.

"Wish I knew the answer to that myself." I replied. "Is our stuff here?"

"Y-yeah..." She looked me over warily, before stepping aside. Para and I stepped inside.

Our gear was put into two different piles. I went to mine and started getting dressed in my barding, while he did the same with his attire and equipment.

Petiole jumped down through the sunroof and groaned upon impact with the surface, as if it had hurt him. It wasn't that big of a drop... Wuss.

"Good to have you back with us." He said calmly as he approached. "Can we talk?"

"Hey, Para?" I said, tapping him on the shoulder. He looked over, and I continued. "Can you give Petiole and I some privacy?"

"Sure thing." He beamed at me, then trotted away happily, back the way we came. My eyes stayed glued to that sweet flank of his... Fuck, I wanted that...

He still had that small dance to his movement whenever he walked, and watching his tail flick from left to right... Nng... I got a little bit of eye candy from that... As if that ass of his wasn't candy enough.

I turned back to Petiole once Para left my sight. He was staring silently at me. I was sure he was judging me...

"What do you want?" I asked, annoyed just by his presence alone.

"I wanted to start off by apologizing for the other night. I know you're not a pedophile, Charger."

"No shit." I deadpanned; my ears folding back as my hoof started to crackle softly. "That it? Can I stop talking to you now?"

"Hear me out first."

I sighed and rolled my eyes, sitting down and adjusting my gear after. "Better make this good."

"I don't... take back what I said about Para having the mind of a child."

"Off to a great start..." I murmured as my hoof flared up with electricity a little.

"But I should have been more professional about it. He, by definition, is an adult. A very immature, deaf, adult. But an adult, no less." He raised a hoof halfway. "And I shouldn't have dragged Fluky in my argument. That wasn't fair of me. So... I'm sorry, Charger..."

I glanced at him for a second after I adjusted the shoulder grip on my rifle. Well... he seemed sincere...

"Yeah, whatever..." I rolled my eyes and started doing an ammo check. "Anything else, ghoul?"

"Okay, I deserved that..." He muttered quietly before shaking my remark away. "I wanted to ask... are you sure it's safe for all of us to be going to Portlandia? I'm perfectly fine with killing ferals, but I can't protect everyone from those freaks. Not even you. I'm starting to think maybe you and the others shouldn't go."

"Hey." I snapped, scowling at him. "This was my plan. And Tuner's... but also mine. If we're careful, we can all make it work."

"Okay, but what's there that the rest of the wasteland doesn't have?"

"Tuner said there's something there I need that I can't find anywhere else, and I believe him."

"Food, drugs, and of course, the primary item of interest that will prove more than useful for Charger." Tuner said.

Wait, where was that coming from?

I looked around until I noticed the radio tucked away in my pouch.

Huh... When did that get there?

"So, let me get this straight..." Petiole began, planting his face in his hoof. "We're going to a ghoul infested city for supplies we already have? Tuner isn't saying what this thing you need is, and that throws me off. This plan is horrible... and I'm surprised no one else has bothered saying anything about it."

"If this place is so infested with ferals, then we'd have a lot of untouched buildings, ready for looting." I quickly added. "The stuff we don't need, we can sell. Then we take those caps, maybe get on a ship or something. Get the hell out of Equestria."

Petiole shook his head. "I have a bad feeling about this, Charger... But you're the one in charge. So I'll... ignore the feeling in my gut and fool myself into thinking you know what you're doing."

"I know what I'm doing..." I murmured, turning away from him and making my way to the back exit.

"Where were you this morning?" Petiole called out, before coughing a little.

I didn't reply. I kept walking.

The rest of the group was waiting outside, near the exit. Fluky was on Para's back, leaned up against the cage with the bunny.

I nodded to the group that watched me.

"10-16 to Portlandia."

The group was silent for a short while, before Blaze spoke up.

"... The fuck did you just say?"

(((((((◉)))))))

We had made our way past the depot after several hours of walking, but I chose for us to go around it. I didn't want to deal with the NCR right now... or ever.

In taking our detour, we had started to walk through a forest. Most of the trees were dead, but there was also flickers of life. Green.

Life in a dead world.

That made me feel a little better about the fate of Equus.

I trotted up to Thunderwing, who walked alongside Destrier at the front.

"Hey..." I spoke quietly.

She looked over with a calm expression. "Hey yourself."

"I gotta ask..." I looked around before resuming. "Do you think I know what I'm doing...?"

"What are you doing?" She smiled faintly, to which I rolled my eyes.

"I mean with where we're going. Do you think it's a good idea?"

"I don't see why not." She shrugged. "None of us have really said anything, because we've kinda wanted to take it over ourselves. At the very least, take the valuables. And like you said earlier, if we plan it carefully, then everything will turn out alright."

I perked up at that. "Wait, you heard my conversation with Petiole?"

She nodded. "Sorry. Eavesdropping is just in my nature. But honestly... he worries too much. I think you have what it takes to lead. He shouldn't just assume the worst."

"Crossing Steel Ranger territory to hide from said rangers still doesn't really make a whole lot of sense, though." Blaze said behind us.

"Yeah, well..." I paused, looking ahead. "We can circle around. Though, I'm not familiar with the surface just yet." I looked back at the team as we continued walking. "Any of you know the territories here?"

Thunderwing nodded. "I do. We'll discuss our next move when we stop to rest." She paused, then muttered to herself. "Really wish I had a map, though..."

Para trotted up to my side. "I have a compass, if that'll help."

"Our pipbucks have compasses built in." I stated, looking at him curiously. I thought he was hard of hearing...

His ears folded back, as if I had told him to fuck off. I sighed and shook my head.

"Can I see your compass then?"

"Yep!" He beamed at me almost immediately. "But it's busted."

... Great, Para. Thanks for the help.

He pulled out a bronze compass and flicked it open to reveal that the needle was spinning out of control.

That was... odd...

Didn't compasses point to strong magnetic signals? Why was this one going crazy?

"Here, let me see that..." I reached out a hoof, and he handed it over.

The moment I touched it, the needle stopped; pointing northwest - though more north than west - even though we were facing south.

"Oh, hey!" Para grinned. "You fixed it!"

"Hardly..." Thunderwing muttered, looking at it. "It's pointing in the wrong direction. Busted was an understatement." She took the compass in her wing, and immediately, the needle spun around to point to the northwest directly...

Or... southeast, geographically speaking...

Weird...

"Hm..." She handed it back to Para, and the needle began freaking out again.

He closed it and put it back in his jacket pocket, only to pull out a red and black candy cane. "I'm sorry I couldn't help..." He spoke softly, frowning, before sticking the cane in his mouth. "Do you accept candy canes as an apology...?"

"Don't worry about it, Para." I smiled faintly and lightly patted him on the shoulder.

He nodded somberly in response.

Thunderwing looked at my pipbuck, then up at me.

"My compass is pointing south." I stated, looking back at her.

"Mine too." Destrier filled in.

"Odd..." She shrugged and took a deep breath. "Guess we'll try and solve that later. We should keep moving in the meantime."

"Agreed." I replied, starting to walk forward.

We were back on the move through the forest, and the smell of burning trees and flesh was gradually starting to fade, the more we ventured south. I couldn't wait to get away from the smell entirely.

For a while, things in the group were silent. I was still pretty upset with Petiole, but he apologized for last night, at least. I went most of my life without apologies. I'd take what I could get.

There was a warehouse far off in the distance, surrounded by the forest we walked through for hours. It seemed long since abandoned, but then again, a lot of things were. I could only hope there weren't a bunch of raiders or radhogs or something like that waiting inside...

I didn't see any reds on my E.F.S., but that was most likely because we were too far away from it.

"What do ya think, guys?" Thunderwing asked, nodding off to the building. "Should we check it out?" She glanced in my direction after, as if she knew I was thinking the same thing.

"It could potentially save us time for when we get to Portlandia. We won't need to worry about grabbing any valuables if there's enough in there." Riot said as he levitated his two combat shotguns out of their holsters and cocking them.

Everyone turned to me for the final say, to which I nodded. "Sounds good to me. How should we approach?"

"Right." Thunderwing replied with a soft smile. "Destrier, you take the front. I'll be eyes in the sky. Riot, take the rear. Tezu, take the roof. Blaze, try and find a way in through the side. If there isn't one, go with Riot." She turned to me finally. "I'll leave the orders of your crew to you."

I nodded with a faint smile as I turned to my friends. "Petiole, stay behind the treeline and provide long range fire support, in case things go south. Keep a close eye on the group and ensure their safet-"

"Hey, does anyone else hear that...?" Tezu asked, looking up at the sky warily.

"Hear what?" Thunderwing looked at him with a raised brow.

Then Destrier spoke. "Vertibucks. Flock of 'em..."

Thunderwing's eyes grew wide as she looked around, realizing the trees offered little to no shelter. Her wings spread out from her sides. "Everyone, fuck it! Run to the warehouse!"

The group, along with mine, started running for the building in the distance. Para trotted happily with Fluky on his back, and I was about to book it, until I looked back to see Petiole walking.

Oh, FOR FUCKS SAKE!

I went behind him and rammed my head against his rear, pushing him forward. "Move, damn it!"

"It hurts to run."

"IT HURTS TO LIVE! SO MOVE!" I rammed my head against his rear again, but the contact with his metal armor was making my head hurt even more than it already did...

Still, he kept walking!

I could hear the buzzing and whirring of Vertibuck propellers getting closer. There were too many for us!

"C'mon, damn it!" I quickly got under him and lifted my back up, groaning behind clenched teeth as I forced him up off his hooves. He struggled a bit to get off, but I began running for the warehouse.

The others had just made it inside.

The Vertibucks were too close! There was no way we were going to make it!

Thanks for nothing, Petiole!

I looked to my left and quickly jumped into a bush, bringing the armored ghoul with me. It wasn't the most comfortable landing, but it was that or get shot down. I preferred the former over the latter.

With only seconds to spare, the Vertibucks flew overhead in a formation I had seen before.

Four of them stayed in the center, hauling a large metal crate by chains, while the others stayed around them in a circle formation.

Whatever was in there screamed and banged against the walls in desperate attempts to break out. At that moment, I knew just from the screams and roars alone, that it was the undying beast of Stable 32, back at the reactor.

"Enclave or Rangers?" Petiole asked.

I turned to him to see he was by my side, looking up through the leaves of the bush we hid inside. His LEDs were blue.

Turning back to the Vertibucks, I answered. "Does it matter?"

"No... I suppose not. Either way, we're royally fucked."

It was the Steel Rangers. I had high doubts the Enclave used that formation. They seemed too proud to use another faction's. At least, from what I heard of them. But it didn't matter if they were Rangers or Enclave. Petiole was right about one thing. We were royally fucked. If either side had gotten a hold of that thing and figured out how to turn it against us...

I shuddered at the thought and shook, closing my eyes as I hung my head down. "I imagine they're going back to the bunker..." I muttered, looking back at him.

"More than likely..."

Moments passed as we waited for the whirring of Vertibuck propellers to go quiet. We climbed out of the bush and looked at each other, before turning to the warehouse. The others didn't step out yet, so we began making our way over. They were probably already going through the valuables.

"Close call..." I said softly, glancing at him.

"Yep..."

"Petiole..." I sighed and hung my head down. My mane covered my eyes, so I looked back ahead and brushed it out of my sight. "You really need to move when I tell you to."

"I can't run, Charger. I don't know how many times I have to tell you that."

"Well, can't you... you know... take something for the pain...?"

"It won't help any. Can't heal what's already dead. And while radiation restores parts of a ghoul, and may help me move faster, it doesn't help make them feel better. Enough radiation, and they'll turn feral. I'm trying to avoid that for as long as I can."

"Right..." I muttered, before turning to him. He looked back at me quietly. "Well, if we're ever in need of running, can you at least get on my back?"

He sighed before looking back at the building. We were a few steps away from the front entrance, which was left open for us. "I don't like it... but I suppose I don't have a choice. Alright, Charger. You got yourself a deal."

I nodded with a faint smile. "Thank you."

We stepped inside the building, and that's when I noticed red bars starting to appear around the area. Petiole noticed them too, as he was looking around, alarmed.

I spotted our team on the E.F.S., but there was no way of telling who was who, or what predicament they were in.

"Petiole..." I whispered, to which he glanced in my direction. "You take the left, I'll search the right for everyone else..."

He nodded, then began walking for the left side of the building, as instructed.

Quietly, I made my way along the right wall, keeping my rifle out in front of me; mouth around the grip.

The closest friendly I could see was on the other side of a wall of tall, wooden crates labeled 'CAUTION.'

Hopefully this one was Para...

"10-86." I called out in a whisper.

"What the hell? What's that mean...?" I heard Blaze call out in the same hushed tone I offered.

Okay, not Para...

I shook my head, keeping a close eye on my 6 and 12. "Forget it. Can you get out of there?"

"You tell me, Charger. You're the one with the E.F.S."

I looked around the area, and found a red blip passing by, over the blue. With it, came the sound of heavy footfalls, along with a few sniffs to the air.

"Smell puny pony fear." A deep voice said aloud on the other side.

Oh shit... Oh shit, oh shit, oh SHIIIT we were in hellhound territory! SHIT! That, or Diamond Dog... Either way, we were so dead! I've heard far too many horror stories of them from the other rangers, and that was enough for me to piss myself a little, just by hearing one personally!

The heavy footfalls started again, heading for the entrance that Petiole and I went through. "Want to hear pony hurt!" He started chuckling menacingly, sending a deep shiver up my spine.

I moved my head closer to the crate and whispered softly. "Just... stay there, Blaze... I'll... come to you..."

"Y-you better!" He hissed, sounding just as terrified as I felt. "Or I swear on Celestia's corpse, I'll make it my soul's purpose to haunt you to your last, dying breath!"

I stepped away from the crate and continued on my way, cautiously making my way down the makeshift corridor, with the warehouse wall to my right, and a wall of crates to my left.

There seemed to be a left turn at the far end.

Figured... Had to go through a damn maze filled with hellhounds... or Diamond Dogs... Cyberdogs... whatever they called themselves... Both were terrifying, but the former was pure nightmare fuel. Diamond Dogs were at least a little more manageable. A little...

I knew they dealt a lot with cybernetics, which made them very dangerous...

I really didn't want my limbs getting torn off...

I kept a close eye on my E.F.S. at the bottom of my peripherals, making sure there wasn't anything sneaking around the corner. I made frequent checks on my six.

As I started making my way around the corner of the wall to my left, I turned to look behind me once more, and found a red marker starting to head the way I came.

I paused and watched for a second, before I saw the front half of an 8 foot, fur covered beast walking on two hind legs step into view.

Fuck, fuck, fuck!

I quickly jumped behind cover, my heart pounding heavily in my chest. I had just now realized this was a dead end! Fuck me!

I was having trouble breathing, and I couldn't control myself! Fuck, my heart! Hypventilating... can't...!

The heavy footfalls got louder as each second passed! Five beats of the heart between two steps! Ten... Fifteen! Fuck! I was so dead!

There was nowhere to hide! All I could do was count the seconds I had left! Count my frantic heartbeats!

Then something grabbed a hold of me from above.

"AGH, FUCK, NO!" I flailed; my rear hoof bursting with electricity. The heavy footfalls became more rapid, getting closer at an alarming rate!

"HA HA, PONY DEAD NOW!"

I looked up to see Thunderwing desperately trying to keep a firm hold of me. At once, I calmed down in her arms, and she lifted me up onto the tall crate that had made the dead end, and therefore, would have been the death of me. I started to stand up, but she forced a hoof down on my back, keeping me on my stomach. She lied there beside me, putting a pinion to her lips as she regarded me.

The heavy stomps of the hellhound stopped right next to the crate we were hiding atop of, and the beast growled.

"Smell ponies... Hear ponies... No see ponies... Where they go...?" He grumbled in annoyance at this horrible, deadly, not-so-very fun game of hide n' seek.

At least, Tuner would call it a game. I didn't think of it like that! Survival wasn't a game, damn it!

Thunder kept her eyes locked with mine, and when I tried to turn my head to look down at the monster, she put a hoof over me, keeping my head from turning, and keeping my eyes locked with hers. She gently shook her head in response and mouthed the word 'no.'

The beast's footsteps receded back down the hallway, and she let out a small breath.

"Glad to see you made it without getting ripped in half..." She muttered.

"We need to get the others. It's only a matter of time until they find our friends..."

"Noted." She said with a firm nod. "We need to play it safe, though. Where's Petiole?"

"Looking for the others. On the left side of the building."

She clenched her teeth for a second, but I quickly spoke again.

"So long as he stays hidden, he should be okay..."

"I hope for his sake, you're right... Ghouls have a pretty strong scent. Stronger than the living..."

Shit... Why didn't I think of that? I mean... I didn't smell anything on him since he got inside that suit of armor, and he's kept it on this entire time... Maybe the armor was preventing his decayed scent to escape?

I stayed optimistic about his well-being. "I think he'll be okay."

"Alright..." She glanced around the warehouse, before turning to me once more. "I can't find any of the others. Not without you. Serves me right for not having a Pipbuck..." She muttered, glancing at the metal bracelet on my forehoof. "Did you manage to find anyone?"

"Blaze, but that's about it. I didn't contact the others yet, but I have them on my E.F.S."

"Good. We need to gather them up and evacuate asap."

"Couldn't agree more. Let's start with Blaze."

"On it." She nodded. "Lead the way."

I started to carefully crawl forward along the top of the crates, heading towards where I heard Blaze. His blip was still there, so that meant he was still alive. But with the hellhounds snooping around, this was going to prove difficult without getting seen...

We stopped where his blip was, and I poked my head out, checking our surroundings, before looking down at him, curled up in a ball behind a smaller crate, shaking.

"10-86." I whispered, to which he looked up at me; his eyes widened in fear.

Thunderwing poked her head out next, and he looked a little more relieved than when it was only me.

"We'll get you out of there..." She whispered softly.

Then, before any of us could begin the extraction, a set of large, jagged claws wrapped around my form.

"GOTCHA!"

"SHIT!" I bit down on the grip as my body was pulled off the top of the crates.

Thunderwing quickly grabbed a hold of me, but it wasn't helping much. The hellhound was stronger, and would only take the two of us, unless she let go. Electricity was coursing through my hoof as my heart pounded in fear. I could see a lot of reds moving around more frantically. Oh, I was so fucked!

"GO!" I shouted behind the grip, pushing Thunder back. She lost her grip, and my body slammed against the floor, stomach first.

I felt the weight of the hellhound push down on my back with a foot as it started to pull my forehooves in opposite directions. I could hear and feel them popping out of their sockets, causing me to bite down on the grip in agony; therefore wasting ammo.

That wasn't important right now, though! As my arms were being torn from my body, I could feel my ribs starting to cave in on my internal organs!

I screamed and cried out as loud as my flooded voice and collapsing lungs allowed me. I flailed my rear hoof around to try and strike some part of the monster atop me so I had a chance of escaping, but it was to no avail. I had no chance.

"PUNY PONY CRY TOO MUCH!" He shouted with a dry, heavy chuckle as he applied more pressure to my back. My E.F.S. display flickered out of existence, and both my forearms were ripped off entirely, dropped on both sides of me. I couldn't bear to look... I didn't need to in order to know what had happened...

I heard and felt the cracking of bones, and suddenly, the taste of... something else... filling my mouth. Not iron...

This was cold and bitter.

The corners of my vision grew darker, closing in for the center. Sound was turning to silence, and I was finding it difficult to stay awake...

It seemed that lately... my life rested on ticking hands...

Time was a real son of a bitch...

Now it was time to sleep...

I heard the muffled shouts of my friends, followed by a barrage of gunfire, as I gradually went blind and deaf. My vision blurred as it got darker, until there was nothing left to see. At that point, there was nothing left to hear, either.

And then there was nothing left to feel...

(((((((◉)))))))

"Hey there, son. You alright?"

I heard a familiar voice as I lied on a cold, wet surface. I could sense a light above me through my closed eyelids, and my armor seemed to be missing, as I felt the gentle shower of rain against my body. The night air was filled with pollution, and in the distance, I could hear traffic.

I opened my eyes to see a set of green hooves standing before me, along with the sleeves of a worn, brown leather jacket.

I looked up to see an earth pony buck with a disheveled brown mane standing before me with a scruffy beard, giving me a weird look behind dark blue, tired eyes. Dirt covered his features, along with his clothes, and I noticed a tin cup at his side, sitting on the ground.

"Wh... where am I...?" I asked, looking up at the dark skies. There was no moon, nor were there any stars. Only clouds and smoke stacks from power plants.

"Well, ya gone and wound up in Manehatten, chump." He held out a hoof, and I grabbed a hold of it. He helped me up, and I continued look around.

"Where are my friends? How did I get here?"

"Ah, well that's just it, init?" He gave me a kooky look as he continued. "Yer not s'posed to be here. None of us are. It all lies fabricated by the government. Nopony believes me, but you know it all an illusion, son. I tell ya... Pinkie knows somethin', but her and her hoity toity 'Ministry o' Morale' are coverin' it all up. I tellin' ya, they in on it! But do they keep the ponies of Equestria up ta date? No! No. They. Don't!"

That voice...

One... This was One, from the battery. One. The bum on the streets of Manehatten.

And now I was in Manehatten, talking to him...

"What's... what's your name?" I asked, doing my best to ignore the stench beaming off him. I think he went a few... months... without a shower. Or in this case, two centuries.

"I..." He paused, then slouched. "Them vermin took it from me..." He muttered, sitting down on the wet pavement with his bare flank. "They took mah name... Mah life... They dug in deep, and they done did stole it all... I know it was them... Always askin' questions... Always demandin' answers..." He put his hooves over his ears and closed his eyes tight. "GET OUTTA MAH HEAD!"

I backed up a few steps, only to bump into...

Oh my...

A dragoness about the same size as Tezu stood there, glaring me down.

"Watch where you're goin', ya clumsy shit!"

I continued to stare in awe at her dark red, shimmering spikes and her razor sharp claws... those teeth...

"What, you retarded or somethin'? I said MOVE!" She stepped forward, bumping into me hard.

"A-actually, you didn't." I stated. "You said to watch where I was going. That's not exactly telling me to move."

She paused, regarding me in surprise, before chuckling softly. "Okay, you know what...?" With that, she picked me up off the ground and tossed me to the side. I landed in a puddle in the street, groaning in discomfort as I struggled to get up.

"That was just a warning!" She shouted. "Next time, I shed blood!" She shouted as she continued on her way, ignoring One.

The bum seemed to avert his eyes from her as she passed, and he got into fetal position, rocking back and forth; muttering to himself.

I stood up and shook my coat, slowly making my way back to the sidewalk.

"Ah, damn it..." Another familiar voice said as a pegasus in an aviators jacket trotted up to me. He had a set of aviators tucked in one of the chest pockets. His dark grey mane was well groomed, as was his blue coat and wings. His eyes were that of emeralds. "I'm sorry about that, kid. She's kinda a bitch."

"Yeah, well Tuner warned me about Six..." I muttered.

He smiled faintly and patted me on the shoulder. "I think it's time we went to go meet him."

"Tuner?"

"Yep."

"Well, where is he...?"

The obvious Vertibuck pilot pointed to the door next to us, to which they opened, revealing a dance floor... with no dancers.

Regardless, club music was playing within. It had a DJ PON3 feel to it. I had managed to get a few of the rangers to try and find some of her work, back from the prewar times, after they introduced me to one of her records that they found lying around.

It had a pretty nice tune to it, and I had only heard a few seconds of it so far. It started with a distorted, echoed voice of a mare.

The pilot started to make his way forward, and I felt a tap on my shoulder. I looked over to see One standing close to me.

"Watch your back, Charger... Not everything is as it seems..."

"Hey, you comin'?" Two asked, looking back at me with a smile that... gah, fuck, he was good lookin'...

I heard the tin cup rattle, and I looked back at One to catch him shaking it in front of me. "Spare a bit, sir?"

"S-sorry... I don't... have... any..."

He nodded with a sad, tired look in his eyes. "Goddess bless you, sir..." And with that, he turned around and started rattling the can at the... streetlight...?

... Okay then.

I turned back to Two and followed him inside. The doors closed behind us, as if they had a will of their own.

Ooo, I

I know you better, I know you better than her

Inside

Under the cover, I know you better than her

Ooo, I

I know you better, I know you better than her

Inside

Under the cover, I know you better than her

You wanna run around, then tell me now

Tell me now

Cause I need to believe that this is solid ground

Solid ground

You wanna run around, then tell me now

Tell me now

Cause I need to believe that this is solid ground

Solid ground

The song started to build up, until a loud, scratchy bass started blasting. Lights of various colors flickered and moved around the dance floor with the beat of the song. On the other side, against the wall, was a DJ booth, but I was blinded by too much light to really see anyone behind it.

Even though there weren't any ponies dancing here, I noticed a few sitting around at the bar, or at a table.

One of them that peaked my interest with appearance alone had a white body, and instead of hooves, they seemed to have spikes, almost like the legs of a spider. Their limbs seemed to have extra joints that ponies didn't.

Spines ran up and down their back, and their eyes were pitch black. I noticed their eyelids closed from the sides, instead of the top and bottom.

It looked at me with a blank expression, and that's when I noticed... it didn't have a mouth! There was nothing there! Not even nostrils! How was it breathing!? What the hell was that thing!?

I quickly averted my eyes from the horrorshow and followed Two across the dance floor, past all the flashing lights.

From there, I noticed a husky male earth pony at the bar counter, serving drinks - grudgingly, I might add - and Happy sitting at a bar stool, sucking on a candy cane after dipping it in a glass of Wild Pegasus whiskey.

He wore an overcoat, just like in the wanted posters.

He turned to me and grinned, raising his glass to me.

I looked the other way, doing what I could to ignore him. I didn't want to associate myself with that psychopath...

We stepped up to the DJ booth at the wall, and Two shouted over the music.

"Hey, we got a guest here!"

A purple unicorn with yellow eyes poked his head over the DJ equipment and raised a brow. "Well, this is certainly a surprise!" He adjusted a few knobs and dials on his set up, before stepping off stage, looking me over. He had red, a darker shade of purple, and blue for three stripes in his black mane and tail. His bangs hung over the top of his eyes. He had several glowing bracelets of various colors wrapped around all his hooves, save for his right rear. "Fuck, you're even hotter in person!"

I rolled my eyes, but honestly... he was pretty nice looking, too. Okay, so two attractive ponies in... wherever I was... Oof, choices...

Tuner smiled to the pilot. "Thanks for bringing him to me, Two."

"Don't mention it, Tuner." He smiled and turned around, heading toward the weird creature that stood in the corner awkwardly, watching people carefully. It backed up a little once it noticed him coming closer, and he raised a hoof halfway, trying to reassure the strange entity that everything was okay. It seemed to calm down a little, and he continued to approach.

Tuner put a hoof on my shoulder, and I looked back at him to see a smile that was already melting my heart...

"Let's grab a drink, you and I." He said softly as he inched closer to my muzzle. He waited at the perfect time to say that, as the music had gotten a little quieter at that time, before picking up again.

I nodded, and together, we walked side by side, toward the bar. I noticed Tuner swaying his hips a little, rubbing his flank against mine...

Ahh, okay...

He laughed at my blush, but I couldn't help but smile a little. He was definitely a teaser...

"Four!" He called out, taking a seat at the bar.

Happy kept his eyes on me as he grinned away, but I did well to ignore it.

Four looked over, scowling at him as he washed a glass.

"Set us up with two whiskeys! Top shelf! This is a special occasion!"

The dark red buck grumbled to himself as he turned around, setting up our drinks.

"Are we in the battery...?" I asked, looking around at the other ponies around us.

Tuner nodded with a faint smile. "'Fraid so. I apologize for the confusion of this place. But... you're not supposed to be here."

"I know..." I muttered, hanging my head down. I didn't know why I was here, but I knew I was supposed to be...

The grouchy bartender set down two glasses of whiskey before us, glaring at me and Tuner. "50 bits."

"50 bits!?" I blurted. "I don't have 50 bits! That's outrageous!"

"Don't have 50 bits?" He said with clenched teeth. "Don't have whiskey, either." With that, he took my glass away.

"Ah, come on, Four." Tuner started with a grin, resting his elbows on the surface of the counter while his head rested in his folded forehooves. "Don't be such a party pooper. We both know that money here is meaningless. Hell, this isn't even your bar."

"Fuck you." He hissed, glaring at the DJ. "I hate you both."

"Well, at least the feeling's mutual, love." Tuner replied, blowing him a kiss.

Four recoiled, sneering in disgust. "Homo..." He muttered, leaving to another section behind the bar, trying to ignore everyone.

Tuner levitated the glass back to me. "Bottoms up, sailor." He said with his endearing grin.

We both raised our glasses, clinked, and drank.

"Ah, fuck..." I shuddered, as did Tuner. He slapped his forehoof against the counter a few times as he shook his head.

"Hoo! That hit the spot. Kicks like a horse." He chuckled, then looked me over, smiling, before his magic reached over the counter, grabbing the bottle of Wild Pegasus. He began pouring us both a drink.

"I wish I could obliterate your souls." Four said, glaring at us from afar. "That goes for everyone here. Especially Seven."

Tuner set the bottle down after filling our drinks a quarter full as he grinned back at Four with a teasing look in his eyes. "I really wish your words would turn into ice cubes, so I could fill my drink."

Four grimaced as he turned away once more.

Well played, Tuner...

I smacked my numb lips a few times and smiled at him as I laughed softly. I still had questions, though. I didn't want to spend my time here drinking.

"So... if we're in the battery... then why does it look like Manehatten?"

"Ah, yeah..." Tuner gave a brief nod. "Interesting thing about that... The setting is always changing after a few hours."

"The setting changes?" I raised a brow.

"Mhm." He nodded. "We don't really get a say in the matter. And it's random each time. There's no real pattern. Something I've gathered over the years is that each setting is based off another person's memory, here in the battery. But the memories of people don't really stay with the memories of the setting, for some reason..." He shrugged, then slouched as he rested his hooves on the counter, looking down at his drink. "The Manehatten you saw? That was One's memory. This place? A memory of mine, back when I actually had a body... Saddle. Got a gig to play at a club for a week."

"Wait..." I froze. "But if I was just in Manehatten, and suddenly ended up in a club clear on the other side of Equestria..."

Tuner glanced over with a smirk, before taking a deep breath. "Sometimes memories will get mixed up with each other."

"... And so, for two centuries, you've been living through each others memories...?"

He nodded, looking somber. "Unfortunately. Some memories are good, like this one. Others... not." He closed his eyes and took another deep, shuddering breath. "Sorry... Sorry..." He patted me on the shoulder and straightened up, before downing his entire glass. He shook a bit, then coughed. "Agh... H-hey, let's get out of here." He stood up and stretched his limbs.

"And go where?" I raised a brow before finishing off my drink.

I felt two hooves hug me from behind, meeting at my chest... There was a light nibble at my ear, before he whispered.

"Well, I have a room reserved for me upstairs... Let's start there..."

(((((((◉)))))))

"So, what was that music playing downstairs?" I asked as we made our way through the halls. The second floor and above seemed to just be doors to apartments. Kinda weird, for a night club...

"Ah." Tuner grinned. "DJ PON3. Wonderful artist, wouldn't ya say?"

Ha! I knew it was PON3!

"Yeah, he's pretty great." Tuner continued, and my smile faded to confusion.

He? Wait... I thought PON3 was a mare...

"Don't you mean she?"

Tuner chuckled. "I think we're talking about different PON3's. You don't know of this one. This one's... let's put it... interdimensional." He raised a hoof halfway as we walked, tilting it side to side a little.

"Oh..." I shrugged. "Well, that was a really good song back there."

"Hell yeah, it is." Tuner replied as he levitated a key out from his mane.

We stopped at a door to our left, which read '32.'

I wasn't too comfortable with that...

Last time I went through a door labeled 32, I got my gut torn through by a buzzsaw, got my rear hoof broken, along with a messed up back, then shortly after that, got it cut off by a tentacle, before getting orally raped by more tentacles that belonged to something of nightmares!

So... yeah... I wasn't too comfortable with this door and the number that accompanied it...

Tuner unlocked the door to his unit and pushed it open, flicking on a light with his magic. He stepped in after, tucking the key back into his mane and flicking his tail at me, before his flank disappeared behind the wall.

I peeked my head in after taking a deep breath, only to find a normal room. There was some more DJ equipment in the corner, along with a black, electric guitar in the shape of an Anarchy symbol. A unique design, for sure...

The other side of the room had a bed big enough for the company of two.

The closet was filled with fancy clothing, and beside it, a radio.

Tuner raised up on his hind legs, spun around to face me, then leaned back, collapsing on his bed with his arms spread out. His body bounced a little from the springs, and he sighed happily.

"Sooo..." I paused, looking around as I slowly stepped in further, closing the door behind me with a rear hoof. Hey, wait... I didn't have a metal hoof! It was natural again! "This is your place?"

He kept himself up halfway, using his forearms as leverage against the mattress so he could look at me.

"Do you like it?"

"I... actually do." I smiled faintly. "It's very clean here. And the oxygen feels... fresh."

He chuckled softly and sat up straight for a few seconds, before getting up and moving to the radio.

"What do you remember last, before coming here?" He asked, turning the device on.

I paused, thinking about what had happened to me, prior to my arrival here.

Wait... Oh... Fuck... I... I died... didn't I...?

"My... ribs got crushed, and I think my organs failed..." I shuddered, sitting on my haunches as I hugged myself close to make sure my forearms were still attached. "My arms got torn off!"

He looked back at me with a dropped jaw. He closed it again, then closed his eyes for a few quiet seconds. Eventually, he opened them again with a disturbed look.

"Oh man... Yeah, that hellhound sure squeezed you out like a tube of toothpaste... I'm sorry, Charger..." He turned around to face me directly, moved in close, and wrapped a comforting hoof around the back of my neck. He nuzzled my cheek, to which I closed my eyes to his touch.

He may have messed up a few times in the past, what with possessing Para... but... I didn't think that Tuner was all that bad. He seemed to care, deep down... I... felt safe here... With him.

A soft tune started to play on the radio, before a steady beat began. I opened my eyes, and shortly after, Tuner moved his head back a little. His hoof stayed glued to the back of my neck though, and his muzzle softly pressed against mine.

I felt myself blushing as we gazed longingly into each other's eyes.

It was late in December, the sky turned to snow

All around the day, was it going down slow

Night like a river, beginning to flow

I felt the beat of my mind go drifting

With these time passages

Years go falling in the fading light

Time passages

Buy me a ticket on the last train home tonight

"Another good song, so far..." I said softly, to which Tuner giggled.

"Definitely."

"Interdimensional?"

"You know it."

I chuckled softly and put my hoof around the back of his neck. He closed his eyes, and before I knew it, his lips were pressed to mine.

I closed mine shortly after, pressing into him a little.

It lasted for a few seconds, before he broke the kiss, smiling at me.

"I've waited to do that for far too long..." Tuner said softly, before backing up a little. He started dancing softly to the beat of the song, circling me as he did. Shortly following that, he began lip singing with the song as he kept his eyes locked on me.

Well, I'm not the kind to live in the past

The years run too short, and the days too fast

The things you lean on, the things that don't last

Well, it's just now and then, my line gets cast

Into these time passages

There's something back there that you left behind

Oh, time passages

Buy me a ticket on the last train home tonight

Tuner stopped before as a saxophone started to play, and smiled as he continued with the lip singing shortly after.

Hear the echoes

And feel yourself starting to turn

Don't know why you should feel there's something to learn

Tuner put a hoof under my chin as he inched closer to my muzzle, looking deep into my eyes again.

It's just a game that you play...

He went back to dancing to the music. I couldn't help myself. I joined in. I wasn't the best dancer, seeing as I never bothered trying. But this was fun! A little embarrassing, but fuck... I may have been dead now, but I was going to live in the moment.

For a while, the saxophone resumed as Tuner and I danced around each other, smiling and giggling at our dorkiness. He managed to keep up with the lip movement, all the same.

Well, the picture is changing

Now you're part of a crowd

They're laughing at something, and the music's loud

A girl comes towards you, you once used to know

You reach out your hoof, but you're all alone

And those time passages

I know you're in there, you're just out of sight

Oh, time passages

Buy me a ticket on the last train home tonight

Even for slow dancing, I was still a wreck, but Tuner didn't seem to mind it. He seemed to be enjoying his time with me, actually. I know I was.

As the saxophone came back into play, he quickly stopped dancing, slid closer to me, and before I could process what was happening, we fell into another kiss; this one deeper and more passionate than the first.

We held each other close as his tongue met with mine. Like the first time, I pushed in a little, and he laughed softly behind our intimacy.

His chest pressed against mine as he started getting more into it, and as the song started to end, he navigated me to the bed. I sat down on the soft, cloud-like mattress, and immediately, he broke the kiss, only to make contact with my neck.

His teeth sank into the flesh and muscle of my neck, and even though it hurt a little, that's how I preferred it. Otherwise it was too timid and boring. He knew my weaknesses, apparently...

He broke contact with my neck, leaving a spot of saliva there as he went for my shoulder; biting down on a tender muscle.

I let out a soft moan as my eyelids fluttered closed. My hooves wrapped around his body, to which he caressed my chest and stomach.

I was a switch, so being dominated wasn't really a problem for me. It seemed like lately, I've been more on the submissive side, anyways.

I was already excited before he even started with the neck biting, but now it was getting unbearable...

(((((((◉)))))))

After he had finished giving oral services - and shared some of the reward mouth to mouth with me, no less - we were snuggled up together on his bed. His ear was pressed against my chest as I looked up at the ceiling, smoking a cig. Hot damn, was he good with his tongue...

I felt his hoof on my chest as he murred softly. I looked down to see his eyes were closed as he smiled. Obviously, he felt good. I felt great.

Everything was peaceful. This was what being dead was like? Peaceful? Bliss?

If that was the case, then I didn't want to wake up. This was where I wanted to be for all eternity. No Everafter. No Hell, or Tartarus, or whatever. Just... here. In the battery. Snuggled up with Tuner in a memory of his apartment.

Though, according to him, the scenery was changing once every few hours or so. To other memories that other trapped souls held.

That could have been a problem. Especially with Happy and Four in here with us.

... And me...

"Mm..." Tuner moaned under his breath as he looked up at me with his soft, endearing smile. "You okay?"

I looked down at him for a few seconds, took my cig away, blew some smoke away from him, then kissed him gently. Only after, did I answer.

"I'm perfect..."

Tuner giggled, looked up at my forehead, and poked it with a hoof. Or... something on my forehead. What the hell...?

Something hard... rigid... something... a part of me...

I put my hoof over where he prodded, but I still couldn't believe what I was feeling...

No... This... this wasn't possible!

"I'm a unicorn...?" I asked, trying to look up at the horn that was evidently on my head. Still, I couldn't see it. It was out of view. But it was most definitely there... I could feel it... "H-how is this possible?" I asked in alarm, sitting up. Tuner moved away and watched me silently, still lying down on his side. I gave him a long, silent look before pointing a hoof at him, clenching my teeth. "Did you know about this all along...?"

He nodded somberly, and his smile faded. "I'm sorry, Charger... I truly didn't want to keep it from you as long as I did, but... well... it's just a rule of the game." He sat up straight to get on my level.

"Game?" I glared. It was a surprise I wasn't hearing electricity crackling from my hoof... "My life..." I froze, remembering I was dead now. "... My... past... THING..." I waved my hooves over my head, not sure of what to call this. Afterlife...? Some form of Purgatory or Limbo? "It's. Not. A. GAME!"

He sighed and shook his head. "Said it before. I'll say it again. Yes. It is. But some games aren't as fun as others."

I gritted my teeth at his response, ready to beat him bloody. He slouched.

"What else do you know about me? How come I don't have a horn in the real world?"

He shook his head again. "I can't tell you. Even if I could, I wouldn't. Life is often easier to live with eyes closed."

...

"You have something to do with White Noise, don't you...?" I narrowed my eyes at him, now suspicious.

"Hardly." He stood up with a blank expression and opened his closet door. There was a glow from within as his horn lit up, and out came a bottle of Wild Pegasus, and two glasses. "I need a drink... Want one?"

"I WANT ANSWERS!" I shouted.

"Well, I'm sorry, Charger. But you're not getting them from me." He looked back with a serious tone of voice.

"You have no right!" My voice began to wobble as my eyes burnt.

"I have every right. I know it might not seem fair, but it really is for the best. You'll find out in your own time, someday. But it won't be from me... It's just not meant to be." He began to pour himself a drink, swirled the contents around in his glass a bit, then drank it all in one go. "Hoo... Man... Hooman... Humaaaan." He chuckled and poured himself another glass. "Hey, you wanna see something cool?" He grinned, looking back at me, but I really wasn't in the mood for this crap... I was being toyed with... Just like I had been me entire miserable existence!

"No..." I inhaled deeply as I stared him down. "Not really..."

"Ah, come on. Trust me, you'll love it." With that, his horn lit up, and a screen flashed before us, showing Destrier, Rivet, Blaze, and I holding the line at the checkpoint, a few days ago. A heavy guitar shredded in the background as we did what we could to keep the ghouls at bay.

... Okay, that was pretty badass...

But I was still really upset with him...

I was upset with a lot of things.

Bristle, Firebright, and CrimsonThunder... Petiole... Tuner... Happy... Four... Fester... Rivet... White Noise...

..... Myself...

My past...

Even if I found out the truth, what could I do...?

What could I do...?

I couldn't get justice for whatever happened... I couldn't give Crimson what he deserved... for what he did to my mother...

I couldn't do anything about my horn missing, back in the real world...

Everyone was going to get away with what they did to me...

All I'd be able to do is sit here in the battery, forever thinking about whatever the truth was, assuming I'd ever get it...

All I could do was sit in the memory of others, and if I was lucky, drink my problems away.

I was dead now. My soul was trapped.

I may as well have had a drink...

"Pour me a glass..." I muttered, waving a hoof at him and looking away.

He nodded, and the screen vanished, along with the music. He started pouring me a glass, then levitated it over to me. I took it with my hooves, despite me having a horn now. I didn't know how to use it just yet...

He filled my drink to the brim, however. I looked up at him with a raised brow.

"Why?"

He grinned and shrugged. "Why not? Sounds like you need it more than I."

Well... he wasn't wrong...

I started off with a few large gulps, before my throat said 'enough.'

He snorted and sat down beside me as I coughed, doing my best to keep my mouth closed so that I didn't spill any of the alcohol that remained in my mouth.

Before too long, I managed to get a hold of my gag reflexes and swallow the happy sleepy juice, before lying on my back and relaxing. I traced the tip of my hoof around my horn as I stared up at the ceiling with a blank expression.

"I'm sorry about that, Charger." Tuner said softly, brushing the mane out of my eyes as he looked down at me. "I hope you know that..."

"Yeah..." I muttered. "I'll live... or... not, I guess... Dead now."

"That makes the two of us..." Tuner replied. "Nine of us, or whatever..." He smiled faintly, before sighing and looking up at the ceiling.

There was a light knock at the door, and I sat up with curiosity on my mind.

Tuner's smile grew a little, and he called out. "Enter!"

A pegasus filly with a darker shade of teal for a coat opened the door. Her lively eyes were a dark grey, and her bedhead mane, a midnight purple.

"Hey!" She said as she trotted in, looking up at me specifically. "It's great to finally meet you, sir!"

"Uh..." I smiled awkwardly. "It's nice to meet you... too?"

Tuner chuckled. "Charger, meet Seven. Otherwise known as Midnight Sky." He paused and whispered softly in my ear. "The only other soul trapped in here apart from you, me, and Happy that actually remember our names. Everyone else seems to have forgotten theirs when they got in here... No thanks to One..."

I flicked my ear against his muzzle, and he backed away, scrunching his face up.

Midnight giggled at his reaction. "You're silly."

Tuner chuckled softly and stood up, making his way across the room. "Yeah..." With that, he started to dig into his closet. The filly turned back to me with a certain light in her eyes...

What I didn't expect was for her to hug me tight. Her muzzle buried into the coat of my chest. I tensed up at the random contact.

Tuner was still minding his own business.

A few seconds after, she spoke.

"I like what you did for Fluky..."

Tuner looked back at us and froze, watching, as a bag of candy canes floated beside him, enveloped in the purple aura of his magic.

Something began pulling at me. Some invisible force... Pulling me... out. Somewhere... And even though I wasn't moving, I could feel myself start to slip.

Slip into another reality...

What awaited me?

The Everafter? Hell?

Another Limbo?

"It's not your time..." She whispered, before speaking up. "Tell Fluky about me." She said softly with a faint smile. "I could use another friend." Her smile widened a little.

Tuner's eyes went wide, and he started to rush forward; the bag of candy dropping to the floor.

"Midnight, no, wai-!"

(((((((◉)))))))

Everything changed.

That sweet, fresh air was quickly replaced by the burning forests and flesh. The air, hot and heavy on the lungs, which gasped for even a gulp as my eyes shot wide open, staring up at the sickly sky that the sun fought in desperate attempts to get through; making it even uglier, as it's orange haze mixed with the fog. The idea sounded pretty, but it wasn't...

It was as if all the pegasi had vomited all at once, and it was caught up in the clouds, unable to seep through and rain down on us.

Flakes of ash snowed down on my body as I lied there on my aching back. My chest moved up and down as I fought to get oxygen back. That foul taste before I died filled my mouth...

I was back...

Somehow, I was still alive...

Right... cause me dying the way I should have would have been far too merciful for a monster like me...

I rubbed my head, only to find that I was an earth pony. The horn was gone...

I sat up to find myself in the middle of a forest, behind a familiar bush that I had jumped in not too long ago with Petiole. Turning around, I saw the warehouse I had 'died' in.

I had been stripped of all my armor and gear, and my body was covered head to hoof in black stains. I may have been covered in... whatever this stuff was... but I wasn't finding any blood, or injuries, for that matter. My arms and back hurt like hell, though. But... no wounds...

And weren't my arms ripped off...? Why where they back?

Way too many questions were running through my head in such short notice, and none were getting answered...

I heard faint chatter in the distance, back the way we came from before the warehouse incident.

I stood up on all fours, groaning to myself as my bones cracked and popped, as if I had been lying still for centuries. Nothing was broken, oddly enough. And the E.F.S. was back in my vision.

I brushed the mane out of my eyes and started forward quietly.

About half a minute or so in, I had spotted the group that I was traveling with. There was Hap... Para, Fluky, and Petiole, along with Thunderwing and her group. One of Destrier's guns seemed to to be torn off his armor, and Tezu's right wing was missing. All that remained was a bandaged stump, much like Para's. He was lying down, keeping his eyes closed. Blaze sat beside him, holding him close worriedly.

And there was my gear. Laid strewn about. The back of the armor seemed a bit caved in, judging from what I was seeing of it from here.

Thunderwing glanced over for a brief second, then froze upon seeing me; her jaw dropped.

But only for a second.

The next, her guns were on me, as were Destrier's. The rest just stared silently.

Not Petiole, though.

He stepped in the way.

"Don't." He said calmly, his LED flashing blue.

"Get the fuck out of the way!"

Para threw a pebble, but she did well to ignore it.

"It's Charger." Petiole continued.

"Like hell it is!" Another pebble, and she gave him her murderous gaze. "Para, I swear, if you do that one more time!"

"Can someone please tell me what's going on?" I asked softly, looking around at the group before me.

Destrier glanced at his leader, then back at me, saying nothing.

"Thunder..." Blaze spoke softly as he stood up. "It's Charger. I get that you're freaked out..."

"Freaked out!?" She scoffed. "You have no idea what happened the last time I encountered one of them! I swore that it would be the last time, though!" She quickly flapped her wings, jumped over Petiole, and came at me.

I didn't fight back.

I didn't run.

I stood there...

I was quickly slammed into the ground. The pain in my back flared up, but I didn't acknowledge it.

I opened my eyes to look down the other end of her laser rifles, ready to disintegrate me.

I wasn't scared.

I wasn't defensive.

I was accepting...

I looked past the barrels, into her murderous eyes, feeling a numbing calm grow inside me.

I didn't yell.

I didn't plea for my life.

I whispered...

"Do it... please..."

My life felt like a lie. I had discovered something about me in the battery. Something I had not once suspected, despite the more recent hints getting thrown in my face. The Pipbuck even told me I was a unicorn, but I shrugged it off as a system error.

Not to mention the severe migraines that I was always getting.

I was a unicorn at one point. I had to have been.

My life was a lie, and I wanted it to be over. I had enough.

Thunderwing stared me down for the longest time, but I continued to look up at her, feeling numb.

I didn't glare.

I didn't weep.

I stared silently...

I wasn't gonna go to the place that was the best, for sure. I was a monster. But anywhere was better than living here.

She sighed, closing her eyes and lowering her guard as she backed off of me. I sat up, and she turned her back to me.

"Why didn't you shoot?" I asked quietly, looking at her.

She glanced over her shoulder, then hung her head down. "Cause... I still think of you as my friend... If that really is you in there, Charger... then that means my friend is. I don't want to lose him if I don't have to..." She moved over to my armor and slid it over to me. "We'll move out when you're ready..." With that, she and her team moved for the warehouse. Perhaps it had been cleared?

As she passed by, she muttered. "Blood isn't supposed to be black..."

My group started to approach me, and Para smiled. "Did ya sleep well?"

I murmured under my breath, not really saying anything. Just... mumbling, I guess. I didn't want to talk. I didn't want to breathe. I didn't want to feel my heart beating. I wanted it all to stop.

I wanted to die.

There was too much about myself that I didn't even know... A whole new side to this shitty life I've been living.

I was... so very tired...

"Come, Para..." Petiole said softly, stopping beside him and Fluky. "Let's give him some privacy..." His LEDs went green.

"Awww, but Charmer just woke up! I missed him!"

Para was more right than he realized. I had woken up. For the first time in my life, my eyes were opening. REALLY opening, and I was seeing more. I didn't have the full picture yet, but I was going to get it...

My mother... My missing horn that I never even knew I really had to begin with... My birthright was taken from me, and I was tired of the constant bullshit that those fucking rangers put me through...

Mutilated, raped, defiled... The one pony in that bunker that made me truly happy was taken from me... and I had enough. I thought I couldn't take it anymore. And I couldn't. But with this new knowledge, my heart found a new way to shatter. When I thought it wasn't possible anymore... When I thought there was no way it could shatter anymore than it already had...

I was left more broken than I had ever been in my entire life...

"Now, Para." Petiole said in a strict tone as his LEDs flashed blue again. He coughed a little from the strain to his voice.

Para pouted, and his ears wilted as he walked away. Fluky went with, but not before patting me on the head gently.

Petiole started to leave, but I placed a hoof on his shoulder. He stopped and looked down at me, his LED remaining blue.

"Stay... please..."

He looked over at the warehouse for a while, before moving closer to me. "What's wrong?" He asked calmly.

Everything...

Everything was wrong... and there was nothing I could do to fix it...

I waited.

Waited for everyone to get in the warehouse.

Waited for them to leave our sight.

Moments passed, and throughout that short amount of time, tears were fighting their way through. My eyes burned, and I closed them tight as I quickly wrapped my hooves around my friend.

He recoiled a moment, but then relaxed a little. He put a hoof around my form as my shoulders bounced up and down between the now uncontrollable breakdown. Tears washed down my face as I held him tight, and my breathing became labored.

"Breathe, breathe..." He whispered in my ear, nuzzling it gently. "Let it out..."

Snot smeared on his Tungstian-clad chest as I pressed my muzzle against him.

"I... I-I... I..."

"Shhh..." He gently petted the back of my head and pressed me against his chest as I sat there, bawling my eyes out before him like a foal that had their toy taken away.

"I-it's not fair..." I spoke between hyperventilated sobs. "Why is... Why is this happening to me? Why... me...?"

Petiole didn't answer. He didn't move. Just stood there as I broke down against his chest, leaning further into it.

Then, after a long moment, his LEDs flashed red. He let go and backed up. I reached my hooves out for him to stay, desperate for his affection... I needed him...

"Why you?" He asked. "Why. You?" He started to sound irritated with me... "Do not give me that self pity, entitlement crap. You're nobody special to the wasteland, Charger. Only another victim to its insatiable greed. You think you're the only one suffering? Newsflash... You're not. Everyone is going through their own shit."

I reached out a hoof, but he knocked it away with his, before continuing.

"I spent over 200 years in both physical and emotional trauma, all while trying to find a cure to save my wife. I blew her up less than a week ago. You don't hear me complaining about it. And you ask 'why me?' You don't get to ask that. If you think the wasteland is going to make an exception for you and treat you well, then you have another thing coming. Because that's life. And life is a sadistic. Fickle. Bitch. So... Why YOU? Why NOT you?" He raised his voice to a level I didn't think he could manage without coughing, and I could hear him struggling with himself to keep talking. "You aren't special or important to the wasteland. You have to suffer to belong, just like everyone else. If you can't handle that, then do us all a favor, spare us the drama, and drop dead. Again."

"Peti-" I scooted closer, still crying, but he pushed me back. I lied there on my back, looking up at the sky as he went on.

"No. You're the leader of this little group. I don't know what has you like this, but it's time you get your head back in the game and keep going." He turned and started to walk to the warehouse, muttering to himself. "Why you..."

I was back from the dead.

I didn't want to be. I wanted to be stuck in the battery with the others...

But fate... Fate had others plans... It wasn't ready to take me...

If I wasn't allowed to die, then that meant I had something I needed to do.

My life was a game; some colossal joke to a higher being. We were all just pieces of a board game to something else. We either played the game, or we got off the board.

My piece was stubborn...

My resurrection told me there was more that needed to be done. That my time wasn't over yet.

I sat up and started slipping back into my armor. It was severely damaged and shredded in some areas, but I'd just have to deal with that later.

I slipped my Stable 32 security helmet over my head as I stared out at the warehouse, after wiping my tears away.

I had something to do... And I wasn't going to give up until I did what I was meant to.

I was going to fix this side of the wasteland.

Tuner called me one of the cornerstones. It was time I lived up to the title.

There was one pony that had caused more than enough pain around these parts. I was going to start with them...

I adjusted the gun's arm a bit to find it was still operational. I loaded in a fresh mag, then slid the rifle over to my side, before making my way to the warehouse, taking a deep, shaky breath.

My head was back in the game...

And I was going after Bristle...

Author's Note

Apologies for this chapter taking longer than usual. I've been busy with life stuff.
There's a bit to say this time in the Author's Notes.
Special thanks to Scraton for letting me use his music in more than one of my books, and being an overall great guy to talk to. His music has inspired me in many ways. The first song in this chapter is Oracle, by the one and only Scraton, who once went by the name, DJ PON3. You can find Oracle here.
The second song is another personal one that traveled with me through my early teen years, all the way up to today. It holds a special place in my heart, and I really felt like it deserved a spot in a special chapter. Al Stewart - Time Passages
The third song was more of a fun thing. Special thanks to Pines for introducing me to the Killing Floor soundtrack. Funny enough, he actually hates heavy music, but he knew I love it. I imagine the song, Death Will Reign, begins at 0:43, when Tuner reveals the flashback of the ghoul infestation in the tunnel.

Also, Scraton had something to say in the Author Notes for this chapter!
Scraton:
Follow Your Dreams... Never Look Back.

A motto he lives by.

Also, there's a big chance I will be attending the Everfree Northwest con in Seattle, next year, in case any of you would like to meet me. I already paid for my badge, and for the time being, I have a ride to get there. Things could change later on, but so far, nothing has. I hope to see you all there.

Anyways, special thanks to Kkat for FoE, Somber for PH, Scraton for agreeing to let me use his music for my books, Nylten for her wonderful artwork on Radio Static, as well as other books of mine, and the readers who've stuck around this long.

And Pines...
So... it's a shame to say this, but Pines and I made a mutual agreement, and he is no longer going to be working on Radio Static with me. We have different schedules, different drives, and different motivation. I had been working on Radio Static alone since chapter 11.
We agreed that I will adopt all the characters he's made as my own. Mansia, Petiole, Fluky, Para/Happy, and some that haven't been revealed yet in the story yet.
I'd like to point out that if it wasn't for Pines and his ideas, this story wouldn't even exist. We talked about it a bit, and then later on, we just started brainstorming an entire story in the FoE universe. He helped make this book. I thank him greatly. From the bottom of my heart.

Pines:

All good things come to an end. It's what they say, right? Heh, well It's my time to say goodbye. I had a good run here on MMBT, but I have to call it quits. Now, now, I know what you're saying, “Pines, why are you leaving us?” But y'all need to calm down. I trust my partner with the characters I made. He done did all the writing anyways. And he already has so much more he wants to write, he doesn't need my ideas anymore. I'm much too busy with life issues right now. But all I ever wanted for this story, all I ever cared about when it comes to this, is entertaining all of you. And my ideas and passion of this story will live on in Para, Petiole, Fluky and of course, Mr. Happy. Now for my final moments, I'll leave you with my favorite quote from the book: “I've been thinking about it for a long time now, and... It's crazy to think about... Ponies might make fun of me for it, so keep this a secret, but... Do you think unicorns exist...?"

Channel 001.8; Hollow

Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.

Channel 001.9; 27

Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.

Channel 002.0; A Joke Called Life

Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.

Channel 002.1; Titan

Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.

Channel 002.2; Happy Birthday Party

Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.

Channel 002.3; The Demon's...

Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.

Channel 002.4; ... Name is...

Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.

Channel 002.5; ... Surveillance

Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.

Channel 002.6; The Calling

Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.

Channel 002.7; Back Where I Began

Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.

Channel 002.8; Talk

Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.

Channel 002.9; The Hurt That Finds You First

Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.

Channel 003.0; Someday

Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.

Channel 003.1; In Death - Is Life

Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.

Channel 003.2; Dead Sector

Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.

Channel 003.3; A Full Moon

Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.

Channel 003.4; Mr. Roboto

Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.

Channel 003.5; Dancing In The Moonlight

Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.

Channel 003.6; In Death...

Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.

Channel 003.7; ... Is Death

Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.

Channel 003.8; Winter Sound

Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.

Channel 000.1; A New World With A New Pair of Eyes

Today's weather, excessively violent, with a chance of dismemberment. Tune in later for our five day forecast!

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

I awoke to the crude and discomforting, scratchy hissing of static, emanating from the radio to my left, on the table beside me.

I slammed my hoof down on the snooze without looking as I laid there for a few seconds, before moving the charcoal black mane away from my eyelids and opening my green eyes, facing the grey, steel ceiling above.

"Today's the big day..." I told myself, smiling.

This was something I've waited for my whole life, and it was finally here!

Sitting up, I stretched my hooves to the ceiling, groaning as I did so, with clenched teeth and winced eyes.

"Up n' at 'em, rookie!" A familiar voice I was expecting to wake up to burst into my room, intruding in my privacy, as it did every other morning.

I rolled my beige-coated body off the bed and stood up, looking at her as she trotted up to me with the heavy, metallic clanks of her hooves against the metal flooring beneath us. Her helmet rested on her back.

"Good morning to you, too." I replied. "And thanks for changing the station to something dead... Again. I totally love waking up to static..." I approached the new set of power armor that stood tall and proud before us, and I inspected its frame. It was the standard issue 'T-45' model. All the recruits were issued one.

"That's good morning to you, ma'am." She 'corrected.' "You might be a ranger now, but I'm still a higher rank." I looked over to see her cocky grin. Her dark grey coat matched well with her armor, and those purple eyes really stuck out from the rest. Her black mane hung down over the top of her eyes, swayed to her right. "And don't mention it on the radio deal, lil' bro. Always happy to help."

I rolled my eyes in reply. "Not happening, sis."

"Awww, why not?" She nudged my shoulder, and I pressed my hoof against the back of the suit of armor, watching as air hissed through the cracks that popped open just a little, and then open up before us entirely.

I looked at her with a wry smile. "Because you're only one rank higher than me."

I got some stink eye from that, and that only made my smile widen just a smidge.

"Well, you're still a rookie."

I shrugged before stepping into the armor. "Well, you gotta start somewhere, right?" The armor wrapped itself around me as I stood there, and I felt it tighten around my form, completely hiding the wrench and hammer that crossed each other, on both sides of my flank.

Oof...

Cozy. A lot cozier than the training armor. This would take some getting used to. And here I thought the sim training, as well as the physical training would have gotten me used to it.

The power gauge was at 100 percent, the armor integrity was as perfect as perfect could get, judging by the green, armored pony display on a small screen just below the visor's right eye, and the Eyes Forward Sparkle worked like a dream, as I saw hundreds of amber blips moving around the top of the visor, where the four directions of navigation were displayed. North, east, south, and west, with northeast, southeast, southwest, and northwest in between.

I flicked the headlamp on my steel-clad head on and off a few times, blinding Firebright, who stood before me with minor irritation growing on her face, to moderate aggravation and impatience.

"You done playing with yourself, now?" She asked in a cold, harsh tone.

"Just about." I moved a hoof forward to take a step, and the armor responded to my muscle movement, as if the suit was my body. "You know that whole radio prank gets tiring, when you do it night after night for three years, seven months, and three days, right?"

"You counted all this time?" She asked in bafflement.

I nodded, to which she simply smiled. "Well, if you don't like it, lock your door."

"I do. You keep breaking and entering." I pointed an accusing hoof at her.

"Then you're not trying hard enough, lil' bro." Her smile brightened a little, before faltering completely. "Alright... Enough playing around. Lesson number one, rook. Pay attention, and listen closely, because I'm only going to say it once. Don't get cocky. Ever." She put her helmet on, and her voice was mildly altered by the respirator of her helmet. "Whenever you're outside, under no reason, should you remove your helmet. It'll be the last mistake you ever make. The built in respirators help us with radiation resistance, but that doesn't mean you should go frolicking in fields of nuclear waste. Got it?"

"Got it."

"Good. Another thing..." She regarded me. "You're strong. You're well protected. But you are most definitely not invincible. Don't fight something you can't handle. Your fight or flight response kicks in to flight? You better damn well listen to it. Stay out of contact with hellhounds. Diamond dogs are easier to handle, but keep your distance. See pink clouds on the surface? Avoid them completely. Even if you see something neat. Just... Avoid it. See grey trees? Avoid them."

I nodded. "Understood."

Huh... Even head movement worked great in this.

"Alright, lil' bro." She placed her hoof on my shoulder as we stared into each other's visors. "Let's get you to the armory and packed up for your very first mission on the surface."

(((((((◉)))))))

After a few quick installations to my suit, which provided me with two laser rifles fused to both sides of my torso, aiming in front of me, and a decent supply of microfusion cells, we headed for the hangars, as the debriefing was just about to start.

We walked down the main bunker corridor of L-3, side by side as I kept retracting the two rifles into my armor, then 'equipping' them. Our heavy, steel hooves clanked against the cold, metal floor.

"I feel like a total badass, now." I said in excitement, grinning behind my visor.

"Eh. You'll get used to it, and it'll wear off." There was something off in her tone, and it had me concerned. She never sounded down, before.

I looked over to see she was looking away from me.

"Hey." I reached a hoof out, touching her shoulder, and she looked back.

"Yes, Charger?" She replied coolly.

"What's wrong?"

"What makes you think something is wrong?"

"That." I said.

"What?"

"That." I tried pointing out the monotone in her voice.

After a few seconds of silence, she replied. "You have nothing to worry about, lil' bro. I'm fine. And you will be, too."

'You will be too?' What was that supposed to mean?

Ugh, who knew... She was all sorts of weird.

She looked ahead as we marched on through the corridor, just about to turn right, into the hangar, where three steel, grey Vertibucks sat before Elder Bristle, his guards, and a few dozen rangers. The Steel Ranger emblem was boldly painted in white, on the sides of each vessel, covering the majority of its surface; a sword pointing blade up, with three cog wheels behind it. These had been Enclave-issued, once. But after a few customizations to both their appearance, and how it flied, they may as well have been Steel Ranger-issued.

We didn't have any pegasi in our chapter, and we had very few unicorns, and even then, they weren't too advanced in magic. We mostly used them as grease monkeys. They helped build and repair weapons and vehicles.

From what I heard, they had been working on a prototype build for a few vehicles that they discovered on some schematics, but that could have just been rumors, seeing as that was 4 years ago that it started.

"Nothing to worry about, at all..." I heard Fire mutter.

My stomach rumbled. "No food?"

"No time." She replied in a normal tone. "I'll get something for you to eat, on the road."

We stopped in the back row, and Bristle started, as if he had been waiting on us.

I sure hoped not... That would have made an embarrassing first day on the job...

"There's a town that goes by the name of Saddle, a few hours flight north of us. Heavily wooded area, but the residents do good to keep the nature out, so none of you should have a problem up there, so long as you stay away from the treeline." He started pacing back and forth, slowly. "Now... It has come to my attention that two anomalies have occurred in Saddle. Both of which, are megaspell levels of energy output." There were a few murmurs from the other rangers. He stopped and looked at his rangers. "One..." He paused. "The inhabitants have stumbled upon what appears to be a megaspell generator, and have been using it to restore power to their civilization. But there have been side effects to using this. The results are random, as of right now. Shifts in the gravitational pull, drastic changes in temperature..." He froze, looking down at the floor before his hooves, to which he spoke in a softer, more inside voice. "And reports of... Otherworldly figures..." He looked back up, shaking his head as he spoke louder. "Things from nightmares. But they only occur within a certain radius. Saddle is the source."

I raised my hoof, and he looked at me.

"Yes?"

"If it can't happen outside of that radius, then why are we worrying about it?"

He smiled faintly. "Good question, Charger." He looked to the rest of his rangers. "The scouts have been studying this for some time, now, and they believe that the radius is... Expanding."

The rangers resumed murmuring to one another about this information.

I looked at Firebright, and she looked back at me. We both shrugged, then looked back at the elder.

"I believe that the longer that generator is active, the larger that radius will grow, and engulf all of Equestria as we know it, and then the world. So I want that generator brought back here, and I want it dismantled and salvaged for parts, so that its true intentions may never be used."

"Sir." My sister stood firm beside me.

"Yes, Firebright?"

"You said there were two anomalies." She stated matter-of-factly.

He nodded. "The second, we're not quite sure about. We have no idea what it looks like. All we know is that it's a megaspell, and that it's small and compact enough for somepony to carry it around without raising any suspicion. I want it found, and I want it brought here." With that, he stood firm and nodded. "You're all dismissed. Do me proud."

(((((((◉)))))))

For the duration of most of the journey, Firebright kept to herself. I tried initiating conversation with her on several occasions, but she either gave me a fake laugh, and said nothing, or just stared ahead... and said nothing.

This experience was getting more boring than I had initially thought it would be, but that wasn't saying much, considering I saw this as a fun, action packed adventure on the merciless surface. I mean, fuck... This was going to be my first time on the surface ever. I only ever dreamed of this moment since I was a colt. I was always hearing stories of the dangers up here. The feral ghouls we fought. The Diamond Dogs, and their much more lethal relatives, the hellhounds. The stuff that could be found up here. The raiders we could fight...

I wanted to be like the rangers.

I wanted to be a hero.

Now was my time to shine.

"Holding back five." The pilot spoke through the speaker overhead. "Prepare for deployment."

The rangers, along with my sister, all readied their weapons and put on their helmets.

Wait... This was a recovery mission... Right...?

I reluctantly followed their lead. Maybe it was just in case there was an ambush waiting for us.

Yeah, that had to be it.

I had noticed we were staying airborne, but had come to a halt. What we were waiting for, I had no idea.

Then, in the distance, through the whirring of the motor of the Vertibuck we were in, I heard gunfire. Not just one gunshot... A series of them. Laser rifles, as well as shotguns, pistols, normal rifles... Only way I could tell which shot belonged to which gun was because of the sim training. Everypony had been trained to study the different sounds of gunfire, so that they knew how to approach certain situations.

Explosions went off in the distance. Grenades, perhaps? Rockets? I couldn't tell... That... I didn't really have an ear for. That one was a lot harder to figure out.

I felt the vehicle move forward, and the walls on both sides of us slid open, revealing the outside. The two turrets inside with us slid out on a short rail system; the barrels pointing out at the horizons.

Two of the rangers operated them, while the rest stood at either opening, looking down at the scenery as we raced forward.

I stood beside Firebright, who remained as silent as ever.

We were flying over a city. This was no town...

Towers stood tall, despite the damage they've suffered. Some leaned against others for support, but over time, that support was wearing down. Many had fallen entirely, long ago.

The elder was right about one thing, though.

Looking down, I saw the streets completely covered in what some would call vegetation.

But I've seen pictures of what forests looked like in the pre-war times. Leaves weren't supposed to be grey. You couldn't fool me like that.

Something else caught my attention. A sound.

Looking further down - and having to lean over the ledge to do so - I found the source of the splintering crunches and stomps.

Trees weren't supposed to MOVE!

I knew that much about trees!

Sweet Celestia, the surface was a bizarre place...

Firebright stretched her hoof out in front of me, across my chest, as she looked over.

I looked back at her, and she spoke. "Trust me, lil' bro. You don't wanna go down there."

I leaned back, taking the warning to deep consideration.

We flew under a tower that leaned against another, and while under its shadow, I heard enough creaks and groans in its structure to believe that it was going to crash down on us, therefore killing us all.

When the sunlight came back, I took a deep breath of relief.

Firebright laughed softly. "Newbie..."

The sun shined bright. Not many clouds littered the sky. One or two, here and there, but it was pleasant out. At least, in terms of weather conditions.

The Vertibuck started its decent, and as I looked ahead - which meant peeking my head back out of the moving vehicle - I witnessed a full blown insurrection down below.

Okay, so Elder Bristle was right. It was a town... Inside a city. A bit weird, but okay.

I caught a glimpse of the sun's blinding reflection in the corner of my eye, and looking to my right, I saw the third Vertibuck closing in. The pony-operated turrets rained a hellfire of bullets down on the inhabitants below, without a second thought, once they got within range.

I started to feel a twinge of guilt about that... But I didn't know the full story. Who fired first, and all that stuff.

I watched as the Vertibuck moved to the eastern side of the town, and the rangers jumped out, one by one, from a relatively large drop off.

Wait... We weren't doing that too, right...?

We descended for the southern exit, just in front of a trail that cut through the disturbing forest, and one by one, the rangers started jumping out.

"You're up, rookie." Firebright said, looking at me.

"Wait... What's going o-" was all I could get out of me, before she pushed me out.

I flailed through the air, screaming, until my back struck the ground. If it weren't for the armor, I would have probably broke my spinal column. But oddly enough, I didn't feel so much as a bruise. The wind wasn't even knocked out of me! This armor was awesome!

I rolled over and stood up on all fours, while I saw the rangers open fire on...

What was this...?

Firebright dropped down beside me, causing the road beneath her to cave in a little, as she laughed hysterically. "Oh, that was priceless! Got it on video, too!"

I didn't care about my humiliation one bit. I didn't like what was happening before me.

Unarmed ponies ran to seek shelter from the gunfire. Gunfire that was targeted toward them.

Firebright stopped laughing as she watched the chaos unfold. She looked back at me and spoke in a more serious note, leaning in close to my helmet. "Now you know..." With that, she trotted forward, and her guns went off...

Something broke inside me... This wasn't right. Something inside me was screaming, with tears running down their cheeks, as they curled up in fetal position, laying on their side and stroking their hoof through their tail.

Elders, young, and any age in between laid dead in the streets, and the count was only adding up...

The leader of our squadron, Crimsonthunder, looked back at me with that cold, dark visor. "Don't be getting cold hooves now, rookie. Start shooting."

I looked around to see that, after this street was cleared, the rangers looked back at me. My sister included...

"This isn't going to be a problem, is it?"

Some of the rifles were pointing in my direction...

"N-No... Not at all..." I shook my head in fear for my own safety... I was a coward. "Let's... Let's do this."

"Good." He looked over and pointed at two houses to my right. "Firebright. Charger. Sweep those houses." He pointed to the buildings across the street from the ones we were assigned to. "Shadowmark. Darkspark. Sweep those two. Everypony else, on me." He spun around, and the group dispersed into three.

With no hesitation whatsoever, Firebright bucked the door to her designated house in, spun around, and proceeded to open fire on the ponies that resided within. I saw the three amber blips on my EFS disappear...

She walked in, in search for the remaining one that hid behind what were once safe walls.

I looked to the two houses across the street, only to see that Darkspark and Shadowmark did exactly what Fire did. Break in, shoot, and enter.

There was no mercy shown to these ponies... What did they do wrong...? Most of them weren't even fighting back! I mean... Back in the Vertibuck, I had seen some resistance, but not enough of it for us to do... THIS!

I looked back at my door, but instead of breaking it down like a yak on Yickslurbertfest, I opened it in a more civilized manner, then closed it behind me. Some pre-war author named Twilight Sparkle had gone into explicit details about the Yaks and their... Celebratory stompings...

I think she was a princess of something? I don't know... I was never really clear on the details about that.

There was one amber blip in here.

"Hey..." I spoke in a calm tone, hoping my voice could be heard through the screaming and gunfire outside. "Come on out. I'm not going to hurt you. I promise."

The blip didn't move, and whoever it belonged to, did great at staying quiet. It must have been quite the challenge to not break down in tears, let alone sob.

"Please. I'm not going to hurt you." I paused, then added, once I wasn't getting a response of any kind. "I know you're in here. My EFS is tracking you."

Quite suddenly, there was a flash in the far right corner of the living room I was facing, behind a couch, and the blip disappeared.

I carefully walked over to one end of the furniture, looking down.

... Only to find a yellow coated filly, cowering. Her dark, violet eyes looked up at my visor, and she whimpered, wincing them shut and hanging her head down as tears breached and slid down her face. Her messy, green mane covered her facial features like a curtain after a play.

I looked back at my EFS to see that, despite the fact she was in front of me, her blip ceased to be.

"How... How did you do that?" I asked in a hushed tone, hoping none of the other rangers would hear me talking to somepony that was to be killed.

She kept her head down, and her mane over her eyes, as she sat in fetal position; her back against the couch. "Do what...?" She sobbed.

"Well, the marker on my EFS... Your marker... It's just gone. Yet here you are." I was starting to think my 'soothing' voice wasn't really carrying through the respirator of my helmet.

"I was trying to teleport..." She murmured, and that's when I noticed a stubby, yellow little horn sticking out through her mane, pointing directly at me.

Well... Size didn't matter.

"What's your name?"

She didn't answer.

"Alright..." I nodded. "Just stay quiet, and don't move. Okay? If you get caught, you'll get shot." I realized how lame that sounded, once the words left my lips. But it was too late to go back, now. May as well embrace it. "Just don't get caught... Wait until the shooting stops, and everything goes quiet, okay?"

Finally, she looked back up at me with those fearful eyes.

I wanted to hold her right then and there... This wasn't fair... This whole... situation with Saddle. What we were doing... I didn't know the full story as to what led to this bloodbath, but I knew there was something wrong with the ponies I once called family.

"Promise me you won't move, until we leave. Promise me."

"I... I promise." She traced an 'x' over her heart with her hoof. "Cross my heart." She made a poor imitation of flying with both of her forehooves, next. "Hope to fly." She then proceeded to put a hoof over her eye. "Stick a cupcake in my eye."

... Um... I didn't know what that was all about, but okay. I guess... I'll take that as a yes.

I moved away from the couch and made my way to the exit. Just as I was about to open the door, Firebright beat me to it. Shadowmark and Darkspark stood on both sides, behind her.

"Anything?" She asked.

"Negative." I said quietly.

The three of them seemed to regard their EFS, but I knew not to worry... Unless the filly's spell wore off.

"Wait..." Shadowmark said, looking over, towards the corner of the living room...

... Where the couch was...

Fuck... No... Please don't do this...

I turned around to see a red marker on my EFS, but it was moving across the room.

Firebright turned to Darkspark. "There's a cellar on the side of the building. Go check it out."

He nodded, then trotted away.

She looked back at me, and then at Shadowmark. "You two. In."

I moved back inside, and Shadowmark walked in, making the floorboards creak with each step. I didn't think the flooring could take much more weight than my own.

Firebright walked in after, and they dispersed around the house. Shadowmark investigated the kitchen, to which I saw him take a six pack of Sparkle Colas, and a few Fancy Buck cakes, while Firebright searched the bedrooms.

I stood next to the couch, pretending that I had searched behind it, once I saw Fire's blip coming back.

I looked up after staring down at the filly for a few seconds, to see my sister looking at me from the entrance of the hallway that led to the bedrooms.

"Clear." I said with a nod, walking away from the couch.

"I thought you had searched this place before we came here." She stated in a serious tone that had me spooked.

"Yeah, well it's best to be thorough." I replied, staring her in the visor. Eye contact certainly was a lot easier to make when telling lies behind a one-way visor.

She regarded me for a while before looking at Shadowmark. "Alright then..."

There was a flash of red in the cracks, between the floorboards, and the red blip vanished. Not long after, Darkspark came back.

"What was it?" Fire asked.

"Just a radroach." He replied. "Let's catch up with the rest. I still have ammo that needs spending, and I don't want to waste it on things like radroaches and radhogs... Those are easy pickings."

Firebright turned to me, and I had a pretty good feeling that she wasn't in her cheerful, yet snarky attitude anymore. I was seeing a completely new side to her I never knew existed. I knew she was an asshole from time to time... But she wasn't a murderer... At least, I didn't think she was...

It was clear I didn't have the best judge of character. I didn't even know her anymore...

"Yes." She said in a calm tone. "Let's."

(((((((◉)))))))

Corpses and piles of ash stretched along the streets of Saddle. Houses were intentionally engulfed in flame after being looted for any valuables and food.

That's when my suspicions were proved correct.

We weren't Steel Rangers... We were just more sophisticated raiders.

... And it made me sick.

I walked beside Firebright as we made our way to what was once the town hall, before we started killing everypony... I had done it too... It was either be the firing squad, or be their targets...

The rangers had gotten the generator out of the building. Forcefully. A hole had been blasted into the side of the three story, brick structure. It made me wonder how the massive generator was inside, to begin with.

One Vertibuck hovered over the metal, mechanical box, while the rangers hooked cables up on the top of it, which dropped down from the bottom of the vehicle.

The other two circled the town like hawks, being the watchful eye in the sky, searching for more helpless prey.

All this death... And for what? A stupid generator that we were just going to end up taking apart.

I looked down at a colt's corpse as we passed by it. One eye dangled from its socket, soaking in a puddle of blood. As if that wasn't bad enough, a hole had been drilled into his skull from a laser shot, revealing that the brain had been chewed through. Only hints of it remained. It dug through from one ear, to the other...

I stopped. I couldn't anymore. I couldn't do it. Not anymore... I was shaking within the suit of armor.

I... helped...

I was just as bad as the rangers...

This armor made me a monster... I had wanted to wear one for as long as I could remember. I worked my way up to this day. To the opportunity of going to the surface.

I got my wish...

And I was paying the price of admission.

This wasn't at all what I had expected of us...

We were monsters...

Monsters in search for the neverending hunger of technology.

That's all it was ever about...

We were greed.

Firebright stopped and looked back at me as I removed my helmet. I dropped it on the ground with a loud, metal thud against the cracked asphalt, beside the dead colt. I just... couldn't...

I lived under a lie, and now that I was seeing the truth for the very first time... I... I didn't know what to do...

Something rose from my stomach, and I hurled, gagged, spat, and vomited my breakfast all over my helmet. I didn't care.

I didn't care about the fucking armor. I didn't care for the Steel Rangers. I didn't care for my own sister anymore. I didn't care for myself.

I just... didn't... care.

I couldn't even bear to look at her...

She sighed, then faced me directly. I kept my head down as more of the contents came spilling from my lips, and burning at my throat.

"There's something you need to realize about all this, lil' bro." She spoke in her calm voice, as if nothing had ever happened. That only made me more sick. I choked and cried; my tears mixing with the chunky mixture of undissolved, chewed up food, and stomach acid that pooled up around my helmet. I didn't cry for myself, but for the ones that were killed on this day. "They had a choice in all this." She continued. "They could have given us the generator, or they could have chosen to die for it." There was a brief pause, and when I glanced up at her, I saw she was looking at the dead colt, nudging her hoof against his head. "This is their fault. Not ours."

"Bullshit..." I muttered, spitting out some chunky bits that got caught in my mouth.

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me..." I wanted to collapse right there...

"You must think I enjoyed this. Believe me, I don't. But ponies die every day out here."

"So it's okay for us to go and slaughter them!?" I shouted.

There was a momentary pause between us. "They killed themselves by not giving us the generator. They chose this path. I really need you to see that. Because, if you don't... I can't do anything to help you. I can't be held accountable for what Elder Bristle will do to you..." She started to sound desperate, and I looked up at her. "Please, Charger... Don't protest against it. Just... don't."

"Fuck you..." I said under my shaky breath. "AND FUCK THE STEEL RANGERS!" I screamed at the top of my lungs.

Almost all the rangers looked over at me. I glared back at them, eager to kill them all...

Suddenly, the emotional burdens were mixed in with physical ones, when I felt the armor stiffen up and get harder to move.

"Well, enough of that, then." I heard Crimsonthunder say from behind as he walked into my peripherals, until coming to a complete stop right before me. He held my power core in his hoof, and Firebright hung her head down a little. "Have there been any signs of the other megaspell source?"

"Negative, sir." She quickly raised her head to look at him as she stood firm.

He sighed. "Damn it..." Turning to me, he continued. "Bristle isn't going to be too happy about another recruit turning against him." He clicked his tongue as he shook his head in disapproval. A compartment opened up in his chest, and he slipped the core inside. It sealed shut. "He had such high hopes for you, too." He spoke in an almost pitiful tone, but I knew sarcasm when I heard it. Firebright was my sister, damn it! Of course I knew sarcasm! "Your sim training was impeccable. And your physical training was... Let's go with moderate. Not the best, but I had seen much worse." He looked down at my bile-drenched helmet, then back up at me. "Was that really necessary?"

"Was this?" I asked in a hateful tone, glancing at the death around me.

"Sir." A ranger approached from behind, before he could respond to my question. He turned around and looked at the ranger.

"What is it?"

"HQ sent us a new scan. The other target is just... gone. They can't find it anywhere."

"What?" He asked in a snappy tone. "How does that even happen? We've been watching this place for three weeks, and each scan showed two anomalies! Two!"

"Maybe it was a glitch, sir."

"It wasn't a fucking glitch! It was there!" He sighed and shook his head. "It doesn't matter..." He spoke more calmly. "It'll turn up again, soon enough. You can't hide megaspell anomalies very easily." He looked at me, then Firebright, then the soldier. "Let's get back. The sooner we're out of here, the better."

"Yes, sir." The ranger saluted and trotted off.

Crimson looked back at me and spoke cruelly. "Start walking."

"Crimson..." Fire started, but he snapped a look at her.

"No." Turning back to me, he resumed, once a Vertibuck landed where we had deployed from. "Walk to the Vertibuck, get in, and wait there. Fire, you stay with him and watch him. It's time to put his training to the test..."

"Yes... sir." She saluted him, grabbed my helmet, slipped it over my head, and pointed to where the Vertibuck landed. "Go."

The energy gauge blinked red at me from within the helmet, and with it, came a beeping that grew more obnoxious, the more I heard it. My visor was dirty with the contents of my stomach. I found I couldn't get out of the suit. He had to have done something to it without my knowing, before he removed the core.

Sneaky bastard...

Either he was sneaky, or I wasn't very perceptive of things...

I put all my strength into lifting one hoof, but the suit didn't want me moving.

Turning around to face the other direction had already put a strain on my muscles... And the Vertibuck was at the edge of the town, while I was still in the center...

I'd have preferred death over this...

One step forward took about ten seconds for me to fulfill, but the more I went on, the longer it took to do. That wasn't including the breaks I took to catch my breath. At least my respirator was still working... And at least I couldn't smell the bile on my helmet.

Fire stayed behind me the entire time I fought to walk.

I had seen ponies walk without a core in their armor before. They showed little struggle doing so. Walked a lot slower, sure. But they made it look like they were choosing to walk at that pace.

I certainly wished I could have that strength, right about now...

I felt worse than a pack mule.

The good news was that the armor was built around a frame, which always stood, unless the wearer wanted to do otherwise. So, despite the heavy burden on my features, the frame supported most of that weight, keeping me up.

"Why..." I started, panting. "Why are you letting this happen...?"

"I have my orders." She spoke softly. "I'm loyal to my job."

"What about to your family?" I said behind clenched teeth, trying to move my hindleg forward. My muscles were protesting like crazy, and I hadn't even walked a full block yet.

There was a brief pause between us, before she responded.

"I took an oath, lil' bro. The safety of the rangers comes first, no matter the cost. Family comes second."

"Safety..." I laughed under my breath, and I found I was barely able to even do that, now. My lungs were strained from all the heaving. I felt like my heart was about to fail me. "Do you even hear yourself when you speak?"

"Well, I didn't say your safety. Now, did I?" There was a coldness in her voice. "No one at home knows about what we really do, and it's going to stay that way. We can't afford to crumble. If the truth got out there..." She didn't bother finishing her statement.

I heard the Vertibucks growing closer behind me, but I couldn't look back. Even the veins in my neck were screaming at me to stop this. My body was getting ready to shut down.

The vehicle ahead stayed on the ground, I noticed. I couldn't see it, seeing as it was on the other side of several other buildings, but I didn't see it take off, either.

The other two Vertibucks flew side by side, overhead; one of them hauling the megaspell generator with them, as they flew over the grey forest, to the south; their destination; Vanhoover.

Home.

Or... At least, I once thought it was.

Now, I wasn't too sure.

"Firebright, please... Just give me a core..." I spoke in a raspy voice. I was dying for some water... "I'm asking as your brother..."

"Sorry. Not gonna happen."

"Please!" I begged. "My body feels like it's going to shatter! My heart can't take much more..."

"I believe in ya, kiddo. Just gotta have a heart as strong as horses." She said in a snarky tone.

"Fire, please..."

"No!" She snapped. "Quit asking and get moving! Otherwise, I'm ordered to shoot you."

That was it. I had enough.

I stopped.

"What are you doing?" She asked harshly. "I mean it, Charger. I don't want to shoot you, but I will if I have to."

I stood there, staring straight ahead. In my view, was a street covered in the blood and corpses of innocent ponies. Spent cells littered the ground. I imagined they came from the rangers.

Pillars of smoke rose in the sky from nearby buildings.

There was a storm rolling in from the east, but the sun was still bright in the blue, almost empty sky.

I heard her laser rifles ready up.

"You have three seconds to keep moving, or I'm going to shoot you."

I stood there, looking up at the sky. The beautiful sky...

"One..."

The sun's light flowed through the visor of my helmet, caressing my face with it's warm comfort. I had never felt the sun before... Had never even seen it. Nor the sky. Nor a tree.

Despite how wonderful it was, it hurt to stare at. Even through the darkened visor.

"Two..."

I closed my eyes, waiting for it all to end...

Something I found quite odd, however, was that she was using her laser rifles on me, while I was still wearing the armor. Wasn't power armor resistant to ener-

I heard the blast of two rifles go off, and a sharp pain grew in my backside. Two shots became four, and four became six. Six became eight, and the sun went off like a light, and with it, the agonizing pain in my entire body.

I thought she said on three.

(((((((◉)))))))

I awoke to the whirring of a Vertibuck, as I laid on my side. The beeping within my helmet was still there, as was the red flashing.

Each muscle was sore, and there was a burning sensation to my flank. Sleep sounded wonderful, right now.

I was staring at the metal floor of the vessel, and at the top of my visor, I caught a glimpse of the outside. The side doors were left open.

My EFS told me we were heading south, back to Vanhoover.

I heard Firebright's voice.

"So, what are we going to do with him?"

"What we did with everypony else." Crimson replied. "Wanna be in the firing squad, this time?"

She sighed. "He's still my brother..."

"And now he's labelled a traitor." He snapped. "He's a liability. You do want to protect the Steel Rangers, don't you?"

"Yes, but..."

"No buts!" He barked. "No exceptions! That's the elder's orders. The system is there for a reason."

"Your system is fucked..." I muttered.

There was a pause, and I felt all eyes on me.

"Well, look who finally decided to wake up." Crimson walked around me, and I saw his steel hooves in front of my visor. I didn't bother looking up. I didn't have the strength to do anything, right now. "Welcome back to the land of the living, Charger. Fortunately, for the safety and well-being of the Steel Rangers, your stay will be short lived."

"If you're gonna kill me, just get it over with and spare me the drama..."

He chuckled, and my sight shifted closer to the ledge. "You got it." My head dropped down over the drop off, and I got a pretty good view of the forest below. The forest where the grey trees moved.

"Sir." Fire spoke up. "We're not supposed to. He's supposed to be delivered to Elder Bristle, first..."

Crimson sighed, and I stopped sliding off the ledge. "Yeah, yeah... Take the fun out of everything... I was really set on seeing him fly, though..."

My body stayed where it was, unfortunately. I was getting pretty sick from seeing how far up we were from the ground. But it was just something I had to put up with. This view was going to be all I saw for the duration of the trip back to what would be the death of me.

Still... Perhaps this wasn't entirely a bad thing. At the very least, there was a silver lining to all this. I always wanted to know what the surface was like. If anything, I considered this a final wish being fulfilled, even if it he wasn't satisfying my curiosity intentionally.

Quite suddenly, there was a jolt in our flight. I slid back inside the vessel just a little bit. My head was elevated with the floor now, so that was pleasant. I think I had a bit of vertigo...

I started feeling horrible... Not that I didn't already, with what happened in Saddle. But I felt worse. As if somepony set the dial of my emotions all the way to maximum.

... Was it just me, or did I hear other rangers crying? What the Hell...? Even Crimson seemed distraught!

"Damn it..." One of the rangers said behind a sob. "I hate being in the fucking air..."

The Vertibuck jolted again; this time, a lot more violent than the first.

Once Crimson regained his posture, he pressed a hoof down on the intercom. "What's going on?" His voice was shaking.

"Just... Just hit a bit of turbulence..." The pilot replied. "Damn it, my tear ducts are acting up... Sorry about that, everypony... We should be okay from here on ou-"

Then the Vertibuck jolted abruptly, sending us all airborne. Two of the rangers had fallen out and plummeted down to the forest below, screaming.

"We just lost two!" Fire shouted.

"Go down there and-" Crimson started, but another jolt sent everypony falling over. "SEAL THE EXITS!" He shouted out of frustration from being gravity's doormat.

The two miniguns on both sides slid within the confines of the vessel, and the doors started to close. They were moving a lot slower than I had remembered, though.

There was a scream in the air as the gap grew thinner between the doors and the walls. Over time, I thought it had been the wind from our high elevation. But as it grew louder and more distinct, I was having second thoughts. This sounded more like... A cry. A cry of anger. A cry of trauma. A cry of grief.

I found myself crying with it.

"Sy...tems..." Chhk! "A... ing!" The intercom buzzed, and the scream appeared on the system for a few seconds, raising the volume to earsplitting levels, until the speakers couldn't take much more, and blew up.

Yep, that's pretty much how my ear drums felt right now... I felt a warm substance leaking from both of them.

The scream resumed in the distance, and looking up, I saw Firebright and Crimsonthunder were completely clueless as to what was going on. In their defense, I was too.

"What the Hell is tha-" Fire started to ask, before we were all sent bouncing around inside the Vertibuck, crashing into the walls, floor, ceiling, and each other.

The doors were about a quarter away from sealing us in, before they stopped completely, and the whirring of the vehicle's motors started to die. Everypony stiffened up and ceased movement.

Anything audible outside of my helmet became next to mute. The red blinking of the light and the consistent beeping that was so set on informing me that I had no power in my suit ceased to be. The statistics of my armor on the tiny screen, and the conditions of it stopped glowing, and a much darker, non-lit pony armor diagram took its place.

All I could hear was the screaming outside, and the sobbing of my own, shaky voice.

My EFS compass was spinning around in circles faster and faster. It set off my vertigo just watching it. I struggled to turn my head so that I could look through the gap to the outside, and saw we were spinning out of control...

... And descending to the forest below...

Okay, nope. Vertigo going crazy. Closing my eyes now.

As we crashed through the trees, I was thrown across the inside of the Vertibuck, against the rear. One of the rangers landed on top of me, but I still had a pretty good view of the majority of the inside of the vessel. Firebright and Crimsonthunder were side by side, towards the front. Some of the other rangers were with them, while others were with me.

The screaming had come to an end.

For the better part of an hour, we all laid there, motionless. I had calmed down, but tears stained my face. I couldn't just wipe them away. I'd have to deal with it later... Not that it really mattered anymore. I was dead anyways.

I couldn't tell if the others were out cold, or were just unable to move.

Everything was still.

Everything was quiet.

Everything felt wrong.

The red light flickered back on, resumed its blinking, and with it, the audible, obnoxious beeping that gave me the needless reminder that I didn't have a core in my armor.

Sigh...

Sound became much more clearer for me, outside of the suit of armor. Everypony else's armor seemed to be rebooting as well.

Firebright moved her head around slowly, looking at the others. "Everypony alright?"

"Define 'alright.'" I muttered in reply.

The other rangers either nodded, or verbally acknowledged that they were.

She turned to Crimson. "Commander?"

"Yeah..." He said in a deep, slightly irritated tone. "Yeah, I'm fine... Can anypony move?"

The crashed Vertibuck was filled with a lot of 'negatives' or 'no, sir.'

"Alright..." He spoke in a low volume. "Let's just wait here for a little bit and let our cores wake up. Then we'll-"

There was that same crunch that I heard when we were going to Saddle. Only, now it was right outside the crashed Vertibuck. As if entire limbs were being torn from the trees.

"Shit..." The ranger on top of me whispered in a panicked tone. "Shit, shit, shit!" He started raising his voice. "It's gonna kill us! It's gonna-"

"Shut up." Crimson hissed behind what I imagined were clenched teeth, doing well to keep his voice low.

The ranger whimpered. "We're all gonna die... We're all gonna die!"

"Somepony shut him up!" Fire whispered in desperation. "We're all gonna die if you keep moving your lips!"

I heard the ground being dug through, and something tunneled underneath the earth, cracking the asphalt, before the Vertibuck was bumped and scraped.

The ranger let out a panicked cry.

I had no idea what was out there, with the exception of moving trees and deserted buildings. I didn't know what the trees did apart from move, and I didn't know what that thing outside did, but judging by this guy's reaction, I wasn't too keen on finding out.

There was a metallic groan towards the front of the vehicle, before we all heard the pilot's frantic cries and muffled screams for help, as he was dragged away to the unknown. His armor didn't seem to have the same luck as everypony else's.

The ranger on top of me had a hard time calming himself, and the moment the doors protested as they were being torn open, he screamed.

"Fuck..." I heard Crimson mutter.

I watched as one door was ripped entirely from the rest of the vehicle, letting out a metallic scream as it was, as if the Vertibuck itself was alive and capable of feeling pain. The other was forced to the side.

A series of grey, veiny, dirt-covered, raggedy tentacles came into view, following the source of the ranger's screams with ease. I felt him struggled to move off of me, but his effort was futile.

The appendages wrapped around his steel form and hauled him off of me, dragging his still body outside to join the same fate as the pilot.

More of them came in for the all-you-can-eat buffet as his screams faded within the depths of the forest. They felt around until coming across other rangers. As one was dragged off to join the other two, the other stood up and gave the tentacles both lasers. His core and his weapons seemed to be online just in time.

They dropped the ranger, recoiling and writhing from the burning pain that was inflicted on them. The ranger with the active armor grabbed his friend by her outstretched hoof in attempts to pull her back inside.

The tentacles came back; this time, with a much more aggressive nature to their being.

They wrapped around her waist in a firm grasp, tugging at her. Her friend almost fell out with her, but he refused to let go. She screamed out of fear of what was going to happen to her. That part remained a mystery to me.

"Hang on! I'm not losing you!" He shouted, trying his best to pull her back in.

More tentacles came in from behind, wrapping around his hindleg and pulling him the opposite direction from where the others pulled her.

He fired three shots at the appendages before the ones from behind ripped the guns off his body. Sparks flew from both sides of him, where the rifles once were, and the tentacles tightened around the dismantled weapons; first denting the frame, and then turning it into nothing more than two un-salvagable scraps of technology. They made it look as easy as crumpling up a candy wrapper! I most certainly didn't want to tussle with them...

They tightened around her waist, and her fearful screams for her own life turned into screams filled with pure, unadulterated agony. Her armor started to cave in around where the tentacles were.

"I got you! Just don't let-" was all he could say, before she was torn in two. He hung onto her upper half; his hoof still locked with hers, staring down at the still form that gushed blood. Her innards sprawled along the flooring, leading to the right ledge of the Vertibuck. The lower half was dragged away.

Everything seemed to be almost completely drained of color, here. There was still red, but it was very faint.

I'd probably have puked from that, but my breakfast had already come back up, staring at a dead colt with his head blown out from a laser rifle, earlier that day. I didn't think there was anything left inside me to bring up.

Still... I got a rancid taste in my mouth, just seeing that.

The stallion sat down on his haunches, looking down at her armored head.

"River..." He muttered under his shaky, broken, tear-ridden voice, still holding her limp hoof in his, to which he put to the side of his armored face, as if seeking comfort. In the meantime, the tentacles wrapped around his form, but he didn't seem to care.

It was that moment I knew...

He lost hope.

He was pulled away, and with him, came the upper half of his friend, River.

The hostilities were coming back for more. This time, it was a three course meal. Firebright, Crimsonthunder, and I. They weren't inside yet, but I could most definitely hear them making their way here.

... If that's indeed what they were taking us for. I had no idea. But I had some wild theories, some of which went to lewd thoughts.

I most certainly didn't want to find out for sure...

Crimson stood up on all fours, finally able to move. "We're leaving." He held out a hoof to my sister, and Fire took it. He lifted her up.

Fire looked down at me. "What about him?"

"Forget about him." He snapped. "He'll only slow us down, and I intend to make it out of here alive..."

"He's still my brother..."

He let out an exasperated sigh. "Well, in that case..." He looked at her as his chest compartment opened up, and he pulled my power core out, handing it over. She took it and looked back at him. "Good luck, Firebright. Don't get killed." With that, he jumped out and cantered off.

She peeked outside, watching as he hoofed it through the hellish forest. She sighed and looked back at me, shortly after.

"You're on your own, lil' bro... Don't come back home..." She slid the core back home, and I felt power get restored to my armor. The power gauge went up to 83 percent.

Fire turned around, walked to the exit, and looked back at me one final time...

And I at her...

"Good luck, Charger..." She spoke softly. "See you in another life..."

And then she was gone...

I stood up on all fours, and Celestia's royal genitalia, did my muscles ache!

There was no time to rest, though... I needed to get out of here.

I jumped out of the vessel, and ran the other direction that I saw her go. Vanhoover wasn't an option for me, anymore...

My closest bet, for the time being, was Saddle.

The town... Not the city. Man, they really should have picked their own name...

The sun's light just barely poured through the grey leaves in pale beams of gold. Even the color from the light was altered.

I didn't remember this being in picture books...

Trees had grown right through the streets of this large city. Not just the streets... Buildings too! Though, it was less likely to happen than it did for the asphalt. Just what happened here!?

I heard the asphalt cracking and shifting beneath me as I stormed through the merciless forest. I dared not look back, for if I did, it would have been the end of me.

Then I saw it...

Straight ahead.

The source of the appendages that swept up nearly everypony in the Vertibuck...

The tentacles came from the trees... Fuck me sideways, the trees were the source; the tentacles their roots!

Sweet Celestia, the surface was bizarre!

And terrifying!

If the roots were what I had to worry about...

... Then I was surrounded...

I heard something speak next to me, in a soft, hissing, serpent-like voice.

"Yessssss..."

I looked around frantically as I ran for my life, and to my right, one of the trees jumped out from the ground; it's roots lunging at me as dirt and chunks of road were thrown in the air. I swerved left, bolting through the entrance of what I believed was once a coffee shop.

I always heard about there being remains of ponies from before the bombs fell. Skeletons and such.

I know I haven't been on the surface long, but I didn't see so much as a single bone out here, yet. For a city, I found that rather odd.

The roots slid in through the broken, windowless window frames, darting towards me as I ran through the building, while the dirty, black and white tiled flooring behind me was flung up to the ceiling, bringing up dirt and rusty pipes with it.

Okay! Running! Running! Running! Running! No time for sightseeing! I get it!

I reached the end of the building and made a right turn, up a flight of wooden stairs.

Halfway up, the stair under my hindleg gave out from the massive weight of my armor. I didn't stop. I had to keep going. If I got caught, I got... Well.. killed, I guess. Not really shot.

With each quick, careless step I took, the more broken the stairs became.

The roots sprouted from below the staircase, knocking me down on my stomach. My forelegs rested on the platform that led to a much shorter staircase, to my right.

The snapping and creaking of wood started growing beneath me.

... Oh no...

I lunged forward just as the stairs gave up on supporting my weight, and the roots lunged at me in attempts to grab me. I rammed my shoulder against the wall, trying to turn and go up the next set. Instead, I ended up leaving a pretty gnarly hole in the structure.

I jumped up the short set just before the roots could get to me, and burst through a metal door that read in a rusted, beat up sign, 'Authorized Personnel Only.'

Consider me authorized personnel, because that sign wasn't going to stop me.

I stood there, on the second story rooftop, looking down at the streets below, as they were torn apart by hundreds of thrashing roots, sowing through the earth and asphalt as if they were making a dress. A very crude, unfashionable dress.

Fortunately, my EFS picked up on them as hostile entities.

Unfortunately, looking around in every direction, my EFS was covered in red. There was no room for empty gaps anywhere.

First day on the surface, I watched a settlement get slaughtered for a fucking generator, and now I had to deal with an army of pissed off trees trying to kill me.

I'm starting to have a strong distaste for the surface...

I looked for my options of escape, and only found one possibility.

I didn't have much time. I could hear the roots destroying everything below; both in and out of the building I was on.

Looking back at the door, I saw the roots coming up.

Nope.

I backed up from the ledge, next to a five story building. Between that and the one I was on, was a small alleyway. So even if I failed this jump, I could still make it out of here... Maybe.

I made a running leap for the window ahead. To my surprise, the suit of armor didn't come crashing down immediately. The unicorns back hom... er... back at the bunkers... They must have done something to it. Magically altered its weight when airborne or something...

I didn't get how magic worked... It was all alien to me.

I crashed through the brick wall of the building, shattering the glass window with it, and sliding along the wooden flooring on four hooves, before coming to a halt.

"OH YEAH!" I shouted in one loud cheer.

... Then the wood creaked and groaned, and I looked down...

"Oh no..." I let out in a tiny, pathetic whimper.

Before I could move, the flooring gave out, sending me down to the first floor of the building. I crashed down on a table, immediately flattening it, and with it, the terminal that rested atop its surface.

I really wished I could get out of this damned armor...

"Yesssssss..."

I got up and looked through the window to my left to see the roots slithering down the alleyway, hissing that one word.

One of them tapped on the glass pane, as if they were knocking and requesting entry.

I cocked my head to the side, wondering why it was doing tha-

It slammed through, striking the wall next to me, as I had ducked just in time. It whipped around the room in a vicious frenzy, knocking down framed pictures, filing cabinets, and even going as far as ripping open a closet door and tearing it to shreds.

I got up after crawling out from under it's limb and made a run for the door opposite the closet... And made a lot of noise doing so.

The root wrapped around my form, hugging my chest tight.

It's mistake was not hugging my waist.

I fired as many rounds as I could into the appendage, and it instantly recoiled and swung around the room again in a violent manner. I turned around to face it and kept firing, and that was where I made my own mistake.

I could have run for it. I could have just opened the door and booked it. But I got cocky and just wanted to see that thing in pain.

Because of that, it struck me in the chest with one swing, knocking me through the door to the other room. My back struck a wooden counter, and knowing me, I tore through it like scissors to paper.

I slid on the dirty, what was once a shiny, fancy wooden flooring, before coming to a halt and quickly recovering on all fours, getting in a defensive stance. I imagined this place was filled with beautiful colors, once... It looked like a five-star inn at one point.

My chestplate had absorbed a lot of the damage from that hit, but now the chest of the pony diagram within my helmet was bright red. Another hit in that region could very well kill me. I needed to be more careful.

More roots were coming in through the window.

I heard a bang on the tall, double mahogany doors behind me, and the crevice between it and the floor revealed their shadows.

I took a look at my surroundings.

To my right was a victorian-style staircase. That wasn't an option... I officially hated stairs.

Let's see... Window? Nope. Creepy, pissed off tente-roots about to get in through there. Other window? Nope. Same deal...

The elevator looked busted, and even though fixing things was what my cutiemark said I did, I lacked two vital instruments; my toolbox, and time.

Crap... Fuck it! Stairs it is!

I ran up the stairs, doing my best to ignore their protests as I ascended. I didn't have time to hear their bitchy complaints or worry about their structural integrity! I had to go!

To my fortune, I made it to the top of the stairs, back to the second floor. I look a left; this time, being more careful not to stomp down.

About a quarter way across the corridor, the roots sprung out from the hole I had made, way on the other side. The appendages that were once making their way to the roof of the coffee shop had gone through the hole I inflicted on the wall.

The stairs that led up were beside them, to their left.

Damn it...

Wait...

I froze dead in my tracks and studied their movements. They were sliding along the ground, tapping the floor, walls, and ceiling on occasion, as they gradually and carefully made their way down the corridor, toward me.

I grinned behind my helmet, realizing what this was all about, and took very slow, cautious steps back, doing my best to not make any noise.

"Yessssss..."

I wasn't sure if they knew, but them talking actually worked in my favor. From their hissings, I could determine how far they were away from me, if I wasn't able to see them.

"Yesssssss!"

I froze. That was...

I turned around to see more roots coming from the stairs.

... Again, I'm not sure if they knew, but them talking helped me out. A lot. I didn't know what they were 'yessing' about, but hey... if it gave me a signal to find, then I wasn't gonna question it.

Okay... Options! Time to brainstorm!

Options, options, options...

... I only had one option...

I gently pushed open the door to my right, which was left ajar for 200-something years. The hinges did not like that one bit.

Oops...

The roots went belligerent and bolted towards the sound, which meant they were bolting towards me.

I guess they didn't like it either... Finally there was something we could all agree on.

I swung the door open, ran in, and slammed it shut behind me, hearing the lock click once the latch caught.

I backed up a little bit, facing the door, just hoping that the lock would actually prove useful.

It didn't.

One second, there was a door. The next, I was blasted with thousands of tiny, wooden shards.

The roots went back to tapping the walls, floor, and ceiling in a calm manner, once their obstacle was destroyed.

I looked at the window, then back at them, then to the window again. Okay, this was extremely risky... But I couldn't just stand here forever... They'd catch me sooner or later...

I only had one shot at this...

I ran for the window as fast as I possibly could, and I heard the roots get violent again, chasing after me.

I punched my hoof through the glass and ducked below the window, next to the heater, bringing my arm down with me. Just in time, too. The roots followed the sound of broken glass, going through the window frame.

Ha! It worked! They thought I jumped out! Morons...

Okay, now all I had to do was wait here quietly for their search to end.

Just wait...

Waiting...

Waiting...

... Waiting...

(((((((◉)))))))

I snapped awake, jumping to my hooves, aiming around my surroundings in a panic; an explosion outside putting me on edge.

The roots were gone, which was a relief, to say in the least. If I had jumped up while they were still there, I'd have been caught for sure.

My EFS was clear in all directions.

The explosion must have been out of my range...

I turned to the window, but I didn't see any fire or detonations. I couldn't see the sun anymore, either, making it exceptionally dark out.

I did, however, see water falling from the sky. If I remembered correctly, books referred to this as rain.

It was coming down pretty hard.

The sky lit up in white, shining down on tree tops, and the city beyond, for just a split second, and another heart-pounding explosion roared through the sky.

Oh... Right. Lightning. Forgot that was a thing on the surface.

I always thought that was a myth, until now.

Well, the heavy downpour and the thunder would drown out the sound of me walking, so at least I had that to my advantage. For now...

I turned my headlamp on and flashed it around the room.

This wasn't an inn. These were apartments.

... I... read a lot about the surface and the pre-war days, back in the bunkers.

I was kind of an egghead.

As a colt, I had asked the rangers to bring back catalogues for houses and apartments for me, just so I could know what things were like back then, and imagine myself living in the neatest house I saw in the booklets.

Firebright and I would be neighbors, and have jobs from way back when, before the bombs fell. We'd go to parties that consisted of teddy bears and dolls.

We even kept at it with the fantasies, during our teens years. Though, it was a bit more mature than it had initially been, once Firebright snagged a few bottles of Wild Pegasus in from a scavenger run made by the rangers.

I didn't handle it well. Ended up spending my entire evening in front of a toilet, with the constant threat of releasing the contents in my stomach... And doing so more times than I care to remember.

Fun times...

The living room to this unit was untouched, for the most part. A thick layer of dust coated the surface of pretty much anything and everything here; sitting here, building up, for over 200 years.

I noticed my power gauge was at 70 percent. Running in this suit seemed to eat up power like crazy. I needed to keep that in mind. After all, I was still stuck in this armor, and I definitely didn't want to end up straining my muscles any more than I already had. They were still sore as all hell, but they were still grateful for the little break I had taken. So was I.

My flank still burnt, though. I needed to get that checked out...

I walked to the kitchen and opened the fridge once I started focusing on the empty feeling I had in my gut. I needed to refuel.

Oh... but... If I had to... er... defecate or discharge... Oh boy...

Ugh... I wish there was something built into this suit that could take care of such problems!

I wanted to punch the remains of whoever decided it'd be a good idea to not put a waste disposal unit in their creations...

I dug through the contents within the fridge, looking for anything that was considered 'good.'

Hm... Fancy Bucks cakes. Not exactly the best thing to eat right now, but I'd take a few for the road. Sparkle Cola? Yes please, thank you very much!

"I'd give my left hoof for a steak right about now..." I muttered, turning off the light on my head. I took the helmet off and put it on the counter, beside a Fancy Buck cake. I put my hoof down on one tiny corner of it, and bit down on the other end of the wrapper, tearing it apart.

I didn't want sweets right now. I needed protein. Proper energy. Not junk food. I needed meat.

I took one big bite from the cake, and that's all it took for it to vanish off the counter. It's cherry-filling goodness and my taste buds got along great, and I washed it down with the carrot taste of a Sparkle Cola; chugging the contents of the entire bottle. I was probably going to pay for that, later. And I didn't need it. I would have preferred other things... Like meat. But I was taking what was given to me.

I caught a stench in the air that made me wrinkle my nose. I'm sure there were much worse scents out there, but this still wasn't too pleasant to have around.

I stuck my nose up in the air and sniffed for the source like a hound.

Figured... It led to my helmet.

I grabbed it with a stretched hoof, as if it were contaminated, and made my way to the back porch, opening the glass door. I stepped out and set the helmet down on the flat, wooden surface of the railing. It was too heavy for the wind to push, so I didn't have to worry about losing it. Not unless the entire porch decided to collapse.

... I didn't usually have such a pessimistic nature, but considering everything that happened today, nopony could really blame me.

I stood beside the piece of armor, resting one hoof on the railing; my emerald eyes staring out into the darkness. My dark mane was soaked within a span of a few seconds in contact with the rain, as it blew to my left, with the strong current of the wind.

The rain on my face... The wind in my mane.

I had to admit, it felt nice. It was refreshing for me.

I closed my eyes, taking in the feeling of it all.

Then, through my eyelids, everything grew bright, and the building shook at the blast of thunder, making me jump back and run inside.

I looked back, panting from the cruel surprise.

Well... Hopefully the rain will have washed off the scent of my vomit by the time the sun came back up.

I approached the couch and put my hoof down on the cushion, to which I heard the springs within the furniture squeak, groan, and then pop.

"Oh, I can't wait to get out of this frickin' suit..."

I took my hoof away from the cushion, then bit down on the corner, taking it away from the rest of the couch and tossing it down on the floor, where I woke up from the thunder. I laid back down on my side and rested my head on the soft, comfy reminder of what my pillow was like, back... back at the bunker...

(((((((◉)))))))

Waking up, I realized I had to take a major piss...

Unfortunately, there wasn't much I could do about that... except... let it happen.

Here goes...

I felt the liquid trickle down my leg, to the bottom of my hoof, making me shudder in revulsion.

I'd... I'd just have to wash up later... whenever I got out of this thing. If I ever got out of it, that is.

Knowing my recent luck, I'd be stuck in this flawed piece of hardware until I died of some infection or something.

I got up and awkwardly made my way over to the back porch, embarrassed that I had wet myself, even though no one knew but me... I hadn't done that since I was a colt. I shook my hindleg a little, in desperate hopes that maybe, just maybe, the urine would leak out of the armor. At the moment, I was cursing whoever decided to make the power armor airtight...

I was still cursing them out in my head for not adding waste disposal units...

At least my helmet didn't smell bad now.

I slipped it over my head and looked out into the open, blue, beautiful sky. The trees were as grey as ever. I didn't recall ever reading about grey trees, or even leaves, for that matter.

Wait...

I looked more carefully at a patch of green in the distance...

Were those... palm trees?

No... That couldn't be. My mind must have been playing tricks on me. There was no green in this place. It wasn't possible. It was just an illusion.

I shook my head and turned around. The storm had passed. It was time to hit the road.

I grabbed the two remaining Fancy cakes and put them in a small compartment in my shoulder. At least this piece of shit had pockets...

I calmly walked out of the apartment unit and made my way down the stairs, which, as I expected, threatened to give out underneath me and send me plummeting to the first floor. Still, I kept my calm and continued on my way, and oddly enough, my expectations had been for nothing. I made it down safely, without destroying anything and making any noise.

The front doors had been caved in, and the roots had moved on sometime yesterday, so I was free to leave without any real troubles.

The land was as dim and depressing as it had been, the other day. I didn't know how far this forest went, but I certainly didn't want to get used to the faded colors. I didn't know a lot of things, apparently.

Funny. I once thought of myself as knowing more than anypony, due to all those books I read in my free time, when I wasn't fixing radios or other machines.

Right... Don't make a sound. Don't rush. Just keep walking. Don't touch the trees. I knew that much.

I had taken note that the ground was completely dry. The how was beyond my understanding, but I wasn't going to stand around trying to solve one of the many mysteries of this place.

A gentle breeze blew past, and litter washed through the streets with the wind.

As I walked, I spotted a half-crumpled piece of paper trailing towards me, and I could have sworn, I caught the glimpse of a pony's face on it. With my curiosity peaked, I put my hoof down on it as it passed by, stopping it in its path. I unraveled the piece of paper to discover that the top right corner was scorched away to ash, long ago. This sheet of paper had gone through a journey of its own.

I was right about there being a face, though. One eye was covered by a rusty, raggedy black mane. His coat was dirty, but I couldn't tell if that was from the distance the paper traveled, or if that was actually how he looked. He glared at me behind that one visible eye, and the malicious grin on his face didn't help convince me he was a good pony.

He wore a black overcoat, and underneath it, was a crimson shirt.

At least... I thought it was crimson. It was kind of faded down here in this... place...

There were three words at the bottom of the wrinkly sheet, followed by a five digit number; one of the texts in big, black, bold letters, and the other two under it in a text half the size as the former.

WANTED

DEAD

REWARD: 15,000 CAPS

The top of the page had less than half of a name. The scorched part had burnt the rest of it away.

MR. H...

A 15,000 cap prize for his head... He sure knew how to make enemies, whoever he was... The fact somepony was willing to part with 15k just to have this guy killed had to mean something. Who did he piss off? How strong was this pony?

I raised my hoof and watched as the wanted poster flew down the road, through the city, continuing on its journey until it couldn't anymore.

Just like me...

(((((((◉)))))))

About two hours into my walk, my ear twitched as I heard the most least expected thing to be in these parts.

A radio.

A functioning radio... playing music, no less. Quite loud, in fact, considering I heard it from where I was, pretty clearly. I was maybe a block or two away from the source.

I see carrots of orange, red apples too

I see them grow for me and you

And I think to myself, "what a wonderful trot"

I see butterflies of blue and bees of yellow

The Celestia blessed day, and the dark Lunar night

And I think to myself, "what a wonderful trot"

I followed the source. This was most uncanny.

Surely, nopony could be arou-

My jaw dropped, behind my visor. This... wasn't possible! My eyes had to have been deceiving me!

A white coated earth pony with a brown mane and tail laid back in a hammock; both ends tied to two of those horrendous, monstrous trees. Despite his close proximity to them, they seemed to ignore him entirely, as he rocked from one side, to the other. His forehooves rested behind his head as his rears crossed each other. His eyes were closed, as he sucked a red and black candy cane. He was smiling! Fucking smiling, right there, in the middle of probably the most deadly forest in the wasteland! Blaring music! How... WHAT!?

Then I spotted the two rangers that fell out of the Vertibuck when the EMP hit... There they were... Their armor torn open... The roots digging into their bodies as their muffled voices whimpered from underneath the helmets.

It was more than obvious that it was an EMP that hit. It was all in the details. I'd sure like to meet the pony that was behind it's activation, though...

Their hooves were spread apart and bound by other roots, which tightened their hold at my approach.

I wanted to help them... They were evil bastards, but damn it, I wanted to help them! They didn't deserve this! Nopony did!

I spotted a HAM radio housed in a satchel, with a microphone connected to it, hanging off a tree branch above the strange stallion, right next to a dead pony, who hung by the neck, via the branch that had a firm grip on him.

The casing of the radio was severely damaged, and I could see a faint, blue glow within.

Beside him was a small, metal cage, with a mechanical rabbit that sat there behind the bars, not really doing anything of interest...

A red flannel, along with a brown, multi-pocketed vest, hung on the same branch, near his head. Beside the apparel, was a straw hat.

The land of Equestria, so pretty and vast

As the ponies passing me by, smiles on their faces

I see ponies bumping hooves, saying "way to go"

They're really saying "I love you"

I hear foals crying, I watch them grow

They'll have so much more fun than I'll ever know

And I think to myself, "what a wonderful trot"

Yes, I think to myself, "what a wonderful trot"

His golden eyes opened and met mine as he kept his smile. He waved a hoof at me in a friendly manner, then went back to the original position I caught him in.

I had a lot of questions for him, but I was afraid to speak, in fear that the roots would react to my voice.

I walked up to him warily, keeping my rifles locked on him, in case this was some sort of trick.

He opened one eye, looking back at me, as I stared down at him behind my black visor.

"Hello." He spoke in a friendly, cheerful tone. "How are you, this lovely morning?"

I opened my mouth both out of shock that he was still alive and talking... And still living, even after, but also to say something. However, I heard nothing come out, out of fear of making any auditory actions. I looked at his radio, then at the trees around us, reminding myself that this guy was out here, blasting music like an idiot, but that somehow... the trees didn't pay any mind to his presence, or his voice, or his music.

I turned back to him; my heart pounding as I opened my mouth again. "There's nothing lovely about this..." I spoke as softly as I could. To my surprise, nothing tried killing me or dragging me away.

"Oh, why sure it is!" He sat up, smiling as he swayed back and forth a bit on his hammock, from his movement. "The sun is out, the sky is bright! Life is wonderful, and I'm wall to wall, treetops tall over here!" He beamed at me. "The signal is as strong as ever, around these parts."

Huh... He knew his radio slang... How about that...

I looked over at the two rangers, backing away from the clearly delusional stallion. "Did you have anything to do with those two?"

He looked at them, sucking on the candy cane after readjusting it to the other corner of his mouth. "Those robots were there when I got here."

"Robots?" I looked back at him. "They're not robots. They're ponies!"

He shrugged. "If ya say so, robot."

"I'm not a robot." I pointed my hoof at the rabbit in the cage. "That's a robot."

He frowned at me, shifting the cane to the other side of his lips again, then looked down at what was very clearly his pet. "I think you need your sensors fixed, robot. That's very clearly a healthy, happy, living bunny rabbit."

I felt my eye twitch, and an aggravated burning annoyance grew in my chest. He wasn't serious... was he?

"What's your handle?" He asked, regarding me as he resumed sucking the flavor from the candy hanging from his lips like a cigar.

"Charger. And yours?" Good thing I knew radio talk.

"My name is Para." He put a hoof to his chest, closing his eyes and smiling. Then he pointed that same hoof at me, his eyes locked with my visor. "What do you charge?"

"... Uh, what?"

"You're a robot that charges. What do you charge, and how do you charge it?"

I sighed and put my hoof to my visor. I couldn't believe I was actually having this conversation...

"Para. I. Am. A. Pony." There was no convincing him... Unless...

I looked around. The roots still ignored us, as if we weren't even here... Weird, but okay.

I removed my helmet, and his eyes got big.

"See? I'm a pony."

"You're a pony!" He balked, dropping the candy cane from his mouth. In mid drop, he caught it with both hooves, and slid it back in his mouth; this time chewing on it.

"I... yes, I just said that..." Really...?

"How are you fitting inside that robot, what with all their circuits and wiring getting in the way?" Judging from his facial expression, he was still astonished by this.

I was astonished by his question... Dumbfounded, was a more appropriate word, actually.

I shook my head. "That's not important. Can you tell me where you came from?"

"Well, I just left from a town called Saddle, yesterday morning. As for where I'm from... I don't... rightly know..." He put his hoof to his chin in thought, knitting his brows.

I had to admit... For a wastelander, this guy - as crazy as he was - was very well groomed. Smooth coat. Healthy figure. Strong. His impossibly bright, shiny, white teeth... I couldn't find a scratch on him! Not even a speck of dirt! How was that even possible?

I didn't really roll that way, but... he was kinda cute.

At least... I didn't think I rolled that way. Now, I wasn't too sure.

"Are you crazy?" I asked.

"Hm?" He snapped back into 'reality,' or, at least, the closest thing to it, for him. "Oh. I can't, in all fairness, answer that. Crazy ponies don't think they're crazy. They think they're getting saner."

... Okay, good point. He had me beat, there.

I looked around his little resting site, and noticed something was off with this whole thing... As if it wasn't 'off' before... It was only getting weirder and weirder.

I looked back up at him with a raised eyebrow. "You don't have any weapons. How are you even alive?"

"Pfft..." He waved a dismissive hoof at me. "Weapons are for chumps. Killing is for the weak."

"You've never killed anyone?" I cocked my head to the side a little.

"Nope." He shook his head after swallowing the chunks of candy cane in his mouth, smiling at me. "Never hurt a soul in my life!

I highly doubted that... But I wished I could say the same for myself...

"Aren't you... you know..." I paused and looked around at our scenery. "Afraid of the trees...?"

"Trees?" He looked up at them with curiosity. "Why would I be afraid of trees? They provide photosynthesis."

"Photo... what-esis?" I frowned.

He looked at me as if I had just asked what two plus two equaled. "Oxygen? Good ol' H2O? The number one reason any of us are alive? Come on, this is basic knowledge!"

"I know what oxygen is." I stated matter-of-factly. "Just never heard the word... Photo-what's-it-what." It sounded more scientific... And I only read little foal books on trees. Never the big, more adult ones!

I suddenly felt very stupid...

Now when I say 'read,' I mean more like looking through the pictures.

I was little, okay!? Reading didn't sound fun at the time!

"Oh, it's okay." Para smiled, patting me on the head with his hoof. I then realized I was sulking. "You don't have to feel bad."

I looked on at him, my sulking face gradually forming to a more frustrated one as he continued.

Eventually, he stopped. "Well..." He hopped out of his hammock and stood up on his hindlegs, using the trunk of the tree at the foot of his swinging fabric to support himself from falling down, as he reached for his radio, taking it down, and the satchel with it. During that time, I saw a black rabbit foot for a cutiemark on his flank. His nice, firm... Stop it, Charger!

"I suppose it's time to hit the road." He looked back at me, biting on the strap of his satchel and smiling. "Wanna come with?"

"Sure... I guess." I said, looking away in desperate attempts to hide my blushing. I glanced back at him once more as he turned his back to me, and I froze at the sight of two stumps sticking out through a white bandage wrapped around his torso. I don't know how I didn't notice it before... But I knew then that he wasn't an earth pony.

He was a pegasus with his wings ripped off...

The bandages weren't bloody, so that meant that they were removed long ago.

He seemed a bit too happy for a pony that lost a special part of them...

... I envied that.

He put his flannel, vest, and straw hat on, then lifted the cage onto his back, making sure not to squish the stumps with the container. The bunny let out a mechanical squeak.

"Oh, you're hungry again, aren't you?" He reached into one of the many pockets of his vest and pulled out a carrot, sliding it between the bars, to which his pet devoured with a rotary blade, once the mouth opened.

He beamed at it, then at me, before grabbing his satchel, putting the strap around his waist, and tightening it so that it hugged him tight.

I slipped my helmet back on, and found that my core had 4 percent power left before I was back to struggling with achieving basic pony functions.

I really didn't want to do this, but... I had no choice... I needed to continue on...

"I need your help, Para."

"Hm?" He cocked his head at me, smiling patiently. One of Sapphire Shores' greatest hit singles started playing on his radio.

I regarded the rangers before us. "I need you to take their power cores. It's in their back. Look at mine, if you need to."

Their muffled cries were amplified as they couldn't believe what I was saying. I couldn't believe what I was saying! These were ponies I had grown up with! And now I was sparing them, only to have them suffer, and taking their equipment.

I was a monster.

They were done for anyways... There was nothing I could do for them, without agitating the trees and killing us all...

It was their life or mine... And I chose mine.

Para looked at them, and then at me, before going to my back and examining the filled slot. "So I just pull them out?"

"Yeah. It's pretty straight-forward."

"Consider it done!" He spoke in that cheerful tone. I didn't know how he could... I felt horrible just asking him to do this for me...

He went behind them with no hesitation whatsoever, ejected both their cores, and handed them to me, still smiling.

The roots didn't care one bit... That astonished me greatly.

I handed one back, and he raised an eyebrow, looking down at it.

"Mine is nearly depleted." I stated. "Can you put a new one in?"

He smiled, then nodded, looking back at my visor. "Of course." He went back to my side, ejected the core, put it in another one of his vest pockets, and slid the new one home. My gauge went up to 97 percent. I guess they didn't get very far with those cores...

I hated to think it, but...

Lucky for me.

I mentally slapped a hoof upside the back of my head for just hearing those words in my inner voice.

"Hold on to the other two, will you?" I asked, stretching my hoof out. He took the core and put it in the same pocket as the other one, which now reached its occupancy.

Para grabbed his hammock after untying it, folding it up, and putting it neatly in an interior pocket of his vest.

He nodded at me with that careless, almost ignorant smile of his, and we walked off into the forest, blasting Sapphire Shores on the radio.

He had a slight dance to his movement, oddly enough. Even walking, he seemed to have a little dance behind it.

As weird as it was, he was my best chance of survival...

For now.

Sweet Celestia, the surface was bizarre...

Author's Note

I give special thanks to Kkat for starting Fallout; Equestria, Somber for making the wonderful story known as Project Horizons, and Pines...

The one that made this entire story possible. Sure, I'm the one writing it, but I wouldn't have, if it weren't for his idea to make a collaboration project with me, and giving ideas for the main story, after I kept making FoE references to him for months. He doesn't read the series. XD

Credit for the lyrics goes to Pines.

Future chapters may take time making, respectively. Here, at MMBT studios, we believe in quality over quantity. We're thorough with our work (now). But we hope, that with each chapter, it satisfies our audience incredibly.

Here is the start of what could very well be a fantastic story. I hope you enjoyed it. We hope you enjoyed it.

Pines: Stay tuned fellow readers. Will Charger get out of his god awful power suit? Will Para stop blaring music in a deadly biome? Find out next time! My Partner and I will bring you more of the tale of Charger. Please tell us your thoughts. We love feedback!

Channel 001.2; Catch Me If You Can

Glad I'm in here, and not out there...

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Petiole and I snuck through the foggy fields as rangers patrolled the area from the ground, as flying wasn't a very good idea in these conditions.

Looking back, the sky was red, and I couldn't see anything of the city anymore. Just the big, red glow that came from the fires.

Before I could turn and look ahead of me, I had bumped into Petiole, who had stopped in his tracks, looking ahead, as if he saw something. He quickly turned around and signaled me to go back. I did as he requested without question after seeing a red dot appear on my Eyes Forward Sparkle to the south; straight ahead. If we saw their markers, then they were bound to see ours too.

We backed up a good distance away until they vanished. Even then, we continued back north, until we came across two boulders close together. We got between them and sat.

"Okay, so what's the plan now?" I asked in a whisper, looking at him.

He shrugged. "Sneaking through this without getting seen on their E.F.S. is next to impossible..."

I was about to ask how he knew they had them, but then I remembered... We had swapped memories. He knew everything I did about the Steel Rangers.

He continued. "I don't know how long the range is, but I can only hope they have the same radius as our pipbucks, if not shorter."

Okay, I guess he didn't know everything I did about the Steel Rangers.

I nodded to him and spoke. "The distance for an average suit of power armor reaches about 100 feet in all directions." I couldn't really account for Crimson's armor, though... Knowing his influence to the rangers, he probably had one of the best models that this chapter could get their hooves on.

Petiole nodded back and muttered. "Good. It's the same for our pipbucks." He coughed a little and put a hoof to his throat, groaning. "Damn it..."

I sighed, scanning the area via my E.F.S. We were alone for now. "Guess we're not getting any advantages there..."

"Guess not..." He said in a soft, raspy voice. "But they don't, either."

"We need to find another way out of this. And fast..."

I glanced back at the radio, but it was still shut off, despite the switch being flicked up. The light from the battery wasn't there, either. It had been that way ever since White Noise showed up. Looked like luck ran out...

I heard radio chatter in the distance from the rangers.

"Hostile visuals, E.F.S., 3 o' clock."

"Flank." I heard Crimson say through their channel. I didn't hear his voice around the area, so he must have been somewhere else. Another search grid, perhaps?

"Copy."

I quickly checked my E.F.S., but I didn't see any reds. They couldn't have been referring to us, could they...?

Petiole and I looked at each other in silence, not sure what to make of their orders.

Then there was an abrupt gunshot, causing us both to hit the ground as a bullet whizzed past. It struck the boulder next to us, showering us in powdery rock. Shortly after, a storm of lead joined in.

"We need to get out of here!" I shouted in a rushed tone, looking at him.

"How did they find us...?" He muttered as we lied there, getting covered in dust. I could just barely hear it over the one way firefight. "I thought their systems were the same as ours..."

"I dunno, but I'd rather not stop to ask them. Let's go!" I grabbed him by the hoof, and he pulled away immediately. I stopped and stared, and he stared back.

"What have I said about touching me?"

I shook my head at his response to my actions. We didn't have time for this right now...

"Then you're going to run."

He paused for a few seconds, then sighed as he climbed atop me.

"Good boy..." I stood up and raced for the west, as that seemed to be the better option. The east was moving away from our destination anyways.

Just as I started, I heard the rangers shouting to one another through the gunfire.

"What the fuck is that thing!?"

"Why isn't it dying!?"

Suddenly...

... Came the familiar roar from 32...

The beast.

One of the rangers started screaming in heart-struck fear. "AH, FUCK, NO! GET IT OFF OF ME! GET IT OFF! KILL IT! KILL IT!"

I looked back at Petiole as I kept running. "How did it survive?"

"Wanna go back and ask it?"

I looked ahead and kept running, keeping an eye out on my E.F.S. while listening to their chatter grow distant.

"You got something closing in on your six!"

More screaming.

"It's not going down!"

Less guns.

"Requesting heavy fire from the sky! I repeat, we need-AGH, SOMEPONY HEL-"

Stray rounds whizzed by.

We stopped behind a tree for some breath. We, as in me. I was the one doing all the leg work here!

I checked our surroundings via E.F.S., as the land around us was still smothered in a thick fog. We were still in the clear though. Well... figuratively speaking.

The screaming had gone silent, and not long after, did the guns.

What did remain, however, was the heavy footfalls of the beast as it trekked the fields. Thankfully, it sounded like it was getting farther away. I had already fought that thing once. Another battle with it would be too soon. We didn't even have the ammo to take it on again.

I set Petiole down - which my back was thankful for - faced a compass bearing of southwest, and began walking. Petiole walked beside me as we kept our eyes peeled.

"I guess we failed at keeping the virus off the surface..." I whispered as we made our way through the silent, cloaked land.

"I think it was inevitable by the time we set the reactor off."

"You're probably right..."

We walked for about five minutes in the same direction, keeping our eyes and ears open. Something I had noticed was that Petiole's armor wasn't glowing anymore. At first, I thought it was from the light of the outside that made it look like it wasn't lit up, but after closer inspection, when we went through the shade of a few trees that were huddled up together, I realized the lights were off completely.

We stopped under the shade of the trees and checked our surroundings once again to see if the coast was clear. My E.F.S. came up blank, with the exception of my traveling companion.

We both hunkered down at the trunk of a tree.

"Where do we go now?" I asked, looking at Petiole.

"Like I said earlier, Fluky said that the town is due south."

"Yeah, okay... but south where?"

He stared silently, and I groaned.

"When do we start heading south?"

"You're asking a pony who's been locked away in the ground for two centuries." He stated matter of factly. "I'm inexperienced with the geography."

"Ugh, fine..." I looked around, but all I could see was white. Stupid fog... smoke... whatever. "I think we should head west just a little bit more, until we can find where we started off, before the rangers started chasing me."

He nodded, and together, we stood up and started west.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you." A strangely familiar voice said from behind. Where have I heard that voice before...?

I spun around, gun swinging out in front of me. I bit down on the grip, looking around, before I finally realized who owned that voice. I lowered my guard and continued to look around, but I didn't see him anywhere.

"Hey, where are you?" I asked, adjusting my helmet a bit. It went crooked a little when I swung around.

The leaves in the tree rustled a bit before I heard a thud on the ground. Something started to approach, causing me to raise my guard just a little.

Then a griffin materialized before us. Straight out of thin air.

"Sup." He said, looking at me with a blank expression. He turned to the armored ghoul, who remained silent as he stared back. "And you must be Petiole."

"Who are you?"

"I've been watching your good friend Charger here for some time now."

I turned to Petiole, who was now regarding me. "He saved me earlier, a little before I came across your stable." I turned back to the griffin after I received a silent nod from Petiole. "Still didn't get his name..."

"Rivet."

Huh... Easy to get out of him that time.

"Why should we not head west?" Petiole asked.

Rivet turned to him. "Because Charger's hunter is camped out there..." He regarded me. "And you should know he's not alone. He's spending a great deal of caps to catching you. Dead, or alive... It doesn't matter. Though, he prefers alive."

"Who's he hiring?"

"Mercs, mostly. But he's gone as far as gathering some of the local raiders that haven't gone completely crazy, and has hired them too. It appears that Fester and your chapter have made allies with one another..."

"And you know this...?" Petiole began.

"Been keeping tabs on both of them."

I narrowed my eyes at him. "Griffins are known for doing mercenary work..."

He looked back at me with a faint smile. "It's true. I'm a merc. And yes. I've been hired to find you. But unlike the other mercs, I've also been hired to keep you safe and away from both Fester and the rangers. Not just your chapter, but all chapters."

"Who has your contract?" I asked, keeping my eyes locked on his as I was ready to bite down on the grip once more and fire. I couldn't tell if he was actually hostile or not... My E.F.S. said he wasn't, but I didn't know if I could trust that.

"They've asked me to keep that confidential. But they don't want any harm to come to you or your friends." He pulled out three rarities from a bush that I never thought I'd see out here. It's been a long time...

Stealthbucks.

"We're gonna need this for the trip ahead. I have one for each of us, but we'll need to move quickly. There's a lot of rangers ahead, out for your head. Not to mention the raiders."

"One and the same." I muttered with a flat look. "Where are we going?"

"I'm taking you to the trading town that the filly informed Petiole about. Her and Para are already there, and they're safe, waiting for you."

"No time to lose." Petiole said as he connected the device to his pipbuck.

I shook my head quickly as my hoof started to crackle softly. "No. Not yet." I looked back at Rivet. "I need to know what Crimson did to my mother. I need to know why."

Rivet stared for a few seconds, before shaking his head. "No. You don't. I need you alive, and if you go to him, he will kill you. Slowly. Anything you find out is only going to hurt more."

"You say you've been keeping tabs on him." I stated, glaring at him. "So surely you know something about this. What did he do?"

"I don't know." He glared back. "I don't know what he did. So quit asking. It's not important." He proceeded to tie a rope around my barrel, and then Petiole's, and then his own. It was to keep us from separating. Smart move. "Activate that stealthbuck, and let's go." With that, he started equipping his own to his pipbuck; a steel grey bracelet with amber text. Where did he get one? Griffins weren't generally stable dwellers... Also, why didn't he have one earlier?

I grudgingly connected the stealthbuck to my pipbuck, and on the count of three, we simultaneously activated them, and we, along with the rope tied to the three of us, vanished. I felt it tug forward a bit, and so I started walking. Petiole must have been following close behind, because I didn't feel any pull behind me.

Rivet hadn't been joking about the raiders and the Steel Rangers working together to hunt us down. There were camps set up all across the field. Not to mention the patrols...

I had noticed that my E.F.S. didn't register Rivet or Petiole being in the area, as there were no blips. A crap ton of reds... but no blues.

A lot of the raiders and rangers didn't seem to be getting along with each other too well. One side was making snide comments about shooting them down, while the other just thought of themselves as more sophisticated and powerful, which came to the conclusion of more snide comments about shooting the others down. The rangers had always thought of themselves as the master race. That earth ponies were meant to have everything...

They were on the same side, and yet they still couldn't work together. Maybe White Noise was onto something... Sides were a mistake!

It was a shocker that neither were shooting at each other already. They clearly hated each other, and definitely hated the idea of working together to take me, a common enemy, down.

We passed by a shanty house that was built in the middle of the field. As we did, the door swung open, and a raider stumbled out, holding a bottle of Wild Pegasus whiskey in her magic, chugging away at the contents.

I was so tempted on taking that for myself...

I almost reached for it, but that momentary pause sent Rivet yanking on the rope. Despite the surprise, I remained inaudible.

A Steel Ranger stepped out after her, fully equipped in their armor. "Don't get too shitfaced." That voice... "We need to stay sober, in case he turns up."

Firebright...

I stopped dead in my tracks again and stared at her as she stood in the doorway, observing the area.

"Go lick my cunt!" The raider shouted back in annoyance as she flicked her tail at her, revealing her marehood. It looked used up... and the stench that came with it...

I shivered at the scent and closed my eyes.

"You first. Fuckin' unicorns..." I looked back at my sister to see her shake her head. She went back inside after.

Petiole's head rammed into my rear, catching me off guard... and blushing a little.

Rivet tugged on the rope again, pulling me forward once more. I shook my head and moved onward, to which Petiole followed behind.

Before we even passed the shack entirely, the griffin flashed into existence before me. Turning around, there was Petiole, looking back at the two of us.

Fuck...

"Down!" Rivet hissed in a whisper as he lied down on his stomach.

The two of us hit the ground and followed as we crawled through the field. It wasn't as populated here as it seemed farther off to the north, towards the tunnel. But there were still far more problems here than I knew what to do with.

It was only a matter of time before the rangers saw the three blips on their E.F.S., but as far as I knew, the raiders didn't have any.

I sure hoped they didn't...

We quickly crawled to the next shack over, and making our way to the side, we came across a crawlspace that led underneath the structure. There were three hostiles in the building, but we needed to hide...

So we moved in and lied still, looking up through the floorboards as they creaked continuously.

The springs of a worn bed creaked too.

And there was the paced slapping I was all too familiar with...

And moaning...

I sure had quite the view...

Sweat had managed to slip through the cracks of the wooden floor and splatter on my helmet's visor.

Ball sweat...

Oh, damn it... gross...

"That all you got!?" A raspy female voice spoke, to which I heard the male punch her. Hard, by the sound of it. He continued fucking her as she groaned, then laughed.

"Don't fucking talk... Or I'll chain you up again..."

She continued to chuckle under her shaky breaths, and spoke in increments, between each thrust. "Fuck... that's the spot..."

He punched her again. "Shut up, bitch!"

Rivet rolled his eyes as he looked away, then turned to me. "Stay quiet." He whispered ever-so-softly. I could barely hear him over the action happening above us.

I nodded and passed it down the line, to which Petiole nodded back.

For a while, all we heard were the wet slaps and moans from the pair. There was no way ahead, as the crawl space ended.

Suddenly, I heard the door swing open, but they kept going at it.

"Ah fuck, yer at it again!?" Another raider stepped in. "I told you to stop messin' with momma!"

"Fuck off, mate." He replied between pants. "Her pussy's been begging fer a beatin'."

"Will ya cut that out?" He asked, annoyed. "We're s'posed to be on lookout fer that dipshit... Charbroil, er whatever the fuck his name is. I dun wanna miss out on 'em caps."

Charbroil, seriously? Fuckers...

"Yeah, yeah... Piss off. I'll be out later. Gotta impregnate this bitch first."

"You'll be an uncle... and have a little brother!" She said, still moaning as she looked at the raider in the doorway.

Another punch was delivered to her. "I said shut it!"

The third party groaned in disgust and stormed out. "Can't believe he's my brother..."

Oh. Incest. Fun.

Firebright would fit in well here.

Hell, she was right next door!

Another set of hooves stepped in. These ones were a lot heavier than the previous.

"What the fuck are you two doing?" Firebright asked in a stern tone.

Speak of the devil...

"What's it... hah... fuck... what's it look like...?" The mare said behind her moans. "Ah fuck, I'm gettin' close!"

Firebright sighed and shook her head as she watched her orgasm, but after she finished, her son kept going.

"When you two freaks are done, I'm sending you off to the tunnel. If he died in there, we want a team to go in and retrieve the anomaly. You both just drew the short straw."

Then she looked down at the floorboards.

Down at me...

For a moment, I thought that was it. That we were goners. I readied my rifle.

But that didn't seem to be the case. Instead, she turned and left the building quietly.

We waited until Rivet turned to me, holding up a talon. Three claws pointed up. Then two.

Wait...

One...

Shit, what was he doing...?

He cut the rope around his waist and burst up through the floorboards, taking the stallion down off his mother and digging his claws deep into his neck, only to rip out his vocals.

The mare scrambled off the bed, reaching out for a pistol on the table in the corner of the room. Rivet grabbed her and put a talon over her muzzle, forcing her mouth to stay shut.

"Scream, and I'll rip out your tongue and eat it." He said in a whisper as Petiole and I stepped out of the crawlspace. I undid the rope around my waist and went to undo his, but he pushed me away. Shortly after staring at me silently, he started doing it himself.

Right... No touching...

The mare looked at me and smiled as best she could behind his restraint.

"You gonna shout?" Rivet whispered into her ear. I noticed it was clipped by a bullet.

She chuckled softly and shook her head.

"I don't believe you."

And with that, he tore into her neck, causing her to gag as she choked and bled out. He let go, and she fell to the floor as she struggled to hold on to life.

"What did you do that for?" I asked, looking back up at him as I witnessed her final moments. Her eyes had grown distant as she looked up at the ceiling. "We needed her."

"No. We didn't." Rivet replied, wiping his talons clean of the blood he shed with a dirty rag. "If you think raiders care about their own kind being used as hostages, than you're mistaken."

"Oh, CHAAAAARGER!" Crimson shouted from outside the building. My body tensed up to his voice, and Petiole's LEDs flashed red.

"Fuck!" I sat on my haunches, trying to think of a way out of here before he came in.

"Come on out, give me the anomaly, and I'll only hurt you a little! Your friends can go free, so long as they can escape the raiders! I'll even give your buddies a head start! How does five seconds sound?"

Fuck no.

I pulled the radio from my pouch and tried the power switch. When it didn't turn on, I started slamming the device against the corner of the table.

"Wake up, damn it!"

"What are you doing?" Petiole asked, regarding me.

"Trying to get some help..." I continued shaking the machine. "Come on, Tuner..."

"Tuner?" Petiole tilted his head.

"I think I can fly us out of here..." Rivet said quietly, looking up at the ceiling.

I remembered what Crimson had said about my mother, and what he did. I stopped trying to wake Tuner, and stared at the door. My hoof started crackling with electricity.

"No." I slipped the radio back in my pouch.

Guns started loading up on the other side.

"What?" Rivet gave me a concerned look.

"Don't keep us waiting, Charger!" Crimson shouted.

"I need answers..."

Rivet rolled his eyes, then stared me down. "Damn it, right now isn't the time for this!" He shook his head and turned around. "Get on my back. We're getting out of here. I'm supposed to bring you back alive."

"Again with the backs..." Petiole muttered. "Can't you just carry me?"

It came to my attention that he didn't have the megaspell cannons on anymore. These new guns were more like harpoon guns.

"Why did you kill her!?" I called out. There was a brief moment of silence.

"Charger, what are you doing...?" Rivet stepped closer. "We don't have time for games..."

"You mean your mother." Crimson scoffed. "Now, that makes for an interesting story..."

"Tell me!"

"I'll tell you, if you give me that anomaly first."

"Ah, what are ya waitin' fer!?" An unfamiliar voice of a mare asked. Presumably one of the raiders. It became evident that some of them had a weird accent to them. "Jus' blas' 'em already n' be done with it!"

I caught a faint blue glow from the battery in the corner of my eye.

"Sir..."

I looked through a crack in the doorway to see a Steel Ranger stepping up to Crimson, who had his missile launcher locked on to the shack. Several other rangers and raiders stood around; guns locked on and ready to fire. Judging by the amount of reds on my E.F.S., they had the entire place surrounded.

"What is it?" Crimson said quietly, looking down at the ranger before him. Even looking at him was intimidating... His armor was bigger than the average models, and the average models were bigger and bulkier than a pony in the flesh! He was nothing short of a giant to me!

He didn't sound too happy being interrupted, either...

"Hostile sightings coming in from the east."

"How many?"

"Just one, but it could be what took out our patrols..."

"Deal with it. I'm busy with something else at the moment." He signaled the others around him to leave and go take care of the situation due east. "Take some of the raiders with."

"Oh, come on!" One of the raiders shouted, pointing a hoof at him. "You're not Fester! I'm not listening to your orders! Just cause your leader is agreeing to a truce with ours doesn't mean I have to listen to you! I say we go in and take them all!" The raider started pointing at the shack, then looked around at his friends. "Fuck them all, eat them when we're done!"

Some of the raiders in the area laughed and cheered at the idea.

"You're right about one thing." Crimson said calmly, turning to the raider finally. "I'm not Fester. But I'm sure he'll be okay with me killing an insubordinate."

The raider armed up and grinned behind his pistol.

And Para was complaining about me not brushing my teeth... Ew. Just... Ew. At least mine were white... and were all there... and straight!

"Bring it!" A raider shouted.

"Raiders and Steel Rangers..." Tuner said softly, followed by a yawn. "One and the same. Don't even have to mix letters around too much to get raiders and Steel Raiders. Hang in there, Charger. Got a surprise coming your way."

Crimson looked over at that exact moment, as if he had just heard Tuner. "THAT'S IT! I'M COMING I-"

Ping!

He froze and stared at the raider that had just pulled the trigger. The bullet had bounced off his head.

Fire, who stood beside him, readied arm and aimed at the raider, while the others aimed at the two. Some of the rangers that were headed back to take care of the beast from 32 saw what was going down and went back to the stand off, taking aim.

"Drop your weapons!" Fire demanded.

"Suck my dick!"

In an instant, the raider became no more than a red, glowing pile of ash.

Not even a second later, bullets flew one way, while lasers flew the opposite direction; both of which struck the other side. The rangers were holding them off better, considering the superior defense they wore. The raiders were dropping like flies.

"Okay, now is a great time for us to go!" Rivet blurted.

I kept watching the fight. Hoping that maybe one of the raiders would get lucky and kill either Firebright or CrimsonThunder. That maybe one of the raiders would get even luckier and manage to kill both. I needed them dead...

For a short while, Crimson was getting caught up on blasting the raiders with his missile launcher. His 50 cal. must have still been broken since our last encounter.

But then Rivet had spoken, and Crimson turned back to the shack, even when bullets bounced off his frame. The launcher reloaded and aimed at the shelter...

... And out came the missiles.

I ran back, tackling the griffin to the ground. Petiole was on the bottom of the dog pile, groaning in pain.

One second was all it took before the entire front half of the shack became splintering, fiery pieces of wood that rushed over us in a wave. Had it not been for my armor, I would have probably faced some serious cuts, if not burns. And since I was on top, I probably helped keep the other two safe.

My ears were ringing... Everything became muffled. Rivet was screaming something, but I couldn't understand it.

I rolled off of them and witnessed the red electricity flowing through my hoof. Crimson had his launcher aimed down at me as he stood where a doorway once was. The fight was still going on behind him. I couldn't tell which one Firebright was, but none of them seemed too interested in what was happening over here. They were all too busy taking out the raiders.

I rubbed my ears and shook myself out of the confusion before looking up at Crimson. Sound was coming back.

"The anomaly, Charger. Where is it?"

"Check up your ass." I backed up, still lying on the ground. Getting up didn't feel like a good idea at this time... "Maybe if you reach far enough, you can pull your head out of there, too."

He chuckled softly. "Looks like we have a comedian. Now, about that anomaly..." His missile launcher clicked, and he looked over. "What the...?"

Suddenly, a laugh track roared through the radio speakers, causing the party of three around me to look at it. Rivet and Petiole were just now lifting themselves off the ground.

"Now I see..." Crimson stepped forward. "Give me that radio, Charger. Or I'm going to kill your friends, and then I'm going to kill you."

"Not if I kill you first!" And with that, I slammed my electric-charged hoof against his chest, causing his armor to seize up immediately after the thunderous boom of my buck. His auditory systems went in and out as he screamed. Once second, they were amplified, and the next, they were muffled as the charge traveled through his body. Smoke emerged from the armor by the time the current was gone, and his rigid form fell to one side.

I got up and attempted removing his helmet, but it appeared to be stuck to his head.

"Come on..." I muttered behind clenched teeth. I needed answers, and he wasn't going to give them away willingly. Once I got those answers, I was going to kill him...

Some of the rangers, along with the raiders, noticed me trying to remove the helmet.

"Save the Star Paladin!" One of the rangers shouted as they turned their guns on me, shooting bolts of red laser our way. I ducked behind his bulky armor as they shot at us. My hoof was already starting to gain another charge.

"Come on, boys!" One of the raiders cheered. "Let's get that bounty! Drinks are on me!"

The two sides had the same goal, but a different motive.

I looked back down at Crimson, glaring. "Why did you kill my mother? What was her name? Who was my father? ANSWER!"

"Go ask your sister..." He replied with a pained chuckle. "I think that voltage was just what I needed... My sinuses are cleared."

"I'm done with you..." I turned away and sent another buck to his system, therefore frying it. Even through the gunfire, I could hear his muffled screams. I made my way for the rear of the shack, where Rivet took cover behind furniture. Petiole was standing out in the open, absorbing the incoming shots without even a flinch. He didn't seem to be affected by the rounds.

Rivet fired back with well placed harpoon shots. Unfortunately, he was only able to fire two total, before going back behind cover to reload.

The way we came in wasn't an option, cause my E.F.S. gave me a crap ton of red blips standing out there, guns blazing.

I jumped behind the turned over table that Rivet ducked behind.

"Glad you got that out of the way." He said with a glare in my direction. "Can we go now?"

I looked back at the firing squad to see all the rangers, with the exception of one, were firing at us. I turned back to him.

"Guess so. Petiole!" I turned and looked over at the armored ghoul. "What the hell are you doing out there?"

"I'll explain later." He said calmly as a bullet struck the side of his head. It didn't phase him in the slightest. "You two keep thinking of a way out of here."

Rivet glanced down at my hoof and smiled faintly. "Any chance you can use that?"

I looked down to see the electricity flowing again. I felt a smile growing on my features before I gave a quick nod. Still hiding behind the cover of the table, which wasn't going to last much longer, I lied on my back and gave the wall of the shack a nice, hard buck. At once, with the boom of thunder, large chunks of wood flew out, leaving a nice big hole for us. The shack was originally surrounded, but the firefight between the two sides drew them toward the front, like a bunch of idiots.

"Great!" Rivet spread his wings. "Get on!"

I jumped on, and shortly after, Petiole came to us.

"I'M GOING TO KILL YOU, CHARGER!" Crimson yelled behind his helmet; his voice strained and muffled from the failed systems. "YOU CAN'T RUN FOREVER!"

I looked back with a pained smirk. "If there's one thing that'll kill me, it's the demon called Time." I gave him a wink, and at once, we were out of there. Bullets shot up at us, but they were no match for Rivet's flying. I had no doubts he dealt with this sort of thing before. I on the other hoof, wasn't used to this...

There was a sudden roar, and looking down, I witnessed the beast ready to expand its mass as it took on the two sides. All firepower was diverted from us and focused on the monster, but I hadn't even been able to take it on with one of the virus' main weaknesses. They weren't going to stand a chance.

"Hang on tight!" Rivet shouted as he flapped harder. "We'll be at Virtue in 30!"

(((((((◉)))))))

We came in for a landing on the mud-covered streets of Virtue. There were very few pegasi, but what little I did see took the role of security and lookout on rooftops. Some of the unicorns helped supply wagons with medical supplies and ammo, while the others sat behind booths, bartering with passerbyers. Earth ponies rolled the wagons out once they were given the all-clear.

Earth ponies, unicorns, and pegasi... working together... I wish the bunker was like that...

"Great. We're here." Rivet spoke in clear annoyance as he let go of Petiole. "Now get the hell off my back. You're both heavy. Especially the metal one." He glared at the two of us as he rubbed his arms. I hopped off his back, and he eye'd Petiole's bags. "Why the hell do you need four sets of saddle bags? If you're looking to become a caravaneer, get a wagon like everyone else."

"A lot of this is important research." Petiole stated, pointing at the bags closest to his flank. "I needed to take it with me before I left the stable. Otherwise it would be forgotten."

Rivet rolled his eyes and regarded me as I looked around the town, as if he knew a question was coming up.

And there was.

"What's going on around here?" I looked back at him.

He sighed as he put his talon over his eyes. "Hoofington is going through the grinder at the moment. Some big war or something. I don't know. I don't care. I'm not getting paid for whatever bullshit happens in Hoofington. Only for what happens in Vanhoover."

Wait... didn't Tuner mention something about a war happening in Hoofington...?

"But... what's this all have to do with the heavy shipments?"

"Virtue wants to participate in helping the residents of Hoofington, so they're sending a bunch of supplies over in hopes that it'll help them. It's a lost cause, if you ask me. A waste of both time and resources."

"But... that's a long way from here, isn't it?"

"They're not going all the way there, you idiot!" Rivet shouted. "They're just getting it to the train station. The train will do the rest of the work..." He paused and looked down, frowning. "... Assuming Fester doesn't intervene and steal the supplies. Again. Like I said... lost cause."

"Who is this... Fester you keep mentioning?" Petiole asked as I observed the loading of a wagon.

"He's the leader of a community of raiders, like the ones back north."

I lost track of their conversation as I watched a yellow coated unicorn mare lift a crate of potions up into the wagon with ease.

Wow... unicorns were allowed to use their magic here...

Her pale blue eyes came across mine, and she smiled, waved, and went back to work.

"CHARGER!" Rivet shouted, causing me to jump. I looked back at him.

"Yeah?"

"Don't make me repeat myself. I hate repeating myself." He softened his glare a bit and sighed. "The rest of your party is in the motel. Just ask for them at the front desk. I have to go warn Omegas about the threat due north."

Petiole spun his head toward Rivet, and took a step forward. "Omegas?"

Rivet looked back. "Yes, that's right. He's mentioned you a few times. Sounds like you two have a lot of catching up to do."

I looked over at Petiole. "Go and meet up with him. I'll check on Para and Flukes."

He nodded, and we parted ways.

All the buildings here were constructed after the war. Made up of metal scraps and wooden planks. The outskirts of Virtue revealed to me that this town was once built on a field of grass until it became mud, just off the side of a highway.

The horizon burnt in the distance with that warm, yet hostile glow. Ash still snowed down on us, and the fog was still thick, but it was a lot better than what it was, over at the raider camp.

I couldn't believe that Bristle had agreed to a truce with Fester... They had been at each other's throats for years, and now that I was the target, they were working together... I never thought in a million years that the two sides would join forces. Much less because of me.

Tuner was right, though. The two sides were one and the same.

I stopped at the edge of the town and looked to my left to see the motel that Rivet had mentioned. Virtue wasn't exactly a big place, so it was hard to get lost here.

I stepped in through the front door of the office and stood at the counter, looking over. I didn't see anyone here.

There was a bell at the counter, but the last thing I wanted to do was ring it. Para's insistent bell ringing was still a burden on my brain cells. A part of me could still hear him slamming his hoof down on it repeatedly. Ugh...

"Hello?" I called out as I tapped my forehoof on the surface of the counter.

"Agh!" A voice screamed from the room behind the counter; the door to it ajar. Shortly following that was the tumble of books.

Um... Sorry...?

I took the helmet off, as it wasn't needed, and my mane was getting itchy, trapped in there.

A few seconds went by, and the door creaked open. A black coated unicorn stallion poked his head out before adjusting his glasses and looking at me. His cutiemark consisted of three books stacked atop each other.

"O-oh! A new customer!" He smiled nervously and stepped out, closing the door behind him.

"Is... everything alright back there?" I raised a brow as I glanced at the door behind him.

"Oh, yes... Just caught me at a... bad time." His nervous smile became a nervous grin as he blushed. He quickly looked over the book that contained his customer's names and what rooms they ordered at what times. "Let's see... I'm afraid the uh... heh..." I caught him glancing over my form behind his glasses. "... Afraid the lover suite is taken, in case you were looking for some mid-afternoon action with your special somepony."

"Subtle much?" I raised my brow again, smirking. His cheeks became a darker shade of red, and he looked down at the log.

"S-sorry. Just... Heh... Sorry..." He brushed the black mane from his red eyes and adjusted his glasses again. "Let's start over." He reached out a hoof. "Hi. You're cute. My name is Shadow Hoof. Wanna go out? What's your name?" He paused, wide-eye'd. "Goodness! Did I say that out loud? I am so sorry... I'm... heh..." His shoulders slumped as his crimson eyes looked down at the log book. "Fuck my sideways with a shotgun barrel..."

I laughed softly and put my hoof over his, catching him by surprise. "My name is Charger. You're not too bad looking yourself."

His smile returned. "T-thank you! I thought I fucked that one up royally..."

I brought my hoof back. "It's all good, Shadow Hoof. No worries."

He nodded with a smile. "So, what can I do ya for? Looking for a room, orrrr..." He paused and 'discretely' opened a book behind the counter, reading quickly. He looked back up at me with a seductive grin... Or... I think it was a seductive grin. "Are you looking for some action under the sheets?"

...

... Oh goddesses... Did he really just say that...?

I rolled my eyes and shook my head. "I'm looking for someone."

He froze, and I heard a book slam, followed by the clearing of his throat. "Right... Ahem... Who are you looking for?" He stood straight, looking into my eyes with a dying hope.

"A stallion named Para with a filly named Fluky. White coat, impossibly bright teeth. Possibly blinding to look at. Golden eyes, brown mane. Wears a hat. Seen anyone like that?"

"Oh. Yes. They arrived just a little bit ago. Might I asked why you're looking for them?"

"I was traveling with them, but we got split up during an ambush. I came here with Rivet."

"Wait... you came here with Rivet?" He balked. "So you're... oh my..." He grinned. "You are a great deal of importance to the NCR."

"The NCR?" I stared in confusion. "But I never even met them before."

"I don't exactly know the details, but Rivet was hired by the New Canterlot Republic to protect you and your friends. You're big news to them. Maybe you have an idea why?"

I knew why. And it wasn't me that was big news. It was what I carried... and that made me a target...

Still, I shook my head. "Can't think of a reason why."

"Hm..." He looked down at the log. "Well, your friends are in room 18." A black aura grew around a single key on the wall behind him. It levitated forward and was set down gently on the counter. "Feel free to stay as long as you like. All expenses have been paid for, courtesy of the NCR." He smiled proudly, and I smiled back with a quick nod of my head.

I took the key in my mouth and started for the exit.

Then, he spoke again.

"My, what a big gun you have! Maybe you can take me somewhere private and let me play with-no, that doesn't work... Maybe you can take me around back and shoot m-oof, that's even worse... Let it go off in my hair? Fuck, this one's a wreck..."

I chuckled behind the key and looked back at him with a wry smile. "You know, you don't need to try and pick someone up with flirty quotes." And horrible ones, at that. "Just go with the flow, and see where life takes you." I gave him a wink, making him blush again, before turning and heading back out the door.

Door 18 was at the far end of the building, respectively. When I got there, I pressed my ear to the door. I didn't hear anything inside... Odd... And somewhat alarming, too.

I inserted the key, turned it, and pushed the door open gently. It was dark inside, but the luminescence of the outside seeped in. Through the dim lighting, I saw Para sitting in a chair, facing me. His hat was pushed forward a bit; the brim hiding his eyes. There was a faint smile on his face.

"Hello again, Charger."

... Okay, was it alarming that he actually got my name right for once? Or was that just me? And his voice was different... deeper...

He tilted his hat back to look at me, keeping that smile. His little buddy sat at his side, on the armrest of the chair.

"Happy." I stepped in, closing the door behind me.

He nodded, and his smile widened. "So you figured it out."

"Is this the part where you kill me?"

He shook his head. "Why would I do such a thing?"

"Because it's what you do."

He picked up his little buddy and set her on his lap, petting her as if she were a real rabbit. "You and I are a lot alike. We both seek to rid other ponies of their misery. I could definitely use the help of a pony that understands me. You and I are not murderers. We are saviors."

"I'm nothing like you." I glared.

"Of course you're nothing like him." A voice said through the radio. One that didn't belong to Tuner. This one was more scratchy and gruff. "You only kill other ponies for your own benefit. Happy does it to help others, but you're just in it for yourself. How greedy of you."

I looked back at the radio. "Who the hell are you?"

"Ugh..." I turned back to him to see Happy rolling his eyes; his smile disappearing. "There he goes again... Always complaining..."

"Where's Fluky?"

"Out there somewhere, helping the townsfolk with the deliveries for the big light show in Hoofington." He grinned again. "She's such a precious little thing."

"Sorry fucker won't even lay a harming hoof on her, and she's suffered a lot, no thanks to you!" The radio bickered.

"Who. Are. You?" I reiterated, glaring at the machine.

"According to Tuner, I'm four. The one that tore into gore. And if it were up to me, I'd have snapped that fillies' neck long ago. And then fed her body into a grinder, just for the fun of it. She's annoying."

"No, you're annoying!" Happy glared, but then calmed himself with some steady breathing. "It's a relief you don't have a body anymore." He put the bunny back on the armrest as he deadpanned. Shortly after, he stood up and calmly approached. "Thank you, Charger."

"For what?" I would have backed up more, but my flank was already pressed up against the door.

"For bringing the battery back to me."

"Why do you want it? Way I see it, if you have it, Para comes back."

He stopped before me and put a hoof under my chin, looking me in the eye with a relaxed smile. "It's true. I have to be stuck in that dreadful prison, while he goes around playing dumb. But it will all be worth it in the end."

"Why? What happens in the end?"

He moved closer; his muzzle pressing against mine as he gazed into my eyes. He whispered his answer.

"I win."

And with that, he snatched the radio from me, hugged it tight, and closed his eyes. After a few seconds had passed, he blinked a few times, then looked up at me and smiled. "Oh, hey!" He hugged me tight, as if nothing had just happened. He spoke in Para's voice. "How was the firework display?"

Firework display...?

"Uh... it was great, Para." I hugged him back. "How are you feeling?"

"Kinda... tired, actually. I must have passed out again. Been happening a lot more than I'd like..." He pulled back a bit, and his ears were folded back for a few seconds before they perked up. "I'm glad to see you again, though." He smiled as he took my security helmet, tossing it on the bed. "You look tired, yourself."

Then he got down and started undoing my armor.

"You should lie down and rest."

"Much as I like you undressing me, I still have things I need to do." Still, he kept at it until all my armor was removed and displayed along the floor.

"At least rest a bit, before you do anything else." He stuffed the radio in his jacket pocket and nuzzled my neck with affection I hadn't felt in a very long time...

I rolled my eyes and sighed, smiling faintly. "Alright, alright... I'll take a short nap."

I pushed the helmet off the bed and lied down, looking up at the ceiling before closing my eyes.

I lied there for about an hour, stuck with the same intrusive thought.

Why was my mother executed? What was her name? What did she look like? How did her voice sound?

All I got was Crimson's 'ask your sister.'

Ask Firebright...

That was about as possible as Para's wings growing back.

... Which, now that I thought about it, wasn't entirely impossible. All he'd need to do is bathe in radioactive waste, and then they'd grow back... maybe. Assuming he didn't die first, or turn into a ghoul. Even then, if he did get his wings back, he'd probably end up growing other appendages as well.

I let out a soft sigh and opened my eyes, staring at the worn out ceiling. "Ask Firebright..." I muttered to myself, before rolling over on my side.

"Hey, you alright?" Para asked, trotting over. He put a hoof on my head, gently petting my mane.

"Eh..." That was all I could get out at the moment...

I felt numb.

I didn't want to move, talk, or think. I didn't want to be alive, nor dead. I didn't want to be... anything.

"You should have a candy cane. Candy canes always make me feel better."

I heard the door open, followed by a set of hooves along the floor.

"Is he asleep?" Petiole asked.

"I'm awake." I replied, keeping my back turned to the two.

"I need DNA samples off you... and purge you of radiation, if needed. There's no saying how much of a dosage you got back at 32."

"Fine." I rolled off the bed and landed on all fours before walking over to him, looking down. "Let's get it over with."

Petiole turned to Para. "I'll need to do an analysis on you after."

"Awwwww..." Para pouted. "But I hate tests!"

"Don't think of it as a test then." With that, he turned around and made his way out of the building. Reluctantly, I followed behind.

Ponies rushed around, helping with the shipments of medical supplies and ammunition, as if the fight at Hoofington relied solely on their deliveries. It was nice that they were lending out a helping hoof in terms of supplies. Their business must have gone down by a landslide when Saddle was eliminated. They didn't seem too upset about it, though.

I wondered if they knew who was behind it.

"So..." I started. "How was your talk with Omegas?"

"It went fine." A pony dressed in a brown duster and a full head helmet trotted up to us. The visor glowed red, and his chest was armored. His voice, though... Now that was what I expected a ghoul to sound like. The type of voice that belonged to a 50 year old chain smoker that never knew when enough was enough. "You must be Charger." He regarded me through his NCR gear. I recognized that armor. The Steel Rangers were still at war with them, I think. And now the NCR wanted me. "I've been hearing a lot about you."

"I'm sure you have..." I muttered, looking away. "So, you're from Stable 32."

"I am." There was a brief pause before he resumed. "Petiole told me about how you and him destroyed it."

"I'm afraid we'll have to cut the conversation short." Petiole spoke abruptly as he stopped walking, staring at Omegas. "I have important business with Charger. Important, confidential business. Then, I'll take care of my business with you, ghoul."

Oh dear...

Omegas went silent for several long moments, before turning to me and reaching out a hoof. "It was nice to finally meet you, Charger."

We shook hooves, and he silently walked off. Petiole stared me down behind his visor.

"What?"

He shook his head and pointed to a canvas tent. "In."

With a roll of my eyes, I walked in. He followed close behind and zipped the flaps closed once we were both inside. In the center of the room was a stretcher, and around it were two surgical tables and an I.V. stand. Thankfully, I wasn't seeing any surgical equipment lying around. Most of what I was seeing were packets of Radaway and plastic, cylinder containers with orange caps.

And a metal bucket, for some reason.

"Lie down."

I did as he asked after making sure there wasn't anything that was going to keep me tied down, like last time.

I looked up at the ceiling quietly as he took out a syringe, cleaned an area on my arm with rubbing alcohol, and drew some blood. Again, it didn't hurt much. Kinda made me laugh a bit, actually. It tickled.

"So are you going to tell me why you were standing in the middle of a shootout?" I asked.

"I was buying you and Rivet time."

"By being a distraction."

"Exactly."

I stared at him flatly, but he went on.

"My armor changes when exposed to certain elements. Exposed to natural light, I have the defense of a tank. In darkness, I'm resistant to magical elements, but it loses the defense against anything that isn't magical. There's still so much more about Tungstian we don't know about yet."

When he was done with the blood sample, he removed the needle from the rest of the syringe and stuffed it in a plastic bag, which he placed on the surgical table next to us.

"I'll need a urine sample, too." He said, taking a quick peek at my pipbuck. "Radiation levels are really low. No need for a Radaway just yet."

I looked over, and despite my mouth opening, nothing came out.

"I'll give you your privacy, of course. But before I do..." He opened one of the cylinder capsules. "I'll need you to spit in this. I'm thorough, and if you think you might have something else in there apart from the F-virus, I need to be sure."

I nodded in agreement, pooled up some saliva, and released it into the container. He sealed it off shortly after, then gave me an empty spare for the urine.

"Take your time with it. Just fill it up a little more than halfway, and tell me when you're done. I'll be outside." He started to walk for the exit.

"Wait, what's the bucket for?"

He looked back slowly, then replied casually. "Stool samples."

I must have worn a look of dread right then and there, cause then he quickly added to his statement.

"Like I said, I'm thorough."

(((((((◉)))))))

After I had given all the needed samples to Petiole, he let me go saying that it'd take at least half an hour for my results to come in. I chose to occupy that time by checking around Virtue. Seeing what there was to see.

After a rather short lived journey around the area, I had noticed there weren't any houses. It was all shops and booths, which made me wonder if the shop owners just lived in their stores.

They seemed to also have a sheriff's office. A poorly made one, at that, as everything here was shanty. But it still had a jail cell that looked sturdy enough. That had to count for something.

As I was passing by, I noticed a bounty board with quite a few job offers up for grabs.

I trotted up to the front of the building to see what they needed done. Surely I could make myself useful somehow, rather than hauling cargo on the back of wagons. I needed something more... me.

There were three wanted posters that immediately caught my attention. Two of the three made my heart sink deep in my chest. For a second, I had forgotten how to breathe...

The three of them were side by side, and the first one on the left was none other than a copy of the same wanted poster I had seen in Saddle.

The Happy Killer. The Killer Grin.

One of his blue eyes stared deep into my greens, while part of his mane hung down over his other. His silver coat shined bright on the paper, as did that grin of his... The same grin that belonged to Para.

No one knew but me... No one knew that the Killer Grin was sitting in Virtue's motel this very moment...

But I couldn't just give him up... He was my friend. I... liked him. Maybe not Happy. But... Para... I didn't want to give him up. So long as the battery stuck around, I didn't need to worry. Para was nothing like him. Para was good. Ignorant, and possibly stupid... But he was good.

I shook my head and looked at the other two bounties. The one in the middle was the ghoul known as Fester. Black, raggedy mane. He had a chipped unicorn horn, but it still looked operable. Pale blue, wrinkly coat underneath a tuxedo. Milky white eyes.

Gross.

He was wanted for 100,000 caps. Dead. Taking him alive wasn't an option.

The last bounty was the other one that sent shivers down my spine just by looking at it.

Bristle...

Charcoal black coat, white mane. Red eyes.

Yeah, I knew him all too well...

Surprisingly, his bounty was lower than Fester's and Happy's.

25 thousand caps, alive. That didn't sound right... I'd have happily paid a million to see his head dangling from the end of a rope tied to a flying Vertibuck... with the body still attached!

... Er... assuming I had the caps to spare.

"Sight for sore eyes, I imagine." A horribly raspy, scratched up voice said from behind.

I turned around to see the masked Omegas standing before me.

"I imagine it must be hard seeing him up there among the filth."

"Not exactly." I looked back at the poster. "His bounty should be higher. You have no idea what he's been doing to ponies down in that bunker."

"I was actually hoping you could help us find it. We could storm the place and put a stop to his power."

I sighed and hung my head down. "If only I could... I don't exactly know the way back. I had only been out of the bunker once, and I was exiled on the same day."

"Figures..." He approached the bounty board and stared up at the wanted poster. "Someday, I'd love nothing more than to see his head on a pike."

"You and me both..."

Things got quiet between us for a short while before I regarded him. "So... how did you get out of 32?"

"By killing the overmare, taking the code to open the stable door, and walking out."

I tensed up almost immediately. He... didn't just... "Did you leave the door open after you left?"

"There was... unfortunately... an incident with the system. It wouldn't seal the stable back up. Something I'm ashamed of, I'll admit."

"I thought you were too injured to take on her security." I stated matter-of-factly. "I read it in one of your notes, I think."

"My problem was underestimating myself." He looked back at me behind that red visor. "I was stronger than I gave myself credit for. And seeing as the pony I hired to take her out died from the sentries before he could even reach her, I had to take matters into my own hooves."

I looked over the bottom half of the bounty board to see a few calmer jobs available. Stuff like repairs, caravan duty, bodyguards, and salvaging.

"I saw that... tentacle thing coming right at you in Petiole's memory. How did you get away?"

"Like I said... I underestimated myself."

Vague... were all ghouls like this?

"And how did you become a ghoul?"

"Heh... don't drink from puddles on the streets..." He looked away and rubbed his hoof awkwardly. "Probably saved myself from what was going to happen otherwise, though." He paused and turned back to me. "You've been in Stable 32, so I'm sure you know about the virus' that came with it."

I nodded, and he continued.

"I'm infected with what Petiole calls the F-virus. My ghoulification halted the infection, but I'm what is known as a carrier."

"I'm assuming that's why you're wearing the helmet?"

"Well, that and I'm a part of the NCR. They gave me this armor and put me in charge of the law and order of Virtue once they found out about my past, before the bombs."

"Chief of police?"

He nodded. "Exactly."

I smirked and turned back to the board. "I wouldn't mind taking a job off this. Could use the caps... and the experience."

He 'sighed,' which honestly sounded more like a nightmare than any other vocal I've ever heard in my life. "I can't exactly stop you, but... I'd have to send Rivet with you. You're important to the NCR, and I can't have you getting yourself killed. Especially with Fester and Bristle hunting you down. But I appreciate that you want to help."

"Fair enough." I said, keeping my eyes on the board. "Thanks for not trying to stop me."

"Well... we could use all the help we can get."

I looked over the repair jobs. There were a few involving automated turrets, robots, guns, and even a train car. The pay was a lot greater for the car than the others, but that also meant it was more of a challenge. Something I was willing to tackle.

I ripped the paper off the board and held it out to him.

"I'm gonna try this one."

"That's a tough one..." He replied warily. "Are you sure you can do that?"

I shrugged with a wry smile plastered on my face. "Never know if I don't try."

"Hm..." He thought to himself for a short while before nodding. "Alright. Go on ahead. Though, I suggest you wait until the next caravan is sent off. Safety in numbers and all that. In that case, you may as well take caravan protection duty as well."

I took the job he recommended, and he held out a hoof. We shook, and he started to turn around. "Next caravan leaves in 48 minutes. I'll inform Rivet to come get you when it's ready."

(((((((◉)))))))

"You're going where?" Para asked, holding his bunny close as he sat in the same seat I saw him in when I walked in the first time.

"For the last time, I'm going to the train station to help fix one of their cars." I replied, slipping into my barding and adjusting the gun's arm. I checked the sights after bringing it forward. Everything lined up like it should. "I shouldn't be gone long, and I'll have a lot of protection around me."

"But... the grain station..." He held out one hoof. "And grain cars..." He held out another, then put the two together, frowning. "That doesn't sound right. I've never heard of any of those things."

I sighed, shook my head, and slipped my helmet over my head, before looking over and smiling. "You're adorable, Para. Silly, and adorable." I trotted over and gave him a firm hug, to which he offered one in return. "I'll be alright." I pulled away to look into those golden eyes of his, smiling. He smiled back. "You just wait here, order room service... do what Para does in his free time." I looked down at Little Buddy and picked her up to wrap her in a gentle embrace, before setting her back down on his lap. It was a bit weird for me to hug a machine, but... it was best to just role with it. Questioning it only made my brain hurt.

"I did a nugget count." Para stated.

"Nugget cou-oh... Right." He was referring to the ammo. I smiled faintly.

"You have 30 bronze nuggets, and 23 blues, not including what's in those small containers you carry around." He raised a hoof halfway, closing his eyes and smiling proud at his count.

"Thanks, Para." I stood there for a few seconds as he looked back at me, keeping that adorable smile.

Ah, fuck it...

I leaned in and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. I couldn't resist...

When I pulled back, he was blushing behind a grin. "Wh-what was that?" He put a hoof over where I kissed. "And why did I like it so much?"

I giggled softly, before turning around and bringing the rifle to my side. "Keep the coffee hot. I'll be back in a jiff."

With that, I made my way to the door and stepped out, closing it behind me. The radio would have certainly been nice to take with me. Could definitely use the luck that Tuner provided. But I also didn't want to come back to a burning town, and I didn't know how exactly the whole radio thing worked. I didn't know for sure if I held the radio, and Para was around me, if Happy would come back or not. I didn't know if Para had to hold the radio to stay as Para. When I came back, I'd have to ask Tuner those questions. I didn't have the time right now, though. I could already see Rivet flying down the street toward me, which meant it was time.

I also spotted Petiole heading in my direction.

I approached him before Rivet could meet up with me. I didn't want him or anyone else knowing...

"What's the news?" I asked in a hushed tone.

Petiole stopped, looking directly at me. "It appears you're infected with something I've never even seen before. Sort of a... darkness... I can't find a better way to describe it other than a darkness. It's growing inside you. I..." He paused and looked down. "Sorry to say, but it won't be the F virus that kills you..."

I simply smiled and chuckled softly. He tilted his head at my response.

"What's so funny?"

I looked at him, keeping that smile up. "So what's the bad news?"

He froze for a second, before scoffing. "That's the spirit, Charger... Well, the infection hasn't reached your saliva, by some miracle. And your urine is clean. I'm only seeing a hint of the F virus in your blood. The... shadowy thing is more of a problem, on the other hoof."

I nearly reached out to put a hoof on his shoulder, but remembered that he didn't like being touched. I quickly pulled away and nodded. "Thank you, Petiole."

"For what? All I gave was bad news."

"For telling me the truth." I smiled sincerely. Most of my life and what I believed was starting to feel like a lie. It was nice to have some honesty for once.

"Yeah..." Petiole said softly, looking down.

Rivet landed beside us and looked me over. "Ready?"

I smiled at the griffin before us. "As ready as I'll ever be."

Petiole looked at me silently, to which I explained myself. "I'm going on protection duty until we get to train station. Gonna try and fix one of the cars there."

"Want me to come with?"

"Nah." I shook my head. "I got it covered. Just keep Para and Fluky company until I get back. And don't go trying to kill Omegas." I said with a frown. "I know your opinion on ghouls..."

"Alright..." He started to walk past in an annoyed tone. "Just be careful."

"Pfft." I looked back, grinning. "You know me! Careful is my middle name!"

"No. It isn't." Petiole said simply as he stopped to look back. "Charger Outlet Surge."

Rivet burst into laughter as Petiole continued on his way. I felt myself turn bright red, and a sudden sweat started to break out.

"Oh, do I feel sorry for you..."

Ah, damn it, he saw that part of my memory!? WHY THAT ONE!?

Author's Note

Hey there, readers. Sorry for the wait. Work gets crazy this time of the year, so we were doing a lot of overtime.
I want to start off by saying that I have a Discord, if you want to contact me, ask questions, or just talk. I also have a Discord server, but I'm still trying to figure out some stuff, so if you want in the server, you'll have to ask me directly. It only has a few members at this moment, but I'm looking to make it more populated. My Discord is Resultful #2103

Special thanks to Kkat for FoE, Somber for Horizons, Pines for... stuff, I guess. And Alchestbreach for fighting the radios and keeping us safe.

Pines:
Hello listener, er.... readers of Radio Static , we here at MMBT Studios would like to invite everyone to leave a comment or message any of us personally. We appreciate feedback and love being egotistical, hehe... All jokes aside, I hope you love what you read, I hope we can provide this great amount of content for you lovely folk, but most of all I hope to see all of you again, in the next Issue of RADIO STATIC!