Chapter Five: Stereotypes

“You’re just like the rest of your kind.”

“No less than sixty caps,” said Misty Sparks firmly from behind her counter. Her forehooves were folded on the smooth metallic surface, keeping her composure calm and unyielding. The earth pony in front of her scowled, his face a tapestry of scars and burns. Piss yellow eyes burned daggers at her. His rotten teeth were exceedingly off-putting, bared like the jagged fangs of a monster. If Misty Sparks wasn’t so used to customers in such a condition she might have been cowed.

“Come on Misty Sparks,” he growled tightly, a hoof slowly reaching inside his dusty jacket. “Thirty caps for the chems, or you’re gonna be needin’ a hit yourself.”

Lime green eyes narrowed, and her horn glowed as she cleared her throat. “I’m fairly certain I can shoot first,” she coldly replied, trying to hide how her tail was twitching behind the counter. Bullet looked behind himself, the barrel of a levitating pistol aimed directly at his head. He glared at it for a few long moments, Misty Sparks’ forehooves barely kept from shaking as she waited. She didn’t want to shoot him, but hoped to the Goddesses he didn’t call her bluff.

Slowly those rotten eyes turned back to her. “You expect me to believe a soft stable mare like you is gonna pull the trigger?”

She gritted her teeth and forced the words out as emotionlessly as she could. “If you make me.”

“It’s just some caps Misty Sparks.”

“This time, and next time it’s my life. I know what you have in your jacket, you’re a wastelander. So you give me the proper amount of caps, I give you the chems you can’t live without, and we both get to save a bullet and our lives. A bullet that could save your life tomorrow. Think it through.” Despite herself, her voice softened, pleading him to not give in to such base instincts. She knew what an addict would do to get the fix they need, and Bullet was unfortunately one of her worse off customers.

“Think.”

The old stallion’s scowl wavered, hesitance in his eyes. He reached his hoof in further and Misty Sparks’ horn began to glow brighter, basking them both in its neonic green light. He pulled out a bag of caps and instantly she calmed, though the pistol remained at the ready. Sixty caps were laid out meticulously on her counter, Bullet counting them off with some difficulty, but the moment the sixtieth was named Misty Sparks swept them up into her till and floated out his chems. “Here, the specialized stampede. Remember to drink lots of purified water when it’s run its course and rest for a few hours, or you could have some serious side effects.”

He grabbed the chems with a greedy hoof and left the pamphlet she was offering on the counter. “Whatever, bitch.” The metal door swung open with a pleasant chime, giving Misty Sparks a brief glimpse down the street as he stomped out. A particular pair of mares caught her eye, and a rock lodged itself in her throat at what she knew was about to happen. Bullet paused in the door as he too caught sight of them, and then the old stallion surged forward with a violent shout.

“Enclave!”

Misty Sparks threw herself over the counter and caught the shutting door with her magic so she could barrel out into street. Bullet was standing in the dirt road with a gun in his mouth and Skyfire only a few feet away. Grease stood in front of her, a fierceness in yellow eyes but Misty Sparks could see her legs shaking. Everypony around them were still, frozen in place like the scratch of a record as they waited to see what would happen. A pair of security ponies were slowly inching forward, but to Misty Sparks’ frustration neither of them were unicorns who could defuse the situation from a distance.

She carefully stepped forward, making sure her movements were slow and unthreatening. “Bullet,” she called, making him glance at her for a split second. If it wasn’t for Grease he might have already fired. “Put the gun down. Skyfire isn’t your enemy.”

“Enclave!” Came the muffled snarl, practiced skill letting the rotten stallion speak around the mouthpiece trigger.

Misty Sparks glanced back at the security ponies who were slowly inching as well, giving her small nods to keep talking. Skyfire shot her a terrified look, her wings tucked against her side as she tried to remain a small figure behind Grease. Unfortunately, she was taller. Swallowing her fear, Misty Sparks spoke louder. “She’s just a pegasus, just one pony. She’s not the Enclave. Yes, the Enclave has done things we don’t like, but she is not guilty of their sins. Killing her will just get you killed now, and then what good would those chems be that you just bought?”

He glared at her for a few moments longer, his attention starting to split. A bit hopeful now, she pressed harder. “I’ll just take those chems right back even, and the Stable will be entitled to your possessions until next of kin come to claim it, but we both know you don’t have anypony left. Is this how you want to go out, after decades of weathering this hellscape? Some addict wastelander who got himself killed attacking an innocent pony? Do you want to be gone with nobody left to remember anything good about you, to become a dark memory in the one place that’s been kind to you?”

“I lost everythin’ to the Enclave,” he growled.

“She’s not them.”

The security ponies were nearly upon him now, hoofsteps as quiet as possible. He was staring at her, giving the pair of targeted mares a chance to start inching away to cover. Bullet’s grip was faltering, torn ears pinned back against his mangy green mane. She just needed a few more seconds, and security would have it handled. “You’re better than this Bullet, I know you are.”

Piss yellow eyes shifted, hardening with murderous intent. Misty Sparks’ heart froze. “No I ain’t.” Bullet moved quicker than she’d think the old stallion could. He shifted his footing in time to dodge the now rushing security. A chorus of gunshots rang out, several punching into the armored barding of the security ponies. They pressed on with steeled determination before there was a splash of blood and a yelp. The lead guard pony tripped and slammed into the dirt with a languished grunt. Chaos rang out as ponies fled from the wastelander, nearly trampling Misty Sparks as she dove to the side.

As she looked back, the second guard shouted violently and managed to bodyslam Bullet. With a howl of pain, Bullet lost his grip on his gun and tumbled into the dirt. Misty Sparks desperately reached out with her telekinesis, face scrunching up and a scream in her throat as she struggled to catch it before Bullet could. Catching something moving at such a speed was a difficult task, so difficult in fact Misty Sparks had to put all her focus into it. At the last moment her magic wrapped around it and yanked it away from his reaching hoof. Her magical grip was too tight and fired the gun, a bullet ricocheting off into the alleyway. A scream followed.

“You think I didn’t come prepared?” Bullet growled out as he rolled back up onto his hooves, years of survival ingrained in his movement. “I’m gonna get that Enclaver and get my justice!” He shouted as he pulled out a second pistol, cocking it angrily. Misty Sparks froze, her eyes wide as the gun was aimed at her. She couldn’t move. Suddenly, the pair of guards tackled him and the guards shouted up to her.

“MISTY SPARKS!”

“PLEASE EVACUATE!”

The lead guard pony howled out as he pointed down the alley way with his bloodied hoof. "Go. Quickly." He swore, and ducked away as Bullet fired off a fusillade of shots. The wastelander swore around his gun, it firmly in his mouth this time.

Misty Sparks screamed, rushing towards where Grease had escorted Skyfire into an alleyway. The pegasus looked like she might puke, chest puffing rapidly and purple eyes as wide as the stable door. Grease grimaced as Bullet swore and another shot rang out in the street. They all pressed against the sheet metal wall of the gun store, ears pinned and hearts racing as more gunfire cracked, then heavy meaty noises and an agonized cry split the air.

Silence settled on the street, like a ghost that forced everypony’s mouths shut. Finally, Misty Sparks looked back at the mares, and in a whisper asked, “Are you okay?”

“We’re not hurt,” Grease said, as Skyfire tried to catch her breath.

“Thank Celestia,” sighed Misty Sparks, before she cautiously glanced back onto the street. She’d anticipated blood and bullet casings, but the true gore on the dirt road wasn’t at all what she’d expected. Nor the pony standing in the center of it. Blaze sat on Bullet’s back, hooves bloodied and emerald gaze cold. The security ponies were staring at her with horror, the injured one drinking a healing potion while the other pulled out bandages. Bullet was still, a shoulder wrent from the socket and bloodied but still attached. Misty Sparks could see more blood pooling on the ground, a slow stream from Blaze’s weight upon him.

The unicorn’s hooves moved on instinct once more, magic coalescing around her horn. Green light surrounded the four ponies in the center of the road, twinkling and warming their skin. The wounded security pony coughed raggedly as his chest healed completely, blue eyes grateful. Blaze however, was unchanged, and only scoffed at the magic.

“What in the name of Luna are you doing here!” Seethed Misty Sparks, glad she could see Bullet’s body mending some. “You nearly killed him!”

“Nearly and killed are two different things,” growled Blaze, stepping off the unconscious stallion. “Pretty sure I just saved the day, since those two were useless.” She flicked her short red tail at the pair nearby, scowls given in return. She only snorted with a roll of her eyes and met Misty Sparks’ furious gaze with a flick of an ear. “You gonna scold me for taking him down?”

“You’re supposed to be in the brig.”

“I got bored.”

“Blaze-”

“Shut up and thank me for saving everypony’s life already.”

Misty Sparks opened her mouth but another pony beat her to it. “Thank you,” Skyfire said in a small voice. Grease gave her a reassuring hug, the pegasus’ lithe frame trembling against the stockier earth pony. “H-he was going to kill me…”

“I wouldn’t let him,” Blaze said, locking eyes with Skyfire who struggled to not shrink back. “You’re hanging around us now, so I’ll protect you.”

The grunts of the security ponies carting the limp Bullet down to the surface jail rose with the hooves of ponies moving about again, giving the four of them a wide berth. Misty Sparks glanced around, chewed on her cheek, and then gestured all of them towards her store. “Let’s get you somewhere with less eyes,” she offered to Skyfire. “And you cleaned up,” she added to Blaze. “Grease?”

“I think I’ll have to pass. My father is going to have a fit if he hears I was up for this fun and didn’t tell him I’m okay. I’ll see you at work tomorrow Feathers, remember to be on time.”

“O-Oh! Okay. Thank you for showing me the way,” the pegasus said swiftly, shifting her hooves beneath her.

“No problem,” Grease said easily, shifting over to hug Skyfire again. “You try and keep up the good work you’ve been pulling. Hammers mentioned how he was impressed with how quickly you were figuring out some of the issues we had today, like that glitching generator. It’d have taken me another hour to figure it out, chewed wires isn’t something I have to deal with often. He’ll be vouching for making you a permanent stable member if you keep it up.”

With that Grease nodded to them all, “Good evening, everypony.”

They waved her off as the green mare turned back towards the stable, then headed into Misty Sparks’ chem shop.

The timid Pegasus couldn’t help but stare at Blaze as she sauntered in. The large mare’s hooves thumped heavily on the wood floor as she walked over to the corner where Misty Sparks was pulling out towels. The unicorn grumbled as she found her detergent and prodded Blaze to stand in a spot.

“Stop fussing around and clean me up Sparky. That’s what you brought me here for, right?” Blaze grunt as her eyes shifted around, peering over Misty Spark’s latest creations. She licked her lips absentmindedly.

“I brought you here because A; you might have some open wounds, that we don’t want Bullet’s blood infecting. And B; this place is supposed to be sterile but I really don’t want you getting Celestia knows what in your system. He’s always refused blood work to see how badly messed up he is,” Misty Sparks replied as curtly as she could, Blaze always heeded the sanitation rule, however begrudgingly when she visited the chem shop. The unicorn only wished she visited for more reasons than trying to score free chems.

Misty Sparks glanced over and frowned as she noticed Skyfire looking back to the door every so often, nervously expecting other aggressive ponies. “Skyfire, Sky- yes, you, silly.” It took some prodding to get the dazed pegasus to focus on Misty Sparks. “How’d your day with Grease go? I'm pleasantly surprised to see that she was willing to defend you. There… will be ponies who hate you merely for having wings. It's nice to see others looking out for you."

Skyfire’s eyes shimmered, breathing fast as she quickly nodded back. “I uhm, I hadn’t thought it would be that bad. But there’s been… stories of ponies who hate the Enclave, the few that weren’t radiation-crazy, or downright savages. We were told there would be no friendly faces down here to meet us. They’ve talked about sorties to clean up ferals or ‘savages’.” Her face darkened as she mulled over what she said. “I wonder what their definition of a savage really is.”

Blaze turned to directly face the pegasus, ignoring Misty Spark’s whines about staying put, her eyes digging straight into Skyfire’s. “Probably any and all of us. The traders and surface ponies talk about Enclave raids on their villages for no reason. Sometimes they warn the locals to fuck off before they ‘cleanse an area of ghouls’. Sentient ghouls. You’re going to have a lot of enemies, Feathers. Especially if you use Enclave words like ‘sorties’. The hell even is that?”

“Oh- uh, it’s a military term. We use it generally when aircraft are going to depart on a mission, erm… ‘Prepare to Sortie.’”

“Exactly,” snorted Blaze, “you’ll have enemies.”

“Maybe she will, maybe she won’t.” Misty Sparks added in quickly, casting a nervous smile to a sniffling Skyfire. “I hope that the ponies of Stable 36 let her prove herself. I hope others are like Grease. You’re not a bad pony, and reasonable ponies won’t judge you for the sins of your… affiliation. Even without your Enclave barding your wings make you stand out. Maybe we could get you a cloak or some bags that could cover them up.”

“Sparky-”

“Stop calling me Sparky! My name is Misty Sparks.” They glared, tense quiet between them, before Blaze yawned and gestured at Skyfire who winced. “Yes, I know that might just draw attention, but I feel bad alright?” The unicorn sighed as she backed away from a scrubbed down and sanitized Blaze, who scoffed as she walked over to the chems.

Blaze started sniffing about the chemicals, licking her lips. Her eyes twitched as she caught whiffs of the ingredients. “Mmm whatever, you make the good shit. You’re smart enough to decide what’s best after all, aren't you?” She glanced at Misty Sparks from the corner of her eye, a brow arched.

Misty Sparks groaned then cast an apologetic smile to a confused Skyfire, “Blaze...you do remember that you got thrown in jail for drugs... not a day ago? There's better things for you to do than to get high all the time." She flinched as Blaze stared her down, doing her best to keep her gaze locked on the stubborn earth pony.

“You know I have friends and contacts who'll help me out. I help them out after all... Misty.”

“I’m not sure that’s the right word.”

Blaze surprisingly broke eye contact first and instead pocketed a few syringes of Med-X from where they rested on an upper counter. Misty Sparks scowled as she so blatantly stole from her, but said nothing. “Hey Feathers, I heard the tunnels had bugs. You see any?” She asked without turning as she rummaged through a few more counters. Green magic gathered around several objects as Blaze reached for them and lifted them too high in the air. Blaze simply moved on to the next as if it were a game.

“Uh- yes. A whole tunnel full.” Skyrfire shivered at the memory.

Emerald eyes widened as Blaze paused to look over her shoulder, forehooves against the wall as she reached for a bottle of Misty Sparks’ homebrew Buck. “And you made it out unharmed?”

“I flew into the tunnel door…”

“Hah! Head first?” Skyfire nodded. “Beautiful. I like you Feathers, you’re tougher than you look.” Blaze praised as she pushed off the wall. There was a heavy thump as her full weight hit the floor, and Misty Sparks frowned. “Awh get that stick out of your ass. She’s fine ain’t she?” She pointed aggressively at Skyfire who shrunk back again.

“Hammers isn’t,” Skyfire eeped.

Blaze paused, hoof lingering in the air for a moment too long before she lowered it. Her ears folded back, a flurry of thoughts making her emerald eyes grow dark as she tilted her head down. “How bad?”

“Healing Drops is looking after him. He’ll be okay in a day or so but they got him really bad. I had to carry him out,” softly replied Skyfire. Her side twitched for a moment with thought. Misty Sparks was watching the large brooding mare carefully, slowly shifting towards Skyfire.

“Thanks for getting him out,” Blaze said earnestly. “He probably likes you a lot now, especially if Grease was telling the truth. Respects you at least.”

“Uh-”

“Enjoy it while you can,” Blaze’s voice grew hard, jaw taut. “It doesn’t take much to fall from his graces.”

Misty Sparks winced. “You know he still loves you, right?”

Scoffing, Blaze started towards the door. "Sure he does. Anywho, Feathers, you free tonight? I want you to meet my marefriend, and while she might get flirty and touchy, she's mine at the end of the night."

“W-what? Uhm Blaze. I’d happily meet your marefriend- isn’t that the one that sleeps with you pretty often? Or so I’ve uhm heard.” Skyfire started, her eyes widening as Blaze looked back with an arched eyebrow. “But, I have plans tonight. Misty Sparks asked me to go with her to dinner.”

“Did she now?” Blaze asked as she narrowed her eyes, daggers crossing to Misty Sparks. The little unicorn shrunk back, averting her gaze. Blaze chuffed and opened the door. “Well. I’ll go get into trouble or something then.” She didn’t so much as give them a goodbye as she stepped outside, the metal door swinging shut slowly enough that they could see her trotting back towards the stable, leaving a confused Skyfire behind.

The pegasus glanced over to Misty Sparks, brushing her mane nervously as she adjusted to sitting on a nearby stool. “Did I say something wrong? I was just being honest.”

“She never ends up going to this, even if her dad usually does. I imagine she finds it a bit weird to see somepony else attend.” Misty Sparks explained, a nervous smile on her face. “Plus, her relationship with her dad is… strenuous at best.”

Skyfire chewed on her cheek. “Is it… okay for me to ask why?”

Misty Sparks shook her head, short blonde mane bouncing slightly. She crossed back behind her counter and started counting down her till. “It’s a long story. If either of them decide to tell you that’s their business, but it’s something that happened a long time ago and just keeps getting worse.”

Balking at the comment, Skyfire gave a shake of her head. “At… At least they have something resembling a relationship. I’m glad to see you all down here doing your best to live a good life, to have friendships and all. It’s nothing like how the Enclave painted life beneath the surface.”

Misty Sparks glanced up from a half chewed cap, brow arching. “Nothing but savages right?”

“Uh, yes.”

“You’ve mentioned that before.”

“S-sorry. It’s… All I had to go off of.” She played with her mane more, eyes roaming the shop as she tried to think. The walls were covered in boxes with expert writing labeling them, or on display chemicals. A door was on the far end just open enough for her to see a sink and shower, some kind of ventilation built into the ceiling. Tucked into a corner outside it were several large storage crates and various chemistry equipment that she didn’t quite understand. Behind Misty Sparks was a set of stove-like appliances, with burners slowly boiling something that vapor fed into a winding glass pipe that eventually distilled in another chamber. The air was a bit sweet coming from it, and she suppressed the urge to sneeze.

Misty Sparks had various health posters featuring a cream earth pony with a blonde mane and wearing a stable suit in a simplistic art style. Oval eyes smiled at her ever so slightly, solid colors with no lines on desaturated backgrounds with charming lettering. In one the pony informed her of safety procedures when making chemicals, and another showed him comically singed with a reminder to ‘check the gas always’. “Is that… some sort of Stable-Tec mascot? I’ve seen it all over the stable already. The workshop had a lot of them, though most had grease stains,” said Skyfire, pointing at another where the pony was demonstrating how to store a health potion.

“Oh, yeah. They call him Stable Colt.”

“But he’s an adult.”

“That’s catchier to say than ‘Stable Stallion’ isn’t it?” Joked back Misty Sparks, admiring her informational posters. “We had a whole bunch down in storage, so when I started working here, I put those up. Sometimes my customers seem to actually listen to them.”

“Why is he an earth pony? Aren’t unicorns more, uh, versatile?” She started playing with her mane again and shifted on the barstool.

With a glimmer in her eyes, Misty Sparks finished up the till and closed her register back up. Her horn glowed as she quickly wrote down the amount in a ledger, and slid it into a footlocker. “I think he’s an earth pony because Stable-Tec is based on earth pony engineering, which is second to none! Honestly though, Stable Colt is whatever Stable-Tec needed him to be. The only photos I’ve ever seen of pegasi were posters or in medical books, and those were strictly anatomy. You’ll see him everywhere.”

“I guess I’ll try to get used to him then.”

“There’s a few where he’s a mare actually, but the stallion version is the most popular. I guess Stable-Tec really wanted us to have motivational educational posters,” Misty Sparks laughed.

“Must work if you decided to use them,” Skyfire said with her own laugh, heart calming. This conversation soothed her and addled nerves from earlier. Thinking upon the civility of the stable was a lot more comfortable than Bullet holding her at gunpoint with Grease willing to sacrifice herself. She cringed, closed her eyes for a moment, and then cleared her throat. “So, did they build this town for you too?”

Misty Sparks jumped down from her seat and shook her head. She gestured for Skyfire to step outside as she paused by the door and hooked her Pip-Buck into a small machine against the wall. It chirped happily as she clocked out, and she joined a hesitant Skyfire back on the street. The air had shifted with the waning evening. It was getting dark enough that ponies walked with their Pip-Buck lights on, the few street lights they’d built made hazy halos of illumination on wooden sidewalks and the dirt road.

Inhaling softly, Misty Sparks admired the fresh air for a moment before smiling at Skyfire whose ears were twitching. The Pip-Buck lights gave everypony a slightly sick ghostly feeling she couldn’t quite shake. “Everything you see here we built within my mother’s lifetime. In fact, we built this because of my mother. Sure it’s just one street but it’s got everything a traveling wastelander needs.”

Skyfire followed her as Misty Sparks walked along the wooden walkway towards the western side of the town. Some ponies were drifting about, talking amongst themselves, green hues of their Pip-Bucks giving them an otherworldly look. She tucked her wings closer at the suspicious glances they gave her, tilting their heads up more or walking away entirely. Only a few seemed more focused on Misty Sparks than she. A pair stepped over the bloodied dirt from earlier to avoid them, and Skyfire snapped her head forward. One of Misty Sparks’ ears twitched, a strain on her smile now.

“My mom knew that if we didn’t adapt and open ourselves to the wasteland, we’d die in a tomb. My grandmother Clear Falls started exploring the lands around us, but it was Mom who made the push.” She stopped outside the first building they’d reached. There was a hoof painted sign depicting a wagon full of caps proudly pronounced as it jutted into the street. “This is the general store, where a little bit of everything is sold. Well, except chems and guns of course. I’ve got one of those two commodities monopolized. Blitz, Blaze’s marefriend, works at the gun store under Steelheart. That’s the building we uh… took cover behind earlier.”

Wincing some, Skyfire gave a nod. “With the sheet metal walls?”

“Yes that one. We sell our less quality guns there from the armory. That’s not to say they aren’t of quality, but they’ve been worn down a bit too much for the chief’s taste. Some traders bring real fancy ones, and Blitz is admittedly good at getting them for a fair price.”

The pegasus seemed thoughtful for a moment. “Is that why Blaze likes her? She seems like the type to uh… appreciate violence.”

The shorter mare sighed, and started walking around a rather plussed construction worker who was busy starting to patch the small bullet holes in the walls.. “Not the only reason, but one of. Blitz has talent. I'll give her that, just wish she didn’t make trouble with it.”

“What happens when she does?” Quietly asked Skyfire as they passed a mother and her colt, too young for a Pip-Buck even. The young pony gaped at her wings and pointed at her, only for his mother to scoop him up in orange magic and set him on her back, chastising him for poor manners. Skyfire sighed.

“Well she’s too slick of a talker to end up in the brig like Blaze, but to put it simply, drama.” Misty Sparks started walking further down the street, her hooves making a noise Skyfire wasn’t used to on the wooden slabs of sidewalk. She focused on it so much she almost walked right into Misty Sparks when she paused outside of another building. It was multistoried with Stable-blue painted shutters and Stable-yellow trim. The door was a large shutter that swung open in the center, and they stood aside as one drunk pony stumbled out and a sober one went in.

A pair of guards came to assist the drunk, amused chatter rising between them at the familiar scene. A mare came chasing after the drunk, shouting angrily and when the stallion deadpanned back she huffed and stomped back inside. The guards laughed at the confused stallion’s dismay. Misty Sparks sighed with amusement.

“Oh this is the bar, isn’t it?” Skyfire asked. “These are really popular back home.”

“I bet they are,” chuckled Misty Sparks. “It’s also an inn for travelers, beds are just as good as what we have inside too, and we even got proper plumbing in it!” She sounded quite proud of that fact, smiling at Skyfire as if that should impress her.

“That does sound nice,” she praised, “I’m sure wastelanders don’t often get to enjoy indoor plumbing.”

Crinkling her nose, Misty Sparks gave an adamant shake of her head. “Celestia no, the things I have smelled…” With a shudder she gestured across the street where the guards were leading the drunk. It was a relatively short building made out of reinforced metal, a heavy door with a barred window facing them. “That is the jailhouse. We don’t trust outsiders to go to the brig so we keep any troublemakers there. Sometimes the drunks sleep it off there though.”

Skyfire’s ears pinned back. “Is… Bullet in there then?” She could picture him planning an escape to exact revenge.

“Yes, but don’t worry it’s very secure. He won’t be escaping from there,” comforted Misty Sparks. She gently placed her hoof on Skyfire’s, hesitant.

Violet eyes looked down at their hoofs, and Skyfire gave a small nod. She forced her ears upright and cleared her throat, looking back around. As Skyfire glanced over the jail, she noticed some markings became apparent on the less traveled sides of the structures. “Are those supposed to mean something?” She’d ask, pointing to the painted wheel with a rod going through it.

“I, that doesn’t look like a building code, or a marking symbol I’ve ever heard of. It looks pretty fresh too.” Misty Sparks answered with confusion, “I’ll ask Mom sometime. Good catch though. It does look important, I think.” She smiled shyly.

Skyfire’s gaze wandered around once more at that point, her even turning around in place, looking less at symbols and more at the buildings around them.“So, what else is here? Does anypony live on the surface?”

With a shake of her head, the unicorn pointed at a half built structure a bit a ways down. “Not yet! But give it a few months and we will. That’s where Blaze is supposed to work.” There were a few construction ponies closing up for the day, wearing barding just like Blaze was when they’d found Skyfire. Unlike Blaze however, they were well maintained and not stained crimson. One particularly burly one was shouting orders at the others, bags visible beneath his eyes from a distance.

Skyfire tilted her head. “Are they building a home?”

“Several. They’re called apartments. It’ll be our first attempt at really getting the stable ponies involved with the surface. Only those assigned jobs up here tend to come out, and we all live inside,” explained Misty Sparks as she started guiding her back down the street. There were less ponies around now with Pip-Bucks. Roughed up and well weathered wastelanders occupied the street instead, their wary eyes often falling upon the pair. More guards patrolled as well, watching the strangers with equal distrust. The subtle tension was missed by the mares, though the guards did their best to smile at their next Overmare.

Skyfire frowned with thought. “What kind of defenses do you have? Isn’t it dangerous to be so in the open?” Her mind drifted to the stalwart barracks and military buildings of home, the perfectly sculpted clouds that seemed to ascend into the heavens.

Misty Sparks gave a slow nod. “Yes, it’s dangerous, but it’s necessary. The more ponies we have living in the stable the harder things are going to get. It takes power to keep so much equipment running, and what we have is finite. Increasingly finite in fact. We have our security forces, watchtowers and there’s been ideas floated about a proper wall but that requires a lot of materials we lack.”

An ear flicked back in concern and Skyfire paused on the wooden sidewalk. “How finite?”

Something in her words made Misty Sparks pause as well, narrowing her eyes. She couldn’t help but wonder if Skyfire was doing what she’d attempted at lunch. “Despite what Stable-Tec boasted, eventually spark generators lose their power, especially if they’re run to the degree that ours is. It hasn’t failed us yet, but we all know it one day could. I’d rather we’re prepared than not.”

A sigh of relief escaped Skyfire and she gave a nod. “That makes sense. I’m glad it’s not like the reactor will suddenly go down. I don’t think Hammers would be happy with that at all, a-and that’d be bad for everypony! We’d have whole blackouts from time to time back home when a generator blew.”

Letting her sudden suspicions slip, Misty Sparks smiled back. “Right, yeah! So anyways we’re doing our best to expand. We’ve got a grocer over there where we sell parts of our harvest from the farms.” She gestured with a hoof at a stout little shop with a variety of produce on display out front. A mare and her trio of foals were gaining long stares from the grocer who wanted to close for the day. Misty Sparks snickered quietly to herself.

“What’s that building?” Skyfire asked, one of the last two before they were at the tunnel entrance to Stable 36. “With the white paint?”

“Oh that’s the clinic. A good doctor is rare to find in the wasteland and we fortunately have many. I honestly think that’s what brings the most travelers. I used to be an apprentice over there before the chem shop became my full time job,” she explained.

“So that’s how you were able to save me! Who’d have thought a few lessons in your youth would be what saves my life.” Skyfire flapped her wings with excitement, only to twinge at a jolt of pain. “Whoops,” she sheepishly said.

“Careful,” cautioned Misty Sparks, “Healing Drops doesn’t like it when her patients ignore her orders.”

Tucking her head, Skyfire glanced at the clinic and was relieved to see it closed for the day. Dust and grime were less apparent on the windows than the other buildings. “She gave me an earful earlier…”

“I bet she did. I’m glad you’re alright, by the way. I’d hate to have to heal you again.” Misty Sparks gave her a grin, earning a blush in response. Something about how Skyfire flustered made her heart soften.

Hiding her face behind crimson wingtips for a moment, Skyfire cleared her throat. “S-So that last one! What is that?” She pointed at an equally stout building with curtains of some sort draped across the windows. However, it seemed rather official looking, with notice boards nailed into the metal walls. A pair of security ponies stood outside smoking and lazily monitoring the street.

“That’s the surface administration building. It’s where we manage all daily businesses, give information to visitors, and even offer a banking service. Technically that’s where Blaze works, since one of its key functions is building management.” Misty Sparks waved at the pair of guards who gave friendly ones back.

The ground was getting rockier now that they’d made it back to the stable door in the long stone tunnel. 36 was proudly emblazoned in stable-yellow against the grey barrier. It was illuminated by lanterns with more guards present. Upon spotting her, one started to fiddle with an external panel and plugged his Pip-Buck in. A deep metallic noise rang through the dusty air, reverberating through rock around them. Skyfire’s ears fell back and her wings tucked closer against herself as the giant cog shaped door slid backwards along its grooves, and then began to spin away to a side. Rotating yellow lights and a repeating deep beep further announced the door moving, as if to assure the whole stable knew when someone came or went.

“Evening gentlecolts,” Misty Sparks greeted politely as she led Skyfire back into the safety of the subterranean home.

“Misty Sparks,” came the equally polite replies.

The moment her silver hoof touched the metal catwalk leading into the stable entrance, Misty Sparks inhaled sharply. She smiled back at Skyfire who seemed in awe of the machinery. “So, ready for dinner?”

Purple eyes blinked at the smiling unicorn. “Uh- I guess we’ll find out!”

Level Up! \ Blaze (3) - Running Tackle: Sometimes the best way to stop somepony is to take aim and charge. +50% chance to deal damage (based on strength) with the tackle. Quest Perk Added! - Renegade: You do what you want, when you want, and no pony is going to stop you! +25% to intimidation attempts, and reputation with Stable 36 set to Rascally Black Sheep

Level Up! \ Misty Sparks (3) - Expert Chemist: You know your way around chems like no other. Chems you make have longer lasting effects and decreased withdrawal symptoms.

Level Up! \ Skyfire (3) - Maintenance Training (1) - You may have trained to repair airships and vertibirds but those skills transfer without too much hassle to repairing generators and toasters. Keep up the good work! - +10 to Repair rolls

Author's Note

Reedited and uploaded on 2020/09/02