Fallout: Equestria - A Pair of Striped Wings

Chapters

Act 1 - Innocence
Chapter 1 - A Rough Road
Chapter 2 - Meeting a Princess
Chapter 3 - A Fearful Encounter
Chapter 4 - Ghouls and Ghosts
Chapter 5 - By the Victor
Chapter 6 - On the Hunt
Chapter 7 - Scars of the Old World
Chapter 8 - Fragments of Truth
Chapter 9 - Conspiracy
Chapter 10 - The Starlight Institute
Chapter 11 - Equestria's Finest
Chapter 12 - A Better Way
Chapter 13 - Vanhoover
Chapter 14 - Integrity
Chapter 15 - Lightbringer
Chapter 16 - Dreamwalker
Chapter 17 - A Glimmer of Hope
Chapter 18 - Snowfall
Chapter 19 - Blackhorn
Act 3 - Redemption
Prologue - Vanhoover
Act 2 - Duty

Act 1 - Innocence

Innocence, such a rare and cherished thing in the Equestrian wasteland. So valuable, so fragile and so utterly useless.

It is mostly seen in young children and the occasional stable dweller that leaves the safety of their respective homes. Unless the individual in question is extraordinarily ignorant of their surroundings, their innocence rarely last a single day in the "real world" as many insist on calling it. To see it break, is such a privilege and a moment so beautiful in its tragedy. Some enjoy being the catalyst of such a breakdown, I am not one of those ponies. Although I must admit that the subject fascinates me, and the impulse to shatter the dreams of hopes of the innocent is a strong thing indeed. Fortunately I am not so weak as to succumb to such base desires.

When Innocence dies you can generally divide the consequences into two broad categories. The first is when an individual is either incapable or unwilling to face the horrors of the world, and either their mind or their emotions shatter (occasionally both). The end result is a being that is so weak, defenseless and can even be characterized as prey in a world ruled by predators. The second case means the birth of a new monster, a creature so ferocious that it not only fights back but actively stalks and kills others of its kind. The exact nature of this monster varies greatly depending on the circumstances of the transmogrification, some might remember their past with fondness and strive to protect the innocent from suffering a similar fate. However, it is a lot more likely that the monster recalls their former life with feelings of rage and jealousy, and as such the cycle continues ever onward.

There exists however a third alternative, this is a feared and lauded event. In extremely rare cases the innocent neither gets destroyed, nor corrupted by the world we live in. In these few cases, it isn't a monster who is born. Instead the new creature is what is commonly known as a "hero", a defender of the innocent and a hunter of monsters. A creature of a whole another nature, a being so fierce and so virtuous that they decide to take on the wasteland itself. Worst of all? I suspect that one day, they might actually succeed.

When this theoretical event occurs, the world as we know it will end and it will return to a time ruled by innocents and heroes. A world where monsters such as myself no longer have any place... In truth, it is my greatest fear. In the present, I am a queen of monsters. In the future i might be considered vermin to be exterminated and I am not even sure I would disagree with the notion.

Étoile Van Hoof

Duchess of Vanhoover

Author's Note

The prologue and these intermissions were written after the several chapters had already been written and published, and the style had changed a bit. Apologies for the abrupt tonal shift that is about to occur.

Chapter 1 - A Rough Road

Hey, name's Windstriker. I'm a stable dweller, not THE Stable Dweller mind you, but a stable dweller none the less and that means I have a duty. A duty to every helpless citizen, distraught merchant and lady in distress. Yep, I am a wasteland heroine. I am the coolest heroine since Rainbow Dash and the most badass gal in the whole northwest. Quite a sweet talker too if I am not being humble. Stylish mane, white coat and striped wings. I grew up in Zony Town (or The Institute as some call it), a place founded by the inhabitants of stable 33 after it opened. Now, all of the stables had a goal besides just saving lives, our stable was about different races and ethnicities working together. As a result nearly everyone in the tribe is at least a quarter zebra and hence the name Zony Town (a zony is a pony/zebra crossbred by the way). The equestrian wasteland may be harsh but we managed it. We were thrifty and clever, making the most out of the research institute that was situated right outside the stable door. The tribe's reliance on fancy tech makes them value intellect and discipline higher, so as a result I am considered something of a failure. See, I am more of a doer than a thinker if you get what I mean? Fortunately my childhood friend Amber prefers to do the thinking over the talking so we make a decent team. He is an orange pony, with a crimson tint. A bit short yet kind of cute for a stallion (don't call him cute though, he hates that). Not to mention he got a pretty unique crystal sheen, a side effect of our ancestry I suppose. He used to be bullied for that, until I beat up all 7 zonies that were teasing him (at once I might add). We decided to go on our quest after hearing the braveries by the Stable Dweller down in the southlands. And as of now I stand against my greatest foe yet.

"A BIT FOR A TWOTWOTHREER?? Are you out of your blasted mind?!" I shouted at the dastardly villain before me.

"I assure you that my mental faculties are in perfect order, miss. Regardless of any explosive experiences."

The grey buck answered with a downright offensive calm

"But but... That is TEN CAPS for a round, I can get a regular fivefivesixer for a fifth of that. And the sign clearly says five caps per round, not TEN?!"

"Ayup, but the Black Hoof 223 round is a special one. Can take out a minotaur in a single shot if you know what you are doing. It outpowers the old 556er by a fair bit."

Huh, sounds familiar. Yeah, the black rounds. Extra powder for extra kick. I'll concede that point.

"Yeah, but that doesn't explain the doubling of the price?" I pointed with my whole frontleg at the sign. "FIVE caps, ONE round."

"Oh, that is the stripe tax and the black market inflation." He said with a grin on his face.

"The WHAT and the WHAT now?? You just made those up right now in order to piss me off, didn't you?"

Now my hoof was pointing straight at his face.

"The stripe tax. According to the 73rd notation in the tax code, by the royal graces of princess Luna all goods sold to zebras are to be taxed at an 15%. In case you are doubting me I do have a copy of the tax code right here."

And now he pulled up the thickest book I ever seen. I coughed as the dust in the room decided to fly in my face when it fell on the counter with a loud THUMP. My eyes narrowed, Now it is personal! Unfazed he countinued his explanation. "And since it is technically illegal to sell munitions to a zebra I am risking a royal inquiry and thus the hefty price hike as per tradition when running black market operations."

"ROYAL INQUIRY?? Equestria has not had a functional government for 200 years, who by the stars is supposed to 'inquire' about it? And in case you haven't noticed, WINGS!!"

I was ready to jump over the counter and kick his cheerful face in. Clearly an evil mastermind at work! Look, feigned offense. How unexpected!

"Now, THAT is clearly your stripes talking. The princesses are always watching and I am taking a great risk just selling them to you. And please keep the zebra occultism out of this discussion."

That does it! Face, meet hooves! Right when I was about to lift from the ground I felt something tug me back down and slowly out from the store. Behind me I heard a muffled "We'r leavng!" from Amber. As I sat with my butt in the mud outside and felt the soft drizzle I could have sworn that steam was rising from me. I stared maliciously at the sign above the doors "Black Hoof Arms" and tried to ignore all the ponies giving me amused looks from the walkways. Amber looked at me with his usual scolding face that meant 'no fighting' and I wondered how I was supposed to get anything done if everypony was as rude as this horrid buck. Rising up I shouted into the air.

"This place is a hive of scum and villainy, you hear me?! SCUM AND VILLAINY!!"

***

Moping in the saloon I listened to every word from Amber, even though I would rather ignore the discussion. He suggested working as a caravan guard to fill the stomach and bags until we figured out something better to do. Boring! Why is there no princess kidnapped by a dragon or something? Oh, there's Cider! Huh, could actually use a drink.

"Hey, cider! I could use something to drink."

The pale green unicorn walked over, her flowing brown hair had some streaks of grey in it yet it only seemed to add to her elegance. In her dress she really looked like a southern madonna. At least according to the books I grew up with.

"What can I get the two of you then?"

Oh crap, what does wasteland heroines drink. Quick, what's on the sign? Whiskey, spirits, ciders, dry, sweet. What does that mean? Amber decided to order in the meantime.

"Just water for me please."

Oh crap, time to decide!

"Uhhh... cider I think?"

Darn, I think I blew it. Yep, she does not look impressed.

"Dry or sweet?"

she asked with a face of slight amusement.

"Either way is fine!"

Crap, too rushed sentence. She chuckled and stated plainly.

"Definitely sweet then, it'll be 4 caps. 1 for the water and 3 for the cider."

I squinted at her and 'inquired'.

"No stripe tax?"

She let out the possibly the most beautiful laugh I have heard, pure and yet tinted with a sense of pained memories. This pony has been through a thing or two.

"No stripe tax, honest. Everyone is welcome at the saloon, as long as they behave themselves that is."

She winked at me, she seriously winked at me! Oh crap I am blushing ain't I? I was positvely dumbstruck and may have stared as she turned away and went to fill the glasses.

"Windstriker."

Huh?

"Windstriker! Are you listening to me?"

"Bwhu haaah?"

I managed to blurt out, probably the low point in my social career. Next moment I had Amber's face in front of me and a pair of hooves holding my head.

"Oh hi Amber, what did you want?"

An exaggerated sigh later.

"I was browsing through the notes on the billboard. Lots of bounty hunting jobs, some scavenging jobs and plenty of caravans asking for guards. The bounties means the most caps but seem to be meant for a group of hardcore veterans, not to mention some seem a bit dubious. I found two from separate people wanting each other's heads. Like LITERAL HEADS."

Oh look, drinks. And elegant mare. No, focus on discussion!

"So no bounties then? What about the rest? I am no good at scavenging. Unless it is a gun store... possibly guarded by an evil grey buck?" Now I was slightly pissed again, but the drink was nice. This is alcohol? It's tasty but where is the supposed kick to the head?

"No, silly. Scavenging means digging through abandoned buildings for stuff worth repairing or selling. Tech, gems, bits, guns, medicine and such things. It is nearly always in the wilderness and potentially dangerous if you don't know where you are going. There are gangs and monsters everywhere."

Eh, how tough can they be?

"So I think we should just do a caravan job for now, could be helpful familiarizing ourselves with the various places and talk to the more experienced travelers. Might learn a thing or two, maybe figure out something to do."

Staring at my empty glass in frustration for a moment I then answered

"Ok, sounds boring but you're probably right. Where are we going?"

"Hm... there is one caravan leaving in the morning, it pass through a ranger outpost towards Fort Goldstar and then continues towards Roadfort and eventually Las Pegasus. Does that sound reasonable? I am a bit curious about the ranger's I'll admit."

I was practically flying, no wait. I am probably actually flying with joy. "We are going to see the PRINCESS?!" Wait, why is everyone looking at me like that?

"Windstriker, you are making a scene again. Come back down to the floor and stop shouting." I sheepishly descended back to floor level. "First off, you know that she is not really a princess right? She is just a regular unicorn. Second, there is no garantue that we actually meet her. "

My hoof went straight out towards his face and I exclaimed "You don't know that! She might be an alicorn. You have never met her."

"She has no wings" the tiny orange stallion stated flatly.

"It might be a disguise. She could have used magic."

He looked sorely unimpressed at that point. "Magic does not work that way. And before you point out my lack of a horn I want to remind you that I am certified arcane engineer that actually finished my apprenticeship."

Darn, he got me completely cornered.

Trying to divert the subject I retraced our discussion

"So... a caravan then? Which one?"

***

"The Farstrider Caravans huh?"

I asked the scarred, old and brown buck in a strawhat.

"Ayep, seemed fitting since we try to cross equestria as a whole. Have talked with some others regarding setting up a tradepost down southeast. With all the ruckus down there we might actually get away with it."

"You mean the Stable Dweller?"

"Oh yes. We have had a lot of heroes through the years but I got a good feeling about this one."

"She's my rolemodel!"

I burst out grinning side to side, and got a laughter out of it. Ok, that was a good smile. No social blunder this time.

"Hahaha... Good choice miss, you could do worse these days. A lot worse..." He suddenly looked sombre for a moment and then looked up again. "Hey, does that thing play radio?"

"Huh? The pipbuck? Sure, just let me..."

Red lights, loads of them. I heard my heartrate quicken and turned my focus towards the signals. Dead ahead.

"Bad guys, many of them right in front of us!"

Colour drained from his face then he realigned his hat and ordered "CODE RUBY." and everypony sprung into action, drawing weapons and trying to find cover. Time to do what I do best, flex my wings. Moments later I was in the air and no one is shooting me, time to get a good look at these bandits.

One circling later I counted 5,7, a dozen, some more... A score or two dozen, light armour, rifles and pistols. Hunkering behind rocks and within the tall grass. And there is the caravan, hiding behind rocks of their own, the wagons and some in a ditch. And there is Amber! Wait, why is nobody shooting? "Let's find the leader and scare them out of their shoes." I said to myself and began another circle. Shinier armour, angry at the ponies around her, big gun. Yep, that is the one.

BABLAM

Shit, a miss. Wait, a hit but in the wrong pony. AND I CAN'T SLOW DOWN, what the hell.

"LET'S DO THIS!!"

And I crashed into the leaderpony with a loud tumble and ended up next to her. Shaking my head out of the dizzyness I realised that she looked quite badass. Black leather and steel armour complete with spikes and a remarkably sexy sidecut. The mare rose up and I realised that we were having a suitably epic duel on top of a large rock fully in view of everyone.

She spat blood and muttered.

"Fucking stripe... That's it. KILL EVERYPONY!!"

And then the shooting started. Uneven and hestitating. Yes, this is decided up here, WAIT WHERE DID THAT KNIFE COME FROM? I jumped to the right as she lunged, and yep she is pissed. Then she stole my breath as she swirled and gave a good buck into my chest. Hooves not feeling anything, wings, wings WINGS. And I was in the air again, let's give her a second shot (literary).

Caclick

BLABLAM,

My jaw dropped.

"YOU CAN'T DO THAT, you just don't dodge freaking bullets!"

She digged with her hoof on the rock and then leapt into the air, wait wasn't she an earthpony? CRAOSH And we smashed into the dirt in front of the caravan and this time she was standing on top of me with the knife.

"Uhh. Call it a draw?"

PZEEOW.

I saw a yellow light through her head, blood spurting and she fell slowly down to my side. Time slowing down as I looked at her eyes, still furious and the knife still in her mouth. What just happened? I turned my head to right and saw Amber standing halfway out of the ditch with his beam pistol in his mouth and a very serious look on his face.

Spitting out the gun he shouted.

"WINDSTRIKER, AIRBORNE!"

Huh? oh right. The battle. My mind was half out of it but whatever fighting spirit the raiders had was broken and they began running away in at least three directions when they saw me flying towards them.

***

After the caravan had gathered together and started moving again I was still unfocused when a green mare with black mane decided to walk next to me. She looked decidedly... relieved? Yeah, that was probably it.

"Was a brave thing you did, challenging the leader like that. Thank you miss." she said with a honest smile.

"Eh, was nothing. It is what I do. Comes with being a stable dweller, see?"

I lifted my hoof to show her my pipbuck and ended up faceplanting the road. Wouch, damned ground. Always so hostile. I decided to fly instead of this clearly subpar thing called 'walking'. "As I was saying, is my job. Kind of."

She gave me an amused look and then face popped up from the cart next to her, a brighter shade of green but with the same black mane.

"COOL, you actually can FLY!" said the the small and very cheery colt.

"Well yeah, I am a pegasus! Flying is what I do best, hope to become as good (and cool) as Rainbow Dash one day. "

I answered with a face of pride and hoof on my chest, decidedly NOT faceplanting this time thanks to my amazing wings.

"Do you live on the clouds? Mum says pegasuses come from atop the clouds, is why it is always so cloudy. Pegasus houses everywhere."

And now she was bouncing, on the cart.

"Nah, as I said. Stable dweller, come from Zony Town up northeast. So is Amber, you know. The short shiny guy. And it is way more interesting down here anyway. All that is up there is the sun and the doomponies."

Now that is a shocked kid, wait. The mother is just as shocked...

"DOOMPONIES?? Like evil monsterponies of death that monster around?"

'Monster around'? Really?? And I thought everyone knew about the pegasi up there. Well, explaining time.

"Yep. Doomponies. Evil pegasi in black armour with manticore tails and guns that shoot laser death. They rarely come this far north though. But I rather not take the risk more than neccesary, sure scared me off."

Huh, a synced "Phew". That is new.

"Sooo... Are you going to Goldstar too?"

"Actually yes, last winter was quite rough and with all the fighting going on... I hope she will let us stay, Spring Leaf deserves better as well."

Then the colt I assume is Spring Leaf chimed in.

"We are going to see the PRINCESS!!"

And then the mother continued.

"I have heard good things about her, not just from the radio but from the traders and others. She even has a SCHOOL, imagine!"

I most likely had a huge grin on my face.

"Yeah. Heading that way as well. Hoping to find some useful work. Of course, meeting the princess would be a bonus as well. You will probably have it nice there, peaceful at least."

We ended up chatting until evening, about plans, Goldstar, Zony Town etc. Little Leaf was almost popping out his eyes in wonder when I talked about home, with the stripes, the wings and horns. Not to mention the luxuries a such as a water talisman and fresh food. When he heard that Goldstar was a lot like that he was, if possible, even more excited about our destination. I did note that the name of the nice mare was August Wind, nice name.

***

As the twilight descended (the evening thing and not the pony) and we could see the occassional star overhead we reached our nightstop. Dustville said the sign and I was slightly awed to see the fortifications before us. Someone had dug a ditch, built a mound and then built a makeshift wall with rubble and concrete. The wall was at least as tall as the buildings around it. The buildings as I noted stood quite far away as the closest ones had been razed for building materials. I landed and started trotting as I gazed in awe at fortress they had built out of a small and peaceful village, Steel Rangers sure are something. Speaking of steel rangers, there were four of them standing guard at the entrance.

And sweet flank that is some nice armour, can't even see the pony beneath all those plates and gadgets. And those guns looked like they could kill anypony, their friends and the house they were hiding in. I might have drooled a bit when they raised their hooves, barring our way.

"Sorry ma'am, your bodyguard has to stay outside. You and your children are welcome however."

Huh, were they thinking that I worked for the green mare? And hold on a moment,

"HEY, Amber is with me and he is NOT a colt. He is a full grown stallion. And what is your problem anyways??"

I tapped my hoof at the guard's chest and stared into their eyes, or at least tried. The helmet made it impossible to see the eyes or figure out the gender of the soldier beneath it. Huh, I was being pushed backwards by Amber. And why was there at least eight barrels aiming at me, maybe the machine guns counted as more. I have no idea.

The guard turned to a very frightened green pair next to us.

"Ma'am, please take your child inside. You are free to pass."

Whilst the the rest kept their guns trailed on me and Amber tried to get my attention. Wind hesitated, stopped and said something to the guard and then hurried inside with her colt.

"We won't ma'am. Not unless she fires first, I promise."

As the faceless soldier returned their attention back to me and explained in the distorted and slightly freaky voice.

"It is the policy ma'am. Until further notice crossbreeds qualify for the no-stripes, no-mutants and no-cultists rule. Nothing personal."

"HUH, why is that?" Now I was properly confused, I did figure out that by 'crossbreed' they meant zonies. "And is Amber okay? Or does he to stay outside as well?"

"Your group sits on a treasure trove of wartime tech, refuse to share it and according to rumours, practice zebra occultism. Thus the Senior Council hasn't been able to come to an agreement on your status, and until further notice you are barred from the citadel. But as a compromise we are forbidden from taking hostile action as well. As for your friend... I am unsure, on his own he would probably be accepted but I see that he is from Stable 33 as well so... preferably not."

A hoof gesture later the other guards relaxed considerably and seemed less intent on blowing me to chunks.

"Starspawns..."

I muttered under my breath as the armoured pony raised their head in shock as if I had punched them. And Amber facehoofed again.

"So what now? Do we just stay out here until dawn? What if the raiders come back?"

"Raiders? They will not come close to the citadel, we patrol the precinct regularly. So you can stay in one of the houses in the outskirts for shelter, shouldn't pose any problem. I'll ask the Star Paladin about sending out somepony with fresh water as well."

"Oh, ok! Thanks. I suppose it will have to do!"

I said with a cheery face, something that they clearly did not expect. At least two other guards turned their heads with what probably was "Seriously?" face behind those helmets.

***

"I seriously thought that you were going to get shot! You really need to learn some constraint, you just can't go around picking fights with every pony you come across. Especially not AN ARMY OF STEEL RANGERS!!"

Ok, Amber has not been this pissed since I joked about him looking like a filly. This is serious. After a deep breath he continued, holding up two hooves that were almost touching.

"You were this close to being shot. Just a tiny smidge, and you would have been a CRIMSON CLOUD. We were warned about this, Windstriker! The rangers are notoriously trigger happy, especially if they see stripes."

And he was out of breath again.

"Ok, ok, ok! I get it, but it went fine after all. No one was hurt and I learned something. They even promised to give us water."

I gave my most honest fake smile I could and tried to calm him down.

"Besides, I had to ask."

"Just... Just please, try to think BEFORE you act next time. Especially if it is a ranger that you are arguing with, don't start needless fights. One of these days you are going to get seriously hurt."

And he let out a loud and long sigh. Argument over.

"Change of subject, I was listening to the radio while you were busy flirting with that green mare."

"It was just small talk, and besides. She talked to me first!"

I was not sure if I was feigning offense or if I actually felt offended at that.

"And was there anything interesting on the radio?"

"With you, that counts as flirting. And yes, you were on it."

Here, I recorded it.

"...And that was a taste of Vinyl Scratch's 8-bit remixes of prewar classics, we got more of those coming up later. A lot more in fact. Now for the local news and rumours. First off, as I am fairly sure that anypony in the Black Hoof and possibly everypony else this side of Canterlot heard. The Black Hoof has been announced to be a Hive of Scum and Villainy, maybe we should put that on a sign or something? Naturally I was curious and had to find out the source of this exclamation. And really, Black Dust? 'Stripe Tax', I mean reeaaallly?? Pull the other one, about the Princess of Love and Diamonds. For more practical news I can state that Goldstar has finalized their reinforced barding and is intending to export them starting with the next caravan rotation. With the success that was the patrol armour I am sure it will find many interested ponies around Vanhoover. Also, Star Paladin Earthquake is offering jobs for any gunner looking for excitement. Any interested ponies are asked to visit the MWT hub in the city centre. And to round it off, when Farstrider caravans returned they brought a certain familiar stranger who will be a guest for tomorrow show. That's right, Stormcloud is BACK and he has plenty of discoveries from his trip down to Hoofington. And now a word from our sponsors..."

"HAH, I knew it was made up... Wait, you mean princess Cadence isn't real??"

I asked in shock at the statement, surely that was true. I mean, where else did Amber's greatgreatgreat and so grandparents come from?

"*SIIIIGH* I don't know allright?.. I mean it should be, but no one has ever found the crystal empire nor has anypony come down from that far north. But she is documented in various old history books, even if she didn't appear to do anything during the war."

OK, Amber took that a tad bit personal. Noted.

"Sorry. But what was that about the other news? Anything I should pay attention to?"

I seriously zoned out after the part about the princess. What? So, I am fangirl. Shoot me. Or on second thought, don't do that please.

"Let's see. Fighting in the Van Hoof, nothing new there. Goldstar selling armour, might be good to remember if the stable barding gets torn up. And the caravan we are travelling with had Stormcloud on the way back north."

"Wait, Stormcloud? As in, honourary stable member and founder of Zony Town Stormcloud? The ugly bad ass that wanted to talk about boring stuff instead of his bad ass adventures of badassery."

"Yes, Wingstriker. THAT Stormcloud. You know he probably knows more about magical machinery than anyone else alive. And that he worked just one step away from minister Sparkle?"

My eyes must have widened a fair bit as Amber looked a tad bit unimpressed when I went:

"Woow... You know... Maybe I should have paid more attention during his lectures, but you know. That guy has hunted hellhounds." I pointed my hoof at Amber "HELLHOUNDS."

"Yes, Wingstriker. I know. And he built a disintegration rifle from scrap while you slept through the afternoon. THAT is impressive."

Then my stomach rumbled so the discussion kind of died off as I munched on a piece of maize and the bloody stallion shook his head as I began tearing through the center off it. What? Can't let perfectly good food to waste. Then he yawned and fell asleep. Seriously how come he gets to tell me off while he can't travel without falling asleep afterward. Sleep is for suckers.

*YAAAWN* Or maybe not..."

***

The battle happened again, and felt awesome flying around the faceless ponyshapes and being generally bad ass. Then I heroically fought the raider boss all alone, through gunfire, knife slashes and hoofkicks on top off a large cliff whilst everypony below stared in awe. It was brilliant, every second. Then time screeched to a halt as a flash of light crossed my view and the evil raider pony fell down besides me, unable to move. Staring maliciously into my eyes, freezing me in place as her lips mouthed "FUCKING STRIPE" in slow motion at me. Then she continued, and now I could hear her voice.

"I'll rip your throat out, just wait..."

Then it faded to black. Next thing I knew I was in a ruin all alone, with a freezing cold air. With the trees all around whispering things. Weird and strange things, and through it all I heard hoofsteps. Calm and catious yet determined hoofsteps from a single pony, slowly coming closer and closer.

I shaked my head clear with a BURRWURR and sat up, trying to get my bearings. In a ruin, with whispering trees around and cold air.

"Fuck.." I muttered to my self, then I saw Amber. Shit, got to keep him safe if something happens. Then I remembered to turn on my Eyes Forward Sparkle, Amber keeps telling me to turn on that functionality of the pipbuck. My heartbeat stopped a beat as a single bar showed up on it. Then I saw that it was white and got confused. How could an evil raider ghost be non hostile? Then a ranger stepped in and just stared at me for a long while, I didn't even notice that they were unarmed and carrying saddlebags filled with water bottles.

"First time you seen anypony die?" The faceless figure calmly asked me.

"Huh?.." I managed to get out of me in bafflement.

"I see. Everyone reacts differently but most ponies seem to get the nightmares at least. Not much you can do about those, just remember that you are still the one in control. Even in dreams."

Then they dropped of the saddlebags, not just the bottles but the bags too.

"Here, Farstrider and the refugee insisted you have these."

"Oh. Thanks, are you the one I talked to earlier? Can't tell you apart, you look all alike in that armour."

And that resulted in a laugh, and it was remarkably eerie to hear a proper laugh from a steel clad soldier pony of death.

"Okay... so are you?"

"Yes. And as I said, nothing personal about the policy. Lots of dangerous types hiding among civilians around here."

A pause then the ranger continued.

"One last thing before I leave. It is EASY to kill a pony, far far too easy. So never fire a shot without being fully aware that you are going to take somepony else's life, NEVER."

I didn't completely get what they meant. In fact, I was quite sure that I didn't get half of it. As they started trotting out the door I half shouted.

"Name's Windstriker, what's yours?"

The armoured pony stopped for a moment, turned their head.

"Tart, Ensign Raspberry Tart."

Then they left, and I still hadn't figured out if they were a mare of stallion. Then I muttered one last thing before I tried going back to sleep.

"Steel rangers are definitely weird. Not evil, but weird."

Level Up.
Skill Note: Speech - 50%
Perk added: Cherchez La Filly

You are quite the flirt and many mare's have started paying you attention, you get extra dialogue options as well as 10% damage bonus against mares. All is fair in love and war after all.

Condition added: Mild Wartime Stress Disorder

You suffer from fairly benign wartime stress disorder after witnessing horrors ponies shouldn't. Nightmares and occasional anxiety attacks are to be expected.

Author's Note

Name: Windstriker
Race: Pegasus
Special:
- Strength: 6
- Perception: 3
- Endurance: 6
- Charisma: 7
- Intelligence: 5
- Agility: 7
- Luck: 6

Tag:
-Battle Saddles
-Speech
-Unarmed

Traits:
-Built to Destroy: Your hooves break EVERYTHING. +3% critical hit chance, weapons are thrice as likely to break down in the middle of combat.
-Kamikaze: You are a whirlwind of death, +5 Sequence, -2 Damage Threshold.

Chapter 2 - Meeting a Princess

I was fairly tired and slightly irritated (probably related) during the whole morning as we left the Ranger Fort, and shot some spiteful looks towards the steel rangers that had decided to join the group. Amber was in a lot better mood and hummed along with the radio as he did his iconic "tölt" to keep up. Seriously, how does he do that? I faceplanted everytime when I tried, and I am fairly sure it wasn't entirely down to my clumsiness. Speaking of faceplanting, I basically did that when I failed to notice the green mare walking up to me. Seriously? This is getting old, like really quickly. Faceplanting that is, not cute green mares.

"Huh, sorry. Haven't slept well. What did you say?"

I managed to get out as I rose to my hooves.

"I... asked about that, you seem a lot worse for wear compared to yesterday."

She looked seriously concerned, what? It was just a night of bad sleep, was all.

"Yeah, I'm fine. As far as I don't have to deal with any more racist ponies or murderponies. Although I could do with a cup of tea, screw that... get me the whole kettle!"

Why was both of them staring at me in confusion? And when did the colt get on top of his mother's back, was he there the whole time? Gah! Someone should make a drug that helps with concentration, I'd take it everyday!

"Uhm miss?.. T is a letter, not a drink. You know that right?"

The little colt stated cautiously.

"What? HAH! No, tea is a warm drink you make with a bush. We grow them back home and sell it. Don't we have commercials on the radio?"

"Oooh..."

Both exclaimed.

"Sooo anyways... Leaf, what do you want to do when you are grown up?"

I tried to keep the discussion going as I felt my irritation leave and hope I would end up in an actual good mood.

"Hm... HM....I want to see Equestria. Like, ALL OF IT. There is. Just. So. Much. STUFF!!" and he was positively ecstatic. Although, I think I can relate to that statement.

"Sounds like you are going to be a caravanner or a prospector, either way... OH, and try to listen to the radio if you can. Old Stormcloud is going to be on the Blackhoof channel tonight, he has traveled basically everywhere and is a real badass. Helped found Zonytown back in the day."

Well, that was an unexpected and worried look from Wind.

"Wait... you mean he actually exists?"

"Yep! Used to scold me all the time when I fell asleep during his lectures."

"Isn't he... uhm... crazy? And dangerous?"

"Nah. He just really really dislikes slavers, raiders and other horrid people. I half expect him to gun for the Kaiser or Red Eye anyday now. But he will probably just go clean up Reaper's End or start rambling boring stuff for anyone listening."

"I see... Do you know Goldstar's relation to him? If he goes there often and what the princess think of him?"

Hm, why the buck is she so scared of the old fart?..

"Let me think for a moment... Mum said he helped set up generators and stuff, taught the eggheads some stuff and then he left. I have no idea what the princess thinks but he is constantly travelling so I don't think he will show up much."

"PHEW... I just hope all goes well when we get to Goldstar. Can't say I have much of an education, I can barely read. But I am pretty strong and used to the wilds, with some luck there will be work I can do. I mean, it sounds like she takes in almost anypony but I can't help but to worry. Not sure where else we would go."

"Eh. I hear she only refuses really horrid criminals, and she is supposed to be able to tell if you want to help or to mess things up. And if she says no. I suppose, me and Amber will have found ourselves our first job. Finding you two a new place to live. Maybe Flood Town or one of the farms?"

"Thank you. I feel just a bit better now."

She smiled and blushed. Blushing beneath a green coat? Now that is an interesting and adorable colour.

***

It was reaching midday and the sun had decided to shine for once when we reached a crossroads on the other side of the mountain range and stopped for a break as the group split up. The caravan, the green pair and us two went south. As did half of the steel rangers, the other half as well as some other ponies continued west. Which confounded my intellect a fair bit, and now Amber was on his second radio station and continued to ignore everypony. So only ponies to ask were the rangers themselves.

"Huh, why are you splitting up? Had a fight?"

I asked curiously the rangers as I chewed on a carrot and got a resounding CLONK as an answer. Followed by a very loud and dramatic sigh.

"Ensign Tart, please deal with the crossbreed before I am tempted to break my orders"

Said the facehoofing ranger and was promtly answered by a salute and a "Yes Sir." from another. This one clearly being the same one as the one I had talked to yesterday. Note to self, Ensign Tart is armed with a single big gun and a large ammo box. Might help with identification later. They got up and walked slowly to me.

"Miss... Windstriker was it? Please do not bother the crusader, I'll try to explain things in his stead."

Said the familiar monotone and robotic voice, by now I was starting to doubt whether there was an actual pony beneath the steel or just a robot pretending to be a pony.

"Okay..."

and I motioned with my left hoof for them to continue.

"The other squad is doing a supply run and going to the Dusk Citadel. We however are going escorting scribe Light to Goldstar, further details are confidential."

"So what can I ask about? Your backstory? Your gun? Where I can get armour like that?"

There was a brief pause as Tart processed the questions and decided on what to answer.

"Hm... long story short, my mother was with the Manehattan contigent and left alongside others to join Elder Stardust in her... decision to stay independent and leave for Vanhoover. The gun is a 30 mm autocannon intended for anti air duties, which I choose partly because it is the preferred weapon of Star Paladin Overdrive whom I view as a role model. As for the armour, no you can't. The steel ranger armour was wholly intended to be used by earth ponies and the unicorn helmet was a post war modification, as such there simply is no steel ranger armour that would fit a pegasus."

The caravan started moving again and Amber shot me a glance before shaking his head and continued with his head bobbing. But not a disagreeing head shake, just an amused head shake (I have learned to tell the difference by now).

And to my surprise, Tart decided to continue walking beside me. As such I decided to make the most out of the opportunity.

"So... Do you have any advice for an aspiring hero. Such as what gear to use, where to go and what to do?"

They turned their head and just looked at me for several moments whilst continuing walking without any issue, I am starting to get... envious? Frustrated? Impressed? Probably a mix of all three.

"You are actually serious."

They stated plainly in a slightly impressed voice.

"First thing, ditch the rifles. Whatever your fighting style is, you don't have the cool nor the patience to be a sniper. Go for either sub-machine guns or beam rifles if you need a ranged weapon. Both have little recoil and would not interrupt your aerial maneuvers. Second, you should probably consider some better armour. Not that the leather is horrid, but bullets hurt. A lot."

Okay, all of that made sense and I should probably have thought of that before. But eh. Thinking isn't my job.

"As for where to go, definitely NOT to Las Pegasus. The locals would shoot you on sight, both the ponies and the zebras. On that note, stay away from our Citadel within Vanhoover. Star Paladin Earthquake is a respectable officer but he has plenty of reasons to hate zebras and may not be picky enough to tell the difference between a purebred and a crossbreed."

"We are called zonies you know? ZONIES. I'm a pegasus, my mother is a unicorn and Amber is a crystal earth zony. We are decidedly NOT zebras. You know, stable 33? All kinds of people getting along and forming a tribe?"

There was a slightly tense pause and I could swear that I had several eyes staring at me.

"Noted. For the final question. Try not to get involved in any of the old feuds in the area, nor the gangwar within the city. Those are too large and too complex to be solved by a single individual. As for who to help, there are plenty of refugees, scavengers, farmers and so on that could use a helping hand. Be a source of hope for the wastelanders and a role model for your tribe."

"What about following in the Stable-Dweller's hoofsteps? Or Security's?"

I asked curiously.

"That... might be a bad idea. For all the good they do, they live in different environments and if you run around killing dozens of ponies... You might trigger a war that ends up hurting a lot of innocents. Vanhoover has a remarkably large population and a lot of old wounds. As I understand it, a few decades ago it was entirely raiders, gangs and slavers."

"But that was back then. Things are peaceful now, and people are working together everywhere. Why would they want to start a war?"

I was no longer following their point and was wondering if someone was simply a tad bit paranoid. Not to mention, I needed a proper motivation if I was to not use the Stable-Dweller as a role model.

"Very few ever wants a war. Despite that Equestra got the worst war it ever had, and it died as a result. Look around you, every ruin, every skeleton. They were ponies once, now they paid the price for someponies acting without foresight."

"What? There are no..."

My voice died off as I noticed bones lying besides the road we were walking on, and a fair bit of trash too. And I remembered the ruin we had rested in the night before, it had been a home once. All the ruins had been homes once, not just landmarks. "Fuck..."

"Indeed."

I started shaking all over my body, and sweating as well. Why was I sweating? Makes no sense. And why had I never seen those things before? Or no, I had seen them. Just not cared enough to be bothered about it. What kind of hero was I supposed to be? To be untroubled by corpses like some diehard mercenary? What the hell was wrong with this?!

I turned to look at the green mare that I happily chatted with before and her foal. She was covered in scars and carried an... axe? Made from a pipe and some railway nails. Wait... She ate meat during the break? And was she that faminished before? I could see her ribs through the coat? Little Leaf looked in better health, she must have given him most of the food.

"Hey, Wind!"

She turned her head and looked at me with a worried look and slowed down to let us catch up with her. I did pay attention to the glances she kept shooting towards Tart and tried to keep her foal from getting hyper.

"I was right, you are not OK. Can I help in any way?"

And she told Leaf to not bother the ranger, but he was already paralyzed in awe and let out a long "Wow..."

"Just... Tell me. The corpses, the broken buildings, the trash... You ever NOTICE them before?"

I had a pleading look on my face and was worried by both possible answers, not sure what I hoped for.

"...In what way? They are there, has always been. I have been too busy worrying about the living to care much for the long dead. It is how the world is I guess."

I stopped walking and closed my eyes muttering to myself.

"Fuck the stars this is messed up..."

When I opened my eyes I saw August Wind giving Tart a worried and questioning look. The mechanical voice answered plainfully.

"Anxiety attack, will soon be over."

Then the ranger turned to me.

"Most ponies never pay any attention, too busy surviving. If you ever wondered what drives stable dwellers to become heroes, this is it. Welcome to the equestrian wasteland, Windstriker. Do not let it break you."

After I calmed down a bit I talked with Wind for a while, she listening patiently and Leaf falling asleep halfway through it. I rambled about growing up in Stable 33, hearing about the outside from the adults, listening to the radio and how ignorant I must have been when I left home for the first time. How unprepared I was, and am. How I seriously have no idea what I am actually doing. Every now and then she pointed out how things were from her perspective and offered advice, gentler and more supportive advice than the pragmatic bulletin lists that Tart had given me earlier.

***

As such I was in considerably better shape, if a tad bit demoralized, when the woodland surrounding us suddenly broke up and revealed a wooden wall (a palisade think?). And the caravan basically grounded to a halt as everyone took in the sight of the land within. On the left side was a gigantic prewar fortress made out of black stone and the ancient walls were dotted by several huge guns. The thing looked like not even a dragon could put a dent in the massive walls. And to the right was fields filled with grains and vegetables, the farmlands were just as impressive as the fortress itself. The food grown here could feed my home, the Black Hoof and possibly all of Vanhoover by my amateurish estimate.

We were greeted by a patrol and I realized that there were wooden towers all alongside the outer edge of the land, with ponies with large... rifles? Machine guns? On that note, the guards made me feel downright rubbish in comparison. They had black uniforms with some weird silver bluish metal armour, broad and plumed helmets and impressive looking rifles.

A stallion with slightly fancier armour than the rest and a plume turned sideways, seemed to be in charge and walked up to us.

"Can I please have an explanation why a ranger squad armed to the teeth shows up to our gates? My subordinates are getting nervous, and they get itchy on the trigger-bridle when they are nervous."

The ranger I think was the crusader (what that is, I have no idea) walked up half a meter in front of him, looking him straight in the eye and answered in that monotone voice I had started identifying with the rangers.

"Escort duty. Scribe Light has something for Miss Starlight, and hopes to work out a deal. Both Head Scribe Sapphire and Star Paladin Overdrive have given their approval."

I have no idea how long time passed as they continued staring at each other, the tension being tasteable in the air. All it would have taken would be a single word and they would start shooting each other. As I found this not only unbearable but also positively terrifying I decided to interject, stepping up in between them.

"If you are neither going to shoot each other or kiss each other can we get this over with? We have a caravan and a mother with foal that wants to meet the princess."

The two turned to stare at me for a moment, the guard blinking and then letting out a loud laugh while the crusader stepped back in shock. That or offense, it was hard to tell with that helmet. But the situation was defused, and that was the important part. As the guard buck stepped aside and turned around.

"Yeah. Come on in. We'll escort you to the trade post." His mood clearly a lot better and I could swear that I heard a chuckle from Tart. The guard officer led us to a large old building that looked remarkably like the train station in Black Hoof. Wait! We have been walking on a railroad all this time? Hm... no tracks. And I'm distracted again, focus on the building. Is that sandbags on the roof? With several more guard ponies? Just how much trouble do they expect around here?

As we got close I realized that the building was used as a welcoming hall and store for visitors as there were several other ponies that argued with a shop clerk and another two almost identical pale blue stallions talking to-

YOWSA!!

That pony does NOT belong to the wasteland. She had a pale black coat and a positively gigantic golden mane that seemed to wave and sparkle like it hid dozens of tiny stars. She wore a quad of golden shoes and a silver tiara holding a blue tear shaped gem, but otherwise walked bare as if unbothered by the harsh wind and dusty air of the wasteland.

As we entered she turned her head towards and I could swear that she looked straight into my soul for a moment and then blinked as if she was almost bored by it. She and the mare next to her walked up to our group that had stopped just inside the doors as everyone else seemed to have the same reaction as me. Amber was flushing red, Wind seemed shocked and Leaf had dropped his jaw to the floor. Only Farstrider seemed used to it and gave a short smile as he removed his hat. He was also the first one she addressed.

"Uncle Farstrider, as we assume you haven't branched into the market of powered armour it seems you have brought us unexpected guests."

I somehow suspected that the term "uncle" was more a sign of affection than a statement of actual blood relation.

"Ayep, since we don't plan on leaving til dawn I 'xpect that business can wait an hour or two?"

"That would be an excellent plan."

Then she walked past him, and the steel rangers. Completely ignoring them as if they weren't there, shot a glance towards me that made my heart skip a beat, and walked up to August Wind and her colt.

"You are from the northern tribes, correct?"

"Yes miss...ehr, your highness. The Evergreens. The snowstorms and the Aurora have been getting worse so the chief tried getting us to move south. We got stuck between the rangers and the Red Suns..."

Wind looked stuck between awe and reliving bad memories.

"Ah. Elder Stardust has had a bad habit of letting her subordinates running loose, shooting everypony unable to fight back. How is the rest of the tribe faring?"

"Scattered mi- your highness, when we reached Black Hoof everypony went separate ways. The chief and the elders had all died and I had Spring Leaf to take care of. So I hoped to we could..."

She looked unsure and dejected, like she didn't really believe it.

"You are more than welcome to stay, both of you. And We assure you, you will be as safe as you can be in the wasteland."

Wind blinked a few times and began tearing up. Spring Leaf however popped up with a question on his face and mouth.

"Are you are real princess?!"

He almost shouted at the gorgeous mare I might be staring a tad bit too much at. Damn it Windstriker, focus. Don't make a foal out of yourself. And now she was laughing, a honest and amused laugh. Then she lowered her head to him and whispered loud enough for everyone to hear.

"Not yet dear. we are, however, working on it."

The she raised her head and addressed Wind again.

"So miss Starlight will do just fine. At least until the day we sprout wings. We will show you around the place after our other guests have been attended to. It should not take too long."

Then she turned around and faced both me and Amber (whom proceeded to hide slightly behind me).

"And the two of you?"

"We are looking for contract work, scavenging, fighting beasts or critters. That sort of thing. You got any?"

Not as eloquent as I would have hoped but at least I didn't make a complete embarrassment out of us.

"We might have, Colonel Longshot organizes the guard patrols and most of the contract work. He is within the central keep, 4th floor. The terrace is just outside, you should not be able to miss it."

Then she paused for a moment, pondering something.

"On second thought, We can take you straight there alongside our newcomers."

Oh now that is a nice change of pace compared to the usual "stripes not welcome" trope I had faced yet from the wasteland ponies. Finally she turned towards the remarkably calm steel rangers, addressing the leader.

"And now, what brings Equestria's Finest to our simple colony?"

The crusader's calm voice was somehow dripping with contempt as he responded. "You can start by explaining why your militia is dressed like a bunch of zebras straight out from the south."

They were? Fooled me.

"We do not have the fortune to have two ministries and the industry of Fillydelphia supplying us with state of the art technology so we have to make do."

She did a dramatic pause before continuing.

"Nor do we have the means of producing proper ceramic or polymer plating. So we tried reproducing ancient pegasi plate armour but the process was slow and the guards complained about a lack of visibility and impaired hearing from the helmets. And as such the logical choice was to look for a viable alternative, and that was found within the zebra battle dress. We reverse engineered it and produced remarkably sturdy and flexible armour thanks to that design and lunar steel supplied by your Elder."

Made sense in my ears and it seems that shut up the crusader even if it didn't sit well with him.

"Any more blatantly obvious questions or did you have an actual reason for coming here?"

At that opportunity the robe clad ranger tried to force his way to the front and waved for the others to step back.

"Sorry about my conflict seeking associates ma'am. I was sent here by instructions of the Head Scribe with the intent of striking a deal."

A very loud and irritated sigh from the princess.

"For the fourth time, we will not lift our trade embargo towards the Steel Rangers until you end your discriminatory policies. You are supposed to be the champions of ALL of us. Not just a select few."

"We are well aware of that ma'am, but this is different. I was sent here on the hope that I would be allowed access to your archive in order to fill in gaps within our own."

She regarded him for a long moment and motioned with her hoof for him to go on.

"This is what we are offering in return."

He opened his saddlebag and carefully pulled out a white orb that seemed to gleam in gold.

"It is a record of Princess Celestia's abdication. Witnessed firsthand by one of the royal guards. We managed to retrieve it during our attempt to liberate Canterlot."

At that several gasps were heard and her eyes widened at the comment.

She actually gulped before she collected herself

"Accepted. You are welcome to stay and study for a year, beginning tomorrow..."

She shut her eyes before continuing

"Your steel clad friends are NOT, we have far too many refugees traumatized by your Order. They will have to leave, immediately."

The scribe turned towards his colleagues and got a comment from the crusader..

"The Star Paladin will be notified of the success, scribe Light."

He nodded and then the rangers begun walking back north, completely ignoring the dozens of guards eyeing them.

***

A personal tour given by the very Princess? Now that is something I didn't even dare to hope for. As this was a rare opportunity I did my best to stay focused and pay attention to what she was saying and our surroundings. We walked from the trade station towards the castle itself on a wide road that probably had been around for centuries considering the cobblestone.

As we were past the gates, the town revealed itself. It made me wonder what sort of mad architect had made this place. I expected some sort of courtyard or at least an open sky, instead we we were in what seemed more like a an ancient cellar despite being above ground. There were hallways and doors to various rooms everywhere. The only light came from torches hanging from the walls, creating a feel of a haunted labyrinth or a tomb. Everywhere were ponies, more ponies than I had ever seen in my life. It was difficult to get a grip on just how large this place was or how many ponies there were, but it was impressive none the less. The place confused and creeped all four of us out whilst the Princess had a slightly amused smile and her secretary? Marefriend? Was stopped every now and then by ponies with stuff they needed to inform the princess of.

Eventually we reached a staircase of rugged stone, walking upwards we finally felt some natural light. Up here it actually looked like a town, stone floor and wooden buildings all around. It was still fairly cramped but it felt a lot less claustrophobic. Above me was the "keep", it looked way too crude and hostile to be the center of a royal castle. I tried figuring out just how tall this structure was and felt a chill down my spine. It literary blocked out the sun.

As we had all stopped to take in the sight little Leaf stated bluntly my exact thoughts.

"This place can probably stop a dragon!" Which caused a chuckle from the Princess.

"It can most definitely can, we have the skull to prove it."

As Wind looked a bit pale at the statement and Amber had a very skeptical look on his face she elaborated

"A few years ago a dragon came out of the woods, a large one and clearly intelligent. It thought the guns were just for show, it was wrong."

Then her associate added as a matter of factly.

"They are 120 mm howitzers, they earned the nickname dragonkillers back during the war. And for good reason it seems."

Afterwards the Princess continued her nostalgic explenation.

"Serves just as well in scaring off Steel Rangers, they were half the reason to why their army neglected to attack our settlement back when they first showed up."

At this I simply had to ask.

"What was the other half?"

And that was one mysterious smile as she looked me straight into the eye and answered bluntly.

"Us."

***

As we walked up to the large wooden doors and entered the castle we were greeted by a group of guards in parade formation that promptly saluted when we passed by. Inside was first a short entrance hall with spiraling staircases on both sides but then we were greeted by a large atrium. On the walls hung banners, three variants. One white with a golden sun, one dark blue with a white lunar scythe and the final one black with a golden star in the middle. Representing the two Sisters and the castle itself I figured. The room clearly also served as a mess hall for the inhabitants as various guards, academics and guests sat eating their dinner.

"Oh, hi mum."

I stated plainly before trying to figure out where the various doors and staircases led. A place like this must have plenty of secrets. Wait... why is everyone looking at me? And why was the Princess give my mother such a curious look?

"We knew that you had a daughter, miss Blackhorn, but you neglected to say that she was a pegasus."

Aha, so they knew each other? Should have figured. Can't go anywhere without my mother knowing it. "Nor that she would be visiting us?"

Mum was slightly hesitant for some reason.

"It didn't seem relevant, race doesn't matter much back in the stable. And frankly I had no idea she was coming here." Then she turned to me and sighed.

"So finally going on that adventure you always talked about?"

"Yep!"

I stated proudly.

"Trying to find some work while we travel around."

And got a worried look in response. Gee, thanks for the confidence, mum.

"Oh dear..." She turned to the princess and asked "Nothing too dangerous I hope? Please?"

And got a smile and a short response.

"Of course not"

Then she turned to Amber.

"PLEASE keep her out of any trouble, Amber."

"I know miss, had to stop her from starting a fight twice already. And saved her flank from a raider once."

He stated plainly, as if he was used to it. And now my mother was raising her her eyebrow on me. Really? Did nobody around here trust me?

***

Well clearly not since she decided to tag along when the Princess showed us to where the "Colonel" had his office. And when I say office, I mean war room. Sure he had a desk and some bookshelves. But also a gigantic map of equestria behind his desk and a large table with a map of the Vanhoover region. On both maps were marks that seemed to represent settlements or factions, with pieces of strings presumable showing roads or trade routes. The buck himself was a brown unicorn with a grey mane and a large scar where his left eye should have been.

"New recruits or contractors?"

He asked with a quizzical and appraising look.

"The latter, and since one of them is the daughter of miss Blackhorn here..."

One dramatic pause later.

"No combat missions."

And with that she led Wind and Leaf away through a corridor, leaving us there with the scarred buck. Not to mention my mother, whom he gave a long deadpan stare before sighing.

"Allrighty then. Ya got a map mark'r on those things right?"

He asked as he rose up and walked towards the table and levitated a small pin.

"We got a problem with raiders ambushing trav'lers coming from down south."

"Aaand how is that not a 'combat mission'?"

I had to ask because it sounded like the thing we weren't supposed to do. Not that we couldn't, mind you. But because my mother had to stick her nose into my career.

"Because we don't need ya to fight them, only to find where their base is. If you can tell me where to place this blasted pin on the map then I can send a platoon to drive them off. We need the trade route open and that is hard enough as it is with all the critters from the forest and the slavers."

"Wait... we have to deal with raiders, monsters and slavers at once?!"

Now that didn't sound like a newbie friendly job to me, or my mother by the looks of it. He shook his head at that.

"Nah. The slavers rarely go past Roadfort, and if they do, we simply shoot them until they stop. Her highness has been very clear on that account. Slavers is one thing she is not willing to compromise on."

He paused for a moment before continuing "As for the critters, you can go with the caravan. We always send a platoon of guards with the Farstriders when they go south. They need the protection and the missus want any news she can get her hoof on."

Now that seemed a bit more reasonable. But...

"Just how many platoons do you got?"

And I managed to once again get a laugh in response to a honest question. Patterns, I notice them.

"Heheh... A few"

And then he winked at me.

"I won't tell ya the 'xact number but yeah. We can protect our borders and send out patrols without any issue. Especially with contractors like ya'selves helping out."

"And the payment?"

"50 bits for the location, with a variable bonus if you find something extra."

And either I had a very confused face or someone had raised an eyebrow at that.

"sigh Well... News about slaver groups, zebra sightings, sudden ghoul migration over the hills, random dragon flying north or any other event that would endanger everypony. I suppose secret hideouts or pathways would also count."

"OK... That makes sense. And if we find any salvage?"

"Yours to keep, or trade. The standard policy is that satisfied contractors are loyal and hardworking. So we aren't too fuzzy about that kind of stuff. We aren't steel rangers after all."

"Anything else we should know?"

"Yeah. I might have forgotten to mention that the raiders aren't ponies, they are bighorners."

***

Turns out mum had her very own room in the castle, and as a result we were staying there over the night. Unfortunately due to the circumstances of our contract we had to make use of a dreaded function of our pipbucks, the alarm clock. And mum was staring at me. And now she was sighing.

"I know I can't stop you from travelling. Just try to not get yourself killed, Wingstripe?"

"Name's Windstriker now, I told you at least 8 times!"

Why can't even my mother get it right?

"And I won't. First off, I am pretty tough. Second, I got Amber for the complex stuff."

"Yes, I know. Sorry, 'Windstriker'. It is just tough changing old habits, especially when it was the name your father picked."

Enough with the wounded voice already, stuff matters. Time to change the subject.

"Amber, got anything interesting off the radio?"

And I got an irritated "shush" combined with a downwards hoofshake and avoiding eyes. So much for that distraction...

BAH.

"Anyhow mum. Please stop poking your nose into everything I do? PLEASE? It is difficult to be taken seriously with my own mother looking over my shoulder when I try to talk business."

"Fine."

Oh, that sounded a tad bit cold.

"But this once I had a reason. I have heard from the scholars here that sometimes Colonel Longshot offers jobs that are less... moral. Even the one you got has large potential risks, so perhaps I am allowed to worry a bit?"

"Yeah. Yeah... I'll be careful and try to not do something stupid. Its a promise."

Seriously, buck this subject.

"So what are you doing here? Since you have your very own room in the castle and everything?"

She decidedly brightened at that.

"I am surprised you asked! They have a lot of talented people here, but they are a bit ignorant when it comes to arcano-technology so I took it upon myself to tutor them a bit. Princess Starlight has talked about giving me an official position of some sorts, either as a senior engineer or as the head teacher in magical engineering. It does sound wonderful but I rather not decide before we figured out who will succeed your grandfather."

Yikes, she does like rambling about how brilliant she is. Insensitive much, mum?

"Still, the technology level of Goldstar is a bit subpar, and so are the living conditions and many of these ponies are a bit too bigoted for my taste."

"Tell me about it! The buck that sells guns and ammo in Blackhoof tried to extort me, then a raider insulted me and the steel rangers made us sleep in the ruins!"

I had heard about this idiocy before I left but seriously? It is even worse than I thought.

"Raider? You should probably start from the beginning, dear."

***

I am seriously not a friend of early mornings, most definitely not a friend of early mornings. If it weren't for Amber I would probably have missed the caravan, as it is I just ended up being mildly irritated. The nigh extreme mist didn't help, it was chillingly cold and I could barely see anything in front of my hooves. I knew of two things that could fix my mood, food and distractions. And since I couldn't eat and walk at once reliably, the latter would have to suffice.

"Hey, Farsight. What sort stuff did you trade?"

I asked the brown buck.

"Hmm? We got stuff from your home, spices and herbs. That sorta stuff, and at Goldstar we got guns and ammo for the south. So supplies for the journey too."

He paused for a moment.

"This caravan goes to Pegasus, whilst the one my daughter runs goes to New Applelosa way south east. And in Pegasus they want every gun and bullet they can get their hoofs on."

"And why is that? Lots of angry loansharks or something?"

He didn't answer, just looked at me for a long while.

"Ya mean you really don't know??"

I know I am a bit ignorant at times but what did I miss this time? This is becoming a bad habit.

"Nope. As an excuse I would like to state that I grew up in a stable in the hindside of the hindside of Equestria. All I know about the wasteland I have heard from somezony or on the radio."

"I see..."

He seemed a bit shocked but I think I he accepted the explanation.

"You can get Radio New Pegasus south of the forest, try listening to it sometime."

A sigh later he explained.

"Is because of the zebras... There is some jerk going around calling himself the new Caesar that has loads of tribes under his hooves. His legion enslaves and kills lots of good honest ponies down there."

"Horse apples..."

How in Tartaros did I miss something like that?!

"That explains a lot actually... Are the steel rangers related to this somehow?"

"Ayep. That Earthquake fellow lived there, gathered up the rangers of that area and left. Joined up with another group and then they ended up here in the northwest. I used to trade with them back in the day."

And that explains why Raspberry Tart didn't want me going near that guy. Weird how things make sense when people actually tell you what is going on.

***

After a few hours we said goodbye as they continued south and we took a break before heading into the hills. Or more accurately, mountains. I told Amber about what I learned from Farsight but he wasn't all that impressed.

"Yeah, that makes sense. DJPon3 never mentioned it but Rambler made it sound like there was a war going on down in New Pegasus. And it explains why some ponies are downright afraid of zonies. I guess they are from the south."

"So how are we doing this job by the way, the whole scouting stuff?"

And Amber looked like he was considering a facehoof, but honestly? That was a common look for him.

"We find a way up the hills, try to find a high vantage point and look around for clues. Hopefully we can figure out if they are north or south of here. The EFS will help us find and avoid any raiders or monsters. If we find any bighorners then we should try track them until we see any signs of a base."

"I can fly around and see if I find anything?"

I suggested.

"NO. If you do that then you will probably get shot. We don't know how heavily armed the bighorners are and there could be other tribes around. Not to mention slavers. We stay on the ground and try be discrete."

"You are probably right, again. So when can I shoot stuff?"

"When somezony shoots at us, or is otherwise trying to hurt us. If we find anything weird I'll tell you. And try remember that we don't exactly have a lot of firepower with us."

"Right... Speaking of weird stuff. That bonus would be nice to get."

"Yeah, but finishing the job unscathed would be better if we can."

Yeah, he is most likely right. But where would the fun be in that? I could do with the combat experience.

"Either way, the faster we get away from the forest the better. It is giving me the creeps."

***

As we trotted up the hillside my mood improved substantially, the terrain was remarkably fun. Rocks everywhere, hidden paths, bushes and loads of hiding spaces. It was basically an enormous maze, and the best part about mazes? You can fly out of them. Unfortunately Amber insisted on us talking as little as possible, and no music. So I ended up trying to figure out what all the various bars we encountered meant. No red ones just yet. Thus far I have found four large birds, six small birds, two small cats, one large cat (that seriously rolled its eyes before disappearing), three rabbits, one griffon flying past and...

"Oooh Red bar."

I whispered as I poked my head around a corner carefully, and promptly retracted it. Turned my head to face Amber.

"Ghoul, and he doesn't seem as friendly as Stormcloud."

We popped up our heads at the same time, trying to get a good look at him. What remained of the buck's coat was a broken grey with a blueish tint, the mane was almost non existent. The cloak he wore was full of holes and tears and the eyes glowed blue. Whenever he breathed he exhaled a small grey cloud that was probably not healthy.

Then was the fact that he was talking to himself, well muttering to himself.

"Hungry? Yeah... Always hungry. And thirsty! The dust is so dry, DRY..."

Then he saw us, looking right at us and shrieking.

"EEEEEEEEEEEHahahaha!! Food AND DRINK."

You would presume that this is when he started galloping towards us like a rabid dog, but no. He trotted slowly. With his eyes wide open and staring. Since I didn't want that buck getting anywhere close to Amber I jumped on top of the rock we were hiding behind.

"Oy, stay back!"

My guns aiming straight at him, ready to perforate him with a single bite. He didn't stop.

"Final warning..."

He didn't stop...

BLABLAM

The bullets hit home, both of them digging deep into his chest. He didn't stop, second round.

Caclick. BLABLAM

Oh dear... He is reading for a jump. And he jumped, with an open maw. One swift turn and a hard buck to the face.

CRACK

Did I just kill him?

"AAAARAAHR!!"

Nope, still alive. Shit. Rifles won't work at this distance, got no pistol nor knife. Hooves it is. So I Jumped up, boosted by my wings. One aerial somersault later I was dropping on him with both of my front hooves hitting hard. He hit the ground hard, then he rose. On his hind hooves, turning as he did so and somehow capable of throwing off me without much effort.

"AMBER!!"

This guy was a bit too durable for my taste. Not to mention freaky, with his lower jaw missing. Huh, so that was what I hit. DAMN, not the time to get distracted! Then I noticed Amber's face behind the ghoul, the boxy pistol in his mouth.

PZEEPZEEPZEEEOW

And the ghoul glowed with a yellow aura for a moment (the eyes turned green in the light) and then he just fell apart. Seriously, it was as if he was made out of dust. There was a weird cloud in front of me and a small yellow pile before my.

"What the buck?"

"Disintegration, occassionally happens with energy weapons."

He looked pretty shaken up, I think he was sweating even.
"I suspect that there was something weird about him, that might have made the disintegration easier. He must have been from Reaper's End, only explanation."

"Hey. You ok, Amber?"

He might get an attack if we aren't careful.

"Hm? Yeah. Should be. I mean, we just got attacked by a cannibalistic ghoul. Mother used to threaten me with these things. It is like a nightmare made real."

Yeah, I think I can relate to that somehow. Oh shit, he has started shaking.

"AMBER."

He seriously looked shocked and terrified.

"Breathe..."

"Yeah..."

He needed a few moments to calm down before he was ready to go on. So I was responsible for the moment. Eyes Forward Sparkle, CLEAR. Sounds? Nothing. Geographical location? Right west of Reaper's End, noted. Hm? What was that in the dust pile? A crystal ball? Why would a random ghoul carry that? And does he have anything else? Some 10 mm ammo, no gun though. Gems? Oooh. These are the topazes we use for our beam weapons I think. Double check EFS, white bar. Right behind us. And when I turned to look it disappeared quickly to the south, interesting.

***

Since Amber needed a rest either way, we paused for a short meal. He helped me reload the rifles and cautiously took the gems, as if they might be cursed. As for the ball he did recognize it.

"Memory orb"

"Which is?"

I was gonna need a better explanation than that.

"A recording of sorts, usually from before the wars. Miss Starlight got one from the rangers remember?"

Oh right. Forgotten that.

"So how does it work?"

"For a unicorn, just focus magic on it."

I raised my eyebrow at that.

"There are machines that let anyone access them, I think there is some Pipbuck add-on that can do it too. But the easiest way is just to either ask a unicorn to look into it or to help you access it. The spell these orbs are based on lets you share memories, which can make you access it."

"Unicorns have it easy."

In more ways than one, the floaty spell thingy felt like cheating. Especially when it came to guns. And writing. Or anything really.

"For once, I agree with you. But we should try to get a look at this, then we can decide if we want to copy it or sell it to someone. Miss Starlight collects these things, as do some other ponies."

"Neat. Decent loot then, for a pretty tough fight."

Oh crap. Should not have mentioned that.

"I am fine now. Thanks, Windstriker. And good call on the ghoul. Definitely hostile."

"Bullets didn't do jackshit though. Maybe we should have gotten some Black Hoof rounds after all."

"Oh, I forgot when we got distracted by the princess and your mother. Goldstar makes those rounds as well."

This time it was my turn to facehoof.

"SIGH... At least I don't have to deal with the jerk then."

Damn that pony to Tartaros.

***

We continued south, Amber somehow not struggling with the rough terrain despite his short stature. Fortunately we didn't run into much trouble on our way and as we traversed yet another hilltop I spotted the bighorner. It was huge, easily twice the size of a typical pony and as I observed it I realized that I recognized it. There had been bighorners living in the Black Hoof, yet I had not paid any attention to them and half forgotten that they existed. It hadn't spotted us and with a snort started jumping across the various rocks and past the next hilltop. As it disappeared I realized that I had no idea if these things are sentient in the first place, yet I had nagging suspicion that they were.

"Shall we follow?"

I asked in a hushed voice. Amber seemed a bit worried, most likely about the size of the thing. It was probably just as tough as the ghoul we found earlier.

"Let's go over that hill, see if we spot anything from there. If there are more of them then I think we should leave, mark the spot on the pipbuck and go back north the way we came."

"And if it is just that one?"

"Then we follow it, carefully."

He paused as he pondered for a moment

"And be ready to get the heck out there. Just remember that I can't fly."

That was one thing he reminded me every other day about, was he afraid that I would just fly off and disappear? Or did he not trust my judgement in the heat of things?

"Got it."

So we crept slowly up the hill and tried to spot whence the bighorner had gone. And saw it stand right besides a large rock, he looked around for a moment before turning back and walking in behind the rock. I tried to spot where it had went but saw nothing.

"Huh? Where did he go?"

I was itching in curiosity and impatience.

"Most likely some hidden cave behind the boulder. I think we might have struck jackpot."

He scratched his chin with a hoof and continued

"Now the question is if we wait and see if any more show up, or if we go up to the cave and see if the pipbuck can designate the place."

"Wait, don't you have to do that manually?"

"Nope, if the place has a name then the pipbuck will figure it out."

Huh, wait. White bar moving. I checked realised that there was a pony sneaking around, a malnourished mare by the looks of things. White coat, violet mane. She carried saddlebags and had an old dirty cloak. Not a fighter by the looks of her, and she definitely looked like someone that needed help.

I rose to my hooves and waved at her, she immediately froze. Staring at me like I was a nightmarish horror that just threatened to eat her alive (You know, like the ghoul we encountered?). Then she disappeared behind the rock, not good.

"We have to help her!"

I exclaimed as I half jumped, half flew down. I could hear several curses behind me followed by the sound of hooves jumping on rocks. When I reached the rock and could finally look behind it I saw a gaping hole of utter darkness behind it. The fact that the sun was setting probably didn't help. Amber hit my side to get my attention.

"If we do this, guns up. And be ready to retreat, we have no idea what is in there."

I nodded as he drew his box of a pistol and we snuck in. There was no light apart from a hole in the cavern roof that probably was very handy during daytime. Now was not that time of the cycle unfortunately and I stumbled on something and fell on my face with a resounding THUMP, which was followed by the noise of a hoof scraping against floor.

But I could see nothing but sheer and utter darkness. As such I decided to switch on the light mode of my pipbuck, which in hindsight was probably not a good idea. Seriously, it wasn't.

Next thing I knew was the sound of galloping hooves towards me and I felt something hitting me and throwing me up into the air, which is usually fine. But did you know that caves come with internal roof spikes to punish anyone who try fly? Yeah, me neither. As a result I hit my wing pretty hard and fell down on the floor, again with a heavy THUD and felt the air leave my lungs.

Then the little light I had faded into complete darkness again.

***

Next time I opened my eyes I saw the faint light of two pipbucks, and I was very acutely aware of a single fact. I hurt, A LOT. Which probably meant that I wasn't dead, which is a good thing. Next thing to check is if Amber is also not dead.

"Hey Amber..."

"Yeah Windstriker?"

Good, he was not dead as well. I think I can work with this, and perhaps make it out of this situation somehow. Whatever the hell this situation was.

"So what happened? Where is that mare, and how fucked are we?"

A sigh later he answered.

"You ran off without consulting me, then you made yourself a clear target and got charged by the bighorner. You might have broken your wing, I am not sure and we probably need to get it checked by a proper doctor of medicine."

He paused for a bit

"As for the mare, she must have escaped through the way we came in the moment the fighting started."

"I fucked up then."

Great... Now I felt emotionally horrible in addition to feeling physically horrible. What is next? A migraine? Hallucinations?

"Yes, Windstriker. Yes you did."

Strange how he didn't sound all that angry.

"As for the situation, I managed to drive off the bighorner. Turns out they don't know much about energy weapons apart from that they are potentially dangerous, it must have thought this pistol was a tad bit more powerful. Unfortunately it left by jumping on various platforms that I can't reach. Then the boulder at the entrance was pushed in place and shut us in."

"So we are stuck then?"

OK, that made things a bit worse.

"Yes, but we have food and water to last a while. And we will not suffocate."

Then he frowned a bit "But if the dude that hurt you decides to come back and brings some friends..."

"Then we are royally screwed."

I stated flatly.

"Yep, this might be it."

He sighed and looked at me solemnly.

"At least neither of us has to die alone, Stormcloud said that nopony should have to do that."

One hoofbump and then we neither said or did anything except wait for dawn to come. Both too tired and broken to talk or eat.

Level Up

Skill Note: Unarmed - 50%

Perk Added: Intense Training – Perception
Either from hard work or because an impactful experience you have grown as an individual and one of your personal attributes has been increased by 1.

Condition Added: Broken Wing
You are not in any state to fly anytime soon and require professional aid in order to recover. This will most likely both be painful and frustrating.

Chapter 3 - A Fearful Encounter

Opening my eyes, I was't sure when I fell asleep. The pain in my wings reminding me of exactly where we were, and our situation. Blinking I realized the cave was bright, it must be close to midday. Now... how do we get out of here before... An alarmed shout, but no words that I could make out. Shaking my head I saw it.

The bighorner wasn't merely large, it was freaking huge. Sure, the fur was long and thick but it could probably give our sentinel robots back home a good trashing. With their bare hooves. A thought passed through me regarding what they could do with a squishy pony, I tried to banish it with little success. The creature walked up to me, with a pair of very angry eyes staring into mine.

"WHY PONY ATTACK TRIBE?"

She asked, not quite shouting but with an impressive volume none the less. Behind her I heard the sounds of more and more of them jumping down into the cave, well... We were officially screwed.

"Ah... We didn't..."

Then she smashed her head onto mine.

"WHY?!"

Well fuck the stars.

"We didn't want to attack anyone!"

I shouted back at her, a moment of silence. A chance, to lie through my teeth.

"We were paid to find a pony that had gotten lost in mountains. I saw her sneaking in and ran straight after her without a second thought. Next thing I knew one of you charged me and broke my wings!"

She stared into my eyes for what seemed like an eternity, then she took a step back. And asked another of the bighorners something. An argument broke out among them, most looked angry, but others looked... worried? Then, she turned back to me.

"PONY NOT ATTACK... PONY STILL NOT WELCOME!! PONY. LEAVE."

And with those last two words she again smashed her head into mine and pushed me backwards. Just how strong are these people??

"Yeah. Sure. Ponies leave!"

I rose to my hooves, picked up Amber and threw him unto my back. Ooouch that hurt. But no time to complain, need to get out of here right now.

"Uhm... can you move the rock? It is too heavy for me."

"HAH! PONY WEAK."

Then she walked to the large boulder that served as a door, and headbutted it. Step by step she pushed it outwards, not rolled it. Pushed it straight out. When she turned around and looked at me I trotted up and out through the hidden passage. Step one, get the hell out of here. And I begin traversing the difficult landscape, realizing that the road was to the west I tried to make my way there.

It wasn't easy, and after an hour I stumbled down a slope. Not all that far, but we hit a small cliff. It was smaller than I would have liked, but after realizing there was no path up here and the road was straight below I decided to take the opportunity to rest.

***

Amber slept for several hours, and I might have dozed of for a while. Yet it seemed that for once, the Princesses were watching over us. No one attacked us, no red bars showed up. I supposed that whatever meat eating creatures lived in these mountains would be going for the loud bighorners and not look for two tired zonies. And the image of the hungry ghoul appeared in my head. I shook my head trying to get rid of it. Taking a look at my pipbuck I realized that the walk back up to Goldstar was not that all that long.

Huh?

'Bighorner Village' was marked on the map, but we never saw it? Did I stumble close to it whilst trying to get back down the mountainside? Well, that was one objective completed. As I was attempting this thing called "thinking" Amber opened his eyes and seemed to be a in quite a horrid condition. When I offered a water bottle he took it and drank, then pulled out some food and ate a bit. On my part I did that as well, might need the energy for the return trip. Is wasteland adventure always this... exhausting?

"Feeling like talking?"

I asked him carefully. He shook his head in reply. Let's hope we don't run into an more monsters, or situations where my lack of foresight gets us into trouble again. And yes, I felt guilty about the whole situation. Us getting stuck, me hurting my wings, him not talking.

We carefully made our way down from the cliff and got to the road, with no one in sight. Just one huge creepy forest on one side and a mountain range filled with horrifying monsters on the other, no biggie... Yeah, we should probably hurry up and get back to Goldstar. I would feel a lot safer with all those guns on our side, and now I think I understood just why the place had such a heavily armed military. It was placed between two places filled with pony eating horrors and the steel rangers in the north.

On that note, my foalish awe at the mare ruling the place was slowly replaced with respect for managing to keep so many ponies safe under those circumstances. That can't be easy. And when I was on the subject I realized that she must had built the place pretty much from scratch. Not the building itself, but the society and the infrastructure.

Huh...

After a while of walking I saw a single white bar on my EFS and felt a sense of deja vu. I glanced to the right and next to a tree sat a white mare with a violet mane. She looked liked she had cried for hours and only apathy was left.

"Hey Amber."

I whispered to my companion, not wanting to spook the distressed mare. As he looked at me, I pointed with my muzzle in her direction. He looked at her for a short while, then back to me and nodded. Lifted a hoof, poked me and directed to the place where I stood. He wanted me to stay here?

As he trotted slowly up in front of her she followed him with her gaze, occasionally shooting glances in my direction. She tensed up when he opened his saddlebags but then relaxed when he pulled out a water bottle and some food, rolled it over to her. Hesitantly she reached for the bottle, quizzically looking at him and then proceeded to gulp down the whole thing. Then she raised a brow in confusion as he pulled out his blackboard and began scribbling on it. I had no idea what he wrote or what she nodded lightly to but I left that discussion to him.

Clearly the mare was terrified of zebras and didn't like the look of my stripes. I knew it wasn't anything personal, but I still felt a bit wounded by it. Then I realized that this probably meant that she was from New Pegasus, and judging by her state she was most likely a refugee. This meant taking her to Fort Goldstar, not that there were many other directions to go from here. After all, I really didn't want to cross the mountains again, even discounting the ghoul infested ghost town on the other side. And hiking through the forest...

At this point I realized that I should be on guard, and turned my attention to the woodline less than a few pony-lengths from me. Even in the relative daylight it looked eerie, like it was sentient and spiteful. With dead trees being twisted into unnatural shapes, not that the living ones looked much better. The leaves and needles looked dark and menacing, hiding shadows that moved about half seen. I could swear to this day that wherever I looked, something looked back. It was about then it dawned on me that I had my EFS on and that there were no bars, white or red in the direction of the forest. So maybe I just imagined things... Or it could be that the Eyes Forward Sparkle only tracks moving objects... stars burn down this cursed forest! It just isn't natural!

I kept attempting to hurl curses at the wood line with my mind, not getting any feedback about any kind of success. Until Amber poked me in the side, which promptly made me jump a fair bit straight up until I realized that I was not being bitten by a strange monster.

"Amber! Don't spook me!"

At which he held out his hoof and made face suggesting a 'WTF, Windstriker'.

Oh right, no talking. He had to get my attention in some way.

"Ah. Sorry.... The forest is creeping me out."

Then I saw that the mare had decided to hide behind Amber, which looked a bit comedic considering the size differential.

"Oh right. Sorry about scaring you earlier, miss. The hills are dangerous and... I messed up. So, again. Sorry."

She pondered the apology for a moment and then nodded. Seeing how I had not heard a word from he mouth I concluded that she either was deaf, mute or like Amber and really not in the mood of talking.

***

Hours later it seemed that either the princesses had scorned us, the stars disliked my curses or the doomponies just hated the surface dwellers a lot. Because either way it had started to rain, and not by a little. It was straight up storm with heavy winds and the occasional thunder. Fortunately by the time the storm had gotten really bad we had the watchtowers of Goldstar in sight and could reach the safety of a roof in not to short of a time. The guards were slightly baffled that we arrived in the weather and insisted that we got to the trade station as quickly as possible.

And as we, amongst other travelers sat with borrowed blankets and warm herbal drinks (I didn't consider this drink to be tea, not even close), the high ranking guard we encountered some days before showed up and wanted to talk to us. I was dead tired and my two companions were currently mute but I rather not be rude to our host in this weather.

"Hey kids, you seem like you been messed up by more than just the storm."

He asked with a slight worried tone. I couldn't muster up much of an answer.

"Yeah... A ghoul, and some really angry bighorners."

At that he raised one brow suspiciously and seemed to take things very seriously.

"No armies or dragons though if that is what you are wondering."

He pondered that for a moment.

"Thanks kid."

Then he took a look at my battered wing.

"You better get to the hospital. Usually outsiders have to pay for treatment but I think the Princess can overlook it in this case. I'll send someone to inform her that you're there."

"Thanks, but we rather rest first."

He nodded at that.

"And I am not sure we know where the hospital is."

Then I heard a beep from my foreleg and I saw marker pop up on the map system.

"HUH?? How..."

"Magic. Don't ask me to explain how that works, I'm just an earth pony."

I turned to ask Amber but he had already fallen asleep. And so had the mysterious mare we had found, first place of warmth and safety in a while I guessed. On that thought, I should really ask about her name in the morning.

***

I must say that there was something to waking up like this, in a fairly large room with other travelers. No threats from monsters or raider ponies, a sense of familiarity with ponies you never met before. Small talk and well wishing. Honestly, I think that nobody seemed to care much about my stripes was what did the trick, just one of the herd. I had befriended several different ponies whilst I waited for the two sleepyheads to wake up. Sure, it probably made sense to catch the sleep when one could get it but I couldn't sleep properly away from home.

But back to the actual subject, I did learn a few things from the other travelers. Two ponies were contractors specializing in collecting memory orbs for the princess, four others formed a small caravan that came from way east, Appleloosa. We gossiped a bit about the wasteland heroine and they mentioned some ghoul author that ran a store in the town. Then there were five ponies that were from some mercenary group down south, had come up here to get a better deal on ammo. They mentioned that they hadn't even reflected on my stripes due to the wings and pipbuck. Finally there was griffon of all things, he (I think) had a thing for energy weapons. I suggested that he could get stuff like that back at the Institute and he was overjoyed at the thought. He complimented me, suggesting that I reminded him of his friend back when she was younger. Not sure if I should be weirded out by him, but he gave me a radio frequency to contact him if I ever needed an extra gun.

Anyhow, I eventually got to eat breakfast with my companions and offered some food to the shy mare.

"So... this is a pretty good place if you need somewhere to live. They take in refugees all the time, and the princess is pretty impressive."

Which resulted in a snort from Amber and a very confused look from the mare.

"She is a unicorn." I explained further as a she mouthed an "Oh". Realizing that it might be a good idea to explain things I heard while they were asleep.

"So the guard captain talked to me last night and said I could get a free checkup at their hospital. He said he would inform the princess about it."

Amber nodded and the mare nodded slowly.

"Oh, you can probably get checked as well."

She paled and shook her head fervously.

"Or... not. Either way, I think you could like it here. Miss?.."

She whispered 'Violette' and smiled slightly.

"Violette, nice name."

She raised her eyebrow in a puzzled expression at that but kept quiet.

***

The hospital turned out to be a decently sized building complex for being built entirely out of wood, and fairly recently too. Or rather, calling it a building was a disservice as it was in practice several buildings that had been interconnected by doorways. The place held what I assumed were offices, storage facilities, a small dining area and dozens of... well booths I suppose, with a bed within each of them and a curtain for privacy. What was remarkable was how clean everything was, there was no dirt except for what we brought in here ourselves. Violette had a similar reaction to mine, this was pretty impressive for post apocalyptic architecture and medicine.

"Can I help you?"

Asked a orange stallion with a crimson and grey mane. He seemed mildly irritated at the unexpected visitors.

"Yes... I was told someone could take a look at my wing. And my friends might also need a brief checkup?.."

I looked at the others, Violette shook her head and Amber scribbled a 'I'm physically fine'.

"Ok, so just my wing then."

"SIGH. Very well, let's get this over with."

At this point I was slightly worried about the quality of my health care, even if it was free. He showed us the way to one of the unoccupied booths and I noted that the bed was made from straw. Eh, could have been worse. As he pulled out a pair of glasses and a flashlight he began asking loads of questions. Exactly what I had done to my wing, how long ago it was and if I had attempted flying with, if I had taken any sort of medicine for the pain etc etc. And too my surprise he seemed to be serious about the whole thing.

"All right... It doesn't seem to be broken, heard that pegasus wings have pretty sturdy wings. It DOES, however, seem to be dislocated. I can fix it but it will hurt for quite a bit."

"OK, I think I can handle it. Will it take long to fix?"

Well, thank the princesses for small favours.

"Naaah. I could get it over and done with in 5 minutes tops."

He pondered for a moment

"You should probably stay here for an hour or so, in case the pain doesn't subside or there are any other complications. I'll tell Doctor Silverbeak to check on you, she has more experiences with wings."

"Oh, makes sense. But shouldn't we wait for."

CRACK

OUCH?!

Some forewarning would have been nice. Aaauh... The bastard actually smiled.

"Nah, fixing dislocations are pretty simple procedures. And sorry for not warning you, but ponies tend to get all stiff and that raises the risk for complications."

Ok, he had a point. Still hurt like hell though and I was still a bit upset. "Now, please don't flap it too much until Silverbeak has had a chance to look at it. I need to go do my actual job now." The bastard was seriously chuckling to himself as he left.

"There is something seriously wrong with that buck" I muttered and then took a long breath whilst trying to relax. "So now what? Just wait I suppose."

Well Amber was far away mentally and listening to the radio, his way to try to relax. And to my surprise Violette seemed almost relaxed as well, as the doctor (I hope?) had disappeared she asked.

"Can I take a look'"

On my wing? I made a confused face and pointed at the damaged wing, she nodded and said some more.

"I know some medicine". Probably more about wings than him."

"Yeah, if you want to I suppose. Just be careful, it hurts like dragonfire."

She got up on her hind hooves and took carefully looked over the wing in detail. Everything from feathertips to the root of the whole wing. Barely ever touching anything, a mighty bit more professional than the buck before her. When she seemed satisfied she sat down.

"You should be fine. Though some painkillers would probably help."

A pause and she continued.

"Is everyone around here as rude as him?"

"Tell me about it..." Then got an idea. "Hey, we could use someone that knows this stuff. Amber is smart but he is into machines, not medicines. If you don't prefer staying here that is."

She looked seriously confused at the suggestion so I clarified.

"We're traveling, exploring, helping ponies and such. I was fed up with being stuck in the stable and not doing anything anything worthwhile so I left."

She raised an eyebrow and looked at Amber.

"Childhood friend"

I explained.

***

We small talked to spend the time and eventually a black and grey griffon wearing a lab coat stepped in. I did noticed that she seemed a bit world weary yet still fierce, this was a doctor? She looked like she might as well rip me apart as stitch me back together.

"You're Blackhorn's kid, ain't you?"

Before I could answer she continued.

"Don't worry, I keep things confidential. In this line of work you have to, or else someone might decide to put a bullet or ten in you."

"Assuming I'm not being rude, can I ask how you ended up a doctor?"

She laughed a bit, and darn she had a sexy smoky voice. Note to self, griffons are definitely interesting.

"Hah! No worries kid. Every professional mercenary band has a medic or two with them. There was a fight way back, some people didn't get along with the boss and left. When all of my friends had gone I got bored and did the same."

It seemed she had gotten into a nostalgic mood and proceeded to look over both of my wings, with what was clearly plenty of experienced behind her actions.

"I freelanced for a bit here and there but when winter hit I realized it was probably a good idea to look for long term employment... Sure, I ain't getting paid in caps but I do have a contract. And I will be properly supplied if I decide to leave again, little miss princess isn't the type to break contracts."

"Hold on a minute, you don't get paid?!"

I asked in honest confusion. She was amused and surprised at my reaction, clearly I had missed something obvious.

"You really are fresh out a stable, aren't you? Nobody here gets paid. Not even the princess. Everyone put in whatever work they can, and they get free shelter, food, water. The best protection outside a Steel Ranger compound, education and of course health care."

Ok... I had clearly missed all of that. Doesn't sound all that bad of a deal, but still pretty odd. Or maybe not, sounded a lot like how things are back in the Institute. Resources allocated according to what is prioritized, the food are evenly divided, everyone have to study.

"Reminds me a bit of Fillydelphia in some ways..."

"How unfortunate, we hoped that Our work here wouldn't be compared with that slaver nest."

A positively royal and familiar voice said as princess the princess of Goldstar showed up. To me it looked like she wore a mask of offense, hiding something else beneath. The griffon sighed at that, like she had this discussion many times before.

"You know fully well that not everything Red Eye wants to do is evil."

"Perhaps. But his methods make him lesser than the least of all his countless slaves."

She stated disdainfully. With her eyes staring down the positively extremely dangerous predator next to her.

"And you know what? He would probably agree with you."

Wait what? Humble is anything but what I have had heard of that foreign warlord.

"And he would argue that if it meant bringing Equestria back, then every sacrifice would be worth it. Every heinous act, and the blackening of his soul."

At that both of them fell silent as they stared at each other for what felt like an eternity, I half expected either of them to beat or rend the other into a sudden and brutal death. This, I realized, was clear evidence that there was more to this mare calling herself royalty than empty words. Back when I first saw her I had thought she didn't belong in the wasteland, now I realized how very wrong I was. And it frightened me.

"I see that neither of you are in immediate danger and... HM... WE, are glad to see that you have returned. When you are finished here, please come by Longshot's office."

Then she turned away and left in determined trot. Huh, well that confirms it.

"And the facade cracks."

Doctor Silverbeak vocalized my thoughts exactly.

"Not that she isn't trying to do the right thing. But she holds herself up to an impossible ideal and takes criticism very personally."

"But you seriously used to work for Red Eye?"

I asked the interesting griffon that I now was certain that I wanted to get to know better. For scientific reasons of course.

"Yep, some years ago. For largely the same reasons I'm here now. It is a pretty good deal, the contract is reliable... and I do respect these people for what they are trying to do."

***

After Silverbeak had triple confirmed my health status we walked to the keep, with Violette seeming at awe of the surroundings and a bit terrified of the AA guns. I was content at not running into my mother on the way up, there was already too much tiring things going on without her being her overprotective self around me. When we eventually got up to the office we saw the three ponies of the princess, her secretary and whatever his rank Longshot. The secretary was talking about something but stopped when she saw us entering, presumably something not for outsiders to hear.

"We're back."

I stated halfheartedly. Not much of a vocal response, they wanted a proper explanation of things.

"And I got the location. The camp was hidden, there is a cave hidden behind a rock. And they jump up to a rooftop exit, I think the camp is just outside."

I pulled up the map on my pipbuck and pointed out the exact location, the buck proceeded to mark it and asked.

"So any info on their numbers or equipment?"

The one eyed buck asked me.

"I didn't see all of them, but there was well over a dozen in the cave when we left. None armed, not that they seemed to need it. They looked as tough as a tank, and strong enough to wreck one. Doubt my rifles could take one down, not even if I emptied the magazines."

"Yeah. You could say that..."

His face a mix of anger and nostalgia.

"Back to the subject of the job, good work. We can handle the raider camp from here."

OK, why did that choice of words make me uncomfortable?

"So 50 bits, or 500 caps if you prefer. And this."

He handed me two piece of paper with the words Private Contractor written at the top. I didn't understand all of it but the first one seemed to be a notice about payment, and the latter seemed to be proof of contract.

"But the contract is over, the job is already done right? So shouldn't we have gotten the this one before we went out?"

Then the secretary answered in a formal tone, and I noticed that she looked fairly cute in her simple dress with her round glasses.

"Yes and no. As contractors you are entitled to a discount for weapons, armour, munitions and food supplies. It is an incentive to consider further contracts, as well as a way to get you to spend your money here instead of giving it to one of the caravans. In theory, it encourages longtime cooperation and make ponies consider retiring here when they are done with their freelance work."

"Huh. Makes sense I guess."

Then my mind actually started bringing up a checklist of things to discuss.

"Oh, and this here is Violette and she might want to stay here."

As I turned my head to look at her I realised she had hid behind Amber again.

"Or not. But there was another thing, we were ambushed by this ghoul who had a memory orb. I heard you collect them."

At that the princess perked up, her face one of curiosity.

"You heard correctly. We currently offer 20 bits for any unverified orb. Less if they are known to be empty, more if they belonged to somepony important."

I checked with Amber for confirmation and got a nod, this was probably a good deal.

"Deal, but is there any way for me to get a look at it before we leave? I am confused and curious about the ghoul who attacked us and why he was carrying it."

"That is acceptable, fortunately We know the spell to link such experiences. If you don't mind?"

Why was I blushing? But I was itching with curiosity at this opportunity.

"Good, as for why. When you go through it remember that it is more than a memory. It is a memento, a legacy and often all that remains of the life of the pony whom it belonged to."

She looked at Amber and Violette.

"Do you two want to check the orb as well?"

They looked at each other, me and her before shaking their heads in unison. Seriously, did we pick up a gender swapped Amber or something? The resemblance was uncanny. Then everything went white and I felt my body hit the floor.

***

This felt wrong. So very wrong. Where the hell where my wings?? And why was everything so tiny? Ok, calm down. Calm down. Focus. Then I realized that my forelegs were a shimmering azure colour, not to mention transparent! Freak out seemed just about right. But I couldn't, and was as a result horrified. If I was panicking, then why I was I still sitting calmly at a desk? There was terminal to the left, a pile of papers right in front of me and a pile of books to the right. Everything was covered in a bright blue light and it took a few moments before I realized that it was the sun being filtered through my body. Is this how Amber felt? Well, apart from being a fair bit shorter. It was about now that I realized that this must be how memory orbs work, I had thought the name was not quite as literal. But no wonder they were valuable. Whoever this mare was checked the time, 16:59.

I... the mare, no we? Anyhow we shut our eyes for a moment and saw a flash of light before us. When we slowly opened our eyes a purple unicorn mare stood in the middle of the office, she wore simple yet stylish suit and carried saddle bags of considerably better quality than my own. Then I was further weirded out as we began speaking.

"Minister Sparkle, right on time."

The voice was calm and professional, and a tad bit cold.

"Thank you for being accommodating."

"It is nothing to worry about. But I had hoped to actually see the city, since we are building a hub here in Vanhoover and everything. So I would like a proper explanation about why I couldn't just have taken the train as previously planned."

This was the minister of arcane science? One of the most powerful mares in Equestria? Ok, now I was properly interested in the conversation.

We got up and stared out the window, the sun was setting. Colouring the city in red, with the buildings casting long, eerie shadows.

"Hopefully it is only a matter of me being paranoid."

A dramatic pause as we turned our head back to the minister.

"But Equestria is holding its breath as the government is being reformed, loosing a ministry mare in the first year might have disastrous effects."

"Enough of being mysterious. Are you expecting an attempt on my life, this far from the front? Have you discovered a zebra plot?"

The irritation was obvious in both her voice and her face.

"Zebra plot, no. There are however reasons to seriously doubt the loyalty of the Van Hoof family. This is the very reason to why her highness appointed my to this task. An influential family with their own private army would... be a considerable threat if not properly handled."

Now I started to share in the irritation with the mare in front of me, speak clearly damn it.

"So it is Luna then that is the issue, they seek to overthrow her?"

"Overthrow her? No, quite the opposite. They are furious that even when Celestia finally stepped down, Luna was turned into a puppet ruler. With you six being the real power behind the throne."

Wait what?

"What... Are you out of your mind?! We have no power apart from what princess Luna grants us, she-"

BOOOM

The building shook and there were panicked shouts outside of the office. We slowly walked up to an intercom and pressed the button.

"Report, what happened?"

We asked in the same calm and cold voice as before, unfazed by the explosion.

"The train! The zebras must have placed a bomb!.."

I could feel the frown on our face.

"Make sure that emergence personnel are properly dispatched."

"Yes ma'am. But..."

There was a slight pause in the voice

"Wasn't there a ministry mare on that train??"

"No, Minister Sparkle informed me earlier that she couldn't make it. Some emergency in Manehattan. So please focus on making sure that the wounded are tended to."

There was a slight surprise in the response but our attention was on the clearly shaken Twilight Sparkle.

"It seems that my fears weren't unfounded."

"How can you be so calm, there are ponies dying!"

"Sorry. I'm not very expressive, it is the reason I was named Icetear in the first place."

Hold on.

"Seems that my secretary leaked the information concerning our meeting."

SIGH

"This is the conundrum of my position. Vanhoover, is for all intents and purposes an occupied territory. Corruption runs deep and none can be trusted."

"How come I never heard of this? I have studied Equestrian history extensively and what you are talking about is all new to me."

"And how much of those studies focused on Vanhoover or the Van Hoof family?"

There was a tense pause in the discussion.

"Indeed, it seems that Celestia managed to remove them from the history books. From what I understand, these are ponies that follow Nightmare Moon and Equestria have been quite content in pretending that they don't exist."

The fuck?

And it seemed I wasn't the only one with that reaction.

"NIGHT-MARE MOON?"

Well, that name seemed to seriously spook the purple mare.

"So what can we do, send in the army and arrest all of them? That would take much needed resources away from the front-line. Do we put Vanhoover in some sort of quarantine?"

"No, but I do have an idea of how to root out the problem. It might take two or three years but it can be done. I have asked our sovereign for a royal decree that the Van Hoof family are to send their guards to the front line, with some word tweaking we can make it sound like an honour instead of an order. In the meantime there will be an army garrison set up in the region, preferably within the castle itself."

"Thus disarming them, but there is still the issue of sabotage and assassination attempts. How can we begin industrializing the city with constant interruptions?"

"And that is the main reason to why I needed to talk with you. I'm putting a special task force together. Your brother is the former captain of the royal guard, as such he must know soldiers of impeccable loyalty. I have sent the similar requests to Minister Dash and Minister Applejack."

There was a short pause and then a clarification.

"Don't misunderstand, the garrison can be regular army troopers but I need a small group that can always be relied upon. A single squad should suffice."

"I'll talk to him as soon as I have the time. But won't ponies take the sudden appearance of 'foreign' troops as an invasion of sorts?"

Yeah, I can see this going to Tartaros very quickly.

"Don't worry. They will be distracted by the constant threat of zebra infiltrators. Also, please transfer ponies from around the country to the region as you set up the hub. With a few thousand of newcomers it should be easier for the task force to hide in plain sight."

How came I never heard of this? Conspiracies, secret meetings and more. This stuff is awesome!

"Sounds like you are going to need to ask both Rarity and Pinkie about setting up hubs here."

"Indeed, and Minister Fluttershy as well. If all the ministries set up at the same time, it will hopefully be less likely to be taken as a hostile action."

"Anything else? I will have to inform Princess Luna about what happened and the plans."

"No, that is all. And please do. I understand that she puts a lot of weight to your words."

A blinding flash later we turned back to the window, smoke now visible in the distance. The sun seemed to bathe the city in blood, with us being a foreign island in a sea of crimson. To my surprise I felt something cold flow down on my cheeks. And heard a distinct Plink as a the frozen tear hit the floor.

***

Then I felt like myself again, and my aching wings. I was, however, fairly dizzy and felt very confused as to where I was. When my mind could finally focus again I saw a gorgeous mare I swore I had seen before. No, not Pear. Oh right, the princess. And when are we again?

"Oh, you have stumbled upon quite a treasure."

She held the orb in magical grasp and seemed transfixed by it.

"Wait... what the hell happened in that memory? I understand that was important, but there was no context."

Curiosity was the one bit of focus I had left in my mind at that moment, and this I wanted to know more about.

"The memory belonged to the Royal Coordinator of Vanhoover, Icetear, appointed by princess Luna personally. The context is indeed the important thing, the old Van Hoof family was supposedly a wicked bunch and it was her primary job to handle them. This particular memory seems to be the first step of the counter conspiracy she set up."

"And the rest?"

"A bit unclear, most of our knowledge concerning it came from a few documents she left behind. Unfortunately little in the way of literature and newspapers remain today. On that note... the archive in Flood Town is the most extensive of its kind this side of Canterlot. Since your Institute has a better relationship with them, consider us interested if you can find anything relevant."

"Speaking of which, how much are we getting for the orb?"

"200 bits."

OK, I couldn't have heard that correctly.

"Wait, we are getting four times as much for an orb we picked up from a ghoul than we get for risking our flanks doing the actual contract??"

"As we said, quite a treasure. Sable Quil have been hoarding Icetear's belongings for over a century. It is most difficult to get hold of such objects these days. And as a mare with an interest in ancient history, there is a lot to learn in these things when you pay attention."

Amber poked me in the side and requested for us to leave.

"Yeah, sure. You go on ahead and figure out what stuff we need. I'll get the bits."

He looked at me for a moment then nodded and he left with Violette. First I seriously need some guidance and I figured this mare was already in a talkative mood.

"One last question miss."

I sighed deeply and continued.

"Before a few days ago I never really SAW the wasteland if you know what I mean. Before that I just walked oblivious to all the death and rot around me, like a total moron."

She nodded in agreement.

"And the question?"

"How haven't you gone insane from all that? Now that I notice it, half of me wants to shut it off again. I jump at shadows and get nightmares that doesn't seem to end when I wake up. How does anyone notice it and not blow their brains out?!"

"By finding your Virtue and never ever compromise it."

She stated calmly, as if her entire face was mask again.

"You know the whole thing about cutie marks, unique talents etc etc? A virtue is like that. When the wasteland has ground you down the virtue is what remains. It is what keeps you going in the darkest hours, what defines your character. Find it, or there will be nothing left of you."

I nodded, sounded reasonable.

"What is yours? If it isn't too personal I mean...."

"Sacrifice."

***

When I met up with Amber and Violette I was surprised. Glad, but surprised to see Amber being in a talkative mood again. He was sitting and explaining things to her, the various towns and groups in the area by the sound of it. Note to self, don't mess up now. I know it took time for him to feel confident after a non-talking mood. So I sat down next to them and listened.

"If we end up going to Vanhoover then we would got to Northtrade first. It is as much a gigantic market as it is a town. Most scavengers either live there or visit regularly. As I heard you can find basically anything if you pay enough attention. But there is lot of competition, two major caravans go to the place lots as well as many smaller groups. Even the steel rangers have people there to get their hooves on stuff."

I raised a hoof.

"Question, what are the caravans?"

He laughed, a good sign. But I was seriously curious about this. So I should try to pay attention.

"The Woodridge Caravans that goes from Blackhoof to Goldstar, continue past Flood Town and up through the farms to Northtrade. Then they go east to the steel rangers and back to Blackhoof again. The other is Heartbeat Caravans, they go all the way up to our Stable but skip Flood Town and the farmlands. They get a better price for technology as if the rangers don't pay up, we will. There are even some zonies working for them, providing tech expertise."

He paused moment, seemed to consider something and continued

"I should probably mention the third big caravan. Farstrider Caravans, we traveled with them for a bit. As I understand it they go to New Pegasus for the most part."

"Yeah, but they are trying to go to Appleloosa too. I talked with the owner for a bit. Nice buck."

"As I was saying, the last big one is the Sunset Caravans. They aren't from around here but travel between New Pegasus and the Black Hoof, the owner is supposedly a fairly scary mare. Anyhow, the prices of various salvage, food and stuff vary between the caravans and where they are on their route. However, they all buy salvage in Northtrade, guns in Goldstar. Woodridge buys food at Flood Town and Heartbeat buys herbs and spices at the Stable. Not sure about the Sunset one though."

Violette was absorbing all she heard and it reminded me to ask.

"Hey, Violette. Not that I mind, but what made you not want to stay here?"

She tensed up a bit then whispered.

"She reminds me of my mother".

"I suppose I can relate to that, my mother works here and she is nagging me whenever we meet. Anyhow, what are you good at? If we are going to travel together and all."

"Robotics mostly, but I know some medicine from my studies."

Great, another egghead. I am officially becoming the dumb one in the group. That however, is a rude thing to say.

"So if we find some robots lying around you could fix it? We can have our own combat robot?"

She looked surprised then added.

"I can try".

Level Up
Perk Added: Tough Hide

It is especially true in the Equestrian Wasteland. What doesn't kill you make you stronger, as a result you gain +3 innate Damage Threshold.

Quest Perk Added: Wartime Investigator

Either due to professional interest or unhealthy curiosity, you have begun investigating the various secrets and lies of wartime Equestria. Your perception and charisma counts as 2 higher for this purpose.

Chapter 4 - Ghouls and Ghosts

"A pair of old Colt Firearm rifles eh? Rangemasters by the looks of it."

The Small mare was filled with ecstatic interest as she looked at and proceeded to disassemble my old rifles.

"Hmm, definitely a post war production... But pretty good quality. Where did you buy them?"

"The Heartbeat caravans, the Institute has a few lying around since most zonies prefer beam guns."

She nodded checked the receiver for something with some sort of magnifying glass that almost looked cybernetic. Whoever this mare was, she certainly seemed to know more about guns than I did.

"That would explain it, seems to be a Black Hoof production, a few decades old but scarcely used. I can offer 1 400 caps for the both of them."

I took a look to Amber but he just shrugged, it did sound like a lot of caps but I honestly had no idea.

"Actually... I hoped to get something else in exchange? Something that fits a brawling zony more?"

"Uh-huh."

She took a look at my wings and then started sorting through boxes filled with all sorts of weird guns and then exclaimed:

"Found it! Now where is the other one?.."

I stretched my neck to try to find what the stars she was looking for, some short ugly thing that looked more like scrap to me than anything else. Then she threw both on the counter.

"OK miss, this here are Trottingham machine-guns. And not the cheap mass produced crap they produced later in the war. No, these were built back when Celestia still sat upon the throne."

"Oooh. What else?"

This might be an odd reason for purchasing a gun but eh, I don't care.

"They were deemed too expensive to produce in large numbers, but they are far more sturdy. And most importantly they exist in more calibres than just 9 mm, these two are made for the heavier .38 round. Which means .38 Goldstar rounds."

Now I was really interested.

"How many bullets?"

"Each mag holds 34 rounds each, if you are going to use both that means 68 rounds. Should last the whole fight if you have any trigger discipline. Just remember to clean the guns regularly, machine guns collect a lot of dust and grime."

"I'll take them!"

Although Amber had rolled his eyes he had offered no protests. I did most of the fighting and the rifles didn't cut it, half the time I missed and if I managed to hit then it was against some monster that just shrugged it off like nothing. Due to an unexpected increase of funds in the from of a certain memory orb we purchased 4 sets of fully loaded magazines as well as spare spark batteries for Amber's pistol.

We had then spent the rest of our caps on medicine and food. The vendor had suggested radhog meat, a proposition that none of us took well. What is wrong with wasteland ponies? When had they decided to randomly eat the carcasses of dead animals?

***

Then we finally stepped out on the road north and it seemed the horrors of the last few days were nothing but a bad dream. The sun managed to shine through the grey sky, as the clouds had finally run out of the deluge they previously dropped on us. In fact the combination of Celestia's blessing and my new fancy guns caused me to whistle to myself, which wasn't fully appreciated.

"STOP WHISTLING!!"

Amber shouted with enough force and surprise to send me tumbling.

Ouch ouch, wings OUCH.

I sat up and scratched my aching wing.

"Was that really necessary?!" I shouted back.

Then he tölted up to me with Violette struggling to keep up.

"You know full well that I can't stand whistling. Do something else."

"Like what? I can't sing. And YOU know how bored I get if I only do one thing at a time. It is not like I can fly at the moment."

I realized that Violette looked between us and appeared to be in a state of distress.

Sigh

"Don't worry, this is normal."

Amber snorted at that, Violette looked mostly confused. So I tried to explain.

"We are childhood friends. More specifically we were the weirdos in our age group, and neither of us is really used to traveling. He does most of the thinking while I do the talking and the fighting. So... pointless bickering like this happen from time to time, mostly when I do something stupid."

"Yeah, like assaulting a shop owner, picking a fight with the steel rangers or rushing a raider. Take your pick... Radio. Turn on the radio, should provide enough distraction."

I blinked.

"Good idea, what channel?"

"Black Hoof, local news matter more when we are on the road. In case of raiders."

"Black Hoof it is."

I struggled for a moment but then managed to both turn on the radio and increase the volume properly. And this time I remembered to turn on the Eyes Forward Sparkle, in case of raiders as Amber said.

"...the far north. You see, my dear ponies, the weather back in the day was a lot calmer. A lot more controlled, with thousands of pegasi keeping the clouds in check. And with the guiding hand of princess Celestia, the winters were calm and gentle. I know I know... That sounds like an old mare's tale but our scorched elders, Administrator Sable Quil included, swear by the name of the Sisters that indeed. Our ancient records are true. And as such, is it much of a surprise that quite a few ponies decided to settle in the north at the foot of the Bighorn Ridge? Interestingly enough, the ponies stuck between said ridge and the northern Luna Bay had more diplomatic contact with the ancient bighorners than with the rest of Equestria. And as such, they grew into a quite distinct culture. A culture of fierce strength, determination and stoic silence. In fact, it was in this cultural environment that Icetear was raised in... But I am getting way off track, these ponies were largely left out of the war due to their isolation. And when the bombs fell, and Equestria with it... The climate turned wild, a lot like the old stories about windigos. It is the event that our historians call The First Winter. As even if there were winters before, it was nothing like it is today. And during that winter, the frostponies had little choice but to leave their ancestral homes behind. Sigh This, my little ponies is when the story turns..."

BOBOBOBOOM

I stopped and turned my head back to the southeast, distracted by the chorus of thunder. That was way too regular and odd to be just the weather...

Goldstar! The gigantic guns. Did something attack the castle?

"And in case anyone was wondering what that sound was, I can calm your nerves. We have been informed by Goldstar that there had been trouble with raiders alongside the southern road, and this is to be expected. As such, the cannonade is the sound of safety for travelers. It seems that miss Farstrider was correct in that the princess do take border security quite seriously. You know what, on that note. I haven't actually heard a report of zebras north of Roadfort in years..."

Wait. No, hold on... did they just blow up the bighorners with artillery? Not send a "platoon" to drive them off? They actually used guns meant to kill dragons, on a raider tribe? Hopefully they didn't have any children with them...

"FUCK!! I gave them the coordinates, they just needed to aim and fire. I freaking killed all of them!"

Both of my companions jumped at my sudden outburst, Amber didn't seem to get the problem.

"Uhm, Windstriker, they were raiders. Isn't a good thing they're gone?"

He raised one eyebrow at me.

"Did we really know that? That it was really them and not some other group of bighorners? Or what if they had children, did they deserve to as well?!"

My mind started conjuring up images of innocents merely trying to survive, and then being blown to bits.

Due to me, my actions.

"The first is highly unlikely, and either way you aren't responsible. We took the job to protect innocent travelers, we finished it and then either the princess or that old buck decided to kill them. We had no way of knowing that it would happen."

"Still... I don't like it."

"You don't have to. If you don't like working for Goldstar, then we can just avoid it. There should be plenty of job opportunities in Flood Town either way."

"How in the name of Tartaros does the Stable Dweller do this without getting innocents caught in the middle?" I wondered out loud.

"I suspect that she is a hardened wasteland ranger or something, with the experience to know what to do. We didn't, simple as that."

Why was he always right? Especially at times like these? I wanted to feel horrid, and he made me just feel like I made a small mistake. Then Violette piped up.

"Who is this 'Stable Dweller'?"

***

After an enthusiastic rant from me, with Amber poking in with things I had gotten wrong I decided to start the radio again. This time DJPon3, I needed less wanton slaughter and more idealistic heroes. He seemed to be in the middle of a long-winded rant about the management of the tower he lived in and them discriminating against ghouls. Huh...

"At least someone out there get it. Why does so many ponies have to be jerks about what you look like. I can't help I was born with stripes. Not that I would change it if I could mind you, I am proud of my stripes. They are rad and badass, just like me."

"Hey Windstriker? You are kind of preaching to the choir here. I have known this dragonshit longer than you have and I don't think Violette is going to burst out into a bigoted tirade all of sudden."

"Yeah, but it makes me so damn frustrated. Can't people just live and let live for once?"

"In the wasteland? Frankly, no. People would rather kill or be killed most of the time."

"Well something has to change then. Big time..."

My brain started working in overdrive attempting to figure out what the problems were and how to solve them. Golden Starlight (my mind refused to call her a princess after certain experiences) seemed to have the right idea, giving people a chance and working towards a common goal. But what about the steel rangers? Are they here to help ponies or are they equestrian warlords? Like Redeye? That buck seemed to at least try something even if his methods are horribly wrong.

New question, what can I do to help fix things? Kill the bad ponies and zebras? Is that going to be enough? I am too dumb to figure out tech that can help ponies grow food or purify water. Heck, I seemed to be too dumb to figure out whom I should shoot to begin with. So what in the Stars' name do I think I am doing with this journey in the first place?

"And that was Sapphire Shores reminding us that The Sun Can't Hide Forever, one day Celestia's light might shine on us once more. At least I hope so, these days I seem to only see rain and and thunderstorms in Manehattan. On the bright side, it keeps the bloodwings indoors and the manticores far from my windows. But enough about the poor weather, it is time for the news. It seems that the Steel Rangers in Trottingham have a stronger sense of morality than the rest of their kind. They are working with local authorities to establish trade lines and hunting the dangerous critters in the area. Speaking of rangers actually helping ponies for a change, remember that group that left Manehattan a few years ago? The ones that wiped out a major slaver camp west of Canterlot? Unfortunately it seems their efforts proved only temporary as the place known as Liberty's End is back in business, this time funded by the new Ceasar's greed. Selling enslaved ponies to other ponies is bad enough, but selling them to a zebra warlord?? That is a new level of facehoof material."

"Hey, Amber, slavers don't travel this far north right?"

I asked slightly worried about the subject. Still, it was a reminder that we seemed to be sheltered from the greater conflicts of the wasteland.

"Hm? No, not as a rule. Vanhoover is largely cut off from the rest of Equestria. With the Wyldwood in the south, the hills to the east and the Aurora in the north. Any slavers would either have to traverse the wilderness or go past Goldstar. And both them and the rangers claim to shoot slavers on sight. Some show up at Roadfort occasionally it seems though, but we don't plan on going close to that place anytime soon either way."

"So it should be a nice simple trot to Flood Town right?"

"Hopefully, but there are loads of weird critters in the forest."

OK, flashbacks to glowing eyes in the forest. Not reassuring.

Violette raised a hoof.

"What sorts of critters are we talking about?"

I honestly had no idea and looked to Amber for his expertise. Then he pulled out a book of all things.

"Let's see here... Vanhoover chapter, Wyldwood... Cragadiles, timber wolves, dragons, radhogs, bloatflies, basilisks, hydras, sea serpents and... ghosts it seems."

I silently mouthed 'what the buck' and followed up by jumping off the ground and shouting.

"You got to be kidding me?!"

Half of them sounded made up and the other half sounded absurdly dangerous if encountered alone. What was I even supposed to if we ran into them? Ask them to form a line?

A slightly irritated crystal pony continued.

"As I intended to say before you cut me off... Most of them never leave the forest, and it seems only the timber wolves are a threat enough up here to be worried about. Fortunately they burn well."

Then he tapped his beam pistol with his hoof.

"On that note, your E.F.S. Is it active?"

I tried focusing my eyes and saw three white bars, one in the forest.

"Yep, seems that way. And there is something in the forest. Not anything hostile it seems."

Then several red bars appeared around it and we became quiet as we heard a howl from the woods. The white bar remained, someone might be in trouble. I turned to the others.

"I think somepony might need help in there. Do we run in?"

Amber looked hestitant and Violette looked afraid. Buck it, time to try out these new machine guns.

"My decision then. Violette, find someplace to hide. Amber, back me up."

Then I kicked the safety off and ran headfirst into the direction of the monsters. Hearing swearing behind me, and sounds of combat in front of me.

As I ran past the trees and through the bushes I was spooked by some of the branches moving. And those where the glowing eyes I had seen earlier, and jaws. Big jaws. Shit. I reflexly activated S.A.T.S and as time ground to a halt I realized that I could check what was going on before I opened fire. OK, big wood creature in front of me. More big wood creatures to my left... And a colt? Yep, looked like a colt. Midair, no wings and some sort of chainsaw knife in his mouth. What to do what to do. These monsters are easily twice my size, brawling would be a bad idea and so... I aimed the targeting spell at the two glowing orbs staring at me in silence and bit the trigger.

Time began speeding up again and I felt the rattle at my sides as two streams of bullets flew into the beast. When the spell had finished the creature burst into an explosion of sticks in front of me. NEAT, Trottingham machine guns are way better than rifles! I turned to my left, saw the colt jumping straight into an open jaw, with the chainknife loudly munching loudly on the wood. Somehow I didn't think the creature was expecting that. On that note, opened fire into another of the creatures. The bullets punching through the wooden hide and...

it just made it angry. And now it is jumping towards me. S.A.T.S, aim at the eyes and...

RATATAT.

Another exploding pile of sticks. Then I heard the sound of a beam gun.

PZEEPZEPZEEOW

And another of the creatures lit alight in magical flames. It shrieked in pain, the one eating a colt began coughing loudly, beating its own chest and broke apart with a gasp. The rest ran away as at least a third of the pack had died in seconds. The colt seemed unphazed by the battle. Spitting out the knife and yelling.

"Ey, I got it und'r control!"

I blinked in confusion.

"What?? I saw a white bar and then a bunch of red ones, I can't just ignore a pony in trouble when I run into one!"

"Trouble?! It was just a pack o' timber wolves, not like they were dragons or nothing!"

Wait, weird dialects aside... I took a good look at the colt I was convinced we had just rescued. Dry, broken skin, slightly mad eyes... Oh. GHOUL.

"OK, OK... Sorry about stealing your thunder... Anyways, nice to meet a ghoul that isn't trying to eat my face off."

Might not have been the best choice of words in hindsight...

"Oy, I only do that when I'm on Rage. Or Stampede. Or if drunk and somepony pissed me off properly. Speaking of pissing me off. Who the hell are you ponies?!"

Then Amber returned with Violette, wait. When did he run off to get her? Anyhow, Violette out a sharp "EEP" and hid behind a tree.

"I'm Windstriker, the red one is Amber and the other is Violette. We're private contractors, and hopefully heroes if need be."

"Ya're what now? Heroes? In the wasteland??"

He stared at my wings for a moment and then noticed the pipbuck.

"Oh just run home to Zony Town before you get yourself killed, kids. The wasteland is not worth the effort, trust me on that one."

Well, that was a change in tone.

"Look, we know how to take care of ourselves and what places to avoid. And I dare say I kick enough ass for all three of us if need be."

He frowned his nose at that.

"Perhaps. But seriously, you have no idea how messed up the world is. The Aurora, Canterlot, Hoofington, Splintered Valley. Equestria hates ponykind these days, and if you are lucky then you just get killed..."

An uncomfortable silence followed, which was broken by an even more uncomfortable question from Violette.

"Are, are you ok? That looks like horrific burns and radiation sickness, how are you even standing?"

Her previous fear had been replaced with a worry and empathic care, the sign of a medic I suppose.

"Huh, yeah. Just a balefire bomb or two, nothing to worry about. I'm not one of all the weirder ghouls out there. Seriously, the Canterlot ones give me the creeps."

"BALE-FIRE. BOMBS. How are you even alive?? Or sapient for that matter?"

OK, so I'm not the only one a little unused to ghouls it seems. The ghoul in question seemed to mostly be melancholic, or nostalgic. Fortunately that meant he took little offense.

"Don't ask me, lady. I may experiment with chems but I ain't no scientist, ask Stormcloud if you want a proper answer. Me? I prefer staying alive and doing whatever I do and try to not think too hard about the whole thing. Probably what kept me sane all these years."

He paused for a moment.

"You ponies absolutely sure you can take of yourselves? Sounds like yo're straight out of a stable or something. I'll protect you til we reach Flood Town, then you're on your own. Got business to take care of."

Good, I got a feeling I'd like to talk to this random stranger. Call me chatty, it is what I do.

"I think we'll take you up on that, even if it is a bit ironic. How far is it?"

"Pretty close, we'll reach it tomorrow. Distances around Vanhoover are nothing compared to the greater equestrian wasteland. There is a mostly intact house on the way there that is used by the caravaners, we'll rest there."

***

Evenings have never looked so terrifying. The sun had gone past the far edge of the cloud cover, bathing the landscape in a deep crimson. My disaffection for the forest increased with the groaning of the trees and occasional strange roars, fortunately whatever was making the noise decided to not bother us. To make things worse, the tiny ghoul (who called himself "Earthbreaker" by the way) stopped us with a low voice.

"Some shit is wrong."

He sniffed in the air.

"Blood, recent."

I heard a gulp from the Violette and the sound of a beam weapon charging up from Amber. Hold on, checking E.F.S. Nothing. What kind of horror story is this crap?

"I got nothing on the E.F.S, so what are we expecting?"

"BAH, can't trust that junk. Too many blind spots."

He stood silent for a moment.

"Be quiet, be ready."

Then he began stalking forward with an eerie lack of noise, we followed. Towards the overgrown villa. Dark metal spikes stuck out from the bushes, presumably a fence once. An ominous stone structure lied in the middle, the wooden wings of the building had since long rotten through and fallen apart. Then we came upon the bodies hidden by the tall grass.

A shriek pierced the silence as Violette stumbled over the first corpse. Breaker facehoofed, yet there was no sudden ambushes. No sound of any wild creature. Yet my E.F.S. Flickered with a red bar to my right. I jerked my head in the direction and saw a faceless void in the shape of a pony looking back. I blinked, and to my surprise it was still there. A few quiet moments later it disappeared along with the warning on my E.F.S.

"Windstriker... did you see that?"

So I wasn't going crazy, good to know.

"Yeah..."

I got bad flashbacks to stories my mother used to tell me, about evil ponies sacrificing their souls to fool death. About waking nightmares that devoured the spirit of the living.

"Everypone, INSIDE. NOW."

Our traveling companion was seriously spooked (urgh, horrid choice of words). Nevertheless his suggestion sounded fairly reasonable all things considered, so we began running.

The front doors were hanging slightly off the hinges, and were promptly smashed open when Breaker tackled it hard. We ran past him and he proceeded to buck the door shut. The entrance hall had a remarkably sturdy staircase on the lefthoof side, some doors to the right and most noticeable a main hall in the front with an amber glow dancing in the darkness beneath the open doors. Somepony, or something was here.

"OY, who's the idiot who dumped CORPSES in a Van Hoof manor?"

Demanded our furious ghoul friend. An amused "In here" echoed from within the hall, I noticed a large armchair with its back to us, a hat hanging on one side and a crow sitting atop. Gazing at us, judging if we were to be a threat. I readied my battlesaddle, a distraught Amber held his pistol in a tight grip and Violette seemed to shrink in size from the oppressive environment.

As we walked I found myself distracted by the humongous portraits on the walls, in a near pristine condition. Well dressed purple and blue mares and stallions staring down on us, condemning us for infringing on their home. I really wanted to be somewhere else, but running back out wasn't an option. Then my gaze turned back to the dancing flames of the fireplace as Earthbreaker proceeded to buck the armchair with remarkable force, sending the pony sitting in it straight into the wall and the crow up into the air with an angry Caw.

"What did you do that for??"

The beige buck shouted, his dustcoat and mane all tangled up.

"I don't much know, perhaps disturbing the souls of the damned might have something to do with it?!"

And the shouting match between the bucks had began.

"What else was I supposed to do?! The bloody headhunters didn't want to wait until we had left and besides... the ghosts will be gone by morning anyways."

The buck began fixing his mane and threw his duster to the side. Revealing his barding and revolver.

"No, they won't! They're Van Hoofs!"

"Oh, I didn't... know that."

The stranger scratched his forehead.

"So who the fuck are you anyways?"

"Fiver, at your service sir."

He had the nerve to smile. And the ghoul facehoofed.

"Of course, a freaking courier..."

He grumbled lowly. Then said courier noticed the rest of us.

"Oh my, not every day I encounter such an exotic beauty. Might I have your name?"

He held out his hoof in a greeting. Which I promptly smacked away, not in the mood for these horse apples.

"Windstriker, and is there a reason to why I shouldn't just shoot you right now?"

"Just my type then. Anyhow, if you shoot me then you might invite the ghosts outside to come in despite the wards on the building. And as such, disturb your chance for a safe place to rest."

"Still Tempting."

This whole thing was just plain surreal.

"So, Earthbreaker. What is the plan?"

"Wait til dawn, send this idiot out first and then make a run for it. Straight to Flood Town, they know this shit better than I do."

The little ghoul sounded profusely irritated.

"And if the courier does anything weird I'll break his limbs. Just the ones he doesn't need."

It seems like the threat was taken seriously as the courier in question shut up and didn't bother me anymore after that. We had an uncomfortable snack and an uneasy night of sleep, but morning came. And true to his word, Earthbreaker made sure Courier Number 5 left first. After an uneasy look outside he was promptly punted out in the yard and after struggling to his hooves he galloped away to the east. No ghosts in sight we left and all four of us ran straight in the other direction.

***

We ran for at least half an hour as hard as we can until we slowed down as neither Amber nor Violette could keep up. In fact, she had a few choice words that I didn't expect from such a timid pony.

"Is all of Vanhoover thrice damned, royally screwed, and a general clusterfuck abandonded by the Princesses?!"

"Pretty much, take ya pick between gangers, beasts, raiders and worse."

Our more experienced travel companion answered with a small grin on his face.

"And to think that ponies in Equestria think it is some sort of paradise. Not that those foals last the winter. Vanhoover likes to throw ponies into the storm and those who survive are like me, monsters filled with regret and rage."

Then Violette turned to Amber and me.

"And you two travel this place willingly?!"

"Well, I was bored."

And I shrugged my wings.

"And she would not have lasted through a single day without me."

Amber added.

"Bo- BORED?? You ponies are out of your mind!"

"Hey miss, let's be reasonable here. Being bored is a perfectly reasonable reason to do a thing, is the only reason to why I still have my senses about me. And by Vanhoover standards, these two are perfectly sane. At least they carry guns."

"Excuse me?? I'm an biomechanical engineer and a certified medic, not a soldier. I haven't even shot a gun before, I have survived thus far. Not everyone has suicidal tendencies you know."

"Great... you'll fit right in when we reach the town. At least most of the zonies have a healthy paranoia..."

Oh, plot hook!

"Hey, you have actually been to Flood Town. What is it like?"

He first went silent for a long moment.

"Like before. Before the bombs, before the assassination, before the wasteland. Not sure if I'd say its better, but its like the world was back then."

***

We reached the gates by midday. There was a large moat stretching towards the north side of the town, with a large mound and wall on the other side. If the ranger fortifications were raw and tough whilst the Goldstar walls were simple yet well guarded, these walls were actual proper walls. Stone works several ponies tall, with wooden structures on top. The moat really gave the impression that this was inspired by some ancient equestrian castle design. The gate, likewise was a proper heavy wooden gate with ropes and pulleys. Guard towers with snipers on both sides. Yet there was something else that was different. Their attitude.

"Hey, shorty! Weren't you banned for life?"

"Up yours Goldmane! The Administrator reversed that decision months ago! I got stuff I need to talk to her about, are you going to let me in or what?"

In response I heard some engine whirr to life and the gate opened up to reveal... another gate. Was this some form of joke? I looked to our guide but he just walked up and we followed. Then the gate behind us closed and I was getting really freaked out, the fortifications in here were just as thick and the parapets were filled with ponies armed with rifles, machine guns and... rocket launchers?! I flicked on my Eyes Forward Sparkle, yet everything was still white. Then they opened the internal gate.

This time the tension didn't fail me. A wide main road opened up before us, and stretched out as far as I could see. Before this I had no idea that timber houses could look so impressive and menacing, they were everywhere, upper floors stretching out over the street. Yet it seemed serene, like the air was warmer and the street was inviting. I took to the air, I had to get a better view of this place.

It was huge, not tall like Goldstar but it stretched on and on westward and into the forest to the south. I took to the air in order to get a better view. The whole town seemed to be built in districts, divided by the main road, a central marketplace and and the road south to a district that was decidedly old equestrian. This wasn't a town, this was a city. I could live my whole life there and never explore all of it.

***

When I had my fill of the scenery and returned to the ground, our ghoul guide had stayed true to his word and left. My proper companions however were talking with a pair of guards who patiently waited for my return. One guard was a thin pony with a white coat, a silver mane and a blank facial expression, the other buck was decidedly more friendly, had a glittery golden mane and a flamethrower of all things. I assumed this was "Goldmane".

"Good thing you came back when you did, I was about to ask Silver to wingclip you."

He was joking right?

"Flying above Flood Town had been outlawed the last century, the Administrator has made it very clear that unidentified fliers are to be shot on sight."

"And here I made the mistake of thinking this place was friendly. You had to be as shooty as the rangers or Goldstar."

"Hey, I didn't make the rule. The last pegasus in Tall Tale died decades ago, any flier is either a spy, a dragon or a blood wing. Hostile either way. Anyhow, your friends explained that you wanted to visit the library? Main road to the market, then left to the old town."

"Riiight. One last thing though, why the firepower?"

I pointed my wing at the positively unfriendly weapon of choice.

"Scares raiders, scares beasts, or I just really like burning things. Take your pick."

***

The friendliness of the place was surreal and when a group of foals ran past laughing someone had to raise the question in all our heads. Violette decided to be the one to break the silence.

"If they can fit all of these ponies, feed them and keep them safe. How haven't they rebuilt everything else around here?"

Amber being the only one who had at least read about our history was hesitant to answer.

"According to our teacher back home things used to be a lot worse outside the walls, only reason we can walk freely in here is that we have a history of cooperation. Tribe to tribe, most ponies not affiliated with a caravan wouldn't be let in at all."

Still rubbed me the wrong way.

"Yeah, but did you see the ordnance they were packing? They would blow even steel rangers to bits if they wanted, and they have had what? Two centuries to do what they want? Who even is this mysterious 'Administrator'?"

"Wait, were you hyped about Goldstar just because the word 'Princess'?"

Amber looked like he was about to facehoof again.

"You seriously have no idea do you?"

"Please explain to the outsider as well as the ignoramus?" Did Violette just insult me? It sounded like an insult.

Amber let out a loud sigh and recited:

"Administrator Sable Quil of Tall Tale, chosen by Royal Coordinator Icetear of the Equestrian Government, on her royal highness Luna's authority."

A stunned silence as both of us needed time to process the statement, I think I figured it out.

"Wait wait wait. She is the Sable Quil from the Vanhoover Provisional Government? As in, this place isn't ruled by some descendant of the government? She IS the government??"

"Poorly worded but I think I am following."

Violette seemed to be grasping the magnitude of the matter as well.

"The last remnant of the ancient equestrian government, and if I assume she has lived for two centuries then she has two hundred years of rule to solidify her authority as well. As impressive as that is, it just makes the previous question all the more important. Why hasn't she done anything in all that time?"

"Don't ask me, I don't know everything. But we are going to a library, you can ask there."

Level Up

Skill Note: Battle Saddles - 50%

Perk Added: Hunter
You specialize in fighting wild animal and magical beasts, dealing +75% critical damage against such creatures.

Chapter 5 - By the Victor

Flood Town, or Tall Tale as the locals insist on calling it, was a remarkably nice change of pace. No monsters, no stares, no insults. A haughty air of arrogance at most from the locals, but the inhabitants were still remarkably courteous and helpful ponies. I even learned a bit about how the city functions on a practical level from a very eager earth mare and her tiny (relatively speaking) dragon assistant.

Turns out that the city operates on an ancient "guild system" where foals pick a job and learn it from more experienced ponies, and are defined by their role in society more than any other factor. Not entirely unlike how things work back home in the Stable (this seems a bit more strict though). Anyhow...

Back before the End the major decisions related to the city were made by a vote among the highest ranking guild members. But that was before martial law was declared and the Administrator took control. These days it functions more like a monarchy of sorts.

After a long rant from Bookhorse (yes, really) I more or less got the various guilds hammered into my head, seriously she is more efficient than the teachers back home. First one is the Tall Tale Militia, that serves as both their army and their hunters. The group claims to be several hundred years old and was formed to protect against the wildlife to the south. Second are the Arcano-Engineers, eggheads all of them. Kind of obvious what they do. Next are the Peacekeepers that somehow is the name for the people working in the hospital, supposedly due to it being an old ministry hub. Fourth are the Chroniclers, and that is where we currently are. They are responsible for the library and teach the foals to read and write. Then we have the Workhorses, who represent a whole third of the population. Supposedly a large part of the farmers in the whole damn region were part of this guild. Finally there are the "Artisans" that "are responsible for maintaining a sense of civility and culture within the city".

GAAH, bored and now I can get to the point at hoof. We wanted to know a bit more about the wartime history and the provisional government that followed, ideally finding something that a certain self declared princess might pay a decent weight in gold for. When we reached the library, an impressive stone structure way older than my tribe, we were sent to previously mentioned earth pony. Purple coat and scarlet mane, made we wonder if she was related to the Van Hoof as she looked a fair bit like the portraits back at the haunted villa. Very friendly, a bit cute and extremely dedicated.

Her familiar was smaller than her, yet remarkably well spoken (not to mention sarcastic) for supposedly being a baby dragon. She is a black dragon, with orange spikes and golden eyes. When I pointed out that having a fire breathing dragon in a library might be a bad idea she got pretty offended, as she had pretty good control of it. And according to her foster mother, the books were both fire and water proof somehow. As to just how and why a pony librarian adopted a dragon of all things, she bought a dragon egg from the weird dragon cultists living in the old preserve built by Amethyst Van Hoof during the war (did she have to add every single detail?),

***

"And that's how Equestria was made!"

"For the third time, we asked about wartime Vanhoover. Not prehistory."

First time I ever met a pony worse than myself when it comes to staying on topic. Was fun the first hour or so, but this was getting ridiculous.

"Oh! Why didn't you say so? Smog, get the books."

"You mean the ones on the table, that I brought half an hour ago? Whilst you blathered on about rock farms? THOSE books??"

"No need to be rude about it, no idea where you get that attitude from..."

And turns out whilst I listened to a long rant my two egghead friends had already began digging through the pile of books. Clever ponies, clever ponies indeed.

"According to these old newspapers Vanhoover was an esteemed and ancient city, but the scale of the Great War meant that it needed to be industrialized with modern factories, power plants and the rest. But the zebras kept sabotaging the process."

Violette pointed out.

"But there are few mentions of the Van Hoof family."

"Ah, that old family? Give me a moment."

Our host pulled out one specific book from the pile and opened it with a loud thud.

"Basically, some of the aristocrats were working with the zebras. Dozens of the loyalists were assassinated over the years before the traitors were apprehended. As a result, Mr Amethyst became the sole heir to the family fortune."

"Go on, why is this buck important?"

Something was off with this story, but finally on the right track.

"Long story short, he sold the old Van Hoof castle to the government, opened up the two lunium mines and basically financed every major project in the region. He was something of a folk hero during the war."

"Like what exactly?"

Violette asked.

"I know of lunium, there was some form of failed energy project?"

"Failed?? The lunium reactor worked perfectly, but the smoke was irradiated so princess Luna forbade any more plants from being built. Favoring other projects instead. But the Lunar Plant remained operational for the entirety of the war and even during the provisional government."

Now that sounded like some neat tech.

"As for other projects, the most successful one was the lunar steel it was known in the marketing. It is an super resilient alloy, used in some steel ranger models. Might be relevant, Goldstar has made a fortune forging it over the last few decades."

"Ooh, interesting. Any other fun projects?"

Now this was a subject filled with all sorts of stuff that could be interesting.

"Like bad ass weapons or something?"

"There were... certain classified projects but I barely know the basics and we are forbidden from sharing such information with outsiders. Imagine a raider gang finding out a stash of balefire egg launchers."

"Bad idea, got it. Anyways, I got questions about the Van Hoofs and Icetear. She thought they were evil cultists or something?"

So there was something that could get her to stay quiet? The silence lasted a full minute before Smog interjected.

"Are you going to stay stunned like that all day? Not that it wouldn't be a nice change of pace..."

Then the normally talkative pony muttered to herself.

"I suppose it would make sense... the institute keeps a record of their own."

Then she scratched her chin.

"Not many ponies know of that part. Well... yes. They had a lot of strange occult traditions and a certain disdain for Canterlot. Not Mr Amethyst though. He was educated in the Crystal Empire and had a proper pony education, alongside Misses Sable Quil and Icetear in fact."

"Could you go into a bit more detail on that? Isn't the Crystal Empire a myth? I thought nobody ever found it?"

"Of course it exists, both Amethyst and Icetear were half crystal ponies. Like your compatriot reading about liquid crystal reactors over there. The Crystal School wasn't quite as esteemed as Celestia's or Luna's schools, but still quite respected."

"And the princess of love?!"

"Mi Amore Cadenza? Hold on, I think we got a photograph somewhere. Smog!"

"The class photo? Isn't there a picture of it in Sable Quil's autobiography? Which is already in the pile?"

"Oh right! Good thinking, remind me to give you a raise."

"You don't even pay me in the first place..."

***

There was something distinctly surreal about the old photograph. Like ponies out of myth showing up in real life, the pink princess of love looked positively royal. Not as majestic as Celestia, more elegant cuteness in the style of Luna. Yet more gentle instead of mysterious. I realized that this probably meant that the stories I was told as a child were true, that she vanquished the queen of the changelings and some ancient evil king of shadows. Strange how you never hear her mentioned by DJPon3, that buck seems to be pretty well informed otherwise.

As I had gotten my fill of awe and wonder I took in the rest of the picture, in addition to the princess herself there was about two dozen students and two teachers. In the middle I saw the tall azure mare, with that distinct crystal sheen. She had a short buckish mane, rectangular glasses and a look that suggested she wanted to bash the photographer into a bloody pulp. I was all too familiar with who she was. To her right was a cheerful purple buck with a white mane and an expensive suit, presumably the mentioned Amethyst Van Hoof. On her left was a cute black mare with a sapphire mane matching her eyes, and a dress to match. What stood out to me was that her eyes definitely were on Icetear and I most certainly knew that look.

Then I noticed the pony should be the most obvious one to me, a pale magenta pony with a purple and turquoise mane. A unicorn, and one of the teachers. A face I knew well from posters, paintings and the history books back home.

"Hold on, isn't that Director Glimmer? Amber, take a look."

"Huh? Yeah, that is definitely her. Looks just like the portraits, the history books and the statues."

"You know, never thought about it before. But are all ponies named Starlight horribly pretentious?"

Why was everypony staring at me?

"What?"

Stunned silence, really? This time Bookhorse recovered more quickly.

"Anyways... Not sure how I missed that Director Glimmer was a teacher in the Crystal Empire. Teaching the mane three even, wonder why the Administrator never mentioned it... Neither in the auto biography, the history books or the diplomatic archives. It seems like an important thing. You know what? I'll think I'll make my next project on her."

***

Lunch, lunch was good. A nice outdoors restaurant, a pair of friends and a break from the most eccentric of eggheads. What could go wrong? Of course, I shouldn't have asked that question.

"So Windstriker, how come you are flying days before schedule? Either you are some form of mutant or you might hurt the healing process."

I spat out my food.

"Yeah.. About that. Never been good at waiting, so I bought some chem called hydra. Worked wonders really. Why didn't any of you suggest it?"

BWAK

And that is the sound of a synchronized facehoof. Impressive feat I must say.

"Is she always like this?"

An 'ah-ha' later Violette sighed before continuing

"Look, Windstriker... First rule of medicine. Don't take any drugs without your medic's approval. At all. EVER. As for this specific case, hydra is an regeneration injection designed for battlefield use. For when you don't have the time or skill to perform emergency surgery. Extended use cripples the individual's natural healing processes, requiring more and more hydra until the body gives up and shuts down. Permanently."

"No drugs, got it muuum. Ok that came out wrong. Anyhow, change of subject. Did anyone else think there was something off with the story Bookhorse told us? Not that I trust the self proclaimed princess much anymore but the memory orb I checked is probably accurate. Icetear sounded more like she was preparing for war than anything else."

Amber munched on his stew before answering.

"You do realize whom she answers to, right? The Administrator has a vested interest in hiding the more clandestine parts of the old government, wouldn't even surprise me if she has actual orders to do so."

"Local history aside, do you two have a plan?"

Violette looked betwen us. We answered in unison.

"What plan?"

And that is the third facehoof during this lunch.

"I..."

she took a long deep breath.

"I can't believe this nonsense. Aren't you supposed to be some sort of wandering... What were you exactly again? Freelancers. Was that it? What is the exact plan for the visit of city? Just a tourist visit?"

I scratched my mane.

"Well kind of, the original plan was to visit the major settlements around Vanhoover. Figure out the geography, politics and do minor jobs in the meantime. The princess offered caps and bits for something harmless so it seemed like a safe bet."

"Aaand?"

"If there are any interesting jobs here we might take them instead. If not then we either go back to Goldstar or take a visit to Northtrade. That place is supposed to be filled with ponies, junk and jobs."

I paused for a moment.

"But we haven't gotten to the important part of the history lesson, The Vanhoover Provisional Government"

I stated with an over dramatic voice that would have made my old teacher proud.

***

When we returned to the library Bookhorse was nowhere to be found, supposedly locked herself into a room with a score of books and told Smog to keep us entertained. Something the black and orange dragonette seemed to resent more than a bit.

"Great. Now the dorks are back. And mum ran off doing egghead stuff. Again."

"I know that line. You're bored."

I helpfully pointed out, slightly weirded out by being called a dork.

"Really?! What gave it away? The bad ass dragon being surrounded by ponies? In a library of all places? With a gigantic flammable forest filled with flammable creatures just a short flight away? But noooo. I can't do that because that is dangerous, there is a DRAGON living there!"

"Speaking of dragons, are there a lot of you around here?"

"In Tall Tale? Nah, just me. Alone. In the region? A big one in the forest, another huge one nesting on the Van Hoof Tower in the city ruins. And a few dozen southwest somewhere. Of course I can't go talk to a single one."

The most dramatic sigh ever followed by a tired statement.

"Look, I'm supposed to help you and I'll do it. The faster you are out of my scales, the quicker I get to do something actually fun. And before you question my knowledge, consider the pony I live with."

"So about the provisional government and that stuff? I suspect my teachers weren't all that thorough back home, due to our ancestors being in a stable and all that."

"That mess? Sure, not like I haven't heard the story a hundred times already... Part one, bombs fall. All the big cities get wiped out; Manehattan, Fillydelphia, Canterlot, Cloudsdale, Las Pegasus etc etc... Every damn city in the kingdom except Vanhoover and Tall Tale. There was a big missile going this way but it overshot by a fair margin. The mountains in the south and the wild winds probably messed with the trajectory big time. Ever hear about the Aurora?"

"I take it you don't mean the pretty lights in the night sky"

Violette asked curiously.

"Nah, it is what the huge glowing crater straight north of here is called. Go past the Dusk Mine and you can't miss it. Can usually see it from Vanhoover if you stand at the coast or climb a tower. Whatever the zebras concocted it definitely wasn't a balefire bomb. Most of those have died down over the centuries, but the Aurora is still going strong. When the weather gets really bad the blue glow supposedly grows tentacles and trash everything within its reach. Not to mention all the radiation it throws up into the clouds when that happens. One of the many reasons nobody with a sense of self preservation goes outside when it's snowing."

I shared a look of doubt with my companions, some things in the wasteland are just too outrageous to be true. Sure, I just encountered some soul eating ghosts from ancient evil aristocrats. But there are limits to the insanity of the wasteland. Right?

"Part two. Equestria dies, Vanhoover remains. Icetear declares martial law, all food, medicine and ammo production gets confiscated and managed by the new government. Despite a sense of public despair and plenty of ponies running off into the wasteland, society remains civil. Vanhoover like the rest of the large cities relied on food imports from the heartland of Equestria, so ponies disappearing ended up being a good thing in the long run. After a year or so the raiders started appearing, the Goldstar Garrison and the militia manages to keep them out through superior organization and firepower."

"Ok, back up. How the hell did they manage that? Canterlot gone, ministries gone, no food etc etc."

"I'll second that question if you may, was there some form of contingency plan prepared before hoof?"

Violette added.

"Right right. No. Not that I know of. However, between Icetear and the Van Hoof they had nigh total control of the region. A large part of it was that Amethyst was basically deified by the commoners. But Icetear was an official representative of Luna and a close friend of said buck, so when he kicked the bucket she could leverage that support to legitimize her new government."

"Wait, he died? How?"

"Most likely suicide, the bombs fell, the Van Hoof Tower activated the shield and it hasn't turned off since. No answers on the radio and nobody has managed to get in after two hundred years. Only thing that comes out of the place is the dragon I previously mentioned."

"Just when everypony counted on him? Really?"

"Well yeah. He was supposedly a very passionate pony, made him popular among the public. But he was also deeply in love with Luna and viewed the entire industrialization of Vanhoover as gift to her. So she Canterlot fell, I guess he couldn't take it."

The dragon pulled out yet another book from the pile and flipped through it.

"Regarding to how they did it? Icetear was something of an administrative genius supposedly, days after the End she had made it public that she was managing the region from Goldstar, with Concord Pear and Sable Quil acting as her administrators for Vanhoover City and Tall Tale respectively. She gave each an emblem of her authority, lunite crystals in the shape of her cutie mark. There was also Colonel Goldstar who handled the defense of the region, his regiment was supposedly fairly elite and took to their new duties well."

"Isn't that the gem in Golden Starlight's tiara?" I had been a bit distracted at the time by... other details, but I had learned to not trust coincidences. And that was a mix of a groan and a sigh, didn't know dragons could make that sound.

"You're not mistaken. There are three of them. One for Concord, which has been handed down in the Pear family through the generations. One for Sable Quil, whom still wears it as part of her formal attire. The third, was Icetear's own and that one was lost... Then it was found again, and again and again. Each time with some new warlord trying to take over the region. The bloody idiots have even started a prophecy, about how when the three Tears are united the government of old will rise again and somehow save everyone. It has been a major headache for the Administrator over the years, and has led to yet another rumor that no government may be formed without her approval. Making her out to be some form of mystical oracle, like she was a zebra or some shit."

"Honestly, not the weirdest shit I have heard this week."

Or experienced, the wasteland is messed up.

"How bad was it? After the bombs I mean."

"Compared to before? Tartatos. Compared to today? Practically a utopia. After the first year that is, a lot of ponies died early on. Then the population stabilized and the food shortages weren't even nearly as bad. The new administrations were set up, the army and the militia handled security and most notably, people started being hopeful again. As expected of ponies, they started deifying Icetear and half forgot about the princesses and the ministries. A lot of the common folks outside the walls still view Celestia and Luna as little more than ponies who happened to have ruled before Icetear, part of the history books and little else. After a decade of surviving against all odds it looked like Vanhoover would even outlast the wasteland."

"I assume something else came up then? What led it all to ruin?" Violette interjected once again.

"Exactly, the Coordinator was assassinated. Presumably by a zebra infiltrator. They kept attempting to sabotage the war effort in the region and the rifle was captured. Both Colonel Goldstar and Administrator Concord were killed in a similar fashion and our own Administrator took several 10 mm rounds from a traitorous guild master during the same day."

"Highly suspicious."

I added.

"To say the least. At the time many pointed hoof towards major Fireblood, known to be ambitious and didn't get along with the civilian rulership. If miss Quil had died then he would be in sole command of the entire regiment as well as the region. So a lot of ponies turned up at Fort Goldstar demanding that he released the stored food to the public. It ended in a bloodbath. Riots escalated and when spring happened the major was dead and only Tall Tale was still standing."

"Question! Since everybody else was killed with such ease, how come Administrator Sable Quil has managed to survived? She is a ghoul right? I have fought ghouls before, they are tough but not THAT tough."

The dragon laughed.

"Yeah... You haven't met her. She isn't just some random ghoul, she is the freaking queen of ghouls. Loads of idiots have tried to kill her since then, all failed. There was even the one time a particularly spectacular moron shot her with a disintegration grenade, that event ended with her shoving another grenade in his mouth and watching point blank as he turned into a pile of purple ash."

"Uhh..."

What? Just what the hell? I might not know the technical bits about that kind of weapon but I do know what they do. A disintegration grenade is enough to melt a tank, or a group of steel rangers, or a full grown dragon or... Whatever else absurdly dangerous thing there are in the wasteland.

"Hoooow?.."

"Well. I don't know the fancy science behind it but... You know the Dawn Mine?"

We shook our heads.

"Reaper's End?"

At that we nodded instead.

"Well, it was a lunium mine before the zebras blew it up. Sable Quil was doing an inspection and was caught in the blast. She was the only survivor, so she basically became a super charged ghoul. Of a rare breed."

***

After I had shocked my two companions with the obscene act of buying a pair of books we decided to hire a hotel room, "Hotel" being a local dialect for tavern (quite proud of myself for figuring that one out). Violette was notably frustrated by not having her own room but was grudgingly accepting the argument of saving bits. None the less, having access to a shower and a proper bed was a nice change of pace. And between the three of us, the price wasn't all that bad. As for sleeping arrangements, Amber was conveniently short and claimed the sofa. Violette ended up being remarkably shy, insisting on sleeping in her cloak. Not to mention she seemed depressed and partly relapsed into the state we first found her in. Me, I found my head filled with all sorts of confusing thoughts and conspiracy theories. Since the others had already fallen asleep I decided to check if the radio stations would still be active.

"... You are listening to Black Hoof Radio and I am Rambler, telling you everything you want to know and half of the rest whilst I am still at it. For the news I can inform you that the old power plant is now in the control of the Chimaeras and they are reportedly heavily armed. But relax, the new leader has announced that the group have ceased all raiding activities and are following the Daughter's example. In other words, they are no longer raiders but rather a professional mercenary company. The lunium power plant is their official headquarters and captain Fafnir has declared that all travelers are welcome to seek shelter for a modest fee, clients seeking their services can also find them in Northtrade and here in the Black Hoof. Notably they have already gained the recognition of the caravans, Goldstar and even Flood Town. Otherwise I can report that there is something of a gem rush in the old City Center, the moderate success of the Steel Rangers and the rising prices in technology and old secrets making it a lucrative and dangerous prospect for prospectors all over the region. The queen's jewel, the Van Hoof Tower, however remain untouched despite countless attempts at breaking through the security defenses. And the third and final piece of major news is that there have been changeling sightings all over the region, in remarkable numbers compared to the last decades. Whether this increase suggest an actual invasion or merely better routines by the caravans and the rangers is as of now unknown. As for the location of their nest there are countless rumors but nothing substantial. Speaking of rumors regarding changelings, the weirdest one yet is that ponies are extinct and we are all changelings but just don't know it yet. And here I thought that I was crazy!"

Never before in pony history has there been an individual that lived up to their name so well...

***

In the morning we were woken by hard knocking on our door, followed by loud shouting.

"Open up, the Administrator has summoned you!"

What? Seriously, what?!

More angry knocking.

"Yeah yeah Getting up!"

I have never been a morning zony, so if they pissed me off I would have broken bones. Fortunately they waited until I had opened.

"Please explain?"

The two earth ponies outside were dressed in leather armour not entirely unlike my own and decently armed. One had a battle saddle with two automatic rifles and the other had some lever action carbine. The carbine mare answered first.

"Our orders were to bring your group to the Town Hall first thing in the morning, per miss Quil's personal instructions."

She relaxed a bit.

"Don't worry, I don't think you are in any kind of trouble. Can't say more than that however."

"Can we at least pack up and get ready before hoof?"

My two companions were slightly confused and somehow had a worse morning than I was having. Irregardless we were on the way within minutes, with my stomach growling as we skipped breakfast.

And as such a bad mood was settling as we were escorted to the ancient skyscraper that served as the main hub for the local bureaucracy. Supposedly the only one to survive the flooding that earned the city its common name. It was an impressive building, obviously one they had dedicated a lot of care into the maintenance of. The paint was barely cracked, the windows were intact even if a bit dirty. All things considered it towered over the ancient trees surrounding it, I couldn't even begin to to guess the height or number of floors. And here I had considered the Institute building back home to be tall, with its mere 8 floors in the central tower. Our two escorts were visibly disappointed when we failed to be impressed with the greatest wonder within the tower, a working elevator. Me and Amber were a given, but neither was Violette, making me wonder at just what her background in New Pegasus was. She really didn't like talking about her past, not that I could blame her. Things were supposed to be borderline Tartaros down there.

We were led into an office that put the local princess to shame and to my surprise there was a trio of heavily armed griffins waiting for us inside. Then I noticed the owner of the office and felt my skin crawl.

“By Nightmare Moon...”

Was all I could utter as a pair of glowing sapphire eyes stared straight into my soul.

Level Up
Skill Note: Speech - 75%

Perk Added: Comprehension

Despite claims to the contrary you have an uncanny ability to notice patterns and attain a deeper understanding when reading skill books, magazines or listening to the rants of an Egghead

Condition Removed: Broken Wing

Chapter 6 - On the Hunt

Since Luna was viewed in a more positive light in Vanhoover compared to the rest of Equestria there were no tales of Nightmare Moon coming to take ill behaving foals away. No Nightmare Night, no evil ruler of the night. Yet there was a mare of darkness, a mare so terrifying and so evil that adults shuddered at her name. Even the most resolute of ponies knew better to mock her. For the Undying Sorceress is eternal, and her thirst for souls is never ending. The exact identity of this mare of legend was unclear. In some stories she is an unicorn, in others an alicorn. Back before the war many claimed that she was Celestia herself, deposing her sister in her mad desire for power and majesty. According to my mother she was once a beloved princess who ruled over her people with fairness and justice, until the day she wove a mighty spell. Every one of her subjects fell dead, and she rose above all mortals in power and glory. Whether she was maddened by the transformation or if she had always been twisted was unclear.

I had put little stock in the legends, I was foolish as always. The black mare before me was no ghoul, she was far to beautiful and far far too alien. Her coat wasn't just black, it absorbed the light around it, giving her royal blue dress the appearance of a dark foreboding sea. Her mane glimmered faintly with a blue light, not entirely unlike Starlight's spectacular appearance, and her eyes... They reminded me more of the arcano-alchemical light of our sentinel robots back at the stable than the eyes of a pony. Scratch that, they reminded me of the eyes I had seen within the forest. Then I noticed the tear shaped gem hanging in a necklace, slowly pulsating with the same sapphire glow. This, I knew, was a mare worthy of the legends I had grown up with and I suddenly feared for my very soul.

"When you are done gawking like a group of foals, we have business to discuss."

The ominous mare stated in an irritated voice. I realized that my two companions were both attempting to hide behind me, clearly terrified. The griffins in the room looked skeptically at us, one of them even rolling their eyes. OK, we were clearly embarrassing ourselves.

"Business, business is good. What are we talking about? Salvage? Courier work? Armed Escort?"

Trying to sound more confident than I was. Still, business is better than a firing squad. Business, I can work with. Soul eating monster mare or not.

"Courier work, or head hunting if you prefer the term. One of my citizens recently decided to take a gamble when she was visiting the Black Hoof saloon. A gamble that unfortunately will cost her."

OK, this sounded like a few steps above our pay grade. But then again, working for the administrator of Flood Town is a decent opportunity.

"More specifically she stole an artifact from miss Pear, and these griffins have been hired by her to bring it back. Our culprit ran off straight south into the Wyldwood, which is a problem."

I really didn't like the sound of this, at all.

"And we come into the picture how? Sure we can handle ourselves, but we aren't exactly wasteland survivalists."

More like wandering toaster repair ponies to be honest. We really needed a second gunner in our team now that I think of it.

"That part we are responsible for, one of our best scouts will act as a guide. The griffins will act as the armed escort, whilst you will be responsible for tracking the culprit in question. I assume you are aware of something called a Tag?"

She lifted an eyebrow in a curious look.

"Wait, she has a pipbuck? Huh, well yeah. If you have the Tag. we can track her, and I dare say I can fight for the three of us if need be. "

So she didn't need us specifically, she needed someone with a pipbuck. Big trek into a forest filled with predators and ghosts...

"We could use some extra supplies, including whatever you use against the ghosts. And what's the pay?"

She chuckled, hopefully a good sign.

"Lieutenant Morning Dew will arrange for the supplies and how to handle any danger, she has traveled through the forest alone several times. As for monetary compensation, I assume 400 bits would be enough? Not counting the free supplies and whatever miss Pear might decide to offer."

I blinked at that. Some mares got money to throw around evidently. And risking ones life could be very profitable.

"DEAL!"

"Good, do you want the bits now or sent to the Institute in case neither of you makes it back?"

***

Violette decided to state her opposition to the job very loudly, on the whole elevator ride down. To the griffins great amusement. None the less she stuck with the group and demanded to handle the healing potions and anti toxins we were handed. Comments lack of weaponry from the griffins was met with a fierce glare before their leader was satisfied. Then we discussed fighting styles and party roles whilst we stocked up on ammo and food. The white griffin by the name of Snow Wing that was the spokesgriffin of the group decided to take charge, presumably from a sense of experience and seniority.

"So we have our medic and scout then. Gondul is the best sharpshooter amongst our Talons, whilst Gyda prefers close quarters." The rifle made out of reddish brown wood and black steel suggested that Gondul was the grey and crimson one, whilst the grey and beige one held a large bored shotgun. "Whilst I am the captain of the Snow Talons and if I might suggest it, should handle the plans if we run into any threats that need to be neutralized."

Must say, it will be a nice change of pace to have extra guns on my side.

Not to mention, wings! Wait, she was looking expectantly at me.

"Oh right, I'm a brawler. And dare I say, pretty darn good at it. Amber here is my back up, you should see what he can do with that beam pistol of his."

"Energy weapons, great... Good thing Gilheim isn't here."

And that is apparently how a griffin facehooves. Facetalons? Facepalms? Equine terminology can be quite limited at times.

"Actually, magical weapons might be useful. It scares the ghosts and we don't have a unicorn in our hunting party."

The grey and green earth pony mare told us.

"With a little bit of luck we won't have to deal with the critters in there, ghosts however I can almost guarantee."

Snow Wings shared look with me and then vocalized my thoughts.

"Ghosts... I have seen my share of weird crap in the wasteland. But what exactly are these 'ghosts', how are they dangerous and how do we deal with them?"

Of all reactions, Morning decided to shrug. Not exactly inspiring.

"Like I said, ghosts. black pony spirits that show up out of nowhere and disappear just as quickly. As for what they do, they eat your soul. Not all in one bite, just a little nibble most of the time. Painful and freaky as hell, but usually not lethal. As for what to do, travel in groups if possible. They prefer loners, and if they do show up you can scare them off. Not with bullets though, magic however..."

One loud groan from Violette later.

"IT DOESN'T WORK THAT WAY! Souls. Do. Not. Work. That. Way. Magic doesn't work that way! Is everyone around here either a killer or an idiot, or both??"

"Ayep, pretty much."

Stated the griffin I assumed to be Gyda.

***

The good news is that we had a plan, the bad news is that it was a plan that was pretty stupid. Even by my standards, which is saying something (just ask Violette about that part). According to Morning Dew the thief we were hunting was doing the sensible thing and following the road south from the lumber camps, which meant that we would be doing the same thing. Whilst most of the monsters stayed away from the road... the reason to why this was the case is that it was prime haunting territory. Which freaked me out a fair bit, and even unnerved the winged mercenaries.

In due time we would find some cottage deep in the woods that was supposedly safe, and where we would stay the night. Then we would continue and depending on the direction we would either go off east to some old camping lodge or go the whole way to the southern end. If, and I mean a big IF, we were lucky then we wouldn't have to go into the deeper parts of the forest. Fortunately, our guide claimed to know where the dragon lived, the serpents and the really big haunting spots. Unfortunately however, she didn't seem to take the whole venture all that seriously. First example:

"OK, I got to ask. Why do you have a crow roosting on your head??"

"Hm? You never seen a guard crow before? Don't you have them back at the institute?"

"... WHAT? Seriously, what??"

There is something seriously wrong with the ponies in Flood Town, they are all weird and potentially crazy. Only explanation. And why was she looking me like I was stupid? She literally rolled her eyes at me!

"Look, between raiders critters and ghosts there is always something dangerous to look out for. So we have crows to help us look out, they are smart, small and generally helpful. I would never travel through the woods without him, little Soot has saved my life on several occasions."

In case anyone wondered why I love wings this is where I made a double facehoof and kept flying forwards. As on cue the bird started making noise, and the whole party started freaking out. Have you ever seen battle hardened griffins freaking out? They would have burned down the whole forest if they could, fortunately they couldn't (Or perhaps unfortunately). Then we saw the figure, a few meters to the side, sitting underneath a particularly ominous tree. This particular ghost pony was definitely different from the one we faced before. The one we found at the old villa gave off an feeling of hatred and hunger. This one... in comparison it seemed to be mildly irritated and confused at our presence. The tension was killing me, so time to do something stupid.

"Wait, what... windstriker?!"

Violette shouted at me as I did possibly the most sensibly stupid thing in my life. I flew up to the pony shape until I could almost reach it, a mare by the looks of it.

"Heya, I'm windstriker. Who're you?"

I half expected some nightmarish attack, like it spawning tentacles or something. Instead it turned its head, looking curiously at me (which was extra ordinarily creepy as it had no face, not to mention eyes!) before it vanished in thin air. OK, that was anti climactic.

"Eh, this one seems friendly enough. How many of these things are there?"

I asked as I shrugged my shoulders.

"Dunno, a few dozen? A hundred? Never seen more than a few at a time, they seem to have their preferred places. Most of them are like this one, I think? Monsters dislike them either way, like really dislike them!"

Snow flew up, with a cigar in in her beak.

"And that is the reason we are on the road. So they are mostly a creepy annoyance then? Can we safely ignore them as long as they don't attack us first?"

She eyed me for a moment before giving a short approving nod. Is every ferocious lady griffin out there trying to gain my attention, or is that just how they act?

Then the rain started, and night soon followed. And I really began regretting my decision to take this job, The forest during the day was a creepy forest filled with monsters and strange pony ghosts. The forest during the night was a waking nightmare. Sure, we still didn't really run into the wildlife. But we heard them, the serpent trashing in the swamp, the timber wolf howling and I could swear that I saw at least one dragon watching us in the distance. All this was at least somewhat natural and explainable, the nigh constant whispers however weren't. We couldn't really place their direction or source, as if they were carried on the soft wind. I tried figuring out any words in the whispers, and failing terribly. It was definitely not equish, and it wasn't high zebrecian... ancient zebrecian? No idea, I can't speak it.

Wait, where did everyone go?!

Oh damn, how the hell did I lose track of everyone? I was traveling at the front! Fuck the darkness, fuck the rain, fuck the whispers!! E.F.S activate! And it is empty, not a bar anywhere. No red, no white, nothing. HOW??

I couldn't have gone that far from anyone. Then my head began numbing, bit by bit. I shook my head, trying to clear it and think. Then the noise began fading off, and I realized that the light from my pipbuck was messy. They were was a gap right in front of me, roundish. No, not round... more the shape of a pony head. Well fuck, full panic mode. The adrenaline kicked in, waking up brain and muscles whilst whatever creepy magic was trying to knock me out. Awake enough to do something. Run? Sensible, but buck that. Instead I decided to tackle the intangible being before me, rushing headlong into a tree.

"OK, wide awake now..."

Where the hell did it go? Right, teleportishy thingy.

"First question, how do I get back to the rest?"

Then I realized that I could still see the Tag in the corner of my vision, and if that worked...

Jackpot! I swapped Tags

"Now to get through the forest itself. Cheating time!"

And I swooped up through the tree tops and flew way faster than ground travel. At least 20% faster I think, that is how percentages work right? A few minutes later I saw the Tag. flew past me, so I turned around, circled a bit and dove down. And landed outside a cottage of some sort, old by the looks of it. With a fire burning and several pony and griffin shapes within. And a black void next to me, in the shape of a large hound.

"WHAT NOW??"

I half shouted to it in exhausted frustration and anger.

And then it was gone, of course it was.

***

Warmth, light and fellow people made out of actual flesh and blood. One of the griffins opened the door, didn't really care which one.

"DON'T. ASK."

To my relief the heavily armed featherbrains respected my request, not my companions however.

"Windstriker, you are the only the individual in all of Equestria who can travel right in front a group and then somehow still get lost and disappear from the rest of us."

I gave Amber an angry glare yet he ignored me.

"I'd even go as far as saying that is physically impossible. Unless there are some weird sorcery going on, wait! There is! And you decided to go poke it in the face."

"... Are you done?"

I asked in a very frustrated tone.

"No. First I need to remind you that you would never had run into the issue if you didn't decide to accept a contract way above our abilities, in the most dangerous place in the whole of Vanhoover. A place where all you know is stuff I had told you before hoof, you know the buck you didn't consult before accepting the contract?!"

He stopped to breathe for a few moments.

"Ok, I'm done."

One loud sigh from me later I had to ask.

"So what is this place then?"

I took in the room, it was cozy, cluttered and just a bit creepy (which unfortunately right now counted as an improvement). The cottage had a low roof, and every wall, every corner, and even parts of the roof was filled with... stuff. Books, brooms, pots, bottles, ammo, guns, bits. Yet I got distinct feeling that there was some form of system to the chaos in that place.

Our guide decided to explain that.

"Short answer, shelter. Long story, read the letter on the desk. Who knows how it remained in a pristine in condition for all this time."

The what now? I tried getting my bearings. the building was in a short L shape, by the smell of cooking the kitchen was to the left and I found the office/library/living room to the right. There were quite a lot of books, a respectable desk with a heavy chair that looked expensive enough. And candles all around lighting it up, in a library (were these books magic too?). There was a white envelope lying in the middle of the dark wooden desk in stark contrast, the letter itself was indeed exquisite in quality.

Dear Traveler.

As I write this it has been 19 years since Canterlot fell, and now with Vanhoover the last remnant of the old Kingdom is finally on its last breath. For the first time in ages I see snow outside of my windows, turns out the legends of the windigos are true. I have had to bury my trusted guard dog, old Fenris... After all these years I am growing tired, and will most likely be gone when spring arrives. If it arrives at all. Regardless, I am certain that ponykind will survive and as such I dedicate my legacy to give you a sense of safety, serenity and perhaps even more. In case you happen to be a zebra or otherwise, worry not. You are just as welcome. None of the old revenants can touch you in here, and Fenris will keep the wild beasts far away. I suspect that this cottage of mine will not serve as a permanent homestead. Never mind that, in case you are just after a short shelter for the night, feel free to stay here and take what you need. But no more, and please leave something for future travelers. Please, be safe and do better than the ponies of my time.

Sincerily
Helia Van Hoof

What the? Never mind how short that letter was, it barely explained anything. Hold on, a Van Hoof? Weren't they wiped out, apart from Amethyst? And he killed himself. So who was this Helia and what did she call the things outside, revenants? Wait, was the ghost dog thingy hers? Well at least that explains something, right? Then my stomach growled, so food it was.

And so I entered the kitchen and was welcomed by the smell of popped corn, I lifted my eyebrow at Gyda. And received an odd answer in an odder accent.

"Gout a hunch I might need it, and no. You can't have them, talon privilege."

"Ooooh kay.."

Seeing as no one else had prepared any food for me I started frying up some of my supplies, hot food is a heaven sent gift around Vanhoover. Despite my exhaustion and recent experience with evil pony magics I was in a good mood when the lead griffin sat down at the table and poured a glass of whiskey.

"So, Windstriker was it? You're native right?"

Then she took a single piece of corn from Gyda's bowl and flinged it into her beak.

"That is a stable barding but from what I hear your tribe has been out in the wasteland for decades."

"Huh? Yeah, you could say that. I mean, our stable is northeast of Black Hoof so technically it is outside the region. But anything north or east is just wilderness and various raider groups. Why?"

The white griffin took a dramatic sip.

"Vanhoover is new to us, and I heard some interesting rumors. Then I thought it could be interesting to hear a local perspective on them, to see what's normal around here and what is just tall tales. Pun, not intended."

I sat down with the two griffins and had to admit, this sounded like a fun discussion.

"OK, I'm game. What rumors are we talking about? And before you ask, no we don't breed changelings back at the Institute. Seriously, why would anyone even do that?"

Both of them blinked for a moment.

"Not heard that one before... Anyways. First one is about this pony princess that showed up out of nowhere and is now a major power player in the region. That old castle of hers used to be a slaver fortress not all that long ago, and the word is that she basically took it on all alone. And let me tell you, as a veteran, that is something that just doesn't happen."

I scratched my chin with my hoof for a moment.

"You know, never thought much about that. I have heard the slaver story but that was just old history. She is pretty popular all around from what I hear, the radios, the caravans..."

I thought of August Wind.

"Even the tribals from outside the region seems to like her."

"See, that is just the thing. Nobody seems to care as to the how or the why. One day there is a slave lord, the next there is a benevolent princess promising civilization and the sun."

Snow Wing snapped her talons in a freaky fashion.

"This whole thing stinks, big time."

She leaned in closer.

"So I did a bit of digging, talking with the old caravaners, couriers, miss Pear and so on. And the story gets even more suspicious."

"Go on..."

My ears perked with curiosity, and not just because of my princess obsession. I knew there was something strange going on around here!

"You know the big mercenary group in Black Hoof? The 'Daughters of Luna', all in wartime combat armour, with really fancy standardized weaponry and even fancier magical gear? A whole company of them, armed to the teeth and bad ass enough to give the steel rangers a pause? Turns out, they didn't exist a decade and a half ago. Then a certain mare approached the caravans, offering protection. She got permanent contracts with several of them, and in a few years a bunch of rag tag raiders turned into the fiercest sellswords of the region."

She held up a talon, took a sip and waited for me to process the words.

"So I got drinking with one of them, and get this. Starlight not only organized the whole thing. She paid for it. All of it, from her own pocket."

I saw the point. There was being competent, talented even. And then there was whatever this was. Things didn't add up, these were accomplishments that a pony might succeed at in their lifetime if they were one of the things.

"I know she is faking some things, but..."

Thinking back to the things I had seen, heard and adding them together.

"Whatever she is doing, it is following some form of plan. It..."

I thought back at our first contract.

"She hired us to find a raider camp, and when we gave her the coordinates she bombarded it with artillery. Despite having plenty of soldiers to spare by the looks of it. Who does that??"

A smirk.

"Exactly, you are the first one I have found that thinks it is odd. Now, one might wonder where she gets the money for all this? Turns out she used to be a courier, took the most dangerous missions, saved the caps and kept doing it for over a decade. This part of the story is my favourite part, back in the day. Like years before you were even born by the looks of it, she had a bounty on her head. A big one, but the bounty hunters stayed clear of her. One even killed the buck who put up the bounty instead."

She poked my nose with a sharp talon as she continued.

"Now the final bit of juicy stuff I heard from Miss pear's own mouth. She remembers when the supposed princess first showed up in her saloon. Over thirty years ago."

"Uh... what?! I have seen her, she isn't a day over..."

I tried remember her appearance without blushing and realized that I wasn't sure.

"Hold on, just how old is she?"

My brain began working into overdrive.

"And she has been doing all this, for what? To become the princess of Vanhoover?"

"You're with me thus far, good."

She held up a talon, beginning to count something..

"First she shows up and picks a downright suicidal career, survives for decades and saves up money. Let me remind you that a typical courier spends all of their caps on alcohol, ammunition and whatever vice they prefer"

She raised up a second talon.

"Secondly, she uses her massive wealth to fund a private army and get the caravans to work with her specifically. Then she gets thrown out of her own merc company."

Third talon.

"She overthrows a city state anyways, and now everyone is singing her praises."

Her talons clenched into a fist.

"This kind of shit is impossible without some impressive wartime training, and the backing of some major organization. So the question is which group is she from?"

I blinked, oooh. this... I felt like some form of super spy and managed to follow where she was going with this.

"She isn't one of ours, that much I can tell you. We're mostly engineers and scientists, social skills aren't really high on the priority list. And we prefer to be left alone as much as possible, apart from me they are all eggheads back home."

A smile from Gyda when she finally interjected herself into the discussion.

"I'm telling you, steel ranger double agent. Timing is perfect and its the only thing that makes sense. They are setting the whole thing up so that they can swoop in as heroes and take over the whole damn region. Will be a fun war either way."

Hold on, what war?

***

Turns out I was missing something big. Like, really big. Like the fact that the rangers and Flood Town had taken control of nearly every independent farm in the region under the guise of "protection", which was followed by the various raider gangs getting hold of previously unseen levels of firepower. According to Gyda, only Goldstar and the Ironshods down in New Pegasus had the resources to supply so many groups at once, which was a disconcerting thought to say the least. Yet the level of violence in the north escalated even further, when the steel rangers used their wealth in gems and lunar steel to recruit all the mercs they could find just to deal with the raiders. Only to have half of them betray them at the worst possible moments, in part due to the rangers' bad reputation in the south.

"Ok, kid. For all the boasting of her creepiness in that old skyscraper, the real power in Vanhoover lies with the caravans and the casinos down south. Word on the street is that the fancy old ghoul has been content with hiding behind her walls for centuries, whilst the snobs in the Black Hoof and New Pegasus controlled the economy. Until the rangers suddenly tripled in numbers and moved north, then all Tartaros broke loose."

"Hold on..."

I stopped the griffins for I don't know how many times, struggling with keeping up with politics and all the depth of plots upon plots it meant. As such I had to ask.

"When Starlight and the Daughters shot up raiders and protected civilians, the caravans loved them. But when the rangers did the same thing they got angry at the whole thing?"

"Yeah, but they followed the rules. The Daughters are mercs. Solid, contract keeping mercs. The rangers on the other hand are proper military. They show up, shout at everyone else to follow orders and if someone objects they get shot. There is a reason to why the rangers are unpopular everywhere west of Trottingham."

Gyda, to the previous objections to the contrary, actually offered me the popcorn. To my dismay they had gone cold by this point. Then she explained what I had completely missed.

"Give the caravans a few more decades and they might have formed a government of their own, but now the Equestria's Finest are working on an effort to steamroll all of them. If they can maintain control over the farmland and start rebuilding the old city center, then everyone else will either have to fall in line or..."

She drew her talon across her throat.

"The only thing that worries me... Is that damn princess."

Her white feathered comrade interjected.

"She is NOT a wasteland pony, that I can tell you. If Gyda is right and she is a Steel Ranger agent, then she can cut off New Pegasus from the rest of the region, and all of the munitions supply with it. The raiders and mercs would be down to pistols and pointy sticks within a week."

Oh that felt all too convenient to be a coincidence, so it made sense. All too much sense, it was even too obvious for the enchanting mare I met.

"Tempting theory, sure. But I have met this would be princess, and she didn't strike me as a military type. At all. I don't think she would take kindly to anypony attempting to order her around."

"Yeah, I don't think so either. But it is a scary scenario if it is true. So let's say she works for someone else? Like Red Eye for instance."

I raised an eyebrow, she continued.

"Doesn't matter who, just some group that is biding its time? If that was the case then they would want the rangers, the militia and all the gangs and mercs to slaughter each other like a bunch of ponies and zebras. And then they would wipe out every group in one quick swoop."

For the first time in my adventure, it was my time to facehoof.

"... Did either of you think that she just might working for her own interests? The whole benevolent princess act has started rubbing me the wrong way. Her main hall, for example, she has banners for Celestia, Luna and herself. As if she was destined to be the next ruler of Equestria as a whole."

The two griffins shared a look before Snow commented.

"You mean, like the next Red Eye?"

She lighted a cigar and took a few puffs.

"Then you better pray to your princesses that the Steel Rangers have a balefire bomb ready. Because in that scenario... everyone loses."

***

Turns out late night talks about present day politics might not be all that good for your sleep routine. I was in the worst mood ever when the others were ready to leave. Me, I hadn't even had any breakfast. So at most I grumbled as we left the highly suspicious cottage where we had stayed the night. The forest looked very different yet equally creepy when I looked around. The thick twisted trees were just as oppressive as before, but the undergrowth looked green. Not just green, it looked healthy, with droplets on every leaf and a sensation of life all around. Then we had the mist, it didn't feel all that thick but it gave the distinct impression that the world ended two dozen meters away in any direction. If we didn't have the road to follow or pipbucks. It was easy to see how a group of ponies might wander around in here for days on end, as ghosts and monsters picked them off one by one.

"Yeah, maybe traveling into this forest might not have been that bright idea."

I pointed out as I scratched my neck. Which got a unified reaction from my two companions.

"YA THINK?!"

"No need to shout..."

Ouch, my poor ears. The white griffin had a look of epiphany at our quarreling.

"That is a good point... Why would our fugitive run into this place, knowing all the dangers?"

She looked at our guide whom had ran ahead of the group.

"There is something wrong with this picture... HEY, Dew! You got any idea why the thief would run here? It isn't exactly safe."

"Uh? What?"

She trotted back the main group.

"The what with the what now?"

"The thief, this forest. WHY?"

I looked at this griffin with a newfound sense of appreciation after the last night, she was cool, confident, intelligent. Wonder if she was into ponies?

"Don't ask me, this place is a death trap to anypony short of a dedicated survivalist."

She rubbed her chin.

"The only thing I can think of is that you could smuggle things to Goldstar or New Pegasus without anypony noticing if you know what you are doing."

Goldstar again. I swear, everything kept pointing back to that place. The Snow Wing and Gyda exchanged a look with me. OK, time to act like the idiot.

"I forgot to ask, what did this thief steal in the first place? It got to be something important for the administrator to get personally involved."

Morning Dew shrugged, the griffins observed me for a few moments before the griffin Captain answered.

"A piece of jewelry, some diamond in the shape of a tear drop. Supposedly an old family heirloom, got the bartender really riled up. If she figures out who is responsible, then every merc, head hunter and raider is going to gun for them. Miss Pear is probably the only individual more respected by the locals than Starlight."

"Huh, I can see that."

Thinking back of the mare I met back in Black Hoof, I remembered being fondly distracted by her. She had quite a charm, without the creepy double talk and schemes of the supposed princess. Wait a minute!

"Hold on, did you say a tear drop??"

"Yeah, what about it?"

Snow didn't know it seems. So I began explaining the meaning behind the three stones, the history, and the so called prophecy. In that moment I realized that it was possible for griffin feathers to stand on end.

***

Fortunately the forest was clear of phantasms, there was some sweet celestial rays falling through the foliage. Although we did run into a pack of timber wolves and saw a serpent in the distance, none them wanted to come too close to the road. Either they didn't know the ghosts only showed up at night, or they knew something we didn't. A shiver in my spine told me that it was probably the latter. All in all it took little more than five hours before we reached a fork in the road. The main path split in three, with one diagonally to the left (east I think), a small trail to the west and the main one continuing south. There was some other safe place to the east from here right?

"So what now?"

I asked.

The lead griffin decided she was very much in charge.

"I have thought about it, this place to the east. Anyone living there and how far is it from the edge of the forest?"

"Not at the present I think, but raiders show up and take it over from time to time. It is that close to the road if you know what you are doing."

Our guide pointed out.

"As a rule we send a party of hunters to clear it out, although these days Goldstar does it from time to time."

"...Windstriker, which way is the thief going?"

Blinked, then checked my E.F.S. and compared the Tag to the navigational indicators.

"South, almost directly south from here."

So it was either go east and lose up to a day of a travel time, or go south and find out that she had already dropped off the goods for someone else to pick up. It was a gamble, with nothing to gain by winning but a lot to loose.

"We'll go east. Check if anyone is there, look through it. If our mark travels to the road east we'll intercept them, and if they continue down south then we got plenty of wild lands before New Pegasus. Any questions?"

Clearly a rhetorical question but something was bugging me.

"Yeah, where does the road west lead?"

The whole group turned and looked at me with varying expressions. Lieutenant Dew shrugged once more and answered.

"Nothing. There are some inbred fishers, some violent ghouls, cragadiles and the occasional hydra. A total shit hole, almost impossible to travel safely through and not worth it. Honestly, nobody but us trackers know of it. She wouldn't have gone that way."

The bird cawed loudly, supposedly in confirmation. But things were already convoluted enough so I could swear that someone was hiding something in that direction. No idea who, but somepony or other creature was doing it. Was this how paranoia started?

***

Well, who could have guessed? The place was inhabited, by raiders according to Gondul. Rag tag outfits, spikes, hoods and a random assortment of firearms and pointy sticks. I got a half decent look at the place from behind the mound were we hid, a trio of large prewar cabins by the look of things. Unlike our previous building these had been patched up several times, there was a glade cleared out around it in about a hundred meters in all directions. Then our winged sniper noticed something else.

"Hold on, the place is mined. Can't tell how many or where with all this grass in the way."

"How many hostiles can you see?"

The rest of us stayed as quiet as could be whilst Snow worked out a plan, everyone except for Violette of course.

"Wait a minute, how can you be sure they are hostile?! Can't we just go over there and ask them?"

"Bloody medics with their pacifism... Look, if they are working with our target then they are part of the contract and our enemies. If not, then they are just another raider group and nobody will miss them. There might even be a reward for their leader."

"Ooor they could just be an extended family and we barge in guns blazing like a bunch of... of raiders!"

Then Snow gave an over dramatic sigh.

"Dew, help me out here. Can you identify them?"

"Huh, sure. Just let me borrow that scope."

A few moments later she was visibly shaken.

"Those aren't raiders... They are Flame Seekers! But they have never been this far north before?!"

"Elaborate."

The griffin commanded.

"They are slavers, cultists. They got this weird religion about becoming dragons. And they enslave ponies to feed to the dragons they raise, nopony has managed to root them out as a result. They usually deal with traders and are willing to sell dragon eggs as they see it as a way expanding their influence."

A few moments of silence.

"So no more objections I hope? Good. Can I get back to the point then? How many of the cultists are there?"

Gondul hesitated.

"I can see two on patrol around the perimeter, three by the left building and one by the right building. No idea how many inside."

I checked my E.F.S and could only see four red bars.

"Assuming my pipbuck can only trace movement, there are at least two more inside."

I pointed out.

"And probably a whole lot more... No matter, I have a plan. Flashfire maneuver. Gondul, Dew, you two are our sniper support and will hit them from here, wait until the signal. Medic stays here, shorty protects the medic. Windstriker, Gyda, you're with me."

Then she handed me a grenade.

"We land on the roofs from the above, throw one grenade into each building. Make sure you are in cover when they blow. Quick equipment check up, then we fly."

Amber helped me check my machine guns, Gyda pointed out how a grenade worked. Pull the stem, throw, then cover. Seemed simple enough. Maybe we should get a bunch if they were as effective as they seemed. Then we flapped our wings flew up through the tree cover, I could have sworn the trees were offended by the indignity. But we were unhindered as we gently flew across the minefield and hovered above the site. Then we noticed the chimneys, shared a grin and figured out the easy way to do this. We spread out and calmly flew down to the old brick constructs, removed the pin and down it went. I decided to huddle down next to the chimney in case shrapnel flew back up.

3...

2...

1...

The sound was somewhere between a boom and fwoosh, a 'bwoomsh' if you will. I could feel the heat and see the fire burst out of the windows below.

By the screams it sounded like the ponies on the porch got caught in the blast wave as well, darn this was effective. Then I heard a series of rifle shots, and all the bad ponies outside went silent. I had a grin on my face when we heard a sound signaling that something inside the building below me was very much still alive. A roar that no pony could make, rather it was more like what I imagined a dragon to sound like. Then it half flew, half jumped out through a window and yep. That was probably a dragon. Going straight towards my friends, oh stars no. Not going to happen. I went into S.A.T.S. gave it a hard look and decided, nah. Can probably not kill it in one shot, we got fliers however. So cripple and distract it is, and I locked on one burst for each wing.

RATATAT RATATAT

And to my satisfaction the bullets ripped through the relatively thin wings. It screamed in pain and rage and turned its head to me, and started running up a wooden pillar to the roof faster than I could react. Not fair! I heard a gunshot ring out, hitting it yet it kept going towards me. And despite my attempts to get into the air it jumped at me, fangs bared. And we crashed into the ground behind the building, meaning no fire support. It was on its clawed appendages quickly and jumped at me again, trying to keep me pinned whilst I tried to kick it off. If only I could kick it into the minefield... It raised its head and breathed in.

Nononononno!!

BLAM

It fell flat on me, spasming a bit, bleeding a lot but clearly dead. Half of the head was gone and I was more than a bit squicked out, and finally kicked it off me. Struggling to raise to my hooves, I struggled breathing. Half coughing with every attempt and fell on my side again. Wow, must have hit something hard. As my eyes began focusing I saw Snow Wing with a large revolver in her talons, barrel smoking. She was standing on her rear... hooves? Since when did she have hooves? Since when did griffins have hooves in general?

I tried sitting up again, with more success this time.

"Hooves..."

Was all I could muster to point out. Which was subsequently misunderstood. Additional words in a sentence bring context, who knew?

"Yeah. That thing isn't a regular dragon, that's for sure. It had pony ears as well."

Huh, what now? I looked at the dragon thing, and yep those were a pair of rear hooves. What the heck.

"OK, that's it. I give up, can't be bothered to care anymore."

***

Not sure how she did it but Gyda flew around the place and picked up well over a dozen land mines without any accident, bringing the rest of our large party inside. Turns out I was the only casualty, and despite my insistence that I was fine Violette was adamant that I wasn't.

"A definite concussion, what did you do this time? Wrestle a dragon?"

"Yeah, you saw that?"

From the expression, she hadn't.

"Wuh... Dizzy.... By the way, I need more power to my kicks. Got any ideas?"

"Do I look like someone who deals in weapons??"

I suppose she didn't.

"Don't answer that! Isch, in an optimal situation I would recommend plenty of rest. How far are we from your stable?"

"Ask Amber, I am busy trying to not fall over."

I turned to look at him and he had turned pale, which is a really odd thing for a crystal pony to do.

"OK, what now?"

I struggled to my hoof to see what he was looking at, oh the corpses. I supposed the looked a tad bit gruesome with all that fire, bleeding, the smell. OK, throwing up now. Our trio decided that we needed a break whilst the griffins went through the place, searching for the gem and anything else that might be usable Morning Dew decided to drag the bodies to the edge of the glade and then kept watch. We got about an hour of rest before Snow Wing threw a bag of caps and bits our way.

"Your share, kids. What calibre do you use for those guns anyways? 10 mm?"

"Huh? thirty eights, found any?" I was vaguely aware of Violette collecting the bag. When I tried focusing on the white griffin another one of them dumped an ammo container in front of me. Well, jackpot! I began reloading, and messed up a few times before Violette helped put the cartridges into the magazines. Maybe a concussion was a bad thing after all.

"So about the stable. A few days northeast of the Black Hoof."

Then I realized that she had probably never been there before.

"Black Hoof lies east of the Steel Ranger outpost, which is a day or so north of Goldstar."

"... So close to a week? That's bad. The best treatment for a concussion is rest, preferably in a calm environment with no strong lights. And I rather get out of this place sooner rather than later, this is not a good place to rest."

"How are we on supplies anyways? We might find someplace decent to rest up for a day or two if we get the time."

***

I was probably not in any state to travel, but we still had a job to do. And from our starting position the mare we were hunting was to the southwest. We took the road back west and then south, for several hours into the afternoon until I suddenly realized that the bar was slowly moving to my right as we went further south. She had went off-road, in this place of all things. And in a few more hours night would fall.

"I got good news, bad news and more bad news."

I stated in my disgruntled voice.

"We have caught up to her, but she is off west somewhere..."

Snow Wing evidently followed my line of thinking.

"And that means probably running into the local wildlife, and getting caught outside during the night. Morning Dew, what can we expect in this direction? Anything unusual?"

The earth pony mare looked around for a few moment, then looked deadly serious.

"Oh this is bad. We aren't quite as close to the border as I hoped, we are close to the swamp with the old ruins. Unusual? Yeah, basilisks. Highly territorial, proud, and freaky as heck."

"Is fine, is like cockatrice. Shoot before stone and you are fine."

Gondul shrugged before stating with a heavy accent.

"Yeah, right! Except there is no way to break the whole statue magic, and basilisks are a lot more intelligent. They are more like dragons than cockatrices."

"... OK, guns out, tight group with me and Dew in front. Gyda and Gondul holding the rear. If anything moves, shoot it. If it keeps moving, shoot it until it stops!"

Snow Wing roared, then realized that our guide still had something to say.

"What else?"

"Ghosts, this is the place they all are coming from. Even if we were to kill every single basilisk we would probably not survive the night if we stayed past midnight. There are two places in this damned forest that the militia avoids like the winter. The first is the dragon lair, the second is this place. We HAVE TO get out from there before they start showing up."

Then we left the road. Morning Dew looked downright paranoid, which wasn't helped by her pet bird flying up into a tree and refusing to follow. The griffins were deadly serious, even more so than back during the skirmish. Finally there was my two companions and me, they looked on the verge of a synchronized panic attack and I wasn't feeling much more confident. I was half zoned out and was moving into the single most dangerous place of my life to that point. All in all, we were definitely doomed. In my defense, my head wasn't functioning after that concussion.

It barely took a few minutes until we wouldn't have found our way back to the road without pipbuck support. With all the gigantic tree roots, random carved stones and hidden water filled holes, traveling went exceedingly slow. No idea how this mare could travel through this area with apparent ease. Who in Tartaros was she? Come to think of it, we had barely gotten any info from our client. Wouldn't it make more sense to give us all the info to improve our odds of succeeding?

My pondering was interrupted by a shriek from Violette, which caused a slight panic throughout our group. Me, I checked my E.F.S. for red bars, and utterly failed to notice anything. All seven of our white bars were present. As such I turned to look at what had scared her so utterly. A rock. All of this for a rock?? Then I squinted and say the eye, and the ear. Oh, a severed pony head. Made out of stone. In a forest with monsters that petrify ponies? Well, buck. That meant we were officially in basilisk territory. Which was confirmed several times over as we encountered more and more of them. Not all ponies, a serpent, a few timber wolves and even a full grown dragon. The last one was concerning, really worrying in fact.

Hold on...

"Wait up! I think she's around here somewhere?"

I turned around and yep, Tag was moving. Slowly I navigated us up to a statue of a mare in a dust coat and desperado hat with a look of terror permanently engraved into her face. I could barely make out a stylized "9" on her collar. Just to make sure I checked my E.F.S one more time, yep only seven white bars. Good, means it is just us around here.

"Well, that is a problem."

Our pale earth pony guide stated flatly.

"According to our Intel, not really."

Snow Wing answered in an equally flat voice.

"Get ready to fight, this will most likely attract the locals."

Then she proceeded to draw her revolver, aimed it to one of the petrified mare's saddle bags.

BLAM

Wait WHAT??

Fragments of stone flew off the stone mare, cracks showed all over her body.

BLAM

And her body shattered into little more than grey dust. Out of the cloud fell a single beautifully crafted diamond, in the shape of a tear and of a faint bluish hue. Which was promptly caught in the air by the white griffin.

To my confusion one of the white bars turned red, then the creature rose out of the water. It was big, huge even. I had expected some slender snake, not this monstrosity. Its body was wider than a pony was long, its fangs large enough to gulp down said pony in short order. The head was adorned with a crimson crest and its talons (dear Celestia those were huge) gripped the ancient trees to steady itself. I froze in place, waiting for it to lunge down on us.

I could faintly hear the repeated sound of gunfire from around me, saw its scales being battered. A rupture in its foreleg, it roared in defiance. Only for a second and a third bullet to rip through the same leg. I could barely move out of the way as it came crashing down among us. What I didn't hear was a rifle being reloaded, but I noticed the white griffin landing on the monster's head. Rifle aimed downward.

RATATATATATAT

I blinked as the blood spurted over us. Head severed from the rest of the body, and this wasn't a hydra. It wouldn't get up from this.

I fell down on a rock I really hoped wasn't a pony and began shivering. My mind replayed the scene over and over again, trying to figure out why I wasn't dead. The were sounds around me but I couldn't identify them, I could but stare at the dead monster in front of me. Barely even reacted as shape of grey and beige feathers and fur moved in front of me and the sharp talons that grabbed me.

***

When I came to it all felt like a horrid nightmare, apart from the ominous trees all around me. I checked the time, 11.38. My head hurt, and so did the rest of me all things considered. But I was alive, which was more than expected. First thing I checked was my E.F.S., nothing. I looked around me and saw Amber and Violette lying unconscious next to me. Breathing. OK, that was good. I sat up, trying to get my head to function. Evidently we weren't in any immediate danger, and could possibly travel back the road if need be. Speaking of which, map. Ancient Ruin, Camping Lodge, Helia's Cottage. Huh, maybe I could sell the coordinates to someone, a prospector or... The gorgeous smiling face of a certain princess flashed before me, along with the phantom sounds of giant artillery guns firing. Maybe not.

"Hold on..."

We were almost at the southern border, remarkably far west actually.

"That is new..."

I noticed a new location added to it. Conference Midnight Resort & Observatory,

"Sounds like the sort of place I could use right about now. And where's the rest of us?"

After few minutes I realized that it was probably either Morning Dew or one of the griffins that had entered the location on the pipbuck, and they might have added something else. And what did you know, a message, perhaps it could explain our current situation. Not to mention what the hell we were supposed to do now.

Assuming that you survived and have some wits about you still... Not sure how much you remember but, Morning Dew is dead, turned to stone within seconds. Gave us enough time to retaliate, we managed to bring down the basilisk. Got the target, all in all a success. Sorry for leaving you in the middle of the forest, but the contract comes first. And you should be able to find your way out, with or without your companions. We gave them some first aid and they should come to, expect them to be traumatized and not all that much use unfortunately. A word of wisdom from your elder in the wasteland, SURVIVE. In a worst case scenario you can fly through the tree cover and fly straight to Black Hoof within the day. If you have to let old friends go, then that is just the way of the wasteland. But I don't think you would listen, so here's the other two alternatives if you want them back safe and sound. The simplest one if your head is still messed up is to follow the road back north, rest at the same places and go all the way to Flood Town. Honestly, place give me the creeps and I suggest you avoid it if possible. There is an old building southwest of the forest that most people avoid, should be safe for resting if you need it. Couldn't make out entirely why, some talk about "Van Hoofs" or some such nonsense. Others mentioned a relative to miss Pear, either way folks don't like disturbing it. Good luck.

Snow Wing, captain of the Snow Talons

PS. If you make it back to Black Hoof, first round is on me.

***

Level Up
Skill Note: Survival 50%

Perk Added: Terrifying Presence

You are a certified bad ass, and everypony knows it. Your wrath can give even a manticore pause, and raiders have second thoughts about their choice of career when your name comes up.

Condition Added: Concussion

You were literally dropped on your head, and feel the results of it. Your intelligence and agility are both reduced by 2 until fully recuperated, repeat incidents result in permanent brain damage.

Chapter 7 - Scars of the Old World

I must admit, the crow seemed fairly intelligent for an animal and followed us all the way to the southern border of the ancient forest. To say that I was happy to be out of there would be an overstatement, it would be more accurate to say that I was relieved. There were three of us, in the wilderness, and not one of us were functioning as we should. Right before us was an avenue of old beech trees, regular non haunted trees, inviting us west. And beyond it was rolling hills covered in increasingly dried grass, like the land itself was dying, leading up to towering mountains that pierced the cloud cover. Evil forest in the north, threatening mountains and freakish cultists in the south, slavers in the east... Yeah, west was nice.

Turns out the rules from the forest still applied on this road, or at least it was the only explanation I could figure out as we encountered absolutely nothing on the road. The sun managed to gleam through the clouds, and as we walked towards safety in silence my patience ran out again and I turned on the radio.

"....The scandal...resolved...grif...oth...mark...nort...car...speaking of...sunset...roadfor...gol...aft..."

"Well, that is useless..."

I switched to DjPon3 with similar results, then I switched through the stations with weird indicators such as EM-001 or EAC-HI and got just random noise. As my frustration got worse a new station appeared as we moved out of the radio shadow of the southern mountains, and my frustration gave way to curiosity as I selected Radio New Pegasus. The tune that came on was soothing, the voice was enchanting and the lyrics were bittersweet. From what I could understand it was about a buck betraying his partner, and her becoming more and more jaded as she hunted him down. As I pondered traveling down south to visit New Pegasus another beautiful voice came on, sounding somewhere between the cool familiarity of Pear Cider and the overly charming voice of Golden Starlight...

"And that was Dare Master, a cover sung by the former Courier 7, telling a tale we are all too familiar with. A pity that she refused my offer to perform in the Hive, would have been a fantastic diva and these days we all could use a little beauty to forget the horrors of the world. sigh When the wonderful ponies in our lives decide to leave, never easy. Regardless, I do have the latest news report for you. Slaver sightings are down, including zebra sightings. From the words of Sunset and Farstrider Caravans the cause is most likely the eastern warlord known as Red Eye, supposedly he is drawing the entire slave market towards the east coast. Otherwise it is a golden age in the firearms market. Not only are they selling like healing potions in Appleloosa, but the situation up in Vanhoover is getting more and more volatile. Oh, and lest I forget. Mr Golden Orange wanted me to clarify that his manor doesn't own any slaves, in fact they are 'indentured servants'. I do wonder if local royalty cares about such semantics, and speaking of royalty. In case anypony considers themselves to be experts in medicine, engineering or arcane theory. Goldstar has positions open for all three and, as everypony knows, Princess Starlight does not care about your past. And now, we dedicate to Luna. Blue Moon, by Skybolt...

A calm and peaceful wartime tune came up, lightening my anxieties a bit, and just about then I felt a sharp gust hit me in the face as the road reached the ocean. If you have never seen it, then don't. It was by far the most terrifying sight in my life, and I have been through some shit since then. The building in front of us stood atop a cliff, with the roaring waves below and screeching wind above. The sea was a pitch black void stretch as far as I could see, with the raging waves threw themselves against the sharp cliffs. Anything caught out there would be devoured in an instant. Then I paused, sat down.

"Stars..."

The wild weather over the ocean kept ripping apart the clover cover, and there they were all over the west. A myriad of stars, I never knew how many there were. To my disappointment I couldn't see the moon anywhere, but there was something else in the sky that drew my attention. A star in the northwest, shining brighter than the rest with its seven sharp points gleaming towards me. Hold on.

"No way, nope. Not buying it."

"Not buying what?"

My short orangy friend asked in a tired voice.

"That star over there, it's Starlight's cutie mark. Nearly a perfect match."

"So? It happens from time to time with unicorns."

"Can the two of you stop arguing so we can get inside?!"

Shouted a moderately stressed Violette at us.

We did just that, and I noticed something that looked like an oversized artillery gun sticking out of it at some point. As I stared in that direction three white bars appeared on my E.F.S. right in front of me. A lightning bolt struck across the sky, revealing three winged pony shapes with dark carapaces and insectoid eyes. I blinked and they rapidly flew past us towards the south, ignoring the terrifying winds. So changelings DO exist, what do you know? This makes the whole political mess a lot more complicated.

We walked straight through the shattered glass doors, the walls on this side had suffered the same fate. As a result the lobby was utterly ravaged by the weather, looking like someone had thrown several grenades into the room. The rest of the interior was in a far better shape, downright comfortable apart from the crying and the cold brought by the wind.

***

"Wait... So you are saying is that the zebras think celestial bodies are sentient creatures? Evil spirits even?"

Our explanation had baffled Violette and we had to restate things a few times.

"But... Equestria is located on a celestial body?! Zebras are insane!"

I shrugged.

"Yep, pretty much. No wonder the war ended as it did, lunatics with balefire bombs."

I took a deep breath

"However... There is weird shit going on around here. The Van Hoofs were some form of cultists, there are soul sucking ghosts all over the place, there is a monstrous pony in charge of Flood Town and then we have this self declared princess who is supposedly unreasonably competent. And her cutie mark just happens to be the brightest star in the sky!"

"Still completely illogical. Both Celestia and Luna had similar cutie marks, far more important ones. As I said, it isn't all that rare that unicorns get that sort of cutie mark. We even got one or two back home."

Amber pointed out once more. Then Violette stunned me.

"Speaking of your stable... I have been thinking, do you accept applications? "

I blinked in surprise.

"I suppose, I could talk to mum or grandpa about it."

I scratched my neck in thought.

"Wouldn't be the first time."

***

Our discussions died off soon after and they fell asleep from sheer exhaustion. Me, my brain was working overdrive so I ignored my medic's orders and strolled around in the darkness with my pipbuck light. The howling of the wind was unsettling and most annoyingly, interfered with my headphones for said pipbuck. During my late night stroll I encountered a thick resolute wooden door that blocked my way, it was locked of course. It stood strong against my bucking, and turns out that I wasn't all that good at lock picking. I was about to spit out my screwdriver in frustration when I noticed that the hinges of the door was on the outside, I looked at the pattern of the screw and glanced at my screwdriver.

The office was a bit dusty but remarkably comfortable and in good condition. A desk with a terminal, a chair, several bookshelves filled with well kept books and various art objects. What do you know, a small fortune of prewar artifacts. We might even need to take several trips to carry it all, would take a few days just to read it all. Glancing over them I found stuff on astronomy, legends, magical theory, arcano-tech and...where those romance novels? I brought out a few, dusted them off. "A Night in an Enchanted Garden", after further inspection it was about a young mare starting to work in the royal palace and a female royal guard. Down in the saddle bag it went.

After finishing my sweep I noticed that the power button on the terminal was glowing. So naturally I clicked it, and it glowed to life. I knew the basics in hacking stable tech terminals, it was mandatory teaching for some reason. And after the 13th attempt I figured it out, "Canterlot". First step when into a foreign terminal, download EVERYTHING. It took a minute but meant I could lay down on the sofa whilst browsing the files. Lots of text messages that I couldn't bother to read, and a specially marked audio file.

I heard the rapid tapping on keys followed by a series of four knocks.

"It is unlocked, my dear Pear."

The voice was dark yet gentle, definitely belonging to a mare of my taste.

"Must you insist on using that phrase? It is childish, and ill befitting of an aristocrat."

Answered a mare with a slight southern country accent, clearly annoyed.

"You are of higher breeding and are several years older, so why do I have to be the mature one?"

"Because this is our little castle, palace and fortress both. The petty complaints of my family are irrelevant. And besides, you are cute when you are like that."

OK, that is flirting. Definitely flirting. A soft chuckle.

"So is this a fun visit or?.. Good riddance, I had stumbled upon a private recording. Good thing my travel companions were asleep.

"It is in the middle of the day! Work hours. Try to be professional, you are at least in theory the director of the facility. SIGH Anyhow, Stable Tech sent their intended plan as well as a provisional inhabitant list. Dual Overmare structure as we discussed, and we have the final say in terms of who we let in. All of our personnel are in, any changes you want to make?"

A silent minute went by, only broken by the whirr of the terminal and the soft noise of paper being browsed.

"I suggest that we try fit Helia in here somewhere, she deserves better."

A short pause.

"Scratch that, she rather live in that haunted wood to the end of her days than live among strangers. What about you, you got even more relatives than I do. What about the Oranges, some of them live not all that far from here?"

"I talked to them, but no. From what I can gather, they are confident that they will live through things to come. From what I can gather they got their own plans for the apocalypse. Do we have a date on that by the way? It would make planning a lot easier."

"...No, but we do have a timeline of sorts. Celestia will abdicate, Luna will take her place and the war will reach heights never seen before in history."

A long slow sigh.

"There will be at least a decade before somepony dares to push the button. But don't worry, between Stable Tech's engineering and my family's lore Vanhoover will survive. I have seen it."

"And the... the other subject. We have managed to get hold of a few talented doctors from Tall Tale and Hoofington, are you sure that your spell can unify bloodlines seamlessly?"

"A complete and stable genetic make up, the biologist was confident that the blood sample was from a living pony. Don't worry beloved, we will have children yet."

***

The next day, all of us went through the the office. Violette was browsing the technical books whilst Amber tapped away at the keyboard of the terminal. This was indeed a goldmine, but the mention of a stable was even more interesting. The goal was figuring out exactly this stable was located, thus far we had little luck. We did figure out that it was Stable #74, personally requested by the two mares from the Van Hoof and the Pear families. To my great dismay Violette forbade me from helping with sorting through the room, so I was relegated to the sofa. Being bored out of my mind as the radio signal was spotty within the office. So I took a nap, all the way to lunch. I was woken by repeated poking in my stomach, and decided to ignore it. After the debacle in the forest I kind of deserved it, especially with how patient they were with my concussion. When I walked towards the kitchen I froze, thinking that I saw movement somewhere to my sides, I turned my head. Tried focusing, walked over, found nothing and then remembered that I was literally hit in the head.

"Any progress?"

I asked as I wibbled and wobbled into the kitchen. Stomach growled and I was thankful that I didn't have to cook in my sorry state.

"Nothing. Since the Stable was specifically built for this place I thought that maybe it was connected to the same network but it doesn't seem that way. I can't find anything regarding the location of the entrance or how to get it open, but I do know that it is probably right below us. Stable Tech built the whole thing, even topside."

Amber stated flatly.

"And I found some decent books on arcane theory that I am keeping, but nothing about any stables. Lots of trashy romance novels, and a few more personal books. Take a look at this, it is the thing you are interested in right?"

Violette continued in a tired voice.

She pushed a small purple notebook to me, it was covered in dust but decorated with what seemed to be actual gold. No title, no description. I opened it with my wing and carefully turned the pages to what I found to be the title of the mysterious booklet. Journal of the End, by Midnight Van Hoof. I was stunned silent and could no longer hear my companions as they continued talking. It had taken a while but it finally dawned on me that the author knew about the doomsday years if not decades before it happened. If any other pony had said such a thing I would have just dismissed them as a lunatic from the war, yet... I had a nagging feeling that there was definitely something larger going on with that family, something important yet nobody seemed to care about. Turning the page I tried reading the opening paragraphs at least.

***

The one defining feature of my family is not our history, nor our culture or traditions. It is the extremely high frequency of ponies born with an aptitude for astral magic, in Equestria at large such a pony is born at a frequency of roughly one in a hundred thousand if not even less. Yet every other Van Hoof is burdened with such a gift, it simply the legacy we were tasked to bear. Although the full details are infinitely complex and would hardly fit in this token I leave to the future, it is necessary to explain a little.

Astral magic, or royal magic as it is known in Canterlot, isn't just an advanced and more powerful version of the spells cast by your typical unicorn mage. In simplified terms, every aspect of astral magic relate to the fundamental structures of our reality in one way or another. A misapplied teleportation spell or an unfettered time travel attempt can bring disastrous consequences. For a typical mage this isn't an issue as they are seldom capable of devising such spells on their own. Instead they rely on Starswirl's Grimoire, and his spells have countless of contingencies in effect in order to avoid such calamities.

I'm getting off track... A talent for astral magic is something you are born with, and it will define your entire existence one way or another. Being born with any particular form of magic results in passive abilities such as a pegasus' ability to walk on clouds or earth ponies reinforced resilience. In the case of astral magic it typically manifests as low frequency telepathy, a temporal maladjustment, an affinity for a particular element or in rarer cases: Ascension. In my personal case it is a farsighted temporal anomaly, viewing the future is barely any more complex than viewing the present. As of my writing the war is little more than a large scale brawl, but I have seen the children breathing the pink gas, I have seen the emerald fires, how our city will descend upon itself...

So here I will write of our family in this era I live, and what I know of the three children on whom the survival of our family depend. I know not what their actions will be nor how the war will affect them. Just that we are set in our ways, and like the princesses our eternal domain can't adapt to the coming catastrophe. These three however... May She guide and protect them in the time to come.

***

I could barely follow the text and felt a headache coming up, but the last bits at least explained some parts. So the Van Hoofs DID have weird magic, Midnight could see the future and... what was the rest of it, which ponies were she talking about? Really didn't like the idea of reading the whole bloody thing, and yet something told me to not ask my friends for help. I lazily began browsing the thing hoping to find some helpful pictures, and was pleasantly rewarded with a grainy old photo of three foals in some fancy wooden prewar building. Two earth ponies and one unicorn. After three attempts at figuring out context I managed to find three names. Amethyst, Aurora and Etoile. The first one I recognized, but what had happened with the other two?

My mind was already overloaded and I decided I needed some music, so to my two companion's frustration I started blaring out an unusual song on my pipbuck. It was loud, emotional and sung by a trio of mares and very badass. Then it was outdone by a metal grinding noise from the main hall, rusted and tired yet so very recognizable. The sound of a stable door being opened. We glanced towards each other and hastily scrambled towards the sound. We reached the main hall and saw that the wall had somehow split apart, revealing gear shaped hole and a spiral staircase going downwards.

"I guess we found it."

I stated flatly.

"bu.. wha... how... WHAT DID YOU DO?? I sat at the computer for hours!"

"Did what?"

Why would I have done anything?

"I have no idea, but who else? You mess up technology all the time, it has to be you. Did you flip a hidden switch or something? Enter a secret password? It can't randomly open just because we are here."

"Oh will the two of you shut up. We are going to meet ponies of a new stable, and from the looks of it they haven't had visitors in a while. So try act like civilized people and don't embarrass yourself!"

I guess Violette is the sensible one in our group. Then I noticed her frowning. "Are stables supposed to have this dusty air? It is downright unhealthy."

I blinked in suprise, there was a fair bit of dust flowing out from the staircase. Sure, the air in Stable 33 was a bit stale but nowhere this bad.

"No... the ventilation must have shut off. I don't think there is anyone left alive in there."

A few moments of silence I went:

"Let's check it out!"

And began trotting forward.

***

There were considerable protests from my two companions I continued downwards, and was met with an atrium. This stable clearly had a different layout from our own. I stopped and gazed out into the room, expecting everything to be a ruin but it looked untouched. As if the inhabitants had just disappeared instead of dying in some form of struggle. Sure, there were dust everywhere but I could still see intact tables, chairs, even a field of grass that wasn't all that in bad in shape. The magic lantern in the roof shone with artificial sunlight, so very close to the real deal. Not sure if I should enjoy it or be confused I instead took a long hard look at the rad detector of my pipbuck. Nothing, it couldn't detect any toxic materials either, just dust and undisturbed air.

"Don't... run off... like that!"

Amber shouted before being equally stunned at the scene. Then he stared at me in horror and said:

"Windstriker, No."

"Windstriker, yes."

I answered and began my investigation of the stable.

"The director should have any important info so where is their office?"

I wondered as I began reading the signs.

"Orchard and Granary, Habitation and Offices... Medical and Education... Maintenance."

A long slow sigh from Amber.

"E.F.S., weapons ready, and we stay together. Got it? No running off in here."¨

"Yeah yeah."

I waved a wing at him, turned on my E.F.S. and found nothing. Then trotted left towards the door with the offices, and began regretting entering the forgotten stable. The drab grey walls of Stable 33 were boring, the same walls in Stable 74 were downright suffocating. Door after door, hallway after hallway, it began feeling like a maze. The variation in signs were the only thing that kept the feeling of being lost away from me. In due time we found our way to the Overmare's Office (what did they do if a buck was in charge? Swap the sign?), unlike at home the windows weren't directed to the atrium but instead out towards the sea. These windows were made from far sturdier stuff than the glass panels above, there wasn't even any scratches on them. Looking out i could see the stars in the sky and realized how much it would mean for the inhabitants to be able to see the outside, to know the sun and moon were still out there.

The office was enormous by my standards, half the size of the atrium by ease. It didn't just fit the two desks, the bookshelves and the servers. There was also a conference table with a dozen or so chairs around it by the largest window, a a beautiful sofa and a door leading directly to some private quarters for the pony in charge.

"Nicer than expected. I could live here, way larger than my room and natural sunlight."

I mused.

"Just don't touch anything this time."

My crystalline friend warned whilst he tried to get the terminals to work properly. Within a minute or two both of the terminals glowed and he stated.

"OK, we only need one active. They are synchronized is seems. Let's bring up the latest entry... OK, seems that they decided to leave and moved to New Pegasus for some reason."

I felt immensely relieved, I had heard the stories from caravaners and prospectors about how Stables are cursed. That none of them survived, all of them collapsed or fell ruin to some great calamity or other. Stable 33 and our Institute was infamous for surviving, it isn't supposed to. And as such all sorts of weird rumors started. So I walked over to the screen and started reading.

So this is it, we are finally doing it. Our second group of scouts confirmed that there is a town down southeast, they even got in contact with the mayor of the place. Apparently New Pegasus is the only settlement left in Equestria with a dominant pegasus population, and she offered to do everything in her power to help with our relocation. Seemed too good to be true, and I suppose it was. Turns out that New Pegasus is getting harassed by a small army of zebras and they desperately need both population and the technological knowhow to get the old munitions plant running again. Zebras... destroying the world wasn't enough.... Either way, we are finally free of this graveyard. I rather deal with the striped bastards than live another day in this place. Everyone is on the same page, we are getting out and never looking back. If there is anything left of Stable Tech somewhere, then we will find the bastards and make them pay. Thank Celestia, the nightmare is finally over.

I facehoofed for a full minute. Felt horrid, confused and suspicious.

"Are we the only functional stable in Equestria left?"

They just looked dejected at me, tired. No, emotionally exhausted. I could definitely relate. Every part of me just wanted to go home, and by the looks of them they held the same emotions. Amber opened his mouth but shut it when I held up my wing in protest.

"Let me just read through this a bit more, then we go straight home."

He nodded and walked over to the window, Violette followed after. I tapped a few times on the terminal, found the oldest entries. With my concussion I wasn't going to read all of them, not a chance. All I needed was... Last Words. Now that sounded like an interesting entry.

Conference is dead. Murdered. Stable Tech are... evil. How could I have missed it? I know how, this isn't about anger, xenophobia, paranoia or anything else. This... It's pure malice. Never believed in true sociopaths, even when the war was at its worst. Yet Conference is dead, and I am dying. The doctor has confirmed the symptoms, not that he had to. I can see my eyes going yellow, it is getting hard to focus. The med team can't identify the disease nor come up with a treatment, we figured out that the food is tainted. All of it. Fortunately, pegasi are either resistant or immune for some reason. The stable will survive, in some way. I have made the chief Doctor my successor, he promised to save those he could. He also promised that Stable Tech will pay. By the mother of Luna... I am feeling hungry, for meat! At least Conference is already dead, and I get to go out on my own terms. Sorry, love.

"Let's go." was all I said, and we left the room. Screen still glowing.

***

Between my concussion, wartime conspiracies and the latest tragedy I had even forgotten our trek through the haunted forest. To say the least we weren't paying attention to our surroundings and trotted right past the figure tracking us with a rifle barrel, despite being almost on top of us.

"CONSISTITE!!"

I froze. Scratch that, the world froze. Must have triggered my S.A.T.S. somehow. Which was handy, seeing as I had a gun barrel aimed my face at about a foreleg's distance. Holding it, in some strange pose, was a zebra. Not a zony, I knew zonies and this one wasn't one of them. Fortunately, the spell is pretty strong stuff and the zebra couldn't pull a trigger until I closed it. So there I was, frozen in time, with my companions not reacting yet and a zebra trying to kill me. A long look at them, clad in some red uniform with steel barding. What do you know, the goldstar troops really do dress like zebras! Never seen that kind of rifle before, and that was one wicked curved... knife? Sword? No helmet, and the face...

Now that is interesting. The zebra buck? Mare? Either way, they didn't have look of anger or hatred. It was like looking in a mirror, or at my friends. Tired, in every meaning of the word. What was the word they shouted? Consistite? Hm... HMM...Wait, by context it should mean halt or stop. E.F.S, just us four... But it might have blindspots. Anyhow. Let's do this. Exiting S.A.T.S.

I shut my eyes and sat down, barrels pointed away from the zebra.

"We're not going to hurt you."

I said as calmly as I could.

"Just needed shelter."

My companions were on the verge of panic.

A stream of orders or questions. And my poor head had no chance to catch up or translate, never really paid attention to the language lessons.

"Sorry, my zebrecian is rusty. Can you do equish?"

A scowl. Followed by a mix of caution and confusion.

"You are hunter. Yes?"

I blinked.

"Tell no lie. Caesar sent you?!"

"What?.. WHAT?? Ahahahahahaha...."

Clearly not the reaction my assailant was expecting.

"Do I look like I work for a zebra warlord? I'm from a stable, look: barding and pipbuck and everything. From up north."

There was that stare again, just what is up with it.

"You... are equestrian?"

"Yep, more than most I could argue."

I stated proudly, not everyone is a thoroughbred stable dweller.

"And you are not afraid of me. You do not hate."

That is the most confused tone I ever heard, I was thankful for the gun being lowered at least. "You are strange. But honest." The zebra relaxed and sat down as well.

"I... will you help?" I am...coward, I ran. Legion hunts, so I run more."

I blinked in surprise.

"You are a deserter?"

"I not know word."

The zebra angled their head in a weird way.

"You used to fight for someone, but you don't want to anymore. So you stopped, and ran away."

"Yes. That is it."

Well, a zebra less hostile than most ponies. Now that is ironic. And those are some tired, desperate eyes. I was supposed to be a hero right? Being a bad ass stable dwelling, defender of the weak and all that?

"Sure, what do you need? We are a bit messed up at the moment but I'll see what I can do."

"Just let me travel pony lands. North. Away from Legion."

I could hear a loud gasp from my side. I shot glance at Violette who looked very offended by the idea, not scared, offended. Great, the whole stripe thing is a problem even our own group.

"OK. Fair enough."

I made the most dramatic sigh I could.

"Just be ready that many ponies go nuts when they see stripes."

"My life is in your hooves. Noble One."

The zebra held up the rifle horizontally as if presenting a gift.

"As is my loyalty. And my rifle. May stars pass you by."

Just a little bit creepy.

"I am Xera, Vates and Exploratores from 93rd Legion."

Level Up:
Skill Note: Science - 50%

Perk Added: Ferocious Loyalty

You lead by example, and inspire remarkable levels of loyalty and ferocity from your companions. When your health falls beneath 50% your companions become virtually bulletproof. Rainbow Dash would be proud.

Chapter 8 - Fragments of Truth

How long had I been out in the world? A week? Two? Felt like months, I was exhausted. Broken physically and mentally. I didn't feel like the badass heroine I was supposed to. I'd like to think that my heart was still in the right place, that I was just too weak. Far too weak. We needed to get home, I needed to rest up. Then I need to get stronger, somehow. Maybe it was just a question of experience. Or maybe there was some sort of intrinsic difference between a stable dweller and a proper wastelander. I'd like to think that we aren't as ruthless or self serving, but then again that might very well be a weakness out here.

All things considered I should perhaps focus on more pressing matters, such a trio of traumatized equestrians traveling to a trade post frequented by slavers. And my perhaps hasty choice to enlist a zebra legionary who barely speaks a word of equish.

"Sooo... Xera. Know anything about Roadfort?"

"Trade town, in east? Is dangerous, warriors of Regina often visit."

My battered mind had to process that for a moment.

"Oh, yeah. I'm kind of counting on it, we got a contract from her."

"You are mercenary then?"

Shouldn't you have asked that before swearing loyalty? Zebras, stranger than myth.

"I guess..."

I scratched my neck.

"Not really, but close enough. We worked with mercenaries, if that counts."

"Ahum!"

Violette had an opinion.

"You took a contract with a sizable reward upfront, in order to work with a mercenary group to hunt down a pony. You killed several ponies, got properly injured and one of our allies died... Yes. You are most definitely a mercenary!"

Did she have to shout? And why is the zebra staring at me like that?

"... Two questions! Why are you staring at me like that? And HOW are you staring like that? It creeps me out and you are the third po... person to do it thus far. Oh, and please stop doing it."

There is that head tilt again, and look forward when walking. Please?

"I see..."

More cryptic nonsense.

"It is... truth sight. A gift, for those chosen by benign stars."

Closed eyes and still walking?

"Magic, truth, lies, fear, anger, love. I see all of it."

The voice shuddered.

"I can not not see things, no matter how hard I try. Perhaps gift is wrong word, curse is better."

We trotted under the boulevard of trees for a few minutes in silence as nobody was comfortable with continuing the discussion. Faint sunlight glistening through the leaves, the grey trunks being massive and covered in occasional glyphs or runes. Hold on a minute, but as I opened my mouth I was interrupted.

"I am third? You have met others? When?? Where?!"

Xera burst out in panic.

"Huh? Yeah, the others were ponies though. Why?"

"You must lie! But... you do not?? A vates being born is rare. Always a zebra, a pony with the sight is is..."

A pause.

"Reginas of old, imperatrixes of the pony empire. Maybe them! No others!"

"Wait, what?"

My head hurt, broken equish and random zebrecian doesn't help.

"Please explain. What is a vates, and what about the princesses? I don't know much about zebra magic."

Hyperventilating, but at least I seemed to get a point through.

"Pony not know anything... I shall attempt explanation. A vates, is a zebra chosen by certain stars. We see, we understand magic more than others. We have gift, so we are holy. Zebras seek advice, we answer, they listen. But we are cursed, so we not allowed family. I... not mare, not stallion. I am vates, an outcast..."

Zebra customs and traditions make no sense to me. Their myths and superstitions make even less sense. Being an outcast however, and that terrifying emptiness of seeing everyone turn their backs to you... I could certainly understand that, and relate. No words would comfort would help, it would just make the alienation worse. Instead I did yet another possibly suicidal thing and hugged the zebra with my hooves, the same zebra that had pointed a rifle at me the day before. I felt Xera's muscles tense up, and I might very well have died there and then. Instead, they froze in my forelegs. Then they began shaking, and crying silently.

***

In time we continued our walk east, and the tranquil feeling of our road was replaced by a sense of dread. I turned on the E.F.S. and glanced to my right. Nothing. A long gaze towards the wood line to the north but the forest was silent, and nothing paid attention to us. So what made my mane stand on end?

"Xera, are we being followed?"

I no long expected any fair play from potential hostiles.

"No. There are no hunters after us, nor any predators."

"Then what is it?"

"Death."

They closed their eyes, concentrating.

"Carrion. A lot of death, ahead of us."

I look around at my companions, too emotionally tired to deal with yet another crisis. Going around whatever it is wasn't an option. Going south to New Pegasus might be an alternative, but we might have a few too many stripes for that to be safe. So what now?

"Shall I scout, winged one?"

"Just make sure nobody sees you."

"Do not insult me, pony."

Did they just chuckle?

And our zebra sneaked off.

"Windstriker, this is a bad idea."

First thing Amber had said since meeting our new zebra friend.

"What is a bad idea?"

"Travelling with a zebra to start of with, a highly unstable one at that. That you sent ahead towards a place where slavers are known to frequent, whilst we are rare breeds in the wasteland. Logically speaking we are running head first into a trap."

"I second that, there has to be limits to your naivety. Honestly, going back to the forest seems like the safer choice. Please, let's just get out of here. Like right now? Please?"

Am I the least paranoid one in our group?

"Hm... NAAAAH."

Honestly, whilst we might stand a chance in the forest with the zebra scout. Alone? Not a chance.

"Going back into the forest is basically a death sentence, at least this is a gamble. And even if Xera was dealing with slavers, I don't fancy the slaver's chances. Our dear zebra wasn't lying, I am sure of that."

"..."

"Hey, don't give me that look. If any of you had wings then we could have take a shortcut directly to Goldstar."

Violette looked like I had slapped her. I face hoofed, is there anyone in our group that didn't have a secret tragic backstory? Buck my life.

"Look, I'm sorry alright?"

She didn't react, instead her eyes went blank.

"Oh shi... Sorry, I didn't know..."

I took a step closer, and she panicked. Backing off. I gave a worried look to Amber, who shook his head. I could really have used some colourful curse words right about now...

"Is it bad time?"

A voice said next to me.

"GAH! What? No, we just need to get home soon."

I looked at the zebra who stood far too close for my comfort.

"Anyways, was it safe?"

That weird head turn again.

"If you really are ally of Regina, then yes. It is safe."

A short pause.

"If you like dragon, then no."

"Wait? Dragons?!"

***

The field that lay before us was definitely not a sight for a stable dweller. The trees were barely even stumps, the ground had been ripped apart and the craters were covered by dismembered corpses on every side. No idea how many dead there were, scores? Over a hundred? The fact that some of the corpses were distinctly draconic in nature made the sight even more horrifying. A single of these creatures almost killed me? And there were how many here? A small army laid dead before me, was this all of them? Probably not.

I looked further and saw the ancient building that had been turned into a fortress, with scrap and sandbags on the roof Similar fortifications surrounded it on all sides, with what looked like trenches in front of it. What in tartaros, was this place a former steel ranger outpost or something?

Above it all danced a flag that definitely didn't belong to the rangers however, a black flag with a seven pointed star of gold. It seemed that the war had started, and the first settlement had fallen. The self declared princess had finally made her move.

Wait, isn't this a good thing? We ARE technically working for her? And this essentially guaranteed safe passage for us. Hey, maybe we can get home without any problems after all! Then I glanced back to the corpse laden field in front of us and almost puked.

"Shall we go?"

I asked my companions and got no answer in return.

None the less they followed as I walked around the field of death, on the southern side (rather not be snatched up by some animal). Which might have been the correct choice as nobody shot at us, instead a tall white pegasus flew up to us. And no, she didn't look anything like Celestia. This mare had the ragged muscles and weathered coat of a proper wasteland pony, and she wore a uniform similar to Goldstar's guards. Her armour was prewar though, not to mention her rifle which looked several caliber's too large for my taste.

"What we've here?"

She grinned, not in a friendly way.

"Seems that Sunset owes me 80 bits, the crossbreeds ARE working with the zebras."

"Wha? No?! Look, the zebra joined us just a day ago. And they are a deserter to boot."

"Yeah right, a zebra leavin' the Legion. Never happens, trust me kid. Ya've been duped."

"Doubt it, but anyways. Can you just let us pass, I got a contract with the princess."

"Hmpf Yeah, ya and half of Vanhoover. Sure, jus' walk right pass. Let me deal with th' stripe first."

"Oh just buck off, they are my responsibility and you can't just shoot someone for their stripes."

"HAH, watch me!"

She pointed her wing at Xera.

"THAT, is a CUR-SOR-ES. A raider, a SLAVER. And Goldstar happens t' have a shoot on sight policy when it comes to slavers. So back off kid, NOW..."

"Wai-"

Then I was promptly cut off as she kicked her rear hooves in the dirt, flapped her wings hard and for a brief moment she stood on her front hooves before she slammed down on me. Next thing I knew I was on the ground with a hoof on my throat, she stood upright in a weird pose similar to what Xera had used and aimed her over-sized rifle at said zebra. I could barely breathe and expected to hear a loud bang, instead she stood there in silence with her gun ready for what felt like an eternity.

Then I heard the sound of a quad of hooves galloping closer.

"COMMANDANT! That pegasus is the daughter of Blackhorn!"

Haven't I heard that voice before? Sure sounds familiar. The mare looked down at me with an expression that made me shiver.

"Hm. Ya really're..."

I could finally breathe properly, but I didn't dare to get up. Whatever friendliness there was in her voice earlier was gone.

"Ya four 're under arrest, try to run or do somethin' stupid an' the snipers will stop you."

"Please don't antagonize the commandant, Windstriker. She's dangerous."

The lovely scarred green mare in front of me helped me up. The very same mare I had befriended on my route to Goldstar, oh how I needed a friendly face. I threw my forelegs around her, I so much needed a proper hug.

"Are... are you OK?"

I shook my head.

***

Needless to say, we were led into the old supermarket that had been turned into a settlement over the years. And needless to say, they confiscated all of our weapons. Fortunately, Xera was not making a scene despite the stares and the whispers. There was indeed a small army of soldiers from Goldstar (how did they get all that firepower?), but also a whole bunch of traders, scavengers, hunters etc. Seems like they actually only killed slavers and whoever decided pulling a gun on an army was a good idea. Ironically, the soldiers acted professionally and didn't show any hostility to us even as we were under constant guard. If anything, they were utterly terrified at the tall pegasus mare.

"Thanks."

I emptied the sparkle cola I was given.

"Wind, can you please explain what is going on?"

"Uhm... To start with, the princess made me one of her royal knights."

"She did what now?? Since when does she have knights?!"

"For at least ten years? I think? I haven't really caught up with the history, and frankly it isn't my job."

"Sure, but I'm still not following. Sorry, but got a concussion after wrestling with a dragon."

She chuckled.

"No, I'm serious. A small dragon, but still a concussion."

"...Why were you... Never mind. As I was saying, somehow my life story impressed her enough to make me a knight of all things. Basically, we have three jobs. Acting as royal guard, maintaining order in the town and what was her words... 'keeping the soldiers in line'. If they hurt civilians we shoot them."

"Cohort Praetoria of Ceasar is like that. Executors of his will. Everyone fears them."

The first thing my zebra companion had said since we were arrested, and of course she offended the one friendly pony in charge we knew. Said pony promptly ignored them.

"Care to tell me, why exactly are you travelling with a zebra?"

"Long story short: They threatened to shoot me, asking if I worked for the Ceasar. I said no, so they didn't. They asked if they could travel with me, I said yes and now they kind of swore an oath to protect me."

Oh, a double facehoof. That is a rare sight.

"SIGH... Windstriker, you are a good pony. That is a rare sight, so don't die a pointless death. Please."

"Don't worry. We are heading back home to rest up. But somepony placed an army and dozens of corpses in the way. Which leads to the present situation. Care to tell me what all of that is about?"

"Her highness was very clear about that actually. This is the biggest trade route into and out of Vanhoover, and between the slavers and monsters it can be very dangerous. So several of the Caravans and even miss Pega of New Pegasus requested that she did something about it. So we did."

"And what now? About us? We just want to go back to the stable but now we are arrested for some reason."

"Miss Bittersweet is technically the commander of the knights... The fact she had you arrested means that she doesn't know what to do, she would have just shot you otherwise."

Great, real reassuring there.

"Most likely she will bring you to Goldstar, then the her highness will decide what to do. Don't worry, I'm sure she will let you go."

Not soon after she was called away by some officer who rather deal with her than her superior, wise choice if you ask me. Amber and Violette refused to even talk to me, so I was stuck talking to the zebra that might technically have gotten me into this mess. On the bright side, I probably didn't have to worry about them killing me in my sleep.

"So Xera, I don't know a lot of zebrecian. But I do know cursores, it means raider. Care to explain?"

"Yes. Remember what I said about my role? That is how it is in homeland. Not so in legion. In legion, every zebra is warrior. They fight, or they die. My mother refused, so she died. My lover... He was a centurion, but he said no to Caesar. So he died."

For a zebra capable of staring down a large bore rifle without flinching, they really there were a lot of emotions in those words.

"I rather have spit in Caesar's face, but I made promise to live. So I ran. North, only place legion fears."

"Because of Goldstar and princess Starlight?"

"No, Caesar sees her as obstacle. Not as threat."

"The creepy forest then? With all the monsters?"

Because it sure scared me. They laughed, the suicidal zebra laughed.

"No you silly pony. Zebras do not fear monsters, we hunt them. Before bombs, before war, we hunt monsters with mere spears and knives. No, pony. Legion not fear monsters."

And I thought I had an inflated ego.

"Legion fears Vanhoover. Old city, old magic, watching star."

"Excuse me??"

"Yes?"

"The last part, about Vanhoover and magic. And stars. Explain that part!"

"What about it?"

Stop being so calm about freaky things, and could ponies stop staring at us?

"All of it? Look, I grew up in a bunker and am kind of an idiot at times. So please explain properly."

"Vanhoover is protected, by old star magic. It warns one to stay away, fail and it claims your soul."

"This star, does it have seven points?"

"Like banner on roof, yes."

***

"...I am delighted to report that whilst a new threat has risen to our town, their vanguard has already been thwarted by a certain proactive individual. To speak with more clarity my dear ponies, the strange pony tribe known as the flame seekers are no longer content to stay behind their walls practicing their strange religion. Just a few days ago a significant number of them attacked Roadfort. Fortunately there were few, if any, losses on the defending side as Goldstar had seized the important trade post the day before. According to the officer in charge, their initial motivation was to obstruct the slave trade that has occurred at the location from time to time. Yet the timing is peculiar and the weaponry the troops brought is significant, suggesting that the princess already knew of the attack beforehoof..."

The serene voice of miss Pega was as sweet as music, as such it didn't distract much from my attempted reading in the evening. I had been reading the History of of the Great War where I noticed a passage that stood out to me.

Icetear, the ruler of wartime Vanhoover had first caught the interest of Princess Luna when she worked as a researcher at the Starlight Institute (our Institute). She had been part of the team that developed the theories behind mega spells, before they eventually were turned into practice by the Ministry of Peace. In my ignorance I had thought that mega spells were a revolutionary form of magic never seen before, but it seems that they got the idea from ancient artifacts such as the Crystal Heart of the crystal empire.

Hoping to find something in Sable's autobiography I was confused by the stilted and awkward writing, as if she was confused about everything or as if she wrote it down in order to remember it herself. Then again, she was some form of creepy immortal monster so it might not be that odd all things considered.

I stopped, having found that bright colourful photograph from the crystal empire. The photo with the mythical princess of the north, the photo with the ruler of Vanhoover, with the administrator of Tall Tale and the last great Van Hoof. Something about the picture had me transfixed, as if the book refused to let me turn the page. I looked at all the powerful ponies of wartime Equestria that I had learned about, failing to figure it out.

Then I saw her staring at me, with a faint smile as if mocking me for not realizing it sooner. To the side, next to Director Glimmer she sat. A dark grey unicorn with a golden mane and golden eyes. My mind wanted to deny the similarity, yet I was certain that she was one and the same. This raised one important question

"Why doesn't anyone know this?? Isn't she in any of the books?"

Yet all I could think of was that small amused smile.

***

We were supposed to go straight home, then this offended pegasus decided to arrest us. By all means, give us armed escort to the castle. Safer that way to be honest, and now I was no longer afraid. I was... not curious, not mad... determined? To meet personally with this supposed princess and get some context on this picture. I could just browse through Glimmer's old stuff back home, but I wanted more than evidence. I wanted an explanation and to see her face when I showed her the picture.

My improved mood was noticed, and annoyed our captor enormously. Good. She annoyed me quite a bit as well, especially as I felt unsure if I could have taken her one against one if I had been in perfect health. Not sure if I could take her if she was unarmed even. I was weak, and I really didn't like having it shoved into my face. Or throat as it were.

One thing knocked me out of my self righteous daydreaming. A red bar in my vision, panicking I looked around at the group of ponies that had held us captive. None showed any sign of aggression, but the tall white pegasus at the front paused. The rest of us followed suit as my gaze went further ahead and I saw a lone raider pony in black leather and steel barding. Must be pretty confident to take on our whole group alone.

Wait, that sort of overconfidence killed you quickly. I had learned that the hard way, so did the mare in front of us seriously think she could take out a whole squad of soldiers? With a knife?

Deja Vu... That raider mare with the black coat and the purple side-cut.

No. Nononononononono... NO!!

She is dead, we shot her with a laser beam through her head!

As I was in a state of full panic the first mare I had seen die stood in front of us, she rushed us with an uncanny agility through the bulletstorm which barely grazed her. The commandant kicked off with her rear hooves, and I saw her perform the same trick despite there still being a significant distance to our attacker.

BOOOM

The large rifle echoed as I saw a front leg turn into red chunks and the raider stumble and fall. The pegasus raised her wing and the firing stopped, only a single bullet had manged to hit properly. She stood back down on four hooves and put away her rifle, sounding downright pleased as she spoke.

"Mighty kind of ya to show up on yer own. The princess have been wantin to meet with ya for a while, Wither."

"FUCK YOU BITTER. The fuck you protecting a stripe for?!"

"Haha, don't insult me..."

She trotted up and stood just outside of striking distance.

"This's business and I can't have ya kill them 'fore I bring them in. By the way, what does this make it now? 6-0 for me?"

"Shut it!"

She was rapidly bleeding out, yet seemed more irritated than worried.

"Who the fuck shoots ponies with explosive bullets?! Fuck... I'm loosing it.."

"Eh, it was loaded for the draconequuses."

She laughed and poked the raider's nose.

"This way, ya won't run away. Win-win really. Oh, ya're already out... Sarge, have somepony carry her. And don't forget the knife, is her favorite."

I was in shock when the soldiers told us to move and didn't react, so the tall pony trotted up to me. This time with a grin on her face, not caring the least that I didn't follow orders.

"What's up kid, freeze up at the first sight of blood?"

"But...wha... WE KILLED HER. I saw her die!"

"And ya just left her? No wonder she's pissed. Ya can't kill Withered Rose, everypony knows that. It's her special talent, best one in the wasteland. Bad luck if ya ask me, makes her careless."

"But..."

"Oh shut it, move it kid."

Her eyes grew cold, bored even as she stared at me. The fear was enough to break the effects of the shock and I started walking. Yet I walked as if in a trance and wasn't aware of my surroundings until we had gotten way past the palisade.

***

We were escorted to the innermost part of the castle complex, the oldest tower. It looked tiny and forgotten compared to the impressive fortress that the rest of it were. Yet this ancient keep was the most heavily guarded part of it all, for good reason. It was were the ruler had taken residence. I couldn't help but think it was symbolic. She didn't pick the largest and most impressive structure, the one with the military offices and the throne room. No, she picked the most ancient one. As if handing out a clue to anyone clever enough to look.

The two guards (knights I suppose) saluted as we were led through. Turns out the bottom floor had been turned into some form of lounge for said guards as there were several more of them there, and they looked surprised to see their commanding officer show up yet only one got up. The browncoated mare had a scarlet mane and a look of mild amusement on her face, not to mention a voice of scolding.

"Bitter Sweet... Don't you have a mission to handle? I seem to recall that you do?"

"Quit it, Rust. The captain and the newbie can handle it. Besides, I arrested Blackhorn's daughter for colluding with the zebras. So I need to talk to Goldie. Caught Withered too."

"You did what??"

The earth pony mare was caught between surprise and frustration, she stared at me.

"Are you an idiot?! Scratch that, we already know you're an idiot. At least you had the sense to not kill her."

"Ya do remember that I am yer superior officer, and can have ya shot?"

"Pfft... Only because you spent decades trying to get under her tail. And no, you can't. Try learning the rules for once, and grow up while you are at it. Either way, you will have to wait. Mommy and daddy are talking."

"Stormcloud is here?? Why?"

"SIGH He was invited you half-wit."

She turned to the rest of us.

"Hey, feel free to relax. This might take a while, and don't worry about the big doofus. She looks scarier than she actually is. Name's Rusted Steel, ex lieutenant of the Daughters and captain of the gendarmerie."

This was downright surreal, even without my experiences the last few days it was weird to see the possibly highest ranking officer at Goldstar being lectured by someone her junior. Not to mention the contrast between the ruthless killer and the laid back attitude of the other. She even handed a sparkle cola to our very confused zebra, and started talking to them instead of the very annoyed pegasus (not me) standing by the exit.

Me, I was very curious to why my old teacher was here. If the princess truly was two centuries old then I had my suspicions. So I stretched my ears and tried listening if i could hear anything, which wasn't very difficult considering the volume. The contrast between the dry raspy ghoul and the sweet yet sharp voice of the princess somehow made it even easier to follow, and the normally charming mare had gotten quite angry.

"...First you burn Equestria to ash. Then you run away, leaving all of your research to rot with the rest of Canterlot. Your refusal, your COWARDICE is killing thousands over the years as ponies all over Equestria struggle and die without hope."

"Don't you DARE put that on me, YOUR department was just as guilty of fanning the flames of war! And you are fully aware that the zebras didn't get the mega spells from the M.A.S., if you want to blame anyone then blame Fluttershy."

"Oh, I do."

Her voice was downright cold despite the volume.

"And you are deflecting again, changing the subject. Running from your own past once again. You gave Twilight Sparkle doomsday weapon after doomsday weapon and you refuse to give me even the most benign of research?"

"You... You really think wearing that silly crown and calling yourself a princess makes you worthy of comparing yourself to my minister?? I thought there was limits to your arrogance, but I was clearly wrong... Those banners in the main hall, do you think you are the next Celestia?"

"Is it the wings? Is that it? Do you need me to grow wings first? BECAUSE I CAN DO THAT."

There was a moment of silence as Stormcloud didn't answer, a moment Starlight seized.

"Project: Sunburst, Project: Shieldbreaker, even Project: Coronation. KEEP them if you are so afraid of the past. I can make do without them."

"Yeah, you only want the most powerful artifacts in Equestrian history..."

He retorted sarcastically.

"You do realize the elements won't work without their chosen bearers, and whatever insane hubris you are going through... YOU ARE NOT ONE OF THE SIX."

"Again your logic fall short, that never changes does it? Then let me explain, as you said the elements were the most powerful artifacts in the Equestrian arsenal. Yet they were never used, there wasn't a single known project involving them. The only explanation is that they were used for something Luna wouldn't approve of. Considering her attitude as regent, it is quite obvious. A contingency plan of some sort, and my guess is that said plan is a terraforming mega spell."

"Paranoid ramblings aside..."

"SILENCE, I. Am. Not done! I hit right on the mark it seems, and don't bother denying it. You are very aware of my abilities. Continuing, what you fail to understand is that the main feature of the elements is the raw magical power they contain. By prewar standards it is indeed impressive, but since you clearly missed it: Wartime Equestria was not lacking in alternative power sources. Give me the research, and I can adapt it. We can FIX THINGS."

"...Giving you the one thing that you need to solidify your power, the one thing you need to declare yourself the savior of Equestria and pony kind. I think not. You might have fooled all these children, but I know better."

"...And so you continue gambling the future away on Watcher. It has already been two centuries in case you forgot."

Her voice had gotten softer, gentle even. Tired, but less hostile.

"Canterlot will be destroyed, soon."

"Perhaps for the best."

He sounded equally tired, and had lost all of his fervor.

"I think we are done here, Étoile."

"SIGH, so it seems. Sunshine."

***

It was weirdly nostalgic to see that dry old face again coming down the stairs, yet he felt like a total stranger. He had a look of confusion as he noticed me, then he recognized me. He looked around the room, noticed Amber. Raised an eyebrow at Xera and then turned to our captor. His voice was remarkably soft.

"Sweet, what nonsense is this?"

"I caught them colliding with a zebra slaver!"

She stated with a sense of defiant pride.

"Starlight?"

He sounded remarkably unimpressed.

"I'll take care of it. You go on ahead."

No royal 'we'?

As he put on his hat I noticed his horn, never paid attention to it before.

"I'll be going then..."

"...Sweet, when I gave you this job it was with the expectation that you could understand my priorities, and a certain level of trust. Was I perhaps not clear enough how important this mission was to me?"

There is that creepy stare again.

"Bu... Goldie! This is important! I found this zebra slaver with Blackhorn's daughter!"

A facehoof.

"SWEET. I do not care if you were to bring the Caesar himself. Renegade should have her group ready, go help her. Leave them with me, hopefully I don't have to apologize to her too much..."

"But!"

Bitter sweet's face changed from embarrassment to one of fear.

"I... Sorry..."

Starlight looked downright tired and bored by the display, and the fierce pegasus was downright meek.

"Yes, your highness."

Then she shrunk away, and walked out through the door with her head hung low.

"Now let's sort out this embarrassing mess."

She turned to Xera, and spoke in far more fluent zebrecian than mine. It sounded as if it might even be more advanced than the actual zebra's. I could just barely follow parts of it. She commanded them to come closer, and they complied on shaking legs. I don't think I ever seen someone so terrified before or since. As they talked they stood staring into each eyes as if in trance. Starlight sounded slightly amused, Xera however sounded like them feared for their soul. Which in hindsight, they probably did. Then Starlight closed her eyes and turned to the rest of us.

"You are free to go. Rust, make sure they get some decent food and whatever else they require. Probably a good idea to get this one some less obvious equipment."

She paused for a moment.

"One can but laugh at the rumors this idiocy will cause."

"Sure thing boss. Come a long kids, let's have dinner and go shopping."

Hold on, I had plans.

"Wait! We have business to discuss."

I looked at my companions

"You go on ahead, I'll catch up."

The mare in front of me almost purred.

"Oh. This should prove entertaining."

She showed a faint smile.

"Very well, let's go to my office."

And so I followed her up the spiraling staircase, slightly distracted by her hindquarters. Damn it, try to focus. I was supposed to be a professional damn it. Look at the steps instead, nice grey stone steps. Huh, this is a quite steep and dangerous staircase. Wonder how old this place actually is? And try listening for once, she is talking!

"Apologies for Bitter sweet's behavior, she is jealous at your mother as she can't follow our more technical discussions. She is something of an idiot, although she usually shoots anyone calling her that."

"Never mind that, how do you know Stormcloud? You seem pretty close."

"He's an old friend, we even tried dating a while. You know, he was one of Celestia's finest pupils once. And now he refuses to even use the least bit of magic, what a waste."

"You did WHAT??"

I had zoned out everything after the word 'dating'.

"Didn't work out, he prefers stallions. Besides, I have bad luck when it comes to relationships."

"How so?"

All of the theatrics and the facade is just gone, is this the real her?

"My partners have a strong tendency to die. One way or another."

There was a bone chilling honesty in her voice.

"..."

I had run out of words. Fortunately I had something new to take in as I entered her private office, the one place where she wasn't a princess. It was at this moment I noticed that she wasn't wearing her tiara, it stood on a pony pony bust in a corner. As if it was merely one trinket among many. She walked up behind her desk and waited patiently as I took in the scene. That terminal was most definitely not a standard issue Stable-Tech terminal, the amber light reinforcing the obvious.

Then I noticed the bookshelves and the whole bunch of odd objects. A carved diamond that radiated with pure sunlight, oh how I have missed that light. Wait... is that Minister Rarity? Fancy statuette. A... is that bracelet a pipbuck, kind of looks like one? An engraved revolver and... is that a spritebot?! Some small unassuming chest and what looked like a master spell matrix. Wait, that bluish tint. Is that a lunite crystal?

Our eyes as she gauged my reaction, when I failed to comment she started the discussion.

"So, what is that you have for me?"

"Books, two of them. And I suspect many overlook them, which is odd considering how interesting they are. The History of the Great War volume 6, focusing on the Provisional Government and the administrator's autobiography. Princess Mi Amori Cadenca is in it."

"She wrote an autobiography? That can't be easy to read."

"Yeah, it is way more awkward than the other. I guess being an immortal monster makes it difficult to remember things properly, a lot of it reads as if it was taken from third party sources instead of from memory."

"Oh, you have no idea..."

She smiled knowingly, oh right. That. Then she explained a bit.

"I read the casualty report from the Dawn Mining incident, it was the first time Equestria had any ghouls. Unfortunately every single one was feral, caused a fair bit of panic until the M.O.P and the M.O.I. censored the event."

"Wait, I met her. Sure she was creepy, but she wasn't feral. In fact, I even suspect that she sent us away to die as we were digging through their archive and her past. Then again..."

She wasn't an ordinary ghoul.

"Indeed. Anyway, could be a fun light read. How much do you want for them?"

"20 bits each, and an answer."

I pulled out the books and she grabbed them in her magic as soon as they were out of my saddle bags. There was that smile again, and I did notice how she closed her eyes as she did it.

"Deal."

She opened a drawer and a stream of golden coins flowed out of it, into my saddle bags.

"Now, an answer to which question?"

"The autobiography, first page of the second chapter."

For once in my life I paid attention as she quickly browsed to the photograph. She took a long look at it before she commented, failing to show even the least bit of surprise.

"Cute. But I suspect this isn't the question you want answered."

What?? I mean, my theory is pretty much confirmed at this point but... Wait, is she testing me? Is she suggesting that she would answer one question from me regardless of what it was? I looked back into that stare, struggling to think. So I went with my gut.

"Whatever you are planning, can you promise me that it isn't a threat to my family or the people of my home?"

"SIGH Windstriker, dear. I am not omniscient. So no, that I can not promise you. I can, however promise you that I have no intentions of harming any of them nor will I attempt to subjugate them or for that matter intentionally manipulate them to my whim. I owe that much to Starlight Glimmer, at least."

"..."

Somehow it didn't reassure me the one bit. As she sat there under the artificial sunlight I began feeling really creeped out, and could swear that I heard whispers from around the room. Two distinct voices, trying to shout at me to get out of here. Some part of my mind panicked and activated S.A.T.S. The world froze, and the whispers stopped.

Did her lips just move??

Her eyes began to close slowly, yeah she was definitely moving. Whilst I was in S.A.T.S. HOW?!

Goddesses...

Cancel! Exit! Why can't I shut it down?? She got up and walked around the desk, and I was the one who couldn't move. Did she sabotage my pipbuck when I wasn't looking?

I could do nothing but watch as she stopped in front of me, her head turned slightly on its side, she gave an amused smile and a bored, even sad pair of eyes. Her hoof rose and she poked my nose whilst mouthing "boop". Then I could feel time returning and my muscles finally responded, my mouth opened in shock.

And felt a gun barrel hoovering inside of it.

CLICK

"Au revoir, ma petite poney."

The emotion I felt, the dread, the heartless vindictiveness aimed towards me in that moment. Withered Rose was immature, Bitter Sweet was petty... No, it was more similar to being stared down by the basilisk, mixed with the cold detachment of the raging ocean or the star above...

KA-TAK

"Wha..."

"It is inadvisable to provoke me when I am in a nostalgic mood, child."

Her horn glowed and I was blinded by a golden flash. As my eyes desperately blinked, trying to figure out what just happened, my ears picked up something odd. The sounds of ponies all around me. Eventually my eyes began to work properly and I realize that I was outside on the roof of the over-sized fortress.

Did I just teleport?

***

Fortunately I had Amber's T.A.G. and could find my party if I just could figure out how to navigate this maze. So I began trotting among the hundreds of ponies, nearly all earth ponies it seemed. My mind however, wasn't in the present but trying to make sense out of my recent experience. How can anyone just override a S.AT.S. like that? Wait... it is some form of time manipulation spell right?

Hold on! Her promise, it was way too specific in wording. She didn't intend any harm to my kin, at that specific moment. It wasn't a guarantee, it was threat.

"Oh shit... I got to talk with mom about this..."

I found them in the throne room of the main keep, eating leisurely whilst Rusted Steel tried getting them to cheer up. It worked, partially. Xera noticed me first and pointed me out. Their faces turned to worry when they saw me however, so my panic must have been pretty obvious. The guard or knight or whatever the stars she was looked downright entertained by my state of mind.

"Spooked ya, did she?"

She actually laughed.

"How did it feel to stand alone against the most feared mare in Vanhoover? Not many get the privilege these days, with all the silly theatrics going on."

I stopped at those words, and just stared at her. Theatrics, just how much of this was fake? All of it? The mare in front of me, for all of her friendliness, is obviously in on the facade. On the charade, and she talked down Bitter Sweet as if she was used to it. She had seen it all before, the smile before me was just another ruse. Yet another cold blooded killer.

"Oh look at that, miss Blackhorn's little kid is all grown up. We should get a cake or something."

Her voice dripping with sarcasm, her eyes had a knowing look.

"Oh buck off. Where is she? And can you arrange for a room for the night? We leave in the morning."

I gave her a long hard stare, daring her to crack another joke. In hindsight I would probably have gotten my flank handed to me.

"Yeah, sure. Boss asked me too. And she should be in her room, you know where it is right?"

Before I could answer.

"You should probably eat something before though, doubt little Sweet gave you much in the way of dinner."

"No appetite, and thanks I guess."

I began trotting towards the stairs.

"Windstriker?!"

Amber shouted after me.

"Not now, Amber!"

I shouted back.

***

It didn't take much to remember where her room was, I knocked on her door. No response, I clicked up her T.A.G. and she was indeed in there. Why wasn't I surprised?

"MOM, It's Windstriker!"

The door opened and she stood there, a slightly worried look on her face.

"Mom, we need to talk."

"... Where is Amber?"

"Downstairs, he has company. "

She turned and walked in, and sat down next to her desk.

"So what has you gotten into this time?"

"STOP TREATING ME LIKE A CHILD."

I didn't shout as much as I raised the volume of my regular talking voice, and it left an impression. She was actually paying proper attention and listening.

"The guards, the knights or what in Tartaros they are... Ruthless killers, and they pause at your name. It might be the only reason I am alive. WHY?"

Her eyes grew colder, in a manner I had never seen before.

"What did you say?"

"I asked why."

I stated in a frustrated and angry tone.

"Did they hurt you?"

Her voice as cold as ice. Turns out I didn't even know my own mother.

"Only until they realized that I was your daughter, and you are avoiding the point. Why are some of the most dangerous ponies in Vanhoover afraid of my mother?? And why are you working for a centuries old witch, A STARCHILD?!"

I almost hissed as I said the last word, not sure when I remembered the term. My discussions with Xera had probably stirred my memory, waking half forgotten tales I learned as a child. Legends, myths, warnings of fools and the fate they suffered. She closed her eyes and mumbled something that might have been a prayer to the princesses, as she did when she didn't know what to do.

"I have no idea how you figured that out... Have you been east of the Unicorn Range? Or south of the Smokey Mountains? Have you seen Equestria?"

What in the world did that have to do with the subject?

"Clearly not. Equestria is dead. Canterlot is a rotting necropolis, Manehattan is a tomb, Fillydelphia is turning into a new Tartaros. The rest? It is ash. Dust storms, acid rain, and worse."

I thought of the dying grass I saw in the south, and nodded slowly.

"There are two places left alive. The Everfree Forest. And Vanhoover."

Everfree? Isn't that where the old castle was? Before Luna... Oh... Damn... She had an expression that I hadn't seen since I had flew off and hidden above the clouds as a child.

"You see what those two places has in common?"

"So you chose damnation above death, is that it?"

I just couldn't accept this.

"The star of Vanhoover isn't malign, Windstriker."

"Hmph! Yeah, and yet everyone is starving. Everyone is killing each other. And at least two of the most influential ponies around are immortal lunatics who stare into your very soul and gamble with your life like it was a gold bit!"

"..."

She just looked at me with sad eyes, and then she hugged me.

"How long?"

She didn't answer.

"How long have my entire family been working for the stars?"

"She showed up in the Director's office half a century ago, browsing through Starlight Glimmer's grimoire. Your grandfather's predecessor was furious of course, until he recognized her at least."

"So my entire life then?"

"It is more complicated than that. She was her protege, and supposedly Celestia's student before that."

"Excuse me??"

This sounded more like fairy tales and rumors than anything else I had heard in my life.

"Supposedly she got expelled for traumatizing another student, so not a very good one."

"I still rather just shoot her."

I almost manifested the virtue of Honesty with that statement.

"Haha... you know, Windstriker. I agree, and I did."

She never told me of the time before I was born, and this I got to hear.

"Back when your grandfather ordered me to travel with her to some old military installation. She got on my nerves so much that I pointed my hyper-fusion rifle at her, and fired. She started glowing as the disintegration catalysis began breaking her apart, then the process somehow began going in reverse and she was unharmed."

"Then what?"

"She was disappointed that it didn't work."

Quest Perk added: Stargazer

You were foolish enough to gaze into the void, and it looked back. It has bestowed you with a lesser form of Starsight and you now see Truth, no matter how horrifying. A pity, you should have blinked.

Condition added: Severe Wartime Stress Disorder

You have faced some of the Wasteland's worst and survived. You did not, however, go unscathed and can expect symptoms such as paranoia, explosive rage or suicidal depression. The Ministry of Peace would have institutionalized you, if it still existed.

Chapter 9 - Conspiracy

We really didn't stick around more than necessary and trotted off early in the morning, and we got less stares than expected (or maybe I just didn't pay any attention). Our zebra had new (or old) wartime polymer armour, and after some protests got their distinctly zebrecian rifle replaced with the equestrian equivalent. Supposedly a state of the art 5 mm, same weapon the Daughter's use and same caliber the steel rangers use. with a dyed mane Xera could pass as a zony provided we managed to get a spare pipbuck (how I was going to explain this whole thing to my grandfather I had no idea), unfortunately I doubt they would fool any steel rangers. The rangers do have a tendency to count stripes as it were, which was a little worrying considering what our next stop was.

I did however have a plan. Not a good plan, perhaps even a suicidal plan. But hey, it is my thing. Leave the thinking to the smart ponies, like the Stable Dweller or Security. I really didn't want to admit that "smart ponies" included every single zony back home. Of course, there was the risk that they would just shoot us for having a zebra in the party. There is also the risk that I would be viewed as a Goldstar agent and arrested (really shouldn't make that into a habit). Well, let us just say that it was a gamble, hopefully my friendly charisma and recent snooping habits would outweigh my stripes and concussion.

So let's gamble then!

By now the concrete and rubble fort was in front of us and they hadn't shot us yet, step one CHECK. So instead of doing the sensible thing and just trot past we walked up to the gate (Amber really hated this plan FYI), and sure enough two steel rangers at the front stepped forward. Now for step two.

"Hiya, could you contact Ensign Raspberry Tart for me please? I got intel."

Two elite soldiers, clad in head to hoof in steel, enough arcano-electronics to rival a pipbuck and carrying enough ordnance to blow us to bits in a second. Stunned speechless, step two CHECK.

***

By now there was an entire squad watching us as the one steel ranger I kind of knew walked up between them. You know, the amount of guns pointed our way just quadrupled. But eh, gamble. I no longer gave a buck, and this bait was something they couldn't afford to miss.

"So, Windstriker. What are you playing at? You do realize that if you are messing with us I am obligated to arrest you?"

"No thanks, had enough of that with Goldstar's commendant at Roadfort."

I made a dramatic pause and let it sink in, it wasn't even a lie!

"Either way, I have been digging and struck gold so to speak." A sly smile, not unlike a certain madmare. "How much is the origin of Princess Golden Starlight worth?"

I like to think that I am quite bold, but this was on a whole another level. Through sheer dumb luck I had stumbled on top of a 200 year old secret, through stubbornness I got it verified and now I was going to throw it into the ceaseless conspiracies that nestled deep everywhere in Vanhoover. Considering the decades she had spent preparing, Starlight most likely had countless assassins to avoid just this very thing. Preparation I was about to hit with a sledgehammer.

"... Do you have any idea how many rumours we already heard from various informants, captives and so on?"

"You ponies got a thing going on with the Administrator right? Send one of your scribes to the Tall Tale library and they can confirm it, I just need to tell you what books you should look for."

"...."

The pony before me processed what I was saying for a long awkward moment.

"The Administrator of Tall Tale is furious at Goldstar last I heard, are you suggesting it is all an act?"

"Naah, she just got a huge blind spot. Now can we come in? And can I talk to whomever is in charge?"

"I do not have the authority to make an exception... Stay here, I'll be right back."

Step three, CHECK.

***

We were allowed to enter, but I alone was led to the reinforced three story building that served as the central keep of the fort. There were a bunch of other travelers resting inside the walls, and one caravan by the looks of things. What surprised me however was that the steel rangers weren't all covered in head to hoof in steel, at least a third of them had simpler polymer armour looking a lot like what Xera had been given (albeit with some really fancy helmet visors). All in all, they really gave the impression of a professional army. Which, in retrospect, is exactly what they were.

"You are playing a dangerous game, Windstriker."

"Bringing a zebra to a steel ranger fort? Yeah, I can see that."

"YOU WHAT??"

Wow, there is a lot of volume in a ranger armour. Turns out the disguise worked after all.

"Hey, they are our sniper/scout. And not legion."

Officer Tart looked back at our group, to the guards of the walls and back to me.

"We already have a delicate political situation on our hooves, and if Star Paladin Earthquake gets word of this then we would be lucky if I were just demoted... Worst case scenario, your stable gets branded as zebra agents and we would be pushed into an all out war."

"Yeah, hoping to avoid it. Trust me, on this."

"... Just be aware, this is probably the single largest steel ranger regiment in all of Equestria. We have been stocking up on ammunition for a decade and Elder Stardust commands enough firepower to level every settlement in the region should she deem it necessary."

Was that a threat?

"If this goes all to Tartaros then it is on YOUR hoofs."

Did I just upset the one friendly steel ranger I knew? A bad habit I guess, but it should all work out in the end. At least without my family and friends being slaughtered due to the curse of a star and our occasional stripes. Trying to focus on the present I looked around as we entered the main building, and saw ponies all around in various robes or unarmoured uniform. The place was busy, very busy. The scribes typed away at terminals, worked on tech everywhere, and to my ignorant eyes the looked remarkably competent (and I had pretty high standards, coming from the Institute).

And holy Luna! That is a lot of ordnance!

There must have been thousands of small caliber rounds, hundreds of large caliber rounds and several hundred more of the largest bullets I ever seen. Are those meant for dragons or something? That is not counting the missiles, dozens of helmets and combat barding. I was under the impression this was some smaller border fort guarding the road to Black Hoof? They really were preparing for an all out war.

On the top floor I was led to an impressive set of double doors with two fully armoured rangers standing guard. And that was a fair bit fancier barding, looked like silver with a bluish tint and everything. Oh, interesting. There was a whole squad on the floor looking at me. So obviously they didn't trust me, sensible of them I suppose.

The two guards opened both of the doors, for the added drama I suspect.

The mare inside commanded a fair bit respect from sheer presence alone as she sat behind an antique desk. Her highly ornate armour stood as a watching guard at her side, might even be an actual ranger inside for all I knew. Star Paladin Overdrive had a grey coat, a short scarlet mane and a few scars. I would definitely call her beautiful, despite it clearly being nowhere on her list of priorities. She had the air of a veteran, ferocity tempered by discipline and experience.

"So this is the zony I have been hearing so much about."

Her voice was neutral, with a bit of curiosity.

"Yes ma'am. There is one other thing however, she brought a zebra inside the walls. Supposedly an independent, it doesn't look like any of the troops have realized it yet."

"... Crusader Tart, the non interference policy is still in effect. This is merely an exception to the rule, see to it that the policy remain intact."

Then her eyes turned to me, with a mix of confusion and amusement. To my relief it was just a regular, ordinary pony gaze and not some star-cursed stare of the stars. So wonderfully ordinary.

"Yes ma'am!"

Then Tart saluted and trotted out of the room. The doors closed and the room suddenly felt a lot smaller, yet I didn't get the same malicious impression from the Star Paladin as from certain other powerful ponies I had met.

"Care to explain that part? Windstriker was it?"

She wasn't angry or offended, merely surprised. Not even shocked.

"Yes, we met them a few days ago and they decided to not shoot me when I clarified that I come from a stable and not the legion. Then they decided to tag along as they have nowhere else to go. Not much else to explain, it has only been a few days."

"THEY. A shaman then?"

When I opened my mouth to answer she raised a hoof.

"Don't answer, it is largely irrelevant. The real question is if it has occurred to you that this zebra might be a legion infiltrator here on one mission or another?"

"I have considered it, but I seriously doubt it. The trauma is real, and when we met with the ruler of Goldstar Xera was more terrified than anyone I have ever seen. And Golden Starlight's reaction was unimpressive to say the least, say what you like but that mare is well informed."

"There ARE rumours that said pretender is a legion agent, which isn't entirely unreasonable considering the equipment and training of her troops. Not to mention her habit of arming various criminal groups all around Vanhoover."

"Yeaaah that is probably not it. Sorry to burst your bubble there."

"Oh?"

Again she raised a hoof to silence me.

"Before we continue I want to know two things, some things that impacts the gravity and sincerity of your so called intel."

"And what is that?"

Friendly discussion without any death threats, just as it should be.

"WHO, my dear pegasus, are you? I know your name, but not your actual identity nor your purpose here. What are you after, Windstriker? Caps? Bits? Revenge? There is no such as a free gift in the wasteland."

"Ah, fair enough. I am the daughter of Blackhorn, and grand daughter of Director Marble of the Starlight Institute and Stable 33. These days I guess I am mostly an independent contractor, can't do sciency stuff for shit."

She nodded, clearly a bit impressed.

"You are here in an official capacity then?"

She raised an eyebrow.

"No, unfortunately not. I am... let's just say a concerned mare, caring about my kin and certain madmares wielding all too much power. As for what I want, I want this discriminatory policy of yours gone. I want the Steel Rangers to accept the zonies of Stable 33 and the Starlight Institute as full equestrian citizens with all that entails."

"A bold, yet perfectly reasonable request. You do realize that I do not have authority to remove that policy on my own?"

"Hm, yeah... I suspected as much. But... I was under the impression that you are still a mare with a lot of say in how things go within the Steel Rangers, aren't you a part of whatever did you call it? Some council thing?"

"The Senior Council, consisting of the elder, the head scribe and the three star paladins. And yes, yes I am. So even if I do not have the authority of cancelling the non interference policy outright, I can forward your request alongside any information you wish to share."

We were on the same page, was this step four? Can't remember anymore.

"So it is a gamble. I have to trust in your honesty, the value of the info and the integrity of the ponies in charge."

Again, she nodded in silent agreement.

"All in all, I am quite confident taking this bet. Info for the survival of my people."

"Then we are understanding each other, now... Let's see how your info hold up."

***

"First off, and this one you can check yourself. The pretender as you call her is a pony from before the bombs fell, as in living during the days of the ministries and doing Celestia knows what. This I discovered when I looked at an old class photo of Administrator Sable Quil, she is there alongside the major power players of wartime Vanhoover as well as the crystal princess."

Judging by the lack of reaction she had already considered this possibility.

"Do you have this photo with you?`"

"No, I sold it to Starlight. However, it is part of the administrators autobiography which is for sale in Flood Town. You might even have it in your archives without ever noticing it."

"I'll send a scribe to look for it. However I must ask if nopony ever noticed."

"Three things, it is a very unlikely place to look. Second, from what I hear she trotted around Vanhoover killing a lot of ponies all over the place before she started her power grab. Thirdly, I suspect there is some form of spell on the photograph. To keep ponies from noticing."

"... Sounds like quite a stretch, I wouldn't hesitate to call it a conspiracy theory."

"We ARE talking about a two centuries old unicorn sorceress with the best education in wartime Equestria."

"That begs the question of why we never heard of her before. And what exactly was her education?"

"The class in question was at the Crystal Academy in the Crystal Empire, and the teacher was none other than Starlight Glimmer of all ponies."

"Who?"

Seriously? She had never heard of Glimmer before??

"The founder of the Starlight Institute and the personal student of Minister Sparkle? Who in turn was educated by Celestia herself and was the greatest magical prodigy of her generation? With the possible exception of Glimmer that is."

"Why have I never heard of this mare before?"

Her relaxed demeanor was gone, she was very much taking me seriously now. Twilight Sparkle, she most certainly had heard of.

"Honestly, I would ask you the same thing. Why don't you know her? Before the M.O.P. completed the first megaspell of the war, the initial theory work came from our Institute. It is kind of a big deal, even Icetear worked there for a while. Where did you think we came from in the first place?"

The mare gave a short chuckle.

"If you only knew how many quasi-legal private enterprises there were back then, all developing experimental and unethical weaponry and other research. Either way, I guess we can explain this with M.O.I. meddling. They had a bad habit of doing that."

"Anyhow, we are currently on our way home as we all need a proper rest. Whilst we are there I'm going to browse through Director Glimmer's old stuff. Journals, data files, memory orbs and anything else that I can find. I got this hunch that I might find something really important if I dig deep enough."

"You do that. I on the other hoof, am really curious about that book you mentioned. When it is confirmed, it will increase your credibility significantly."

She locked eyes with me, trying to get me to pay attention.

"I'll be honest with you, as impressive as this is... It is not enough, but whatever you find might very well be. Feel free to return here when you find something, I'll have the guards let you pass."

"And this Star Paladin Earthquake?"

"Hmph! I don't answer to that brute. This is a mystery high command really wants solved. If he would ever dare to go against the Elder then I will have him put before a firing squad."

Wait what? Steel Ranger politics is evidently complicated and confusing stuff, which is a bad combo with my head situation.

"You can do that? Aren't you the same rank?"

"Don't tell any of the troops I said this, but there are more things to being a steel ranger than just discipline and regulations. It is a matter of duty, and character. Things that savage lacks."

Oh, I like this mare.

"It is nice to see that somepony has a sense of compassion in the wasteland."

I smiled earnestly.

"Not compassion, it is a fragile thing I no longer believe in. Duty, Windstriker. Duty to the citizens of Equestria and duty to our ancestors. I have been with Elder Stardust since Canterlot, and we have NOT forgotten our duty."

***

"You know, Windstriker. If your mom ever gets wind of this there will be tartaros to pay."

Amber pointed out as we continued our travels eastward. Oh and by the way, Step Four CHECK. Plan successful. Provided my relatives were sneaky enough I might keep the heat off our backs, and the steel rangers aiming at other ponies.

"Hm, yeah. Let her get mad and see if I care, I doubt she is even half as pissed as I am."

"Over what?? You never explained that part!"

Frustrated, but at least he was talking to me again.

"I already said I don't want to talk about it!"

Nor think about it, princesses save us.

"Then at least leave us out of it. Whatever mess you are making, it is your own problem!"

"I did do that? Don't worry, I'll take full responsibility."

"... You never take responsibility. For anything! That is why we are out here in the first place."

"Please don't shout. I got a concussion remember? Not to mention a bad mood."

"..."

Back to ignoring me it seems, fine then.

So a few hours left until we reach the Black Hoof, with my companions giving me the silent treatment and nothing to do. Hence, time for the radio. Been a while since I listened to DjPon3, maybe something interesting happened?

"...It is a good time to be a decent pony, we got proper heroes and they are kicking flank all the way from Fillydelphia down to Hoofington. Let's start with the Hoofington story, it would be comical if it wasn't so tragic. From reports it seems that half of the ponies around the city are after Security's head, flocking to any rumor that she might have gone this way or that way. Those ponies who happen to DO run into her however, run full speed the other way. Sure, that mare is fighting half of Hoofington but she isn't only surviving. She is winning! The desperate and foolish ponies that encounters her swear up and down they are never going within a mile of that bad ass mare again. Not to mention half of them are swearing off slavery, raiding, chems or whatever vice they might had in their past.

Now, the Stable Dweller hasn't been a slouch either. For one reason or another she snuck into Fillydelphia and tore up the place, destroying whatever doomdsay weapon Red Eye was working on and slaying the mother of all alicorns. From what I hear she is far from done, and I for one am eagerly waiting for her to return and finish the jobs. I am sure a few thousand slaves agree on that account.

Not to say that I am an optimist, because I am not. But one or two more heroes and we might actually end up fixing the place, and I don't just mean the East Coast but all of Equestria. And now, children. Let us pray to Celestia and listen to the Wasteland Wailers with their new song When The Sun Comes Back. Because one day, it will."

The song was beautiful, no discussion about it. And in another mood I would have loved it with all my heart. But it was tainted by the earlier talk of heroes and how important they were. How fantastically powerful and impressive the Stable Dweller and Security were, perhaps they truly were blessed by the princesses and were beyond us regular ponies. I just called myself a pony, that is how messed up I was. How in Celestia's name did they do those things? Isn't the wasteland supposed to be even worse out east?

That's it, even DjPon3 made me angry and filled with self pity these days. Black Hoof Radio it is! Oh, how I would regret that choice... Who knew that that not even the radio was free from the influence of the stars? The song that came on was beyond beautiful, so calm, so serene. It made me want to sing along with it as every bit stuck in my mind, and how it freaked me out.

"I wish I could find a queer street
The crooked queer street that goes
East of the sun and West of the moon
And out where no wind blows
Then I'd find the shop where the seller of stars
Sits and hammers behind the bars

Stars she gives for the asking
Starlight swords for the bold
Moon she sells for a penny or two
Rounded and bright with gold
And broken silver of the sea she sells
And the rain spears and the wind bells

Wings she weaves for the fairies
Gold of the sun you can buy
And silver flowers of frost and dew
Rainbows out of the sky
And delicate morning mist she sells
And pretty new songs for whispering shells

Oh, if I could find that dear street
The darling wee street with her house
I would buy a blackbird's whistle for you
And for Sunny a talking mouse
And a mermare's tail to swim in the sea
And dragon-fly wings for my Mummy and me!

I wish I could find the wee street
That wanders up and down
That is East of the sun and West of the moon
And very near twilight town
Where the seller of stars for a penny or two
Will sell your heart's desire to you

"That was The Seller of the Stars, performed by Courier 7 who had a short musical career down south. It is supposedly her favourite song, and I will admit that it is nice to have a local piece and not something made by the Ministry of Morale. And if I might say so, it is quite enchanting, isn't it?"

***

Although I had barely spent a few days in the Black Hoof before, it still gave a welcoming impression. It felt like returning home, a sense of safety and a haven from all the centuries old conspiracies I kept running into. Hopefully this place was spared from it, but knowing my luck I just jinxed it.

None the less when we saw the houses, tents and wagons in the distance I began galloping and flapped my wings filled with some real hope for the first time in a while. I circled as I soared higher and higher, this is life. It is in the winds of the sky I belong, I almost forgot that I am a pegasus.

I took in the town from the sky and realized that I had never really looked at it before. It was built around two main roads forming a T-junction with the saloon in the middle alongside the old train station and its radio tower. The rest of the houses had been built around it all, bit by bit expanding over the centuries. Yet all of them were built as if avoiding the Black Hoof saloon and its orchard out of respect. Said orchard rivaled the communal farms in sheer size, signalling the wealth of the Pear family that founded the town two centuries ago.

I cocked my head as I noticed something that should have been obvious, just how dry the place was. It was as night and day compared to Flood Town or Goldstar, was this the difference between Vanhoover and the greater Equestria?

My pondering was broken as something white flew by me at a remarkable speed, a pegasus. Now that was a rare sight, I was curious at the sight and quickly followed. I saw them maneuver with a remarkable skill and land with slight boom in the center of the town, and I promptly crash-landed as I tried the same.

"Oouch, how did you do that?"

I asked as I rubbed my head and looked at the white and azure mare next to me. And yes, she was kind of cute. However, there was something in her eyes that was a total turnoff. A mix of disdain and cold hearted malice that I had seen in several mares just a few days before.

"The fuck? Since when do zebras grow wings?"

"Not zebra, zony. I'm like one eight of a zebra at most. Name's Windstriker, what's yours?"

"A crossbreed??"

Her voice held more disgust than I thought was equinely possible. Oh right, this was the place I first encountered the various stripe hating bigots. How could I have forgotten?

"The proper term is zony, and you didn't tell me your name."

I was mildly irritated.

"Why should I tell a fucking stripe?"

"Wow. Rude."

"Your stripes are rude!"

"That doesn't even make any sense."

Am I the only sensible pegasus in Equestria?

It was about now that my companions caught up to me, clearly frustrated as usual.

"Will you stop flying off like that Windstriker?!"

Amber shouted as he ran up.

"Gentle?.."

Somehow the whisper out of Violette's mouth spoke louder than Amber's shout. Her eyes showed terror that I hadn't seen since we first ran into her. There was something else as well, recognition.

"Oh, look how it is. Did they finally throw you out, pegasis?"

Wait...

The pegasus mare looked back at me.

"HAH Hahahahahaha. Perfect! They threw you out, and now you run with dirt ponies. And a freaking STRIPE to boot."

"Hey, cut it out! You're scaring her."

This was just plain cruel.

"Not talking to you Stripe."

She gazed at Violette for a moment, then she looked as if she had an epiphany.

"Oh, they didn't?"

Then she moved in a blur and stopped behind Violette, throwing her cloak on the ground. I blinked to process what I was seeing, because I hadn't expected a pair of stumps on her back.

"They did! And look at that flank, you're not even a dashite. Just a throwaway nobody wanted."

She poked Violette in the side.

"Hey, did mum do this? Did she finally decide to get rid of the dead weight?"

"OK, that's it!"

I saw red, I didn't understand what was going on. I didn't care. All I knew was that someone I considered a friend was freaking out and being harassed by someone else. Unfortunately for this unknown mare, I was itching for someone to beat up.

I tackled her, full speed, full power. She got knocked off her hooves and sent flying a fair bit. But she didn't touch the ground, instead she caught wind and flew up with an expression caught between annoyance and sadism. She rose up in the air and I followed, knowing the one rule about aerial fights. Altitude is everything; bullets fly faster, swoops go quicker, strikes hit harder.

She turned and swooped towards me with frightening speed, I barely dodged and turned around only to lose sight of her. Next thing I knew I got bucked in the back out of nowhere, my wings got messed up and I crashed downwards. Struggling through the pain I flapped them all I could and gained height again, not to mention a bit of speed. Now, where did this bitch go? I smiled, and entered S.A.T.S.

Bingo!

She was high above me, evidently readying herself for the final blow. But I caught her, frozen in time she had a wicked grin and I looked at the hit percentages. What the Tartaros? 17%?! That can't be right!

Eh, I entered three bursts anyways as remembered that this was still two dozen bullets flying her way. Not to mention she would be flying on direct collision course with them, this would hurt.

Confirm.

Time sped up again and so did the white mare. She descended in a spiral, dancing around my stream of bullets as if it was nothing. Why do I keep running into bigoted mares that can dodge bullets? FREAKING BULLETS?!

"Ah fu..."

***

Did you know that the ground is hard? And hits hard when you crash into it? Especially with two front hooves knocking you out the sky, and the recoil of a pair of guns adding further insult to the injury. Needless to say, fuck did it hurt. I might have had broken bones, not sure. Head was spinning hard as well, I could barely focus on the villainous pegasus mare standing upright above me. Front hooves held high, ready to punch me out of my last sliver of consciousness.

BABABAM

She was gone, the mare was no longer standing over me. It might be my head imagining things but I thought I heard the flapping of wings for a moment before Xera ran over to me and poured something down my throat. It tasted horrid, and it felt even worse. However, whatever that potion was, it dulled the pain and made my head spin a fair bit less. I could make out some sense of horizontality and make sense out of where the ground was.

I tried looking around in order to see who fired the gun and was met with the scarred face of a a mare easily twice my size, staring at me with a mix of annoyance and anger with her one eye (the other was covered with a patch). To my surprise and slight apprehension she lowered her gun and aimed the barrel straight at me and Xera. I blinked and waited, to much in pain to do much else.

"Well, you going to shoot or what?"

I asked when I grew tired of said waiting.

"Haven't decided yet."

Damn, that mare clearly drank a lot of whiskey.

"Flip a coin or something, this is getting annoying."

She chuckled at that. and about now I realized that there was eight more mares standing in a half circle around me with really fancy armour, dusters and with expensive looking guns. More steel rangers or something? Oh right, the mercenaries. Daughters of Luna or something?

"Ay, Captain. Lay it off!"

"We have laws for a reason, Rose..."

"OH SHUT YA TRAP. Ya know full' well tha' the other one start'd it, and nopony died. Are ya trying to bully 'er for 'er stripes? Do ah need to tell ma about this? Or DUST??"

Whoever this orange mare was, I liked her.

She puffed up her mane, dark red by the way and matching her dress.

"...I'm just doing my job you know."

"Yeah, ah know! And ya was hired by my ma and the caravans. So go do yer freakin' job like an adult and stop bullyin' fillies on mah porch!"

It was certainly fascinating to see a whole group of hardened mercs shy away from a lone unarmed earth pony mare in a dress. And yes, the soldiers actually backed off and walked away without further argument.

She sighed and turned over to me, looking me over and shaking her head. Then over at Violette and Amber, yet another sigh. After trotting up to Violette she redid her cloak and threw her on her back, walking to us.

"Zebra, pick her up and follow me. Ah'll show ya to a spare room."

Next thing I knew I was dropped on top of a very comfortable bed and saw the same thing with Violette. Amber looked very distraught and tried comforting her, Xera on the other hoof seemed to be unsure how to handle the social situation. So I decided to take care of that part.

"Thanks. Rose was it? Can we rent the room for a few days? Got plenty of bits."

"Whiskey Rose, ma told me about ya. Figured ya made a mess. An' don't worry about the rent, is on the house. Food and drink however, ya will have to pay for."

She looked over at Xera with a curious look.

"Don't ya worry yer pretty head, the Saloon is sacred ground. Nopony will bother ya, and if they do. Ah'll throw 'em out."

"...I see. Thank you, pony."

"Yeah. Again, thanks. And has anyone ever told you that you look cute?"

Wow, not even the least bit impressed by the compliment? Seems that I am out of my league, again.

"Sweetie, ya're in no condition to be flirting. And yes, they do. AH AM a Pear ya know, it comes with certain 'xpectations."

She was positively beaming with confidence.

"Anyhow, Windstriker. Rest up a bit, ah insist."

***

A bed, a soft wonderful proper bed. Clearly princess Luna was giving us a well earned break from the horrors of the wasteland! May she guard our dreams as we fall to sleep and may the stars not touch us. Needless to say I was exhausted and fell asleep nearly instantly, merely mumbling "Praise Luna" and barely noticed Xera almost jumping from the floor at the mention. Instead I focused how my comfy bed was transformed into the most fantastic of clouds, oh how I missed the clouds (mum kept telling me to stay below them for some reason that I no longer could remember). The lamp in the room likewise transformed into the moon and it was the most beautiful night that I could remember.

There were stars of course, even that seven pointed star in the far west. They were however utterly dwarfed by the majesty of the moon and I was quite happy to bask in its holy light once more. None the less I was curious at where I was, it seemed to be Equestria down below after all. So I walked to the edge and looked down.

I froze.

"It can't be..."

Gilded purple rooftops and marble walls, stretching proudly out from the lonely mountain where she stood. The city of culture, the city of love and the city holding the royal thrones of Equestria.

Canterlot.

There was no other city like it in the world, before or after the war. That I was certain of.

I looked back up at the moon, said "Thank you" and began gently gliding downwards to the beautiful capital of the old principality. And felt the cold cobble stones of the road under my hoof, this felt real. Far too real.

As I took one long wonderful breath of pure air I looked around to figure out my surroundings. This was definitely before the bombs fell, it was even idyllic. The streets were barely lit by the streetlights, most of the light during this night came either from the moon or all the windows of houses evidently filled with ponies. There was still a few walking around outside, nearly all of them unicorns however and not one seemed bothered by the war. Was this before the war even started?

I decided to check my pipbuck only to realize that I was utterly naked and without equipment, my vision feeling even more exposed than actual body. Should I have been worried? A zony in Canterlot without any E.F.S. or friends... Turns out it was a pointless worry as nopony paid any attention to me. In fact, when I tried interacting with them they just seemed to fade away like dust. Eventually I found one that felt solid, but when I touched him the world twitched for a heartbeat.

In that short moment everything was changed, the air was pink, the houses rotten, and the pony before me was a half molten corpse. Jaw hanging open and its eyes filled with a necrotic pink light. All around us were carcasses and skeletons fused with the ground and the vegetation seemed sticky, as if it were waiting for somepony to entrap in this nightmare.

My heart beat again and it was back to normal, the buck in front of me continued past without paying any attention to the event. Leaving me in the street, shaken and haunted. I didn't know what part was worse, being alone in this serene place or being one touch away from a nightmare beyond measure.

"What did the zebras do with this place?"

I whispered to myself and took flight once more. The city still had me enthralled however and I didn't want to leave it behind so I instead flapped my wings and aimed for the palace. The walls around it was where I stopped in confusion. Before me was a singular boulevard with six very unique sizable buildings and as I recognized the symbols I realized that these were the ministries.

Since I could interact with the world in some fashion I figured I could find something useful in this place, and was pondering what ministry to visit first when I felt myself drawn towards one far more elegant than the rest. There was something inside, something wonderful and powerful. Something alive. Something calling me.

I landed before the serene white building covered in the most expensive ornaments I ever seen, diamonds even. Lots of them, and even though I had decided to enter it I paused at the sight of the unicorn statue standing in front of it. Rarity, the minister of Image, in all her regal beauty stood before me. The spell woven over me all but forgotten as I sat there gazing at the alabaster monument, and tears began falling from my face as I began realizing just how much we had lost when the world ended. How utterly foolish and pointless our petty conflicts were.

"She is quite a sight, isn't she?"

The soft melancholic voice came from behind the statue. Rubbing my eyes I rose to my hooves and began walking to the one pony that recognized my existence in this dream world. The pony was clad in in a duster and their face hidden by the wide brimmed hat, I could however notice the revolver holster and the elegant rifle on their back.

"Yes, yes she is. You from around here?"

"You could say that."

The voice was strange, magical even. Yet I felt no hostility in it.

"Where are we? This isn't really Canterlot right?"

"Au contraire. This is truly the royal city in all its beauty and horreur. The question, mon ami, is what you are doing here? By all measures you shouldn't be able to reach this place."

The pony aimed at hoof at me.

"You, should not be here!"

"What do you me..."

I got cut off as the world shook again. This time the corruption was permanent. The wind howled and I began coughing violently as a thick cloud of pink flew into my face, the ponies around me were all turned into the warped monsters I had seen before (they couldn't really be called ghouls by any reasonable mind). They saw me, groaned and began trotting towards me with jaws open. The stench of rot and death was beyond repulsive, I could barely breathe as I began coughing blood. The one thing that remained unchanged was the cloaked stranger before me who seemed all to comfortable with the madness.

"GET... ME OUT OF HERE!!"

I shouted in desperation.

The pony raised their head, and two glowing eyes stared into mine. So similar to that of the ravenous monsters, yet filled with intelligence and resentment. The necrotic hunger however, was most certainly there.

***

You know, part of me didn't think I would wake up from that. That my soul would die in whatever that place was, forever dead and my body never waking up. Or perhaps waking as a feral ghoul, maybe even the creatures I faced? As I came to I was surprised to find that I wasn't drenched in sweat, the floor beside the bed was wonderfully solid and my companions seemed to be healthy (physically speaking at least). As I really didn't want to go back to the bed I instead trotted up to the bathroom, hoping that splashing my face with some cold water would help.

Instead I began coughing and spat out blood, and a burst of pink cloud came out of my nostrils.

"How?.."

I stared in the mirror, being unable to do much more than that.

As my focus returned I began furiously washing my face, my nose and my throat. Attempting to get rid of anything that remained. It seemed to work, no more weird gas at least. And very little blood. I raised my Pipbuck (so glad to have it back), and lo and behold. An unknown biomagical corruption, at least it was classified as benign. Hopefully the doctors back at the Institute knew what to do about that.

Either way I took one of our healing potions and drank it just in case it helped, no idea how many potions we had at this point by the way. Nor how many caps, bits or bullets. My mind had stopped processing all such information by now. Yet I really couldn't go back to sleep, so instead I decided to walk down to the bar.

It was early morning, barely anypony was awake. The air was cool, and the room was filled with fantastic aromas from the various drinks behind the counter. Oh, that is a lot of tasty looking... stuff? I had no idea what different kinds of alcohol were at this point. And there is Rose, sitting behind the counter cleaning glasses and looking... Well, to be honest, splendid. Although the word delicious came to mind.

"Morning Rose, got something cold and sweet?"

Oh, dear my heart skipped a beat when she looked my way.

"Assuming ya mean a drink and aren't flirting, then yes. Ah'll get you something."

"Thanks. So... Are you actually into mares or?"

"Hm... ah might be."

She filled up a glass with ice and poured cider.

"Ya aren't mah type however."

"Is it the stripes?"

I asked anxiously.

"Nah... It is the stable getup. It makes ya look naive."

She ruffled my mane and continued.

"A few more years in the wasteland, then ah might consider it. Anyhow, ya somehow look ever worse after a night of sleep. Nightmare?"

"Yeah... Began coughing blood and pink gas when I woke up."

"... That ain't normal."

"No shit, never visiting Canterlot again."

I shuddered.

"Ya did WHAT??"

"I... Can't really explain it even if I tried... Wait, you're Cider's daughter right? Where is she anyway?"

"Look, ah already said ah wasn't interested. Besides, ah have mah own room ya know?"

I never blushed harder in my life.

"Nonono. Not what I mea..."

She put her hoof on my mouth.

"Shush, ah know. Ma is down in Goldstar, sis want to rebuild the ol' family company."

"Other than the saloon you mean?"

"Concord Arms, ya silly filly. The rifle yer zebra is carrying is one of our designs, as are half of the weapons in the region. The machinery were stolen over a century ago, an' ended up at the old castle som'how. Fortunately, the princess owes us. Everypony does, even ye."

Then she booped my noose.

***

For once, we did the sensible thing and stayed for a few days. Partly because of my head issues, but mostly because Violette didn't want to leave the room and panicked at the sight of me whenever I entered the room. As a result I spent most of my time in the bar or wandering the town, and I was beginning to really like the place. The ponies were surprisingly friendly, the Daughters didn't bother me and to my surprise there was a whole bunch of bighorners living in the place, even the gun seller apologized for some reason. Eventually I noticed the sign on a building I had passed several times.

"Snow Talons."

So with literally nothing better to do I opened the door and walked in. The room consisted of a counter, filing cabinets, a small table and a couple of chairs. Oh, and a stairwell to the second floor and some doorway behind the counter. The griffin sitting by it looked markedly different from any of those I had met before, and of course she was sitting loading a magazine with ammo. Her accent was new too, sounded more zebrecian than anything else I knew of.

"Pegasus, that is rare. You a client?"

"Nah, a friend. Is Snow, Gyda or Gondul in?"

She ignored me for a few moments. and when I didn't leave she shouted.

"Captain, there is a weird pegasus mare here to see you! Didn't know you were into chicks!"

Next thing, a certain white feathered and hoofed griffin walked down the stairs.

"Ah, Windstriker! Heard you were around. And Ishtar, she is the one I mentioned from the forest expedition."

The other griffin raised an eyebrow.

"The one you wanted to recruit? I thought you meant someone like the hunters down south, not a stable runt. They don't exactly have long life expectancy."

"You weren't there, that forest was Everfree levels of brahmin dung."

Snow's tone was downright grim.

"Uhm, hello? Confused zony here? What is this about recruiting and stuff?"

"Have a seat kid, let's talk business."

She grabbed an orange bottle that had a soft glow to it and two glasses.

"Oh-kay. Sure."

And I sat down on one of the chairs, she sat down in the corner and began pouring the strange liquid. The smell began itching my nose, and I was pretty sure that wasn't exactly a healthy drink.

"First thing, advice from a veteran. Never take a seat with a back to a stranger, one bullet and you're dead."

She took a sip, so I tried it. Sour, sharp and somehow made me thirsty.

"But to the point. You're young, but you got potential. So I wanted to offer you a contract. Full time membership of the talons, same deal as the rest of us. I'll put you under someone's wing until you get the hang of it. You interested?"

"Wait what?? You want me to become a mercenary?"

"Really think she can handle it boss? A pegasus talon is weird enough."

Ishtar interjected.

"There aren't exactly any other griffins around, and it is a security risk to take in the southerners."

"..."

I was frankly stunned, the mix of my head wound and the alcohol didn't help. Then I realized that I didn't really have much of a plan after going home, I seemed to drive away my friends and I did like the town...

"Do you need an answer right now? I kind of got some stuff I need to take care of at the moment."

"Not really..."

She shrugged.

"We are still getting settled and are still figuring things out around here. So it is an indefinite offer. I know you got that stable of yours but you don't seem like the type to stay stuck in a hole somewhere while the bullets fly."

"Heh. Yeah, you got that part right. I'll admit, you seem to be among the few sane individuals I have met since leaving home. However... I got to ask, how are you handling politics by the way? Staying completely neutral as a bunch of freelancers?"

"Pfft, yeah right. We do have standards you know, there is a reason why Talons have a reputation."

She took another sip before continuing.

"You got something going on... No need to say it, I can tell that its personal. Anyhow, if you are going to do something while in the company... As long as it doesn't go against any active contracts or make a mess for the rest of us I honestly don't give a damn... Anyways, this is why you need some training to become a proper professional. As long as there are no witnesses and no way to track it back to you, it never happened."

A shiver went down my spine, she definitely spoke from experience. Then again, that was the one thing I lacked. She offered it, a permanent job, a decent place to stay and camaraderie. Tempting, just...

"Need to rest up, do my stuff and think about it. I am definitely interested however."

"Good."

I have no idea how a griffin beak could smile, but she did.

"On to other matters. I still feel a bit bad about leaving you three back there, did everyone make it out by the way?"

"Yeah, they are all alive. Scarred, angry at me and Violette is freaking out at my wings. But that seems to be unrelated. We are technically on our way back to the stable to rest up for a while, we ran into some annoying pegasus however and ended up staying longer than intended."

"That's the wasteland for you. Point is, I noticed something in town that might interest you. You, and the Pear family if you catch my drift?"

I strained my ears, this griffin heard the juiciest of rumors.

"The Vanhoover Express is missing one of its couriers. Courier 9 hasn't reported back after some big job to be more exact. And I was wondering who that mare we were hunting was..."

***

So long story short, I was standing outside of the Vanhoover Express office. Evidently stumbling on top of yet another conspiracy in my new favourite town. Not acceptable, someone should do something about it. And since I had little else to do I decided to be the zony for the job. It totally had nothing to do with me trying to score points with the Pear family, it was about justice and stuff.

The place was designed and decorated in a similar fashion as the Talons' office, the buck inside wore a suit, had a pistol holster on the counter, and a duster with a matching hat hanging nearby. He glanced my way before continuing reading some book.

"Sorry, not hiring at the moment."

"Courier 9 is dead."

He closed the book with an expression of annoyance.

"You killed her then?"

There was no hint of accusation in his voice, merely curiosity.

"Nah, a basilisk got to her first."

"Ah... Seems that we are hiring then, you here for the job?"

"No, I'm not. I want information, who was the contract?"

"Look, kid. We pride ourselves at the confidentiality here at the Express. So just give it up."

"No. I think not. See, I was part of the team that retrieved the package and know what it was."

"You realize what you are saying kid..."

His voice turned cold, that same tone I had learned to recognize.

"Give me the info and I'll be on my way, otherwise..."

CLICK

He aimed a revolver straight at my eye, I didn't even flinch this time around.

"Who do think I'm working for?"

I asked him cooly, he hesitated. The stand-off felt like it lasted for minutes. His gun against my friendship, and in the end he relented. Friendship triumphs.

"I'm not going up against the Pears, no one is that suicidal."

He poured a glass of cider and gulped it down.

"It was a pegasus all right? But not one from New Pegasus, had all these weird insults and quirks. Saying stuff like grounder, dirt ponies and shit."

"Wait... Are we talking a white and blue mare? With a snooty attitude?"

I was realizing she didn't have a southern accent, and I didn't know of any other pegasus settlements around.

"Nah, was a buck. Brown with a grey mane. Not the first time I have seen him, but first time I paid any attention. No idea where he came from, but he wanted the package delivered to the old observatory on the coast. I didn't like the contract but the pay was good and Niner took it as a challenge."

He poured another glass and spilled it on the ground for some reason.

"That's all I got kid, now scram!"

So I left, leaving a surprisingly melancholic ass of a pony behind me to his wallowing.

***

Turns out I have excellent timing, as when I entered the saloon Cider was there. Busy chatting with her daughter. Have I mentioned that I like the town yet? Because I seriously felt more at home here than I ever did back at the Institute, here people valued more things than just brutish intellect and sciency stuff. Here, I was more than just the biggest failure of my generation. Here, I had friends.

"Hey, Cider! I found out some stuff about who took your heirloom."

She froze, and the expression in Rose's face was worrying. Then she turned around, looked at me and beckoned at me to come closer. Motioning to one of the bar chairs.

"Windstriker, please come over here. This is a fairly private matter."

So I sat down, and began explaining.

"You know anything about other pegasus settlements in the area? Because the culprit wasn't from New Pegasus and not from our stable. And whoever was supposed to receive it definitely had wings because I saw them down at the old Observatory. But honestly, they looked more like changelings than anything to me."

"Just how much have you been snooping around?"

She asked in that cold tone, that I really didn't expect from her of all mares in town. It made me pause.

"I... Not much, it is all I know. Sorry, but I can find out more!"

I burst out.

"NO. You have been snooping quite enough, and I thank you for that. However, if you keep it up you are going to wind up dead somewhere. I know which group you have been tracking down and they are extremely dangerous, I do not want for you to get involved any further. It is a family matter."

"But!"

Next thing I knew she threw her hoof around my neck and pulled me closer, kissing me passionately. And that was definitely a tongue! It was unfortunately unexpected and I could barely process it even as I fell backwards and landed with my back on the floor, utterly stunned. And of course, about half of the saloon was watching.

"Sweetheart, now that you have your reward... Please consider the matter settled and stop risking your life for our sake, we are perfectly capable of handling this on our own."

Level Up

Skill Note: Barter - 50%

Perk added: Unbowed, Unbroken
The Wasteland should have broken you, but it failed. You know posses an innate Damage Resistance equal to 5% per point in Endurance. In this specific case it results in a [DR: 30%]

Quest Perk added: Cider's Sweet Kiss
You are evidently one lucky mare, and get a +1 to Luck as well as halving the negative effects of any form of alcohol. This includes the more creative brews of the Black Hoof Saloon, despite whatever radioactive or taint filled ingredients they might contain.

Condition added: Pink Cloud Corruption - Benign
Due to unforeseen and inexplicable events you had the misfortune of breathing the corrosive pink cloud of Canterlot, exactly what this means and if anything can be done about it remains to be seen. One for thing is for sure, it isn't healthy.

Reputation gained: Steel Ranger - Accepted

Reputation gained: Snow Talons - Accepted

Reputation gained: The Black Hoof - Liked

Author's Note

The song The Seller of Stars is a song by Donovan, and something I stumbled on by accident. It made me daydream of Vanhoover when I heard the lyrics and I decided i must have it in somewhere. This is a good place, and I have taken a few liberties with the lyrics.

Here is a link to the original on Youtube, hopefully it stays up.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ovOY6B6oL14

Chapter 10 - The Starlight Institute

It was a strange feeling, somewhere between unease and surrealism as we walked on the ancient railroad embankment north from the Black Hoof. We were walking home, HOME. Yet it felt like I was walked away from it instead of towards it, and into strange foreign lands. As if my home laid elsewhere... In all honesty, it was mostly just a matter of experiences and me growing fond of the town we left behind. Perhaps mixed with me being the one idiot among hundreds of eggheads?

Yeah, the explanation certainly made sense and was the most logical option. Yet still... I felt something tugging at my heart, at mind and at my soul. Something calling me, calling me westwards. Towards Vanhoover according to the map. Needless to say that I decided to ignore whatever enchantment was on me. I was going to my real home, and nothing would stop me.

So naturally I was very disappointed when nopony tried. No raiders, no angry steel rangers, no ghouls, no angry monsters, no nothing. We did run into some scavengers and other traders but nothing hostile. Suppose that is a given considering everything. It is a fairly common caravan route, and the mountain range to the west kept us mostly isolated from any potential threats. Sure, there were raider tribes in the north but they were largely seasonal in their activities. And while we did have a forest in the east it was a popular hunting spot for the ponies down south.

Some part of me twitched, I looked the row of white bars on my E.F.S. The guard zonies had already noticed us, and thankfully they weren't idiots so they didn't shoot us. Hm, was the rampart always that high? It was a downright chilling feeling to trot over an open field towards the wall filled turrets and zonies with energy rifles. No wonder we usually didn't have any problems with raiders, this was one heck of a killzone. Anything would die in seconds.

And in this moment I saw my home and my kin from the viewpoint of an outsider. A society with roots in wartime Equestria, highly advanced technology and a policy of general isolationism. Frankly, how many fragments of zebra culture were there among us? Enough to freak out the already worried outsiders would be my guess.

Was everypony hoping for the steel rangers to wipe us out? Whatever my opinion of them, it was evident that a lot of ponies viewed them as a positive force in Vanhoover. But what about the Institute? What have we actually achieved since the end of the world? Sure we had a prosperous town and all, but what did we do for Equestria?

My thoughts turned to my mother and my grandfather, we were definitely up to something. And I was reminded of my real purpose of coming back, figuring out what the stars my family were doing and if necessary: Put an end to it.

***

We were met by a black buck with a white mane in combat armour carrying one long and slender beam rifle (something poked my memory when I saw it but I couldn't figure it out), and he was highly amused at our arrival and worn out looks. Of all the various zonies in the security force, of all the hundreds of zonies in this place it had to be HIM. I groaned audibly as he opened his rude snout.

"Hey, Wingstripe! Heard you are causing troubles to everypony else for a change."

"Wrong name, Snow Mane." I didn't have the patience for this.

"Yeah, yeah. Anyhow. Who are your two new friends? Amber I recognize, her mother is looking for her by the way. But who are the new gals?"

"...That's two."

"What?"

"One more rude comment from you and I will shut you up."

He didn't take me seriously.

"Look, you might be the director's granddaughter but I can still throw you in jail. Again."

"..."

I took a few steps towards him, putting my eyes real close to his.

"You have no idea what we have been through. The raiders, the monsters... You are just yet another pathetic bully, one out of hundreds. So, back off."

"Fuck it kid, I am the head of security!"

He was pissed, but he was also a pushover.

"Then act like it for once!! These are my friends, and I have gone through Tartaros for them! So either you will start behaving or... I. WILL. BREAK. YOU!!"

By now I was staring down at him as he shrunk back, I could even taste the fear in the air.

"Yes ma'am..."

He practically whispered.

"The pony is Violette, she is applying for residence. The zebra is Xera, and they are my de facto bodyguard. I have no time for your brahmin shit, go tell the Director that we need to talk to him! In the meantime, we are going to our rooms. Got it?"

"Yes, ma'am."

His voice barely above a whisper. Then he turned and fled in a panic, fully fearing that I was going to shoot him just on principle. And, really. It was a bit tempting. The rest of the security zonies were staring at us, but no one interfered. They looked almost as terrified as the idiot I had just threatened. It could have been my imagination but I thought I could hear them whispering "Just like Blackhorn."

"Freaking idiot..."

I muttered.

"Anyhow, we're going straight to the stable. Both me and Amber got our own rooms so we can have some privacy from the other bullies around. Violette, I was thinking you could stay at Amber's place. Sure, he is a colt and all but at least you don't have to look at my wings all the time."

She nodded with a faint smile. I looked at Xera who simply nodded, ever the patient follower and guest. Celestia's mercy, now there are four of us and I still do all the talking. I doubted any of them would be in a talkative mood the next few days, so I was worried that I would have to face my greatest weakness. BOREDOM.

***

It was nice too finally lie in my own bed, my very own bed. Not all things remained the same of course, I had a zebra sitting next the other bed looking confused. Was this a thing now? Pony culture confusing the strange foreigner? Oh well, I suppose I should be a gracious host.

"You got a question, out with it."

I said in a slightly tired voice.

"You live with your mother, yes?"

"Huh, no? I'm an adult, why would I do that?"

"Two beds, and you have no lover. Why?"

My brain needed a few moments to process the question.

"Uhhh... Oh! Yeah, we usually get a roommate. However half of them complain that I am too noisy, the other half tease me until I beat them up and then they run off. After the first twenty I got the room to myself."

"And Amber?"

"Got some quiet girl who works in maintenance, they mostly ignore each other."

"..."

"What now?"

"Who is your father?"

"Some pegasus buck, dead or gone. Don't know, don't care."

"..."

"WHAT??"

I half shouted at the undeserving zebra.

"Nothing."

Finally back at home, and yet even my new friends act like everyzony else. Why do people keep bringing up that dead old stallion? I never met him, mom never cared to explain, so clearly there was nothing there to be bothered with. As such, I do not care. Two relatives is more than enough, one lying mother and one conspiring grandfather.

Needed a distraction, and I felt desperate enough to try something drastic: Reading. The book I chose was even a very eggheady book: "A Generalized Introduction to Advanced Spellcraft". Why did I even have It? I know it is my mom's favourite book, but I'm an idiot. Not even a unicorn. Did she give it to me with the implication that she rather have a unicorn as her daughter? Should have thought of that before she slept with a pegasus.

I opened the index and found "Astral Magic" as a chapter, so that was the chapter I turned to and began reading.

"The Canterlot School of Thought

In the Canterlot tradition astral magic is more commonly known as royal magic, or alicorn magic, and contrary to popular thought it wasn't defined by Starswirl but by princess Celestia during the early years of Luna's exile. Through experimentation and hard study she found that there are five forms or five Aspects of royal magic. These are as follows:

-Elementalism: The ability to utilize pure magical energy in order to manipulate the five classical elements. These being fire, air, water, earth and light. This is an odd one, as specialization into one of these elements is fairly common in unicorns. However, it is far easier for an alicorn to wield such magic than even a unicorn specialist.

-Gravity Control: It is fortunate that few unicorns are capable of casting spells affecting gravity, as the potential risks involved are immense and the gain for the average scientist isn't worth said risks. However, thanks to the work of the Ministry of Arcane Sciences gravity modifying spells are involved in the design of the latest generation of cloudships.

-Spatial Control: Typically manifested in the form of teleportation magic or, in rarer cases, as a planar gate in order to seal away a monster or otherwise hide something from prying hooves. Tartaros, for example, is technically an extra-Equestrian plane of existence.

-Temporal Mechanics: Time distortion can be done well, but should only be performed after strict scientific methodology. Time travel on the other hoof, should not be attempted by any unicorn not cleared by the minister of Arcane Sciences or the Princess herself. Unfettered time travel is extremely dangerous and fortunately nigh impossible to achieve.

-Apotheosis: This is an aspect where I had to consult the minister of the MAS as it is an undeveloped science. What has been concluded is that an alicorn is capable of sharing their status with certain ponies with the right magical aptitude and the right psychological profile. The exact nature of this process is still only known by Celestia.

"Hey, Xera. This book has a chapter on star magic. Is it true that alicorns can turn others into alicorns?"

"..."

That weird head tilt again.

"It is known those corrupted by star magic can spread curse to others."

"Can I grow a horn with this stuff?"

"You... I... I do not know. Maybe?"

"Aren't you an expert on this?"

"No, I was not trained. Legion wants warriors, not shamans."

"So you are like me, forced to learn the wrong shit because of the whims of the tribe."

"Yes. Defecta."

Of all the words the zebras could use, they had to go with that one.

"No offense Xera, but I don't think I like the legion."

"Agreed. They are idiots."

***

The Vanhoover School of Thought

One thing that ponies trained in Canterlot might find surprising is that there is a rich tradition of astronomy and by extension astromancy in Vanhoover. In this tradition it is held that there are seven, not five, aspects of astral magic. The final five remain the same, but before them (presumably to empathize the potential for misuse) there are two more. These are as follows.

-Animancy: More commonly known as necromancy, although the experts insist that it is merely a corrupted form of this art. The spirits of ponies native to Vanhoover are known to be far more active and the locals are remarkably comfortable with the idea that ghosts walk among them. The high magic saturation in previously mentioned city could be attributed to the high spiritual activity around the cathedral and the various graveyards nestled within the city.

-Empathy: Technically a form of low frequency telepathy. I have personally asked princess Twilight about and have it confirmed that she is able to sense the general mood of ponies around her and occasionally notice individuals at remarkable distances. However, it is largely limited to detecting emotions and not actual mind reading.

"...WHAT??"

"Yes?"

"This. If I understand it right, this is practically mind control?? And NECROMANCY?!"

"Yes, we have many stories about star sorcerers wielding great magics and horrors caused by them. You now know why legion avoids Vanhoover? Why Caesar fears it?"

"Yeah... place seems to be messed up. Haunted at least."

"They say reality is bent and broken in Vanhoover. A labyrinth of streets and ruins to trap foolish ponies and zebras for eternity. We lost several of our best scouts once, now legion avoids it like an ursa's lair."

"Noted. Staying away from the place. No wonder the Steel Rangers struggle to conquer it."

"I do not think one can conquer it."

"Unless the star wills it?"

"Like a golden princess..."

I looked at my strange zebra companion with a sense of mutual understanding. Perhaps there was more to my stripes after all? Do ponies understand how weird these things are, or do they just accept them? Should I reevaluate my view on the princesses (the real ones that is)? Are alicorns some form of startouched creatures, twisted ponies who rule over others since they have bowed to alien powers? Wasn't there something like that in the old stories? About Luna? And Nightmare Moon? Sure sounds familiar. Hold on...

I twisted my neck so rapidly that I could hear a crack as I turned back to the book.

"Twilight Sparkle was a princess?!"

"What?"

"It says here! Princess Twilight!"

"I have not heard this story, are there not two pony queens?"

"Not really, there are at least 3. Princess Mi Amori Cadenca ruled the Crystal Empire up north, but this is the first time I heard that a minister was an alicorn. Is she an alicorn? Is it just an honourary title of some kind? Who wrote this?!"

I closed the book to look at the cover. Starlight Glimmer.

"So she did know strange secrets? I knew coming back here was a good idea."

I muttered to myself.

***

I walked through the same corridor I had walked dozens of times before, every time I had received a scolding from my grandfather for causing trouble. Beating someone up, sleeping through class, running away, listening to the radio instead of doing my chores and so on. The list was long. Once again I had caused trouble, yet this time it was different. So had he, and I was not a little filly anymore.

The door opened with a hiss, and behind his desk he sat white mane on white coat. Director Marble of the Starlight Institute, my grandfather. Too my surprise he didn't have the usual scowl, he looked more amused than anything. Maybe a bit tired. As our eyes met he just shook his head in disbelief.

"Captain Snow Mane just sent in his resignation, you wouldn't have anything to do with that would you?"

"He was rude, incompetent and insulted my friends. Why did you ever make him head of security in the first place?"

"Back then he wasn't even half as obnoxious. To be honest, I kind of looked forward to this moment."

"Wait, you waited for me to shut him up?"

"It used to be your mother who shouted threats at him, kept him well behaved for the most part. And now... there are two of you, so he had enough and decided to retire. Good riddance, most of our security is automated anyway."

"So... I am not in trouble then?"

"I should have someone throw you in jail for a few days, but I doubt I will find anyone willing to make the arrest. Instead, care to tell me about your new friends? Some zonies have been betting on who you would bring back, and if you would come back at all. I don't think anyone bet on you bringing back a zebra though, where did you even find one?"

"Oh, ran into them at some old observatory. Seemed lost and confused, wanted to tag along so I let them. Xera ran away from the legion down south and didn't have anywhere to go. Honestly, better of a friend than most of the idiots around here."

"Your marefriend then?"

"What? No. Xera is far too weird for that."

"Really? And here I thought you started dating a zebra as some form of rebellion, your mother was like that you know?"

"Oh, and who did she date?"

"A courier. And I have no idea why, their arguments sent everyone running and I had to send them away so they wouldn't thrash the Institute. How she managed to find another with the same explosive temper I have no idea."

"... Which courier was this?"

"Number Seven, supposedly the worst one in the group. And I can believe it."

For once, it was my time to facehoof. I had a nagging feeling I knew exactly who this courier was, and it explained something. But really, mom?? Of all the ponies in Vanhoover you had to pick her?

"Who is the other one? The traumatized filly? I gather she's Amber's marefriend or something, but there seems to be more to the story."

"Violette, met her out in the wilds. Utterly terrified at the time. Some kind of doctor or engineer or something, wants to join as the wasteland is no place for eggheads. We ran into her sister, nastiest pony I have ever met. Freakishly good flier too. Sounded like Violette got thrown out by her family one way or another, and now she freaks out at the sight at my wings. She supposedly lost her own, possibly her family's fault. So I can't really blame her."

He was silent, first time I ever saw him stupefied. No, not stupefied. He looked scared, utterly terrified.

"Is she from New Pegasus?"

"No, somewhere else. Seems to be some other pegasus settlement somewhere, heard about some other pegasus causing trouble as well. No idea where the place is, no one else seem know anything either... Wait! Pear Cider knew about it, but told me to stop asking around. Saying it was dangerous."

"..."

So, there is something going on?

"What is it? Where is it? And why are you scared of them?"

Seriously, why have I never heard about this before? This was seriously bothering me, then I had an epiphany.

"Wait, are they changelings? I know they exist at least, saw them at the same place I met Xera."

Hold on, Xera isn't a changeling right? No, there is something definitely zebran in that individual.

"No. I don't think so at least. I will need to talk to the filly about this though."

"About what?? And you better not think of throwing her out or something, she is harmless!"

"Don't worry. Just need to make sure nopony is after her."

I raised an eyebrow, he is definitely hiding something. And I got a feeling he wouldn't tell me anything, something had him scared real good. Still, something to keep an eye open for. Time to change the subject and take control of this discussion.

"Ignoring that, care to tell me just what you are doing with Goldstar? I mean, I suppose I can understand what my mother is doing there. But it goes deeper than that, doesn't it?"

He frowned, not expecting it.

"Why wouldn't we work with somepony trying to bring a bit of civility and civilization back to Equestria?"

"Because she is cursed by a star? Because she is a freaking psychopath? Because she is some freaky unicorn prodigy from the war? Seriously, how many reasons do you need?? That mare doesn't need any help, she needs a bullet between her eyes, a decapitation and a pyre!"

"..."

A second time I had him stunned silent.

"Seriously! If you are going to throw your lot in with anypony in Vanhoover, why not the Steel Rangers? How about the Black Hoof? Anyone but that monster, why are you listening to her?!"

"I had a son once you know?"

"What?"

"It was before you were born, your uncle went to New Pegasus. Got shot without any chance to explain who he was, the steel ranger who fired didn't bother listening to the caravan he was with. Just another stripe, shot dead and abandoned in a dyke."

"You could have told me..."

"What would be the point? Besides, Starlight was there alongside Stormcloud back in the day. Helped setting up the whole town. She convinced the caravans to actually trade with us, then her mercenaries destroyed every raider gang that caused us the least bit of trouble. In all honesty, without her there wouldn't be an Institute. We would still be shut in the stable, too terrified of the world outside to leave."

"OK, so what is her angle? Why would she do that?"

"She wants engineers specializing in arcano-tech, it is the one thing we are good at. And to be honest, the ponies around here numbskulls bashing rocks together like some sort of primitives. We owe her, and I intend on paying back that debt."

He paused for a dramatic moment, his face turning into a scowl.

"However, that is all I am willing to do. She does creep me out, always did... Even before she started going out with Blackhorn, the mare is older than me for Celestia's sake!!"

"So... My family is not a secret cult of star worshipers then?"

"Goddesses no, why would you even think that?!"

"Phew... Anyhow, mind letting me browse through Glimmer's old stuff? I want to see if there is something more about the pretender, anything that we should be afraid of or otherwise know. Oh, and anything about Twilight Sparkle being a princess."

"You what?"

He blinked in surprise and confusion.

"Was I unclear?"

"No, no. Just, you have never been serious about studying before."

***

I yawned, stretched my legs and was thoroughly annoyed by my wings having a mind of their own, fortunately I lived alone. My memory was slightly off, I couldn't place when I had gotten back home. Didn't I leave? I could have sworn. And then I jumped high enough to hit my head in the roof at the sound of snoring.

"What? Who??"

For a brief moment my mind imagined some beautiful mare in my bed then I noticed stripes across the room and got confused.

"Wha... Wait, what??"

Then the cogs of my memory began to turn. Flashes of visions from my recent past burst through my mind. I blinked, trying to process them. Fortunately I recognized them and began to structure them somewhat, and I was back in the present. Kind of, still no idea what day it was. Didn't I have a date thingy on my pipbuck? Seems to be four days since we got back.

"Hey, Xera. Wake up".

I poked the snoring zebra on the nose.

Grumble

I poked them a few more times.

"Go away!"

Wow, grumpy much?

"Not getting up?"

"No. Never had bed before. I stay."

Then they hid completely underneath the blanket.

"So I have to eat breakfast alone?"

"YES!"

And so I went to have breakfast alone, Amber was in a bad mood and Violette still jumped when she saw me. Great, just great. As I walked to the diner I noticed zonies avoiding me. The moment they saw me they turned and took another route or stepped to the sides as if to let me through. When I ate the table I sat at was empty, the two tables closest were also empty, and I could hear them whispering and see them glancing my way. Fantastic, now everyone was afraid of me for some reason? Although, knowing my attention span they might have always done it and I just didn't notice. Eating alone was boring, but at least I had something to read. Let's see if there is anything else that could be useful in the old textbook.

Glimmers Theorem of Mass Causality

"In the case of an event with sufficient significance, every consequence occurs concurrently." This is the core of the theorem that revolutionized the theoretical work on temporal mechanics and and the threads of fate. To clarify, the term "timeline" is a poor fit as time isn't entirely linear but has a strong tendency to branch off in multiple directions. In the case of a rare event that will hereto be called a "Singularity Event" the effects on the timeline are so immense that the timeline splits not just once but dozens if not hundreds of times. I have personally observed and studied one such event (albeit in hindsight through fairly risky methods), and have reached the conclusion that the outbreak of the Great War must be considered a Singularity Event in its own right. For the common pony such an event has no effect on their lives, but those who dabble in the art of time travel needs to be wary as travelling forward past such an Event is extremely difficult due it being nigh impossible to navigate past a Singularity Event. An ill prepared traveler might find themselves lost in the wrong branch or even between them.

"Whu? Wait, what? Am I understanding this properly? Are there hundreds of different Equestrias there with Celestia knows how many different ponies living in their own realities?"

Sounds unrealistic, not to mention a bit too freaky for my taste. Then again, Starlight Glimmer is supposed to be one of the best experts on experimental magic in Wartime Equestria. Oh right, and there am I remembering that I am surrounded by a bunch of super geniuses and I am the one idiot.

"I hate this place."

Then I noticed the hoof or horn written note that had fallen out of the book.

While technically true, I find this explanation a tad bit too simplistic and too rigid. In practice, there are plenty of branches that are partially merged and partially divergent. Not to mention that they weave through and between each other as the timestreams dance around each other endlessly. It is fully possible for a pony to meet somepony else and for their respective fates to simply not exist in the other's reality. As a sidenote I would like to clarify that the Last Day is by far the largest Singularity Event in recorded history, even by the standards of Vanhoover.

G.S.

"REALLY?!"

I shouted at the note, suspecting the name behind the initials.

***

For once I decided to do the sensible thing and visit a doctor regarding my memory loss, concussions and other forms of physical trauma. Fortunately Doctor Tenderheart was one of the more reasonable zonies around, that or she had orders to be extra patient with me. Which might really be the case all things considered. After a full on medical scan she gave me the news.

"Well... Not sure how to tell you this, but you are officially brain damaged."

"Look, I already know that I am the stable idiot but can you please be serious?"

"I am, from the sounds of it you have been in several fights without wearing a helmet and hit your head more than once. Most of it will heal, but some of the damage is permanent. SIGH, look Windstriker... there isn't much I can do. You literally have been hit in the head one too many times now and short of a cybernetic brain implant I don't have many ideas."

"So, can I get one of those then?"

She held both of her hooves in front of her face and sighed even louder.

"Not without proper authorization. We don't exactly have Logic Co-Processors lying around in bulk and with your habit of hitting yourself in the head it might get ruptured and cause even further damage, brain surgery is a sensitive science you know. "

"And since I am not an egghead I'm not worth it, right?"

Wow, she really looked dejected and filled with pity.

"Hm... You know what? There is another option."

She began digging through the drawers and pulled out something, a box of medicine by the sound of it.

"Here. These should help you, follow the instructions to the letter. Never take more than the prescribed dose and NEVER mix it with alcohol of any kind. Got that?"

I looked at the label, Mint-Als.

"Sure... but what is it?"

"An old zebra drug designed to help people to focus, but it was frequently misused as a party drug in Equestria and got a bad reputation as a result. Supposedly even the Ministry Mare of Morale was a heavy addict of them and the M.O.M smuggled them everywhere."

"Wait... you got medicine that helps people to focus and you never gave them to me?? Do you have any idea how it was to sit in front of a book for hours and not have a single word get stuck in your head? To try to listen to angry teachers and instructors while my brain took a nap?!"

"I know, I know. Back when your issues became obvious I did suggest it to your mother but she was adamantly opposed to the idea, and nozony wanted to start fights with her in those days. Sorry, Windstriker. You should have had more support than you had."

"Yeah yeah..."

I looked at the little metal box in front of me.

"Thanks for trying at least. Anything more I should know about these? Risks? Suggestions?"

"As I said, don't take too many. Don't drink anything alcoholic, no matter how weak it might seem. Ponies who overdose on them become reliant on them, they need to take them to even function at normal levels. So they take more and more to compensate for their brains breaking down until they cease to function. Oh, and if you find something called Party Time Mint-Als, trample them in the dirt. It is a hyper concentrated variant that is far far worse. Usually it is a pill or two and you are hooked."

I shuddered, what kind of idiot would knowingly take hard drugs like that?

"Got it, I'll be careful."

And now I had yet another subject to shout about with my mother. Great.

***

I stared at the framed photograph for several moments in confusion. Sure, I had expected something new and had planned on reevaluating my understanding of Wartime Equestria. In honesty, I thought I was mentally prepared for nearly anything.

Yet this... This was just... Sigh

The picture did indeed have Ministry Mare Twilight Sparkle in the nude, with a pair of definite wings. That much I had expected, but the filly in the picture that she was hugging. A pale pink pony with a pair of wings of her own, and a horn. Just what? Are there even more alicorns around that I never heard of?? If so, then there is some serious alicorn inflation going on. If there are two or three then it is rare and magical but by now it seemed to be a regular thing. Who even was this filly? The princess of pinkness?

Then I decided to stop bothering to think about it. If I found any more info then great, and if I didn't then who cares? Not all that important as she is evidently not around anymore. More to the point, the rest of Starlight Glimmer's old possessions. The most tempting part was a purplish memory orb, and I was very curious as to what she had recorded. Fortunately I had asked around and found a practical alternative to carrying a unicorn around with you wherever you went.

Warning, hardware not certified by Stable-Tech detected. Please confirm synchronization.

I clicked Confirm.

Please standby while Starlight Institute Memory Reader software is installed,

Program installed,

Installing drivers,

Drivers installed,

Installing updates,

Updates installed,

Installation routine complete.

"Okay... now let's figure out if this thing works."

I actively thought 'Run Memory Reader' and was met with a new text message in my vision.

Please connect cables to memory orb.

So I did.

Memory Orb detected.

Security enchantment: Negative.

Run Memory Recording?

Yes.

***

This time I knew what to expect and was prepared for it. So the lack of wings wasn't nearly as horrifying but still felt wrong. The horn though... was weird. Are unicorns constantly annoyed by the extra weight how the bony object sticking right out of their foreheads? Because it was definitely annoying me!

My attention was promptly distracted by knocking on a wooden door. It was opened with telekinesis and was that what magic felt like? Wow, no wonder Unicorns keep using it for everything. Now I kind of want a horn.

The purple earth pony mare had a golden mane and was quite elegant. She was visibly nervous and had a desperate air about her. Must say that I like her gilded dress, it looked expensive but it was worth it in my opinion. Then I noticed the angry filly following her. A short, grey and golden unicorn filly. Really now?

"Thank you for sparing the time to help us. To be fully honest, I am not sure where else we can go."

"No need to thank me, miss Starshine. Even if it wasn't a request from the princess I would still make time, I was quite a loner as a child as well. I know how hard it can be."

"Still, thank you."

The mother showed a faint smile but still looked worried.

My eyes turned to the filly.

"So you are the filly with my name then?"

We asked in a gentle patient voice.

"No. I am not!"

She shouted back with a highly offended look on her face.

"Then what should I call you?"

"My name is Ètoile Van Hoof. Not Starlight. Not Golden. And certainly not Goldie or whatever you stupid ponies come up with. I have a real name, why can't anypony use it?! It shouldn't be all that difficult!"

The little filly was certainly verbose for her age.

"So that is what is going on."

I whispered to myself.

The other mare began explaining.

"We are exiles, my mother disapproved of my choice of lover. I thought moving to Canterlot would a good environment for her, suitably cultured and mostly unicorns. Yet the other foals began bullying her for being an outsider, and with how proud she is she began to retaliate."

"They are numbskulls, rude, spoiled and SOMEPONY had to set them straight!"

The little filly stated with confidence.

"There was an incident and princess Celestia decided that it was enough."

Her mother continued in a hushed tone.

"I have never been more frightened in my life, never knew she could get that angry."

There was a slight uncomfortable pause before I asked.

"Étoile, anything you want to say about it?"

"...How was I supposed to know her mane could turn into fire?"

I felt a shiver go down across my spine, not just as an expression but for my host as well. Her mother felt the need to elaborate further. She was half panicking at this moment, and hugged her filly.

"It didn't really happen. Étoile, she... sees things. Some of my relatives have similar gifts, but it never manifests at such a young age. I fear it alienates her from the peers, and and I have no idea what to do. She has episodes where she talks as an adult and has this facial expression no foal should have. As if she were an old mare."

"..."

The filly had this awkward expression, like she wanted to explain but couldn't.

"I... I know I am weird. I can't help it! It isn't my fault... I swear, I try to be normal! Promise!!"

"I know. We are quite similar, Étoile."

My voice had an emotional element that I couldn't quite place.

"I used to be the weird one when I was a filly. Never managed to get any friends, only had my books to keep me occupied. I became quite skilled at magic, but a pony needs friends."

"..."

The filly tilted her head curiously, her eyes shifted to that weird stare I had personally experienced. Her tone had change completely, and the way she talked didn't fit a filly at all.

"Interesting. You have seen it, haven't you? The ashen landscape where the wind carries naught but poison and dust. Where the sun is dead, and the only light comes from the emerald embers lit by long dead fools..."

I felt the blood drain from my face and my coat hair stand on end, this freaked out even Glimmer. Somehow I got the impression that this was more than just a spooky filly, as if my host really had seen the wasteland. And it was a hidden secret she never told anypony.

The filly became woozy and her despairing mother continued her story.

"It was when she was talking about that place, a colt tried to pick on her and she used some spell neither I nor Celestia recognized. They aren't sure if the colt will ever talk again, they can't even figure out what form of magic it was. And then Celestia showed up at my doorstep with my filly in a magical stasis, only for Étoile to break out of it as she had a new episode..."

"I see..."

I lifted my mug with coffee and took a sip as my host tried to process things. There was a tense silence as nopony knew what to say. My host was in an emotional turmoil, and the mother seemed broken as she had been through far too much stress and trauma over the years. The filly was leaning on her mother's forelegs in a daze. In the end it was Glimmer that broke the silence.

"I accept."

"Thank you..."

The other mare said with a tired expression on her face.

"I don't have much in the way in money, so I can't afford to move to the Crystal Empire..."

"We have dormitories, I'll help her settle in and make sure she is taken care of."

The filly broke out of her daze and was on the verge of tears.

"So I am thrown out of my home. Again."

"Your mother only wants the best for you."

My host said.

"No. I am a problem and she wants me gone. Just like my grandmother and princess Celestia did. Do you have any idea what it feels like when the princess everypony prays too decides that you are worthless? The kindest pony in Equestria hates me. Everypony does."

There was another moment of awkward silence, then the room faded away and the memory ended.

***

"That was certainly something... Mostly creepy and weird. But something I guess?"

I didn't really know what to think, most of what I got out of the memory at the time was that the mare had always been crazy. And that even Celestia recognized it. Still, there was a lot of stuff to dig through. Most of it in books and various terminal entries that I didn't have the patience to sort through. There was two holotapes however that had been marked as important. One was a recording from the before the bombs and the other was from when she reappeared a five decades ago. It felt most natural to listen to the old one first.

The first pony seemed to be Glimmer, and judging by her tone she was about to explode with anger.

"Calling Aurora names on the day her parents are buried, that is low. Even for you, Starlight."

"Yeah. I know..."

Her voice sounded more disappointed than anything.

"...It won't happen again."

"Care to tell me WHY you did it?"

"I was in a bad mood at the time, and angry at her."

"No, Starlight. You are lying again. Whenever you act like this then there is a point to it somewhere. So what was it? Still upset that they don't recognize you? Over the name thing?"

"Hm... Not bad. Yes, miss Glimmer. I am still frustrated by the fact that I have to hide who I am while Amethyst is treated as an aristocrat and Aurora is praised as a genius. All your rules that somehow only apply to me, all the lessons on self control, I'm avoiding magic as far as possible and she is encouraged to do the opposite? Don't you get it?? It doesn't matter what I do, the end result is the same. I get chastised, they get praised."

"You think you are being treated unfairly."

"YOU. DON'T. SAY."

The discussion took a weird turn as Glimmer was the one trying to explain herself to her furious student.

However, first Starlight continued with a frustrated tirade.

"Look, I know why you do it. I don't need an explanation. This isn't about that. But what did expect was going to happen when I am singled out among dozens of students as a problem child since day one? You want me to make friends and then you isolate me from everypony else."

"Tell me, what do you want me to do then? You still have episodes when you condition flares up and could hurt ponies badly. I understand that you are frustrated, but don't take it out a mare who just lost her parents!"

"As I said, it won't happen again."

"You don't regret it at all do you?"

"... What, you think I am some form of sociopath who does this for fun? SIGH... Look, as I keep telling you... They were my friends once, my only friends. Now there isn't even a hint of recognition in their eyes, not even at the mention of my real name. Their memories of me seemed blocked by some form of enchantment."

"You should have asked me for help, not bully a mare in mourning."

"To what end? I now know that it wasn't a a simple memory block at all. Somepony have removed me from their memories entirely. From every singular memory. The real me never existed in their minds."

"You're being paranoid again Starlight, there is no memory magic that advanced."

"Uhm, yes there is? I read the spell formula as a filly. With a bit of practice I could probably cast it if I wanted to."

"So you think it is your family again?"

The tone sounded skeptical.

"Yes, I do. They singled out me for things out of my control, just like Celestia did and you are doing."

"Can you at least promise to stop bullying the other students?"

"Sure. I have more important things to do anyway."

The mare was far too casual about the whole thing.

"The vision thing again? Isn't it better to focus on enjoying life instead of chasing a doomsday hallucination?"

"I still find it strange that you of all ponies deny it. And I don't see why I can't do both?"

"Before you leave. I was planning on retiring from teaching and start focusing on research instead. As you said, you are a good student apart from the social issues. You could spend your life doing what you are good at. Are you interested?"

"A new research institute was it? On the eastern slopes of the Unicorn Range's northern end? Thank you, but the answer is no. As you are going to hire Aurora I rather not accept, it would be volatile if I were to be present as well. Besides, I am looking for a position in princess Luna's new government in Canterlot."

"You are having an episode again, Starlight."

Glimmer's comment sounded more like a warning than anything else.

"How can you tell?"

"Princess Celestia still sits on the throne."

"Littlehorn hasn't happened yet? How odd, I could have sworn."

"What is going to happen in the Littlehorn Valley?!"

"Don't. You couldn't prevent it even if I did tell you."

"If anything is about to happen to all those foals then you need to tell me!"

"sigh... I hoped to not have to do this, sorry Glimmer."

"Wha-"

There was a strange sound in the recording.

"Sorry, I seemed to have blanked out for a moment."

"It's OK, I was already leaving. And I will not cause anymore trouble, I promise."

"Please try to keep it this time Starlight!"

"Yeah yeah yeah..."

"Wait, Littlehorn? Haven't I heard that name before?"

I began digging through my history book, found a chapter titled The Littlehorn Massacre and I felt my blood turn cold as I read. The Littlehorn Valley was the location for Luna's personal School for Gifted unicorns, and the zebras had used some necromantic bomb to kill everypony. Worse, it was almost impossible to gather the bodies for burial as the corpses had melted into the environment. The book called the weapon a Pink Cloud.

"Hold on... Pink Cloud, half melted ponies?"

I had flashbacks to my nightmare maybe a week prior.

"Did they do the same thing to Canterlot as well? They used THAT against defenseless foals?!"

It was a good thing that Xera was out or I might have become violent. Now I was just disgusted and furious, with no healthy way to ventilate my rage. Instead I collapsed back on the floor and covered my eyes with my forehooves and wings, trying to block out the visions that haunted me.

***

By now I had just about enough of the Stable. The exclusion, zonies treating me like a child and the fact that I literally had no place or anything to do at home. I was the grandfoal of the director and the daughter of Blackhorn, but me as a person? Back here I was no one. If it wasn't for my mother or grandfather, would they have thrown me out years ago? When I was still a filly? Wouldn't surprise me to be honest.

Point is I was making my way to Amber's room, wanting to know when he and possibly Violette would be ready to travel again. I had healed as well as I could, and if I stayed here any longer I would probably end up breaking something and getting into trouble.

When I reached his room I could hear his mother through the door, and saw a familiar robot standing guard in the doorway. Amber's mom was the robotics expert, and liked to flaunt her position as much as possible. She even had the visor of her personal guard robot changed to a crimson visor to match her name, but I suspected that it was mostly for intimidation. Fortunately I didn't scare easily.

So I just walked up to the door, opened it and walked in. And saw Amber sitting a corner with his hooves over his ears and Violette curled up in a bed. Great, JUST GREAT. Again it was up to me to sort out a rude idiot as nopony else could be bothered to. She noticed me, turned around and shouted at me.

"Can't you see that I am talking to my daughter?!"

"More like bullying him."

My voice was low and calmer than I thought possible.

"That is none of your business, Wingstripe!"

"Yeah, it kind of is."

I walked up to her, staring into her eyes the whole time. She was just yet another loudmouth that picked on those weaker, all talk and nothing behind it. Pathetic.

"Amber is my friend, and I don't like people picking on him. So shut up, get out and preferably never talk to him again. NOW."

For a moment there was a hint of hesitation, then the rage took over again.

"Are you threatening me?"

She asked in a voice that was probably intimidating, but I didn't care.

I took a short step backwards, she smiled triumphantly for a moment. And then I altered my weight to my forehooves, propelled myself backwards with them and bucked as hard as I could into the faceplate of the robot behind me. A satisfactory CRUNCH was heard as the metal gave way and its electronics sputtered and and the lifeless machine fell to the floor with a thud.

"Yes, Ruby. Yes. I. Am. Since you are an idiot I'll put it in simple words. I hate people like you, a lot. And recently I have discovered that I don't really have a problem with killing ponies if it keeps them from hurting others. Oh, and you know what? Amber is my first friend, so it is kind of personal."

Her facade of rage and superiority melted away. She sat on the floor, her eyes transfixed into mine.

"So here is the deal. You hurt any of my friends again, and you are dead."

I slowly closed my eyes and I heard her scrambling from the floor and running out into the hallway, as far away as possible from me. Probably a wise decision. Something she never understood is that empty threats are worthless if someone calls your bluff.

"Amber, you ok?"

"..."

He had gone mute again. He wasn't OK. Of course he wasn't. I stayed with him for a few hours, went and talked to Doctor Tenderheart and she promised to support them. I wasn't really trained for it and Violette really didn't want me in the room. So I had to wait a while before I could bring up my suggestion to get the heck out of here. In the meantime, I still had a few things to dig through.

***

Some more time to kill, a large pile of books and journals. Unfortunately my patience was running out so I wasn't going to read through it all. Not sure I could, even with the magic pills. There was however still a holotape that I hadn't listened to yet and if my suspicions were right this could be the important one.

The date, exactly 50 years ago.

"Huh, now that is suspicious." Way too convenient for my taste. Now, on to the tape.

The first thing I heard was the rapid flipping of pages in some book, then the hydraulic door opened.

"Wha... who in Celestia's name are you?!"

"Hm, it seems she really did teach me everything. How disappointing."

I heard the sound of a book being shut.

"Welcome back Director, I am Étoile Van Hoof. I hope you recognize the name."

"What?! Get out of my chair! How did you even get into the Stable? Or past all the security?!"

"Golden Starlight."

"Wait..."

"Glimmer gave me the override code to the stable door personally, not that it is relevant. I paid a visit here when the stable was constructed so teleportation was remarkably easy. Anyhow, please tell me when you have processed the information so that we can get started."

"How aren't you dead?! It has been over a century!"

"..."

"And get out of my chair!"

"No."

"Do I have to call security?"

"Do you seriously think they would make any difference?

"..."

"Now, I am in this chair because you need to understand who is in charge. You are an equestrian citizen, I am the highest ranking survivor of princess Luna's government. So you are going to sit in the guest chair, and you are going to listen."

There was the sound of what I assume to be a chair being moved. Then she continued with her sweet poisonous voice.

"First of order, your stable is doomed. It has been 150 years since the doors were closed, you even missed the whole debacle with Icetear setting up a provisional government in Vanhoover. A few more decades, and you will be forced to join the rest of the world or risk inbreeding."

"Did you really come here after all these years just to say that?"

"Of course not, I wanted to inform you of the state of the world outside..."

Her voice changed, and I could practically feel the vitriol dripping off her tongue.

"Equestria is dead, all of it. The wilds are twisted, the wind is radioactive, the ponies that are still around are either cannibalistic monsters, violent idiots or have enough WSD to be just as bad. Then we have the beasts, all of them eat ponies. Long story short, it is a worst case scenario."

"Is there a point to this?"

"Yes, yes there is. The ponies out there hold grudges against anything with a stripe, and they are very violent. If you open the stable door, then this little remnant of the old days is finally dead. And as we have already established, you can't stay holed up in here forever. Fortunately, I am here."

"Skip the flowery nonsense and tell me what you want, are you here to take over?"

"Hahahaha... No, Director. I don't have the time nor interest to babysit a bunch of sheltered crossbreeds..."

Her voice had turned downright melancholic.

"The point to all of this is, that I have lost my engineer. Hopefully, your stable might act as a suitable substitute. In all honesty, I doubt it. However, there are few other alternatives so you will simply have to do."

"You return after all this time for a damned engineer??"

"No, Director. I meant ALL of the stable population. Hopefully their collective skills are worth the effort."

"... And what will we get in return?"

"Apart from survival? Hope, a chance to integrate in a greater society and a chance to help rebuild Equestria. And no, that isn't just empty talk. If I can manage to reign in the chaos in the region then... then I have fair odds of fixing this mess the princesses created."

"If I say yes, what do you need us to do?"

"At the moment, not much. A decade or two and I should have prepared Vanhoover for your return to the surface. I need to establish a few contacts, gather some capital and bring a bit of order back to Equestria. Feel free to open the doors somewhere in that time span, there is a town to the south. The Pear family runs it, they are trustworthy. All you need to do is inform them you are open for trade and the caravans will handle the rest."

There was a short pause before she continued.

"Oh, and I have recorded this conversation. Please add it to the material that is required reading for the Directors of this stable. Don't bother trying to delete it, there is a separate subroutine to keep you from doing so."

***

The hydraulic door opened, Amber sat on the floor with some terminal and a wrench in his mouth. Violette was asleep and I realized that I hadn't seen his roommate since we returned, must be staying somewhere else or the Director arranged something. He noticed me and waved a hoof.

"Hey, Amber. Still not talking?"

He shook his head.

"Right, anyhow. We have been here two weeks now and I can't stand it anymore. Have probably outstayed my welcome either way. Think you and Violette are up for travelling sometime soon?"

Amber looked at me like I was an idiot, grabbed his chalkboard and began writing.

We aren't going.

"What?"

He erased it and wrote more.

Neither of us is in any state to travel.

More stuff.

There isn't anything for us out there and its too dangerous.

"But, adventure! Saving ponies and that stuff!"

That is your hobby, I can't do that stuff.

"You can't stay here, everyone is a jerk!"

Because you scare them, Windstriker.

"What?"

Its a stable, you act as a wastelander.

"WHAT?? Since when?"

Since always?

I sighed, I suspected this moment would come. I had been dreading it ever since they first bonded over egghead stuff. It has finally happened, I am alone. Amber and Violette were staying here, they fit right in. And Xera had grown very comfortable with the stable luxuries, even befriended some of the guard zonies. I however, was the one nozony could stand. Fuck, I really hated being alone.

He poked me with his hoof.

Sorry, Windstriker.

***

I stood in front of the stable door, activated the controls and felt a lump in my throat as the warning sounds blared and door slid outwards. The large mechanical limb stretched out, grabbed it and the gear shaped door rolled to the side. The outside was dark, it was two hours past midnight, the few lights still glowing came from the Institute building in front of me. The central tower was indeed impressive, but I didn't care as I stepped out into the bone chilling cold outside. On my E.F.S I could see very few zonies still moving about, probably all guards. None looked this way as I flapped my wings and took to the air.

As I really wasn't in the mood to talk to anyone I flew close to the western mountainside that the Stable had been built into, flew further and further until I finally reached the peak. The wind was harsh and painful, how fitting I thought. I looked down at the town where I had grown up. The place was better off than almost all of Equestria and I utterly hated it.

"Now where to?"

By all rights I should be flying south but it was in the middle of the night and the Daughters would probably shoot any suspicious fliers who randomly landed in town this late. I had another idea, or more of a longing really. I flapped my wings and flew even further upwards, up through the clouds.

I sat down on the fluffiest cloud I could find and looked up at the night sky denied to so many ponies. The countless stars with their faint light, and the moon in its full regal shimmer. It was nice to sit there under Luna's wonderful light. Wonder whatever happened to the princesses?

My loneliness and anxiety was less painful as I thought back to the legends. On why Luna was banished all those years ago, how she had been driven to rage from her pain and anguish. The princess of the night, she would understand, wouldn't she?

"Princess Luna?"

There was no answer, and praying felt silly. Not that I had any idea how I was supposed to do that in the first place. Instead I just laid down and closed my eyes. And hoped that my dreams would be free from nightmares. It felt like i lay there in hours until I was distracted by a soft gentle voice.

"Sorry, she isn't available. Is it acceptable if I aid you instead?"

I opened my eyes, turned my head and saw an elegant winged mare standing before me. Her coat was a dark blue that blended in with the night sky. It was a stark contrast to her amber mane which sent embers flying as it danced in the wind. The odd thing were her golden eyes that looked almost pleading, like she was nervous about meeting me. Then I noticed her horn.

"Uhm, can I help you? And who even are you?"

"You are in greater need than I am, as for who I am..."

She looked dejected as if she was remembering something painful.

"... I am most likely the only mare able to listen to your prayers these days."

"You're not telling me your name then?"

"I... may have forgotten it over the years."

"You forgot, your own name?"

I didn't know how to respond this.

"It isn't even half as strange as you think it is. May I have a seat?"

"Suuuure. Care to tell me what is going on at least?"

The alicorn mare laid down next to me looked solemnly at the full moon.

"You are dreaming, and this is when Luna used to show up and give important advice to ponies. These days the dreams of ponies are naught but nightmares and horrors, and the Princess of the night can no longer help."

"She is dead then?"

"Although I hope that isn't the case I can't sense her. So most likely, only her moon remains. Oh how horrible this age is, how did we go so wrong..."

"Not to be egocentric or anything, but it is my dream and I am the one with a broken life?"

"My apologies, Windstriker. I tend to ramble. You feel estranged from your kin and you are scared of being alone was it? If I may be a bit rude, you have missed parts of the picture. There are still some of your friends who look forward to your return."

"... Thanks. So where do I go from here?"

"Hm, give it some time. I think fate will take the lead soon enough. Except there was something else worrying your little filly head wasn't there?"

"Yeah, I wanted to be a hero like the Stable Dweller but all that seems to happen is that I get my flank handed to me in every real fight. How does she do it? Is it just experience? Does she have divine protection or plot armour or something?"

"I don't know who this mare you talk about is, but if you want divine favour then I might be able to help."

"What do you mean?"

"Like this."

She touched my forehead with her horn and I felt a burning pain. I was about to scream when it receded, touching my forehead I realized I had a spot where my coat had been burned off. Turning to her I scowled, and was about to shout at her when her hoof touched my nose.

"Now would be a good time to wake up, my little pony."

I slowly opened my eyes, and even before I had fully opened them I saw three red bars. I was about to rise when I felt a sharp pain in my back, it spread and I couldn't move my limbs. Then I saw the creatures that had caught me. Vaguely equine in shape, dark carapaces, eyes like that of a bug and with scorpion tails.

"Oh shi..."

Changelings, and I had let them catch me asleep. Unfortunately I couldn't do much more than lie there. The three creatures seemed very amused and a bit confused by the situation, not expecting to find me up here. Was their hive up here or something?

"A zebra with wings, now I have seen everything."

One of them said.

"Should we hoof it over to the S.S.O?"

"And give them all the fun? Not a chance... FUCK, she looks just like the runaway!"

"Huh? But sarge, it has stripes!"

"I know. Which means this is S.S.O. business."

"So, we bring it in then?"

"No. Too much paperwork, let's just dispose of the stripe and never talk about it again."

There was some form of silent agreement and then I was pushed through the cloud and plummeted towards the ground. There was nothing I could do as i fell and fell, until they decided to prolong it by grabbing me, flying upwards and dropping me again. Treating me as I was some hoofball.

My muscles began to react to my desperate attempts to move them, I could barely flap my wings but I was outmatched. I tried bucking them, and missed wildly. So I entered S.A.T.S. and fired away, hitting one point blank but the bullets just ricocheted off the armoured plates.

DODODOM

The changeling in front of me explodes into bloody chunks. Before I could react I heard a chorus of machine gun fire and something far more impressive. Next thing i knew I crashed into the ground, hitting some slope and rolling down. I hurt all over, but I was somehow alive. I struggled to keep my eyelids open but I heard something heavy gallop towards me.

"She's alive. Wait... Ma'am, it is one of the crossbreeds. What do we do?"

The voice was mechanical, like that of a robot or...

"Bring her back to the citadel along with the traitors."

"Ma'am, the rules-"

"That is an order, Knight!"

"Yes, ma'am!"

The last thing I felt was someone injecting me with a painkiller before I blacked out.

Level Up

Perk Added: Fallen Caesar Technique
Either through fierce training, rigid discipline or by just being an idiot savant when it comes to fighting you have unlocked the feared fighting style of the zebrecian legionaries. All of your hoof to hoof attacks now ignore 10 points of Damage Threshold as you hit right in the weak spots of any armoured opponent.

Quest Perk Added: Divine Providence
For reasons unknown there is an individual of immense power who watches over you, forever tilting the odds in your favour and making sure that nothing short of fate itself can bring you down. Until further notice you possess a total immunity to critical hits.

Condition Removed: Concussion
Your head is now as healthy as it is ever going to be, which is unfortunately not as healthy as it should be. Although you no longer suffer the penalties of a concussion you have permanently lost 1 point of Intelligence. You really should have worn a helmet.

Reputation Gained: The Starlight Institute - Shunned

Act 1 Complete: Innocence Lost

Chapter 11 - Equestria's Finest

As I turned in the bed my body ached all over, I slowly opened me eyes. And closed them again, I really didn't feel like waking up or getting out of bed. Sometime later I opened them again, and something was wrong. The light was coming from the wrong side of the bed. I turned my head and squinted. That wasn't a stable night light, and this wasn't my room.

"Wha... where?"

I tried getting out of bed and fell on the floor with the blanket falling over my head. I rose to my hooves and fell over on the spot. So I laid there for a few moments, trying to remember where I was and how I got here. My mind came up blank, I remembered a weird dream. Not how it ended or where this was.

Noticing a window I struggled towards it, I raised myself up and looked out into the alien nightscape that loomed before me. It should have been pitch black as I peered out of the window but there was a strange ice blue light pulsating out there. The houses and cliffs cast shadows that danced in impossibly stretched shapes and then returned to a form that made at least a bit of sense. I couldn't make out the light source though, and just stood there staring for Luna knows how long. Then a glowing pillar slithered up above the highest cliff and ripped apart the cloud cover. Then... it slowly died down again as the gentle light of the full moon covered the area as well.

"Nooope."

I turned away from the madness outside and looked around the room. It was a bit smaller than my room back at the stable, a bed, a small table and an mostly empty bookshelf. Whose room was this? Where was I even? Still in Equestria or in some other nightmare world?

Walking up to one of the doors, I found it locked and it looked remarkably sturdy. Tried knocking on it, no response. Might have been due to it evidently being in the middle of the night. The other door led to the bathroom, which was somehow fully functional complete with a mirror. Further evidence that I wasn't in the wasteland.

"Wait, a mirror??"

I turned up the pipbuck light and lifted my mane. There was a spot where the coat had been burned off, suggesting that either the dream wasn't a dream or I hadn't woken up yet. The spot was swollen but as I squinted it looked like it had seven sharp points. There was a soft sense of safety as I looked at it, but it felt alien and some part of my mind shouted that I had no idea what was going on. And I hate not knowing what is going on, it is almost always somepony playing some game or having some scheme.

Then the boredom set in, I walked around the place a few times until I bashed my head on the table in frustration. Turning my head I hoped my pipbuck could help alleviate my situation. Was wondering what I should browse for when I noticed the title of a text entry I definitely didn't add. Why do people keep adding stuff to my pipbuck?? I should put a password on this thing.

Windstriker, you are currently in the Citadel of Dusk. Bringing you here meant that I broke several rules, but you are not considered a prisoner. Please be patient and do not create a scene, I will be checking in on you regularly to see if you have awoken. And don't worry about the Aurora outside, the radiation is harmless at this distance.

Crusader Raspberry Tart

"Steel Rangers huh? Why in Luna's name would they build a fortress HERE?!"

It took minutes, maybe even an hour before I remembered that I was bored. So I started fiddling with the radio. Which was frustrating as neither Radio New Pegasus nor DjPon3 were in range and Black Hoof Radio was just playing repeats at this late hour. The weird channels were still not making any sense.

Fun fact about pipbucks, if you know what you are doing there are manual overrides to all sorts of things. In the case of radios you can tune the frequency yourself without having to rely on the signal detection spell. Turned out there is a reason to why nopony wants to do that though, as some frequencies were just inequine screams and others were just recordings on a loop. Then I found a proper channel, it was a bit fuzzy and broken at places but it was a proper station and as I listened the sound became clearer.

...hoover radio and now it is time for the latest news on the war and other happenings in Equestria. The advance of the 96th imperial legion has been stopped and through the combined efforts of the army and the 5th royal cloud fleet the stripes have been driven back to red mountains and the jungle area. Unfortunately, due to the terrain and and the arrival of several dragons our heroes in uniform were unable to completely route the zebra forces. Princess Luna has recognized the extraordinary heroics of the Las Pegasus regiment of Steel Rangers who held the army forces together despite massive losses when the dragons arrived, and a ceremony for the fallen is expected to be held within the week... Hm... To be honest, I had intended to go into the more trivial and lighthearted news but let's take a short break with some music first. Here is the latest track I picked up from Canterlot, I believe they call the genre wubstep or something.

For a few moments I thought the signal was breaking up again, or my radio was malfunctioning. Then I realized that it was probably supposed to sound that way. It was most certainly not music I had heard in the wasteland before, and I wasn't sure what to make of it. And as I was trying to make heads or tails of it the radio pony got back on.

Aaaand I am back. Sorry about that, I needed a moment. Anyhow, back to the news. Duke Amethyst Van Hoof has promised the M.O.I. that the incident with the dragon will not be repeated, but rumours suggest that Minister Rarity refuses to set hoof in Vanhoover again and will instead send over a representative to handle further discussions regarding the new ministry hub. And the contract regarding which company will be responsible for supplying government offices in the region with terminals and maneframes has NOT gone to Stable-Tech as was expected but to EAST Corp. A company more commonly known for its zeppelins and other airships. Coordinator Icetear has neglected to comment as to why this decision was made. Speaking of said mare, the Coordinator and Ministry Mare Sparkle have commissioned the Starlight Institute for a program concerning weaponizing lunium, details are of course classified. And and the final piece of news is that the much beloved Ice Fair up north will be smaller than previous years. This as an unprecedented amount of frost ponies have signed up for the army, with the only motivation that I can find is that miss Iceatear managed to rise to such an esteemed position in Princess Luna's government and the frost ponies simply followed her example. Hopefully, they will give the zebras some good thrashing...

"Huh, must be some old recording from the war. Neat."

Since I was bored I decided to listen until it looped around. It didn't. At least not as far as I could tell, and I listened for hours on end. I turned it off when I heard knocking on the door.

"Windstriker, are you awake yet?"

"Yeah, just come in."

The door was unlocked and a young beige mare with a purple mane walked in.

"Care to explain what mess you have gotten yourself into this time?"

I blinked in confusion.

"Wait, who are you?"

"What do you mean, I'm Crusader Raspberry Tart. This is the third time we met, fourth if you count when you crash landed. You are lucky we were in the ar-"

"But you are a mare! And cute!"

"Wha... wai... I'm not... I'm a range'! Range's aren' CUTE!"

"Uh, yes you are? You are adorable!"

Seriously, I thought I had been talking to some battle scarred veteran buck. Not this blushing filly. Her coat was clean, her mane was just long enough to reach her neck and she had the fuzziest ears I had seen. I couldn't even see a scar anywhere!

"Ya can' just say that to a ma'e! The'e are rules to this sorta thin'. I mean, how would'ya reac' if I had said that to ya out o' the blue?!"

At this point I was barely following the accent, why couldn't it be something simple like a southern one?

"I would probably ask you out for a date?"

"Ya would WHAT?!"

There was an expression of utter shock on her face. When I opened my mouth to clarify she fled out the door shouting something that sounded like she would be back. This time it was my turn to stand there with a baffled look on my face, as I tried reconcile the image of the fierce steel ranger officer with the embarrassed filly that couldn't handle a compliment.

***

She did return, eventually. Her face dripping with cold water as she clearly had attempted to calm herself down. As she led the way towards the dining room in this... castle would probably be the best word. They had evidently spent several years building it out of rock and concrete, with the intention for it to last. A mountainside fortress as a statement to the region, and I realize that it was probably a statement towards Goldstar as well. It didn't have much in the way of windows, and seemed to be designed with function over form, something that fit well with the rest of what I knew about the rangers. Despite the fancy titles, the power armour and their pride, they were very pragmatic when it came down to it. Earth pony culture I suppose.

That said, I had more pressing issues to think about.

"Look, Windstriker. You are technically not supposed to be here, I have already been relieved of command just for saving your flank. So please try to not start any fights or create any problems?"

"...uh sure."

"Are you listenin'?"

"Uhm yeah?"

"Stop starin' at me like tha'!"

"Can't help it! How am I supposed to handle a pretty mare dropping into my life out of nowhere?"

"An' stop sayin' stuff like tha'!"

"What? Why?"

"Because its distractin'!"

"Look! I ran away from home, got visited by some random alicorn, got ambushed by some... I don't even know?! Changelings? Pegasi? Next thing I know I wake up here, there is some freaky shit outside my window and now you are suddenly a mare?? Have I gone nuts? Is that it?!"

"...what did ya just say?"

"I was asking it if I had gone nuts?!"

"Nonono, the stuff about an alicorn?"

"Yeah, that was the weirdest part. I pray to Luna and then a blue alicorn shows up. I have no idea why or what or if I was just dreaming it?! I know my alicorns... or at least I thought that before I discovered Twilight Sparkle was one. And there was some other pink thing. I don't even know anymore!"

My voice began breaking towards the end, and my legs gave way as I collapsed to the floor. Covering my face with my wings I desperately tried to shut out the confusing world around me on a vain hope that things would start making sense again.

I felt a hoof on my shoulder near the base of my wing. A careful, soft touch.

"Look, Windstriker... This is real. You're not insane, just stressed."

"..."

"Everypony reacts to wartime stress disorder differently. Trust me, I know. Do you have anything that helps you through it? Medicine? Alcohol? Music?"

I just shook my head.

"Need a hug?"

I nodded.

So she hugged me as I laid there, shaking and crying more than I care to admit. I didn't know if I was cursed, traumatized or if the world around me really was breaking apart. And the worst part is that I really didn't want to find out, which left me in this state of muddled hesitation and cold fear. I couldn't trust my mother, I couldn't rely on my childhood friend, I no longer had a home and the princesses were silent.

Bit by bit I had learned to see the wasteland and the world for what it was, as much as I had hated it... it was reassuring to know that there was something solid, something real before my eyes. Things made sense whenever I discovered something new. I could feel there was the equestrian wasteland waiting to embrace me like so many others, a world where violence and hatred ruled.

However, this last night there was something else I had realized. There was something else, something that stood apart from the radioactive graveyard that was old Equestria. It hadn't been just my imagination, there had been something calling me, ever since I stared at the night sky and the star that gleamed brighter than any other.

I had strayed too close to the star touched city, and it called me home.

At the same time the old kingdom and the millions damned cried out for me, for someone to hear them. To mourn, to remember, to rebuild. Stuck between the two I could feel my soul waver, and as I laid there I realized something else. It didn't matter which choice I would make, I would never feel the calm tranquility of a proper home again. Regardless of which way I went, a part of me would tug and nag until I went the other way.

Still...

I was not all alone.

Lifting my wings I looked at the mare beside me.

"Feeling better?"

"..."

My voice didn't cooperate but I nodded.

"Let's get something to eat, we can talk over things then."

Slowly I tried to rise, my legs unsteady but I had help.

***

"As for the alicorns, the Ministry of Arcane Sciences was working on some form of super soldier program towards the end of the great war. The technical details are classified but I do know that it was minister Twilight Sparkle's personal project and that it involved creation of artificial alicorns."

I nodded intently as I was listening, finally somepony was telling me what was going on. Oh, and food also helped. Not that the stuff we were served was tasty in the least, but I was hungry and needed something to focus on. Tart continued with her not so boring lecture.

"While there has long been rumours that they existed, it was just a few decades ago we actually confirmed their existence. As for what they are... short answer is monsters, straight and simple. They are vain, violent and very unstable. We have had to put down a few of them over the years."

"And you think I was visited by one of those?"

"Most likely, yes. There are three breeds. Purple, Green and Blue. They are all telepathic though and seem to be controlled by some mad entity calling itself 'the goddess' or some nonsense. Used to be that they were just a minor nuisance with all the other dangers in the wasteland. Then Red Eye appeared and somehow got them to work for him, now they are everywhere back east. First time I have heard of one this far West though, will have to report it to my superiors."

"What the heck did she want with me though?"

"Pony sacrifice most likely."

"WHAT?!"

"Ponies captured by the alicorns are never heard of again, but that is the rumour."

"Should I be worried?"

"Not as long as you are here. If you run into one again, don't trust it."

"I suppose that explains that picture of Sparkle with wings and what not."

"That... I have never heard about before but it wouldn't be impossible given the context."

I took a few deep breaths, and got a deja vu when I looked around the room. We were in a large mess hall inside of a concrete building, and everypony was busy pretending that we didn't exist. Might just be my messed up head or fractured perspective of reality, but it was eerily similar. Even the room layout was like in a stable.

"Uhm... So how much of a trouble are you in?"

The mare in front of me scratched her neck, a bit embarrassed by the question.

"Less than I could have been. I kind of have... had a lot of goodwill built up over the years for exemplary service. Might have thrown it to the wind, but at least I won't get thrown out. At most I will get demoted and live with a stain on my record. Fortunately, Head Scribe Sapphire was positively ecstatic when we brought in several suits of power armour. Which means I got two out of five of the senior council backing me up, so most likely I will just be sent back to Fort Borderhoof whenever they decide you aren't a threat."

"More Steel Ranger politics! Why do you have to be so complicated? And why does it matter that I'm here? Is it just the stripes? Because that would be horse apples! I am an at most one eight zebra, and besides! I'm a stable zony, we're Equestrians!"

Her face turned serious all of sudden, and she looked like she was trying to decide something. Then she gave a very audible sigh, took a long dramatic sip from her drink and locked eyes with me. Now looking determined.

"I guess an outsider wouldn't understand. And you probably have to know this... You up for another history lesson? Because this is going to be a bit complicated, and I do realize you got the attention span of a gold fish."

"What's a gold fish?" I asked in complete honesty, fish I knew of but why would they be gold?

"I... don't actually know. Anyhow, care to listen a little more?"

As I was feeling better and adjusting to the whole situation, I tried to have a flirty voice as I answered.

"Depends, will I learn more about you?"

Again, she blushed. And coughed dramatically.

"I'll take that as a yes. Chronologically speaking we should start with the Canterlot reclamation campaign. Partly due to symbolic reasons and partly practical reasons led to one of the most disastrous military campaigns the rangers have taken on since the bombs fell. There are countless secrets hidden in the old capital. Research data, hidden military bunkers, weapon stockpiles and what not."

"Stable locations?"

"No, Stable Tech was technically a private corporation so we got that info from their headquarters in Manehattan. Anyhow, despite the chemical weapon the zebras detonated on the royal mountain it was well worth any risk. If we could manage to secure it, clean it out and so on it would be the ideal location for organizing a major campaign across all of Equestria. And as such, the ranger faction dedicated to reestablishing the old kingdom spent decades in the ruin."

"So what you are saying, is that you're from Canterlot of all places?"

"erm... No, I'm from Manehattan. But I was getting to that. The whole thing ended up as a catastrophe. Despite having all the right gear for the mission, they couldn't keep the poison entirely out. Bit by bit ponies died and as they barely could get any volunteers from other ranger contingents they ended up having to abandon the ordeal eventually. Elder Stardust and Star Paladin Overdrive then led the survivors to the east coast."

"Aaand this is where you enter the story?"

"Yes? Although I was just a filly at the time. The failure of the Canterlot regiment had lasting political consequences, with Elder Stardust technically only being a paladin at the time and the survivors merging with the Manehattan regiment. However, as Elder Cottage Cheese was of the opinion that we had wasted too many lives on an endeavor of romantic dreaming instead of pragmatic survivalism... Basically, he cares more about hoarding military materiel than saving actual pony lives. There has always been a rift in the steel rangers, at least since the bombs, but... Supposedly Stardust had gathered enough supporters to plan a coup, even planning on arresting their seniors for neglect of duty."

"So what happened?"

"Two of the senior officers in Fillydelphia had gotten wind of it, and after some argument or such Star Paladin Autumn Storm decided to bring a group of volunteers to Vanhoover as an excuse to avoid a full blown civil war. Not sure how, as elder Stardust is famed for being idealistic to a fault, but he somehow convinced the Canterlot remnants to go along with the plan. And as my mother was one of Stardust's supporters I went along with them as we crossed the country."

"Wait... are these military ranks working as I think they do?"

"Ah, yeah. They do. Technically Autumn Storm was the most senior officer but he insisted Stardust take the title of Elder for some reason. Although... Having listened to her, Elder Stardust has quite an inspiring charisma. And the moment she took the title of Elder the volunteers were reformed into a new steel ranger regiment, one without a name. At least until we reached Vanhoover."

"So where do the idiots from New Pegasus come into the picture?"

"Later, we incorporated the entire population of stable 84 before that. And don't give me that look, we didn't force them! There was this slaver fortress that we took out and they happened to be captured and were relieved to see some remnant of old Equestria. They all volunteered and ended up becoming the majority of our scribes." Her voice became quiet as her face went blank for a moment. "That was my first real battle."

She had gone silent and seemed distant.

"You OK? Hey, Tart!"

"Wha-? Uhm... Sorry. Where was I?"

"New Pegasus, and that Earthquake buck."

"Oh right. The Las Pegasus regiment had been defending the place against zebras, dragons and worse since the days of the war. However, with the fall of the old regime their reputation dropped. Increased threats meant increased militarism, having to fight ponies as well... the wastelands grew wary of them and the rangers ended up having to fight the very ponies they were supposed to protect, after two hundred years of service. They lost their elder in an ambush and Star Paladin Earthquake had enough of the struggle. It was about then that we got a messenger from them. We ended up absorbing them despite them technically being the larger group."

"OK... That sounds rough, you sure I can't just talk to the stallion and sort things out? My stable had nothing to do with any of that, so maybe we could just sort this out?"

"I doubt it. This is just hearsay but it seems that he had been in contact with your stable decades ago. They had already planned on moving north to Vanhoover but the previous Elders refused to abandon a fight while a zebra legion still stood on Equestiran soil."

"Hold on... my grandfather, the director of the Institute and Stable 33 just told me that my uncle had been killed by a steel ranger down in New Pegasus. Why was he there in the first place?"

"No idea... One thing I can tell you is that the whole west coast is a mess. Conspiracies on top of conspiracies... Between the zebras, the wastelanders and the changelings. You can't really trust anypony out here. We even had your blood checked to confirm you were a po-... a zony."

"Tell me about it... So is this whole mess between the rangers and my home caused by an accident or a misunderstanding?"

"More like a set up. It isn't that difficult to get a hold of a suit of power armour if you know what you are doing. Not saying that the pony killing your relative wasn't a ranger, but for all we know the culprit might not even be a pony in the first place. Back during the war the zebras did a lot of false flag operations like that."

"And whatever the case, some rangers might have reasons to distrust us zonies... Still. Can we solve it now that I am here? I mean, you ponies haven't kicked me out or have me killed yet so there is some sort of plan right?"

This time she looked stunned and stared at me in surprise.

"Well... yes. Yes there is. Whenever you are feeling up to it, Star Captain Steelheart will want to talk with you. Partly about what you have found regarding Goldstar. And also about your encounter in the clouds and... what we can do about this situation. If we could get a diplomatic contact established with your stable, we could begin some form of cooperation. We have the firepower and integrity to guarantee your safety, and we can always need more engineers and scientists."

"About that... I did kind of run away in the middle of the night."

"Of course you did." She shook her head in disbelief. "No matter, I am guessing that is nothing out of the ordinary for you. There is however another issue that complicates the problem considerably."

"And that is?"

"Mega spells."

"Eh?"

"More specifically the projects your Institute was involved with during the war. Weaponized lunium, Equestria's answer to the balefire bomb. As I understand it, one such research site was sabotaged and the bomb was detonated. I believe you have already seen the result."

"Wait... The Aurora? You mean that freaky glowing thing outside my window? I thought that was done by zebras."

"Yes, but the bomb was Equestrian. The star bomb wasn't supposed to do that, and our scribes have still not figured out exactly what happened. But that goes for the balefire bombs as well. That radiation should have died in two or three decades and the craters are still glowing."

"... And you think my family has a stockpile of these mega spells?"

"You have the research notes, raw materials and the expertise. It is a possibility that can't be ignored. Now... Do you understand just how dangerous your presence is? One wrong move from your side and a ranger with a grudge might attack you, and if you were to die..."

"It would be the end of the world all over again."

"And as your mother has relations with Goldstar, the first shot fired could end with mega spell detonations all over the region. We can't rule out that the so called princess already has a stockpile of star bombs at her disposal."

I covered my face with my hoofs as I began to understand just how big of a mess I had gotten myself into.

"Mum... what have you done..."

Talking mostly to herself, Raspberry Tart made a final comment on our discussion.

"We traveled across Equestria, only to find ourselves at yet another power hungry warlord with an arsenal that would make wartime armies pause in hestitation. I guess Vanhoover isn't any different when it comes down to it."

***

As we walked up the stairs I got another sense of deja vu, she was leading me to yet another senior officer for a debriefing. Were they trying to recruit me? Certainly got that impression at times. Not sure I would fit in well with the military life, as I would probably end up beating the crap out of a superior officer and get kicked out. It did result in some pretty nice mares though, I must admit.

"You're staring at my flank again."

"Well, it is a pretty nice flank."

"Are you this way with all mares you talk to? You act like a teenager!"

"I am a teenager!"

"Wait, really?"

"Yeah, I'm 19. Why?"

She muttered under her breath.

"That explains a lot..."

"Your turn!"

"What?"

"Your age."

"First off, you don't ask a mare that. Secondly, I'm 24."

My mind began trying to process the numbers and got stuck on something, not the ususal math issue but I noticed something. Either the numbers didn't add up or...

"How many years ago has it been since you left Manehattan?"

"11, I was 13 at the time. Why?"

"And you mentioned your first real battle was while you were travelling. So, you were just a filly when they put you on the frontline? Or did I misunderstand something?"

She froze up and just stared ahead. Then she closed her eyes and talked in a low voice.

"Look, I don't want to talk about it OK?"

"... Yeah. Sure. If you do change your mind, I would be willing to listen. All right?"

"Thanks... I'll keep that in mind." Her voice became stern as she seemed to focus on the present. "Please do not make a fool of yourself in front of the Star Captain, she doesn't like having you here and she has the authority to get us both shot if she gets the excuse."

"You think she would do that?"

She hesitated a little before she replied.

"I don't know... Usually not, but I have never seen her so furious before. She really didn't like me breaking that rule, if you hadn't already talked to Overdrive then she would probably have thrown us both out. Without any gear, or medical treatment in your case."

***

The mare in front of me most definitely wanted to have me shot, which was not a reassuring thought with the two heavily armed rangers sitting like statues behind me. When I had entered I noticed just how elegant and ornate their power armoured suits were, and that unlike all other rangers I ever seen they had magical energy weapons attached to their battle saddles. Disintegration rifles if I wasn't mistaken.

I wasn't entirely sure why the grey ranger with the pink mane was staring at me like that when I entered, although I suspected strongly that it had something to do with my stripes. After a few moments she looked away and the atmosphere in the room went from hostile to merely stern.

"So, you are the zony who is playing double agent. Why?"

"Because I don't want to see my stable being massacred by an army of steel rangers? Because a certain megalomaniac unicorn is confirmed to be utterly insane and up to no good? Because you rangers are the closest thing to actually honest ponies I have met thus far? Take your pick."

"Really? Did you bring any data of note?"

I did a quick check at my pipbuck, and all the stuff I had copied over was still there.

"Yep, got it all here. There is a memory recording in there by the way, so you will need a pipbuck or equivalent to watch it. It is arguably the most important part."

"Copy it to to my terminal, so that I can confirm."

It was an order, not a request. The tone made that clear, and the ponies behind me backed up the statement. Wait, disintegration rifles. After I transferred the files they could just melt me to ash and there would be no evidence I ever was here. I looked at the officer in front of me and remembered the stares she gave me mere moments ago.

"Any guarantees that you won't just kill me afterwards?"

"We saved your life."

"And I have information you want. What you have are two heavily armoured ponies with weapons that leave little evidence and possibly a hatred for anything with stripes. Oh, and a reputation for being ruthless. Not exactly friendly circumstances."

She frowned and seemed to take offense at the remark, but she didn't order them to shoot me.

"Very well. Leave us."

I glanced back at the armoured suits that rose, made salutes and left though the door.

"Now, the data. Please."

Walking up to the desk I extended the cord from my pipbuck, and connected it to the terminal. Then I got several security warnings, I raised an eyebrow at the grey mare, she typed in a passcode and they went away. Realizing that I was connected to the steel rangers data network I was very tempted to copy anything I could from their maneframe, but I decided against it. So instead I just pressed copy and sent the appropriate files over one by one, which took a while.

As I disconnected my pipbuck she began typing, navigating the files and then starting the most recent recording, the one where Starlight had suddenly appeared inside of my stable. It was slightly embarrassing to listen to with the ranger officer in front of me, even if she did had a remarkably bored expression as she listened. Hold on... She is like the ponies at Goldstar. Oh horse apples...

"Interesting, wonder what she need engineers for. Although I have my suspicions. Either way, this is genuine. You are free to go whenever you feel like it, preferably earlier than later though. I will talk with the Elder and have you officially designated as a private contractor, steel ranger outposts will be open to you from now on."

"And the rest of the Institute?"

"You do realize that this is damning evidence that they are working with Goldstar aren't you? And that ties their fate with the pretender's. Unless you got something else that proves their innocence then I am afraid we can't tolerate it."

"They are basically being threatened, and the director really doesn't trust her."

"Prove it."

I began scrolling through the files on my pipbuck once more and started the recording I had made of my conversation with my grandfather. Turns out that my earlier paranoia had paid off. She listened intently and was silent for several moments after the recording had ended.

"Well, is it good enough?"

"Yes it is. And I think I understand why you are working with us. You have my condolences, that is a messed up family situation you have found yourself in." She paused for a moment and looked at me with pity. "What about your mother? Even if we manage to get a peaceful solution with the rest of the Institute she will most likely still stand against us. And that includes against you."

This was something I had actively decided to not think about, I expected to have some loud argument with her at some point. But I seriously doubted it would help, we would most likely end up going separate ways eventually. I had already lost nearly all trust I had in her, even if she was still my mother.

"Honestly, I have no idea. If she ends up dying because of me I will probably never forgive myself, but the same goes if she ends up damning us all over some old romance she had before I was born. On that note, what is going to happen to Raspberry Tart?"

"You are a contractor, have been since you talked to Star Paladin Overdrive. I just confirmed it, and as such she hasn't broken any rules bringing your here. She will return to her post and be given back command to her squad. After you have left of course, she is currently assigned as your guide and as your contact."

That was the most ass backwards argument I had heard in my entire life. Steel Ranger politics I tell you, they make absolutely no sense. Still, there was something on my mind that I had forgotten to ask said adorable mare.

"The ponies or what not that attacked me, who are they?"

"I hoped you wouldn't ask that question."

"What? NOW you have to kill me?"

She raised an eyebrow in a confused look.

"No. It is however classified information."

"So you are just not going to tell me then?"

"As you are most likely going to get involved with them again if we don't explain why you shouldn't, and you have convinced me that you are trustworthy enough to keep military secrets. Well, this one at least. I'll tell you, on the condition you don't talk to anyone outside of the rangers regarding this subject."

"Sure. I promise."

"They call themselves the Enclave, a traitorous remnant of the old equestrian Skyguard. A highly militant, xenophobic and isolationist organization, there are entire towns they have razed just because somepony caught wind of their existence. And yes, they have enough firepower to do that. If you fear for your home, then avoid them at all costs."

"So they are pegasi then?"

"Yes, as far as we know they are all pegasi. And are the reason to why there barely are any pegasi in the wasteland, anyone they find are either indoctrinated or executed. In fact, you are the first confirmed pegasus we have encountered that wasn't part of the Enclave."

"Hold on, that can't be right? New Pegasus-"

"Is filled with changelings."

"WHAT?!"

"You didn't know? We have considered it an open secret, there is a reason to why the New Pegasus regiment couldn't secure the town. How do you wipe the bugs out if you don't even know who they are? And the locals refuse to cooperate? They are however less of a threat than either the mad mare at Fort Goldstar or the Enclave. Whenever get control over Vanhoover we can return and clear that place out properly."

"This is even more of a clusterfuck than I thought..." Then I had an epiphany. "Anything I can do to help?"

"Can you extract top secret project data from the Institute's maneframe network?"

"Ehhh.... I kind of left on bad terms and they never let me touch any of the important stuff. Even before I threatened the head of security and the head of robotics... So short answer is no. Any other way I could help, preferably something involving a thrilling adventure?"

For the first time in our discussion she smiled.

"There is, although I will have to confirm it with the Elder first."

***

They didn't let me wander the citadel unsupervised and Raspberry Tart really didn't want to show me a tour of the place. So apart from the mess hall and medical we mostly ended up just being in the room they have given me. Which would be utterly boring and slightly terrifying if I didn't have an apt distraction.

"Well, one thing is for sure. I understand why you are scared of her."

"Please tell me things didn't get out of hoof."

"Nah, went pretty well I think. No one shouted, no weapons fired, she even said straight out that she trusted me."

"She said what? Can't be right."

"Why not? Sure, she was hostile, stern and so on but she was a lot more tolerant after I showed a recording of me arguing with my grandfather. Guess she wanted to know why I was doing this."

"Honestly, she was probably thinking you were doing it to get my attention."

"What, why? What does she even care? Doesn't ponies like that have more important things to worry about?"

"She IS my mother."

"She WHAT??"

"And as she knows i prefer mares, she probably thought you were distracting me from my duties. It was fine when I was just trying to get the Star Paladin's attention, but then you showed up, I ended up breaking sensitive rules and well... You know the rest."

"So... What you are saying..."

"Yes?"

"I have a chance?"

The beige mare in front of me blinked in confusion. Then her cheeks flushed as she began realizing what I asked. Her voice was hesitant and meek as she answered.

"Maybe? If you grew up a bit."

***

The next morning she was staring at me curiously, and after breakfast she led me to the basement levels of the place.
Needless to say I was very interested in whatever had happened, and since she wasn't bringing it up I asked. Her answer sounded unsure and slightly irritated.

"I have no idea what you told the Star Captain but whatever it was, you have managed to give high command some dumb idea. The orders I got was to report to the Head Scribe for special equipment, get you your stuff back and then report back to my mother when ready."

"Huh? Hold on, what is going on?"

"Not sure, but it probably involves me escorting you somewhere is my guess."

We ended up in some large workshop filled with robed ponies working on all sort of tech, yet another deja vu in a short while. What drew my attention however, was the glittering blue stallion with a pipbuck on his leg. Standing in front of what appeared to be a winged suit of power armour that my assailants had worn.

I whistled as I walked up to the table it was suspended over.

"Oooh, so there is power armour for pegasi. Can I have one?"

"Ask your mother for one" Tart replied in a humorous tone.

"She would never let me have one!"

"Well, these are ours. My squad brought them down."

She turned to the crystal pony that I realized was an anomaly, they shouldn't exist outside of Stable 33 or the crystal empire as far as I knew.

"Crusader Raspberry Tart, sir. The zony is Windstriker, the private contractor."

He was for some reason quite amused by the whole situation and was the most relaxed steel ranger yet.

"Pleased to meet you miss Windstriker, quite a nasty fall you took back there. Your battle saddle got a bit mangled, we had to replace one of the gun barrels and tweaked the guns a bit. How in the world did you come across two antique trottingham machine guns? Of the Mk. 1 variety even!"

He was shaking my hoof more than a bit enthusiastically.

"Err... At Goldstar, and thanks for fixing my stuff. But... I got to ask. Who are you, how are you a crystal pony, where did you get the pipbuck from and what happened to the Crystal Empire??"

"I am Head Scribe Sapphire of the Vanhoover regiment of Steel Rangers, I was born one, I got it as a foal in the stable and I have absolutely no idea. Speaking of ideas, how did you know what a crystal pony is?"

"My childhood friend is a crystal pony, we got a whole bunch of them at home. What stable are you from? I didn't know there were any other places with crystal ponies outside of the Starlight Institute and the Empire."

"Stable 84, in the ruins of Liberty City. There were hundreds of crystal ponies living there during the war, for some reason it ended up being something of a popular place to settle down among those of my kin who didn't want to return home up north. The stable has been abandoned for over a decade, we all joined the rangers after that mess back a decade ago."

Raspberry Tart made a dramatic cough, the buck turned towards her.

"Yes?"

"The Star Captain is waiting, could you please arrange for us to get our gear ready?"

"Oh, it is in those lockers over there. The junior scribes can help you with ammunition and what not."

"That locker doesn't fit a suit of power armour, so where is it?"

"Being maintained and stored elsewhere, you aren't getting it at the moment."

Her eyes became thin and she sounded downright scary.

"Why not?"

"Special orders I am afraid, you will have to ask your superior about that. You are getting a Mk II combat armour and a pipbuck as a replacement. I took the liberty of replacing your AC 30 with something more practical for the occasion."

When we opened the lockers i was quite pleased by the sight of my machine guns, there wasn't a battle saddle but they were straight out giving me a new one for free. After scrounging out the stuff I looked into Tart's locker and wondered what she was distracted by. It was a gun, a very big gun. Easily the same size as that tall pegasus mare back at Goldstar was carrying.

"That is certainly something."

"A bit smaller than my preference, but it will have to do. Hopefully we won't run into something too durable."

"Hold on? It is freaking huge?"

"Not by ranger standards."

When we were fully suited up she insisted we went gun range (seriously, why did they have that indoors?). As they were giving us all the ammo we could carry and then some we were free to practice. It was then I noticed something, that rifle was belt fed. With seriously over sized bullets.

"That thing is a machine gun?? How are you supposed to carry it, all the ammo and fire without power armour?!"

She just smiled confidently at me, turned towards the targets and let loose a roar of gunfire.

When I was done covering my ears I looked at the targets, all of them decapitated at an even line by the throat.

"Not very practical." I pointed out.

Then she proceeded to somehow fire singular bullets with a machine gun and put one in the heads of each target.

"How?!"

"Practice. Now, let's give it a try with S.A.T.S. as well. Can you help me get this thing to work?"

I just stared at the black screen on her foreleg, the pipbuck had been off the whole time.

***

My companion was remarkably stiff and tense when we were back in her mother's office. Me on the other hoof, I was getting used to talking to scary mares in authority positions. So asked the question Tart hesitated with.

"So what in Celestia's name did you come up with that meant she can't have hear power armour?"

"A black ops mission."

"A what now?"

"Off the records, secret, against the rules."

"What, you need us to assassinate someone?"

"No, I need you to break into the M.A.S hub in Vanhoover, although the Van Hoof tower is also an option. We already have the M.W.T. hub under our control and the M.O.P. Hub is located in Tall Tale. Whatever the Ministry of Arcane Sciences worked on however, we only have vague names and rumours. Even the Canterlot hub only had limited data."

Huh, so that is what it was.

"And why do you think the two of us could do it if your entire army failed to reach the M.A.S. hub after a decade?"

"Because you are a local, and as far as anypony knows: Not affiliated with us. The local raider gangs are well supplied and never seem to run out of fresh bodies to throw into the fray. You however can actually talk with them and infiltrate hostile territory, find a way inside, gather all data and any prototypes you find and bring them back."

"Care to tell us what we are looking for?"

"Project: Lightbringer. Any and all of them are relevant and helpful, but that one in particular. The project is a series of prototypes of next generation of weaponry, according to what we found in Canterlot it could have won the war if it had lasted a few years longer. And before you ask, we need it to get an edge on the Enclave."

"And my payment?"

"Name it."

"A suit of that power armour the enclave ponies had."

"Not a chance. We have spent years trying to get hold of Empyreal power armour."

"Then, nothing. At least at the moment. You will just have to owe me one."

Her eyes became thin as she grew very irritated at me in that moment. I wasn't going to back off though.

"Hey, you got nothing else that interests me. I got more than enough bits and caps, I don't need any weapons. Only thing I need is that I can trust you if my friends or family are in danger. Even from you. One favour, in case I need you to spare somepony or otherwise."

She facehoofed.

"Civilians... I rather get you the armour, but under current circumstances I can't."

"Hey, you're asking us to risk our lives doing some illegal zebra shit. And isn't the elder in on this?"

"All right, one favour. Just remember that there are limits to what we are willing to do."

It was about then we heard frantic knocking on the door. Tart looked worried, Steelheart was unphazed and clicked on the intercom. I couldn't make out what they was saying but then the door opened and a ranger in armour walked up, saluted and handed over a holotape. Then he just left.

"It seems that Steelhooves finally grew a backbone."

"Who is Steelhooves?"

I asked in confusion. Raspberry Tart was just as confused but seemed to recognize the name at least.

Then the older mare put the holotape in some add on to her terminal and I recognized the voice of DJPon3.

"...he civil war among the Steel Rangers rages on, from Trottingham to Baltimare. The bad news is that the rangers are the main obstacle for Red Eye's forces in Fillydelphia, so we can expect an increase of slaver activity on the east coast. The good news on the other hoof is that the Outcasts have established themselves properly and more than a few ponies have decided to lend a hoof. The Stable Dweller being one of those ponies of course, so they are well supplied and under the command of Elder Steelhooves they are expected to last. Remember kids, rangers in black and red are friendly. Rangers in grey are not."

OK, now that sounds like big news.

"... Does that mean what I think it means?"

"No, it does not. It is definitely an issue, but fortunately Star Paladin Earthquake is stationed as far from the region border as possible so he will most likely not learn of it until we call him here. By then you two will be far out in the field."

She looked at the mare by my side with the gentlest expression yet (which wasn't saying much).

"We knew this was an eventuality since before we left Manehattan, leave the politics to the senior officers."

***

The two of us had left the main building complex and walked down a slope, the night air was cool and gentle. Looking around I noticed they had really turned the place into a fortress with it being surrounded by concrete bastions with artillery guns and machine guns everywhere. As we walked down from the mountainside we had to walk on a really slow slope that snaked itself down and was covered by bastions manned by steel rangers. We went past dozens of the armoured ponies, and while they gave us looks nopony stopped us on the way out.

Enjoying the fresh air as I was finally out on the road again, no longer alone.

"Hold on a minute, did your mom just set up a date for us?"

The pretty mare next to me stopped in shock, stared at me for a whole minute.

"Not a chance! Nope, no way. Didn't happen!"

Then she began galloping down the road.

Reputation gained: Steel Rangers - Liked

Chapter 12 - A Better Way

We had gotten a considerable distance south and reached the ancient railroad embankment that was still used a caravan route. It was the safest and easiest route west towards Vanhoover. A city I ironically found myself walking towards instead of staying as far away from it as possible. And yet the horror and dread was little more than a bad memory.

My thoughts were however interrupted by the mare I had found myself travelling with.

"We're being followed."

To my surprise she continued walking forwards as if nothing had happened.

I turned on my E.F.S. and noticed the white bar she probably meant.

"You sure? Could be anything?"

"Enough fieldwork and you grow a sense for these sorts of things."

"So what do we do? Ask them what they want?"

I could practically hear her frown.

"Standard procedure is to break contact and then ambush them."

"Sounds fair. Still, I prefer my solution."

"How are you not dead yet?"

"No idea. Anyhow, you do your thing. I'll wing it."

"What? Hold on-"

Then I flapped my wings and took to the air. Even with my pale coat I was remarkably stealthy in the night sky, few ponies ever bothered to look upwards and there are all sorts of sounds during the night that make them jump at shadows. Oh. how I love being a pegasus.

As I glided around the air I noticed the white bar suddenly disappearing.

"Interesting..." I whispered to myself.

This was the wasteland, barely anypony knew anything about pipbucks. Even less their weaknesses. If somepony following us decided to suddenly hide. Not only did they know how to hide from the E.F.S... As I doubted anypony could have seen me in the air, maybe they had an E.F.S. of their own?

Did some steel ranger follow us? Enclave? Goldstar? Then I realized that the armour the Daughter's had probably also had advanced stable tech electronics. Aaand the list of possible stalkers had grown longer than I cared for.

I circled around the area a few times, partially relying on sight and partially trying to find somepony with the S.A.T.S. After failing to do so I noticed Tart sneaking around towards the direction the follower had been. Every now and then she looked upwards after me.

Whoever it was, they were really sneaky. Freakishly good at it.

Then it dawned on me.

Swooping back down I landed on a large rock.

"Xera, I know it is you. Stop playing around and show yourself."

A few meters to my side a striped shape clad in wartime armour rose from a ditch, a rifle at their back and a pipbuck at their leg. A slightly disappointed look on their face as the zebra walked up to me.

"Must say, you learn quickly."

"I am guessing it is just you then? The others stayed behind?"

This was something of a surprise, and my paranoia nagged a little.

"Yes, just me. Director asked me to follow you."

"And bring me back??"

"No. Asked to protect, not capture."

Raspberry Tart walked up to us and had a few opinions of her own on the matter.

"I call horse apples! This is too convenient, ARE YOU A SPY?"

"No. Not for legion, not for anyone." The tone suggested offense.

"Really? Windstriker, where did you pick up this thing??"

Thing?

"Hey, what is your problem all of a sudden?"

"I don't know where you picked up the zebra, but we can't trust it. Do you know how many infiltrations and false flag operations they pulled during the war? And since? In case you missed it, there are still zebrecian forces enslaving ponies in Equestria. And I am guessing, that is where you picked it up!"

"And I thought I was paranoid... Look, Xera isn't with the legion anymore."

"What guarantee do you have? Why are you so trusting?"

I paused at that and looked at Xera in confusion. Looking back, it was a spur of the moment thing. A frustrated act of defiance, and it was most definitely not rational. Reassessing my judgement, I sat there in silence looking at the zebra, and they waited patiently for my answer. First thing I was sure was that the whole 'zebra' part wasn't a problem, so compared to the ponies I had met thus far in my travels...

Xera was certainly more courteous than most, although I had ran into enough of backstabbing as it was. What mattered was one simple question that I needed an answer to.

"Why are you following me around?"

"... Where else can I go?"

"Anywhere, you can survive on your own and I doubt the legion could track you if you went east towards the Equestrian heartland. Vanhoover isn't exactly welcoming of zebras."

"I am alone. I have nothing... He... he talked how silly our war was. How it not solve anything. I did not believe him, ponies are vain, ponies are cruel, ponies hate and burn. You are not, you confuse me. Tell me, winged one, can you end war?"

At this point I was thoroughly confused. I wasn't prepared for such a question, nor the expectations that came with it. Just who did they think I was, the actual Stable Dweller?

"Hold on, I am just a restless idiot trying to help people. Are you asking me to fix the wasteland?"

"Is that not why you travel?"

"I... what? I don't know. Either way, are you still following me around because I am different from the ponies you met before? Even if you know I am going into Vanhoover?"

The zebra shrugged halfheartedly.

"I am already cursed. And as I said, I have nothing else."

I turned to the ranger and asked her:

"Good enough?"

Tart stood there for a long moment, gazing at the other. Her face contorted in a frown as if she trying to navigate conflicting emotions, until she reached an opinion.

"... No. I'll accept that the zebra might not be a spy, but I still don't think it should travel with us."

"Remind me again why your mother, and the elder I might add, hired me for this?"

"... Please tell me you're not serious."

"I am. They aren't legion anymore, and nobody expects a ranger to travel with a zebra. The more stripes we got with us the better, they even have a pipbuck so we can pass of them as one of my relatives."

"At least half of the ponies in the city would shoot the zebra on sight, and us soon after."

"Yeah, your half of the ponies in Vanhoover."

"..."¨

"Anyhow, they are with me. And this is now part of the plan."

"I am seriously considering pulling rank on you."

"You can't, I'm a civilian. And I'm perfectly capable of handling this on my own. So either you accept it and we continue, or you go back and report that you neglected your duties. And screw up this whole alliance thing your superiors hope to build."

"Not fair..."

"Your point? If you can't stand the sight of stripes..."

I spread my wings wide as I stared into her eyes, daring her to comment. She said nothing, just looked away in a mix of irritation and shame. The discussion had come to an end, and we began walking west. One of my companions constantly glancing at the other, who in turn ignored it. This was going to be an interesting trip.

***

When reached the summit of a hill and saw the ancient city ruins in the distance. To my eyes it looked weird, no walls, no ditch, no guard towers, it just sprawled outwards towards us. It seemed idiotic to my mind to build a major city without any proper defenses against raiders or monsters, where they really that safe back then? In all honesty, it brought to mind the city growing organically outwards and not something designed or built.

That said, it was quite a distance away, and the view was distracted by a massive wartime construct that I struggled to wrap my head around. If somepony had told me that it was some kind of military fortress, I would believe them. It definitely looked like something the Steel Rangers would like. It had a central keep of sorts, an enormous block of bricks with the wall on our side having two giant pillars and a shattered glass window several stories tall. It had several smaller (still freaking huge) building blocks sticking out of its sides, they looked more like office buildings but still remarkably sturdy. And then there where the four grey chimneys that reached up into the cloud cover, which hinted at just how absurdly over sized the whole thing was.

"That... is impressive."

I didn't know what else to say.

"Yes, wartime architecture is something else. You should see Manehattan. The skyscrapers back home might be shattered and decayed but they still give this a run for its money. It is things like these that reminds me what we are fighting for..."

Even our zebra was stunned at the sight.

"How is it standing?"

The ranger seemed to have come to terms with Xera's presence.

"Ponies back then built things to last." She said flatly.

"200 years, pony. 200 years."

"..."

"Wait, is that too long??"

Xera turned to me and had that stranged confounded look again.

"House where no one live, falls in ten years."

Thinking back to various nearly intact buildings from the days of the Great War that I had visited, heck even the main building of the Institute was supposedly still standing and only needed some touch ups when we left the Stable.

"That can't be right."

"No, the zebra is right. Most towns are little more than rubble these days. Then again, ponies actually live in most of the buildings in Vanhoover. They could just have repaired them over the years."

We began trotting down the hill and towards the building in front of us, continuing the discussion as we went.

"So... is this ranger outpost?"

"No. Not anymore. We captured it when we first showed up, until the Administrator offered us an intact, unopened stable complete with supplies and everything. And with the ponies of Tall Tale helping out with patrolling the plains... it isn't worth much except as a fort these days."

I poked my forehead a few times as I tried to think, there was something about this I was missing. Which reminded me of the weird scar I have under my mane. Shaking my head a few times to clear it before I looked around, trying to refocus. A rolling hilly plain covered in grass and countless farms stretched out towards the south, with Flood Town in the far distance. To the north was some small village and the Unicorn Range we just left behind us. To the east was...

"Wait, you abandoned this place but you kept that makeshift fort near the Black Hoof?"

"Do I really need to explain that?"

The tone implied that it was obvious.

"You wanted to keep an eye on Goldstar?"

"Yes, and to work closer with the caravans."

"You rangers care about the caravans?"

"Why wouldn't we? If we are going to rebuild this city then their support will certainly help."

Somehow I doubted that would go as they wished. The caravans owed Goldstar a lot, and I was fairly sure they were the ones supplying the local gangs with arms, ammo and armour. Maybe they were playing both sides? Why can't some smart zony figure this out for me??

***

My ears drooped as the power plant loomed over me, it was covered in some dark green vines with glittering flowers that would have been a beautiful sight anywhere else. In Vanhoover it looked like a manifestation of corruption, the withered yellow colour seemed sickly, and poisonous. And the plants were all over the massive ruin, crawling in through broken windows as if reaching for the ponies inside.

There was a sniper scope and rifle on the third floor, aiming this way. Glancing at my E.F.S. I cursed at its blind spot, and true to tradition I decided to do something stupid. Wave my hoof and shout.

"HEY! Can we come in?!"

There was a tense pause before we got a response, and fortunately it didn't involve bullets.

"Why wouldn't you?!"

"Thanks!"

With a smile I turned to look at my two companions. Tart looked caught between surprise and offense that it worked, and Xera just shook their head in disbelief. I shrugged and walked in. Going through the giant gates that had been left slightly ajar, finding a stairwell several stories tall with doors in every direction. Trying to figure out the signs and where to go, I completely missed the beige earth pony buck sitting in a worn out armchair right beside us.

"The atrium, that's what you want."

I jumped a pony height in surprise before I took a long suspicious look at him. He took a sip from some bottle and looked amused at my... reflexes. Let's go with that.

"Stable ponies..."

"You ponies are freakishly good at this."

"Well yeah, we would be dead otherwise. Anyways, as I said, the main atrium. With the big round things and the catwalks. That's the place you want. Ask for Fafnir, the boss will want to talk to you."

"Because of the stripes?"

"You would think that but no. Since we're trying to be respectable, the boss wants to meet with ponies personally."

"Yeah, sure. We'll do that."

Turns out that the so called atrium was more a giant industrial thingy, with the ancient machinery mostly intact. Still, it was fitting to call it an atrium with all the tents and small shops that various ponies had set up. Looking up I noticed several ponies armed with rifles on the catwalks, looking over the main room. Ready to shoot the first pony who started trouble. For some unknown reason it didn't make me feel any safer.

I walked up to some rugged looking pony wearing metal armour and carrying a shotgun, assuming that she was with the local mercenaries. Whose name escaped me at the time.

"You with the whats-their-name-now??"

"The Chi-me-ras. You know like the big monster? And yes, I am. Why?"

"We were told to introduce ourselves to the boss, some buck called Fafnir?"

"He's busy with the Heartbeats right now, I'll tell him when he's done."

"Great, more waiting!" I glanced around the place. "Can we explore in the meantime?"

"Should be all right, just listen if some guard tells you to back off."

I made an amateurish attempt to a military salute.

"Will do!"

A frustrated groan was heard from Tart as I began trotting away. To my surprise she then willingly talked to Xera.

"Is she always like this?"

"Yes. Yes, she is."

***

In the end I was the only one who was actually interested in exploring. So the two of them just followed me around to make sure I didn't get into or start any trouble. Which felt a bit frustrating (and nostalgic in a way). After an hour of exploring the maze of concrete corridors and staircases I found what once was the head office. To my surprise it belonged to Amethyst Van Hoof himself, which peaked my curiosity.

Unfortunately, somepony (most likely the steel rangers) had already cleaned out the terminal, the hidden safe I found and whatever had been in the desk. The books on the shelves had all rotten away over the years and the covers were all that remained. Apart from the metal plaque with the name there was only a single thing suggesting that the stallion from the war had been using the office, a framed photo of the opening of the plant. With Amethyst standing on one side of a huge red ribbon in front of the main gates, and Icetear on the other. There was a genuine smile on his face, and even the cool mare seemed happy in that moment.

DAWN OF A NEW ERA was written on a plaque on the frame.

Sitting down I took a long look at the photo, the sunlit sky, the freshly built building, the cheery faces, and more colours than I have ever seen in a pony crowd before. Sure, there were colourful ponies here and there but this was a spectacle to behold.

"... You really care about the days before the war, don't you?"

As I turned to look at Tart she had a curious look on her face.

"Why wouldn't I?"

"Because it is dead, gone. All that is left is fragments of the old world, stable ponies, rangers and otherwise. Ninety nine of a hundred ponies in the wasteland live and die in the ruins without any care for the old days. You stable dwellers are mostly isolated, and we rangers do what we do because our duty is all that we have left."

Her voice was wavering, almost pleading.

"What happened? A few days ago you were practically boasting about how fantastic the rangers are."

"I have seen a lot of shit in the wasteland, Windstriker. Do you have any idea how many monsters we have put down? How many raider gangs we have wiped out? Slaver nests?"

I slowly shook my head.

"All the fucked up shit in the world and we still survived, we still stayed true. It doesn't matter what the wasteland throws at us, we will always prevail. Except... this time, it feels different. The caravans, the farmers, Tall Tale, even Goldstar... are we killing the ponies we are supposed to protect?"

Figuring out where she was going with it, I answered with the question she was reaching for.

"And if you are?"

"It would mean the end of the rangers. If Elder Stardust can't contain the ideological rift... I will do my duty, even if it means dying from the bullet of another ranger. We are the old guard, when we die, the old kingdom will finally die with us. And it will be up to the wastelanders to build a new country."

This... was not how the steel ranger presented themselves to the rest of us. They had a will of steel, with a strict sense of justice and they were the defenders of the innocent. Still, not sure how much I cared about the rangers as an organization. I did however care about the mare before me.

Before I could answer I felt my mane stand on end and a silent breeze blew through the room, and with it everything seemed to shake with a subtle rumble. I glanced at my companions who seemed to notice that something was wrong, then the bookshelf exploded.

The force was enough to throw both me and Xera of our hooves, Tart stood fast and covered her eyes with her foreleg. To my surprise I heard no gunfire, there was no fire nor smoke, just countless splinters and pages of rotten paper. It hurt, and I got something in my eyes but otherwise I was (mostly) unharmed. Coughing I tried to get a grip on the situation.

"Wh- what's going on?"

"You two all right?!"

"Yeah, but what happened?"

Blinking I managed to clear most of the stuff out of my eyes.

"Was room trapped?"

Xera asked, equally confused.

"No, just an anomaly."

""What?""

"Neither of you have actually been to Vanhoover before? Have you?!"

I shook my head, still too stunned to notice if Xera did the same.

"Oh... sweet Applejack! A black ops mission and I am saddled with a teenager and a zebra!"

Trying to understand what pissed her off I was about to ask that very thing when she continued.

"EVERY major ruined site or city from the war has some shit going on. Canterlot has the pink cloud, Fillydelphia got the crater, Manehattan has the subway ghouls, Hoofington got the enervation, and Vanhoover-" She took a deep breath. "Vanhoover has whatever nonsense the Van Hoof's left here. Shit like this happens all the time. Most of it is just annoying like this thing, some of it is far far worse."

"Like what?"

I probably should have seen it coming, but it was still a total surprise.

She made a dramatic sigh as she began explaining.

"We have tried getting to the M.A.S. hub before, there was one team that decided to brute force their way there. One of the knights didn't wake up for his shift and when the medic checked him his eyes dripped black goo. No life signs. Later they got attacked by a pony in power armour, it was the same buck. Shit like that kept happening and they had to abort."

What. The. Everloving. Fuck?

"THAT is what we are getting ourselves into?"

"I thought you knew. And yes, that it what we are getting ourselves into. Are you still in or not?"

If I say no, you're just going to go at it alone anyway...

"Yeah, I'm still in."

***

Soon after we returned to the atrium, a group of ponies with a whole bunch of junk waved us over. I hesitated a little when I realized that their bodyguards was a group of Daughters. The chimeras gave them a wide berth whenever they crossed paths, and as I walked closer I did notice Starlight's touch with the way they acted. The mares were organized, four of them stood guard as if they were surrounded by enemies, four of them walked around in pairs and the rest either slept or maintained their guns. Assault carbines, machine guns, combat shotguns, sniper rifles: all military grade. I could see some loose magazines, the bullet tips gleamed a bluish silver. AP rounds, and now I realized that the mares were eyeing me closely.

One hasty action and they wouldn't hesitate to kill me, their eyes made that very clear.

"I'm not looking for trouble."

"Good, let's keep it that way."

The earth pony mare who answered had been hidden behind some old machinery, and was aiming at me with two assault rifles. Had I miscounted? Weren't these mares supposed to be just ex-raiders with better gear?

I should probably give Whiskey Rose additional thanks whenever I meet her next.

"Sarge, don't scare off the customers."

The well dressed white earth mare had a purple mane and a smile on her face, she looked to be somewhere in her thirties (although it was difficult to gauge the age of wastelanders for me). When I introduced myself she vigorously shook my hoof and explained that she was one of the more influential wastelanders around.

"Lily Heartbeat, owner of the Heartbeat Caravans. Tell me, Windstriker. What are you doing out here? The Director looking for something special? Spark capacitators? A data spell matrix? Gems? Lunite crystals??"

"I don't suppose you have a safe route to the Ministry of Arcane Sciences hub?"

"Oooh. I wish. That would be almost as good as figuring out a way into the Van Hoof Tower. However... I might have something. Not entirely sure what though. You interested?"

"Hold on, what exactly is it?"

"Memory Orb."

My interest and my ears perked at that word. This could be useful, and if not then at least it would be fun.

"All right, I am interested. Have you had it checked?"

"Why are you asking?"

"Who does it belong to? Because that is important."

"As I said, no idea."

"Isn't it silly to sell an orb you don't know?"

"Hey, we don't exactly have unicorns to go around and we still have plenty of potential buyers. So you want it or not?"

I smirked, as I just had an idea.

"But a known one might attract a better price. So how about a deal? I get to look at it, tell you what it is and then keep my mouth shut about the whole thing? If its important then it will be worth more, and if not then you aren't loosing anything."

"Really? You think I was born yesterday? I'm not just going to let you bring it back to the Institute for free!"

"Don't have to."

I lifted my left leg and waved my pipbuck around.

"Since when can you watch orbs on a pipbuck? I'm not an idiot."

"Institute tech. Point is. I can watch it here, right in front of you if you want to. As long as you keep the Daughter's away from my stripes and my friends. Deal?"

She hummed in a strange way and looked very pleased. In fact, the way she looked at me made my ranger companion blush furiously. I might have missed some implications, but the tone was definitely flirty.

"Agreed. Hopefully we can make more deals later on."

***

It was slightly ironic that I was just getting used to memory orbs and the body weirdness that came with them. This time it was another crystal pony (weren't they supposed to be rare?), however this time there was one other major issue at hoof. The host, was a male. Was a pegasus mare too much to ask for? Because this felt... just wrong. All of it. Not just the lack of wings, not just the... dick. The proportions of everything else felt slightly off. Why was I interested in memory orbs again??

And then I began to notice where I was. The gigantic height of the rooms, the marble walls, the fine cloth and the stained glass window depicting the princesses and the ministers. It was night, or at least an evening and there was a full moon outside the window (it seemed absurdly large to my eyes). The pony buck that was my host was wearing a suit and carrying a suitcase, he was markedly nervous as he kept glancing at the royal guards before us. The guards however, had nerves of steel and didn't even glance at my host.

Part of me was ecstatic at being in the royal palace, part of me had flashbacks to my hyper-realistic nightmare. I really expected this to become the same freaky shit again without any warning. Fortunately (I guess) it was a memory orb and I had no control over my host what so ever. So no matter what my thoughts on the matter was, I was along on the ride.

Then the tall doors opened and a very loud fanfare blared. My host's heart rate increased as we walked into the throne room. In the far end of the room, on an elevated plateau lay three thrones. And in the middle one sat a dark blue pony.

I knew her, as did my host who seemed transfixed by her. As a result I got a good look at her, Princess Luna, the pony who ruled, the princess who failed, the real princess of Vanhoover.

Her coat had a slight grey tone to its blue in contrast to her mane that shimmered in black and a brighter blue as it waved in the still air. Within said mane were thousands of actual stars, not just glimmering points but I could see actual stars within it. Her eyes were a soft cyan colour, and oh they were the most beautiful thing I ever seen.

Needless to say, my interest in alicorn princesses was revived with full vigour.

And my host had a similar reaction considering his blushing, and other... things.

This before we were blown off our hooves by an extreme volume from a pony that I really didn't expect to shout.

"WELCOME TO CANTERLOT, MY DEAR DUKE. WE HAVE EAGERLY AWAITED YOUR ARRIVAL!"

My phrasing was literal by the way, we flew backwards by the force of the voice.

The princess covered her mouth with her hoof and looked surprise at our reaction.

"Oh, our apologies. We thought you would prefer a more traditional greeting, considering how long it has been since your family visited Canterlot. Perhaps it was a poor choice in retrospect."

"Ehrm... No worries your highness, I was just not expecting it."

"Irregardless, we are sorry. And terribly curious, what little we have heard from Vanhoover has all come from our agent and she is hardly impartial. Come closer, and tell me... Just how are your family faring, how is the city these days?"

"Thank you. My family... if you excuse my lack of manners, are grumpy and struggling to keep up with the modern world. As for the city, it is my home. I am not sure how it would look to outsiders, but you would be most welcome to see for yourself should you ever so decide. Your highness."

"It is tempting. And most frustrating that we didn't think to do so while our sister still reigned. It is difficult for us to find the free time, or the ability to travel without a small army of escorts. We are quite certain that our guards would object very strongly at the prospect. As we said, most frustrating."

If I had been there in person I would be too stupefied to be able to speak normally in her presence, my host however was far better at composing himself and handled it more smoothly than I thought possible.

"Then, perhaps after the war?"

"We would like that."

Did... did he just ask her out for a date?!

For a few moments they just looked at each other, with vague hopes for the future. I didn't understand the subtle rules and traditions at work here in the royal court, he however did and let her lead the discussion.

"Your letter mentioned that you would bring a gift, show us."

"Yes, your highness."

Then he opened his suitcase and picked out a dark purple box with black cloth draped around it as a birthday present. When the princess saw it she slowly levitated it towards herself. Her telekinetic grip carefully opening it and bringing out the object inside. A crystal in the shape of a crescent moon, by now I could recognize it as a lunite crystal. The princess too, did recognize it and was intrigued.

To my surprise she removed her black tiara and looked at it, then to the crystal moon.

"This is the same kind of gem as the one in our crown, we had forgotten what it was. We even invited jewelers into the palace and asked them, not one could identify it. So how come you know of its origin, dear Duke?"

Our heart skipped a beat.

"It is lunite, your highness. The crystalized form of lunium, more commonly known as a moon diamond."

She replaced her tiara and slowly turned the crystal in the air, letting the soft moonlight gleam through it. The ruler of Equestria seemed enchanted by the little object, and had a very nostalgic look on her face. My host, Amethyst, was equally entranced by the sight of the princess.

He would do everything in his power to aid her, he would die for her. For some reason a word came to mind as I took in the scene, Reverence. It was his virtue. No matter what his family was up to, no matter how murky the morals became during the course of the war. He would stay loyal to her, he would be a pony she could always count on.

And both of them knew it.

Then she finally broke from her pondering and looked to Amethyst as they came to a silent understanding.

"Now, you had a proposal. One you suggested could alter the course of the war?"

"Yes your highness. As an arcano-chemist I have noticed several potential applications of lunium, that I think the M.A.S. and M.W.T. would be very interested in."

"Apart from jewelry we assume?"

He blushed.

"Of course, the main one is fuel. I looked into the details on how our coal plants function and with some modifications we should be able to adapt them to use lunium dust instead. The element has remarkable similarities to carbon and albeit it burns at far higher intensity, the practical result is that we need less than a percent of lunium dust compared to coal for similar energy emissions."

"If it is so practical, then why haven't it been used that way before?"

"Lunium is only found in the Unicorn Range, my family owns all the mines in the area, and the dust is very unhealthy to breathe. Without modern protective gear it wouldn't be worth the effort. That shouldn't prove an obstacle with the technological advances of our age however, the ministry of wartime technology should be able to devise a suitable mining outfit without any difficulty."

"Do you know what you are saying?"

"Uhm... No, your highness? I'm not following?"

"If you had brought this to us before... before the war broke out, all of this could have been avoided. All the bloodshed, all the innocent lives lost. It is still useful technology, but these days Equestria has so many alternative power sources we don't actually need any coal anymore. It is ironic, the thing that started the war. We have grown beyond it, and yet we can't help but continue fighting."

"Your highness..."

"Please excuse our emotional tirade. What are the rest of your suggestions?"

"Ah, here. I compiled and wrote a thesis on the subject."

He pulled out a literal book, an actual book. None the less she gripped it in her magic, and opened it. She sat there patiently, reading a page, flipping to another section, reading it, and repeating the process for well over ten minutes while Amethyst sat equally patiently and waited for her to finish.

"We will give this a thorough read later, and assume that you are able to send copies to Twilight Sparkle and Applejack?"

"Most definitely, I intend to deliver them personally tomorrow."

"We will instruct them to give it a read and consider your proposals properly."

"Thank you, your highness."

"One more thing, have you talked with Icetear about these ideas?"

"Yes, several of them have been her suggestions. Most notably number 7."

"Good, we want you to start on proposals 3 and 7 as soon as you get back."

"Without the involvements of the ministries?"

"To start with at least. It will be under Icetear's authority and Starlight Glimmer will be informed that she is to aid you any way she can. We assume that you can provide the resources and facilities needed if you have royal approval?"

"Definitely, on my soul, it will be done."

"You have given us some much appreciated hope in these dark times, young Duke. You are a bringer of light in the darkness, hence Proposal 3 will be named Project: Lightbringer, and Proposal 7 will be named Project: Aurora after our mutual friend."

"I'm honoured."

"And hopefully you are right. Minister Twilight is working on a project that is most promising, but far too ambitious or so we thought. It will be our shield, your's will be the lance. If Icetear is successful, then that little visit to Vanhoover would arrive ever so quickly."

This time I noticed her clever choice of words, he would do everything in his power to make that day a reality.

Unfortunately for both of them, he had failed.

***

Whatever nonsense miss Heartbeat was doing, she stopped when I mentioned the two ponies it involved. There was a satisfactory wave of surprise when I explained, the Daughters were of course wholly unimpressed. Raspberry Tart looked like she was about to explode in a tirade how wastelanders don't deserve something like that memory orb.

Which she did as soon as we were far away for the ex raider mares to not shoot us for being irritating.

"Why... you?! Do you have any idea how valuable something like that is?? And not just for the cultural and historical circumstances?? There could be all sorts of subtle nods to whatever projects the government was working on around here! Do you know what could happen if something like that found its ways into the wrong hooves? If Goldstar figures something out before we do??"

"Tart."

"I mean, seriously? Do you ever think things through before you do them?"

"TART!"

She looked indignantly at me but shut up.

"I have it recorded."

"You what? How? You can't just copy a memory orb like that."

"As I said, Institute tech. This add-on adapts the memory magic to the pipbuck, I have a file that I can copy to any data spell matrix. Whether in another pipbuck or maneframe or otherwise. Besides, it takes a while for her to get back to the Black Hoof and she will try to get the best price possible. Which means she will bide her time, contact Starlight, my grandfather, your Elder, the Administrator and who else with an interest in history. I suspect that she will arrange an auction just to make a spectacle out of it to drive the price up further. We have an enormous head start, so relax."

"Huh, but I- WHAT?! You- HOW?"

One ranger utterly flabbergasted, I was honestly feeling proud of myself over that one.

"Did I do good?"

"You, but you are an irresponsible hyperactive idiot?!"

"And I finally remember that I got medicine for that."

"Chems don't do that! You planned that from the start, didn't you? Are you some sort of super secret M.O.A black ops agents and you didn't tell me?? Because that would be kind of important!"

"Would it improve my chances if I was?"

"For survival? Definitely."

"Not the mission, silly."

"What else?"

"And here I thought that I was the clueless one in the group?"

"What is that supposed to mean? Hey, wait up!"

I ignored the big doofus as I instead began to look for this leader of the raider/mercenary ponies that wanted to talk to us, only slightly distracted by the contents of the memory orb. Specifically the part about Luna personally ordering the beginning of two projects. Lightbringer I knew, kind of. Realizing that I hadn't been told the details I decided that I would have to try convince Tart to spill what she knew. Aurora... now where had I heard that name before? The wording, a lance to Twilight Sparkle's shield... Some sort of doomsday weapon? Didn't they have enough of those already?

One of the white bars in my vision turned red, I reacted with S.A.T.S. and began toggling through possible targets to figure out who decided to start trouble. To my surprise it was Tart, who looked utterly terrified and about to bite her trigger bridle. The thing she intended to shoot, was one of those dragon things. It was the size of a large pony, with dark green scales. It looked a lot less scary than the one I had brawled with, in fact it was walking alongside a pony and talking peacefully. It was a monster, but it definitely didn't act in a monstrous fashion.

Quickly coming to a decision I queued a few actions.

Time started and I quickly tackled the ranger, knocking her to the floor and smacked my hoof down on her face to keep her mouth away from the trigger. Hopefully she didn't break anything.

"THE STARS ARE YOU DOING?!"

She looked shocked at my actions and was too stunned to answer properly.

"Wha-"

"You're the one who told me to not start any trouble! Don't just start shooting people out of nowhere!"

"I..."

She looked ashamed and still surprised.

"No shooting! You got that?"

I didn't know what had gotten over her. Some form of trauma or training to shoot those things on sight? It made sense, but we really didn't need a firefight here and now. Fortunately, she was a soldier and had been raised to follow orders.

"Yes, ma'am."

I carefully lifted my hoof, she stayed there. Laying still and looking at me with conflicted emotions. Maybe she would hate me, but if I hadn't stopped her we would be dead. Why the heck did I have to keep a watch on my own companions, they were supposed to be military types! Weren't they all about discipline and all that?

Either way, I reached out my hoof to help her up.

Reluctantly she accepted it.

"Sorry."

"Just don't do it again."

I closed my eyes, thanking Luna that nopony was shooting at us. Opening them again I looked at the dragon, who looked somewhere between surprised and impressed. He noticed me looking at him and nodded slowly.

"Xera, watch Tart and stop her if she flips out again."

"As you say."

Chimeras, Fafnir, it finally clicked in my mind. Their boss wasn't a pony. And I just saved his life, albeit from one of my own companions. I still think it has to count for something, so I began trotting up to him hoping that an apology would be enough.

***

"Don't worry about it kid."

Fafnir lifted a cigarrette and lighted it with a fiery breath. He was far more understanding than he had any right to be. And fortunately, my ranger companion didn't start any more trouble. She was sitting where I left her and looked grumpy, well grumpy and depressed. I would have to do something about that when I was done here.

"We have no problems with the rangers, and I can understand the mix up."

"How did you know she is a ranger?"

"With a gun like that? Loaded entirely with AP rounds?"

"Fair enough. But you wanted to talk to me, or well.. us."

"Yep, I did."

He paused and looked me over with a curious, but friendly look.

"You're a crossbreed as well, I have heard the rumours about your Institute, how people fear you. Irregardless, your tribe seem to be doing pretty well for yourselves. And according to the radio you left that to pick fights with anyone and everyone, and somehow people still root for you."

"Wait, I'm on the radio??"

"You didn't know?"

"Since when??"

He began laughing loudly and shook his head.

"Evidently it wasn't just all talk. Care to tell me why?"

"Huh? Why what?"

"Why are you risking life and limb out here when you have a home and a tribe? Out to prove something?"

"Honestly? Maybe originally. These days? I don't get along with the zonies back home, and they might actually shoot me if I show up unannounced now that I think about it. Guess I don't have place to return to... There is a certain mare that pissed me off big time though, oh and I owe the ranger my life. Other than that, not really sure anymore."

"So just a stray out for revenge?"

"Not revenge, justice. If somepony doesn't stop her, things might get ugly."

The dragon I was talking to chuckled at that.

"I can respect that."

He stretched his back and leaned on the wall, looking out through the window. Westwards, to the city ruins. It wasn't as much that he ignored me as he seemed to take in and enjoy the moment while it lasted. It was the same weird feeling that all wastelanders seemed to give off, like they didn't care if they woke up the next day or not. And were somehow content about the whole thing.

"And you, what's your story?"

"Pretty much the same thing actually... the Preserve is... was... decent enough to live in. Then grandmother decided that we shouldn't just live in some old ruins, and began talking about how we should conquer Equestria instead. Talked some brahmin shit about how she was owed it and how the old government had screwed her over."

"Let me guess, you didn't like it and ran away?"

"What? No, I was young and did something stupid. Then I ran away."

"Then what?"

"I ran to the forest, you know the one. Lived as an animal for a few years, the ponies in Flood Town hunted me and I ended up in the city ruins. Winter fell, I survived by hunting ponies just to have something to eat. Telling myself that it was technically not cannibalism."

Hearing that made me second guess my decision to stop him from getting shot, just a little.

"Got shot, crawled to some hideout I stumbled on to and passed out."

His voice sounded pained and he had a nostalgic look in his eyes as he talked.

"Woke up covered in bandages and with some mare sleeping in the same room."

Again, he gave a slight chuckle.

"Darn it was awkward in the beginning, I hadn't talked to anyone in years. I didn't know what to think, the way she acted was strange and freaky in my eyes. Most ponies just shot at me. She was some scavenger from Flood Town... a darn good one as well."

"So you two..."

"Not at first. She left soon after and I thought it was the end of that, then she returned months later and was surprised to see that I stuck around. I think it was about then I actually answered her for the first time. Heh... the look on her face when she realized that I could talk. I had nothing better to do so I followed her around the city, protected her. Then she insisted that I travel with her and not behind her."

He put out the cigarette and finally looked at me.

"After a few years we had a kid, and she couldn't return back to her hometown. We made it work, for the most part. Then there was a bad day and I almost lost them, got pissed and hunted down some ponies and scared up a whole shitload more of them. Ended up making some friends and formed a gang. You've met them already."

"And now you're what? A raider? A mercenary?"

"The fuck do I know? Listen, then the Daughters appeared. First we thought they were just some other rivaling gang, playing at being better than the rest of us... sigh She thought differently, and she was right in the end. Hellfire, even her old boss recognizes us now. She can even go back if she wants to, she doesn't even care."

I rotated my head in that weird zebra way, now realizing it signaled confusion.

"You telling everypony you meet your life story?"

"Not all of it, but you asked. Point is, there is something she has pestered me with all these years and I am actually starting to believe the shit. Some old world crap."

"What?"

"Do better."

***

When I woke up my companions were gone, as was the caravan and the chimeras. Looking around I noticed that the room looked different, dirtier. Stuff was in different places as well. There were ponies, but they didn't pay any attention to me at all. Looking down at my legs and yep, I was naked.

"Again?? Care to explain what the point of all this is?"

I shouted towards nopony in particular, and nopony answered. Still not 100% sure what was going on or why, but I had began developing a few theories. And decided to play along for now, hopefully the rules were the same.

As such I began walking around, getting a good look at the place. It was definitely postwar, and the ponies were scruffy looking and most likely raiders. They were a pathetic sight, scrawny, clothes that could barely qualify as armour, and not enough guns to go around between them. I was used to armed groups of ponies having somewhat uniform equipment, or at least standardized calibers for their guns.

Seriously, they didn't look like fierce outlaws or rabid cannibals. Several of them were clearly not fighters, and as a result the group looked more like a family of desperate survivors than anything else.

"If this is supposed to be a moral lesson then good job. I get it already, it isn't as simple as good or bad ponies. I realized that a while ago so can we get this over with??"

Again, no response.

Deciding that I might as well make the most of the situation I made my way through the corridors and stairways, aiming for Amethyst's old office. Maybe this time I can find something worth a damn in that place.

"OK, I'll admit. This could be a useful thing, but can I please get a warning next time?"

Silence, figures.

The office was indeed in a better shape, and there was a pony with a rifle by the window. Looking outwards from the way we had entered the building. He looked nervous, like he was expected trouble. I had half an idea to ask him what, but he wouldn't answer even if I did. And I got an answer pretty quickly either way.

His head shattered in gory mess as the sound of a rifle echoed from the outside.

BLAAAM

It was disgusting, yes, repulsive and I was sickened at the sight. And yes, I puked up my dinner.

By the time I got out of the office the place had erupted in a headache inducing chaos of gunfire and screams of panic, pain and death. There was an unarmed pony rushing along a catwalk and she got promptly shot with a high caliber bullet. The whole thing was a massacre.

I had a scenic view over the atrium as I stood at the top of the highest catwalk, and it wasn't difficult to figure out who was attacking. Wartime armour, dust cloaks, some of them with helmets, machine guns, combat shotguns, assault carbines, sniper rifles, all military grade. The Daughters of Luna, a name that fit poorly in my eyes.

A tight group of them entered the atrium, a mare wearing a helmet covering her entire face took in the scene for a moment before giving orders. In a voice that sounded familiar despite the voice modulator.

"Squad One and Two, form fire teams and spread out. Remember, no foals or mothers."

Several groups of four disappeared through doorways and up through stairs.

In the distance I could hear occasional shouts or gunfire.

My eyes were drawn to a pony I had previously thought dead, the poor buck were crawling away from the armed mercenaries. One of them noticed and trotted up to him, and drew a knife.

"Oh no no no..."

Then her boss noticed and levitated up a sniper rifle in a golden magical field, aimed and fired. Her subordinate dropped dead as her head splattered across the wall. The wounded buck she had been harassing was freaking out, before the scene was repeated and he died as well.

"This is Starlight to all Daughters, keep your hobbies out of it. That is an ORDER."

I flapped my wings and landed among the armoured ponies. Not one of them were surprised by her actions, one even muttered something about stupid rookies. THIS was what I had a run in with at Goldstar, and I guessed this was the mare my mother was infatuated with.

"Hey, princess. This is your doing, isn't it?"

At first there was no reaction, then I felt that freaky shiver in the air again and she turned around. It was becoming very obvious how she could boss ruthless killers around as she stood there looking at me. Covered in antique infantry armour rivaling a steel ranger, the grey duster moving slowly in the fake wind. Despite the helmet covering her entire face I could still see her eyes through the orange visor. She definitely recognized me, and was gauging me silently.

"No."

"What?"

"I most certainly did not invite you here, as I do not want you walking around inside of my mind."

"Then who?"

I got the distinct impression that she had suspicions but she refused to tell me.

"And what now? You going to kill me?"

"Tssch, and have your mother detonate a star bomb in my castle? Tempting, but no."

I was definitely intimidated, but stood firm.

"A deadlock then. I might as well make the use of the opportunity."

"And do what exactly? You are unarmed, in my dreamscape."

"Try to convince you to do better."

"By quoting Fluttershy? You do realize that she was the one who armed the zebrecians with mega spells and killed everyone? That is the reality of your do better, grow up Windstriker."

That statement felt like a kick to my soul, and my spirit seriously wavered. It could of course be a blatant lie, but she had no need to keep up the theatrics when there wasn't any witnesses around. And It hurt far too much to hear to be a bluff.

"I have. And worse, I have started to pay attention."

"Congratulations."

"Honestly, I have no idea how or why you survived the war, or what your goals are. I doubt, however, that the plan was to reenact the balefire apocalypse with the rangers. Because that is the direction things are going right now."

"What does a sheltered stable dweller know of the Last Day?"

"I have seen the consequences."

"No, Windstriker, you haven't."

"There has to be a better way."

She actually began laughing at the statement, I tried gauging if she was considering me naive or if she was just insane. It felt like my blood froze when I realized that it was neither of the options.

"You really are Blackhorn's daughter. Fine, I'll tell you something."

She removed her helmet and stepped closer, I fell to the floor as I tried backing away.

"See, Windstriker. I have already found one."

Her voice was sweet and melodic, which was more than a bit disturbing as I could still smell the smoke and gore within the room from the reenacted massacre. This, was what she dreamed of at night?

***

The morning was certainly... emotional. Raspberry Tart needed emotional support, which was slightly exhausting as so did I to be honest. Xera was off talking with Fafnir and his family, probably having a similar discussion as I had the day before. The dragon... colt was remarkably adorable and very fascinated by the presence of the zebra. I guessed his mother had taught him some history of the great war and he had only heard about zebras in legends.

The scene was something to behold, the morning light shining into the atrium like it was some ruined cathedral. Rusted machinery, makeshift furniture and all sorts of pointless junk. And there they were, a pony, a zebra and two pony-dragon things, talking peacefully in the broken remains of the old world. There was probably some poetic about the whole thing.

"Hey, Tart?"

"Yeah?"

I motioned to them.

"Are you thinking the same thing as I am?"

"Maybe, and you're right. The world is changing again, and we need to find another way forward."

"Any idea where to start?"

"By not shooting somepo... someone for just being the same species as an enemy?"

"Wha- Oh, that thing. Probably a good idea."

"Shall we get going?"

"Yep, let's see just how bad this city could be."

Level Up

Skill Note: Barter - 75%

Perk Added: Super Slam!

Your unarmed and melee attacks have an unusual amount of force behind them, striking an opponent now involves a 15% chance knocking them down. 30% if you use two hooves for the maneuver.

Chapter 13 - Vanhoover

My muscles ached and my lungs screamed for rest as I galloped along the ruined street, not daring to look back for fear of losing moment. Not that I needed to, I could hear the loud crushing of concrete and rubble behind me. Then I could feel the heat in the air as the flames stretched closer and closer. Twisting, I almost fell to the floor as I changed direction into an alley, hoping that it would be tight enough to buy me some time. Rushing forward I half noted the rubble that blocked it off and sped up over it, up there I made a choice and dogged to the left as flames once more flew past where I once were.

The second floor in some ruined building, the floor wouldn't hold for much but it didn't matter. I half ran and half glided across the broken remains of some ancient bathhouse, stopping time again and again as i tried getting my bearings. There was no actual destination, my only direction was away from the monstrosity that was chasing me. Hoping that getting further into the building would make it harder for it to keep track of me I ignored the pain as best as I could.

"STARS TAKE YOU!!"

I shouted in frustration, and immediately regretted it as a gigantic cloud of flame rolled in through every opening of the ruin. So up and sprint some more, next room: a pool filled with murky and probably poisonous water. Still, better than being immolated.

So I jumped, closed my eyes and dived. Feeling my tail on fire as my hooves touched the dirty water, then I plummeted into it. Realizing that I forgot to take a deep breath beforehoof I soon after emerged from the opaque surface, gasping for air. Only for me to half hear half feel another wall of burning death coming this way.

A deep disgusting breath and I dived once more. This might not have been the best choice in hindsight, but it kept me alive so I reluctantly held on to it. The next time I broke the surface I tried staying as silent as I could, learning about the virtues of stealth as I ignored my instinct to hurl insults into its general direction.

Rumbling, the whole building shook and the disgusting liquid I was in made waves, as I heard an inequine roar of frustration and hunger. Yep, it did actually sound like it couldn't get in here or at least refused to for some reason. OK, not thinking about THAT possibility. Nope, not thinking about it!

Then something distracted it, that much I could figure out. Poking my head with my hooves a little I tried to get my ears clean enough to hear what was going on.

BAM PZEEEEUUOW BAM PZEEEEUOOW

"Fireworks?"

I stretched my ears and listened to the noise as it continued, and was followed by the noise of some heavy weaponry being fired. Flare guns, and probably steel rangers. To think that I would be saved by them, within the city limits? To be fair, they would probably shoot me as well if they knew I was here. Which was extremely unlikely.

Swimming to the end of the pool with the ladder I began getting out of the muck I had taken refuge in. Even if they had E.F.S. and could see that someone was in here, they would just assume that I was another scavenger and leave me be. I felt disgusting, and probably smelled just as bad. At least, now I would be difficult to track.

Still, I would rather get it all off me. And here, the stars smiled upon me for once. I found a shower room, and it looked mostly intact. Logically, the piping should have long since broken down. Fortunately, logic didn't really factor into Vanhoover all that much. Turning one of the valves in the room I actually got water out of one of the shower heads, and it looked even somewhat clean.

Being happy that I hadn't brought any books with me from the stable I dumped my saddle bags on the floor. Food, water, bits, potions, just practical stuff really. And nothing that would take any proper damage from water, so I cleaned them off. Removing my battle saddle I intended to make sure there was nothing that got stuck in them, fortunately I had paid attention in gun class.

Then I said fuck it and removed my barding and got the first proper shower in a while, and it was just what I needed to clear my head of all these worries and fears. Did I remember to pack any shampoo? Of course I did, I am a stable dweller after all and expect some standards in terms of hygiene in the world.

Remembering about my two companions I toggled on their tags, and they appeared to be pretty close by. Or at least one of them. They probably just followed the wake of destruction that had been chasing me. Which meant that I could expect a lecture about how shooting a full grown dragon to distract it was bad idea and that I should not do in the future. Eh, it saved their coats so I regret nothing.

"Windstriker! You still alive??"

"Yeah, in here!"

"Thank Luna..."

Then Tart fell silent, confused I looked at her. Look, she was blushing again.

"WHAT'RE YOU DOIN'??"

"Uhm, I'm showering?

"You hav'to doing this on purpose!"

"Doing what?"

She wasn't making much sense, was the stress getting to her? Probably.

"sigh. Look, you clearly need a shower as well."

"But... but...hostile territory!"

"No one is dumb enough to get close to a fight between a dragon and steel rangers."

"But!"

"No buts, you need a break. Come on."

Seriously, what was the big idea? Didn't the rangers have communal showers?

She was blushing furiously as I was helping her with the mane, and I asked her about it.

"We do but... you're a lesbiab..."

"What?"

"Lesbiam..."

"Huh?"

"Less bien..."

My eyes blinked in confusion before I got what she was saying.

"OOOH, that was what you were expecting?"

She nodded furiously.

"Should I... stop?"

"No..."

"What was that?"

She turned her head and looked at me, nervous eyes through her wet purple mane. And this time I was the one who blushed. Damn, she looked cute like that. The way Tart was staring at me was getting me in the mood and my wings were definitely reacting, which added confusion to the emotions in her light blue eyes.

We sat there, staring at each other, unsure of what to do next. I opened my mouth to comment, which she took as an invitation to kiss me, knocking me over in the process. Which was when I learned a certain aspect of pegasus sex, laying on your back really doesn't work, due to wings getting in the way. Fortunately, she was very receptive to the idea of me taking the lead from that point onward. Not that I had more experience in the matter, although my ranger appeared to be very satisfied with my performance.

***

"So, is this when I start calling you Raspberry?"

"Why would you?"

"A nickname of course!"

"Why would I have a nickname?"

"Isn't that something couples do?"

"How should I know? Are we even a couple?"

"You're the one with all the rules and regulations, isn't it your job to know stuff?"

"Steel Ranger regulations doesn't state anything about nicknames!"

"Which means that it is up to me, and I say that we are and that you do."

"Hold on a moment, I can't enter a relationship with a random zony. If this whole political situation doesn't work out i could get court martialed for fraternizing with the enemy. I'm not even sure I can talk with anypony about it!"

Her half panicked voice made me ignore the random zony comment, instead I hugged her and brushed short mane. And tried talking to her in a soothing voice, as best as I could.

"Hey, Tart. Its okay... You'll be fine."

She hugged me back, and slowly calmed down. The hardened ranger, fearless and disciplined. Utterly terrified at the prospect at having a relationship. I wondered who I would have to shout at or beat up in order to fix this? Because I most certainly would do so if I had to.

After a minute or so she calmed down enough for us to start travelling again.

"Where did your zebra go by the way?"

"Check the tag."

Getting a hunch I realized something.

"Wait, no need. Come on, Xera, we are going!"

In the corner of my eye a shadow moved on the third floor of some ruin, then the zebra stepped out in the light and began jumping down across the rubble piles. Remarkably athletic I noted. Now we should get back to figure out our path towards the interiors of the city. As Tart had explained it there were two rough directions you could pick, the southern one which was arguably safer but led past the old M.W.T. hub which was heavily fortified and patrolled. And the northern one towards the trade post known as Northtrade, which was where we were in theory going.

Then I noticed Xera sniffing the air when they got closer.

"I see."

That was all they said as they looked between the two of us, but it was enough for Tart to turn red again. Shaking my head I tried getting it back into the game and focus on the fact that we were potentially surrounded by armed ponies or monsters.

"Xera, please stop teasing Tart. We need to focus, oh and did you notice something weird while you were away?"

"Yes, weird and deadly. Shall I show you?"

"Please do."

We trotted along the cobbled road as it curved downwards to the sea, some old shopping boulevard by the looks of it. With an overgrown tree in one corner that had crawled across two shops with shattered windows. There was something about the little corner of the city we were in, it distracted me. A soft breeze fluttered past, bringing equine whispers.

"It was absolutely terrible..."

"You unicorns..."

"Ètoile, you owe me a gala...

"I know, I know...

"Ah, miss Starlight..."

"Diva, you performance last night..."

The air seemed colder, and calmer somehow

"Wait up, there is something here!"

My head felt fuzzy and I squinted towards a terrace with half rotten remnants of furniture. It was subtle, but I could see the the outlines of ponies. Not static, they moved and appeared to have a discussion of sorts, then the unicorn glanced my way and another breeze blew them away likes leaves. This was, odd...

"Uhm... please tell me that you saw that too?"

"Saw what? Was it a threat?"

"Shadows of ghosts."

Both of us turned to look at the zebra, expecting an explanation.

"... What?"

"Please tell me this is normal."

Xera shrugged, very helpful.

"Hey, Windstriker... I looked around when you stopped there was nothing there."

"No, there was definitely some kind of weirdness there. Looked and sounded like ponies."

"Is this some zebra nonsense?"

"Hey, I am at most one eight zebra!"

"No, not zebra magic. City is cursed."

"Look, Xera. I think all three of us knew that, but do you know anything about what is going on?"

The zebra frowned and then took a deep breath.

"I know not much about Vanhoover, only legends. Ponies and zebras have courted stars in quests for power and magic. Vanhoover was never touched by war, never attacked by our empire, it was already damned. And best left to alone. Most likely, I am first zebra to visit it."

To say that we were baffled by their unexpected rant would be an understatement, I just thought they didn't know much equish. Evidently that wasn't the case, although the zebra looked... drained by it.

"Hey, have you always been so... verbose?"

"Been what?"

"Able to speak so much Equish?"

"I can understand pony, speaking is... difficult."

"HOW is it difficult."

Their face just sort of scrunched up in an awkward expression, it looked like a mix of pain, confusion and frustration. This was definitely not normal, and there was most assuredly something going on. The question was if this had always effected them or if it was recent.

"There is a spell on you, isn't there?"

Xera looked like they attempted to nod but failed, the eyes said that I was right on point.

"Recent?"

Subtle, but again yes.

I facehoofed and shook my head, this was something I should have realized earlier.

"Starlight?"

Similar reaction but more painful and fearful.

"Hold on, how are you understanding the zebra?"

"You can't?"

This was weird, which I guess was expected.

"Oh..."

Our zebra had an epiphany.

"What?"

"Too late for you, pony."

Well, that wasn't the least bit ominous?

***

"Please please please tell me we aren't actually supposed to go this way."

"We are, it is the most direct route to Northtrade."

We had found what Xera wanted to show us. It was some public park, the trees were very much still alive and remarkably healthy. Except for the... webs. Shimmering like it was made out of metal, and not in the regular shapes you expects from something created by actual spiders. None the less it stretched from the walls to the trees to the ground and the street. Some of it looked like spears driven into every surface, other parts like it was some form of razorwire.

The sun was setting, the shadows were getting eerily long in the streets and everything was bathed in a crimson light. Which only served to make the strange strands of metal even more suspicious as it looked like they were about to drip with blood.

"So... we are not going through that.

"No, Windstriker. We are not."

"Want me to fly you over it?"

"And make us a target to every pony with a rifle out there? And with the gargoyles?"

"The what now?"

"Gargoyles, can't kill them. You can break them, but they regenerate eventually."

"Never heard of them!"

"Well, they exist and they have wings as a rule."

"Scratch that then, what's plan B?"

"Going around it all probably... But we need a place to camp for the night."

That was less of an issue, we picked one of the ruined buildings that was reasonably intact and made camp in the most difficult to reach room we could find. Hidden from the road and most nearby buildings, there was still enough space to check on the road and the park if needed. And of course, the freaking metal web of mystical doom was glowing in the otherwise black night.

Thankfully, Luna watched over my dreams that night and there were no nightmares and most certainly not the dreams of a certain other mare. Just regular fantastic dreams, optimistic even. About a day when the sun was back, when Vanhoover wasn't a nightmare, and although I wouldn't admit it out loud... About Tart, and three foals. Oldest one was a filly a lot like me but purple instead of black in her mane and wings. Middle one was a buckish earth pony filly, grey with a blue mane and a bit like Tart in personality. Then there was the third tiny thing, a white and pink filly with a crystal sheen. To be fair, my impression about how foals look might be influenced by growing up in the most diverse stable in Equestria.

As a result I was in a good mood when it was time for my watch, and I decided to not shoot or bother the scruffy looking pony that trotted about the street, instead I just watched them as they went towards one of the ruins. Then a weak light was shining in the ruin for a short moment, and the pony soon after disappeared from my E.F.S.

"Well, that was weird."

Seeing as I had people under my care who counted on me, I restrained my impulse to fly down and check it out. The endeavor became a lot easier when I heard wing flaps and something flew past, not registering in my E.F.S. at all. And a while later I heard pony screams and gunfire in the distance.

So gargoyles, are a thing. Not sure what yet as I decided to stay hidden.

Stuff that refused to appear in my Pipbuck enhanced vision freaked me out.

When dawn came things were quiet again, too quiet. A mist had rolled into the old ruins and it was difficult to see more than a few meters ahead of us. Even with E.F.S. travelling in this weather was risky. And as I explained my experiences in the forest I insisted that we stayed very close to each other. Still, we decided to check out the place where I saw the wastelander.

"What do you know..."

"What? What is it?"

"Entrance to the tunnels."

"Sewers?"

"Maybe, but this is Vanhoover."

"So a way through?"

"Hopefully."

"Tunnels, star cursed city. You ponies are crazy."

We looked back to Xera who was shaking their head in disbelief.

"Tart, have you traveled through the tunnels before?"

"Once, it was about as bad as the surface. More frustrating to navigate."

Then the ranger looked out towards the misty street.

"Usually at least."

Both of them had a point, going underground felt like a bad idea. Walking around on the surface somehow felt like an even worse idea, and waiting out the mist wasn't a practical option. From what I heard it could stay for weeks on end if it decided to.

"So one vote for staying up here and one vote for going down?"

"Voting? What are you? A griffin?"

"Point is, I guess it is up to me."

Tart facehoofed and looked extremely frustrated, muttered about the situation.

"A teenager and a rookie, in Vanhoover..."

"Don't worry Tart, I decided to go for your idea."

"Why doesn't that fill me with hope?"

"Because you are a pessimist! Come on!"

I removed the overturned table that hid the round hole in the floor and the ladder and as I jumped headfirst into it.

"I am NOT a pessimist!"

"Then you are a grump!"

I shouted back.

***

I had expected sewers like those in a comic book, or some claustrophobic dark catacombs. Instead I was met with a large tunnel that could arguably fit multiple trains in it, with functioning lights at some points and burning trash cans at other places. Apart from the smell and the musky air it was quite comfortable. It was however easy to get lost with all the side tunnels and doors, and how it went downwards in some directions.

Still, all we needed was a route westwards and then upwards. In theory that was easy enough.

"So what are we expecting down here?"

"Apart from more freaky horse apples? Raiders, scavengers and the like. Most of the ponies in the city live underground. Easier to hide and away from the dragon, the gargoyles and our patrols."

"Wait, is that why we haven't seen ponies upside?"

"Yes, and fortunately these tunnels should go all the way to Northtrade."

"Why do they exist in the first place? This looks like train tracks."

"Could be, all I know is that they stretch all around the place."

"Oh, and should we expect a fight?"

"At least be ready for one, but I rather bet on your weird charisma."

Hold on, my what?

"My what now?"

"Just focus on what we are doing..."

It took about ten minutes until we discovered the first wastelander camp down here. Presumably the one the pony had went to. They had blocked off most of the passage with rubble and wooden walls. There was a pony on lookout who shouted to us to stay where we are. Within a few seconds there were half a dozen of them poking their heads and rifles out over the wall.

"We're not looking for trouble."

I said as calmly as I could as half a dozen ponies aimed guns at me.

"You with the rangers?!"

A buck with an air of authority shouted.

"Do... I look like I am with the rangers?"

I spread my wings as I proudly as I could, hoping that the bluff would work.

"You are armed like rangers!" A scruffy looking buck shouted.

"Shut it, that is one of the Institute ponies."

Technically a zony but I ignored it as they continued arguing.

"That is even worse, didn't you hear? They are all changelings!"

Hold on, there was something about that voice...

"Just what do you know about changelings?"

"I'm from New Pegasus."

No, you're not. That is not a southern accent.

"And there are changelings there?"

"Point is, I say we just shoot them."

Hold on a moment!

"Hey! Can you just point us in the direction of Northtrade and we will be on our way."

"Yeah. It would cost you though, a toll and a guide and all that."

"Fair enough, we'll pay."

Then the scruffier one of them interjected again.

"Look at their stripes!"

Oh for Celestia's sake...

"They will just shoot us as soon as we lower our guards, I say we shoot first."

"Hold on, nobody-"

BLAM

The other buck fired and the rest of them fired on instinct as they heard the gunshot. We dived for cover, and moments later a bottle flew over and lit the tunnel on fire. Or at least the spot where we had been. I tried to shout over the gunfire but even the reasonable pony was firing now.

Glancing to Tart on other side of the tunnel she made some movements with her hoof that I had no idea what they were supposed to mean so I made a dramatic shrug. She looked exasperated and pointed at me, then at them. Xera seemed to understand and returned fire. Which promptly turned all of their rifles towards the two of us.

BRATTATATAT

The roar of the heavy machinegun deafened all other sounds and the skirmish was over in a second. As I tried to work through what just happened, I heard a "FUCK" being shouted and recognizing the voice I responded. With words that he probably didn't expect.

"Xera, get him. ALIVE."

The zebra rose and leaped across the burning floor in an impressive jump and crossed the fortifications a heartbeat later. Whoever that buck was, he wasn't escaping. I had questions and I wanted answers. Tart's expression had changed from frustration to shock at my tone. Probably expecting me to let him go.

***

I was disgusted at the perforated corpses as we walked into the camp. This really could have been avoided, but I didn't blame the soldier who killed them. This specific buck that intentionally riled them up and was probably the one fired the first shot however...

"Windstriker..."

"Don't worry about it, not your fault."

Then I puked up my breakfast at the smell.

"Shall I move the bodies?"

"Please do..."

In hindsight, dropping the pony corpses in the fire was a bad idea. It smelled even worse.

Turning and trying to focus on the stallion in the scruffy cloak I noted that his leg had been hit by a bullet, and he had a knife at his throat. But there wasn't any fear in his eyes, mostly hatred and a bit of confusion. Removing his cloak I noted his pair of wings, Enclave. Most likely at least, that or changeling.

After making sure he didn't bleed out from the leg wound I sat down and looked at him while Tart worked with removing the corpses. When she returned I began the interrogation.

"So... why did you want us dead?"

"Buck you."

"You wish, and you know what? I think you wanted me specifically dead."

"Whatever you say."

"Which makes me wonder why."

"Fuck you, that's why."

"I don't have that many actual enemies. Honestly? I don't think I have anyone who actually wants me dead in all of Equestria, and yet you wanted me dead. Me, specifically. And from what I gather it is because my wings, which is weird as you are also a pegasus."

"..."

"As far as I know there isn't anypony in New Pegasus that wants me dead. Not that you actually are from that place. The accent is all wrong. Guess the locals couldn't tell the difference."

"..."

Oooh he looked angry, I was right on point.

"Which raises the question of who you are and where you are from."

"Do your worst."

Both Tart and Xera looked like they were prepared to do so if I asked them to. Not that I intended to, I had a few tricks up my sleeves. So let's try that first, this was going to be interesting and amusing if it works.

"Gentle Wing."

I said flatly, and there was a flash of recognition in his eyes.

"That is the pony I resemble, I know that much. And you know her, kind of a bitch if you ask me."

He stared at me in silence, the fact that he refused to even open his mouth pointed towards me being on the right track. Which meant that he might know something about a question I wanted answered.

"And that means you know Violette. She is a friend of mine, saved her in the wasteland. Alone, traumatized, wingless."

His poker face cracked with a look of shock. I continued.

"Anyhow, Gentle suggested that it was their mother who did that. You wouldn't know anything about that?"

"She wouldn't..."

"Really? 'Cause Gentle sounded really sure about the whole thing."

"Look, the one thing Pearl cares about is her daughters. She never touched a strand of hair in their manes, and she would kill anypony else who tried. Spoiled them rotten if you ask me."

Wow, this was turning out easier than I thought.

"Hm... Yeah, I can see that. Still, the point is that Violette has gone through hell and I want to know who should pay. Even if it was her own mother... And you are telling me Pearl didn't do it?!"

"She wouldn't! Neither would anypony else in the S.S.O. Do you have any idea how terrifying she is? When Heaven Song deserted she went after him herself and silenced anypony who dared ask any questions. Only pony who would dare cross her would be Gentle!"

"And I am telling you she didn't do it. She was surprised by the whole thing, and amused... So then WHO? Because I want to beat SOMEPONY to death and all I have right now is YOU!"

I pointed my wing at him, and was very proud that I had gotten under his skin. For one reason or another he viewed me not as a wastelander, but as an enclave pony. Not that I were, but as long as I could keep him off balance he wouldn't remember that part. And he had just told me what he was afraid of: domineering mares with a violent streak.

"The fuck do I know? Nopony in the S.S.O. would do it."

"Then it is somepony outside of the S.S.O. but I still have no idea who."

"Ask her yourself!"

"Who? Violette? She freaks out the sight of my wings. Pearl? You think she wouldn't have me shot for resembling her daughter? After I bring news about what happened to Violette?"

"The fuck is up with that anyway?"

"Single mother, figure out the rest."

The less I said, the more he would fill out in his mind.

"Didn't know even Song was foolish to cheat on the commodore..."

"Obviously he was. The point still stands, who the fuck should I go after so Pearl doesn't have my hide??"

"As I said, I have no idea."

"Somepony higher up?"

"Could be."

He was almost amiable at this point, should I get the most out of him? And kill him afterwards? The idea didn't sit right with me, maybe I could fool him completely and let him go.

"Any ideas? Because I am too distracted by the stink of this place."

"Maybe one of the councilors, some of them supposedly have their own elite troops."

"Could be, but still. That is one hell of a thing to do to a mare who isn't even a dashite."

"Yeah... they wouldn't do it openly, politicians are all cloak and dagger. And yes, I realize the irony of the statement."

"Then we at least know what to tell her, even if it means I won't get the pleasure of delivering payback myself."

"At least it is something... where is Violette by the way?"

"At a safehouse, can't risk any further attacks."

"Good. And did you have to shoot me?"

"You shot first, and I wasn't sure who I could trust."

"And these two?"

"They're with me."

He looked skeptical but was far past the point of reasonable doubt.

"Now what?"

"I got still got my orders, what about you? Seeing as your little infiltration ended in a massacre."

"Eh, isn't the first time. I got a hideout. Retreat, recuperate and return to the action and all that. You fine with me leaving this little fiasco out of my report? Got a career and all that."

"Yeah, you do that. I'll try to figure out how to do this without tanking my own... Xera, let him go."

The knife was removed from his throat, he scratched it and rose to his hooves. Made a salute and began walking away. Tart looked like she was going to pepper him with lead in order to keep him from escaping. I was tempted to let her, but it was still wrong.

"Stand down soldier."

"Yes ma'am..."

She didn't like it one bit.

***

There were other ponies down here, we saw their shadows and the E.F.S. picked them up, but most of them trotted away at the sight of the stripes and pipbucks. Those who didn't still didn't want to be seen with us, muttering something about if they were caught by steel ranger spies. So We had a mostly private stroll towards our present destination, which was very much appreciated as I had things to ponder and Tart had questions.

"You mean your father was enclave?"

There was a look of nervous uncertainty on Tart's face as she talked.

"Most likely, would explain why mom never mentioned him."

"Is there a risk she is... compromised?"

"Nah, she just have bad taste in ponies."

Dear Luna, does she has bad taste...

"How can you be so sure?"

"She's boning Golden Starlight."

"SHE WHAT?!"

And yep, that was my reaction as well when I finally realized it.

"Yep, at least that is what grandpa said."

"I... Uhm... Are you sure SHE isn't enclave? I mean, it's the leadin' theory amon' the rangers."

"Pfft, nah. I already told your superiors about that."

"Told'em what?"

"She is a 200 year old sorceress, a Van Hoof and has links to the Ministry of Image."

"... Hold on. WHAT??"

"Yep, found evidence in Flood Town, back home and I even confronted her about it."

"And you are somehow still alive?"

"..."

"You okay, Windstriker?"

"Yeah, I guess. She did threaten me and probably thinks she scared me off."

"... You know... You're kin' of bad ass."

I was however distracted by an entire different line thoughts. Never had siblings before, and I was really not sure how to handle that. And the list of subjects I needed to have heated discussions with my mother about... It just grew a lot longer. For the first time in my life I actually wondered who exactly my father was, and I was honestly disappointed that I never got to meet him. Oh, and I had some evil stepmother who was a high ranking enclave officer (commodores are high ranking right?).

"sigh So much crap to figure out..."

I stopped and closed my eyes as I tried to get a grip on the emotions.

"First priority when I get back is to tell mom and Violette, and to convince mom that she is responsible for her."

Both of them waited patiently for me to finish figuring it out.

"Then I want to know if there is anything my dad left me. No idea what I should do if I run into Gentle again though... She did kick my flank a while back, enclave pegasi are just straight up better flyers it seems."

Maybe the griffins can give me a few lessons on aerial combat...

Level Up

Skill Note: Speech - 100%

Perk Added: Empath

You have developed a supernatural sense of understanding of other individuals, and can read them like an open book. As a result you know how ponies would react your words even before you say them, and can sense lies and ambushes with ease. Praise the stars...

Chapter 14 - Integrity

"Pleasure doing business with ya, miss."

"No kidding, you drive a hard bargain."

It was a foolish hope to think that the same trick I used with Heartbeat would work with this scavenger buck, and unfortunately I had paid more than a reasonable amount for the memory orb. The cool ice blue colour of it was familiar to me however and somehow I had a hunch that this particular orb was relevant to my interests and to our quest at hoof. Somehow the tricky bastard picked up on my interest.

"Hey, if you are willing to pay twice as much as the princess or the administrator, then who am I to argue?"

"Yeah sure.... Hey, did you see where my companions went?"

"Eh, as long as they didn't leave the building it should be fine. Also, two? NICE."

I facehoofed in response.

"Only the the Purple haired one, the other is a bodyguard."

"If you say so." Then the buck looked like he had an epiphany. "Try the café. Ponies tend to wind up there one way or another, the Pears run it."

"Why does that sound so tempting?"

To that the wastelander just chuckled and waved me onward. Strange pony, but that goes for practically everypony around these parts. At least this random stallion didn't tell me his life story or give me some silly quest, and he did have a point. The Black Hoof Saloon was becoming my favourite place around Vanhoover, so I definitely wanted to check it out if nothing else.

Stepping out from the room that served as a junkyard I entered the atrium that the whole place was built around. It looked more like a ball room than a shopping mall, with elegant railing that was somehow still sturdy enough to lean on. The whole place was crowded with ponies, with various levels of dirt and grime on them, all of them armed as well. The place was was six stories tall in all, or at least the atrium was, and there were stores, workshops, bars and what not everywhere. It was remarkably luxurious, suggesting that it had been built for the tastes of aristocrats, and it was weirdly clean considering the amount of ponies that frequented it.

The place was strangely tranquil, like there was an enchantment over it all. Maybe that is the reason it ended up being a trade post, although honestly it was almost as big as the Black Hoof if the rest of Vanhoover was anything to go by. The cellar we had entered through the tunnels was just as filled with commerce and sleeping quarters as the main building, meaning that in all likelihood there was even more hidden away somewhere, it was impressive to say the least and a fair bit neat.

And at times like this, being a pegasus is just plain cheating. Stairs can go buck themselves. Flapping my wings I flew upwards to the top floor and looked at a half hidden staircase, it was unassuming but it... just felt right.

***

It was a strange sensation, walking outside, out on the lovely terrace. Six stories up, with a perfect view over the old market square. In the center of it, on top of a pedestal stood the statue of an alicorn standing tall on her rearhooves in a dramatic pose. I couldn't tell the material it was made out of at this distance or in this light, but it was definitely not Celestia. And yet I suspected that it wasn't Luna either, the setting sun lit up the dark pony's mane and tail like a raging fire.

"Impressive, isn't she?"

The voice broke me out of whatever enchantment was on me. Turning to the right I saw green and brown earth pony mare that looked downright cute. And then I noticed the counter she stood behind, the various foodstuffs, baked goods and the countless bottles and boxes behind her.

"Who is she?"

"No idea, I'm no historian. So what will it be?"

I glanced out among the tables and saw my two companions, felt the cool wind blow through my mane and came to a decision. Looking back at the sweet mare I stated proudly: "Tea."

Unfortunately it wasn't that simple.

"What kind? You have the same preferences as Blackhorn?"

"Uhm... I don't usually care, got any recommendations? Oh and I don't have your name yet."

"Doyenne, second daughter of the Pear family. And considering your tone and reputation, and the ranger mare... I assume you're like Starlight, right? So Black then, with Elderflowers. Just the way she likes it."

I was blindsided by the question.

"Wait, WHAT? What is that supposed to mean?"

She was already preparing the tea before I could respond, the smell was as charming as everything else in that calm moment, and her tone was wonderfully melodic when she explained.

"You already got a marefriend and you are still hitting on every mare you meet, can't get enough? Or is there a reason for it?"

"Oh, Sorry? I can't help that you're cute."

"sigh, I guess there is one in every generation."

Still, the statue seemed to call my attention and felt more important flirting.

"The alicorn statue... Can you tell me anything at all about her? Your family has lived here for centuries right?"

I hoofed over the gold bit and took the tea cup, the fragrance was calming and somehow reminded me of the soft moonlight. The evening was serene, more so than anything I ever felt before. I realized that this was Vanhoover, as it was meant to be.

"I guess there is something, there is an old expression ponies use in Vanhoover."

Her eyes were just as mysterious as her voice.

"And that is?"

"Mother of Luna."

A golden seven pointed star glimmered in the west as she said the words, already forgetting the mare I just talked to I walked slowly in a trance towards my friends and sat down besides them. Bit by bit, the pieces began to assemble themselves. Little words overheard, half-truths unveiled, the strange secrecy of that long dead family, the abnormal occurrences all around Vanhoover, the conspiracies of the great war...

Amalthea...

The whispering voice felt like a fragile echo, ever so serene.

This was what the Van Hoofs were hiding, a true alicorn. Did the princesses know? Slowly I realized how Icetear and Amethyst had gotten princess Luna's personal trust, how that cold mare could get away with her Vendetta. Luna had turned a blind eye, and the Van Hoofs had paid the price.

What did this mean for my earlier meeting? It wasn't a trap then? I really was visited by an actual alicorn princess? The mark on my forehead itched, and as I scratched it I wondered what spell she had put on me. Still, I was comforted by the thought that there was still one true alicorn watching over me. Even if she seemed a bit... odd.

There was a shiver through my spine as I realized something else, there was still one proper Van Hoof left in Vanhoover. Or rather, one had returned, and I might have seriously offended her. Starlight, no... Étoile Van Hoof. Glancing back to Doyenne I wondered, how many knew?

I really should talk to my companions about it. Scratch that, talk to Tart about it. Not sure if Xera cared one bit about centuries old pony politics, not sure if they cared about anything these days. Realizing I was glancing at them, the zebra said a sentence I never expected from them.

"You know, winged one... This is nice."

The zebra's eyes glittered in the crimson light as the sun finally passed over the horizon and the starfilled night took over. The air was cold, gentle, and a lullaby in a strange tongue was heard as Doyenne began humming and singing quietly, likewise entranced by the moment. This was peaceful, in a way no other place in the Equestrian wasteland could be.

As I sipped on my warm drink I understood that the stray zebra had found their peace, hidden in a forgotten corner of the world, in the one place where the Legion dared not thread. Here, in the one city still guarded by a true princess.

***

The weird thing with Icetear's memories was the size difference, everything and everypony seemed so small. She towered over regular ponies, something she utilized to the fullest when it came to intimidation. Ponies stepped aside and avoided her gaze wherever she walked, with only two exceptions as I would come to learn. One was Amethyst, due to their friendship since their youth. The other, sat behind a desk outside her office, gazing on us longingly when we walked up.

This was Sable Quill, the black coated mare looked adorable in her blue dress, she blushed slightly when we locked eyes. I definitely knew that look, that was a young mare in love. She shook her head vigorously, and mentioned something quite important.

"You got a visitor ma'am, she is already inside."

My host really really didn't like hearing that.

"You let her inside my office? Why?"

The voice was cool, monotone and utterly terrifying. Quill didn't even flinch.

"Am I to deny a ministry mare?"

There was a moment of surprise but it passed in a heartbeat, as the influential mare answered.

"YES, yes you shall."

"Oh, apologies."

The black mare wasn't scared, she was genuinely sorry.

"Sigh, just don't repeat the mistake."

The tone was softer than I ever heard before or after from any memory or recording of Icetear. This mare was more than just a secretary, and in that moment I realized that the ghoulish mare I had met in Flood Town wasn't Sable Quill at all. As starli... Étoile had mentioned, all lunium ghouls go feral. Whoever was in control of that ghoul was somepony else, and I was beginning to suspect who.

Inside I saw my childhood idol in the flesh for the first time in my life (or in the memory I suppose), the blue pegasus wore a black and purple uniform with a stylish cap. And darn she was the coolest thing I ever seen, her muscles were lean, she had a distinctive movement whenever she walked, always ready to leap out of or into danger. That mare needed no weapons, she was the weapon!

And she was pissed, not the loud variety that I tended to be. It was that cold blooded fury that I had encountered in the wasteland, that distinctive tone and expression of somepony who had killed far far too many people. Icetear, however, wasn't intimidated.

"Minister Dash, it is most rude to intrude in my personal office when I am away. You of all ponies should appreciate privacy."

"We are far beyond that, Coordinator. Far beyond it."

There was a tense pause as Rainbow Dash eyed us, watching for any sudden movements or any signs of stress or guilt. This was an interrogation, and most likely highly illegal. It was also something Icetear had been expecting.

"We are both busy ponies, minister. Please do get to the point."

"Project Lightbringer, why are civilians involved? Why did Luna give it to YOU and not Twilight??"

"I do not see why this concern a military mare, this is outside of your authority."

"Really, Aurora? And your little vendetta isn't? Does Luna know?"

"Know what?"

"Don't play a fool, it doesn't suit you and I am not known for my patience."

Icetear ignored her for a moment, and walked over to her bookshelf, and patiently inspected some odd art piece. It was a carefully carved lunite crystal, held in place by a stylized metal frame. It reminded me of the crystals used in mainframes and pipbucks, but I saw no carved runes in it. To my eyes, it just looked like an art object and nothing else.

"So you did your research, did you read my thesis as well?"

"Do I look like an egghead to you? And answer the question!"

"You really should take the time. Does this artifact look familiar to you?"

"I am warning you..."

"Do pay attention, minister. And please humour me."

She was not just playing with fire, this was playing with a balefire bomb.

"Two can play your game, Coordinator..."

"I know, I learned it from you."

We stepped aside and Rainbow Dash actually walked closer and shot a glance at the ornament. Then, her eyes widened with recognition and her tone was beyond hostile. It had been threatening before, now... I was reminded of when Étoile put a gun in my mouth.

"Where. Did. You. Get. This?"

"It is an old family heirloom belonging to the Van Hoof family. It was the study of my thesis, and why I caught her royal highness' interest in the first place. Fascinating isn't it? A megaspell matrix, rivaling those of the Ministry of Peace and Ministry of Arcane Sciences. Stuck on a pedestal, in the art gallery of an old castle. They truly had no idea what they had in their possession."

The two mares locked eyes and came to a silent understanding.

"Minister, does the explanation and context satisfy you?"

"If... if there is star tech hidden in Vanhoover..."

"For princess and principality and all that, even if it means cloak and dagger work."

Icetear sounded positively tired of the talk of assassinations and what not, then her voice turned into that of fascination as she looked back at the weird thing. And for some reason it felt familiar, and I really didn't like the idea that I had seen it before.

"In all honesty, Lightbringer none withstanding, this is the real treasure of Vanhoover."

"And your pet project?"

"I have long since analyzed its structure, surprisingly simple. Just a lunite crystal and an electrum containment cell, we have already produced exact replicas. There is however a certain dilemma."

"If this thing blows... this thing could take out an entire city."

"Correct, and initial attempts at charging the lunite core had unusual results to say the least."

"If you have this, why are you having the M.A.S. work on the starbomb?"

"Soldiers... This isn't a weapon, minister. It is a power cell, if we could stabilize it... I have plans on a solar array for the thing. Imagine: Infinite, clean energy and a power cell capable of powering a small city on its own."

***

The memory orb had been well worth the bits, so many little things were beginning to fall into place. Aurora, the name of the project princess Luna had personally requested, supposedly another name for Icetear and the name of whatever monstrosity I had seen near the ranger fortress.

"So that wasn't the star bomb? Interesting..."

There was still something missing, I could feel it in my soul. As I tried to map out what I knew in my head I noticed a considerable gap somewhere between Icetear and this Enclave that seemed to be everywhere. Then it hit me, so obvious and so plainly hidden. What I had learned about the provisional government seemed off back then, and now I knew why it collapsed and why the administrator stayed holed up in her tower.

The greatest mystery of it all remained unanswered, and was conveniently linked to this little contract I had accepted. Project: Lightbringer had riled up a ministry mare, it had been a request from Luna itself and probably had something to do with why the Enclave had the royal coordinator killed.

Whatever it was had spooked these illusive pegasi so much, that they still try to destabilize the region two centuries later. And the Steel Rangers seem to want it, no matter what it took.

"Star Tech, technology from the stars?"

There was one sure way to figure out the whole story, and that meant finding the Ministry of Arcane Sciences hub and breaking into every hidden room, every maneframe and break all the security. Now we just needed to find the place in the first place.

Looking around the gigantic atrium I noticed someone I had met earlier weeks ago but largely overlooked, a grey and beige griffin, with a magical energy rifle of some sort on his back. The griffins had their talons in everything around here it seemed, and this one was supposedly obsessed with energy weapons. Smiling to myself I lifted my pipbuck and tweaked the radio to a certain channel I had received back in Goldstar, back when I first met Violette.

"Hey Gilheim. Windstriker here, you up for a contract?"

***

We were just about to leave when a commotion started, curious, I naturally asked the first pony I could find. The answer surprised me, and really rubbed me the wrong way.

"It's a bug hunt."

"Explain?"

"They found a bug."

I, however, was still confused. This was some wasteland thing I hadn't encountered or heard of. Still, figuring that bug meant changeling I decided I wanted a closer look on what was going on. Flapping my wings I took to the air and flew over the crowd. Huddling in the corner was a whimpering grey buck with a black mane, a pair of furious stallions looking like they had beaten him bloody. There was just one small issue, his blood wasn't red. Its green colour gave the impression that he was bleeding poison.

The pair were literally shouting at the creature.

"WHAT DID YOU TO HIM??"

"I... tol-"

"WHAT DID YOU DO?!"

Giving up on answering, the grey buck just cried.

This was ridiculous.

"You know, you could actually give him time to respond."

I landed next to the trio, a bit irritated by the crowd of onlookers that did nothing to interfere.

"Hey! You stay out of this, stripe!"

"Hm... Nah. Care to tell me what is going on?"

He pointed at the buck behind me and shouted.

"That THING killed our friend and took his place!"

Turning my head I looked at the bleeding grey... whatever he was. He was terrified, heartbroken, and looked like he had given up on living. This was the fearsome killer and infiltrator that I had heard about? Not buying it.

"Yeah... no. This guy couldn't kill a radroach."

That statement confused them and almost deescalated the situation. They were too angry, too wounded and too paranoid to think properly. Within a few moments they were throwing accusations around again, this time aimed at me.

"Why're you defending it?? You're one of them, aren't you?!"

I facehoofed at the idiocy and briefly wondered if I had to disarm the pair before they killed someone.

BRRRRROHM

The roar of the machine gun drowned out all objections, clouds of dust and rubble ruptured out of the wall above us, scattering across the crowd. It was so shocking that nopony panicked, everyone was too stunned by the sudden onslaught of noise and dust to react.

"THAT'S ENOUGH! EVERYONE, DISPERSE."

The crowd obliged, the mix of fear and surprise kept them from objecting. As the ponies stepped aside I saw a very determined mare with a short purple mane and a smoking machine gun. Honestly, I was awed at the scene, and it took a few moments until I started paying attention again. And what I noticed was some very agitated and very heavily armed mares looking our way.

Coming to a decision I looked Tart in the eyes and stated loudly:

"We're leaving!"

Quickly throwing the wounded buck on my back I glanced back to make sure my companions were with me and I left. If I left the strange buck behind he would most definitely die. Even if they left him alone after that, I suspected that he would have just stayed there, slowly bleeding out.

***

We spent the night in a dusty old opera house, both Xera and Gilheim confirming that it was mostly safe. Despite the occasional voices that I could hear, which was becoming a recurring annoyance within this city. It was both literally and metaphorically haunting to camp out on the old stage, with a controlled campfire in the center. Xera insisted on drawing some form of zebra wards just to be sure, and Tart deferred to my opinion on that matter. This didn't extend to my decision to save the changeling.

"Do you've any idea how close to death you were??"

"After you opened fire? Yeah."

"If I hadn't, the mob would've killed you!"

"I couldn't just stood by and let them kill him."

"You had no idea what was going on, it was foolish!"

Then griffin I had recruited finally gave his opinion on the subject.

"I think it was pretty impressive."

Tart turned and looked at him, clearly not liking his presence either.

"What do YOU know about it?"

"Heh, I wondered why captain was interested in a pony. Now I know why, she sticks to her principles."

"Windstriker, why did you hire him?"

And here it was, the question I had been expecting.

"First, there is no way we would find the M.A.S. hub on our own. This city doesn't follow any reasonable logic and we can't trust the map or any of the guidance spells in the pipbuck. Secondly, Gilheim has been looking for this place for years, and already discovered the route there. Thirdly, the Talons are probably the only group around that I can trust to not shoot me in the back at the moment."

She didn't like it, and looked like she was about to protest. The honour of the rangers mattered a lot to Tart, but she knew fully well the risks and that some of her colleagues had a poor view of my stripes. The griffin on the other hoof had more to say, more specifically to my defense.

"Honestly, I thought you rangers liked stuff like integrity and people staying true to their morals."

Tart gave me an accusatory look, I shrugged in response.

"Hey, I said nothing about that."

Gilheim made a sound halfway between a snort and a chuckle before explaining.

"Frankly, it's kin' of obvious. That gun, old wartime armour, pipbuck not matching the others. Not to mention shouting orders like you're used to it. You're obviously a soldier of some sort, officer would be my guess. And seeing as you don't have any wings, and judging by the Manehattan accent, obviously a steel ranger."

He made a dramatic pause before pointing out just how poor the disguise was in his eyes.

"The zebra is doing a better job than you, and that is saying something."

Tart was still suspicious about his presence, evidently not trusting mercenaries or griffins.

"What are the terms of the contract? Please tell me she didn't mess that up."

"I'll get you to the M.A.S. hub, you get me inside, and I'll have a free pick of any fun weaponry laying around. Oh, and a respectable sum of bits paid up front. Most generous I must admit."

My ranger was not liking it, not one bit.

"You offered him weapon prototypes??"

Waving a wing towards her, motioning for her to be quiet, I had noticed something.

"You pointed out that she doesn't have any wings, and as far as I know there aren't any proper militaries down in New Pegasus. Meaning, that you referred to the Enclave. What is your relation to them?"

The griffin eyed me closely for a few moments before answering in a low tone.

"They fucked up our home."

At that I smiled the most evil smile I could.

"Good news, we are going to fuck them up."

Again, the ranger objected.

"WINDSTRIKER, that is confidential!"

I didn't care, as I had a good feeling about the Talons. And I was right, the supposedly neutral Snow Talons had a grudge, and it was against the same group that wounded my half-sister and most likely had killed my father.

"Hah! Hahahaha, you could have just said so. I would have taken this contract for free if I knew!"

Unfortunately, my Tart was still in a bad mood.

"Colour me skeptical."

"Look, purple hair! I worked for RED EYE of all people just for the chance to give those feather-brains some payback! And boss? Whenever you are going to do it, the whole company would pay plenty of bits to see it happen. If there is any other contracts that would hurt those arrogant equines, we would be very interested."

As grumpy as Tart was, she grudgingly accepted once more that I had discovered an ally in our mission. Gilheim for his part began doing weapon maintenance (literally speaking), and I was just about to ask about the strange rifle. It was obviously a magical energy rifle of some sort, but it looked hilariously over-designed.

Most such guns had a carved focusing gem, I had heard of designs that used pairs of them. This one however, had six emeralds. Regular beam guns used rubies or amethysts for the most part, our designs used topazes or sapphires as a standard. Emeralds? Never seen that before. More than that, the barrel (if you can call it that) was three rectangular rails along the length of it. There was gaps within it, and I had seen the green light it shone with every time it fired.

Unfortunately my pondering was broken along with the silence as Xera opened their mouth.

"This one is awake."

***

I was mostly alone with the strange buck I had saved, Xera sat closely to us as they were our designated medic at this point. And I got impressions of fear, suspicion and anger from the zebra. If the changeling tried anything he wouldn't live to succeed, and I was worried that even if I objected then at least one of my three companions would kill him.

The grey buck looked confused at being alive, at the bandages, and he just laid there, looking at me with wounded eyes. Seeing as he didn't start the conversation and the hostility of my companions, I decided to try to get him to open up.

"You're safe, they can't hurt you here. I'm Windstriker, what's your name?"

He blinked slowly, trying to understand what happened. At least he answered, somewhat.

"Why?"

"Those bucks weren't thinking straight and I don't think you killed anyone."

"Doesn't make any sense..."

"Hm, what?"

Xera interjected.

"Your virtues are rare, pony."

Really? I didn't think it was all that weird, but seeing as the buck nodded at the suggestion...

"What happened?"

"I... I scratched my leg on something. They saw the blood."

"And freaked out." I nodded at the conclusion, this much was obvious.

"Yeah..."

"What was the other nonsense they shouted about, did you hurt somepony?"

"No. Nopony, never."

I laid down next to him, trying to show that I wouldn't hurt him.

"Were they just nuts then?"

"..."

"Look, I know what its like for ponies to pick fights with you for being different. Never met a changeling before, anything I should know? How does it work? Are you going to be all right?"

"I..."

And he broke down crying.

I was getting surprisingly used to this. Ignoring the freaking out zebra, I covered him with a wing and hugged him gently. And yeah, this was yet another poor soul broken by the wasteland. In due time he was ready to talk and I learned his story. Most changelings rarely actually killed anypony or took their place, they just had a favoured pony form and pony name that they went by. That said, many of them enjoyed the taste of fear and lived on it. Not Grey Hoof though, he was like miss Pega (who was the changeling queen it turned out), and could only stomach actual love.

And here is where things got grim. The rumour that they replaced loved ones of ponies (which admittedly happened on occasion) meant that any time ponies found out that the one they lived with wasn't a pony... Things turned into violence quickly. That was what had happened in this case, Grey Hoof had traveled with the other two scavengers for years. All undone in a few moments of carelessness.

His friends (or buckfriends I suspected) had turned on him and the shock was too much, he didn't defend himself and they would have killed him. Hateful and not realizing what they had done.

Then we reached the dilemma. We couldn't take him with us, which I would have preferred. Even if I managed to overrule my companions strong opinions on the subject, he was still a changeling and an unknown factor in this mess of a political web. Xera and Tart were in agreement, they wanted him dead (just to be sure). I reacted with loud anger at the proposal and managed to shut them up. Unfortunately, I couldn't do much more for him than I already had. Did offer to leave some food and water for him (no idea if changelings even ate regular food).

In the end, it didn't matter. The next day we had walked for half an hour, gotten a fair bit away from the old opera. I still heard the gunshot, and knew what it meant. My ears drooped, and my hatred against the world rose to new levels. This madness had to end, one way or another.

***

We had traveled several days since the opera, never taking the most direct route, frequently being delayed by the terrain. Other groups of people weren't a problem, we had enough firepower to give anyone pause. The dragon had given me a few frights but it was never near us, the occasional rogue robot was quickly disposed of (how are they still around after two centuries anyway?). The real frustration came from the gargoyles, the closer we came to our destination, the more frequent their attacks were.

Lifting the severed head of one of the stone beasts I wondered at how they could fly, and how lifelike their designs were. Part of me wondered if they had been truly alive once, and petrified by some form of basilisk magic. Then I noticed something annoying.

"I am pretty sure I have destroyed this one before."

Our griffin confirmed my suspicions.

"Yep, that is the thing. Blow them to bits and they just keep coming back, you need to destroy whatever magic keeps them going as well. Meaning that it is a good thing you hired me, energy weapons messes them up real good."

"Uhm, Windstriker... about the changelin'."

"Not now, Tart! We're in the field, remember?"

She turned quiet. The ranger had fought valiantly in every firefight, and gotten used to Gilheim. To be fair, our relationship wasn't all that strained, but she began to realize that the incident with Grey Hoof had really gotten on my nerves. It was a difficult topic to talk about, and this wasn't the moment. I had talked with Xera about it however, and although they disliked my decision to spare him, they understood why.

At the moment we needed to focus on our way forward so that we could do the thing at the place, and according to our guide we were very close. The place we were at was yet another moderately large cobbled road, on a slope downwards and covered by high brick walls on either side.

"Gil', where to?"

He did a weird motion with his talons and pointed upwards with one of them. Looking up I noticed something I had completely missed, on either side were overgrown flowerbeds with those dark vines hanging down along the walls, but more importantly... Right above us was a bridge, a small, unassuming bridge.

"Why haven't I seen that before?"

"No idea, I missed it the first four times I went this route."

"Not liking the look of those plants, is there a staircase we can take?"

"Nope, that is the trick. We have to fly."

Half turning to my friends I gave them a look. Tart looked mostly worried about the incident, Xera on the other hoof had a look of sheer terror on their face. Stumbling backwards as I began to grin, did you know that zebras generally don't like flying? Neither did I.

"No! Keep away! No flying!"

Between me and the griffin we did manage to get the other two up to the bridge, despite protests and some panicked flailing. All three of them were about to walk towards our destination when I hesitated, I could feel something nudging me on and I didn't like ponies messing with my head. Purposely ignoring it I looked the other direction, into a dark foreboding forest of all things. I guessed it was a park that had grown wild over the centuries, but it held the same hostility as the haunted wood I had visited before. Was whatever magic in that nightmare the same as in the city?

There was something strange about it, the cobbled road that snaked itself between the elevated plateaus that held the trees and bushes, it was somehow inviting. I took a step in its direction, and was promptly tackled by a zebra.

"NO!! Do not stray, pony!"

"I... What? I didn't!"

Instead of letting me get back on my hooves, Xera grabbed my mane and dragged me back to the rest of the group. Possibly as payback for the flying trip, but according to the exhausting lecture that followed it was supposed to keep me from running off. Xera insisted on staying behind me in case I tried anything, and Tart fell in besides the zebra and whispered a "thank you" that I wasn't supposed to hear.

Ignoring the two equines that were worried about me, I decided to consult Gilheim concerning something that didn't really make much sense and had me a little unnerved. It was one of those things that nopony talked about and it might be important.

"Hey, do you know anything about exactly how much firepower the Enclave is packing?"

"Unreasonable amounts. I don't know all the details, but the story goes that we couldn't even put up a decent fight. Armoured airships, power armour, energy weapons... The Enclave is armed like the steel rangers, only even worse. And we have no idea how many of them there actually are."

"... And how many griffins fought in that battle?"

He shrugged at the question.

"Not sure, a few thousand maybe? The eastern mountains were our home, we had whole towns back there. Entire families fought to defend their homes. Hell, part of the reason there are so many griffins in Equestria these days is that we have nowhere else to go."

I tried running the numbers in my head, and it didn't look good. Assuming that nopony is foolish enough to send every soldier they got into a fight, the renegade faction of pegasi probably had a lot of firepower.

"You know, I am beginning to realize why neither miss Pear or my grandfather wanted me anywhere near those ponies."

"And why I have orders to avoid them at all costs?"

We shared a look, and knew neither of us was comfortable with the idea.

"A personal question, why did you leave Red Eye?"

His expression changed to one of anger, but not directed at me.

"My best friend got wounded, our boss at the time wanted to just have her shot and be done with it. Not liking it I pulled a gun on the bitch and demanded they fix Havoc. They did, fancy cybernetics and everything. Obviously I couldn't stay after that. Havoc and Silverbeak followed me out, ran into the others after a while."

"That... is impressive. I like it."

"Thought you would, kid. From what I can tell, you're the same way. Care to tell me why? Is it a promise or something? That weird pony thing?"

"What? You mean like a virtue?"

"That's the word! You ponies keep bringing it up."

"No idea what mine is though."

"Isn't it obvious?"

"Eh?"

"Integrity."

"Huh?"

"Am I wrong?"

I didn't object, it made sense. I had just never thought of it that way, before that moment I just thought that I was stubborn and had a thick skull. That was what I had gotten in trouble for countless times growing up, and even out here now that I think about it. Yet it didn't seem like all that huge of a realization, on some subconscious level I already knew it in my heart.

"No, you're right. Thanks."

***

We stood before atop the impressive staircase, before the elegant double doors that had somehow not aged a day since the apocalypse. It was supposed to just be a big office building, but it looked more like a palace on the outside. Complete with marble pillars, statues of pony philosophers, gargoyles (inanimate at the moment) and covered in a script that I couldn't read. The inside was dusty but just as extravagant, the place even had a courtyard with overgrown vegetation. The hub was in a rough U-shape and we had entered in the middle section. There was just a small disappointment however.

"All right, where's the cool stuff?"

"Probably in a basement."

The griffin answered in a slightly annoyed tone.

"And where's the basement?"

"Absolutely no idea."

This time it was me who got annoyed at the whole thing.

"Wait, YOU said that you had been here before?"

"I have! There is a director's office on the top floor, but I can't get the terminal to cooperate. It is some weird non-standard brahmin dung, and the turrets almost took my wing the last time I was here. Point is, this is up to you from here on out."

When we reached the office he spoke of I realized what he meant, the shimmering blue screen definitely didn't have Stable Tech software. And this is where I would like to claim that I am a master hacker or something, but that isn't what happened. Having a hunch I connected my pipbuck to the terminal and the terminal recognized it, long lines of text appeared in my vision more quickly than I could read it. Then it stopped.

Starlight Institute ID confirmed.

Executive level clearance confirmed.

Welcome, miss Windstriker

"Jackpot!"

Much like the office of any overmare, there was a hidden elevator within the room. And when I lifted the lockdown we heard the various gears and machinery turning, opening up part of the wall. It was slightly amusing to see all my three companions freak out when the elevator started moving, somehow I was the only one who had actually ridden it before.

The elevator stopped and we had reached a pitch black room, stepping into the darkness I got blinded as the lights switched on one by one, revealing what only can be described as a stable. There were security robots at every turn, turrets in every roof, hydraulic doors and terminals at every doorway. Security wasn't just tight, it was overkill.

And yet we didn't need to fire a single shot. Every independent part of the security system recognized my ID and we even got one of the lumbering tanks of a robot to escort us to the maneframe, the key to everything. Although the room before it craved our attention, as we saw the words "Weapons Storage", and stepping into the atrium sized workshop we saw the glass cases lining the walls, lit up with their own lights. Highlighting the prototypes they had finished.

Our griffin was definitely ecstatic as he whistled and more or less shouted.

"Now THIS is a treasure hoard!"

Most of the weapons looked like fancy guns with some circular objects around the barrel, another thing looked like a strange artillery piece and had a huge rectangular barrel, and then I noticed something that gave me pause. A chromed lance, an actual ancient jousting lance like from a foal's story. Although considering all the wiring and technical bits, not to mention the title... That weapon was something far far more impressive.

Phase One - Annihilator Lance

Behind me I heard Xera gasp and whisper in zebrecian, from the tone of fear and awe as well as what little words I could understand, I knew what they meant. Back during the Great War the zebras were convinced that ponykind was in league with the stars, and that Equestria was merely the tools of a greater evil. And this... thing that Icetear had built, it scared me. Not as just a weapon of war, it frightened me on a spiritual and existential level.

I didn't fully understand why, or maybe I didn't want to understand. Yet I knew I had to look into the files and confirm my fears. I needed to learn exactly what this lance was and how it had come into being.

***

Reputation Gained: Snow Talons - Liked

Reputation Gained: The Black Hoof - Smiling Troublemaker

Virtue Discovered: Integrity

Chapter 15 - Lightbringer

The deep blue double pyramid seemed to be a lunite crystal, and it bobbed gently up and down as it hovered within a glass tube. The light it gave out was enough to illuminate the circular chamber, and the cylindrical maneframe had a silver hue and pulsated with various small lights. I knew maneframes, by virtue of growing up in a stable I knew more than most. This was definitely not a standard model, and like the weapons in the room outside it unnerved me.

Whether this was just a strange prototype they had built, or if it was somehow reverse engineered from some piece of technology the old principality had discovered somehow. That question was besides the point at the moment. Either the maneframe had been designed with pipbucks in mind, or my pickbuck had been modified. The point is that I could connect them and got through nearly every security system it had. There was a unique program however that the pipbuck failed to break, and I was about to worry over the issue when a phrase appeared in my vision.

Insert Password

Blinking in surprise for a moment, I then smiled and entered a few tries.

"Luna"

Password Rejected

"Princess Luna"

Password Rejected

"Her Royal Highness Luna"

Password Accepted

It took a few minutes, but I figured out how to navigate the strange operating system and although I certainly found what we were after, there was more, several categories detailing everything Icetear had been up to. Or at least everything that involved the Ministry of Arcane Sciences (which also meant everything that my home had been involved in).

Project: Amethyst

Project: Aurora

Project: Lightbringer

Project: Resurgence

Project: Stardust

About to open the project files I noticed something, an untitled file, the only one in the entire maneframe and it was the latest edited file among thousands others. It could of course just be a pointless or corrupted file, but... an audio file?

"Ah... heh... this is Concord Pear, administrator of Vanhoover. I'll be dead within the hour... this recording is probably all that remains of the provisional government. I have activated the emergency lockdown, if you hear this then you are from the Starlight Institute... or whatever remains of it. Whoever you are, you deserve to hear the truth of what happened... We had spent over decade sending out scouts and ambassadors across Equestria. We weren't the only survivors, far from it... One by one they disappeared... It took years but we found somepony that could tell us what was happening.

COUGH

Every town, every fort... the skyguard destroyed them all.

COUGH

When Icetear was informed she noticed something the rest of us had missed, every single one of the settlements had been destroyed after we talked to their leaders about rebuilding... Everytime we mentioned the possibility of Equestria's revival, the damned pegasi killed them all... Nopony except me, Icetear, Quil and Goldstar know Neighvarro survived... We thought they were just staying away like a bunch of cowards... We were wrong, they're not just deserters... they're full blown traitors!!

... Oh buck, that's blood...

... Icetear ordered the Big Mac converted into a Lightbringer, it was only a question of time before they attacked us as well. The featherbrains were paying attention, the bastard attacked me as I was gathering the components... Listen, get to the M.W.T. hub! The Big Mac is just a big gun, Phase Three can convert it into a weapon capable of breaking through any shield... Finish it, load a starbomb and blast that those cursed traitors to Tartaros!

... By Luna's grace, avenge us! It is the only way Equestria can live again.

... By Luna's grace..."

***

Stepping outside of the maneframe chamber I looked at my trio of companions, all looking expectant and slightly worried at my expression. None of them spoke as they waited for me to mention what had irritated me.

"Neighvarro, anyone know what or where it is?"

Only Tart recognized it.

"Sounds familiar... No idea where."

Letting that point drop, I moved to the next one.

"The Enclave wiped out way more than Vanhoover, they destroyed anypony trying to do more than survive on scraps. Every town, every settlement that tried to form anything even resembling a country. Meaning..."

The ranger knew where I was going.

"That we are at war, and have been for over a century."

"Yes... You rangers have the M.W.T. hub right?"

"Uhm, yes? It is arguably our most fortified base, why?"

"Because I think I know what your superiors are trying to do, and we'll need something called the Big Mac."

I looked around the rectangular room, at the walls showcasing the prototypes that had been completed. Ignoring the lance for a moment, I saw the strange rectangular weapon being Phase 2, and the guns with weird attachments were Phase 3. Trying to figure out what I was looking at, I got an answer from our griffin.

"Electro-magnets."

"What? How would magnets help a firearm?"

It sounded foalish, like something I would have come up with as a filly.

"See that one? It is powered entirely through magnetism."

He pointed to the rectangular object with the title Phase 2: Railgun.

Tart was still suspicious about his presence and decided to interject.

"How do you know about these things?"

"Because some technician who worked on these things later built this beauty."

He held the strange rifle of his, petting it like it was an animal. Needless to say, he was very proud of the weapon. And I was beginning to see why his superior officer had reacted like she had, Gilheim might be a bit too proud of the rifle.

"Found it in Fillydelphia, in Red Eye's private armoury to be more precise. Before that I managed to sneak a look at the terminals in the local ministry hub, finding references to this project. What I would have paid to see his face when he realized the plasma lance was gone!"

"And that is why you are here." I stated flatly.

"This one here, yes. If it works properly, then it would be great for the talons."

I decided to ask the question, just to not leave any loose ends.

"And if you get one of these..." I glanced at the sign. "... gauss rifles, what will you do with it?"

"I'll hand it over to the captain. If she likes it, we'll hire your people to make more of them. If not, we'll stash it in some locker somewhere. Not like I actually need a new rifle, mine is already overpowered as it is. That said... I'm very interested in that lance over there."

For the first time, he actually sounded serious. It was a strange reminder that he was a die-hard mercenary like the rest of the griffins, despite his typical behaviour. And these griffins liked me enough to recruit me?

"DON'T TOUCH IT. There is something weird about it, and no one touches it until I know if it is safe or not."

"You're the boss."

His tone was back to the carefree attitude, but none of them dared touch the secured weapons. Time to read through these files and figure out exactly what we were dealing with. First up, the most important one. Project: Lightbringer, and I began with Phase 3 to understand what Icetear had planned to unleash against the Enclave.

***

Project: Lightbringer - Phase 3

Summary:

The decision to abandon further research into Phase 2 has nothing to do with viability, the initial prototype functions according to estimates and within a few years the model could be refined to a satisfactory level of reliability and power efficiency. Current estimate is that within 4 or 5 years the technology would be ready for mass production. Unfortunately, this is no longer a viable line of research as current prognosis on the war suggest that there might not be enough time to finalize a defense grid of intercontinental railgun platforms.

Per request of her royal highness, we have taken up a previously ignored line of research into a less revolutionary option. Phase 2 could have replaced conventional artillery and rockets as the standard weapon for long range bombardment, and if we win this war it might yet happen.

Phase 2 relies entirely on electromagnets to propel a metal javelin or warhead with an extreme level of acceleration that would be dangerous in a conventional firearm. Phase 3, however, is a hybrid technology that use a controlled explosion as the initial catalyst while the electro-magnets aid in further acceleration and spin on the bullet. Initial attempts utilized existing firearm models as a baseline (the Concord Arms assault Carbine as well as the IF-100 rifle), the results were dissatisfactory but did direct the next step in the research.

As the 5 mm round performed better than the 12.7 mm round the decision was made to attempt an entirely new form of cartridge for the purposes of a new rifle custom built for maximizing the effects of the Gauss Rings (named after the esteemed mathemagician Abacus Gauss). There were plans for an electro-spiral, which was dropped in favour of said rings. The prototype gauss rifle has proven both reliable and effective despite the fine caliber of the 2 mm MFC round, the penetration values rival the latest models of beam guns. In terms of accuracy it rivals the very same model of beam gun in perfect conditions, and outperforms it in harsher conditions.

The latest Phase 3 prototype has reached a level of refinement equal to the planned end result of Phase 2 in a fraction of the time, and the research has returned towards the concept of retrofitting firearms with Gauss Rings. This time with far greater success, and initial tests offsite with the IF-100 howitzer (not to be confused with previously mentioned rifle) have been promising. After further refinement the next step will be to attempt to convert the 210 mm railway gun.

With every new prototype further refinement in the Gauss Ring technology follows, and if this success rate remains stable we should have a Lightbringer ready that is satisfactory to both Coordinator Icetear and her royal highness Luna herself.

First Engineer

Vivid Sunshine

***

"Well that was interesting..."

"What is?"

Tart wanted in on whatever I had discovered, so I set up a link to her pipbuck and began transferring the project data for the Phase 3 Lightbringer, giving her something that could distract her. Gilheim was staring at some grenades he had discovered and Xera kept a close eye to make sure he didn't trigger some alarm or double cross us.

Me, I had a few minutes to think things through. I began to understand that the weird gun that the griffin and the steel rangers wanted was a weird hybrid of a firearm and a magical energy weapon. Or an attempt to improve a firearm with whatever those rings of arcano-technology were. I guessed the Big Mac was the gun mentioned in the text, and wondered just how close they had been to completing it when the Enclave struck.

There was another thing that troubled me about it however. It felt like when I first discovered the secret of the self declared princess, and there was something she had said. Sunshine, it was what she called Stormcloud and I had vague memories about asking him about his name long ago.

One of my old teachers had been working for Icetear back during the Great War, making weapons. More specifically, he had been designing weapons that Luna herself wanted in order to bring an end to the war. By the sounds of it he was almost finished when the zebrecians dropped the bombs.

It was worse than that, he keeps travelling Equestria. Wouldn't surprise me if he was one of those ponies sent out by the Provisional Government, and if he saw with his own eyes how the Enclave destroyed everything he cared about a second time... How in Tartaros is that ghoul still sane??

Scratch that, how were any of the ghouls sane?

In that moment I realized that I needed to readjust my understanding of the ancient ponies around me. The strange ghoul in Flood Town had probably lived through entire lifetimes without realizing it, too stuck in the past and the failures of the Provisional Government to do anything unless somepony forced her hoof. Meaning that it was the Steel Rangers being the driving force behind that faction, and that I should probably try to have a talk with their elder at some point.

Then we have the other major group, the caravans and Goldstar. The Pears were very well informed, and I had to assume that the other families at least knew enough to not stir things up needlessly. Speaking of stirring things up, that was exactly what Goldstar was doing... Hold on, was my mother working with them because of the threat of the Enclave?

There was the definite possiblity that she had given the Van Hoof star bombs, and my family was involved in the development of the Lightbringer project. For all I knew there was dozens of guns in Vanhoover aimed skywards, ready to be loaded with megaspells at a moment's notice. Even if the Enclave suspected that the ancient arsenal of Icetear was being brought to bear against them, could they do anything to stop it at this point?

I could feel the time running out, at this point it was only a matter of time before Vanhoover would be embroiled in a war. And it would be war on a scale that hasn't been seen since the Last Day. Too many ponies have had enough, too many factions were plotting against each other.

Ètoile Van Hoof was insane, no question about it. She was unstable, switched from one persona to another, and was as ruthless as the worst raider at times. And yet, here I found a method to the madness. A goal that she seems to have been working towards since before I was born, how many decades of preparation had it taken? Maybe that was the trick? She planned long term and carefully changed things, too slowly for anypony to notice.

The question is what happens when the first shot is fired. Will it be enough? Even if it is, what happens next? If she truly is a Van Hoof then it makes sense that ponies listen to her and support her, she has a claim of legitimacy, even against the proper remnants of the Equestrian government. Even if the Enclave falls, Vanhoover could end up tearing itself apart.

Was there any possibility of her abdicating her position in favour of the Steel Rangers and the administrator? Honestly, I didn't dare hope for it. For her to do so, would require a level of integrity and self reflection that I couldn't associate with the unicorn. If however she was removed from the equation...

"No, not finishing that line of thought."

Killing somepony for the sake of political convenience? No, I couldn't do that. If I did that something inside me would break and be lost forever, my virtue. If I crossed that line I would be the same as the various wastelanders that both frightened and disgusted me. And did Equestria need one more heartless killer wandering its wastes?

The answer was that of course it didn't.

A shiver down my spine broke my focus. Glancing up at the lance glimmering in a soft blue light, I wondered why Icetear had created the thing? Why was it different? The other two weapons were obviously meant to end the Great War once and for all, but Phase 1 looked like an energy weapon of some sort. And for some reason, whenever I focused my attention on it my blood seemed to freeze.

Slowly it dawned on me, it was right there in the name. It wasn't a weapon to simply kill its target, it was meant to utterly annihilate it. Whatever Icetear had done, it was an unholy symbiosis of state of the art technology and the occultism of the Van Hoofs. This thing tore apart souls as easily as it burned through flesh.

Lifting my pipbuck I entered the Project: Lightbringer cluster and picked a file titled "Star Lance" on a hunch, and indeed, it was written by that azure mare. I had procrastinated long enough, it was time to learn the dark truth of her reign.

***

Research Note - 134: Star Lance

It is no wonder the engineers of M.A.S. struggled with this piece of technology. The rapidly evolving technological landscape in Equestria has barely reached the level where the average arcano-technical specialist can recognize the artifacts as something resembling our own technology. An unfortunate side effect of our revolutionary scientific progress is that ponies as a culture struggle keeping up with it and tend to develop very narrow viewpoints (especially with the suppression of free thought at the hoofs of the M.O.I.).

No, in order to properly comprehend these alien artifacts one must have a more flexible worldview, and preferably a multidisciplinary education. As such, I have decided to bring in my former teacher into this project and utilize her Institute to the fullest. There is of course, the issue of the zebras in her employ. While they do have the right blend of spiritual and logical thinking, they have a horrible tendency towards religious phobia when it comes to anything related to the stars.

Of course, it is religion that limits my fellow ponies from properly understanding the subject matter. The veneration of alicorns, and the strange obsession of souls as something inviolable stifles their minds. A soul, when all is said and done, is nothing more than a cluster of magical energy with a pseudo-consciousness. They can be torn apart, merged, carefully created and be utterly annihilated. The Van Hoofs understood this well enough. As I now find myself wanting their expertise, I begin to wonder if I was mistaken in the decision to eradicate my relatives.

There is no changing the past, as we live in far too fragile times to even contemplate time travel, and Glimmer's organization should serve as a suitable substitute. At least after some proper screening to avoid individuals with superstitious viewpoints from being involved.

Regarding the artifact the M.O.A. operatives have dubbed "The Star Blaster", it appears to disrupt the soul cluster of its target, leading to an electro-magical discharge. If this merely resulted in the creation of electrons, the consequences would merely be ionization, and in the more extreme cases result in the generation of plasma. The actual results are, however, far more unique. On a sub-atomic level, neutrons develop a negative charge and the newly formed antiproton proceeds to annihilate the closest proton, and in accordance to current theories, the dismantling of an atom inevitably results in a chain reaction. With the expected radioactive emissions that are potentially lethal to all known forms of life.

This much I can extrapolate from discoveries within Project: Amethyst and Project: Stardust, as it matches previously confirmed observations of the unusual properties of Lunium. As I do not believe in mere coincidences, I begin to suspect that Lunium may have an extra-Equestrian origin.

The full understanding of the artifact is still beyond me, and reverse engineering it could prove invaluable for our other projects in the region. Not to mention, with the recent rumours that the Zebrecians have begun weaponizing necromantic alchemy in their desperation, we might very well require a weapon capable of slaying those truly immortal.

And here, I hesitate, and will have to bring the subject before her highness personally before pursuing further research. If this technology got into the wrong hooves, regicide would be the least of our problems.

Royal Coordinator of Vanhoover

Aurora Van Hoof

***

"Jackpot."

And the last piece of the puzzle fell into place. Aurora Van Hoof, the name fit with the others, it explained her motivations, and why she built this weapon. And as a Van Hoof, she wasn't beyond practicing unholy magic to reach her ends. Now... about the seriously overpowered ghoul in Tall Tale. The personality didn't fit with what little I knew about Sable Quill at all, suggesting that it wasn't the same pony I had talked to.

It was Icetear herself.

She had survived, the end of the world, as well as the betrayal at the hoofs of the Enclave. On that matter, I had stumbled on to its origins. The Ministry of Awesome was Rainbow Dash's personal ministry, and obviously there was more to it than what I had learned in history class. Neighvarro was obviously some sort of M.O.A. location, maybe a military base or cloud city.

So everything lead back to three specific mares. Aurora, Ètoile and Rainbow Dash. Pondering for a few moments what had happened with Dash, if the death of the princesses drove her over the edge? Or maybe she had always been harboring seditious ideas?

Unfortunately, as I grew up in a stable I had no personal link to the pegasi above the clouds... Except for my father, who was ex Enclave. Not that it mattered at the moment, but it was one more thing I wanted to talk with my mom about whenever I next met her. And there was technically somepony else that I could ask about Aurora and the ministries...

"Wait a moment... If the lance is reverse engineered from something, there should still be an original."

As I lifted my eyes I realized that my companions were looking at me expectantly again. Gilheim in particular looked like he wanted to say something, and as if he was getting freaked out by the place as well. At this point, only Tart seemed unfazed by the objects surrounding us.

"You wanted something?"

"Yeah... my part of the contract was completed when we stepped through the front door. So I was wondering if I could just grab a gauss rifle, some ammo and return to base? Not that I don't enjoy the company but..."

His feathers stood on end, and his eyes were thoroughly unnerved. A talon mercenary, scared.

"On one condition."

"Yeah?"

"Keep quiet about the lance."

He actively averted his eyes from it.

"Talon's honour, I won't say a word."

Judging by his unsteady voice, I suspected that as soon as he was back in the Black Hoof he would get the strongest stuff on the Saloon menu. Reliable, honest and knew when to keep their beaks shut, I was growing properly fond of the Snow Talons at this point. Oh, and let's not forget the best part, they're independent from the larger factions of Vanhoover.

***

"Tell me again what we are looking for?"

Tart was getting suspicious at the way I was acting, and yet I wanted to spare her from the worst.

"Some high security storage area."

"Higher security than the weapon prototypes and the maneframe, you got to be joking."

She was getting irritated, was it a side effect of the place?

"No, seriously. The lance back there and possibly the maneframe itself were reverse engineered from something, and I need to see exactly from what."

Tart glanced at the zebra besides us.

"Zebrecian technology?"

I paused for a moment before answering.

"No."

"Then what?"

I didn't answer.

"Windstriker, what did you find?!"

I ignored her as I felt my way around the subterranean labyrinth we were in. And got promptly shoved into the wall for my silence. The steel ranger's eyes weren't angry, they were filled with worry and something else. Pain, pain at being kept in the dark.

"Somethin's up with you. You have been actin' strange ever since we crossed the city limits, and it has gotten worse and worse! You act like you're possessed by somethin'. So please tell me, what is goin' on?"

Not sure how I should explain if she couldn't sense it.

"You're not feeling it?"

"Feeling what? This city is weird, but so is every other place in the wasteland."

"Look, if I'm right, then there is something here. And it is freaking the Enclave ponies out, and I'm not sure its the weapons. Or any weapons at all."

"Then what? Something the Van Hoofs left lying around?"

How do one explain this to a pony?

I gave up, sighed and tried anyway.

"Look, Tart. Do you know how the war looked from the zebra's point of view?"

"The zebras were crazy, drugged up on chems and filled with tribal superstitions. Nopony sane would ever build a balefire bomb. Please tell me that you don't believe in their idiotic nonsense. Please..."

Her eyes looked pleading. I had forgotten, ponies always viewed us zonies either as ponies or as zebras. And in the eyes of a steel ranger, zebra meant the enemy who destroyed Equestria.

"Its not a matter of belief, its whether there is something concrete behind it."

"And what would that be?"

"Xera, tell her about the lance."

Tart eased up on her grip and let me drop to the floor, and glanced towards the zebra once more. My shoulder ached but I didn't really care, too distracted by the subject matter and what I was dreading to find whenever the ranger actually listened. If she would listen that is. Earth ponies are notoriously stubborn.

"It is cursed, unholy. It is a weapon gifted by evil stars."

"Horse apples! You striped bastards called our princess Luna a monster."

"Not a monster, a champion of their cause."

She released me, backing up, away from both of us.

"Windstriker, you grew up in a stable. You should know better than this."

Her tone was getting paranoid and downright hostile, she didn't want to hurt me, but was split between her duties and her compassion. I needed to defuse this, fast.

"Yeah, I do. There was a file however in that maneframe, where Icetear wrote about alien technology and how she was in charge of reverse engineering it. And get this, she got the artifacts in question from the Ministry of Awesome. Does that ring any bells?"

Her expression changed, and it pained me to see. In that moment, her eyes had changed to that of a killer. She hid it well, with her army discipline and higher social standards, but she was just as worn down by the corruption of the wasteland as everyone else.

"Explain."

The tone was final, she wasn't asking, it was an order.

Xera flinched at the tone, I merely sighed.

"Look, I don't know what sort of stuff the Ministry of Awesome was up to during the war. All I know is that they had some link to what the royal coordinator was doing here in Vanhoover, that Rainbow Dash was personally involved and that Icetear dragged my family into it."

"And what does this have to do with zebra mythology?"

"As far as I know for certain? Nothing. If my suspicions are correct however... Everything. If I'm correct, then there should be a sealed storage area filled with strange artifacts somewhere in here, and probably within Neighvarro as well. I got a hunch the M.O.A. was in charge of the stuff, and when the bombs fell they really didn't want Icetear to have it. Only problem was, she was developing super weapons and they couldn't attack Vanhoover outright."

She was quiet for a long moment.

"And this is why you have been acting weird lately?"

"Kind of? Vanhoover is a bit weird, the whole place seem to be supercharged with astral energies. Its probably why the Van Hoofs were... strange. And why there is all this weird shit going on around the city. You know... I think it has something to do with the illusive alicorn."

The ranger looked skeptical, until I mentioned the final word.

"Hold it, what alicorn? The one you encountered the night you ran into an enclave patrol?"

"Yep, that's the one. Remember the statue in the square outside of Northtrade? That was her. And according to the Pear she is the mother of Celestia and Luna. Meaning... that this is probably their hometown now that I think of it..."

"Wait, WHAT?! Do you've any idea what you're saying?"

"Yeah, I do. Now, can we please try to see if we can find that storage room?"

"Sure, but we will discuss this later. That is final!"

Again, I sighed. It was easier before she began seeing me for my stripes.

***

"So, is this it?"

Tart was still acting suspicious but she let me look around, and we did find a door simply labelled "Vault". It wasn't looking any different from the other locations beneath the old M.A.S. hub, but it felt like a place best left undisturbed. Xera looked like they were going to run away at any point, suggesting that this was indeed the place. Now, if this place was as easy to break into as the rest of the place...

It wasn't.

When I tried connecting my pipbuck to the terminal at the side of the door I got an unexpected message.

Sealed by Executive level authority

"Huh... Which ponies have executive level clearance for this place?"

I was thinking out loud, but Tart was quick to answer.

"During the war you mean? The Coordinator, her administrators, some M.A.S. representative and..."

"The directors of the Starlight Institute, starting with Glimmer and ending with my grandfather."

"Any way to know who locked it up? And why they ignored weapons storage of all things?"

My veins froze as I realized something I should have noticed before.

"Actually... They didn't. Everything in here was fully sealed, executive level encryption on all of it."

"Then what's the problem? Can't you hack it like you did the rest?"

"Tart, I didn't hack a single terminal."

Her eyes widened as she, for the first time since we entered the city, began to sense that something was wrong. This little trip into the heart of Vanhoover had gone smoothly, far too smoothly in fact. The rangers had tried getting into this place for years with no success, and we did it on our first try. At the time she had been distracted by the threats around us and, well, by me.

"Windstriker, please explain."

I pointed at my pipbuck.

"The terminals in here recognize my pipbuck as that of an executive's level, and they identify me by name. At first I just thought it was standard for the pipbucks of our stable to be programmed that way, in case we need to get into old places like this."

"That makes sense but..."

"Yeah, that is probably not it. I don't think we're the first people to get in here, and whoever was here before didn't touch anything here except this door and maybe the maneframe. She was fine with us poking around in here, just not this room."

The ranger was paying attention and noticed my wording.

"She? You know who it was then?"

"The only person with access to this level of encryption as well as my personal pipbuck? Not all that hard to figure out. Ever heard of an unicorn zony named Blackhorn?"

"Should I?"

"Where to start... She is one of the best engineers back home, one of Starlight's old lovers, scares the everloving shit out of the toughest mares I have met... Oh and she is my mom."

She had the good manners to look shocked.

"Your... what??"

Stunned, for but a moment.

"Your MOM is working for the pretender? And she has access to megaspells?!"

The tone was hostile, and the ranger in front of me was beginning to see me as an enemy again.

"Are you going to shoot me or can I please finish?"

"..."

"Thank you. There are things you don't know, little things I noticed."

"Such as?"

"That my mom tried killing her? With a weapon that can turn steel ranger armour into a molten pile of slag?"

"Then why is she working for her?"

"Revenge against the Enclave is my guess, if my father really was one of them. Although that isn't my point. I know the administrator in Flo- in Tall Tale, she is practically unkillable. The same thing goes for Starlight as well, and do you have any idea what my mom found in here?"

She shook her head, slowly.

"An unholy weapon designed to kill... Well, let's not mince words. A goddess. Icetear suggested in her notes that it could kill the princesses, and probably anything else it was aimed at. If I know my mom, she'll go after Starlight after the Enclave is destroyed. And if she fails, she wants me to finish the job."

***

The weird thing with Memory Orbs is how I kept stumbling over the most convenient ones, were they limited to important ponies and the most important events that shouldn't be forgotten? Was I just lucky? Or was there someone messing with my life?

The crimson orb I found by a random glance belonged to my old teacher, the ghoul. And the occasion was what looked to me like a date, with no other than the madmare whose dreams I kept visiting for some reason. As far as I could tell we were in Canterlot, some small back alley café. It smelled of coffee, tea and freshly baked pastries and the waitress kept throwing jealous glances at me and my host.

"You are going to record this memory, are not you Sunshine?"

The grey mare in front me sounded irritated, although her eyes mostly looked curious.

"And leave evidence for anypony to find? Don't be ridiculous."

It was weird to hear his voice and it not being all gravely.

"Still, I have a hunch you will change your mind."

"You and your hunches, will it be a problem?"

By the tone it sounded like this wasn't the first time they had this discussion.

"Not really, mostly an annoyance."

As she said the words she looked into our eyes, and I got an eerie feeling that she was trying to find me. As it was, she either failed or didn't care enough as she looked away moments later.

"Speaking of which, should I be worried about the young mare giving me looks?"

Starlight chuckled slightly.

"Morning Light?"

It wasn't a question, neither was it aimed towards us. The ears of the waitress twitched at the name, and the cute yellow mare had a crimson mane and an even cuter outfit. She turned her head, realized that she was being called over and had the angriest smile I had ever seen as she came closer.

"Yes, Goldie?"

"This is Vivid Sunshine, a childhood friend of mine. He prefers stallions."

She blinked in confusion for a moment.

"Oh." She blushed profusely. "Sorry, I misunderstood!"

"He is not a replacement for you, you do not need to worry."

Morning Light hid her face behind a tray to hide her embarrassment.

"So... We still up for next week?"

"Yes, Light, as promised. Just the two of us, no disturbances."

The way her face beamed, it was easy to figure out where she had gotten her name from. Moments later she returned to her work, and Sunshine cocked an eyebrow at the mare on the other side of the table, who was quietly enjoying her tea. She glanced at us, levitated out a mirror and said.

"Its your colours, they are the reverse of hers and she is the nervous type, not really used to dating mares. And for your information, we'll be having a midnight picnic at the top of Mount Celestia, away from all the politics and the drama."

"I didn't ask."

"It wasn't for your sake, she is still listening."

Sunshine gave out a loud dramatic sigh.

"How many are you up to now, and how aren't you dead yet?"

The conniving smile Ètoile showed in that moment, she was enjoying it.

"Do you mean recently or in total?"

"Irregardless, there was something I wanted to discuss with you. Sparkle has taken a personal interest in Coronation and will probably take over the whole project, I'm sure I don't have to explain why this is a problem."

His tone had changed slightly, but it was subtle, despite the sudden change in subject.

"And I assume you want me to clean up any traces of previous experiments?"

"I can remove everything from the M.A.S. maneframes and get rid of any physical copies."

"So just the M.O.I documents then, or do you need me to distract your ministry mare as well?"

"It would be helpful, and please be discreet."

"No worries, my own minister could use a distraction as well, and I have something in mind."

Both my host and I shivered at the tone she used when she emphasized the word. Sunshine was evidently distressed by the subject matter and looked out the window just as it started to rain, then pour, followed by a dramatic thunderclap. There was an expectant pause filled with tension at the table, until she broke it with a short question.

"Well?"

We didn't answer.

"The surviving specimen, you have two options. And leaving her in the stasis pod in the Manehattan hospital is not one of them. Either you dispose of her-"

"Enough! I know! I know..."

"Having second thoughts, are we?"

"Don't patronize me, Ètoile."

"You knew full well what you were doing when you came to me for this little arrangement. My knowledge of the esoteric and my access to the Ministry of Image's whole operation, for your reports on Aurora and-"

"You don't need to remind me! And for your information, Resurgence was a complete dead end."

He levitated out a file of papers out of a suitcase and laid it down at her side. As she opened it and began reading through the document, I could feel Sunshine's face contort into a suspicious scowl. He asked a question that he probably should have asked ages ago.

"Are you certain these specific ponies deserved it, and that you didn't just want to retaliate against your relatives?"

She ignored the question, browsed through the document with the same eyes she had back when I confronted her. And as the thunder struck once more I felt a shudder as I realized the contrast between the calm and happy café and her mood in that moment.

"Answer me, you owe me at least that much."

"Does it matter?"

The voice was cold, not threatening but utterly heartless.

"Of course it matters!"

She closed the document she was reading, closed her eyes for a moment and stared right into ours.

"Really... You didn't care if any of the Van Hoofs were innocent when the vendetta started, nor any of the ponies the M.O.M. imprison, nor the Equestrian zebras that get lynched the moment they step into a pony town. Nor did you care when Fluttershy decided to lobotomize ponies whose only crime was a natural reaction to the things occurring around them. Face it, Sunshine, all of Equestria is corrupt and malignant. All the way from the princesses down to the common pony."

"Don't talk about the princesses like that..."

"Or what? You are going to report me to the M.O.M? Maybe tell one of Aurora's hitmares, and send a black ops unit after me? What do you think is going to happen, if they got hold of my memories? You think you would last a day before you mysteriously died in an accident?"

"Is there a point to this?"

"There is. Specifically, I am the only pony you can talk to openly about all these little experiments, and I am the only support you have in moments like this. The current issue you are facing is that your basic equine empathy has finally caught up to you and you realize how many innocents you have hurt while telling yourself it was for the greater good. And here is the hard truth you do not wish to face: It is not enough. In both meanings of the phrase, you have not gone far enough to stop this war from destroying us all, and no excuse is enough for the atrocities you have done."

"WE, we have done. Not just me."

"Actually, you are the one who suddenly developed a conscience. I have been perfectly aware of it all from the beginning, these are insane times we live in and you just got caught up with the public hysteria."

"And you didn't?"

"Of course not."

The expression as we locked eyes, needless to say, Sunshine's blood went cold.

"You're just like Icetear..."

"Aurora? No, I am not. Her vendetta is driven by a personal grudge, her various projects is partly an academic matter and partly a desperate hope to impress Luna. She is just as infatuated with the princess of the night as Amethyst is. Despite her nickname, she is very much driven by her emotions and passions. Regarding me, if anything, I am more akin to Fluttershy. All too aware of how monstrous our society is, albeit when she desperately tried finding a cure for it all, I embraced it."

"..."

"You wonder why, and I suppose you wouldn't understand without any explanation. For some of us, we are given a choice. A simple choice of either letting supposedly decent ponies grind us down and die a slow, painful and lonely death. Or, we can learn to retaliate, persevere throughout it all and be treated like the monsters we honestly are. And here is the one cold fact that keeps me alive, when you judge me and wish I was anything else than what I am. In practice, what you wish for, is my that I had died crying and screaming while still a little filly."

"Just... what happened?"

"Pfft, please. I rather not bore you with a long-winded tale of my life's tragedies."

"Ètoile, don't take this the wrong way, but you should probably consider a therapist."

"Oh, I already have. Six of them neither cared or understood, two of them recommended that I be locked up and be lobotomized, one reported me to the M.O.M. on the grounds I was a zebra sympathizer. This was years before we started this little arrangement, I hadn't hurt a fly and yet ponies wish me broken or dead."

My host took a deep breath, and his tone was one of worry and care.

"You said that you were the only one I could rely on for support. That goes both ways, there is no way that you're open on these matters with your various paramours, so please, talk to me."

The grey unicorn put her hooves together and stared at my host in silence, her eyes a mixed of suspicion and curiousity. To me, she looked more like a cornered animal than anything else, ready to lash out at the first hint of danger.

"Very well, I'll amuse you. Remember all the revenants in the Vanhoover catacombs?"

I didn't like where this was going.

"The nightmares?"

"Right, that is the Canterlot term for them. Anyhow, back when I was a filly my supposed friends thought it was a fun little joke to lead me into that place and lock the door. Of course, my mother was away, and the foals never bothered to tell any adults about it. That, or the adults didn't care. The end result however, was that the nightmares really appreciated the taste of my magic, or if you prefer, soul."

"Celestia's mercy..."

"Ignoring your frankly offensive choice of words, this was just a one time occurrence. However, there was the matter of other Van Hoof nightmares, those buried outside of the Catacombs, without the proper seals. They roam the city freely at night, and like the others, they too had a preference. My mother knew of ways to ward off them, not that she bothered to show or tell me. I had to learn that by reading through her books on my own."

"Not sure what to say..."

"Preferably nothing, I care little for pity. And now you know the story about how I became a necromancer at the age of six. Naturally, I knew to hide it, and managed to keep a secret for a few years until Amethyst blathered to his mother about all the cool stuff I could do. And do not even try, please. Fluttershy is wrong, you can not cure a broken pony, only put them out of their misery. And you of all ponies know how far I am willing to go in order to live."

***

My two companions were soundly asleep when I exited the memory orb, unfortunately I really wasn't in the mood to join them. Even if I tried to ignore the creepier parts of that conversation, I felt paranoid, so those ghost ponies wandered Vanhoover even back before everything went to Tartaros? Feasting on sleeping pony souls? No way I could sleep knowing that, not a chance.

Trying to find a distraction I checked the radio, no reception. This basement was a perfect bunker, actively designed to withstand the worst both the zebras and the Enclave could through at it. True, it meant that we were probably perfectly safe and that I shouldn't worry, but I still felt vulnerable. And I decided to try to get through the things in that memory so I could put it out of my mind, as such I clicked open the data cluster labelled "Project: Resurgence" and braced myself emotionally.

"Test Number 11, this time we need to find the lower limit of the energy output required in order to trigger the reflexive temporal inversion. Previously, we confirmed that several smaller beams of laser fire gave equally satisfying results as one major beam. We will now start at seven beams from the Starlady Model 16 projector and then work our way downwards."

The voice was definitely that of Sunshine, or Stormcloud as I had known him growing up. I was however distracted by the noise in the background, through the sound of hooves and humming technology there was something else. The whimpering cries of a pony, a stallion I think.

"Please, no! I'm telling you, its a mistake! I don't-"

"Proceed with the test."

BWOOOHM

As the sound of the magical energy weapons died down there was just the ambient hum of whatever technology they had in the room, and it lasted for the better part of a minute before Sunshine gave the order.

"Interesting, no verbal responses. Please confirm whether the subject is still alive."

There was the sound of hooves on concrete, not the quick steps of someone rushing. They were being very causal and possibly bored by the situation, at least that was what I got out of their tone when they replied.

"He's alive, sir. Should we continue?"

"Hm... No. Let the subject rest, we need to confirm whether there has been any mental degradation. Two hours, that should be enough. Next we'll try limiting ourselves to six beams."

"Very well, you two. Handle the test subject. What now, sir? Lunch?"

"Let's, no sense in doing science on an empty stomach after all."

The recording cut out. My previous fears all forgotten and replaced by a feeling of disgust, what in the name of cursed stars were they doing? Live testing on a pony? Not even a volunteer by the sounds of it. This was test number eleven, which meant that they had already done it ten times at that point.

I checked the numbering of the audio files, 63 in total. In that moment I wasn't afraid, I was furious and decided to confront the old ghoul about this at some point. The question however, was if this was a uniquely horrifying project or if he could get away with it because they did things like this everywhere in Equestria during the Great War. Ètoile clearly suggested that it was the latter.

"Test Number 37, the test subject is currently deceased as a result of the previous test. It has now been three minutes since the time of death. Due to the nature of the magic involved, we could theoretically create a miracle and bring a dead pony back to life. You can proceed with the test at your convenience."

The humming sound felt particularly ominous.

BWWOOOHM

There was the sound of gasping and coughing from one pony, as well as the surprised murmurs of others.

"Test successful, there seem however to be side effects. We need to clarify exactly what that entails before proceeding further. Medic, please tend to the subject's wounds, and report the subject's mental state after 24 hours of rest."

My mane stood on end, they managed to do WHAT?

When I managed to calm myself down enough I skipped through most of them and clicked the final one, needing to know what the end result was and just how far they had gone.

"Test Number 63, the test subject has been unresponsive to verbal questioning for some time. Unfortunately we have to conclude exactly how long it takes until the mental degradation reaches a hundred percent. As of this moment, I suspect that the subject operate solely on instinct. Please proceed."

BWOOHM

There was nothing but the sound of electronic humming and tired sighs from the researchers.

"Medic, please confirm."

The recording was mostly silent for several minutes.

"Technically alive, sir. There is a heartbeat and breathing, the eyes don't react to any stimuli however and I doubt we will find much of a brain activity. Test subject can properly be described as a vegetable."

There was a loud sigh from Sunshine.

"So that is the end of it. I'm putting the project on hold until we can figure out what causes the mental breakdown, we can't present it to the princesses in its current state."

There was a new voice, presumably from one of the researchers.

"But sir, we performed a miracle here. Think of what we can do if we manage to sort out the issues!"

"No, we are running out of test subjects and have barely made any progress on the last twenty tries. We need to do the theory work before we continue, anything else would be a fool's errand."

"Can't the M.O.A. provide new test subjects? Not like there is a shortage of deserters and traitors out there."

"No, and that is final. We are practically flailing around in darkness here, I need to consult with an expert before deciding if this project can be salvaged."

How many ponies had they killed? And the Ministry of Awesome just supplied them with more whenever they asked? Just how far could the Equestrian government sink... And I guessed I knew how the so called princess, and possibly the administrator survived the impossible.

Then I noticed a text file labelled Test Number 64.

"Test Number 64, this isn't part of the formal sequence of experiment but an interesting proposition has been made. Whether the lance that can kill anything can outmatch the perfect, albeit flawed, defense. The end result was definitely worth the effort, as the test subject went out in a thin haze of blue despite the inversion. Turns out, there are blind spots within the spell we designed."

So it CAN kill her? That is good to know.

Level Up:
Skill Note: Science - 75%

Perk Added: Meltdown

You have learned how to reach that critical point where magical energy weapons perform at their peak. Your critical hit chance with such weapons is increased by 15%, and enemies killed by a critical hit explode in a brightly coloured radioactive burst, dealing damage to everyone nearby.

Chapter 16 - Dreamwalker

Walking through the maze of streets and alleyways of the city had been strange and oddly hypnotic when we were trying to reach the Ministry of Arcane Sciences hub. I wasn't actually sure how many days we had spent in the city, the time and the memories seemed to blur together and there were definitely a few gaps in there.

And somehow, when I was walking through the city this time it was worse.

Way worse.

This time the city was completely intact, and utterly devoid of ponies, birds, cats or any semblance of proper life. And still there were something here, something vicious, hostile, and hungry... Some part of me was sure that it was the same creatures as the ghosts I had ran into before, although whatever was going on in Vanhoover at the moment had changed them. They weren't even remotely equine, whenever I could actually catch a glimpse of them. For some reason they never attacked me, even if they were definitely hunting me, they seemed overly cautious, afraid even.

It wasn't just that I could see them hiding in the alleys, in the windows, on the roofs, I could feel them eyeing me. In the strange haunting light of the night sky they stood out like the full moon against a black sky, except it was entirely in reverse. The walls, the cobbled roads, even the water glittered in a variety of colours, while the nightmares were pitch black voids.

"The sky..."

Stopping, I looked up again. Unlike nearly all other ponies in the wasteland I had actually been above the cloud cover, and I had actually seen the night sky before. I knew how it was supposed to look like, a dark blue or violet backdrop covered with faint, shimmering stars and a transforming moon. The moon wasn't there, and even if it was a new moon I would have noticed it, with the constant glittering wherever I looked. All of the endless expanse above me glimmered in the colours of gold, white, red and blue. Somehow I had never guessed how many of them there were, still not entirely sure how, but in that moment even the faintest stars shone brightly, and the result looked more like a gleaming dragon hoard than the dark expanse I was used to.

There was some growling above me, not that I heard it with my ears, it was more as if I felt it in my blood. A vaguely equine head stared down from a roof, it had no ears and its lower jaw was unhinged like that of a snake, with two leg sized fangs extending out of it. The thing had no eyes that I could make out, but I could feel it sizing me up like a manticore encountering something new for the first time, unsure if I was prey or a threat.

There were two long limbs that I could see, both ending in a set of four claws, one of the limbs ripping through the stone of the roof, another gripping straight into the wall as it appeared to be frozen in the middle of a lunge or crawl downwards to the street, to the foolish pegasus below it.

These things clearly did more than take a little nibble of your soul, this horror of a creature intended to rip it apart and feast on whatever a soul is made out of. It was clear that this thing was a predator, nothing more, nothing less, it hunted, it killed and it devoured. It wanted to kill me, of that I was certain.

So why was I not afraid?

"If you don't mind, I am on the way to see somepony."

No reaction, either it couldn't hear me, or it didn't understand Equish.

"She is a Van Hoof."

That got its attention.

"Vaaaaaahnnn hooooof..."

It appeared to sound out the words as if it had heard them for the first time. Although if that was the case, why was it only reacting to those two words, and nothing else? It clearly recognized the name, and seemed puzzled by it. There was another thought that disturbed me a bit more than that. Why couldn't I hear it with my ears? And how was I hearing it at all?

Then it struck me, telepathy of some sort!

It moved slowly, turning around and crawling back up to the roof and disappeared out of sight. Trying to put it out of my mind, I was slowly realizing something else. At the time it was just a hunch, this city functioned along a different set of rules than reality should allow, and if there were telepathic nightmare creatures and dream walking alicorns around...

Closing my eyes, I took a deep breath and tried to sense things around me, like I sensed the wind when I was flying. To my surprise it seemed to work, there was something vaguely sentient about the whole city and I could get partial visions of various streets, buildings and other places in the city. And more than that, I could feel something else reaching out the same way, and it recognizing me.

Finally knowing where I was going, I turned west towards the harbor and the glittering sea. My aimless wandering in this urban maze was at an end, and I felt relieved to finally have a destination, then, still a new question formed in my mind.

Who was waiting for me in this weird landscape?

I could think of three possible ponies. I wasn't entirely sure which one I was hoping for, which one I feared the most at the moment, or if they would truly be ponies when I found them. Needless to say, I dreaded the confrontation.

***

The closer to the harbour I got, the fewer nightmares I encountered, and it wasn't difficult to figure out why. There was a constant pressure on my mind, not a really a voice, more of a ceaseless humming sound that was driving out my own thoughts. The closer to my destination I got, the stronger the pressure and the louder the noise became. If I got to the source, my mind would probably snap, but for some reason I was confident that it wouldn't.

When I saw the ocean for the first time I was terrified, with how alive it felt. This time, as it lay perfectly calm without the slightest wave or wind, things were different. Although I began to suspect what was wrong with it, as it stretched out to the horizon, glittering oh so beautifully. The sea was a reflection of the stars, of their magic and of their will.

Tonight however, the stars were gentle and soft in their light.

I could have stood there at the edge of the city for an eternity, transfixed by the light and bathing in the magic it brought with it. If not for a familiar voice interrupting my peaceful moment.

"Beautiful, aren't they?"

A little way behind me, at the very edge of the street, stood an old café from the days of the war, and there sat the only pony I could find, in an extravagant dress of purple and gold. A unicorn, with a dark grey coat and a mane that glittered like the sea and the sky. And yet she looked different somehow, taller, her horn easily twice the length, her coat was darker and something else that I couldn't put my hoof on.

"Are you the one doing this?"

"Doing what?" Her reply was filled with curiosity, and feigned innocence.

"The sky, the city, the nightmares." I made a wave with my wing towards the direction I had came from.

She decided to make a dramatic motion of closing her eyes and taking a sip of tea before answering.

"At the moment? Yes, and no. It is my spell that you are so persistent on invading, I for one merely intended to enjoy some solitude and nostalgia. It is not my fault that you are so disrespectful of my privacy."

There was no hostility in her voice, at all, which only gave me the impression that I should be more careful with what I say. This situation was... not normal.

"Hey, I have no idea how any of this works. And besides, it is only the third time."

"Fascinating." That tone I hadn't heard before, and I couldn't understand it either.

"What is?"

"This is the seventh time you intrude on my dreamscape, not the third."

I could feel my coat hairs stand on edge at that.

"What?"

"I wonder... Did you get attacked by any of the nightmares en route here? Spiritual wounds tend to cause amnesia as a side effect, death in particular rends your mind and spirit like little else. Of this, I know better than most."

At that, I blinked in confusion and hesitated before answering.

"If I did... How would I even remember it?"

"Valid point, I'll admit. Still, I am curious. And that, my dear, is an emotion I haven't felt in centuries. Just how are you finding yourself in here? To my knowledge you are not a Van Hoof, your mother never dabbled in the esoteric, and neither did your father. There has only ever been one pony who managed it before, and she is well and properly dead."

Seeing as this was going to be a long discussion I decided to sit down at the table, realizing that she had prepared tea for two. I took this as an invitation but before I could ask which pony she meant, she said in a cold quiet voice.

"That is not for you."

"No? Who were you expecting? The pony you just mentioned?"

"Luna? No, her pretentious highness died in Canterlot along with everypony else that fateful day."

Pretentious? Pot, meet kettle.

"And if she survived?"

She looked at me with a quizzical expression on her face.

"Then, I would have hunted her down and killed her."

I flinched at the words, unable to speak for a moment as she continued.

"Along with any other princesses or ministry mares that might have survived. Unfortunately, not one of them lived to see the results of their war. Death, is a mercy they did not deserve."

Not sure what to say I opened my mouth, only to close it again. And found myself looking away from her, there was pain in the words. While I wanted to protest, I didn't think it was my place to do so, I hadn't lived during the Great War and hadn't seen just how bad it had been. And in that moment I wasn't comfortable asking about it either, so instead I changed the subject.

"... Who were you expecting? If it wasn't me, and not Luna?"

At that her face turned from one of anger into an expression of sorrow, I could feel it resonating within me. There was... embarrassment at the question?

"I do not know... You have to understand that I am over two hundred and thirty years old, and I have forgotten much over the years. This spell, it is supposed to be the remedy for such a condition. There are so many gaps from before the balefire, things that I don't seem to be able to access. Possibly due to some form of mental block, or maybe temporal distortions..."

At that moment I got a strong sense of deja vu to the night under the full moon, where I met...

"Another question, the alicorn? Who is she?"

She frowned, and didn't seem to understand the question.

"Which one?"

I had thought that it was obvious from the context of our environment, although she seemed to be even more spaced out and confused than I was, which was a disturbing thought considering my recent memory gaps. So, I clarified in the most obvious way possible.

"The one your family secreted away, the one hidden here in Vanhoover. Dark coat, burning mane."

Blinking in confusion for a few moments, she cocked her head in that strange zebra fashion, that Xera kept doing, made a strange growling sound that was decidedly inequine, and asked in a cold tone.

"Why do you know of her?"

Not how, but why.

"I've met her" I answered plainly in an even tone, curious at how she would react.

Suddenly, I could hear the wind, and the waves. A storm was brewing, was the spell reacting to her mood?

"You met Amalthea, mother of alicorns? YOU of all beings, centuries after the death of Equestria??"

"Well, yes..."

The wind was practically screeching now, and the sky darkened as clouds began to gather.

"Do you have any idea, how many times I cried out to the stars, desperately hoping to get her attention? Only to be met with utter silence."

She took a deep breath, regained her composure, but the weather got worse, in the distance the sea began to growl as the waves twisted, rose and crashed down again. As a lightning bolt flashed in the distance, remaining in place far longer than it had any right to do. And then the next bolt, and the next.

No, I do not like the sea.

"No." I said as calmly as I could muster at the moment.

I expected a comment or interjection, but she remained silent.

"I don't know, I barely understand any of this. The Great War, Vanhoover, alicorns, why I am here, or why she visited me. All I know is that things have been... wrong since that visit, possibly longer. I keep running into memories, objects and people related to you. Related to you, Amethyst and Aurora. And some thing is messing with my mind."

At that I could sense that her anger was no longer directed at me personally, rather I sensed something I didn't expect at all. Of all possible emotions, she felt sympathy towards me.

"And everything falls into place... I can't kill you, and you feel animosity towards me. A frustrating mix, indeed... but perhaps you can understand my frustration with royalty, in part at least."

I gave a loud exasperated sigh.

"Please, explain."

And so she did, telling the story that every Van Hoof learns as a child. A story that I had only learned distorted fragments of, and how it related to the city, as well as whatever was happening to me.

***

"There was a time before Equestria, at least over twelve centuries ago, probably more. The princesses, the ones you think of when you hear the word, had yet to be born. At the time, the Wyldwood was considerably larger than it is today and just as magical. Within the woods lived a tribe of unicorns, not like the ones you know, not like your mother."

She paused as she took a sip of her drink, something I suspected was largely theatrical.

"These unicorns were... more fey, more ephemeral. There are two stories that I have found concerning the origin of our race, the first is that we descended from the night sky, dancing on the auroras, much like windigos do on the arctic winds. The other narrative, sounds more like something from a Zebrecian myth. With earth pony sorceresses seeking immortality, and reaching for the heavens in their quest. This theory, is disproven by the Van Hoof family tree. For over a thousand years, there has only been a single unicorn born. Me."

At the emphasis of the final word she looked me, daring me to ask a question that was obviously off limits. When I merely nodded and grasped my own cup of tea in my hooves, she continued. Her expression a strange mix of relief and disappointment.

"One thing that few Equestrians ever knew is that civilization is an earth pony invention. True, all sentient people formed tribes and traditions of their own, but actual civilization? When the pegasi flew wild, the weather followed suit, they lived on the clouds unworked by hoof or wing. It was the earth ponies that settled the land, built houses, cultivated farmland and more. The unicorns of the time preferred the forests, and unicorn woods were enchanted."

The unicorn that was in front of me paused and looked away with a nostalgic look in her eyes.

"It is unclear if the forests were magical because of the inhabitants, or the opposite. Although I suspect it was neither, both lived and flourished due to the rich astral magic in that particular area. You, no doubt, know of the zebra's idea that alicorns are cursed creatures of the stars."

I must have frowned because her tone shifted.

"They were right in a limited way, but only because of the unicorn blood within the alicorns' veins. All unicorns are capable of wielding the most eldritch of spells, their apparent inability or failure to do so is the result of a diluted bloodline and little else. At the time of this tale, every unicorn could rival myself or Glimmer."

"Excuse me?!"

The talk of diluted bloodlines rubbed me the wrong way.

"I mean no offense, neither to you nor your mother. Your eclectic bloodlines has its own benefits, that I suspect nopony has fully grasped the magnitude of. If you could put that aside for the moment, I want you to imagine ethereal unicorns, silently moving through a mystical forest underneath a starry sky. They did not build permanent structures of their own, but there was a stone temple from some bygone civilization deep within the woods. It was in this place that the beginning of the end came."

As I drunk the tea I felt the cravings for something sweet, and when I looked down at the table again there was a plate with the most delicious looking cake I had ever seen. Covered in whipped cream, strawberries and things I didn't even have the words for. It tasted even better than it looked. I was beginning to see the appeal of this spell.

I raised an eyebrow at that, she merely motioned with her hoof that I shouldn't interrupt her.

Her hoof was split in two.

"There was a cloaked figure, a pony of unknown breed, or perhaps a zebra now that I think of it. He appeared one day in the ruin, no one knew whence he came or who he was. The stallion, if he was such a thing, spoke of a great calamity that was to come to the Wyldwood. There were signs of an infection in the leyline that went through the forest, and one day those who lived in it would become corrupted and become dark phantoms of their true selves."

"The ghosts."

"Yes, but not quite yet. The unicorns were immortal beings, unable and unwilling to leave their enchanted woods. They were proud, and powerful like few beings are today, and decided to cleanse their home from the unholy corruption the strange stallion spoke of."

The storm was increasing in ferocity, yet we still sat in the middle of it. Completely unharmed, is this what the proverb Eye of the Storm means? As I pondered that, a bolt of lightning shattered a building a few streets over, sending bricks and rubble flying.

"On the day of a solar eclipse, they wrought a ritual like the world had never seen before. Dozens of unicorns, channeling the might of sun and moon into the nexus of the temple, and within that nexus stood a certain individual. A young unicorn sorceress, prepared to give her life soul as a sacrifice in order to complete the ritual. The raw energies of that ritual would be sufficient to break reality itself, should they wish it."

Her eyes looked at me expectantly, to gauge my reaction. My coat hairs stood on end as I very much understood where she was going with this, it was a mega spell matrix. Over a millennium before the Ministry of Peace rediscovered the concept during the Great War. And destroyed everything as a result.

"A mega spell." I said quietly.

"Indeed, it was meant to create a cleansing wave that purged the land of alien energies. The pony sacrifice was specifically intended to control and direct the magic, so that it didn't wipe out the very forest they wished to preserve. Except, something went wrong. Some say she heard the whispers of a star, distracting or tempting her. Others say that the unicorns themselves were already corrupted and not acting of their own minds, and yet others claim that there was something in the temple that inverted the ritual. Either way, the ritual was completed, and a creature like no other opened her eyes for the first time."

"I thought alicorns were a mix of the three pony kinds?"

"They are not, not in any way that truly matters. This is something that Sparkle and her ministry failed to understand. True, you can arguably create a powerful creature through such a hybridization if done correctly. The result would look very much like a true alicorn, and possibly be remarkably powerful, but it would be nothing like the true creature."

Creature, a choice of words that disturbed me more than it should. Was it that I liked the princesses that made me take offense, or was it something more profound, something concerning them that I didn't understand yet? I waited silently as she continued.

"As I was saying, there was only one pony left. It looked very much like a unicorn, except for its wings. Although there subtler hints at its true nature, the astral mane, the fangs that signified a predator, the eyes of a dragon. You claim to have seen her, yet I suspect she wasn't her true primal self at the time. An angry alicorn is a truly terrifying sight, when they drop the equine facade and let their rage rip apart everything, including the minds of those of around them. I... I have lived through it, and I do not care to repeat it."

Suspecting this was a sensitive, but important piece of the puzzle, I asked.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"No, I rather not..."

An uncomfortable silence followed, she didn't look at me. Trying to bring things back on track, trying distract her and avoid a potentially disastrous emotional breakdown. I really didn't want to know what sort of things could happen in this... Whatever this place actually was.

"This first alicorn, you said her name was Amalthea?"

She shook her head to clear her thoughts.

"Yes, although I do not know if she was the same as the young sacrificial unicorn, or if she was an entirely new entity created from the minds of those damned by the ritual. When she opened her eyes she was alone, cautious and confused, wondering whence everypony had gone. Then night fell."

"And the nightmares appeared?"

"Yes. Horrified at the sight she fled to the only other pony tribe she could think of. A group of earth ponies living in a glade by the coast, my ancestors. They had never seen a being like her, nor could they offer her any help on how to reverse the curse that afflicted her people. And yet, they were compelled to accept her. Not as a princess, but as a goddess made manifest. From her they learned magic they should not have, they became mighty occultists and sorcerers in their own right."

"And that is how your family became..."

"Eccentric? Evil? Infected?"

I winced at the words and kept my mouth shut.

"Regardless of what adjective you wish to ascribe to them, it would fit. A few centuries later, she returned from a long journey along with the crossbreed that had accompanied her. This in of itself was nothing out of the ordinary, except this time she was pregnant. She died in childbirth soon after, her final words being redemption requires sacrifice."

"Then, how did I meet her?"

"A ghost. This is Vanhoover, where the dead haunt the living. As it was, she had given up practically all of her magic for her two fillies, one white, one blue. Celestia, and Luna, the alicorn princesses that would unite Equestria and save it from untold disasters and threats."

She quieted down and filled up a cup of tea.

"There's more, isn't it?"

Slowly, she closed her eyes, opened them and looked straight at me, with golden eyes and draconic pupils.

"Indeed, there are. There is one thing that I have discovered from personal experience, alicorns are telepathic. When Celestia and Luna died, the spirit of Equestria died with them, and ponies that had lived their entire life touched by their magic were suddenly cut off. Pony civilization was built around the core of a god-princess subduing the wills and minds of her subjects."

"I don't believe you." I said coldly, not admitting that the idea was making sense in a way.

"Then don't. Point is, when Amalthea died, so did the telepathic influence she had held over the Van Hoofs for centuries. Their entire culture, their traditions, had all been created to serve her. And when she died, and they realized what had happened... They were repulsed by the foals and exiled them along with the crossbreed, a stallion named Starswirl."

That name I recognized.

"Starswirl, as in Starswirl the bearded? I thought he was just a unicorn?"

"Not by the standards of his time nor tribe. Anyways, the last bit of story you should know was when Luna realized her true power and became Nightmare Moon. To the Van Hoofs, that was when she truly became an alicorn, and once more they were compelled to follow her."

And with those words, I finally understood the Van Hoofs.

"What about Celestia? Could she turn into something like Nightmare Moon as well?"

At that, I saw something I wasn't prepared for. She began to cry, struggling to maintain a facade of being in control, and failing. Wiping away tears from her left eye, she answered with a broken voice.

"Yes, yes she could. Not willingly, but if forced to make that choice... she could have ended the war long before Littlehorn. I... grew up listening to this story, my mother always talking about how redemption requires sacrifice. So I sought to be that sacrifice, it failed. Instead of destroying the zebras, she abdicated, and Equestria was doomed to burn."

She looked like she rather not say anything else, then she looked at me once more.

"Ironic isn't it? Balefire is filled with necrotic infusions, infecting everything around it."

There was nothing I could say, so I said nothing.

***

We stood at a cliff overlooking the city from the southern side, it was a strange sight to see the buildings and streets rebuild themselves. Whenever I lost focus or blinked something else was changed, and the nightmares were barely visible in the distance, hiding in whatever shadows they could find.

Turning around I saw rolling hills covered in farmland, small groves, ponds as well as small cottages and the occasional mansion. The landscape was serene, although very much covered in ambient magic as I could tell. No surprise considering it lay between the city, the sea and the forest. Irregardless, it felt liberating to be out of the city.

A soft wind blew through my mane, as I pushed it out of my face with my hoof, I prepared myself and asked the question I had intentionally avoided until that point.

"You know what's happening with me, don't you?"

She didn't look at me, and began walking east, but she did answer.

"Of course I do, I have been through the same process myself. A long time ago."

My eyebrows furrowed at that.

"Do you have to be vague and cryptic about everything?"

She stopped, turned head and glanced at me.

"Why, yes. There is no reason to take on any roles or follow any societal rules within the privacy of my own mind, is there? And no, your presence here does not alter that fact. If you do not like it, you are free to leave, provided you are able to figure out how to do so."

"Ignoring that, you know what I mean. Please explain what is going on, how to fix it!"

She sighed.

"As you wish, provided you agree to watch a few things I would like to show you."

This was certainly a bit unexpected.

"What kind of stuff?"

"Memories, like the ones you would typically find in an orb. Including one related to your father."

It was an obvious bait, and a distraction. I didn't care for it, but it was a small price for advice from somepony who actually knew these occult things..

"Fine, explanation and advice first however. And that means you stop walking wherever we are going."

Where that was, I had a suspicion. Flood Town, or Tall Tale as the old school ponies called it.

To my surprise she turned around, sat down cocked her head. I had expected more arguing or at least an attempt to distract me, but there was an intrigued expression on her face.

"You really have changed."

I just stared at her.

"Short answer, spiritual possession."

For some reason, the answer didn't surprise me one bit.

"Like in the old zebra stories?"

"Gravely distorted by the superstitious, but ultimately yes."

"Should I be worried?"

Not that I felt worried in the least.

"Are you, worried that is?"

"No." I answered flatly.

"Then probably not. The problems related to such a condition stem from there being two, or more, psyches within the same individual, with different sets of priorities and values. The resulting... divergence of thought and emotion create friction and tears apart both spirits. And if it is who I suspect it is, the spirit within you is old and has very few things she truly cares about."

"Meaning what exactly?"

She hesitated for a moment.

"The term possession is misleading, you aren't being directed like a marionette. You are going through what I call a soul synthesis, the union of two souls into a new entity. It is how Amalthea first became an alicorn, and how... nevermind, I don't think you actually heard of Trixie. The point is, you are not really the same individual as a few weeks ago. I would say that I am sorry, but I suspect that you don't really care."

"You are right, somehow I don't."

"A part of you is older than Equestria, there is a certain equilibrium that comes with old age."

Turning my head I stared at one particular star in the west, shining brighter than all others.

"Will I turn into an alicorn then?"

"That is very unlikely, I suspect the fusion is already complete. And the zony Windstriker has a lot stronger will than the faint remnant of Amalthea. If it matters to you, the zony is largely the one in control. If you were to leave Vanhoover, her whispers would wither away unless you returned. She is very fond of the city."

I blinked rapidly, suddenly feeling more like myself again.

"If you never met her, how do you know that?"

"I know, because I am fond of it. Vanhoover was built with immortal beings in mind, a timeless city that would outlast the very stars themselves in due time. If you were to detonate a balefire bomb within it, the city would still stand. It wouldn't be healthy or sane, but it would remain stubbornly intact."

"It is sentient, isn't it?"

"Any defined object with a high enough concentration of magic becomes at least partially sentient."

She paused for a moment.

"I notice you don't ask if the process can be reversed, if you can be cured. Strange isn't it? Having part of your will taken from you, being aware of it and yet not doing anything about it."

Getting that nostalgic feeling of impatience I deflected the question.

"You said you had things to show me, I assume they're important?"

The unicorn before me nodded and began walking again.

***

It was, as I suspected, Flood Town that we were walking to. Unlike Vanhoover which was persistent in how it looked, this city looked completely different. As we drew closer I noticed dozens of skyscrapers rising above the smaller buildings, even those being larger than what is there today.

At the time I was wondering if we were here to see the administrator or the coordinator, and if it would be either of the ponies or just reflections of them like in previous dreams I visited. Turned out that it was neither of those things, we were there to watch the provisional government die.

"See that mass of ponies over to the left, going towards the watch posts?"

When she mentioned it, I saw them, certain they weren't there a few moments before.

"Yes, and why is that I got a bad feeling in my stomach about this scene?"

"Do you know what a raider is?"

Again, with the maze-like responses.

"A pony who robs and kills innocents?"

"An acceptable definition, but I should get to the point. When the bombs fell, when the princesses died, the government collapsed, what happened to those unfortunate to survive? Not the stable dwellers, the ponies and others left on the surface, with family, with friends."

Now that the enchantment over me was lightening, I really felt uncomfortable with where this discussion was going.

"They died? Slower, and in pain I guess?"

"Technically true."

Her voice was cold and filled with bitterness.

"Where are you going with this?"

"When my cousin set up her own little queendom, it was by far the most largest surviving remnant of the old Equestrian state. Even if compassion wasn't enough, she was legally responsible for the well being of the surviving Equestrian citizens. Naturally, thousands of ponies in the wasteland were aware of this fact."

I felt a growing anxiety within me, something was really wrong. Not just about what she was saying, but in the air around us, something was about to happen. Flapping my wings I took to the air and landed near the small horde of ponies now less than a kilometer away from the city border.

There was a sense of desperation among the ponies, all well dressed and murmuring among themselves. As far as I could see, they weren't armed. By my estimate few, if any of them could even defend themselves in a brawl, a stark contrast to the wastelanders I had met.

There was a shout coming from the town's armed guards, telling them to stop. The crowd slowed down, hesitant but they didn't stop. Then... BLAM The first gunshot sounded, a large caliber rifle as far as I could tell. The crowd panicked, and the screams of terror and betrayal broke my heart.

BLAM BLAM BLAM BLAM BABLAM...

The firing didn't stop when the crowd dispersed, instead the shooters continued and gunned down the fleeing civilians. It was a massacre, nothing else.

I puked, and felt a cold rage unlike all other emotions I had felt in my life. Oh how I wanted to fly over and kill those murderers, except I couldn't... They had been dead for over a century, all of them.

Instead I directed my anger at the one self aware pony around me.

"WHY?!" I screamed at her.

She didn't flinch, clearly expecting my reaction. I expected some kind of philosophical brahmin shit, a deflection of blame, or anything but the cold, patient voice as she gave a proper answer to a question that shouldn't have one.

"When Aurora declared martial law she also declared that anypony not living in Vanhoover at the time should be treated by suspicion, with the rationale that anyone living in the wasteland would have become twisted and insane. It was a lie of course, but she only had so much food to go around and could barely sustain the local population. Accepting Equestrian refugees would mean a critical shortage of resources and the VPG would have collapsed within months."

It was logical yes, but utterly heartless and cruel.

"So she had the soldiers gun them down wherever they were found, claiming they were all monsters?!"

"Exactly."

I stared at her with hatred in my eyes, how could she remain so unaffected by what had just happened?

"And these ponies? They weren't dressed like any wastelanders I have seen."

"The government she had put together was falling apart, so she made the same decision she had done two decades before. Estimate how much she could hold together, and let the rest burn and die. First it was Equestria, and now it was Vanhoover."

Closing my eyes, taking deep and calculated breaths, I prepared myself for another question.

"The ghoul, it's Icetear isn't it?"

The impeccably dressed unicorn nodded silently.

"How do I kill her?"

For a long while she stared at me, quietly studying me, as if deciding to answer or not. As she did, something drew my attention, among the dozens of corpses and the growing field of blood something stirred. A survivor. To my horror, I realized that the pony was too small to be an adult. Galloping to her side I saw that the black coated filly had an empty look in her eyes, and as I hesitated for a moment I saw that she had been hit.

"No no no, there has to be some way to fix it!"

I tried to touch her, to keep pressure on the wound and find some way to bandage it. Nothing helped, she was dying with me helplessly standing next to her. I turned to Starlight and shouted.

"DO SOMETHING!!"

I was furious at her lack of panicking, and at her tone.

"Whose memory do you think this is?"

"I don't CARE!"

Next to me, the flank of the filly flashed with magical light. Where it had been blank just a moment ago, there was now the image of a sickly grey rose with purple petals. A flash of recognition hit me, I noticed the purple mane, looked over the traumatized filly once more before confirming it to myself.

I had met her, I had fought her, I even watched her die. Or so I thought.

Behind me the insufferable unicorn repeated an earlier question, this time it resonated within my very soul.

"As I said, do you know what a raider is?"

"..."

I said nothing, not trusting myself at that moment. As she turned once more and began walking westward again I wanted to shout after her to not just leave the filly here, to tell me how I could break whatever barrier that was keeping me from interfering. Instead, I did indeed say nothing.

The filly had grown up into a monster, and most likely watched anyone she cared about die over and over again. With nopony to lift a hoof, with no one to actually care or try to help her. Until a few weeks ago, when she was captured and brought to Goldstar on the order of the unicorn in front of me. Was I supposed to take that as a sign of compassion?

Because it felt hollow and like the raider mare was worth nothing apart from this memory.

I hated it.

***

There was one question at the forefront of my mind after that scene. Not if it was faked, because I was certain it wasn't. Not why that scene in particular, that was fairly obvious. She wanted to turn me against the ghoulish administrator, and by extension the Steel Rangers. No, the question I was wondering was why me?

Was it because of mother? Because I was there? Because of whatever was going on with my mind? And that was an issue I still didn't fully buy, it sounded so very reasonable but it felt wrong.

Then it hit me.

She was well over two hundred years, and for all I knew this wasn't a new or special thing. This could very well be how she recruited her agents, how she stretched her influence without anyone noticing. Although if that were the case, how would she do it? I have never been known for doing as I was told, and I already had a grudge against her.

Looking at the mare walking in front of me, I smiled sardonically. Of course, for the very same reason I was able to figure it out. She was trying to make me think like her, see things in similar ways, and then she could just let me do whatever I wanted.

It was obvious in hindsight, the unicorn who was messing with me was from the capital of wartime Equestria. All this occult horse apples aside, ignoring the propaganda and all else... The reason why she hid her past was simple, she was freakishly good at manipulating ponies, and that only worked if they were unaware of it.

To my surprise, I found myself sympathizing with my mother. She threatened Goldstar with a balefire bomb when she learned that the Étoile had intimidated me. Sure, she was prone to overreacting to everything, but there was something to be said for brute force in the face of sneaky schemes.

Perhaps I should get my own megaspells then? Except, I was already in the process of getting them. I ran to the Steel Rangers, convinced them we were on the same side and in all honesty, it wasn't to protect my Stable. After all, I never had the patience to focus on protecting ponies or places, I merely lashed out against everyone I considered a threat against me or those I like.

"We are here."

My attention snapped back to the present, and as I looked around my coat hairs stood on end as I saw the open sea not far behind us, far far too close. The waves had calmed down but everytime they hit the beach I could feel them reaching closer and closer towards me.

I flapped my wings and left the beach, landing above the hillside to be just a bit farther away from the waters. Turning my head, I saw that she had already arrived before me and was waiting with a patient expression on her face. Things were calm, quiet. And yet I could hear music on the wind, a violin making sorrowful and haunting tones.

Trying to ignore it I decided to make another attempt to figure out where I was. It was an island, that much was clear, and I could see what looked like Vanhoover in the distance across the water. And the unicorn began walking towards the white villa in the middle. It looked different from the rest of Vanhoover, with round pillars, a balcony of a style different from everything else in the city, walls with doorways leading not into the building itself but into another part of the porch.

She led me down an obscured staircase, past the overgrown bushes and on to said porch. The floor, the walls and even the furniture was in remarkably good condition. As we walked through a doorway into another part of the porch and another third of the island I was about to ask what we were doing there. And froze at the sight of a winged pony in power armour.

At first I wondered if it was even an enclave pony as the design barely resembled what I knew of their armour, and it was a pristine white, with yellow visors that seemed to gleam in the starlight. Some part of me tried to figure out if I had a chance against the pony, if we had a chance even. The pony looked like she could rip a steel ranger in half, armour and everything.

She didn't notice us despite looking in our direction, and I remembered how these things worked.

"You came here alone? Really? And here I thought you would bring out the raptor for my sake."

Despite never having heard the voice before it felt familiar, and the tone held an element of laughter in it, and a lot of pain. Her head jerked upwards and she stared up above us towards the speaker, I hesitated for a moment before Ètoile nudged me on. I went outside and flew up to the balcony.

He had pale yellow coat, a black mane, athletic muscles, a few scars and a soft face that spoke of painful memories. More than that, his eyes, they were surprisingly gentle and I could see the sorrow in them.

"Dad?"

I could hear the surprise and mixed emotions in my own voice as I said it. He couldn't hear me, neither could the armoured pony downstairs. They talked about something, I couldn't make out the words as my emotions ran rampant and I just didn't know what to feel. All I could do was stare, feel the cold wind in my mane and watch him.

Then a pair of bright white beams lashed out towards him, he glowed for a moment and disintegrated in a white dust cloud, the wind scattered the ashes before it reach the floor. I entered a state of shock and just couldn't process anymore, I could have sworn that he smiled as he began breaking apart.

I never knew my dad, I could barely piece together that he was enclave from little things I learned from strangers. My mother never mentioned him, never explained anything, and I knew nothing about what kind of pony he was, or why she had been interested in him in the first place. After all the horrible ponies I had met I kind of assumed he was like the rest, a ruthless killer. And yet when I saw him for the first place, those eyes...

He was a pony I would have liked to have in my life growing up, I might have been less socially maladjusted if he had been around when I was a filly. It wasn't that my mother was a horrible person (as far as I knew back then), she just expected a smart unicorn and not.... Well, me. At times I wondered if she resented me, was I too much like my dad?

"Honestly, I expected more questions from you."

The tone was flat and disinterested, but it was enough to break me out of my daze. I turned to the unicorn who had shown me him. My eyes focused on her, stared for a moment before I asked with a cold voice.

"How did you get access to this memory?"

She smiled and I wanted to buck her in the face so hard at that moment.

"I was there of course, watching it."

"Why?"

Depending on the answer I considered charging her and see if I could just beat her to death with my hooves. For all I knew, it just might work. Naturally, I was disappointed and confused by the answer.

"Blackhorn asked me to."

"Hold on, why?!"

"Wouldn't you want a memory orb of your loved one's final moment?"

"And you just stood there? YOU DIDN'T TRY TO SAVE HIM??"

The unicorn sighed, and her eyes changed into those of a killer, those she had in that moment I had realized just how horrible ponies in the wasteland was. I was on guard, but her horn didn't glow, nor did she make any sudden movements. She just... talked.

"You are still too young to understand, too naive."

I was offended but not surprised by the comment.

"To understand what??"

"Suicide."

There was something in the tone, a storm of emotions. Anxiety, bitterness, loneliness, regret, and so many other things. It terrified me, especially when I realized that it was possible both my mother or Tart could have said that word, with the same emotional charge to it. As I processed that thought she continued.

"At some point you run out of options, ways to survive, and are just too tired to go on."

"And my dad?"

"Was Enclave special forces. He had orders to maintain the status quo of Vanhoover, make sure that nopony became a threat against the enclave. Even if that meant killing harmless civlians, compassion became a secret crime. Eventually your mother became such a threat, and he failed to kill her."

"He refused orders?"

"No, Blackhorn is a dangerous zony and very difficult to kill. And when a soldier fails to kill someone quickly enough, they often make the mistake of talking to the enemy. And that was when he realized that he was on the wrong side."

She chuckled sardonically in between the sentences, sounding like she had been through much the same thing.

"Then what? He began working with her to take down the Enclave?"

"Windstriker. The Enclave contains the majority of the Equestrian Skyguard, and I don't think you understand just how much firepower our military had back during the day. The Steel Rangers are nigh unstoppable, and they are merely a fraction of the old army, the Enclave can not be fought in an open war. And part of the job of the special forces is to hunt down and kill any pegasus who grows a conscience. The moment he realized he did not want to kill anymore, he was as good as dead."

I raised my eyebrow and felt particularly skeptical about this.

"So he just gave up?"

"I did not say that. If he had decided to fight and die in combat he would have been just another deserter. Dying this way made a point, and I very much doubt his old comrades or his superiors ever forgot about it, in fact he is still very much a thorn in their side. A thorn covered in venom."

"Go on..."

"They never found his armour, and it contained radio encryption codes. Not just for regular Enclave communications, but also those for the Special Surface Operations. Anypony with half an education who finds it can tap into their communications, and suddenly over a century of covert operations to hide their existence goes up in smoke."

She was enjoying this way too much.

"And you know this how?"

"They, Blackhorn and Heaven Song, gave the codes to me. In exchange for removing all his memories of their relationships, and don't give me that look. It was the only way to keep the Enclave from figuring it out. As it is, they are still trying to find his suit of armour."

"One more thing..."

I took deep breaths to prepare myself for this, but she answered before I could ask.

"You were four years old when he died, and yes, he was proud of you. He whispered your name before this, your old one, the one your parents decided on. And before you ask, I restored his memories a few hours before this. He deserved knowing that it wasn't all in vain."

"Do you think this would make me trust you?"

"No, of course not. He asked me to make sure you knew why he was not around, and I try to keep my promises. Blackhorn never showed you the memory orb, did she?"

I didn't bother to say anything nor shake my head.

***

"Are we done here?"

I very much desperately wanted to leave.

"No. Not just yet, there is one more memory."

Of course there was.

"Tell me, if I beat you to a bloody pulp, would that let me leave?"

That gave her pause, she looked startled and blinked her eyes in confusion. Then her hoof rose to her chin as if to show that she was thinking about it, she shook her head and looked back at me with slight amusement on her face.

"I honestly do not know, want to try it?"

I felt every muscle in my body tense, and I watched her face and horn real close.

"It just might leave you stranded here for all eternity, or at least until a new princess of the night is born and stumbles upon you. Although you might consider it worth the risk, so feel free. I will not resist."

It sounded like she was mocking me, or possibly taunting me. Daring me to make a move.

"You... will not resist... You of all ponies."

"I promise."

She smiled deviously. Either she was way too confident, or suicidal. As it was, I froze with indecision. For all I knew she could be stronger in this dream world, or maybe she had set a trap, or there was a plan that relied on me making a move... I couldn't, not without knowing what it meant for me, for me and for Vanhoover. The way the city was acting, I might actually need her.

"So that is a no then, shall we go?"

Maybe I could just beat her a little? That would be fine right? I took a deep breath and asked:

"What is it this time? You torturing little fillies?"

"Do not be ridiculous. Its The Last Day, as I remember it."

This time, I was the one who was shocked. My eyes went wide, I never even thought such a thing was possible. In hindsight it was obvious, there had been ponies living through it, at least some of them would have saved the memories. And in this case, she was a living memory vault. The end of the world, it was something talked about in history class, occasionally mentioned on the radio... Nobody apart from the ghouls ever really talked about it. Ancient Equestria was too distant, too foreign. The average wasteland pony only knew fragments, and their view was formed by the stables, by the steel rangers and by ghouls. Remnants of a dead country, nothing more.

"How much do you remember?"

She closed her eyes, and began shaking as her breathing became ragged. As it got worse I wondered if she would have a breakdown or pass out, I stepped closer, unsure if I should try to help. She just waved me away with a hoof.

After a minute or so, she felt her throat with her cloven hoof, tried to make sounds and eventually managed a single word.

"EVERYTHING."

I could feel my blood freeze when I felt the emotions behind that one word. After a few deep breaths she managed to calm down enough to form entire sentences, and I was honestly a bit baffled by the admission I heard.

"You might be right... Maybe it doesn't matter what I try to do, or what my goals are, I might be too jaded to see that harm that I do in the process. Seeing everything you love burn and rot, it does that to a pony. But that is no excuse, is it? If... If you are right, then you need to see this. You can not fix things with the perspective of an ignorant savage, you need to know what we have lost. You need to know just how far we went, and how utterly powerless we were to stop it."

She paused for a moment, chuckled sardonically and continued.

"You know, I can not even remember what I did during the war. Not really, what my plans were, what the end goal was. All of it was burned away, torched by necrotic flames. Like everything else."

Honestly, I didn't know what to say, so I said nothing. She looked at me with a sad exhausted expression, then looked away, lifted her head and her horn glowed. A golden wisp of magic danced in the air, and Vanhoover faded away completely.

The new landscape was foreign to me, and my knowledge of wasteland geography didn't seem to help much as I looked around. Yet, some of it looked familiar, not that I could place it. Our immediate surroundings seemed to be the outskirts of a respectable town, next to a train station. She sat down on a bench, with tea in her hooves and looked outwards with longing eyes.

Squinting a little I could make out a lonely mountain in the far distance.

"Is that..."

"Canterlot" she replied calmly, now that she had some tea.

I considered sitting down next to her, but I was far too much on edge. How could she just sit there, knowing what was about to happen? Wait. She is old, and these memory visits seemed to be a nostalgic thing for her, were she repeated the same motions again and again. I looked at her as she sat there, ignoring my stare.

"Did you know?"

"Of course I did. Everyone figured it out eventually."

"No, I mean did you know when it was going to happen?"

She regarded me coolly for half a minute.

"There was a certain pattern to the Great War. Every discovery and every invention made it easier to develop the next one, technology progressed faster than anyone could really understand. The moment you see that pattern, one thing becomes self evident."

"I'm listening."

"Singularity. Every generation of progress is quicker and shorter than the one before it, eventually we lost control of things. The princesses and the ministry mares had no hope of ever understanding, they were used to a slower lifestyle. To a pony who dabbled in chronomancy it was different. Think of it like a bomb, ticking first every month, then every week, every day, hour, minute, and towards the end, every second."

"Couldn't you stop it? Did you try?"

"Please do try to listen when I talk. Every heartbeat, it became more difficult. And the process started before I had even been born. Do you have the slightest idea what it feels like? To be a mere foal, and to see millions of ponies and zebras drive fate towards the apocalypse?"

At this point, I knew when I was supposed to just let her ramble on.

"No, I could not stop it. The best I could hope for was to save myself, and even then I was just a pony before the firestorm. Weak, and so utterly useless."

The sound of thunder echoed in the distance, then a scream, followed by shouts of panic. I turned my head, saw the lightning in the far distance. It was green. The bright blue sky, and the sunlight felt wrong as I saw a cloud burst in a bright green flash in the far southeast.

Soon after, something hit Canterlot, or at least tried. A magical shield surrounded the city, as the next missile hit. And the next, and as I began following them with my eyes I saw it. Some of them came from behind us. Not from the far east, but from the southwest, roughly where I thought New Pegasus lies today.

Seeing my shock, she commented.

"Now, do you see why ponies hate zebras and everything remotely striped? Your zebra is a descendant of the 93rd Legion, that had dug into the southern mountains of the west coast. Equestrian forces were defending against an invasion that was never meant to happen. They were just getting in place to set all of Equestria ablaze."

More missiles roared past us, some flying lower and hit Canterlot almost horizontally. In between the flashes I noticed something else, something was happening within the shielded city. It had began turning into a shade of pink. I barely even noticed the panicked screaming and rushing ponies all around us. Was this what the zebras had planned for the princesses, a trap with an impossible choice? Leave, and be hit with mega spell missiles, or stay and be slowly poisoned."

I gulped and could barely muster my voice.

"Why... why didn't the princesses teleport out of it?"

She made an angry hmmph sound at my question.

"To what end? Equestria is dying all around us. Where would they go?"

The shield bubble had become opaque, the city completely gone.

"Windstriker, pay attention. You will want to see what happens next."

I blinked, took a deep breath and waited until the bubble finally burst. A torrent of solid pink cascaded out of the mountain, leaving a skeletal and dead remnant of the city in its wake. And I saw it. The missiles didn't hit, they suddenly changed direction one by one. Crashing down into the ground.

In the sky, I thought I could see something flying past us.

"That, my little zony, was Celestia."

"WHAT?!"

Needless to say, my eyes went wide at the revelation and I stared at the strange unicorn. I couldn't understand the idea, she got away? If she was alive, then this was the biggest discovery in my life. This could fix everything, if we could find her...

"No."

She shook her head, and I realized she had gotten my hopes up for nothing.

"She's dead then? Are you absolutely sure that princess Celestia is dead?"

If there was even the slightest bit of hope.

"I have been across all of Equestria, and never sensed her after that. And do you honestly think she would leave her principality in such a state? As a pony, and as a ruler she had a lot of flaws, but a lack of compassion was not one of them."

I facewinged at the obviousness of the response. We would have to fix things on our own after all. Although, if Celestia wasn't around anymore, what was the point of showing me this memory?

Then I noticed that I couldn't hear anything apart from myself and Étoile.

"You froze the memory, why?"

"Quite simple really, there is a detail that is easy to miss."

She pointed skyward with her hoof.

A missile, and not just the sort I was used to, this thing was gigantic. And it was aimed straight towards us, except that didn't make any sense. If the closest zebras were to the southwest, why would this thing be flying from the north?

Unless...

"Did... Did Celestia do that?"

"What, shoot down a mega spell missile? Why yes, dozens of them. And naturally, I was not just in the blast zone, but in the very epicenter of an actual balefire missile. Unfortunately, very few know the implications of that, because barely anypony know what a balefire bomb actually is."

"And that is..."

Her hoof did that weird snapping motion that looked just wrong.

A blinding flash as the explosion happened. I was still alive though, and felt perfectly fine apart from not being able to see anything. Was this normal or did she...

"Relax, I never planned on letting you actually burn."

She threw up a shield or something I guessed.

"I can't see anything!"

"There is nothing to see, that is not the point."

Ignoring what I meant, and talking to me like I was a child.

"THEN WHAT IS?!"

"Sshhh... listen. Just listen, and then feel."

Except there was nothing apart from the roaring fire. It reminded me a bit too much about the dragon I had a run in with on the outskirts of the city. On second thought I don't like fire all that much, about as much as I dislike the ocean. Honestly, I was getting bored of the thundrous noise when I heard something else. Something quiet, between or beyond the fire itself.

I tried to focus my attention on it, tried to recognize what it was.

Words.

A prayer, whimpering sobs, furious screams, bit by bit I began to be able to separate the different voices from each others. First I tried to hear what they said, thinking it might be some form of chanting or spellcraft. It wasn't, it was the last words and thoughts of the ponies who died. Then, I began counting them, only to have my focus broken by her voice.

"Narrow it down to a single voice, and be patient."

I was irritated at the distraction, and couldn't understand what she was trying to prove. Not until I actually did so, which might have taken minutes for me to even attempt. The first one I noticed, the praying stallion, was the one that I found myself focusing on. I had held my focus for maybe ten minutes, listening to some boring religious nonsense, repeating over and over again.

"Why... why do I even bother... SHE is the one who did this!"

The prayers didn't return, instead the buck began making increasingly resentful comments against Celestia. And it dawned on me, what she was so freaked out by, why she was so insistent that I viewed this memory. It wasn't a quick incinerating flash and everyone was dead, the ponies were still there, somehow aware of what was happening to them, and maybe still to this day...

The fire didn't just burn their bodies, but their souls as well.

"How... WHY?!"

I didn't understand, but I was furious. At the world at large, at the zebras.

Her cool voice had a hint of the same fury within it as she responded.

"The M.A.S. thought the balefire would burn itself out within a decade or two, and most of the radiation would be gone as well. The stables were designed with this time frame in mind. Only, they were working with incomplete data. The zebras most well kept secret, they had mixed in a necrotic element into the flames."

A soul, when all is said and done, is nothing more than a cluster of magical energy with a pseudo-consciousness. They can be torn apart, merged, carefully created and be utterly annihilated.

"Or be used as fuel..."

My voice was weak and barely audible.

"Now you understand what has happened to Equestria."

This was her memory, she had been here when it happened, and I doubt any shield she could muster at the time would resist the energies of the balefire. Except she had a secret trick up her sleeves, Project: Resurgence, a supposed dead end due to it destroying the mind of the victim... How many times did she die and be brought back to life?

"How long..."

"Hm?"

She was distracted, not all that weird considering the circumstances.

"How long did it take for you to escape?"

"Oh, I did not."

"Wha..."

"I did not escape, I outlasted the balefire and burned through every single soul within it."

And there are still active balefire craters to this day, how...

"I think it took a few decades, maybe a century. Difficult to say as it took several decades to put myself back together, mentally and emotionally I mean. I still feel the fire when I close my eyes to sleep, and I rather not dream actual dreams anymore."

I never forgot those voices, and finally understood my mother's threat against her.

Quest Perk Added: Acolyte

Despite common wisdom you have began to research the more esoteric side to magic, and have unlocked the skill Occultism, which is considered a Tag skill for you. With access to the right tome, location and tools you can perform simpler rituals.

Chapter 17 - A Glimmer of Hope

There is something nobody dared to admit or fully understand, something terrible and utterly terrifying. Maybe just thinking the idea was dangerous, and maybe that is why everyone desperately ignored the truth I became forced to accept. There were hints in what Étoile had told me days before, the idea that someone like an alicorn could influence and direct thousands without even being aware it. Ponies weren't... aren't just separate individuals with clear distinctions, we are magical and live in a magical environment. Ponykind is inherently communal, because at some level we are all connected, and I use we because I could sense it well enough.

Then what of the zebrecian myths about the stars? I am still unsure of whether the stars themselves are sentient in any form that we would recognize or understand, but there is a concept that is hidden in plain view. The sun is a star, it empowered Celestia and by extension Luna. And if the sun is a star, then presumably there are many other stars with worlds like ours out there. Worlds inhabited by other people, with similar magic and maybe a similar spiritual link.

It might very well mean that there are people or things out there, that are aware of us and influence us without us realizing it. Even then, I barely understand anything about how the universe works. Whatever Icetear had done near the steel ranger citadel, it broke more than just earth and rock. I couldn't understand how, but raw astral magic has been bleeding through for hundreds of years.

The city of Vanhoover has bathed in starlight since the first stone was laid, the ponies within it had created countless rituals and spells, and even an alicorn had lived among them, creating something none of them ever intended. Magic has been carved into every building, in every tunnel, it flowed in the rivers and then the Aurora broke through. Maybe it was inevitable, but at that point it became reality.

The city itself was alive.

It had a will of its own, a mind formed by both pony and alien thoughts. How could anypony possibly conquer it, control it, when it is greater than any of us? If we were to stop fighting and just begin to live peacefully within it, how long would we remain ourselves? How long would it take for it rule us?

If there were ways to hurt it, to weaken it in some way... the old Van Hoofs would have known, and there were only two of them left. One was an undead monstrosity who was barely a pony in any way that really mattered, and the other one was tormented, unstable and I began to suspect that she had already touched its will.

Ètoile Van Hoof wasn't just insane, she had magic that scared me even more now that I had began to grasp how it worked. Her magic resembled the anomalies at some level, and I shudder at the implications of that connection... Reality itself broke down in Vanhoover, and if she could direct all that power at some level...

Equestria wasn't dead, not really. It could still heal, but with all the corrupted magic in the air and soil, if the reach of Vanhoover could extend further... If she discovered a way to let it spread, then all of Equestria if not the entire world would one day become a nightmarish realm of horrors.

Of course there was the question of whether she was self aware enough to claim Vanhoover as hers to rule, or if the city was the one in control. Puppet or queen, I am not sure the distinction matters. Regardless of which, I had not only been tolerated but welcomed into the depths of the city.

The implication being that it wouldn't let us leave, but the nature of the anomalies is that they are inconsistent and vary greatly in power and shape. The one that caught us was powerful, yes. It was however a mixed curse, and a blessing in disguise. Tart had mentioned the anomaly the rangers call a Temporal Distortion, but it had never before been observed at this magnitude. And thank the stars, it brought out us out of the reach of the city itself.

***

"You mention'd some weird dream magic, right?"

Raspberry Tart's voice was careful and suspicious, probably hoping that this was something I had experience with and knew how to handle. Unfortunately, I didn't. Because neither of us were dreaming, and this was definitely real.

"This isn't it, trust me."

The air was different, and I don't just mean the smells or lack of radiation. Its texture was completely different, gentler and far less suffocating. I could think, feel and breathe normally again, it was like everything since we entered the city had been but a bad dream.

"Ahr you sure?"

I swallowed hard as I tried not showing how relieved I felt, because on some level I understood what must have happened. And honestly, the strange dream world that the mad unicorn created might have been safer. We were still in Vanhoover, although arguably not the same one. This one wasn't supercharged with evil energies, it was mostly just an old city, and decidedly not self-aware.

"Pony, city is no longer alive."

Xera had of course noticed the same drastic change in the atmosphere as I had.

"And what is that supposed to mean??"

Realizing that I better stop them before Tart made a scene...

"Tart, they mean the whole deal with the Aurora and the anomalies. Nothing of that is around anymore, we can sense it. Everything is different, it doesn't feel like Vanhoover anymore. What is out there is the actual real thing, and we better be careful or something bad might happen."

By 'out there' I meant the street outside the alley we had camped in, the street with bright sunlight, full of colourful and well dressed ponies going their merry way, undisturbed by the existence of the horrors we had lived through. Unaware of what was going on beneath the M.A.S. hub.

Unaware that they were all going to die, horribly.

"So what you mean, is that this's the Great War? We're really in the middle of it all?"

As it were, I was a bit distracted by words I had read and heard.

Time distortion can be done well, but should only be performed after strict scientific methodology. Time travel on the other hoof, should not be attempted by any unicorn not cleared by the minister of Arcane Sciences or the Princess herself. Unfettered time travel is extremely dangerous and fortunately nigh impossible to achieve.

"Yes, and this is bad. Real bad..."

For the common pony such an event has no effect on their lives, but those who dabble in the art of time travel needs to be wary as travelling forward past such an Event is extremely difficult due it being nigh impossible to navigate past a Singularity Event. An ill prepared traveler might find themselves lost in the wrong branch or even between them.

"Still, I don't see why we need to be worried. All that we..."

She didn't understand, she couldn't understand.

As a sidenote I would like to clarify that the Last Day is by far the largest Singularity Event in recorded history, even by the standards of Vanhoover.

I needed to shut up the ranger, fast, before she did something dangerous.

"Tart, shut up and listen!"

"If its the stripes-"

It was an alien situation to her, one that neither her training nor experience had prepared her for. So she did what she could to rationalize it, and do the most logical thing she could think of. She was a soldier, so that thing meant reporting to the highest ranking local authority. And if she did that...

Reflexively, I pulled the same maneuver as the Goldstar pegasus had done on me. Fortunately, Tart was both distracted and had never brawled with a pegasus before. It took her completely by surprise and I would have broken her neck if I didn't stop partway down.

Either Xera understood, or they just followed my example and pinned her.

The Van Hoofs understood this well enough. As I now find myself wanting their expertise, I begin to wonder if I was mistaken in the decision to eradicate my relatives. There is no changing the past, as we live in far too fragile times to even contemplate time travel, and Glimmer's organization should serve as a suitable substitute.

I could feel the stare of betrayal and hurt she gave me.

"Tart, we will not do anything without a plan."

"..."

It wasn't enough, she didn't understand why I had to stop her.

"This isn't just dangerous, it is exactly the kind of situation you need me for. My family have studied this sort of thing. So please, stay put and listen!"

I put every bit of desperation, fear and pleading I could in my voice. She barely nodded, it would have to be enough.

"Xera, let her go."

The zebra did so, carefully and slowly. Still ready to pounce. Tart just sat up against the wall, bruised in both body and pride. Staring at me with a look I didn't care for, not saying anything.

So I took a deep breath and tried to explain.

"There are two things about this we need to worry about. The first one, which I really need you to understand... Is that this is NOT friendly territory. Not just the Van Hoofs, I mean Icetear and her army. If she gets wind of us, we are..."

I made a slashing motion with my wing across my throat.

"I mean it! The she shit she is doing, its bad. Kidnapping, torture, experiments on prisoners. If Luna realized what was going on she would shut it down, but she has no idea and has practically given Icetear free reign to do whatever she wants. And those ponies out there?"

I pointed with my wing, she glanced in the direction.

"She transferred thousands of them here, so that she could sneak around with her own little black ops team and make sure nobody interfered. Anyone notices anything wrong and they disappear or catches a random zebra bullet, and as Xera can tell you. There aren't any actual zebra infiltrators in Vanhoover, they avoid the city like the plague."

Xera nodded solemnly and added.

"City is cursed, Van Hoofs are cursed, every zebra in legion knows this."

Grudgingly, the ranger seemed to understand my point.

"And the other thing?"

I breathed a sigh of relief. She was at least listening.

"Time travel is dangerous, extremely dangerous. I don't know how it works, but it was the one thing Icetear was afraid to even attempt during the war. It was one thing that Starlight avoided, and I think Glimmer was afraid that it was the cause of all this."

"Of what?"

"The war. There is a memory orb back in the Institute, when Glimmer first met Golden Starlight. They both knew the wasteland, they both had seen it. And Glimmer had supposedly experimented with time travel when she was young, and almost destroyed Equestria as I understand it."

"I think I follow..."

Her eyes narrowed, some part of her thinking she found someone to blame everything on.

"No, Tart. You don't understand. The point is, if we aren't careful we might make it worse."

She scoffed at the suggestion.

"Worse, have you even seen the wastelan'? How could it possibly be worse?"

I stared at her with pleading eyes, trying to not panic over the situation.

She got the hint.

"You're actually serious, aren't you?

"I am."

Now, she was worried.

"So, let's see if I understand you. We are strand'd in a labyrinth of a city, anyone out there could be an enemy agent, and if they catch us... everythin' will go to Tartaros? Don't suppose you got a spell to get us back where we belon'?"

"I'm just a pegasus."

She looked skeptically at Xera, who shook their head.

"So what is the plan, how do we get out of here?"

I took a deep breath.

"I know one pony that should take us seriously, and knows how to get us back."

"Who? Twilight Sparkle?"

"No, Starlight Glimmer."

***

"This barely qualifies as a plan, and it is even worse than mine."

She wasn't wrong, it was a terrible plan, but it should work. I wasn't quite sure why it would work, mostly a hunch.

"Its working isn't it?"

We were walking on an empty street in broad daylight, with healthy looking trees and wines along tall walls on both sides. It looked like a boulevard of some sort, with apartment buildings on both sides as well as some small obscure shops. It looked like the sort of place that should be buzzing with activity, but there was nopony in sight anywhere.

"Not that I understan' how or why it's working? Where's everypony??"

"Hiding, I think."

I wasn't entirely sure myself as it was eerie, like walking in a ghost town. The entire street was deserted, I could sense there were ponies inside but nopony showed their faces. Its like they knew we were coming and all decided to hide.

"Should ah point out the obvious?"

I made a motion with my wing, not particularly caring what, too distracted by the situation.

"We, are walkin' headfirst into an ambush. Somepony saw us, ran off, ratted us out to the authorities and here we are."

It was the obvious, logical answer. Except, Vanhoover wasn't very logical.

"Pony is wrong. Ponies fear, ponies hide, ponies are prey..."

Tart froze at the comment, mouthed a silent what, the, fuck.

"Is this how your kind see us? Like bunnies to be hunted for sport??"

Xera seemed confused by the reaction, unsure if it was a mistranslation or if Tart was just looking for an excuse to start trouble.

"In Equestria, you either prey or predator. Prey die, predator survive. Is how it is."

"What, in the wasteland you mean? The one you striped bastards created?!"

Facewinging at the situation, I tried to stop them before it got any worse.

"Can you please stop?? Both of you!"

"No, it sounds like we should just get rid of the zebra and leave it here for Icetear's goons."

Raising an eyebrow at that.

"Are you an idiot? Like, a literal idiot??"

"Hey, it doesn't have to be alive."

My patience was running thin, and I could see Xera tense, ready for a fight.

"Girl, I am really not in the mood for this. DROP IT."

She stared into my eyes, obviously close to a breaking point herself.

"Fine. You explain this then."

Something in my mind clicked in place, getting the point that Xera had tried to make.

"All right. We're trouble, the locals want us gone."

"And the ponies we're avoiding?"

"Also trouble, Vanhooverites don't like outsiders. Icetear and everypony she brought are outsiders, they want them gone as well. And since Vanhoover is a bucking maze of a city, side roads and alleys like these are mostly private. I don't think any of Icetear's ponies patrol them, and if they do show up, its by accident."

Something else struck me as well.

"Honestly, it wouldn't surprise me if they end up missing. One way or another."

"What, so we just take these hidden roads you somehow are able to navigate to the edge of town then?"

I hadn't bothered to explain how I could, and it was probably the right decision.

"Pretty much yeah, we let Vanhoover work in our favour for once."

It took a few minutes of walking until she broke the creepy silence that followed our argument, this city was far far too quiet when it wasn't making strange noises.

"Are we absolutely sure the locals won't attack us?"

"Heh, you don't get it, do you?"

"What is it this time?"

"I'm from the Institute, I look like I come from the place, and Glimmer is the one outsider who's friendly with the Van Hoofs. You know, it is probably the first time ponies actually treated me well because of my striped wings."

"This, is being treated well?"

Her tone was skeptical, and my heart hurt thinking of it.

"Yeah, it really is..."

***

"Ya know, this really isn't an improvemen'."

It really wasn't. At some point, somepony had decided that we weren't there to cause trouble, we weren't threats, and somehow everypony had collectively decided to go about their day, acting like nothing was out of the ordinary. Everywhere there were ponies, local ones, chatting in a dialect I barely understood. The stark contrast made the previous street seem like a dream or a hallucination, or maybe they had just collectively had lunch at the time?

Except...

Not one of them looked at us, they actively looked past us and not one of us mentioned us as far as I was able to tell. It was like we weren't even there. A lot like the various dreams the unicorn had shown me, like it was a recording and not a real event. I was beginning to doubt my whether I had been right about this being a case of time travel, an immense dreamscape based on wartime Vanhoover wasn't all that far fetched. Was it?

Then I heard a derisive snort.

"What is that smell, it stinks!"

I didn't recognize the voice, but the pony sized dragon with its bright green and copper scales looked familiar somehow. Then it looked straight at me, met my gaze and my blood froze as I recognized the dragon from the city outskirts. She (I think), was the dragon that protected the Van Hoof Tower. The very same dragon that had tried to incinerate me.

"Father, who are those people?"

I didn't know who she was talking to, not yet.

As I was too shocked to react, Tart leaned closer and whispered a question

"Should we make a run for it?"

I didn't answer.

"Now now, Sphene, I have been telling you not to say such things. It isn't nice."

That voice sounded vaguely familiar however, turning my head to the direction of it, I saw him. A purple buck with a pink mane, dressed in a stylish suit, all of him glittering in the sunlight. He looked back at us, paused by our ragged looks and heavy weaponry. Not one of us was dressed for a walk through a peaceful city. His mouth opened as if to speak, then he closed it again and rubbed his chin in thought.

This, was a potential disaster in the making.

Then I heard the sound of a hoof hitting a face and a loud groan from someone else. An exquisitely dressed unicorn, with a matte grey coat and glittering golden mane. I knew her, I knew her better than anyone else in the wasteland. At this point I had learned to sense her, yet I had completely missed her presence. Then it dawned on me.

She was there, I could definitely sense her when I focused my spirit on her. Except...

It wasn't her.

Her aura, her spirit, her very soul was different. I couldn't recognize it, definitely not as the insane unicorn from my own time. In a way, it was obvious. The apocalypse changed everything, the balefire burned the very souls of ponies. And what was it she had said? That she had to piece herself together bit by bit?

Her voice was as sweet as it was poisonous, the anger in her tone was obvious.

"You... ignorant idiots! You should NOT be here."

Amethyst Van Hoof was still confused by our appearance, especially the stripes I suspected.

"Ehm, is this a government thing that I should not know about?"

I decided to interject.

"In a way, yes. So please just forget about us and we will be on our way."

He nodded, way too used to weird events I guessed, being a Van Hoof and all. The unicorn however...

"Most certainly not, I am not letting a trio of unsupervised amateurs walk around in the wrong era!"

At that, the purple crystal stallion blinked in shock and snapped his attention to her, then to us.

"You mean... chronomancy? An actual temporal translocation, in the middle of Vanhoover??"

In the back of my mind I noted Xera hiding behind me, and Tart getting ready for a crisis. With good reason, seeing as how the dragon was eyeing us suspiciously and slowly began prowling around us, ready to pounce. This needed to be defused, quickly.

"Hey, Amethyst, Ètoile. I get how risky this is. Let us just walk to the Institute and we'll fix this."

Her face went blank in response, she closed her eyes for a moment and then stared into my eyes. Something I said pissed her off properly. Was it the implication that we were trying to reach Starlight Glimmer, or was it something else? The name, maybe?

"Hm..." Amethyst answered before she could. "Director Glimmer then, and am I correct in that you didn't intend on getting here? Judging by your anxiety and state of dress, I am guessing you ended up stranded as part of some mishap. No offense, but this is why amateurs shouldn't experiment with this kind of magic."

She turned to her purple companion, looked at him with a quizzical look and realized that he was right.

"Yeah, that sums it up pretty well. And honestly, none of this was part of the plan."

The unicorn took a deep breath, probably meaning to say something important.

"Duke Van Hoof, as of now this is officially a government matter. I am officially censoring this event for the good of the state, not one word is to reach the Coordinator or anyone working under her authority. Nor are you to share this with any of your relatives, and I will personally handle this matter from now on."

What the buck?!

"Ay! On whos' authority?!"

At that moment, I was proud of Tart. Even if this wasn't the sort of thing she was trained for, she recognized a threat when she heard it, and she knew better than to cooperate with this particular authority figure.

The grey mare rolled her eyes in response and answered in a tired tone.

"My own as a ministerial secretary of the M.O.I. No, let me rephrase that for you. As the formal representative acting on ministry mare Rarity's personal authority in all matters dealing with Vanhoover and its surrounding territories, I am formally sealing this event. If you want to object, you will have to take it up with Princess Luna herself. And due to the sensitivity of the situation, I officially recommend against such a course of action."

"Yeah, right... Just one probl'm, yer highness. We don't trust ye. Like, at all!"

I had to stifle a laughter at her expression as she didn't get the reference.

"She has a point. I know you, or at least enough about you to not trust you. So..."

Letting my voice trail off, I smiled at her frustration. Even if she would prefer to have us killed, she wouldn't dare. Her careful choice of words, her tone, her facial expression. All of it, to mask the fact that she was utterly terrified. Of the situation, of what we might cause if we decided to make trouble.

The fancy grey unicorn froze at the realization that I knew how scared she was. In everything she did, every action, every scheme, all of it was about being in control of her every situation. And in this very moment, I was the one who was in control. I honestly think she was too stunned at the time to even resent me for it.

She took a breath, not as deeply as she had intended. Another one, and another one.

"In order for you to cooperate, what do you need?"

When you have the initiative, don't lose it.

"Starlight Glimmer. I thought that's obvious."

She had to talk slowly to keep her composure.

"I need you three to get off the street, this is too public. We will go somewhere more private, I will make sure none of Icetear's agents are following, and then I will call Glimmer. Is that acceptable?"

I noticed the meaning between the words, she still wanted Amethyst out of this. Unfortunately for her, I trusted him more than I trusted her. So he would stay, at least for a while.

"Sure, let's go with that. Amethyst can lead the way."

Tart raised an eyebrow at me, but relaxed ever so slightly.

"... If you insist, then fine. There is still the issue of the thestral to deal with first."

"The what now?"

She sighed, and explained.

"For the purposes of this discussion, a pegasus spy on the rooftop that has been following us for the last three neighbourhoods. Presumably acting under Icetear's orders and keeping a watch on either the Duke or myself, and as of now, you three as well."

There was a creepy chuckling from the dragon that I had half forgotten.

"That one is simple enough, I'll sneak up on the bat and give them a scare."

The unicorn shook her head ever so slightly.

"No, not enough. A distraction will not do, she has seen them in the presence of myself and the Duke. I suggest you dispose of the little stalker, but be careful as she is most likely of Luna's royal guard."

How could she talk about something like that in such a normal tone?

"Oh, you will most certainly not! I will not have my own daughter kill a member of her highness' guard, in the middle of my own city, for the sole crime of being at the wrong place at the wrong time! Nor will I tolerate anyone else doing the deed. You will find a non-lethal solution to this!"

Amethyst's outburst was shocking to all of us, and as she was still off balance she just said:

"If you insist... The Boulevard of Stars, please, take them there. Sphene, that distraction you offered?"

The dragon slithered away into an alley with a frightening speed. Just what was it with ponies adopting actual dragons? It freaked me out and reminded me of the hybrid that I had brawled with in that haunted forest, did it come from another of Vanhoover's many blasphemous projects?

***

This street made about as much sense as anything else in my adult life. It was roughly oval in shape, with no beginning or end. The thing just circled back on itself and I struggled with understanding exactly how we reached it. Amethyst had led us down what looked like a stair to a basement, and we ended up in the tunnels beneath the city. None of could remember how we got back up, or where the entrance was. The whole little neighbourhood seemed to be completely cut of from the outside world, (as long as you discounted the aerial route).

"Just... what??"

Tart seemed to have a developed a headache by trying to follow just what happened.

"Oh right, you are outsiders. Vanhoover's architecture has all sorts of enchantments within its construction. Illusions, spatial distortions for extra space, temporal adjustments to minimize upkeep, wards to keep others out. The city is full of little private streets like this one, we even lost track of a few of them over the centuries.

The three of us glanced at each other and went huh at the explanation.

"Ya never thought that might've be a bad idea?"

His reaction was that of a patient adult explaining things to a child.

"Why would it? We have been doing it for hundreds of years without any issues. And if we need more space within the city we just bend things a little further and you can fit entire streets into the heart of the city. Not much need to expand things outwards really."

The ranger was about to explain just how utterly out of controls things would get.

"Tart, please."

She turned her head to object.

"No. We aren't supposed to talk about these things. That said, are we absolutely sure we're safe here?"

"From my cousin? Definitely. There is a difference between a native hooverite and an outsider who barely managed to learn how to find their way around town, you don't find these places without being invited. So as long as nopony followed us here, nopony will show up to make trouble."

A thought struck me.

"And Icetear herself?"

"Has not set hoof in here for years, nor will she. Too traumatic."

I was about to question that when Xera made an audible gasp that worried me, I saw them backing away frantically from a scarlet coloured earth pony in a fairly plain grey dress who just exited one of the shops. The more I looked at the mare, the less frightening she seemed. Her facial expression was soft, her white mane and tail were fluffy, the dress had a simple floral pattern and she wore mostly silver jewelry. As well as a large seven pointed star in gold in a necklace.

The shop she had left was named The Seller of Stars, a name I vaguely recognized and knew I should be disturbed by. Other than the obvious part about the whole Zebran myths about stars in general, I couldn't place it. Xera freaking out didn't disturb her in the least, she seemed to be used to it.

"OK, that is slightly weird."

Not much compared to the rest of Vanhoover, I'll admit.

She trotted up to Amethyst and asked causally.

"Who are these ponies, your grace? Customers?"

Amethyst shook his head.

"No, Starlight just wanted them somewhere private. And I don't think they are all ponies, actually."

The mare looked at us one by one, first Tart, then Xera and then me.

"You certainly look like ponies to me."

"We're not changelings if that is what you are wondering. Long story short, I'm a zony. Name's Windstriker. Xera over there is a zebra, Tart is just a regular pony. And you are?"

She pondered that for a moment, looked at Xera.

"Is that what they look like, Zebras I mean?"

Didn't she want to tell us her name or was she that distracted?

"What else would they look like?"

The red mare shrugged and looked at me.

"So why aren't you a zebra?"

"I...uhm... what?"

"That there is an earth zebra, you are clearly a pegazebra. Are there unizebras as well, or are they called zebracorns? What is the naming convention regarding different breeds of zebras anyway? The Equestrians were always so vague about that."

I dropped on my rump and scratched my neck, trying to understand this strange pony. And why I had a nagging feeling that she was important, very important. It felt like she was somewhere in the middle of this great clusterbuck of a situation we and Vanhoover were in.

***

We were still in the middle of a pointless and convoluted conversation when her ears suddenly perked up, and she noticed Starlight arriving. Her expression in that moment... She didn't just recognize the grey unicorn, she was positively happy to see her. And then I noticed a worry as she sped up and galloped towards her. Ètoile looked relieved at her presence, and she relaxed. And that nuzzling...

Grey dress, golden seven pointed star necklace. It's kind of obvious in hindsight.

"You know, Windstriker. I'm not sure what to think anymore."

My ranger had mixed feelings about the situations, my own felt better.

"You foolish ponies, do you not understand?"

Tart raised an angry eyebrow at Xera, expecting something offensive.

"They are witches, both of them! Evil enchantresses."

The eccentric behaviour began to make sense, I turned to Amethyst and asked.

"She is a Van Hoof as well, isn't she?"

He chuckled slightly.

"A minor branch of the family. Scarlet is more known for her craft than any family position."

Tart noticed it as well, and realized it was probably important.

"Her craft? What craft?"

I merely nodded at the question, this felt very important.

"She is a soulforger."

His tone was calm and made it sound like this was a perfectly normal thing to say. Like every neighbourhood had a soulforger, a pony that made soul jars for a living. There were many zebra myths about such things, and there was always one desperate or particularly evil sorceress that made a singular soul jar to outlast death, or to obtain great power. Icetear had three of them, and those trinkets had become the stuff of myth and legend, and the basis for a new civilization in the ruins of the old world.

"So that is why Icetear stays away..."

Having your soul ripped apart while you are still alive, trying to continue on living with just a part of it, trying to hide it. Always having those soul jars around you to remind you of what you have lost, desperately longing for them to be part of you again. It would be horrifying...

"Wait..."

I stared at the pair. The unicorn who used all sorts of black magic, and who had turned into an overpowered wasteland mutant when the world died... And a gentle looking mare who created soul jars as a living? This couldn't be a coincidence, nothing involving that grey mare was ever a coincidence.

"What exactly are their deal?"

The purple pony had noticed nothing of our discomfort, or didn't care all that much.

"They are married of course, I officiated the wedding and everything."

Definitely not a coincidence.

***

The letter was written by Ètoile, confirmed by me and signed by both her and Amethyst. I expected the scroll to disappear in a blinding flash or in a magical fire, instead it just sort of fragmented into black dust and disappeared into the sky. The content of the letter was short and fairly on point.

"Director Glimmer

Class C emergency in Vanhoover. Please arrive at the Boulevard of Stars at earliest convenience.

Golden Starlight, Amethyst Van Hoof

The name, I was now sure it was important. In Glimmer's memory orb she had insisted on being called Ètoile, and she definitely seemed to prefer it whenever I met her in my dreams. So why would she sign a letter to Glimmer with her alias, and not her private childhood name?

Was it a refusal to accept the Van Hoofs as her family, or was it something else?

"I am going to need tea for this, so if you excuse me..."

The unicorn seemed to steel herself for the encounter and entered the shop. Leaving the three of us with Amethyst and Scarlet, with the clear cultural divide that was the difference between an ordinary person and a Van Hoof. Still, this was an opportunity. These two ponies were scatterminded. And it should be easy to learn things from them, secret things.

"So, Scarlet. How did the two of you meet? This place is a bit out of the way."

Her eyes glittered with excitement at the question, this was almost embarrassingly easy.

"Why, the same way I meet most of my clients. They show up on my doorstep and ask for a miracle. Although it was the first time I had a unicorn walk show up, a real one I mean. First I thought she was Starshine's daughter, she sure looks like her, but then I realized she was the real deal. A genuine Wyldwood unicorn, and she is all mine."

A perfect score at first draw, I believe that is called a Blackjack.

"Oh? A Wyldwood unicorn, really?"

I tried to sound fancy and casually interested, the weirdness of me doing it made Tart perk her ears.

"Yes, you could imagine my reaction. They have been extinct for millennia after all, it was a blessing from the stars. Well, technically not a blessing as it was only a singular unicorn but you get my meaning?"

I nodded silently and turned to Amethyst.

"Does her highness Luna know about this?"

He made an offended expression.

"You clearly have never met the princess, nothing in Canterlot and very little in Equestria ever escapes her. The ministries are far from the entirety of the government you know? Word of advice... Windstriker was it? Do not underestimate the princess, you would only embarrass yourself."

Meaning, she tolerates the little monster for some reason. No, judging by what I knew of wartime Equestria, the princess probably found her useful for something. Or the ministry mare did and Luna was just willing to overlook the uncomfortable parts of her government. And it was in this moment I realized that I really didn't want to live in Equestria, it was a terrible place.

"I see..."

It was all I felt like saying. But there was a nagging thought that had been at the back of my mind for the last few hours, and this was a pair of actual Van Hoofs. I could finally get a solid and reliable answer.

"Speaking of alicorns. Amalthea, I know little about her. How is she, as a person?"

They hesitated, interesting. Amethyst was first to recover.

"How do you..."

I made a smile that in hindsight was a lot like the unicorn's.

"Please, my dear duke. I am the granddaughter of the current director of the Starlight Institute."

Raspberry Tart was staring at me for some reason, impressed by my manner of speech I thought at the time.

"Oh. I thought you were bit too eloquent for your... if you pardon the insult, ragged looks. No, she rarely appears to anypony. Sightings have been recorded every few decades, the last time she actually talked to somepony was..."

He scratched his head, trying to remember or considering if he should tell me. Scarlet intervened.

"Exactly 28 years ago as I recall, your mother and the current duchess at the time had an argument about it. Was the gossip of the entire city for years. Then it was hushed down and forgotten."

She, had evidently not forgotten. Every little thing they mentioned was a new piece in a puzzle that I wasn't supposed to figure out. Every date, every name, every link between two pieces of trivia. Lately, things hadn't made much sense and I was sure somepony or something was hiding from me. I would find them, and I would confront them.

If only my two companions would stop staring at me like that, it was distracting.

***

The unicorn returned, levitating a tea set with a remarkably large pot. It was remarkably unadorned, strange for her I thought. Then I noticed the smell, and realized that it smelled of Jasmine and not the Elderflower that I had expected. I had barely taken a sip of the green tea when a bright flash occurred close to us. Everyone but her and me were shocked at the sudden light. I had been expecting it.

And there she stood, the pony from history class, the pony whose picture hung in the Director's office. A pale purplish unicorn with a purple, cyan and grey mane. Her eyes were closed when she appeared, she took a deep breath, opened her eyes, looked at us and raised an eyebrow at Amethyst and Scarlet.

Amethyst stood up and cleared his throat.

"I believe it is about time for me to leave."

He nodded to Glimmer and said in a formal tone.

"Director."

"Duke."

As he was leaving she looked at Scarlet who said in a pleasant conversational tone.

"I live here, you are our guest, not the host."

There was something in Scarlet's voice, something magical and wonderful, and I think Glimmer recognized it. She sighed, ignored us and stared directly at Starlight. Her tone when she spoke was that of a tired teacher having to deal with a problem child, I know that tone all too well.

"Starlight, what did you do this time?"

My eyes were on Glimmer but I could feel her tension and her careful speech.

"Nothing."

She made an obvious gesture of drinking her tea before continuing.

"This is all on you, these strays are yours. All I did was making sure they stayed out of trouble, although it seems that I have failed in that endeavor. Now, they are formally your problem."

Instead of answering, she turned her eyes to us three, probably thinking something about our clothes, armour and excessive weaponry. For a moment she looked straight into my eyes, I noticed nothing weird about it except that she had a puzzled look on her face, then at my two companions.

Her voice was cold, and stern.

"Will somepony explain exactly what is going on here?"

I opened my mouth to speak, to explain about it being a freak accident because of wild uncontrolled magic that we just happened to be in the presence of, but before I managed to say the first word, Tart interrupted me.

"Director, there is somethin' wron' with my friend! Please!"

My emotions were split between annoyance at her being so paranoid, and heartbroken by the tone of her voice. Then my coat hairs stood on end as a magical veil rippled across me, and before I could react I was gripped in a turquoise cloud of magic. Telekinesis, I recognized it. My mother used to do that when I acted up, pretty easy to get out of honestly.

Except I couldn't, my legs and my wings were gripped tight.

"Starlight, what did you do to her?"

I tried to protest but couldn't more than grumble, I could however glance at the grey unicorn that stared maliciously at her purple counterpart. And whatever was going on, I knew she was hiding something, some secret spell. Part of my mind had already pieced together most of what had happened, other parts still refused to acknowledge it however.

"I have done nothing to the little imp."

Her voice was cool, and controlled, carefully wording every little bit.

"I recognize your spellwork anywhere, what spell is on the filly and how we fix it?"

My mind was desperately trying to figure out how to escape, even as some part of it questioned if we even should.

"It is a mind control spell." Her tone was pleasant, and obviously faked, and it still unnerved me to hear it from her own lips. "More specifically, it is an experimental spell I made decades ago. It creates a dormant personality overlay onto an existing mind, and occasionally it intercedes and takes over. The idea was to create a way to subtly nudge ponies in the right direction, unfortunately the new personality is sentient and ends up growing until it takes precedence over the original host."

Everyone was quiet and stared at the evil creature that was very much in my mind, and in a way, was my mind.

"I for one can not imagine why my future self would ever bring out that monstrosity of a spell, it always was more trouble than it was worth. When my mind becomes the dominant one, the original spirit becomes part of the subconsciousness, directing it silently. Instead of creating an agent acting on my behalf, the spell ended up creating quite dangerous individuals."

Dangerous to her, she meant.

Xera looked like they desperately wanted to say something, but couldn't. Like they were held back by a terror at the words of the grey unicorn, and they also looked like they would do something brash and deadly if Glimmer wasn't on our side. Tart, to her credit, only had her mind on one thing.

"Fix her, or I swear to Luna I will rip you a new one!"

Of course, she just rolled her eyes at the threat. I honestly doubted that a machine gun posed much a threat to her in the first place, there was no way ponies hadn't tried to shoot her before. And at this point I was unsure if killing her would be enough, or if there was some specific way she had to be killed for her to stay dead.

"As you wish."

It was the same sarcastic phrase she had said to me. And then I felt an increasing dread as she rose from her seat, walked closer, stepped in front of me and lowered her head. As she aimed her horn towards my forehead I felt utter panic, she was going to kill me. Well, not me but me none the less.

Black tendrils rose from her horn and pierced my skull, I could feel them, not in my brain but in my soul as they reached around, ruthlessly cutting apart nerve-like bonds that I didn't even know existed. With every cut I cried out if pain, and then as she was cut the last chord, the tendrils grasped something and ripped it out.

I would have dropped to the floor and fainted if Glimmer wasn't already holding me, as I was hurting from within and felt utter exhaustion I could just stare at the jagged black thing, and felt utter disgust even as I wanted it back. She noticed of course and said simply.

"No, this one belongs to me."

As the tendrils gripped around it and pulled into herself instead. There was better ways to do what she had just done, gentler ways. What she had done was practically rip a parasite right out of victim, not caring what damage she would do and I could feel my soul bleeding.

Again, she started with her fake lecturing voice.

"If you want a total recovery, I suggest you do a memory alteration to remove the last phantoms from the spell."

Spell, what a choice of word. There was a reason it didn't go as she wanted, a reason to why the spell became self aware, it was a soul shard. What she had done was attempting to turn a living person into a soul jar, with vastly different results. The mad pony that resembled her was half right, it was a form of possession after all.

Only, there was only a single moment when this could have happened.

There were things going on around me, more shouting, more magic. I couldn't pay any attention and was only half awake, as I was rapidly losing consciousness. The last thing I noticed was Xera nervously accepting Glimmer's help with whatever spell was on the poor zebra. After all this time, they could finally speak freely, and the zebra shouted to the heavens.

"SHE IS A DEMON!!"

And my last thoughts before I blacked out were why are they so surprised?

***

When I woke up I was seriously confused, and not just because of what I had gone through. When I looked up I saw the dim electric light of a stable set to night time, and I was definitely lying in a standard issue stable and saw a familiar face next to me. Looking around I tried to figure out if this was my own room, and I felt increasingly sure it was. I knew I had amnesia, but it was still wrong somehow.

Fiddling with my pipbuck I tried to find someway to confirm it. The date was internal, but the radio perhaps? And yep, the Stable 33 channel was just static, and I couldn't get any other channels down in the bunker (nothing new there). Still not feeling entirely safe, as this could be a weird dream thing again.

A blinking light caught my attention, a terminal on standby. Carefully walking over there, occasionally dropping to the floor as my legs felt tired and confused. As I got to it, I ignored it and pulled out a data chord from the pipbuck, attached it to the wall socket and got access to the stable Maneframe. It was protected by several passwords, but I did have executive level clearance for everything.

It was filled with files and information, an entire back up of everything the Institute ever researched. I searched for anything my mother had worked on, nothing. Did the same with my grandfather's work, again I found nothing. Then I searched my own name and discovered a record that turned out to be a few days old.

Windstriker - Stable Resident

Confirmed.

This was most likely the past then, if it was the present my relatives would be mentioned somewhere in the maneframe, and if it was a dream it probably wouldn't have this specific information. Confirmation of stable residence only happened when a foal was born, someone joined the Institute or there was a malfunction.

I briefly considered whether I should write something or leave a note to warn about the future here, but even as dazed as I was, I realized it was a really bad idea. Instead I connected to the Overmare's office and left a note specifically for Glimmer mentioning that I was awake and wanted to know what happened while I was out, which in hindsight probably surprised her a great deal.

Why did my mother give me executive level clearance for all Stable and M.A.S. systems in the first place?

Somepony stirred in my bed and looked remarkably cute when she rubbed her eyes and tried to wake up, I could get used to this sight I decided. Raspberry Tart looked far better after a shower and dressed in blankets rather than dirty armour and a machine gun, although I should probably keep that thought to myself.

"Windstriker, you up?"

I disconnected the pipbuck and wobbled back to bed. Desperately hoping to not hear any questions about how I felt, and trying to not think about it. It was horrifying, to be so utterly aware of my own existence, to not only sense the existence of my own scarred soul, but to know it in its every spectral nerve, how it pulsated with life as if it had a heart of its own. If I wanted a soul jar of my own, I could do it. And oh so much much more...

An entire new spectrum of reality was within my reach, and I really wanted nothing more than to go back to my old ignorant and impatient self. This wasn't just fear or trauma, I still struggle to put it into words.

She looked worried and was about to open her mouth when I hugged her. When she hugged me back, I felt the warmth, the heartbeat and her very soul, I broke down crying. I was fully aware that she couldn't understand even if I explained, but she cared about me and at that moment it would have to do.

***

Sitting in the stable cantina, eating breakfast quietly with one other person, surrounded by stares and whispers. It was eerily familiar and yet I did not know a single pony, zebra or zony here and there were slight differences in decoration and taste that made the whole thing unnerving. A strong sense of deja vu and a feeling that my memory of the last such event was wrong, and for all I knew it could be.

Tart had tried to have conversation with me but I barely heard a word of it.

"Where is Xera?"

At this point I was unsure if the zebra ever existed, that was the level of doubt I was feeling at the moment. Her face contorted with a mix of disgust and worry, I was unsure if I would ever get that ingrained xenophobia out of her completely. Old world propaganda was freakishly effective, and that triggered a thought in the back of my mind that would grow slowly over the coming days.

"It- they are around here somewhere. Found some other zebras to talk to. And your director seemed to reach an understanding with them, they seem to be doing well."

"You barely paid any attention, did you?"

"I had you to think about! You passed out, and the zebra started shoutin' about you dyin'! I couldn't understand any of it, what they did to save you, if it would save you, you have been out of it for days and I had no idea if you would ever wake up and I couldn't lift a hoof to help!"

Needless to say, I felt guilty over it.

"Sorry."

I half whispered the response, now she looked guilty.

"Glimmer has tried to explain things but I could barely understand half of it and and..."

"Tart... I'm awake, I'm alive and not dying."

The beige mare hesitated, and asked cautiously.

"Are you goin' to be okay?"

"Physically? Yeah, in time. Emotionally? No, probably never."

Spiritually, no I would not, but I left that part unsaid.

We sat there, quietly for a few minutes, until I felt that I had to ask.

"My memories, did you touch them?"

"No! Glimmer said that it might help, but didn't to do anything while you were still... hurt. And I wouldn't let her, or anyone touch you more than necessary." She paused a moment "I really didn't want to do anything that mare suggested, ever."

I took a deep breath.

"Thank you."

"Do you... want to do the treatment?"

I shook my head slowly.

"No... Well. Yes, but we are going to need these memories. Fragmented as they are. I... think I can kill her."

"Uhm... Windstriker?"

"I sound like her?"

She blinked in surprise and nodded.

"She's gone, but I can remember how she thinks. And when I think of these... things. It is easier to understand if imitate how she thinks, I am the one only one in control now however. And you know... this is how Icetear came to be."

"What??"

Deciding that I needed to ventilate even if she wouldn't understand, I began explaining.

***

There was once a filly, different from all around her and treated harshly by the adults for reasons she couldn't understand. When the other foals began bullying her, no one lifted a hoof to stop it. Even her only parent didn't seem to care, for reasons she still couldn't understand. And she was confronted by a choice, give up...

Or resist.

The reason I could figure out this unspoken bit of the story was simple, I went through it as a child and it was the reason I became the zony I am. When the entire world tells you to die, you stare it in the face and say you first. As I was treated as an idiot by smarter zonies, I turned to physical violence. This filly, however had another talent.

She turned to black magic.

The astral magic of Vanhoover is mostly ritualistic, relying on the right location, the right time of day, month and year to gather enough ambient energies in order to power the spells. It isn't fit for fighting, it was never designed for it. There was one difference for the little filly however, she was a unicorn.

Possibly the only one in Vanhoover. I could easily imagine the words unicorns belong in the woods being said, add a few books on dark magic and she would decide on a foolish decision out of a cautionary tale from zebra myths.

How many tales are there of ponies and zebras selling their souls to dark spirits in exchange for power? And this little filly knew where to find the oldest spirits in all of Equestria, the damned remnants of long dead unicorns, from an age before the princesses or their mother ever drew breath.

A foal willingly binding a nightmare to her soul, and with a strong resentment to everypony around her. It was no surprise they exiled her and her mother, and of course she struggled to fit in at the bright cheerful capital of Equestria and friendship. It was no surprise nopony really understood what was going on, Starshine would never talk to a stranger about what her foal had done.

At some point, no... A little at a time, the nightmare became the pony who was awake and aware. A lot like what happened to me, she became the pony people met and talked to, and the filly was forgotten. And at some point, she finally disappeared entirely.

And then, an ancient demon was alive in the body of a pony, walking around Equestria with no one any wiser.

Then the real horror began.

As long as Etoile Van Hoof was alive, as long as she still existed, there was somepony to recognize the nightmare. When she disappeared the pony that remained was alone, walking around as a ghost among million others, not one of them knowing that she actually existed. By now the lies and the secrets had gone on long enough, she couldn't just open up and tell everypony. She knew more than anyone else just how terrifying the weapons developed by both sides of the war were, she knew that for all her age, she was far from the most powerful being around.

And that, is when a ghost began to fear death.

***

"The so called princess of our own time, she is a monster of her own making. What she doesn't know is that her original self is next to her, wishing for her death while still being utterly terrified of her."

Tart was very quiet for a few moments.

"You mentioned Icetear?"

"That spell I was under, she put it on her as well. I don't know what sort of pony she was before, but the similarities are obvious to me, at least now that I know what to look for. And now... She hoped to use me to get rid of them, and instead she made a third of us."

"Love, you are nothing like them."

That, I had no idea how much I needed to hear it. I had so many thoughts, so many ideas, so many potential plans. For ponies I knew, for Vanhoover, for the wasteland, and I shuddered at them. Because they weren't really my own, they were schemes designed by her mind, not mine. And yet they were from my perspective, from my point of view, with my abilities and contacts.

"Thank you."

I really meant it.

***

Like the cantina, the Overmare's office was recognizable and yet wrong in so many little ways. The lighting was off, the desk was too new, the terminal was different as were the decorations. I don't like time travel, it just feels wrong, and with good reason. Its a lot like feeling pain, or nausea after eating bad food, it's an instinct to protect you from hurting yourself and those around you. This was something I learned during the days I stayed in the past and talked with the pony who created my home.

"Are you absolutely sure?"

Glimmer could tell, of course she could.

"Yes, I have lost enough of myself as it is. No offense, but I don't trust even you to mess around with my mind. I need to sort this out on my own, at my own pace."

She sighed.

"Don't worry, I am not going to force the issue."

I looked the purple unicorn straight in the eyes, as I wanted to make sure she didn't change her mind.

"If I figure out you did it anyways, I will kill you. No matter the consequences."

She didn't back away.

"Yes, I know. Either way, I won't force the issue."

It had been a few days since I awoke, and there was always something about the patient and strained tone Glimmer used when she spoke with me. She never used it with anyone else, except for a few specific times that I could remember, and I felt like I should ask.

"Am I a lot like her?"

The thing with meeting your childhood idols is that they never live up to your expectations. I knew her to be a powerful and influential unicorn, just the type of pony that I was supposed to be, and that she had stronger ethics than most did during the war. The entire point of the institute was to stay independent from the corrupting influences of the government, and to protect those who would get trampled by the xenophobic policies of old Equestria. And for all that, all I could see during my talks with her time was an old mare filled with regrets.

"Like Ètoile, yes. Remarkably similar to how she became over the years. The emotional barriers, the fierce desire to outlive everypony else, the resentment towards the world and everypony in it. I suspect that is why Starlight picked you, immortal creatures are very prone to nostalgia."

That raised a question to my mind.

"Could you actually tell them apart?"

This discussion broke open a lot of old wounds for Glimmer, and still, she wasn't going to refuse me some answers. Not because of me, but because of the lost unicorn she once failed. And I still... needed to know.

"Better than everypony else I like to think. While most ponies just viewed it as mood swings related to wartime stress disorder, it is fairly clear when you know what to look for. Ètoile was filled with anger and desperation, and cut herself off from everypony around her, Starlight was far more... active. Ètoile wanted to burn the world to ash, while Starlight is afraid of the coming apocalypse."

"You know, if I hadn't lived through it myself I would probably not believe you."

The old mare blinked at me in confusion.

"I am not sure I understand, you lived through it?"

"I've seen her memory of the day the bombs fell, and... do you know what balefire is, what it does to ponies?"

She didn't answer, the look in her eyes confirmed it. After a while I asked another question.

"There is a living nightmare within Equestria's government, she caused the death of one of your students and yet you have done practically nothing. Everything I know about you as a pony makes me wonder why, why haven't you gone to princess Luna with this? Why haven't you banished her somewhere? And don't tell me you can't, she fears you."

Her heart rate increased, she didn't look me in the eye and her voice was filled with regret, this was a question she didn't want me to ask, didn't want to answer and yet she would do it irregardless.

"Do you know why Ètoile died?"

And here it was, the secret I wanted before I left to my own time.

"I assume it has something to do with having a demonic nightmare living inside her?"

"In a way yes, Ètoile had a strong will however and more than enough magic to spare. She could have lived like that for centuries without anypony being any wiser, she could probably have exorcised Starlight if she really wanted to. Except, she didn't."

I expected this next bit to be important, and it was.

"It is a terrible thing, to be alive and to not have anypony recognize you. To not have anypony who really knows you, that you exist. Nopony can live like that, and in the end she just gave up and faded away. Not even the nightmare she had lived with for decades noticed anything until it was too late."

We sat there for a while, at her desk, hot cocoa to drink and neither of us in the mood to talk all that much. There was a sense of mutual understanding between us, both of us had mixed feelings regarding the demonic mare, both of us knew the world would soon burn and yet neither of us would even try to stop it.

In this short while she became my mentor when it came to magic, at first because she wanted me to not cause any disasters to the timeline, then because I was curious and I might need to know these things. And it turned out that Icetear was right, the mix of classical Equestrian education and zebran myths that I grew up with made it easy to learn astral magic. In fact, I would even go as far as to say I had a talent for it.

It wasn't that I wanted immortality or power or anything like that, I needed to know these things if I was going to deal with Vanhoover and the mess left by the Van Hoofs and by the grey unicorn. I had been given the chance to forget most of it, to be free of these secrets. Instead, I dove headfirst into it.

"Director... I think I am ready."

***

I looked at the yellow tea cup in front of me, closed my eyes and tried to visualize it, that far things were easy. Having to sense my own magic, channeling it and focusing it in my horn, that was far far more difficult. Generating a magical spark or two was easy, actually doing something with it was a lot harder.

Slowly, I opened my eyes and kept my mind concentrated on the cup. I found it enveloped in a faint veil of purple energies, glittering softly. Impressed with my progress, my concentration broke and the magic failed.

A few deep breaths to calm myself. Ironically this was just the sort of repetitive busywork I hated as a filly. Despite that, I was sitting there, alone, performing elementary unicorn tricks, and remembering how my mother would have scorned me over failing at something so simple as telekinesis.

That was the reason I didn't tell anyone about it, if people were going to hover over me and comment on every little thing I would never be able to get anything done. And I wasn't doing it for anyone else's sake, this was entirely a hobby of my own.

Reading up lucid dreaming really helped me understand all those strange dreamy landscapes I had experienced, it was difficult but I had learned how to affect my surroundings in new and impressive ways (to me at least). Eventually my nagging feeling couldn't be ignored anymore, and I attempted to change something else, my very own body.

Unicorns are weird, as are earth ponies, it felt so wrong to not have my wings at my side. The horn however, while distracting, wasn't all that bad and I found it very helpful as I performed my little magical experiments. Being born as an unicorn was cheating at life I concluded, and now I wondered why pony education was so... segregated.

A deep breath and I tried to put those thoughts out of my mind, there was only me, my horn and the cup.

This time I tried to feel it, like the wind or the emotional auras of ponies around me, and I could definitely grasp the object. There was resistance as I slowly forced my magic against it, and crack.

In front of me lay the shards of the porcelain cup, a few changes in the dream and I had another cup in front of me. One way or another, I was going to make this work.

***

Despite all the black magic and curses of Vanhoover, it was still a miraculous oasis in a radioactive wasteland. There was a reason to why that was the name ponies had chosen for Equestria, it was very much a damned land in every sense of the word. You didn't live in the wasteland, you merely survived until you didn't.

Point is, the the crimson desert in front of me was new to me, and it helped put things in perspective. The sun was setting in the west, and the air was rapidly cooling down. At the far end of the cliff sat two striped figures, close together in silence. And I felt guilty over disturbing this moment, but this was the last chance for privacy.

So I walked forward, preparing myself for a farewell I never really planned. And felt a bit of regret to not have talked more with the zebra before this. Too caught up in my own obsessions, too focused on Tart, and they never even questioned it. Because why would they, they were a zebra acting as a bodyguard to a pony travelling pony lands.

Except, this was me and I really should have known better.

"You are here, I feared you would arrive sooner or later."

Even now, a sound of concern for my soul in their voice.

"Yes, I am."

I walked up and sat down next to them, and looked at the zebra stallion besides my companion. He was tall, toned muscles, scars all over his coat and several large ones across his face. This was a stallion that had seen more fighting than most, and he had survived. His eyes had an absent and tired yet gentle look.

"He reminds me of my father..."

"You broke him."

The voice was a little spiteful, but not very serious. As we sat there he faded away, just a memory and long gone. Neither of us had magic to bring back the dead, even in our dreams. The best we could do was a copy of what we remembered them as.

"Sorry, I am still bad at this sort of magic."

"One should not dabble in star sorcery, you know this. And yet you do."

I gazed at the sun sinking beneath the horizon, enjoying the sight.

"It is my own decision, not hers."

"I wonder, she is still influencing you. Is she not?"

"Barely, not anymore than my mother is. She isn't here, she can't actually do anything."

"Then why did you insist Glimmer teach you?"

Sighing, I tried to explain my reasoning.

"You know, my mother always wanted a unicorn... And besides, I have a few monsters to handle. Still not sure if I have to kill them or... I need to have the options there when I return to my own time, I need to have a few tricks that no one is prepared for."

"And so, to slay monsters... You decide to become one yourself."

I shrugged at that.

"If I have to. What is another monster in the wasteland?"

"As you say, sorceress."

Night fell, in the distance we saw the stars and I found Xera staring longingly at them. It would be rude to comment, and besides... by now I felt a similar thing when I looked at them, I wanted to reach out to them, to bathe in their magic and to explore that dark void. I also hated myself for it, although that feeling was slowly fading, I made my decision and I had to be satisfied with it.

None of the myths ever talked about how peaceful damnation was.

"Speaking of dumb decisions, I can't believe she is letting you stay."

The zebra actually laughed. They looked at me with tears in their eyes and a smile on their lips.

"No, no, you silly pony. I did not ask the purple one, and she is not letting me stay."

My eyebrow rose at that, Director Glimmer had told me directly that my zebra friend would stay behind.

"You see, we talked, and she was the one who offered it."

Now it was my time to laugh, and to shake my head in disbelief.

"Why... am I not surprised?"

It was a rhetorical question, and I somehow still got an answer.

"Because you are a sorceress now, winged one. You know things that others do not, that is your fate."

The mood was far better than I expected it to be, and it was nice to reach an understanding with the companion I had overlooked the last few weeks, who had stayed by my side through the worst of places. And as I thought about Glimmer's suggestion that Xera stay behind in the past, and how it broke several chronomatic rules I had learned. And yet... it felt like the right choice.

I laughed, with more energy than I had for so long. It was so obvious.

"You know, I think you will find life here quite nice after all."

The zebra looked at me, with their head tilted and with that strange quizzical look. Smiling I explained, just a bit.

"Magical talent is inherited from parent to child right?"

Their eyes went wide at the implication.

Level Up

Skill Note: Occultism - 50%

Perk Added: Sorceress

No mere dabbler in forbidden magic, you consider conventional wisdom to be more of a suggestion than anything else. Your understanding of the arcane and eldritch arts is enough to give the experts pause, and you are on the path to powers considered as unimaginable as they are unnatural.

Perk Lost: Divine Providence

Ritual Added: Astral Warding

Ritual Added: Meditation

Ritual Added: Mind Palace

Spell Added: Dreamwalking

Spell Added: Telekinesis, Minor

Chapter 18 - Snowfall

There are moments where I turn to Raspberry Tart and try to make sure that my memories aren't faulty, there are still some things that make a sort of fuzzy sense like they do in a dream, and are completely illogical when you wake up properly and think back. My first time visiting Vanhoover was a lot like that, and sure... I understand why.

Maybe learning about astral magic while messed up was a bad mistake. I think it made it easier, as I didn't question stuff that was just plain weird and don't make much sense if you think too hard about it. But it made it a lot more difficult for me to heal emotionally, and mentally.

The point is, there was a reason to why we didn't do the ritual at the stable or the Institute, there was a reason to why we were in the middle of Vanhoover, and why the Boulevard of Stars was a sensible choice. In hindsight it was bound to end up a disaster, and if I had been more... sane. I really should have refused it and gone for some other option.

As it were, we didn't realize our mistake until we felt the bitter chill of a northern wind blowing over the little neighbourhood and heard an enchanting voice comment on our arrival.

"Took your time coming here."

I wasn't sure if it was the weather, or the voice that made me shudder.

She should not be there!

The cute and utterly harmless red mare sat there in front of us, knowing where and when we would arrive.

In any other circumstance I would probably find her attractive, with that comically large golden scarf that glittered with the snow-covered cobblestone. Her eyes glittered with a touch of insanity that gave her a sense of otherworldly beauty, even as they contrasted with how utterly normal she looked. As our eyes met I realized something, she had never killed anyone, she had never even harmed anyone without their consent. And in the twisted logic of Vanhoover, that meant she was innocent.

The memory of the nightmare within me made it difficult to figure out how to feel about the mare, it didn't help that she seemed to have that supernatural aura of charisma around her that Ètoile had. She was a pony who could walk into a room and make everyone notice her without uttering a word.

"Is she supposed to be here?"

Tart wasn't sure but she caught my mood.

I shook my head, trying to not think too hard about how this red pony might just have set everything in motion. If the nightmare, if Starlight cared about her, then she really needed to remain in her own time. Her absence would mess her up, and she would probably direct that anger towards me.

And when the bombs hit, she would be utterly alone, lost and confused, and having forgotten about her own soul jar...

"Oh sweet Luna... what have you done?!"

Everything seemed to fall into place, in the worst possible way. She... she just tilted her head and giggled at me as if i had told a joke. Or as if it was just a harmless prank. Harmless, that was the word I kept thinking of when I looked at her, and right now she had caused how many deaths? How much suffering?

"Please, you are not supposed to be here."

She stifled a laugh at my comment.

"Supposed to? I am a Van Hoof, and this is Vanhoover. It is where I belong."

Breathing deeply to not lose my temper at the childish behavior of this mare who probably was decades older than me. Although I am not entirely sure anymore, she is so whimsical and yet her aura feels older than usual. Similar to a ghoul's, but far cleaner if that helps.

"Ms Van Hoof, there are rules to time travel and you are creating a huge mess if you stay here. She will be hurt if you don't return, she needs you to exist back in your own time."

"From what I gather, she needs me in this time as well. And this way, there are no silly wars to worry about. Or Icetear either as I understand it. So please, would you escort me to my wife?"

I wanted her to disappear, I needed her to leave and not be a problem. Only I was increasingly convinced that I couldn't convince her of anything, and I definitely had no idea on how to force her back. She was a Van Hoof, in an awake and animate Vanhoover. Not a chance I would risk it.

Vanhoover.

My attention wandered to the city around us, it didn't seem to have noticed our return. As I looked around at the snow-covered roofs, the glowing winds in the sky, the howling windigos in the distance. It was winter, and Vanhoover had gone to sleep for the season. I felt sure the anomalies would be far less of an obstacle now.

The pony shaped wind spirit that flew past above us however, that worried me.

"Fine, you can stick with us."

The mare closed her eyes and nodded at me.

"Yah can't be serious?!"

I motioned upwards with my wing, and Tart saw the wind dance white and cold.

"Oh buck... We're caught outside, without any winter gear. We won't last the day like this."

She finally realized just how cold she was and her mind seemed to go into some survival mode, I could see it in her eye as she began figuring out what we needed to stay warm, clothes, things to ignite into a fire, shelter and how we would escape from here and so on.

Me, my attention was drawn to our new travelling companion, who sat there, seemingly unbothered by the freezing weather. Was it the scarf, was it magical? Probably, but it didn't feel like it would be enough, and too much reliant on a prop for a Van Hoof. There was probably...

Her breath, it wasn't just a cold cloud of vapor, it held a soft magical glow.

"Hey, could you teach me how to do that?"

Tart got distracted from her thoughts and looked at me, then her.

"Do what?"

Scarlet Van Hoof took a deep breath and blew it out, the air seemed to ignite with small magical sparks. My ranger stood there stunned, staring at the mysterious witch in front of her, finally seeing the little hints at how she literally breathed magic with her every breath she took.

***

"It is simple really. All you have to do is to think like a star."

She was remarkably cheerful in her tone, especially considering how her city had changed.

"The universe, is a cold, heartless place. It will outlast you, it will wait you out until you wither and die, until your bones become dust, until your spirit scatters and forgets that you ever were. Everything you ever did was utterly meaningless, and with every heartbeat, every breath you get closer and closer to a final death."

I could feel my blood freeze at her words, how melodic her voice was, how every sentence was filled with emotion and utter conviction. She was serious, and it reinforced that terrifying feeling of being so fragile and so small compared to everything around me.

She smiled and nodded.

"Good, you understand. Now... Don't let it win. Refuse, let your heart feel the resentment, the rage. Imbue your spirit with the absolute refusal to let the universe win. Rage, and burn. When the cold wind drains you, let your heart burn like the rolling seas of starfire. Breathe in the cold, exhale the flame."

This part was old news for me, this is was what the nightmare had showed me. So I took a few deep breaths, it wasn't much but I could feel the electric static in my nerves, I could feel something within me glow with an unnatural warmth. I looked up into the night sky, that endless black with those tiny glowing lights.

And I exhaled.

There was a tingle of sparks on my tongue. And I realized that I could breathe lightning, however weak it was.

"This is how dragons breathe fire. And how they live so long, why they almost never die from old age. It is a draconic form of magic, not many can figure it out. It requires a certain attitude to your surroundings, a willingness to let everything burn."

I felt well and truly damned, and yet I didn't care. Neither did Tart, who was busy trying to not freeze to death at the spot. There was not a chance she could figure out this, even if we weren't in mortal danger. Luckily, I had an idea and walked up to her.

The mare blushed as I looked her in the eyes, and then kissed her quite passionately.

There, that transfer of magic should keep her going a few minutes, and I was convinced I could generate enough to keep both of us going, at least for a few days if we were careful. I glanced at the red mare besides us who was smiling innocently, and quickly dismissed another idea.

***

At the time I wasn't entirely sure what it was that managed to put the city to sleep, but sleep it did. For the first time it actually looked and behaved like a proper ruin. Broken windows remained broken, walls were crumbled, the roads were cracked and there were no sign of life anywhere. No lights, no sounds. Just a frozen, labyrinthine ruin.

Unfortunately, that came with its own issues. Parts of the city became disconnected, isolated from each other and the idiotic layout became so ridiculously obvious. Sure, I could just fly over the buildings and just ignore the madness. My two companions couldn't, and even Scarlet seemed unsure on what to do.

We came up with the idea of using the tunnels, but for some reason none of us could actually find any entrances to the catacombs. Its like the city just locked itself up when the snow came. And that raised another question that I couldn't figure out.

"Why is the city asleep? Its not like its a bear or something."

Scarlet went hmm and thought about it for a minute.

"Probably has something to do with those wind spirits up there."

The resounding screech made me fall over and desperately try to cover my ears with my hooves, it barely helped. Where Windigos always like that? So cold, so filled with hatred and hunger... Their shapes were barely visible as they galloped past, their eyes glowed with a heartless light. And why did they seem so familiar?

Another worried thought crept up on me.

"Are they after us specifically, or are there just that many of them?"

A half frozen ranger next to me could explain that part, she had actually spent winters in the city before.

"Th-there's hundreds of them out there. They swarm the city like starved bloodwings, some stray outside bu-"

Another screech cut her off.

The creatures weren't like those in the legends, they didn't care about ponies at all. They were drawn to the city, not as a moth to a lamp, but as flies swarming a corpse. They were feeding on it, and I realized then that if they hadn't done it, things would have long since gotten out of control.

***

I was about to question whether we would actually find our way out, when we saw the first signs of proper life in the ruined snowscape. Our E.F.S. picked up several people, that stayed consistent unlike the windigos that seemed to flutter into and out of existence constantly.

Then the freezing winds were pierced by a new sound, the burning flight of a missile. I couldn't see who shot it, but I had a hunch on who thought it was a good idea to shoot disembodied spirits with explosives. Then to my surprise, the windigo panicked and changed direction. And the missile followed, and reached it.

With a low BOOM the missile exploded. The white and icy blue glow of the phantom got swallowed up by the sudden burst of midnight blue dust, and with it a few bolts of electricity. The dark cloud seem to hover in the cool wind for a moment and began to flow away gently. The wind dying with its mistress.

Then another missile flew out, and another.

A synthesized voice shouted out from the blinding white and I felt a surge of hope.

"CRUSADER! Respond!"

I barely heard Tart's response, and I was next to her.

"Shit... Over here!"

As the ponies galloped towards us I focused on her, covering her with my wings and holding her head in my front hooves. Desperately trying to warm her up from the inside. It worked, just as it had worked every time in the last... few hours? Days? The problem was that it had gotten increasingly colder and she wouldn't complain, so I didn't know when she was fine and when she was about to pass out.

A ranger in thick clothes and a facial mask ran up to me, hurriedly pulling out a bottle filled with a glowing orange liquid. With skill of a medical veteran he removed the cap and poured it down Tart's throat, and as I saw the potion work its magic he checked her eyes and then consulted her pipbuck.

"Just in time, ma'am. She's risking frostbite and worse."

Another ranger in similar gear unfolded a thick hooded overcoat and helped cover her. We might have to carry Tart for the last part of the trip, which would be a lot easier now. Then the medic glanced over to me, stared for a moment and insisted on checking my pipbuck. He hesitated, looked at a pony in full armour and made a confused shrug.

Then all of us looked at Scarlet who just turned down one of the winter coats with a courteous "Thank you, but no." I for one gladly accepted it, the cold still bothered me even if I could endure it. The leader decided that I would be the more sensible person to talk to.

"Paladin Crimson Dusk."

Nodding to him, I replied in kind.

"Windstriker."

"I have orders to get your team back to safety as quickly as possible. Any objections?"

"None, but I want to know one thing. Whose orders are your following?"

There was a pause.

"I answer to Star Paladin Earthquake, the orders come from the Elder herself however. I understand your... hesitation, but things have changed while you were gone. Honestly, most ponies had given up when the crusader's tag suddenly reappeared."

That worried me, for several reasons.

"Changed? What things have changed??"

There were many things I could imagine, the apocalypse finally swallowing up Vanhoover, the Enclave deciding to purge the surface, the unicorn either dying or subjugating everypony... I could worry for days on end, and it was better to not think too hard about it until I had an answer.

"The new director of the Institute contacted the Elder directly and there were threats made unless you were returned unharmed. There are over a dozen teams searching the city for you as we speak, and... if i may ask? Your mission, was it a success?"

I had half forgotten about it.

"Yes, I got everything here."

Even without the E.F.S. I could sense how she considered whether she should kill me and Scarlet, and just return with Tart and my pipbuck. If it wasn't for the threats she mentioned, she might have actually have tried it.

"Don't be idiot, Dusk."

She flinched.

"Do you have any idea what I have been through the last few weeks?"

There was no answer.

"Listen, we both want to get her to safety. You have your orders, and I have my reasons. And if I think you are going to do something foolish that risks Tart's life, or if you piss me off enough... I'll fucking break you. So please, be a good little soldier and do your job."

The power armoured mare stared at me for a few moments, turned and began walking away. The rest of the group following suit, with me and Scarlet just behind them. And we walked in utter silence, and I felt it all around me. They were afraid, there was more than a few rumours about us zonies and I had just confirmed a few.

As we walked, we passed a monstrously large corpse of a green dragon. With copper spikes, and I was reminded that I couldn't fix everything, I couldn't save everyone. And I became very aware that time was running out, the decades and centuries of preparations all around me were heading towards a potential catastrophe.

***

The air was filled with a tense disquiet as I sat outside the steel ranger medical facilities. I had been offered and accepted a glass of cider that I sipped on from time to time, Tart was hurt. She was in a bad state and I was definitely part of the reason, and yet I felt little guilt over it. True, things got way out of control and I... I had to remind myself that I wasn't actually responsible for everything that had happened lately. But still...

This identity problem I was still feeling made things unnecessarily messy, and the only emotion I could figure out was that she deserved better than this. Really, they all did. This mess of a city, the messed up state of Equestria... All of it needed to be fixed, and at the time I contemplated a deal with a demon if it helped.

"Are you worried?"

The red earth pony had been mostly quiet since we arrived, content to just breathe the air of a new era and picking up hints at the state of Vanhoover. And she had also stared quite a lot at me, like I was a puzzle or something curious. Usually I would have guessed that it was the stripes, but with this mare I wasn't so sure.

"She'll recover, I know she will."

It might take a while and be a bit complicated, but I felt sure of it.

"How curious."

Scarlet ignored my annoyed expression and continued.

"I didn't mean your marefriend, I meant you. When I am around you, it is like hearing an echo of my unicorn. It is obvious that you refused the mindwipe, and now you are second guessing everything. You are attracted to me, and you fear and you hate me. You are attracted to the soldier, and you can't help but feel that she is ignorant and idiotic. No matter what you try to think about, there is always a whisper that tells you differently. It is powerless, but it is still there."

"Is there a point to this?"

"Not really, just making small talk."

So we sat there a while longer, until a ranger walked up to me,

"The Star Paladin requests your presence, miss."

I made a loud and dramatic sigh, emptied the glass and got up.
Scarlet got up to follow me.

"No, I don't think so."

Turning to the ranger, I continued.

"Could you please find somepony to keep track of her... On second thought... Scarlet, it might be best if you just left."

Her voice when she responded was a threatening monotone.

"You wound me."

Turning my head to the annoying mare I made things as clear as I could.

"Honestly, after everything your wife has put me through, I am very tempted to just kill you."

She scoffed slightly.

"You wouldn't."

"I won't, but not for the reasons you are thinking of."

***

The scarred old stallion had a brown coat and a short mane, and was positively huge. If it weren't for the equally huge suit of power armour standing next to him, I wouldn't have believed that there was steel ranger suits for his size. Star Paladin Earthquake was the kind of pony you thought of when you heard the words "Steel Ranger", he could probably brawl with a manticore and his eyes looked like he could stare down an entire raider band on his own.

"You're the pony who has caused such a ruckus then?"

He was used to being feared, and respected, it was obvious.

"And you are the officer I have been warned about."

My reply was flat and short, I wasn't in the mood for any games.

When he didn't answer I took the time to look deeper into him. His dark blue robes were ridiculous, he wasn't meant for desk jobs, he was definitely armed, probably some oversized revolver and... a knife of some kind. His desk probably held something like a shock grenade, he wouldn't have gotten this far by being all muscles. As for the rest of the office, propaganda posters, freshly printed too. Not many books, although he had a map on the wall. A map of Equestria, and not just Vanhoover, with about a score of markings.

That was interesting, he wasn't stuck in the past, and it wasn't about local politics for him, it was about Equestria and rebuilding it. That was the reason he had joined up with the others, despite his reputation he cared about the larger picture.

It was a bit ironic, with my reputation of impatience, being able to just sit there and wait him out. It did definitely have an effect on him, and his views on me. He actually treated me seriously, and by that I mean as a potential threat.

"Crusader Tart's pipbuck didn't include the data you were supposed to retrieve."

"Yes, I deleted it while she slept. She might not forgive me for that."

His voice was remarkably even when he replied.

"I was under the impression that you were a contractor, you don't get to do things like that."

"The paladin you sent to get us was considering killing me, less than a minute after we met. Add in your reputation when it comes to seeing stripes, my dead uncle and you might understand why I needed... leverage."

He stared at me for a moment, and then sighed.

"Are all you crossbreeds like this?"

I could barely keep myself from laughing.

"No, just me and my mother."

Another tense pause.

"I could have you executed for this."

"Seeing as my mother threatened Goldstar with a balefire bomb, when they pulled something like that... That might be a bad idea? And honestly, we are both equines of action, so shall we get to the point instead?"

Taking his silence as an invitation I continued.

"Thank you. The point is that we both want the same thing."

"And that thing is?"

"Civilization. Not just this ragtag bunch of small settlements, squatters and tribes. You joined up with the Elder because she was different, she actually had a chance to get ponies to side with the rangers for once. And that is the thing you have been missing, hasn't it?"

"How much do you know about New Pegasus?"

"I know that you ponies are about as popular as the legion"

He actually growled, a low threatening growl.

"Those stripes have been there since the war, two hundred fucking years! We fought, we bled, we died to protect those ungrateful idiots for TWO HUNDRED YEARS. And while we were busy dedicating our lives, and the lives of our children to protect them... the civilians became little better than the cannibals of the rest of Equestria. Utter scum are what they are, even when we died for them they rather shoot at us and loot our corpses than thank us."

His eyes stared accusingly, I refused to flinch.

"When the Elder died, I was ready to lead a proper crusade and clean that hive of its filth."

It wasn't madness or hatred I heard in his voice, it was pain. Pain and a lifetime of regrets.

"Then Elder Stardust showed up from the east, didn't she?"

He was too angry to answer, and just nodded. So I filled in the rest.

"Only, it wasn't just her and the ponies she brought from the East Coast. There was also the crystal ponies, stable ponies that she had recruited along the way. Her regiment was different, they had a different attitude, a different worldview, and... You realized where you went wrong."

"What would a savage know of it?"

"Please, Star Paladin. I am a stable mare, born and raised. It is the same thing in the Institute, most of them rather keep the isolationism, and just let the occasional caravan and scavenger in. The wasteland is filled with violent monsters and savages after all."

He actually was listening.

"It isn't going to work, we can't just look out for our own and damn the rest. Its been two hundred years, it is time we began rebuilding. And over here in Vanhoover, we have better odds for it than anywhere else in Equestria."

His muscles relaxed notably, he had decided that I was an Equestrian after all. And that put us on the same side.

"If only it was that easy..."

His voice trailed off, and I had my chance.

"Actually, there are only three things we need to sort out. The Enclave is one of them."

I had to force myself to not smile too wildely as he responded.

"And the other two?"

"The second one is the glowing crater to the north-east, and what it is doing with the city. I do have a few ideas on how to fix it, but it isn't going to be easy. If you want to, I can explain exactly what is causing the anomalies, and why they have kept the Enclave from sterilizing the whole region. You are not going to like it however."

"And the third?"

"That one is going to take some explaining.... About the demon mare who set her sights on Vanhoover."

***

The explanations literally took hours, and to my slight surprise he was a remarkably good listener. It could be that I was giving him context to a great deal of stuff that had undoubtedly happened since he arrived in Vanhoover, and having me offer a literal lance of goddess slaying when it came to dealing with the nightmare definitely helped.

"The reason I am hesitating with all of this... the nightmare, she wants more or less the same things as we do."

"You called it a demon yourself, and from what I hear it is too dangerous to be left alive."

"Yeah, I did. The two ghouls, the one in Tall Tale and the one in Goldstar... Like it or not, they are important symbols for the ponies around here, and things would go a lot more smoothly if we have them on our side. At the same time, the nightmare is probably more sane than either of them, and she could fill the same role."

"Frankly, this is something I should put before the council."

"Agreed, and when we are done I want a teleport to your citadel so that I can bring the same info directly to the Elder. And then I will be heading home and talk to the director about all of this. Until then, I want you to not do anything rash. Let me deal with the ghouls and the nightmare."

"And when you screw up?"

"Annihilate her, quite literally."

"And the city itself?"

"If I can get either of those three on our side, they will know what to do. If not, the Institute can figure out how to starve it of magic. As long as they know what the problem is, they should figure out how to fix it in a few decades. All that remains, is the Enclave."

He smiled viciously.

"The Enclave is the one problem we already know how to solve."

He rose to his hooves and began walking to the door.

"Come, I have something to show you."

***

Neither of us said anything on the elevator trip, which was taking far longer than it had any right to be. As the doors opened and we stepped out into the basement, at least that part was easily explained by the enormity of the chamber. In front of us were several railroad tracks, above them sparsely lit catwalks and sporadic doors. A normal person would not have noticed this, as they would have been too distracted by the gun in the room.

When it comes to firearms, some prefer automatics, other prefer older manual loaders. Some prefer high volume of fire, others accuracy, and others prefer larger calibres. Pegasi usually prefer small calibre weapons, with low recoil, and unicorns have a tendency towards bolt or lever actions. Earth ponies however, have this idea of solving everything through brute force and sheer stubbornness.

What I am trying to say is that the gun that was in the room was obscenely large. There was no sensible way of transporting this thing in the wasteland, it was designed for an age where Equestria was covered in robust railroads and there were no shortage of locomotives to pull it. If the Steel Rangers were intending to actually use the railway gun (and not just drool over it), they would have to use at least a platoon, if not a company, of power armoured ponies to just drag it out into the open.

You could probably outfit a small wasteland army by just taking it apart for parts.

"This thing is... useless."

All the murmuring and sound of hoofsteps that had been echoing in the room, it all died down.

A barely controlled voice beside me gave a single command, aimed at me.

"Explain."

Earth ponies, durable, enduring, stubborn and so frustratingly single minded. Turning my head to the Star Paladin, I asked a question in return, keeping my voice as neutral and gentle as I could.

"How much experience do you have in aerial combat?"

There was a tense few seconds until he replied.

"Probably more than most, fighting against aerial targets at least."

Nodding slightly that I heard what he said, I still rolled my eyes mentally.

"There aren't any Pegasi within the Steel Rangers, are there?"

He shook his head slowly in response.

"There is an attitude that comes with flying on your own power. You try to minimize the weight of your armour and saddle bags, avoiding large calibre firearms. Pegasi don't like being restricted in their movement, we don't like being stuck in one place too long. Honestly, we have something like a nomadic instinct."

I had quite a lot of eyes on me, not just the large stallion. It was probably the first time they heard of it.

"And the Enclave is a military faction entirely dominated by Pegasi, with Pegasi habits, and Pegasi mindsets."

Waving a wing at the absolutely ludicrous weapon they cherished so much.

"This thing? Load it up with explosives or a mega spell and sure! You can wipe a raider fortress of the face off Equestria. What you can't do is hit a flying Pegasus, or whatever war machines they have. The things they will have will be mobile, self sufficient and hidden among the clouds. This gun takes what? Ten minutes to aim? Twenty?"

One of the rangers wearing robes hesitated a little and then asked what they should have asked decades ago.

"Then... what do you suggest?"

Pausing for a moment, I realized that I had not actually thought that through.

"Volume of fire, its the only way to hit a flying target while it is trying evade being shot. If its stationary in the air... you need something with a high velocity, something more difficult to dodge. Preferably energy weapons if you have them, especially beam guns."

Silence fell on the room again, and I facehoofed internally.

"You don't actually have any energy weapons, do you?"

The scribe shook her head, and the Star Paladin tried to keep a poker face. He had planned on bringing me down here to showcase the might of the Steel Rangers, their old world arsenal, proving that they were the best chance to overcome the Enclave and the Wasteland. That everything they had done these last two centuries meant something. And I dismissed their greatest pride out of hoof, it had to hurt. After all, someone had to teach them about efficiency.

"Energy weapons aren't very durable... they are high maintenance, difficult to replace and ammunition is difficult to acquire. Firearms have proven far more practical in the wasteland. Durability, fabrication, munitions... it was never even a question worth considering."

It was all so short-sighted, but what can you expect from wastelanders? None of these ponies had seen the war, they barely knew anything of ancient Equestria. It was all myth and legend to them, they lacked the context to understand.

"And for a wasteland army fighting raiders and wildlife, that probably worked pretty well. Except now you are facing a threat that is at least your equal, with a completely different doctrine than anything you ever faced. I hate to break it to you, but the pretender probably has a better understanding of what she is doing than any of you."

The Star Paladin didn't sound offended, to my surprise he sounded thoughtful.

"We need to rewrite some of our contingency plans... If you excuse me, I need to inform the Elder immediately. And we'll have a unicorn ready for you in two hours."

Nodding, I felt lost in thoughts and said the next thing more to myself than anyone else.

The stallion stopped in his tracks and asked without turning around.

"And that thing is?"

"... Think of it like a bomb, ticking first every month, then every week, every day, hour, minute, and towards the end, every second... I can feel it in the air, its like an incoming storm, we are running out of time. Somepony, somewhere... is about to force our hoof."

His voice was barely a whisper and I don't think anypony else heard it.

"Yeah... I know."

The enormous Steel Ranger was afraid, not of me, not of any demons. He was afraid of the coming war.

***

It was probably a very strange sight, to see a zony from the institute, walking into a meeting with the very elder of the Steel Rangers, and escorted by a ranger twice her size, wearing robes instead of actual armour. Especially Star Paladin Earthquake, a stallion who had a reputation of being the most militaristic and by far the most xenophobic officer of the entire battalion of rangers in Vanhoover.

I certainly had all eyes on me, from the senior officers at least. There were also a dozen rangers entirely enclosed in filigreed armour standing like statues along the walls, ignoring anything short of a threat of violence. These rangers, I noticed, actually had energy weapons, all kept in pristine condition.

For a moment I wondered if it was because the Elder had a different perspective on things, or if it was a show of prestige and status that only the Elder's personal guard had actual weapons worthy of Equestria's military elite. It was the former, Elder Stardust was definitely different from the rest.

The elderly mare had a purple coat, the strongest purple I had ever seen outside of a stable pony, her short mane was a silvery grey. There was something else about her, not the grey and gold robes she was wearing, no it was not something physical. Except maybe her eyes. She stood out as an Equestrian in a room of Wastelanders, there was a sense of serene confidence and a wisdom that age could not fully explain.

When our eyes met, I saw that she recognized something of the same in me. In that moment, she and I reached a silent agreement that we could trust each other, if not as allies, than at least as Equestrians. And then she looked uncomfortable and asked loudly and clearly.

"Where is the ranger that went with you?"

And there in that room I realized that if Raspberry Tart had died in Vanhoover, I would not leave this room alive. The Elder would not bear any personal ill will against me, soldiers died in the line of duty after all. I could however feel how one of the steel clad rangers focused her attention to me, Tart's mother.

"Recuperating. We were not equipped or prepared to deal with this weather."

The tension in the air lessened considerably.

"Pity, we had upgraded her armour and I was looking forward to giving her a promotion when I heard that you had been detected again. Your disappearance almost triggered a war the likes Equestria has not seen in centuries, what in Luna's name were you doing for seven weeks?"

I hesitated, unsure how to put it in a way they could accept. The Star Paladin left my side and took his seat, and I had a good view of all of them for the first time. The five ponies who to my knowledge possessed the largest arsenal of weapons on the surface of Equestria, ponies who could destroy everything I ever known if I said the wrong thing. Ponies that were my hope for a future that didn't end in another catastrophy.

Star Paladin Overdrive, grey mare with her short scarlet mane and her strong principles, the perfect soldier and the mare I expected to become the next elder if we all lived long enough to see it. The mare who Raspberry Tart had strived to impress, the one who gave her hope. The Ranger who decided to break the rules and actually listen to me.

Her face was one of a perfect neutrality, not showing anything.

The glittering stallion who was their most senior scribe, the former stable dweller. Sapphire, he had a short friendly smile on his face, and still wore a pipbuck to the meeting. This time I thought that was interesting, stable dwellers wore pipbucks, not steel rangers. I got an impression that he was feeling a bit of personal pride over the meeting, he was the one who wanted to befriend my stable.

Elder Stardust herself was feeling a bit of regret, tension and worry. At the time I thought that my mother's threats had really spooked her, and by now I was sure my mother had taken over the Institute. Either by being elected or by intimidating everyone else into backing down. And the Elder had another emotion in her eyes, impatience.

Next to her was an elderly stallion, with a brown coat and black mane. He looked unassuming, and more like a farmer or trader you might encounter out in the wasteland, not like a soldier and not like a steel ranger. He was very curious about me, and what my answer would be.

Earthquake was actually lost in thoughts, it had barely been a little more than two hours since our last discussion and he was probably reassessing everything he knew. About the Institute, about the Enclave, about the Steel Rangers, about himself, and about the coming war.

In the end I decided on the truth.

"We were in old Equestria, during the war."

The silence somehow went even quieter, and I got the attention of everyone in the room.

"I learned a few things, about Equestria, about Vanhoover and the unicorn."

Everyone listened.

***

When I stopped talking, it took almost a full minute until anyone broke the silence. Elder Stardust opened her eyes and appeared not the least bit intimidated, but more as if a final puzzle piece had revealed itself when she was not ever expecting to find it. She knew things the others did not, and I was very curious what it was.

I had given them the weapons that would give them a fighting chance against the Enclave, and she had not even glanced at the data. No, her attention had been elsewhere the whole time.

"Miss Windstriker, would you please take a look at this?"

Her hoof tapped an envelope of all things, I had not even noticed it.

A bit absentmindedly I grabbed it with my magic and levitated it in front of me, unfolding the letter within.

To: Elder Stardust, Commanding Officer of the Vanhoover Regiment of Steel Rangers, of the Royal Equestrian Army, stalwart knight of Luna and ever loyal to princess and principality.

You, and one companion are hereby invited to take part as guests in the first annual Goldstar Gala, in memory of the royal Galas of Canterlot of old, and in hope for a greater future. The purposes of this Gala are threefold. First, it is a cultural activity reminiscent of the days when civilization was worth its name. There will be access to the finest food in modern Equestria, along with drinks both ancient and fresh. Secondly, it is a diplomatic summit between every influential individual on the west coast, from New Pegasus in the south to the Starlight Institute in the north. It is to this purpose that I forbid any guest from bringing more than one armed individual into the event. Thirdly, it is high time that the sacred lance of gleaming truth pierce the clouds of confusion and despair, it has been far too long since the ponies of Equestria saw the sacred lights of the heavens.

Golden Starlight, A K A, Ètoile Van Hoof,

Reigning Duchess of Vanhoover, Canterlot Secretary of the Ministry of Image, and to my knowledge the single highest ranking official serving the Equestrian Government, by her highness Luna's grace and loving memory.

I will admit to being stunned, nothing in the letter revealed something I did not already know, but for that ghoulish unicorn to be so brash, so openly revealing nearly all of her cards... In hindsight, I should have expected it, the sense of dramatic flair was too tempting.

The Elder disturbed my quiet with a question.

"We are in agreement that this is a trap, what we can't agree on is for whom."

It did take me embarrassingly long to gather my thoughts.

"Isn't it obvious? Its the Enclave, if they do nothing, she wins. If they interfere, she will have the whole west coast banding together against them. And she will be the one everypony talks about, the one pony who made a difference, the one they will follow."

Overdrive sounded irritated when she interjected.

"If you know so much about how she thinks, then what about us? She can't fight us both at the same time."

I tilted my head, how could she not get it? It was so obvious?

"Why would she fight you?"

The mare with her red mane struggled to understand my words for some reason.

"She isn't a warlord, she is a politician. Either you help her defend Vanhoover, and legitimize her claims, or you fail in your duties, and you will have a mass desertion on your hooves. And if the Enclave show up in force, you will not have much of a choice."

The Star Paladin sunk her head and hid it behind her hooves.

"That's it then, we've lost. If we beat the Enclave and then kill her, it will just be New Pegasus all over again."

Raising a single eyebrow, I was again surprised at how short-sighted these ponies appeared to be.

"She has planned this for decades, if not a century. And no offense, but you are soldiers, none of you have the experience or training when it comes to manipulation and politics that she has. I don't think the unicorn ever saw you as a threat, you are just another faction she wants to recruit, but can do without if she has to."

The elderly purple mare showed then why she was different from her colleagues, she noticed things.

"And yet you do not sound particularly worried."

I couldn't help but to smile at the elder when I replied.

"And neither do you."

***

Reputation Gained: Steel Rangers - Good Natured Rascal

Chapter 19 - Blackhorn

Journeys change you.

The experiences you go through, the places you visit, the people you meet, the mistakes you make. And yet you barely notice it, at least not in that way. It does not feel like it is you who change, it feels like everything else changes, with how you view them in new ways, with new perspectives. In a way I suppose it is part of growing up and getting old.

It is however a little worse when you learn to view things from the perspective of an immortal being. No matter how much you cling to something, no matter how much you like it or try to protect it, you blink and it is dust in the air. Everything rusts, withers and crumbles to dust.

It does not matter if there is something new to take its place, if life grows from the death. Because beyond the cycle of life and death, there is only the cold desolate eternity where emotions disappear, and memories are lost, and everything loses its meaning.

And so, I returned "home" again.

***

"Hey, you can't just fl-"

Earthbound ponies never quite expect the speed that a pegasus can build up, so when the guard mare lifted her rifle to aim I was already halfway through my swoop, and speeding down to the ground in less than a heartbeat. She took a few steps away from me in shock, and I could feel the other guards aiming.

"Can we please cut the yakshit and just get this over with, please?"

The mare just blinked at me in confusion.

"Pipbuck, stripes, I am obviously a citizen so are you going to let me in or what?"

The mare, I couldn't remember her name or if I even seen her before, managed to gather some of her wits.

"Who in Luna's name are you?!"

Of all the responses, that one I did not expect.

"Uhm, the daughter of Blackhorn? Honestly, I thought I was infamous at this point."

"Tartaros take you, you're not her. She's dead!"

Scratch that, this got even weirder. I sighed quite audibly.

"Conspiracies, demonic sorceresses, the Enclave, a sentient city, a rupture into the leyline, time warps, Windigoes. And now I have to deal with myself being supposedly dead. Honestly, at this point I didn't think my life could get any weirder, guess I was wrong. So, could you please begin with the obvious part. How am I dead and and how sure are you about that?"

For a moment she blinked in yet more confusion, it seemed to be her special talent, then she pressed a button on her pipbuck and made a call that hopefully got me to meet someone more competent.

"Gate security, we got a possible bug, please send back-up ASAP."

Sighing again I raised an eyebrow at her.

"Does that mean you are bringing in someone I can actually talk to?"

She was furious and a tad bit terrified, although I guess I should have gotten used to that by then.

"You stay right here, any sudden movement and we'll shoot!"

"All right, whatever you say."

As we waited, one of the guards on the walls panicked and was about to shoot me. If I had dodged, the rest would have fired as well. For an ordinary pegasus it would have been a risky situation, I however just looked at the stallion and knocked his beam rifle out of his grip. Telekinesis is quite a handy skill to have honestly.

The guard mare beside me widened her eyes at the sight.

This was going to get more complicated and frustrating than I had previously planned. Although that probably goes for anything in my adult life, and that meant I had to learn patience the hard way. Something I quite resented a tad bit.

***

When the stable door within the hillside opened, I was prepared to see my mother and any accusations she might throw my way. I did sneak away in the middle of the night, all alone, and I did work for ponies who were sort of our enemies, and did fly right into Vanhoover only to disappear without warning.

I was wrong, I was not prepared.

The four zonies next to her managed to look just as impersonal and far more threatening than any power armoured pony ever could. Dressed in thick black armour, with visors that glowed with a ice cold blue, and armed with weapons that honestly frightened my very soul. The long and slender shape of a star lance, connected to the Institute's refined S.A.T.S., and given to a zony that would do anything for their home.

In all honestly, I froze, paralyzed with fear at the sight.

"Oh, so you do recognize them. That will make things easier."

While I knew my mother's reputation, I had never been on the receiving end of that glare.

"Goldie, just what is this? A twisted attempt at a gift?"

As I gulped, I barely regained my ability to speak.

"I got her out, she is not in there anymore."

Her eyes narrowed, threateningly cold.

As her horn glowed with a purple glow, I twitched in reflex, bracing myself for possibly my last moments.

It did not come, her magic crossed over me harmlessly and she relaxed slightly.

"So you did... Now, doppelganger, care to explain where you came from?"

"...Vanhoover, we got caught in an anomaly, a big one."

The zony I considered to be my mother walked closer, lifted my head with her hoof and appeared to be deep in thought.

"Vanhoover... where the dead walk among the living. Never thought I would see it with my own eyes."

Her whispers were barely audible even to me.

"I have something to show you. Would you object to being unarmed?"

Shaking my head, I was made aware the difference between my feeble telekinesis and that of an actual unicorn as the magazines of my guns were removed, the chambers emptied, and my battle saddle fell apart before I could manage to blink. Turning to leave, she glanced back at me, and at my pipbuck, then it came off with a loud click.

The pipbuck levitated in front of her and she appeared to have forgotten about my presence.

"Move it, bug!"

The guard kicked me hard and I shot an angry glance back at them, immediately regretting it when my eyes met the cold visors. For a moment I wondered if Blackhorn had gathered her own group of hardened killers, and where in Equestria she found ponies willing to work for the Institute of all things.

***

Through the long walks through the ancient vault we were not met by a single zony, only a slowly blinking red light and an automated message from the time the stable was built, declaring a lockdown. Something that outside of drills, had not actually happened in my whole life.

"So... the guard said that I was dead?"

She did not answer, and the hostile glares from our escort convinced me to not make too much noise. Either I had missed a group of killers within the stable or she had brought in somepony... or somezebra.

Was that it then? That the rumours about the Institute working with the Zebrecian slavers in the south were true? No, impossible! I would have noticed something like that. The zebras dressed differently, spoke differently and would not have gotten past Goldstar.

The conspiracy theories had distracted me enough that I had missed where we were going, and it was not until we stepped into the stable clinic that I noticed. For a moment I was worried about medical experiments and dissections, and the fear was smashed aside by the imminent dread as Blackhorn opened the door to the morgue.

The morgue!

I felt a lump in my throat and felt my heartrate increase. My body felt paralyzed, my mind desperatly wanted to flee. The guards forcefully pushed me forward, leading me to a clumsy stappling trot forward, closer and closer to where the striped unicorn stood, carefully analyzing my reactions.

Then a purple cloud shimmered in the room, a tray was pulled out, with a grey sheet covering a shape of an equine. Another person might consider it to be a bluff, but every part of my mind and spirit revolted in its presence.

Naturally, I choked painfully as the cover was torn off.

The sight of a well preserved corpse is unnerving, the size of a dead relative is traumatic, and the sight of your own dead, distant eyes staring back at you from your own corpse is beyond revolting. It is not a thing meant to be possible, and utterly abhorrent. It still haunts my nightmares, and at the time... I blacked out.

***

At some point, waking up in that old stable made me feel safe, bored even. Since leaving my old home for the first time it has felt less friendly and more foreign every time I opened my eyes. And I guess you could say that this wasn't my stable. It belonged to that other me who lay in the morgue...

"Don't think about! It's Vanhoover, it is just a thing that happens sometimes..."

I remembered the guards and paused.

"All right, maybe I screwed something up, but it isn't like I could have made things any worse around here, right?"

There was no answer, just the droning of the ventilation and hum of the electric lights in the ceiling. I never noticed just how cold and brutal stables were, all concrete and plastic everywhere. Relying on machines from the war to keep you alive.

This time it wasn't about running away, I felt like I would be more at home in the wasteland than the zonies I had spent my whole life with, even my mother felt like a stranger. And I realized that I should probably avoid Amber or Violette, as either I had changed or the whole world had.

"Probably both..."

If you ever wonder why no one ever travels back in time and try to stop the end of civilization, and all that fancy science feels too much like nonsense; I had the chance to make a small difference and I took it. Not messing around too much, staying a few weeks, talking to some ponies, make a few preparations, all to have a fighting chance against somepony who already had centuries to work with.

And I returned to a time where I was already dead.

"Honestly, she might be the only one to recognize me."

Taking a deep breath, trying to put it out of my mind. No use dwelling on the past, and yes I get how ironic that sounds. Trying to fix things would just make everything even worse, I would just have to work with what I had and try to make the best of it.

Raising my leg I realized that my pipbuck was missing.

"Well... fuck!"

Looking around, I saw that I had no terminal and was probably locked in. Stable dwellers usually didn't get claustrophobic, rather it was the opposite, but this was quickly becoming a source of panic for me. No weapons, no pipbuck, no terminal, and no way out.

I knocked on the door, no response. Not even any sounds suggesting that there were any guards outside. I knocked harder, nothing. I banged as hard as I could, and kept banging. My legs hurt, I was panting, saw spots of white, felt dizzy and fell to the floor. Collapsed, hearing the background droning as a deafening roar, saw less and less. Nerves tingling with electricity and going stiff, then...

Nothing.

***

The night air was cold, the wind wailed and blew through the grass field. There was no sun, no moon and only a single star lit the world, or whatever it was. I was on an island that curved upwards in an unnatural fashion. The grass-covered ground twisted into walls on every side except the slope leading down to the black sea. The few trees on the island were healthy, too healthy to be in the wasteland or even on an island at all.

This sort of place only existed in dreams, at least that was before I heard other ponies talk of the strange desolate island in the Lunar Sea, the island few visited and none stayed at. Although that mattered less than the fact I was not alone.

The corpse was there.

It looked peaceful, eyes closed unlike the last time. It wasn't frozen and looked like she was just asleep. Carefully I poked her with my hoof, but apart from a ruffled mane there was no change.

"Always a bit eerie, no matter how many times you do it"

I didn't bother looking at her, nor ask which one of her it was.

"Looking at your own dead body you mean?"

The unicorn looked almost black as she walked in front of me, glittering golden mane and a cutie mark to match.

"Just that, it is a bit surreal."

"And that is coming from you of all ponies?"

She ignored my comment and looked down at the corpse.

"Strange thing, I take it that you did not mean for this to happen? There is barely any traces of there ever being a soul, it is like the soul left entirely, leaving the body without any semblance of sentience."

"So she won't get up and do things, right?"

"Not on her own no, destroy the body and this little thing fades away."

Some time passed with neither of us talking, we were just being there, experiencing the cold wind and the dark night together. Then I felt an impulse to ask an inappropriate question.

"How many times have you?.."

"Died you mean?"

"No, how many times have you looked on your own dead body like this?"

She seemed surprised for some reason.

"Oh, that... five or seven times I think. It is usually healthier to not think too hard about things like these; you always end up asking yourself questions you do will not like the answers to."

"Like whether you are the real one, or just some form of copy and the real one died long ago, in which case why are you even alive?"

"Exactly. I will save you some time and a lot of pain by answering those questions. As for which one is real, it does not really matter in the end. One of you is dead, the other is alive, the one who is alive gets to decide from there on. And bothering staying alive when you already died? Why not?"

"Why does that feel like you are just avoiding the question?"

"I guess I am, just a little. Anyhow, my raison d'etre is spite."

Then I had a thought.

"Any tips on how to get out of a locked room when you're disarmed and out of tech, hypothetically speaking?"

She gave me a mischevious smile.

"With or without any guards watching?"

"Hm... not right now, but there are guards, dangerous ones."

"So violence is ill advised and stealth unfeasible?"

I nodded.

"That leaves the verbal option, this one is quite easy if you are a decent liar; act according to expectation, wait for an opportunity and take it. Although you may have to wait for a while, do you know how solitary confinement works?"

"Not really?"

"Ponies, and zebras, are inherently social creatures; being alone too long stresses us out, unnerves and unhinges our psyches. Having access to literature or a radio can act as a pseudo-social substitute. Still, a week or three and you would break anypony."

"So it is a form of torture?"

"Exactly, and a simple one at that, all you have to do is wait."

I shuddered at her description. Then I recognized her facial expression, it was devious and... I guess the word playful is the best description. There was no hostility, it was more like she was waiting for the chance to tell a bad joke.

"From the way you're smiling I'm guessing there is fourth option."

"When the game is stacked against you, or if the rules are unfair, always figure out a way to cheat. It works wonders when nopony else realizes that cheating is always an option."

***

The Director sat by the distinct circular desk of the Overmare's office, the glass display cabinets were possibly more priceless than the things inside. Prototype technology, some art objects that looked like they were from Canterlot, others looked like they belonged to the Van Hoofs. Then there were the ones I couldn't figure out. Not zebrecian... Were they made by crystal ponies?

Blackhorn was willing to meet me without any guards. It only took about a week of not talking to anyone at all. Even my meals were handled by robots. Of course there always guards around the corner somewhere, and turrets in the roof. The point was clear enough, she didn't trust me and would have me killed if I did something stupid. She dared to meet me alone because she was confident she could handle me by herself.

Honestly, I was not sure if I was being underestimated or not. And I doubted that I could bring myself to fight her, I still considered her my mum even if she treated me as a freak of magic that should never have been.

"Tell me again, how did you last a whole week?"

Sighing loudly I repeated myself for the third time.

"Time's subjective, it flows differently depending on the person and situation. You say it has been a week but as far as I know it might have been a day or two. I'll admit to being bored out of my mind, but that's nothing new."

"My daughter would never last even that long."

"Look, things have been a bit weird since I visited central Vanhoover."

She actually rolled her eyes.

"And the part about time travel?"

"Again, there should be a file in the Overmare's private section written by Starlight Glimmer. If you would just-"

"I already have."

I relaxed back into the chair.

"Aaand..."

"It is there."

I let out a long breath, and my annoyance was replaced with confusion. Before I could ask she began to explain what she had been doing while I was locked up.

"Your pipbuck is an exact duplicate. Not just the software but the hardware as well, it is the one I personally customized years ago. The only difference is that one has unusual data past a certain date."

"Which backs up my story."

She leaned her head on her hoof, looking annoyed as I ever seen her.

"Yes, yes does. We also checked your DNA, also an exact match. You, and my dead daughter are, scientifically speaking, the exact same person. Or at least twins, which I know to be an impossibility. It was suggested that you are a clone, but I also checked your spectral profile..."

"And you're saying my story is unbelievable?"

"Let me finish, while it is theoretically possible that you are created for some ulterior motive, it makes no sense leaving an original around. And it is admittedly quite a stretch."

"So what is the problem??"

Her eyes flashed with murderous intent for a brief moment.

"The PROBLEM... is that my daughter ran away in the middle of the night, was seen in the company of a loose trigger steel ranger and was discovered dead in the middle of Vanhoover several weeks later. I was about to bury her when the steel rangers sent a message that she had been discovered alive and well. My brain is telling me that you are the same zony, but my heart is hating you for even looking like her."

So it was not that she didn't understand or didn't believe me, she was just struggling emotionally with me being both dead and alive at the same time. Meaning that...

"Oh, so you're not going to kill me then. You just need some therapy."

Bad choice of words in hindsight.

***

I was thrown out, locked up again and it took until the next day before she was ready to talk to me again. By the looks of it she had been drinking and didn't sleep at all. So while I was feeling more confident she looked... like she had failed her daughter, found her corpse and then find her alive at her doorstep. So yeah, she looked like shit.

"Anyhow, I got stuff I wanted to talk to you about."

"Like what?"

"Did you know dad had other daughters?"

Her eyes went wide.

"How did you?.."

"I've met both of my sisters, talked to an enclave agent and I have seen the memory he left you. So yeah, I know. Most of it anyway."

She sighed and was about to talk when I interrupted her.

"It's Violette."

"What??"

"Violette, the wingless pegasus me and Amber brought back a while ago? She's the daughter of Heaven Song and..." I had to search my memory for it "Commodore Pearl was it? Meaning that she is my sister and your step-daughter. So when you're done moping, please try to be there for her."

"Well... fuck."

"And when we're done here, I'm moving out of here. Don't exactly feeling welcome after being imprisoned a week for the crime of being alive. Seriously, what kind of parent does that? I've seen a tribal be more caring than you."

She covered her face with her hooves and sounded utterly exhausted.

"Did you have to bring that up right now?"

"Actually, yeah... I think this is it."

The noise she made was somewhere between a groan and a sigh.

"I fucked up, didn't I?"

"Yep, you did. I have to wonder, would it have been different if dad was around."

"Oh that was low.."

"No, I'm serious. I have no memories of my own about him and you never talked about him, then I found out that he was Enclave. Damn, you never really explained why I wasn't allowed to go above the clouds. I found about the Enclave being an actual thing by them trashing me from the cloud cover all the way down to the ground!"

She didn't say anything.

"Want to know why I was working with the rangers? Because they saved me when I crashed to the ground, and they treated me better then any of you ever did. They treated me as an equal, they actually listened to me and cared about what I had to say. Here, I was never anything more than a failure and troublemaker no one wanted to have around!"

I took a deep breath to calm down.

"Either way, the Rangers officially recognize us zonies as Equestrian citizens now. Anyone from the Institute is welcome at their forts, Celestia knows why I bothered, seeing as how I'm treated here."

"... Come again?"

She struggled with the topic change. Normally that wasn't a problem, but she wasn't thinking clearly that day. If she had, she wouldn't be having this meeting alone.

"I fixed that whole mess with the racist rangers looking for an excuse to kill us and take all of our stuff. Although I think they might try to recruit the Institute instead, so you need to be prepared for that. Speaking of recruiting, what's your plan for Goldstar?"

Another topic change.

"... Honestly, I was just going to her party, and then decide if I should just kill her. Collateral damage be damned. That witch has lived longer than she had any right to."

I smiled at that comment.

"Yeah, I know the feeling. But even if we could drive off the Enclave on our own, which we can't, everything would become a total shitshow afterwards. Raiders, Goldstar's army, the Rangers, slavers and worse... Vanhoover would just become like the rest of the wasteland."

"I fucking know that already... A chance for civilization, but with that mare as the princess? I rather blow my brains out than live on in that world."

And there it was, the moment I was hoping for.

"Or... we could let her do her thing with the gala, and then we break her, the way she breaks others."

she raised a sceptical eyebrow but said nothing.

"It can be done. I know her, several of her; and I know her methods, her magic, her plans and how to turn it all against her. I didn't spend a few weeks in wartime Vanhoover for nothing. I did it in order to destroy that mare."

Now she looked more interested.

"All right, tell me more."

***

When you are confronted with your own mortality like this, when you realize that somehow you have already died once, you begin to develop an increasingly paranoid fear that you might not be as alive as you are used to. It is not enough to feel a beating heart, to feel emotions or to have physical senses, part of your mind begin to worry that you might be a ghost and fade into nothingness. That one day, everyone around you will cease to recognize you as a thing that still exists, and that no matter what you do there is no coming back. Or worse, forget that you ever were.

So you begin to take notes, write journals, record memories and have physical proof that you existed. You begin to plan contingencies in case something somewhere goes horribly wrong, like a dead mare's switch; or in my case, a more occult solution or two. The confrontation I was preparing myself for was one I could very possibly lose, it was honestly pretty likely if you considered the centuries of planning I was facing. So it was not only clever, it was arguably necessary that I had something ready if I failed.

At least, that was what I was telling myself, and Blackhorn.

In reality, I was absolutely terrified at the idea that I screwed up horribly and might not actually be real anymore. I suspected that I would not die from old age like a regular equine anymore, but that just wasn't enough. I felt far too fragile and vulnerable in this body of flesh and bone, and while I suspect that my sense of self and spirit would survive even if the body died, I rather not be a mere ghost. A ghost like the rest of Vanhoover, forgotten, and fading into a faint echo on the wind.

No, I needed something tangible. Something resilient, something that would withstand the world ending a second time if it had to. As such I needed a soul jar, and not just an inert object whispering things to the ponies around me. No, I had other ideas.

One of the ideas stood in front of me. It was a bulky equine shape, but unlike any of the equine races that ever walked the Wasteland. It resembled a pegasus with a matte black coat, but with a tail that ended in a silver scythe, and eyes completely in an ominous yellow colour. It had no mane, and the wings looked stunted, and unable to keep it flying. To make the whole thing utterly surreal, it had the blue screen of a pipbuck built right into its leg.

You might mistake it for another of the Institute's increasingly equine robots, or think it was some experimental armour designed by our best engineers. You would be wrong though, this suit of armour was in large parts two centuries old, and evidently designed to last. It was a proper power armour designed exclusively for pegasi, and obviously related to the ones you can see in the Enclave. Not sure when I figured out that my mother kept it hidden away, but I knew it would be here, and upgraded with new electro-magical hardware, including the pipbuck I mentioned.

This piece of technology was practically made for me. It belonged to me, the one gift my father left me, carefully maintained and retrofitted by my mother, and it was just the thing I needed. The day I walked into the open air in that suit, I would become a high priority target for the Enclave, and for the ponies of the Vanhoover ruins I would be more than just another meddling mare. It would put me on the same level as the ghoulish mare of Flood Town, the Steel Ranger's elder, the Institute's director and it would put me on the same level politically as Goldstar's princess.

Maybe not as a hero, but maybe as a symbol. As a stable dweller I could remind ponies of the past they lost, as a zony aligned with the rangers I would be a promise that there be no racial discrimination in the society we needed to build, and as a pegasus... as a pegasus I would show the ponies of the Enclave that there was a place for them among the rest of us.

Again, that was what I told myself.

And again, the real reason was far more selfish. A soul jar constructed out of a piece of arcano-electronics would need no power source, and a soul jar made out of a suit of armour would be practically indestructible, and a soul jar made out of a suit of power armour would even be capable of moving on its own. If fate meant that I would end up a ghost, then it would be as a ghost in a machine that could still affect the world around it.

And the zony who was both my mother and not my mother was still trying to talk me out of it.

"If we go through with this, it would be permanent."

"I know."

"The ritual would be the single most painful thing to happen to anyone."

"Yeah, I figured that out."

"It is very probably that would damage your psyche."

I turned and looked her in the eyes, they were filled with pain and regret. Maybe directed at me, maybe my father, and probably things I was never told of. And still, there wasn't enough resolve to refuse. Not after everything.

"You know, I don't think I believe in sanity anymore."

"Still, pony minds aren't meant to last forever, they can't handle trauma beyond a certain point."

"Yeah... I know. I know..."

Of course, I was not going to tell her how I knew about the details and the consequences of the soul fracturing ritual, the ritual that was required for the creation of a soul jar in any form. Some secrets remain best untold.

***

Perk Added: Fractured Soul

By choice, or by coincidence, you are no longer one individual but several. You permanently lose 1 Luck from being a mere fragment of what you once was, and have an unnerving effect on any creature capable of sensing what you are. Death itself hesitate in your presence, as you are no longer merely alive nor dead but something more.

Ritual: Soul Fracture

Soul Jar Added: The Wings of Tartaros, a customized Empyreal armour Mk III.

Author's Note

There has been over a year since the last update, and this chapter has been waiting half finished while real life unfortunately took precedence for a while. That and various audio books distracting me from ponies, I even finally finished Fallout New Vegas in the silent year.

And it is strange to return to this, after every gap in writing my inspirational sources change and this was originally meant to be a gritty story of wasteland politics and wartime conspiracies, before the cosmic horror, before the existential dread.

Hm, at least it is distinct. And I still wish to finish this, Ètoile insists on it. Accursed self-aware characters, a strange side effect of writing stories where reality isn't quite as static as we are used to.

Act 3 - Redemption

It is a curious fact towards the end of the Great War that there was no truly good people left; there were innocent ponies and zebras still, but at that point innocent had turned into just another word for ignorant. Every pony in any position of power had blood on their hooves, no matter if they were a bureaucrat, officer or politician. Even the civilians were guilty of looking away when their neighbours disappeared from time to time.

And it is a remarkably ironic fact that, despite the vast differences between Equestria and the wasteland that it turned into, it is the same pattern. If you ignore a few sheltered foals and stable dwellers, any given pony you meet is likely to have gone through events they regret. Traumas that still scar them, mistakes that haunt them, blood that taint their hooves and their souls. And all of this... leads to one one fatal question.

If we were to kill every single little monster within the world, would there be anyone left to rebuild?

I very much doubt it, and I have been forced to recognize the logical conclusion to this. There will not be a day when all of the innocent little colts and fillies come together and build a new civilization free from the sins of their ancestors, we can't just endure and wait anymore. If we, the broken and bloodied fools of two accursed ages, can't come together and build a better tomorrow; no one else will.

And knowing what we have to do, why would we let anything stop us? I no longer care about the petty feud between ponies and zebras, the struggles between the rangers and the raiders, nor the divine mandate of the princesses nor the awesome firepower of the old Skyguard. None of it truly matters anymore. The only thing that truly matters is whether you are willing to sacrifice and to struggle not for yourself but for those who are yet to come.

Redemption does not really lie in a climactic choice of right or wrong, where you push a button, pull a trigger or jump a ledge. Redemption lies in not our deaths, but in our survival, and our continuous decisions to do better than we did in our pasts. It is a difficult process, and a long one.

And here another pony would have written an emotional tirade about their regrets in life. Not I. No, I am just sick and tired of it all and there are only two possibly paths forward. The first is sweet merciful oblivion as everything finally ends, and we already tried that. A few moments of sadistic glee was not worth the aftermath.

As such, can an evil individual redeem themselves and save the future?

And, not even for the right reasons?

Those questions are moot. The real question is if there will be anyone who can stop me.

Ètoile Van Hoof

Duchess of Vanhoover

Prologue - Vanhoover

It is ironic, after all the time I spent in Canterlot I would be drawn back to this place. Yet not even the grandeur or prestige of the capital could hold up to sitting in the Terrace Café, watching the sunset in this wondrous city. You could do it for days while the sun slowly descended in a single dusk, to be replaced by the gentle glimmer of the moon ever so slowly.

The cobbled streets curving and ascending as you left the coast, the bridges older than most Equestrian towns. And despite what the map says, Vanhoover isn't Equestria. The kingdom is a young child compared to the matronly beauty of the astral city.

When the royal archivists and scholars dug through ruins desperately trying to find some truth in the myths from the early days of the Kingdom, the full scandalous truth of the Fall of the Crystal Empire was performed here in the opera. By divas who saw it with their own eyes, oh how I miss the performances.

Not even the end of the world could bring her down, no outsider could ever hope to fully grasp the resilience hidden within these ancient streets. The Van Hoofs are said to be dead and gone like the princesses or the ministries, like the zebrecian empire and Equestria. Foolish nonsense... When the zebra mystics cowered in fear at the sight of the night sky, the Van Hoofs looked upwards with longing and love. As it often is. The truth is stranger than myth, and oh so much more horrifying.

The Star of Vanhoover watches over us, and there are still those who remember.

Étoile Van Hoof

Duchess of Vanhoover

Act 2 - Duty

There is one thing I can agree with that crimson stable buck in Fillydelphia, ponies need to be reminded of their duties. And even if they have forgotten them, every individual have a duty they need to fulfill. Parents have a duty to their foals, soldiers have a duty to their commanding officer, a subject has a duty to their monarch and everypony has a duty to their fellow ponies. I will admit that this is a bit hypocritical of me as I have once forgotten and abandoned my own duties. Duties to my ancestors, to those who placed their hopes in me and to the citizens of a country which has been immolated until merely ashes and ravaged souls remain. And the duty to the future generations so they might not suffer the same horrors.

There was a stallion I met a long time ago, an exemplar of the virtue. When I was wallowing in solitude and carnage he had stayed truer to his duties than anyone else I ever known. He lived by his duty to Equestria and to the mare he loved even if she had long since passed from this world. As a lost foal I stuck by him for over a decade until I finally returned to my own path, I do wonder however his life turned out in the end? I know that the order he created is built around the virtue of Duty and it has held strong for two centuries where towns and would-be nations have crumbled. Yes, the Steel Rangers know to hold on to their virtue and they have grown magnificent as a result. Yet even among them there are those who have forgotten their oaths and their duty. There will come a day when he is forced to remind them, as their originator and as the lover of their Minister.

There are moments when I wonder if I should have abandoned my own foolish designs and have stuck by his side. My knowledge and talents could surely have helped him, and perhaps he could have restrained my more destructive tendencies. However, I still have a duty above all others. One I can't abandon, my promise to her.

If I have to burn the heavens for her sake then so shall it be.

Ètoile Van Hoof

Duchess of Vanhoover