Fallout: Equestria - A Pair of Striped Wings

"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