Fallout: Equestria - A Pair of Striped Wings

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.

"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."

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