Chapter 1 – Lapse Rate

202 years later, in stable 124—located in the northern part of Canterlot's park—a pegasus colt named Lightning Cloud had just been born. The great great great grandchild of Pinkie Pie and Pat Thundersnow.

Lightning was a bright silver pegasus with a few crimson red patches spread over his fur. His long, unkempt mane was a bright red, streaked with silver. His eyes were azure, and his cheeks detailed with sparse freckles.

“Oh, Thundery, he… he’s so beautiful…” his exhausted mother, Golden Grain, said to her husband; a few minutes following the birth. She worked as a chef and helped to grow various crops for the stable.

Her pegasus coat was bright yellow. Her pixie cut mane—horned with a pink daisy—and fluffy mid-length tail shared the same color, but with broad plum streaks in addition. Her hooves stood out with their deep purple and her eyes shone like her newborn son's. Around her neck rested a gold heart-shaped pendant.

“Got a good feeling he’s going to be a great stallion when he’s older,” Thundery Showers, his father, chuckled; just as one of the nurse ponies delicately handed Lightning to him.

Thundery worked as a maintenance pegasus in stable 124. His tasks consisted of keeping the stable safe from the Balefire radiations that were still present on the surface and could leach their way into the underground habitat.

His admiral blue fur and lemon yellow hooves matched well with his metallic blue stable suit, that all dwellers above the age of 5 had to wear. His regular cut mane and semi-long wavy tail matched his wife's bright yellow, but with light magenta streaks instead of plums. His eyes were a light blue.

Thundery admired his newborn child. “Pretty sure your great great great granddad would have loved you… little guy. He loved to try and make ponies smile the best he could; just like his wife.”

Lightning Cloud came into the world in the middle of fall; if they were out in the Equestrian wasteland.

“Here you go, dear.” Thundery handed Lightning to his wife, allowing her to hold her colt for the first time.

“You can be whatever you want to be, sweetie,”—Golden Grain whispered to Lightning— “With there being so many things you could do in here, I got a feeling you’ll be able to figure out what you can and will do with your life. Don't you worry.”

She gave her boy a kiss to which he replied to with a coo.

Within a few days, all of the Vitalia wing knew of Mr. Showers and Mrs. Grain's newborn son, and so did the Luna wing, because it was on the very same day as Lightning that Mrs. Hugger, with her husband Mr. Cooper by her side, gave birth to her son; an unicorn.

Cable Cooper was his name. He had saddle brown colored fur with dark brown hooves and cyan blue eyes. His mane and tail popped of thick ruby red and dark blue streaks and would become very flowing and longer as he would grow older.

Such an event had rarely ever happened within the stable's history, and the two family became a popular subject of discussions for a while.

They had encountered eachother here and there through their daily lives, but this surprising turn of events brought them closer together and represented a great opportunity for their new child to meet and maybe become friends.

To their delight, it didn't take long for Cable Cooper and Lightning Cloud to get very much along; making the two of them best friends in no time.

Throughout their baby and toddler years, the two of them became virtually inseparable.

Upon entering school, both constantly insisted on working together for projects and works. They would sometimes be refrained from doing so, because they would rather have fun than concentrate—most of the times—but that allowed them to meet with the other students from the stable.

Not only ponies resided in the underground shelter. Gryphons, hippogriffs, yaks, and even zebras took part in Stable 124's community.

Of course, it was no surprise that perfect harmony didn't exactly reside in it as well; especially in school years.

One example included a young gryphon student named Gabe.

Gabe was a rather bulky young gryphon with a light grey coated head—and a spiky fringe on top—defined with a few thin darker gray streaks. His eyes were jade colored and semi-narrow with his thick beak and claws being yellow. His body, large wings and thin tail were golden brown, but the bottom of his front and back legs—as well as his lower back, bushy tail end and the tip of his wings—were a much darker shade of the same color. To compliment his appearance to his liking, he wore a bright red tissue scarf and bandana.

He was a rather well-known bully for the second graders. This meant Lightning and Cable counted amongst his prey; both being in second grade as well.

This morning, between two classes, Cable was minding his own business; reading on the floor, against the wall, when Gabe approached him.

“Hey freak, why’d your parents name you Cable? Is that all you’re good at; cabling?”

Cable remained silent; completely ignoring Gabe.

Gabe bellowed in response. “Give me your comic,” he said, pointing at the Power Ponies comic that Cable was reading.

“Heck no,” Cable said, putting his face back into the comic, after barely glancing at Gabe.

Gabe knocked him to the ground and kicked him in the ribs; resulting in loud wheezes from Cable.

“That’s what you get for not giving me what I want, freak!” Gabe took the comic that had dropped to the ground, then turned around and noticed Lightning Cloud hovering in front of him. “Oh look, it’s the freak's only friend.”

“Give him back his comic, Gabe,” Lightning ordered.

Gabe chuckled. “Yeah, right. Get lost, dweeb.” He easily pushed Lightning to the ground.

“You jerk!” Lightning promptly bounced back from the floor and spin kicked him in the face—hurting his eyes—before punching him on the beak; causing instant bleeding.

“Listen good, bird brain! You bully my friend again and that beak of yours is gonna be coming out the back of your head, next time. Ok?!” Lightning said, his eyes flaming with rage.

Gabe covered his face with his claws and staggered away from Lightning. “Freaking hell, dude!”

“Give my friend his comic back and apologize for attacking him!” Lightning bellowed.

“Okay, jeez!” Gabe tossed the comic back to Cable. “Sorry for stealing your shitty comic, Cable guy...” He began walking away; blood dripping from between his claws still holding his beak. “Damn, freaking hell!”

Cable rolled his eyes while catching his breath back. “Oh... really? Such... such a shitty comic that you... that you asked for it... at the Power Gems shop... last week... Gabe?”

Gabe stopped. “... Heck are you talking about... I ain't got any interest in that piece of crap.” He twitched from the pain. “Ow!”

Cable smirked, still panting. “I saw you over there... last week. You didn’t have... have the caps for this new Power Ponies comic that I got.” He stood up, staring at Gabe. “You're so poor that you... you result to harassment to get what you want, Gabe? And... and you can't even fight back? That's pathetic for a bully, Gabe. A radroach... has got more guts than you.”

“Okay, fine! Jeez! You got your payback! How about you shut it?!” Gabe said, before turning to Cable. “Yah! Ain't got no caps to buy no crap since I got kicked from my gang! So, I decided to give robbery a shot. What's it to you?! Ow!” He twitched; now covering his left eye. “Turned out to be a pretty shitty idea for the first shot... I can at least realize that much!” He grunted.

Lightning chuckled. “So, you got kicked out, eh? Didn't have it in you to be a mean brutal jackass like you thought you could?”

“And you got to see that first-hoofed, spark head... Freakin' sh—” Gabe heavily sighed. “Anyway, I'm off, dweebs.” He walked away again.

Lightning stepped toward him. “Man, Gabe, you look like nothing without your gryphon gang. You're like a worm. There's no way you going to survive the wasteland if you ain't got any back bone. Look how easily I handed you your ass!”

“I said 'I'm off'! That means I'm done! How much do you want to rub it in, hot fuzz?” Gabe said, more than annoyed at this point.

“Maybe enough to take pity into you, after knowing you're basically no threat at all by yourself,” Lightning called out, “I hate bullies' guts, but you ain't got any, so might as well at least try and build some that you could put to beneficial uses instead of failing at being a jerk.”

Gabe stood silent for a few seconds. “... Are you serious? When are you gonna be done shoving it in my face, still? Dude, I just got owned by you, now I feel like crap, and that was already enough to seriously make me reconsider...”—He let out a very long sigh—“...what I just tried, for how freakin' stupid that was...”

Lightning smirked. “You interested?”

Gabe again kept quiet for a brief moment. “I dunno. Starting to maybe consider it... And it's a big 'maybe'... A bit too pissed off to think straight, right now,” he said; the blood from his nostrils now falling to the ground.

“Tell you what... You let me try and give you some basics and in return... me and Cable will get you that comic.” Lightning looked over to Cable.

“Huh...” Cable hesitated, carefully looking at Lightning and then at Gabe, still virtually in pain. “Yeah... Not exactly sure about this, Lightning, but... given the fresh new circumstances... I... guess it could be worth a try. I ain't exactly seeing Gabe as much of a threat anymore myself either... Much less intimidating now that I know you can beat him like nothing. I still felt that kick, though. Fudge...” He covered his ribs with his left hoof.

“I don't think that's going to happen again, Cable.” Lightning looked back at Gabe. “Offer is still pending. Your choice.”

After a few seconds of hesitation, Gabe gently removed his left claws covering his injured eye, clenched them, and put them toward Lightning. “Yeah, sure... Whatevs...”

Lightning approached him and responded by raising his right hoof and bumping them into Gabe's fisted claws. “How about I come to your place tomorrow afternoon and we start then?”

Gabe looked away saying nothing.

“Come on, Gabe. What else you got to lose? You already lost your pride as a bully; there ain't much left.” Lightning smirked.

Gabe grumbled, putting his left claw to the ground. “Ain't a reason for you to start acting like one, idiot. If I agree, will you cut it and at least let me deal with my own screw ups before we start anything? How about Sunday, instead? Give me a day to cool off or something... I ain't cool with you or Cable guy... definitely not yet, at least...”

“Ok, yes. Sorry. Was pretty tempting to tease you,” Lightning chuckled.

“Okay... yeah... I guess...” Gabe mumbled, before turning around and walking away; dropping blood following his steps.

“I didn't know I would be able to feel bad for that guy,” Cable whispered, walking next to Lightning. “I mean, other times we encoutered him was with his gang, and he was a real jerk, but on his own... I thought he was actually sent by them to mess with us.”

“That's kinda what I thought as well, but... yeah... didn't really think I could feel bad for him either,” Lightning said. “Kinda glad it turned out like it did, though. Dealing with the numbskulls in here is so discouraging and tedious...” He paused looking at Cable then back to Gabe having turned a corner. “Think he could make a decent pal for us?”

Cable jumped a little. “What?”

“I'm serious, man” Lightning faced Cable.

“Ah... I dunno. Not yet, anyway. 'Definitely' not yet... But... seems like he could be tamed without too much trouble; I think.”

“Yah... might be,” Lightning nodded. “Break's almost over. Let's get back in class.”

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Later, at night time, a dim light shone from Lightning's room and the sound of scribbling quietly reverberated on the walls.

Diary Entry 1 - September 22nd, 1689 AC

“My parents told me about my ancestors, today. They were apparently high-ranking officials in Equestria. Pinkie Pie even being the director of the Ministry of Morale, of all things! That's so cool... but... from the way mom and dad talked, they didn’t make it into the Stable before the bombs fell... Luckily, their daughter got in here later on, after the chaos, and continued their noble bloodline. Here’s to hoping that they were not killed directly in the blasts that occurred that day.

Oh, also, got to beat Gabe's face today; that bully who had been an ass, with his gryphon gang, to Cable, I, and some other students. Felt rather good, but I got to learn that he got ditched from his gang and was pretty much a loner, now; a weak one at that. Kinda felt bad for the dude, so I decided to try and see if I can make him into a good guy that could help people instead of wrecking them... not that he was being good at that anyway. Sure, he's got buff, but I think he's holding back. So maybe he ain't all that bad?

So, on Sunday, I'm going to go see him with Cable and we're going to try to do the best we can to turn him from a jerk to a... ah... clerk...? Eh... show him his good perks? … Into someone who doesn't hurt... others?

… Diary... that was a bad attempt at trying to make a rhyme...

Anyway, I'm pumped. If I can at least turn one bad dude into a helpful one, I'd be heck-a happy.”

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Sunday morning arrived.

Lightning bounced out of bed and gulped down a quick breakfast before hurrying to Cable's apartment; in the Luna wing.

Cable came out his front door; yawning. “Had enough sleep?”

“Yah, but I think 'you' didn't,” Lightning said, nudging his right hoof at Cable's left shoulder.

“I reviewed some stuff for today a good part of the night. Only got myself to blame.”

“Oh, well thanks, bud,” Lightning said, as they headed toward the Celestia wing where Gabe lived.

“It should be just passed the elevators...” Lightning pointed at the end of the hall. “Number 4, number 5... and... number 6. That's the one.”

Lightning rang the apartment’s bell.

After a few seconds, the door opened to a tall lady gryphon.

“Well, hi, little sirs. Nice to meet you both.”

Lightning politely smiled. “Nice to meet you as well, ah... Mrs. Gabe's... mom?”

“Gooding. Glenda Gooding is Mrs. Gabe mom's name,” Glenda said with a laugh. “Just a sec.” She turned her head to her right side—“Gabe! Your friends are here! Come on over!”—then back to Lightning and Cable. “He'll be over in a bit, boys. Would you like to come in?”

“Sure thing. Thank you.” Lightning nodded then wiped off his hooves on the door mat; Cable following.

It shown who Gabe had inherited most of his features from, because Glenda also had a few thin dark streaks around her neck and head, but her fur was bright white, fluffier, and combed hi-top with a purple bandana. Her eyes were deep blue and quite narrow. She had a more delicate beak, but the rest of her body pretty much matched her son's; the only detail being the tip of her bushy tail being a light tan.

“And what are you two Gabe's friends' names?”

Lightning playfully smirked back. “I'm Lightning Cloud and he's Cable Cooper.”

“And we're not 'friends', mom,” Gabe insisted, walking in from his room.

Glenda turned to Gabe. “Oh really, Gabe? Two little polite boys like that aren't your friends? Well, ain't that a shock.” She chuckled.

“Cut it, mom. I said we're no— but, ah...”

“But what, Gabe?”

“Ah... I don't really have anything much against them... Never really did, actually...”

“So you told me, yes. I'm glad 'that's over with... And Lightning here is the one that 'helped' you realize it, you said?”

Lightning stepped back. “W-what? You told your mom?!”

Glenda laughed and looked at Lightning. “Don't worry, little man. I know all too well about Gabe's past experiences. This isn't the first injuries he's gotten for himself by bullying others, and he's quite tough, but I do think this fight could have avoided a bleeding beak and a black eye.” She looked back at Gabe.

Gabe remained silent for a brief moment; so did Lightning and Cable.

Glenda lightly smiled. “But anyway, you acted for what you thought was right and this taught Gabe something that made him change his mind for good, I think...”

“We ain't there, yet...”—Gabe said, looking at Lightning and Cable—“and for now it's mainly business I got with them, so they're more like associates or something; not friends.”

“Ow. That's cold, 'Guuuube'. And here I thought we were a perfect fit like Sparkle Cola and hay burger. Truly; I'm hurt,” Lightning replied, pretending having been stabbed in the chest.

Gabe gave him an annoyed stare while Glenda and Cable tried to hide their giggles.

“Yes, 'Gube'. Try and be nicer to your two 'fwwwwiends', why don't you?” Glenda played along.

Gabe stomped toward the front door.

“Well, it was nice meeting you Mrs. Gooding. We're off to our 'business' with our grumpy boss, Mr. Gube.” Lightning saluted Glenda—Cable playing along—before following Gabe outside.

“Don't tease him too much, guys; especially not with your hooves! I'd like to have back in one piece, please!” Glenda said from the apartement's door before closing it.

“Your mom's a nice lady, Gabe. I'm glad I got to meet her,” Lightning said.

Gabe jabbed Lightning's right shoulder. “I didn't need that, asshat!”

Lightning stumbled a bit from the hit. “Ow! Damn... You still got the brute force even if you're a lousy bully and after what I did to you, dude... You didn't hold back on 'that' one.”

Gabe's eyes widened a bit, before darting away. His voice and head lowered. “I... I got that from my dad. He was pretty bulk.”

Lightning's smirk faded. “Oh... ok.”

“It's... cool. He was killed by raiders about seven years ago. I was too young to understand how heavy that was to our family anyway, so yeah...” He looked back at Lightning and Cable. “Nowadays, I'm kind of proud I got to inherit his strength. Didn't exactly get his guts, though... Could have stayed in the gang if I had.”

The three of them walked silently for a couple seconds, before Gabe spoke again.

“Anyway... What do you dweebs got planned for me?”

Lightning shook his head. “Oh! Ah... Cable. You got your things?”

Cable brought out a notebook and handed it to Lightning.

Lightning skimmed through the first page and murmured to himself. “Ok... Ok. That's for later... Ah...” —His face lit up—“Ok! Let's start with that.” He looked back at Gabe. “What do you know about 'SPECIAL', Gabe?”

“The what?”

“Your stats. What are they?”

Gabe stared at Lightning, clueless.

“Were you really 'that' bored during classes? Do you at least know what a PipBuck is?”

“Well, duh! Can't wait to have mine!” Gabe's face suddenly lightened up a bit.

“At least you know that muc—"

“I don’t know how it works, though. But I know it looks rad and that there's all kinds of cool shit you can do with it! Like, ah... hum...”

Cable pushed Lightning aside with enthusiasm. "Basically, it's a personal computer that gets installed on either of your front legs. You can keep track of your health stats, rad levels, inventory of your owned items, quests and such, maps of the areas that you've been or haven't be yet. You can also listen to holotapes, play holotape games, keep track of vats, level yourself up... Heck, even listen to music on radio stations."

Gabe stood silent, his eyes wide opened and staring at Cable.

Cable's glee faded. “I mean... among other specs that maybe you'd be more int—“

“Holotape games! Hell yeah!” Gabe roared, making a few residents' heads turn.

“Y-yeah! And you're in for a treat, cuz... the issue of Power Ponies that just came out has one bundled in with the comic!”

Gabe's mouth gaped and before Lightning and Cable could say anything else, he grabbed them tight under his front legs and claws, ready to set off. “We're going, now!”

“No no no no!” Lightning struggled to free himself from Gabe's grip. “The comic comes 'after' you learned some decency at being a useful part of the stable, Gabe! That's the deal we made! Let me go!”

“What?! No! I'm getting that comic and game, now!”

“You got any bits?” Cable shouted.

Gabe's hype vanished. “... Damn it...” He dropped Lightning and Cable.

“Alright. Cable and I already planned a spot to start your training. Not physical training, cuz that you really don't need,” Lightning chuckled.

Cable grabbed back his notebook from Lightning and stepped in front of Gabe. “We're going to train you on PipBuck essentials for a start, then stuff you can do around the stable to help out and get some experience points. And explain you 'SPECIAL', since you don't seem to remember it.”

Gabe chuckled. “What? E-X-P? Come on, Cable guy. We ain't in a game. We don't get experience points in real life. That's bull...”

“You'd be surprised, Gabe.” Cable handed Gabe a flyer. “It's the latest PipBuck model that came out. The 3000 Spark X. There's been a major lot of improvements made over the years since the first generation. Some stuff even 'I' am finding hard to believe, but... it's been done. I think some of it is kind of creepy, but it's also very convenient.”

Gabe looked through the pages. “Holy Celestia's ass! That shit is awesome!” His eyes lightened up even more. “Wait... it tracks your thoughts and feelings?! What?!”

“Yeah... that's... the creepy part. At least 'I' think it's creepy.” Cable's face twisted a bit.

“What you mean, 'creepy', dude? That's freakin’ rad! How the heck does it do that?”

“Well, apparently some 'very' advanced telepathic magic, or so I got to learn. There isn’t a whole lot of info on exactly 'how' it's done, cuz, well, I guess it could be turned into a terrible thing if it fell in wrongs hooves... even then, I think it's already rather dangerous.” Cable flipped through several pages of his notebook. “From more I learned, the developpers say it has a filter so only thoughts and feelings related to the wearer and/or the individuals asking for missions, tasks and quests are allowed to be detected.”

“What?” Gabe said, looking a bit confused.

“Ah... ok... Going to need an example...” Cable looked away for a few seconds, trying to think of a way to simplify the explanation for Gabe to understand. ”So... Let's say you accept to take on a task to help at the Power Gems comic shop for sorting the new comics arrivals and putting them on the shelves, or something. The one who's giving you the mission or task has to vocally say so to the PipBuck for it to know the mission is valid and save it in its database. Then access your PipBuck's missions section and initiate the Mission Scan. Well, from then, the PipBuck will only allow thoughts and feelings regarding 'that' task to be registered, as long as the task isn't over, for both the wearer and the person they are helping. So... if the clerk at the store is thinking about what's he going to eat for dinner, well, the PipBuck won't save it, cuz it's irrelevant to the task. That's what the filter does. So, when your mission's over, the PipBuck can scan the clerk's thoughts or level of satisfaction, and what not, and you get some experience points in equivalence. Then, you must turn off the Mission Scan, and the data is saved in your PipBuck from having completed this task.”

“Woah...” Gabe looked back at the flyer. “That's so cool... It's like a freakin medium mind-reader device thing.”

“In part, yes.” Cable's eyes darted a bit. “Thing is... it doesn't say you 'can't activate it whenever you please. Like... the PipBuck won't make the difference between a real mission and something for fun. We could just as well make up a mission of, I dunno, me helping Lightning with his studies, and then I would get experience from helping him.” Cable sighs. “I just really think it's too much liberty, and could be more strict.” He shook his head. “Anyway, you can keep that flyer. Make sure you read it carefully. That's part of your basics about the PipBuck we wanted to teach you.”

Lightning stepped next to Cable. “There's a lot more to it than that flyer, but we'll get to it gradually; along your training.”

Gabe nodded. “Okay, okay. So... where's that spot you planned for me?”

“Oh, you already know about it. It's that lounge that's next to the study, down in level 4. The one you used to hang out with your gang at. Or... one of the spots,” Lightning said, stepping in front.

“Oh! … Oh... ah... no.” Gabe took a step backward. “Couldn't you find something else?”

Lightning looked back at Gabe with a smirk. “Dude. It's Sunday. We know about your old gang. At least a bit. Even if that's a spot you used to hang out at, Sunday's target practice for kids; taught by their parents. We warned our parents and alsocalled your mom in advance to warn her about today, so you wouldn't go. My mom's got her number.”

Gabe smacked his forehead. “Freakin... shit... I forgot again.”

Lightning giggled a bit. “Yo, dude. It's all good. She told us you forget about the shooting practice often and that she's the one who's got to keep reminding you.”

Gabe sighed. “Ugh... She freakin does... All the time...”

Cable gestured Gabe to follow them. “Come on, we've got to go to the library first to get some books to figure out your stats.”

“For my stats? Like in a role-playing game or something?”

Cable nodded. “Essentially, yes. I also brought charts regarding how we can define them from the results of what you'll be doing. As for strength, we'll have to go to the gym. I think you'll get a fairly good score on that one.”

Gabe chuckled. “Wouldn't surprise me either.”

After a short walk they stepped into one of level 2's elevator and selected their desired level to get off to. The solid contraption, lit with a few white neon tubes on the ceiling, barely made any noise as they went down.

A brightly lit hallway welcomed them as they walked out and turned right toward the center of the level, where soft, plush benches were placed in a circular manner. More benches leaned along the hallways' walls. Vend-o-Matics occupied the other majority of level 4's corridors, being about every 20 feet, for the hungry students or dwellers that would need some snacks. A list of signs indicated the different sections, including the extensive library, covering the history of Equestria from inception to its destruction and beyond.

Lightning, leading the group, pointed at the signs. “We'll also be checking out some books on Pipbucks and how they work, along with the ones on 'SPECIAL', at the library. Cable already knows most there is on both subjects, but detailed information can't hurt."

They headed through the hallway to their left, passing by some students reading some comics on a nearby bench.

Gabe glanced around along the way. “I see a couple dudes already got hold of that new Power Ponies issue. Sure didn't take long...”

Lightning closed in next to Cable and whispered to him. “I got a good feeling about reforming Gabe. I'm sure you noticed how easily he changed his attitude when I talked about the PipBuck upstairs. That was so fast! He got super hyped for it and even more when you took over. I didn't know he was so gullible.”

“I didn't either, but ain't that kind of a bummer? I'm just guessing here, but I'm thinking he's not going to do too well on the 'I' tests of the 'SPECIAL' course we got planned for him.”

“Why are you dweebs already whispering? We ain't even at the library, yet,” Gabe said, still behind them.

Lightning jumped a bit. "We... we... we're discussing what exact books that we should get for your training, Gabe," he said, his eyes darting back and forth.

Gabe groaned. “Dude... actually, I don't do reading, it sucks. I'm already going to have enough of that flyer for the whole week. Do you have something less boring I can do to learn stuff?”

"You're going to have to learn how to use a PipBuck and stats—which are actually called 'SATS'—at some point, because I'm quite sure you're going to end up being a courier like your father," Cable pointed out, "I'm sure he would have wanted you to continue his work."

“How the heck do you know that about my dad, Cable face?” Gabe grunted.

Cable took out a newspaper piece from his saddlebag. "From the stable's newsletter that is sent out every day; it had an article about him not too long ago. Honoring his great services back in the day. I always read the newspaper, and coming across this article, I thought I'd bring it with me, but actualy, maybe you shouldn't—"

“Gimme that!” Gabe snatched the paper from Cable's hoof. He carefully read the article, standing completely silent. About halfway through the article, his eyes seemed to keep reading the same line over and over. He frowned, shut his eyes tight then crushed and shredded the article with his claws.

Lightning turned to Gabe with an empathic expression. "Guess it still hurts anyway, what happened to your dad. Don't think it's going to make it any better to you, but I want to share we all have a part of our families or friends that was killed up there. For me, it was my grandfather that was shot down by the Smoking Black gang near Old Ponyville. You know, a division of the dragon mercs?"

Cable stepped in. "My great grandmother was dismembered and shredded by a rabid bear. Was a long time ago for sure, but grandpa still remembers it all too well. He was out with her when it happened. Great granny Ruby Volt was her name. They were doing repairs on the outside of the stable when the Rabid Bear saw them. She quickly bucked grandpa away toward the entrance before the beast charged toward her, crushed her to the ground and teared her down to pieces. Grandpa had hidden behind a boulder that was few feet away from the stable's door. He witnessed all of it."

Gabe's eyes slightly opened and looked at Cable.

Lightning approached Gabe. "Maybe it doesn't hurt as much for us cuz it wasn't our actual parents, but we can picture it would pretty much destroy us. We don’t know for sure, but we believe it would.”

Gabe's sight slowly switched to Lightning. “Yeah...”

The three of them remained silent for a few seconds when they suddenly heard a sneeze coming from the library they had almost reached.

“Oh, yes. The books.” Lightning shook his head, before continuing toward their first stop.

Upon entering, the three headed to the extensive section that dealt with PipBucks; from the initial model all the way to the newest versions.

"I honestly don't really know what books we need from that section; seeing as it covers basically every model of since the great war." Lightning thumbed through the shelf. "We should probably ask the librarian what to go with."

“Nah, I know what we need to get.” Cable nudged Lightning aside. "My dad told me what to expect when we get our Pipbucks when we turn of age to get them." He easily picked through the many books on the shelves with a levitating spell. “PipBuck Essentials', 'Know your S.A.T.S.' and 'How S.P.E.C.I.A.L. are you?' That's about all we need for now. For the basics, anyway.”

Lightning's eyes widen. "Oh! Oh yes, cuz we'll do the advanced things later; when we get tapped for our first responsibilities in the Stable. Yes, that's when we get our Pipbucks.” He pointed to the unpicked books. “We'll need to get one about creating and using holotapes, when that time comes."

“Heck yeah! Holotapes!” Gabe stomped the floor, which was replied to by a loud shush coming from behind them.

Cable tapped Gabe on the chest; whispering. “Calm the fudge down, Gabe!”

"We're in the library, dorkus; you need to be quiet!" Lightning added.

Gabe let out an annoyed grunt. “Kay...”—He lowered his voice—”, but let's get going already! I want to get that training done so I can step up to holotapes training, and get that comic, and then get that game!” He bounced in excitement.

Cable sighed and rolled his eyes. "Gabe, you've got a while before we get our Pipbucks. We all will get them whenever we get our cutie marks, and when you get your gryphon wings."

“Huh... dude... They're right here, you know?” Gabe hinted toward his obviously visible wings on his back.

Cable slapped his right hoof on his forehead. “I meant that metaphorically. Like, when you get your first assignment.”

Gabe frowned in confusion.

“Okay, no. Forget what I said about the wings. Point is, we ain't getting our Pipbucks as soon as you're anticipating. We still got about a year or so, or whenever we'll get our cutie mar— Oh... yeah...”

“Dude. Not cool.” Gabe bumped Cable on the shoulder with his clenched right claw. “I at least know 'that' much about my own kind. We don't get them cutie marks. Bleh...” He let out an annoyed sigh. “Okay. Fine. Stupid 'having to wait'...”

"Hey, we pretty darn eager too.”—Lightning added— “Besides, cutie marks aren't always as good as you would think. I mean, sure, you get to know what your personal and/or special talent or whatever is and what makes you different, but ya can find that out without one too. I don’t even know why ponies get them in the first place. I mean, how the heck does the fur change into all those colors out of nowhere? And in those specific patterns? I know we got magic to kinda answer that, but I never got a genuine answer from anypony I asked. We just... sort of 'get' them and don't ask why."

Cable nodded to Lightning before looking back at Gabe. "And it also happens at the weirdest of times. It can happen for the most mundane of tasks. For something you may not even think you're supposed to be good at. So, it's a darn tricky thing and some young ponies get really freakin obsessed over it, cuz it's made out to be important. I personally don't really care. I'll just do what I like doing and will get whatever I get.” He firmly tapped Gabe's chest. “In any case, you've already got your strength and wing power over us, Gabe. That's something you're already naturally gifted with. You don't need a cutie mark to tell you that. You said it yourself that you got it from your father. That's one major trait that defines you."

Gabe slowly glanced away, thinking about what Lightning and Cable said.

“Don't sweat it, man.” Lightning lifted from the ground, looking at Gabe. “Let's check those books out and get to that lounge to start your training.”

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Diary Entry 32 - September 25th, 1689 AC

"We've been training Gabe for about a week, now, and it's been a pretty slow progression; as we were kind of expecting. He's understanding the basics well so far, but he's having a challenging time with some of the things involved in the 'SPECIAL'; mainly perception, charisma, and intelligence.

I'm taking the liberty of copying the description from one of the books we borrowed at the library, so I—myself—do not forget what 'SPECIAL' stands for:

'SPECIAL' represents the seven attributes that everyone is born with—but also tested on—upon receiving their PipBuck in coming of age; usually being around 10 years old:

· 'S' stands for strength. How much you can carry and how easily you can wield heavy weapons.

· 'P' stands for perception and affects your 'SATS' skills (see 'SATS' section), lockpicking, and pickpocketing.

· 'E' is endurance, which helps with hit points and energy when running.

· 'C' defines charisma; how you can charm and persuade others.

· 'I' stands for intelligence and helps in acquiring experience from all sources.

· 'A' is agility, which helps with sneaking and action points when fighting.

· 'L', which is luck, helps with charging your critical hits.

I might write about 'SATS' skills later in another entry.

Oh, on another subject, dad's planning my first trip into the wasteland soon, to show me a bit about how to be a courrier.

He's doing quite a bit for the stable. Both being a part-time courrier and also a security tech.

I'm pretty pumped about going out there!"

Diary Entry 44 - October 16th, 1689 AC

"It's been about 3 weeks and Gabe continues to come along fairly well. There's still plenty of things to do with him, like test him on 'SATS' and on the things we've done with him thus far.

I'm hoping that we can get some gun range time with my dad soon to teach Gabe how to use more than just the 10mm pistol we are taught in school. So far I've handled combat shotguns, combat rifles with bayonets, a short scope sniper rifle, a reflex sight hunting rifle, a tactical magnum, and, my favorite, a gauss rifle. I absolutely 'love' releasing the charged energy blast from that one. I think it's super satisfying to see the targets completely disintegrate into piles of ashes.

Anyway, dad also said that I'll be going out with him on a foraging trip sometime in the spring. I'm so excited!

By the way, note to myself, here's that description of 'SATS' I took from that other book we been borrowing; just as a reminder:

'SATS' is an acronym for Stable-Tec Arcane Targeting Spell. This spell allows the user to better target enemies in both melee and weapon-based battles. It also allows for targeting of body parts; which can help in the defeat of enemies."

Diary Entry 59 - December 25th, 1689 AC

"Taking a break from both school and from training Gabe.

Our families are getting together later today for a big celebration for Hearths Warming Eve, and to watch the play as well.

Since the last journal entry, Gabe has turned better. He's less persnickety and jerky. He's looking a lot happier. He's also proving to becoming quite smart with this training too; so that's darn good. We didn't quite expect that. However... he needs to work on his marksmanship. So... yeah. Overall, I'm pretty happy with the results so far.”

Diary Entry 80 - February 8th, 1690 AC

"We started the training again shortly after New Year’s Day.

Gabe continues to make great strides and his attitude keeps on improving. It's remarkable just how far he's come in a few short months. And now, him, Cable and I are going to get together and study for a history exam that we have later this week. Learning all this history of pre-war Equestria is demanding work."

Diary Entry 108 - April 1st, 1690 AC

"It's apparently Discord Day in Equestria; or at least that's what Gabe said after he pranked me with a joy buzzer. I ain't going to get him back, though.

He's really turned around from all we taught him. He's more polite and generous than I thought he ever could be. However, Cable seems... I don't know... a bit more distant from us.

I tried asking him what's wrong, but he won't tell me. I'm not going to go prying into his personal issues, though; that's none of my business.

Anyway, we're rapidly coming up on the end of spring semester. I can't wait to be able to spend more time with my bros."

Diary Entry 116 - May 15th, 1690 AC

"The semester is almost over; thank Celestia! It's been a long and hard one.

Gabe's passing all his classes with flying colors, thanks to training and tutoring from us and our parents.

Also, whatever was bothering Cable seems to have ended. He's in a better mood. Maybe the fact that he's been working on his spells to help plant new apple trees in our orchard.

Speaking of, we all must help with the harvest next month. Dad says it's important that we all pitch in."

Diary Entry 144 - July 2nd, 1690 AC

"Gabe, Cable, and I have basically been inseparable since early June.

We've been taking a bit of a break from Gabe's training as of late to hang out with each other. We just had a sleepover over at Gabe's, where we were able to play some of our game disks that we were getting from our comics. Our parents let us borrow their PipBucks for us to play them.

Was neat, but I think whatever was bothering Cable has started again. He's been quiet lately... I'm going to try to ask him if anything's wrong, in the next few days.

So... yes. Aside from that, we're definitely enjoying our summer break."

Diary Entry 166 - July 29th, 1690 AC

Today, my parents told me about my great great grandmother. They said she was one of very few pegasi that were able to use magic, with the assistance of an amulet that was given to her by her father; Pat Thundersnow.

My parents know that I'm able to use magic as well, since I once teleported a stuffed animal to myself when I was an infant; amongst other instances. And now that amulet has been handed down to me in great trust. It's pretty neat-looking, too; a slick crystal blue lightning bolt with three slightly different colored streaks.

Mom and dad are fairly sure it will help me focus my magic, and they suspect it might amplify it as well, considering how much potential I've apparently shown over the last few years."

Diary Entry 190 - August 20th, 1690 AC

"Welp... it's the last day of summer break.

I've spent most of the last week with Gabe and Cable; going through what we're expecting to see in our class this year. We also spent some time playing Pipfall and a couple of the other games we got.

Gabe's really turned into what I can only describe as a gentle giant. He still has his 'moments', of course, but that's okay. We all have episodes like that.

Cable still seems like he's got something bothering him. I keep asking him what is going on, but he just keeps pushing me away. I might have to ask his mom about what is going on."

Diary Entry 226 - October 22nd, 1690 AC

"I got my cutie mark! Heck yeah! Well, I do say that, but I'm not quite sure what it really is. It's a storm cloud with what I'm guessing are two symmetrical lightning bolts coming out of it, but their shape is all twisty and twirly. Oh, and the bolts themselves are bright silver and ice blue.

And best yet, tomorrow is Cable's and my birthday, and it's also the day I have my Cutie Ceanera 'and' get my PipBuck! All happening at once! That's so cool!

Oh, and Dad told me that he's got something special for me, too. Can't wait to see what that is.

I'm also looking forward to spending time with Gabe and Cable. We've been studying more than anything, lately."

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The morning following his latest diary entry, Lightning was awoken by footsteps coming into his room. It was his parents; the first to greet him on his 10th birthday.

"Good morning honey, time to get up," Golden said, bringing in a stack of pancakes drizzling with maple syrup and topped with a few pieces of fruits. The sweet aroma quickened to have Lightning step out of bed.

“Oh, heck yeah! Thanks, mom! Thanks, dad! You guys already ate?”

Thundery turned on the room's main light. “Yeah, we did. Eat up, Lightning. I'm going to go show you that surprise I 've got for you before your Cute Ceanera starts."

Lightning quickly put on his fresh new vault outfit and went out to the dining table where his mom.put down the plate of pancakes “Say, did you make them even thicker for today, mom?”

“You bet I did! And you'll see why when you take your first bite. Go on. Give it a shot.”

Lightning took a fork with his wing and carefully cut the thick pastry tower. Gushing out from inside the multiple layers was a chunky strawberry jam mixed with lemon and orange zests.

“What?! You've freakin outdone yourself, mom!”

“Why, thank you. It's my pleasure. Your father helped a bit, too.” Golden smiled, glimpsing at Thundery sipping his coffee.

“I... cut the strawberries,” he answered with hesitation; to which Lightning chuckled. “Anyway, you better hurry up, otherwise I won't have enough time to show you that thing I got for you.”

Lightning took a large bite out of his birthday breakfast. The flavors of the pancakes exploded like a party cannon in his mouth. The super fluffiness of the batter. Just the right amount of crispy on the outside with the spongy inside and that extra flavor pop from the fruity filling, all mixed in with the dribbling syrup and fresh fruits on top.

Golden joined the table. “I see you can't speak. Guess that means you like them, hm?”

Lightning frantically nodded while letting out a delighted groan from his fully packed mouth. He then quickly gulped down the rest with glee and washed it down with a glass of orange juice before prepping himself to get out.

Thundery waited by the front door. “You coming, son?"

Lightning nodded and followed his father into the stable's level 2 corridors in direction of the closest elevator.

Upon arriving to it, Thundery tapped the 'Down' button then tied a blindfold over Lightning's eyes. “I'll guide you through the rest. Try not to trip.”

Thundery pushed the button to level 4.

Lightning chuckled. “Trip? Really, dad?”

“Yeah. Trip.” Thundery purposely bumped into Lightning, making him lose his balance and hit the elevator's wall.

“Oh, heck no you didn't!” Lightning bounced back toward his father.

“Too slow, son.” Thundery teased back; easily evading Lightning's move as the elevator stopped. "Here we are." He grabbed Lightning's open left wing and led him over to their destination.

Lightning took a whiff from the area. “Smells like... something burnt? What?"

Thundery let go of Lightning's wing. “What? Oh no! Your surprise! Quick, take off the blindfold and help me!"

“What?!” Lightning instantly obeyed. "Wha— The gun range?... No... you don't mean..."

“Oh. Nevermind. Your surprise's fine. Time for some special training."

Lightning's face battled between annoyance and glee. “You freakin... mean ass... awesome pops! Heck yeah!”

"Alright, let's get you on the range and trained in using that gun with your magic."

They walked to the armory's counter.

“Good morning, Pop,” Thundery said.

“Oooohh! Thundery and little b-day Lightning! Happy birthday!”

“Yep! Thank you, miss Bubble Pop,” Lightning nodded.

Bubble Pop was the manager and senior instructor of Stable 124's gun range and armory. She was a very short—almost filly sized—hybrid zebra pegasus with a slate blue coat and darker stripes of the same color. Her mane had a sweeping pixie cut and was candy pink in color with a thick lighter streak on the back of her head. Her tail shared the same color scheme, was simple, fairly short and pointy at the end. Her eyes were brass colored and a bit narrow, but always had a tender expression. She wore a neat white collar, with a pink bowtie, and a camo green military vest. The other noticeable details on her were her hairy fetlocks, her chipped left ear and some pale freckles on her cheeks.

“Your father already set everything up. I got all your gears ready right here, sweetie.”

“Thank you, Pop,” Thundery said, nodding.

Bubble Pop smiled then looked at Lightning. “So what you got planned today, aside from some special training, Lightning?”

“Well... honestly I'm not sure what to expect. I didn't even know I was going to be here for that! I'm so excited!”

“Well, then. I won't be holding you two any longer.” She slid their equipement under the counter's window.

Thundery picked them up and lended some to Lightning.

Bubble Pop smiled and lively waved to them. “Some targets should already be up. Have fun, you two!”

“Thanks, miss Bubble Pop!” Lightning waved back at her.

“Here. This is what you'll be first practicing with.” Thundery handed Lightning a 10mm pistol, a box of bullets and some earmuffs. "Want to try without using your amulet, first?”

“I can give it a shot.”

Thundery gave his son an unimpressed look.

“What? I said I'll give it a sh— oh...” Lightning slapped his right hoof on his forehead. “That wasn't on purpose. Really.”

Thundery chuckled. “Show me what you can do, by first trying to make it float. I've removed the cartridges so there won't be any accidents.”

“Alright” Lightning channeled all the magic he could. A faint silver aura appeared around the handgun that he had lay on the range's counter and it began to barely rise into the air. "Ugh... this is... hard."

“Come on, boy. I’ve seen you do better than that.”

Lightning let out a huff of effort and the pistol slightly lifted. “You... stupid... Just...” He grunted before the magic glowed some more and the 10mm pistol finally rasied steadily above his head. “Y-yeah! Woohoo!”

Thundery nodded. “Well done, although I don't know if you've really been practicing all that much. Have you?”

Lightning whipped his forehead with his right wing. "Not really as much as I should have. I've been helping Gabe with his issues and such—Cable as well—and I've not had much time to do much else."

“Ok. Make sure you do on a regular basis from now on, however. Your two friends could join us more often, you know; during Sunday practice.”

"They could, I guess. Cable's a unicorn, and I'm not sure if Gabe even has magic; seeing as he's a gryphon. We could try it, though. At least to strengthen me and Cable's magics."

“I didn't mean having them using magic as well. I meant getting more skilled in properly shooting targets.”

“Oh... yes, we'll have to try that, then. Might help all of us overall too." Lightning continued concentrating on the levitating pistol while getting ready to aim. "So, what now, Dad?"

“You take it apart and reassemble it while naming me the distinct parts and their functions. We still got some time left, so I'm going to test you.”

“What?! Really?” The aura around the handgun faded.

“Focus, Lightning. You're losing your grip.”

Lightning shook his head a bit; regaining his focus as much as he could. He kept the gun pointed squarely at the target down the range. "I'm trying here, dad."

“As long as you always do. Now, take that pistol apart and place the parts on the counter. You think you can manage that without the amulet?”

“I'd actually rather do it manually a few times, before. If that's ok. Just to get the feel back. Been a little while since I practiced that as well, with me and Cable training Gabe and stuff. Then I can try using magic.”

“That's fine with me, son. You won't have much time, though. Your party's about to start.”

Lightning nodded. He first checked the chamber for bullets. “Wh— Hey! You left a bullet in there! You told me—”

“Oh... Did I?” Thundery smirked.

“You... bastard...”

“Good thing you remembered to check the chamber even if I said it didn't have any in there. I can't stress this enough. You must always check a gun for bullets in the chamber before you use it. Many of the kids who get introduced to them at first make the mistake of not doing it and there's been a couple accidents over the years where people got hurt and even killed. You must, absolutely, never forget.”

Lightning went silent for a few seconds and he checked the pistol's chamber once again.

“Even better to double check; good. You may continue.”

Lightning pulled the slide of the gun and put it in the locked position. He then looked at the guide rod, inserted a hook-shaped tool into a visible hole beneath it and released the slide stop. Next, he pushed on the opposite side of the slide stop; popping it out of the gun. He then pulled the barrel forward and removed the chamber and guide rod from the assembly. Lastly, the barrel link was pushed to the forward position, allowing the barrel to get loose. All the pieces were now neatly laid down on the table. "How'd I do, dad?"

“1 minute and 37 seconds... Could be better.”

Lightning chuckled. "Told you it's been a while since I last done it. I want to practice some more later for sure. And now that I'm pretty much done with training Gabe, I'll have way more time to do so. Definitely want to get quicker at breaking down guns. Oh, also, shouldn’t we be getting upstairs to my cute ceanera?"

“We still got at least 15 more minutes left, but if you want to go already, that's up to you.”

"Yeah, we should probably head up. Gabe and Cable are probably wondering where I got off to," Lightning said as he trotted in front of his dad. "Also, I got a question."

“Yeah?”

“When are we going to go outside into the wastes?”

“When you'll know how to shoot properly.”

"I understand. I know it's dangerous out there. You've told me that yourself, dad."

“Dangerous is an understatement. Those who get to go outside to do repairs and whatnot are betting their lives every time they do; even if well-trained and armed. Although, it's the best target practice ground. If you can survive, training in the vault doesn't compare.”

"Oh yes. I've heard all those urban tales as well. Guess I'll find out when I'm old enough to go out there on my own."

“Urban tales? This ain't any urban tales, Lightning. That's for real. Lots of our stable's people died up there. Some make up stories, yeah sure, but the danger is no lie. And I must absolutely tell you that a lot of recruits like you, even when they came of age, also died when going out there; on their first time, too.” Thundery sighed. “It's got to be done, though, cuz otherwise the whole stable can die. I always thought that ultimatum was freakin' stupid and wish we didn't have to do it.”

"I know dad. We can only make so much food in the stable, and that's one of the reasons that you and the others go out to forage."

They both picked up their equipment and brought them back to the armory's counter.

Bubble Pop looked at them with a bit of confusion.“What? Back already, sirs? I didn't even hear a shot.”

“We could have stayed a bit longer, but I'm too eager for my Cutie Ceanera and graduation, but I'll definitely be back once I'm officially a cadet, miss Bubble Pop!”

“Good! I can see you're hyped for it!” She winked at Lightning.

Lightning rapidly nodded. “Heck yeah!”

“Alright. Have a good time, you two!” Bubble Pop saluted them as they exited the gun range into level 4's hallways and back to the nearest elevator.

Lightning looked up to Thundery. “Say, dad, did you ever ask her why she's got the name Bubble?”

“Not really. Why does this interest you?”

“Just... I dunno. Not being mean or anything, but feels a bit unusual to me, yet awesome, to see such a nice and calm and... just, very lady-like... lady work in the armory. And her name... sounds like a—not being mean, again—name fit for... I dunno, a drink, or something. Like, cooking-related.”

Thundery burst a giggle as they called the elevator. “Actually, I think it sounds a bit like it as well. I could even see it has a brand of Sparkle Cola.” He chuckled. “Although, no, I never did ask how she got her name, but I got my idea on how it's fitting to her.”

“How?”

“Seeing her in action when she instructs people gives you a fair idea. Oh, and, it must have skipped my mind, but I never told you she was one of the elite guards of the stable.”

“Wow! Really?”

“Yeah. Definitely don't take her name too litteraly. She's extremely well-trained in weapons and combat. She's often very busy at the armory, so even with the school, I don't think you ever got to see her at work at the ranges.”

They entered the elevator and Lightning pressed the level 3 button.

Thundery stepped next to him. “So you know you got your work cut out for you, right?”

Lightning sighed. "Yeah, but... I'm definitely excited to start."

“Good. You're going to need to keep that excitement for the next 8 years and so on.”

"I know, to walk in the footsteps of you and granddad of being a courier and forager. Well, mostly grandpa, since you're doing it on the side.”

“Alright.” Thundery gave a pat on Lightning's head.

The elevator arrived at level 3 and they walked toward the cafeteria to their right.

Immediately, their nostrils were filled with a pungent, sugary smell.

A smile grew on Lightning's face.

From the outside, everything seemed silent, but upon entering they were greeted by a loud shout.

Lightning looked around at the group of guests.

“Hey, dude. Grats on your Cutie Ceanera,” Cable said, joining him at the entrance.

Cable and Gabe each gave Lightning a chummy hug before they walked to their designated table.

Golden Grain, Glenda Gooding and Cable's parents—Dream Hugger and Slate Cooper—were already taking place at it. A few boxes covered in wrapping paper were placed in the middle.

The overseer of the stable, Atlas Reverie, walked over to them while holding three PipBucks.

He motioned for the three kids to make their way over to him, and they did as requested.

He lined them up, then greeted them one by one to install their PipBucks on their left foreleg.

"Good job reaching this point, boys, but you all know your 'real' work is what's coming up next, right? From now on, you'll have to help the Stable as official rookies, and with your new devices you'll be able to learn a vast amount of knowledge to help you in the long run; but you probably already knew that, I assume.” He turned his head to Cable. “Especially you, recuit Cooper.”

“Absolutely, sir.” Cable politely nodded to him.

Atlas smiled. “Of course, this gizmo isn't 'all' about learning; especially today. Go enjoy those PipBuck games while you can, lads." Atlas saluted them then returned to his table with some of the other stable's head staff.

Gabe jumped and squealed around like a giddy filly. "Hell yeah! Can't freakin' wait!"

Cable and Lightning chuckled at the sight.

"Gabe. Dude... Simmer down, will ya?” Lightning said. “We'll get to it after the party—or something—if you're 'that' eager."

Gabe stopped and looked at his friends with a deadpan expression. "Yo! You guys know how much I've been looking forward to getting a PipBuck! So, 'excuse me' for being freakin' ecstatic!"

"Yeah. We 'definitely' know... because you've mentioned it 'every' 'single' 'day' since we started that training several months ago," Cable said, teasing a bit. "Rest assured that we'll play with them after the party. I've been majorly looking forward to it myself."

Lightning snickered a bit as a large cake came out of the kitchen; speckled with ten candles.

The head chef of the stable rose from his seat. "Alright everyone! It's time for Lightning and Cable to blow out the candles on his cake! Go ahead, boys! Make that wish count!"

Lightning and Cable took a few seconds to think of their wish, looked at each other, then blew out the candles in a single breath.

The group erupted in applause before the chef spoke some more. "Alright, let's get the cake cut and the ice cream along with it! Pick your flavor but leave some butterscotch for me!" he shouted; laughing at his own joke.

Lightning, Cable and Gabe all slapped their forehead.

The sous-chef brought out some toppings for the ice cream. "There's plenty of butterscotch, chef. I just finished making a new batch, since Lightning requested a lot of it. So you can be sure you'll get your share. Come and get it!"

Lightning and Cable were—of course—first in line to get their cake piece and ice cream.

"Heck yeah, butterscotch," Lightning said as some saliva dripped from his mouth. “I absolutely love that stuff! Thanks a bunch, sous-chef!”

The sous-chef nodded as he cut some more slices of cake for the group.

After everybody got their share, the chef brought out a heavy-looking small crate. "Anyone want some icy Sparkle Cola?"

Lightning jumped off his seat. “Heck yeah! I do!”

The Cute Ceanera went on for a little bit longer, with Lightning getting his first bit of armor from his parents, a set of comics and an add-ons pack holotape from Gabe and Cable.

As for Cable, he received a used Rockhoof the Warrior comic from his mother and, from Lightning and Gabe, the same add-ons pack holotape he had just given Lightning, since they both wanted it.

Once most of the guests had gone back to their living quarters, Lightning—along with Cable and Gabe—got to fully try out their new Pipbucks. Playing games and exploring their many features until late in the evening; concluding their first day as cadets of stable 124.

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PipBuck Diary Entry 1 - October 30th, 1690 AC.

“Life as cadets with these PipBucks has been pretty darn interesting.

Our parents and teachers have been putting us through our paces, preparing us for what we know is coming soon enough. However, tt's been hard learning all this stuff; especially S.A.T.S.

Anyway, dad says it's important use it when defending myself against whatever's out there. It really helps 'a lot', he told me.

Also, Nightmare Night is tomorrow! Heck yes! I'm going as Goddess Luna this year. Not sure what Gabe and Cable are going to wear as costumes yet. I'm eager to find out.

Oh, and, from now on I'm going to act like I'm doing reports when I write entries in that journal, cuz... being a cadet and all. So, I'm going to end every one of them with 'Lightning out'. So...

-Lightning out.”

PipBuck Diary Entry 26 - December 24th, 1690 AC

"Hearth's Warming Eve, yet again.

Spent most of the day with my parents and studying a bit for a standardized exam that is coming up after break is over.

The cadet time has been going well. My parents and teachers are impressed with how well me, Cable, and Gabe are taking to the new tech that we're learning. Still working on the S.A.T.S. stuff, though.

We've been heavy in spending time together as of late, but Cable's just kind of been out of it lately; again. He told me that he's fine, but I really don’t know about that. This is getting more and more frequent.

Anyway, better wrap this up. Mom's calling me for our large stable wide feast.

-Lightning out."

PipBuck Diary Entry 38 - February 14th, 1691 AC

"Another Hearts and Hooves day has come and pretty much gone as I'm recording this at... 7:30 pm, but I didn't get anyone to be my special somepony this year; like all the previous years. So, I just decided to hang out with Cable and Gabe today.

We played our collection of PipBuck games for a bit, before our parents treated us to breakfast for dinner.

Oh, and the standardized tests are coming up as well. Not really looking forward to taking it, but the guys and I have been studying our flanks off for this thing.

Hoping we do well enough on it.

-Lightning out.”

PipBuck Diary Entry 50 - April 17th, 1691 AC

"Well... today's the day of our first ever standardized exam test thing.

I'm nervous about this, as the teachers told us that it's the first indication of what our jobs could end up being.

All I want to do for my career is to follow my dad and gramp's path into the business of being a courier and forager.

Anyway, I’m about to go meet Gabe and Cable for some breakfast and last-minute studying.

One last stretch. I'm hoping it all goes well.

-Lightning out.”

PipBuck Diary Entry 51 - April 18th, 1691 AC

"Well... it went about as good as it could have.

Luckily, the teachers and our Overseer gave us the day off for our minds to recover.

Those math problems... they made me want to slam my head on the desk, but I somehow got through it. Heck yes...

I'm going to go relax with Cable and Gabe for sure, if they aren't totally braindead today.

-Lightning Out."

PipBuck Diary Entry 67 - May 19th, 1691 AC

"Something new's been going on around the Stable, for once.

A lot of the adults working for the security and our overseer have been getting together often for some reason.

I know it's not of my business to ask about what is going on, but the rumor going around is that there could be a breach somewhere in the stable that's causing some radiation to leak in, but nobody seems to know what the source could be or where it's coming from.

I'm really hoping that this is not the case, but if it is... we're going to be in big trouble.

At any rate, summer break is just about here, but I've not heard very much from Cable as of late.

This has me worried for sure, cuz he doesn't even want to chat anymore. He's staying secluded in his room.

Sometimes, even his mother is telling me that he doesn't want to talk to anybody, and I can't even go see him.

It seems like something is going on in his head, making him a bit paranoid; or so his mom also told me.

She says it's just temporary and that he can get pretty stressed out when he's got tests and with all the standardized exams we've got coming up the next few years... it could be what's getting to him.

I just hope he comes out of it soon. It ain't cool seeing one of your best bud like that.

-Lightning out."

PipBuck Diary Entry 73 - June 1st, 1691 AC

"Been busy, as of late, with prep for the school year.

Rumors continue to fly about the Stable's radiation situation. Creatures are on edge.

If anything was truly going on, I think that the Overseer would get us out of here as soon as possible.

That's unnerving... but I trust the people in charge of radiation security—or whatever they're called—know their stuff and will find a way to deal with it... I hope.

Anyway, I helped dad build a custom combat rifle for his couriering and foraging job.

He said it's important to know how to mod your weapons, because it can often make them more powerful and easier to handle.

Also, I've been working some more on my shots at the gun range. Still got a lotta improvements to make, but I'm slowly getting better at it. I can even easily manage to fire without the use of my amulet now.

-Lightning out."

PipBuck Entry 78 – June 10th , 1691 AC

“Dad said some parts of the stable, in the lowest levels, have started reaching unusually high levels of radiation and that I must keep away from them.

The message has also been broadcasted through the intercoms by the overseer and it's really starting to scare some of the species in here.

People are getting paranoid and staying in their appartments for the most part.

I hope this won't affect our water supply and that the security team will finally find the source and contain it, but I'm thinking that this said 'hope' is getting increasingly dim as things are progressing.

Damn it...

-Lightning out."

Pipbuck Entry 81 – June 13th, 1691 AC

"Ok. No kidding. Things have honestly gotten weird, now; just in a matter of three days. I'm feeling super restless as I'm writing this.

The Overseer has been trying to keep a noble, straight face about it, but from what we got told, level 6 and 5 have become hazardous in radiation levels.

The creatures working down there now have to either take regular doses of RadSafes and Rad-Aways or wear radiation protective gear.

On top of this, I've still not heard from Cable outside of school lately.

His mom has told me that he's doing fine, but I’m not buying that.

Gabe and I have been trying to keep as focused as possible, but it's hard without Cable.

Anyway, I really hope we'll find out at some point what's going on.

-Lightning out."

Pipbuck Entry 86 – June 15th, 1691 AC

"Things continue to get worse and worse by the day around here.

Daily, I see security techs walking around, and worse, these workers are in radiation suits. That means more serious possible radiation leaks on the upper levels.

We've also been told to take daily doses of RadSafes and Rad-Aways if our counter gets too high.

Fear and worries are mostly what fill my mind these days.

Gabe continues his best to be there for me, and I'm thankful for that, but Cable... I have no idea what's going on with him. It's like... he's not even here anymore. I haven't seen or even heard him in a long time.

I'm freaking out. The heck is going on? I'm not a believer in gods, but I'm seriously considering praying to Celestia and Luna for help these days.

-Lightning out.”

Author's Note

Level Up

New Perk: Pipbuck - You can now use your pipbuck for duties, to play your pipbuck games, and to continue your diaries of your lives inside Stable 124.