Fallout Equestria: White Keep

“So, what was it like, landing at the fort?”

“Rather large and impressive, to be quite frank with you to say the least.”

There was the distant sound of rushing wind around the group of about two dozen ponies disembarking from several vertibucks outside of an entrance to a large hanger. There was a certain rush to move to be had from the power armored pegasi and earth ponies in sealed suits escorting them along.

“Dad? Where are they taking us?” A purple pegasus colt asks from one side as the group is sheparded along, a look of nervousness and confusion evident on his face.

His question receives the response of a hoof brushing the blue and red mane out of his face, letting his green eyes peer out. “Renegade, to be honest, I ain’t really sure.” Looking down to him, I give my best smile as I ruffle his mane gently, still moving forward with the crowd.

There were scattered murmurs and soft cries ringing out for lost friends and family as we moved forward towards the open hanger doors; most of the vertibucks were out for evacuations at the moment. Before the cries could reach a peak though, a pegasus in Shadowbolt power armor steps forward to address the group and takes off his helmet. Underneath it revealed a stallion with a red coat and what appeared to be amber eyes, though the subsuit covering his head made things difficult to discern his mane.

“Alright, all of you, listen up. I need you to move into the hanger as quickly as possible. Move to the decontamination showers at the entrance of the hanger. The personnel there will make sure that you’re decontaminated. Any zebras amongst you: just keep your hooves clear and visible. Don’t give any of the Steel Rangers a reason to pull the trigger.” Renegade’s ears had already turned towards the pegasus, and mine did as well before I did my best to try to get a good view. There’s no way that it’s… him?

The group still continuing to move forward, the Shadowbolt makes a gesturing movement towards the showers he mentioned a few moments ago, and he does his best to keep a gentle tone. “Please move a little bit quicker… the storm’s picking up, and I don’t want any of you here out here when it hits.” One of my ears swivels towards the nearest steel-clad Ranger to hear the muffled tell-tale Click-Click-Click of a geiger counter, indicating that the storm was indeed picking up.

Taking a breath, the pegasus gestures to the hanger around us. “Welcome to White Keep,” And in a quiet enough voice that I could barely register, I heard him mutter something at a quieter tone: “May Faust help us all…”

***

With the introductions sorted, the red pegasus places his helmet back onto his head with an audible hiss as the environmentally sealed suit re-engages to help protect against the harsh conditions outside, and takes off with a group of Shadowbolts; most likely to go help with the evacuation operations around Equestria.

Trotting into the decontamination shower with Renegade, I felt a flank bump into my own, and I turned to see a mud and soot covered pony with an odd mohawk, who mumbles an apology as we step into the high pressure showers, washing the grime and dirt off of us. An odd style for sure, but this all happened when ponies were least expecting things, so maybe they were in the middle of stylizing their mane?

However though, when all of the soot was washed off of us, upon a second look, the reason behind the mane style became much more obvious. There were the subtle hints of the muzzle and tail structure that would have given a passerby a nudge in the race in origin, but the most obvious point were the black and white stripes adorning his coat and matted mohawk: it was a zebra!

Giving a confused look to the zebra, I keep a hoof near Renegade just in case anything went sideways. Turning to the mohawked individual, I did my best to remain chipper with my tone. "It's alright! Just an accident. I think everyone is just on edge, that's all." Walking slowly ahead, I exchange a comforting smile to the zebra. Remember, don’t judge ponies--or zebras before you get to know them better. Don’t be prejudiced. Besides, it’s nice to help meet new creatures and make sure they’re doing alright.

The zebra seemed to be initially surprised by my response, but he raises his head slightly, as if he seemingly became somewhat more confident. "After this day, none say nay.." His tone was a somber one as the high pressure sprinkler washed over him.

Giving a soft smile at knowing I was able to to help raise the zebra’s confidence a little, I reach over with a hoof to offer a hoofshake. “Name’s Arcane Gears. Yours?”

Bumping my hoof with his own, the brass shoes on his hooves became clearly obvious. “Many know me as Milze, unsurprising that one could see me.”

“Nice to meet you, Milze.” Continuing to hold my smile, I gave a chuckle. “Well, you are noticeable when you bump into someone.”

At that moment, a smaller figure slipped past the zebra trying to escape the high pressure jet of water and bumped into Renegade with enough force to rock the two of us. The ash coating its form came away in streams as it rubbed its snoot with a groan.

Looking down to the two smaller ponies beneath me, I began to give Renegade a once-over before turning to the new figure. “You two alright?” The other small pony seemed to be a filly not much older than Renegade at a first glance. Maybe ten or eleven, probably? She then lowered her hoof and looked at both Renegade and I before darting under Milze, her dark grey coat blending into his shadow as the water from the showers sprayed us from the side, washing the soot from her white stripes.

A small glance to the filly showed a nervousness and trepidation on her face, so I did my best to appear non-threatening by lowering myself to the floor to be even with her eyes, as well as giving a comforting smile. “Hi there, I’m Arcane! What’s your name?” Hopefully this will go alright to help comfort her, and I don’t just give her nightmares or something…

There's a distinct grunt of disapproval from the Power Armored Pegasus from behind me as I went to lie down, his metal armored bulk shifting. "No stopping in the decontamination tunnel, keep moving." He hasn’t started to try to move me yet, but he does seem intent on doing so if needed…

The small zony once again hides behind the Zebra's legs as he nudges her forward and nods to me. "We should comply, lest the Pegasi grow angered."

Turning to the pegasus, he receives a small nod. "Got it, sir." Standing back up, I helped Renegade to his hooves, and began to walk beside Mlezi as we continued along "This little pegasus here is Renegade Wing, my son. How about you say hi to Mister Milze?" Leaning down to the pegasus, I give the colt a nuzzle and a comforting peck on the head to help ease any nerves that might have him riled up.

The Pegasus simply scoffs and I could almost feel his gaze burning into Mlezi's striped flank as he follows behind.

Rolling my eyes at the pegasus, I made sure that the Milze and the filly were close enough to allow myself to react if something went sideways. But not too close to make things awkward.

Renegade was surprisingly enough, not knocked over by the impact. He took it like a rock, though his wide-eyed stare is broken at the quick peck. "Oh, hi Mister Mal.. Millze." Before he can continue, there’s a snort of laughter from the filly, who despite still hiding, is just visible enough to see.

Renegade flushes with embarrassment and tries to look anywhere but at the filly as the group continues through the hall. At the end is a fortified checkpoint guarded by four steel rangers with gatling casters, and if the still glowing ashes are any indication, there has been at least one recent attack that's reached through the decontamination tunnel.

At Renegade's introduction of himself to Milze, a smile teased the edges of my muzzle, looking to the filly with a look of ‘Give him time,’ and proceed to ruffle Renegade's mane softly. "There ya go, bud."

One of the rangers, without her helmet steps forward, her pearlescent horn glowing golden. "Alright, one at a time. Step forward for scanning, any changelings among you are to drop your disguise. Fail to comply and you will be treated as a hostile." The glowing ashen remains seemed to be a bit more foreboding now.

Casting a quick glance to the armed rangers, I took the time to note the insignias and marking on the armor for later reading. At the remembrance of what armaments they were carrying, my muscles tensed as I held Renegade close, ready to do whatever it took to protect the colt in my embrace. A quick pat on my right foreleg with my left confirmed the artifact stored away in the Equestrian tanker’s jacket I was currently wearing. Wait, I’m going to have to get this cleaned now!

Looking to the ranger who stepped forward, I gave her a sharp nod before turning to Renegade. “Would you want to go before or after me, Renegade? I don’t want you to be scared.” A comforting smile and nod to zebra and zony, I did my best to help calm their nerves. “Y’all should be fine, so don’t worry.” Stepping forward with the pegasus beside me, I prepared for scanning.

Mlize murmurs something in Zebrekian to the little filly and steps forward. The mare's face hardens at the sight of him, but she scans him. Once, then twice. "Clean, move through to the secondary decontamination showers." The filly follows through, looking incredibly sheepish as she's scanned and then ushered through.

Renegade pulls away from my side a few moments later. "I've got this dad, if she can do it, so can I." He steps up, the mare scans him.. and she nods him through. When her eyes landed on me, my hooves began to shift awkwardly under her gaze. Was… oh dear Faust tell me she isn’t checking me out…

Eyes returning to focus on my face, she gives a small order. "Step forward."

At the mare's request, I stepped forward, doing my best to remain professional, but also I kept my eyes on Renegade, making sure he didn’t disappear when I wasn't looking. "Yes ma'am?"

The Mare in front of me appeared to be a member of the Celestial Guard, an elite unit of Steel Rangers charged with defending Canterlot and only Canterlot. Since they’re here, they probably were evacuated before Canterlot got hit…

Renegade followed the instructions recited by the Celestial Guard just past the mare and quickly disappeared down the hall, following the two Zebras.

Raising the scanner, the mare proceeded to give me a quick scan, before asking sharply, “Stallion, do you have any weapons or forms of identification?” Keeping my eyes on the mare, my ears flicked to the sound of four power armored ponies turning to me, and the click of a gatling caster entering standby mode. Oh, for Faust’s sake…

Muscles immediately tensing up at the four massive weapons being pointed at me, I gave a nervous smile as I began to recite my identification from memory. “Arcane Gears, Ministry of Wartime Technology Intern Identification Number 087752.” Pulling out a worn ID card, I held it up for them to see before pulling my more recent MAS ID card. “Also MAS researcher, Magitech Division.” Okay, hopefully they won’t just shoot me on sight… got the EPAM ready for a shield if I need to, though.

There's a few moments of silence that's finally broken by the ranger just behind the mare nodding. By some invisible signal they all relax and the caster cycles down. "You’re clean, turn in any ballistic or energy weapons at the quartermaster. Ranged arms are restricted on base grounds and hoof or mouth-borne arms are a privilege. Do not abuse it..." Stepping to the side, the mare lets me pass through.

Right. I forgot that arcane scanners of that caliber can detect anything, even if they’re in the hidden space that always seemed to be with me. Explains why the Celestial Guards were so gung-ho with their casters. The IDs also most likely helped me from being turned into ash on the spot as well.

Turning to the mare, I gave a nod of acknowledgement. “Have a nice day, ma’am.” With the way clear, I trotted forward in my quest to find my son.

***

Noting the location of the quartermaster on the way, I trotted into the next room. It was another set of decontamination showers, however they were full rings for spraying down the entire body rather than simply spraying a group. A medic in white and red hazmat gear directed me to the stall next to Milze, who is on his hind hooves scrubbing his pelt roughly. Renegade was in the shower next to him, and the filly was drying herself off.

Makes sense... just... okay, if they take the carbine and the revolver, I have the jacket... as long as I have the jacket, he’s still with me…

As I settled into the stall for cleaning, I gave a small wave to Milze and a comforting smile to Renegade. "Sorry about getting held up back there, and thanks for keeping an eye on Renegade"

"It is no fault they chose you to halt." Milze states with a dismissive wave of a hoof, the water weighing down his mohawk. He continues to wash himself, showing off his well-muscled form. Nothing overbearing, but not entirely lean either, he could definitely be considered a legionnaire stripped of his gear. Not bad to look at to say the lea‒wait, no! Bad Arcane! Bad! "My daughter's eye seems keener than aye."

Rolling my shoulders, I did my best to remain casual. "Well, that plus I'm sorta kinda maybe a small walking armory..." Looking at the zebra, I gave my best smile. "I kinda have training from the Ministry of Morale to harness some of my internal magic.”

There’s a pause as the Zebra looks over at me. "Yes… The reason for stopping you is clear as the season." Despite the mention of the Ministry of Morale, he seemed somewhat unconcerned. "Training is always one to respect thereof, one may need it with death raining above."

Arcane looks somewhat confused, but shrugs it off "True, training is always good to have, whether it be the mind, body, or soul..." he looks a little distant for a moment, his thoughts drifting to Martini, and they slowly melt away for the moment

"You lost someone to the storm, is this something not of the norm?" Milze drops back to all fours and steps out of the stall, shaking his coat dry.

Standing quietly as I’m cleaned, I remained mostly quiet. “Not really the storm, unless you count an attack on Canterlot as one, that is…” Huh, didn’t realize decontamination shower water tasted this salty. Giving a tired look to Milze, I continued. “He… he died in my embrace, Milze…”

It's at this moment that the zebra's demeanor changes somewhat, changing to one of concern. "This storm is yet to pass... But do not let it shatter you like glass. I know not how to aid you however, but should you need it, I shall endeavor." With that, Milze walks over to the filly who gives a little hop and follows him deeper into the facility, passing a pair of hazmat-equipped unicorn soldiers.

Giving a nod to the stallion, the hint of a smile graced my muzzle. “Thanks… I appreciate it, honestly.”

Renegade takes the time working on his wings to ensure any trace of ash is removed and waits by the soldiers when he's done. Waiting on me, he began to pester them with questions until I was done cleaning.

With my job cleaning up completed, I reached over to grab a towel and dried myself off, before turning my attention to the equestrian bomber jacket neatly hanging on a hanger. Giving it a once over to make sure it was up to spec, I proceeded to slip it on, the softness of the worn article of clothing bringing comfort as I picked up Renegade and followed Milze and the filly deeper into the facility.

Before we continued further, I had to make my stop by the quartermaster as we left the showers. As we passed out of the decontamination, the doorway we walked through was as thick as my entire body from muzzle to tail with the door itself set into the ceiling. Well, it seems like we’re in here, but I’m still not sure about him, though…

At the quartermaster, the weapons were slotted into a line of racks filled with dozens upon dozens of weapons. The racks themselves, however, were marked with 'Guest Arms.' Some paperwork is signed and the two of us are sent on our way to the base lower levels lobby. It was a wide room, with a half-dozen two meter thick support beams that clearly was once used as a briefing area for the flight crew of the hanger we arrived through.

Now it’s home to a logistical troop coordinating the settling of housing and medical aid. A silver mare with platinum mane was attempting to wave me over, and she was wearing Ministry of Peace colors.

Looking around the bunker, I gave a low whistle at the sheer amount of effort and time required to make the area around us. “Pretty darn spiffy, actually…” Seeing the mare, I briskly trotted over with Renegade in tow. “What can I help ya with, ma’am?” I asked in a friendly tone, not wanting to be rude.

The mare gave a smile to me in return. "Oh you haven't seen the half of it yet. This facility has eight levels, including one dedicated to the Ministry Personnel, Acting Director."

Smiling softly back, I gave a soft nod. “That sounds quite interesting, ma’am.” Interesting. Eight levels, and one dedicated to Ministry Personn‒ I proceeded to do a spit take. “A-Acting Director?!? Me?!?!”

"Yes, Director. Unfortunately all other senior staff from your department were either killed when the bombs fell, or died of radiation poisoning." Her smile falters for a moment. "You are the senior-most member of the Ministry of Arcane Sciences left."

Wait… Everyone above me is DEAD?!? My breathing began to pick up as I held a hoof to my chest in an attempt to calm down, and failed quite miserably. "W-wait, there's no one else here? I mean, I wasn't a head of anything before..."

"I know.. These are trying times for everyone, I only joined the medical corps a week ago. Now I'm responsible for this base's entire medical staff." She proceeded to gently place a hoof on my shoulder. "You'll do fine, just do what you do best and get results when they're needed. Besides, when we make contact with the rest of Equestria after the Fallout is over, the real Director can take over for you and you can help rebuild Equestria."

Deep breaths, Arcane. Deep breaths. After a few minutes, my breathing began to steady. "O-okay..." I give her a soft smile in thanks. "Well, I guess we might as well introduce ourselves, then. Name's Arcane Gears."

Now sure that I was going to be okay, the mare removes her hoof from my shoulder and smiles. "Doctor Sweet Desires. Most just call me Doc Sweetie." She turns and makes her way back to the desk, rifling through some folders marked with the insignia of the Ministry of Arcane Sciences. Pulling a small purple ID card on a lanyard from the folder, she offers it out to me. "Here you are, your base Ministry Access card."

Giving a nod to her, I reached out to take the key card. "Well it's nice to meet you, Doc Sweetie." Taking the ID card and lanyard, I quickly slung it over my neck. "So, are there other directors on base that I should meet, or do we have a board meeting or something similar down the pipeline when we're all settled in?"

She turns away and trots over behind her improvised desk. Producing a second ID card with similar markings, and drops it behind the desk. Not two seconds later Renegade rounds the corner of the desk sporting it… Okay, when did he get back there? I didn’t even see him leave my side! He looked pleased with his apparent skill in stealth, or at least took advantage of my time being distracted by talking to Desires.

Sweet Desires nods her head in the direction of a hallway. "Head down the hall to the elevator, then up to your quarters. You'll likely have a week or so to settle in and handle the affairs of your department. Good luck Director Gears."

With a nod to Sweet Desires, and a quick hug to Renegade, I gave a quick wave with my tail as we began to trot along the hallway to the elevator. “Okay the, have a nice day, I hope!” I said in my chipper-iest voice. Doc Sweetie waves back, looking more or less the same.

After what seemed like an eternity of the same bland elevator music, the elevator is just passing the portal to the next floor when it jumps, and then rises normally. Likely some sort of malfunction was the reason why it was going so slow, or perhaps minor damage from the earth-shattering effects of the balefire bombings above-ground? With a ding, the stainless steel doors opened to reveal a pair of purple armored pegasi sporting golden visors and Shadowbolt markings on either side of the door. Beyond them was a long hall that ended in a T-junction.

The two guards proceeded at the two of us for a moment, then to our ID lanyards, then turned back to their statuesque stance.

Turning to Renegade with a soft smile, I wrapped my hooves around him closely in a hug. "It's gonna be okay, Renegade... we'll figure this out..." I muttered distantly, as if hoping my own words were being told to me as fact.

Renegade leaned into the hug for a few seconds, but then pulled back, his wings shuffling nervously. "Things will get better, they always do." Even his foal-like enthusiasm is dulling a little. He’s trying to put on a brave face at least. Looks like some of his father’s training did rub off.

Listening to his attempted comfort, I gave a nod to Renegade. “Alright, let’s go find our room…” The purple pegasus colt stepped out into the hall, looking at the two colored markings as he makes his way toward the T-junction. One purple, the other bright pink. The hallway to our right appeared to be marked with a purple guidance line and ‘MAS’ in bold, while the one on our left was marked with a pink line and the letters MoM.

As we approached the corner, I could hear an angry grunt as a red unicorn stallion came somewhat speedily around the corner from the MoM hallway. “You’ll wish you burned on the surface when the Colonel hears of this!” He wasn’t looking where he was going, and Renegade ran right into him, but is able to keep himself from falling over from the impact. The unicorn also manages to keep his footing, but gives a glare down at the colt. “Watch where you step, cloud-bucker." He then pushed past the two of us to make his way to the elevator.

Scooping up Renegade from the sudden shove from the unicorn, he finds himself deposited onto my back. Turning to check on him, I saw his wings flare out aggressively as he calls down the hallway. “Well buck you too pal!” Hopping off of my back with a huff, he began to trot off down the MAS hallway, wings still flared.

The Unicorn doesn't rise to the bait and continues on to the elevator, ignoring the glares of the two Stallions guarding the machine.

Giving an annoyed glare to the colt, my tone was one of a reprimanding parent. “Renegade, what did I say about language?” It’s not his fault. Everyone is kind of on edge as it is already… Pausing for a moment, my glare softened. With a sigh, I trudged along behind my son, just wanting to get to my room and hope that all of this was only a dream…

Renegade stops and turns to look back at me, the angry spark in his eyes fading. "Sorry.. Dad said if anyone tried to put me down for being a pegasus, to throw it right back at them so they'd leave me alone." His wings droop for a few seconds, before he straightens back up.

Giving a soft nod as old memories began to resurface, I filtered out the bad memories in favor of happier ones. “I-It’s okay, Renegade. I know you do a great job for standing up for others. I expect nothing less than you standing up for yourself as well.” Doing my best to give a smile, I gave his mane a soft ruffle as we continued along. “Well, hopefully we won’t have to deal with him again, won’t we?”

Renegade seemed to have a distant look in his eyes, oblivious to the world around himself for a moment, before snapping back to reality quickly. “Yeah, hopefully. But we’re all stuck in here together.” The smile on his muzzle seemed to be forced, though. Hey, he’s trying at least.

Directly behind Renegade are three doors. One door is completely purple with the MAS magic star on it with the word 'Director' engraved into it. The second is plain with 'Supervisor' visible. The last was an orange door marked 'Storage'.

Trotting to the door labeled ‘Director,’ I gave the switch a flick to open it, revealing a vacant bedroom inside. Clearly prepared for a pony to move in. “Huh… neat.” The room appeared to be pretty comfortable looking for a heavily fortified box 50 meters below ground. A queen sized bed made and waiting, a compact desk with paper, pens, folders, and other office implements, a stool, a small waste paper bin, and a two-door wardrobe were spread out around the room. There also appeared to be an access point for maintenance workers, but it’s closed up.

"So uh... this is our room, Renegade..." He didn’t seem to have said anything since I stepped into the room, which was a little odd. “You all good, ‘Gade?” Grabbing a notebook, I gave a quick check for any connected rooms, but it appeared that there wasn’t one. Turning to check behind myself, I gave a quick scan to see why the colt was so quiet, and I found out why: he wasn’t there.

Heart beginning to race at his sudden disappearance, I gave another call of his name before bolting out the door. “Renegade? Renegade!” No! Not him too! Turning to the supervisor’s room, I quickly moved over to look at it. “There’s more than one room here, Arcane. He probably went in there. Don’t go panicking… again.” Taking a small breath, I gave the door a few knocks.”Renegade, you in there?” I tried my best to remain calm, but a small part of panic appeared to slip into my tone.

A few seconds of silence pass before the door opens, Showing a thoroughly confused looking Renegade Wing on the other side. "Yeah, just checking out the room. Why?" The wardrobe doors lied open and it was obvious that this room was vacant as well.

Giving a sigh of relief, I quickly wrapped my hooves around him, pulling him into a hug. “Sorry, just got scared when you didn’t say anything. I didn’t want to lose you too…” After a moment, I let go, giving him his space.

Renegade blinks, then looks up at something up to my left, but slightly above me. “But… you already have a piece of dad with you.”

Giving a clearly confused look, I tried to follow his gaze, but I couldn’t see what he was looking at. “I… I do?” I asked, attempting to understand what he meant.

Renegade slowly reaches up with his wing and very gently plucks something from behind my ear. Now that it had come loose, I can feel exactly where whatever he was looking at was. As the wing is retracted, I could see a single large primary feather lying on top of it, the brilliant red coloration unmistakable against the purple of Renegade's own feathers.

Looking at the feather, I gave a small shudder being pulling the colt back into my embrace as the old memories threatened to take hold once more. No… I don’t want to think about that right now! “N-No…” I rasped out, voice as light as a whisper of the wind.

Renegade slowly wrapped his forelegs in return around me as he attempted to comfort me, though his smaller frame made things slightly difficult for him. “...Dad would want you to move on. Everyone’s lost someone.”

Continuing to shudder in his embrace, I gave a sigh as my breathing remained slightly ragged. “But… but he’s still here, Renegade…”

"...And we can't worry about it now, whatever he is. He isn't the dad I knew, and I don't want to ruin the memories... Not while everything is so fresh." Renegade’s tone was one of calm and comfort‒”He picked it up from you, it looks like… Always good at learning passively.”

“I know, but knowing he’s there, and he might not remember everything, Renegade… it hurts so much…” A few minutes would roll by as I mentally put myself back together to a workable state before stepping out of the supervisor’s room and returning to the director’s room. I could hear the sound of the Renegade’s room door closing, and the distinctive sound of the locks engaging. Probably trying to save face, just like his father…

Stepping into the director’s room, I slowly walked over to the bed and lied atop of it, holding the red feather in a hoof, old memories beginning to resurface. His smile, his laugh, his embrace… “Why did you have to die on me, you stupid Sky Turkey…” I mused aloud, almost to myself.

The feather was one of from a left wing, and it was sporting a faint amount of charring from the incendiary effects of what was most likely a Zebrecian Assault Rifle. It was still in relatively good condition, surprisingly, and I could still smell the faint scent of rainwater which was overpowering the scent of sweat and smell of burnt feather. Trying to isolate the smell of rainwater mentally, I attempted to relax. “...I miss you…” I muttered softly to the feather, as if it could hold a conversation with me.

For a moment, I was willing to let the events of the past go, accept what happened, and move on… except I couldn’t. Lying on the mattress under tons of concrete and earth, I cast a glance to the feather in my hoof, tears beginning to well up. “...I just… I’m sorry, Marks. You’re still here…” Placing the feather to the side, I proceeded to grab the nearest pillow and bury my face into it, letting out every frustration, every fear, and every sadness from over the past four days into the pillow.

Continuing to let everything out of my system, there was the faint sound of a thud from somewhere beyond the wall. Maybe a rat or something, or maybe a loose tool left behind falling over. Old memories of happiness resurfacing, I thought that I could have felt a pair of wings resting against my shoulders in an attempt to comfort.

Ignoring the thud, I simply let my chin rest against the bed before starting an old exercise I used to help calm myself down. Breathe in slowly, wait five seconds, exhale slowly, repeat.”I-It’s gonna be okay, Arcane… He’s still here… you can figure this out…” I muttered to myself.

About four seconds later, there was another thump, and I slowly rolled onto my back to look at the ceiling above me. “H-Hello?” I asked nervously

There is no reply, given the dullness of the thumps. It's likely a good distance away. Maybe twenty to thirty meters. Maybe the Steel Rangers are doing unarmed practice on the floor below?

Still remaining confused, I was tempted to get up and check the maintenance vent, but the scent of rainwater, coupled with the aches and pains of the day‒not including the emotional and mental pains from the many memories worming to the front of my mind‒convinced me otherwise to stay where I was for the time being, occasionally glancing to the feather that is eventually placed on the nightstand next to my bed.

To be honest, I wasn’t keeping a surefire track of when I fell asleep, but when I did eventually succumb to the realm of Luna, it was a rather rough one.

***

Eyes slowly opening to the world, I gave a small groan as I turned to look at the clock, neck joints popping in protest at the small movement to see the four digits displayed on the LED clock: ‘21:00’ Oh… it’s not even past midnight…

As I lied quietly with my thoughts, I could hear the sound of a door‒probably the supervisor’s room‒opening and the faint clip-clop of two sets of hooves passing the door. Since I didn’t have anything better to do, I rolled out of bed and trotted over to the door before flipping the switch to open it. “Hello?”

As the door opened, the forms of Renegade and the zebra mare‒"Her name's Usiku"‒ were right before me, and while everything seemed alright at first, details began to become quite obvious.

Renegade had a number of dark purple splotches, bruises, and what appeared to be a bite mark on his neck from what are clearly herbivorous teeth. His pelt matted and dirty, with bits of rust visible on his normally impeccable wings, and he was even sporting a bit of a limp.

Usiku, for her part, is just as badly bruised as Renegade. Numerous darker spots on her grey pelt stood out where bruises are likely forming, and there's even a faint cut on her back, a brilliant red against the white stripe that takes up most of her spine. She also appeared to favor her right fore-hoof.

Renegade met my eyes for only a few moments as his own went wide, before grabbing Usiku by the barrel and bolts down the hallway, his speed hampered by his limp. Quickly picking up my pace in an attempt to follow, I called out into the barely lit hallway. “Renegade, Usiku?” What the heck happened to them, and why are they being skittish about it?

Renegade was always on the speedier side for pegasi his age, and was able to easily outpace me, ducking into the empty barracks ahead of me, then into the room beyond. As I continued further, there was the sound of running water in the next room. Ah, so this is where the bathroom is… Leaning into the doorway, I did my best to keep a gentle and soft voice. “Renegade, is everything okay?”

From the door, I could hear two sets of quiet voices: Renegade’s, and what was probably Usiku’s. The bathroom was rather spacious, with a few large pool-sized tubs sunken into the floor next to a walkway that led to another room. With my question asked, Renegade quickly flutters to the walkway in front of me. “H-Hey Dad…” He was trying his best to not look worried, but he wasn’t doing the best of jobs at it.

Mentally changing gears, I wanted to simply wrap him in my embrace and tell him everything was going to be okay, but it was a smarter course of action to understand what was going on. “Renegade… what happened?”

Renegade looked at himself for a moment, then shrugs while attempting to not look at me. "Well... Uzi was teaching me how to fight, since I kinda bumped into her while she was training." He rubs one of the bruises. "We might have gotten a little carried away, and.. Well, I guess I kinda did what Dad would do."

Okay, so it was just training that got out of hand. Everything’s fine. At his explanation, I let out a relieved sigh. “Okay, so no one hurt you?” Just go down the list, Arcane… Pulling the colt over, I began to give him a basic medical once-over before turning to the zebra filly. “Uzi, you’re getting a once-over as well.”

In response to my attempted check-up, Renegade fluffs up his wings and tries to pull away. “Dad I’m fine, and so’s she… We just need to clean ourselves up.” He says persistently, more than usual, actually. Usiku, still watching, sheepishly ducks into the room on the other side of the walkway where the sound of running water was coming from.

Watching Usiku step into the other room, I leaned down to Renegade and whispered quietly to him. “Does her father know?” A quick glance to make sure she wasn’t listening, and I continued. “Because you do realize he should maybe know?”

Renegade seems to falter and takes a step back, also looking in the direction Uzi is hiding in. "I mean... We didn't, I didn't think that we..." He appears to be on the verge of breaking down at the sudden realization when the shadows emerge to comfort him. Usiku, looking a bit skittish, makes her way out of the room and along the walkway to Renegade, giving his flank a soft bump before settling in next to him.

“My father is a kind stallion, and I'm certain he will understand." There's a faint whiteness to her cheeks as she glances at Renegade, giving him a nuzzle. The longer she remains by his side, the calmer Renegade seemed to become. With Usiku by his side, the change in his expression and attitude was quite clear. “Never hurt anypony to have friends by your side, Arcane.”

Giving a soft sigh, I reached out with a hoof to lift Renegade’s chin so his eyes were meeting mine. “It’s okay, and you look like you learned your lesson.” Eyes slowly turning to Uziku, I gave the filly a comforting smile. “If you’re anything like your father, then I know you’re a kind soul…” Hoof moving from Renegade’s chin, I gave her mane a gentle ruffle.

“You two seem to be fine together, to be honest… I’m sorry about scaring you, but waking up in the middle of the night to see you two in such a state scared me. Next time you two decide to train, take some safety precautions.” Giving the two a small glare at my comment about safety, it slowly softened. “You two get freshened up, okay? And I’ll see you in the morning, unless there’s anything else you two want to talk about?” pausing for a moment to think, I raised a hoof. “...Did you two hear anything in the vents?”

At the mention of the vents, Renegade looks to Usiku, who returns said look before turning to me with a nervous smile. “We kinda went exploring in the vents…”

Not even twelve hours and they’re already in the walls… “Really? Already exploring the vents? I’m pretty sure you’ll give security a heart attack at some point…” Stepping over to Renegade, I proceeded to give him the loudest kiss on the forehead with a loud ‘MWAH!’ before doing the same to Usiku. There. Revenge for scaring the living daylights out of me. Giving a smug smile, it fades away after a few moments. “Just… be safe when going around, got it? I’d prefer nothing bad happen to ya…”

Renegade would let out an indignant huff at my kiss on his head, while Usiku seemed rather confused by the gesture. As I continued to speak to them, Renegade would give a nod of acknowledgement, but it was clear some of what I already said was being taken to heart. “Of course I will, Dad…” Pausing to look to Usiku, he turns back to me. “We will…”

“I’ll see you both in the morning, okay?” Turning to Uziku, I gave a soft smile. “I can have someone let your dad know you’re with us if you’d like.” Rolling my shoulders, I turned to the door to head out before saying one final piece for the night. “You should have most of this area to yourselves, so just stay in this area roughly, and you’ll be fine. Love you, Renegade, and I’ll see you tomorrow. You know where to find me.”

Closing the door behind myself, I began the short trot back to my room, the sound of hooves meeting the hard floor echoing through the empty barracks. Kiddos like you deserve a shot at being happy and having a childhood…

Before I exited the barracks, a small thought teased me from the back of my mind.

Two blurred forms, colts from their shape, cuddled up with a much older Usiku, roughly in her late teens. An equally older Renegade was watching them with a protective smile.

Eyebrows furrowing in thought, I cast one final glance to the barracks before closing the door behind myself and continued along to the director’s quarters. Certainly a random thought to say the least…

My short trot complete, I rolled onto the bed rather unceremoniously, looking up at the ceiling while on my back. “So this is our lives now? Living in a massive bunker in a mountain?” I asked to an empty room. “Don’t worry, there’s most likely more to come, and you’ll need to be ready to help for sure…”

This time, sleep came rather easily, though I did take the time to check on Renegade during the night, to find him and Usiku cuddling on the bed, both of them covered in fresh bandages. Good, so they’re taken care of. Planting a gentle kiss on each of their foreheads with a gentle whisper of “Sleep well, you two,” I returned to my room, closing both doors behind myself.

A smile teasing my muzzle, I gave a tired glance to the red feather as I pulled the blanket over my form. “Well, seems like our kiddo found a friend…” While the feather didn’t respond, there still seemed to be a strange sense of serenity as I lied there. At least something’s going relatively right in this hellscape of a world. “Goodnight, Marks…” Pausing to think, I muttered aloud to myself “Great, now you’re talking to a feather, Arcane… smooth.”

While it was preferable to have the rest of the pegasus the feather belonged to beside me, I had to settle for what I had as I let sleep overtake for Celestia knows how long, but for now, I was perfectly content to remain as I was.

Notes:

Trait Discovered: A Little Weird (Random) - While you may not have been as good at farming as your ancestors, apparently you might have that string of the Pie family in your blood! Things seem to be a little off, or a little random around you, and that’s alright with you. Just ignore the occasional flicker of reality that may (or may not) occur. It’s fine… definitely!

Perk Discovered [Level 12]: Hammer Space! - Where the hell did that come from? You count as having a Tactical Vest that you can store any item in and you seemingly pull these items out of thin air…