Fallout Equestria: Ballad of a Rogue Ranger

Chapter forty-three: …Fall at the first step

“Can I drop him now?!” Deacon already leveled the barrel, with likely the Elders’ head square in his sights.

But I already knew how that would end, “No…!” my voice clamped down a tad bit more not to give us away.

“I tell you what… give yourself over to us, and I might just let these two friends of yours walk away?” that sneer in his voice was like a fork scraping away at a plate in my ears. He called our cards, now this guy had the entire deck at his disposal. “You have ten seconds to figure it out,” I could see from here his AMR drop down on Tumble in her suit.

Double shit!

“Ten.”

His voice boomed across the speakers, and I looked to the pair with me. Deacon was shaking his head, as was Riff. Unless they had a plan somewhere up their non-existent sleeves, now would be the time to spill!

“Seven.”

“Can I hit fuel lines with this thing?!” Deacon started scanning around, even Riff looked as if she was pondering just how much arc she could get with the launcher. Though I knew that wouldn’t save the girls if they were near the blast.

“Four.”

My visor went to the pair above, and the pair below… I had a promise, and here I was about to break it…

“Two…”

I couldn’t let Winter down… my hooves stepped over the edge of the building, and gravity took over. The suit felt heavier this drop, and with my legs breaking the fall. A neat ranger sized crater was made in the ground. Already I could feel all eyes, and guns, on me as my head slowly rose up. I didn’t need enhanced vision to see through that visor staring me down, the Elder was pleased with my choice, and all I could make out was the sigh on the girls’ faces.

“I’m here!” my own speakers bellowed out, ensuring no one would have missed it, “… you’ve got me…” slowly my hooves started to move forward. From behind I could feel Riff and Deacon following my walk of shame into the grasp of the Rangers yet again.

Longest walk of my life… every few yards or so, another ranger popped out of nowhere adding their guns to the ever-growing list on my ass. I couldn’t have been but a hundred yards from the whole scene up on the roof, but I might as well be trekking across Equestria all over again.

The Elder never left my gaze, as his did me the courtesy of the same. Every little thing different about the suit since we last met, he must have been drooling over. Another gun, the thruster pack, enhanced armor… all now in the clutches of those who least deserved to be wearing the uniform.

With a jerk of his head, the rangers holding the girls let back, and to their hooves the pair scrambled towards my sides. I couldn’t see any marks or bruises on em, so at least they weren’t injured from tangling with the rangers. Had it been either of the others, and we might not have gone down so quietly.

“Should have shot him…” Alimite muttered under her breath.

No… I shouldn’t, not when you consider what was at stake.

‘Humph… the princesses…’ I mused for a moment, but didn’t answer her. My eyes were still trying to peel back the visor of another.

“At last, we’re face to face again,” Snatchback flipped his visor open, and that smirk I was imagining remained plastered all over it. “You’ve been a lot of trouble you know? Stealing a suit that wasn’t yours to take, killing any and all who crossed your path under my name, damaging my crown jewel…” as much venom might have been coming off those words, I could see his face soften just a tad. “Forcing my hoof, to put down another…”

My own visor went up, “I didn’t force anything… that was your doing.”

“The Paladin was a shining example to our way!” he snapped back, almost jumping forward amongst his troops. “Obedient to the tee, loyal to our cause, disciplined like no other,” I could see the Elder bite his own tongue. All those things he said were true, but after a conversation with me, they were dismantled.

Obedient, until it meant killing one pony who was just trying to do better. Loyal, until he saw that the Rangers could have been doing so much more, but weren’t lifting a hoof. Disciplined, all the way till one pony showed him the error of the Rangers themselves.

With a shake of his head, Snatchback leveled his glare back on me. “Paladin Tungsten would have continued to move far in our ranks, had it not been the likes of you…”

I needed time… ‘Please come up with something better then blowing us all to hell,’ I thought. didn’t know what Deacon or Riff were going to come up with, but if they had something in mind. Any little bit helped, but this was starting to get personal in my book. “The likes of me?” I placed one hoof to the breast plate of my armor, “I’ve helped do more in a few months than any of you have combined! I’ve helped to clear actual threats to the wasteland! I’ve helped rescue those in need when you could have done it with a wave of your hoof!” my own pointed out accusingly at him, and even for a moment Snatchback took a step away.

“Myself, and my friends, those without your precious suits…” kinda sorta, “did it all! Risking our own necks to make things better as a whole, even if it was for a small corner of the wastes.” We all had to start somewhere after all, and if we could carve out a section to work on with just a few bullets and explosives. Imagine what the Rangers could have done… should, have done. “If anything, we’ve been trying to fill the void that the Rangers should have taken over when this world went to shit… being the knights in shining armor, the heroes, they were always viewed-”

Armor integrity: 89%

Warning: Foreleg integrity critical!

Oh… That wasn’t going to heal well… I saw the flash before I even felt the shot, and in an instant my front leg buckled from the impact. A softball sized hole neatly punched through just below the knee, and blood already started to pool at the ground. Tumble slammed her hooves behind her, ready to take on the entire Ranger battalion if needed. While Alimite was already on her knees at my side.

Nerve endings were finally starting to fire off in the back of my head, and somewhere below the knee I couldn’t so much as even feel the hoof there locked in the armor. The suit was starting to trickle in healing potions, and patch up the hole that the AMR made. Though I’d need something a little stronger if I wanted it to stay attached… hell, the only thing keeping it on the suit now was the plating that started to envelop it.

My teeth were gritting, trying not to give them the satisfaction of the injury… but damn did I want to bite my tongue off! Was there anything stronger than Med-X besides an outright coma? “Is… it-?” Alimite got out, before stopping there. My face alone was enough to answer that question. The suit should keep it inside till I could get it looked at by an actual doctor, hopefully soon before it was a lost cause. I’d just wished it was one of the back legs, at least then I couldn’t have felt it.

Steadily I brought the crippled limb back up, putting weight on it, and earning me a few murmurs from the crowd. They were either shocked, or impressed, that I wasn’t on the ground reeling. Though anything was possible with enough chems pumping through your veins… that and a whole lot of spite.

“Heroes…” Snatchback started to muse, pacing in front of his troops as that barrel to his side smoked. “Heroes that couldn’t stop the world from burning, heroes that allowed a government to crumble around them, heroes that chose to hide away when it all fell apart…” he was one to talk, the Elder came from the same bunkers. “They witnessed what ponies had done in the past, and from that a new order was brought down, something to quell any future worries of disorder amongst our kind… something that would be a whole lot easier if we had the tools to do it.” As if they didn’t already have enough toys at their disposal. I really could do with sanding that smirk on his face down to bear bone… “I still have that void of the Paladin to fill…”

And here’s where he tries to sell it, “a void you want me to jump into.”

“You? Oh no, we’re well past that…” that was… disheartening. I mean sure I had pissed the guy off to no end, but I was really hoping for some more time here! “That ship set sail when I had to do what needed to be done, cut out the cancer before it spread.” The Paladin was anything but cancer, he was one of the good ones… if there was anything sickening it was this waste of metal and flesh. “For all your talents, you’re nothing special Rogue, there will always be another.”

Special? No not really, I just tinkered around a lot as a kid, and got a good job tying to defend this country. “… And you’ll never live up to the prestige the rangers had back in my day,” he might not have fully gotten that, but I didn’t care.

By that sneer alone, he’d had enough chatting. One of his hooves raised up, and as if on que every gun that might have been waiting was at the ready. Tungsten said it himself, at a certain point, no matter how useful a pony might be… eventually everypony is just dead weight.

This is how it went then aye? My promise broken, my friends all dead once the other two jumped into the fray, and the wasteland under the hoof of this guy holding the button? I could feel the girls huddling a bit closer, even Tumble was starting to shake in that armor as she held her guns firm. Deacon must have had his finger on the trigger, waiting for me to pull something out of a hat… sorry pal…

This game, I came up-

The first explosion went wide, scattering some of the rangers as it landed yards ahead of- what the fuck was going on?! My shield flared out, covering enough of Alimite that I didn’t have to worry, and Tumble took the que to get behind me. Good thing to, that was too much fire in the sky to be stars…

More missiles started landing around my position, and amongst those guns heading my way, as all the rangers’ guns turned down the dockyards. Those that weren’t injured remained frozen, though with them occupied Alimite galloped past the few that did manage to return fire, getting into cover. That left myself, and Tumble, to witness the scene. Fire was breaking out near the entrance to the docks, and I could already hear the screams of those in armor driving the quiet night out.

Somepony explain what just happened?! “Crystal Empire Palace property found,” out in the dock, the voice echoed between the buildings, “requiring with extreme prejudice.”

Final Lesson burst through a container, crunching a suit of armor under its treads as its eyes flared around the grounds. Its ornate emblems were scorched, the flags ripped apart from its barrels, and one launcher was left smoking on its shoulder. Even its own armor started to sputter little arcs of voltage from its battle before… this thing went through hell and back to get here past those ghouls, and it wasn’t about to let some tin cans prevent it from completing its mission.

Every ranger opened fire, and just as fast as mine had, it’s shields went up around it… though were they flickering-? Not the time! A shove from Tumble pushed my ass into high gear, and galloped between the shots from the rangers to cover. Finals’ autocannons were cycling, cutting down suit after suit of rangers. Either it took a hit to its targeting, or the thing had a vendetta like me… think I can recruit-? Another missile went off nearby, and that was final shove I needed to launch my ass through a window into a warehouse.

Tumble barreled through the door in her suit next to me, and another familiar face joined as Alimite popped in between us. “Who the fuck put that thing in charge of security?!” I screamed out, balancing myself against the wall on my head… funny, my shield just now started to die out.

Hopefully some Elder got caught in the- “Find him!” the loudspeakers rang throughout the compound; oh, I didn’t have that kind of luck. “Bring me his fucking corpse in as many pieces as possible!”

Alimite took what potions she had and added it to the suit, letting it slide right into my system to make up for what I’d lost because of the hoof. The throbbing was still there, but I’d manage for now. Our plan wasn’t in shambles just yet, we were still breathing, and just survived an execution. Call that a win in my book…! Although… wait a second?

“How far did you to get with the explosives?” I asked, and in return I got a smirk from the only mare I could see it from.

A rumbling beneath my hooves answered that question, bringing be back up to the window to view the fruits of their labor. The Shinings’ hatches were holding steady, but a few of them that were open let the smoke bellow out like a chimney. Its tubular body started to roll steadily to one side like it had been placed on a hill, and I watched those working on it leap off trying to save their skin rather than the ship. Before long, half the plan was already realized, as the sub capsized to one side at the bottom of a shallow grave.

I could kiss this mare right now… “It’s not your middle name,” Alimite grinned, “but stealth is mine… though I’m the disciplined one apparently.”

“I’m so sorry I didn’t know to salute fricken officers in this armor!” Tumble shot back with words, and her guns, at the rounds that found our position.

Whelp! Change of plans, and pace… “You need to get out of here,” I leveled with my mare, and she already looked about ready to beat my head in. “You don’t have any guns, you’re barely wearing armor, and there is a very big murder bot who’s ready to break a missile off in my mouth!” All those points made something in her click, she didn’t like it judging from that scowl, but the mare wasn’t stupid… “use that middle name to your advantage, get to the others… please.”

I was going to be making up for that one later. Though with a quick description of where Riff and Deacon were held up, Alimite shoved off through the rest of the building. Thankfully as far away from the gunshots as possible. Someplace I really wanted to be, but alas, there was still a job to do wasn’t there?

“Time to be a hero,” I muttered more to myself than anyone. A hero to wipe this ideal from the wastes, even if it was just one part of it.

I heard the lock of another fresh mag, and Tumble shook her head. “What's the plan?” she got used to that suit fast, wonderful! Because she wasn’t going to like this…

“Same as it had been since the start,” really, not going to like this, “next on the list, the Cadance.”

“They took our explosives, so I hope you have a better idea than shooting our way out…” both of us glared out the window at the chaos unfolding.

Yeah… “Working on it.”

The rangers were trying to bring down the bot, the bot was silencing any and all that got in its way, and for the moment we were just left to enjoy the show. From here we could see bodies starting to fly as it batted them away like Parasprites, and I knew from experience that those rangers weren’t getting up any time soon. I had better armor, and it still felt hard to breath at times after taking that kinda hit. They still hadn’t figured out to get inside the shield, and even combined their guns weren’t making it drop any faster.

With all this chaos, it was dismantling any order the rangers had. Would they be able to get the Cadance away from it all? Could we make things difficult with a little help? Only one way to find out, if it had its sights on me, and the rangers were between the two of us… oldest strategy in the book. I waited a few more seconds for that little indicator to light up, before leaping back through the window.

“Round two you over sized toaster!” I called out to challenge it.

Another ranger vaporized after a burst from the autocannons on its arms, before finally the bot twisted its glare our way… running now! Flames licked both our hind quarters as we darted away between another maze of containers, with Tumble putting a few yards between us out in front. Whatever Snatchback did to me wasn’t pretty under this armor. I could feel my forehoof squishing under the knee into itself, but a steady trickle of chems kept that pain at least to only a minor stabbing sensation.

Behind us, a robot on a mission, and ahead pissed off rangers… What a time to be alive!

ADAC kicked on just as fast as Tumbles carbine, both of us cycling the triggers to clear a path. Her rifle wasn’t rated to stop armor, unless she hit it in the right spot, but it was surely enough to keep any of those lesser armored rangers well clear. She didn’t have any work done to the suit, and if mine was still ticking away at the integrity, then Taffies must be more than screaming at her. Before long the mare slowed her pace to match mine by my side.

A grab of her hoof shoved one ranger to the ground as he shot out of cover, and she leapt over the guy while continuing to make our trail. I only glimpsed back for a moment, but that was enough to see Final roll right over the ranger, crushing him like a soda bottle with one stomp. I really needed to stop looking at the damn bot and just focus on-

Not eating fucking dirt! Another spasm of my hind legs sent the suit missing a step and plummeting into the ground. My muzzle drug across the concrete for a few feet before coming to a halt. Tumble was already a dozen yards ahead before her hooves dug in place, and I heard that wonderful sound of treads once again.

Chunks of concrete sputtered up around me as I activated the shield in time. Final Lesson rolled only spitting distance away, but whoever programed this one made sure to include emotions somehow. This bot was pissed! Even at seeing its shells crunch against the shield, it kept the fire pressing on. A scattering of 5.56 drew its sights elsewhere, and gave me an opening to get back to my hooves. With a belch of fuel draped over the front of its barrier in a crimson blaze, it swatted away at the flames.

Yet still through the fire this thing couldn’t take a hint! A flicker of my own shield said it all, time to go… with a little pep from another explosion going off, Tumble and myself got right back to it. Up close was not a place I wanted to be with that thing, but would it hunt me down till it was destroyed? Who am I kidding, everything was hunting me! The rangers, the gunners, and now this damned thing.

As we shot through a narrow opening in the stacks of containers, the firing line ahead got into position. They didn’t care that I was already cycling the ADAC, the few that I dropped were only reenforced by another dozen standing to their sides. I really should have kept that shield ready, with a shove of my hoof, I pushed Tumble back behind me and let the suit take the brunt-

Armor integrity: 75%

Oh, fuck me running! Their shots were still punching holes into the suit long after my revelation that this was a horrible idea, and instead I opted for an even worse idea… I knew that yellow piping. My partner must have thought the same thing, and with both our bits chomped we aimed well past the rangers themselves.

My rounds punched the hole, Tumbles provided the spark… whatever fumes left must have been waiting for somepony to rub them the wrong way. Sections of the piping blew out in an instant, showering the firing line with shrapnel and bathing them in fire. Armor could withstand the heat, the ponies inside, eh not so much.

Many started running for the nearest extinguisher just to suppress the blaze, a few others didn’t manage to well, and only made it a few yards before they collapsed in a charred heap. That line was finished, just in time for us to blitz past its remains into the open area following the buildings of this place.

Oh, would you look at that! Another firing line… and this time I didn’t have a pipe to exploit. My autocannon chipped away at a few of them, but the smarter ones by this point were already well behind concrete barricades. We were half a hoofball court apart and closing fast, and I really didn’t feel like having them shoot me in the back while we avoided Final. What I would do for a- the contrail lit up in the night, and even past the shots ringing out around us. It was hard to mistake that gun.

One ranger fell to the AMR, and I watched the bar next to him get snuffed out all the same as his munitions went off. Joining it, raindrops the size of 40mm grenades started to fall down around those that thought cover was still a good idea. Scattering them every which way and that, Tumble was the first to reach the barricade and leapt over top it. She must have dumped a good third of her magazine into that guys’ helmet, with how the back of it blew out.

The ranger in front of myself got a good shell off with his own combat shotty, but mine was a bit overpowered. Four shells were all it took to turn his suit inside out, and once again I looked behind us. Fire burning away? Check. Twisted remains of armor? Check. Now where was… another container launched itself out from the maze, and joining us in the open was Final giving me that dead eye glare…

Murder bot? Check!

Another couple rangers tried taking their shots at it, but I didn’t look long enough to see how that worked out for them. We were already beating hooves to the ground when the sounds of its autocannons rang out in a quick burst, before those shells started dotting their way down the line towards our heels.

“What is happening?!” the speakers of the dockyard broke out, “It’s one Sentry? Bring it down already!” awe… somepony was getting upset.

Though he does make an excellent point… “we can’t keep this up forever!” Tumble shouted out to me, as her shotgun tore out the side of one scribe trying to take a shot with a missile launcher.

Both of them were right… as much as Final Lesson was helping us right now. This wasn’t exactly what I’d call a truce. More like a temporary partnership, “we can get past the shields to damage it!” I shouted back to her over the sounds of- huh? Would you look at that.

Wherever the piping we’d shot before must have gone underground at some point. The section of concrete in front of us lifted up for but a moment, before the gasses burst out. Showing the area with more metal, flames, and now stone. My eyes followed down the path of the hole, and just like here, in a few different places to the docks I could see a similar fireball break through like an erupting volcano.

All we did was shoot one pipeline?!

Tumble and I slammed our backs against the side of the container maze, trying for whatever breath we could catch. “Yeah… you have fun with that one, Wild.”

“I didn’t say it was the best idea…”

“So what? Does it only react to something shot at it?”

I didn’t have the time to explain the finer details of arcane arts and machinery! “It just has to be going fast enough, and the shield will view it as a threat.” There, that summarized it.

14.4mm lighting up the side of our cover was enough of a clue that we overstayed our welcome here, and off to the races we went- a hoof shot out past me, and smashed down atop my muzzle. I don’t care how armored this thing was, that still hurt! Tumble turned around in time to get her own face full of hoof, knocking her well and back to the next container over.

Just who the hell was this… guy? The ranger looked about ready to break out of his suit if he so much as flexed a little too much. Up to my hooves I went, and twisted the shoulder gun over to meet him head on. Though before I could so much as even get a shell off, he was already atop me again. I could hear the wane of his servos, but with his grip around my waist I found myself… was that the ground?!

Armor integrity: 68%

Sure enough, somepony must have found wrestling magazines out here… along with a pallet of protein! My helmet crunched into the concrete, before slumping down to my back like a turtle. I couldn’t tell if that was the sound of Final getting closer as it tried to hunt between these narrow containers, or just this guys’ walk. Either way, the ground was shaking a little with every step he took.

“Did you…” I coughed for a moment, as images of a certain sledgehammer came to mind, “have a brother in the gunners?” he cocked his head for a second.

5.56 lit him up on the side, and Tumble probably used all her weight just to shove him a few feet away so I could get back to my hooves. Still, he didn’t falter for long, and with one right hook I had to catch the mare in my own hooves. With a crack to his neck that I heard through the helmet; this ranger wanted to make it as personal as possible.

Nope… ADAC kicked on, and turned our narrow corridor into- oh what the fuck! The ranger dove down enough to avoid the fire, and came right up into my jaw with that helmet. Shoving myself back out into the open, and Tumble there joining me as she skid to a halt. Boxer took an ever-proud step out to join us, and started rolling his shoulders.

And in a flash, he was flying away in a tattered mess of metal… missiles trumped hooves any day. Though our savior wasn’t stopping with just one. Final let out another barrage of munitions our way, several cracking into the side of those containers as it lumbered closer. Tumble and I were scrambling, barely making any purchase when the heavy steel boxes decided to finally give way.

Like a foals’ block toys, they fell to the ground. Cascading sparks and twisted remains amongst us as we started to put distance between- an angry wine broke out through the night, and both of us turned to see one of those containers smacking Final in the face. Clearly the bot didn’t like taking a punch.

Though a new light sparked up in the back of my mind, as it looked like it did the mares’ as well. “We need something heavier,” Tumble voiced what we were both thinking.

And I knew just the thing… it worked at the port with some rangers, how well would a Sentry fair?

“Follow my lead…” I scanned quickly around us, ignoring the bars present till I found the operator cab sticking high up in the sky.

Good, now we had a beacon to go to… Time to lead a trail of breadcrumbs! Tumble was the first one on her heels, firing away at the near impenetrable shield of the bot. The carbine was nothing more than gnats to the thing, and 14.4mm wasn’t much better. Although, it did have the desired effect… getting Final livid enough to shoulder away those broken containers as it rolled on towards us.

I took the lead this time around, and with Tumble nipping at my flank we dashed off- face first into a damned container! Why was it acting up so much now?! Was it all the adrenaline going through my system? I needed to find a neurosurgeon somewhere in the wastes… fat chance, right? Something collided with my back leg in the daze of my vision, something heavy, and by instinct I threw the shield up as fast as I…

Armor integrity: 50%

Warning: Hind leg integrity critical!

Warning: Med-X port depleted!

… Could… So that’s what an autocannon did to the wearer? So glad it was in a leg I couldn’t feel! I just wished the suit could tell the difference with that one. Already my front leg was starting to feel as if it was stabbing into my chest, but sheer grit alone was keeping my head in the semi-clear. I was already stumbling to gain purchase, and with one leg now in need of some serious love, being a tripod wasn’t conducive to my health.

Armor integrity: 46%

Nor was a fist of metal… Final Lesson had me cornered, or more so pinned with a barrel to my neck. Underneath me I couldn’t sense the ground as I dangled there, I just hoped it wasn’t stupid enough to fire that thing from this close. The other barrel leveled against my head at that thought, and I got to see the crimson glare of fire this one bot had been fueled by all across the Crystal Empire.

Oh it hated me… a hatred that disappeared behind a pair of hooves wrapping around its shoulder, and instantly my ass met the ground once again. Like a bucking bronco Final flailed is arms around, trying to dislodge its rider. Though Tumble had other ideas as she brought hoof to head over and over again. Two can play that game, it was distracted, and with us both now in its shields I brought the shotty up to one of its legs.

“Hop off!” I shouted, giving the mare a few moments to clear from the blast. Full auto flicked on, and before it had the chance to give me a swing half a dozen rounds buried themselves into the plating.

Armor integrity: 39%

Lower than I wanted by a longshot… I ducked under another swing, and this time it was adrenaline that carried myself away from the bot. Both of us slithering our way between the stacks of containers, sorry buddy, you’ll have to take the scenic route. Alright back on track now! I could still see the machine getting closer with every step, and I knew we wouldn’t have long before Final was on our tails again once we got in the clear.

A few rangers up ahead were scrambling, one or two took pot shots at us, but with them having to keep an eye out for our friend. We weren’t the biggest threat in their eyes, how touch- Nope! I shoved Tumble to the side, narrowly letting the AMR shot break between us and kill a shipping container. One mare didn’t take too kindly to that, pumping round after round from her mag into the colt before my ADAC finished him off.

So, we were on the rangers’ heels, and Final was on ours… hell of a game of cat and mouse. As we broke into the opening, I saw those rails leading down the path, and with it our crane. Snatchback wanted his troops to get them working again, but after today I would make sure nothing was standing taller than the warehouses.

Something a few ponies didn’t like.

Armor integrity: 35%

Whatever was left of my front leg inside the suit was forgotten as we hit the dirt, huddling ourselves behind a few crates… wooden crates… not the smartest move I’ve made. Already the shots from the rangers were starting to chip away at it like a beaver, showering us with the splinters. Both of us leapt up, returning what fire we could, and a few more of those bars began to drop.

And… another did?

Sure enough, the ranger I had in my sights had half his helmet rupture, and all I could see was the contrail leading its way to our overwatch. With a calling card like that, it shouldn’t have been hard for Alimite to find them. Just past another trail, smaller explosions started to dot the ranks of those behind cover of their own, either flushing them out, or outright sending them running. What kinda arch was Riff putting on that- oh, too long out in the open!

Armor integrity: 25%

I really hated missiles… this at least came from a pony, and while my partner lit him up enough to keep that head down. I found my hooves just intime to pay my respects, namely with a burst of my own. I wasn’t getting any more munitions shoved down my throat, and if it weren’t for the narrow channels, Final would have already been on top of us. Finally, I had a second more to breathe, and take a look at what we had to work with.

This thing looked big enough to haul an entire section of one ship with a single go, fitting for the location, though I had an entirely different purpose in mind. “Think you can bring it down?” Tumble shot me a look, before turning that glare to her guns.

“Just how am I supposed to do that with these?”

“You’re crafty…” she did turn a few scraps into suppressors for a gun, “use some of that trademarked pony stubbornness.” Already I could hear more explosions going off in the distance, just how many rangers was the bot toying with? “Unless of course you’d like to dance with our friend when he gets here?”

Tumble was already yards away as the sentence left my lips. What? No rebuttal? No comment? Was it something I said? I couldn’t help a chuckle from making its way up my throat, something that soon left me as realization dawned. I had a date with a murder bot, hell bent on turning me into paste… great.

My visor was scanning our little arena, steadily watching as my integrity trickled up at a snail’s pace… come on thirty percent! There were fires still breaking out around the dockyard, and the more I watched my scanners, the less bars I was seeing. Either Final Lesson was giving them a run for their money, or-

“This is Elder Snatchback,” he… sounded a lot more poised than I would have been if I was watching my entire operation crumble. “Remaining troops make your way to the C.E.S. Cadance,” oh that’s not good, “we’re leaving this place… I look forward to seeing you again, Rogue Ranger…”

So not good!

This would be the part where a sane mind would say it’s not the time to panic… but this is the perfect time to do just that! Snatchback was loading whatever troops he could on that sub, missiles still armed, and I’d have to hunt him down in Equestria while he had all the advantage in the world! He could sit just off the coast waiting to hear from one of his scouts where ever I was, and then wipe it off the map with the push of a button.

I needed to get to him, I needed to find that bastard and break his toy with him in it. Just one tiny problem… I saw a few Rangers clatter across the ground only a dozen yards away. One was about torn in half, one had part of his helmet caved in the least healthiest way possible, and one was barely crawling on his stomach. A hoof from the soldier stretched out towards me, maybe asking for help, or out of anguish.

There wasn’t time to figure it out, before he made it more than a few feet, the suit broke apart from a single detonation of a warhead. Bits of armor rained down like hail, and in that shower, I saw the problem I’d mentioned.

Final Lesson was running atop the other bodies with its treads caked in blood. Perhaps in a different life, I might have adopted this robot as part of my group. Though in this one it wanted nothing more than to add my name to its belt from today alone… all those kills must have finally done something to it after all. Its shield was finally starting to flicker, never falling entirely, but after almost two centuries it was getting put through its paces.

Took it long enough…

“So, we-” That’s about all I got out before its guns lit up the ground it stood on. Final was fed up with its mission, and I had the marks to prove it.

Warning: Armor integrity: 19%

Alrighty! So that’s what a cannon round feels like to the chest! Strongest part of the suit for sure, but my sternum was begging to be put out of its misery… sorry, can’t oblige that request. My indicator for the shield was still dim, and all I had between us was wooden boxes. Splinters started flying as I slid as much as I could to avoid the fire.

Returning it all with my own, each barrel of mine rattling off. Flamer flamed, ADAC cannoned, and Shotty shot. The fuel might have been keeping it a blazing blind heap of rage and metal, but its shots were at least not tagging me just yet. Something sparked on the inside of that shield, and one of its cannons slumped to the ground.

I saw the puncture my 14.4mm did, leaving the round mostly intact in its elbow joint. Just as suddenly, the hole it broke through in the shield closed up. This thing wasn’t unstoppable, but hey neither was I! One launcher sent off a quick burst of munitions my way. Most went wide, either striking containers off to the side, or outright obliterating those crates around us. Thank my lucky stars those shockwaves were minimal…

Its attention was all on me, now I just needed to get it someplace else… with a quick glance to the crane, my hooves started back peddling. Watching as the flames died down from its vision, and that fire in its eyes grew. Another rack of missiles lined up on the shoulder, and- exploded? Sure enough, its own payload had reached its breaking point, and gave out from a misfire. Final lurched to one side as if it’d been hit with a wrecking ball, but did the bot go down? Of course not, where would the fun be in that!

Mental note, find the grave of the one who designed this thing, and plant another Balefire Egg atop it for good measure. One gun and pod were down for the count, but the bot still lumbered forward towards me. The cannon continued to chew out chunks of the dockyard, but so long as it was keeping its pace going I could work with-

Warning: Armor integrity: 14%

Warning: Right shoulder dislocated!

Motherfucker! Shoulder armor was the second strongest, but that wasn’t enough to save my skin… or joints. The entire suit started to collapse, me bringing it down all the same as if it wasn’t even there. Behind one of those crates, I found myself, and already with my back to the barrier I could feel the sections of it being torn through.

Come on…

Any second now…

… oh, hurry the fu-!

My shield went up just as a round from Final whizzed by my head. Now only the melodious sounds of spent ammunition filled the void between us as I worked myself back up to a hoof or two. Each round that he delivered I took a step back, letting him draw himself a bit closer. Geometry wasn’t my strong suit… but practical application was where I shined. This spot looked to be just perfect.

Hooves stopped, and I held firm, letting it do its worst. I had about five seconds before that worst was the end of it. Though with itself so close, would it resort to those guns? As if on que the shield died out, and Final rested only a breath away from my muzzle after its treads finally stopped.

A hit from the barrel lifted me clear off my hooves, onto my back, and without warning was shoved right into my trachea once again. Somepony better hurry up or this was going to be very short-!

The shot rang out from a distance, and my ear perked up from that tell tail rifle. With a slap of my hoof, the cannon pushed off to the side, and buried the round deep into the ground. My ears may never stop ringing from that shot, but with the shotty planted to its already damaged leg I let loose a few more shells.

Warning: Armor integrity: 12%

Warning: Armor integrity: 10%

Warning: Armor integrity: 8%

Critical failure imminent!

Three to be exact… the leg finally burst apart at the seams, and Final let out the closest thing to a howl a robot could muster. A howl that was drowned out by the groaning of metal in my- hey my hearing was back faster than I thought! Just in time too, that metallic wine was getting louder by the second, and I only caught the glimpse of the sight above for a moment as I tried to beat feet.

A burp from my thrusters answered that challenge, and on the ground still like this turned me into a sled. Skirting me away from the bot with one last look to Final.

His red glow met my dead visor, and I watched as the operator cab collided with the bulk of my torment. Swallowing it up under a grave all of its own. Sentries were rated for a lot of things… explosions, bullets, beams, artillery shells… you name it, the M.W.T. thought of some way to counter it all.

Somehow, I don’t think cranes came up in the development meetings.

“Yeah… I know that feeling,” my head slumped back to the ground. Watching as another sputter of sparks erupted from the cab, bathing the area with Finals’ demise.

“Deacon’s getting pretty good with that rifle,” the voice of Tumble carried over the sound of sparks and flames in the distance, and with a hoof outstretched I took it in my own… so that’s how she managed it? With a little areal-

More popping went off in the distance, this though, didn’t sound like any gun I knew? I could identify munitions based off of sound alone, so what the hell was- Oh shit! Before Tumble even knew what was going on I was already a league ahead of her, tracing the sound as best I could. Though there was really only one place it could be coming from.

Along the pier we broke free, and caught sight of those cables linking the Cadance to shore slipping off into the water. The one thing tethering the sub from getting away, and they were going free now… the whole ocean could be their base, hidden from the sight of any without a sonar, and anywhere in Equestria their target. All thanks to that smug ass suit of armor standing on the hull!

My visor locked with Snatchbacks’ as we stared down at one another. Both myself and Tumble were easily making up the distance as the sub tried to chug its way into deeper waters. Though once I caught sight of his barrel dropping to us, I knew I couldn’t take that chance. With a grind of my hooves against the pier, the first shot passed right in front of me. All as Tumble took the same approach, the Elder was recalculating those shots fast, and already the second and only shot he’d need nipped inches from my chest.

A shove from my shoulder pushed us down to the dirt, just off the edge of the pier to where those cables connected the sub… good, no fuel lines here. At least I didn’t have to worry about getting blown up just yet. That craft wasn’t getting any closer though as his rounds peppered across our cover, tearing chunks out of the infrastructure as he tried to get to us.

And… what? Above I could hear more explosives going off, and peaking my head clear I saw the grenades dotting along the hull near him. Riff had cleared the rooftops, and already was raining down her own hell upon the sub. Wouldn’t be nearly enough to cause damage, but it did give the Elder something to think about. Snatchback ducked away towards one of the supply hatches, and I broke out of cover before Tumble even had the change to get her bearings.

No time to waste! I thundered forward, trudging past the dead bodies of rangers that either my party had a hoof in, or our robot friend. None of them were worthy enough to even haul aboard the sub to give a proper burial. Instead, Snatchback left them out here like any other corpse, ready to be picked clean from head to hoof.

Tungsten I carried miles just to try and help him, but this ranger I was perfectly happy with sending to a watery- oh, hi ground! I don’t know if it was one of the bodies that I tripped over, or if it was my legs acting up again. Either way I managed to get some air as time slowed to a crawl and I noticed several things all happening at once in my eyes.

One, Snatchback was no longer even giving me the courtesy of watching me try to stop him. Two, in his place a pair of rangers stepped forth upon the deck, their Brown Bettys at the ready… as if they’d even need to arch those cannons from this range, yet still I could see the angle rising up on them. Finally, three, Riffs’ fire support had come to a stop.

Oh wait, four, the ground was getting closer already… with a smack my muzzle scrapped against the ground, leaving me on the dirt with just those guns towards me. Warning: Armor integrity: 10% I read off… as if that’d matter with those kinds of munitions. I was two for three with near death experiences today alone. The execution didn’t work out quite like some ponies planned, and Final had a nasty headache from its attempt on my life…

Asking to go three for three might have been a bit too much…

With a flash their muzzles went off, and I crossed my heart that with me dead Snatchback might leave my friends alone… assuming they weren’t vengeful enough to chase after him after my demise. Seriously, who am I kidding? Somepony was going to pay for this in their books, and worst still, I wouldn’t even get the chance to talk them out of-

It? Something lifted up from under me, and once again I found myself at the mercy of gravity. This wasn’t like any time I’ve been thrown away from explosions… trust me, I know what that feels like.

This had some care behind it, and as my eyes snapped back open all I could see was that little embankment Tumble and I took cover behind enveloping me. A moment later, 120mm shells went off behind, and I had to kick myself for a moment to figure out if I learned self levitation. Peering up from the edge, those rangers were already sinking back into the submarine as if their job was done… but I’m still here, so who-

No…

Just… no…

Their strength was unmatched by most anything in the wastes. Enough to cleave armor in two with a single swipe, haul machinery around on their shoulder like a pack mule, or even catch a falling ranger in their claws and deliver a swift stealth kill… or in this case, hurtle a suit of armor out of the blast area.

But not enough strength to get themselves out.

My hooves about shot me off the ground to the hellhounds side… what’s left of it… and from there clenching her paw I could feel Riff still managing to cling on. I’ve seen this hound bloodied, beaten, battered, and on fire… but she decided it wasn’t my time yet to punch out, and chose to bite that bullet for me.

“… Riff Raff…” I bit my tongue for a moment, helpless with what I had on me…

A swift pair of wings joined at my side, along with another set of heavy hooves, and softer ones to boot. Each of my friends, all of them I brought along for this ride because they wouldn’t leave even if I asked them too. Now all of us witness to what kind of price that adventure can cost.

“Why pony… look sad?” Riff started to chuckle, blood dribbling from her lips, and even more seeping out across my suit.

Deacon had his bag torn in half from those talons, and every potion he could fit between his digits were at the dogs’ lips forcing them down. Riff protested, but a shake from his head wouldn’t let her get another word in. “Quiet you…” the gryphon choked out for a moment, looking through his bag for anything more to give, “you’re… you’re going to-”

“Be, okay?” a snort from her wasn’t the optimism I was looking for.

A sniffle to my side beckoned some attention, and even if her own visor hid the expression. Tumble had a hard time looking at our friend on the ground… she might have wanted to shoot her from the very start, kind of her thing, but now behind that glass I knew there was a tear shedding at the sight before us.

“What about…” Alimite held up one syringe that rolled just out of the mess Deacon made, it was an all or nothing kinda deal.

Deacon snatched it out of her aura, pulled the cap off, and brought it within an inch of Riffs’ coat… before her own paw grasped his limb. He looked ready to punch her and jab the needle in, but with her claw getting a tad tighter, I could see the anguish on our docs’ face.

Her paw pushed his talon a bit more gently towards myself, and my visor popped up to meet her eyes. I knew I had tears in them, and she was probably snorting under that postcard grin… but if she wanted to comment, Riff didn’t take the time. “…Take, need more,” she let go of Deacon and rested the paw on my hoof, “you good pack leader… make dog proud.”

For a split second I watched the Cadance slip just past the edge of the pier, it still hadn’t entered open water just yet… but I couldn’t just- “You need to go,” Deacon finally faced me, freely letting those tears fall from his beak, “Your rides waiting…”

I didn’t want to… I didn’t want to leave and wonder what happened until I came back, if I did… but one mare gave me a nod. Alimites’ own smile said it all, there was nothing I could do here, but perhaps they could. “Good get em, Wiley,” she beamed, and there looked to be so much more on the tip of her tongue, but not the time to say it all.

My med port opened up, and just like that Deacon slammed the needle in its receiver. With a slap the hatch closed back up, and my hooves broke into a full gallop. Adrenaline might have been super charging my heart, but Hydra was keeping my muzzle dead center on target. Whatever the chem was doing for my nerves might not last, but it’d be enough… hopefully… for this.

The edge of the pier was getting closer, and with a final leap, whatever the thrusters had in them I gave it their all. Flying like a falling tank, I soared through the skies for but a few moments, until they started to sputter out.

Gravity was for once my friend, and below my hooves I did the math quickly… right on target, I just wish there was somepony underneath to land on. With nothing to break my fall, my metal met the exterior of the sub, almost making me slip along its slick edges. Though a quick balancing of my feet solved that problem. Now for the next step, the hatch was designed for an earth pony to operate, so my horn made it all too easy to nearly rip it out of those hinges. Down below, I saw the deck, and somewhere inside…

I had a score to settle.