Fallout Equestria: Endless Horizon

Chapters

Chapter 2: Reclusive Restlessness
Chapter 3: Wastelander's Welcome
Chapter 5: Waterworks
Chapter 6 pt.1: Dr. Free's Clinic
Chapter 6 pt.2: Dr. Fauna's Clinic
Chapter 7: Blinding Vision
Chapter 8: Visions of Oasis
Chapter 9: Colts of a Feather
Chapter 10: To New Friends
Chapter 11: Oceans of Ash
Chapter 12: Behind Closed Doors
Chapter 13: Red Haze pt.1
Chapter 13: Red Haze pt.2
Chapter 14: Calm Minds and Firefly's
Chapter 15: Dear, Sister...
Chapter 16: Axel Grease
Chapter 17: Haunted Feelings
Chapter 18: Solo Act
Chapter 19: So Close
Chapter 1: Aella Breeze
Chapter 4: An Awesome Rescue

Chapter 2: Reclusive Restlessness

Chapter 2: Reclusive Restlessness

My poor ship had seen far better days. I was in Equestria for less than three hours before my first challenge presented itself. In most adventure stories, the hero saw their first challenge coming. Sometimes even having a few minutes to days to prepare themselves for it! I wasn’t quite so lucky…

Everything seemed fine from the bridge of the Skystar V as we sailed through a storm towards Trottingham, a large prewar city nestled on an island southeast of mainland Equestria when everything fell apart. Alarms blared, and screens flashed and sparked. Before I could hear myself scream something nearby exploded, and the entire world was silent. Unimaginable pain burned through my skull as I clutched my head in my talon, falling back against the floor.

The next moment seared itself into my memory, fueling my nightmares for weeks. The floor was still. Completely. Deathly still. No hum of machines, no soft vibrations from air vents. There was nothing. Nothing but my own nauseating fear.

The main power was shot. In four seconds, a bolt of lightning turned my state-of-the-art Sky Sailor into a glittering metal sailboat. My own inertia hurled me against the ceiling as the ship fell. The taste of blood and a thunderous pain in my skull was the last thing I remembered.

Sailor

🐦🐦🐦🐦🐦

Red emergency lighting streamed through the ship, giving the grounded vessel an eerie atmosphere. The inside was a disaster. Supplies and belongings were scattered across the floor. Lights and monitors flickered, some failing to draw enough power, with many others damaged in the crash.

It was hard to tell exactly when I woke. Everything was foggy and far away, almost dreamlike as I slowly regained consciousness. An oil lantern burned next to the bed, flickering a slightly more hopeful glow over the room than the gloomy red beans radiating from the hallway. The scent of burning oil mixed with the thick antiseptic smell of the Skystar’s tiny medical bay. It was just two adjacent beds, with some IV stands and other equipment laid across the floor around them. The cabinets along the back wall were still closed tight, their stock of drugs and bandages safely inside.

I was laid out in my usual bed. My clumsy childhood landed in it more times than I care to count, so of course I knew exactly where I’d ended up. The details of how I got there however were pretty fuzzy though.

Sitting up was a mistake. The motion turned my belly into a circus act as my stomach started doing backflips. The room spun and danced as my equilibrium failed me. I covered my beak with a talon and laid back, fighting against terrible nausea.

Eventually, my body calmed enough that I could take stock of my wounds. I found my achy back leg already wrapped tightly in a crude splint consisting of scrap wire and a couple of rulers. When I reached up to feel my aching temple, I was met with a sticky, oozing strip of bandage that had been hastily (and foalishly) applied. I made a mental checklist of injuries as I went, thankful that it was rather short.

Still, it didn’t feel like it was that badly injured… as I sat up and took a look around the disheveled med bay I discovered why that was. A pair of empty med-x syringes sat next to the oil light.

I was awake at some point to get to sick bay and treat my injuries, but I couldn’t remember it. Apparently, memory loss is a common side effect of both lightning strikes and head injuries. All I remembered was panic and pain… The biggest saving grace was that my first instinct wasn’t to down some healing potions. If I had any broken bones or shrapnel in me, it could have healed horribly wrong.

I took a moment to get my bearings and let my nausea subside. I was hoping that I was feeling sick as a side effect of the painkillers, and not from a concussion that I had just slept with. My Pipbucks medical system was annoyingly basic, only telling me my overall health and the status of various appendages. I didn’t need it to tell me my leg was broken...

I took my time as I pulled myself out of bed and onto all fours, only for another dizzy spell to strike. A terrible wave of nausea followed. The ordeal did make me wonder… why was it called a dizzy spell? Was there a spell to make you dizzy? If there was, Aqua would surely know it. I could message her and ask…

Focus, Aella! Gotta make sure the ship is in one piece, or this is going to be a very short trip. Get on task nerdy birdy!

I considered grabbing something from the medicine cabinet to help with my nausea as I limped past, but decided against it. I already took more chems than I probably should have, and pumping more drugs into my system rarely made my life better.

The terrible state of my home made my heart ache. Lights shattered or flickered weakly, paint cracked and chipped away from the force of the crash, and glass was strewn across the floor. And that was just the hallway! My intended destination of ‘the bridge’ was sure to be worse.

And the bridge felt so far away. Every step sent sharp pains lancing up from my leg, forcing pained chirps and whimpers from my beak. I had the not-so-bright idea of flying to take the stress off my damaged limb, but that left me but all that got me was another round of incapacitating vertigo. I fell against the wall of the tight hallway, retching and crying. At least I didn’t feel nauseous anymore...

And at least there was no one to see me like this.

The thought was supposed to be comforting, but it quickly soured. For the first time in my life, I was utterly alone. As embarrassing as it’d be for someone to see me wounded, weak, and vomiting all over the glass-covered floor, at least they could help me.

I’d never truly been alone before. I always had someone there for me. Family, teachers, and coworkers. I wasn’t good on my own. Just a young clumsy hippogriff who talked too much or too little, and always failed to take a hint. At the same time, I loved to be alone. An annoying, unsustainable dichotomy.

I clenched my eyes shut and let out a furious cry, pouring every bit of stress, worry, and self-pity into the sound. I couldn’t let my thoughts get the better of me. I could do this! I’m Aella Breeze! I could think my way out of this. Out of anything!

The walk to the control room was long and exhausting, but I managed it! Actually repairing the ship to any significant degree was out of the question until I had time to rest and heal up a bit, but I could at least figure out what needed fixing and work out a plan of action.

The room wasn’t as large or grand as the name suggested. In the center of the room was a large table, equipped with both a flat display running across it and a holographic display I could use. The entire front and side walls were covered in windows for maximum visibility, with several screens on the roof connected to cameras on the underside of the ship! All of which were black, and a few of which had cracked screens. By the front windows was the steering, a simple wheel with several levers set beside it. There was a display adjacent to the levers to get basic ship readings while piloting.

My father had taught me how to sail the Skystar, but I’d never done it. Core was able to fly the ship and navigate all on its own, so I left all of that to the AI while I prepared for my quest! …Ok, I did a lot of lazing around and reading. It was a long flight! I was terrified of going to a new land! There’s nothing wrong with a little escapism from time to time. A bit of stress relief.

A thin vale of acrid smoke hung against the roof, making me choke and wheeze as I crouched under it. The acidic smog rose from a blackened panel by the door. I couldn’t make out the writing on it, but I already knew it was part of the emergency power system. I’d need to get the bridge powered on to see the rest of the damage reports.

A plume of smoke burned my eyes as I pulled the panel open. The tang of ozone and rotten eggs sent me reeling. I would have killed for my respirator, but there was no way I was going down two flights of stairs to get it from my workshop. With a breath of slightly less toxic air, I assessed the damages.

The spark battery hub was a charred, twisted box of steel. The housing was supposed to safely contain exploding batteries, and it did its job, barely. The lightning completely overloaded the batteries, so they’d need to be replaced.

At least getting power back on wouldn’t be too much work. It was one of 8 spark battery hubs in the ship, so all I had to do to restore power was bypass the damaged one. A few flipped breakers and a new fuse later, the undamaged lights flickered to life, and the vents hummed softly as they worked to make the air breathable. I probably would never get rid of the burnt-up battery smell, though. Bleh.

I sighed as I stared down at the fried conduit somberly. It sucked seeing good tech go to waste. I know it’s dumb, but it always made me feel a little bit sad. I apologized to the damaged Arcano-tech for subjecting it to my misfortune and closed the panel. Even with the parts to repair it, I’d never find a spark battery to replace the four I lost. Sure I’d be able to find some 200-year-old batteries laying around, but they would pale in comparison to my more recently constructed storage mediums.

The flat screen of the table glowed as the mainframe booted up, instantly flooded with warnings, alerts, and damage reports. Most of it was information I already knew, or that simply didn’t matter at the time. (I didn't care that light-gem 3 in my private bathroom was offline, the ship just crashed, stupid!) There was one message that stuck out. It hit me hard in the chest, flooding me with confusion and anxiety as I read it over and over.

Proximity alert

🐦🐦🐦🐦🐦

As unfamiliar and new as every experience on my travels was, there was one familiar thread I knew inside and out. Guilt. I was a clumsy fledgling in my youth! (And still can be, depending on who you ask) So naturally sometimes I hurt myself. Once in a while, my actions hurt others, and I’d have to deal with the repercussions. Sometimes it was my own stupidity and lack of awareness, other times it was completely accidental. Both lead to horrible feelings of guilt and more often than not, being yelled at, and having to confront my mistake by apologizing.

But what are you supposed to do when an apology isn’t enough? When the damage done is too significant, too deep, physically or emotionally? Last time I ran… Flew, more accurately. Abandoned the scavenging mission I was sent out on, and nearly got myself killed by an elementally charged bird. I ran home, on some level hoping my sister or someone else could save me from the trouble I caused.

That wasn’t an option this time. I was alone. Far from home. My ship was critically damaged, and I was in a land I didn’t know how to survive in. There was nowhere to run and hide. No one for me to turn to for help.

…Almost no one.

The proximity alert wasn’t a creature trying to attack, or some bandit wanting to steal from me. In all honesty, that would have been way easier to deal with. It was a buck. One who was wounded when we crashed. When I crashed. We could have gone around the storm or landed and let it pass, but I wasn’t thinking! Now not only was I wounded, but someone else was too!

I managed to get the wounded Equestrian into the clean bed of the clinic, right across the room from my own. He hadn’t spoken or shown any signs of consciousness, but he did groan and cough regularly. I found him crumped near the bow, and managed to half drag, half carry him inside. It was only thanks to the dose of buck I was able to walk that far, to begin with. The little yellow pill was something! With the steroids false energy coursing through me, dragging the heavy earth pony into the ship was fledgling’s play!

I was hesitant to put more drugs into my body, as wounded and weak as I was, but the moment I needed them the feeling was gone. After all, it wasn’t like I was taking them for my own benefit or enjoyment. The buck needed me! He was wounded because of me! I couldn’t just leave someone laying outside to die if I had a way to help!

Though I still didn’t know if he’d live… A length of rebar pierced his chest. I had to pull off his cloak and cut away his (impressively crafted!) studded leather barding to even get a good look at the wound. The bloodstained metal rod now sat in the corner of the infirmary, along with his bloodstained cloak, barding and a battle saddle! A neat harness a pony could wear to mount and fire long guns on the side of their barrel.

The healing potions I poured down his throat closed the ugly hole in his chest and helped with his more superficial wounds. He didn’t have any other life-threatening wounds that I could tell, but there was no way to know what was going on inside his body. I considered giving him some med-x for the pain, but I didn’t have a lot in stock...

Maybe he had some of his own in his saddlebags I could give him!

So I grabbed his bag from the corner and dumped its contents onto the floor with a bit too much enthusiasm. I was happy to organize his unusual collection of objects into various piles: Drugs, weapons and ammo, scrap, trash, (Why keep old numbered paper and lose bottlecaps?) and miscellaneous! The drug and weapons piles turned out to be the most impressive, and concerning.

I slid a blank notebook of his into my saddlebag, along with a cap with a smiley face on it, and an old potato chip that looked like a face. They were super neat! and I doubt he needed them. It isn’t stealing if it’s something they won't miss! Daring Do said so!

Jackpot! Painkillers!

When I stuck the buck's foreleg with the ampule of med-x, his muscles were noticeably relaxed. Hopefully, he'd sleep better with his pain properly managed.

He was what I thought a wastelander would look like. His tan coat was coated in a layer of dust with spots of red from new, and various partly healed wounds. He had a very short brown mane, hardly going down below his ears, with a tail to match, but far more messy and knotted.

Curiously, he had a PipBuck mounted to his left hoof! Not a fragile and glitchy wrist terminal like mine, but the more sturdy, button-operated models they mass-produced for stable dwellers. He even had the broadcaster attachment! Unfortunately, the stallion’s device was far worse for wear. It was dented and dusty, and the radio dial was missing, reduced to a small stick poking out of the casing. The backlight flickered as it struggled to brighten the cracked screen.

The urge to take the magical device down to my workshop struck me like a train. I’m no PipBuck technician, but I know suffering technology when I see it! That little sweetie was crying for someone to clean up and refurbish it. It wouldn’t even be that much work! I did work on more than a few PipBucks in ‘Intro to Arcano-tech!’ Seeing the advanced technological marvel so mistreated was like watching someone kick puppies.

Once I managed to stomp down my desire to (briefly!) steal an invaluable piece of technology from the stallion I almost killed, I stayed in the clinic a while longer to keep an eye on him. The way his chest rose and fell seemed normal to me, so his lungs probably weren’t damaged! Still, he looked flushed and sweaty, and his body was hot to the touch.

Watching a stranger breathe is about as exciting as watching paint dry, so naturally it didn’t take long for me to grow hopelessly bored. So I figured I might as well make myself useful!

I replaced most of the busted lights, cleaned the floors, and swapped a few tripped fuses. The work was pleasantly sobering, and a welcomed distraction from my terrible situation and pain-riddled body. Eventually, though, my body burned through the drugs in my system, leaving my head pounding and stomach-churning.

That left me with two choices; A) get some much-needed rest or B) double down on getting my home ship-shape. Of course, being the genius self-loving mare I am, I did the smart thing! With a portable terminal and some papers in hoof, I relaxed in the galley by planning out the rest of my repairs!

…That’s self-care, right? Work is super relaxing! And knowing that something important is broken in a way I don’t understand is stressful, so by learning what's wrong and what to do, I can be less stressed! Aella Breeze, Captain, Chief Engineer, and head of Relaxation on the SS. Skystar! If only because I was the only crew member.

Most of the ship's systems were fine. With a welding torch and some metal, I could repair the haul in just a few hours outside, and I could easily get by with some cracked or broken monitors on the bridge. The big issue was the electrical system. The power regulator was completely slagged. Without it, I couldn’t run any of the more power-hungry equipment. No flying, no water recycling, I couldn’t even run the oven!

I sighed and rubbed my temple with a talon as a headache set in just above my eye. This pain was more familiar than the head trauma-related aches I was medicating against. It was a stress headache. My smart dumb brain's response to the schematics laid out across my dining table, silently taunting me with their complexity.

At least until heavy, staggered hoofsteps sounded from down the hall. I launched out of my chair in a blur, galloping towards Sickbay with an excited wing flutter. The rapid movement made my leg ache and my stomach churn, but I didn’t care. This was my first wastelander! An actual bred and born Equestrian! I’d never met an Equestrian before! Would they be like Commander Macintosh? Brave and selfless. Or maybe kind and loving like the great Mage Meadowbrook! So many possibilities!

On top of that, he was also the first creature I met on my quest! In every story, the first person the hero finds is always super important! Like a wise teacher, a rival to push them to be their best self or even a long-lost family member! If I was super lucky, he could even turn out to be my best friend!

The older buck leaned against the infirmary’s doorframe. I didn’t have his armour on, but he somehow managed to get into his battle saddle before trotting out. He had an impressive-looking shotgun on one side, with a more weathered, ramshackle rifle on the other. Narrowed brown eyes bore into me and stopped me in my track. With a casual flick of his hoof, his rig’s firing bit extended in front of his muzzle.

My breath caught in my throat as I stared down at his twin barrels. I was so excited I didn’t consider he’d be dangerous… I really should have expected it. He was raised in a hard world I couldn’t hope to understand. And it was also my fault he was wheezing and coughing his lungs out. He’d need to stand on his own hooves to properly take aim, but it didn’t make me feel better. He was still willing to pump me full of shotgun pellets until I was a beanbag chair.

“Where am I?” He asked in a gruff, weathered voice. The simple question left him winded and wheezing. It was amazing the buck was even able to get out of his bed. Wastelanders are something else.

“This is my Skysailer, The Skystar V. I’m Aella! Aella Breeze. I was flying North when I ran into some bad weather and kinda got thrown out of the sky by some lightning. I don’t remember much after that. You were wounded in the crash, so I brought you in out of the rain to patch you up! M-more or less… I’m not much of a medic, but I know the basics. Enough for the healing potions to do their work at least.”

He scoffed. Even in his weak state, he had an air of authority and confidence that left me feeling small in comparison. “What do you want?”

The gears in my brain ground against one another as I tried to come up with my answer. It was the last question I expected him to ask. “What… Do I want to? Well… I want to help my sister and my home. I want to have adventures, and help people. I want to learn about technology so that we can use it to sa-”

“NO!” I shrunk back as the buck roared, sending my heart pounding against my chest with a spike of fear. The stallion's outburst sent him into a coughing fit, which just made me feel even worse. I did something to anger him, and he ended up coughing blood into his hoof as a result. As if putting a spike through his chest wasn’t enough, already!

Something flashed in his eyes as he looked back up at me, but before I could figure out what it was, he returned to his stoic demeanor. “No… Dammit kid, are you touched or something? I meant for helping me. Why did… you help me?”

That was possibly the weirdest question anyone ever asked me. Usually, it was more like, “Aella, why are you like this?” or, “Aella, what were you thinking?” or one time, “Why are you in my house!? Aella put my dishwasher back together!” You know, questions that made sense!

Did I need a reason to help him? I thought ponies always helped each other… At least the few ponies I knew back home did. The books I read growing up talked about how caring and selfless ponies were! My Mother idolized Equestria, and its people. It’s where her family came from, after all.

It reminded me of one late night when my parents were arguing in the kitchen. I got up to get a glass of water and overheard it. He didn’t like how she praised and romanticized a nation that was blown to oblivion by its own creation, a country so controlling they drove off their nature spirits and brought the wrath of discord down on the world. The Equestria I read about was dead, consumed by its own greed and fear. Mom hadn’t liked that, and she was far too stubborn to listen. Dad spent the night on the sofa.

The buck cleared his throat, pulling me back to reality. “I helped because you were hurt, and I don’t like seeing others suffer. Plus… It’s kinda my fault. My ship clipped the top of a building, and some of the debris that shot out hit you. So… I’m terribly sorry about that.”

His eyes remained fixed on me as I spoke, carefully considering my explanation. After a long, tense moment, the pony kicked his leg. To my relief, the firing bit of his battle saddle folded away from his muzzle. “I see… I actually believe you, kid. You’re not from here. You’re unusual. Weird, but not full of shit like most people I’ve met. Seeing as it’s your fault I was hurt, I don’t owe you anything for the help. If you could… show me… the door…”

The stallion managed three steps before his body failed him. He stumbled against the wall, caught in the grips of a terrible coughing fit. My feathered ears dipped back as blood painted the wall with his blood.

I trotted next to him when he regained his breath, letting him lean against me. With a wing draped around his body, I slowly guided him back to the infirmary. “You aren’t well enough to go yet. You need rest and probably more healing potions. I still have some repairs and cleaning to do, too. You can stay and recover while I get things ship shape! At least until then.” My voice wasn’t commanding, but it carried authority. I was just being logical. He couldn’t travel in his condition. Even if I let him, his body wouldn’t.

He wasn’t happy about being dragged back to sickbay but lacked the energy to fight me on it. I laid him back down on the bed and gave him another healing potion. It wasn't potent enough to heal him entirely, but with some luck, he'd be ready to move in a day or two. While I was at it I drank one myself, pretty sure I didn't have any broken bones or debris to mess up the healing. The soothing liquid cold my throat as its magic got to work repairing my lame knee and concussed skull. Like with the strange pony whose name I forgot to get from him, ((good job Aella, very smooth.)) it wasn't enough to put me back together completely. It was enough for me to work without being half-drugged out of my gourd at least.

I trotted to the bathroom to take stock of my growing collection of wounds in the mirror. A thin layer of fur was settling in where I was burned days before. The skin underneath was scared and a little tender, but wouldn’t be visible once my coat grew in fully. At worst those spots look a bit darker than the rest of my light coat. That was a huge weight off my back. I was worried that the hair wouldn't grow in properly and I'd be covered in bald spots or something.

Thinking back to that day made me shudder. Just another terrible event on the worst day of my life, scaring my soul. But with that fight, I was alone. No healers, no warriors. It was just me. All on my own. I wasn't very good on my own.

The gash on my head was healing well, downgraded from a concussion to a flesh wound. Hot pain speared up into my chest when I put weight on my bad leg, but I would do alright hobbling on the other three, as long as I didn’t stand up on my hinds. Plus with my concussion symptoms being washed away with magical healing I'd be flying in no time!

While my unexpected house guest got his much-needed rest, I got to work doing more tidying and repairs. All the while I thought hard on where in Equestria I could find a power regulator that I could rig into the Skystar’s energy grid. Between rewiring half the ship from the lightning strike, and cleaning blood stains off the floor there was plenty to keep me busy. Busy was good.

-🖂︎🖂︎🖂︎-

Hey Aqua, it’s me. I’m sorry I’ve been out of contact for the day. I ran into some… turbulence. A minor lightning strike. Nothing I couldn’t handle! Really!!! Unfortunately, it looks like the Deep Range Transmitter was damaged in the strike. It’ll take me at least a few days to fix. Until then, we’ll have to deal with the communications delay.

Anyway…I think I made a friend? An earth pony buck! He's... gruff and weathered. An older Stallion, maybe 40s? I don’t know how to guess someone's age. He Seems nice enough. Not dangerous, at least. Just... not how I expected. I know that ponies in Equestria have been through a lot, but… It really is nothing like the stories you read to me as a foal. I still hope things aren’t as bad as they seem… I’m sure there’s civilization and hope here. I’ll find it. I’ll get us help. Don’t worry, and please be safe

Aella Breeze, Technical Apprentice H-71

🐦🐦🐦🐦🐦

I spent my fair share of time in medical beds growing up. I was always adventurous, but when you mix that with the recklessness of childhood it leads to a lot of cuts, scrapes, and bruises. Every time my big sister would be there to patch me up, and every time I’d ask her to use her horn to make it all better. The answer was always no. “Magic is no substitute for good nutrition and rest. You won't heal properly if-Aella are you listening!?” The memory made me giggle.

Aqua was right. She usually was. Even with the potions and meds I forced through my system, my body still ached. It didn’t help that I kept pushing it to try and get more work done. Eventually, the exhaustion overpowered my work ethic, and I dragged my battered body to my room for some rest.

The torrential rain and incessant thunder overhead made it hard to get quality rest, but I managed three or four hours. I could have used more, but once the first rays of sun streamed through my window, I gave up and started my day. Trying and failing to sleep wasn’t a productive use of my time, anyway.

I spent 45 minutes repackaging food and cutlery that was strewn about the galley in the crash before my rumbling stomach reminded me that I completely forgot about breakfast. So I settled into a chair in the galley with some instant noodles and a coffee. If Aqua was there, she would have made me fish cakes and waffles. Spirits above, I missed her…

I lept as a shadowy figure seemed to appear across the table from me. It took me an awkward second to calm down as I realized it was just my wounded guest. Even in his wounded state, he was so quiet on his hooves I didn’t notice him come in. I left some food out on the counter for him, which he hungrily helped himself to.

He wore his duster, the holes and tears now patched. Honestly, it had more patches than actual fabric in some places. Under the duster but overtop his barding, he had his battle saddle on. It was well maintained, at least when compared to the dilapidated Pipbuck on his hoof. That poor, suffering Pipbuck...

“What’s all this?” The buck asked when he finished his food, gesturing to the schematics and maps I was studying the night before. “Looking for salvage?” I raised a brow. The buck was shockingly accurate. “You fell from the sky in a sailboat. It isn’t a hard guess. ‘Sides,

“Yeah, one I can’t find… A lighting storm killed my power regulator. Without it I can’t fly, can’t make water, I can’t even charge the batteries. I can’t make a new one, so I need to repossess one. Just like work back home…”

“Where would you find one of these things?” The buck was way more conversational than he was the night before!

“Coal plant, hydroelectric dam, solar array; anywhere that produces a large amount of power. I found four potential places, but they’re all too far for me to drag the part back. My best idea is to hotwire a busted-up sky carriage to move it.”

His voice was deep, almost chillingly so. “I know about a facility… five-hour walk from here. A Stable. It’ll have what you need. I can show you away, and help keep you breathing long enough to find it. For a favour.

My wings fluttered happily as ate a mouthful of my warm, brothy noodles. “A Stable sounds perfect! What is it you want to exchange to help…?” I wasn’t used to that sort of interaction, but barter was a large part of Equestrian culture. It was something I'd have to deal with.

The stallion sighed sadly and looked down at the table. “I got separated from my group. More importantly, I got separated from a girl. I’m worried that something happened to her. You help me get back to her, I help you get your fancy boat flying. I’m already a day behind ‘em, but being able to fly will close the gap. What d’ya say?”

My wings flapped and flailed as I grinned. I could actually fix it! “Yeah, definitely! “B-but she’s a ship, not a boat. Big difference! Anyway, um, thank you so much for your help, Mister… Oh gosh, I don’t know your name! I ugh, what is your name?”

My strange antics made the buck roll his eyes. “Count Specter. Just call me Specter.” He had a title? That certainly raised an eyebrow. “Think nothing of it,” he grumbled. “No one cares if you’re a noble in the wasteland. All they care about is what they can take from you, and what you can take from them.”

“That is... a bleak outlook on your home. Let’s get going...”

-🖂︎🖂︎🖂︎-

Day 1

I can’t believe we made it… When I signed up to get into a stable, I never actually thought… I’m just glad we’re here. Vapour Trail… She was working at the water plant when… She didn’t make it. But I got Clover here. I saved our daughter. Stable-Tec says that we’ll be down here for at least 10 years. It’ll be hard, but we’re alive. Together. A new life, underground. A fresh start.

🐦🐦🐦🐦🐦

The lights and wires running through the narrow cave gave off a dreamlike buzz. The bunker was still powered! After 200 years! I saw plenty of Stable-tec equipment back home from test sights, but an entire bunker still running!? AMAZING!

The walkway wasn’t built to any standard though, groaning and snapping under hoof. The construction ponies that built the stable laid down planks of wood and metal plates, rather than walking along the hard stone floor of the tunnel. It was definitely easier on my hooves and claws, after the long uneven trot to the hidden cave. Made me consider making a nice set of boots and some gloves.

Of course, the walk was the easy part. A four-foot-thick steel door in the shape of a gear now blocked my path, proudly wearing the number 24 in faded yellow paint. We didn’t have the time or tools to drill into the door and force it open, and I certainly didn’t have a balefire egg laying around to try and breach it. Even if we did it could trigger the internal security, which I read have turrets and robots in spades. Thanks for that, S-T Vice President Scootaloo. You fell a few rungs on my favourite-historical-pony-ladder! And I always like Apple Bloom better, anyway! (Don’t worry, she climbed back up. I’m not that petty.)

Specter opted to stay near the entrance while I got us in. I couldn’t tell if he assumed I wouldn’t be able to get us inside, or if he was just masking his emotions. I guessed the latter, if only for my own ego's sake. But… I’m unmatched when it comes to machines, but terminals were never my forte.

I pulled a cable out of my slender, deep purple-plated PipBuck and jacked it in. I started to worry that the port was fried but after about a minute it finally connected. Strangely enough, my device had given the door controls a system update. Apparently, Stable-Tec was working on a new update for their systems before the bombs fell.

My PipBuck allowed me to access the terminal's functions, but not to bypass the security. It didn’t seem like I was going to be able to get very far without trying to crack it. Ugh, programming is the worst! How could anygriff sit and stare at endless lines of code without losing their sanity?

I wanted to give up, but I didn’t have a choice. Even if I hadn’t promised Specter, without the equipment beyond that door, it could take three weeks to fix my ship. Three more weeks of suffering for everyone back home.

UGH

Stupid Applebloom invented such an advanced, secure terminal like the genius she was! As I was scanning the code for anything I could exploit, I noticed something unusual. A familiar string of numbers and letters… I went through my Pipbucks files and found a similar string. Hiding in the junk files of my device was a command spell. SC4-1:3.

It wasn’t wise to run a spell program without knowing what it was, but… Worst it could do was lock me out of the stable, and I already was. With a hesitant tap of my talon, I activated the command spell.

My Eyes Forward Sparkle lit up my vision with data. Boot-up notifications, diagnostics for the door and my Pip, and right in the center, an unusual text alert.

Turncoat active

Stable-Tec override: “CMC:BadApple-3”: Active.

Door control terminal access granted.

Security protocol: Disabled.

Remove access override: Enabled.

Warning: remote connection offline. Please contact engineering.

Have a pleasant day

I-It hacked the door!? A random command spell in my PipBuck somehow bypassed one of the most secure facilities ever designed. How? Why!? I’d never been in a Stable before, or even to the Stable-tec R&D facility back home!

The text on my EFS faded, but the questions remained. Reasonably I knew I may never find the answers I wanted. The world was massive, and much of it died over 200 years ago. Despite the odds, the question still festered in the back of my mind. The endless implications it carried.

Aella! Have to stay on task! Get into the Stable, get some parts for the Skystar, and then get home! As fun as it would be to try and solve all the mysteries of the wasteland, I had a job to do. I pulled the door release lever.

A deafening alarm blared through the room beyond. My hands over my ears did little to keep the sound out. It thumped in my chest and shook through my hooves. The hydraulics came to life with the screeching of metal. The disorienting wall of sound brought back the nausea and throbbing headache of the night before, forcing me to grit my beak and wrap my wings around myself as I waited for the auditory attack to end.

Finally, the sirens quieted, and the machinery stilled. A wall of stale dry air brushed past as I untangled myself from my wings and stared into the underground world beyond. It seemed impossible to be able to just canter into the secure shelter. Looking inside, the space felt... Confining. Suffocatingly so. I never had issues being in a small space before, but something about the air and energy of the stable put me on edge. All of my hairs stood on end, and my feathers rustled anxiously. I was overcome with the urge to turn and run, but I resisted. The stable felt like a tomb, a graveyard, but worse. Restless and unsettled. Still, I pushed myself forward.

Shadows danced on the rusted walls as age-old lights struggled to illuminate the room. Every surface was uncomfortably free of dust and debris. It was like I walked into a model or dollhouse, rather than a place where ponies lived. The light spell of my PipBuck helped keep back the darkness, barely. I took a look at the wrist terminal with a frown as I walked into the room, muttering. “Really should try and increase the power for this spell… It doesn’t make much of a dent in the dark.”

Specter would have needed to be deaf to miss the rack I made. He crept into the tunnel behind me when the alarms sounded, and silently followed me in. His eyes were glazed over as he smiled at thin air, lost in his own mental train yard. Even distracted, his eyes scanned our surroundings thoroughly, watching for threats of valuables. The wastelander never seemed to let his guard down, whether in the safety of my airship or in the desolate wasteland.

There weren’t any ticks on my EFS compass, thankfully. I wanted to get what we needed without having to fight any monsters or beasts, but I wasn’t going to hold my breath. Not after the stories Specter told me on the way. A lot of it sounded like wasteland legends spun by some bored scaver, but all stories have some truth to them. While the idea of some Stable-Tec conspiracy seemed unlikely, there had to be a reason so many ponies who ventured into the bunkers never returned.

It was a good thing the command spell I activated booted up my EFS, because I probably wouldn’t have remembered it otherwise. Tracking threats wasn’t all it was good for either! It was connected to almost every spell in my PipBuck! It kept track of ammo count, and vitals, and even helped run the repair assistance spell. Some advanced models of Pipbuck had mini maps or AI assistance, but mine wasn’t nearly that fancy.

Specter strode past me confidently, pushing me to quicken my pace to not be left behind. His confidence was a good counter to my hesitation. If we moved as slowly as my nervous flank wanted to, we could have spent days down there.

The metal tomb was in no way homey. The cool, humid air gave me chills. Our claw and hoofsteps were inaudible against the deafening machinery pounding from somewhere below. The pumps and generators pounded, groaned, and clicked their complaints of not being serviced in decades. It was like nails on a chalkboard to my mechanically inclined ears.

The entryway was simply designed. A small room, with a ramp slanting down to the Stable door so you don't hit your head on the machinery. You know I’m a graceful, tall, and attentive creature! Which is why I promptly smacked my head against the hydraulic arm. I know, way to go, Aella.

I rubbed my head's newest bump as I followed Specter up the ramp. There was another control panel set beside the ramp, with wires running up the wall and into the hydraulic. The interface had taken a beating, with over a dozen small dents. There were over three times the amount of bullet casings scattered across the floor grating. The wall and floor were decorated with blood, but there weren’t any bodies. Why move the bodies, but not clean up the blood?

The doors in the stable were nearly the same as the hydraulic ones used in Skya, back home. Heavy steel slabs that slid up and down on hydraulics, with a simple on-off panel placed off to the side. They had keypads for locking and unlocking doors, but as far as I could tell they’d rarely been used. It made sense with just a few hundred ponies locked in a hole together. Not likely for someone to try and take your things. Not to mention the cameras. They had dome-shaped cameras placed every ten meters in every hallway. I knew there was no one alive to see the feed, but the fact they were watching still made my skin crawl.

With the push of a button, the door hissed out of our way. It slowed two-thirds of the way up as the mechanisms ticked and clinked terribly. Specter raised an eyebrow at me before he crouched under the stuck door. I sighed and followed along, mourning the sorry state of such wonderful technology. My best guess was nothing had been cleaned or repaired properly in at least 120 years.

“We need to be careful down here, understand? Stables aren’t the safest places to scavenge. Most have their own… unique problems to deal with. Without a full team, it just isn’t safe to loiter. In and out, no sightseeing, no exploring.”

I rolled my eyes and groaned. It was an annoyingly familiar, and predictable conversation. Just like on the repo team. I understood how important safety was, even if sometimes I fucked everything up.

“I understand…” I took a look at my PipBuck, using the mapping feature to its fullest extent. “We need to get to the engineering wing, everything we need will be there. I’m just not sure where we need to go… The mapping only goes level by level.”

Specter trotted down the stairs and waved me after him. “I’ve been to a couple of Stables in my time, filly. I lead, you salvage the parts we need. In and out,” he affirmed. “Just like the old days.” Great, hardly a week away from home and I'm being called a filly again. Compared to him, everyone was probably a filly.

The stairs lead down into an atrium, a massive room about three stories high. There was a large round window at the far end, looking into some kind of office. A banner hung above it, loudly proclaiming “Hard Work is Happy Work!” There were a lot of doors coming off the atrium. A bar and pool hall, a theatre room, a couple of storerooms, and stairwells. Most interestingly though, the clinic. The room had a window looking in, with a poster beside the door. “Have you taken your medication today?” in big letters, with a photo of a yellow pegasus mare smiling anxiously.

“That’s… weird,” I mutter as I walk in to take a look. Specter didn’t mind taking a detour for the sake of restocking the medical supplies we’d used, and then some.

The clinic was small, with just a few beds and an auto-doc in the corner. The robot was boxy, with a bunch of appendages coming out of it. In theory, it would have been able to do various operations and treatments, though the spell matrix was too degraded to be of any use. Pity, those things can come in handy. Another poster hung above one bed, featuring a young filly with wide excited eyes and the caption “No rest for the working! The Overmare is watching!”

…Super creepy.

Connected to the infirmary was a pharmacy, stocked with countless chemicals and drugs that I couldn’t even pronounce. Boxes of “Isosterophenhol”, bags of anti-radiant fluid, nothing I had the capacity to understand. None of the chemicals seemed like they’d be useful, and most of them were long expired.

Specter went straight for the massive collection of meds, filling his saddlebags with random chemicals and medication without hesitation. I had no idea what the buck would need any of the random supplies for. Maybe to barter with.

I rushed to the first fridge I found and found them sitting comfortably inside. Healing potions! Magical healing goodness! They tasted more bitter than usual from sitting for centuries, but their magic worked well enough! My Pipbuck informed me that my head was no longer crippled, and I could finally put a bit of weight on my hind leg. I found four other healing potions in a cupboard which I slipped into my saddlebag for later, along with some magical healing bandages and antibiotics.

I offered Specter one of the potions, but he declined. He was doing far better than before, after all. He was walking normally, and his breathing improved. Despite being hurt worse than me, and drinking the same amount of healing potions he was almost at peak condition. Probably some weird earth pony thing. Ponies did have a wide variety of magic they could possess. Speaking with animals, Heartmending, precognition, even just using the magic created from friendship or love. Or it could be a mutation from all the balefire radiation. Does that still count as being part of their magic?

The clinic's terminal didn’t have anything interesting. Mostly incident reports of ponies getting hurt on the job. There was an unusual amount of negligent-related injury, but other than that it seemed pretty normal. They had 12 doctors and pharmacists on staff, which seemed like a lot for a stable of 500 ponies. Back home, we had maybe four doctors in my village, with a few nurses and alchemists.

With saddlebags weighed down with meds, we headed deeper into the Stable. The lower levels smelled acrid and stale. Some areas bore the all too familiar scent of decay. The poor air made me cough and gag. My best guess was that the air talisman had become corrupted, simply left to turn out putrid gasses. If not for the flight goggles over my eyes they would have watered like a tap. I kicked myself for not bringing a respirator or rebreather. Second time I needed it today!

The Stable was unusually empty. Not just of critters, but of residence. Bloodstains, bullet casings, dents and holes in various walls and doors. Countless signs of struggle and injury, but not a single body or skeleton. Just like in the front room.

I was so distracted trying to figure it out I didn’t see Specter stop and ran right into him. We came to a fork in the road, and the buck was furrowing his brow as he tried to decide what direction to go. According to the signs on the wall, the left hall lead to Living quarters A-E, while the right was F-T

“Is everything ok?” I asked softly as if someone might overhear me.

He shook his head a bit. “The layout of this Stable is different from... I’d heard this one had an extended pharmacy, but I didn’t think anything else would be changed. Normally there are only two residential areas, with a stairwell here. I don’t think we can cut through to the lower levels this way.”

The residential areas were far from homey. They were dull, dark, and lacked creativity. Ironic, considering how important creativity is to ponies. Not a single painted wall or work of art in sight. It was just… grey. Grey walls, grey doors, grey tables. Just… Grey. It sapped what little warmth there was, leaving the pony dwellings hollow and depressed.

Living in a Stable was the most difficult thing anyone here had ever done. In a situation where the designers knew morale would already be low, I couldn’t wrap my head around why they wouldn’t try to make things brighter. Maybe this is one of those issues with old-world capitalism. To afford to make sure people live, you can’t afford to give them things that make them want to.

The hallway needed a mural.

My neck snapped to the left as a yellow tick appeared on my EFC compass. SOMETHING ALIVE! Something alive that didn’t wanna eat us, just a couple of rooms away! Assuming it wasn’t above or below us… Seriously, designing a threat detection system for fliers that couldn’t tell depth? Not helpful.

I did my best to mentally prepare for a lot of stuff going into that tomb, but a yellow dot was not one of them! Specter made me sure we’d run into some kind of mutated beast, or automated security gone mad. Neither of us considered that we’d find something friendly. I had to know what it was!

Specter kicked his firing bit into place and took a defensive stance. I was going to tell him to relax, but he didn’t give me the chance. “EFS can be wrong. It’s not always best at telling when something is or isn’t hostile. Don’t get burned for putting your life in the hands of some old-world machine.”

Oh, right, he also had a PipBuck. He could see it on EFS, too. Assuming it worked on that mess of a device he wore. I knew at the very least the medical alert system was completely fried, having tried to use it when I treated his wounds.

He had a point My pip only knew the current disposition of whatever was there. We had no idea how it could react if it saw us. So I followed his lead, pulling my pistol from the holster sewn onto my jacket and moving to the nearest door. The little recharging weapon hummed silently to life, pulsing gently like a magical heartbeat.

The room was empty for a living space. No furnishings, no decorations, no personal effects. Only a couch, and two desks covered in loose paper and quills. (Seriously? Who still used quills? How far back was Equestria?) Tucked against the back wall was a little kitchenette. The space lacked any kind of bedroom or even beds! Were they expected to sleep on the couch to save space? Or standing up?

Lumbering in the back corner next to one desk was…

what the hell-ium is that!?

It was grotesque. Like a pony, but wrong. Balding, with strips of flesh rotting and falling away. Gashes ran across its flanks and legs, leaking a strange black sludge. It rocked back and forth on unsteady legs, completely unaware of our presence.

No… Not it. He.

His milk eyes slowly drifted left to right, seeming to read one of the mess of illegible pages on its desk. There was no spark of life in his gaze. Just an all-consuming emptiness. Any feelings or thoughts he had fell away long ago, leaving behind an empty husk that yearned for what it lost. I cringed and stumbled back as I realized… The creature had no soul.

Rags of fabric clung to his sickly skin, with some pockets and pouches are still intact. The remnants of utility barding. He was a maintenance technician. Or he was when he was still... him. Until some unnatural force twisted his body and banish his soul. What could so utterly destroy something like-

Crack

The mutant buck's head exploded, painting the wall in black and grey gore. The empty husk slumped to the floor in a puddle of thick black ichor. I flinched away from the gunfire. My heart pounded against my jacket.

His head just exploded. His head EXPLODED! He was just… and then he was dead. Like a light. Just… gone.

“Le’s go.” Specter said around his firing bit, smoke trailing from his barrel as the scent of gunpowder hit. His voice was completely neutral. He sounded normal. How could he…

I turned towards him with an angry hiss. Razor-sharp talons scraped against the floor grates. “Why did you kill him!? He was just changing light bulbs, he wasn’t a threat!” Anger overshadowed my normally quiet demeanor. My wings unfurled as I stepped toward the stallion. I wasn’t big for a hippogriff, but I was larger than the buck. Thanks to my wingspan, even moreso.

The buck was completely unphased by my display. Casually, he let go of the firing bit and retracted it with a flick of his leg. “It was a ghoul. A strange ghoul, but one nonetheless. It clearly wasn’t in its right mind, and I don’t need that thing tearing you apart from behind. You dying would be inconvenient. Now come on, nothing you can do for it now.”

I followed the buck deeper into the stable from a distance. That was… just so much to deal with. And I had so little time to deal with it! I knew that the world was broken, and people did what they had to. But blowing off someone's head out of nowhere? Without even trying to talk? The thing was just doing maintenance! Just like I did! Not having a soul didn’t make him dangerous! He was probably just doing what felt natural to try and feel alive again.

Post outburst I had been able to convince Specter to search the residential areas with me. As much as he wanted to make quick work of our little adventure, I wanted to do some more exploring. I tempted him with the idea that we could find some maps of the stable in one of the rooms, or some security keycards we could use. No buck can argue with the unstoppable logic of Aella Breeze!

I actually just needed some time to calm down and process.

Unfortunately for us, the ‘ghoul’ as he called it wasn’t enough to maintain even the lighting of the massive stable. Most areas had flickering, dying bulbs, with a few hallways and rooms being completely back. Without my PipBucks light spell and my keen avian eyes, I would have tripped and fumbled over everything.

Most of the ‘homes,’ if you could call them that, were clones of the first. Empty rooms with basic necessities, and very few frills. There was the odd propaganda poster sporting slogans like “hard work is happy work,” and “work together, forever,” and even, “Obey the Overmare!” Maybe the rumours Specter mentioned about Stable-Tec being a bit sideways held some water…

It was all much of the same until we reached room A. The second to last room we checked was completely different than the others. It had entertainment. A screen, books, a terminal, and even showing Stable system information! Ok, so maybe that isn’t as entertaining to most creatures as it is to be, but it had a lot of useful data. According to the terminal, most of the systems had been down for over 150,00 hours. Oh, and I was right! Ahah! The air talisman on level three was functional, but corrupted! N-not that I needed to be right, or anything. Obviously.

It was also the first room to have a bedroom. Not just a bed, but an entire room, making it double the size of the other dwellings. A queen-sized bed in the middle of a beautifully furnished room, with colourful posters and banners to accent the space. The walls were even painted at some point, although most of it peeled away years ago.

The last room down that end of the hallway, room B was locked, with the control pad unpowered. Of course will my skill, and familiarity with similar designs, it was a slice of cake! It was super easy to wire the door back into the stable’s power grid and bypass the digital interface to force it open. Hahah, easy breezy! The system struggled to life at first, but after a moment, the door was ushered out of our path.

Partway, at least. The door groaned in protest partway up and got stuck. Over 100 years of being sealed shut did no favours. I sighed and did my best to crawl my way under the door. I may have been somewhat large compared to most ponies, but I was also very flexible. Specter stayed outside to have another smoke.

Room B mirrored room A, with the exception of a skeleton laying over the terminal. The cause of death was clear and painfully familiar. I couldn’t keep my eyes from watering as I trotted over the long-dead unicorn and put her mostly loaded revolver in my saddlebag.

“I’m sorry that you… I jus… I’m so sorry…” I whispered to her quietly. I pulled the sheets off the bed and wrapped the poor creature in them. Then I totally didn’t spend a few minutes by the makeshift body bag weeping. I’m supposed to be the hero, the brave adventurer, the chosen one! Daring doo and the Shrouded Stallion never cried over long-dead creatures they never even met. Or maybe they did, and simply decided not to publish that part. I connected my PipBuck to the dead ponies terminal, copying a full map of the stable as I cleaned my face. The last thing I wanted was for Specter to know I was crying. That was a line of questioning I didn’t have the energy for.

Map in talon, I crawled back into the hall. Keeping busy would help keep my mind from wandering. The unfortunate mare was typing in the terminal before she took her life. All of the other entries were password-protected, but one had been left open. Her last final words.

-🖂︎🖂︎🖂︎-

Entry 136

The stable has failed. the violence has spread further than we could control. there's a faction calling for my head, now. They took over The clinic first. Threatened to destroy the pharmacy if I didn’t open the main door. I gave them the passcodes. That was… four days ago. Even with the door codes, some Remain in the stable. they scratch and beat on MY door, calling for MY head. I know I can’t stop them from getting in here. All disabling the door Did was buy me some TIME. I can’t let them get to me ALIve. If anyPONy from Stable-tec is reading this… Your Celestia damned experiment kiLLed us. I hope you had too-to watch your family burn.

Day 51

This stable is unique from what I understand. The doctors have this drug. In order to make sure the stable systems last the full 20 years, we need to work to keep things running as long as possible. The drugs and potions they give us, it’s amazing. I haven't slept in 7 weeks, and I feel wide awake! Clover and the other kids are doing better than any of us parents expected. With the extra hours we used to spend sleeping, we’ve learned more than I ever thought we could about arcane technology.

🐦🐦🐦🐦🐦

Blam blam blam!

Ghouls. Angry, hungry, very fast-moving ghouls! Seeing Specter fire shell after shell into the feral, unrelenting creatures helped me understand his fear of them. Even when they were missing limbs or chunks of their bodies, they fumbled over their dead to continue their charge through our storm of lead death and searing magic. The scent of burned powder and rotten flesh stung my eyes and made my stomach lurch. There was no sense of self-preservation or tactical awareness. Only a need to feed and an instinct to kill.

I dove back into the stairwell we came down from for cover. A mix of adrenaline and the refusal to inconvenience Specter with my death kept me fighting, even when every instinct screamed for me to flee. My pistol shook in my grip as I watched the ammo count in my vision count up at a turtles pace.

The roaring outside grew louder. Closer. Before my gun was even half charged a trio of putrid beasts charged through the door after me. Froth fell from their maws as they growled and gnawed at the air between us.

A flurry of blue beans met them. The leader took a hit to the chest and foreleg. Its entire body shimmered as it was rendered to glittering ash. The second one took a shot in the eye, brain boiled as it fell lifelessly to the floor. The last one was strange. Smart. It took cover behind the ghoul I dropped, making me waste several precious shots as I failed to target it.

Then it pounced. Tried to close the distance before I could land a killing blow. But before it could it stopped. Everything stopped. The miracle of SATS stopped time itself, leaving me staring down the rotten, sickly grey and brown maw of the ghoul just feet from my face. The sight would have made me gag if my body could move.

With my remaining shots queued up, time resumed. Blue streaks burned through the creature's head and chest. Its final scream caught in its throat as the light on my EFS marker blinked out.

I’m a smart mare. You know it. I know it. But we all have our moments. And this was mine. By forgetting basic physics. If something is flying toward you, it doesn’t stop just because you killed it.

Bright side, it wasn’t trying to eat me! Dark side, it slammed into me full force! I let out a pained chirp as the air was forced out of my lungs. My ears rang as my head hit the wall hardest of all.

I blacked out for a moment. I heard myself whimpering as I came to atop the ghoul that death tackled me. The fresh head wound had me feeling dizzy and nauseous. I blinked away tears as I pushed myself to my hooves, just for a wave of vertigo to force me against the wall behind me. My body heaved to make it clear it was done with the ordeal. Unfortunately, I wasn't. The gunfire in the hall made that very clear.

With unsteady claws, I pushed a dose of med-X into my veins. I was quickly learning that in a life-or-death situation, you can’t afford to have reservations about something as simple as the fear of addiction. The pony-sized dose wasn’t as effective for my larger size, but it was enough to get me moving

With the pain in my head fading as the chems did their work, I grabbed my trusty sidearm from where it fell and galloped back into the action.

Specter was a couple of meters from the door, rifle and shotgun roaring. Piles of dead undead bodies covered the floor of the maintenance tunnel. He wore an unsettling grin as he shot one after another silently urging the last few horrors to take their best shot. He wouldn’t be disappointed.

Click

Oh, feathers.

Click

The ghouls didn’t wait for the buck to reload. They swarmed. Two forced him to the floor. A third fell by his hooves, intent on eating him alive. The buck screamed as the creatures descended on him.

No time to panic. No time to think. I levelled my pistol at the beasts and let SATS do the work. One crashed dead to the floor as two cobalt rays speared through its chest. Another screamed as its throat blistered and bubbled from the magical burns. Still alive, and very upset, it turned its attention toward me. The attack left my weapon spent. Specter would have to fight off the last one himself, while I dealt with my own problems.

The wounded ghoul forgot about Specter as it snarled and barreled toward me. I steeled my resolve and raised my claw with grim determination. Confusion flashed in the ghoul's eyes as I struck out with razor-sharp talons. Thick black ichor spattered me from the deep gashes in its face. Then in a single motion, I drove a talon deep into its eye socket. Right into the brain.

Specter managed his fight fine. Better than fine, really. He managed to rise to his hooves and deliver a powerful apple-bucking kick to its torso. The expected result was shattered ribs and a punctured lung. Imagine my shock when the creature soared across the circular steel tunnel, denting the wall it splattered against!

It was amazing… and terrifying. Was that earth pony strength? Were they all superhero-level kickers with endless stamina? Or was he some kind of outlier? Of course, at the time I was too distracted to think on it much.

My head was swimming. The lights and fans grew brighter. Louder. The rotten gore on my hands flooded every nerve with a wrinkly discomfort. My heart pounded. My body ached and burned. An invisible force crushed my chest. Forced the air from my lungs. Alerts and warnings that were supposed to help me just overwhelmed me further.

Pushing my body so far past its limit was easy. Will and determination often kept me working for days with little sleep, and the pain in my body was easily bearable with the help of drugs. My mind wasn’t so easily tricked. It was finished, and it knew it. Too much input. Too many new things. Too many close calls.

Specter trotted over, his lips moving. He sat a bloody hoof on my shoulder. He was speaking again. Trying to tell me something. I didn’t care. It didn’t process. I just pulled away from his touch. My keen mind was failing me. Even knowing that the threat was over, the fear and anxiety continued to slither in my guts. They wouldn’t release. Tried to drown me.

-🖂︎🖂︎🖂︎-

Day 91

Raspberry Tart killed her filly today. In front of the entire class. Little filly asked a question Berry didn’t know the answer to, and she just lost it. Most of the students were terrified, naturally. Several, though, didn’t even seem to process it. They just sat there, completing their assignments. The doctors say it was a trauma response, and that it’s nothing unordinary. I don’t know about that… Clover has been less herself lately. She doesn’t laugh or play like she used to. She just works, and studies. She’ll respond when I speak with her, but it’s almost like she isn’t there at all. I hope it’s just the stress of everything we’ve been through.

🐦🐦🐦🐦🐦

Specter gave me some much-needed space as I recovered. The patience surprised me a bit. Apparently, he understood the stress of someone's first wasteland adventure. Once he confirmed I wasn’t bleeding to death, he trotted off to loot.

Four near-death experiences in a single week. Two of them in my own country! That had to be some kind of record. But none of it held a candle to the horrors of Stable 24. The creatures back home were just animals and spirits, surviving. Equestria had monsters. Actual, death and suffering-oriented monsters. Soulless zombies held together by a spark of necromantic energy. I knew balefire was powerful stuff, but seeing it firsthand was so much worse. More terrifying, Specter was so casual about them. There was a word for them! Ghouls are just… a normal wasteland thing! What other messed up stuff would I have to live through to try and save my nation?

Time had little meaning in my overwhelmed and exhausted state. At no point did I feel fine, but eventually I knew I had to get moving, lest I sit and rest forever. Once I had the power regulator, we could go home. I’d be safe, in my repaired skysailing home, far away from the Accord damned tomb I was suffering in.

The reactor control room I needed! The regulator was a metal box about half my size, with thick wires coming out of either end. It was relatively light, so I could carry it on my back without too much trouble. Still, I’d find an old cart on the surface to throw and the rest of the salvage in to make things easier. Scrap metal, spark batteries, electronics, wires, even the odd gun or knife! It was a treasure trove of mechanical junk! More than I could ever hope to cart back.

Annoyingly, the one room I wanted to search for most was the one I couldn’t. The spark reactors were some of the most advanced technology Equestria developed during the war, and I would have killed for a closer look! Unfortunately, just looking at the reactor room door made my Geiger counter scream in my ears.

I found Specter a few rooms from down, in water processing. He was tearing panels off of one of the complex-looking systems, stripping it for parts. Parts like the two dazzling-looking sapphire and gold charms hung around his neck. The stones radiated a powerful, cooling aura. Like a river or waterfall. I could hardly believe my eyes as I rushed over, taking one of the enchanted objects in my claws to study it.

"A water talisman... I've never actually seen one. This is amazing! You could help so many people with these on the surface!! Entire towns with clean drinking water! Way more people than they helped down here, keeping everyone alive for some twisted… thing.”

He pushed me off of his new accessories with a grunt. Even being gentle, the buck's strength was “It is an amazing find. They’re some of the most valuable salvage you can get in the wasteland. Selling one of these will set me up for life.”

“Sell... them? Sell? Like, for currency? But people need water to live! You can’t just charge people for something they’d die without!” I sat back on my haunches with my ears pinned back. My emotions slowly crept back to me as I struggled to fit my wrench around the selfish things he was saying.

He sighed and sat his hoof on my shoulder, an act that was in no way comforting. “This is how things are out here. You take what you can when you can, and you keep yourself alive. Maybe whoever buys it will save a lot of lives. Maybe they’ll be Raiders. Either way, I’ll be sitting pretty. That’s what matters.”

I released a breath I didn’t realize I was holding. The more I learned about the Equestrian Wasteland, (and the kinds of ponies in it) the more I hated it. Everyone in it for themselves… it’s no wonder there was so much suffering. I sighed and trotted back towards the stairwell “Whatever. There’s not much left here. Let's just go.”

On the way out, I noticed something I hadn’t seen before. Near the Stable door, curled up in the corner, were two skeletons. The larger one had its hooves wrapped around the smaller one. Beneath the bones laid a dusty PipBuck, screen still flickering. I took it in my claws with a sad smile. “I’ll take care of this for you… I’m sorry you didn’t make it.”

-🖂︎🖂︎🖂︎-

Day 104 128

I swear it was only day 104… I must have gotten caught up in my work. It gets hard to keep track when you never sleep. We’ve had five people start attacking people now. They’re all being held in medical. They’re saying it’s the stress and trauma of the end of the world. While I hope they’re right, I’m worried it’s these drugs they’re giving us. Not sleeping for this long isn’t natural. Even with magic to help us, I think it’s causing problems. A lot more of us now are becoming dazed. Like drones, simply following orders and doing our tasks. Clover barely notices when I’m here some days. I think we need to leave. Whatever is happening out there can’t be as bad as what they’re doing to us here. Some of the workers have a plan to leave. We’re going to go with them.

🐦🐦🐦🐦🐦

An entire stable to research replacing sleeping with magic… to what end? I learned a lot about Stabe-Tec and its founders growing up, the innovations they created, and how they changed the world. I never dreamed they could experiment on unwilling ponies like that. I hadn’t believed anyone could. One of the founders even lived in Mt. Aris during the war!

Babs Seed was in charge of Stable development outside of Equestria. She oversaw the construction of Stables all over, from Griffonstone to Yakyakistan. She’d never be ok with the occupants being used as guinea pigs! We learned about her in school, she was a good pony! A saint, even! Did they keep it from her?

Footnote:
Level 3 reached!

Perk added: Egghead! Your intelligence is good for more than just doing math for fun! Gain 2 additional skill points per level.

Author's Note

Edits, quality of life changes, and PipBuck optimization updated 16/07/23!

Thanks for reading, commenting, liking, and probably being a huge nerd like me!!!

Chapter 3: Wastelander's Welcome

Fallout Equestria: Endless Horizon

Chapter 3: Wastelander's Welcome

Atop the mountain near the southern equestrian border, seemingly untouched since the war was a research facility. The sprawling complex consisted of four separate concrete buildings, interconnected by tunnels and hallways. A collection of solar panels on the roof strained to keep the building lit with what little sunlight they could grasp through the cloud curtain.

That got me thinking. The Equestrian army had no problem powering this remote facility using something other than coal, so why fight a war over it? Surely they could have used this technology to maintain their way of life. Didn’t they want peace? Or did the zebras continue to push? I remembered from history class there were peace talks between the two countries, but I could never be bothered to pay attention. Ugh, curse my fickle attention span!

The automap feature on my Pipbuck labelled the place, “Awesome R&D Outpost, #3” on the map. How the wrist machine had any idea what this place was, I didn’t have a clue. Magic probably? I wondered if I might want to work on my computer skills. And who in their right minds names a building “awesome” anyway? Was it really that awesome? Maybe the pony who named it was just full of themselves.

The front of the compound was a massive asphalt surface for landing sky carriages, still hosting many rusted-out sky carriages that transported the workers there. The Skystar rested in an open area in the middle, the sun crystals stealing what energy they could through breaks in the cloud curtain.

The buildings were in amazing condition for their advanced age. I could make out the yellow glow of functional lights through the mostly intact windows. Even the parking lot was partly lit by clusters of hardy streetlights. With the sun steadily falling towards the horizon, we'd be taking full advantage of the building's power.

Specter believed that his long-lost mare had made her way to this facility, though I can’t imagine for what reason. It was very out of the way, and he said she was a unicorn. He kept glancing at his Pipbuck, then back up to where I imagined his EFS would sit. He was watching out for something...

It did make me wonder what the buck's relationship with this wayward mare was. He was going to significant lengths to try and find her but refused to go into detail about their relationship. Perhaps some kind of forbidden love, like from Nocturna and the Zebra Prince! I loved when my sister read me that one

Regardless of why she’d be here or how he’d know, I told him I’d help find this missing girl if he helped fix my ship. He’d helped me get the parts, and I spent the afternoon fixing my ship. I wasn’t about to go back on the deal I made.

I did however take a brief break to make a few upgrades to my barding. It was nice, comfy and stylish, but offered very little protection. I fashioned some of the newly acquired scrap metal into armour plates, and fit them in between the fabric. Just some light disks along my sides and breasts, I didn't want to slow my flying too much.

We stood (Specter stood, I hovered) on the crumbled tarmac of the parking lot, facing the main entrance. The door was wide open, left for us by some long-gone lockpicking expert. I was thankful for their help, as my lockpicking skills left a lot to be desired. I didn’t have the steady claws for it.

We trotted towards the entrance, keeping a careful eye on our surroundings. Something in the parking lot with us threw me off, something that had no business being there. I narrowed my eyes at it over my left shoulder and turned to face it. Specter's eyes flashed to where I was looking but saw no sign of danger. One of the sky carriages looked different from the rest. It was similar enough; sleek, long, pegasus pulled, but distinctly different. The sky blue paint was vibrant and untarnished by the desolate wastes around it, with brilliant green swirls running front to back. Near the back end, the swirl widened to form around a logo. No... A flag.

My heart stopped as I pressed my hand to the cool, intact metal frame of the vessel. My body went still as I tried to make sense of it. The flag. A trident with proud wings unfurled on either side. The same flag that was stencilled on the bow of my ship. That flew at the heart of my hometown. The sky carriage belonged to Hippogriffia. There was only one group of ponies I knew who could have left it behind.

The scouts were here. Right where I stood. For one reason or another, they left something behind. I was happy to find evidence of my late parents so soon after arriving, but it was bittersweet. Was it left behind because it wasn't needed? Or was it left to rust because they lost the griff that was supposed to pull it?

It was magical, in a way. Somehow, among the endless expanse of Equestria, I'd stumbled upon another hippogriff ship. It seemed impossible for me to end up here, in their hoofsteps. But somehow I was. It was one hell of a coincidence. I knew my parents and their team were long dead, sent on a hopeless mission to try and salvage our home. But seeing that they were here, finding proof that they didn't just leave me behind... It lit a fire in my heart. A small dim little flame, but it was something.

Tears ran down my cheeks as I stepped away from the carriage and sniffled. So many emotions; happiness, sadness, confusion. One crept in along the rest, a shadow whispering fears into my soul. What if I went into that building to find Specter's friend, Scarlet, only to find the remains of my family? Is that something I could deal with? What if whatever killed them was waiting for me, hungry to put an end to my family line and my species?

My hooves turned to lead. My wings refused to function. Could I handle finding more dead loved ones? Could I somehow survive the wasteland on my own, when it took the lives of so many of my people already? Such an impossible task for a young fragile hippogriff. And yet, I was the only one who could do it. If I didn't try to move forward, everyone would die anyway.

I pulled my goggles off and dried them on my barding. The world was a mess of blurred shapes and unfocused colours until I pulled them back over my eyes. If I found my family inside, any of my people, then I could return them to the planet. All the pain and suffering I'd have to endure would be worth knowing that they were laid to rest.

While I dealt with the emotional tidal wave pounding against the fortress around my heart, Specter was making sure the area was clear. I appreciated him giving me space and making sure we were safe while I tried to fend off my own inner demons.

I decided to check the sky wagon before heading into the building. If it had any clues about what was inside, or what happened to my family I needed to find them. The rear hatch was left ajar, so with a hoof from Specter and an old signpost we were able to pry it open. My companion remained outside, more focused on his nicotine fix than uncovering the secrets of the distant past. Or out of respect of the possible loss of life here. For some reason, I doubted it was the latter.

The interior of the carriage was dusty but well organized. The beds on either wall were neatly made, with desks at the ends. Each held a terminal, though after all this time only one of them had any life left in it. I could have gotten the other one wired to a spark battery, but I didn’t have one with me. At the back of the living area were a few storage lockers, as well as a small counter with a hotplate setup.

The desks had metal placks above them, each with a chillingly familiar name etched into it. Seatide on one side of the room, Jet Breeze on the other.

Seatide and Jet Breeze.

My parents had shared this living space, likely with my father being the one to pull it. Did something happen to him that forced the team to leave it behind? Or was it something else?

Wait… Awesome R&D. AWESOME! Oh, Spirits!

I suddenly felt very dumb. The facility's name wasn’t calling itself awesome, it was run by the Ministry of Awesome! One of the six Ministries that worked towards the war effort, parts of the government! I facepalmed at my denseness. I was supposed to be the smart hippogriff! It was the one thing I was good for!

The ministry must have been involved in some kind of research that my people thought could be beneficial to them. I know they wanted to find a remedy to the climate crisis. Perhaps weather control? The MoA was run by a Pegasus if I wasn’t mistaken, though I couldn’t for the life of me remember her name… The shy one!

Unimportant. Focus Aella, back on task!

The lockers were all empty, save for a can of long-expired tuna in the bottom of one. The only way I’d be getting clues was to try and get into the working terminal. My mother's terminal. I wasn’t much of a computer expert, but it was worth a shot. I got lucky sometimes. When I wasn’t being kicked off important missions for gross negligence, getting hit by lightning, or being attacked by giant birds.

...Shut up.

I jacked my Pipbuck into the terminal and pull up the computers… Code? Colonel? It’s something, another way in! I was confronted with lines of scrambled, meaningless code, with the odd word or phrase mixed into it. Among them hid the elusive password that would give me access to my mother's secrets.

After searching for a moment, I found it. It was the only one that made any sense. A name pulled from a past, forgotten after so many years. Seeing it again felt like a blade slipped between my ribs. I grimaced as I selected it.

-🖂︎🖂︎🖂︎-

Stratus.

Just like that, the functions and data of the terminal were open to me. There was only one file left on the system. The rest had been deleted ages ago. I vaguely remembered something about recovering deleted files from school, but the information was just out of reach. A skill that I'd never quite clicked with, and was now forced to suffer without.

Without any other choices, I opened the lone file.

Recon report, Equestrian Wasteland, day 11.

We arrived at the research facility after several days of searching and countless setbacks. It was a lot of annoying backtracking, but it was worth it. The compound appears to still be intact. Jetstream and his team just finished restoring power to the main structure. It’ll make it easier for the scouts to make their way through. Then we’ll go in to take a look around.

We lost power to one of our larger sky wagons yesterday. Someone hit us with a spark... thing. It wasn’t even a real grenade! They rigged a spark battery cluster with an emitter. The thing overloaded the entire system. The Flux Regulator assembly is shot to hell. The breaker failed and the grenade shorted it. We’re going to use the one from this wagon to get things going again. I’ll be sad to leave it behind, but it’s fine. We didn’t need the private quarters, to begin with. We’re not spending much time together these days anyway.

I’m really hoping that we’ll find what we’re looking for in this facility, but I doubt it. The place was in the process of being repurposed for weapons research and assembly a few months before the war ended. Their research probably didn’t show the results they wanted.

I miss the kids. I’m hoping we’ll be able to wrap this up soon, and we can go home to them. But we won’t go back without finding a solution. I want my kids to thrive, and I don’t think they can do that on the meagre rations the farms are producing. We need to fix our climate problem. Or get rid of the Blood Ash altogether.

-Recon field report 4, Specialist Seatide Uni 24

--files successfully transferred to external storage--

*** *** ***

Tears ran down my face as I read the decade-old logs. Long forgotten feelings clawed their way to the surface, threatening to drown me under the torrent of emotional chaos and heart-aching memories. I always told myself that I'd gotten over it all, but I knew all I'd done was bury it under a mountain of work and responsibility. I wasn't ready to deal with any of it, and it was all so long ago... They left me. They left to try and find a way to help everyone, but they'd still left. I was too weak, too fragile to try and face it all.

I gave myself a few minutes to cry before I forced myself back to work. Crying about it was pointless, and I hardly had time for a pity party. I composed myself as quickly as I could and trotted back into the wasteland.

The stench of tobacco burned at my back as I stepped out of the hatch. Of course, Specter had a smoke hanging from his lips, with a small pile of cigarette butts piled around his hooves. Had I been in there long enough for him to need so many? Or had he burned through them out of mere boredom, like a wood-burning stove? I didn't know anyone who smoked, so I wasn't sure what was expected with the terrible habit.

Specter took another drag before he bothered to acknowledge my return. He eyed me with a neutral expression, somehow impossible to read. The energy around him was… thick, cloudy. I couldn’t feel anything. Maybe earth pony magic felt different than most other races? I know they weren't unicorns but they had innate magic, anything with a soul did. Maybe the unusual fog was something about him in particular.

“One of yours, then?” He asked in his gruff voice. I averted my gaze as I nodded. “Welp… Be ready for what’s inside. This ain’t no Stable, but the Wasteland is rarely kind to good folk.”

I clenched my claws into fists with a shaky breath. “I understand… I’ll be fine." I lied. "If we find any bodies we'll need to send them off.” He grunted in response. He’d already seen me send off the remains of Clover and her father at Stable 24. Hippogriffs typically sent their bodies into the sea. When we can’t do that, we burn them. Something I think we picked up from our Zebra neighbours.

“Now, my Scarlet, she’s unwell. She’s been through a lot, and she might have hit the chems a little hard. Real jumpy. Whatever happens, don’t hurt her. That shouldn’t be a problem for you…” He smiled at me as he spat out the butt of his cigarette, and stomped on it out with his forehoof. “You’re not the killing type.”

The interior of the facility wasn’t as well preserved as I’d first thought. Most of the furniture was decayed into heaps. The paint, and in some places the walls themselves were chipped and cracked. Most of the lights worked thanks to my father, so I could at least see without my PipBuck.

I had been excited to see the advanced Equestrian technology that had been developed here. Whatever it had been must have been amazing stuff to attract the attention of my parent's team. I was quickly let down. The building I was sifting through was only full of offices and rotting paperwork. The administrative building.

I couldn’t imagine sitting at a desk like this all of the time, working on budgets and supply requisitions all the time, making small talk by the bone dry water cooler. I was not a blue-collar griff, I was sure of that. I liked to move, do different things, and most importantly feel useful. Working in a place like this would strip the spark right out of my soul.

On the bright side, it was more spacious than the Stable. I could stretch out my wings and even glide through some of the larger hallways. That coupled with all of the posters about pegasi and their invaluable part in the war, suggested this facility was mostly run by fliers like me.

One poster had a photo of a blue mare in black armour, with her rainbow mane hanging down loosely. “Join the MoA, make a difference!” it shouted at me. That sparked a memory deep in my brain. Rainbows rainbow... Rainbow Dash! The Ministry of Awesome leader. And some kind of aerial fighter, if the poster was to be believed.

As I continued I did my best to avoid going into any of the cubicles or offices. Sometimes I’d cut through them to get around blocked doorways and caved in rooms. The once-private spaces were like crypts, housing the bones of the ponies who’d worked and died there.

The fridge and cupboards in the break room were completely bare. The facility was far from any mega spell detonation, so the ponies had been stranded on the mountain when the megaspells went off, left to starve to death when food ran out. Most of the bodies were earth ponies or unicorns, but some pegasi were left behind as well. Why wouldn’t The Enclave let all of these pegasi into their cloud cities? Perhaps they stayed by choice, wishing to die with their friends.

A creepy, angry-looking zebra with a flaming knife in her muzzle watched over the kitchen, eyes following me like a creepy art piece. The poster cautioned me to ‘Be armed, be aware.’ It was unsettling, pushing me to leave the room sooner. Perhaps that was the point?

Several of the terminals still worked, but their data was useless. A memo about some misplaced magical ammo that they were trying to locate, and a few complaints about the automated security acting strangely. If the logs had the Mt. Aris seal, I would have been sure they could have been some messages on my own terminal.

Most of the ponies here had been working to reorganize the facility, converting it to a weapons manufacturing facility. There were several logs from after the world ended, but I didn’t have the stomach to read them. I couldn't bring myself to listen to the final moments of the poor pony skeletons.

There were no real threats in the building. The odd giant mantis or radroach. Nothing I couldn’t handle with my talons. The turrets on many of the ceilings made me a bit uneasy as they tracked me with the quiet whine of machinery. The security was still guarding the building and thankfully didn't see me as a problem.

The turrets were of basic design, but that wasn’t a bad thing. Less moving parts means less stuff to break. These machines still running after 200 years were a brilliant example of that. That also probably meant they could take a beating, which made me wary of them.

My EFS complained that I was out of range from The Skystar’s network. In the absence of my ship's signal, I opted to scan the airwaves, hopefully, to find some music to listen to. It wouldn't give me access to Core or my ship, but it would keep me entertained. Besides, I'd never heard Equestrian music before. It could be good!

I was disappointed to find a lack of music available. Several stations played the senseless pings and bops of Morse Code. A few others played the rhythmic static that the ships AI CORE recognized as encrypted transmissions, which we agreed probably weren't worth the time or energy to decrypt.

Click

That was enough radio. No sense in wasting my time trying to wrap my head around a bunch of prewar stations. They must have missed the 'world ended, nobodies listening!' memo.

Without music to occupy myself, I was left with only my thoughts for entertainment. My mind wandered to how unusual a lot of the décor of the place was, a nice break from its darker recesses. Back home we didn’t have posters or anything advertising our armies or peace corps, people just joined if they wanted to. It seemed somewhat manipulative, on the part of the government. I guess that’s war...

I noticed a theme in the building. Many of the artwork and posters revolved around either pony superiority, or zebra inferiority. Back home most of our street art was about self-expression, doing what made you happy, and caring for one another. A particular poster caught my eye. The caption read, ‘Better Wiped than Striped! Join the Equestrian Armed Forces Today!’ The background showed a group of zebras with evil grins and wild eyes, showered in blood.

The Equestrian government had to have known Zebras weren’t blood-thirsty killers. They were just people, getting by. I knew plenty of Zebras and Ponies. They were no different than Hippogriffs. Sure, our anatomy is vastly different, but we all had the same heart.

The scent of oil and rusted metal hit me like a wall as I went through the hallway into the second building. I grinned as I happily followed my nose to the source. The large warehouse had been completely converted to a weapons manufacturing facility. Conveyor Belts and metalworking equipment were set up in rows, with bullet presses and workbenches against the side walls. The equipment must have been brand new when the war ended. All of the tools were cleaned to a shine, coated in a thin layer of oil to keep from rusting.

A dumb smile graced my beak as I walked the rows. They had a lovely drill press, table, band, and reciprocating saws, welders, soldering equipment, and every size and shape of screw you could ever want or need. I giggled, unable to keep myself from slipping a set of brand new(for the wasteland) drill bits, and a set of nails and screws.

There were shelving units on the back wall, covering it from floor to ceiling. Drums of oil and powder were on the bottom, with various metal bars and ingots stored higher up. Brass, nickel, iron, and oh! Some copper wire quickly found its way into my saddlebags.

I didn’t see any practical use for the other materials or tools I’d found, but that didn’t stop them from finding a new home with me. I’d find a use for them at some point! I swear. If not, they’d be a reminder of one of my first wasteland adventures. Maybe find someone who could use them. Anything was better than them sitting alone, forever.

Tucked back in the corner of the room there was a large enclosed cargo lift. The steel box was rusted and worn, but structurally sound. The machine was out of place in the building, likely leftover from whatever the building was before. The elevator's buttons flickered and waned as they struggled to stay powered after years of neglect.

My claw hovered in front of the worn control panel for a moment. The basement could be full of anything. Flesh-eating ghouls, blood-thirsty insects… Horrors that I’d never dreamed of. I’d dealt with a few messed up, hard to kill ethereal beasts back home… But I was never alone. There was always someone there to back me up, lead the attack, tell me what to do. Help me up when I fell.

But I couldn’t just wait around either. Specter and his friend were counting on me, and I couldn’t let either of them down! We were supposed to look everywhere, and the basement was part of everywhere! Stairs would be better, but I had yet to see any.

With a shaky breath, I pushed the button.

The elevator lowered itself a few inches and gave an awkward lurch. My breath was caught in my throat as my wings reflexively unfurled. It didn't do me any good. A deafening snap from above. Then I was in freefall. My instinct was to fly away from the plummeting platform. The last thing I remember was ringing in my ears as I slammed into the metal roof.

*** *** ***

I woke to the taste of copper. My beak ached against the cold metal floor. I felt like I'd flown face-first into a brick wall. Not that I'd ever done that! That would be totally dumb.

My limbs burned in protest as I pulled myself into a sitting position. I was sprawled out in the now mangled elevator. The doors were half-open, bend inwards from the impact. I squinted as I tried to adjust to the bright light shining in through the gap.

I tapped my PipBuck to the status screen. I was battered and bruised, but none of my bones were broken. Id' bitten my tongue on the way down, and one of my talons was cracked. My flight goggles were worst for wear, sporting a long crack through the left lens. If I'd fallen more than a few stories, the goose egg on my head would have been a crack in my skull.

“I need to be more careful… I almost died because I wanted to explore down here…. UGH! I’m so stupid!” I got back on all fours and gave my wings a flap. Sore, countless feathers ruffled or displaced, but no sprains.

I had to duck under the crumpled door to squeeze out into the hallway. It was unlike any basement I’d seen. The corridors were wide and tall, made from pearl white metal. Strings of gemlights ran across the top corners, giving everything a blue tint. I smiled with a beat of my wings. It was large enough to fly through! Assuming my body wasn’t in pain from falling down an elevator shaft. Which it was.

Ow.

Step.

Ow.

Step.

Ow.

Step.

My limbs weren't shy about how they felt, sending shocks of pain through me with each step. It was nothing compared to the crash the day before or my battle with the firehawk. The most annoying thing was that it was completely preventable, caused purely by my stupidity. Somehow that made it feel worse.

I was following one of the coloured lines painted along the floor. An effort to make the overcomplicated layout of the sublevel easier to understand. The yellow line was labelled weapons development, and the blue was cloud development. I always forgot that ponies took the weather into their own hooves, rather than work with the nature spirits like the zebras, or let the world be like griffons. The red line went to robotics!

Naturally, I followed the red one, as it was my favourite colour. Just because I'm a genius doesn't mean I'm wise.

The basement used the same hydraulic doors as stable-tec, with the minor difference of having a lightning bolt flanked with blue wings painted on them. Some kind of crest or logo.

The robotics wing was an engineer's dream! A massive rotunda loaded with the most advanced robotics and terminals that pre-war Equestria could buy. It was divided into four separate workspaces by furniture and workstations, creating a vague but noticeable difference between the areas. The workspace near the door was bare, save for a few tables and a pallet stacked with crates. The next section had three workbenches near the center of the room, with robot charging pods against the wall. In the center of the projects, section sat a neatly organized desk.

The area was set up for work on some kind of next-gen robotic warrior. Several of the pods still housed the terrifying prototypes. The one in the pod nearest to me housed a six-legged bot, like an ant. The body went straight up, reminding me of the bipeds from the plains. It had two sockets on each side, mounting points for either limbs or weapons. The head was on top naturally, with a single eye in the center.

The limbs connected into similar mounting points... The ponies here had been engineering completely modular battle robots! NOt just battle, with this much utility they could be used for anything! Apple picking, medicine, heavy lifting, and… Killing people. Primarily killing people...

Several of the mountable weapons were on the workbenches. Flame Spitters, Missile launchers, Nova Surge Canons. Devastating weapons I’d never want anywhere near me. The bottom parts were swappable too! Wheels, treads, even levitation talisman!

With technology of that caliber, I wondered what kind of stuff the zebras cooked up to fight back. To be able to counter this… Well, I guess they were able to rain balefire down on the entire country, so they figured out one way at least.

According to the desks' terminal development had been going well, with several prototypes passing field tests. The pegasus who was leading the project had been moving to his lab in Cloudsdale to continue his work in some massive promotion. He didn’t feel it was worth the effort to move his older models, instead suggesting they be reprogrammed to act as guards for the base. Thank the spirits that didn’t happen. Those things would tear me in two. Sad he moved to Cloudsdale before the zebras blew it out of the sky though...

I downloaded the designs that had been left on the terminal to my PipBuck, just in case. The tech could come in handy at home when things got back to normal! Or at least it was something to add to CORE's database.

The third section was completely packed away, leaving very little evidence of what was being worked on behind. Judging by the alcohol bottles and balloons leftover, their research must have gone well. I even spotted a few empty dash inhalers laying on the ground under the desk. Apparently, it was quite the party, though I doubt their supervisors would have approved. Mine definitely wouldn’t have.

The final section was by far the most interesting. A cyan light flowed from the glass window of one of the charging pods, illuminating an unusual metal sphere inside. A grill made up the face, with four blue wings attached to the sides. A little antenna was sat above that, slicked backwards. Bellow its speaker/face was a silver-looking wand with a variety of gems embedded along it. It seemed to be a magical energy weapon, but it wasn't like anything I'd ever seen.

I trotted over to it and pressed my hand against the glass. There was something about it... almost beckoning me towards it. I felt sorry for the little bot, left here alone through the centuries. There had to be a way to release him...

I moved to the desk nearby. It was a mess of moldy meal trays and empty cola bottles. I brushed the age-old trash aside, wrinkling my nose at the strong acrid scent. It was the most disgusting workspace I'd ever seen. I moved to log in when the terminal gave me pause. It wasn't made from any normal metal or polymer, but rather some kind of grey spongy substance. I pressed firmer against it, beak half-open. It was almost like...

“Whoa!” I leaped back a bit as my talon phased into the material. It was clouds! The computer was clouds! Who builds a terminal out of clouds? Why!? I'd heard in school that the Equestrian Airforce had developed cloud interfaces for increased security, but I'd never believed it! I was caught up in a fit of giggles as I logged into the unprotected computer. It was a good thing I was a flier, most creatures can't walk on or interact with clouds.

Huh... That was my first time touching a cloud. Somehow it was strangely familiar. Back home the clouds were toxic, carrying radiation, Blood Ash, or other terrible megaspell horrors. They were best avoided.

My PipBuck started copying the terminals data the moment I jack in, hungry for the mysterious information saved on it. While it did its job, I combed through the files manually for anything of interest. The advanced device was loaded with project logs, blueprints, and personal correspondence.

-🖂︎🖂︎🖂︎-

Project CMD, entry 19

The Climate Management Devices show limited ability to alter the local weather, about equivalent to a quarter of a pegasus. We’ve tried to increase their power output through various methods, but with little success. We boosted one bot's efficiency by about 300% by adding a second spell matrix but this made the Sprite Bot too heavy to fly properly. The MoA wants to get large-scale weather control figured out. This doesn’t look like the way to do it. The weather spell takes too much power from the robots' systems, and we aren’t able to scale them up. Maybe if we had the resources to develop some other kind of flying drone, we could make something work. It was a lot more cost-effective to buy Sprite-Bots from the MoM. Even if we made new drones, the scale we would need to deploy them is insane. We’ll keep testing, but if the other project has managed to bear some fruit… Rainbow will retire this facility. Just like she did with me.

Project CMD(CLOSED), entry 24

The project is done. We’re all laid off. I at least managed to have them keep prototype 4 online, Blue Rumble. It was the closest I came to figuring it out… They promised to ship him to me when they start packing up this area. They haven't asked any questions, thank Celestia. This is the best I could do.

-Thunderlane

*** *** ***

The equestrians were researching alternate means of weather control. Or one of their ministries was. My people hoped something they learned could help us lengthen the growing seasons. My parents had been right to come here, unsurprisingly. A shame the research didn’t pan out. Maybe they had luck looking into the “other project.”

Normally this was when I would see if there was anything useful I could take with me. Or just anything that looked kinda cool. But the robot forgotten in his pod had my attention. It'd be wrong to leave him behind, waiting forever for Thunderlane to come back for him. He deserved to be free.

A few button taps on the computer and the charging station slid open. Blue Rumble's wings whirred to life. The little sphere fluttered out of his confinement, beeping curiously as he scanned the area around him. His sensors settled on me for a moment. He dove behind a workbench with an anxious beep

I frowned a bit as I watched the anxious droid hide. He'd been alone waiting for so long, just to wake up to a creature he'd probably never seen. I'd probably be on edge too. "Hi there. My name is Aella, Aella Breeze. You're Blue Rumble, right? I was exploring and found you in there... It didn't feel right to leave you behind. Are you alright?" I spoke softly from behind the terminal, giving Rumble its space.

He peaked out from his hiding spot, his speaker and little antenna visible. I gave it a gentle smile. "Your creator cared about you a lot. Thunderlane wouldn't have wanted you to stay down here forever. I was wondering if maybe you could come with me? If you want to! See, I'm on a mission to save my people and if I'm being honest I am in way over my head! I could use the help..."

It floated out from behind the bench, moving to hover in front of me at eye level. A sad, lonely and frightened beep flowed from its speakers. It communicated better without words than most creatures I knew could with them. I looked down at the floor and sighed. "Yeah... I'm sorry. Thunderlane is gone. Probably for more than a hundred years. I know I could never replace him, but maybe you'd wanna be my friend?"

The weather drone let out a loud, determined beep. I released a breath I didn't realize I'd been holding. I was worried the little bot wouldn't like me or want to come with me, and I hadn't even realized it. I stepped towards him and nuzzled his speaker. The mesh was soft against my beak, feeling more like fabric than the metal it was actually made from. "You know, the most powerful Hippogriff Scrawls usually kept familiars to help with their purpose. I haven't studied in a long time, and you're not alive in the strictest sense, but I bet we can help each other out!"

Blue Rumble bobbed up and down, beeping in agreement.

"Amazing! Well Rumble, can I call you Rumble? Our first mission is to find somepony who's in trouble!"

*** *** ***

My muscles ached as I cantered through the endless hallways of the basement. The pain was manageable, so long as I was careful about how I moved. I was tempted to dig through the bag of chems in my saddle bag for a pick-me-up but decided it wasn't worth it. The pain wasn't crippling, and I'd been using them too much as it was. If it was still bothering me later I'd take something.

We wandered the basement for nearly an hour trying to find a stairwell. It was a maze of storage rooms and nonsensical hallways. They had lines leading to different areas, but nothing marking a stairwell! Why? Useless pre-war ponies, with their priorities all backwards. I was done with basements, I just wanted to leave!

Cloud Development was strange even to my standards. Pearl white pipes connected various pieces of equipment. Some shaped like giant upside-down funnels, some that looked like giant microwaves. A few of the machines were connected with clear tubing, full of what appeared to be liquid rainbows. A few drops of colourful sludge fell to my forehead from an overhead pipe, making me wrinkle my beak. I wondered what rainbows tasted like as I wiped my forehead clean.

One of the machines had broken down over the countless years, left to spew cloudy fog that obscured the high ceiling and left everything uncomfortably damp.

The silly ponies who built the place had the stairwell in the back of cloud development. How was anyone supposed to find it tucked away back there? Did they try to hide it on purpose? Ugh, I couldn’t wait to get out of that basement.

As I trotted to the stairwell entrance, a yellow blip appeared on my EFS compass. It was straight ahead of me, definitely inside the stairwell. Or three stories up. As Specter said, PipBucks didn't understand elevation. My EFS proved to be accurate. Under the stairs, crouched behind a stack of storage containers was a green pair of eyes peeking out at me. They darted behind the steel boxes when our eyes met.

I smiled at the stranger and stood at the opposite end of the stairwell. Rumble hovered loudly next to me, letting out a series of curious beeps. “Hey, are you ok? You don’t need to hide, I'm not going to hurt you. My name is Aella. Aella Breeze. Do you need help?” I was pretty sure this was the mare Specter was looking for, as I couldn’t imagine anypony else being there.

The crates slide out, revealing a red unicorn with a short orange and blue mane hanging over her face. She wore tattered rags with metal plates and clipboards crudely strapped along her barrel and chest. Her mane and coat were dirty and matted. A strangely thick, metal choker was snug on her neck. Her horn shimmered with a red aura, matching the magic around a broom handle with a crude blade bolted to the end.

“I like your spear. It’s crafty to make a weapon yourself when you don’t have one. It’s a bit simple for my taste, but making things is what I do kinda?” She was dressed strangely compared to Specter, with far more bruises and wounds covering what little of her body was visible.

She quirked an eyebrow at me. She wasn't surprised when I first appeared, but my demeanour definitely threw her off. She kept most of her body behind the boxes as we talked. “Are you a talon? I’ve never seen anything like you before. Why are you here?”

I brushed a pile of spilled tools from under me and sat back on my haunches. Rumble continued to flutter along beside me. He was very accurately named. His wings let off a bit of a high rumble as they worked to keep him airborne. He beeped a response at her that I didn't quite understand.

“I’m not a Talon. Or at least, I don’t think I am? I’m a Hippogriff. We’re from a land far to the south, past the zebra lands. I’m here trying to find medicine for my people. Well, I’m in Equestria for it. I’m here in this building because I promised this Stallion I met, Specter, that I’d help him find someone, in exchange for helping repair my airship. You wouldn’t happen to be Scarlet, would you?”

She chuckled a bit and nodded. “I am Scarlet. But I’m not going anywhere. Not with Specter, at least.” She nickered, flipping her mane. “Sorry about this.”

THUD

Hot, brutal pain erupted through my skull as I fell forward. Then I was on the floor. The pain in my head was unbearable. Worse than I'd ever experienced. I could hardly think through it. My EFS flashed a warning. My head was crippled. I'd already figured that out myself.

The empty toolbox clanged against the floor next to me. There was a spot of blood stuck to the side. I felt dizzy and nauseous. The toolbox attacked me! Was it mad I didn't clean up all of its tools? Or because I moved it to sit down? I struggled to piece it together as I clung to consciousness.

Rumble beeped as it fluttered next to my head. It did not attempt to defend me from the toolbox assassin. He just kept quiet watch over me as I sprawled out on the cold floor.

Scarlet's hoof slammed down in front of my beak, splattering blood on my face. My blood.

Aw feathers.

"Ahh, they never see that levitating-something-up-behind-you trick coming." She sighed and looked down at me. “It’s nothing personal. Really. I heard that you were a good pon-er-person, in with a bad crowd. But until I can make sure that’s true, I’m not taking chances.”

So she attacked me! That... made more sense than a haunted toolbox. I suddenly felt very stupid. And so, so sleepy. Despite her hostile actions, she was still a yellow, none hostile mark on my EFS. Was my PipBuck broken? She attacked me!

Her pink glow pulled a shot of med-x from my bag and stuck it into my thigh. I was already weak. tired. The addition of drugs sent me over the edge. I lost feeling in my limbs. My vision became fuzzy and my bind slowed. Despite my best efforts, the world fell away.

*** *** ***

I sat on a recently restored couch, smelling strong of cleaning chemicals and old leather. Aqua was stretched out on the floor across the living room, with her nose buried in a book as always. Since our parents had gone out on assignment, she’d started putting even more energy into her studies. Likely wanting to impress mother when she got back with some new magic.

The pink little mare grunted, laser-focused on the book. Her horn flickered a few times before she managed a solid aura around it. The page of the book glowed to match, giving the pages a greenish hue as she flipped to the next one.

I gaped at her silently for a moment, in awe of her growing magical ability. Just weeks ago she hadn’t been able to do any at all, now she was learning levitation. I’d seen mom do magic dozens of times, but this was different. It felt stronger, more pure. I’m not sure I can describe it.

“Aqua, you’re getting so good at your magic!” I giggled and clapped at her success. Without meaning to I unfurled my wings, sending the lamb by the couch crashing to the floor. I recoiled as the delicate bulb and ceramic shattered, letting out a loud caw. “O-oh. Ops…” I fidgeted anxiously with my talons for a moment, before realizing that our Mother wasn’t there to punish me for it. I was safe for now. “B-between that and your skills with shapeshifting, you have to be one of the most powerful unicorns ever!”

She smiled softly at me and shook her head. “I appreciate the praise, but I have a ways to go before that. I’ve been reading about all the best unicorns of Equestria. They’re amazing. Starswirl figured out time magic! And then there’s teleportation, and healing, so many possibilities! Even mom is capable of some impressive feats of magic, and she was never formally trained! Anyway, how are your studies coming along?”

My ears slumped at her question, and I crossed my arms. “It… could be better. I understand the basics I guess, but… I don’t know, making the glyphs work together to cause new and more complex effects? I can’t wrap my head around it. Magic is hard! I try to make the magic get along, but it’s like it’s wrestling against itself! I know how important it is that we have unicorns and scrawls to do work around the city. I know that mama really wants me to be magic like you and her, but… I think maybe I’m just not.” I choke up a bit, half whispering the last sentence. I couldn’t even meet my sister's eyes, just keeping them cast down at the floor tiles.

The older filly trotted over and plopped down on the couch next to me. Despite being older, I was already a bit larger than she was. Ponies didn’t get as big as hippogriffs. My sister giggled and wrapped her forehooves around me. “Mom and Dad will love you no matter what you do. You’ll find your calling! Maybe you’ll learn to have more control over your transformations, and learn to do powerful magic with Glyphs! But if you go on to do something else, they’ll be just as proud. And so will I.” She nuzzled against my beak, making me smile. She always was able to make me smile.

“T-thanks… I know they love me, I just want to do amazing things like them… Imagine if they got back from their work trip, and I could do more complex spell work! Like a fireball, or...or something. Or shapeshift into them! That’d be so cool.”

She nodded and pulled out of the hug, petting my crimson wing with her hoof. Crimson... My coat should be light purple. I hadn't been red in so long...

My sister interrupted my thoughts. “We’ll figure something out, Stratus. Maybe you’ll find your calling when you go to intern at Skya. You shouldn’t worry so much about it, though. We’re still young, just do whatever makes you happy. The rest can come later.”

I nod a bit and get off of the couch. “I guess. I’m going to go stretch my wings. I’ll be back by dinner. Don’t practice too hard.” I smiled over my shoulder as I cantered out.

Outside the door wasn’t the bustling village I grew up in. It was the Stable 24 Atrium. Aqua was on the floor, obscured by flickering lights. The screams and moans of mad ghouls mixed with her cries, as half a dozen of them descended on her. Blood. Gore. Limbs. Everywhere. All I could do was scream.

*** *** ***

I woke with a start, in an unfamiliar place. I was sweaty and gross. My eyes were puffed up, and my cheeks were damp. I'd been crying in my sleep. Even awake the nightmare tore at the edges of my mind, threatening to torment me again. I'd been in Equestria two days and the wasteland was already digging its claws into my psyche. Or worse, my own problems were finding a way to dig their way out.

I groaned and pulled my goggles from my forehead over my eyes. The prescription glass brought the world into clear view

The couch I was laid out on was like the one from my dream, though this one was filthy and rotting. I recognized the space as the break area at the edge of weapons development. There was a couch, a couple of chairs, and then an eating area with a fridge and toaster oven. Behind my couch were a dozen workbenches, all covered in tools and half-finished projects. Gems, spell matrixes, spark packs and other random devices were scattered all over storage shelves and tables. At the edge of a room was a somewhat short gun range, complete with zebra targets at the end

The throbbing of my head and body had dulled. An empty potion bottle lay on its side on the table beside me. I had no idea why my captor would waste the healing magic on me, but I was thankful. She'd given me a pretty bad concussion. I really needed to stop hitting my head...

The audible beat of Rumble's wings played nearby as he watched over me. He let out a happy beep as I sat up. He was worried, but he hadn't tried to help me. Did it not understand what was happening? Maybe he was going off my EFS to tell what was hostile and what wasn't. The buggy spell wouldn't have told him she was a danger.

Speaking of unicorns who attacked me, Scarlet sat on the loveseat next to me. She’d dragged over one of the functional terminals in the room and was now typing away on it. It took me a second to realize my PipBuck was plugged into the machine. She'd accessed my PipBuck! Without permission!!!

I reached over and unplugged the device from her terminal, its access cable retracting safely into its casing. I cradled the device to my chest, focusing on controlling my breathing.

She didn't realize I was up until I leapt in to protect my property. She was too engrossed in the act of invading my privacy. “I’m not very good with terminals, not something I ever worked with when I was a kid. Took me forever to figure out how to access your PipBucks files with it. This seemed like the easiest way to see your intentions, without possibly being manipulated. I’m sorry for invading your privacy though… and for hitting you. From what I could read and understand you seem like a good mare.”

I was unconscious for three hours, giving even the most novice user plenty of time to read through a few PipBuck files. “What did you read…?” I asked slowly. There was nothing too embarrassing on my PipBuck, aside from some more… unique works of Fiction to keep me company on lonely nights. Even so, the invasion of privacy left me feeling incredibly vulnerable.

“Not a lot honestly. Most of it was just gibberish. Numbers and symbols. But I found some messages between you and your sister. You love her. She takes care of you. I think… I hope that no one who cares so deeply for their family can be all bad. Once I had an idea of who you were, I gave you the healing potion.”

“Yeah, it’s pretty much all encrypted,” I said as I pulled myself into a sitting position. My head still throbbed, but otherwise, I didn’t feel too terrible. “Thanks for healing me, I guess. I get why you did this… Sort of. But please don’t go through my private things again without asking. You can't just attack people and go through their things.” The part where she mentioned me falling in with a bad crowd clicked. And how she seemed afraid of him before... “Specter isn’t a good Stallion, is he?”

My feathered ears laid back as she told me about the pony I’d been travelling with. The pony I healed, fed, and let into my home. “Specter’s a slaver. Worst kind of wasteland scum. I escaped from a caravan that was bringing a group of us north about a week ago, but I couldn’t get anypony else out. I was hoping to find a weapon or something I could use to help them… I didn’t actually believe you two would be here.”

The collar she was wearing wasn’t some kind of armour piece or fashion statement. It was a bomb collar like the zebras had used on their prisoners of war. Ugh, if I had remembered it sooner I would have known! She’d manage to disarm the thing, but it was still bolted onto her neck.

I was so blind. I’d been travelling with this stranger for over a day! The way he acted, his outlook on life, so many red flags I missed. He could have hurt me! He probably planned too! I clenched my claws tightly. “I-II’ll do what I can to help. But first, we need to get back to my ship, and find them.”

She got to her hooves. “We should get moving then if your head’s up to it. The sooner we free those slaves, the better. None of them deserve this… especially the foals.”

I trot after her, Rumble in tow. “They take children…?” The thought was heartbreaking. I can’t even imagine what kind of work Slavers would need children for. Enslaving grown ponies were more than vile enough, but to do that to innocent foals? Taking their futures from them?

“They started disappearing a few years ago. Any child left on their own for too long in Trottingham just seems to disappear. No idea who's snatchin’ an’ buying ‘em up. Ponies have their theories, but it’s mostly just brahmin shit.” She sighed. “Without knowing where they all end up, there’s no saving them. But this group I was corralled with… We can still save them.

“Listen, we can’t fight Specter. Even with your fancy magic gun. He isn’t normal! He’s strong, he doesn’t get tired. His wounds never keep him down long. I don’t know what it is about him, but he’s bad news. If we can avoid a firefight, we should.”

*** *** ***

bratatatatatatatat

Scarlet and I dove behind the cubicles for cover. I was on the right side of the hall and her on the left. We made it partway through admin before the turrets whirled to life without warning. The firestorm of bullets they'd spit at us had gone wide, but now we were trapped.

Pistol in hand, I tried to peek out and line up a shot. I was met with a wall of lead death headed towards me. I chirped and dove back behind the desk. Bullets tore through the dividers of the cubical, peppering the desk and wall behind me.

Scarlet was waving her hoof at me, wincing every time a round struck her own desk. “Give me the gun, I can shoot over!” She shouted. I nodded and slid the gun across the floor to the mare. Her red aura floated my trusty gun over her cover to return fire. After a series of shots that probably missed, the barrel of the pistol flickered and dimmed.

She pulled the pistol closer and studied it. She looked it over once, twice, struggling to figure out how to reload the advanced weapon. I sighed. Shouting over the gunfire I explained, “It’s a spark resonance pistol, it recharges itself! Just, give it a second.” She groaned and facehoofed, muttering something about hating energy weapons.

Rumble peaked out from our barricade and let out an angry beep, drawing the attention of the turrets. The little bot let out a rather catchy battle song as the gems along its wand glowed. A rainbow-coloured bolt of energy fired from his weapon, slamming into the turret's base. The turret smoked and sparked, but continued to function.

Rumble let out a distressed beep as several rounds slammed into his faceplate. The Spritebot crashed to the floor like a bag of apples. There were a few scuff marks along with his grill, but no holes or large dents. It... wasn't even damaged. Did he faint? Did Thunderlane build a robot that can faint?

While the turrets turned their attention towards the enigmatic robot Scarlet peaked out of her cover. Quickly taking aim at the now damaged turret, launched a volley of magic into the magnificent murder machine. The turret exploded in a shower of sparks and shards, blasting a hail of shrapnel through the room.

Scarlet fell back with a yelp, clutching her ear. Or rather what was left of it. The tip of her ear lay in a puddle of gore on the floor behind her. My pistol tumbled into the hallway between us as her red aura evaporated.

Without thinking I launched myself into the hallway, grabbing for the fallen weapon. I let out a furious cry as I tumbled beside Scarlet. The turret peppered the hallway and desk with rounds as it tried to take me out. I looked at the mare beside me anxiously, but she waved me off.

“Don’t worry about me, kill that fucking thing!” She scorned. Not willing to disobey the order of someone who just lost a body part, I obliged. My gun only had a few shots charged, so I had to make them count. My novice aim couldn’t hold up to Scarlets, but maybe…

Against my better judgment, I pulled a long syringe out of my saddlepack. My Pipbucks inventory labelled it as Steady, a drug designed to limit muscle tremors and the like. If it would let me aim well enough to get out of this, then I felt it was worth a shot. I didn't even think about it as I lined the needle up and pumped the clear fluid into my veins.

It didn’t hit the same way other drugs I’d used did. There was no high, no euphoria. My perception and cognition were the same. I just felt calmer. Calmer than I’d felt in years. The usual bit of shakiness I always had in my body calmed for the first time, letting me aim like never before. My anxiety was gone, allowing my determination and confidence to shine through.

With my newfound steadiness, I queued up a shot to the barrel and a shot to the combat inhibitor. my chance to hit was above 80%! I’d never had it that high before. This drug was definitely something! I was basically a sharpshooter!

The pair of magical beams struck true. Sparks rained down as the turret squealed loudly. After a moment, the red light on my EFS winked out. It was dead. I smiled down at the pistol in my talons, the trusty weapon pulsing softly.

A groan reminded me that Scarlet was still there, and still wounded. She was getting to her hooves, with some bandages wrapped tightly around what was left at her ear. My own ears dipped a bit as I saw the state of it, but she merely shrugged. “I’m fine, it’s hardly a flesh wound. Nothing I can’t handle.”

I wasn’t convinced but nodded anyway. “The security was disarmed when we got here. Why would it turn on?”

She shrugged and started heading down the hall. “No idea. The Wasteland usually does its best to kill ya.” I followed her, keeping an eye on my EFS compass in case anything else decided to try to end us. “Best guess? Specter knows you’re a turncoat and he’s trying to get the machines to do his dirty work.”

That was a troublesome thought. If he had the computer knowledge to control the security system, he could cause a lot of problems for us.

I trotted over to Rumble and picked him up. He wasn’t online yet but was undamaged. It was possible his batteries died, or the hits knocked something loose. I’d try to reboot him when we got back to the ship. For now, I tucked him into my nearly overflowing saddlebags.

We faced a couple more turrets on our way out of the facility, but they were easy to take down. With my accuracy and the help of EFS, I could usually take them out before they realized we were there.

There was a safe in one of the offices I managed to get open. My new companion was very amused that I used a claw to pick it, rather than a bobby pin. Inside we found a stack of numbered papers, a box of shells, a double-barrel shotgun that somepony had sawed-off, something called a stealth buck, and a plushie.

The plushie was a cute little pegasus, with an orange coat and purple mane a bit darker than mine. The hind hooves were embroidered; one with the Stable-tec logo, a gear, and the other with the name 'Scootaloo.' It was a stuffy modelled after one of the founders of Stable-tec! So cute!!! I tucked her away in my saddlebag to keep her safe.

Now that Scarlet was armed with the newfound firearm, we both felt a lot better. She had no problem gunning down any turrets we came across. I did my best to help, but even on steady I couldn’t match the seasoned wastelanders accuracy. After nearly an hour we managed to half fight and half sneak our way back to the entrance. The fact that we hadn’t run into Specter yet worried me, but not nearly as much as what might happen when we find him.

Unfortunately, I got my answer as we stepped outside. He was standing in the parking lot, halfway between us and the skiff. All I could really make out in the sparse lighting was his silhouette. I had no doubt he could see us clearly though. A red glow came from his muzzle, accompanied by the scent of tobacco on the wind.

Scarlet and I froze when he came into view. She brought her shotgun up in her magic, gritting her teeth as she faced down the cruel pony. I was less sure of myself as I drew my pistol and levelled it at the stallion, the ammo charge automatically appearing at the corner of my vision.

The buck merely chuckled as we levelled our weapons at him, unphased as always. “I figured something like this could happen… That Hippogriff is quite the talker. I kind of assumed you’d shoot her.” He said with a nod towards Scarlet “Of course I took precautions. You don’t live as long as I have without coming prepared.” He stomped his Pipbuck hoof twice.

All of a sudden a tall drone dropped between us and Specter, landing effortlessly on 6 spider-like legs. A large machine gun was mounted on either side of its gunmetal grey body, fed massive amounts of ammo from belts connected to its back. The light on its head turned a bright red, mirroring its EFS marker. I recognized it instantly, the same terrifying robot I’d seen in the basement charging.

“Meet the Hellbringer X-01. The finest combination of Arcane technology since the megaspells. These babies would have left the zebra infantry in ruins if they got to production. Try to have fun, and let me know about any weaknesses if you live.” The ponies smug look shimmered for a moment before he seemed to vanish completely. Even my EFS couldn’t see him.

“Coward!” Scarlet shouted. Her horn flared brightly as a magical spear joined her readied shotgun. The semitranslucent pink weapon definitely looked impressive, but I doubted it would deter the murder machine before us

The bots' weapons were fixed on us, and none of the ruined sky carriages was close enough to take cover behind. Thinking fast I barreled into Scarlet, nearly knocking her to the ground. I wrapped my claws around the mare, my wings unfurling. The Hellbringers guns opened up, tearing apart the parking lot where we’d just been

Scarlet let out a shocked cry as I beat my wings, dragging her into the open air with me. Having an extra dimension to work with made dancing around the Hellbringers shots a lot more feasible. For about 30 seconds. The advanced arcane technology was catching on to my flight style, learning to predict my movements faster than I would have thought possible.

A throbbing pain forced itself into my side, forcing me to bank back towards the building without meaning to. I let out a pained sigh as I levelled out, breathing heavily. The crude armour plate I’d sewn into my barding kept the bullet from piercing, but the force still pushed right into me. I had conflicting feelings of hating the wasteland for shooting me for the first time and being glad it wasn’t a weapon back home that would probably turn me to ash.

Scarlet and I screamed as we started to fall, her in fear and me in pain. A thousand tiny knives stab into my right-wing as the bullets tore easily through the fragile, unarmored tissue. With only one usable wing the best I could do was steer us to land on top of the admin building, hopefully out of reach from the robotic monstrosity. I wrapped my arms and good wing around the smaller pony, doing my best to shield her before the moment of impact.

More cries of pain were forced out of me as we skidded and rolled across the tough tar roof. Scarlet flew from my grip, landing in a heap just off to the side. After a few painfully long seconds, we both came to a stop.

All I could do was lay there and try to catch my breath. The pain and stress of it all made me want to curl up and hide under my wings. But then I’d never get anywhere. I’d die on that roof, and no one would ever know what happened to me.

After a minute of existential dread fighting my fear of being shot to death, I sat up to check my wounds. I was missing chunks of my coat, the skin underneath terribly road rashed. They were flesh wounds, but they hurt terribly. With my wing shot up on top of that...

Scarlet groaned as she got back to her hooves, rubbing her head. “Ugh I was not made to fly...” She muttered as she dusted herself off, then trotted over to me. She looked better than I did, only having a few spots of road rash on her hooves. Her tattered barding was even worse for wear, hardly keeping on her body properly. She did her best to pull it around herself.

“Thanks for the save… I don’t know how that would have gone if you hadn’t acted so fast. Are you gonna be alright? Your wing doesn't look very good…” She looked at my bloodstained feathers with a frown.

I pulled out a roll of healing bandages from my saddlebag and started wrapping my wounds. “I’ll be fine, I’ve been through far worse.” I hissed as I put pressure on my bullet-riddled wing. “We won't be flying off of this roof though.” I was having a hard time with the first aid. Some of them were in places that were hard to reach, and it wasn’t easy to wrap them tightly with my talons threatening to cut them into ribbons if I made a mistake.

I heard a sigh from behind me as the bandages were enveloped in a pink glow. I let go of them, allowing the strips to magically wrap themselves around my wounds. “You really don’t know what you’re doing out here, huh?” She took a seat across from me, her horn shimmering. After a minute, my wing was wrapped in the now stickily red bandages. She continued to wrap my road rash as she spoke. “Don’t feel bad though. None of us knows completely what we’re doing. That’s why so few wastelanders work alone. It’s scary, being in the wasteland on your own for the first time. I get why you stuck around with the first pony that wandered your way.”

“Yeah… Um, thank you.”

While she got to work patching up her own wounds, I took a look around the roof. It was the best way I had to distract myself from the pain. There were several skylights that let me see into the admin building. With security online, it would be harder to make our way through the building. My EFS was lit up with all the turrets below us, and several moving ticks of red. Hopefully just radroaches. It was likely that the Hellbringer would be roaming the halls for us as well.

At the very least, the door leading back into the building was barred. We wouldn’t have to worry about a gun-wielding tank bot gunning us down for the moment.

As Scarlet finished dressing her wounds, she asked how we could take out the robotic beast we were faced with. I smiled at her a bit. “I have a plan, actually! It’s a bit technical, but as long as you help me deal with the turrets and stuff…-”

She returned the smile with a grin. “I can deal with those, I still have this busted-up thing.” She floated up the double barrel I’d scavenged for her. “I’ll take out the baddies, you do the brain work.”

“Deal.”

Footnotes:
Welcome to level 4!

Perk added: Wasters Welcome. You’ve learned one thing from your time in the wasteland so far, and that’s to be onguard. You gain plus one Perception when outdoors, (Or in areas large enough to fly in) while out of combat

Companion perk: Automotorn Affiliate. +10% damage to automated security, as long as Blue Rumble is in the party (No, he doesn’t count as being in the party if he’s unconscious.)

Author's Note

Thanks for reading <3

Chapter 5: Waterworks

Fallout Equestria: Endless Horizon

Chapter 5: Waterworks

Gunfire echoed through the muddy fields of the barren wasteland. It was such an ordinary part of life, even if anypony had heard the fighting in the distance they wouldn’t think to try and help. Risking your life for a stranger is a massive risk, as is wasting ammo you might need for yourself.

There were many hard truths in the Equestrian Wasteland. I was ignorant to them all. Even with my new friend trying to school me in the ways of this new world it took me a very long time to adapt to it all. My lessons were always hard-fought and usually had a price.

I panted as I flew over the wet, sloppy landscape a few meters below. It seemed like it had been raining in the north for days but finally stopped shortly after we’d arrived. The sun was still obscured by the relentless clouds that Equestrias weather seemed to favour so much, unfortunately.

Scarlet trotted along under me, her practiced hooves traversing the muddy terrain without slowing. A flash of red magic sent her signature glowing spear soaring back toward our pursuers. I risked a look behind us. The magical weapon dug itself into the dirt before it faded from existence. Dozens of bulbous-looking creatures were flying after us, firing strange spikes from their bodies. They looked similar to a Spritebot but covered in disgusting growths and tumours.

When we first came upon the critters, there were only two or three. Scarlet used the opportunity to give me a shooting lesson! She warned me about the Bloatsprite's toxic quills, and near-insatiable hunger. As I got to work sharpening my skills, a few more bloatsprites came from a ruined sky carriage nearby. Then a couple more. Then some more.

Scarlet's second rule of the wasteland: When things go south, it's ok to run away!

I drew my pistol and rolled upside down to take aim. The inverted manoeuver proved effective. Several SATS-guided streaks of blue death turned the putrid critters into clouds of shimmering ash. Several other bloatsprites decided that the chase wasn't worth being turned to glitter, and disengaged. Much to my horror, rather than targeting easier prey, they started tearing into one another! Ugh, gross icky mutant bugs!

Several continued their chase, despite the both of us being able to move much faster than their tiny wings could carry them. I banked back towards them, trading some of my speed for height. I made use of Scarlet's instruction as I fired another barrage of magic down on them, sending heads and wings in a horror show of gore.

Finally, the attacking hoard decided they were finished with us. They descended on the bodies of their fallen bloatsprites in a brutal show of hapless cannibalism. The sight made me sick, but... better them than us.

Scarlet stopped to catch her breath, glancing over her shoulder to make sure they didn't start to give chase again. I flew up beside her and smiled, pumping my fist in the air. "We're alive!" I shouted happily. Scarlet rolled her eyes at me a bit. "And I actually helped keep them off us!" I let out a gleeful caw.

I continued to fly circles around my friend as she took a moment to rest. The fighting and flying had my heart thundering in my chest. I was starting to understand why some creatures enjoyed exercise. My wings, claws, and hooves were pleasantly tingly.

“You have boundless energy, huh?” She asked as she watched me soar happily through the skies.

I cawed again and came up beside her, going seamlessly from my flight to a steady strut along the ground. “It’s nice being out in the open! And there aren’t any giant fire-breathing birds or Ursa minors to come ruin it. The exercise feels good!” I fluttered my wings as I kept pace with her.

I was still off from all the strain Awesome R&D had put me through, but the runners high I got under threat of death had me feeling strangely nice! Scarlet seemed confused and annoyed at my energetic demeanour, but was at least happy I was in a good mood.

The Skystars batteries ran low on our way to Trottingham, forcing us to land south of the once-great city. Rumble stayed behind in case any undesirables decided to try and break in. Between that and CORE, I felt comfortable leaving the ship alone for a day or two.

We were heading northeast to Whinnies Grove for supplies, a nearby farm town. Scarlet described it as a small town that carried a lot of power. They were the largest source of fresh food in the region, which brought a lot of wealth to the settlement. Sounded like a good place to stock up on batteries.

The town came into view a few hours later. Acres of sad-looking crops covered the town's perimeter, with several roads leading to it. Some rough-looking but intact pipes ran through the rolling fields, likely an irrigation system. Despite the network of pipes and recent rainfall, the dirt under the crops was dusty and cracked. A tall wall of scrap wood and metal stood around the town, with a similarly designed gate. Streams of light came through large breaks in the cloud cover, something I hadn't seen in my few days in the wastes. Maybe the sunlight here was why the farm did so well. And the unfortunate lack of rain.

This part of the Wasteland felt different than the rest. There was magic here. Echos of life energy beating in the soil, trickling into the plants. The necromantic magic that stripped the natural energy from Equestria must have been weaker here. It left a spark of energy behind. Over time it would grow, maybe even attract some nature spirits to help tend the lands. Assuming the earth ponies wouldn't drive them away.

The farmers in the fields all waved as we cantered past. Scarlet was entertained by how happily I returned the waves and smiles they gave. Farm folk always seemed to be the most friendly! A group of farmers was loading a cart up with barrels and boxes of veggies and fruits. Scarlet said that they drive the wagon to the train station in the east, then it's taken to other settlements. A train station. With a working train! I'd never even seen a train! And they had one!!!

The four guards near the gate straightened up at our approach. They looked bored and tired, quietly wishing for a problem to come along and quell their boredom. Scarlet trotted up to one of the guards at the gate, a bulky green earth pony buck in metal armour. A devastating-looking combat shotgun was set into his battle saddle, with some cute green stripes painted along the barrel.

The buck maintained a bored, stoic expression as he spoke with Scarlet. I hovered behind her, still absorbed in the sites and feelings of the settlement. Being from a farm town myself, the place wasn’t really anything to chirp at. But for the wastes, it was a marvel. “We’re here to do some trading, and bed down for the night. Any chance Pear Blossom has a room open?”

The buck chuckled a bit. “I thought I recognized you. You’re that merchant pony. Didn't you have guards and a brahmin with you when you came through last? Who’s your friend? She’s… unusual.”

“Yeah, we ran into some trouble north of Marefort. I um, I'm all that's left." Her ears folded back, but she quickly shook it off. "A-anyway this is Aella, she helped pull me out of the shit. She’s from outside of Equestria, still getting her bearings.” My ears burned at my mention, drawing my attention.

“U-huh…” The buck turned away and reared up against the town's gate. With a small grunt, he heaved against the heavy metal door. With the groan of rusty hinges, it was opened enough for us to fit through. Earth pony strength at its finest! “Well, I’m sure there’s room at the inn tonight. Got 8 heads taking this shipment out tomorrow mornin’, and nearly as many out with rad poisoning. Town’ll be empty as a zebras heart.” He said as he dropped back on all fours. Wow, that wasn't a very nice comment...

Scarlet flicked the stallion's nose as she sauntered past, electing an annoyed grunt from him. I soared past her in a blur, eager to get a look at my first Equestrian settlement. It was smaller than it seemed from the outside, just 20 wood and scrap shacks positioned randomly across the space. Despite the poor materials, the construction was decently sound. The foundations were sturdy, and the walls and roofs had very few holes. I'd still suggest a tetanus shot before going near them though.

Off near the side of the town, there was an area set up for the most unusual livestock I'd ever seen. I read about cows in books and even saw a few on TV or in movies. This was nothing like a cow. Its hide was bald and reddish, with the odd growth or sore. Also, they had two heads.

Several townsponies watched us as we made our way toward the inn. Some were curious about our sudden arrival, while others seemed annoyed or concerned about our presence. Some of them seemed to know Scarlet, so I had no idea why we put them so on edge.

In the center of Whinnies Grove, we found the tavern, Pears n' Mares. The two-floor scrap metal building reeked of stale and charred meat. A nice improvement from the scent of decay and suffering the rest of the wasteland carried. Eight tables were set up through the first floor at random, while the bar was tucked under the stairs at the back. The middle-aged earth pony behind it perked up as we appeared. Her goat was a dull yellow, while her short mane was greying orange. A radio behind the bar played a beautiful song that I hadn't heard before. The vocalist's silky voice soared through the bar and reached right into my soul. I stared at the radio transfixed as the sweet tunes of Saphire Shores flooded my senses. Instantly she was my favourite vocalist. I was so distracted I didn't realize how strange it was for a restaurant to be empty so close to dinner time.

Scarlet took a seat at one of the barstools and nodded to the bartender. I took the seat next to her, still enthralled by the music. “Pear Blossom, how’s business?” My scarlet friend said with a wink.

Pear Blossom whinnied at Scarlet and rolled her eyes. Her voice was weathered and kind, with a bit of a country drawl. “The sad thing about running the food along the railways is that we don’t get many folks coming through to trade. Been great for the town, but terrible for the Inn. Anywho, I’m sure you’re not here to talk ‘bout that. Looking for a room?”

Scarlet nodded in response. “Please. Can we start a tab? Have a saddlebag's worth of crap to offload at Arms and Recreation. Until then…” Scarlet looked over at me and shrugged. “You can come if you want, or-”

“I think I’d rather stay here and have a drink!” I beamed as my wings unfurled. “It’s been a long couple of days and I don't have any alcohol on the skiff. And probably not very good at 'shopping'.” Not to mention if I stayed at the bar, I'd get to enjoy the soothing sounds of Saphire Shores for a little longer.

I turned to Pear as Scarlet left to unload our loot, then to the bottles on the wall behind her. So many choices. “Hmmm… Perfect Pear Wine?” I asked her, cocking my head a bit.

Pear Blossom chuckled with a nod. “You betcha! Best all around. Make nearly all my caps exporting it these days. Recipe’s been in my family since before the war.” She grabbed a bottle from the shelf in her mouth and deftly poured me a glass.

The sweetness of the wine was amazing, coupled with a nice warmness in my throat and chest. I wasn't one to hit the bar very often, but a drink after a long day of three was always a good way to unwind. My ear twitched as the music fell away, and was replaced by an upbeat, energetic DJ. His voice was masculine and rhythmic.

Good evening everypony, hope all of y'all are fairing alright in the big bad wasteland! This is DJ pon3 bringing you the latest and greatest news, from Balimare to Canterlot. From Junction town to Elysium, we have you covered!

Our saviour in the sky has been busy serving up sunshine for all of us my little ponies, resulting in increased hostility with the remains of the Grand Pegasus Enclave. Several rogue factions have split off from their command, trying to take slices of the wasteland for themselves or to remove the pegasi leadership. While many of these groups act like raiders with a new paint job, remember that not all of our feathered brothers and sisters are bad ponies. Most are just trying to fight the good fight like the rest of us, so don't be a dick!

Three more disappearances have been reported in the last few months in the Greater Trottingham area, leaving many folks in the GTA on edge. That makes a total of 9 missing foals in the past year, with no accurate reports of who's responsible. Popular theories range from slavers targeting them for an easy sell, to the insane and xenophobic theory of bat ponies kidnapping them for food! If anypony has information on the disappearance, please reach out to my assistant Homage here in Tenpony Tower, or contact the Followers of the Apocolypse.

That’s all I’ve got for you folks this hour, so tonight I send you to sleep with the newest hit by the Followers leader, Velvet Remedy.

I looked to Pearl Blossom as the broadcast ended, hoping for some clarification on recent events. She did her best to catch me up. “The Enclave has been keeping Equestria under cloud cover since the bombs. Apparently, they needed the space to grow crops or some horse apples. The Stable Dweller, among other things, took control of their weather so we can get some sunshine down here. Course, it’s slow going since she doesn’t wanna stave out the pegasi, even though most of 'em deserve it. That’s part of the reason the towns started to do so well. We’ve been getting about four hours of sunlight a day down here. crops love it.”

It took me a minute to piece it all together. So a pony from a stable took control of a government’s superweapon, (let's be honest, weather control is a superweapon,) so that she could bring back the sky to the wasteland? And that’s something that just… happened? And everyone understands it like, “yup this is how it is!” WHAT!?

This country is SO WEIRD!

That isn’t even a 5th of what that Stable Dweller got up to while she was topside. I planned on getting the rest of the information from Scarlet as soon as possible. I was so distracted by the insanity of the wasteland's recent history, I forgot the rest of the newscast entirely.

After my pearl wine, which I desperately needed after that crazy rollercoaster, I ordered some water and a grilled rat on a stick. Pear frowned at my request. “Only got dirty water right now, sadly. Water hasn’t been coming in from the Plant-like it used to, so we’ve been managing with what’s in the wells.”

I mirrored her sombre expression. “Where is this purifying plant? Maybe Scarlet and I can go take a look!” I bounced in my seat. The prospect of being able to help all of those ponies made my heart smile. It was good to be useful.

She looked unsure as she answered. “I know they’ve been trying to find somepon-er-someone willing to look into it, but we haven't had the ponies to spare. It’s harvest season, you see. I don’t know where the place is, but I can point you to somepony who does.”

*** *** ***

Scarlet watched me with an amused smile as we left the Inn. She found it amusing that I wanted to try and help the town for some reason. I was a technician. No, an engineer! We fix things, and use technology to help people. It was only natural for me to want to get their water treatment plant back online. Anyone would do the same in my horseshoes.

Pear Blossom pointed me in the direction of the clinic to get more information on the situation. The stallion who was filling in for the town's doctor had done the odd supply run out there, along with other odd jobs. Sounded weird for a travelling doctor, maybe he needed the money.

The clinic was near the front gate. In my excitement, I completely missed it on our way in. It was set up in a prewar building that used to be a store. 'Perfect Pear Produce!' the sign above the door proclaimed proudly. A faded poster in the window was advertising a sale that ended two centuries ago; 14 bits for a case of Perfect Pear Wine. No idea if that was a good deal or not. My glass of wine was 7 caps, but I don't know what that would be in bits.

The clinic was more modest than the one back home. Even the Skystars clinic was better equipped. They had one bed, a chair, and one of those stands with all of the noisy vital checking computers on it. There was a shelf set up on the leftmost wall, loaded with first aid boxes and footlockers. All locked. Each container was clearly labelled with the contents, which made my brain very happy. The scent of moonshine clung to many of the surfaces, hopefully being used for antiseptic rather than being drunk.

Sitting in a spiny chair in the corner was a pegasus! That's why he'd do runs out to the water plants, he could fly! The green-coated pony was looking over a mess of paperwork on his desk. His short blue mane obscured his baggy eyes to the point where I wondered how he could see at all. Rather than traditional scrubs, the stallion wore black armoured barding, with medical insignias stenciled on the breast and flank. It was more like an army uniform than a doctor's outfit. Interestingly his right forehoof was replaced with cybernetics, just above the knee joint. The cyberwear was sleek and painted to match his armour. The area where the metal met the flesh of his leg was red and swollen though, which made me wonder if there was something wrong with it.

Augmentation was commonplace back home. Even I had the odd metal in my brain, and Aquas lungs were cybernetic. Still, I never thought I'd see such advanced technology in the wasteland. Very peculiar.

He turned to see us come in and gasped. “You…” My body stiffened as he pointed a wing at me. “You’re a Hippogriff, aren’t you? In Equestria!?” He trotted over with wide eyes, slowly looking me over. “Smaller than I thought you’d be, but larger than most anypony I know. Are you from Mt. Aris?”

I smiled nervously and nodded, extending my wing. He returned the gesture and slapped his wing with mine. He clearly knew about hippogriffs, which made even less sense than everything else. “I am, yes! I’m surprised you know about that! You must… You… Oh…” I narrowed my eyes a bit as the puzzle came together. “You’re with the Grand Pegasus Enclave, aren’t you?”

We had several encounters with the Enclave throughout the years. In history class they taught that the pegasi actually came into our air space over a century ago hoping to find salvage. They found us instead. They’d threatened to take what they needed by force, but we scared them off. More or less.

The young buck shook his head. “I was a field medic until a few years ago. I left all that behind. After what happened in Shadowbolt Tower, it all just... Anyway, now I’m a freelancer. The doctor here got sick, so I'm lending a hoof. I'm Feather Free. Anyway, back to you. What brings you to Equestria? Last reports I saw, Mt. Aris was a thriving community. Clean air, clean water, ample power and food. Why leave?”

“Things have changed... There was this plague. The Blue Flu. It made a huge mess of things. Millions died, our infrastructure fell into disrepair, and the climate started cooling. Now the illness is back. I took my airship here to find a treatment for it, but I haven't found much yet. I-”

“We heard the town's water supply got cut off, we wanna look into it.” Scarlet's interruption made me slump. “We heard you had a map of the region we might be able to look at."

“An airship..." The buck mused to himself, before answering Scarlets question. "Yeah, I have a map. AJ's Rangers hired me to do some cartography work last year.” The Stallion forced a smile and trotted to his desk. He laid out a decent-looking hoof-drawn map, with various landmarks on it. Or was the phrase muzzle drawn? I copied the landmarks into my Pip-buck as he went on." I wanted to look into it myself, but we've had over a dozen cases of radiation sickness. Hardly had time to sleep, really. We rationed all the Rad-away for the foals, so we aren't feeling too hot. Or we are feeling too hot..."

Scarlet studied the map from over my shoulder. “Hopefully we’ll be able to put a stop to that. I don’t know if there’s any official reward in place for this, but we're in desperate need of gear and caps. I'm sure you can find us some kind of payment.”

The buck shrugged as he stifled a yawn. “I’ll talk to some ponies and see what we can work out. Everyone will appreciate the help, so I have no doubt we’ll find something for you two. The buck who tends the water plant’s name is Raul; great guy. See he’s alright, and if not, try to get the pumps running again."

“We’ll do what we can” Scarlet turned towards the door and motioned for me to follow. I stumbled after her, beating my wings a few times to catch up.

“H-hey! Why are we asking for a reward for this?” I continued to flutter my wings a bit as we trotted back toward the Inn.

“This is a job, Aella. People get paid to do them, it’s how it is. We help them, they pay us, and we can use the money and supplies to do good elsewhere. It’s not a perfect system, but it works. Barter will save the wasteland one day, you'll see.”

“I guess… Where I’m from everyone just works and helps out because it’s what’s best for every creature. Then we all have what need. If out here we need money for things… I suppose we should probably try and make some.”

“The water plant is pretty far out. We should get some rest, and head out in the morning.

*** *** ***

Staying in an inn was a humbling experience if ever there was one. The mattresses were stained and lumpy and smelled like a mix of sweat, whisky, and a particular body fluid I tried desperately not to think about. It was better than sleeping outside though. The room was warm and bug-free. The inn was right downstairs if I needed anything, and it was a short walk outside to the lavatory, which was just a pit they dug under a crude wooden platform with outhouses on it. Apparently, Pear and her family had been using 'earth pony manure' since before the war. Ick.

We headed out early the next morning with a local caravan. I was excited to discover that the wagon they used to transport themselves and their produce wasn't pulled. They had built an actual functioning automobile! Rather, the ponies they bought it from did. It was like a motorwagon, but far more simplistic. There was no transmission, and it was powered by a lonely pair of spark batteries. The motor was set under the floor by the back wheels, and the starting was just a rod that jutted through the floor near the front with handlebars bolted on. Without proper power steering, it took some elbow grease to properly guide the heavy machine.

The vehicle was long, with only the front end covered over by tarps hung on rusted metal bars. It was crude and basic, but functional. All of the food was stored under the covering, while we passengers sat on benches in the back! The driver had a small, claustrophobic space in the front to drive.

They called it a Spark Wagon! It was the first vehicle to be manufactured and sold since the bombs fell. It was basic-level electronics, but apparently a rare and expensive machine. Maybe I should start selling them. I could throw together a dozen motors in a couple of days so long as I had the copper.

Once my curiosity over the Spark Wagons engineering faded, the claws of boredom dug into me. I only managed to stay in my seat for half an hour before I decided to just fly alongside/above the carriage instead. I was more comfortable with the wind running across my face and feathers anyway. Plus, I could entertain myself by bouncing sunlight off my flight goggles to hit the ponies below! Heheheheheh.

...They didn't like that and made me stop. Stupid no fun ponies.

Half of the ponies who we travelled with were merchants, armed with ledgers, bags of bottle caps, and even identification cards! Though I didn’t get a very good look at those. They were all very protective of their “Caravan Visas.”

Scarlet explained that the Caravan Visas were very important for traders to have in the region. It meant they were protected by the Visionaries, an influential and powerful faction in the area. They kept the other factions in line and enforced their rules with terrifying force. Even slavers and raiders were held to the standards of their ruling. Registered traders were completely off-limits to raiding and slaving in the Trottingham area.

I never expected the wasteland to have any rule of law. The laws they made left me confused. If they had the power to bar individuals being targeted by raiders, why not protect everyone? It made very little sense. They only had three rules for everyone to follow. First, don’t attack their settlement, someplace called Vision. The place was built from several of the Ministry buildings in Trottingham. Second, don’t disrupt their trade routes. Third, don’t attack their allies.

The other half of the group were guard ponies. They were armed with shiny-looking assault carbines and dressed in green combat armour with a tree stencilled on each flank and shoulder. The village's mark, I assumed. It was also on the flanks of the wagon.

They were all happy when I took to the sky. I promised them I’d alert them to any wasteland critters or unruly raiders, so they got to relax for the ride. While most factions and larger raider groups were under control, smaller groups often slipped through the cracks.

The view of the Wasteland from above was 31 flavour of depressing. An endless landscape of dirt and ash, decorated with ruined buildings and rotten corpses. In the distance, I could make out the mountain where Canterlot used to be. Before the Enclave blew it off the face of the mountain. Because why not?

Despite that, I felt much happier in the air. The view sucked, but feeling the wind in my mane and running across my feathers made me feel calm. I smiled as I soared above the strange new world I found myself in, far from the problems below.

Then the train came into sight. It. Was. Beautiful.

We didn't have working trains back home. Many of us had wings, so fixing the rails wasn't a priority. It was a lovely machine. Four long metal carts, connected to a robust steam engine at the front, a long cylinder housing the water tank and turbines, with an exhaust stack near the front. Each cart had an auto turret of some kind mounted on top, each keeping a careful eye on the surroundings. I had no idea what kind of fuel the train could be using, everypony, griff, and even yak knew there wasn't any coal in Equestria.

The train station was cobbled together from old concrete and rebar, with just a small tool shed and a water tank to refill the steam engine. It was just a simple area to safely load and top off their water. Given the state of the wasteland, it was all very impressive. Scarlet explained that things out east weren't quite as put together as the GTA, but it was getting there thanks to some new and reformed factions. I didn't bother asking more about that, I wasn't in the mood for a history lesson.

The train's whistle screamed as we started north, leaving the caravan to load their gear and go on their way. 20 minutes later the massive steam engine screamed past, leaving a trail of green smoke in its wake.

As we trotted away from the train station, the whistle sounded. The train chugged past us, gaining speed at a surprising rate. A greenish smoke billowed from the front of the engine as it chugged away. We stopped for a moment to watch fade into the distance before we got moving again. I tuned into DJ pon3 on my Pip-buck but was disappointed to find Sapphire Shores wasn't playing. Next time one of her songs came on I'd be sure to record it!

An hour later, we came across the small creekside building. It was mostly brick, with some plywood or metal patches put in place. Several pony-sized pipes ran out into the water, ready to pump and clean all the water anypony could need. Several ruined vehicles were left to rust outside of the facility, mixing with a lot of other trash and rubble. The entrance was a metal double door at the edge of the parking lot, with a… creative design painted on it. A pair of horns, dripping with blood and gore.

I wasn't the only one unsettled by the sight. Scarlet grabbed my tail in her magic to pull me behind a ruined sky carriage. She peaked out over the carriage with wide eyes. I watched in confusion, rubbing the now tender base of my tail. Ow!

“What are you doing…? That hurt!” I whispered as I scanned our surroundings. There weren't any red marks on my EFS, or any marks in general, (Other than my merchant friend of course.)

Scarlet nickered. “The paint on the door is an emblem, marking territory. It’s for this bandit group from up north, I’ve heard about. I can’t remember their name… Something stupid and arrogant. They aren’t like the idiot raiders out east. They’re organized and they can fight.”

“Fight? Wait what fight? We came here to fix the water problem. Fix, not fight. Feather Free didn’t say anything about fighting.”

Scarlet sighed and looked back at me. “Listen. This is the Wasteland. There’s always another fight. It sucks, and it’ll eat away at you. All we can do is find something to hold onto, and never let it go. It’s better than getting dead. These raiders took over the water plant. Only way to repair it is to get rid of them. If we don’t kill them, the farmer ponies die, the people who need their food die. We go in unwilling to kill, we die too.”

I sigh and shrug. “Ok… I’ll try my best. For those nice farm ponies back there. But you said they’re smart. That means we could reason with them! So maybe we try that first alright?”

“You’re really sweet Aella. It’s gonna get you killed.”

*** *** ***

bratatatatat!

The hail of bullets soared over my head as I ducked behind a stack of steel drums. I’d never seen containers quite like these ones. They had a bright yellow triangle on them with a purple emblem. The label cautioned;

Toxic Magical Byproduct. Property of The Ministry of Arcane Sciences. Do not touch, breathe, or stare at.

Oh Runa beyond, that is just lovely.

The orange unicorn mare pinning me down shouted around the gun in her mouth. "Get in my way bitch, get tossed in a ditch! The water is ours, fucker."

I was sitting on my haunches with my back pressed against the cool concrete wall of the oddly wide hallway. Blood seeped out of a hole in my flank, slowed only by my talon pressed against it. Every movement felt like a hot knife being twisted inside my leg. It was so much worse than the wound on my wing. I couldn't be sure, but I thought the bullet had lodged into the femur. All I wanted was to find a washroom, and I ended up in a firefight!

Scarlet had moved around to try and flank the gunmare, but I hadn't heard from her since. Hopefully, she'd find her way around soon. Even if I was in a condition to be on my hooves fighting, she'd put 10 bullets in my brain before I could blink. The only gunfire I heard was directed at me, so my companion was probably fine. Somehow it didn't attract any of the raider's friends, either.

A syringe of med-x in my thigh downgraded my searing wound to an aching one. A healing potion would knit the bullet inside of my leg. The only option was to curb the bleeding with a clawful of gauze. On the bright side, the excitement distracted me from the incessant steady clicks of my Pipbucks dosimeter.

“Come on my little grif-fuck, get out here! Stupid mare thinks she's hot, I’ll show you how you’re not!” She cackled and sent another hail of bullets into my improvised barricade. Seriously? I wasn’t even a griffon! What the h-

FWOOSH

The barrels she hit exploded. Streams of rainbow-coloured poison shot from the ruptured containers. A deadly mist of colour flooded the hallway beyond and pooled below. I flinched back from it. That stuff wasn't even safe to look at, I didn't want it on me. The bullets hadn't gone all the way through the barrels. They only sprayed outward. Right at the rhyming mare.

The screams haunted my nightmares for weeks. They didn't sound like something any equine should make. It was impossibly high-pitched and rumbled in my chest at the same time. There was a heavy thump of flesh hitting steel. She was there, on the ground. Tears of blood ran down her cheeks as she stared at her hoof. It changed before our eyes. Blistering, swelling. The flesh twisted and cracked. Massive patches of her coat shriveled to nothing as the flesh underneath bled from every pore.

All I could do was watch from behind the barrel. I couldn't step out to help without stepping in the waste. I couldn't do anything. My hooves and claws wouldn't move. I shook and cried as a real-life horror film unraveled in front of me.

The mare convulsed, slamming her head against the floor and wall in an uncontrollable seizure. Bloody foam mixed with black ooze fell from her lips. Her hooves were all wrong. The body was melting into the floor. Like she was shot with a plasma rifle in slow motion. The flesh fused seamlessly with the metal. Her eyes bulged out of her sockets, inflated like balloons. I tasted bile. At least I didn't have to pee anymore.

BANG

The raider's head popped like a zit. A mess of gore shot across the hallway, bits of her landing in the pool of noxious liquid. The gunshot pulled me from my shocked state, giving me the chance to look away from the impossible sight. Scarlet was on the far side of the gore and ooze with her shotgun held magically by her side. She looked down at the mutated raider with pity, fear and horror. "Oh, sweet Celestia... Fucking taint. That is... Fuck. Are you alright? Did any touch you!?" I shook my head, my body practically vibrating. "Thank Luna... Aella, take the long way around. I'll meet you over there ok?"

I nodded and trotted down the side hall in a haze. I'd read about taint in the Wasteland Survival Guide, an infinitely useful little book Scarlet had bought for me in Whinnies Grove. The way Ditzy Doo described it, taint was the most terrifying wasteland poison. Incurable, and often undetectable. I knew it was lethal, but that...

Never in my worst nightmare could I ever imagine there was something that could mutilate and destroy a person like that. It was like the chaos magic of the transformation pearl, but wild and corrupted. Directionless, aimless magic with near limitless power. You’d think something so deadly would be locked in a vault someplace, sealed in concrete.

A fit of gags forced me to lean against the wall. My stomach churned and spasmed violently. The horror show was too much for my body. Despite my best efforts, I retched and couched what little food was in my stomach. The sickness pooled by my claws and stained the floor.

I was pitiful. My flight goggles were wet with tears, I was sweaty and shaking. I stank of vomit and piss. I felt even worse. Even though she wanted to kill me, I felt bad that I couldn't do anything to help the unnamed mare. Scarlet setting her hoof on my shoulder made me jump. I hadn't even heard her approach.

She gave me a quick once over, her gaze lingering on my lame leg for a moment. "Come on... We need to keep moving. Let's just get the water flowing and get out of this nightmare." Somehow my friend had managed to overlook my sorry state. I appreciated it.

I trotted forward slowly, with Scarlet at my side. Nothing she said or did quite registered. My body was on autopilot. I was stuck in my head, watching the events play over and over again. She didn't deserve that. No one did. It could have just as easily been me. Or Scarlet. A drop or two on my coat, and I'd be a dead mare. As if I didn't have enough nightmares to keep me up already.

*** *** ***

It took us a while to navigate the facility. Scarlet didn’t know her way around, and I was trapped in a state of shock. It would have been faster if we used my Pipbucks automap, but I didn't care. We didn’t want to rush in case there was more taint in the building, so we took things as carefully as we could.

The next few raiders we ran into didn't put up a fight. They were in a room, enjoying the contents of Raul's personal moonshine still. They were so plastered they could hardly stand when Scarlet pumped them full of shotgun pellets. The only bright side of the SMG mare's death was in contrast, this was much more tame.

Their gear was in poor condition, but I took it anyway. A heavy-looking revolver, and an automatic pistol. This little adventure was proving to be fruitful as far as salvage went, but I didn’t feel comfortable taking anything from the facility itself. It was someone's home, after all.

We trotted into a large room, full of advanced equipment. Multiple terminals, server racks along the leftmost wall, and several ceiling turrets that were offline. I kept a watchful eye on those. The main source of light was a full-length bay window at the front that overlooked the creek. It was a pretty nice view, other than the greenish tinge from the algae on the windows, the horribly toxic water and dead plants. The emergency lights still had a charge, suggesting the power hadn't been out for more than a couple of days. There weren’t any signs of raiders inside, but their tag was painted on the window. They had definitely been here.

I was easily distracted by a curiosity in the corner. A multi-limbed robot laying limp in its dock, with a few more of its limbs sitting on a workbench next to it. An inactive levitation talisman was fitted in the bottom of the spherical body. It was a Mr. Handy, probably used for repair work. No other real reason for it to have a plasma cutter, a saw, and a pincer for its limbs.

"I'd bet my caravan that this is the control room. Not that it's worth anything now..." Scarlet muttered as she looked around for any clues or salvage.

I picked the most important computer to snoop through. The desk with the swivel chair, obviously! With no power, and no idea where the fuse box was, I had to improvise. It was nothing for me to wire the fine stable-tech equipment up to a spark battery. I'd done it a few times with the repo time, and many times when I blew out the power in my workshop and didn't have any fuses. Most of the files were quality reports from before the war, but there were a few interesting messages.

Mosaic what the hell? You said transporting all that crap would be perfectly safe. Do you have any idea how hard it’s been skimming all of that rainbow sludge out of the water? I haven't seen a single living fish or toad in the area since the spill. I thought the point of your project was to preserve wildlife? What, Luna decides that the ministries are in charge now and you both go galloping off to join up with Twilight? You have responsibilities here. Ugh, at least some unicorns from the Ministry of Arcane Sciences are supposed to come to finish up the cleanup tomorrow. but still!

Anyway, we got all the waste barreled up and ready to be transported and disposed of out west. No idea what they could want with any of your work. Not to say you and Gestalt aren’t amazing Unicorns; the Fauna Recovery Effort is amazing. I just don’t see the military application of trying to bring back extinct magical species.

Just…. Try to stay safe… This war is bad news. It's only getting worse. I'm already saving up for Stable tickets for the girls.

-Vapour Trail

So the waste was from some kind of industrial accident. I wasn't that surprised, but I didn’t understand why Twilight's Ministry never came to pick it up. Everything I read said that her ministry was always really on top of things. At the very least it would have saved us some hassle and trauma.

The terminal's remote network controls were locked out completely. Someone deeper in the facility switched all the controls to manual. Just another way these bandit ponies were seeking to make my day more complicated. Why couldn't anything in the wasteland ever be easy!

I got Scarlet caught up as I rifled through the last of the terminal files. They were all junk.

“I wonder if the raiders did it themselves, or if it was the mechanic keeping them from taking control.” She mused. “Only one way to find out. Can you direct us?”

I give a small nod, pulling up the map on my Pipbuck. The stairwell was back near the entrance, so we had to go nearly all the way back. It was annoying, honestly. A few stories down was the actual water purifying equipment itself.

Red blips appeared and darted around on my EFS, to the point where I was ignoring it. The thing couldn't tell a radroach from a death robot, and it had no idea what floor the marks were on. Ugh, computers are terrible. There was also a yellow dash on my EFS near two of the red ones. It was probably Raul, the plant's caretaker. That meant he was alive, which was good news. And with the enemy, which was bad.

The magical radiation downstairs was worse than the rest of the building. My Pipbuck made very sure to inform me of that fact with a rapid array of clicks. Rather than using a water talisman to purify the water before the war, it was easier and more cost-effective to use machines for it. Boil and filter the water, then pipe it to all of the towns nearby. Even after they were developed, water talismans were still rare and valuable artifacts. A lot of magic went into producing them.

The production area was one large room, full of giant tanks, filters, pumps, and boilers. The system was worn, with some of it held together with duct tape and solder. It was impressive considering the equipment was over 200 years old. Past all of the filters and pumps, were two very annoyed-looking stallions slamming themselves against a locked metal door. One had a brown coat with a white mane and a duct tape cutie mark. The buck who was actually doing the heavy work had a grey coat with bright red hair and a molotov cocktail cutie mark. How the heck do you get a cutie mark of a molotov cocktail!? The grey Stallion seemed to be in charge, barking orders through the door.

“You get out here and show us how this shit works, you disfigured freak, and we’ll let you live! Give us your stuff, or we’ll get rough!” He had a pump-action shotgun battle saddle, a considerable improvement over the double-barrel Scarlet was armed with. Oh spirits, hardly three days in the wasteland and I was already planning on looting a pony who was still alive. Lovely.

The brown-coated pony had a homemade magical energy weapon strapped to his side. It was crude at best. The stock consisted of a spark battery, and the body was just a steel rod. The end of the barrel was an emitter, plugged into a bunch of spark packs through a mess of coloured wires. Several gems were soldered in with the emitter, but I had no idea what they were enchanted to do.

“No! I’m not givin’ you bastard Iron Steeds a damn thing. I've kept the water here flowing for 200 years! You ain't the first to try and close the faucets, you won't be the last. You'll get what's coming, you'll see! Vision owns this water plant, Primes men'll blow you to bits! Melt your brains, turn you inside out!"

Scarlet and I moved up behind the noisy ponies, using their screaming match to cover our hoofsteps. My trusty pistol hummed to life as I drew it, its energy beating and flowing around my claw. Even with my weapon ready, I was hesitant to fire on these ponies. Thinking about pulling the trigger, turning them to ash, made me nauseous. My pistol's magical pulsing slowed suddenly. Was it... responding to me? No, no it's just a gun. A magic gun with a cosmic steel core, but still only a gun.

The crafts pony smiled at that, licking his lips. “We can arrange for that, don’t you worry. This door won't hold forever!” The shotgun pony raised his eyebrows at his companion. “Ugh… Right. If they try to block, s-show them that we rock…?” He half-shouted, half stammered. These two ponies left me very confused.

Scarlet's double-barrel pressed against one of the raider's heads as her lips formed a crooked smile. She moved out from behind the water tank, adding a bit of swagger to her gait. I followed suit, levelling my gun at the tinkerer. “Of course, it’s the fucking Iron Steeds doing this shit. Unbelievable. Aren't you a bit far south?”

BANG

I winced as the grey buck brains spattered against the wall. His lifeless body crumpled to the floor. The brown stallion aimed at me with his homemade rifle. Its barrel flared and shimmered as it charged to fire.

I looked down the sights of my gun and mentally slid into SATS. Two to his chest and one to his head, qued. The slowed time gave me a moment to think. To get a better look at my target. He was weathered and young. A long scar ran across his neck, down near his collar bone. It was almost exactly where Scarlet's collar sat against her own throat. He wasn't a raider. He was a craftspony. An escaped slave. A survivor of the endless misery the Wasteland had to offer. What gave me the right to take that from him? Even with my Pip-buck doing the work for me, I couldn't bring myself to pull the trigger.

Time returned to normal as I lowered my gun. The stallion looked surprised and shocked at me, but it was too late. He'd bit down on the firing bit. A urine-coloured bolt struck the left side of my chest. The front of barding disintegrated, along with my holster. I couldn't breathe. I fell hard against the large water tank beside me. The magic ate away my coat and melted the skin underneath. It didn't meltdown below the skin that I could tell. The weapon was poorly built, ineffective. Thanks to that I would live.

The Duck Tape marked ponies eyes were wide in shock. He was moving to reach out for me with his hoof, lips moving impossibly slow. Did he regret it? Was he trying to help? Apologize? We'd never know. One moment we were looking into each other's eyes, and the next a cloud of bloody paste was in his place. The bang of Scarlet's shotgun sounded far away..

The burn in my chest lessened suddenly. I gasped and coughed as my breathing returned. Scarlet stood next to me, pouring a healing potion over my wound. The cool liquid helped ease the burn while its magic did what little it could to repair the magical damage.

“Dammit, Aella! I was worried something like this would happen.” She scoffed as she wrapped my wound with healing bandages. “That blast could have turned you to ash, you’re lucky only your garish jumpsuit got vaped.” My jumpsuit was not garish! It was… practical! Yeah! “Are you alright?”

“I-I’m sorry…” I sniffled. My vision was blurred with tears. “I tried to fire, I used SATS but I-I couldn’t do it. The life in his eyes, I couldn’t take that away from him…” And then I got shot. And Scarlet killed him anyway.

Scarlet sighed and brushed my mane back, eyes glistening as she looked me over. “It’s alright… The first kill can be hard, just… Rest for a minute, between your leg and this mess you’re not looking too hot. Too good! T-too well.” First kill. Right.

The rested my head on the floor. The grating was uncomfortable on my spine, but the cool temperature was nice at least. I felt a pinch in my flank as Scarlet dosed me with another shot of sweet, sweet painkillers. I could get away with doubling my dose thanks to my size, but it made my mind a bit swimmy.

The metal doorway sliding open got my attention. An older stallion limped out of the room, h-oh gosh. He looked like the creatures I'd fought in Stable 24, the ghoul zombies! Most of his coat was gone, leaving only oozing, flaking pink flesh. He had a bit of his blond mane still, pulled back into a short braid. He was dressed in a custodial uniform with a worn logo on the front, I assume the water plants. While I was caught off guard by his appearance, I wasn't afraid of him. He wasn't empty like the ghouls that had attacked me before. There was a spark in him. It was weak, damaged. Probably on its last legs, but it was there. A soul.

“Glad you got that riff-raff settled. Now I can get this plant running again.” His gruff raspy voice moved slowly across his tongue, each word deliberate. “I appreciate your help, but you should get going.” The ghoul pony looks down at me. “She isn’t looking good, an' the rads won't help with the healin'.”

I nodded and struggled onto all fours. Scarlet put a hoof under my barrel to help me up, then let me lean on her. "Will you be ok on your own?" I asked through gritted teeth.

His smile showed off his decayed gums and blackened teeth. "Kid, I've been living here for centuries. don't worry 'bout me. Get going. Place ain't safe for smooth coats."

“Ok, yeah… It was nice meeting you, Raul.” I held a claw out to him and managed a weak smile. The buck nodded and shook my claw.

“Thanks for the rescue, ladies. Next time pull the trigger first." He said to me, making me wince.
"Take care of yerselfs.”

Footnotes:
Welcome to level 5!

Perk added: Thick Hide. Your body has become more resilient against the physical trauma the wasteland loves to dish out. You’re thicker, stronger skin grants you +10% Damage Resistance! You are not laserproof, however, so please don’t be a dumb bird. Again.

Author's Note

This was weirdly easy to edit, making me think I missed something...

Chapter 6 pt.1: Dr. Free's Clinic

Fallout Equestria: Endless Horizon

Chapter 6 pt.1: Dr. Free's Clinic

I tried to convince Raul to let me stick around and repair some of the damaged pumps and burst pipes, but the ghoul swore he had it under control. I was sure he wouldn’t have an issue, but I just knew we could have it running so well with just a few days of work between the two of us! But, it wasn’t meant to be. Scarlet would get bored waiting around for us to fix up the place, not to mention the rads and scary magical goo wanting to twist our genes like a kitten with a ball of yarn. Once Scarlet and I treated my chest burn as best as we could, we bid the kind ghoul farewell and went on our way.

Unfortunately for me, my recklessness and naivety went further than a ramshackle energy rifle to the chest. The wasteland always has another painful lesson to teach, and my next class was a brutal one. Luckily my friends were there to help me through it.

🐦🐦🐦🐦🐦

We wadded through sloppy mud as Scarlet and I made our way through the wastes together. The air was icy cold against my feathers. Every movement made my muscles burn. I was so tired. My legs gave out under me, landing me chin deep in the damp earth.

My body was heavy and far away. The world was fuzzy and out of focus. All I wanted to do was rest, but I wasn’t allowed. A red unicorn pulled me back to my hooves. Scarlet energy unfurled my wing and put it over her back for balance. I lacked the strength to push her away. We kept walking.

Something smelled oddly sweet under the sweat and dust of the wasteland. I nuzzled into the soft fur of the red ponies neck. I tried to take a deep breath of that scent, but it burned. A bag of marbles raddled through my lungs as I coughed and wheezed, but the pony didn’t help me. Was she taking me to someone who could help? Did I even want help? Maybe sleep would be better.

"I know it's hard, but we have to keep moving. You won't last a night out here. We can’t stop." A magical force pulled me more tightly to her side. Forced to keep her pace. We were outside. When I was young I loved it outside. Did I still like the outside? I didn't think so. Bugs, cold, warm, loud noises, other people, bright light. Inside was better. Warm, cozy, safe, and clean. Please take me inside.

🐦🐦🐦🐦🐦

Everything was wrong. She was melting. Dying! I screamed weakly and pushed against her. I coughed with enough force to free me from her grip. Right into what was left of a rose bush.

Pretty flowers. Vicious thorns. Sad flowers. Struggling to survive in a world they couldn’t understand. Being squished by a bird creature they’d never seen. Couldn’t see. Plants don’t have eyes. I’m sorry, flowers.

Then she was back. She blamed me. The orange unicorn who shot at me! Her flesh melted and swirled as tentacles grew from gashes in her legs. She wanted to kill me. I got her killed. She wanted revenge. S-she couldn’t… Scarlet would protect me! She was my friend! But where? Did she leave?

The orange face lowered to mine. Her teeth were changing. Dripping spikes of toxic death. No... no, it couldn't be real. Why would death smell like cinnamon?

Scarlet took her place… she was there! She didn’t abandon me. My first friend in Equestria helped me up, and then we were moving again. The thorns left a billion tiny cuts in my hide but it was ok. It wasn’t bad pain. Not like the pain in my chest and my stomach. Not killing, murdering, malevolent pain.

🐦🐦🐦🐦🐦

"I'm sorry I got you into this. I didn't mean for you to get sick, I should have paid more attention. I shouldn't have left you." A brown stallion said in an alien voice. The buck from before, who made his own magic gun. But why was his voice wrong? Everything felt so wrong. "Free will figure out what's happening, we'll get you fixed. We're almost there, just stay with me ok?"

Leave me? You didn't leave Mr. Repair Pony. Scarlet left me for a minute, but she was doing what was best. You shot me... You were apologizing for shooting me? It's alright... It's ok. I know you regretted it. I know you were a good pony. Your soul wasn't haunted. You weren't a murderer.

I was dying… I could hardly walk. I couldn't speak without breaking into a fit of bloody coughs. My coat was slick with blood. No matter how hard the cinnamon-scented stallion tried to keep me moving I just couldn't. My limbs were jello. They weren't listening to me. Maybe they weren’t even there anymore. One last time I fell to the ground. This time I didn’t get up again.

🐦🐦🐦🐦🐦

Scarlet trotted back and forth in the clinic as she spoke anxiously with the medical pony, Feather Free. They kept their voices down in hopes that I wouldn’t overhear, which I did anyway. I can be kind of nosey.

I was laid out on a bed in Whinnies Grove’s clinic, covered in a layer of sweat and filth. Plastic tubes drained clear and purple shimmering fluids into my veins. I hardly noticed the needle under my skin with how terrible the rest of me felt.

My stomach heaved every few minutes, despite having already voided its contents onto the floor shortly after we arrived. I felt like I was on fire, but I wouldn’t stop shivering. My entire body ached and throbbed, and every movement made the room spin. I hadn’t felt that bad since I had bird flu as a foal.

Everything but my PipBuck and pearl shard had been stripped away, my barding replaced with a scratchy, uncomfortable blanket to keep me warm. The texture was overstimulating, with every fibre clinging to my coat and feathers. I did my best to kick it off me during bouts of consciousness, but somepony would just wrap me up again when I was out of it.

I mentally flicked my EFS off the moment I woke up. I didn’t flashing alerts to tell me that I was in rough shape. Even with it off, I could still feel the echoes of the PipBucks warnings in the back of my head, tickling the space just under my ear. Nothing I could do about that beyond powering off my wrist-mounted terminal or finding a surgeon to remove that annoying, likely botched implant from my brain.

We were halfway to the village before my health went into rapid decline. It was scary. We had no clue what was wrong with me, and I couldn’t help but think about the taint barrels that burst just metres from me. Scarlet tried to assure me it wasn’t taint-related, but she wasn’t even sure herself.

As lost as I was to what Free called fever-induced delirium, Scarlet managed to get me to the gate of the village. She guided, dragged, and even carried me at some points. The mare didn’t stop until she was close enough to flag down some guards for help. The last thing I remembered was collapsing in the fields outside town, before waking to two ponies arguing about my condition.

“How could it be rads? I feel perfectly fine, and I absorbed as much as she did.” Scarlet asked the doctor. “It could be the taint, or-or infection or poison from when she got shot! How do you know!?”

The buck rolled his eyes. “She’s showing all of the signs of radiation poisoning. Her PipBuck shows moderate exposure. She was probably exposed to some before today, and she definitely has a low tolerance to it. For better or worse, her people didn’t go through several generations of the less resistant creatures dying off, they aren’t adapted to it. Her bloodwork was clean of infection and poison. There were signs of low taint exposure, but so far it’s completely benign. But the radiation…”

“There’s nothing else we can do for her right now. We used what radaway we had on the foals when the water was out. Without medicine, all we can do is keep her comfortable. The healing potion in her IV is keeping her organs from dying, for now. But I don’t know how long she’ll hold out. Her body was already weakened from her injuries and sleep deprivation.” Feather Free said quietly. He was at his desk, reading a chart that I assumed had my information on it.

The pain in my breast and flank had been getting worse. The pain steadily grew as the wounds failed to heal properly. I reopened them several times on the way back, likely getting them infected to some degree. Not only did the balefire radiation keep my body from healing and fighting bacteria, but it was cooking me inside out, cell by cell. Any potion I drank went simply to keep my organs intact.

Scarlet stomped the floor, seething with anger. “We can’t just do nothing! She’s my friend, she helped me when no pony else would. She saved this town for Luna's sake! There has to be something else we can do.” Her voice wavered as she fought to hold back tears.

Feather Free sighed. “There is… something. An animal hospital, southwest of here. They were stocked with a ton of different meds before the war. Local scavers will make rounds there, but the mutant animals keep them from getting at most of the medicine. But Aella is in no condition to fight. The hen can barely stand.”

“So I go myself. I haven't known her long, but she’s a good pony… bird… thing! She’d do it for me. Besides, she has a whole country of creatures counting on her!” Scarlet's eyes teared up as she spoke. She was really worried about me. Really hurting. As dumb as it was, I felt bad for making her worry so much. The only other pony who ever cared for me that much was my sister.

“You can’t go alone, you’d never make it. You’re a trader right?” Scarlet nodded. “I’m sure you can handle yourself, but you’re not exactly a gunslinger.” Finally, the buck relented. “Ugh, hell… fine, I’ll go with you, watch your flank. I can hardly stand idle after all that. The town can use some supplies anyway… We’ll sell whatever we don’t use back to them. The town's Doctor will care for Aella, Dr. Heartly is feeling well enough to do that.”

The mare tapped the floorboards with a hoof as she weighed her options. “That could work. I assume they taught you to fight up in the sky?” The buck nodded. “Alright, no time to lose.”

🐦🐦🐦🐦🐦

I skidded across the asphalt somewhat… Ineloquently. It was my first time home since I went to Skya to study, and in my excitement, I came in too fast and took a tumble. I was fine, though! Not even a hungry firebird could ruin my mood. Not with how happy I was to see my brave, beautiful hen.

I hadn’t heard from her since she got back from her last repossession mission out in The Wilds, and it worried me. It wasn’t the first time she shut everyone out after a difficult fight or traumatic experience, but usually, I could fly over and check on her after a few days to see if she needed anything. Being away from home made it feel even scarier.

Karma was a few years older than I was, so she already finished her education. She was a soldier! Or as close as we had to warriors. Members of the Repossession Team got a lot more combat training than peacekeepers, as well as a range of survival skills. My warrior hen could put someone twice her size on their back!

A pink ball of excitement drew me from my thoughts as it tossed its hooves around me, not even waiting for me to get up. It was my sister, Aqua! She was clearly excited to see me after months of separation, and I was just as happy to see her. I returned her embrace with a wing as we both giggled happily. When she was finally satisfied with our sister hug, the little pony mare helped me up.

It was hard being away from her for so long. When we lost our parents, she was all I had. She did everything from reading me stories before bed and making dinner, to explaining confusing social rules and weird turns of phrase. Sometimes I felt a bit lost without her, but we messaged each other almost every night.

“I should have known you’d be making a crash landing. Here I am, without my first aid kit.” Aqua giggled. She loved poking fun at my clumsy habits. At least when they didn’t result in serious injury.

I rolled my eyes and nickered, before taking a look around. The square was packed with hippogriffs, some zebras, and the odd pony or griffon. All setting up stalls, stages, or decorations for the coming festival. Every four months there was a period when Blood Ash didn’t fall on the mountain. Each period is marked with a festival of life, where celebrate our survival and the perseverance of nature and reflect on what we’ve lost.

We didn’t know much about the Blood Ash. More accurately I didn’t know much about the Blood Ash. I wasn’t the best history student. I knew it was the result of a terrible megaspell that was detonated in the Beakini Atoll, between Hippogriffia and the Zebralands. It made our mountain home inhospitable and forced us into small settlements near the bottom of the mountain. The red haze it created also shortened our growing seasons and worsened our winters, making things even harder. It attacks the body and soul, ringing you for every ounce of energy until nothing is left but a dried-out corpse.

But we managed! And it was a time of year to celebrate our continued survival! Four days of rituals, music, storytelling, trading, drinking, and drugs! (If that was your kind of thing. Karma would murder me if I got anywhere near those kinds of chems.)

And yet… I wasn’t as happy or excited as I should have been. It was great to be home, and amazing to see my sister, but I was all overshadowed by my worry for Karma. I’m not exactly the best at hiding my feelings, so of course the mare who practically raised me could tell something was off.

Aqua looked up at me with a concerned expression. “You aren’t yourself today. Usually, you’re all bouncy, or fluttering your wings, or info dumping about some machine you fixed or book you read. What’s wrong, little bird??”

I picked at the stonework below as I responded softly. “Karma… hasn’t returned my calls or messages this week. I was so excited to see her and catch up, but… What if she’s mad at me? Do you think she’s upset that I’m away in Skya instead of here, with her?” My ear feathers drooped as I hugged myself with my wings.

Aqua flashed me a smile. “Come on hun, being an engineer is your dream. I’m sure she’s happy for you, proud of you! And I know she misses you. She asks about you every time I see her. I bet her terminal is busted, and she wants you to fix it!” That was almost a good theory! Submitting a repair request could mean waiting in the queue for months, so Aqua and Karma always went to me for repair work. “You should go check in on her. Oh, you can bring her food, too! They’re serving meat, fish, and tofu tonight. I think she’ll appreciate having dinner with you after so long apart.”

I smiled. Just the thought of all that nutrient-dense food made me salivate. “Yeah…Yeah, you’re probably right! We can curl up, eat, and watch a film. It’ll be nice. As fun as it is to work and study, I need some downtime. And some mare time. Ugh, I miss her… I can just nuzzle into her soft fur and feathers, maybe make my way down south between-”

“Three spirits, Aella! That’s terrible!” Aqua laughed as she playfully pushed me with a hoof. “The last thing I need on my mind with Endrin and the rest of my flock later is thoughts of my sister getting it on!” We broke into a fit of giggles.

“Sorry, but ‘Twilight's Guide to Friendship Problems’ is very explicit. Teasing is a natural part of the sibling dynamic. If I didn’t give you a hard time, I’d be going against nature. My wings are tied!” I explained before I stuck my tongue out at her. Nearby creatures smiled or raised their eyebrows at us as we laughed even harder. It took a minute for us both to calm down.

Once the dopamine from my laughing fit faded, the lonely feelings crept their way back in. There really was no griffon quite like Karma… She was so gentle but so powerful. She could lift my sister without breaking a sweat, easily doubled my wing power, could land any hit with her rifle, and yet… She was so caring, and even vulnerable when she needed to be. Most importantly, she accepted me and did her best to understand me. A feat no other hippogriff even tried to manage.

Noticing my glazed-over expression, Aqua giggled and whipped me with her tail. “Hey, Aella Muon, Girl Genus, go visit your partner or I will. There’s no reason a sweet badass like her should spend the night alone.”

My wings unfurled as I snapped back to reality. “R-right!” I squeaked with a few warm-up flaps. “I’ll see you at the far tomorrow?” My sister nodded and waved me off. With an excited flutter, I was off to see my love.

🐦🐦🐦🐦🐦

My sister… my home. The last time I left for longer than a week, I lost the most important thing in my life. I had no idea the last time I saw her would be the last time ever, and I’d never understand the circumstances that led to it.

Maybe leaving Hippogriffia was a mistake. What if history repeats? If when I get back, there was no one left to save? It wasn’t the first time my resolve wavered but with radiation trying to cook me like a rotisserie chicken, I struggled to lock away the “what ifs.” What if everyone was already gone? What if I was too late? What if I wasn’t good enough? What if when I got home, I lost everything all over again?

What if…

What if I was just as sick as they were…? Would I have noticed the signs? With how distracted and busy I’d been, I couldn’t be sure. They said I hadn’t come in contact with anyone who was sick, but what if they were wrong!? I could have touched a doorknob, or typed on a keyboard, or even just used a light switch after someone else! I could have been spreading a terrible disease across the Trotten islands! The wastelanders couldn’t treat it, they had even fewer resources than us! The thought made me shiver. Or maybe it was my fever getting worse.

What if I failed to save my people… and I doomed someone else’s?

No! No. No? NO! That was silly. I didn’t show any signs, not one! The medical gear on the Skystar was built to interface with my neuro implant, they let me track everything down to my hormone levels from moment to moment! Besides, I didn’t have any blue boils, or a rash, or anything!

Still… I lifted my blanket to take a peek at my coat just to be sure. It was blue. Just like it always was. More dusty and smelly than usual, but I didn’t see any signs of illness. The skin below was soft and smooth. No blue boils!

Wait… blue. Blue! My coat looked blue, the boils from the illness are blue. What if it looked normal because it was all boil! Every inch of me! A walking talking infection, destroying my friends, my family, and everyone who tried to love me!

There was a faraway beeping as my heart thundered in my chest, but that didn’t matter. Was an increased heart rate a symptom? I couldn’t remember! It was getting really hard to focus… Especially with all the galloping hooves of hospital ponies echoing nearby. So rude, distracting a hen when she’s trying to have a panic attack! No social edict at all!

My people weren’t the only ones in danger, either. Scarlet… Scarlet! She was back! Or maybe she hadn’t left… She was standing above me, smiling at me. I could warn her. I could save her! “H-hide… The monster pony. Her alicorn. Corrupted death. Risen from ashes of war. Just hide…”

The pony I thought was Scarlet injected something into my IV line that made everything better. The heart monitor droning slowed and my eyes grew heavy. Everything relaxed. Of course, it did… I saved Scarlet. I warned her. She was safe. I could rest.

🐦🐦🐦🐦🐦

It was a beautiful day to be enjoying a walk! Sure I was in a hurry to see Karma, but I couldn’t help but take a few minutes to enjoy the sun against my back, and the cool salty breeze coming off the ocean. I wasn’t the only one, either. Creatures of every shape and size ceased the chance to get out of their hollowed tree homes to enjoy the day's beauty and spend time with their friends and loved ones. When our existence hung so dangerously in the balance, the festival of life was a much-needed chance to destress and unwind. For just a few days, we could all pretend the war didn’t happen, and everything was ok. Like we weren’t one flu outbreak away from going without clean water, or a bad flux regulator shy of crippling brownouts.

Two warm metal tins on my back contained the delicious meals that the festivals always brought. The Elders almost always removed calorie restrictions for special events, affording the rare opportunity for everyone to stuff their beaks and muzzles to their heart's content. I made sure to get extra for us in case we got hungry later but weren’t willing to leave each other's embrace.

Karma had a fairly nice home just a few blocks from the square. One of the few dozen trees that still stood from before Deluge De Arcana. Maybe even one of the oldest trees on the island. Karma’s parents had been scavengers like her, so she was allowed to keep possession of their house after they died. I spent almost all of my time there before I got the Skystar assigned to me, so it was like my second home. Third, if we count Aqua’s place too.

I paused at her doorstep, my fist centimetres away from knocking. Anxiety churned in my belly, fighting to relight the fears my sister so easily defeated. I hadn’t seen her for months. What if it was different? What if she was?

I didn’t want to waste time calming down with a flight around the city. I already waited more than three months to see her, and I didn’t want to extend it any further. And it wouldn’t help the growing soreness in my wing joints after the long flight home from Skya. It was gonna be fine! We were gonna hug, nuzzle, eat great food, and talk about everything we’ve missed.

With a determined whistle, I knocked! It seems like a small thing, after reading about my wasteland adventures, but knocking on someone's door can be really hard! Especially when they don’t answer… Maybe she didn’t hear. I knocked again, harder this time.

The anxiety gave way to feelings of boredom as I knocked and waited again and again. After five minutes I hit my limit. She was either asleep upstairs, or she was out. That left me with my least favourite kind of question… a social one. Was it socially acceptable for me to let myself into her place to wait for her? We’d been together long enough that I was allowed to come and go as I pleased, but that was before I left for school! If it turned out she was ignoring my messages because she was mad, then letting myself into her house could make her even more upset.

I groaned and rested my head against the trunk of the treehome. She didn’t seem mad at me when she last spoke, and as far as I knew I hadn’t done anything to make her mad at me. So… she probably wasn’t mad at me! Missing me, sure, but not angry. She was usually really good about telling me if I did something to upset her, so… yeah. Yeah!

I steeled myself, and let myself into her house. All of the shades were closed and the lights were off, leaving it a lot darker inside than out. It took a minute for my eyes to adjust to it.

No sign of her downstairs. Her workshop was empty, though her rifle was disassembled on the workbench, probably still waiting to be cleaned and regreased after her last mission. The rifle strap was missing, probably damaged during the mission or being cleaned.

The living room was likewise Karma-les, with the only signs of use being a few books left on the table she’d been reading. There was a cute walnut sitting on her coffee table! The little guy seemed lonely, so I slipped it into my breast pocket for safekeeping. Why would the walnut be lonely, when it had the company of not only Karma, but the magical tree home growing around it? It must have been a very high-maintenance tree nut.

There was a door halfway up a curling stairwell to her room. I tapped softly on her door. When she didn’t respond I cracked it open and called for her. “Karma, are you home? It’s Aella! Aella Breeze! I brought you dinner! I thought maybe we could share it and watch a film, snuggle and catch up?”

No response. Anxiety was starting to build now. Something felt wrong. Every detail about the situation was unfamiliar and strange. My breath caught in my throat as I pushed the door open and stepped inside.

It was a mess. Bedsheets on the floor. The vanity mirror shattered. Her journal was tossed across the room, its pages torn out and thrown, or turned to what was now ice-cold ash in a metal trashcan.

The world stopped then. Nothing felt real. It was like I was in SATS in reverse. I couldn’t feel the emotions or connect with the racing thoughts. I could watch my body move, but it didn’t feel like my own. It was like I was watching some kind of sick memory orb. My body shook and whimpered all on its own as I stumbled back. My vision was filled with tears, but somehow I could still see it. Even as I trotted down the stairs in a total daze, I couldn’t stop seeing it.

The most beautiful hippogriff you’ve ever seen. With a shining orange coat and a mane the colour of the sea. Hanging from a ceiling fan by her rifle strap. The skin under her coat was cold and blue. The love and liveliness that once flowed so freely were gone, leaving only her vacant eyes to stare down at me. Forever.

I have no idea how long I stared at her. Or how long it took me to trot outside and settle on the stoop. I cried silently as I stared at the ground, but I felt Empty. Empty as her eyes. Someone came over to see if I was alright. I couldn’t speak. I couldn’t even look at them. I just shook my head and clenched my talons into fists. I didn’t understand. It was impossible to understand. Even after seeing it right in front of me, I swore it couldn’t be real. She would never…

I don’t remember anything after that. None of it mattered. The mare I loved was dead. Gone forever. The whys and hows didn’t matter. Though they’d haunt me for the rest of my life.

Karma was dead.

🐦🐦🐦🐦🐦

Memories that I did my best never to think about, never to dwell on. Thoughts and feelings I wasn’t strong enough to properly deal with. The fevered dreams of radiation poisoning forced it all to the forefront of my mind, forcing me to confront it. In the hospital bed of the clinic, I was completely helpless. At the mercy of my own fears, and insecurities.

My parents, my love, everyone leaves. How long until my new friends died, or left me behind? I was weak, a novice of wasteland survival. I needed them so much, but they didn’t need me at all.

I couldn’t help the dreams of pain and abandonment my tired mind brought to me. There was no escape. Sleeping meant being tortured by my exhausted mind, but being awake meant feeling the necrotic magic of balefire eating me alive.

Was this how the sick back home felt? Cold, scared, and helpless. Far from their deathbeds thanks to how slow the illness progresses, but just as terrified and hopeless. Or maybe some were… Those with other conditions, compromised immune systems, or plain old bad luck. Anygriff could be in the same position as me. Wheatgrass in the commissary, Chief Engineer Sureclasp, or even General Seaspray (the seventh) could me laid out in medical beds, suffering, surrounded by overworked healers and grieving friends who could do nothing to help.

No one deserved to feel this sick. To see death coming for them, lurking just out of their vision. My ancestor's comfort and the three spirits' guidance were not enough to quell my fear of death. Nothing could shut out the sick amusement my pain gave the wasteland and its horrors.

I had to save Aqua. Save them all. Not even the worst hippogriff deserved this fate.

🐦🐦🐦🐦🐦

I don’t remember my friends getting back and I wasn’t conscious when they forced the first pouch of radaway down my throat, but I started improving after that. My fitful broken sleep was replaced with a restful slumber, while my body and healing potion IV drip worked to reverse the damage the radiation had done.

I woke twenty hours later, not in the cramped clinic of Whinnies Grove but tucked into my nest aboard the Skystar. Only one tube was left in my body, connecting my wrist to an IV bag of clear fluid. No more pain drugs or healing potions for this bird!

A familiar unicorn smiled sleepily at me from my bedside, slightly out of focus from the lack of corrective flight goggle lenses on my face. “Morning, sleepy bird. I was starting to worry you wouldn’t wake up at all. With how much effort Free and put into saving your flank, I would have killed you if you died anyway.”

Unable to find my words, I sniffled and pulled the unicorn into a feathery hug. “I-I was really scared.” My voice left my dry throat sore and raspy, but I didn’t care. I was alive! They saved me. “If you two hadn’t… I would be… W-what happened? How’d I get here? Where’s the pegasus stallion? Can I have a drink?”

Scarlet laughed and drew out of the hug, petting my wing with a hoof. “Slow down, you’ve been through a lot. Here, I made you this-” I chirped happily as a thermos of creamy goodness wrapped in a ruby glow floated into view. I grabbed at it before she could finish, taking a long soothing sip of the wonderful brew. It wasn’t as good as when I made it, but it was hot, caffeinated, and hydrating, and that’s all I cared about.

“So,” Scarlet continued as I drank. “Once you were stable, Free was super insistent we bring you here. Went on and on about how it’d be easier to recover if you were someplace comfortable, and how much safer you’d be on your sky boat.”

“Ship.” I corrected between gulps.

“Right. Didn’t stop until I agreed to help move you, so, here we are. Last I saw, Free was in the kitchen, -

“Gally,” I interjected again.

“Yeah, whatever. He’s fiddling with his gun where the food lives. It jammed up on him while we were out there.”

I finished the entire thermos of coffee and sat it aside. “I see. So where exactly did you two go? What happened?” The mare smirked and levitated a notebook out of her saddlebag. Did she sleep with her saddlebag on? “What’s this?”

“I think… Free’s diary? I stole it from his saddlebag while he was exploring your ship.” My eyes narrowed at her. “What!? If he’s gonna be aboard, I wanted to make sure he wasn’t secretly evil! Especially since he seems really interested in our mission, and what we’re doing next. I think he wants to… come with us? Anyway, this diary thing has accounts of like, everything the buck does, so it's the best way to make sure.” He wanted to come with us. Well, that was interesting… It wouldn’t hurt to have another fighter on the team, and we certainly could use a healer!

I snatched the book out of Scarlet's aura with a talon and scoffed. “Scarlet, we can’t read this! It’s private. In polite society, we do not read someone's private thoughts! It isn’t our business.”

A pair of big green eyes pleaded with me. “You aren’t in polite society anymore, Aella. We need to ensure our own safety. Do you remember what happened when you trusted Specter?” The mere thought made me wince. “Exactly. We don’t want a repeat. Plus,” Scarlet snatched the book back in her hooves and turned to a page she’d marked. “These recent entries are about how we saved you! This is the easiest way to explain it all. Besides, If it’s about us, doesn’t that make it our business?”

Ugh.

UGH.

She had me. “...Alright, fine But I only wanna read the sections about us. And you return that the second we’re done!”

Scarlet smirked and patted my shoulder. “He’ll never know he lost it.”

“Good.”

“Oh, and read it out loud, would ya? I’m pretty slow at it.”

Footnotes:
No, you didn’t level up. I’m afraid reliving old experiences is not the same as gaining experience. I don’t make the rules!

Author's Note

Chapter updated! 11/10/23

Streamlined events
Fixed error that caused character POV changes to get confusing
Improved password protection
Removed herobrine

Chapter 6 pt.2: Dr. Fauna's Clinic

Fallout Equestria: Endless Horizon

Chapter 6 pt.2: Dr. Fauna's Clinic

Name: Flight Sargent Feather Free.
Objective: Asset acquisition: Retrieve radiation medicine.
Location: Whinnies Grove, Southern Trotten Island: 37°17’"N 124°23'34"W.
Local time: 0438 hours.

I don’t normally risk myself like this. Two ponies against an entire building of mutant beasts, all to save a hippogriff who could die anyway… It wasn’t ideal. But when the chance to help them came up I couldn’t say yes fast enough.

How could I not? Aella Breeze and Scarlet Keeper trotted into Whinnies Grove to resupply, only to go out and save the whole town, at great risk to themselves, all because it was the right thing to do. Most creatures simply do whatever they can to scrape by, taking care of their immediate friends or family, so seeing the two mares volunteer to help a settlement of strangers for nothing in return… It was inspiring. Like the stories of wasteland heroes on the radio, but right in front of me.

I think we all start off with dreams of grandeur and heroism. We’re born aching to make our mark and change the world. That’s what drove me to enlist in the Enclave. Hell of a mistake that was. All we did was make the world worse at every turn. A selfish government, run by power-hungry pegasi not worth the wings on their backs.

Aella Breeze is their polar opposite. She has resources and intellect, but she doesn’t use them to justify her superiority or put herself above others. All she wants is to help. She saved Scarlet and a group of slaves from a terrible fate, earning her the undying loyalty of Scarlet herself. She went on to inspire Scarlet to help Whinnies Grove, which inspired me to help Scarlet save her.

She has that spark, that drive, that sense of good that the wasteland is so effective at stifling. Maybe that’s why the ones who often do the most good in our cozy hellhole are always from under or outside of it. Either way, I couldn’t just let her die. Her people need her, and I think the wasteland is a slightly better place with her in it.

⚕️⚕️⚕️⚕️⚕️

Name: Flight Sargent Feather Free.
Objective: Asset acquisition: Retrieve radiation medicine.
Location: Dr. Fauna’s Clinic, Southern Trotten Island: 41°53'1"N 71°21'8"W.
Local time: 0521 hours.

I wished there was a more simple, more safe way to help Scarlet's friend and get Whinnies Grove back on its hooves. When she first dragged Aella in, I thought it was my chance. The medical facilities on the birds airship were surely state-of-the-art! I could use them to heal her, and get to see first hoof the kind of equipment the sailor brought with her from Hippogriffia. Unfortunately Scarlet had no clue if there were radiations on board, or where they’d even be kept. And of course, neither of us knew how to safely get inside or use any of the equipment within, our hooves were tied. We had to do things the hard way.

Celestia’s sun was just peaking above the horizon when we arrived. Notably early for this time of year, but the sun isn’t exactly held to the princess’s standards anymore. Without the fair princesses to guide them, the sun and moon didn’t care how consistent the day/night cycle was. Life below the cloud curtain can almost make you forget what a mess it is. Hopefully, the wasteland's beasts would be asleep for a few more hours.

Scarlet Keeper, the merchant I offered to accompany on the mission, was as well-equipped as most wastelanders. Dirty, second hoof leather barding and a police issue pump action shotgun, and of course some patchy saddlebags to hold whatever else she brought with her. I expected an ex-merchant to try and carry everything she could with her, but fortunately, the slightly taller unicorn travelled light. Thank Luna for that.

On the other hoof, I had to leave my own medical armor behind. The weight of the composite plates would have slowed us down too much, and I’d be worthless if I was already exhausted when we arrived. I travelled light. A battle saddle with my marksmare carbine strapped into it, and my own saddle bags.

It wasn’t a pleasant flight. The mare on my back squirmed and whimpered the entire time, messing with my balance and making it a lot harder to find favorable headwinds and updrafts. Thank Celestia nopony could see me in the darkness, I probably looked like a drunk turtle.

Scarlet fell from my back with a relieved sigh as we landed on the roof. The way she panted and nuzzled the ground was pretty dramatic, but then unicorns often are. Apparently, she had a bit of anxiety when it came to heights.

While she got reacquainted with the ground I took a moment to ensure my cybernetic hoof was up to the task. I would be hobbled without it, but it’s still a dated piece of trash that doesn’t even fit properly. The thing chews through batteries like a cadet at a hotdog eating contest, and the screen is so small its nearly impossible to see the battery meter without squinting.

And of course, there’s the pain. The device wasn’t built for me, so the space where the augment attaches to my flesh, just above where my knee used to be, wasn’t fitted properly. It’s always swollen and tender, and it can even bleed if I put too much strain on the joint. Nothing some med-x can’t fix.

The roof access door was barred from the outside, a security measure I added the first time I snuck in to grab some medical supplies, after accidentally interrupting a large, angry porcupine’s sunbathing.

The hospital consisted of three floors, with the first and third floors picked to the bone. The store room on second was our only shot at getting the supplies we needed. Where I saw a dark, moldy stairwell the mare saw an opportunity to get to know me better.

“What’s it like up there? In the clouds, I mean. Away from all the dust and death.” The question caught me off guard, nearly sending me sprawling down the shadowy stairs as we descended them. It was a terrible time for small talk, but I couldn’t not answer her. It wasn’t often that a wastelander was interested in learning anything beyond how to make more caps or stay alive.

I pressed a button on the firing bit of my rifle before answering, illuminating the rusted metal stairway with the light on my rifle. “It’s hard to describe. Nothing down here really compares. It’s no paradise if that’s what you’re thinking, especially now that the Light Bringers using the Single Pegasus Project to break up the cloud layer. Different politicians fighting for power, and hungry ‘constituents’ getting by on whatever scraps the clouds will grow. Every part of everyone's life is controlled and regulated. Everyone fighting for more of the pie, never content with the amount they have. I’m from a place called Thunderhead. It was okay while it lasted. It doesn’t exist anymore.

“Honestly? In some ways down here is better. I can go where I want, and work for who I want. Any food I find or buy is mine to have. No pony can tell me how much I get to eat. I never had freedom like that up there.” I raised my bionic leg and sighed. “This thing for instance. It belonged to a member of my platoon before he set off a landmine. I didn’t ask for it, didn’t want it. When I came to a day later, I found it riveted to my stump. A lame soldier was no use to them, and they already had a prosthetic to use. Growing up I patched up my brothers so much, it inspired me to go into medicine. I wanted to help ponies, not just the enclave.”

I sighed and rubbed my eyes with the metal limb. “The wasteland was my chance to take my life back. When my Cloudship went down above Fillydelphia, I flew as far as I could and never looked back.”

She considered what I said, but couldn’t think of an appropriate response. It was easy to guess what she wanted to say. “How can you complain about a life where you get three meals a day?” “In the wasteland losing a limb would probably kill you. You’re lucky.” “I’m so sorry, let me play a song on the world's smallest violin.” I preempted any scathing comments.

“What about you? You’re a trader, right? Where are you from?”

The question made Scarlet groan. “I’m just a wastie, ok? I didn’t really grow up anywhere. I was an orphan looking for odd jobs or whatever. The world is a hard fucking place for a filly on her own, and I did the best I could. There’s nothing more to say.”

There was obviously far more to her story. They say every pair of wings in the wasteland has a story, but really everyone did. No one survived the wasteland without going through all manner of hell. It was clear from the metal collar around her neck that her story was a sad one. Of course, I didn’t dare ask about it. Angering grumpy unicorns is an easy way to shorten your lifespan.

The door to the second floor was barricaded from the inside, so the only way to save Scarlet's avian friend was by cutting through the avian wing from the third floor. The habitat stretched upward through the entire building, with doors to each floor inside. Unfortunately, it came with its own unique set of complications.

The scent was the first clue. Death and rot so thick it was practically a fluid. We crept through the mess of a waiting room to a window looking into the avian enclosure. Enough light flickered through a carriage-sized hole in the wall to see the terrors that lurked inside.

Bloodwings. The terrifying apex predators that plague Manehatten. The mutant, pony-sized bats known for their large bodies, and even larger appetites. The vicious creatures were known to attack in swarms, draining the blood of their targets in seconds. The nocturnal creatures hung upside down from perches built throughout the enclosure, and from the roof itself. The few seconds Scarlet and me looked up at them would have been more than enough time for them to us had they been awake.

Piled on the floor of the 30-meter-high room were disgusting piles of rotten meat, body parts, and feces. Even if we could somehow make it down the rickety, metal stairs inside the habitat without waking them, I doubt we’d be able to breathe.

There was no chance of us surviving a fight with them.

We moved into the hallway as quietly as we could, where we could chat without waking them. Scarlet spoke softly, her pale face reflected the fear and worry I felt. “If Aella was here she would build a Bloodwing-eating robot out of a washing machine or a stealthy bomb or some shit. Tell me there’s another way downstairs.”

I frowned and glanced down the hallway behind me, opposite where we came in. “I’ve never been this far in, but the north side of the building should have a second stairwell for fire safety.

⚕️⚕️⚕️⚕️⚕️

We lasted two minutes before one of the other animals in the building caught our scent. It made for slow work, ducking into closets and bathrooms as we waited for the beasts to pass. We were nearly caught at one point, by an alicorn-sized rabbit with jaundiced-looking skin and covered in horrid tumors. The sight of the poor left me stunned until Scarlet tugged me into a nearby room before we were spotted.

The eerie glow of a terminal in the corner provided some light, letting us more easily investigate the place while we waited for the wascally wabbit to move on. Why was there a powered, active terminal in a building that hadn’t had electricity for decades? I didn’t question it. It could be that I was distracted by the wall of aquariums, but that is not a good excuse for my failed critical thinking. They were filled with green, slimy-looking water and long-dead, partly preserved fish carcasses.

Some movement drew me to one of the aquariums. Intrigued, I tapped the glass. To my shock, a fish was alive inside. A strange redfish with two tails fled into a little castle as I poked the glass. “Wow… How in the hells are you alive, little guy?” Curious, I took a closer look at each of the other tanks. There were just under a dozen alive in total, and all of them were just a little wrong. One's scales glittered like steel as it swam back and forth. Another had no scales at all, instead sporting thin translucent flesh. “They’re like… fish ghouls. I didn’t know anything like this was possible.

Scarlet wasn’t listening. She couldn’t care less about my weird fish discovery. All that interested the mare was the terminal in the corner, which… made much more sense. The terminal could have a map or some information on all the strange mutants. I silently chided myself for getting distracted. A mare's life was on the line.

The only intact file was a note addressed to the clinic's owner.

Dear Doctor Fauna

Got all of the animals that were affected by the magical byproduct spill. Hell of a mess. Fluttershy was in tears seeing the poor babies in such a sorry state. She wanted to stay, but she’s still getting her Ministry organized. With Princess Luna taking over the throne, her and her friends have a lot of work to do helping out. Reminds me a bit of old times, in a strange way. We promised we’d do everything we can to help the animals in her absence. She’s part of the reason we opened this facility, after all.

Whatever is in the animal's system is causing rapid, uncontrolled transformations. I’ve never seen magic like it. Changes in size, intelligence, or appearance. Some more benign changes, extra organs or abilities. One of the fish TELEPORTED out of its enclosure! We tried to scoop it back up and get it back in its tank, but it just kept blinking away! After a few minutes, the poor dear suffocated. How can a fish do such complex magic?

We’re working on developing a spell to get this stuff out of their systems, but even if we can do that these changes are likely permanent. Twilight and her Ministry are already breathing down our necks about our test results, but won’t tell us why she cares so much. I’m not sure we’ll be able to reintroduce them into the local ecosystem safely. No pony is quite sure what we can do for them after they’re treated.

-Kettle Corn

“A fish learned to teleport before me. Why am I not surprised…” Scarlet muttered to herself. I noticed the mare's lips move as she read, silently pronouncing each word syllable by syllable.

I read over the mare's shoulder, finishing the entire message in the time it took the unicorn to finish the last paragraph. I got so caught up in the interesting recount of the past, that I didn’t realize I rested my hoof on Scarlet's shoulder.

Scarlet noticed.

I realized my mistake as she turned towards me and lashed out with her left hoof, striking me square in the chest. Confused and upset, I stumbled back a few feet, clutching my chest with a hoof.

My desire to shout my irritation or strike back went into remission as she stumbled back from me, eyes wide in shock. She was just as surprised she hit me as I was. I assumed the mare had some issues to work out from her time in slavery, but I didn’t think it was so severe, or consider how her time in bondage may affect her.

I spread my wings out and bowed slightly. “I’m sorry… I wasn’t thinking. I shouldn’t have even gotten so close to you, after your recent events. I should have known better.” Scarlet looked cross. Like she couldn’t decide between crying or tearing out my feathers. After an agonizingly long minute, I changed the subject. “I don’t hear anyone in the hall. Are you ready to get moving again?”

“Yeah… Yeah. Let's go.”

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The mutant animals of the hospital were easy to sneak around for the most part, but stealth is time-consuming. That’s fine in most cases, but we were running on borrowed time as it was. The longer we took, the more twitchy and tense Scarlet became.

I saw it countless times in the Enclave. The fear of losing someone important to you is powerful and will leave an undisciplined soldier unfocused and reckless. Every minute we lost not only edged Aella closer to death but made it more likely her companion would make a fatal mistake.

That is why when the unicorn told me her plan, I was skeptical. Only a unicorn could come up with something that crazy, and actually make it work.

Scarlet grinned like a mad mare as a deafening boom echoed from the southern wing. The explosion rocked the building as it tore apart walls and shattered windows. Terrified creatures ran in every direction, some moving to investigate the noise while others fled. Growling and snarling sounded toward the explosion site, mixing with high-pitched screes and flapping, leathery wings.

Scarlet's crazy plan was far from surgical, but it actually worked. She used a bomb made from bottlecaps of all things to blow a hole through the wall separating the rest of the building from the avian wing. The angry, endlessly hungry Bloodwings took out their aggression on the ground animals, filling the building with growls and skrees as they tore each other apart.

The distraction enabled us to slip through the chaos to the stairwell unnoticed, separating us from the frenzied animals with a sturdy metal door.

The plan was crazy but effective. I myself could never come up with such a dangerous plan. The risk to my life is simply too great for me to even see it as an option. But Scarlet was brave, willing to risk being torn apart by the angry creatures if it meant getting back to Aella in time. Such selflessness is liable to get her or someone else killed one day, and yet I couldn’t help but envy it.

When I first left the Enclave, I looked down on wastelanders. Saw them as uneducated, undisciplined barbarians, unable to measure up to even the poorest the pegasi had to offer. After being proven wrong the 20th time, the lesson finally stuck. Anyone who survives the trials of the wasteland is a survivor, a warrior. They’ve all had to overcome great adversity and danger to live their lives, and I’m ashamed of how long it took me to respect that.

Just like them, Scarlet knew what she was doing.

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Name: Flight Sargent Feather Free.
Objective: Asset acquisition: Return medicine to Whinnies Grove
Location: Dr. Fauna’s Clinic, Southern Trotten Island: 41°53'1"N 71°21'8"W.
Local time: 0751 hours.

I’ve never seen so much medicine in one place. Dusty shelves weighed down with potions, drugs, bandages and suture kits. Everything the workers here needed to treat any kind of wound or illness an animal could experience before Equestria fell. And animal medicine is not too far off from pony medicine.

There was an entire shelf dedicated to treating and preventing radiation poisoning, and not a single bag or bottle was out of place. Packets full of orange-colored, (And tasting, for reasons I’ll never understand) RadAway filled most of the space, along with several bottles of Rad Safe, and even half a dozen packs of the lighter-colored radiation treatment Radpurge, RadAways hypoallergenic cousin.

To ponies before the war, these were an afterthought. Something kept around “just in case.” Use cases were rare, and only associated with magical research accidents or powerplant malfunctions. These days a ground pony is lucky if one of these pouches isn’t the difference between life and death.

And it was ours to with as we please. It didn’t belong to the most important politicians, or the most gifted, loyal soldiers. Every sick pony would get what they needed, starting with Aella Breeze.

I pulled a duffle out of my saddlebags and got to looting. Scarlet followed suit, loading her own bags with Radsafe and Radaway, as well as some hyper restoration potions, a long bulky syringe labelled “Hydra,” healing bandages, and over-the-counter painkillers.

When our bags were full, there was still an impressive supply of drugs in the room. Scarlet was annoyed that she couldn’t carry anymore, but I was very insistent that if she packed anymore she’d be walking back to Whinnies Grove. Someone in the future will have the chance to scavenge the life-saving supplies

We had what we needed and more. All that was left was to get back safely. But of course, even the most thoughtfully laid plans never go smoothly.

“Down!” Scarlet hissed softly. She scrambled under the table, with her magical grip pulling me along behind her. I gave her a curious look as we hid under the table, not daring to speak until I knew what was happening. The seasoned scavenger pointed a hoof towards her ear, then out to the hall.

My ears twitched as I focused on the hallway outside. The sounds of battle upstairs had grown silent sometime ago, but there was something… a light buzz at first, but as the seconds lumbered by I could just barely make it out. A muffled conversation. One coming toward us.

I gave the mare a thankful nod as we both strained to listen in. That was the second time she’d saved me from my lack of perception.

“If Her Highness requests more materials for her work and the treatment of our workers, then she will get it! It is not our place to question the necessity of volume or anything else! So we will simply get what she has demanded of us, and return home! If only the drugs would show themselves!” The growling voice of a mare complained.

The gentle clip-clop of at least 8 hooves came down the hallway toward us, blocking our only exit. Our only chance was to stay hidden until they passed, or failing that, attempt to fight the pair of ponies using the doorway as a choke point.

“You are correct, Lady Cinder. We believe that the substances in this disgusting ruin will aid our Mistress in succeeding, as every success seems to bring more power to her and her followers. While we struggle to understand the need to use mere ponies for battle when she has the perfection of my sisters and I at her disposal, it is not our place to question our Godde-we mean Mistress.”

Two ponies entered the room, only visible from the bottom of their barrel down. The first was orange, with highlights of yellow and red throughout. She wore a power hoof on her leg, an arcano-tech gauntlet built to augment the users punching strength. The other pony was much larger, with a perfectly groomed deep purple coat.

The little one was a unique kind of freaky only the wasteland could create. Her irises flickered and glowed like candles as her eyes scanned the room with an uncaring gaze. Her mane and tail matched her heated atheistic; a mess of matted orange and red strands hanging down to her shoulders. The most unsettling part was how clean her coat was. She wore no barding, but not only was her coat clean of dust, she didn’t have a scratch on her. How could an earth pony travel the wastes unarmored and barely armed be so pristine?

Then there was the other one. She was scary in the obvious sense. A walking, talking wasteland legend. Or nightmare. An alicorn. Terrifying creatures made from twisted magic. While they weren’t puppets of their creators anymore, they were still unstable, fanatical creatures with far too much power for their own good. Understanding the danger they pose to the wasteland is the only thing I and the Steel Rangers agree on.

A surge of energy filled the room as her horn shimmered purple, summing balls of light to brighten the room. Even a simple illumination spell with the raw power of an alicorn behind it electrically charged the air. It would be so much harder to fight than any bloodwing. Maybe that’s why “Lady Cinder” was so untouched by her wasteland. Her pet monster was strong enough to protect her from it.

“It appears someone was in here. Some of the products seem to have been misappropriated. We have no doubt it relates to the fighting we heard upstairs on the way in. Perhaps this will be enough too-”

“Absolutely not! If the pony thieves are still in this building, I want their heads! I want those drugs! Her Highness requested that I get everything in here, and I will obey!” The smaller pony reared up to get in the alicorn's face, making her top half disappear from my view.

Rather than responding in words, the larger pony simply floated a small container of mints out from her saddle bag, giving her three of them. That kind of dose would kill anyone other than a longtime addict, or someone with an alicorn level metabolism.

Cinder smiled as she chewed the candy-coated drugs. After swallowing them and taking a long breath, she became far more collected and reasonable. “Gather what you can find. I’ll sweep the building for our wayward scavengers. It’d be a shame if they escaped with so much of the supplies, but we don’t have time to hunt for them. The longer we linger, the more time we have for your sisters from the north have to try and take this shit from us.”

“My sisters are merely doing their best, as shortsighted as they are. But I agree, if the alicorns Count Specter saw were Followers of the Apocalypse, then they’re likely after these supplies.”

I got a good look at the lead mares cutiemark as she left. It left me feeling confused and a little sick. It looked like a burn scar, though there was no way to tell if the mark itself was a burn, or if her original mark had been burned away.

⚕️⚕️⚕️⚕️⚕️

The alicorn packed up her supplies with impressive speed, even when you take the magic into account. Less than five minutes later she threw her packed duffles across her bag and took off. Once the alicorn was out of sight, Scarlet took off two.

“Scarlet, slow down!” Terror drove the unicorn forward faster than her body should be able to move, making even my toned pegasus form struggle to keep pace. Her pace started out manageable, as she moved cautiously through the building with me at her heels. Until the fighting started somewhere above us. Magical blasts and bursts of lightning rang across the sky, seasoned with the screams and taunts of the combatants. I had no doubt it was the alicorn on alicorn combat the scavengers were worried about. The way the building shook and groaned from their skirmish, it probably wouldn’t survive it much longer.

She moved slowly at first, with the care I expected from her by that point. Then we heard fighting above. Magical blasts and bursts of lightning with screams and taunts peppered in. Alicorn on alicorn combat, just as Cinder and her monster feared. Fighting over medical supplies meant to help creatures bordered on ironic, but it was sad more than anything.

I’m as wary of alicorns as the next sensible pony, but Scarlet bordered on terrified. It was easy to understand why. She was clearly a slave at some point, and Fillydelphia was at the center of Equestria’s slave trade for years. Red Eye employed the most terrifying pony and griffon enforces around to run his operations, but he also had several wings of alicorns under his control. If Scarlet spent time in Filly, Celestia knows the horrors she saw those beasts enact first hoof.

We stopped in front of a pile of desks and furniture blocking off the southern stairwell, opting to take the shorter path knowing we could clear the debris. Scarlet’s magic got to work, levitating the makeshift blockade free so she could run back to the roof.

“Free, we gotta go! Any alicorn willing to fight her own do-gooder sisters is not a pony we can afford to be at odds with. If they find us here, we die. A single spell, and there won’t even be bodies left to find! So we need to get out of here, before we-”

“Address our biases toward the most evolved, powerful, intelligent creatures to exist since the princesses themselves?” The voice rang in our ears as the door swung open, unveiling a smirking green alicorn. Her horn crackled with dark, rainbow-colored energy. “You got the part about not having a chance right. You stole from us, and I am your penance.”

We walked backward slowly as I emptied my rifle in the monster's direction. Of course, there was little point. The shots struck harmlessly against a wall of green energy. Of course, halfway through the clip the fucking thing jammed. The alicorn still wearing that shit-eating grin. “Oh, I just love the way ponies' minds race as they try to find a way to beat me. Once in a while one even has a good idea! Of course, my knowing the idea makes it useless by default. Don’t bother trying little ponies, this is the end for you.”

As a bolt of dark rainbow lightning shot toward Scarlet and me, I was sure we were dead. But as we closed our eyes and held our breaths, nothing happened. We did not writhe in pain as electricity shot through our bodies, just as her past victims had surely done.

When I opened my eyes, there were two more of them. A green alicorn with strange, purple hair and heavy black armor, and a purple one, wearing the ministry of peace symbol on the flank of its barding. Their horns glowed in a mix of green and purple, projecting a magical shield between us and our attacker.

They… were helping us.

Or they were trying. Even working together, they were struggling against the attacking alicorn's magic. They were covered in fresh cuts and burns from their ongoing battle, while the lightning wielder was far less worse for ware. The creatures protecting us were going to lose, and at least one of them knew it.

“Midnight Skies, I’m sorry. This is not a fight we’re fated to win.” Sweat rolled down the purple one's face, struggling even to speak as she focused on her magic.

“No, sister, you-”

The purple alicorn cut its green sister off. “Be safe, and tell the Followers what happened here. Live well.” It blinded us with a powerful flash of purple, and everything was gone.

⚕️⚕️⚕️⚕️⚕️

Name: Flight Sargent Feather Free.
Objective: Asset acquisition: Return medicine to Whinnies Grove
Location: Whinnies Grove, Southern Trotten Island: 37°17’"N 124°23'34"W..
Local time: 0837 hours.

We were teleported. Before Scarlet and I could even understand what the alicorns were fighting about, what was happening, the entire building was gone. And I felt sick as a dog. I was dizzy and disoriented, and a pegasus should not be able to feel unicorn magic pulsing through their body! Teleporting has to be the worst way to travel. It’s like flying through rings at full speed, but instead of a pony-sized ring, you’re flying through a silly straw! Magic and feathers just do not mix.

The alicorn's spell spat us out in a wheat field near Whinnies Grove, just a short trot from the town gate. Scarlet and I were sprawled out on the ground as we struggled to get our bearings. The alicorn that was blinked with us stood a few feet away, perfectly upright. And perfectly still. Its face was pale as it stared at the horizon, in the direction of the building we just escaped. No doubt reflecting on the purple alicorn that no doubt just gave up its life for the three of us.

Scarlet rose first, the unicorn being more used to wild outbursts of magic. In an impressive act of bravery, she trotted right up to the alicorn and rested a hoof on its shoulder. It blew me away, how willing she was to be close to it given how terrified she was just minutes before. “Thank you... for saving us. I’m sorry about what happened to your friends. But I’d really appreciate knowing what the fuck just happened? Why were you all fighting one another, aren’t you sisters?”

The alicorn sighed and lowered its head. “We are… but not sisters in the way you’re thinking, Scarlet. And family can be complicated. We all want different things, and some of us want someone to follow or want to continue our mother's work. I have no idea what they want or who they’re working with, but I know I need to end them. My sisters can’t have died for nothing. I’ll be fine, don’t worry.” The alicorn looked down at Scarlet and smiled. “Knowing they’re working with this Count Specter asshat is useful, so thanks for making the slaver connection for us, cutie.”

That was when I remembered that the monster grieving just feet away could hear my thoughts. Unfortunately being anxious about what I was thinking only made it harder to try and police my thoughts. You can’t be too careful around a sad alicorn. One wrong move, one thought it found annoying, and it could crush my skull under its hooves like a walnut.

Scarlet on the over hoof was blushing from the tiny compliment the alicorn paid her. It knew how vulnerable she was to praise, and had no problem manipulating her with it. “I- um… y-yeah. You’re welcome. Listen, I’d love to stay and chat, but we really gotta go. Our friend has radiation poisoning, and-”

“Go save her. Friends are the most important thing in the world. Whatever you do, protect yours. I gotta go make sure the Followers know what happened here.”

Its wings unfurled as it stood up, readying itself to take off.

“Wait, what’s your name!?” Scarlet asked before it could leave

“I’m Midnight Skies. One of the only alicorn “sisters” who identifies as a brother, so I’m hard to forget. I’ll see you around.”

⚕️⚕️⚕️⚕️⚕️

Name: Flight Sargent Feather Free.
Objective: Complete.
Location: Whinnies Grove, Southern Trotten Island: 37°17’"N 124°23'34"W..
Local time: 1900 hours.

I’ve decided to join up with Aella Breeze and Scarlet Keeper as a member of their crew. At first, this decision was driven by my desire to help people and the light I could feel from within the two ponies. How genuine their hopes and dreams of saving others were, and how finding the panacea, the cure to all ailments could help restore civilization to the wasteland.

Of course, there is the other reason. Aella Breeze has in her possession a wealth of advanced technology on her person, in the hands of a raider could kill many ponies. But the airship, her so-called “Sky Sailor” creates even more risk. The naive hippogriff doesn’t even seem to realize the threat it poses to the wasteland if it’s weaponized. I can’t even imagine it myself. For the sake of what’s left of Equestria, I will ensure that the ship remains secure, or failing that, destroy it entirely. The pure-hearted nature of hippogriffs had them rarely consider how their casual use of dangerous magical technology could be misused if someone more militaristic or sadistic got ahold of it.

If the technology was reverse-engineered somehow… I don’t even wanna think about it.

And so I’ll join up with the wayward duo, protecting them from the wasteland, and the wasteland from their technology. With a bit more help, we may actually be able to find the holy grail of medicine.

Footnotes:
A level up for reading reading? It can be good for learning new skills, or refining what you already know, but it isn’t enough for a level up. It does give you insight into Feather Frees's motivations, and it gave you and Scarlet something to do together, so that’s something!

Author's Note

Chapter updated! 11/10/23

Streamlined events
Removed third person POV
Fixed error that caused character POV changes to get confusing
Improved password protection
Removed herobrine

Chapter 7: Blinding Vision

Fallout Equestria: Endless Horizon

Chapter 7: Blinding Vision

The taste of rancid oranges on my tongue made me gag as I did my best to down my third pack of Radaway that hour. I hardly noticed when Free forced the first one into me in my feverish state. Once I had it in my system my condition started to improve.

I wasn't dying, but I felt like butt. I was covered in annoying little cuts and bruises, and it hurt to breathe deeply. My hind leg was mostly healed at least, so walking wouldn't prove too difficult. All in all, I was just tired. Tired of being hurt. Tired of losing patches of my coat... If I kept it up I'd be a bald hippogriff! I didn't have the skill to regrow my entire coat with transformation magic! Free (who got a feather hug from me the moment I saw him, of course) suggested I rest for at least a day before we get moving again. Not an easy task for one as energetic as me, but at least I was in my own bed. I got to drink my own coffee, and read my own books. It made things easier.

My prize for surviving radiation sickness was getting a firm talking to from Free, and a letter from Doctor Heartly about wasteland survival. As a hippogriff, I'm more vulnerable to radiation, and my heightened sensitivity to magic makes that even worse. I had to be more careful than most. Carry a respirator, use Rad-Safe, and keep an eye on my Geiger counter. Doctor Heartly also suggested I adjust my Pip-buck to account for the weakness. It was easy to change the resistance coefficient, but I had no idea what to set it to. I cut it by half, to be safe.

Free officiality asked me if he could join us now that his contract with Whinnies Grove was done, and things were getting back to normal. While I still didn’t trust him, I let him come. I kinda had no choice. It felt wrong to let my biases toward his ancestors affect my opinion of him. That wasn't the kind of person I wanted to be. He seemed like a nice pony. He helped save my life, he and Scarlet got along well enough, and he even made sure we got paid for helping the town.

A novasurge rifle was slung over my back. A sleek, long rifle painted black. Several gems lined the barrel, waiting to magically charge shots that it could no longer produce. It was in rough shape, sporting several cracks and dents along its body. The weapon not powering on did nothing to kill my excitement. With my brain and my claws, I can fix anything! A busted-up rifle? Piece of cake. Soon, I'd have one of the most advanced magical energy weapons Equestria ever developed at my disposal!

Free gave it to me as part of our payment. A relic he kept from his time serving the Enclave. I think he also gave it to me to show us and himself that he'd left that part of his life behind, that he wasn't an enclave pegasus anymore. We also got a bag of caps that I let Scarlet deal with, (Cause that's what money is, as everyone knows. Obviously.) and a hoofdrawn thankyou card from the foals. It was adorable! I couldn't stop fussing over it. They made stick ponies of Scarlet and me, with a geyser going off behind us. A bunch of thank yous were messily written along the sides. I kept it at my side the entire time I was recovering.

Free was amazed at the technological marvel that was my ship. From my perspective, the technology and talisman used weren't all that special or advanced, but I could understand how it would look to an Equestrian pony. Even the Enclaves tech didn't meet our standards in some regards. Developing new technology is a lot easier without the resource constraints they have in the sky. He asked loads of questions, and actually seemed to understand some of the answers!

Free was most excited about the clinic. diagnosis equipment, various machines, and most importantly it was sterile. He was so excited to be working in a functional (mostly) stocked clinic. It was his first time having a proper workspace since he came to the wasteland. He was intent on giving Scarlet and I physicals. Me to make sure I was healing well, and both of us so that he could have an idea of our overall health and underlying conditions. An 'intake appointment' he called it.

I had no problem having a physical done. It had been a few years since I'd seen a doctor, so it was probably worth checking out. Plus, I could teach the buck about the differences between pony and hippogriff anatomy! He was eager to learn what I managed to retain from school, and for everything else I had textbooks!

Scarlet wasn't receptive to the idea. She had some trust issues, especially around stallions. She hated anything that would make her feel exposed or vulnerable. I couldn't blame her. She'd probably dealt with some horrible things throughout her life. The wasteland was a dangerous place for a mare on her own.

I stripped out of my tattered barding and plopped myself onto the same low-sat bed I was in after the crash. Free was about to hook me up to the medical terminal to get an idea of how my body was doing on the inside. I motioned at my Pip-buck with a chirp, and he smiled sheepishly.

"Pony feathers... I really wanted to use it..." The buck got started with his exam, starting with my chest. The entire left side of my breast was a mess of bumpy, dark-coloured scar tissue. I felt a bit like crying as he told me he didn't think my coat would ever grow back there. It was nothing to wasteland standards. A flesh wound. But it was a big deal to me. Not even a week in Equestria and I was disfigured. I wondered how much worse things could get before my quest was over. If I could even succeed at all... If I was back home my sister would help me shapeshift it to normal flesh when it was healed better, but even with transformation magic, it would never be quite right.

The bullet wound on my flank healed slowly, but I wouldn't have any visible scars from it. The wound was scabbed over and already had a few hairs growing back in. I was battered, but I tried to focus on the fact that I was still alive. I'd recover with few complications. Only because others stepped in to save me. If I could save my sister's life, my people, it would be worth all of the pain I'd endure.

After checking my temperature, heart rate, and blood pressure I was finished. Well, the physical was. He did want to take a look at my beak, talons, and wings, mostly out of curiosity. Apparently, I had longer thinner feathers than pegasi did, and my talons were more brittle than griffons. Not sure if that matters for anything though. He didn't comment on the wounds on my wing, other than that it was healing well. The feathers I'd lost would be good as new soon.

That reminded me that I needed a bath and to preen my wings. I couldn't remember the last time I'd preened my wings, so it had to belong overdue. A body needs just as much care and maintenance as any other machine or piece of equipment, after all.

“Your fever broke, and your Pipbuck isn’t showing any radiation in your system. Your vitals all look good." He said as he looked at the monitor above the bed. It got constant updates from my Pip-buck and implant, everything from vitals to neurological function. "You need to keep it easy on that leg though. The bullet wound will slow you down. Try to use it regularly so it doesn’t stiffen up, but don’t put all of your weight on it either. It fractured one of the bones, so we don’t want that to get any worse.”

“Hah, that might actually be a problem, feather brain. Aella here spends as much time as she can in the air.” Scarlet quipped with a laugh. If Feather Free was bothered by the lazy insult, it didn’t show. He simply nodded, taking a moment to feel the muscles in and around my wings. He seemed content with my overall health and physique.

Armed with a fresh bill of health and a persistent headache I slid off the bed. The buck had done so much for me. Helped get the medicine to treat my sickness and patch me up. Coming along to keep an eye on us, and help me save my people. Having a medical expert would give us an incalculable edge on our journey. I wrapped my arms around Free, overcome by the urge to hug him. The little buck stammered for a moment as I have his soft coat a nuzzle.

Scarlet sneered a bit as I pulled out of the hug. The charismatic mare trotted past us with a huff and sat her flank on the bed. She glared at the confused buck expectantly. "Well? You wanted to look me over."

The show of trust made Free smile a bit. "Sure, let's get started. Would you mind removing your barding so I can get started?" The crudely armoured jumpsuit I'd given her was peeled away, leaving only the mare underneath.

A story of pain and suffering was engraved across her body. Long shallow scars. Short, deeper wounds still struggling to heal. Blotches of purple and green bruising. Mangy fur marred with bald patches that would never heal. All skillfully hidden under her barding or rags up until that point. I'd never realized how thin she was before. Scarlet kept her face on the floor, out of shame or embarrassment.

The mare's body told a story of pain and suffering worse than anything I could imagine. Her back was a mess of long shallow scars, with the odd short deep one cutting sideways. There were blotches of bruising that never managed to heal properly, leaving patches of purple and green flesh covered in a layer of thin grey hair. Her limbs and flank weren't much better. Her coat was mangy, with various bald spots through it. Scarlet kept her eyes cast down at the floor, looking solemn. She didn't want me to see it, and I couldn't understand why. Was she ashamed? Embarrassed? Maybe she just didn't want pity. That was something I could understand.

I always assumed Scarlet's cuts and nicks were from years in the wasteland. I also assumed that her being captured and enslaved was a one-time occurrence that she'd escaped from. I assumed a lot and was wrong about all of it. Years of whippings and malnourishment were etched and burned right into her flesh.

The only thing I was sure of at that moment was that this little pony that saved my life was hurting. She put so much effort into hiding the fact. My heart bled for her. I staggered to her with a gasp and wrapped my arms and wings around her tightly. She slowly put a hoof around me, but kept staring down. Tears were streaming down my face. If she wasn't going to cry, then I'd cry for her. It was all I could do.

She let me hold her for about a minute before she pulled from my embrace. “I’m sorry I didn’t say anything. It’s just… I don’t want to be seen as just another escaped slave in the wasteland, that isn’t who I am. I’m a trader, I’m an explorer, I don't… want my time in Fillydelphia, or anywhere else back then to define me. Not when I’m finally free of it all.”

Scarlet's history was long and sad. She was enslaved as a filly and forced to work on rock farms or factories, sold from one place to another. She got a taste of freedom a few years later when she escaped a mining camp out east. She was captured again when a raider clan attacked a village she was staying in. Sold to the worst pony to walk the wastes in ages. Red Eye. The charismatic ruler of Filly was dead now, but the wounds he left on the wasteland would never heal. An entire city built on the backs of slaves. She escaped Fillydephia sometime later. She wasn't willing to go into the how of it all. Just that it ended with a lot of dead friends, and an ocean of blood. A single tear ran down her face as she finished. I sat next to her with my wing draped over her shoulder.

“Let's just… Get this exam over with ok? I don’t want to think about this, iI just... I want it all to be gone. I need to keep moving forward.”

I didn’t pay any attention to Scarlet's physical. I couldn't. Too many emotions to process. Too many thoughts shooting off at light speed. I was told one story, but I heard two. One was the story of someone I was growing to care about, fighting for her right to be free in a world stacked against her. One was the echo of the story. The countless ponies who had been through similar experiences. The ones who hadn't been lucky enough to find their freedom.

The wasteland was scary. Cruel. A place devoid of light and love. Even after the Lightbringer brought hope to the ponies below, there was still so much suffering. It terrified me. It broke my heart.

-🖂︎🖂︎🖂︎-

Hey Aqua

I hope everything is ok back home. Things here have been… rough. But not terrible. My new friend Scarlet and I helped save a farm town. Their water was broken, and we fixed it. They were so happy… The foals even made us a card hahah. It’ll all be detailed in my official reports, so don’t worry you’ll hear everything!

Wasn’t all fun and games though. I was shot twice. I got radiation sickness. It was pretty rough. But I made a real difference. I’ve… never felt happy or fulfilled with my life before. Sure back home my work made me feel challenged and kept me busy, but this… Travelling around and saving people. Seeing their smiles. People are capable of great evil… But we can do good, too. So that’s what I wanna do. Of course, I’m still going to work to find a way to help you all, but… My journey, the suffering of our people can all mean something more. I think I can make the wasteland a better place while I’m here. I have to try. There are heroes here, just like in the stories! Countless individuals and groups of friends who make life better for those around them. Lights in the darkness. I want to be part of that.

I’ll stay safe. With my friends beside me, I know I can overcome whatever this tainted, radioactive country has to throw at us. I love you sis. Stay safe.

-Aella Breeze, Technical Apprentice H-71

*** *** ***

Scarlet's plan to get us to Vision was simple. With the Skystar being unreliable under the cloud curtain, we'd have to leave it behind. We parked it in Whinnies Grove, hoping it'd be able to get a decent charge from the town's limited sunlight before we got back. The train was going to come through to bring back the merchants and their spoils, so all we had to do was ride the rails up to Vision when it arrived!

We were as ready to brave the wastes as we could be. We packed food, meds, water, ammo. Free wore his Black combat armour, carbine snug against his side. Despite having his own pair of wings the pegasus seemed content to trot along beside Scarlet and me. I was too busy trying to unknot the mess of emotions in my chest to fly. It was like untangling cables if you weren't willing to look at them while you worked. Scarlet had her new pump-action shotgun we’d got from the pump station slung over her shoulder, and a new set of leather armour she’d been gifted by the owner of the general store. ‘Whinnies Grove General’ was embroidered on the breast of the armour. Apparently, adventurers made for good advertisement. I made sure to give both of their weapons a once over before we left. Scarlets was in dire need of a good cleaning and oiling, while Free's was well maintained. I wouldn't expect anything less from an army buck.

I had my new broken Nova Surge Rifle hung at my side. Its long slender frame was mostly intact, with just a few dents and scratches. The black and green paint it had been previously was chipping away, but I didn't mind. I planned on painting it purple to match my wings anyway. It didn’t have any discernible trigger, so it was probably controlled through a spell matrix, like EFS or SATS, built into the enclave's power armour. I’d probably be able to wire it to my Pipbuck. From there I’d be able to fire it with my neural interface. Finally a use for that stupid implant my father forced me to get as a foal.

I’d also gotten myself some better barding before leaving Whinnies Grove. I’d grabbed another set of utility barding from the ship, these ones a deep forest green, which the nice lady at the general store armoured with heavy leather padding for me. The deep green with the dark leather went really well with my look, thankfully! And it was a lot safer than just wearing barding, of course.

Despite my best efforts, my mind kept trying to wonder as we made our way to the train station. The nightmares and memories I suffered through while I was sick were fresh in my mind, and I was having a hard time pushing them back down again. It was like I was treading water. Every memory was a wave that threatened to flood my lungs and pull me into the briny deep. Not a great metaphor considering I can breathe underwater, but that's how it felt. My friends were worried for me, I think. Scarlet kept glancing over at me when she thought I wasn't paying attention. Free checked up on me every couple hours, or sooner if I started to cough or limp.

When she wasn't worried about me, Scarlet was regaling the farmers with the story of what happened at the animal clinic. The ponies enjoyed the distraction from the dull ride to the train station, and everyone got super into it. It seemed everyone was starved for entertainment in the wasteland, and sharing the details of a good adventure was perfect to alleviate the boredom.

Hearing it all again made me feel worse. They'd risked their lives for me. Ponies died! It didn't feel far. I'd need to find a way to make it up to them. It did bring up the question of why the alicorn creatures were fighting one another, and who the unusual earth pony was. I didn't have enough wasteland experience to even attempt to find the answers though.

The feathers on my head and wings drooped as we stood on the train platform. The rain had come on suddenly, and seemingly out of nowhere. A group of farmers were with us, already sending up another load of their crops. These ones were mostly canned goods to keep them preserved. There was no overhang for us to get out of the steady rain falling on us. My friends had decided that the best thing to do was have me stretch out my wings so they could sit under them. Better only one of us get soaked than everypony, I guess. Well, Rumble was getting wet too but the little bot wasn't as bothered by it.

Finally, the train rolled up and we could all get out of the rain. The farm ponies waved and nodded to us as they got to work offloading their goods and getting their spoils from the merchants. After just 15 minutes, the farmers were driving their spark wagon home while the merchants inventoried the crates of canned goods in the boxcar.

We found a cozy table to sit at in the passenger cart, where we'd be spending most of the journey. The walls were metal, rusted with peeling red paint in spots. The cabin was lit by weak gem lights in the ceiling, flickering when the train rumbled back and forth every so often. It was a sad atmosphere on the outside, but the existence of the functioning train itself was a marvel.

Tired from the journey we all enjoyed our breakfasts in silence. Between the train workers and the heavy turrets on each car, it was probably the most secure land vehicle on the planet. It's not like there's any chance of somepony getting a tank up and running or anything. Scarlet even broke out one of the bottles of wing Pear blossom had gifted us, which she was enjoying immensely. The merchants sat a few rows back from us, quietly chatting about their own recent adventures or things they'd heard about on the radio. I mostly tuned them out.

I was much more interested in the trains speaker system. It was playing the same station that had charmed me in Pearl's bar. It was pretty quiet but added a lovely energy to the otherwise dull space. Especially when Sapphire Shores' sweet voice came across the airwaves. When the song ended, the sweet silky vocals were replaced with the charismatic radio host, DJ Pon-3. I quite enjoyed his attitude and demeanour and appreciated when he gave advice on wasteland survival. I had to learn everything I could.

Good evening everypony, it’s your favourite radio DJ here to bring you the latest news from across the wasteland, no matter how bad it hurts. New Appaloosa is on the road to recovery since they were attacked by what's left of Old Appaloosa. Assistance from the Applejacks Rangers, Followers, and some local pegasi citizens has expedited the process and has the town feeling a whole lot safer. That's right, Velvet Remedy's little group is finally getting their hooves off the ground, now employing dozens of alicorns, ponies, and even the odd griffon of all creatures! Need to make some caps? They're always looking for more hooves. Now I know the first instinct of most folk when they see an alicorn is to go in guns blazing or head for the hills, but a lot of these folks are just trying to make up for the bullshit their goddess put us all through. So try not to shoot 'em on sight, alright? Not that you'd be able to take them on, anyway.

In other news, word in the west is that a pair of mares saved the farming settlement of Whinnies Grove from their choice of radiation sickness or dehydration. See, the place was on the brink! No Rad Away, no Radsafe, not a drop of clean water in sight. That is until these heroes flew in on their airship to take their water plant back from a pack of Iron Stead Raiders! That's not all, see one of ‘em is an honest-to-goddess Hippogriff! I couldn’t make this shit up if I tried my little ponies. If you see The Captain and her crew flying around in that shiny boat, give ‘em a friendly wave for me would ya? Keep fightin’ the good fight, girls.

With the news out of the way, I leave you with the lovely sounds of your favourite medical pony, Velvet Remedy.

I was on the radio? I was on the radio. I was on the radio!

“I was on the radio!” I said with a smile as I leapt from my seat. Scarlet giggled, with Free just smiling a bit. “How-how-how did he know? Did someone tell him? How did he know so much about what happened? I thought he was on the other side of the country? This just happened two days ago! I-I-I-I-”

Scarlet giggle gave way to hysterical laughter as she thumped the table with her hoof. “I think the voice of the wasteland broke her.” She joked, much to Frees amusement. After a few more seconds of laughing, she did her best to fill me in. “No ponies really sure how the DJ knows what he knows, but he’s been reporting the news across the wasteland since before the war. Lotta theories how, I personally think he’s a ghoul. Love the idea of a ghoul living among those stuck-up pricks in Manehattan, hahah..”

I sat back down in my seat, a smile still plastered on my face. “Wow… I’ve… I’ve never been noticed by any pony before... o-or appreciated. Not by anypony who wasn’t family… Oh no, what if ponies start to recognize me!? I’m probably the only Hippogriff in the country, I don’t like being the center of attention!”

Scarlet continued to giggle. Free rested a hoof on my shoulder. "It'll be fine. Most of the wasteland won't even know what a hippogriff is. And besides, it's pretty early. Odds are good nopony heard the broadcast anyway." The kind buck reasoned.

That… was a good point. Most ponies just seemed to think I was some kind of griffon, which wasn’t far from accurate. The broadcast had brought up something that I’d been curious about since Pearls bar but hadn’t had a chance to bring up. “Caps?” I asked to the confusion of my companions. After a moment I realized how broad and random the statement was, and explained. “Caps are used as currency? That is… that is your money?”

Scarlet still looked confused, but Free just chuckled. “It was a bit of a surprise for me too. Up above the clouds they’re still using bits. Was shocked when I found out a can of soup would run me 26 caps.” Scarlet raised her eyebrows in shock. Apparently, that was a lot? “It was Tenpony Tower, prices there are… Ugh, yeah.”

“Tenpony tower?”

This time it was Scarlet who filled in the blanks. “Some booshy ass settlement in Manehattan. Bunch of primping asshat wearing aristocrats. Fucking assholes is what they are.” She followed up her answer with a long swig of pear wine. She had some very strong opinions on those people.

“Right... Anyway, caps. Why caps? I understood bits, more or less. The government made a currency for trade to be convenient, it represents the value of gold, capitalism blah blah blah, that all kinda makes sense. But who in the wasteland decided one day, let's use bottle caps for money? ”

Scarlet just kind of shrugged. “It’s how it’s always been, I don’t really know why. I’m sure someone in the wasteland somewhere understands it, but I don’t. My father probably would have known, I heard he was a decent trader. I just roll with the punches.”

“It makes sense in a strange way.” Our medic interjected. “They’re rare, but not super rare. They’re easy to identify, hard to counterfeit. It’s likely they tried different things, and bottlecaps just happened to work.”

I nodded to the feathered buck. He was right of course. When put that way it almost made sense. But from an outside perspective, I still found it very very stupid. Makes more sense than paper money, or trying to use bits again though. Surely there are better things to barter with, even items as simple as ammo and drugs.

I sighed and laid my head down on the table. I’d had enough learning about caps for the day. Caps hurt my brain.

Instead, I watched the sheets of rain pour over The Greater Trottingham area. Despite the thunder and lightning being far off, every time the sky flashed or rumbled made my feathers stand on end. I tried to pretend that my friends didn't notice how uncomfortable each strike made me.

I spent most of the train trip sleeping. I was still exhausted from my recent run-in with death, and it wasn't like there was much else to do on a train. Without nightmares haunting me I manage to get some actual rest

*** *** ***

The following evening started with the worst wake-up call of my life. I went from a lovely dream about a cute pegasus mare to nearly being flung from my seat. I gave a startled yelp as the train lurched. Scarlet wrapped a hoof around my semi-conscious form to keep me in my seat.

Feather Free spoke before I could even ask what was happening. “I’ve never taken the train before, but this doesn’t seem normal.” He stated with a note of concern. Scarlet confirmed his suspicions.

“I swear if a vehicle I’m in is getting struck by lightning again…” I muttered under my breath. I narrowed my eyes at the storm that was now raging above us. It was a small miracle it hadn’t woken me from my sleep. Every 15 seconds or so there’d be a bright flash from above, followed by the sound of a cannon going off.

As we got up from our seats one of the train ponies galloped in from the cargo area, charging towards the engine. I waved a wing to get his attention. “Is everything ok, why are we stopping?”

The young charcoal-coloured buck shook his head. “Rockslide from the storm. Tracks up ahead are buried. The conductor's worried being stuck here will make us a target for bandits, so we're securing the area. Keep your guns close just in case.” Without another word, the buck rushed off to the engine.

None of us needed convincing as we double-checked our weapons. It seemed unlikely anypony would come after the train though. Between the laws saying ponies weren’t allowed to, and the giant guns on the roof. Both very powerful deterrents.

What was likely was that we’d be there for a while. The train ponies weren’t going to try and clear the track until the weather improved, but nopony knew when that could be. The conductor radioed Vision to ask for aid, but they weren’t willing to send any ponies out into the terrible storm either.

There really wasn’t much we could do at that point. It could be faster to go the rest of the way on foot, but I had no desire to go for a walk in the rain. For all I knew, the sky was trying to kill me! Did the Light Bringer somehow have it out for me? Or was I just the unluckiest mare in Equestria?

We settled on heading out once the lightning died down. I wanted to stay on the train and wait, but Scarlet insisted we keep moving. I wasn’t excited about trudging through mud and rain for the rest of the… day? I was pretty sure it was late morning, but the stormy sky was nearly black. A clock appeared in the corner of my EFS for a moment, prompted by my curiosity. Oh wow, 7pm. Way off.

We all saddled up, wrapping ourselves in crude ponchos made of old tarps. It was better than nothing. While my friends debated the best route to take on foot, as apparently, a straight line was not an option, I found a corner to sit in. I know I wasn’t any safer from pending lightning strikes in a corner, but it made me feel a bit better.

After an hour of waiting, we were off. The wind was terrible, to the point where fighting it to fly over the mud wasn’t worth the energy. I landed beside Scarlet and Free panting and shivering. Free chuckled, finding entertainment in me trying and failing to fly in the harsh weather.

Even the light of Pipbuck, horn, and flashlight hardly made a dent in the darkness. We only had 5 meters of visibility at any time, often less when the rain or hail decided to come down harder. Trotting through the sopping mud quickly soured my mood and sapped my energy. My coat and feathers were caked in mud halfway up my legs and tail. We all were. The longer we walked, the less talkative and more grumpy everypony became.

Every few minutes a bolt of lightning would come a little too close for comfort, making me squawk or wince. After two or three scares I ended up having to explain to my companions about the crash that led me to meet Specter. I didn’t want them thinking I was a little filly afraid of a storm. I was almost fully grown! Once they were caught up my friends understood why I was still a bit twitchy in rough weather.

After only an hour, the three of us were soaked to the bone, chattering from the damp cold, and generally miserable. We decided to divert our route to try and find someplace to get out of the cold.

It wouldn’t be hard to find shelter in the ruined suburb of Trottingham. Finding intact shelter, however... Most of the houses on the outskirts were too ruined to be a decent shelter. All missing walls, roofs, or simply filled in with rubble. As we were heading down the street toward more intact houses, I noticed something flickering in the distance. It was hard to see through my water-covered goggles, but…

“Guys, I see a fire?” I half-shouted over the rain. Both of them stopped to look at me, then followed my gaze. I felt a tug on my tail as I continued to trot, almost making me trip into the sloppy ground. Scarlet dropped my tail from her mouth, before fixing me with a stare.

“We can’t just go over there! We don’t know who’s fire it is. It could be a raider camp, slavers, it-”

“It could be a trader or some travellers like us too! I’m not saying walk up and say hello, we can get close and take a look at them. At the very least I’ll be able to check them out on EFS.”

Scarlet still looked hesitant, but Free flew in for the save. “I agree with Aella. She has a Pipbuck, we should make use of it. If they’re not hostile, it could be nice to sit and get warm by a fire. They probably have some shelter.”

Scarlet sighed and stomped a hoof but relented. “Alright, fine. But if this goes south, I told you so!” The red mare grumbled.

“We’re not going south, Vision is still to the North.” I pointed out, sauntering towards the flickering light in the distance.

The orange and blue maned mare stammered for a minute, before sighing softly. “It’s an expression Aella, as in if something goes wrong I’m holding you two accountable.”

“Oh, oh! Yeah, I don’t see a problem with that!” I remarked with my trademark enthusiasm.

We made our way towards the light, slinking through backyards to keep out of sight. The light we’d seen came through a window of a department store. We settled into an adjacent storefront, studying the building from the second floor.

A unicorn stallion and an earth pony mare watched over the entrance. Both wore silver-painted combat armour with an eye stencilled on the collar, armed with assault rifles. There were at least three more ponies on the roof armed with snipers. My EFS proved to be less useful than I’d hoped. There were too many markers in the area to make out any individual tic. A sea of yellow with a blotch of red here or there.

The symbol of an eye with a star-shaped iris was spray-painted on the side of the building, matching the ponies barding. 'Vision Penitentiary' the wall above it cautioned in bright blue script.

“Vision has a prison?” Scarlet muttered to herself as we looked at the building. It made sense to me. Vision upheld the law in the region, so it stood to reason they'd need a place to keep those who broke them. “I always wondered what they did with their criminals they didn't hang. I guess now we know. It’s weird I’ve never heard of it though...”

“You think they’d let us get out of the rain in there?” I asked as I studied the unusual building. Many of the windows were boarded up, and those that weren’t had iron bars crudely bolted over them. Amateurs. The building had several entrances, but all but the one near the front and the loading bay near the back were barricaded and boarded up.

“It’s worth a shot. I’ve been to Vision a bunch of times, they’re kind ponies. Keep your guard up though, no idea what might be going on here. Especially if they have raiders locked up in this place.”

We approached carefully, the ruby glow of Scarlet's horn making us visible to the guard ponies. The two of them cock their heads as we approach through the endless downpour. I smiled and waved my wing at them. They responded by levelling their shiny rifles in our direction. Rumble let out an anxious beep as he hid behind me.

“What’s your business?” The earth pony mare asked. She wasn’t near her firing bit, but her unicorn friend's rifle was floating at the ready between them. Scarlet slowly approached them with Free and I on either side of her.

“We were looking to get out of the rain and came across this place. The train tracks are covered over from a mudslide, so we’re trying to hoof it to Vision. Any chance we can get out of the rain a bit to warm up?”

The mare considering it for a moment. “No. This is a private facility. 'Sides, we already got enough to deal with. With the power out, keeping this place warm and lit has been a pain in the ass. I’m sure-”

“What’s wrong with your power?” I stepped forward as I cut in.

The two ponies looked at me for a moment, before the stallion answered. “Fuck if we know. Spark generator just died on us in the middle of the storm. Couldn’t get the damn thing to restart, no idea how to fix it.”

Scarlet raised her eyebrow at me, silently asking if I could fix it. Pfft, as if that's even a question. Of course, I nodded. “My friend here is an engineer. How about we fix your power, and you give us lodging until this shit clears up?” Of course, barter! Scarlet's specialty.

The mare thought for a moment, looking me up and down. “You are wearing the barding for it… You clearly ain't from around here. Alright. She can go look at the genny. When the lights are on, you two can come in.”

My friends looked hesitant, but I nodded and asked, “It’s on the roof?” The guard pony nodded. “Great! I’ll be back in a couple of minutes!” With a dramatic unfurl of my wings, the storm winds carried me up to the roof.

The second I landed there was a yelp. Then a gun in my face. The sniper pony wasn't happy about the sudden appearance of a flyer. I was lucky he hadn't pulled the trigger from just how much he was shivering. I raised my claws and chirped anxiously. “Friendly! H-hold fire or whatever! I’m here to fix your power! Please don't shoot I’ve been shot more than enough this week!” After taking a moment to double-check my story with the two guards on the door he let me get to work. Annoyingly they insisted on me doing it under guard, which was a bit distracting. I think it’s quite reasonable to not enjoy having a firearm pointed at you!

The Spark Generator was in good condition for being over two centuries old. A giant metal box filled with complex spell matrixes, gems, and countless other doodads. I spent five minutes checking over the basics. First spark. Capacitors were still charged, so that wasn't it. Fuel? Spark Generators didn't use fuel in the same way other machines did, but I could feel magic in most of the gems inside. Compression? Not a coal or natural gas engine, so that didn't matter. Maybe I was a bit out of my depth...

Just as I started to doubt myself I cracked it. The primary relay was burnt out, and the capacitors for the secondary had burst. I didn't have the parts or tools to replace a relay assembly, but I could easily swap out a few capacitors! Another unit across the roof had what I needed. This one was blackened and bent. The case sagged into itself. It was hit by lightning... At least I wasn't the only one the skies hated.

I stripped the busted generator and pocketed all of the good parts, save for the ones I needed. Five minutes later sparky was fit with a pair of new-old parts! With a flip of the primary breaker, it roared to life. The instrument panel flickered on, as did a blinking red light on the top. I could feel the magical energy in the air being pulled gently towards the machine to be converted into usable power. It only ran at 20% capacity, but I figured it'd be enough for heat and lighting. Even if I wanted to sit down to work on it, restoring the machine wasn't an option. Too many bad parts. It'd already been jury-rigged into working at least twice, with random duct tape and wires bypassing damaged parts.

"Holy hell you actually powered that thing on..." The sniper said with wonder as I stepped away from it and pulled off my work gloves.

I gave the buck a sideways glance. "Well yeah, I said I did. Hippogriffs know better than to go back on a deal. She still has a few decent years left in her. Though, once it breaks down again you'll need to replace it. Keep that in mind." With that, I glided down to meet my friends. Two very shocked guard ponies watched me land. It seemed neither of them thought I’d actually be able to fix the centuries-old technology either. I stuck my tongue out at them as I bumped my claw against Scarlet's outstretched hoof.

Our negotiator sauntered up to the guard's ponies and winked. “As you can see, my brilliant Hippogriff friend has made good on our end of the deal. So?” The stallion sighed and went to unlock the door. The mare was still watching me, wearing an expression I couldn’t quite place.

Finally, she nodded towards the opening door. “Head up the stairs, that’s the guard shack. I’ll need all of your names for my report?”

Report, huh? How organized! “I’m Aella. Aella Breeze!” After a moment I added. "Tec-I mean Engineering Apprentice H-71." They were army ponies that did reports! They'd probably be all specific with titles and stuff.

“Scarlet Keeper, I’m a local caravan head.”

“Feather Free, freelancer, medic.” Apparently, we're keeping it simple and to the point then. Ops.

“Ruby Rain, pleasure. Our boss should be up there manning the radio, let him know about the deal, yeah?” We all nodded and headed in. The doorway was once an emergency exit out of the stairwell. The door into the department store was barred, so our only option was to go up the stairs as we were told.

The lights were on now, though like most places in the wasteland very few of them worked. They'd converted the breakroom upstairs into a command center or office of some kind. Sat at the far table was a griffon hovering over a shame radio. Her feathers were a nice deep green, accented by the bright colour of her beak. She had her fair share of battle scars, though nothing like Scarlets. She was larger than me in build, and several inches taller. A heavy sword was slung over her back made of shining silver metal. I swear the energy around the sword was vibrating... Or I just stood next to a running Spark Generator and my arcane sense was thrown off. Duh.

In the corner was a set of what could only be her power armour. The metal was painted to match her feathers, mainly protecting the sides, chest, and upper legs. It wasn't as complete as Steel Ranger armour, likely so it wasn't too hard to move around in. The areas that weren't actual plate armour were lined with ballistic fibre. All in all, it was of beautiful design.

The chick glanced up at us and groaned. "Oh great, what is it now!?" The griffon's voice was gruff and rumbly, but most of all tired. She was trying to hide it though, even going as far as to stifle her yawns.

Scarlet smiled as best she could as she explained. "Sorry to intrude. Ruby said if we got the lights on we could come in to dry off and warm up."

The griffon nodded a bit. Her eyes met each of us, ending on me. She rose from her seat, talons clicking against the floor as she walked up to me. "What in the damned wasteland are you supposed to be?"

I gulped as I tried my best to answer. Suddenly there was a desert in my beak. She was at least three times as scary as she was hot. Not a bad ratio at all... "Hippogriff. I'm one, I mean. From out of town... Obviously." I slowly extended my wing out towards her. Because it's the polite thing to do. Not because my wings were going to unfurl anyway. No reason for that to happen.

“Huh. Half pony half griffon. Not half bad." Was that a compliment? For the life of me, I couldn't tell. "Not the weirdest thing I've seen in the wastes I guess. Well, good to meet you. Suppose that’d make you this Captain the DJ's been going on about. Don't you have a flying machine? Meh, doesn't matter. Names Strife. Take a seat wherever, I got work to do.”

We left the griff to her work as we all stripped our barding to dry. A fire in the corner was still lit, so that's where we hung our stuff and got comfy. Rumble floated quietly nearby. He seemed curious about everything going on, or at least I thought he was. Too bad I can't tell what he's thinking.

If I really wanted to I could connect him to my Pipbuck. It can work as a wireless node. Still, that would give him access to a lot more than I was comfortable with. Even if he was my friend, I wasn't comfortable being that vulnerable. I have no idea what kind of stuff he'd be able to access through my augments. I wanted to play some of the music I recorded from the DJ's broadcasts, but it seemed rude with Strife trying to talk on her radio. Better not to annoy the giant griffon with the me-sized sword.

Strife had a hard time raising anyone on the radio for a while. An hour later I was about to offer to check over her equipment when she finally managed a signal. She got in contact with the train conductor of all ponies. “I can’t send any ponies to work the lines until the weather fucks off. There’s no point getting them out there to work if it’ll just cause more problems. Once the sky’s done pissing rain, I’ll have Sherbert and Ruby get their lazy stock down there to dig the tracks out. That should be enough security to make sure none of ‘em try to make a run. And listen, next pony to suggest that someone set off charges to cause the landslide will be joining 'em, got it?”

Scarlet went ridged beside me. Her body was vibrating. Her breathing was faster, shallow. Something was clearly wrong but I had no idea what. We were safe, warm, dry. Despite that, her eyes were wide open. She was staring at something only she could see. Whatever it was had her terrified. I hadn't known the mare for too long, but I'd never seen her react like this before.

I moved closer to her on the bench we sat on and rested my claw on her shoulder. The mare shuttered at the contact but didn't react otherwise. "Scarlet, what's wrong?" Free looked up from a can of beans he was eating and frowned. "I've got it." I mouthed to him silently. He nodded but continued to keep an eye on us.

"I can't be here..." She barely whispered. I wrapped my wing around her and slowly started to stand her up. I needed to get here someplace else. Anywhere but here. Something triggered this, and the only thing I could think of was the radio conversation droning on in the background. I couldn't understand why, but that didn't matter. Something triggered her panic attack, and we needed to get here away from it.

"Let's get you out into the hall, ok? We can talk there if you need to. It'll be quieter." She leaned her body against mine the same way I had when I had radiation sickness.

"Have a good smoke break, don't stay in the rain too long," Free said as we trotted into the stairwell. I didn't understand it at the time, but apparently, he'd been covering for us. He didn't want Scarlet and I to draw the attention of Strife. Thankfully she was too busy squeaking into her ham radio to notice our departure anyway.

Suddenly scarlet took the lead. Down the stairwell, to the barred door near the first floor. Without a thought, the mare pulled the bar away with her magic and threw it open. Every time I thought I'd experienced the worst the wasteland had to offer, it found a way to one-up itself. Chuckling to itself as it watched the living fall deeper and deeper into despair.

The department store stank of excrement and blood. The guards wore respirators or bandanas to keep the smell at bay. The sprawling department store had been completely gutted and remodelled. Shelving units were welded together and reinforced to serve as cages, spaced randomly through the room. Thin slits cut every few inches provided the only light or fresh air for their occupants. Planks bridged the gaps between cages to function as a walkway. A few of the cages had tables set on on top of them for guards to sit at and chat as they worked.

The occupants were suffering. Too many creatures forced into too small of a space. Covered in a mess of untreated bruises and cuts. Infection seeped into the wounds from their dirt and body fluid-caked bodies. Most were naked, though a few of them wore tattered rags stained with blood and dirt. Their eyes were sunken. Their bodies were just skin and bone. A few were starting to lose their hair as their skin flaked away. I wasn't sure if it was from starvation or radiation. Probably both. My breath caught in my throat as the sound of rutting and crying flowed from one of the far cages. Whimpers and cries sounded every few seconds from one place or another. I had no concept of how many ponies they were holding. Under all the grime in the dim light, I couldn't even be sure any of them were ponies.

It was insanity. Everything I knew about ponies and their country was ruined forever. Tainted by the monstrous images of the sorry prison they kept. If this was their idea of civilization none of them deserved it. There was no friendship and love here. Just a group of ponies who got off on having control over others. I had no doubt if their princesses could see them now every one of those ponies would burn.

Half a dozen ponies sat around a table on the cage in the center. They paid no mind to the suffering around them. I don't think they even noticed it. The guard ponies focused on their 'work,' mostly by slacking off. Cards were shuffled, dash inhalers were spent, and no hoof was left without a bottle of beer. They didn't look how I imagined slavers to look but I had no doubt that's what I was seeing. They were dressed in high quality, well-maintained armour just like the ponies outside. The only difference was these ones were armed with cattle prods and whips along with a variety of small firearms. A few of them laughed or shouted for the tortured souls below to shut up as they gambled carelessly.

The slavers were playing cards and drinking. One of them was taking a hit of Dash with a giant smile on her face. Three of them were armed with whips and cattle prods, while the others had firearms. They completely ignored the suffering of the ponies below them, casually talking over the moaning and crying of the tortured souls.

We could see the ponies of the nearest cage well enough. Eight ponies were locked into a five-by-five-meter space. Nine ponies... The heap on the floor I thought was garbage was coughing. She was doing badly. Chunks of red coat gone, oozing fluid. Covered in growths and scabs. She shivered and chattered. the best she could do for warmth was curl into herself. She was even more skinny than most of the others. The growing pool of dried vomit by her head made it clear why that was. The others did their best to care for her. They gave her water and made sure she had cardboard and rags to lay on instead of the stone floor. Four of the ponies in the cell weren't doing much better though. Whatever work they'd been doing for Vision wasn't safe. I wasn't a doctor, and I'd only been in the wasteland for two weeks, but I knew the signs of radiation sickness well enough.

It wasn’t acute radiation like I had. It was the effects of weeks, maybe months of consistent untreated exposure. No medicine, hardly any food. Given the option to work or endure harsh punishments. I understood why Scarlet had reacted the way she had. This was hell. And only a slice of it. Scarlet came up in a city of this. My chest tightened and my knees shook. I fit of dizziness forced me to lean on the doorframe. Even as my eyes blurred with tears I couldn't look away from the horror. No one could commit a crime bad enough to justify such suffering.

Scarlet cried silently beside me, her body pressed against mine. I didn't remember putting my wing around her, but I made sure to tighten my grip when I realized I was holding her. Her eyes scanned every atrocity they could find. The entire time her right hoof rested against her disarmed slave collar. She'd been in their position. Scared, hopeless, resigned to die in the service of depraved ponies. She felt their pain on a level only a fellow slave or an empath could understand. The mare I cared so much for had to endure this... For years. Somehow she got out of bed and smiled every day. Kept moving. Kept living. It seemed impossible.

Finally, my friend shut her eyes. She couldn't look anymore. I'd never stop looking. It was seared on the inside of my eyelids. Burned into my soul. Scarlet's hooves managed to support her own weight. Without a word, the shadow of a mare turned away and trotted back up the stairs. After a moment I secured the door and trotted up after.

I didn't know what the vengeful mare could do in her emotionally charged state. If she decided to charge in and hurl a spear through Strife's chest we'd have bigger problems. We couldn't fight past all of those guards, and I doubt The Visionaries would be alright with us killing their people.

When I found the ball of scarlet fur curled up in the corner of the stairwell murder was the last thing on her mind. She had her back to the breakroom. Her body twitched and quivered as she wept. The smallest sniffle or whimper would escape her lips whenever her sadness and stress spiked. She heard my gentle taps and clops as I walked up behind her. "I-I can't believe those stupid... selfish... power-hungry assholes would do this. No... No, I totally can. They're just like those plot lickers out east! Ugh... Prime said to my face that Trottingham wouldn't be the next Fillydelphia, and I fucking believed him..."

I sat down next to the downcast mare and draped my wing over her. She moved closer to me, nuzzling into the soft feathers. It was too cold for her to be sprawled out on the floor without some covering. It was the best I could do. I didn't have the knowledge to try and talk it out that way, and I wasn't the best at handling emotions. It tore me apart inside but I had to ask. "What happened to Fillydelphia?"

She sniffed and dried her eyes before answering in a much quieter tone. “Filly became a giant slave empire after the war, run by power-hungry ponies who thought they knew better than we did. They enslaved countless ponies. Worked them to death for the sake of industry, and lining their own pockets. An industry that doesn’t even exist anymore. All of those lives wasted for nothing… so many innocent ponies forced... “

She shuddered against me, steeling herself with breath before she continued. “Prime, the leader of Vision, promised it wouldn’t be another Fillydelpheia. To my face! Now they’re enslaving people who don’t follow their rules? Forcing them to labour for the good of the city? Prime is no better than Red Eye… I’ve seen the industry being built in Vision, the railway, vehicles, weapons, I… I should have realized sooner that it was all too good to be true.”

I tucker my other wing around her, shielding her from the wasteland with my purple feathers. Not only was my friend dealing with the horrors of her own past, but the betrayal of her trust as well. This Prime person was just another authority figure abusing his power to her. He swore that Vision would be a good place, and he tainted it with lies and pain. I have no idea if the two of them were close, but it hurt her deeply.

My feelings for my friend and the countless other ponies who suffered similar fates flowed out of me in the form of salty tears. And we had to leave them behind. “I know you’re upset. I am too. Everything about this is horrible... But we can’t help them right now. There are over a dozen ponies in this prison, all well armed and armoured. Even if we freed them somehow, they’re prisoners. We can’t run a prison, and we can’t let them go out and start murdering people again.”

“I don’t… I don’t know what to do…” She whimpered into my chest with a snuffle. I slowly stroked her back and mane

“It’s alright, hun… The best we can do right now is wait out this storm and head to Vision. You said Prime was their leader? We can talk to him. We will make him listen! He has to know how wrong all of this is. Maybe he just needs to hear it from somepony who’s lived it.” I hoped that telling someone how wrong their actions were would be enough to get them to stop it. I was slowly learning that it wasn't the case, but I still had to try. What else could I do?

Scarlet nodded against me and nuzzled deeper into my coat “Yeah… ok. But when we can’t get him to listen we come back here. Guns, mercs, whatever it takes. I won't leave them to suffer.”

“Of course. I’m so sorry Scarlet...”

*** *** ***

The morality of the slaver prison weighed on my mind for the rest of our journey to Vision. Slavery was bad by all accounts. At the same time getting raiders and thieves out of the wasteland wasn’t a bad thing. Using them for labour to help sustain the town, the entire region, sounded on the surface like a good cause. But the conditions they were living in. Filthy, beaten, starving on the floor. As much as it disturbed me, I know it hit Scarlet worse. She hadn’t spoken since we got moving through the gentle misting rain. The weather improvement didn’t help our moods, though.

Free seemed as disturbed as I was when we told him about everything. He wanted to fly up to Vision and give them a piece of his mind, but it wouldn’t be right to do so without Scarlet there. It was personal for her.

I still worried about what might happen when we got to Vision. If my friend started shooting up the place in a fit of rage or assaulted somepony, it wasn’t something I’d had the heart to be a part of. I hoped there would be a non-violent solution to all of this, but… Fillydelphia didn’t stop until the Enclave, and the slaves laid waste to the city. I can’t imagine any of the town's ponies want to give up the convenience of cheap labour, fuel, and accessible food that they’ve created on the broken backs of others.

At the very least we knew why Scarlet didn’t know about Vision having a prison. They didn’t want the townspeople to know about the horrid conditions that the prisoners were kept in, or how they were being exploited for free labour. It was something we could use if it came down to it.

Footnote:
Welcome to level 5!

Perk added: Scientific Method! Your curiosity and intellect are your strength! Those with keen minds find your inquisitive nature disarming. When speaking to anyone whose Perception or intelligence is 7 or above, you gain plus +35 to your speech and barter skill.

Companion perk: Flightful Fix! That buck knows what he’s doing!While Feather Free is in the party, The effectiveness of all health items is increased by 20%. Passive healing is also improved by 10%. Please try not to get hurt though!

Chapter 8: Visions of Oasis

Fallout Equestria: Endless Horizon

Chapter 8: Visions of Oasis

Vision was alive.

I’d never seen so many creatures in one place before. Unicorns, earth ponies, and even zebras, griffons, and pegasi there doing business! There was a ramshackle market near the gate that seemed to draw a lot of attention. Everyone was bartering, exchanging caps, and discussing recent events and rumours. Beyond that, the city was just as busy. Carpenter ponies scurried every which way. Security guards smiled and greeted friends as they passed by.

We made our way towards the five Ministry buildings that made up the bulk of Vision. The Ministries of Peace, Awesome, Arcane Science, Wartime Technology, and Moral. The Ministry of Image building was almost on the other side of Trottingham, on the block where a balefire missile had plunged the city back into the dark ages.

The City of Vision, (It was far more than a mere wasteland town,) was bordered by an 8-foot tall wall of steel and concrete. Devastating auto-turrets lined the top of the wall at regular intervals, ready to react to any possible threat to the settlement. One of them even appeared to be armed with a missile pod! That did leave me wondering what kind of enemies would require such devastating firepower.

The city leaders and guards lived and worked from the MoP and MAS buildings The Ministry of Moral had been converted into a place of commerce, filled with shops, inns, taverns, and artisan ponies. The market near the gate was where travelling merchants would go to sell their wares. The MoM building housed all of the permanent stores and shops.

The campus around the buildings housed a series of small shantytowns, all in various stages of construction. Even as we looked, there were crafts ponies working to build more steel metal shacks. The city was expanding, growing.

I was excited to explore it all. It was loud, smelly, and very chaotic. But it was a thriving community. Not a tiny village like Whinnies Grove, but an actual sprawling settlement! It wasn’t a place where I’d want to settle down, but it was a clear sign of civilization!

Scarlet had explained earlier how the people of Vision were all hardworking, honest folk, even if the leaders were doing some terrible things. She knew many of the ponies personally and held many of them in high regard.

I nearly bumped into one of the gate guards, causing me to blush furiously. Scarlet rolled her eyes and giggled at me. She stood vigilant by my side as I meekly apologized to the stallion. The guards in Vision were in similar silver-coloured armour as the ones we’d found at the prison but proved far more hospitable.

The one I’d bumped into hadn’t cared that I'd run into him, apparently understanding what a sight the city was for the first time. Opposite him was a pony-covered head to hoof in power armour! A heavyweight, magically powered exosuit that was probably more like wearing a tank than actual armour. The steel was accented by bright apple red lines running along the limbs and back. A minigun was mounted on one side of the armour and a grenade machine gun on the other.

If Scarlet showed any worry or disdain about being so close to these uniformed guards after seeing their prison, it well was well hidden behind a bright smile. Life as a slave then trader had taught her to keep composed in difficult situations.

“Welcome to Vision, folks!” A grey earth pony mare with a short blond mane sauntered over. There was a simple Pipbuck 2000a strapped to her leg with a broadcaster slotted into the peripheral slot. Her customer service voice dropped as her eyes fixed on the red mare among us. The earth pony darted up to Scarlet and nuzzled into her neck. “Scar, it's so good to see you! I-You…-Oh no! What happened?” She looked over Scarlet with concern, focusing on what was left of her wounded ear.

Scarlet smiled and nuzzled back, shrugging off her (friends?) worry. “Caravan got hit by the border. Slavers. Jasmin, this is my good friend Aella.” I waved as she nodded in my direction. “She pulled me out of the fire. And that’s Feather Free, he keeps us patched up. Guys, this is Jasmin Sparks, we go back to before I was a caravan driver.” Free rolled his eyes, annoyed at not being referred to as Scarlet's friend. That or at the somewhat dodgy nickname, given the many scars covering my new friend's body.

“I’m glad you’re ok! We’ll have to get together for drinks tonight. Your cute friends will come, it'll be great!” A simple wink from the grey mare made me blush. “But I’m sure you have other shit to do in town, seeing as you got hit. I think Mayberry is in her office? Always more paperwork to do... girl needs a drink and a screw”

Scarlet chuckled at her friend's commentary. “Awesome, thanks Jazy. Hey, what’s with the extra firepower? Never seen an AppleJack’s Ranger stand post.” Scarlet looked over the giant power armoured pony with disdain. He kept his eyes forward, focused on the ponies who milled about the edge of the city.

The question melted Jasmin's smile away. She shuffled awkwardly as she replied. “We’ve been having issues with raiders lately. Pegasi. They’ve been taking out caravans. Everyone wants Prime to send out his Enforcers to deal with it, but they’re all assigned so… Prime thought we needed the extra help. Make sure everypony-er-creature feels safe.”

Free's ears flattened at the news. Scarlet frowned “Well, they’ve done a lot for the community since they formed… I know I’ve had issues with them in-”

“You’ve had issues with almost everypony in the past! Dear Luna girl, I've even shot you a few times! Anyway, yeah, just keep an eye out when you’re on the road. Pack some heavy weapons just in case.”

Scarlet rolled her eyes and scoffed. ”Fair enough Jazy, and thanks for the tip. I’ll catch ya on the flip side.” They hugged before we were led past the heavy iron gates.

The weapon rules in Vision were lax at best. As long as it didn’t explode or punch through concrete you were free to carry it. Of course, causing trouble would lead to being kicked out, imprisoned (Well, enslaved,), or hung depending on the offence. After checking our bags for weapons above their specified limit, we were ushered through the city's massive gate.

It was a nice place but it wasn’t a paradise. There was a distance between the different species of the settlement. The ponies didn’t seem to do business or be friendly with the zebras, and the griffons only caught a ponies attention if it was business-related. It would take more than a few rules to undo the centuries of xenophobia between the groups, but sharing space and being civil was a start.

At least the zebra and griffon populations got along well. The two minorities shared a small village to the far left of the gate, back behind the MoP building. It seemed they had their own guards patrolling, often paired with a member of Vision’s security force.

As we made our way into the Ministry Walk’s campus, many creatures eyed me with suspicion. I was a member of a considerable minority in the wasteland too. There was no creature quite like me. That made me the largest wildcard of all. The closest thing would be griffons, but they mainly worked as mercenaries who’d serve anyone with the caps, like the infamous Redeye. Of course, this made them less than popular around most ponies. I was similar to both groups, but clearly not a member of either.

I didn’t blame the townsponies for being uncomfortable around me. I didn’t like things that were new or different. It could often be overwhelming. Terrifying. Hopefully, when they got to see I wasn’t a bad person, they’d pay me no mind. In the meantime, they were free to stare as much as they liked.

Our first act of business was lodging. The leaky shack we’d slept in the night before had left me exhausted and sore, so having a nice soft bed to nest was my biggest priority. Meanwhile, Scarlet went off to replace her lost visa and get an insurance? I didn’t ask.

That took us to the Ministry of Moral, the famously garish pink building full of speakers, creepy posters, and statues of the Ministry's mare. The speaker system had been set up to play the local radio station, rather than the weird music and recordings that played through Pinkie Pie’s Sprite Bots. Still, the creepy Pinkie Pie posters made my hair stand on end. It was like their eyes were following me.

It was rife with activity. The way every creature trotted around shopping, conversing with friends, and enjoying one another company made me think of pre-war malls I'd seen on films growing up. Despite the uncomfortable white lighting and the loud atmosphere, it was much more comfortable outside. Portable heaters were set up in each shop, helping the burning barrels in the hallways to keep the building warm and dry. All of the restaurants were packed for lunch, with many other creatures roaming the stores as their food settled. They had stores for everything, from cheese to instruments. They had three weapons shops! One for Melee weapons, one for firearms, and one for energy weapons. The only thing it lacked was a doctor or pharmacist. They had an entire story in the MoP building set up to act as a hospital and lab. Other than that everything we'd ever need was a short trot from the place Scarlet recommended.

The 3 restaurants were packed for lunch. The odd shopper browsed the adjacent shops while their food settled. There was a firearms store, an energy weapons vendor, a scrap dealer, and an armourer on the first floor. If we needed any drugs or medicine we’d have to go to the rather impressive clinic in the MoP building. Short of that, everything we could need to buy was a quick trot from the place Scarlet recommended.

From inside the Inn, I couldn't tell we were still in the ugly pink building. The walls were coloured a simple off-white, with a dark trim along the drop covered in stars. The lighting was less intense than in the mall proper, though I wasn't sure if that was by design or just due to energy rationing. The lobby had plush, refurbished furniture ascended by framed paintings and sketches. All were signed. Stella drew a boat. Fortune painted the figure of a pony, shrouded by a mess of dark colours warring with the lighter ones. Clarinet drew a unicorn buck flanked by two young foals. Many of the drawings and paintings were foalish, but they made the place feel homey. The energy in the air curled around me like a warm hug. A crescent moon with an equine silhouette sleeping on it hung behind the check-in counter.

The inn was nice. It was warm and comforting with refurbished furniture decorating the lobby. A crescent moon with a pony silhouette sleeping on it hung behind the check-in. As I wondered if the soft lighting was by design or just due to an insufficient power supply, an energetic filly behind the counter squeaked out a greeting.

“Howdy!” beamed the energetic filly behind the counter. She leaned over the counter, precariously balanced on a stool so she could reach it. Her pearl white coat was pristine. Free of the dusk and grime from the wasteland beyond the walls. She had her emerald mane pulled back with a pink bow to keep it out of her eyes. She could have been a pony from a prewar novel. Not a single trance of the wasteland was visible. "I'm Snowflake. Are we looking 'fer a room?" She tapped her hooves against the counter eagerly.

Feather Free nudged me with his wing, urging me to speak to the filly. My first lesson in bartering, per Scarlet's request. A simple transaction. No pressure at all. I stepped forward and smiled at the eager little foal. "I-um-yes, we are. Ugh, do you maybe have any beds with two rooms maybe? Rooms with two beds, I mean! Sorry..." Free facehoofed behind me and nickered.

Snowflake disregarded my stammering as she drew a key from below the counter. "One double twin will run you 25 caps, Miss!" Despite her age, she managed to stay professional and overlook my anxiousness. I pulled a jingling bag out of my breast pocket that Scarlet have me and sat them on the counter. Scarlet had already counted out the caps. The bottlecaps. From soda bottles. Because that's what money is. Obviously. The filly looked them over briefly and nodded. "Perfect, it's room three! Right over there!" She pointed down the hallway to our right.

Just as we started towards our room the young pony gasped. “Oh my gosh wait! You’re that hippo-whats-it from the radio! You gots to be! That’s so cool!” In a blur, she rushed over to take my claw in her hooves and shook vigorously. “Mom and I heard the DJ talking about you! You, like, basically saved all the food! For some reason, I thought you'd be taller... Anyway, t’s a pleasure to meet you, Miss Captain!”

The sudden unexpected attention did nothing for my stammering. "I-um, yeah I guess... T-thank you. But my name is Aella, I'm n-not a captain. I'm Aella Breeze!" The commotion drew the odd glance from ponies trotting through the mall or loitering in the lobby.

Her eyes widened as she stared up at me in wonder. “Amazing! Ahh!” She squealed. “I hope you enjoy your stay! Thank you for choosing The Restful Moon! Me or mom will be here if you need anything at all!”

*** *** ***

The room was basic compared to the lobby. Two double beds, a TV that hadn’t worked in 200 years, and a noisy radiator in the corner. I couldn’t tell what this area had been before it was made into a hotel. Probably offices.

My saddlebags sailed across the room as we entered, followed by my armoured barding. I wasn’t used to carrying all of my gear for so long. My knees hurt and my lungs burned. Having a place to keep our stuff while we were out would save me a lot of trouble. Feather Free on the over claw only removed his bags long enough to pull out anything he didn't need, only to put them back on. He at least had the sense to remove his armour, revealing his green coat, ruffled wings and cutie mark: two snake things climbing around a pole with a pair of wings. Some kind of pre-war medicine mark?

I dramatically fell into bed, groaning as my head hit the pillow. The stallion chuckled at my tired theatrics. I ignored him. Between sleeping on a train and in a rainy shack, it was nice to have a warm bed. It was stained and a bit smelly, but it made me happy. I added a note in my Pip-Buck to pick up some tents for everyone. At least if we all had them I’d be able to curl up in my nest roll.

A bottle of Sparkle-Cola made a satisfying fizz as Free popped the cap. He took a seat on the bed adjacent to me, taking a long drink. After a moment, he found the energy to speak. “Hey, can I ask you something?”

I rolled a bit to look over at the pegasus and raised a brow. “Depends on what it is…”

“It’s nothing personal, don’t worry. I’m just worried about… your ship. If it’s secure. If somepony went rooting around…” He started.

“The ship is fine,” I interrupted swiftly. “The townsponies won't bother it and it’s safe there. Nopony’s going to go sniffing around and find something they shouldn’t. You have nothing to worry about.”

“I just wanted to make sure. I, um… heard stories about the technology your people have. I’m a bit worried about what would happen if the wrong ponies got a hold of it all.”

“The ship is safe, ok? Nopony is going to find the Skystar V, and no one is going to be weaponizing it. Do you think I don’t know about the risk of bringing it here? I know what ponies do with new kinds of magic or technology. My parents built that ship for peaceful exploration. I would never let their dream be perverted into a weapon of war.”

Free seemed content with my answer and dropped the subject. He was right, the technology and magic on my ship could be modified to do terrible things if the right pony got a hold of it. Most of them wouldn’t even know what they were looking at. If anyone was to go after the tech in my ship, it’d be the Enclave. They’re the only ones who had any knowledge of it, and it scared the feathers off them. From what I’d heard though, the Enclave was still in shambles after losing to the Light Bringer and her friends.

I was worried that he asked. With the betrayal from Specter fresh in my mind, I was still having some issues trusting people. No matter how much I reasoned that I could trust Scarlet and Free, it didn’t keep my mind from summoning up every possible worst-case scenario. I pulled my blanket over my head and shut my eyes tight to hide from the stray thoughts trying to poison my mind.

Just as I was starting to doze, Feather Free spoke out again. “Surprised you’re not heading over to the Ministry of Peace building to see about treatment for your friends.”

That sobering sentence had me spring up from the bed, wings unfurled. “Oh shoot I almost forgot!” I paced as the gears turned in my head. “Ugh, I don’t even know who I should talk to though, I-”

“The mare Scarlet is going to see is probably the one you wanna meet. Mayberry. I don’t know if she’ll know herself, but she’ll point you in the right direction. She’s in charge of trade and immigration, and the only Visionary you can see without having an appointment. Great gal’ too. Done a few jobs for her in the past.”

I nodded a few times, shuffling from hoof to claw. “Right, right, right, right, right. So go see her, and then find out where I wanna go next. Sounds easy enough! Right? Right! Of course!”

Free rolled his eyes, seeing right through my weak attempts at confidence. “You gonna be alright? You seem a bit overwhelmed by all of this. I can go with you if you-”

“I’ll be ok!” I snapped. “It’s just… So many creatures in one place. It’s a lot, you know? This place is so busy and alive, there’s so much to hear, sense, and see… Yeah, I’ll be fine. Don’t worry about me. Pfft, I can handle being shot at. Dealing with people? Easy!”

*** *** ***

So I lied! It was just a little! I really wanted to do it on my own, be able to do something on my own! If I was going to do well in the wasteland, I couldn’t lean on my friends for everything. I had to fly with my own two wings.

But I was socially inept. Mixing that with the culture shock of the wasteland, I was well out of my depth. I tried to ask some ponies who wandered through the shopping center in the MoM building, but they were all too busy or gave confusing answers that were hard to follow. Everypony was so clustered together I couldn't take two steps without bumping into someone. I didn't even like having my friends in my personal space most of the time, let alone an entire settlement invading it. Finally, I decided to get my bearings from the air. There weren't many fliers in the city so I had all of the airspace to myself.

The city was more impressive from above. The campus was probably around the size of my own hometown on its own, but much more densely populated. Multiple ponies were lined up in front of a beautiful fountain to fill up various containers with its freshwater. In the center of the fountain were the two sisters standing tall, with water flowing from their horns. I could vaguely make out the two water talismans that kept it running.

Power, clean water, safety, and economy. The city was doing well for itself, even when compared to Hippogriffia’s settlements. I speedily took a figurative step back from that thought. They were doing it by exploiting their prisoners. Slave labour. I couldn’t let myself get distracted by the commodities it offered.

The MoP building was easy to spot. The giant sign with its butterfly logo was clear above the entryway, which was surprisingly empty unlike other areas in town. Apparently, nopony had business with the town's leaders today. The giant glass windows made it look and feel very warm and inviting, which I appreciated. Pre-war Equestria had some brilliant architects. I wondered if I could find any books about them.

I glided to the entryway and headed inside. The lobby was neat and tidy, with a pony sweeping the floors as I entered. This was probably the only place in the wasteland that still paid people to clean things. Or… Oh, I hope he was being paid. The receptionist sitting behind the desk tapping away at a terminal seemed like the best pony to ask. Without looking up, he directed me to the hallway on the left. That didn’t seem like very good service, but he seemed rather busy. Down the hall was a communal area with several offices branching off. I easily picked out the correct one, finding the sign hung on the door.

‘Mayberry: Immigration and Asset Management.’

I knocked on the door, doing my best to ignore the nervous butterflies flapping around in my chest. Even though I was the one who'd be asking questions the experience reminded me of going to job interviews or speaking to my professors when I was in trouble.

A minute passed before I was called in. The zebra behind the desk gave me a smile which I anxiously returned. She'd been working on a portable terminal, with towers of paper on either side of it. Suddenly I felt bad for disturbing her with my own problem when she had so much on her plate.

The soft-spoken mare didn't mind at all as she gestured for me to sit. After finishing a note on her terminal, she addressed me. “If I’m not mistaken, you’d be the Aella Breeze Scarlet speaks so highly of. It’s lovely to make your acquaintance.”

I blushed a bit, completely blindsided by her unexpected knowledge of me. “Y-yes that’s right. S-she spoke of me…ugh, highly?”

Miss Mayberry nodded with a smile. “Yes, yes, but I digress. She told me of your quest. I don’t have the resources to help myself, but I do believe that we can get both you and Scarlet to the pony you want to meet. There is a contract that has yet to be filled, complicated for those who lack gills.”

I raised my eyebrows. “So, what? There’s something underwater that you need to get? Some tech or something? That sounds easy enough, I’ve done that kind of work before.”

My shapeshifting abilities hadn’t come up around my friends yet. Partly because it hadn’t been important, but mostly because it was a skill I was bad at. Working out my current form took a lot of visualization, and half a day of guided meditation with my sister to manage. But simply going to a seapony form and back should be simple enough.

“There’s a research building, West of here. The town flooded with water, maybe 40 years ago. Many of the older residents here in Vision used to live in the ruins of Port Mistmane. Obviously, we cannot get in, but we’re in need of the projects they uncovered from before the war.” The zebra slid over a folder, with papers detailing the job. I was impressed at the level of organization Mayberry kept. “Prime wants it badly. I don’t know why.”

I read out loud as I skimmed. “Joint MoP and AV pharmaceuticals. Available information limited, contract to acquire available data, shipment manifests, daily reports, inventory information… This all seems doable. But if the building is flooded, I can’t turn the power on without burning out all the computers. That a nonstarter.”

The zebra reached over and pointed at a basic map of the building, indicating the West end of the basement. “The pumps run on emergency power. You get those running, drain the water, then you’re clear.”

I closed the file, tapping my talons anxiously against the page. “So how will doing this job help me? And umm, how would I be…Compensated?” Ah yes, being left alone while discussing finance. Lovely.

She smiled, obviously expecting those questions in particular. “Completing the contract pays 5,000 caps, paid by the poster personally.”

Oh… Oh yes, that would work perfectly! That sounded like a lot! I bounced gleefully in my chair. “So we’d get to meet with Prime, the leader of Vision, in person?”

The zebra nodded. “Then assuming what you need isn’t found there, you may ask our leader himself to his face. Prime is many things, but the man has never lied. Not to me, not to anypony who’s met him. What do you say?” Now I knew that wasn’t true. He had lied to Scarlet about how Vision was being run and lied to the townspeople about where the labour came from. He wasn’t some kind of honesty-driven saint, like Miss Apple Bloom's sister, Applejack.

After a moment of consideration, I tucked the folder under my wing. “I’ll consider it, but I need to talk it over with my friends. I don’t want to commit them to anything yet, and I’m sure Scarlet won't want me going alone.”

The zebra got to her hooves, trotted to the door, and opened it for me. I smiled at her and got up to leave. “You seem like a good pony, as the DJ has said. I’m sure it will be a pleasure to be working with you, Captain Aella.” Apparently, that name was sticking. I couldn’t help but be bashful at the casual mention of my being on public radio as I headed towards the door, and back towards our hotel room.

*** *** ***

My job wasn’t the only news brought back to the hotel that day. Scarlet had gotten her Visa, as well as 500 caps (Which may or may not have been a lot) to help her get back on her hooves. While she didn’t plan on getting back into the caravan business for a while, the money would help keep us supplied in the meantime.

Feather Free had apparently gone out to a bar for a few drinks and caught wind of a couple of jobs himself. Of the list, only one had a sense of urgency that rivalled my own offer.

“I caught wind of a group of raiders that have been causing trouble up North. They’ve tried to send a few different groups to handle it, but none have made it back.”

I shrugged. “That doesn’t seem as pressing as going to this secret lab so we can get a one-to-one with Prime. Hell, this place may have the research my people need to help treat Blue Flu!”

Free pulled out a folder similar to mine. The first page was the picture of a pegasus clad in advanced, extremely light power armour, covering nearly his entire body. He had nova surge rifles mounted on both sides of him. His blinding red eyes shone right through me.

No... He wasn't wearing armour. It was some kind of exoskeletal structure built into his body. His legs were robotic, like Feather Free’s, but far sturdier, with heavy plate armour and powerful hydraulics. I could see very little pony left of him, save for the flesh around his muzzle and his um, somewhat impressive nether regions. Not even his eyes were made of flesh. I’d never seen something so augmented in my life, and the practice was somewhat common among my people. This Stallion wasn’t changed because he was sick or hurt, he was turned into a weapon. A terrifying machine of arcane destruction.

My friend spoke. “He was in my squad when we came to the ground. We went our separate ways, wanting different things out of life. Steel Wing was one of the first subjects when they cracked that ‘Project Steelpony’ bullshit. He wasn’t the same after he went into that machine. The things that make someone a pony, a living thing, I don’t think he has them anymore. I was medically in charge of him, all of them. They were my responsibility. If they’ve gone off and started some sort of badass robo-raider group, then I need to do something about it. I can’t let them kill innocent ponies.”

We all knew it wasn’t Feather Free’s fault of course. Steel Wing was his own pony, with his own wants and needs. I understood my friend was trying to right the wrongs of his squad, and why he felt responsible for them. He probably felt how General Seaspray felt when I fucked things up on missions…

“I’ll help you,” I said plainly. He raised his eyebrows at me, mouth half-open. I gave the buck a smile. “He’s hurting people and you feel responsible. My people are important, but they’re more than 1000kms away. We’re right here, we can help the wasteland now by dealing with these ponies.”

“Does this mean you’ve let go of your reservations about killing ponies?” Scarlet asked with a raised brow. She was sprawled out on the bed opposite Free, brushing off her third bottle of beer. ‘Pregaming’ before dinner she called it.

“It doesn’t.” I said, "I still believe all life has value. I’m just not sure whatever Steel Wing has become still counts. He isn’t a pony or a machine. That’s a monster and it needs to be dealt with. I’d prefer it if we could find a peaceful solution, but I doubt we can. unfortunately, I don’t think three of us and a little robot will be enough to fight him.”

Scarlet agreed with my assessment, but not much else. “We should deal with this later.” She huffed. “Yes, there are ponies’ lives on the line, but getting that slavery bullshit to stop has ponies’ lives on the line too. We can’t guarantee that this raider group will kill anyone in the next few days, but many of those slaves don’t have a few days left. Once Prime knows we know, we can use that against him. Threaten to tell everyone, or… something! But we need to get this going as fast as we can.”

It was a tough choice. We could work to save the slaves or try to deal with the raiders. But we couldn't do both. At least, they couldn’t…“The four of us can hit the research facility first. After that, we’ll split up. Free goes to get intel on the raiders. When we finish up at AV med, I can fly over to meet Free, dropping Scarlet off in Vision on the way. She can go after Prime, and she’ll have the added security of us being out of his reach.”

They didn’t like my plan. I hated my plan. I played just enough Ogres and Oubliettes with Aqua when I was little to know that splitting the party always invites trouble. But it was the only way that I could see to check off all our boxes fast enough. Any other plan would mean letting one of my friends down and risking innocent lives.

But our lives were on the line, too. We’d be weaker, more exposure on our own. That wasn’t a good feeling either. Unless one of my friends would be willing to cave in one direction or the other, we’d be at risk of having too much on our plates.

*** *** ***

Thankfully, we had time to think about it. The evening was starting to drag on and no one wanted to head back out into the wastes so soon. And we had been invited out for drinks… So we went out for fancy food and alcohol, courtesy of Scarlet's friend Jasmin.

The restaurant was on the roof of the Ministry of Awesome building. There were two dozen tables, a fully stocked bar, candle and torch lights, and even actual menus. It was unlike anything I’d ever seen, and not what I expected to find in a wasteland. A wonderfully crafted neon sign hung above the bar. ‘The Drunk Dragon’ it boasted, though everypony just called it Dragons. A soft, uplifting melody drifted across the roof. A young mare sat by the bar, smiling blissfully as she drew her bow along the strings of a contrabass.

Jasmin Spark and Scarlet got talking the minute we found our table. She recounted our adventures in the wasteland so far, adding a few embellishments about our feats and my intelligence. Sure I was crafty, but I was no ‘MareGyver.’

While they caught up, I drooled over the menu. Alcohol, Sparkle-Cola, pre-war food, the wasteland staples. They also had fresh produce and a small assortment of meat. Apparently, they got enough griffons and more adventurous ponies to make it worth having in stock. Lucky me, for once!

I got a rum and cola, a radroach and mole rat pie, and a heaping pile of salty, buttery mashed potatoes. Scarlet was content with a package of pre-war mixed veggies and fresh collard greens, and Feather Free had beans on rice. Jasmin had something called an appetizer platter, which consisted of piles of everything.

Rumble fluttered nearby, playing DJ pon-3’s station for us to enjoy and to make us a bit harder to overhear. I was a bit sad that he drowned out the beautiful music already present, but the added privacy was nice. It was my first time really hanging out with people before. Despite the noisy, beer-scented restaurant space, sharing a meal and swapping stories with my friends was really fun!

Scarlet was telling the table her tale in a bit more detail than she had prior. All it took was three beers to turn the little mare into a chatterbox. “It was my first time in the wasteland on my own, after… I don’t even know how long working crappy farms and pulling carts. I had maybe two days of supplies and a dull knife. I met a ghoul trader on the side of the road. She didn’t speak, but she did what she could to help me, a complete stranger.”

“We travelled together for a few weeks, and I learned bits and pieces as we went. Shortly after we parted ways, I got into the trade. First as an extra set of hoofs, but after a few months, I had enough to buy my own gear. So started Scarlet Sales. Was only free for about a year before my past caught up to me and dragged me off to Filly. I got out during the big escape, and I’ve been free since! Met Jazy shortly after, in a settlement nearby. We did some scavenging, a few odd jobs. Once we had the cap-ital,”–she couldn’t help but laugh at her terrible pun– “We came out here! She got a job in Vision, and I started a caravan. Been thick as thieves since! Town was less than half the size then. Guess it’s easy to build a city on slave labour.”

“W-wait, what?” Jasmin looked shocked and confused, her mouth hanging open. Her ears twitched a bit as her eyes darted around. I motioned for Scarlet to keep her voice down, something she struggled to manage.

“Yeeeeah. Found a prison being run by The Visionaries in horrid conditions. Using prisoners for slave labour, not feeding them, forcing them to sleep on the floor. Gonna talk to Prime about it, maybe shove my spear down his throat” she said.

“We’re not planning on killing him. He’s the only one with the power to make things better for them. We need him on our side.” It was my first time speaking in a while, to everyone's surprise. “But that's a future us’ problem.”

“Sounds great!” Jasmin said with unexpected enthusiasm. “I’ll ask around and see what some of my friends know. Maybe I can find some smoking gun to help get all of this fixed up. I assume you have something planned as well?”

“O-Oh wow, that would be helpful! And yeah we do actually. If it goes alright we’ll have an audience with Prime himself.” I didn't understand why she asked me about everything. Why did she think I was in charge? I was decent at coming up with plans I guess, but I didn’t know what I was doing! I’d been in the wasteland for, like, a week!

“Awesome, awesome. Let's talk biz later. We’re supposed to have a good time!” Jasmin ordered another round of drinks, and we moved on to far less sensitive topics. Just as I was finishing my third rum and cola: “So, a Hippogriff in Equestria. I had to look up your species in a book to know what I was looking at. What’s your country like?”

Just like that, it was my turn to tell my story. Growing up with my sister as an orphan; what life was like in our town. About Skya and the other settlements of Mt. Aris. In a way being in the wasteland was sobering for me. I didn’t like the state of my home, but compared to the wasteland it was a paradise. Low crime, food and water, power, education, technology, magic; one week in the wasteland and I’d seen more suffering than I had in my life back home. Even after seeing it for myself I hardly understood it.

They enjoyed hearing about my home's history. How we settled in Mt. Aris after being nomads for generations. I taught them our theology. Of how we lived in concert with the spirits, unlike the heretic ponies who stole the spirits’ lands and duties. When we were on death's door as a species against the storm king, the great spirit Accord gifted us with the power to save ourselves. Well, them and the help of a zebra Legion. That got some expected eye rolls. Ponies were blind to anything beyond the physical world and were often quick to dismiss the experiences of other species as superstition.

I told them our role in the war. How we provided humanitarian aid for both sides, doing similar work to that of the MoP before they were founded. We worked beside them a few times from what I remembered from school, even assisting them in some large projects. Probably more than we should have at some points.

Feather Free had very little to share about his old life. Even if he did, he was far too distracted to tell us much about it. As we ate, his eyes kept drifting towards the bar. Specifically, the bartender. He was a larger Stallion than Free, with well-defined muscles along his legs and barrel. He wore his brown mane short, and his sunshine-coloured eyes contrasted nicely with his black coat.

I raised an eyebrow at my feathered friend, who rolled his eyes at me. “Oh, you can’t blame me for looking. There weren’t many cute bucks back in Whinnies Grove who weren’t working all the time. That or they were taken. I’m not lucky enough to have a special somepony like you and Scarlet.”

“-W-we’re not really um…”

“-Oh no you got the wrong idea!” Scarlet was flustered by the misunderstanding. I just giggled and shrugged it off.

“Oh sorry, I just kind of assumed, since you got one bed between the two of you, and how you always comfort one another.” He said with a shrug.

Jasmin laughed hysterically at her flustered friend. I put a wing over Free’s shoulder with a smile. “You know if you like him, it’s easier to get somewhere if you actually talk to him?” Jasmin was giggling like a school filly now, both at us and at Scarlet. I gently ushered Free up from his seat. “Get going! Andelay!”

The buck rolled his eyes and grunted, but I could see he was appreciative of the gentle nudge. Turned out he wasn't actually shy about going to hit on the cute buck, he just didn't wanna be rude and leave the party.

Jasmin was more than fine with it. The already drunk mare stumbled out of her seat and leaned against Feather, intent on going with him. “I know this buck a lil’ bi’, leh me talk you up!” She giggled and ushered him on, giving him no room to deny her help. She even hoofed him a mint as they waddled toward the bar.

I’d never been one to go up to somepony and start flirting, but I understood the basics. Scarlet mentioned to me as they left that her friend was an amazing wing pony when it came to trying to get laid, but lousy when it was actually somepony you had feelings for.

The two of us continued to giggle and laugh as we watched. The buck seemed interested the moment he spotted the medic, likely never having spoken with a pegasus before. There was something about flyers... After ten minutes, Jazy returned, and the buck was buying Free a drink. He wouldn’t be home tonight.

Scarlet rested her head on my shoulder, which prompted me to nuzzle into her. She sighed softly and put a hoof around me, giggling. “I know we haven't known us too long, but you’re my bestest best friend Arlla. You’re Smart and cute, and you always helps the ponies!”

Jasmin giggled and gave her friend a light nuzzle as she took her seat. “Somepony’s getting a liiiiii-ttle tipsy it would seem! She’s always been a lovely dovey drunk, ever since that time in Friendship City when we-”

Scarlet jumped, pushing her friend away playfully. “Don’t you go telling everypony about fucking Friendship City, Jazy! We were drunk, it was-”

“It was a really fun fucking night is what it was!” The loud voices of my friends drew a few glances from the other patrons. Most of them smiled as they had their own fun times.

I raised my eyebrows as I processed it. When it clicked in my brain, I had to giggle as well. “You two slept together!?”

Jasmin nodded eagerly, while Scarlet shook her head. “It was just a fling, I swear! I don’t run around sleeping with every mare I travel with, but-”

“Nah-Nah, she doesn’t. I’m just adorable, and she was lonely and sad after spending nearly a decade in shackles. But we’re just friends, I swearsies!” Jasmin slurred and rocked back and forth. Not the kind of rocking I’d do idly, but the drunk rocking of somepony who can’t quite get their balance right.

“Thanks for the clarification.” I giggled. I took another drink. The alcohol was getting to my head, but with my larger body mass, it was hitting me slower than the rest of our little group.

“Aye, I heard from Torn Shot that your friend is taking on the raiders up near Eden. I’m going with ya, and I won’t take no for an ansor. An...swor. Answor! Got it that time!”

Another fit of giggles followed. “Well if you’re going, I’m going to watch your back! You’ll get shot in the flank without me!” She bellowed.

Jazy waved her hooves in front of her. “That only happened once time!”

I giggled and nodded to them both. “If it still sounds like a good idea in the morning, you can head out with us. I was honestly not wanting to split us all up anyway... “

We spent about another 45 minutes drinking and finishing our food before we headed out. Jasmin made sure we both got home ok, before getting to bed herself. I was a bit tipsy by that point, while Scarlet could hardly walk. I had a wing draped around her back as she rested against me, using me to keep herself upward as we trotted along.

The streets were quieter, but even in the twilight hours, the city was still lively. Guards were going about their business and some repair ponies were still walking around with tools on hoof. Mostly though it was people who were out late for a good time like us. Ponies trotting around after going to a restaurant or bar, talking loudly with their friends and stumbling home.

I managed to get Scarlet into one of the beds without much trouble. Knowing a thing or two about hangovers, I made sure to put a bottle of water, some meds, and a bucket by her bedside. I sat down a mint that Jasmin gave me for her in the morning. It was a zebra drug, apparently really good for treating hangovers.

I’d never tried Mint-als before, but the zebra I saved in the badlands, Corva, had told me about them. I never liked the idea of taking them. Pfft. Like a drug could make me smarter than I already was. Even if it could, that just sounded like cheating. It’d be like… Dash on Dash or something! I loved when life gave me a challenge.

I flopped lifelessly onto my mostly clean mattress. The original plan had been Scarlet and I in one bed and Feather Free in the other. With him spending the night with the bartender, we each got a bed to ourselves. It was for the best considering me and my friend’s drunken states.

I already had a bit of a headache, the barest hint of what would come in the morning I was sure. Still, it was a fun night, and I wouldn’t change it for anything.

*** *** ***

Jasmin was true to her word about wanting to come with us. Apparently, she got permission from her boss to oversee the bounty collection instead of working the wall. “More excitement and much better pay,” she explained. Scarlet was still anxious to tear Prime a new one, but she didn’t want to leave her friend behind when she’d so kindly offered to come. I was happy about that, I really didn’t want us to have to split up.

Free got back a few minutes after Jasmin came over, just after dawn. His eyes had dark circles and his mane was a mess. Still, he walked in swinging his hips, a bright smile on his face. The buck and Jasmin quietly talked about his wild night in the corner while Scarlet and I got our gear on.

No one was quite sure where the raiders were living but we had a few ideas. At least some of them were fliers, so they’d probably want an area to take advantage of it. Someplace with a clear view from the air, perhaps someplace high. We were going to start where the last caravan was hit and work outwards from there.

Of course, there was still the worry of them finding us first. To help with that, Jasmin had taken a stop at the town's armoury on her way to our room. She had a giant rifle set up on the right side of her battle saddle. The barrel stuck out almost a meter past her with a bipod on the bottom. It didn’t even need to be set up to the saddle's firing bit. The size of the weapon put the trigger within reach of the mare as long as she was lying prone.

That was just as well, as she explained the weapon had too much recoil for her to use while standing anyway. At least not without being mounted to power armour or heavily modified. The weapon would no doubt tear through the raiders' cybernetic enhancements, and was likely the only tool we had that would be effective against them.

Scarlet had bought some grenades from a local arms dealer to help make up for our lack of powerful weapons. I managed to craft another disruption grenade at the cost of my last few spark batteries. It was a sad collection of equipment, but we’d make it work.

While Scarlet and Free were hungover, Jasmin and I were fine. That meant the two of us were doing most of the work while they complained and dragged on behind us. I enjoyed the extra work scouting ahead while Jasmin hung back to babysit the two slowpokes. From what I heard, it was mostly her giving Scarlet a hard time about being a lightweight, and Free about being a whore. That’s how we all spent the better part of the day.

The area around the city was well patrolled, having a safe perimeter of about 10 clicks. One of the guards and a friend of Jasmin’s, Torn Shot, walked us to the border of it. He gave us an idea of what the road north was like.

The train would make up a majority of the journey, but it only ran consistently to and from the local farms during harvest season then, for the rest of the year, it ran once a week. This left the traders and their brahmin to pick up the slack.

The caravan that was hit was heading North to a settlement called Suresprings. Apparently, they always stopped at a town called Eden part way there to sleep, eat and trade but they never arrived.

It was still raining as we followed the tracks North. The railway was from well before the war, but there were clear signs of recent maintenance. The Visionaries were intent on getting transportation up and running and more than willing to make their prisoners suffer for it.

There was very little chatter as we followed the rails and roads North, then Northwest. The rain was uncomfortable, but not nearly as bad as it was just days before. The roads were quiet, spare the odd mutated bug or animal.

Jasmin asked a few questions about Rumble, finding the strange Spritebot cute and entertaining. She was impressed with his weapons capabilities. Apparently, most of them were armed with relatively weak magical energy weapons. Rumble truly was one of a kind. I could feel the joy in him as he blipped and beeped gleefully at the added attention. I couldn’t help but give my first wasteland friend a nuzzle.

Scarlet speared a radgator (something I had learned after it had leapt at us from an embankment) clear in the eye, killing it instantly. Even with the huge amount of free meat the animal possessed, I was hesitant to harvest it. After my last bout of radiation sickness, I didn’t want to take chances with mutated animals. Especially if any of them might have taint in their systems. That stuff scared the feathers off me. Jazy ended up skinning the animal herself, planning to sell most of it back at Dragons since the restaurant paid well for quality meat.

I wasn’t excited about seeing the caravan. It weighed on my mind. The damage magical energy weapons did was terrifying, often leaving very little left behind. I found myself rubbing my breast where I’d been shot just days before. If it had been properly built and maintained I’d be dead. My lungs ached at the thought.

We arrived at the scene in the late evening just as the rain trickled to a stop. There was very little left to see.

*** *** ***

The site was devastated. Piles of ash, the odd dropped weapon, tatters of cloth and barding among the wreckage. The wagon had been burned, strangely, with fire rather than magical weapons. I could smell some kind of accelerant in the air. Kerosene maybe?

The wreckage slashed the good mood my afternoon of flying had put me in. I wasn’t as used to death as my Equestrian friends. Every ash pile we trotted past made my heartache. My mind conjured images of their friends and family who’d never see them again. How scared they must have been to be gunned down so ruthlessly by a band of masked bandits to obtain meaningless material things. I struggled to understand how anycreature could justify taking something as valuable as a life for something so meaningless. But then, I’d never been half-starved or gone days without water either.

Junk scattered across the area. Empty beer bottles, spent bullet casings, cigarette butts, some scrap metal and electronics. None of the merchandise was left, nor was the merchant’s ammo or water.

There were a few hoof tracks here and there from where the raiders landed to loot, but none leading away. If they’d flown in and out there’d be no real trail to follow. That’d be a lot of supplies to carry by wing though, I thought.

We’d figured we wouldn’t be able to find a trail, but it was still worth a look. None of us were skilled trackers so it’s possible there’s something we missed, but I doubt it. All they left behind were piles of garbage and magical goo.

Free kept an eye out from above as we searched for any sign of their camp, or any creatures trying to sneak up on us

Scarlet was quiet as she circled the carnage, studying the area closely. She wasn’t a tracker, but she was a trader. Her knowledge was our best chance at seeing if anything was off. She half-heartedly kicked a can down the street with a sigh.

“Everything alright?” I landed beside her and tucked my wings in. “I understand if this is hard for you… I kind of forgot that you’ve gone through something like this. Do you wanna talk about it?”

She nodded, then after a moment shook her head. “Celestia fuck me… Must be pretty obvious if you of all creatures can tell… I lost three ponies when my caravan was taken out. I was the only one they kept alive. Looked worse than this though… bright side of energy weapons is they don’t leave the blood and shit behind. They were good ponies. Strong, skilled, understanding. A bit intense, but it’s the Wasteland.”

We sat on the cool asphalt.

“They’re gone,” she continued, her tone warbled. “I haven't really had time to think about that. They gave their lives for me, for my caravan. I paid them too, but… I appreciate that they kept me alive, but maybe it would have been better if it were me instead. Anypony can learn this trade. They had ponies who cared about them. Relied on them. Why were their lives worth mine? I… It just fucking sucks.”

I draped my wing over her shoulders. She tensed but after a moment leaned into my warm feathers and soft coat. “They thought you were somepony worth protecting, worth dying for. I can see why. You’re a good pony, Scarlet. Trust me, what you’re feeling is normal… Survivors' guilt is really hard. Just um, remember… They chose to do what they did for you. All we can do is accept their decision and move on. Nothing we do will change what happened…” First with the radiation, now speaking with Scarlet. My buried feelings kept trying to claw their way out of the hole I threw them in. I shook my head. My eyes started to tear up. We were far too busy for that. I had too much at stake.

It took me a second to remember that my friend and I were still chatting. She was nodding with a solemn expression. “Yeah… Yeah maybe. Let's just get back to work.”

Yes, work, perfect. The best way to keep us distracted from our own inner demons.

*** *** ***

With no trail to follow, the plan was the same. We'd camp for the night and in the morning Free and I would try and find any signs of them. Free hadn’t seen any lights nearby from fires or electric lighting, but that wasn’t surprising. Getting around on wing was far faster than anycreature could move on the ground. At least without a decent motorwagen or something.

I collected firewood while everypony set up their bedrolls. By the time I returned we had a decent little camp set up. Free hadn’t bothered setting up his tent, insisting that it wouldn’t rain any more for at least a day.

They used rectangular bedrolls, which was somewhat strange to me. It didn’t look at all comfortable being all laid out like that. My nest roll was obviously more comfortable, its circular design of softness perfect to curl up in.

I piled the wood in the center of our little sleeping area and got a basic pit ready. Scarlet came over with a flint and steel held in her magic, but I waved it off. “Hang on, I wanna show you this.”

I closed my eyes–took a moment to focus. I could feel the energy around me, the plants, the ponies, the land and sky. I was more interested in my own. My razor-sharp talons easily carved into the log. When I opened my eyes, there was a rune searing itself into the wood. My friends watched in quiet awe as the rune burned brighter, then lit the log on fire. It was a small, weak flame, but with a bit of fanning from my wings, it grew swiftly to a comfortable campfire.

Free was the first to speak.“I… didn’t know Hippogriffs could do magic like that.” He breathed in awe. “I knew you had amazing advancements in Arcano-tech, and then there’s the shapeshifting, but this… this is like real magic.”

Scarlet was smiling wide, Jasmin moved closer to the fire for warmth. “They’re runes. Um… not all of us can do it, it isn’t a common art. Runa grants the knowledge to some of each generation. I was born with the ability, but not the actual skill to use it. Not sure why. I studied it for a couple of years before I gave up, but I know the basics. It’s nothing compared to even basic unicorn magic, at least not at my level.”

Scarlet patted my back and moved closer to the fire. “It’s still impressive regardless! Pfft, wings and magic. You little cheater.” After a moment she looked over at Free, and then back. Her eyes were wide. “Wait, wait, wait, did he just say shapeshifting? What, like a changeling?”

Jasmin was instantly suspicious, though Scarlet's expression was one of genuine intrigue. I tapped the pearl shard hanging around my neck. “Oh... Yeah, I haven't talked about that yet. Before the Deluge of Arcana, the great war, we had a war of our own. Our queen was gifted a powerful artifact from the spirit of our people. The transformation pearl was used so that we could hide from the war-torn world underwater. As sea ponies, we built a city and lived as one with the oceans. The zebras helped us mount an offensive against the Storm King and we won. Shortly after, all Hippogriffs, and eventually all Hippogriffia citizens, were given a shard of the pearl. It allowed us to stay safe, and move between our water and mountain homes. It doesn’t matter now, the water is toxic, as are the mountain peaks. Now we use the magic for convenience, mediation, sometimes fighting if you’re a warrior. I was never very good at transformations, only really being able to go from sea pony and back. My sister is amazingly skilled at it, though. She’s a powerful unicorn. Where did you hear about changelings, anyway?”

“Jasmin told me. She’s from some settlement down south, apparently, they had some changeling problems. What was it… Rot? Mould?”

“Rust,” Jasmin answered plainly. Her voice was calm but her hooves shook and her ears folded back. Not a good memory for her, apparently. Seemed all of us had our fair share of baggage.

My explanation seemed to be enough to ease Jasmin’s mind. I was surprised to discover changelings were still in Equestria. They were even more sensitive to changes in magical energy than someone like me. I was a little disheartened by the xenophobia they were displaying though. Aqua’s friend Endrin was a changeling, and one of the sweetest creatures I’ve ever met.

“Wait, unicorn?” Scarlet cocked her head. “I didn’t even realize when I was reading your conversations that she was one… I just imagined she was a bright pink hippogriff!”

Free raised an eyebrow hearing about how Scarlet had invaded my privacy, but I just shrugged it off. “Ponies and Hippogriffs are biologically compatible. The same isn’t true for ponies and griffons, or hippogriffs and donkeys. Though, I’m pretty sure if a hippogriff could manage to take the form of a donkey, then they could reproduce.”

We chatted a bit more about my tragically limited abilities with my own magic before they ran out of questions. It didn’t occur to me that the transformation pearls’ abilities would be a surprise to them. Back home it was common knowledge. It’d be like pointing out to my sister how cutie marks are determined by their special talent. She already knows, there’s zero point in talking about it. Granted I just did, so… UGH whatever.

Scarlet noticed I was starting to lose my focus and suggested we all get some sleep. I gave her an appreciative nod. When Jasmin offered to take the first watch I giggled and pointed a wing at Rumble. The fluttering blue ball was already doing laps around the campsite. She sheepishly nodded and went back to her bedroll.

The little bot didn’t speak or communicate much, and no one else seemed able to interpret his beeping. It made it easy to forget that he was hovering nearby.

I pulled my wings tightly around myself and curled up in my nest roll. It was cozy enough, and with the fire nearby I didn’t feel the need for blankets or anything. Everypony else got into their bedding as well. Free complained briefly about a depressing lack of company in his bedroll, then drifted off to sleep shortly after. Jasmin agreed with his sentiment, but at the same time called him a slut. I didn’t understand ponies.

Usually, I’d take a sleeping pill when I was ready for bed but I didn’t want to be drugged to sleep while in raider territory. I opted to take a healthy swig from a whisky bottle I’d picked up in town, trusting the substance to keep any possible nightmares or unruly emotions at bay.

It took me a while to manage any sleep. My mind lingered on all of the unusual adventures I’d had. The new experiences, the new people. We were walking into a dangerous, unknown situation. But I didn’t feel afraid. I was nervous. Anxious, sure. But I felt safe around these ponies.

I probably spent a good hour reflecting and processing it all before I managed to get any rest.

Footnote:
Welcome to level 6!

New perk: Toaster Pipbuck Repair Tech! You’ve adjusted your shooting technique for a more comfortable grip and calibrated SATS to match. Your accuracy with small guns has improved by 25%. Don’t expect more critical hits, though.

Chapter 9: Colts of a Feather

Fallout Equestria: Endless Horizon

Chapter 9: Colts of a Feather

The warm sunlight felt amazing on my wings and back. After a long brutal winter, everyone in Hippogriffia was excited to enjoy the coming spring. Those of us that weren’t rushing to get the season's crops planted had a couple of days to enjoy the sun and relax.

Or, most of us did; my father saw fit that I learn proper weapon handling. We flew out to the shores so we wouldn’t bother anyone. The sea shimmered towards the horizon, eventually meeting the rising sun. The sand was warm and soft under my claws and hooves. I could feel the magic of the sea. It’s creatures, the plants, the crabs and critters that hid along the beach or in the tides. It was like a blanket, wrapping around the world, comforting it as best it could, despite the endless suffering. A deep part of my soul resonated with it–longed for it. If my people ever returned to living in the ocean, it wouldn’t be in my lifetime…

I distracted myself from the stray thoughts with the lesson. He showed me the basics of his phase pistol. The safety, the firing button, and how to reload it. He explained a billion times to always treat it like it’s loaded, and never point it at something I wasn’t willing to destroy.

The entire lesson stressed me out. The idea of handling a weapon made my feathers ruffle. It wasn’t a skill I ever thought I’d need, and honestly, I didn’t appreciate the lessons as much as I should have. I had no idea how many times I’d end up needing what I learned that afternoon. Or how much I should have treasured one of the last memories I had with him where he wasn’t fighting with mother…

Finally, I was allowed to hold the weapon. It wasn’t heavy like I’d expected. Energy weapons were deceptively light. I aimed at some seashells he’d set up downrange on a bench, but I couldn’t get the sights to stay lined up. My hand kept shaking, refusing to stay stable. I almost always had a bit of a tremor, unless I was working with my dad on the skiff or something.

After 15 minutes I was frustrated and discouraged. I’d gone through three spark packs and had only managed to graze one of the seashells. My father did his best to encourage me. It didn’t help. I already had a billion things in my life that I couldn’t do well enough, so the idea of adding another one to the list made my chest tighten. Meanwhile, when Aqua learned to shoot she nailed every shot. How was I supposed to compete with that!?

I jumped as I felt my father's wing draped around my shoulder. I didn’t know how long he’d been holding me. Probably almost as long as I’d been crying. Why was I always crying? Everyone must have thought I was a filly. Just a fledgling, helpless without her family. Useless even with them.

I buried my beak into dad's soft grey coat. His wings wrapped around me in a protective hug as I took the rare chance to vent my feelings openly. No other townsfolk or family were there to judge me. It was just me, my father, and the feeling that I balanced the weight of the world on my back.

“We don’t need to keep going if you don’t want to,” Dad said as he ran his claw through my mane. “I understand that this is hard for you. I just wanted you to know how… in case you ever needed to. Your mom, your sister and I may not always be there to protect you.”

I looked up at him and nodded, the inside of my goggles wet with tears. “Ok… Can I just try one more time? Before we go home?”

“Of course.”

“And maybe… We don’t tell mother and Aqua how badly I did?”

He chuckled and smiled. “Of course little bird. Ready?” He drew the pistol from his holster and passed it to me, handle first.

It didn’t feel special or dangerous to hold. Just like any other tool I’d used before, just with the tiniest vibration from the spark packs. I raised the gun downrange, did my best to aim, and fired.

The minute I pulled the trigger the world was dark. Moonlight shimmered across the water. The cool air nipped through my coat. The target was gone, replaced by a ghost. A nightmare. A Stallion.

His copper coat reflected the moonlight wonderfully. His mane matched the sand at his hooves. The unicorn was bleeding. Red flowed from his eyes and ears, every orifice. I couldn’t have shot him. If I had, it wouldn’t look… like that. It couldn’t. I couldn’t!

I stumbled back, my chest tight. I couldn’t take in a breath as the blood pooled at my claws. My wrists. My foreleg. The life of the buck was coming after me, flooding me. Threatening to drown me! The blood was over my head now. The beach was gone, there was no sky. It filled my lungs and stomach, stealing my terrified screams as I drowned in regret.

*** *** ***

Needless to say, I didn’t sleep well. It took hours to shake the feelings of anxiety and shame brought up by my nightmares. I did everything I could to keep that day under lock and key, but it always found its way in. I loathed it.

It didn’t bother me as much as the desire burning within To feel that power and confidence flooding through my veins; all of the pain I felt washed away by the incredible euphoria. Every worry and fear purged from my system.

But I couldn’t do that. It was bad enough I’d already been wounded and poisoned in the wasteland, I really couldn’t afford to fall off the wagon. At home, I had access to treatment and support when something bad happened. Sure, in the wasteland I had my friends, but there wasn’t much they could do to help me. The best I could do was get back to work. Get distracted, bottle it up.

Free spotting the raider camp drew me away from my brooding. A portion of mostly intact highway crossing high above a now dried-up lake. We didn’t see any patrols or defences set up, though their elevation and seclusion made it secure. Half a dozen scrap metal buildings made up the base. Two of them had basic shooting platforms on the roofs, but they were unmanned.

One building in particular caught my attention. It was larger than the rest, with a chain-link fence around it. Light shone through the glassless windows, while the rest of the homes were left in darkness or candlelight. It was the only building with power. Two ponies stood guard outside of the door, likely armed. Definitely the leader's home.

Pastel blurs made their way between homes or small sacks of supplies stacked along the edge of the elevated street. Barrels of water, food and medicine. Interestingly enough, the only supply of ammo I could see was in Steel wings home, guarded by his cronies.

Seeing the stolen supplies made my heart ache for the lives lost trying to protect them. Everyone died, that was just a fact. Ending life for food or protection is a part of nature, but ponies were supposed to be better than that. The theft wasn’t for survival anymore. There were months worth of supplies stashed up there. Innocent lives for pony greed. My friends weren’t as disturbed by it all as I was. For them, it was just another aspect of the wasteland.

Free and I were perched in the energy pylon for nearly an hour while Scarlet and her friend moved in on hoof. Once the grounder pounders got closer to the base, Free and I would meet up with them. Hopefully with a plan of some kind.

It didn’t look like how I imagined a raider camp. It wasn’t even as bad as the damage and vandalization we’d seen at the water plant. The scrap buildings seemed at least stable, and I could make out a dozen or so figures moving around through my binoculars outside, though there might have been more in the building. At least two of them were in power armour. That, or they were some really bulky pegasi.

There was a makeshift lift along the side of the platform, likely set up to fairy supplies up and down more easily. I had no doubt I’d be able to use it to get the others up, but it seemed likely it would make them very easy targets while it carried them. Not to mention they could create a choke point at the top.

As we moved in closer to the base, I started to feel calmer. Though you didn’t need my keen arcane sense to notice. Jazy was sitting on the ground smiling but bolted up instantly when we landed. She ran over, giggling the entire time. “Have you ever seen this many plants in one place!?”

It was a forest. Or it was before the world ended. There were signs of life. Patches of grass, green bushes, even some tree saplings were growing. Some of the trees were still alive, though looked quite sickly. It had been a massive lake before the war, from what I could tell. Now there were only small puddles and ponds around, filled with radioactive water. Still, it seemed to be enough for the plants to live on. It was a little oasis, hidden in the middle of the balefire-blasted wasteland.

My arcane sense had dulled at some point in the years before, but something on my adventures had caused them to grow again. Allowing me to feel the still-hot embers of what Equestria used to beThe energy of the plants flowed around me, creating an abstract scene of life energy only viewable with my unusual talent. The plants held onto traces of the world that was before, energy and feelings of the beauty that had been so plentiful before it was left to ruin. They longed for it in a way that was heartbreaking, but wonderfully optimistic. No matter how tear-jerkingly beautiful it all looked and felt, there was still one fundamental problem.

It was still raider territory.

Scarlet was keeping her guard up while her friend worked to use up some of her excited energy. Her pump-action shotgun was strapped to her back, but I could see the faint glow of magic around the grip in case she needed to draw it quickly.

After telling them what we’d encountered, Scarlet took a minute to appraise the situation. “It… doesn’t sound like any kind of raider camp I’ve ever seen. It’s very possible they set up a settlement and then had to raid due to resource scarcity. It’s hard to say without more information… And of course, we can’t get up close to take a look.”

“I think we stake them out!” My suggestion was met with three blank stares. “You know, a stakeout! It’s like when the cops sit outside a bar waiting for their “perp” to show up, so they can get information? We can hide out near the base of the highway, and do some surveillance! We can’t get any street food or bad coffee like they do in books, but otherwise, it’s perfect!”

After a moment, Scarlet shrugged then nodded. “It isn’t a horrible idea I guess. More information is always better. What do you think, army brat?” She pointed a hoof at Free.

“I think it’s wise. But we’ll need to be pretty far back to be able to see them coming and going by wing. Most fliers wouldn’t bother with a lift when flying is faster.” He looked around for a minute. “But I think we should look around here, first.”

We scoped the area out under their base but found nothing we didn’t expect. A few pony tracks, the odd empty chem container or spent bullet casing; nothing unusual for the wasteland.

I took a few minutes to look at the lift before we pulled back to keep an eye on them. It was in terrible shape, put in place before the war to do some kind of maintenance on the section of highway. The motor had recently been repaired, and a new(ish) spark battery was plugged into it. I snagged a spark battery from the machinery. At the rate I was going it would take weeks to replenish my supply, but it was a start. And if we needed the lift later I could plug it back in!

We moved away from the highway at a steady pace, using the underbrush for cover. The Enclave Raiders wouldn’t be able to get a steady supply of water without a lot of equipment, so setting up camp there didn’t make sense. It was defendable, but not much else. It was no wonder they had to resort to stealing.

We set up a basic camp about two kilometres out, under cover of some shrubs and trees. Free took the first shift watching the pegasi. Without a word he just perched on top of a halfdead tree and glued himself to his binoculars.

Scarlet, Jasmin and I sat on the ground, keeping an eye out around us we tried to keep busy. I decided to tinker with the Novasurge rifle, doing another inspection before disassembly.

The word Hurricane was edged along the side of the rifle, just above where you’d normally find the firing bit. It’d been mostly painted over and was only partly visible. It was probably the weapon's name.

I smiled down at it. I never owned a weapon with enough history or importance to have a name. I hadn’t even thought to name my pistol when I’d made it. I was bad at naming things. But this rifle… It definitely deserved a name. I’d make sure it was very easy to make out when I repainted it.

The valleys magic was a lovely change from the rest of the wastes. In that little patch of greenery, I could feel life in every direction. It was weaker and less concentrated than back home, but it was there. The grass, the bushes, the birds. The way their energy flowed through the environment created a symphony of magical vibrance. It would nurture more life, encourage the valley to grow... In another few decades, the little oasis would grow and prosper. The return of nature to Equestria. Maybe a nature spirit would come to tend this place, or grow from the resonance of it all.

It was nearly evening before Free finally came down for a break. Scarlet was cleaning her rifle, while Jasmin was cooking something, over a small fire. She was making it in a pot, but it wasn’t like any soup I’d ever seen. She’d been quiet and distant for the past hour or two, citing a terrible headache

My ears twitched. Something was rustling behind us. Breaking twigs and crinkling leaves. My friends heard it too. Scarlet and Free both sprung into action, rifle and spear at the ready. Jasmin didn’t notice or care about the commotion. She continued to tend her boiling concoction.

A scream broke out from the woods. My ears twitched as I flinched back. Suddenly a grey blur plowed out of the brush. It sent me tumbling across the ground. I coughed as it forced the air from my lungs.

My first reaction was to lash out with my talons. The idea made me instantly nauseous, and I managed to rein it in. When I looked up I didn’t see a raider or wild beast attacking our camp. Sat on my barrel and panting as hard as me, was a pegasus colt.

I laid my head back as I took a minute to catch my breath. “You… Scared the pony pellets out of me kid…”

The blank flanked foal frowned at me with his ears back. His grey coat and golden mane stood out well against the foliage. We probably only missed him due to his small size.

Free rushed over as I hoisted the kid off, and gave the frightened foal a disarming smile. “What are you doing out here alone, little one? Are you alright?”

The colt's eyes watered as he shook his head. “I-I came out to explore but I don’t know what way the village is and I-I-I got scared! I can’t see above the trees, a-and I can’t fly…”

He was just a child lost in the woods. Not wasteland terror or a vicious, airborne raider. It made me question why we were out there. The idea of assaulting a camp where kids lived made me queasy. We had to be missing something.

I hesitated a second before I pulled the colt into my arms. I wrapped my warm wings around him, just like my father did with me. “Hey… You’re alright now. We can get you home, ok?” I said quietly. I didn’t have any experience around children. I wasn’t sure if I was doing the right things. I just tried to do whatever would have helped me feel better when I was that age.

The colt nuzzled into my shoulder, crying loudly. Once Free was sure the boy wasn’t injured he took a few steps back. Scarlet looked as confused as I felt, her eyes darting between the little pega and I.

Jasmin had just put out her fire, tucking a small metal container full of whatever she’d just cooked into one of her saddlebags. She cocked her head as she finally noticed us. “Oh… Uh, who’s the grub?”

*** *** ***

We agreed to take the colt back to his village, which we thought was a raider camp. They’d named it Skyward, a haven for people who were done living under the iron hoofs of their leaders. It was nice in theory, but apparently, it didn’t work out so well.

He didn’t bring up anything about the people there being dangerous, but we knew they were. They weren’t the type of raider to kill for fun, but they did kill ponies for their supplies. We couldn’t let that go unpunished. Whoever’s in charge would answer for that they did.

Jasmin had suggested the idea of using the child as leverage, but I turned her down immediately. I refused to use a child as a bargaining chip, and my friends agreed. While she was right that it would be an effective tactic for us to get what we want, it was wrong. This was someone's baby, not a hostage.

The colt became very chatty after he calmed down. Free and Scarlet had been asking him all about his home, family, and friends. I had one very obvious question to ask that they somehow missed.

“What’s your name?” The small pegasus sat on my back cocked his head at me.

His fluttering wings matched what I did when I got excited. Adorable. “My name is Stratus Haze! I’m seven years old, and one day I’m gonna be an explorer!”

My heart dropped a bit at the age-old name. I had to take a few breaths to compose myself. That person didn’t exist anymore… It just so happens this colt shared a name with him. It was fine. People could have the same names as other people! It didn’t change the past, but-

Stratus tapped my head gently. “Hey, why’d we stop? Is everything ok?” He asked. I hadn’t even noticed that I stopped walking.

I stammered for a second before answering “Yeah! Yeah, just um, I knew someone by that name, a long time ago. Sorry, let's go.”

After another minute of quiet trotting, I figured another couple of questions wouldn't hurt. Information was our best weapon against whatever was happening. It was also one of the only things I was useful for. “Hey Stratus, other than your parents, who’s in charge in the village?”

The colt's ears dipped for a second, and he tucked his tail between his hind legs. “O-oh… That’d be Mister Lou Tent Steel Wing.” He stammered, unsure of the proper pronunciation.

“Lieutenant,” Free corrected despite the foal not paying him any attention.

“Dad says not to go near him much. His metal hooves are loud walking around, and he’s always yelling a lot. But when dad's around he tells me what to do! So it’s ok.” Free and I shared a concerned look. The colt was scared of the cyber pony. Terrified even. I couldn’t blame him. Rumble was closer to being a pony than the murderous raider was.

The rest of the walk was quiet, though we didn’t know if it’d stay that way. Once somepony noticed the colt was missing, they’d have to send a search party. If they thought we were involved things would get messy fast.

A search party didn’t come. At least not in the way I’d expected it. There was a green-coated buck standing in the clearing by the lift, looking into the surrounding wilderness frantically. He had the lean athletic stature I’d expect from fliers but was far thinner than Free. A few spots of his coat had started to thin, too.

The second he noticed us he rushed over, wrapping the colt on my back in a tight feathered hug. He panted and whimpered as he pulled the foal to him, petting him with a hoof. “Stratus if you ever run off like this again, I will ground you for the rest of your life. I was so worried…” Stratus was hoisted off my back

I gave the two pegasi a moment to themselves before it felt appropriate to interject. I took a step closer to the father and held out my wing with a smile. “We found Stratus lost in the woods. It didn’t feel right to leave him on his own.”

The stallion looked at me through tear-filled eyes. “T-thank you for bringing him home. I’m not sure I could have found him on my own…” The buck unwrapped his foal for a moment to shake my wing, and quickly returned to holding him.

Scarlet trotted up beside me with a grim, shadowy expression. “Why didn’t anypony else help look? No offence, but you’re not much of a rescue party. You’re not even armed. What if there were raiders or wildlife down here?”

I hadn’t even realized it, but she was right. The entire time we were out there there wasn’t a single sign of a search party. Only a lone buck standing at what’s essentially the village’s entrance.

The Stallion sighed and looked down at the dirt. I noticed dark circles under his eyes that I hadn’t seen before… “Steel wasn’t willing to waste the resources looking for him, not even enough to give me a damn gun. ‘Course I couldn’t do nothing. He’s my son.”

Scarlet nodded. “Well, I’m glad we got him home safe. I’m Scarlet, and these are my companions, Aella Breeze, Jasmin Spark, and Feather brai-Feather Free.”

The buck chuckled a bit. “My name’s Thunder Chains. Everypony just calls me lucky though.” He sighed and looked back at the platform. “I’d invite you up, but Steel would have all our heads.”

“Why are you letting this pony lead if he’s causing problems?” Scarlet took a step towards the buck as she spoke, walking right into his personal space. “The Visionaries have photos of him attacking and killing local caravans. There’s a bounty out on him!” The intimidation tactic seemed effective, though I didn’t approve.

The buck's ears dipped back a bit as he sighed. “I was afraid of that… Things were fine at first, but when we ran out of rad away the water stopped being safe. We didn’t have any bit-er, caps, or anything to barter with. The lieutenant l decided he’d take his team out to find some. At first, we were all so happy we didn’t ask where it was coming from. Barrels of ammo, water, food, stuff we needed. But then they’d come back bloodied. He isn’t the same person he was weeks ago, let alone months. Steels fuse kept getting shorter and shorter. Little things send him into fits of rage. We’re all terrified to even question him…”

Free sat down on his haunches on the other side of me. He stared right through the buck, completely blank as he spoke. The stillness spooked me. “I worked with Steel Wing when we were still Enclave. If he’s gone this far… I’ll help however I can. I suppose the first thing we need to do is start getting you folks some water.”

“There’s no clean water for miles around, I’m afraid,” Jasmin said, joining the conversation. She sauntered back into the group, briefly looking each of us over. She wasn’t hanging her head or constantly sighing like she was before, so I assumed her headache had finally gone away. “Even with our water talisman, Vision has to have water shipped from the water plant down the tracks every couple weeks. But the plant belongs to Whinnies Grove. They won't let the water go for free, and you don’t have any trade.”

“What if somepony was willing to part with something for free? How many ponies do we need to keep alive?” I asked, an idea coming to mind immediately.

Lucky cocked his head. “There’s 15 of us, but-”

“If you’re thinking about the water reclamator and condenser on your ship, they’d hardly keep five people alive, let alone over a dozen,” Free said.

I scoffed at him and rolled my eyes. “Obviously I know that Free! I basically designed those. I have something else in mind.”

*** *** ***

“Oh, dear Luna” The villager buck gasped.

“Are you sure about this, Aella?” Scarlet rested a hoof on my shoulder. “Those things are insanely-”

“Valuable, I know. Specter said that too.” Hearing she had the same thought as the slaver made her flinch. “I don’t care how many caps it’s worth. The lives are these ponies are priceless. This’ll make enough water for all of you, and the valley below. This could breathe life back into this valley, for real!”

Everypony gathered around my open palm. Even the colt was enthralled by the site, and he didn’t understand the significance of it. A beautiful golden ring engraved with runes and glyphs, with a brilliant blue sapphire affixed in the center. It was cool in my hands, like holding a bottle of water. Despite the insane amounts of energy used to create the object, I could only feel the smallest breath of magic. Like the little relic was sleeping.

“I’m not sure if he’ll listen. I told you there’s something wrong with him. Even with us well supplied for weeks, his team goes out every other day to find ponies to take from! He’s screaming his head off, threatening ponies, his goons pointed a gun at me when I raised my voice about finding Stratus!”

Ouch.... That name again. Come on Aella you’re better than this!

“Somethings definitely wrong with him. The Enclave found plans for a prewar project and programmed it into Shadowbolt Tower. Before it was destroyed… They used the fabricators to augment him, and others. Since then… I don’t know, he was different. Not quite him.”

“It’s soul dissonance.” I was met with a mix of confused and curious looks. I shrunk back a little from the sudden undivided attention and did my best to explain. “Ok, um, well, part of it is. You’re already well aware that augmentation can cause a lot of psychological issues among patients, I imagine. There’s more to it… Souls, a creature's magical signature, The thing that makes them… them, it’s all tied to their body. The less body there is the greater separation between the soul and the mind. Too many implants and a person's soul has less of them to latch onto. It causes damage to the mind, it’s…

“We’ve researched it back home. The research team hoped if they found the cause, they could stop it. Easier to keep a starving population alive if they run on batteries. They found ways to help. Healing talisman, repair spells. Even having Elders or Shaman try and guard their souls against it. They learned a lot, and the tech saves many lives today, but… This level of augmentation. Only way would be to mount someone's Soul to their new body. It’ll destroy anyone. Not in days or weeks, but…”

“So there’s no reasoning with them?” Scarlet asked. I shook my head. “Fuck… How are we supposed to kill something made of steel and magic? We don’t have any EMP grenades, and we only have one Anti Machine Rifle. Can we build a weapon with some spark batteries again?”

The stallion's ears twitched a bit as he cut Scarlet off. “I’m… surprised, a Hippogriff would come all of this way and not have anything more. I’ve heard stories about the powerful weapons and technology of your people. Your magic. Surely you could destroy him with ease.”

I narrowed my eyes a bit, then took a breath. It wasn’t this bucks fault he had the wrong impression of us. “We have advanced technology, yes, but we don’t use everything we develop for weapons like Equestrian Ponies are resigned to do. We live with nature, heal and protect it. We don’t blow it up.” The last sentence had an edge, sharper than cosmic steel blades. The pony winced at the comment. While Lucky processed what I’d said, I addressed Scarlet's question. “I only have one, very poor quality spark battery. I don’t think it could even overwhelm my Pipbuck.” I raised my Pipbuck and tapped at it. Several graphs loaded onto the screen. A bit of quick math… Ok. “I have an idea, but I don’t know how well it’ll go. We’ll need it to be just Free and I against him.” I turned back to Lucky. “Can we get his goons off us?”

He took a second to answer, still frowning as he thought about my previous comment. “They’re as afraid of him as we are. Of… It. I can get them a message. I’ll need a few hours.”

“Are we sure talking isn’t an option? Fighting a death robot sounds like a death sentence. Especially with only two flyers.” Scarlet asked again. Since when was she the one to suggest talking over fighting, anyway?

“Talking isn’t an option. I’m the last pony-griff to shoot first, but I’m also educated enough in cybernetic arcane integration to know that we can’t reason with him. He isn’t a person anymore, he’s a machine. At the very least when we kill him, his soul will be free of his tortured mind. My plan will work, we just need to be careful. Do some brainstorming, figure out the best way to go about it all. But no matter what we need to finish this today. I don’t want any more innocent ponies to be hurt.”

Jasmin was smiling as she listened to me talk. The mare drew out her massive rifle and patted the side of it. “What’s the plan?”

*** *** ***

The wing of pegasi flew off into the dimming sky, bearing west. They’d gotten a tip about a massive caravan heading up to Hoofington, loaded to the brim with fresh food and caps. They were lucky an adventurous colt had seen the large caravan in the distance and returned to the Lieutenant with the information.

It was perfect! All the caps would get them more than enough weapons and supplies. They could set up giant turrets, feed their people, and rain death down on the inferior species tainting the wastes. Soon everypony would know the name Steel Wing, the most powerful soldier of Equestria.

All would rush to serve under him, or die by the hoofs of him and his followers. He would restore order to the savage wasteland, and rule over it as an immortal emperor. Nopony could stop him.

*** *** ***

I sat in the dirt of the previous night's campsite, idly fiddling with some twigs. I had to be ready to fly off at a moment's notice, so I couldn’t work on Hurricane or do anything I’d consider productive. I was totally, utterly bored.

Setting up the place to look like a fake caravan camp only took a couple of hours. We found some old busted-up wagons and pulled them over, and loaded them with empty boxes and barrels from a nearby junkyard. Free set a couple of his tents up, and we put some battery-powered lights in them for the illusion of occupancy.

It wasn’t perfect, but we only needed to fool them enough to draw them in close. Once we took to the air, our sole focus would be not to be shot by the cyber ponies' devastating nova surge weapons.

I wasn’t the most athletic hippogriff growing up, but I had learned when it’s ok to take shortcuts and cut corners. I tucked a small inhaler in the breast pocket of my barding, ready to use at a moment's notice in case things went bad.

The entire plan hinged on the hope that the dictator's wing ponies would bug out when the fight started. They were afraid of him and likely knew if we failed he would crush them. I figured the odds of them keeping to our agreement was 50/50.

I hadn’t expected the situation to become so complicated so quickly. Stopping an evil band of powerful raiders became saving a helpless village from the wrath of a tyrannical leader. In a way, this was easier. We’d thought we’d be facing down nearly a dozen power-armoured pegasi and a flying robot pony. Now we just had the pony, and maybe two fliers in armour.

We were more motivated than before to get this job done. Bad enough that caravans were getting hit and killed, the supplies nearby settlements dearly needed being lost. But now there was a village of refugees who needed saving as well.

Free was laying in the dirt a few feet away, waiting quietly for things to get underway. He was dressed in his usual armour, this time with a set of flight goggles on his forehead.

I had to keep resisting the urge to tune into DJ pon-3. I had to keep my Pipbuck tuned to our chosen frequency. Jasmin’s broadcaster was on the same one, making use of her Pipbuck peripheral.

“How are you feeling?” I asked as I kept my eyes on the sky. The morning star, Polaris, was just starting to make its appearance in the north. I tried my best to ignore the terrifying implications of them staring down at us as tried to strike up conversation.

“Normal pre-battle anxiety, nothing I haven't felt before.” He assured. “We learn to get through and embrace this feeling in basic training. What about you? You’re no fighter, Captain.”

I groaned at his use of my unwanted nickname. “No, I meant… This pony was your friend. It can’t be easy to do this.”

He picked idly at the dirt with his hoof. “He was my friend. Hell, he was more than that once. It used to be that, of everything and everyone in the sky all he saw was me. He was always afraid of dying or losing people, I think everyone is. But it pushed him to become… that thing, that monster. I was by his side as it slowly ate away his sanity. He hardly slept or eat. At first, he thought he was invincible, in the way a young colt usually does. But then it grew past that. He was disconnected from his mortality. And from me…” The buck flopped down in the dirt with a sigh. The mission was picking at old wounds that my friend hadn’t let heal yet. I hoped killing Steel Wing would help bring him closure, but I knew it wouldn’t be the case.

“That’s when I lost him. This beast, this murderer was never my friend. My friend died a while ago. Some abomination has been using what’s left of his face to hurt innocent ponies. But still, under all that metal somewhere… I can’t be sure. So I’m not thinking about it.”

It was a policy I was very familiar with when it came to internal struggles. While I was amazingly gifted at it, that didn’t mean it was a good practice. The sooner he faced them the less weight he would carry. For better or worse our heart-to-heart was stopped by the crackle of my Pip-buck radio.

“Flight team, Sky Eye. Target in range, 15 miles east bearing 250 degrees. Wing ponies are spread out in a wide V-formation, probably canvassing. At 13 wingpower ETA is 7 minutes.”

“Acknowledged, out,” I replied into my Pipbuck simply.

Free got to his hooves and started to get his gear on, with me right behind. “That friend of Scarlets seems skilled. No idea who the hell trained her but she’s got a good head on her shoulders. Woulda fit right in with.”

“Yeah, without her I’m pretty sure we wouldn’t have a chance,” I replied with a smile.

“Even with her, I’m not sure we have a chance. But Scarlet would walk into fire if you told her it was safe. I’m sure that kind of relationship isn’t without reason. So I trust you, too.”

“I’ll do the best I can,” I promised. “Did she really say that about me?”

The broadcaster interrupted us again. “Target is accelerating, ETA 2 minutes. Adjusting course for your position.”

“They see our caravan ‘camp’,” I stated. If I was any captain, I was Captain Obvious. I didn’t have the credentials for anything else anyway.

With the clock ticking down, we took a moment to stretch out our wings steel ourselves. Free pulled a bottle of pills out with a sigh and uncapped it. He hoofed me a pill as he eyed his own skeptically.

“I know you don’t do drugs, but without Buck, we won’t be able to keep up with his augmented body. We’ll tire out, he won't.” I explained. “I’ve used buck a few times before, you’ll be fine.”

He threw the pill into his mouth and grunted. “I’d rather do this than get turned into a pile of goo.” His eyes widened as he pointed. “There!”

Over my shoulder, three blurs flew towards us. I took out my binoculars to get a better look. The wing ponies flew off to either side, hopefully disengaging. Steel Wing watched them leave with a scowl. It shook its head but maintained course.

That was my first time getting a good look at it. His legs and torso were completely replaced with metal. His wings were made of steel, with a glowing talisman at the base of each one. His eyes gave off a terrifying red glow as he scanned the landscape. The only part of him other than his ‘bits’ was his muzzle, giving off the barest hint of cyan under the steel.

Time to go.

We took to the air, weaving through the trees, ruined homes, and lamp posts of the sparse suburb we lured him to. An orange bolt flew right past my wing, turning a fire hydrant into a puddle of slag. More plasma rained down on us. I flapped harder, strafing between and under any cover I could as I darted around.

Free and I flew into the air, trying to keep ourselves low enough to use the dead trees and random debris as cover. He wasted no time, already firing orange bolts of plasma down towards us. My heart rate spiked as I strafed and weaved through the wasteland, dodging between whatever cover I could find. Free kept pace without much trouble. The stallion effortlessly flew through the battlefield. Every 30 seconds I’d hear the pfft pfft pfft of his carbine returning fire. If I slowed down to try it I’d be turned to bird stew.

My original hope that his heavy body would slow him down died. He had no problem speeding around above us to send hot death raining down. One second he was over my left shoulder the next he was in front of me three stories up. His experience and training put him leagues ahead of me. My brain could hardly keep up, let alone my body. Already my chest burned. My wings ached. He was going to corner or exhaust me. I had to try and fight back.

With a cathartic caw, I drew my trusty pistol. I rolled to fire a stream of SATS-guided death back towards our pursuer. They went wide. He still waved away from him, allowing us to gain a bit of ground. A few more seconds to think while he lined up his next shot.

The world was a blur. Shacks, powerlines, half-dead trees. I barreled past it all at dangerous speeds. It was the second time in my life flying with a sense of dread rather than happiness. The wind howled past me as I pitched upward. The two pegasi were right behind me. One readying to fire, the other flying for his life.

CRACK

The nearby building's chimney exploded in a hail of jagged rocks and loose mortar. The robo-pony yelped as the debris clacked against his armoured hide. Just a bit faster and his head would have been taken off. Of course it couldn’t be that easy!

The scope of Jasmin's impressive rifle gleaned in the sparse sunlight. Knowing her she’d have a smile on her face, laid out on the water tower she’d set up on. Scarlet was at her side, eyes fixed down my binoculars as she called out shots to her old friend. I left Rumble with them too, just in case anything tried to sneak up behind them somehow. The mare was undoubtedly annoyed that she missed her shot. It’d be at least a few seconds before she was ready to take another shot.

“Crap!!” I cursed as I rolled right-side up. I couldn’t hit him and he knew we had a sniper. I glanced around for a new route. How could I lead him closer to my other friends without being melted?

The wind tugged harshly on my feathers as I banked hard and fast. A breath later I was heading back towards our dummy camp. I beat my wings hard as I dashed wildly about, doing anything I could to keep out of his sights. I’d lost free in the brief scuffle. Every so often I’d see his white blip on EFS for a fleeting second.

I kept out of his eye line for more seconds than he liked. I heard a furious, magically enhanced roar behind me. “Stop hiding cowards! I know you tried to trap me! I’ll mount your wings on my wall for it!” The terrifying image made me start shaking.

Just keep flying. Don’t look back. Don’t slow down. He can’t cut your wings off if he can’t catch you. If I was lucky Free would leap out any second and open fire on him.

If you thought I’d be lucky you aren't been paying much attention. An unsettled semi-synthetic laugh made my blood run cold. The quiet whine of complex spellwork. High above and behind me. Closing in quickly. Diving right for me. Gravity and magical wings vs my below-average athletic ability. He’d close the distance in seconds. Crush me under the weight of an iron body. He wasn’t even bothering with his rifles. Hooves outstretched, ready to strike. He wanted to tear me apart up close and personal.

Perfect. That’s exactly ho-

pfft pfft pfft pfft pfft

Rounds pinged off Steel’s armoured face and chest. The rounds hardly left a mark on his armoured body, but the few seconds he spent flinching away was enough for me to dart out of melee range. I turned and tail and flew towards the gunfire with everything I had. The crazed raider barreled after me with a roar. I saw Free hovering in the air for a moment before I soared past in a blur. He easier turned himself around to follow.

“He needs to start shooting at us again! Pee him off or something!” I shouted over the howling wind in my ears.

Feather scoffed and glanced back at the cyber-pony closing in on us. “I know that it’s part of your plan, but we can’t exactly beat him if he turns us to puddles!”

We dived down to street level, gaining speed as I used the buildings and rusted out wagons for cover. “Don’t be such a worrywart. We’ll be fine. You knew him personally, you have to know something that upsets him!”

Normally, someone I’m fighting getting up close was a good thing. Between my agile body and my sharp talons, I wasn’t somegriff most creatures wanted to fight hoof to claw. I regretted the thought instantly as I shuttered. A flash of bloody talons filled my vision. Warm fluid dripping down wrists… I shook as I flew. Tears threatened to flow, but I pushed through it. I could fall apart as much as I needed once my friends were all safe.

Feather Free looked back at our enemy, up to me, then back at what was left of his friend. “Steel, I ugh… I did find Clear Skies in the tower. She was stuck behind a busted door. I couldn’t lift it. We were losing raptors, rumours of a megaspell were spreading… I couldn’t save her. I left her to die. I was afraid you’d kill me if I told you the truth.” The wind carried his half shouts to our enemy.

gazed back at our enemy, at me, and then back at his once friend. “Steel… I um… I did find Clear Skies at the tower. A door was busted, she couldn’t fit under it. I tried to get her out, but it was so heavy. She told me to leave her behind. The attack was getting worse, and there were rumours of a megaspell strike. So I did as she asked. I left her to die. I never told you because I didn’t want you to hate me…” Steel Wing slowed down as he listened. It was having an effect, but I couldn’t read his expression under his steel face. “Part of me is glad she didn’t make it out. Seeing what you’ve become would have broken her. Our sweet young buck becoming a murdering bandit leader.

An inequine scream pounded against my eardrums. My beak tensed as I struggled to keep my wings moving. The levitation talisman under his wings flared, sending him speeding towards us. His novasurge rifles flickered as they charged to fire. Angering the buck had worked, probably too well. Any second he’d let loose a torrent of plasma at us. Render us to magical sludge. Where in Equestria was-

A loud crack cut off the buck's enraged screams and saved us from being destroyed by a living tank. An apple-sized hole blew out of his chest. Guts and electronics rained down from the exit wound. The blue energy around his wings fizzled out and sent him hurtling towards the ground.

My heart stopped as a gunshot rang out. I thought I was dead. I slowed to a hover, grasping my chest as my lungs wheezed. But I was alive. The gunshot was Jasmin. She’d put an AMR round through the bandit. Free flew over next to me with a worried look.

“Are you ok?” He asked.

I nodded. Then shook my head. “I… I’ll be alright, just when the shot went off I thought… I-I’m fine… We should make sure he’s dead. Come on.” I flew to where I thought he’d fallen at a steady pace. I wanted my eyes to stop watering before we landed so Free didn’t see. I needed to be there for him in case he fell apart. This was supposed to be hard for him. I was supposed to be fine. I didn’t even know the pony we… We were… Killing.

We found him in a heap under a burnt-out tree. I gave Jasmin and Scarlet a quick thank you over the radio as Free went to see the body. Once we were sure he was dead we could head back to Skyward to tell everyone they were free of him.

Something was wrong. Everything felt off. My feathers ruffled and the hair on my neck stood on end. The neighbourhood was completely silent. Not even a bird chirping nearby. The dreary emptiness of the wasteland was polluted further with a sourness I couldn’t explain.

“Ugh, Aella?” My ear twitched as Free called out to me. His tone didn’t make me feel any better. “What the fuck is happening?”

I trotted up and gaped. We stared at the body of Lieutenant Steel Wing in a pool of blood and oil. His wings were bent and cracked, and the space where his lungs would have been was completely blown apart. I could see the sticky red fascia of his chest cavity.

I didn’t even have time to feel nauseous about the gore as I watched the body in horror. The blood and oil under him were receding. Flowing back into the body. The flesh inside his steel casing was shifting and knitting itself back together. Even the metal components in his chest and along his coat were repairing themselves.

“No… No no no no, no! Seriously!?” I shouted aimlessly. Free stepped back from the body and looked to me for answers. “It has healing and repair talisman… I didn’t think they’d have those kinds of resources in the sky. Explosives? Grenades!? Anything!?” I asked him frantically.

Free shook his head. He kept his eyes focused on our enemy as he spoke. “I’m ‘fraid not. Scarlet has them. Can Jasmin-?”

“No, she can’t see us or him from where she is. Umm, j-just start shooting him before he gets up again!”

There was a heavy thud on the ground as the metal beast got his hooves under him. We spent way too long talking. Even with an apple-sized hole clean through his chest, he’d regained consciousness.

His eyes flickered red as he rebooted. He glared daggers at us as he somehow started to breathe again. One of the levitation talisman flickered and sparked. Several rocks and cans near the ponies right-wing were wrapped in a cool white glow, floating off in random directions. The spell matrix was damaged, unstable. If we were lucky other systems might be as well.

Unfortunately whoever designed these augments had only war in mind. The novasurge rifles fixed below his wings were among the first systems to flicker back to life as the repair talisman worked.

“Run!” I shouted as I turned tail. My wings beat hard as I tried to distance myself between the metal menace. Free was already moving when I yelled, so we took to the air at the same time.

Orange streaks of death fired at us, but they went wide. Basic strafing and rolling were enough to keep the dangerous magic from hitting us. Still, the odd shot did manage to get close. My flank burned as a bolt just missed grazing my side. Somehow his aim was even worse now than it had been in flight. Whatever system had been helping him must have been offline

We took cover behind a boulder. Energetic plasma tried its best to burn through the hard stone, but it could only get through an inch or two of the cover. I patted the rock in thanks as we caught our breath. Tried to think of something. His mobility was ruined, but he was out of Jasmin’s line of sight.

“Flight team, is the target down? Over.” Speak of the devil… Free and I both winced as more orange streaks of light soared past or slammed into our cover. My palm felt warmer against the stone as more shots tore into it.

I was shaking again as I spoke into my Pip-buck. “No. Steel is down but repairing itself. Our weapons aren’t doing it, we need to lead him out to you.”

There was a pause before she answered. “Nowhere close enough. Get him back in the air and I can line up a shot, but otherwise, you’re on your own. I’m sorry Aella. Over.”

“Ok… Ok. My original plan can still work. I’m going to fly circles around him if you can find a place to take some shots at him safely.” I turned back towards my wrist device. “Can you guys come meet up with us? You won’t do us any more good up there.”

The radio crackled for a moment. “Copy, we’re on our way. Give us 8 minutes.” I nodded and lowered the radio

A red warning on my EFS caught my attention. My heart rate was higher than it was comfortable, and I was dehydrated. I dismissed the alert and ignored it. I couldn’t deal with any more problems. Being chased through a dead forest by a pony-tank armed with weapons that couldn’t hurt him was too much already.

“If you step out there he’ll turn you into a puddle!” Free warned. He wasn’t wrong. We were pinned down and Steel was moving closer. Jokes on him. He activated my trap card. I produced the inhaler from my pocket and showed it to the stallion. “That… could work. I don’t like the idea of you putting that trash in your system, but it’s healthier than being killed, so…”

I put the inhaler into my open beak and pressed down on the tank. I inhaled the vapour as deeply as I could. The effect was instant. Everything around me slowed and brightened. I could see and hear everything in so much more detail. I could feel the radiance of every tree, shrub, and rock for miles. Even the embers of luminescence from Steels tormented soul, shrouded by the pulsing talismans and matrix’ drilled into him.

Every fear and worry that had been threatening to overtake me was gone. Like when I took med-x, but without the dulling effect. My mind still worked flawlessly. My fine-motor skills and reasoning seemed unaffected. Improved, even!

With no hesitation, I sprang into action. A blur soared across the battlefield. I felt the wind rush past every individual hair and feather as I cut through the air. And I was fast. Not fast like the mare, Free saw at the clinic, but faster than I ever thought possible. I dodged around the oncoming beams with little effort. Even when my back was to him he couldn’t hit me. I could feel the energy of each bolt. Their direction of travel. Their wrathful intents to kill.

He let out an angry roar as I soared past him, close enough to smell the steel. I giggled as I brushed against the fresh of his muzzle with a wing feather. The angry buck turned and opened fire with another torrent of painfully slow travelling death. I danced around his shots as I banked back towards him.

Oh hey, wait! I have one of those too! I drew my sidearm and opened fire. I aimed for his side, center mass. I would have been better off using SATS against him but the idea of subjecting myself to the slowed time it created tasted bitter. My shots left smouldering burns across the surface of his armour, with two of them managing to go deeper.

I smiled as a theory of mine was proven correct. Even with the hole in his side in the process of healing, his body worked to repair the damage my pistol had caused. The repair talisman had no way to determine what damaged components took precedence beyond keeping the weapons systems functioning. It was trying to repair everything at once.

My genius mind acted at speeds that I’d never even imagined. My body wasn’t far behind. I was invincible. Endurance and intelligence unrivalled! I continued to fly back and forth over my target, weaving and dancing over his shots as if they were the toy darts my sister and I played with as foals.

Suddenly I tumbled through the air. My wing clipped something, sending me into an uncontrollable spin. I wasn’t nearly skilled enough to pull myself out of it. Something had struck me in just the right way to send me sprawling through the air.

My drug-addled mind underestimated my opponent. The entire time I was ducking and waving, his computer-assisted brain had been studying me. It learned my movements. Predicted what I’d do next. At the last moment he raised his hoof, and I flew right into it.

I hit the ground had, skidding through the dirt. Jagged rocks tore into my hide, leaving a bunch of small wounds I couldn’t feel at the time. I quickly got up to stare down my opponent. One lucky blow wasn’t enough to take me down. I was unbeatable!

A pair of glowing red eyes stared back at me. The barrel of its functioning rifle cracked with threatening arcane energy. Suddenly my mortality was very clear. No matter how much dash I had I wouldn’t be able to dodge a plasma bolt. I was too slow on the ground. It’d take too long to gain any speed.

That left only one option. I was strangely calm when I entered SATS. I didn’t feel overcome with the need to run and act anymore. My mind was clear of the bravado and euphoria was gone. Unfortunately the crushing doubt and emotional exhaustion the drugs pushed away was back as well.

The spell pulled the pistol from my breast and levelled it at Steel. Two shots were all I had. I thought I’d have enough time for it to fully charge, but my perception of time was skewed. My hit chances were higher than usual. Not like when I tried steady, but still impressive for me.

The weapon hummed in my palm as it sent two cobalt streaks at my target. It struck low, burning away the remaining flesh of his muzzle. The second shot was for his weapon, but it was slightly off as well. It lanced through his wing. He didn’t seem to notice it as he roared in pain, clutching his muzzle with his metal hoof.

The buck recovered quickly and took aim. I dove away just in time, feeling the orange bolts soar harmlessly over me. As I lay in the dirt a second torrent of shots rained down in front of me. When I looked over, it was clear why the military buck missed.

His body was wrapped in a white aura of magical energy. The magic was soft but intense. The talisman under his wing cracked and shimmered. It bled energy uncontrollably. Pulled the stallion skyward. He continued to fire his weapon wildly. None of the shots came even close. In just a few seconds he was already five meters up.

Free watched in awe from behind a wheel barrel, taking a few shots at the vulnerable abomination. Seeing the powerful cyberpony be screwed over by its own body was almost comical. As if now that the magical gems were free of his control, they were punishing him for using them for evil.

A moment later, the buck died. Every gem and light through its metal body winked out at once. The aura evaporated. The heavy creature crashed into the ground with a thud, sending a cloud of dusk into the air. The red mark on my EFS winked out.

I trotted over to him, giving him a quick once over. The dents in his armour were no longer being repaired, and he appeared to be completely immobile. His body was dead. He used up all of his power. He was trapped. Helpless. Feather walked over and poked its flank with the barrel of his rifle to make sure. I rolled my eyes a bit at the foalish attempt to check for life. Though whether or not what this poor pony had could be considered life was up for debate.

I had the biggest smile on my face as I pulled up my broadcaster. “Steel Wing is down. He’s totally fucked! Get your asses over here quick cause I have no idea how to finish him off! Over.”

“Copy, five minutes out.” If they noticed my… unusual way of speaking they didn’t notice it

I smiled at Free, wings flapping hard in excitement. “I did it, I actually did it!” I screamed at him.

He wasn’t as excited as me. He didn’t seem excited at all. He frowned at me and slowly reached out with a hoof. “Aella, you should sit down. You look pale.”

I shook my head and giggled. “What are you talking about, I feel amazing! I could fly all the way back to Vision right now. Did you see how fast I was doing? ”

Feather put his hooves on my shoulder and gently pushed me to sit. I pouted at him. “Can I see your Pipbuck?” The question confused me but I obliged. “Oh, shit, um… Can you put it on the medical screen?” I rolled my eyes and giggled. Silly hooves couldn’t use my Pipbuck.

My doctor friend read through my status screen. His frown turned to a look of concern. He muttered as he read. “Elevated heart rate, blood pressure, temperature... Fuck me. Aella, this thing is flashing warnings like a harthswarming tree! This strain isn’t good for you, you could have a heart attack!”

“Hearth…what? I’m fine, don’t worry. The drugs will be out of my system in a couple minutes and I’ll stabilize.” My eyebrows raised a bit. “Aw, hell… This is going to be a really shitty hangover isn’t it?” The stallion nodded, still wearing a concerned expression. I did my best to ignore it.

“Awesome.”

Scarlet and Jasmin showed up before the drugs were out of my system, thankfully. A pair of grenades finished off the metal terror for good. Of course, I took the chance to search his metal body for anything useful first. A few talisman, and an intact spell matrix. Scarlet said if we sold them they’d be worth more than the job even paid!

I found one bit of salvage that soared above the rest though. It took a bit of plasma cutting and some messy digging through a cyberponies chest cavity, but it was worth it! A steel canister with window slits running down it to show the gem inside. It was a long, narrow shard of ammoriate. A rare and powerful rainbow-coloured crystal used for energy storage. The hippogriffs of old discovered it in Seaquestria, and learned to use it to absorb the magic of lightning strikes. One could power a small city or a powerful spell. They were more dangerous than a ruptured spark battery, but the energy potential didn’t compare. Even the shard in the aged Spark Core looked nearly flawless. It’d easily outdo the entire array of recently manufactured batteries on the Skystar.

Oh yeah. I could have fun with that.

The journey back to Skyward sucked. I was slow, shaky, and cold. I tried to keep the effects to myself to keep my friends from worrying. Free side-eyed me when he thought I wasn’t paying attention. The buck was worried about me. While it wasn’t completely unwarranted, I was a grown mare. I decided to take the drugs, and it led to us winning!

Scarlet and Jasmin mostly left me be, other than asking every so often how I was doing. I think they assumed I was tired from the battle. They weren’t wrong. Mostly I was exhausted from the dash. My body went from completely energised to drained in minutes and left me dead on my hooves. All I wanted was to find a bed to fall into.

Footnote:
Welcome to level 7!

Perk added: Pack Rat! Items with a weight of two pounds or less now weigh half as much for you!
((Repair skill 75))

Chapter 10: To New Friends

Fallout Equestria: Endless Horizon

Chapter 10: To New Friends

Music droned through the young settlement, the heavy base and fast rhythm mixing with the chorus of gleeful cheers and drunken yammering. Skyward was alight with activity. Everyone was outside, feasting on grilled meat and shuffling to the unusually loud and heavy music from above the clouds. They were eating some pony treat where they cooked some fluffy candy over the fire, then put it on a cracker with chocolate! The sweet-salty and bitter mixed really well, though it was rather hard on my stomach.

No hearts bled for the loss of the once-great Lieutenant Steel Wing, least of all his ex-lover. Free had grieved for the loss of his friend long ago. The buck was thrilled we’d gotten to free the pegasi from the monstrous threat, just as he freed his squad from the enclave years before. I hoped he’d live up to his name by helping Scarlet and I save the prisoners of Vision. We needed all the help we could get.

Thunder Chain took command of the settlement. Lucky, as he preferred, was already hard at work in Steel's old house, workshopping his ideas on how to keep the town alive and thriving now that they had access to clean water. He was writing letter after letter to send to nearby settlements to buy farming equipment and seeds. If the rest of the town was as dedicated and hard-working as he was, Skyward would bloom into a thriving settlement that could give Whinnies Grove a run for its caps.

Our return was celebrated with a stream of hugs, hoof shakes, and gifts. By we, I mostly mean me. Thanks to the radio making me out to be the leader of our mismatched little crew, and be being the one to give them the water talisman they saw me as something of a celebrity. It was flattering but made me very uncomfortable. I didn’t enjoy being fussed over or anything, I always preferred to be in the background. I’d have given anything for a zebra stealth cloak or a stealth buck, honestly. The pegasi treated me as if I was special, and it felt wrong. Disingenuous. I wasn’t special. I was just a nerdy mare who won a fight, thanks to her friends, some drugs and a bit of luck. My parents were special. Aqua was special. I was just the wrench jockey who didn’t learn her left from her right until she hit double digits.

Still, I did my best to follow along with their strings of introductions and compliments. My mind was foggy and slow, and I was easily distracted by everything happening around me. My lacklustre attempts to focus and engage with the liberated pegasi were saved when Free ushered me into the settlement's infirmary. Free wanted to clean and cover my wounds, as well as check on my mental facilities as I crashed from experimenting with Dash. I was curled up on the musty bed of the ramshackle building as he did his doctory thing.

“How are you feeling? Dash is a pretty rough drug, and I’m not sure how it’ll mix with your anatomy. I’m worried about you, and I’m pissed.” The feathers on my head laid back as I curled tighter into myself. Of course, I’d upset him. I was using. Like a weak-willed filly. I draped a wing over my face to hide my shame. I felt his hoof stroking my wing as he continued. “Not at you. At the situation. You should have never been in a position where turning to such drastic measures was the best option. It isn’t fair, especially for someone who was previously so far removed from the wasteland.” ‘Removed.’ He had no idea…

“I sniffled and answered. “I feel terrible. I’m exhausted. I’m shaking more than normal. My brain is… cloudy, groggy. I have this terrible, thumping headache. I keep getting… confused or distracted. I can’t keep on task.” I explained as he looked over my vitals again. My heart rate had gone back to normal, though my blood pressure and oxygen were both lower than normal.

Free moved to a pair of buckets across the room and washed his hooves in them, one full of water, the other with homemade moonshine. “That matches up with what I’ve read about coming down from recreational amphetamines. You put a lot of stress on your wing and heart in a very short amount of time with that stunt. It’ll take time to fully recover. You need to rest and stay hydrated. Focus on healing. If seeing you around didn’t make the pegasi so damn happy I’d have Scarlet strap you down to the bed.

I blushed a bit at the thought and slowly rolled off the bed. A spear of pain tore through my left wing as I stretched out. I pulled the muscle in it, and lost more feathers than I was comfortable with. The rest were a mess, ruffled with their usual purple sheen lost under layers of muck and blood. Honestly, the pain wasn't too bad. The gunshot wound in my hind leg was worse, though thankfully the mostly healed bullet hole through my wing merely tingled. “I know it was a dumb move… It was stupid, and I know how horrible things can go when you get into chems, but… Without that drug, he’d have turned both of us to goo…” Despite my justifications, I still felt terrible about taking it. I felt weak, having to rely on my friends and drugs to get by.

“Who are you trying to convince?” Ow… was I really that transparent? I pouted a bit and wrapped my good wing around myself. “Just… Watch your drug use ok? They’re just as dangerous as they are helpful. Especially something as habit-forming as dash.” The doctor explained. With his back to me, I couldn’t read his face. I couldn’t tell if he was being genuine or if there was some subtext going over my head. I didn’t really care at the time though. I knew the speech, I knew the risks. I made the right decision. I beat the bad guy. I saved a settlement. I was alive. “By the way, you really need to start taking more care of yourself. I know this is the wasteland, but you still should be taking better care of your feathers and coat. When was the last time you preened.”

I clicked my beak and gave a tiny shrug. “I umm… Whinnies Grove, I think?” The buck narrowed his eyes. “W-we’ve been around people constantly! I'm not comfortable grooming myself around others…” My face felt warm as I looked down at the floor, embarrassed.

Free sighed and sat a hoof on her shoulder. “If that’s the case, you can ask for time to yourself Aella. It isn’t just about looking nice, all the extra drag from a messy coat and bad feathers is going to tire you out. Focus on yourself, at least for recovering.”

I nodded slightly and gave the buck a nuzzle. I still didn’t know him very well yet, but he cared about people. I think we were becoming friends! “Right, that communication thing you and Scarlet are so intent on teaching me. I’ll try to take care of myself…” I sighed and tried my claw at communicating. “Would you mind stepping out for a bit so I can tend my wings?”

The buck gave a curt nod and a satisfied smile then took his leave. I got to work going over my feathers, plucking any that were to warn for new ones to grow, and straightening the rest. I smiled as I looked over the smooth purple feathers of my now clean wings. I hadn’t lost as many feathers as I’d thought, they were just more of a mess than I was used to. I did have a habit of forgetting to take care of myself when I got into my work, usually leading to Aqua stepping in. But my sister was a world away, and I had to take care of myself. I brushed out my coat and quickly cleaned all the muck of battle off by the wash buckets.

I looked at myself in the mirror above them as I washed up. I did look much better than before. Though using a bucket to wash made me miss my shower, as shallow as the thought made me feel. These people were fighting for drinking water, and I was pouting about not having my shower! Though the settlement could use indoor plumbing. How water would be easy, even just using heat from the sunlight that blessed the area. There was lots of scrap pipe back where we’d fought Steel Wing, it’d only take me a few-

I groaned and pointed a claw at my reflection. “Nope, bad Aella! You told Free you’d try and focus on yourself! Mother, Father and the elders always said never to go back on your word. You saved this settlement, and you got hurt doing it! They don’t need plumbing built too! That isn’t my duty. Tonight, my duty is to myself… I can do that.

With my physical needs met, I made my way back out into the settlement. The hugs and backpacks were numerous, and I did my best to be appreciative. But honestly, I was tired, sick, and very overstimulated. I may have cawed at a sweet pegasi couple and flew off to our campsite. I know! It wasn’t nice of me, I felt super bad after.

On the flight over I did catch sight of my medic friend getting very close to a particularly handsome buck who was tending the large campfire in the center of town. It still surprised me how promiscuous that buck got when he wasn’t patching creatures up or going on adventures with me. I smiled and giggled a bit as he faded from view. After the hard work we all did, we all could use some R&R.

Our camp was at the edge of the village, but still almost 100 metres from where the rest of the highway had broken away. They had plans to build in the space over the next few years, though I didn’t know what. We just had a small fire, encircled by our bedrolls. Rumble was hovering next to the glowing flames, basking in its warmth. Otherwise, the camp was empty. Last I saw Scarlet and Jasmin a pegasus had challenged Jasmin to a game of horseshoe. Because in Equestria, having footwear was also entertainment? I didn’t bother asking, since I don't wear horseshoes anyway.

As I lay back in my nest roll, I saw a blur soaring across the sky. A vague pony shape against a star-filled break in the cloud curtain. The slightest hint of green and orange near the edge of my vision. I shrugged and turned my face towards the fire's warmth. I hadn’t heard any mention of flying competitions, but it sounded like something they would do.

I was just dozing off as I felt something next to me. The distinct feeling of Scarlet's magic made me wonder why she’d returned from the party so soon. I opened my eyes to find her holding a bottle of water in her magic. Rather than drinking it, she was pouring it onto her face and mane, like a landlocked Kelpie. “Trying to cool down. Those chickens really know how to dance…” She explained as she looked in their general direction. The nuzzle that followed was wet and sweaty, (They’re different things, I swear! I can turn into a fish, I would know!) but not unwelcomed. I returned it with a yawn. “You did really well today. I’m actually kind of proud. I didn’t know you had that kind of fire in you. I was worried about you, though. Free too, as much of a pain in the ass he is. Are you recovering ok?”

Proud… wasn’t a word I was used to hearing. It was praise that I’d only seen reserved for great feats. Father was proud that Mother had managed a temporal inversion spell to bring some dead crops back to life. Mother was proud to see Aqua become the youngest unicorn in Hippogriffia’s history to learn teleportation, or acute transformations, or how to hack into their secure terminals. Ok, they were upset about that last part. She just didn’t get into any trouble for it. Aqua would tell me she was proud of me sometimes, but it never felt real. Not after the amazing feats she did, stacked next to my father the genius inventor and my mother the magical prodigy. Next to those, macaroni art of me spelling my name wrong hardly had the same significance.

I nuzzled into the softness of my nest and held in a shutter. It was stupid. My heart ached, and my eyes watered. There was no reason for them too. I’d finally done something worthy of note, is all. No reason to happy cry. Or sad cry. Or… whatever it was I felt.

I cleared my throat and did my best to keep my voice from quivering. Once I steered the conversation away from myself, I’d be fine. The tears would stop and I could face her again. “I’m fine, thank you. Just worn out after everything. Free threatened to have you tie me down if I didn’t get some rest. What about you? Were you upset I had you away from the action, today?”

Scarlet flopped down on her bedroll, her muzzle inches from my face as she tried to look at it. “I was a little, but it was a sound plan. Best under the circumstances, I mean. Helping Jazy shoot was probably the best place for me, being flightless and all. You’re a surprisingly good leader when you step up to the plate. I didn’t expect that from you. Maybe DJ-Pon3 knows what he’s talking about, naming you Captain.” I looked up to find her grinning at me. “That make me your crew?”

Would I never live down the stupid title that radio buck gave me!? Still… He could be right. Everyone did seem to think I was in charge. Though I’d still leave combat strategy and barter to Scarlet, and Free to medicine and his steadily growing salvaging skills. I rolled onto my side and met her lime-green eyes. “I always had fantasies of being an adventurer as a fledgling. I think all children do. Never imagined myself in charge though. I always imagined I’d be equal with the rest of my flock.” She cocked her head. “Flock means… It’s family beyond blood. Deeper, more significant. The people you’d do anything for. The people you love, romantic or otherwise. Everyone is an individual, but they all add a part of themselves to everyone else. My parents had a flock, Karma's parents. It’s how we met. Though there's was more intimate than I imagined mine would be.” The mare reached out with a hoof as I brought up my late partner, resting it on my cheek. With Scarlet beside me, it was the first time talking about Jarma didn’t leave me with crippling heartache, lost in a sea of guilt. I just felt… warm.

“So a flock is like, found family. Best friends. But also like, a relationship sometimes?” I nodded with a small smile. The chat helped distract me from the horrid state of my body, even if I had to try harder than usual to follow along. Scarlet's ears dipped as she continued. “That makes sense. Can I say something?” Of course, I nodded again. Conversations wouldn't go far if she wasn’t allowed to speak. “Is it fucked up that I’m not upset about what’s happening to your people?” Thad made me recoil. “No, I mean… I’m sorry it’s happening, no one deserves it! But if it didn’t happen, you wouldn’t have come to Equestria. You’ve made a difference in so many lives in the short time you’ve been here. You don’t understand the wasteland or our society, but you put so much heart into everything you do. It’s special, and… I’m glad I got to meet you.”

A flutter of my wings sent a sharp pain through my side. It was a good distraction from the growing warmth in my cheeks if nothing else. I picked at the ground idly as I folded up my wings. “I… No, it isn’t F’ed up Scarlet. I understand what you mean. Honestly, I’ve never felt as alive as I do out here. I feel like I’m doing something, something that would have made my parents proud. I have friends… I never… really had friends before. I’d hang out with my sister and her friends, we’d play at the arcade or play tabletop games but it wasn’t the same. I was ‘Aquas little sister’ to them. With you and Free, you see me for me.” The parts I show, at least…

Scarlet nodded and gave me another nuzzle, before slipping into her sleeping bag properly. She understood what I meant. Of course, she did. Turned out she grew up more alone than I could imagine. “I never had friends growing up. My village didn’t have many kids my age, and I was usually working with my mom. When I was enslaved… Slaves don’t usually have friends. They form groups for protection, but it isn’t real friendship. More often than not you’re stealing from your fellow slave just to get by, or telling Grindstone about a couple's escape plan to get extra meals. Closest I got to being liked was when I was trading. I traded medicine, alcohol, hoof-made weapons; anything with value. It’s how I survived filly for so long. Even the odd slaver would come to me if they were having a hard time getting their mint-als or wanted some good dirt.” Why would someone purchase dirt, it’s literally everywhere. I guess maybe if it’s especially good dirt… “When I wasn’t trading, I was working or hiding out. Jasmin was actually my first real friend. She saved me after I escaped the second time, from Filly. We took care of one another, and eventually, both found work here.

“I’ve been meaning to ask about that. You Jasmin. I know you two um… Spent a night together. Is there more than just friendship there?”

She giggled and waved her hooves in front of her face. “No, no-no-no. No. Even if I wanted to be with her, Jasmin isn’t one to settle really. She likes to be able to move on when she needs to. Doesn’t like to weigh herself down with anything serious like that. She makes friends, but she never gets close to people.”

That made a lot of sense. She did seem the free-spirited type, so to speak. I yawned and rubbed my eyes, finding it hard to keep them open. My body's way of complaining about how despite being in a bed, we weren’t sleeping.

“Am I boring you already?” My friend asked with a giggle.

I laughed as well and shook my head. “N-no, not at all, just a long day. I think I’ll sleep now.”

“I think I’ll turn in, too. Goodnight Aella.”

“Night night Scarlet.”

I was out before she even settled into her sleeping bag.

*** *** ***

A hungover but joyful green buck sauntered into camp. Despite his mess of a mane and matted fur, he stood tall with his wings outstretched. He nodded to the rest of us and took a seat next to me with a content sigh. He wasn’t the only one who had an interesting night though. Across the fire from us was a mare with an adorable curly mane, and a coat the colour of snow. A pair of charcoal grey hooves were wrapped around her. Despite everyone getting started on their morning routines Jasmine continued to quietly snore against the snow-white mare's neck as they spooned. It was so adorable I wished I had a camera.

Free silently started helping me get breakfast together as I tended the fire. Something everyone was thankful for, as I’d cooked a total of seven meals throughout my life, including reheating canned beans. He fried up a mix of our freeze-dried, fresh, and canned veggies, and even fried up some radroach meat for me to add to mine.

The delicious food failed to whet my appetite though as I watched the buck skillfully fry and season it. On the contrary, the idea of eating food made my stomach lurch and churn. The effects of my reckless use of schedule one drugs. That mixed with my sore muscles and persistent exhaustion meant my day was going to be far less enjoyable than I hoped.

Scarlet watched quietly from her sleeping bag, going between observing meal preparations and observing the ponies of Skyward go about their morning chores. I wasn’t sure if she was lost in thought, or just quietly enjoying the scenery after the day before. Either way, she seemed happy. Or at least content.

Jasmine and her new friend woke as the food was plated and passed around. We offered to let her stay for breakfast, but the pegasus mare shyly excused herself. Jasmine had a goofy smile on her face as she got up to start her day. She gave Free a hoof bump as she grabbed her food, then discreetly took another Mint-al when she thought we were all distracted with our food.

Not feeling at all like eating, I packed my food away in an old tin I’d cleaned out to keep leftovers in. It was way better than the cooler bag I had on the Skystar, all I had to do to prep the food is set it on some hot coals!

Of course, once word got around that their saviours had woken, the townsponies came over to fuss over us. They’d taken up a collection to pay us, but I turned it down much to Jasmin's chagrin. We’d be paid for the bounty, and they needed that money to get the town on its hooves.

We headed out a few hours after we woke, hoping to make it to Vision before nightfall. None of my friends were hungover for the first leg of the journey this time, so we made a better time.

The travel was uneventful, by which I mean hopelessly boring. I spent most of it lagging at the back of the group, listening to Velvet and Saphire through Rumbles speaker. It was a good distraction from how horrid I felt. I was already on my third cup of coffee and I still felt run down. If I could help it I wouldn’t take dash again. It was the worst drug to come off of I’d ever done. I was shaking, tired, and weak. I felt slow and clumsy. Well, more clumsy than normal. My normally first-rate mind lagged behind as I struggled to process even basic conversations. I kept my wings extended as I walked to help me balance as I trotted along. The only bright side was that weird and quirky as I am, no one realized I was acting strange.

*** *** ***

I pulled myself through the gates of Vision a few hours before sunrise. I thought I’d feel better as the drugs worked their way out of my system and got food in me, but my body ached even worse than before. Every movement sent pain shooting through my points. I was completely run down. My mane was matted and my feathers were ruffled. I had dark circles under my eyes. Each of my friends had asked at least three times if I was ok. Eventually, we had to tell them I used dash during my fight with Steel Wing and it was kicking my ass. Scarlet looked conflicted about the news, though Jasmin gave me a hoof bump? Very different reactions from everypony.

The settlement was busy as ever, with creatures moving every which way as they went about their daily tasks. Several caravans were wheeling their way through the gate, carting in barrels of water and crates of produce. The train had finally arrived since the tracks were blocked. Several of the merchants and guards recognized us, giving us waves or nods. It seemed I was making friends everywhere I went!

The walk to the Sleepy Moon was a dizzying blur. I wasn’t even positive how I’d gotten there. The pearl-coated filly was curled up on a couch in the lounge with her muzzle in an old book, while her mirror image aged up a few decades watched over the inn from behind the counter. The filly waved at me excitedly as we cantered in, which I returned. My heart did a little flutter seeing how excited I could make the foal just by being around her. I’d never had that effect on someone before. The mare behind the counter, presumably Snowflake's mother waved us over to her.

“Heard you and your new friends were out for a pretty big score, Scar. Nice to see you back in one piece. Need a room? One you had the other day is empty.”

I sat a bag of caps on the counter with a smile that gave way to a grin. “The same one would be amazing. Thanks. Mission went well, surprisingly. Looking forward to the payday.”

“Glad to hear. It’s good to see you back in town.” The Innkeeper swapped the money for a worn key with a welcoming smile. “You’re all set. If you need anything let us know!”

Scarlet trotted back towards the room as I lagged behind. “There is one thing I need, actually?” The mare's ears perked up a bit. “I didn’t get your name.”

She let out a dry chuckle. “I’m Caramel Kiss, and of course, you’ve met Snowflake.” She motioned towards the reading filly, who waved at me again.

I giggled and waved back, before reaching out with my hand to shake the older mare's hoof. “It’s nice to officially meet both of you. I’m Aella Breeze!”

The mare nodded with a knowing smile. “Yes, Snow has been talking about you since you came in. She seems to be a big fan of the Captain. It’s nice to know there are good creatures trying to make a difference, even this far west. Has my little snowy interested in being a hero like you one day.”

The foal flew from her seat, darted between my legs, and finally came to a stop at her mother's side. “I want to go explore outside the wall now, but Mom doesn’t think I can handle it.” She wore an adorable little frown as she complained.

Scarlet raised a brow at Caramel, who nodded slightly. “Your mom is right, Snowflake.” My friend said to the filly. “Outside the wall is incredibly dangerous lately, even for grownups. Why do you think we always go out in big groups?” She smiled kindly at the still frowning child.

“Yeah, I know… I-I still miss Gob…” Snow buried her snout into her mother's neck, who wrapped a hoof around her tightly. The quiet snuffles coming from the foal made my heart bleed, even if I couldn’t understand why she was upset.

“Caramel, I’m so sor-”

The innkeeper raised a hoof to cut off Scarlet, wearing a sad smile. “It’s alright, you didn’t do anything. Thank you both, for helping make the world better for her. Everyone here appreciates it.”

“I’m just doing whatever feels right. But thank you. We’ll leave you to take care of Snow, and umm, I’m sorry if we upset her.”

The mare sighed. “It’s alright. Yule Carol's colt Goblet disappeared a few months ago, and a lot of the little ones are still bothered by it. He left the city to gather herbs for his mother, and well… yeah… Don’t worry about Little Snowy, she’ll be fine in a few minutes. Anyway, please, enjoy the room.” Her gaze moved towards me as she stroked Snow's mane. “Let me know if you need anything, alright hun? Maybe we can grab a drink so you can catch me up on how you came to be friends with Scar?”

“I’d enjoy that a lot, actually,” I said as I left her to tend to her kid. I understood now why Scarlet enjoyed this particular inn so much. Caramel was a super kind mare, making sure we had everything we needed.

Scarlet was already free of her gear and curled into her bed. Everypony planned on going out for dinner and drinks again to celebrate our victory, but I was going to stay in. It’d be a good chance to recover and catch up on my reading, at the very least.

Scarlet smiled and nodded to me as I walked in. I waved back at her with a wing and flopped down on the other bed. The sheets were pleasantly soft against my beak as I curled up with a happy sigh. “I forgot how much I miss beeeeeds!” I giggled into the covers.

Scarlet rolled her eyes at my dramatics. “So um, we still have the other job to do. I know we all need a little RnR, but I figured we could head for Astral pharmaceutical in the morning. Once things are figured out with the Visionaries, we can see what we can find out on medicine for your family.”

I gave a small nod which was completely hidden by the blankets. “Yeah, that sounds good. I’m going to stay in tonight though. I’m tired. And honestly, I just want to relax and read tonight. Maybe try and get that stupid rifle working.”

Her ears drooped a bit as her mood noticeably declined. “Oh, I’m sorry to hear that… We’ll miss you. Free said he won't be home again tonight. Made plans with that buck from the bar. Never pegged him for being hypersexual. Though I hear the bartender pegged him plenty~”

I nuzzled deeper into the blankets, covering my head with my wings as I squawk. “That isn’t an image I needed! Thank you!” I whined through the plush fabric.

She giggled at my embarrassment, the witch. “I swear, you are the most innocent pony in the entire wasteland. It’s just some light teasing.”

Free came by a short time later with a bag full of caps. We made 750 each from the job, which Scarlet said was a good amount for a day and a half of work. Granted any one of us could have easily died. I still wasn’t sure about how much trade value a cap had, but I hoped my life was more than 750 of them.

While Scarlet and Free got ready for their night out I decided to check over my barding. There were several tears, and a couple of the armour plates were cracked. By the time the sunset, my armour was sown back up, and my pistol had been disassembled and cleaned.

Next, I moved on to my Pipbuck, checking through the various functions. I pulled everything out of my saddlebags I was willing to part with and put them into a neat pile for my friends to sell later. After a moment of hesitation, I threw the three dash inhalers that’d been in my bag among the pile as well.

For a second I reconsidered the decision. They were a powerful tool in an emergency. Without it Steel Wing could have killed me and my friends. Still… What good would I be to my friends or my people if I destroyed myself taking it? I swore to myself I wouldn’t do dash again.

The rest of the night was mine! The first thing I did was completely strip down both Hurricane and a Nova Surge Rifle I’d scavenged from Steel wing. Between the two, I had an impressive pile of parts scattered around. The main thing I noticed was that the capacitor for Hurricane was a lot smaller, with a much more focused emitter. It was designed for lightweight, precise attacks and ranged accuracy, unlike the standard ones made to work in pairs for high fire rate in flight.

Once I swapped out a few bad crystals and resoldered the heat sinks into place with new thermal compound the weapon was coming together. The weapon was of course designed to be used with power armour, but I easily got around that. My Pipbuck was similar enough that I was able to link it with the rifle. With the Pipbuck already linked with my neural interface, I’d be able to fire the weapon hands-free!

Assuming it fired… I only had a few spark packs, maybe 30 shots worth. I’d have a better idea once the weapon was properly calibrated. At the very least it powered on now. I saw the ammo count appear in my EFS as the gemstones lining the barrel let off a dull orange aura.

Its energy was a lot more intense than my own weapon. The magic that flowed from Hurricane was angrier and more hostile. I wasn’t sure if that was a byproduct of the weapons design or just an imprint of a past user's own energy.

Shortly after my repairs, I found myself on the roof of the Ministry of Morale. I stood on the roof with my wings stretched out, allowing myself to feel the city around me. It was calm, quiet. A strange sense of peace that the wasteland lacked in so many places. The airbrushing past my feathers brought a pleasant chill, reminding me of the long cool winters back home. The icy wind also carried with it muffled conversation and laughter with it. The Mop building was across the campus from me, 300 meters at most. The creatures at Dragons were enjoying their downtime, my friends among them. Otherwise, the night was calm. Quiet.

Once I had my bearings I got to testing. A dozen cans sat downrange on a rusted-out air conditioning unit. I stood up on my back legs, rifle held firmly in my talons. The weapon didn’t have any visible sight or trigger, and I had to bolt a wooden grip on it to hold it properly. A reticle appeared on my EFS, allowing me to aim and fire with ease. It made taking a life terrifyingly easy. Like playing a video game.

My first shot went wide, turning a baseball-sized chunk of asphalt to luminous peach-coloured slag. After adjusting the lenses, I had to troubleshoot the bolts decaying before they got to the target. It was two hours of tweaks and adjustments. It was repetitive, and tedious. And the most fun I’d had in days.

The next shot I saw the fruits of my labour. A streak of brilliant orange left a golfball-sized hole in the target. The metal was red hot and slag free. The plasma bolt vaporized the metal completely. As I continued to practice my shooting and make adjustments to my new tool an eerie feeling settled in my gut. My hair stood on end, and the skin around my pearl shard tingled. I scanned the area in confusion. I felt like I was being watched, but there was no one around. I took a break from shooting to do a lap around the roof. There was nothing.

Finally, I dismissed the sensation. It was probably my imagination. I was tired, and still a bit under the weather. It seemed like a good time to head back inside. The gun was working, and I’d used up nearly all of my spark packs getting it up to spec. I headed down the stairwell to Visions' outlandishly pink shopping center.

The junk vendor was easy to find, which worked out because what I wanted to buy did fit under the category. His store was in the back left corner of the first floor, a room cluttered with shelves, filled to the brim with scrap and trash. There was no method to the madness of the shop, making finding anything on my own impossible. A lot of the parts he sold would have been great to have in my workshop, but it wasn’t worth his outrageous prices. I had no idea how far 50 caps could go, but I did know I could find scrap electronics in the wasteland for free!

A grizzly earth pony with a ratty yellow mane stood over a workbench near the register, duct-taping a sensor module to the side of a coffee can of all things. I think his coat was grey, but it was covered in such a thick layer of rust and oil I honestly couldn’t tell. His outfit was a mess of scrap fabric and leather sewn together, with street signs strapped onto him with electrical wire. Half a dozen grenade pouches were affixed to his chest, keeping their dangerous contents within muzzle reach. He had a detonator strapped to his hoof, like a PipBuck. His back left hoof was cut off at the knee, and replaced with an old broom handle. I knew it wasn’t just a normal wooden pole because the broom part was still attached.

I almost laughed when I saw him. Not because of his appearance or armour! It was just funny! I spent days travelling the wasteland, only to find someone who looked exactly how I imagined wastelanders growing up, but in the region's most civilized settlement! It was so unexpected and so satisfying! Just like the protagonist from the book “Forgotten elements: Reclaiming Junkertown!” It was really popular when I was a foal.

I walked up beside him with a shaky breath. I could shop for something. I killed an evil robopony. This was filly stuff! …Plus I spent the entire walk to the store working out what to say to him in my head.

“Umm, h-hello. I’m looking for something… can you help me?”

The skinny buck turned towards me with a toothy grin. “Well, yer the hippogriff everyone’s been going on about! Names Fawks, best junker ‘round. What’cha need?” He asked in an unusual accent.

“I’m Aella! Aella Breeze! I’ve been repairing this rifle I got recently, and there’s something super important I need to finish it up! But I can’t seem to find it?”

The buck nodded. “No worries, things are a bloody jumble in ‘ere. Let me give ya a hoof!”

*** *** ***

It ran me 90 caps, but it was worth it. Hurricane was perfect. I studied the workmanship as I trotted back to the room. Her body was a sleek dark purple, with sharp green accents. The rifle's name was easily visible on both sides. Father taught me you only get out of something what you put into it. So I put everything I had into getting that rifle working. It’d be protecting my friends and I after all. Even something as simple as making sure the weapon is properly painted matters to it.

I was prancing and skipping my way back to the inn, eager to show my friends the newly restored rifle slung across my back. I still hadn’t decided if I wanted to hold it in my claws or set it up in a battle saddle. Keeping my hands free would let me use both weapons at once if needed, or open me up to do other tasks at the same time. Of course, firing with my weapons in my grasp meant I didn’t need to move my entire body to aim, which would be a massive pain.

I was enjoying a celebratory bottle of pear wine, the last bottle we had. I made a note in my pip-buck to pick up more next time we were out near Whinnies Grove. I jumped a bit as I trotted into the hotel room, spilling some of my wine onto the stained carpet. Scarlet was sprawled out on her bed, having returned a lot earlier than expected. I sat my new rifle down beside my bed, then moved to check on her.

“You alright? You and Jasmine were talking about partying all night. She sat up with a groan and rested her head on my barrel. I suppressed a giggle as she nuzzled into my feathers. Her mane was a mess, and her eyes were red and puffy. A brilliant smile was painted on her rum-scented muzzle. I grabbed a bottle of water from her nightstand with my free wing and pushed it into her lap. “Here, you need to make sure you’re drinking water. You didn’t enjoy the hangover last time.”

She ticked my feathers with a giggle. “Yeah, I know… But it feels so nice in the moment. I’m warm and fuzzy! It’s like the issues of the wasteland are gone, and I can just be around the pone-people I care about. You’re such a sweetie sweet, thinking about everyone else.” I blushed as she moves to nuzzle against my neck.

I sat down beside her and wrapped my wing around her, pulling her close. She rested her head on my shoulder. “You are the most affectionate pony when you’re drunk, did you know that? Reminds me of when I woke to you snuggling against me, at Awesome R&D. Hard to believe that was just days ago…”

“I think about that day all the time,” Scarlet said somberly. The sudden change in attitude caught me off guard. She took a long swig from her water before she continued “I was wandering aimlessly. No water, food, weapons. A little floaty ball found me and said if I went there, I’d meet you. I-it sounded insane, but I had nowhere else to go! I went in the direction the little robot said and found some food and water there. Then you found me.”

Wait, a floaty ball told her to go there? What does that even mean!? That’s why she was so out of the way? Because a sprite-bot had spoken to her? It could have been a hallucination from the dehydration… Maybe a spirit was able to speak with her while close to death? Nope, focus, that isn't what’s important right now! Pay attention, Aella!!!

She looked down at her lap and sighed. “I’m sorry I hit you in the head. I didn’t know how selfless and kind you were. I was just so afraid… I couldn’t be captured again. What I'm trying to say is thanks. T-thank you for saving my life. You know, I still umm… I don’t know how to repay you, or anything. You do so much for everyone, and you’re always so smart and sweet, I umm… I really like being around you.”

I smiled at her and gave her shoulder a squeeze with my wing. “I like being around you too, Scarlet. You’re a really good friend, and I’m glad to have met you. I’d be super dead without all of your help” I gave the drunky mares head a nuzzle.

“No but I… I mean um… I think I like you more than a “good friend”. I look at you and I stand next to you and I feel… Safe and and cared for… I-Important. I like how you make me feel…” She lifted her head from my shoulder to meet my eyes. Tears were running down her face.

She… I… I’d never seen her like that before. I didn’t know how I was supposed to react. It was so sweet of her. I couldn’t say I didn’t return the feelings in some way. I cared about her a lot, though I wasn’t sure how deep it went yet. If I had romantic feelings for her, I’d been holding them back. It was to much. It was too soon. I wasn’t ready to let another creature in yet.

“I-I’m sorry…”

“Oh… No no, I-it’s ok I understand. Sorry I said anything. I’m just… drunk. It’s fine.” She moved away from my wing, curling back into her bed. The sadness in her voice shattered my heart.

“It’s not that you’re not totally amazing, you are! I just… Hang on…” I laid down beside her, meeting her at eye level. “I told you… I had someone in my life, once?” My friend nodded. My voice shook as I continued. “I lost her… Suddenly. Brutally. We were together for a couple of years, but I’d known her my whole life. Her mom was in my father's flock. Then just one day I go to see her and she’s just… gone. No warning. Nothing. I had no idea the last time I saw her would be the last time...”

It was my turn for the tears to fall. I felt the crushing weight of it. The love of my life died. Took her own life. I wasn’t there to help. I didn’t even know something was wrong. It was too much. Like the death of my parents, I was too weak to face it. I filed it away deep in my mind. Scarlet's hoof rubbed between my wings gently as I sobbed against her. I hated letting her see me cry. It was stupid of me to be crying. Something from the past shouldn’t have that much control over me. Being upset did nothing but waste time. It was unproductive. Wasteful.

“I hadn’t heard from her in a few days, and I came home from another town for a break from school. I found her… hanging in the bedroom… I just… I haven't… I’m still mourning… It was nearly a year ago but I haven't… I-I havn’…”

Scarlet pulled me into her chest. Every instinct I had to keep the thoughts and emotions in check fell apart, weakened by my now forgotten wine, and the comfort of my friend. She cradled me as I cried into her soft coat.

Emotions are hard. They’re hard to deal with. To understand. I was never up to the task. So I hid. Behind my work. Behind my logic. Behind drugs, when nothing else worked.

She praised me for what I did for her. She was the one who was special. She was always there when I needed her. Even in her drunken state, she took care of me through my breakdown. Handing me tissues as the tears and snot ran down my face.

By the time I pulled away from her and cleaned myself up I was emotionally exhausted. Terribly vulnerable. She didn’t think any less of me for it. “I’m sorry… I-”

She put her hoof to my beak and shook her head. “I understand Aella. I’m really sorry you had to go through all of that. Maybe someday you could tell me about her? I’d love to hear about her.”

I sniffled a bit. “I-Id like that I think…” I answered quietly. “I think I’m gonna go stretch my wings… try and calm down.”

*** *** ***

The city was beautiful at night. Lights shining from the windows. The little blobs of ponies going about their business in the distance. A bastion of hope and light surrounded by the wasteland. A terrifying blackness hiding all manner of evil. I could feel rain coming, though it was still a ways off. Sensing weather controlled by pony technology was different than at home, but I was getting the hang of it. All the massive white towers of the single pony project did to change the weather was adjust the pressure and wind currents. No different than how the weather changed naturally back home, just with far less warning.

It was peaceful, roosting on a building away from the settlement. Just watched the sleepless city while my mind wondered. It was a good way to calm down after spending half the night flying aimlessly with my thoughts. Hopefully, my friends weren’t too worried about me.

I sat on a roof a few blocks from Vision, taking in the sights of the seemingly sleepless city. It was a beautiful view. Seeing the lights and sounds from my own private roof space was peaceful. A good way to rest and gather my thoughts after spending half the night flying aimlessly.

The weather was thankfully holding off for now, though I could smell rain in the air. I mentally prompted my EFS to display the time. 3 am. Hopefully, my friends weren’t worried about me. I just needed to get away from people, have some time alone. So I landed on the power station a few klicks outside of the city, close enough to be safe but far enough to be quiet.

“You’re right about the view.”

“Ah!” I cried as I spun around on my hooves. I hadn’t heard anyone come up behind me, but somehow they’d managed it. My heart pounded in my chest from the sudden shock, though I didn’t feel like I was in danger. My pip-buck agreed, assigning the creature a white marker on the EFS compass.

For a moment I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. A princess! A princess stood on the roof before me. No… Not a princess. An alicorn. An experiment cooked up by the Ministry of Arcane Science. A creature created by The Goddess. My friends told me about them, after their encounter with them at the animal hospital.

He was a fair bit taller than me, with a far greater wingspan. His coat was a nice forest green, with a short blue mane that faded into purple near the tips. His barding was unusual. Black fabric with plates of chitin covering everything but the joints.

“Heh, yeah I’m actually the alicorns that helped your friends out a few days ago. Midnight Skies. Sky is cool. Good to meet you, Aella.” I moved to reply but was cut off before I could speak. “I was in the area for supplies when I felt you and your friends yesterday. That fight was really impressive. I’ve lost sisters to ponies like that.” His speech was far more casual than I expected. He was surprisingly laid back.

“Did you-”

“Yeah! I followed you from the pegasus settle-”

“Please stop cutting me off!” I cried out, stomping a hoof in frustration. “It’s super rude to keep doing that!” He raised his eyebrows at me. “Sorry… sorry, I’m just trying to talk with you and you’re making it super hard.”

“Oh, I’m sorry bud! It’s been ages since I’ve had to, you know, actually talk to anyone for very long.” He picked at the roof with a hoof, looking sheepish. “My sisters are all used to communicating this way, and us greens can all still do it! So um, we don’t do the whole back and forth conversation thing much…”

“Communicate? You… You’re telepathic? Y-you can read minds? That’s how you learned my name?” I’d never met a telepath before. I’d met Seers, empaths, shaman, scrawls, enchanters, even a mare with technokinesis! But I’d never met an actual telepath.

He chuckled and sauntered over to take a seat at the edge of the roof. I moved to join him. “That’s right! Greens got our telepathy, purples blink, and blues go incognito. Most of us know our own unique spell work as well. You have your own magic, too… Something about your sparkle is different than any hippogriff we’ve met. I’ve met. Umm, they met… Fuck. The Goddess had met a few hippogriffs in her past… though I don’t remember where or how. Just vague impressions, really. Sorry, it’s weird. Unity was… weird.”

I was stuck between being excited to learn about this new branch of magic I was unfamiliar with, and being uncomfortable with the fact that this pony could see into my thoughts. I didn’t even like experiencing most of my thoughts or feelings, so the idea some other pony could see it all left me feeling vulnerable. This was so much worse than somepony going through my pip-buck!

Though he did save my friends. By extension me as well. He didn’t seem like a bad person, and my friends said he lost several sisters during the fight to save them. Still, a few ground rules would-

“Ground rules sound cool.” He interjected as I thought of it. That was going to get annoying… “Get on the same page. I don’t wanna make you uncomfortable if I can avoid it.”

“Great! Rule one-” I put a claw to his muzzle as he opened his mouth to speak. “It’s rude to keep interrupting like this! Y-you may know what I’m going to say, but it’s less frustrating if you let me say it anyway. Especially if we’re around others since not everyone can hear thoughts as you do.”

“It does save time… Ugh, fine fine. I’ll try to work on it. What’s next?”

“Well, I’m curious why you came to speak with me? I know I have a bit of a reputation, but this is unexpected to say the lease.”

“I want revenge. Those bastards that killed my sisters operate somewhere in Trottingham, and I want to get rid of them. I wanna know why they’ve been hoarding medicine and weapons. What they’re planning. Velvet has ordered us to stay out of Trottinghams affairs. She doesn’t want the local superpowers to think we’re trying to manipulate the political situation in the region.”

“You ignored her and came anyway?”

The green pony nodded. “Of course. They were my family. We were all together when The Goddess… when Unity fell apart. We cared for one another. They helped me… adjust. I know a bit about your mission, to help your people. I think your adventures will bring you closer to them, and I want to be there when you find them. I want to make them pay for what they did. Help me get to them, and I’ll do whatever I can to help you and your people. I can talk with Velvet, I know she’d help!”

He was understandably upset. I couldn’t imagine the things he was feeling. Losing the people who were basically family, right in front of you? I’d be angry too. Maybe even angry enough to kill them. And having the Followers to help… I didn’t know a lot about them, but I knew they were significant. A large faction of ponies and alicorns started by the Light Bringers friend to help heal the wasteland. If they could help us, we’d happily offer what technology we could to assist in their cause. Having allies in the wasteland could help us long past just stopping the blue flu.

Sky smiled as he heard my decision in his mind, though thankfully allowed me to speak. “You already know you can come. I have no idea if killing them will help you fell better, but we could use the help. Both my friends and I with finding a cure for the New Plague, and Hippogriffia from the followers. Having a great and powerful alicorn on the team could be a big help. What I’m saying is um, welcome aboard! And ugh, I hope we can be good friends!”

Sky smiled brightly. “Thanks… I’ll do my best to pull my weight and stuff. I’m not as great or powerful as my sisters, but I’m amazing with a gun, and I know the wasteland pretty well. Lived here for over a hundred years. There’s another reason I’m curious about you… It’s your magic. Your shard..” I started rubbing the pearl shard around my neck without thinking about it. “Velvet hoped that such relics could be used to create males so that my species can fuck for something other than pleasure.” Ugh come on Aella, stop blushing like a child! This is a serious conversation! “I don’t care as much about that, honestly. The things we did to the wasteland… I don’t know if our species deserves to grow. My interest is more personal… That it might be able to make my form… More comfortable for me.”

The feathers on my head slunk back as I listened. “I can’t give you mine, sadly. I’m using it, and it’s important to me. A sign of my people's unity and resilience. Our connection to the spirit of our people. Maybe the magic itself could help you somehow? I’ll try to help in any way I can. I know how hard it is… dealing with what you are. Feeling alien in your own form. It’s hard.”

Sky raised his eyebrows and chuckled. “Huh… You do understand better than most. I hadn’t realized you were… Um, anyway… Will your friends be alright with my coming with?

I shrugged a bit. “They seem to value my choices, and everyone seems to think I’m in charge. You don’t seem like a bad person, and I wanna help you. So… Yes. I’ll double-check with them of course, but yeah… I think it’ll be fine. Do you have a place to stay for the night?” The stallion shook his head. “You can stay in our hotel room. I-crap… Originally Scarlet and I were gonna share a bed, and Free would sleep in the other one, but now…”

“That would send mixed messages after your conversation tonight?” He asked as he laid back on the cool roof.

“You heard all that? Mm, of course, you did… Or at least heard me thinking about it.” I sighed and shrugged a bit. “Come on, I’ll show you to the room. I should have headed to bed hours ago anyway..”

*** *** ***

Rumble moved back and forth across the room idly, keeping an eye on the dark room. Scarlet was out cold, the water I’d given her half spilled out across the bed. I rolled my eyes and smiled as I pulled the wet covers off of her, and wrapped her up in some dry ones from under the bed.

Rumble was floating back and forth across the room, keeping an eye on everything. Scarlet was out cold in her bed, the water I gave her half spilled across the covers. I smiled a bit as I pulled the wet blanket off of her, and pulled a dry one from under the bed for her.

I gave Sky my bed, while I set up my nest in the corner to curl into. It wasn’t as comfy as a bed, but it was the perfect shape for how I liked to lay. Sky watched curiously as I switched my friend’s covers out for dry ones, then crawled into the other bed. It was odd having a stranger spend the night with us. I knew so little about him, but he could know everything about all of us. At least I could be open around him.”

“I appreciate you allowing me to stay here with you. It’s far better than finding a place to camp outside.” I jumped as I felt the alicorn's voice in my head. I was sure it was him, but he sounded different than in real life. His voice was deeper and smoother.

I ran a claw over my ears and head feathers as my brain struggled to understand the telepathy. The tickle in my head it left was similar to how using my neural implant felt. A sensation in my temple as it worked to process some intangible data my squishy brain couldn’t understand.

“You can think back at me to respond if you’d like. Imaging pushing the words towards me as you think them. That way I can tell you’re trying to speak to me, rather than just thinking to yourself.” He smiled at me as he urged me to give it a try.

The tickle in my head was similar to how using my neural implant was. A weird tingle in the back of my head as it worked to process some intangible data my squishy brain couldn’t understand.

“Test… Testing. Aella Breeze, in brain space. Come in, Sky-butt!”

Sky let out a laugh, then quickly covered her muzzle. “Sorry! I’m trying to be quiet so we don’t wake Scarlet.” I stifled my own giggle at the sudden outburst.

Sky giggled out loud, then quickly covered his muzzle with a blush. “Sorry! I don’t wanna wake your friend!”

I nodded to him, stifling my own giggle. The words themselves came with a tingling feeling in my temple. His emotions carried with them, with a hint of the thoughts causing them bubbling underneath.

Sky suggested taking it easy talking with her like that. I wasn’t used to it, and my sensitivity to magic could lead to unpredictable side effects. After about an hour of catching Sky up on my wasteland adventures, as well as some details about my life back home, we went to sleep. I debated taking sleeping pills or not, but decided against it. We had a busy morning coming up, and I didn’t want to be drowsy.

*** *** ***

A surprised shriek from my scarlet friend's bed kicked off the morning. Apparently rolling over to tell your friend good morning and instead of finding an alicorn in her bed was a bit startling. After a second Scarlet recognized the pony, and calmed right down. My first wastelander friend was happy about us having another set of hoofs to help out, though she did complain about how outnumbered by wings she was becoming.

Scarlet was very understanding about the alicorn's gender identity as well, which made me impossibly happy. I wasn’t sure how accepted different flavours of queer were in the Equestrian Wasteland, but at the very least I could trust Scarlet not to be judgmental. I was a bit stressed about it, but I should have known better. I had good friends. Sky gave Scarlet a playful slap with his wing after the mare thanked him for his help at Doctor Faunas Clinic for the 8th time.

I pulled on my utility barding, smiling as I listened to the two ponies getting along. I rubbed my eyes with a wing and yawned. The lack of sleep left me feeling dead on my hooves and claws. Hopefully, the walk north would help wake me up, though.

We were leaving the Spark Core in the room where it’d be safe, as well as any other supplies we didn’t want to have to carry. Scarlet paid up the room for the next week, so our things would be safe inside.

AV Pharmaceuticals was a two or three days trot depending on how things went. I was tempted to fly south to get the Skystar, but it was a bad idea. It would take over a day to fly back to Whinnies Grove, and a lot could go wrong in that amount of time on my own. Better for everyone to stay together.

Nearly an hour after dawn Free still hadn’t made the walk of shame back to our room, but the rest of us were ready to go. Jasmin and Scarlet had said their goodbyes the night before, but I still wanted to say my farewell and thank her for her help with our last bounty. Mision? Quest? I like ‘quest’. People in adventure novels always went on quests.

Scarlet and Sky went to the market to resupply, and sell off our salvage. They were getting along better than I’d expected, and they both had a decent understanding of wasteland barter. They were perfect for the task.

The area by the rear gate was always quiet. Most people entered the settlement through the front, and the back didn’t have any construction planned for some time. It was mostly just rusted-out motor wagons and large steel shipping crates. Interestingly enough they had four motor wagons that were in working order, all covered in armoured plates or mounted with heavy weapons. They did mention in Whinnies Grove that they build and stored vehicles here. I definitely had to meet their mechanic at some point…

There were elevated platforms on either side of the rear gate, overlooking the town's metal wall. Sat on the right tower was a familiar grey mare clad in silver combat armour, her hooves resting against a gun emplacement. The presence of sunglasses and ear protection suggested she was still nursing the previous night's hangover. She noticed me walking up and waved.

“Aye, mammoth!” She shouted to the burly brown earth pony in the adjacent tower. “I’m going on break, don’t fall asleep!” Mammoth nodded with a loud grunt.

Jasmin lept off the three-story high tower onto a nearby shipping crate, then down onto the ground. She trotted up to me and pulled me into a hug. I’d just met her two days ago, but apparently, she already thought of me as a close friend. I returned the hug, enjoying the brief warmth of her perfectly brushed coat.

She pulled out of the hug and nodded behind her shoulder, towards an old picnic table. “I was hoping you’d come say goodbye, there’s actually something I wanted to talk to you about.”

“Oh?” I asked as I followed her to sit. Did she need something repaired? Or perhaps she had some suggestions on how I handled the last mission. I wasn’t one to turn down constructive criticism. Or to turn down getting to repair something of course.

“Scar told me about your next job. I thought I might be able to help. I’m working for the next week, so I can’t go, but I can give you some advice.” I nodded along as she spoke. “I studied all manner of magic growing up. I was actually from a stable, before ending up in Rust. We had books and holos of a lot of magic. I thought maybe it could help with your transformations?”

I cocked my head at her. “Aren’t you an earth pony? What would you know about magic?” The mare pulled her combat helmet off and brushed her mane aside. She did have the base of a horn under there, though the rest was gone. Had someone snapped or broken it off? It was a terrifying thought, though not unlikely in the wasteland. “Oh, I see… I’m sorry. Um, do you know much about transformation magic? I mentioned before that I wasn’t great at it… usually, my sister would help me with it. Anything beyond changing to my seapony form is well out of my skillset. If I can improve my transformation magic, it’d be another skill to throw in my toolset out here.”

“I know a few things, for sure. I was raised in a Stable for the first part of my life, we had a lot of books and stuff on different magic and spells. And I know the most common mistakes creatures make with different sorts of magic. The mistake that most creatures make when it comes to shapeshifting is that they don’t understand it at its core. It isn’t just changing how you look, it’s changing what you are. Growing into the role that you need, and making it you.”

“I’ve been thinking about that actually… I’ve been resisting the role of captain the radio gave me, but I do kinda fit the title. I command a ship, my friends follow me. Maybe I can try and grow into the position, and live up to the ideals that come with it you know?”

She smiled and nodded. “That’s great progress, actually. It might even help with your transformations down the line. Anyway, ponies have a tendency to fear change. I’m sure it’s the same with most creatures. You have to learn to be comfortable with change, in the world around you but also in yourself, and in those you care about. Transformation magic is more than just changing your skin or shape. Like all magic, all energy, it’s deeper. It comes from your mind and your soul. Change is natural, and resisting it leads to problems. Someone very important to be never learned that, she refused to change her ways to match the world we live in. It’s ironic, thinking back… Anyway, you need to be malleable, but at the same time strong of will. Then your magic will obey. You’ll be able to use it for yourself, and for others.

I nodded slowly. It made a lot of sense. It even explained why Aqua was so skilled at changing her form, not just to a sea pony but in countless other ways. She was open to change and eager to learn about anything that conflicted with her own view. I was the opposite. I found comfort in the familiar and found new things to be needlessly stressful. Like being thrown into a wasteland while my friends and family all slowly died of disease. For example.

“I think I understand… But it’ll take a while for me to really understand. I appreciate the advice. I’ll think about it, and see how I can incorporate it into things. You’re wise for somepony so young.” I told her with a smile, despite her likely being a few years older than me.”

She sighed and nodded. “I learned it in my Stable. The part about personal change I mean. Somepony important was unwilling to change. They held to their beliefs as tight as they could, no matter how much evidence showed things were different than how she thought. She died because of it. A lot of them did.”

“Oh… I’m sorry Jasmin.”

“It’s ok. Just take heart with what I said, and keep Scar and the others safe. Beer is on you when you get back though, I know you’ll have the caps for it.”

I giggled at her and nodded. “Deal.”

“So…” I said slowly, changing the subject. “We were about to head out. The others should be at the gate by now. So we’ll see you when we get back. Until then…” I pulled a small envelope from under my wing and passed it to her.

She pulled it to herself with a hoof and frowned at it. “Why do I get the feeling I won’t like this…?”

“Scarlet called it ‘insurance’. It’s the information we have on the jail. The conditions, the use of labour, of slaver enforcers. Everything. If something happens to us and we don’t come back, or if we go to see Prime and he tries to make all of this disappear… I want to have redundancy.”

“I’m the backup plan, your contingency.” She said with a sigh. “Fine. But it won't come to that. You’ll all be back here by the end of the week, and when it’s all settled I’ll return this letter to you.

“I don’t like this death talk, but I appreciate you trusting me with this. If you aren’t back in a week, I’ll make sure everyone knows what’s going on.”

“Thank you.” I pulled her into another hug across the table. She was a good friend. I felt a tug on my magic as I readied to leave, somewhat similar to how Sky’s telepathy spell felt, but more in my chest. Must be an effect of the unicorn's unusual magic.

“Stay safe,” I said with a soft smile, patting her back with my wing. She got up from the bench, tucking the note into the ammo pouch at her side.

“You too. Shoot straight, don’t get too relaxed on the roads, and listen to Scarlet. She’s a smart mare.” The pony said with a smile. I headed towards the front gates with a nod.

*** *** ***

Free, Scarlet, and Sky stood near the wall. Scarlet and Sky sat on the ground to watch the hustle and bustle of the growing settlement. Free stood off to the side, every so often eyeing the alicorn with suspicion. I sighed as I landed a few meters away. The last thing I needed was infighting right now… We’d have to deal with any distrust on the way to AV pharmaceuticals, or it could cause some problems. Hopefully, I was just misinterpreting it.

No pony was happier to be trotting away from the city than Sky. In his time shopping with Scarlet, he had dealt with multiple ponies complaining about the presence of an alicorn in the city. One mare pulled a gun on him, shouting ‘give my son back you monster!’ A ragged-looking stallion simply walked up and hoofed in him the jaw. The guards had to step in both times to put a stop to it, though no charges were filed. Apparently, Vision and the local towns had some issues with The Goddess before she was killed, and much of the animosity still stuck. Though not every pony was rude to our new companion, and the zebras and griffons all treated her with respect.

Even 200 years xenophobia was alive and well, even between members of similar species. I’d hoped 200 years after the war Equestria would have learned, but it’d only gotten worse They were all busy fighting one another for scraps to try and work towards something better.

We had enough food and ammo for a few days for everypony. Sky had saddlebags on now, filled with supplies she’d bought while out with Scarlet. Our adventures were getting more dangerous from there. There was no train going to the northwest. No patrols or governance. We were on our own to navigate the difficult and dangerous terrain.

Still, we were better off than many wastelanders. Scarlet had years of wasteland experience. Free was a trained medic and soldier. Sky was an alicorn with high-calibre zebra pistols holstered in his barding. And we had me. The technician. I was a genius, but that didn’t mean much in the wasteland. My brains wouldn’t kill raiders or stop bullets. There was nothing to fix or break in the wild. Even with all my weapons, I lacked the will to use them on others. If not for my friends it’d be impossible.

Worst case I had a few surprises in my saddlebags. A few homemade explosives, my cutting torch, tools, and the small assortment of drugs I’d collected through my adventures. I didn’t plan on using them, but then things rarely go to plan. They make things easier. So if the choice is between using chems and my friends being hurt, chems were the obvious choice.

Scarlet took the lead without a second thought, having years under her belt managing groups of ponies as they crossed the life-sucking wasteland. We always had a flier scouting out the area ahead for dangers as we moved. Sky took first watch, eager to stretch his wings and have some time away from the group. The way he kept glancing back at Free made me think my new friend was hearing some less than charming thoughts from the pegasus. It worked out perfectly, though. If he ran into any problems he’d be able to communicate with us easily enough.

The further from Vision we were, the more empty and dead the air became. We moved quietly through the great unknown. Conversation was brief as we all kept our eyes peeled for danger or salvage. Scarlet toyed with the idea of us buying a wagon to carry our gear in. It was a fun idea, though it wasn’t practical.

The wasteland in the rest was rife with rivers and bogs that would make pulling a wagon extremely difficult. We took the roads when we could, but often collapsed bridges or roadblocks forced us off them. By late afternoon I was sorely regretting not going to get my airship from the south. It was too late now though, we were committed to our journey on hoof and claw. If I was stronger I could pull Scarlet on my back and fly us over the sopping landscape, though Scarlet wasn’t the biggest fan of flying, to begin with. None of us were up to the task without leaving some of our gear and armour behind.

And so we walked.

Footnotes:
Welcome to level 9!

Perk added: Eggheads Anger! No creature hurts your friends! When your friends are hurt, you put every bit of magic you have into the fight! When an allies health falls below 20%, you gain +15 Damage Threshold and your strength is raised to 10

Author's Note

...I forgot to add the level up. Opsies!

All fixed now...

Chapter 11: Oceans of Ash

Fallout Equestria: Endless Horizon

Chapter 11: Oceans of Ash

I never expected the wasteland to be so full of mystery. It wasn’t my favourite genre to read personally, but actually living it was way more interesting. It was a puzzle to solve! Just like trying to fix a power inverter, or struggling to understand why someone is angry with you.

Unlike those examples, these mysteries may be impossible to solve. Like the reasons behind the strange Stable-Tec override in my PipBuck, or what caused the project to become so corrupt, to begin with. Prewar secrets were easily lost to time. Others were in theory within reach but felt just as impossible. Like who exactly Specter and Cinder were. What exactly was noble about them? How were they connected, why were they both scavenging for drugs and medicine? Most important of all, what did they want?

Specter was a slaver… was he somehow connected to the disappearances in the region? Why kidnap children? No one puts that much effort into something unless it's important to them. But after hours of discussing it as we trotted through the humid landscape, baking under the hot sun, none of us had any ideas. Sky explained that the followers were aware that alicorns in the area were working with a shady group, but they knew as much as we did.

🐦🐦🐦🐦🐦

In theory, it was a seven-hour trot west to the coastal city of Meadowbrook. In practice, it was a day and a half. Ruined buildings and rivers where my maps said there were not supposed to be rivers had us detouring and backtracking constantly. By the time we made camp for the night, we were all too exhausted and wet to even set up a proper tent. We just slept in the rusted-out remains of a fallen sky carriage.

The city itself was a whole nother challenge. The information we got from Mayberry helped, but only so much. The street level was completely underwater, at least 50 metres of it. So reading street signs or addresses wasn’t gonna work for us. The best we could do was follow landmarks, like the statue of Mage Meadowbrook in the center of the city.

It was hard to believe that less than a decade ago there was a settlement in one of the taller buildings. Power, fishing greenhouses, they even had the elevators working. It wasn’t an economic or political powerhouse like Vision or Whinnies Grove, but it was safe. Until a particularly rough earthquake broke the ruined cities' levees along the coast. In minutes, everything the ponies spent their lives building was washed away in a torrent of seawater. Survivors spread out across the wastes, with a group of them taking up refuge in downtown Trottingham. The first residents of Vision.

Now Meadowbrook belongs to spirits of the sea. The only residents were terrifying aquatic and semi-aquatic creatures. Creatures that I, as the only one who could breathe underwater, would likely have to deal with.

Of course, before that, we made a pit stop at the Stable-Tek offices in the city, at Scarlet's suggestion. They were in the same megabuilding as our objective, so it made perfect sense to look into it. It hadn’t been picked clean since the flood, so there was probably some data on the terminals we could use or sell. Maybe even some safes hiding some valuables that the ponies who used to live there missed!

Not that the money mattered to me. I was excited to be going through the Stable-Tek offices either way. The bunker-building company did a lot of R&D in Mt. Aris before the end, massively boosting our economy and furthering our understanding of arcane technology. Without the partnership between MASA and Stable-Tec, our tech would be no better than prewar Equestria.

We located the building shortly after entering the ruined city, and thanks to our wing power, we could easily enter through the roof! Scarlet was less than pleased with that, being the odd one out. Midnight Skies took it upon himself to carry her, using his unicorn magic and earth pony strength to its fullest.

We flew from building to building, being careful to go unnoticed by the local predators.

The Stable-Tec offices looked the same as basically any other office. Reception, a big room with cubicles, and a series of offices and conference rooms. There was one thing that few other offices had, however, and it was more exciting than visiting a scrap yard. Babs Seeds office! She had an office in Meadowbrook!

Babs was a very important pony in Mt. Aris. She was in charge of foreign affairs and spent a lot of time in Mt. Aris. She was besties with all the important ponies! Queen Skystar, Minister Terrarmar, everyone! She even spent time in the orbital test center as a space pony! A space pony!!! Like my great-great-grandfather! The intense conditions and relative isolation of space made it a great (great) test bed for Stable technology. She was there helping develop more advanced solar power systems, batteries, food recyclers, and just… everything! All of the cool stuff! She was basically a rock star.

I… Ok, maybe she’s important to me personally, more than my people as a whole. I’m a bit of a fan filly. Between her and Applebloom, they completely changed the game for how technology is used and applied! They made terminals stable enough to be used in homes, systems advanced enough to survive even after a megaspell detonation. And Babs brought the most advanced prototypes to us for testing in our advanced orbital test center, an honest to spirits stable in space!

So naturally once we made sure we were alone on Stable-Tecs floor, I went right for her office! I imagined what it’d be like as I rushed forward. Massive, with an advanced terminal, a giant round desk, bookshelves weighed down with countless tomes on other cultures and engineering practices! I was beaming as my beak as I stopped at the door marked “Babs seed, foreign relations.”

I opened the door with an excited squeak and found… a normal office. It was small, dusty, and disorganized. The desk was barely enough for a notepad and the model one terminal on it, and there definitely wasn’t room for guests. Just a small workspace for whenever she happened to be in the area, which judging by the lack of personal effects wasn’t often. The place looked straight out of an old furniture catalogue. No personality, purely function.

I was disappointed. She worked with the Mt. Aris Space Alliance, our government, and several labs and manufacturing plants. Not to mention all she did with Stable-Tec, ensuring that creatures in other countries would have a safe place to hide out Deluge of Arcana. She was smart, driven, and had good friends. She deserved a lot more than a crappy office and a first-gen terminal! Not that it mattered anymore. My complaints were levelled towards creatures that’d been dead for 200 years. My annoyance was pointless, but for some reason still present. I shook it off and took a seat in the hard steel desk chair.

Of course, I hadn’t gotten the power on yet, but that wasn’t a problem. You can wire a spark battery into most terminals to get them running, but I didn’t need to go that far. G1 terminals drew so little energy I could power it through my PipBucks networking cable

There were a lot of messages between her and Minister Terramar from MASA, and a few between her and the head of something called Kayala Advancement Industries. The former wasn’t anything special, mostly budget reports and road maps for various projects. It went all the way back to the formation of the space corporation when they bought a bunch of rocketry research and assets from Equestria’s defunct space program. That was probably what gave Stable-Tec the idea to test their equipment in space.

The messages between Babs and Kayala were way more interesting. The early ones detailed projects to combine Equestrian arcane technology with the runic arrays Mt. Aris used. They’d even forwarded some of the email chains to Ministry Mare Fluttershy. The advancements they were making were helpful for everycreature. As for the most recent messages…

-🖂︎🖂︎🖂︎-

Babs Seed.

Integration of Cosmic Steel with Arcano-tech has proven to be more stable than previously expected. The metal's unique nature to modulate magical signatures makes it ideal for many of the projects both the KAI, and Sable-Tec are interested in. The Crusader Zero especially has exceeded all previous expectations. Though the amount of materials needed to manufacture the device is not scaleable, even to the limited capacity Vice President Scootaloo wants to see. She tried to throw more money at the problem but ignores me when I explain it won't help. It isn’t a matter of affording more Cosmic Steel, but simply the limitations we have for mining and processing it. Your cousin's design without it looks promising, though!

We’ve also made some progress with the neural integration drive, and several prototype weapons. For self-defence, of course. If my government, or worse my parents, found out we did weapons research here we’d have bigger problems than a few zebra bombs.

As for our… “other project,” I have found a way to deploy it effectively. Any pip-buck using multiphase computing will have enough speed and output to run the override spell. Delivering it to multiple installations simultaneously is still not an option. Even with the Sky Stables direct link to the Stable-Tec communications system, the minute the system realizes what’s happening it’ll lock us out. We can’t deliver malware quickly enough without a direct link.

-Kayalal, President of KAI

🐦🐦🐦🐦🐦

Malware to infect stables… Using pip-bucks as a delivery method. It had to be the weird override spell I found on my pip-buck. Why would Babs Seed create spell software to target stables of all places? She was one of the ponies working to make sure those places could keep ponies alive, to begin with! Then again, they didn’t really keep ponies alive very well… I’d seen the horror that those places could breed first wing. More questions, more wasteland mysteries. At least for these, I could ask CORE. She had access to countless file systems they used before the war.

Beyond the correspondence, I found a video file. It was too degraded for the computer or my pip-buck to read, but I copied it anyway. CORE could probably do something with that, too. She had more processing power than almost anything! Not to mention problem-solving skills that I lacked, unless it was a machine or arcane system.

The rest of the office was boring, pencil-pusher junk. Folders stuffed with reports and evaluations, mail from headhunters wanting to hire her at their companies, offering what I assumed were large sums of bits to try. I’d hoped to find at least a backup of her logs from her time in the Sky Stable, but there was nothing of the sort. I’d always wanted to know what happened up there after the war, but it was all classified. All I knew was that they deorbited it a few decades later.

🐦🐦🐦🐦🐦

Anxiety clawed at my rational thoughts as I hide behind my wings, the wall of feathers my only protection from the prying eyes of my friends. I was naked, save for my necklace and pip-buck latched to my foreleg, which only added to the anxiety swirling in my belly. “S-so you’re all just… Gonna watch?” I squeaked.

We were gathered around the elevator bank of the 7th floor, just a few floors under the Stable-Tec offices. A small, but annoyingly deep pool sat just behind me. The remnants of the building's elevator shaft, and the fasted route for me to swim to the generator room. The area was cut off from all-natural light, leaving us to the ominous illumination of magic, flashlight and PipBuck.

Scarlet trotted over and gave me a reassuring nuzzle, gently pushing my wings down away from my face. “Come on Aella, it’s fine! None of us has ever seen a seapony before, let alone a hippogriff turning into one. Even if I am irritated that another creature that isn’t normally magically inclined is better at it than me…”

While I tried to comfort Scarlet as she fought off her magical insecurities, Sky saw an opportunity to get a closer look at my shard. Her hoof was just inches away from the pearl before I noticed, swatting it away just in time. I narrowed my eyes at the grabby alicorn and hissed softly.

The buck just rolled his eyes, unphased. “Oh come on Captain, I’m curious! If the magic from these things can help me, then I gotta learn it! Or at least understand it. You promised to help me out. Anyway, let's get on with this. I gotta see if you’re as cute as a seapony as you are as a hippogriff.” The unexpected compliment made my cheeks burn. Having a mind-reading friend is not fair! They always know exactly how to push your buttons!

Free checked the time on his cybernetic leg and grunted. “Yeah, we should get moving. The longer we linger the more time we give some horrible creature to find us.”

They all had a point… if I hadn’t been the center of attention, it would have been no problem to change. It wasn’t something to be ashamed of or to try and hide. And the wasteland wasn’t exactly the best place to wait around talking about it for ages, either. My wings fluttered nervously at my sides as I steeled myself. “Right. Sorry. I just get kinda shy sometimes. Doing things around people. It makes me anxious. I’m not used to being around people, and I feel embarrassed and stupid about things… I don’t know. I’m ready.”

I closed my eyes and steeled myself with a long breath. My friends were right. It was no problem. I’d done it a million times before! And it wasn’t like they could judge me for doing something wrong or weird, they didn’t know how it was supposed to look!

Excitement rivalled my nervousness as I turned toward the elevator and rested a talon on the glimmering relic around my neck. It’d been so long since I’d been a seapony. It’s an important, and often neglected part of me. Even with such a dangerous task ahead of me, I couldn’t help but smile.

The magic of the Transformation Pearl shard reacted instantly. Golden streams of energy flowed around me, tickling my skin where it mixed and merged with my own innate magic. It wasn’t like the magical aura of a unicorn. The pearl's power is far more complex. It felt like… love. Like being hugged. Surrounded by everyone who cares for you. The energy of my ancestors, and the great spirits our people revered, guiding and protecting you. It calmed me. Nudged me in the direction I needed to go. In a flash of brilliant golden light, I, Aella Breeze the hippogriff was gone.

The icy water of the elevator shaft hit me like a wall and shocked me back to reality. My head breached the surface to take a breath, only to remember that I no longer had lungs… That always took a second to get used to. The gills along my neck handled all of my oxygen-related needs!

I don’t think I look that different as a seapony. My colours are the same, and I’m about the same size. I just trade my claws and wings for fins, and my back legs for a long, beautiful aquatic tail! Plus I lose my beak, and all my feathers… ok, maybe I look kinda different.

I enjoyed the cool liquid on my scales for about ten seconds before I noticed the six eyes staring down at me, eyes wide as they watched the light glitter off my scales. It was strange how my friends seeing me happy made them all smile, too. It was nice.

Happy doesn’t come close to how I was feeling. I was like… Well, a fish in water! I rarely got to enjoy my seafaring form back home, thanks to unhealthy water and far too crowded public pools. My best chances to swim were when the repo team needed a technician for a Seaquestria run. They were AMAZING! Of course, most of the engineers were equally eager to go for a dive, so they rarely needed me to help.

Sky’s horn shone deep blue as he studied my transformation with his magic. His expression was stuck between happy for me, and confused by the complex work of magic. Unfortunately, it wasn’t a feat he could manage without his own amulet. Even then, I didn’t know how well it would work for someone who wasn’t from Mt. Aris. The buck broke into a grin when he noticed Scarlet staring at me with her draw practically on the floor. The mare blushed deeply when he reached over and closed it for her.

The duo's antics had Free rolling his eyes as he trotted over to give me a high wing/fin. “Remember, the Rad-safe will only last 20 minutes or so. We’ll have Rad-away, and all of your stuff in the stairwell when you get back. And try not to get hurt or do anything stupid. I have no idea how to treat a fish for stab wounds or electric shocks.”

“I-I am not a fish!” I snapped with a pout. “I am a seapony! A fair and magical creature from the beautiful underwater nation of Seaquestria. A-and I’m a hippogriff! Majestic bird horse! Calling me a fish is… Reductive! Yeah! It’s… it’s that!” How dare he call me a fish! I’m not a fish! How many fish can repair a pressure regulator with a propane torch, scrap metal and a stick of gum!? None of them! Cause they’re fish!

I huffed as I dived down the elevator shaft, my tail flicking in a dramatic, sassy fashion as I left. Not that he could see, stupid feather pony… That’s it! I should have called him a bird! Or… Or a chicken! Yeah! That dumb chicken!

What little light my friends were producing disappeared just a couple of metres under the water, but I had that covered. My fins gave off a light purple glow as I dove deeper, the bioluminescence enough for my not fish eyes to see. It wasn’t highly detailed like a surface creature was used to, but it didn’t need to be. I could make out the basic shapes and distances of things, and I could feel changes in the current around me to know if something was moving nearby.

Thankfully My pip-buck was still snuggly fit my fin! PipBucks were generally enchanted to be one size fits all, and they made doubly sure it would stay in place when we changed form. So all I had to do was

I always wondered if changelings got PipBucks with that feature… Scarlet had a changeling friend named Endrin who had a 4000 series like mine, but they were from Mt. Aris. Did changelings even have Pip-Bucks? Surely there was a stable for them someplace… Equestrian ponies were far too sweet not to help the species survive the apocalypse, especially considering the ponies helped cause it.

…Right?

You’d think it’d be weird, suddenly finding yourself in a body that wasn’t quite your own. Normally you’d probably be right but for us… It just wasn’t. Everything felt natural. How my gills passively take oxygen from the water, how I move my fins and tail in concert to cut through the deep dark waters. It was as if I’d done it a million times! Adapting easily to a new form was part of the magic. “Our ancestors granting some of their knowledge,” they say. Though if we’re being honest, I was trying to dial back talking to my friends about that sort of thing.

Sky asked me the previous night about “hippogriff superstition and mambo-jumbo.” What followed was uncomfortable. Judgemental looks from my friends as I taught them more about my people's history. It quickly became clear most ponies weren’t likely to accept my people's beliefs. Apparently, they find the idea that we, ((and many other creatures!!!)) believe in spirits to be just as crazy as I found their lack of belief. I wasn’t actively spiritual or religious, but I still knew more or less how it was all supposed to work.

Red blips swam across my EFS, but I paid them little mind. It was useless in the 3D environment, so relying on it would just slow things down. My own senses were more reliable. Feeling the current around me, extending my arcane sense to feel for anything nearby, and watching for anything strange.

The door at the bottom of the shaft was propped open partly by a body caught in it. The pony had a long steel rod clutched in his hooves. Perfect. I softly thanked him as I scooped it up, using it to pry the door open.

The pole had several sharp blades bolted onto the end, forming a crude spear. It looked sort of like a trident, which was strangely fitting. With the homemade trident in fin, I swam on.

The mutated fish I swam past were all interesting, though the odd one was a bit disturbing… scaled water critters with extra eyes or fins, even a ghoul fish of all things! None of which showed on EFS. How did it decide what it wanted to show? Was it preprogrammed, or did it learn what was and wasn’t important over time? Yes, I’ve done PipBuck repairs plenty of times, but I still have no idea how the spell matrix is encoded.

It felt closer to an underwater cave than a basement, honestly. Everything was covered in a thick layer of algae, and the floor was lost under a thick layer of rocks and sand. There was even some plant life weakly clinging to life! It was beautiful in a way. Dark and grimy, sure, but the colourful sea life and persistence of nature added to the appeal. I even knew a few of the fish species! I saw some Firefish and a Clownfish! One particular blue fish happened to close to my mouth as I swam, meeting the unfortunate fate of being my next meal before I had time to think about it. Sorry fish friend! You were delicious.

After a few minutes of pleasant swimming, I found the utility room. A massive space with four spark generators along the side, and a giant spark battery bank on the far wall. Workbenches and cabinets lined the right wall, with the odd furnace or fuse box. A couple red ticks floated on my EFS as I swam towards my objective. Ticks that matched the pair of blurs moving at the edge of my vision…

PipBuck-generated light filled the room, revealing my opponents: A pair of decrepit, vaguely pony creatures floating in the water. The eye sockets were empty, pickled clean by some fish brave enough to go near the creature's toothy maws.

My PipBuck light flicking to life revealed the foes. Two decrepit, vaguely pony creatures were floating through the water. Their eye sockets were empty white disks, picked clean long ago by any fish that felt brave enough to go near the creature's toothy maws. Their wrinkled skin was coatless, with much of the skin and flesh along their bodies eaten away, putting the muscles and deep tissues underneath on display. One was eaten down to his ribs in places.

I fought not to gag. The terrible sight made my stomach churn, making it hard to focus. Just another gruesome wasteland experience to hide in that lockbox in my mind…

SATS labelled them as “ghouls,” which was pretty obvious once I read it. Apparently, the necromantic magical radiation that created them lets them survive without air or food! So that’s… horrifying. SATS also worked for targeting with my newfound trident! Which was great, except that fighting them meant closing the distance between us… I certainly didn’t want to get closer to them.

What I wanted was to sneak by, and avoid fighting at all! Of course, the hungry floaters weren’t the most considerate monsters. One already noticed my presence and had just started towards me when I froze time. Its maw was wide open in a soundless growl, showing off a disgusting lack of tongue. Worse was the massive hole in the roof of its mouth, making the rotten brain inside visible.

I had enough charge for one strick at the nearest ghoul's face. My weak strength and limited melee experience meant it needed more magic for the attack than normal. I made a note to invest in a ranged weapon I could use underwater. Maybe a harpoon gun! Those were kinda neat.

Time returned to normal as the SATS-guided trident speared through the side ghoul's throat, leaving long jagged cuts along its neck. I cursed as I swam backwards, tugging my weapon free of its flesh with a firm tug. Shoot, I missed the face!

The ghoul moved awkwardly to pursue, flailing in the water as its momentum carried it forward. The second undead nightmare noticed the excitement and swam to join in, trying to scream through the choking water in what was left of its lungs.

I almost rolled my eyes as I effortlessly swam under the attacking ghoul's tackle, and swam up behind it. I gripped my makeshift spear tightly as I slashed across the back of its neck. My eyes widened as the head and body drifted off in separate directions. I decapitated the pony!

The worry I felt when I first saw the creatures was fading. They could hardly move in the water, letting me effortlessly swim circles around them. With my confidence soaring, I moved toward the remaining ghoul and lashed out with my long-bladed staff! The knifes cut through the weak flesh and bone of its skull easily, destroying the brain in one strike.

I swam clear of the blood-laden water and went limp, taking some time to rest. I would have been panting to catch my breath if I had lungs. With gills, all I could do was stay still for a few minutes to let my heart calm, and my blood oxygenate. I let my spear drift to the floor below, my fins already sore from the overexertion.

A few minutes later, I knew I had to get moving again. Predators could smell the blood in the water, and come looking for an easy meal. I grabbed my spear off the floor and swam to the spark generators. I felt a strange, brief flash of amusement and pride flow past me, the feelings completely alien. I chirped in annoyance as I realized the feelings were in fact not mine, but Sky’s! It was the alicorn's presence in mind as he kept an eye on me.

The buck could see what I was doing? How is that fair!? He couldn’t just… Ok, he could, I had no power to stop him. But it wasn’t nice! What was it with my friends all invading my privacy!?

I sighed and pushed the thoughts away. All they did was derail my thought railyard. Not productive at all.

The spark generators were in terrible condition. The water wore rusted much of the metal, and the parts made of flux were degrading, slowly dissolving into the water. That was probably fine… They only had to run for a few hours at most. After that, they could fall apart or burst into flames all they wanted.

The control panels were the most run-down part, but I could jury-rig them into working for a short while. Replace the fuses with metal sockets, (NEVER DO THIS, EVER!) bypass a few rusted switches with copper wire, and it was ready to start! I plugged in my PipBuck to send the start command, (and override the safety protocols, which all screamed at me) and the generators whirred to life!

They weren’t producing enough energy to run all of the lights and terminals of the buildings, but it should be enough. I did it! The pleasant hum of aging sub pumps rang through the water, putting a smile on my beak. Once the water was drained from the AV Pharma offices, we’d be all set! I just had to meet up with my friends and get to the company's data stores. Easy breezy!

🐦🐦🐦🐦🐦

I laid on the grossly cold, wet floor of a stairwell as I waited for my friends to find me. I hoped the magic that dried me off when I changed back would do the job, but that was a naive hope. Every surface of the drained sections of the building was saturated with water. At least I wasn’t soaked to the bone, though.

A harmony of dripping filled the hallways as I laid there exhausted, feeling the soreness of muscles I forgot I even had. Free guessed later that some of the muscles I never use are very important for seapony swimming, my ‘fishy muscles’ he named them. I did not appreciate the name.

My friends found me curled up on the stairwell, eager to congratulate me on a job well done! While I didn’t consider it a job one well, since the building's emergency power system was still a mess, I still appreciated the sentiment. Sky passed me my gear, which I happily slipped into as my friends made sure I was alright. I felt instantly more comfortable in my barding, with my pistol strapped in place on the breast of my green jacket. As I finished up, my friends went over the plan again, but I was to busy chatting with Sky at that point to hear much.

“It feels like you had a really good time. Next time I wanna go with you. I get that you’ve never changed someone other than yourself, before! But If you get to that point I call dibs!”

I giggled and extended a wing towards him, which he eagerly shook with his own. “It's a deal. Would be nice to have some backup to give me a claw, anyway. Those floater ghouls were super creepy.” I grimaced. The buck shared my expression and nodded his agreement.

“Come on, we’re heading in,” Scarlet said from the door, cutting our conversation short. At Scarlet's command, we headed into the Astral Vision Pharmaceutical Labs! Their area was set up like a loft, taking up the entire 10th and 11th floor, with a private stairwell in the back connecting them. The elevator and stairwell only entered the tenth floor, probably for security reasons. It was a laboratory, after all.

A chorus of squishy squash sounds accompanied each hoof step on the sopping-wet floors. There was a time when I would have found the sound (and sensation that followed) gross, but after wading through the endless rain and mud of the Equestrian Wasteland it was pretty tolerable.

What I couldn’t stand was the strong scent of must, rot, and rust that hung in the air. I pulled my respirator out of my pack to filter out the smell. (For once, I brought it! A bird can learn.) My other friends put bandanas or scrap fabric over their faces, with Free muttering about needing to fix his rebreather.

A rebreather! I didn’t know he had a rebreather!!! If it wasn’t broken he could have gone into the water with me. Why was it broken? Why hadn't he asked me to fix it!? I’m great at fixing things! I just fixed an entire building! I could fix the heck out of a rebreather!

I huffed and tapped my temple with a talon, trying to knock the thoughts out of my head. Work to be done, Aella! Stay on task!

The reception area was expectedly underwhelming. The furniture was waterlogged and falling apart, and most of the lights didn’t work, and the few that did flickered weakly or gave off a faint glow no better than luminous paint. We were again forced to rely on our collection of light sources.

Free went straight for the map of the area. The offices and server room were on the eleventh floor, while the labs, breakroom, and restrooms were just ahead of us. What we needed would either be on the CEO’s personal terminal or the servers.

Behind the check-in desk, there was a basic map of the area. The offices and server room were on the 11th floor, while the labs, breakrooms and restrooms were all just ahead of us. What we needed was either in the CEO's office or stored on the servers. First Free wanted to look over the labs for medicine, and Scarlet wanted to check over the place for salvage.

The pair of labs were just down the hall from reception, the first of which was surprisingly clean! Ceramic walls made up the floor and walls, all of which showed very little water damage, with a bay window overlooking what used to be a lovely park! Now it looked more like an aquarium, and I couldn’t help but smile as I watched the sea creatures swim by the cracked, but intact glass. It must have been amazingly strong to withstand all of the water pressure. My friends were more frightened by the view, worried about what would happen if the glass gave way.

The tables set up in the center and along the three walls were loaded with science equipment I hadn’t pretended to understand since I had to take a chemistry class. All I really recognized was the terminal built into the wall, which immediately drew my attention.

According to the reports, they were developing some kind of advanced drug set to roll out just months after the bombs. The green potions were named “Regenerative Elixers,” though the scientists nicknamed them “Pre-Store”. A green potion that soldiers could drink before battle to improve their natural health and stamina, improve natural healing time, and limit damage from chemical weapons. It was like a weaker, longer-lasting hydra. It could allow superficial wounds to heal without care, and give them better recovery rates for more significant injuries.

It was impressive. Impressive enough for me to copy all the data to my PipBuck, and Free to pocket the half dozen vials of Pre-Store they had on hand. He also grabbed any containers of raw chemicals that were still sealed, which I assumed he could use for something. Meanwhile Scarlet and Sky collected any lab equipment that was in decent condition to sell later.

Pre-Store wasn’t the only drug the company was involved with. They also had recipes for Steady, Radaway, the weird off-colour radiation drug Radsafe, and something called Stampede. The workers peer-reviewed trials for the drugs and never purged the data. They could… probably be useful, right? At the very least the doctors in Vision would benefit from the information. Or, I assumed they had a doctor… I honestly hadn’t spent much time exploring the settlement.

Next up was lab B, the only other lab in the facility. It mirrored the other lab almost perfectly. Worktables covered in lab equipment that did spirits know what, beakers and scales, and a line of metal cabinets labelled with chemical names too long for any sane creature to pronounce. Everything was just like the chem labs back home!

Other than the pair of grey eyes that were watching us from the far corner, low to the ground. We certainly didn’t have the griffon-sized alligators that the eyes belonged to back home, either. If we did they wouldn’t bear their ugly black teeth as they prepared to strike like that one did.

…Stupid wasteland.

“Radigator!” Scarlet shouted too late. Before I even heard her, the beast was in the air. It lunged for me, flashing its mouth of vicious, flesh-tearing teeth. Scarlet rushed in just in time, barreling into me. Her full weight slammed into my chest, forcing an unflattering squawk from my lungs as we skidded across the floor.

The ‘gator soared over us and slammed into the wall beyond. Scarlet was quick to tug me back on my hooves, pulling me toward the exit where our friends stood. They trained their weapons on the creature, ready to blast it away once we were clear.

The gunfire rang through the room like a bell, a blindly white echo chamber assaulting every sense. The Radigator roared in frustration as it caught a stream of hot lead from Free’s rifle. Sadly the attack failed to draw blood.

BLAM BLAM BLAM

Scarlet's shotgun joined the chorus in a bright flare of unicorn magic, making me and the alicorn behind her see spots. Shell after shell fell to the floor at her hooves. Dozens of bleeding wounds tore into the radigators thick hide. Still, the beast prowled toward us, undeterred.

A midnight blue aura obscured my vision as fuzzy alicorn magic wrapped around my friends and I. I stumbled as Sky’s magic pulled us all back, making me bump into a file cabinet near the door. I had no idea why until I looked up. The stench of rotten fish and salt filled my lungs as the gator snapped half a meter from my beak, flinging its saliva across my cheek.

Bratatatatatat

Sky’s twin pistols were a whisper compared to my other friend's weapons, but far more effective. Torrents of fire sprang up across the radigators hide, scorching its skin as the magical fire burned deeper. The alicorn smiled darkly as he watched the gator stumble back, hacking and bucking in a vain attempt to put itself out. Smoke rose from its maw and bullet hoses as it released its final roar.

We watched with bated breath as it stilled. Then, the red dot on my EFS winked out. The ordeal was exhausting.

The fight hardly lasted a minute.

Relief shifted to worry as smoke started to fill the room. Flames flickered from a steel cabinet along the wall, with smoke bellowing out the tiny bullet hole in the front. A bright yellow picture on the front of a very worried pony next to an exploding bottle made it clear what was kept inside.

“We should probably leave!?” I squawked as I ushered my friends out of the room with a wing. The fire just started, and the smoke was already burning my lungs and making my eyes water. Why did fire hate me!?

We stumbled out single file, coughing and wheezing as the growing cloud of smoke filled out into the hallway. Free kicked the door shut behind us, containing the smoke and fire in the laboratory. We remained in the hallway for a few minutes, catching our breath and making sure the flames didn’t manage to escape.

“Let’s move on. The building is waterlogged, but if the fire manages to spread…” Skarlet left the rest to our imagination. Destabilize the building. Kill the water pumps so my friends all drown while I watch helplessly. Slowly suffocate us. No fun options.

Free wasn’t listening as he narrowed his eyes at Sky, making the alicorn raise a brow. “What the hell was that? Your magic bullets could have brought the building down around us!” He tried to shove Sky back with a hoof to the chest, but the towering pony wasn’t forced even an inch back.

In fact, he moved forward! Sky stepped into Free’s personal space with an audible stomp, Bringing them chest to chest. “You got a problem? I saved our asses! You should be grateful. I didn’t know I’d hit that cabinet! ‘Sides, the lab is built to be fireproof. Now Scarlet is right, let’s get back to-”

“It was fireproof 200 years ago!” Free reared up, bringing them muzzle to muzzle. “And even if the lab contains it, we’re out whatever data and valuables are inside. So great job!”

I shrank behind Scarlet as their conversation boiled over. I knew I should intervene, (That’s what a captain or the protagonist of an adventure story would do!) but the situation made me even more anxious than my most recent flame-related near-death experience. My racing mind couldn’t find the words, or the willpower to interrupt the arguing duo. Luckily, Scarlet was happy to take charge when I couldn’t.

“Enough!” Scarlet stomped between the two bucks and shoved them away from each other. “Celestia above, I will start putting ponies in corners! Now, we didn’t need anything from the lab for the mission, so it’s no loss there. Sky may have been excessive, but he saved our flanks. I’m sure he’ll be more careful about starting fires in the future. Now everypony shut up, cool down, and get the fuck back to work.”

🐦🐦🐦🐦🐦

Taint. Radiation. Mutated animals. Money. Flirting. Elevators.

The list of things the balefire-blasted wasteland could throw at me to overwhelm, stress me out, and exhaust my patience was extensive, with every traumatic experience or confusing social hurdle I braved earning a new entry. I had no idea my friends would make the cut.

They acted like foals! Arguing about nothing just metres away from a fire! The most scary thing on my list! We were in the wasteland. A terrifying, chaotic, unpredictable place where anything can happen. And they thought the best use of their time was to fight!

I was irritated. Disappointed. Especially with Free. The ex-enclave buck was quick to throw blame on Sky for making a simple mistake. What happened to that army discipline of his? Seeing them argue was hard. I took some solace in knowing Scarlet was just as upset as me, but she was way better at setting the feeling aside to focus on our quest.

The best thing we could do to keep the peace and finish the job was to split up. Free and I went to search the CEO’s office, and Scarlet took Sky to the server room with a data storage device.

The CEO's office was surprisingly conservative. A larger than average desk, a nice but not top-of-the-line terminal, and shelves filled with books, rewards, and degrees. The only thing that struck me was the decorations hung on the wall behind the desk. On the left was the Equestrian flag; Luna and Celestia flying around the sun and moon with stars around them. To the right was a dark grey flag, with a zebra glyph positioned in the center, then another tucked away in the bottom right corner. The zebra empire flag.

“Is that what I think it is? Someone had this in their office? During wartime? That’s brave, I’ll give them that…” Free remarked with confusion.

I wrinkled my beak as I looked up at it, urging the seldom-used language part of my brain to action. “Yeah, It’s um… The middle glyph means all… or twelve… companionship, ugh… harmony. The little one in the corner is one. For the clan they kicked out, probably. It means loneliness, heartache, treachery, and it’s also used to label curse boxes, to prefix how dangerous the contents contained inside are. The zebra tongue’s writing system is complicated. It’s more… abstract than Ponish.”

Free raised a brow at me with a surprised gasp. “You speak zebra? That’s impressive… But what’s the point?”

Ugh… I hated needing to explain myself. “Because I’m friends with some zebras. My engineering teacher is a zebra. They were all kind enough to learn our languages, so I and many others back home try to do the same for them. Back home we’re all one people, but we’re made of many parts. Understanding one another helps reduce disputes, and make communicating easier. I could teach you something if you want.”

Free waved the offer off with a hoof. “No no, that’s fine. I’m not great at languages. Wouldn’t get much use out of it, anyway.” Free sat back on his hunches and took a serious tone. “Listen, we need to talk about Sky.”

Wow, I really thought I would have to bring that up. At least he knows what he did was wrong, already. “Yes, we do. You’ve been cold towards him since you met, and I don’t understand why! He’s not a bad person, and he’s more than proved himself. What is going on?”

“I don’t trust that thing, Aella. I don’t blame your naivete. I know there’s a lot you don’t know about the wasteland. But alicorns are dangerous, powerful creatures. The ponies they’ve hurt, killed, or forced into their ‘Unity’. Those things are unstable and dangerous!”

“Free, th-”

“You don’t get it. You aren’t from here. You don’t know the kinds of things the Alicorns have done over the years. Since the death of their goddess, some have just become unhinged killing machines! Just look at your new ‘friend,’ she thinks she’s a stallion!”

That was it. The last of my patients. Free didn’t just find where I drew the line, he barreled past it at full speed. I towered over the pony as I stood up straighter and puffed out my chest. He backed away as my wings unfurled, like a fearful colt who broke their mother's lamp. I glared down at him with every scrap of anger and disappointment he forced out of me. “Yeah, because your kind are such fucking saints. Leaving your fellow ponies to die on the surface in a magical blaze. Killing and pilfering struggling creatures of neighbouring countries for your own gain. Slaughtering city after city while pretending it was all to bring peace to the surface. No, your kind has never made a mistake.”

“I felt the same way about you, Feather Free. Your people tried to invade Mt. Aris! But I didn’t want to blame you for the actions of others, because that isn’t the kind of griff I want to be! So I let you come with us. To give you a chance, and to prove my own prejudices wrong. Meanwhile, you… Do you think I don’t know why you came along? Scarlet read your diary, Free! I know you’re here because my technology scares you. How it could be used, by me, or others. But your notes also showed how you genuinely want to help others.”

The green pegasus sat back on his haunches, ears back. His vision was downcast, conflicted and somewhat ashamed of his behaviour. Good. He deserved to feel bad.

“You won’t be rude to that sweet buck again under any circumstance about his gender, or by Accord, Runa, and Centra, I will break those spirit damned wings. Do we understand each other?” My tone was even, and quiet, and carried an edge I never used before. Between that and the fact that I cursed, twice, further punctuated my anger. I would now allow that kind of behaviour around the people I cared for. If Free was the kind of pony who would hate someone for something so stupid, so personal, he wasn’t welcome.

“Go ask Sky how you can help him download the server data, and tell Scarlet I need her in here. If you still have a problem when we’re back in Vision, leave. But until this job is finished, you will show those ponies the respect they deserve.” The buck scurried off without a word.

I scared the crap out of him… Way more than I meant to. But he deserved the kick in the rear. Being anxious because he was an alicorn was bad enough, but being transphobic… No. Not on my ship. Not on my crew.

🐦🐦🐦🐦🐦

The sight of me was enough for Scarlet to know something was eating at me. I didn’t want to tell her what happened, but after her fourth inquiry, I knew I had to give her something. I just told her that Free was anxious being around an alicorn, and I told him to get over it. Scarlet already had a hard time trusting Free, and I didn’t want to make it worse mid-mission. I promised myself I’d tell her the full story later.

With the unicorn's curiosity sated for the moment, I worked on getting access to the terminal, while Scarlet picked over the room for valuables. Free had to do some hacking to access the server's database, but the good folks of Vision gave us the login information for the CEO’s terminal when we took the job, along with countless other door codes and overrides we hadn’t needed. That Zebra was super thorough.

Username: Astral Vision

Password: All4Zikka

Astral Vision Pharmaceuticals… it wasn’t the first time I wondered if the settlement's name was somehow related. Given how important the data was to them, it seemed likely, though I had no idea what the significance was. Just another bullet point on the growing list of wasteland secrets in my mind.

While my PipBuck copied all of the files, I combed through the data for anything interesting. A lot of messages to a remote facility in the north, a mix of personal correspondence and progress reports. One caught my eye.

-🖂︎🖂︎🖂︎-

Subject: Zikka

Dear Astral,

The lab has made significant progress in our research for Project Longevity. We’ve tested over a dozen samples on lab rats and found that the treatment is 100% effective. The subjects are cured and vaccinated against all pathogens present in their system at the time of treatment. Unfortunately, Panacea Variant 115 is too effective. It grants the subject resistance to the treatment itself, preventing it from being used more than once on the same subject. Attempts to do so produced an array of side effects, including blindness, 114-degree fevers, and something one staff member could only refer to as "ghoulification." Treatment in ponies is pending approval from the MoP. Even if it isn’t the cure-all we hoped to find with the project, I’m confident it will effectively treat your daughter's illness. I’ve sent several vials to your private estate should you wish to run your own tests or make use of them.

Ten dozen more doses are stored in cryostorage in Lab B, ready for further testing, with another dozen being shipped to the Ministry of Peace hub in Canterlot for their approval. Annoyingly, the server is still having issues, so we can’t back up any of our notes on-site. I’ve sent another budget approval request to replace the thing. In the meantime, it’s safe on the terminal in lab B, and has been copied to the server at your estate.

I’ll message you the moment we have word on MoP approval. Weathervane and his team agreed to peer review our work if we do the same for his new radiation treatment, so that should help expedite the process. When this is done, we’ll have the bits to buy a stable for ourselves, if we want! And we’ll save millions of lives from previously untreatable illnesses, of course.

Have a great day Sir,

Doctor Horse, Pediatrics

🐦🐦🐦🐦🐦

The cure! My mission! The research and medicine I needed to save my people! I could go home! I could see my sister again! I could be safe! Everything I’d been working for, just sitting in this lab waiting to be found! Did the ponies at Vision know where it was? Did they send me to the building on purpose? Or were the spirits just looking out for me? I almost couldn’t believe it!

Panacea could fix everything! And it was in the lab just downstairs! The lab where…

The gunfire. The radigator.

Where…

Smoke. Fire.

Footnotes:
Welcome to level 10!

Perk added: Silent Gallop: Your hoof steps and wing flaps are silent as you trot through your environment! Walking and flying no longer affect your sneak skill.

Perk added: Heartache by the Numbers: The disappointment in lab B has left a wound on your soul that you won't soon forget. Until you recover from the tragic event, enemies in combat will have a 20% boost to their critical hit chance.

Author's Note

A lot happens in this chapter. It's longer than usual and has a lot going on. I enjoyed working on it, but it took a lot out of me honestly. Especially the raider scene at the beginning. I had to remove an entire scene where Aella fought off a school of Biteacuda's partly because I decided sending her under with a weapon wouldn't work well, partly to shorten the chapter because it didn't add much to the chapter? It had some development as far as runic magic and Aella herself, but nothing I can't fit in a bit later when the timing and themes line up better.

Chapter updated! 16/07/23

Patch notes:

Removed long, unnecessary action scenes
Fixed grammar and spelling errors
Removed herobrine
Fixed bug where readers felt bad for fictional characters

Chapter 12: Behind Closed Doors

Fallout Equestria: Endless Horizon

Chapter 12: Behind Closed Doors

It was all gone.

My lungs burned. My eyes stung. The medical alerts flashing across my vision went ignored. They didn’t matter. I didn’t care. Lab B was in ruins. The terminal melted. All the cure samples burned away.

I charged into the burning room without a thought. I was reckless. Stupid. Panicked. I read that the cures were down there, and my body just started moving. I wanted to charge into those flames. If there was even one sample of that cure left. The smallest chance to save my sister. It would have been worth it. My friends stopped me. Pulled me away from the flames.

And I was dumb enough to be upset with them! They saved my life, but all I could see was my sister. Suffering. Dying! Because I had let our one hope burn away. I hissed, kicked and screamed, but they held tight. I was larger than them, but they were far stronger. Once Sky’s magic joined the mix, I had no chance.

They were right there! Dozens of cures! Enough to inoculate the medical staff at least! Enough for our scientists to produce more! All burned away by a stray bullet. My people; condemned to death by my stupid accident. Was it my bad luck? Some kind of penance for whatever I did to lose the favour of the spirits who guide my people? Fate led me to the cure for my people, the purpose of my quest. Then it took it away.

I collapsed against Scarlet and Free. My fight was gone. The red of my vision faded away, leaving me with an indescribable pain in my chest. In my heart. I was a snotty, sobbing mess. Despite that Scarlet held me to her chest, petting my hair with a dirty hoof. Sky wrapped a tight wing around us, just how I liked to be held. Just how my father always used to… Another wave of fitful tears. More coos and soft-spoken words from my friends.

Free took a few steps back when I fell, looking grim and annoyed. He’d tried to scold me for my stupidity when they pulled me out, but the others shushed him. I cling to my two friends. Scarlet cried softly as she did her best to soothe me. Sky did his best to hide his own tears, but every so often I heard him sniffle. The shock and emotion were too much for me. For all of us. Just another day in the wasteland.

We didn’t stay in the decrepit hallway long. The fire was spreading. Soon the entire floor would burn away. We flew south towards Vision, Scarlet on my back. She’d check in on me every little bit, or give me a comforting nuzzle. I hardly processed any of it, though. I was on autopilot.

I vaguely remember us setting camp a few hours later. It all swam by in a blur. I answered when people spoke. I helped out with keeping watch and setting up our tents. I just went through the motions. My friends knew I was having a hard time, but they weren’t sure how to help. I wasn’t at my best heading into the building. Finding out I lost the cure for the Blue Flu before I even found it was salt on the wound. The straw that broke the bird-horses back. The stress, the danger, the fear and the pressure. It was too much.

So I did what I always did when things were too much. I shoved it down. I found something else to focus on. I laid in a tent with Sky, reflecting on the one part of the day I had control over while I watched the little electric lantern above us flicker. The conversation with Feather Free. Was I too harsh? Should I apologize? Make it up to him somehow? No, that was stupid. He was the one in the wrong. He should be apologizing to Sky! Despite myself, I still felt bad about the confrontation.

But I did it… The person I was a few weeks ago never would have stood up to someone like that. Not for anyone. They made me feel stronger in a way. Confident. I still struggled to trust them, but I felt the need to protect them. It was a good step, as far as wasteland survival went. The Wasteland Survival Guide mentioned several times how important having friends is.

“I didn’t need you to stick up for me.” Sky said from my left, sprawled out on his own sleeping bag. Oh right, mind reading. I’d never get used to that. The buck was watching me from his sleeping bag with a smile. “I do appreciate it though. I’ve only ever had my sisters stand up for me, or Velvet Remedy.” He blushed a bit as his mind went to the leader of the Followers, and close friend of the Lightbringer. “I noticed you arguing, and I peeked in to see what was happening. You’re weirdly easy to get into telepathically. You should keep an eye on that, could be dangerous. Anyway, yeah… Thanks.”

“I’m sorry you had to hear it. Sometimes people can be jerks, you know?” I pulled my covers around me tighter and sighed. “I just…”

“You still hope he’s the good person you thought he was. You’re worried about… being alone? Betrayed? No… abandoned. I see.” I winced. All the thoughts and feelings I tried to ignore, he picked up on effortlessly.

“Y-yeah, something like that. All of that… I… Feel weird talking about any of this. I’m sorry, I don’t…”

“It’s all good, kid. I won't try and wring you for details. But you gotta talk eventually. You have a lot of baggage as it is, and the wasteland throwing more onto your back could break it. I have to ask… Did you snap because of what he said to me, or what he said to me?” He sat up and stretched his wings out a bit, keeping his eyes on mine.

“I-...I… Both… I guess… You know about me, don’t you? You are a mind reader… I think you do but we’ve never… talked about it…” I fumbled with my words as I retreated deeper into the warmth and comfort of my nest roll.

Sky sighed and nodded. “I know this isn’t the body you were born with, Captain Breeze. Not the name, either. Must be nice, though. Able to feel comfortable in your body. W-I’d be lying if I said I didn’t envy it. Gives me hope, though. I can see how in this case… It wouldn’t be great. With me, the conversation doesn’t need to happen. They see me, and either accept me or hate me. It’s easier I think…”

I nodded slowly and peeked out of my blankets to look at him. “It’s just if I come out now and tell them, it’d be like I lied to them all this time! Scarlet would be accepting, assuming she doesn’t somehow already know. She’s smart enough and snoops around enough to figure it out on her own. But after what Free said, he’d blow up. I know I shouldn’t care! If he won't accept the real me then he isn’t a real friend, but… He’s been nice, he helped save my life!”

Sky reached over and rested his hoof on my shoulder with a small smile. His horn shimmered softly in the dim simulated torchlight. “You need rest. You had a shitty day, and this is a lot for you to deal with all at once.” A tin of sleeping pills floated up from the saddlebags at my feet and dropped down next to my head.

The very mention of sleep made me yawn. “W-wait, what about you?” I gently pushed his hoof away as I asked, freeing my claws from my blanket mound enough to take my medicine. “You’re the one he was being mean towards. Not to mention you lost two sisters just over a week ago. How are you doing?”

He chuckled drying. “I’ve been alive in one way or another for a long time. Countless memories of ponies being hated and feared for things beyond their control. I’m not great, but I’m capable of handling it. I just focus on those who do accept me and on my mission. Maybe Free will come around. Maybe the pissy ponies in Vision will. Either way, I already have friends who accept me. Now, get some sleep. This is a lot of touchy-feely crap, and I signed on to crack skulls.”

“Alright… By the way, no one blames you for the lab burning up. Ok, Free might a little but he’s being a stupid face right now. You did what you thought was best at the time, that’s all. I’ll have other chances to find the cure. The data will have something on this estate where it’s being stored.”

“I know you don’t Aella,” Ah, yeah, right. Telepathy “But you wouldn’t blame me even if I was at fault. You seek out the best in everyone, and see the good in them. It’s one of the things Scarlet loves about you. I blame myself, but… reasonably I understand I wasn’t at fault. I’ll get over it, don’t worry. It’s the wasteland, after all. Shit happens.”

I nodded and popped a couple of my sleeping pills. “Yeah… alright. Goodnight”

“Mhm.” The alicorn replied in my head. Ugh, that still felt weird.

*** *** ***

Everypony gathered in a circle around the dying embers of last night's fire. I spent most of the morning lost in thought. My friends noticed my unusual quietness, but they gave me my space. Finally, I broke my silence. “I know what we’re doing next.” Every eye was on me. The center of attention. Their stares evaporated what confidence I’d collected. I took a deep breath to push down the anxiety buzzing in my stomach and explained. “I-I decided that Free and me-er-I are going to fly back to Whinnies Grove to get the Skystar V. That’s my ugh, airship Sky. We’re still three days from Vision on hoof. If we’re lucky Free and I can fly the ship back not long after you two arrive. It’d be nice to have our own proper base of operations. Plus, I really want to message my sister and send back my field reports. And I miss my bathtub…”

“Field reports? You report everything that happens in the wasteland to your superiors?” Free asked, spewing refried-refried bean crumbs from his muzzle

“Wait, your ship has running water!?” Sky spat a mouthful of sparkle cola into Free’s mane. The buck sighed and narrowed his eyes at the excited alicorn, who smartly ignored the buck's annoyed gaze and thoughts in favour of the prospect of hot water.

I giggled like a school filly before I nodded to them both. “Mhm! I enjoy writing them, and it helps me feel less stressy. Aqua says people back home find them pretty entertaining! I’m excited for them to learn about Sky, I’m sure they will all love you!” I grinned at the buck as he tried to hide his blush with a dramatic whiny and an eye roll. “And yea, it has a water reclamator! It uses the engine's heat to collect water from the air, outside! And it’s got five bedrooms, so enough space for every creature!”

“You said something similar when we met…” Scarlet said with a smile. My excitement over telling my sister all about my first real friend. It felt like ages ago, but I’d only been in the wasteland for a week and a half. “It would be nice to sleep in our own beds too. Not that sleepy moon isn’t a nice place! We can drop off all the loot we decided to keep too. Where would we park it?”

That… was a super good question. I probably wouldn’t be able to make a protection deal as I had with the small farming village. I didn’t have the reputation to run around making requests like that. Leaving it outside the walls unguarded would leave her open to looting, and it was too heavy to park on one of the rooftops. Having to run the levitation talisman defeated the purpose of parking her. Although…

Scarlet eeped as I struck her with a face full of feathers. The sudden excitement of solving the problem so quickly sent my wings fluttering right into her now scrunched snout. “O-Ops… Sorry! Heheh, I’ve got it! Yeah, yeah yeah yeah! Easy breezy!” Everyone but our resident telepath looked at me expectantly. Scarlet rubbed her muzzle in confusion after my fluffy assault. “The undeveloped area near the back gate would be perfect! Lots of space! Plenty of room to land!”

“There is the issue of the city not getting much sun,” I continued. “but I’m sure I could rig a way for us to draw on the city's power grid. I haven't seen Visions power plant, but it should be able to handle the load fine. I can always cap the voltage to something more manageable.” I flapped my claws in front of me, unable to contain my excitement.

Of course, my wasteland-savvy friends had to rain on my parade. Scarlet pursed her lips and spoke. “Electricity is a commodity, Aella.” I blinked at her and cocked my head. The red mare facehoofed and tried again. “It costs money. Caps. They put a lot of effort into fueling and maintaining that equipment. Or having slaves get the fuel, rather… Regardless, they don’t give it out for free. Maybe if we brought them fuel to make up for it Prime would charge your boat, but you’re not really built for that kind of work.”

I let out a small hiss as she finished, and quickly raised a claw to cut her off. “She’s a ship. Not a boat.” I corrected with a huff. “And what do you mean not cut out for it!? I am a brilliant engineer! The best! Fuel processing is nothing compared to refitting a fractured talisman or integrating a zebra fetish into an arcano-tech mainframe! ”

It was Sky’s turn to sigh and roll his eyes at me. “You really are no smarter than a stable pony… Fuel collection is a dangerous business. Vision, like many settlements across Equestria these days, is powered by an advanced radiation engine. Collection duty would land you in the clinic faster than a sonic rad-boom.”

A sonic… what?

“So the city use-uses… Oh… An energy system that converts balefire radiation into usable power. But to do that you’d need… Ohhhohohoh… Oh wow… That is brilliant! Use a purge catalyst or a meta-sieve-… Remove the necromantic energy, and it’s right there to be condensed! Endless magical energy just... emanates across the wasteland! I never even considered… That’s genius!”

Scarlet propped her head up with her hoof as she sat back. “Yeah, it is. An amazing work of earth pony engineering, brought to you by the fields of ponies who died to produce and run them.”

Sky felt my confusion before it showed. “Red Eye’s scientists invented them. Used ‘em to power filly when he took over the slave trade. A lot of ponies died getting the radioactive goop to run the metal shops and shit. He conspired with the destroyer to kill our mother… tried to take her place. Fucking fool.” He shook the grievous thoughts out of his head. “A-anyway… Unless we come into a boatload of caps, using Visions juice isn’t an option. “

Free stomped his hoof a few times with an annoyed expression. “We’re getting off track,” Free said loudly while he gestured towards me with a wing. “Aella, you were explaining your plan.”

“Yes! Y-es, right. Ok, so I pretty much covered it. We split up, Free and I get the Skystar, we meet up in Vision, and we meet with Prime.”

“Things never go that well in the wasteland… More like it actively tries to make life suck.” Scarlet complained. “Anything could happen to us if we split up, from getting delayed by some raiders to stepping on a landmine and losing a limb! N-no offence, Free.” She apologized to our amputee friend, who shrugged it off.

“It’ll be fine! I have it all figured out!”

*** *** ***

Despite Scarlet's fears, things went well for the filly and her alicorn partner. They ran into a Vision salvage team late that evening, and the guards were happy to help the pair back to the city when they finished their run. The scavengers were eager to hear tales of Scarlet's wasteland adventures as she won them over with her experience and charm. Unfortunately, they were much less happy about the hulking alicorn that travelled with her. Rather than deal with their glancing looks and piercing thoughts, the buck stuck to scouting from the air for the group.

Travelling with the group for the last leg of their salvage operation would add to their travel time, but the added security was worth it. They were getting scrap from a wind farm nearby, so it only added a day to their travel time.

Meanwhile Free and I soared silently under the setting sun. It was a nice flight without chilling rain or me seeking lightning storms to slow us down. The setting sun reflected off my feathers to help combat the bitter cold. My lungs stung from the thin air and exertion, leading to more frequent stops. Free checked me over a few times but had no idea what was causing the O2 warnings to flash in my vision. The memory of my sister losing her lungs just a couple of years before wormed its way into my mind, only to be shoved away. I wasn’t sick, just… Out of shape.

Despite the overall pleasantness of the flight, the atmosphere between my pegasus friend and I was rife with tension. Several times I felt him wanting to talk to me about what happened, but whenever I looked over he avoided my gaze. I knew I shouldn’t put it off. We’d need to talk about his treatment of Sky before we got back to Vision. It was just so hard to talk about…

My ragged mind was itching for a good night's sleep, but there were no settlements along our flight path to rest in. Just one more night camping and I’d get to enjoy the softness of my bed. This time our choice of venue was a small abandoned grocery store in the prewar town of Woodridge. The building was surprisingly intact, with very few holes. Even the earthquakes that had ravaged the area through the past 200 years failed to tear it down. Unfortunately, there were a few centimetres of water pooled around our hooves and claws. But that was ok! Some water was no match for a genius engineer like myself!

We um… Just stacked a few pallets on top of each other in the center of an aisle to make ourselves a little wooden island. Maybe not that impressive, and it was Free’s idea, but I helped move the stuff! So… there!

Free groaned and huffed from his corner of our wooden island. When we were all set he flopped onto the pallets with a pained groan and dug a syringe out of his bags. He sighed with relief as he injected the painkillers into the meaty swollen flesh above his cybernetic limb. His condition wasn’t improving, and it seemed to bother him more as the days passed by. I was concerned but had no idea how to help. Without being able to make a fire, we sat down for a disappointingly cold meal.

I spent more time with my beak in my Pipbuck than I did eating dinner with Free. The screen had started flickering lately, and the resource manager had started spitting out errors. That or I was carrying 9999 saddle bags I didn’t know about, all weight down with copies of my equipment. As fancy as the arcane device was, it was not a durable machine. The 4000-B series required frequent maintenance, which I had put very little effort into finding time for. The voice of Chief Engineer Sureclasp scolded me in my mind; "if you don’t schedule time for maintenance, your equipment’ll schedule it for you!" I was just lucky nothing important failed, like the dosimeter or SATS. I could have gotten caught without combat assistance, or irradiated without noticing. I had to stop being so careless.

“Never seen the inside of one of those before,” Free remarked as he watched me work. I’d just removed the screen to reveal the innards of the device. Advanced spell matrix cards and shining gems of all types, connected by various coloured wires tucked along the sides. I was more familiar with my PipBuck than I was with my own wrist! Which is a bad example since my wrist was nearly always covered by the device, but still! It was fledgling’s play for me to see what was causing me grief.

“Yeah! That’s because the consumer models were all built like bricks. This one is more like… Straw! Like the three little toads' story!” His confused look suggested they didn’t read many fairy tails above the clouds. I pointed at the series of wires that connected the screen to the parental array. “Here, look. The digitizer's connections are corroding, and the gem that manages my saddlebags is cracked down the middle. Easy fix! Clean the connector, and fill in the gem crack with epoxy! Hm… targeting talisman is out of alignment too, and… H-how is their dust in here!? It’s watertight!”

Free chuckled as I scrambled to find any cracks in the weather seals or casing. “Calm down, your Pip is fine. That’s what I call the wasteland effect. Dust and dirt get everywhere, even in places where it has no right to be. You get used to it.”

I… It… what!? Dust and dirt don’t just appear in places! It had to get in somehow! Come from somewhere!!! My PipBucks casing was in good condition… But there had to be some explanation! Dust doesn’t teleport! Stupid wasteland! Not following the laws of physics. Was something messing with me? Some spirit roaming the wasteland trolling creatures for kicks? UGH!

Free looked sheepish as he continued. “Honestly I understand very little of the technobabble you just spewed at me, but I am glad you’re enjoying yourself. This is the most relaxed I’ve seen you in days. You always seem happier when you’re fixing something.” He remarked as he smiled at me.

My wings fluttered happily as I tinkered. It didn’t feel like work so much as a break from the endless wasteland chaos, and social complexities of friendship. “It gives me a defined goal I can solve, something I’m in control of. Machines make sense! They do what they’re built to, and when they don't there’s a reason for it. Bad parts, an upset bolt or anxious gem, whatever! But the world? Other creatures? They don’t follow definitive rules and logic that I can understand. I’ve always liked tech better.”

Free shrugged and returned to his food. He didn’t understand it, but he accepted it. He was trying to understand me. If he could do that with Sky, everything would be fine. I knew he could do it if he tried, so I gave him the chance to prove it.

He seemed like a good and genuine person, so I was willing to give the buck a chance. The buck was still on thin ice though. I had to remind myself that no matter how nice or thoughtful he was, he said and thought some very hurtful things to Sky. Things that he could have justified saying about me if he knew the truth…

*** *** ***

It was late evening when we landed on the deck of my trusty ship. No time to enjoy the homecoming though, there was work to do.CORE easily plotted the fastest course to Vision using my PipBucks mapping data. The AI seemed happy to see me as I trotted onto the bridge with a smile on my beak. Being home improved my mood immensely. The quiet hum of lights and vents. The beeps and blips of the computers and spell matrices that ran the Skystar. Controlled temperature. Familiar spaces. It was all lovely. Even the slightly too bright lights in the control room were a comfort.

“It’s so good to be home…” I breathed for the fifth time as I fell into the seat at the control console. “CORE, are we alright to get into the air, soon?”

The readouts for several systems blinked onto the interface as the AI answered. “Spark battery array is charged, all systems nominal. The wind isn’t ideal for the trip, but I’ve charted a course that’ll take us there by tomorrow evening.” Oh… The feathers on my head dipped back. That was almost as long as it took us to fly on our own! As if reading my mind, CORE swooped in with a solution to dispel my disappointment. “If we run the primary engine, I can have us there before sunrise.”

I giggled gleefully and fluttered my wings. “Yea! That sounds perfect! Thank you, CORE. Scarlet said this thing about how the longer we’re split up, the more time there is for bad things to happen… I’m just a bit worried and I miss my friends. Oh! We did make a friend while we were away! I think you’ll like him a lot, he’s… a lot like me, actually. But very different.”

“You’ve been making a lot of friends since coming to this country. I’m glad to see it.” CORE’s happy demeanour caught me off guard. I’d never heard the AI say it was glad, or that they felt anything really. Even her voice sounded more expressive than usual. Laced with energy and purpose. It reminded me of how Rumble felt when he communicated with me.

“You seem different, is everything alright?” I asked the advanced computer system.

“When I transferred one of my primary AI cores to the ship, it caused a slight shift in how I operate through this node. Closer to my original design and programming, before the software engineers of Skya started updating me. I hope you don’t mind.”

I poked at the console with a smile to look over the diagnostic data. “Not at all! Just an observation. It’s… nice in a way. I can’t imagine why the programmers would try to patch that out. Anyway, I’m going to head to the workshop and check my messages, then I’ll see about any repai-”

“Aella, you’ve hardly rested in the past two days. I’d advise you to get some rest and recuperate before returning to your duties.”

Ugh… The AI had a point. I was pretty exhausted. My wing ached and my knees throbbed. My coat was filthy, and my feathers were a ruffled mess. In my defence, bathing was the last thing on my mind on wasteland adventures! Cleaning up and relaxing did sound nice… b-but I had responsibilities! My people needed updates on my progress, my sister was probably worried about me. The Skystar hadn’t had regular maintenance in days! There were so many issues with the ship! Three burnt-out light bulbs, a fan motor not getting up to speed, and a monitor in the galley had a loose connection!
Urgency

…Ok so none of the system messages were urgent, but I felt obligated! The ship did a lot for me and I had to take care of her! It deserved to be in the best condition, and it was happier that way!

As I yawned, the pain in my joints and my heavy eyelids made the decision for me. “Yeah alright…” I muttered in defeat. “I’ll get myself cleaned up and relax a bit. But first thing tomorrow I’m going over this ship with a fine-tooth comb! While I’m at it I can show my friends the ship! I haven't really shown Free or Sky around. Show everypony how the ship works. Maybe I could hire them to work as our crew!”

“Like they say about you on the radio broadcasts?”

“I-ugh-huh-wha-!?” Even CORE had heard about me on the radio!? I didn’t even know it LISTENED to the radio! That isn’t fair! Why did everyone in the wasteland get to hear this skewed perspective of my life! I was so distracted by the revelation I didn’t notice the ship lurch and rock as the levitation talisman powered on.

With my brain no longer short-circuiting, I trotted off to… relax. My stubborn worker brain made it more difficult than it should be. As I trotted around the galley to make myself a creamy cup of cold-brewed goodness, my mind nagged me with an endless list of more productive things I could be doing.

Double-checking the ITER drive, hooking up the power cell I’d scavenged from the cyber pony, doing inventory on the remaining food, figuring out if the water condenser can keep four creatures alive and clean, doing room assignments. So many tasks could be done, and there I was doing… effectively nothing! Like a lazy fledgling, avoiding her chores! Sure, I’d saved two settlements, made some friends, found a lead on a way to help my people, and found the trail my parents took when they were alive, but… Ok, so maybe I had a right to some downtime! It still made me feel guilty.

I made myself some food to go with my coffee and set aside a portion for when Free was hungry. He was in my workshop getting his rifle cleaned up. After the long flight, we both needed some time to ourselves.

Every taste of my cold beverage elected a happy sigh from my beak. Caffeine, sugar, bold taste. Exactly what I needed to relax and calm down. Something familiar and distinct. Even just the smell of the coffee helped. They say that scent is connected to memory. Some of my best times were spent over a cup of coffee. Studying in the kitchen with Aqua, sitting on the deck of the Skystar with Karma, even just staying up late working downstairs.

The layer of grossness that clung to my coat ran down the drain shortly after. The steaming hot water running over my coat and feathers was amazing. My achy muscles relaxed, and it left me feeling a million times lighter. I murred under the gentle stream and carefully brush out my coat and preen my wings, allowing my mind to wander.

I’d never had friends. Now I had enough friends to fill up most of the rooms on the Skystar! With a bit of training, they could be my crew! Assuming Free got his act together. Either he’d respect all of us, including Sky, or he wouldn’t be welcome. He’d get his cut of the caps and we’d go his own way.

I shook off the thoughts as I shook the water from my mane and crawled out of the tub. I was supposed to be enjoying myself. Relax, unwind. I could do the important stuff in the morning. Until then… There was one thing I knew for sure was relaxing.

A quick trip to the kitchen and I had exactly what I needed. A long slender bottle of liquid relaxation cradled in my claws. A drawing of a pear on crude paper adhered to the side. The last bottle of pear wine. and it was mine! All mine! I danced back to my room and took a long swig from the icy cold liquid. It truly was the perfect remedy for my problems. Sweet, strong, and more than enough to leave me pleasantly fuzzy. Every sip pushed my problems further away.

I curled into my bed for the first time in ages as I enjoyed my wine. The wasteland books I’d collected through my adventures were pulled from my bags, the perfect way for me to wind down before bed. Guns and bullets proved interesting. After skimming it quickly I decided it was worth reading through. A lot of it was the basics Father had taught me, but refreshing it all didn’t hurt. Maybe having it all fresh in my mind would help with my shooting, too! It even had information about recoil management and breathing, though I doubted anything beyond basic handling would translate to magical energy weapons.

Between the book and the alcohol, I did find myself getting tired fairly quickly. Just to make sure I rested well and wasn’t bothered by any night terrors, I pulled a sleeping pill out of my nightstand and popped it. Taking those with alcohol was probably fine, right?

*** *** ***

Our arrival was quite the spectacle, earning countless different reactions. Foals giggled and pointed in awe, questioning what kind of magical clockwork could let a ship sail through the sky so easily. Others ran inside, or took up defensive positions in case we were going to attack their town from above. Those who had met me, or heard about me on the radio did their best to calm the guards and nervous gunners, but no one dropped their guard completely. Their reasoning was that "anyone can claim to be a celebrity," and while they are right, not just anyone can arrive in a shinning Sky Sailor.

In hindsight I should have informed someone we'd be arriving by airship. It created a bit of a panic. Honestly I was to distracted to care at the time, shuffling from hoof to claw in anticipation of seeing our friends again after several days. Free was eager to get our pay from our job, which made the last four days a lot more stressful then any of us expected.

Much of the fear that settled over the town faded shortly after we arrived, leaving many curious faces peaking up at the advanced airship at the edge of the junkyard. We stood steps away from the door to the deck, the light from outside washing in through the portholes. I glared at him as he fidgeted with a wing, biting at a loose feather aggressively. I needed an answer before we went out that door.

My intense expression evaporated the buck's relaxed demeanour when he looked over. His wings folded firmly against his sides, and his back straightened respectfully. “I don’t want to leave the group. I didn’t mean… I didn’t think… I just didn’t understand. I still don’t, but I’ll try to be better. I have a lot of preconceived ideas that I need to rethink. I enjoy travelling with you and Scarlet. I feel like we’re making a difference. The kind of changes to the world the enclave should have been making. That’s why I wanna stay.”

I smiled and patted his back with a wing, then pulled him into a sideways hug with the feathered appendage and giggled. “Good, I’m glad. But that means you’re going to do your best to treat that buck with the respect he deserves, just like the rest of us. Sky is a good person, and he’ll have a home here for as long as he needs it.”

“I understand, and… I’ll do my best.” He frowned and looked down at the floor. “I’m really sorry… for everything.”

“I’m not the one you need to apologize to.” I snapped more harshly than I meant to. He cocked his head and his ear twitched. “Sky overheard what you said. Green alicorns read minds, remember?”

“Oh… Oh, I’m so fucking dumb…” He muttered softly. He pulled out of the hug and face hooved.

“I’m surprised you aren’t more open-minded, honestly. Weren’t you involved with Steel Wing and another mare? Wait.. So polyamory ok in the enclave but being trans isn't?” I asked curiously as I fluffed my wings.

“Ok, liste- Oh no, wait…” I blinked at him. “You’re… asking genuinely. Sorry, I thought you were being a smart ass…” He sat back on his haunches and sighed. “Yes, I was in a throuple with Steely and Clear Skies. It’s not something that was common or largely accepted, but it worked for population control so they tolerated it.” The enclave kept a careful eye on their population growth due to supply scarcity, just like back home. “We loved one another. I lost Steely to fear and megalomania. Then Clear Skies died in a megaspell detonation.”

I leaned closer to the buck and gave him a comforting nuzzle. “I understand… I lost someone I cared about too. I know it isn’t quite the same, but… Um, A-anyway, let's head out. We need to let the ladder down so the others can get up when they get back.”

I pushed the door open and trotted out onto the deck with Free at my heels. The sun was unusually bright as it shone through a break in the cloud curtain. It wouldn’t last, though. Already the wound in the massive puffy barrier was knitting itself back together. My marveling at Equestria's weather management system was cut off when a mess of feathers with a beak obscured my view.

“Ahh!” I cried out in surprise, flinging into the air with one strong flap of my wings. The griffon who’d surprised me lept back in surprise at my sudden takeoff and eyed me with an amused smile. The hen on the deck was stunning. Broad strong shoulders, proud puffed out chest. Her feathers were a nice light brown, blending into a deep red around her claws, paws, and her wing feathers. She was dressed in the standard silver armour of the city's guards, custom fit for her strong, lean form, with a massive anti-machine rifle slung over her back. The eye logo on her breast was slightly different. The iris was a heart rather than a normal black circle.

I gaped at the griffon for a moment before I landed and held out my wing to her. “Um… high?” I asked with a confused expression. Free trotted forward to stand beside me, eyeing the newcomer skeptically. I glanced to the starboard side of the ship, at the crowd steadily growing behind the wall of well-armed soldiers with their long… heavy rifles and shotguns… pointed towards me… “Sorry about scaring the townsfolks, I didn’t think we’d cause such a ruckus.”

“I think it’s more of a fracas…” Free corrected pointlessly.

“Ok, sorry for causing such a fracas.” I amended with an eye-roll.

I felt self-conscious as the griffon's eyes wandered over my body, taking her sweet time to size me up. “Majestic like a pony, cunning like a griffon. You must be Captain Breeze. I’m Harmony, Primes second.” I glanced away at the compliment, unsure how to react to it beyond my cheeks growing red hot. “We’re excited to hear about how the job went, but you miss your friends. I’m here to invite you and one friend to dinner with Prime to discuss the job this evening. In the meantime, you can take some time to relax, and debrief with your crew. ” She finally extended her wing to meet mine, giving it a firm shake.

“Is this optional?” Free quirked an eyebrow at the uninvited visitor, his feathers ruffling.

“It… Is optional in the way anything in the wasteland is. With conditions. You don’t go to the meeting, you don’t get your pay.” She answered with a small frown. “Sucks, but that’s life. Anyway, he said you’re free to park your boa-” The griffon must have felt my eyes drill into her soul. She quickly corrected herself. “er- ship, sorry. Park your ship here as long as you need. If nothing else, having the famous Captain and her ship in town will drum up some business.”

“Oh, thank you! A-and of course we’ll be attending! Dinner with you um, w-with him sounds nice! Umm… I'll just have to pick someone to come with me then.” While I stammered awkwardly at the hen Free lowered the starboard rope ladder so our friends would be able to get up.

“Lovely to hear. I’ll see you tonight.” With her message delivered, the griffon flew down to have a chat with the anxious-looking guard ponies gathered around my ship. My eyes followed the griff as she flew off until eventually, she was just a mess of colours among the crowd.

Prime had known we were coming and decided to send his second in command to invite us personally to his dinner. Nothing about her gear screamed that she was in charge, but the air of authority around her and the modified emblem made me pretty sure. It was kind of perfect. We were meeting the lord of Vision muzzle to beak to negotiate, just as we’d planned!

First though, I needed to study. We seemed to know everything about us, but we knew nothing about him. Time to correct that.

The hoofsteps of my green pegasus friend drew me out of my thoughts. He had a knowing smirk on his muzzle. “I’m starting to think you have a thing for feathered ladies. That isn’t the first time you’ve gotten all stammer-y around one.” He raised an eyebrow at me and nudged me with an elbow.

“N-no! I mean… Not just feathers, and not just women… I… ugh!” I stomped on the wooden deck and let out a loud cathartically caw. “Just… I like people, and I love loving people! And I feel bad about it because Scarlet was interested and I couldn’t… I can’t… I don’t wanna talk about this anymore!” I snapped as I stormed back inside.

*** *** ***

Everypony was gathered in the galley for our meeting. Jasmine had graciously agreed to come over before her shift to brief us on what she knew of Prime and how the Visionaries functioned. The mare never met the leader of the up-and-coming settlement/faction, but she knew a few guard captains who had. Guard ponies loved to gossip.

Short of exchanging pleasantries, Free had been quiet since our chat. Everyone knew that business came first, so he and Sky would need to mend fences later. For now, he quietly flipped through the user manuals for the equipment in med-bay he wasn’t familiar with and listened idly. Meanwhile, Jasmine filled us in.

Primes office was on the top floor of the MoA building, which surprised me. Apparently, the elevator to the bar on the roof only operated between the two points, leaving the rest of the secure hub… well, secure. All but the first floor and roof were off-limits to anyone but Visionaries or representatives from other allied factions. And now in a completely unprecedented move, we were allowed in as well. The building was wired with the best security Wartime Equestria had to offer. Armed patrols reinforced the turrets and cameras, making breaking into the building by force nearly impossible. Somewhere on the levels were labs, where Primes scientists worked on spirits know what. Primes secret labs and uncanny ability to predict our actions were the least of our problems, though…

“You’re kidding.” I hardly whispered as I gazed at the table under my claws. My vision shook as I struggled to process it. A chill filled the air. I was shaking. I managed to meet Jasmine's eyes to ask. “And… No creature even knows what it is?”

The grey earth pony shook her head. “All we know is that it’s happened 3 times. When Vision was first established, several raider groups banded together to attack it. The second time, the Steel Rangers tried to take a Stable in the North, and the Munitions factory in the east; Shufflers Shells. Most recently was when the Enclave tried to attack Trottingham, during Operation Cauterize. Every time was the same. They were warned, then a day later they were dead. No massive troop movement, no giant canons pointing at the sky. Just a mess of blood and viscera splattered across the planes or through an abandoned raptor.” The mare stomped her hoof on the table and growled. “The Visionaries have never said what the weapon is! They don’t even comment on it. They like the mystery and the fear that not knowing puts into people. Rumours say it’s some kind of super badass zebra enforcer, or that Prime somehow got an army of assultrons from Trottson.” The mare cradled her face in her hooves as she sighed, her body relaxing slightly.

“You were right from the start, Aella.” Scarlet half muttered from her seat, idly picking at a carrot on her plate with her ethereal pink fork her magic formed. “The only way to do this is with words or public outcry. No matter how badly I’d love to put my spear through that fucknuggets skull, we’d get turned to paste.”

My ear feathers twitched as my attention shifted to my dower friend. “Jasmine says it’s such a big thing about Prime rarely seeing anyone. You mentioned you knew him… How do you know him?”

Scarlet groaned in annoyance, her magical fork evaporating along with the light of her horn. Jasmine reached across the table and rested her hoof on my scarlet friends to comfort her. “It was last year. Maybe two years… I don’t know. He hired a bunch of ex-slavers that got fucked after RedEye and Chainlink Shakles finally bit it. With nopony in charge, Filly fell back into ruin. I found out and was… understandably pissed. I confronted him. Jasmine activated a stealth buck for me, and I got into his office. I trotted in in a frenzy, SMG and magic spear aching to kill. I was 10 feet from his desk when turrets appeared from the ceiling. Guards came in through the door. Just as they were gonna put a missile up my plot, he ordered them away.

She finally chewed the carrot she’d been playing with thoughtfully, taking a moment to collect her thoughts. “We spoke for hours… He wanted to know everything. My experience as one of Red Eyes ‘workers,’ my thoughts on how Vision was being managed, and if I thought any of the lackeys from the dead slaving operation could change. As badly as I wanted to say no, I couldn’t… I heard a story about how Red-Eyes students turned against another slave master. Then against Fillydelphia itself. I heard Protege died during the escape, but… He was a good buck. Normally lying wasn’t an issue for me, but something about him… it felt wrong to say otherwise. He has this way with people…”

The mare took a long shaky breath as she blunk away her tears. “He swore to me that this place would never descend into the barbaric hell that Fillydelphia was. Said he couldn’t not hire the bastards who whipped me, because Vision was supposed to be a place where you could start fresh. It’s stupid, in hindsight, but… I agreed.”

“No surprise the Charismatic jerk was full of shit.” Jasmin interrupted, giving the teary-eyed mare a chance to collect herself and calm down a bit. “ Anyway, he’ll probably want to try and strike a deal with you. Guy always has his nose in other creatures' business, and always knows what’s going on.”

“You think he’ll want some kind of trade to end the slavery? I’m not sure we have enough money for these ponies' lives, and I can’t let these people have the Skystar.” My frown deepened as the area above my eye throbbed. My poor brain was struggling to handle it all, and the stress was compounding.

“No. If the problem was as simple as money the Visionaries would do it themselves. It’ll be something that his people can’t do because it’s too dangerous or out of their wheelhouse.” The guard pony explained.

“That’s better than doing nothing,” Free stated, finally pulling his muzzle out of the books I’d lent him. “I think it’s worth at least confronting him. You and Scarlet can say your piece and hear him out.”

“Obviously all of us are going, we did this together,” Scarlet said with a sniffle. The conversation was getting to her, and it worried me. I hoped that she’d be able to keep herself from breaking down during the meeting. Or lashing out…

“Oh right, um…-” I stammered awkwardly

“I’m not comfortable with only two of you meeting with him. If your heart’s set on meeting the guy and rescuing some raiders, at least don’t risk your lives by trotting into a building full of guns pointed at you. That’s a bad fucking plan. Sky snapped from his cozy spot on the couch with a growl.

“I’m sorry, two?” Scarlet turned towards me. “He only invited two? That is just like him! Ugh, of course, I… wait…” She turned back towards our alicorn friend and frowned. “Do you not support what we’re doing here?”

Sky rolled his eyes at her. “Listen, I’m in if you all are. I think it’s stupid to try and save raiders from suffering after they spent their lives causing it for others, but if you all say it’s what we’re doing, it’s what we’re doing. I’m just along for the ride.”

Scarlet sighed at the answer and shook her head. “Fine… Fine, well thanks for that at least. You’re still doing more than most ponies would, I guess…” She grumbled. “Anyway, we don’t have to worry about Prime. He won’t hurt us directly unless we attack, it isn’t how he does things. He wants to use us, and he can’t do that if we’re dead.”

Jasmine whined as a steady beeping rang from her PipBuck. “That’s my alarm, I gotta head to work.” She got up from the table and gave Scarlet a nuzzle. “And honestly I don’t wanna be around in case you piss off Prime. I love you Scar, but-

“I know, your duty is to the town. I understand.” Scarlet pulled her friend into a quick hug.

“And I do not wanna get caught in the crossfire if you two have it out again. Good luck guys!” Jasmine gave a brief wave and trotted towards the deck.

“I think that’s enough planning for the morning,” Scarlet got up from her seat with a sigh, rubbing her temple. “We should all try and get some rest. Try and get in some downtime before dinner. Sitting around guessing

before she trotted back towards the upper deck. “I think that’s enough planning for this morning… We should try and relax or something before dinner. Sitting here guessing what could happen is just a waste of our time.”

*** *** ***

The citadel. The heart of the Skystar V. The most secure room on the ship. A circular space separated from the rest of the ship by reinforced steel and a heavy bulkhead. All to protect the most important and powerful technology Hippogriffia my people had ever developed.

A foal-sized clear crystal sat on a pedestal in the center of the room, raising it to eye level. A levitation talisman was affixed on the top, an enchanted gem glittering in a golden ring. Deep rainbow coloured lines were etched into the crystal, forming complex glyphs and rune formulas. A circle of Eight shining steel reflector panels were positioned with incalculable accuracy around the gem spire, all similarly engraved. Each had a different gem fit into its center, aimed perfectly at the central talisman.

Even unpowered, the magic radiating from the complex system made my me feel lightheaded and fuzzy. When I’d tried to enter the room during a test fire as a fledgling, the intense magic of the system knocked me unconscious. I never entered the citadel while the system was powered after that.

The secure room housed the ship's Current Transmutation and Enhancement Relay. The ITER drive was a compact spell matrix array we used to amplify the output of magical objects, like talismans. They were especially useful when shipments of Equestrian Talisman were cut off after the war. Rather than needing dozens of talisman to make my ship fly, like an enclave ship would, the ITER drive allowed her to fly with only one. The practical applications for the systems were nearly endless and were therefore used for everything from energy production to rocketry.

Due to the complexity of the system, it was painfully hard to modify. What I’d hoped would be a rush job now looked like it would take me over a week just to draw up the plans for it. I pulled my head out of an open floor panel and flopped next to it with a soft whimper. I wanted to integrate the repair talisman I’d scavenged from Steel Wing into the system, but it proved beyond my abilities for the moment. None of the spell matrix boards would get along with the magic gem, no matter how nicely I asked them to. I’d need to machine a custom board and design a way to integrate it into the system. I wrapped my wings around myself and pouted.

I hated not having the solution to something. Especially when it came to technology. Still, it wasn’t a total loss. I managed to wire the volatile power cell up in the back of the room, greatly increasing the ship's energy storage. The heart of the ship was the only safe place to install the dangerous arcane device, but thankfully the easiest place since all the ship's primary systems ran through it.

I did my best to get the Skystar into better condition. After leaving her alone on a farm, she deserved the attention. As weird as it sounds to say, I knew she appreciated it. The gentle hums of the air vents and content purrs of coolant pumps nearby were the ships way of thanking me. My hard work keeping the ship updated and in good condition was how I thanked it for being such a good home to me. Even the basics of changeling lightbulbs could improve the ship’s mood on a bad day. Skystar V was just like everyone else, it enjoyed being loved.

While I confused my friends by working to relax, Sky and Free took a leisurely flight south along the river. The two ponies had a lot to talk about after all. The alternative was for me to lock them in a room to work it out, but that’s much less appealing to winged creatures. Losing our third dimension to weave through usually only made stressful situations worse. Free still didn’t trust the alicorn, and struggled to make awkward conversation with him. But he trusted that I trusted him. It was a start.

Scarlet insisted on remaining nearby while I worked. She claimed that she didn’t want to be left alone on the massive creaky ship, but it felt like she just wanted to keep an eye on me. The mare was curled up on the floor near the door with a pencil in her muzzle, and a sheet of parchment between her hooves. Despite my prying, she refused to give any details about her secret project. “Does secrete mean something different in Hippogriffia?” Was the longest sentence I’d managed to get out of the busy pony.

After about 16 hours' worth of downtime, I was already anxious to get back to work. Real work, not busy work on the ship. Every minute that passed was one less minute my people had to live. Eventually, medicine would run out. Healing spells would lose their effectiveness. Creatures would start dying. First in ones and twos, then my dozens as it spread like a fire. Vital services would be interrupted. Our infrastructure couldn’t go long without maintenance, it was hundreds of years old. Our country would fall apart. All over again.

And here I was, sat in the heart of my ship, and armed with the knowledge I needed to save them. The Nostrum was so close! I had the address where the magical mystery cure had been delivered! Somewhere inside Astral Visions home was the information to save my people, if not viable samples of the completed cure. Meanwhile, I was waiting to go to dinner with a local politician.

I. Hate. Waiting.

I distracted myself with work for a while, but eventually, it wasn’t enough to keep my mind idle. My thoughts wandered. Emotions I failed to rein in brushed against my fragile psyche. I’d worked with my father on that same equipment. I learned how it worked from him, then we worked out how to optimize it. I knew the ship like the back of my claw. Every diode, every capacitor. All etched clearly in my mind, alongside memories of countless weekends spent being educated by the late Jet Breeze.

A drop of water fell onto an electric motor held in my claws. I was crying… I hadn’t even noticed. I was so used to distancing myself from the old emotions that it was nearly automatic. After all, he’d been dead for over half my life now. Being upset wouldn’t change it. Nore was it a productive use of my time. Annoyingly emotions were immune to logic and reasoning. My uncooperative brain continued to conjure up my past. Mother, Aqua and I building the IETR drive together. Father and I calibrating the instruments and configuring the propulsion. He even taught me to sail the old-fashioned way. Skills that we dreamed of using together to one day explore the world beyond the horizon.

Instead, I was alone. I hate being alone.

I gasped and shuttered in surprise as something touched my shoulder. My wings fluttered as I whirled around. Rather than finding a giant bug attack or a frisky raider as my overactive brain had insisted it must be, I came muzzle to muzzle with a concerned-looking mare with a scared red coat.

“H-hey…” I stammered sheepishly as I rubbed the back of my head with a claw. “I didn’t feel you coming, you startled me. Everything alright?”

Her concern for me only grew as I did my best to act ‘natural.’ Again her hoof reached out to touch my shoulder. “I was just coming to ask you that. You were crying while you worked.”

She saw me crying before I even felt it. Not a great sign… I gave her a comforting nuzzle and put on my best smile. “Yeah, I’m fine. I was just thinking. Reminiscing, I guess. My um… Father and I always worked on the ship together. Sometimes Mother or Aqua would help, too. I was just thinking of them… My parents died somewhere on an expedition here, trying to solve our climate crisis with pony magic. One ironically caused by pony megaspells to begin with. I just… a lot of feelings…”

I was tugged into a tight hug of soft, cinnamon-scented fur. I felt her breath against my feathered head as she nuzzled against it. “I’m glad you have such fond memories of your family to look back on. Most wasteland ponies can’t say the same. I assume your dad was a techno-geek like you?”

I giggled a bit as I took solace in her softness. “Yeah… an engineer. I learned most of what I know from him. Computer lessons didn’t stick, but I can re-solder a spell matrix or retrofit a talisman array with my eyes closed. Mother tried to teach me the basics of magic, but that never really stuck either. I can feel magic sometimes, and activate runes, but, I lack control.”

Scarlet pulled away from our embrace with a sheepish smile. “I um, wanted to give you something. A gift. My talents aren’t nearly as useful as yours, but I thought maybe…” She fulled a sheet of paper out of her saddlebag and placed it on the floor between us, her face red as a tomato.

The secret project she’d spent the last few hours on... Lines came together to form shapes. The shapes were shaded and set up to create an image of… me. Standing on the edge of a cliff with my wings unfurled. The linework was messy, and the shading wasn’t great. Still… It was the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen. Not even the best artwork back home could compare. She’d put herself into the sketch. It radiated with emotion and magic as if she’d put her own soul into the page. I thought of her when I looked at it, but I felt… me. How I looked through her eyes. Strong, capable, ingenuitive. It took my breath away

I tacked my friend to the floor grating when I finally broke the trance the beautiful gift had put me in. She giggled, pinned under my claws as I attacked her with a frenzy of nuzzles. My wings fluttered and twitched behind me as I was completely unable to keep in the influx of kindness and generosity my friend had given me. I laughed and cried as the emotions overflowed. She laughed right along with me, doing her best to return my endless nuzzles.

“Thank you… thank you… thank you.” I sniffed as I finally climbed off of her. Tears were starting to flood my flight goggles, forcing me to tug them up and dry my eyes. “I don’t… I’ve never gotten a gift like this… This means so much to me…” I choked out shakily. “I didn’t even know you drew…”

The mare smiled softly as she reached out to hold my claw in her hoof. “I don’t… Not often. I took it up in filly. Found some drawings of a couple in one of the cells. They looked so hopeful and happy. Moments like that were rare in slavery, so the ability to capture them seemed amazing. Turned out later they were drawn by one of the ponies involved in The Liberation; tinny buck named Murky. I didn’t know much about what all went on beyond my own survival until I heard an interview with him on the radio. Fitting that seeing his pictures helped keep me going long enough for him and his friends to free all of us.”

She pulled her hoof away from my claw, still blushing. “Anyway, I’m gonna go see if the others are back yet. Don’t work too hard, please.” With one final smile, she trotted out of the room. I picked the work of art up off the floor and hugged it tightly to my chest. My prized possession. The most thoughtful gift I’d ever been given. My heart fluttered in my chest like never before.

*** *** ***

We met our guide through the building in the MoA lobby. Rather than being in the silver armour or fine dress of the Visionaries, he wore a brown denim jacket littered with pockets over his grey coat, with a holster stitched into the jacket's breast. His brown shaggy hair was cropped short to keep it out of his unusual slit eyes, and his ears had these adorable little tufts on them!

He trotted into the center of the lobby to meet us. “Captain Aella Breeze, great to meet you. Scarlet Keeper, it’s nice to see you. Ready to head up?” The stallion gestured behind him with a leathery wing and smiled, showing off a distinct set of sharp fangs.

“Y…You’re a bat pony!” I squeaked excitedly. I reached out and grabbed his wing in my claw, looking at the unusual leather appendage in awe. “Y-you’re real! I thought bat ponies were make-believe! This. is. So. Cool!” I squeaked, only to have Scarlet grab my wing in her mouth and tug me off of the startled and confused Thestral. “H-hey!”

“Personal space, Aella!” Scarlet groaned around my wing before releasing it. She facehoofed with a deep sigh. "Sorry, she’s excitable… Aella, this is Stellis, one of Prime's generals. Or as the locals call them, 'Primes Witnesses.' He’s in charge of public relations between settlements, factions, and significant figures, like you.” She explained before giving the colt a hug.

The bat pony shrugged off my overexcited curiosity with a shrug. “It’s fine, I’m used to it. Usually from younger fillies, but yeah.” I gave the buck a questioning, almost pouty look as they drew out of the hug. Getting my meaning, Stellis chuckled and gave me a nod. “Any friend of Scarlet, -oomph!” He gasped as a mess of hair and feathers rocketed into him for a hug. I smiled brightly at the contact as I counted to three, then pulled away. Scarlet followed suit.

“It’s good to meet you Aella. You’ve made quite a name for yourself.” The ponies expression turned more sombre as he turned towards Scarlet. He hesitated for a moment as he worked up the courage to ask, “...You sure you're ready for this? I’m sure this can’t be easy for you.”

The question just annoyed Scarlet, who stomped her hoof at him. “I can still be civil, Stellis! It’s fine. I’m a business pony first, you know that. Let’s just get this over with.” She grumbled the last part and started ahead, making our escort and I follow her.

Being led through the Ministry of Awesome building was a stressful affair. Everywhere I looked there were armoured, overworked-looking ponies rushing to and fro. The guards kept a close eye on us as we passed. The ceiling turrets and cameras made me anxious as they followed us. The turrets reminded me of the ones at the Awesome Research building. How quickly they went from calm to bloodthirsty. I gave each one a soft hiss as we passed. And they weren’t the worst of it. After a short trot, we approached the obstacle that made my heart race worse than anything else. More than even the lord of Vision, himself.

The elevator.

My heart thundered in my chest as I stepped inside. Suspended above an endless shaft by 200-year-old machinery. Each creak and groan of the box made my stomach churn. I leaned against the wall as the death cube lurched upward. Stellis looked confused and concerned at my antics. Scarlet was too busy steeling herself for the meeting to notice.

Midnight Sky's intense and stubborn mind helped push back the crippling fear surging through me. His calm energy settled around me, cradling me. The fear wasn’t gone, but with his help, I was strong enough to deal with it. The alicorn could feel my anxiety, and sus out the source effortlessly. There was no judgement over the link. Just support and some concern. I got the strange impression of him wrapping a wing around me. It wasn’t visual or physical in any way, Just the vague concept of it. Telepathy was weird.

I got a few brief flashes of the sun drifting lazily towards the horizon. Sky was lazing on a bench on the roof of the building, enjoying the drunken dragon's cheapest bottle of scotch. His attention was split between the Daring Do book I’d lent him in his hooves, and keeping a telepathic eye on us. With the telepath nearby, we could make sure that Prime was being honest with us, and he could keep us on task.

His reassuring voice filtered into my head. “Nothing to worry about, kid. It’s just a machine doing its thing. No different than your PipBuck or gun. You’re good, cap.” He was right of course. So long as they maintained it, it was no more dangerous than my own ship. Anxiety continued to creep into my stomach, though less crippling.

Ding

The guards in the hall jumped as a mint and purple blur rocketed from the elevator. I thudded into the wall in a panting wheezing heap. The guards in the hallway and the Thestral trotting off the lift shared a confused look. Scarlet sat down next to me and rested a hoof on my shoulder, giving me a moment to calm down.

I shot out of the elevator in a mint and purple blur and braced against the nearest wall. I huffed and wheezed under the confused gaze of our escort, and the concerned and annoyed look of my merchant friend. She rested her hoof on my back as I took a moment to calm down.

“I-I’m alright…” I stammered convincingly. “I just ugh… Needed some air…”

Scarlet said something softly to Stellis, who let out a small annoyed hum. “If I’d known you were stressed out in elevators we’d have taken the stairs… I’m sorry about that. Are you ready to continue?”

His compassion was genuine and appreciated. I gave my head a shake and pushed myself back onto all fours. “I’m ok. Sorry I didn’t bring it up, I just… kinda froze, I don’t know… I’m sorry….”

Scarlet's comforting nuzzles left the scent of cinnamon on my neck. “You’re fine, Aella. I wasn’t thinking. We’ll take the stairs down, ok?”

“Y-yea, thank you.” That sent a spike of guilt through my heart. She didn’t need to take the stairs just because I feared elevators, that was hardly fair for her. She spent all day on her hooves. She deserved to not have to take them! Before I could spiral too far into my less than healthy thought process we were spurred on by the bat pony buck.

The entrance to Prime’s office was a set of massive double doors made from brilliantly crafted redwood. His name was carved into the left side, with Visionary etched into the right. I knew very little about money, but there was no way doors so ornate were cheap. They were completely intact and custom-made. To call them decadent would be an understatement.

His desk matched the beautiful door, with an advanced portable terminal sitting on top.
Three of the four walls were made entirely of bay windows, giving the office a great view of the dreary wasteland outside. I felt Sky chuckle at me as my eyes settled on the Skystar. No idea what the alicorn found so amusing. I could see my house from there! In the corner was an old metal dining set. How they clashed with the rest of the office suggested they’d been brought in just for our meeting.

The lavish office had both of my horned friends fuming. He had the highest quality decor while those forced to work for him suffered. It was cruel. Senseless. Needless misery fueled by greed and pride. Warped virtues like I read about as a child, mutated as surely as balefire mangled the land. And he was supposed to represent fairness and justice in the city.

The cream-coloured stallion behind the desk wasn’t at all what I expected. He was dressed in a perfectly tailored suit, with his coppery hair tied back in a ponytail. He had a PipBuck on his leg, more advanced than the 3000 model, but still a few leagues behind my own. His face and neck were littered with thin faded scars, barely visible under his coat. They looked surgical, though I couldn’t imagine for what purpose.

His griffon bodyguard Harmony was sprawled out on a loveseat behind him. She looked up long enough to give us a smile and wave, before returning to the scarily tall stack of paperwork on the table in front of her. Our thestral guide waved us on with a leathery wing from the doorway, before leaving the way we’d come. The heavy wooden doors shook a bit as they shut.

We approached Prime's decadent desk sheepishly, ears back and eyes wide. Prime’s sparkling eyes stuck out over his terminal long enough to look us over, then darted back to his work. “Please, take a seat. I’m just finishing up some paperwork. A new village in the northwest
that’s in the market for farming supplies…” I said with a knowing smile as we took our seats.

I awkwardly tapped at my lap while Scarlet glared quietly at the local leader. Prime typed out a few more things in his terminal before he closed it. “Dinner will be ready shortly, but I figured we could chat in the meantime.” He smiled slightly as his eyes met Scarlets. “It’s lovely to see you again, though I wish it was under better circumstances… I understand you’re upset with me. You have every right to be. But there are solutions available to us, if we work together.” His eyes moved to me. Despite everything I knew of him, there was something about him… It was like his words were massaging my brain! Every note and syllable hit the perfect note. Just his gaze made my heart flutter. “And you are Aella Breeze. Captain of the Skystar V. The chosen hero of your people. It’s lovely to meet you.”

Chosen… Lucky was far more accurate, but it was pointless to correct him. It did confirm that he had more knowledge on us the expected. While I wasn’t exactly conservative with the information, it wasn’t like that part of my adventures was on the radio. “It’s lovely to meet you, Mr. Prime. We-” Scarlet grunted beside me and shook her head. “I appreciate your hospitality. I do have to ask… How do you know so much about me? The name of my ship wasn’t on the radio, neither was my quest. And why would you care? I’m just a filly trying to help people!” I gave the buck a devastating glare. Or I thought I did… The soft giggle that broke my friend's brooding for a moment suggested I missed my mark. I could be intimidating! Scary! I’m a very scary mare…-Y!

“Aella’s right. You’ve been watching us for days now. How? Why? Scarlet's glare intensified.

Prime was completely unbothered by our equally effective, very good attempts to intimidate him. “I know everything that happens in my cities, Keepsake. It’s how I keep everyone safe. Nearly everyone.” He corrected himself before Scarlet could interrupt. “Those that I cannot protect, I try to make the best use of. I cannot release those criminals into the Trottingham region, nor can I afford to take proper care of them, protect the city, and maintain the railway at the same time. I’m doing what I can with the hand that I was dealt.” His voice was silky smooth as he explained, hitting every mark and note perfectly. Every syllable hit the perfect note, like a massage for your mind.

“D-don’t Keepsake me, Prime!” Scarlet snapped as she slammed the arms of her chair with her hooves. She stared him down with a sneer, the arms of the chair suffering in the death grip of her fetlocks.

Prime recoiled a bit at the charismatic mares' outburst but quickly recovered. “I am sorry for upsetting you further Miss Keeper, it was habit. Now, I know that you want the prisoners better treated. I cannot release them, but I do wish to provide them medical care and mental health counselling. I hear there are some ponies that have started working with the Followers who offer rather good therapy services. The primary issue at this point is money. It all comes down to caps in the wasteland after all. Being able to treat, medicate, and ideally pay more than 50 ponies is a resource drain the city cannot afford.” He sounded genuinely sorry about the situation,

“But the office is worth it.” She growled. “What do we need to do?”

“Straight to the point as always.” He smiled and sat a file folder down in front of us. “We do have a solution to the money problem, but we’ve hit a roadblock. There is an MoA bunker attached to the basement. We managed to get past the door years ago, but the place is poisonous. Your job is simple. Find the source, disable or contain it, and return. Beyond that, the security system is still active. Turrets, robots, that kind of thing. The pay was 10,000 caps, but in this case, I’ll move it into the prison funding. Beyond that, the revenue from the salvage, and the energy we’ll get from the spark reactors down there will be a big boost for the local economy.”

I scared at him dumbfounded. They had everything! Weapons, armour, medicine. We were a group of mismatched creatures that just happened to help a few creatures. Some poison and a few robots shouldn’t be an obstacle. Why not do it themselves?

Scarlet voiced my concerns. “Why can’t your goons do it? Hell, there are AJs Rangers stationed here!”

“The toxin inside is unique. Airborn. Eats away at a pony from the inside. Environment suits only buy you an extra two minutes. We know it’s a magical contaminant, but nothing we’ve tried will counter it. Thankfully the data you recovered from AV Pharma should have what we need. The potion they produced should help combat the effects of the cloud, for a time at least.” The Pre-Store… That actually made sense. The high amount they offered for the information would easily be repaid by the supplies in the bunker when they got inside.

A soft knock on the door cut off our discussion. Two ponies trotted in with a food cart in tow. The scent had me drooling instantly. Brahmin ribs, baked potato and carrots, noodles and a strangely out-of-place can of cram. The servers didn’t say a word as they effortlessly set the nearby table, and trotted out. Their speed was as impressive as it was disappointing. I didn’t even get to thank them! Prime rose from his chair. “Thank Celestia, I am starving. Come, we can continue to talk while we eat.”

Scarlet and I sat side by side across from Prime once again, with Harmony still faithfully by his side. The griffon merc stood tall next to her employer, a heavy revolver on her breast and her anti-machine rifle slung across her back. The firepower was supposed to be daunting, but the kindness in her eyes ruined the effect for me. She watched the conversation thoughtfully, studying us as we talked, constantly adjusting a leather messenger bag she hadn’t carried when we first met.

The food almost made the elevator trip worth it. Creamy mashed potatoes, and tender meaty ribs. It was leagues better than anything I’d eaten back home. Tender, with sweet barbeque sauce and a delightfully salty side. I gagged as Scarlet paired her fresh grilled veggies with cram of all things. Primes bowl of noodly, meaty broth smelled far more appetizing.

“You’re wondering why I don’t use my own people for it. You are uniquely qualified for the job, Captain Breeze. And it isn’t your young age, mastery of technology, or happenstance for once. You have experience with this particular toxin that we lack.”

Harmony sauntered over to me as she pulled something from the bag at her side. A slick piece of arcane technology was sat next to my plate. It was a beautifully slick device, with more computing power than any portable terminal. If not for the pink-tinted images and text across the screen, I’d have mistaken it for my own. A PipBuck 4000-B. It was in worse shape and lacked the custom work I’d done, but it worked.

I traced a claw gently across the cracks of the screen, before picking it up in shaky claws. “How… What… W-where did you get this!” I sprung out of my chair with a hiss, wings unfurled. I glared at Prime and his merc, a torrent of emotions clouding my judgement.

It was a PipBuck. A Mt. Aris PipBuck! From my parent's team! Did they find them? Kill them? Why would they keep this from me for so long! If the ponies felt there was any chance that that team was a threat to the local power structure, I know they’d have no problem unleashing whatever weapon they were hiding and keeping all the tech for themselves!

Prime was completely unbothered by the show of aggression. A small shake of Harmony’s head put the powerful buck completely at ease. I let out an angry hiss as the griffon stepped toward me. Tears welled up in my eyes.

Harmony looked sad as she slowly reached a claw out towards me. Her talons were kept facing upwards in clear view. “We didn’t hurt your family. You’re alright… They were here, years ago. They gained entry to the lower levels of the bunker, but in doing so released the noxious gas into the level we’d managed to clear. The device was found near the entrance to level one, on the body of a hippogriff hen. Your people couldn’t risk returning for the remains. They left shortly after, in a skyship, we don’t know where.”

That… That made sense. An MoA facility… Of course, mother and father would want to check it out. So why not tell me sooner… Why not be honest about it from the start. Surely someone would remember a gaggle of hippogriffs wandering around the city! They knew we were related, but kept it to themselves.

I fell back into my seat, cradling the advanced computer to my chest. With the situation de-escalated by his griffon companion, Prime took over the conversation again.

“Our team was able to recover it in an attempt to reseal the level, but not without casualties. Extracting data from it was tedious, but taught us a lot about hippogriffia, its culture, and its technology, as well as information on several other countries we were unsure about the status of. There is one file that you need to hear in particular, however. It’s already pulled up, on the data screen.”

With a shaky claw, I tapped at the PipBuck to play the log. Using a stranger's personal device made me feel gross. Like I was invading their privacy. Still, if it was important… And it wasn’t like I could ask them if they’d mind, I doubt the city had any speakers or shamans. After a brief crackle, the voice of an upbeat but very annoyed sounding hippogriff hen droned from its speaker.

Recon report, Equestrian Wasteland, day 34

The MoA building has proven difficult to access, but not a dead end. The Blood Ash being generated within the lower levels of the facility has proven to be a difficult variable, but it’s at least something we’re familiar with.

We know something about Scrawls improves their resistance to the draining effects of the curse, thanks to their incredible magic reserves. Unfortunately, we didn’t risk bringing any scrawls with us. They’re far too rare and valuable. For now, we’re trying to find a way to replicate it. Some way to fortify a creature’s magic enough so they can survive in it.

Seatide has been using the situation to boast about her son’s strong connection to the other world. But Stratus is halfway across the planet being looked after by his big sister, so that doesn’t help us. I think she just wants a reason to boast about the kid. Try and establish some sense of normalcy. It’s a nice change from her always complaining about him, at least. I was supposed to teach Karma how to shoot this weekend… Seeker’s heart shatters whenever our little girl comes up in conversation. If you’re reading this sweetheart, we’ll be home soon. Just keep your friends out of trouble until we get back.

-Recon field report 11, Engineering Chief June Berry, H104

June Berry’s Pipbuck. I’d met her many times. She was one of Karma’s mothers. If her Pip was here, that meant… her body was down there. Were they both down there? Were my parents…?

Scarlet’s hoof wrapped around my shoulder. She had no idea why I was upset, but it was written all over my face. Even Prime looked solemn after playing the recording. He bowed his head slightly out of respect for the departed.

“I was worried you may have known her… I’m sorry for your loss miss Breeze. If you would like I can help organize a funeral service, I-”

“If we can get rid of the Blood Ash, you’ll be able to bring the bodies back?” I asked as I fought to keep my voice from quivering.

The buck nodded. “Of course. I know very little of your people’s funeral rites, but I’ll do whatever I can to help with the preparations.” He assured me.

I looked at Scarlet through a blurred film of tears. For once I felt no shame in how I was feeling. I wasn’t worried about appearing weak or vulnerable. It felt safe to feel my emotions. And knowing that there was a Hippogriffia citizen down there waiting to be put to rest spurred me on. “I can’t leave them down there, Scarlet… I can’t. If this will help the town, the prisoners, the slaves, I-”

Scarlet pulled me closer to her and nuzzled into my neck. Her ears were back as she shifted her attention back to Prime. “I guess we’re in, then. But don’t screw us on this! You’re not the only one with a lot riding on this.”

“Of course. We’ll be able to produce some of the Pre-Store in the labs now that you’ve gotten us that data. I understand that I seem very untrustworthy right now, but everything that’s happened was to make sure we all ended up at this meeting. I did not lie to you Scarlet. I have no wish for this place to run off of brutal exploitation. Unfortunately, I am not always in control of every situation, and I have an entire region of ponies to think about.” Scarlet huffed at him but said nothing. She didn’t usually make herself so easy to read, so seeing her drop her mask was a shock.

“We also recovered these from June Berry. I believe you should have them, Aella.” The griffon’s voice was soft and sweet, boarding on motherly. She sat a shimmering pearl shard earring and a small glittering orb on the table in front of me.

Prime smiled as he watched my eyes widen. “They are yours to do with as you please. Although, I do have a recollector I am willing to part with when your mission is done. Not that I feel you need any more incentive. I simply think that the memory orb may distract you from your mission. Misusing them can be dangerous.”

I nodded and took the magical relics in my claws. The pearl's familiar magic was calming in my palm, while the unicorn magic of the memory orb was new. The magic was prickly, like a cactus, with each spike carrying part of a conversation that was too far away for me to make out. I slipped both magical gems into my bags for safekeeping.

“I’ll lead you and your crew to the threshold tomorrow morning. I suggest packing light, but I’m sure you know what you’re dealing with more than we do. Just don’t get yourselves killed. The city has seen too much death already, and having a hero fall on our watch would break every creature's heart.” The griffon spoke softly and clearly, with a gentle smile. It was oddly ungriffon-like, and very refreshing. She seemed so cut off and disconnected when we’d met that morning. Was she acting, putting up a tough facade for the public?

“Harmony here is one of my advisors and a very dear friend. She’ll do everything in her power to make sure you and your friends are taken care of.

Footnotes:
Welcome to level 11!

Perk added: Seapony tears! Thanks to a minor mutation, your Seapony ways won't be limited by your environment! You gain +15RAD resistance while in your seapony form and have improved control over your transformation magic.

Chapter 13: Red Haze pt.1

Fallout Equestria: Endless Horizon

Chapter 13: Red Haze pt.1

Goooood morning wasteland, this is DJ pon3 coming at you loud and proud from the heart of Manehattan! The sun is blinding, the food is stale, and the air is humid as all hell, but it’s home.

Today we’ll be starting off the morning with a special report! The daring Captain of the West has been working her feathers off to make the GTA a better place. Joining us now via a remote uplink from the heart of Trottingham itself is one Miss Clarinet, who’s seen the hippogriff hero’s deeds first hoof! Everyone put your hooves together for Manehattan’s very own Clarinet.

“G-good morning… wasteland. I’m Clarinet. Years ago my husband and I were attacked by a manticore. We were wounded, and I was dying. Rather than waste medicine on me, I insisted he used it to save himself. I was willing to die knowing he’d survive to care for our foals.

“By some miracle, I didn’t die. A small group of travellers found me, dying in the dirt. They treated my wounds. They didn’t act out of kindness, though. I should have known better than to expect a gift from the wasteland. I was collared and shackled, and forced to work. I tried to hold out hope, but I knew no one would come for me… The only pony that would, thought I was dead.

“So I lived the life of a slave. Quiet, obedient. Doing what it took to avoid the harsher beatings and punishments while I was sold from Master to Master. Most recently I was owned by a more forgiving than average Master, working in a bathhouse in Caledonia. Eventually, the bucks lost interest in me though. Few mares get more beautiful with age, after all… I was sold and sent north with a caravan. Me, ponies from other owners, a few foals, and this one mare…

“She was different from us. Recently caught, but not new to the life. Her scarred hide told of endless suffering to the whips and blades of former masters. It was almost uncomfortable to look at, honestly. Despite it all though, she had this fire in her eyes. A determination that I couldn’t even imagine anymore. It was written on her face. She was going to escape again. Anyone else wouldn’t stand a chance, but her… I knew she’d do it. She proved me right.

“One evening she got whipped for muttering to one of those annoying sprite bots when we were supposed to be asleep. When we got up the next day she was gone, along with her collar’s detonator. Of course, the slavers were pissed, passing blame and making excuses. They knew how bad it could get. Not being able to catch the lone mare was the least of their worries. Seeing her escape gave us hope. She’d get help and come back to save us. Or at least make the slavers suffer. I was sure of it. So I made sure we were ready when she did.”

“When she returned, it was with the help of The Captain. The genius bird-pony had built something to jam up all the slave collars, and made our liberator invisible so she could sneak us weapons. The slavers were so busy looking out for enemies they didn’t see us coming. The roar of gunfire lasted mere seconds.

“The Captain offered to fly us somewhere safe in her skyship. When we refused, the duo at least made sure we had enough supplies to make the trip ourselves. I’d never seen such a selfless act of kindness before. Like the heroes on the radio. I think the goddess themselves sent those two to liberate us.”

It must be difficult to adapt to life in the wasteland after so long in chains. What do you plan to do with your newfound freedom?

“I plan… to go home. If my children are listening… I know it’s been a long time, but I’m returning to Tenpony Tower once I’ve saved enough money. I’d be the happiest mother in the wasteland if you were there when I arrived. I’m sorry I’ve been gone for so long… Mommy’s finally coming home.”

If that isn’t the sweetest thing you’ve ever heard, you gotta clean the radioactive sludge out of your ears. This is the difference we can make for one another, my little ponies. Even a single kind act, no matter how small, can make all the difference. Good on you, Captain. Keep fighting the good fight for those who can’t.

*** *** ***

The rest of the meeting was spent discussing our last two jobs for the Visionaries. Prime was happy with the work we’d done for the city and excited about the new settlement in the area. He’d even promised to put the word out so caravans could start out that way. Scarlet insisted that he shouldn’t push the young settlement to join his coalition, and surprisingly he agreed. Even if he tried, I was sure Lucky and his pegasi were smart enough not to party up with the first faction that came knocking.

That evening I curled into my bed with my Scootaloo plushie held tight against me. The meeting left me exhausted and confused. Conflicted. The conversation went better than I could have hoped. It challenged everything I thought I knew about the mysterious leader of Vision. He seemed like he truly had everyone's best interests at heart and he was doing what he felt was best for his people. The smooth confidence in his voice was impossibly convincing.

I didn’t trust him.

I’d already been stabbed in the back, and I wasn’t willing to go through it again. I trusted Scarlet more than anyone. She didn’t trust him, so I didn’t either. Still, I had to admit she could be biased... The anger she felt towards him, the way he spoke with her… They were close once. Whatever drove them apart left Scarlet too wounded to even tell me that they were together.

Sky said we didn’t need to trust him to work with him. The buck was right, of course. But I didn’t want to risk helping him if it could lead to more creatures being hurt. It made me afraid. Terrified that whatever I did to reach my goals would cause unforeseen harm to innocent people. So far he’d only harmed raiders or hostile factions. Maybe that’s where it stopped. Maybe he kept his word and tried to do better.

But if he didn’t—if he used the technology and valuables hidden below to seize power in the region—he could force local holdouts to ally with the Visionaries or be destroyed. They had already enforced their idea of just laws across the Greater Trottingham Area with deadly force. I nuzzled into the softness of my pillow and let out a long high-pitched shriek. It didn’t solve anything, but it was cathartic.

I wasn’t good at people! I didn’t like dealing with people! But there I was, having a meeting with local politicians! The leader of the region's superpower! He spoke to me as if I was important, and knew what I was doing. What would happen when he found out that I was just some neurodiverse griffon technician who lies to her friends about something as stupid as her rank!

The weight of it all was crippling.

At least I had some time to myself. Time to process and rest. Scarlet was filling in Free and Jasmine on everything, including our next “gig.” There was no set pay, but Prime assured us he’d figure out something. Of course, I didn’t care much about that part. Our saddle bags were already filled with caps thanks to your last job, plus the PipBuck and recollector. Once the next job was done I’d be able to use the crown-like artifact to view the memory orb Prime was practically holding over me.

I idly tugged at strands of hair or the odd feather, finding what comfort I could in the repetitive action. It was a bad habit which led to me losing perfectly good pinions or thinning areas of my mane, but it wasn’t the worst thing I could be doing. Every so often Sky’s mind would brush against mine to check in on me.

I was fine. Of course, I was fine. We’d been well-fed and well-paid. We figured out a resolution to our problem. Sure, I was stressed, tired, and annoyingly sober, but that was nothing a trip to the market wouldn’t fix.

*** *** ***

Wandering through the MoM hub/marketplace was less therapeutic than I’d hoped. The anxious glares of shopping ponies bored into me as I trotted past. My ears twitched toward every judgmental whisper or fearful mutter about the “halfbreed” that had the city shaken up. They didn’t see me as the hero the radio tried to paint me as. At least that was something we all agreed on… I was just a young creature fighting to save her people.

The merchants would still trade with me, but small talk was laboured and they kept their guard up the whole time. For some reason, the prices were quite firm for my own shopping, despite everyone around me being free to barter.

A ball of blue metal brushed against my side, accompanied by a soft rumble. I smiled and patted the little sprite bot with a wing. He’d insisted on coming with me on my shopping to keep its optics on me. The self-assigned emotional support bot had noticed my mind drifting. He chirped out an inquiring beep. “I’m fine, Rumble. Thank you. I just, um…”

The sudden cry of “Miss Captain Aella Breeze!” cut me off as a cannonball of white and green blasted into my side. The excited giggles of my filly assailant made me smile as we both to the floor. Snowflake smirked proudly as her earth pony strength allowed her to best ‘The Captain’ with little effort. Caramel Kiss followed behind her, wearing a similar but far sweeter smile. The reality was the mirror image of the little fluff poised at my side, only larger and more weathered.

High-pitched squeals of excitement fired into my ears like a machine gun. “I-heard-you-were-back-from-your-adventures-and-mom-said-we-could-come-to-visit-when-the-inn-wasn’t-busy-but-now-here-you-are!”

Caramel chuckled at the cute antics of her smaller clone. “Slow down, Snowy. Even I can hardly understand you when you’re going off that fast.” She gently guided her foal off my chest, alleviating the suffering in my lungs. “Sorry Aella, she was excited to see you. Especially after that little show you put on yesterday. You really do know how to make an entrance.”

The unusual praise made my cheeks burn. “O-oh, yeah… I guess everyone in town saw that. Most ponies aren't as happy about it as you two.” My smile melted away as I rubbed the back of my head with a claw. “Do you maybe… know anywhere more diverse I could shop?”

The foal stomped her hoof on the marble bellow and gasped. “Mom, mom, mom! Can I take Miss Captain to Outcast’s Edge!? It’s so much more fun there and she’s gonna fit right in!”

The foal's parent furrowed her brow as she considered it. “I don’t like you venturing off far on your own… But you would have Aella with you. Alright, you can go. But you stay with Aella, and you do as she says! Things are dangerous lately for little ones, and I couldn’t live with myself if something happened to you.”

Snowy grumbled as her mom leaned down to nuzzle her, being sure to plant plenty of kisses on the foal's forehead and muzzle as she went. “M-mom… Stop, you’re embarrassing me!” the daughter complained between fits of giggles.

Once the filly was free of parental torment, she turned back toward me, bouncing with excitement. “So Aella, you wanna go!? It’ll be great, and you’re strong so you can keep us safe!” Several patrons from a nearby eatery looked up in response to the filly’s shouting.

“That sounds lovely, Snowflake. It’ll be our own little adventure. I… tend to get lost going out into the city on my own, so I appreciate the help.”

Snowflake threw her hooves around my neck in a tight hug, still giggling away. Meanwhile, her mother fixed me with a hard stare from over her shoulder. “Aella, you protect that filly with your life, alright? I know how ‘heroes’ tend to attract trouble. That little girl is my world. Promise me you’ll protect her.”

I gave the protective mother a firm nod. “Of course. As long as I stand I’ll do anything in my power to keep her safe. I swear.” Keeping promises and pacts was important to my people, not unlike our griffon cousins' strict adherence to their contracts. Giving someone your word was everything.

“Ok.” Caramel smiled hesitantly. “Then you two have fun. I’m going to check on the shop. Feel free to come visit anytime, dear. Always happy to see more of you....” The mare winked, putting an unusual emphasis on the word ‘more’.

My wings fluttered happily. “Perfect, I really appreciate it. You’re one of the nicest ponies I’ve met in this town, I think.”

She fluttered her eyes at me. “Trust me, sweetheart, you have no idea how ‘nice’ I can be.” I gasped as the mare leaned closer to nuzzle me. She sighed contently as she pressed her muzzle into my neck. She smelled just like her name… I wasn’t sure why she kept herself buried in my neck for so long, but I didn’t mind. After a minute or two, she stepped away. “Anyway, I have to get back to The Moon. Have fun, and be safe.

I gave her an eager nod and turned my attention back to the foal. “Hey Snowflake, we should get going. It’s already starting to get late, and I’m sure your mother doesn’t want you out all night.”

Snow pulled out of the hug and gave a mischievous grin. “In that case… Race ya!” Like a bullet from a gun, the foal darted between my legs and towards the exit. I giggled and shouted after her as I moved to follow the energetic child.

*** *** ***

The sun was setting over Trottingham as we entered Outcasts Edge. Most ponies called the zebra- and griffon-populated district city “the slums,” and it was easy to see why. It was a far cry from what I’d seen of the city so far. The district had probably been nice when it was first built. The buildings had good frames, and the water pipes trailing beside the gravel road had definitely been manufactured sometime after the war. Tragically, years of neglect had left it exposed to the full fury of wasteland weather. The iron that made up the ramshackle buildings was rusting away, behind gaping holes and jagged edges that were sure to give someone lockjaw. The tattered and hastily-patched wires struggled to carry power to the cluster of buildings, no doubt causing constant brownouts and power surges.

Being near so much in need of repair left me oddly stressed. Anxious. The dishevelled neighbourhood was crying out for someone to give it some love and time, but none of the griffons or zebras could hear it. They just sat outside chatting or moved back and forth carrying goods. They went about their day as if the place that kept them warm and safe wasn’t suffering. At best there was an odd tarp over a large hole, or crude welds holding together water pipes. I could almost imagine what the place had been like when it was first built. It wasn’t as nice as home, but it was sturdy, well-maintained, and well-designed. I could see it so clearly I managed to forget how broken down it was, until the filly leading me stopped in front of a particular steel shack.

“This is the place! The Slum Shack!” Snowflake said with a wave of her hoof. “For all the neat and weird stuff you could want. Plus, the owners are super nice!”

The filly giggled as I ruffled her emerald mane. “Sounds like the perfect place for me, then. Great job, silly filly. “ I praised as we trotted through the pleasantly intact metal door.

The Slum Shop was… aptly named. A larger-than-average steel box loaded with below-average mismatched goods. Lots of scrap, with some food or basic weapons here or there. The back of the store was divided into two workspaces. The right side was a mess of tool cabinets, workbenches, and metalworking equipment. A griffon not much older than me hunched over a workbench, doing some kind of upgrade on a zebra carbine. It was a beautiful slim rifle, sporting black and white stripes along the receiver and a classic wooden stock. The muzzle grip was in the process of being swapped out for a claw handle. The hen's rump wiggled back and forth as she focused on getting the trigger back into place.

A secured cabinet behind her showed off various weapons that’d been tweaked and modified. A long rifle with a custom barrel and scope, an energy sniper, a pistol that used shells far larger than it should, and a variety of equine and avian battle saddles.

The left side of the room was centred around a brewing station, with a lab table set against the wall behind it. Shelves flanked the table, meticulously organized with expensive and exotic herbs and tinctures with names I couldn’t pronounce. On the wall hung a pair of brilliant ornate masks, one made of ivory and the other from wood, both with zebra glyphs carved on the cheeks. There was something calming and safe in the way their empty eye holes watched over the shop, like sleepless sentries.

A zebra smiled at me from behind their brewing stand, bringing a mixture of orange muck to a boil. Thin curving lines streaked down their sides, and towards their muzzle. Whatever they were cooking left the air bitter and slightly sweet. The shop was otherwise empty, which I expected—it was pretty late. Despite the late hour, the two crafts creatures were still hard at work, with no signs of stopping anytime soon. Just like me when I worked… Instantly I knew I’d like these creatures.

“Good evening Captain, it is nice to finally meet you,” the zebra chimed as they stepped away from their brewing and sauntered next to the busy griffon. The zebra bumped their flank against the larger creature with a smirk. “I believe this is the part where you pay up, dear Gracy.” They sang.

The griffon, Gracy, rolled her eyes and scoffed. “I know, I know… I lose often enough to know the damn drill. How in the hell do you always win!?” Despite the hen's apparent annoyance she tucked the zebra into her wing and gave them an affectionate nuzzle. The two turned towards me, still leaning on one another. “We bet on how long it’d take the newest outcast to find their way to the shop. I will say, I’m rarely this happy to be wrong…” The griffon purred softly as her eyes explored my every curve.

“Now now, dearest, you are scaring the poor thing. I am quite sure she has other things on her mind than your fine feathered flank. I am Orella, and this is my girlfriend Grace. Welcome to the Slum Shop.” Orella turned their attention to the foal at my side. “And hello to you, little one! Lovely to see you again. Under the watchful eye of The Captain this evening?” they asked.

Snowflake cantered up to the pair and hugged them both. Apparently, they all knew each other quite well. “Yeah! She wanted somewhere not boring to shop, and mom said I could take her here!”

“Ahh, I see! Thank you for the extra business. And helping me win our bet.” They winked to their mate. “I have some fresh candies over by the canned goods if you wanna go look.” The mention of candy sent Snowflake running down the nearest aisle, leaving me alone with the two sales creatures.

“Please, it’s just Aella. Aella Breeze,” I corrected. “I-igh” Crap, was there something I needed? I was distracted by the adorable flirty couple in front of me. Come on Aella, get it together! “I mostly just wanted to get out, honestly. Maybe pick up something to drink. Shopping in the Ministry of Moral building made me feel kinda awkward…” I confessed. “Why’d you give your store such a terrible name?”

My blunt honesty made Grace throw her head back with laughter. Orella just raised their eyebrow at me. After the griffon calmed down from her laughing she explained. “We know how bad the name sounds. We meant for it to suck.” She shrugged as if that explained everything.

Orella’s giggle confused me further. “We could not agree on a name we both equally loved, so we chose a name that was equally hated. A compromise, see?”

That… almost made sense. Zebra logic is complicated, and I wasn’t the best at understanding relationship dynamics or social situations. I nodded slowly. “That’s… cute? I’m not sure how to react to that, but I’m glad it made both of you happy!”

“So, whatcha needing griff… pony-person? May as well get some stuff if you’re here anyway.” Grace sauntered up in front of me and tugged gently at the collar of my barding, then tapped on a few of the light plates protecting my chest. I did my best to ignore the breath on my neck as she studied my patchworked outfit. “The fabric of your utility barding is pretty worn, I’m not sure how much more it’ll take. The plates are too light, too… Obviously, you can’t have too much weight, since you’ve gotta fly. But we don’t want a round punching through your barrel, either. The patterning under your collar is cute, though. Shame to cover it up.” She winked.

“N-not today, thanks,” I squeaked as I backed away from the eccentric griffon in my personal space. I wasn’t sure before, but she was definitely flirting with me. What is it with pretty griffons lately!? Stop being pretty and smelling like orchids! I couldn’t get involved with someone so soon after turning down Scarlet, even if it was just sexual. “A-and thanks, um, it’s actually a burn scar. Goes across my chest and down my left side. I should probably pick up some food and stuff while I’m here. Maybe some chems…”

My train of thought derailed as a ball of fuzz bonked into my side. It was Snowflake, looking up with the sweetest puppy dog eyes as a bag of sweets hung from her muzzle. “Miss Captain Aella Breezzzeeeee, I wanna buy this candy for mommy and me but I didn’t bring enough.” Somehow her eyes got even wider. The foal’s weaponized cuteness hit with deadly precision, making it impossible to say no.

I smiled and pulled a small bag of caps from my saddlebag. We got paid a lot for the last few jobs, and I probably wasn’t going to spend most of my share anyway. I had no idea how much candy she could buy with 50 caps, but the bright smile and excited giggles of the filly were priceless. “Don’t eat it all at once, alright? And save some for your mother.” Snowflake balanced the money on her head perfectly as she galloped to the register, Grace following slowly behind her.

Unsure about what I was thinking before the interruption, my mind wandered back to the beautifully crafted masks watching me from the back wall. They weren’t perfectly crafted by any means, covered in scratches, dents, and scuffs. Each was a part of their history and made them all the more beautiful. I swore I could feel something coming off of them, some kind of magic or luminescence on the edge of perception. Somehow the mask was putting out a protective aura that muddled my sixth sense.

Orella watched me study the relics with a smile. My wings fluttered a bit as I turned toward them. “Sorry, I was just admiring your masks... They were used by an actual shaman, weren’t they?” I sat back on my haunches as I asked, my eyes drawn back to them. I’d seen similar masks hung up on a few doorsteps back home and learned about them in school, but none of them felt like this.

“Yes. My great-grandmother was a gifted shaman. She gave everything she was to help our people. The mask has been passed down through my family since.” They chuckled as they thought back on the nostalgia. “My grandmother believed a part of her mother was left behind in the objects to watch over us. How did you know?”

“It… I can feel it.”

The zebra raised an eyebrow.

“I don’t know how to explain, I um… I can just feel it sometimes. Magic, or energy, or something. It weakened as I aged, but since coming to Equestria it’s… easier? It’s like… fixing a spark reactor!” The comparison only served to confuse me more. “It’s like… fixing one is hard because all of the crystals need to get along with each other to work. But rebuilding one you can use any parts you want! There aren’t parts that have already gotten comfortable in the way. I felt something coming off of the mask… It’s this muted, calming energy.”

The zebra thought for a moment. “You mean that because there’s so little living magic in Equestria, it is easier to feel what is there? Less of a needle in a haystack, more of a needle in a cushion?” I smiled and nodded. Weird comparison, but whatever worked for them.

“This sounds familiar… An irregular griff in a strange land. A moment, please.” The zebra trotted to a small bookshelf at the edge of their workplace, humming as they went. They returned and dropped a heavy, leatherbound tomb onto the table. The cover was engraved with the familiar symbol of three coloured circles overlapping each other, with a trident in the center.

I knew that book. I owned that book! My sister had read it to me as a fledgling. Times Before Storms. “That’s our history…” I said slowly. They nodded at me with a smile. “It’s about our magic, our spirituality, our past, our future... Where did you get this?”

“Pfft, you think you are the first horse-bird-fish-critter to come crawling through Vision, Captain?” They tsked. “A hippogriff mare came through many years ago, I bought it from her. Cost over 3000 caps, but was worth it. The book describes creatures who can channel the power of a great spirit your people hold dear. Are you like that?”

I fidgeted with my hair and sighed. “Yes. W-well no… It’s complicated. Scrawls are born with the knowledge and a connection to Runa. It allows us to use and understand her magic. I was born with the knowledge, I have the capacity to use magic, but I’m not… connected to her. I can’t control it. No one is sure why. I do have a stronger arcane sense than basically any other griff, so that’s… neat, but likely unrelated. Most Scrawls can’t feel things how I can.”

“Mm. Arcane sense.” The zebra muttered softly to themself as they flipped through the book.

“Um, anyway, I don’t like to think about it. Can we maybe see about my ‘supplies’? I’ve gotta get Snowflake home soon. I know things aren’t the safest around here lately, and I swore to keep her safe.” I smiled over my shoulder at the cute filly giggling with the griffon shopkeeper.

Orella laughed under their breath. “Of course, I am sorry. Supplies we have, young Captain. We will see that you’re well taken care of for your adventures and your downtime.” They pulled down various bottles and tins from their shelf as they spoke. “You seem quite good with the filly. You would make a wonderful mother.” The sudden comment sent a knife into my heart. A wave of dizzying nausea threatened to overtake me. Pain pushed away the sudden anxiety as I dug a claw into my side, and steadied myself. The subject of having kids struck harder than I thought it could. I’d never even really wanted kids to begin with... Or maybe I just simply told myself that because I didn’t have a choice in the matter.

Orella backpedalled at the sudden change in my demeanour. “I’m so sorry, I did not mean for that to be upsetting. I hadn’t considered… I simply meant-”

“N-no, it’s ok,” I interrupted to reassure them. My anxiety had mostly melted away, but the pain in my side helped keep me from tearing up. I almost did that thing again. The stupid thing where I waste time crying over something that can’t be helped. Wasting Orella and Snowflake's time with my own insignificant emotions.

“I-it’s fine, really. I was purified when I was young, so I’ve had a long time to come to terms with being sterile. I’ve come to terms with it.”

“Purified? What do you mean?” Orella asked in an almost parental tone. Noooo, don’t do that! I’m trying not to cry as it is, kind zebra creature!

“When someone has an ailment that risks staining the bloodline, it’s removed. Either through euthanasia, so their space in the population can be filled by someone who will grow to be more useful, or through sterilization if it’s something that can be corrected in that instance but shouldn’t be passed on. We need to keep what population we have pure, so they can function as efficiently as possible. Like throwing away the bad machines so we can put our energy into the good ones. It’s how we survive.” They didn’t understand my way of life. They probably couldn’t. Things were different back home than in the zebra lands or Equestria. I had just as much trouble trying to understand how Equestrian ponies did things, so it made sense.

“Living beings are not machines, Aella Breeze. To end a life without ever giving it a chance to bloom, for fear it will be different from you… It is cruel. I’d never expect such an act from a people that value life and balance so much.”

“It’s this way because we value life. If taking one infant's life can spare a dozen grown creatures, then it’s for the best. Not everyone agrees, of course… My father thinks that it’s wrong. Mother and the elders wanted to cull me because my brain is… different. Father got some prototype neural link from the weird tech he collected and claimed it would correct me. Mother was furious when she found out he lied, but by then I was too old… Anyway, it’s just our way. It’s the sacrifices we make for our people.”

“None of that makes it alright, Aella…”

Yeah, maybe… Or maybe me being alive when I was supposed to be dead was why my magic didn’t work right. Why I’d never grow to be the smart, powerful scrawl mother wanted. Because I wasn’t meant to exist at all.

The zebra let out a dry chuckle as they continued. “I wonder if they see the irony. The one they wanted to kill as a baby is the one fighting to save them all. They do not deserve you.”

I had no idea what to say to that. Or how to feel about it. It became another thing for me to push down while I kept moving forward. I sighed. “Let’s just get what I need so I can get Snowflake home…”

*** *** ***

Trotting through the energy-sapping air was annoyingly familiar. Any light from our spells or flashlights was swallowed up by the red dust that danced around us. The Pre-Store made us resistant to its magical effects, but it was still suffocating. Without face coverings, it’d still do a number on our lungs.

The first level of the MoA bunker was of no interest. According to Harmony, Prime's right-hand griff, it was used as storage until it was sealed. They couldn’t access the energy grid from the top level, and it consisted mostly of storage areas or long-dead server stacks. Ignoring the mummified bodies strewn across the floor was difficult, and made me queasy with each passing glance. Most of them were piled against the door we entered though, fighting to free themselves ‘til their last breaths. Worn paint and bloody hoofprints suggested they bucked and scratched at the door with everything they had. Of course, pony hooves were no match for a slab of steel under 5000 pounds of hydraulic pressure. The terrible magic in the air sapped every scrap of energy they could produce, forcing them to metabolize themselves to death. The bodies were skin and bone, with blood dried around every orifice. They couldn’t even rot. No bacteria could survive in the toxic stew long enough to start decomposition.

Everyone down there was like that. All but one. While the rest had been running for the door, this one died alone in a room, off to the side. The torso was laid across the doorway, preventing the door from closing entirely. It pressed into her back to make a noticeable divot where her spine snapped. Her talons were stretched towards the bodies near the exit door. Her beak hung open in a silent scream. Her coat was greyer, and thin as a stick bug, but I knew who it was. Her PipBuck was on the Skystar V. It was the body of June Berry. Karma's mother.

I’d known the mare for as long as I’d been alive. She was close with my father, a member of his flock. She was strong, fast, and could shoot a jackalope’s eye out from a kilometre away. Most importantly, she was kind. I would spend the night at her house when my parents were fighting more than usual and she always made sure I was comfortable. She deserved better.

Tears rolled down my cheeks as Scarlet nuzzled my neck. I appreciated that she was trying to comfort me, but I didn’t feel I needed it. I wasn’t sad or hurt, or… anything. I was happy to have known her, and glad to have found her. I’d be able to put her to rest. She and Karma could be together. But first, we had to clear the air.

“The rest of these poor bastards were over at the door, but she was on her own in this room.” Sky noted as he and Free trotted over, their security sweep finished. “Maybe something good inside?”

I rubbed my eyes through my goggles and sniffled (for not-feeling-sad reasons) as Scarlet stepped away. “That’s a good question. Let’s find out.” I started towards the door. There was definitely something in there. The hair on my neck stood on end as I felt weirdly familiar energy emanating from the room beyond. Harmony had asked me not to look around too much, but the sweet griffon's request wasn’t as strong as the unparalleled magic secured behind the hydraulic door.

With everything Scarlet and Jasmine told us about the Visionaries, it wasn’t hard to guess what it was. The door opened up to my greatest fear. A large circular chamber, with angular walls decorated in gems, wires, spell matrices and unusual glyphs. The floor sloped downwards towards the centre to the base of an elevated platform large enough for a pony. Four pedestals were set facing the middle, perfectly aligned with the points on my EFS compass. Even dormant, the energy flowing from the terrifying work of arcane science was a struggle to process. It was destructive and daunting, designed for the sole purpose of ending as many lives as quickly as possible.

A megaspell chamber. An honest to Accord megaspell chamber. The superweapon they used to enforce their rule on the entire region, and protect its people. Whether by luck or misfortune the Visionaries had been cut off from the powerful weapon. Until our task was done, then… Could I justify returning a weapon of unknown power and function to the city? The power to kill countless creatures to improve the lives of dozens?

Sky patted my shoulder as I stared in at the deadly machine. “It isn’t like they fire it off for shits and giggles or anything. They use it to keep people in line. Or in self-defence. It’ll be fine. If they do use it, the target will probably deserve it. As long as the target isn’t us, it isn’t our problem.”

“It’s really a megaspell chamber…” The unicorn behind us whispered in awe. “We… I don’t want Prime to have this. No creature should have this much power. Still… Shit, I don’t know what to do here…” Her shoulders slumped as she tried to wrap her head around it.

“I agree with Sky,” Free said to everyone's surprise. “The enclave ruled using similar threats of force. It’s unfair but effective. However…” He turned towards me with a solemn look. “You don’t need to figure this out now. Let’s just focus on the task at hoof for now.” The buck's military-trained mind saw the situation differently than we did. We all had different and conflicting perspectives on the situation.

I stepped away from the door and fluffed my wings with a sigh. “No… No, you’re right…” I muttered softly. “But what if… Free, what if we leave this here and they use it? The death that follows will be our fault.” My fault.

“If they use it, they use it. It wouldn’t be our fault, Aella. We can’t control other ponies' actions, and it isn’t our job to police the wasteland. We do what we can with the information we have, and we deal with the consequences as they come.”

*** *** ***

“Your people came here years ago, searching for information on the Single Pegasus Project. Beyond that, they refused to answer our questions. Prime only let them through because their advanced PipBucks were able to breach the security door.” Harmony and I sat in a somewhat stuffy office in the MoA building.

The briefing filled in some blanks and confirmed my suspicions, but they had no idea where my people went after Vision. When I asked about my mother the griffon simply shrugged. Only a few of them interacted with the public, and they only used their designations. The griffon continued, “It took them three days to breach the door, something we couldn’t do in years. A haze of red flooded the room when it opened. They reacted instantly, fleeing for cover and drinking strange potions. They lost one hippogriff, and only because she’d been off on her own when it happened. Of course, we recovered the late June Berry’s equipment a few years ago, at the cost of three more lives… We never made it deeper inside, so we only know a bit about what was worked on.”

The confused emotions that wrestled in my stomach made me regret having such a heavy breakfast. Whenever family came up it got a little harder to rein in the mess of feelings I had about my parents. Impossible expectations, care and guidance, bitter resentment, sacrificing themselves trying to make our lives better. Abandoning us.

The brief moment of weakness was enough for my face to betray my feelings. Harmony stared at me with an expression almost as sad as I felt. I tensed as she reached over and rested her claw on mine. “Aella… It isn’t a bad thing to let yourself feel these things. I know you don’t feel you have the time to sort through them, but you need to make the time. It’s going to eat you up inside. And things aren’t going to get better. This is the wasteland. It’s going to pile more shit on you than you can imagine. You can’t let it drown you.”

I knew that. Obviously, I knew that! But I had to focus on helping my people! They needed me! How could I even consider putting my own mental well-being above the survival of my species!?

Harmony squeezed my talons in hers and sighed. “Please, stop. It isn’t healthy to do that, putting it all on yourself. It isn’t fair, either. You’re young. This is an insane amount of stress for you to-”

“Enough!” I snapped and pulled away from her grip. She just… She didn’t understand, she couldn’t! It had to be on me, I was all there was! Just as the knot of emotions in my chest reached critical mass, the energy dissipated enough for me to force it all back inside. I looked at the griffon across from me through narrowed eyes. “Enough… Enough. We’re getting off track. This is a briefing, not a therapy session. Mind your own business and tell me about this stupid job, please.” I wrapped my wings around myself. Nuzzling into their softness gave me something positive to focus on, grounding me.

The griffon’s frown deepened, but she agreed. “Yeah… That’s fine. I guess I got off track… I’ve gotten used to taking care of everyone around here I guess... Anyway, we think the ash is coming from the third level. Some shipping manifests suggest they were working with some volatile and rare magical materials. If you can contain or disable the source and activate the air talisman, we can do the rest.” Harmony rubbed her wrist nervously and paused. “There is… One more thing. Whatever you find down there… You didn’t find it. Advanced weapons, megaspell systems we didn’t know about. Understand?”

I shook my head, completely blind to whatever subtext had been communicated. “I don’t understand.”

“If you find a megaspell array in the lower levels, disable it. I know the means that Prime used to maintain order were necessary, but I don’t want us to take it any further. More weapons will make public relations worse. The followers are hesitant to deal with us, and the NRC sees us as opposition. I want The Visionaries to be a group creatures respect, not fear.

My eyes widened as my brain finally caught up.“You’re asking me to betray Prime for you? For his own good? Wouldn’t that breach your contract?” I heard Harmony was Prime's dearest friend and most trusted advisor. A griffon breaking a contract was already unheard of, but to break a contract with a friend? Thinking about it made my head hurt.

“I swore to him that I’d do whatever it took to protect our friends and our city, and he swore the same. It’s an open contract. No strict terms or conditions. We work for each other, and for the city. I’m doing what I think is best for the city, even if Prime wouldn’t agree. That’s why I’m briefing you myself. My contract is unbroken, and the one I’m offering in no way conflicts with the one Prime has given you and your friends. I know you’re a good person. The horrors of the wasteland make your heart ache as much as mine. Please, do this for me.”

I picked at the table as I thought it over. She wanted real peace. A fresh start for the city. How could someone so hopeful and kind turn a blind eye to the ponies who were suffering in the city's shadow? I had to know.

She winced when I asked her about it. “The forced labour was supposed to be temporary…” she explained solemnly, her shoulders slumped.. Regret flowed from her every pore. “It grew out of control. It was supposed to give them a purpose and let them work to shorten their sentence. In the blink of an eye, it crumpled. No one could stop it. Without a plan for how to care for them and keep the city lit, Prime wouldn’t even put it to vote. Of course, he had his own ideas to fix it…

“A few blast charges in the hills by the rail line to divert a group of wasteland adventurers in the right direction, and the carriage pulled itself. He wanted all of you to find the skeletons in his closet because he knew Scarlet would clean them out. He has a lot of issues with trust. He’d rather pull everyone's strings than simply ask for help. He’s a good pony deep down. He’s just been through so much…”

I was more conflicted about Prime than ever. He was smart, well prepared, and very put together. He cared about the lives of those in the Visionary Coalition and beyond his borders. But his willingness to do whatever it took to maintain control and order over the area was a problem. He manipulated us by nearly burying his own train! He left his prisoners in horrid conditions, to be tortured by his own staff. From one perspective he was a wasteland hero, protector of the innocent. From another, a deceptive slaver who believed the ends justify the means. Like Red Eye from The Book of Littlepip, without the capital. He was willing to sacrifice his morals and carry the burden of the city's sins so its people wouldn’t be tainted. It was as honourable as it was stupid.

I groaned and rubbed my temples, easing the mounting headache slightly. The meeting was an emotional rollercoaster I wasn’t suited for. It should have been Scarlet in that chair. She was skilled at planning. Speaking. Meetings like this in books were always between the leader of the great city in peril and the leader of a ragtag crew of strong-willed heroes. Not a leader and some engineering wanna-be.

But by some trick of fate, some cosmic mishap, it was up to me. My friends looked at me like I was in charge. Snowflake saw me as a fearless adventurer. DJ Pon3 saw me as a selfless hero. They all had faith in me. I didn’t deserve their faith. I wasn’t worthy of it. But I wanted to be… If trying to live up to the legend the people painted of me would help them, the least I could do was try. The least I could do was strive to be ‘The Captain’ that they all needed.

So I agreed.

Two contracts were made. One on paper, promising my friends and I would clear out the toxin in exchange for caps, any information Prime has on my people, and the end to forced labour. One verbal agreement, between Harmony and I to go against Prime for the good of the city.

Footnotes:
No level up for you. Cry about it

Author's Note

My friend Tori on discord had some free time and looked over this chapter for me <3 So that's why the quality is higher than normal. It was super sweet of her, I'm very happy with how it turned out

Chapter 13: Red Haze pt.2

Fallout Equestria: Endless Horizon

Chapter 13: Red Haze pt.2

“Your people lived in this shit?” Sky asked with an annoyed frown. The deep blue glow of his horn was hardly visible in the crimson air around us. “I can’t see a thing down here. And the stuff is exhausting my magic faster than normal. Can’t imagine how you survived like this.”

My PipBuck struggled just as much to try and light our way. At the very least the device's mapping spell kept us from getting lost. “We wouldn’t go out until after it settled. My city wasn’t hit often thankfully, so we grew most of the food. In the wilds, we’d take cover in chem tents when it hit, or shrivel up and die.” The Pre-Store’s resistance was a nice third option, though it still left me on edge. I’d been told countless times how a few seconds of exposure would cripple you. Now I was trotting through it. I actively fought against the urge to run for shelter.

Sky wasn’t the only one struggling with fatigue. Blood ash was hungry for energy, and it wasn’t picky about what form its food took. At least we had protection against the ash itself. My friends all got goggles to keep their eyes clear. Sky and Scarlet tied bandanas over their muzzles, while I made use of my respirator and Free wore the rebreather I fixed for him.

To get the most use out of the potions and make sure no one was overworked, we moved in shifts. Rumble was immune to the magical contaminant, so he’d stay with the active team to map it all for us. It was tedious and exhausting, but it was our only option. Soon Sky and I would return to the MoA basement to rest while Scarlet and Free did their shift. Then I could finally rest…

The areas we could access on level two were underwhelming. Despite the expensive-looking ceiling turrets watching over each intersection, everything we found was worthless. A lot of offices, an eating area, a locker room, and a gym with some kind of flight combat simulator well beyond repair. No fancy tech, cursed relic of evilness, or even snacksa snack to be found.

To make it worse were the keypads. So. Many. Keypads. Every corridor was barred with a magical blue barrier. All with a keypad that I needed to bypass. The repetition was mind-numbing and time-consuming. I narrowed my eyes at the dastardly little security measure as the barrier winked out, and continued to stare it down as I unplugged my PipBuck from it. So many shield generators… and all with separate passcodes! We had to waste time trying to generate the code for every. Single. Barrier.

Sky huffed and shot me an annoyed expression as we got moving again. “You can’t hack every barrier we find, Aella! At this rate by the time we get past level two, I’ll be out of potions, and you’ll have died of old age. Can’t I just blow them up, or something?”

I hissed in annoyance as my head feathers ruffled. “They’re basically magic blast doors. I can’t make that many bombs strong enough to collapse them. Would be nice if there was a magical speaker gun that we could tune to disrupt them. The generator is on level 4, so we can’t kill the power to them either. Unless you know a counterspell for this, or can find me three of four dozen spark grenades, this is the best we can do.”

“No way! that isn’t a good option! It’s a stupid one!” The alicorn's complaints were more akin to a colt than a stallion. “Some prewar jerk might have had the mother damned time to punch in codes constantly, but we’re on a clock! You’re the smart one of your friends, you know this won't work as much as I do!”

He was right… Great spirits above, he was right! “Sky, that’s brilliant! The pre-war workers here wouldn’t waste time and energy learning all of these codes! They’d have keycards or something! Magical ID they’d keep with their personal effects!” I beamed and gave the brilliant mindreader a nuzzle.

I was so distracted by trying to get through in my own way, I hadn’t stopped to consider other options. I hadn’t thought of how they would have done it back then! Once I was looking from a new angle it was easy! Security alerts would happen whenever there was a zebra attack along the coast, and everypony still needed to get around the facility. The higherups had their own private quarters we could search. It was in the opposite direction we were going, but it was worth the risk. A keycard was our only chance.

Four barriers and 15 minutes later we arrived at the hallway labelled “Residental, VIP.” Six private quarters, hidden behind the heavy hydraulic doors Equestrian bunkers were addicted to. I understood their importance in stables, but did they really need such advanced entryways in all underground facilities? Overengineering had been the death of countless careers in my industry. Sky took the rooms on the left, while I took the ones on the right. I pressed my claw to the hoof-sized button and… nothing happened. Of course nothing happened, the overzealous thing was broken! A normal door wouldn’t prevent entry because of mechanical failure! You just push it open! Normal doors are perfectly fine! Not everything has to be fancy and go whoosh when you press a button like some cheesy science fiction book!

Ugh!

I had no idea what exactly was wrong with it, and I didn’t have time to figure it out. The next door was functional but locked. My last door was wide open but no more promising. The room was completely bare and perfectly clean. It’d look completely unused if not for the flickering terminal flickering on the plain steel desk and the uncomfortably thin mattress on the bedframe.

I pulled out the desk chair to take a seat, and couldn’t help but giggle. A cute little rock was relaxing against the cool metal chair, without a care in the world. I pet it with a claw and asked, “Mind if I take your seat for a minute? I just need to use this terminal.” The little dude didn’t mind, so I sat him next to the terminal and got to work.

The device was a mess. Over a thousand unanswered messages, most detailing the diagnostic data of the bunker systems. Three functional Moon Dancer Three spark reactors, a water reclamation system, and four dormant air talismans, one on each level. Megaspell targeting and deployment were on standby. Security on level one was offline, three and four showed online, and two was simply reporting as “compromised.” Security on the lower levels spelled trouble… On the bright side, we knew what we were working with.

The water talisman read insane levels of necromantic contamination, but Vision could still make use of the reclamator. Water and power. Everything Prime hoped for. More, even. I copied the most recent diagnostics for Harmony.

The metal chair dug into my spine as I combed through the data, making me groan and shift in my seat. Once I filtered out the automagic messages the system sent every 12 hours there were only four emails on the device. All were sent to someone outside the facility, and none of them had been returned.

Subject: Goodbye.

Mudbriar.

I know my absence has inconvenienced you. The Ministries needed me. Nopony knows as much about gems, rocks, and metal as I do. Besides, Boulder has become very patriotic since my cousin Destiny and Boulder’s cousin Rock enlisted. He was so insistent on being part of the project he refused to enter the building until he had his own ID card. He doesn’t have pockets, so a unicorn enchanted him to carry the access codes.

-Maud Pie

Subject: Re: Goodbye

Mudbriar

They have the most unusual metal samples for me to analyze. I’ve never seen anything quite like it. I asked to see the site the minerals were excavated from, but it’s beyond Equestria’s jurisdiction. It’s a shame, too. The soil composition alone could have told me everything about the area's geological development. Still, it is my first time studying something that isn’t terrestrial in origin. We can’t have everything.

They wouldn’t pay for the equipment I needed for my lab. Then they got upset with me for not doing my work. The work I couldn’t do without the equipment. Turned out it wasn’t hard to get the funding. Three days later it was delivered. They took it from Harkness’ security budget. Apparently he’s upset. Oh well. Lightning and Arcane Glow are in charge, not me.

-Maud Pie

Subject: News

Mudbriar

They got me a similar sample of metal from here in Equestria. Every test indicates it’s the same element and composition. Glow isn’t happy about that. He was even less happy when I told him science doesn’t care how he feels about it. Despite the samples being the same, they react to magic differently. He wants to know why. I have a rocktorate in geology, not geo-mysticism. He liked that even less. I know the basics of how magic reacts with different materials, but I don’t study it.

He fired me. I’ll be home next week. I have to stop in Canterlot first for our yearly Pie Sister Surprise Swap Day first. It’ll be the first time I’ve seen my sister in years, and Boulder is excited to see the city again. Destiny and Rock are stationed there as medics. Visiting them is much way better than sending a postcard.

-Maud Pie

Subject: Sorry Pinkie.

Pinkie Pie.

I won't be making it for our annual PSSD this year. The Ministry lab I was working in is on lockdown due to a chemical leak on level three. Levels two and one are being evacuated. In the meantime, Boulder is staying back to keep an eye on things for me. A bunch of the locals are doing an evacuation drill to a stable nearby, so I’m gonna see if I can take a look. I heard they have the most interesting andesite veins.

*** *** ***

They were trying to understand the difference between Cosmic Steel and starmetal. A complete waste of their time, honestly. We’d told them countless times the difference between the magical materials. Starmetal houses a dangerous, powerful star spirit. Zebras say that star spirits are evil, bent on sowing chaos and suffering to mortals. My people feel that greater spirits are like any other creature, with a great capacity for good or evil. Either way, power like that comes at a cost. No matter how many cultures try to explain a world beyond our own, Equestrians never listen. No place for our superstition in their unicorn spell- and gem-fuelled science.

So level three was arcane compatibility research, testing how different gems and metals reacted to different forms of magic. That kind of made sense. There were a number of minds and queries in the Equestrian west. Miss Pie was also included in a long email thread, containing endless complaints about added restrictions on travel through the third level, including very confrontational words from a “Captain Dust” about having access limited to her own project.

I rested a claw gently on the stone next to the terminal and sighed. “She cared about you a lot to get you your own pass. That, or something out there knew we’d need you to have it. Either way, how about we get you out of this hole?” The rock warmed a bit under my touch, which felt like a yes to me. I tucked the new companion into a vest pocket. “Alright, Boulder. Let's save some ponies.”

*** *** ***

Harmony sat across from me in a hastily set up break area in the MoA basement. Just a picnic table with a microwave and coffee pot, really. A mug of steamy creamy goodness was just what I needed. Meanwhile, Sky was sprawled out on a stack of crates in the corner, using her break to enjoy a bottle of scotch and a cigarette that definitely wasn’t tobacco. The alicorn enjoyed our break with a bottle of scotch at her side and DJ Pon3 in her ears.

While we lounged, Free and Scarlet braved the toxic cesspool below. We’d decided to tackle the lower levels together, but first, they were going to search for anything on the second level we could use. Scarlet was sure such a large facility would have a few hazard suits we could make use of. Even a few extra minutes before we had to drink another potion would help. The extra time from some suits would be helpful, as the ones the Visionaries had were in varying states of disrepair.

Harmony shared my love for the bittersweet bean juice. It at least gave us something to bond over as she combed through the data I recovered. She smiled as she sipped and read. Her mind was already hard at work figuring out how they could put so many intact systems to use for the settlement. I was just worried she’d get her hopes up. I had no idea if I could find the source of the Blood Ash to begin with, let alone disable it. My people tried for thirty years to find the source before a new air current brought it straight down on us. We never even got close.

All I could do was hope. We made a dent in our Pre-Store supplies just going down in pairs. Now we’d be descending as a group. If we ran out… Harmony hid it well, but she was worried too. She was skilled at keeping her feelings from showing on her face, but they were clear in her eyes. Hopefully, my friends would find something we could use.

My friends… I hoped my friends were safe. The haze interfered with Sky’s telepathy and left us with no way to know how they were doing. All I could do was wait for their time to run out, and hope they returned before then. None of them ever dealt with Blood Ash before. They didn’t have the experience and training that I had! If one of them got hurt I don’t know…

No. Gotta think of something else. Shift your focus. Can’t unravel. They’ll need you when they get back. For some reason, they’ve trusted me to be in charge. I can’t let them down. I looked up at the burly griffon still poring through data on her portable terminal. Perfect! Nothing is more distracting than conversation with an interesting stranger! “I thought you were Prime’s bodyguard. Shouldn’t you be… Guarding his body?” I asked awkwardly.

The hen cocked an eyebrow. “Hun, he’s in the most secure building in the most secure town in probably all of Equestria. Guards, cameras, and turrets, all controlled and coordinated from his office. And he ain't just some politician. We had our own wasteland adventures back in the day, just like you and your friends. Hell, his own brother tried to kill him and he got away fine. He can handle himself.”

“Yeah, you got a point… So then, you work as his…?”

“Representative. Advisor. Mental health specialist. Lover if the need arises. And he does anything in his skill set to help me when I need it. We have an open contract, to each other and our ideals rather than to a job or money.” She clicked her beak a few times and changed the subject. “You don’t need to worry about your friends so much, you know. They have far more experience in the wasteland than you. They’ll be fine. Besides, if something was wrong I’m sure you’d know.”

“I…I thought I was hiding it better than that. Sorry… Reasonably I know they’ll be ok, but I still worry. They’re putting their faith in me, risking their lives for my mission. They’re my first real friends. I’m afraid of losing them…”

“You’re afraid they’ll die, or leave. That’s understandable. People die, even before the war. It’s a fact of life. So it wouldn’t be your fault if they did. They choose to follow you, just like you’re choosing to help Scarlet, and by extension the town right now. Whatever happens won’t be any one person's fault. The universe is too complicated for things to be so simple.”

I felt a little bit better as we spoke. She made me feel strong enough to carry all the responsibility threatening to break my back. No… It was more like the weight itself was lessened. Like someone was helping me carry my burden. My fears and worries melted away, streaming out of me. It was a strangely familiar feeling that I couldn’t place. Most creatures wouldn’t have noticed the unusual pull at their emotions. If it was a more positive emotion I’d be sure a changeling was making a snack out of me.

My eyes widened as the pieces fell into place. The griffon had been different from the moment we met, but I hadn’t realized how much. The way she tried to help everyone, how sensitive she was, and how she empathized with others. I was so stupid! I facepalmed at my own stupidity with a hiss. The griffoness before me recoiled as I reared up and my wings snapped open. “I can’t believe… You were… I… E-excuse me! Y-you… I felt you doing that! You can’t just…Without even asking!? That… That isn’t alright…” I fell over my words as anger and anxiety wrestled in my chest. “Y-you had… no right…”

The griffon was stricken. Her wings fluffed anxiously as I towered over her. Her stunned expression shifted to regret. Harmony wouldn’t even make eye contact with me as she opened her beak. “You’re right… I crossed a line. I betrayed your trust. I just wanted to help! I thought if I could lower the intensity of all those feelings you might work through them easier. Usually, creatures don’t notice-”

“None of that makes this alright!” I snapped, raising my voice for the first time since I’d yelled at Specter back in the stable. My cheeks flushed with rage. “I am getting so tired of creatures invading my privacy like this! Scarlet with my PipBuck, Sky’s mindreading, now a griffon with the power to magically manipulate my emotions!? Does no one in this country understand privacy or consent!? Great Spirits beyond, I!- I… am needlessly annoyed right now…”

I sat back on the bench and folded my wings around me. Tears stung my eyes as the torrent of emotions returned, rushing through me. I never… I failed to keep my feelings inside and I yelled at that sweet griffon because of it. “I…I’m sorry…” I squeaked quietly, hidden by a wall of soft purple feathers.

“You’ve done nothing wrong, Aella. You’re processing your feelings. It’s a good thing. Something you should do more of. Everything you’re feeling right now is valid. You have every right to be upset. I’m sorry I upset you. I’ll try to keep from doing it to anyone without their permission. Though sometimes it just happens… I feel the pain shrouding someone's heart, and just… It’s in my nature to try and fix it. That’s why I never got along with my family. My kind aren’t exactly the touchy-feely type. I left home pretty young. Too soft to be a ‘real griffon’ and too hard to join the Followers.” The sad smile I could see on the hen's beak through my feathers broke my heart.

“I…I didn’t know there were any griffons with magic like that. Makes sense though… Most wouldn’t be very happy to have an ability like yours… So you were actually trying to therapize me? If I needed my heart mended I’d ask. Maybe… maybe someday I can deal with all the crap in my head, but there’s just too much I have to do first…”

“I know, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to intrude. It’s super impressive you could tell. No one other than Prime has ever noticed before. How’d you know?”

I explained my magical sensitivity. How my connection to magic waned over time as I failed to use it productively, before finding a use for it in the wasteland. It was easy to feel the energy in Equestria. Very little life, with almost no spirits guiding the natural world. The energetic dead zone was a perfect place to work out my arcane sense.

She was strangely impressed by my mostly useless ability. She even wanted to help me with it. “I’d love to try and give you a claw with it sometime. I know it isn’t the same, but emotions are just another kind of energy. We could go over some of the exercises I use.”

I smiled, and finally lowered the feathered wall between us. I quickly dried my eyes with my wing. “That could be nice… I appreciate it. It’s pretty far down on my to-do list, though. We gotta-”

“They’re back!” Sky shouted from the corner, cutting me off. He leapt down from a stack of crates and glided to the makeshift airlock of plastic sheets and duct tape. My gaze followed his to the two creatures (and one robot) within it, obscured by the red haze. The ticking and whirring of the filters were like claws on a chalkboard, but at least they made quick work of the toxic mess. Just a minute later the air inside was crystal clear, allowing my friends to enter the basement properly.

Both ponies had dark circles under their eyes. Their ears drooped as they trotted slowly inside. At least the powerful fan had gotten all of the Blood Ash off them. A night of rest and they’d be good as new. The duffel bag draped across Free's back hadn’t been there when they left, either. Perhaps it was the “finder’s fee” Scarlet tried to explain to me? Just another aspect of wasteland economics that ruffled my feathers.

Sky drew Scarlet into a quick winged hug, which the sleepy mare nuzzled into happily. Free greeted the towering alicorn with a half-hearted hoof bump. Rumble beeped a happy hello as it flew laps around the group. I wandered over as my friends said their hellos and caught each other up. “Hope you two made some good progress,” Sky said as he drew out of their embrace. “We found the elevator earlier, but Cap has refused to go anywhere near it.”

“Not a problem, as we found the stairwell!” Scarlet said with a smile. I giggled as Rumble nudged me, prompting me to wrap a wing around the cute little bug bot. Geotracking data transfer received, Level 2 MoA Materials Research Facility complete, flashed in my vision as he sent over the mapping data. “Not only that, we found their clinic. Free?”

Free smirked and threw his newly acquired duffel bag on the floor. He tugged it open to reveal heaps of medicine and chemicals I had never heard of. The excited caw of the griffon behind me assured me it was exactly what we needed. “We can get some more Pre-Store going with this, um…” The griff paused for a moment as she ran the numbers in her head. “Shattered Beaker can get more of the medicine cooked up in a bit over four hours. It’ll buy you more time down there.”

“In the meantime, we should rest,” I said as I joined the group, patting Free with a wing as I gave Scarlet a wonderfully warm nuzzle. “You both look terribly exhausted.”

Scarlet snickered a bit and nodded. “That’s what I was thinking. Everyone get some sleep and check your gear. Level three is hostile, so be ready.” Scarlet punctuated her statement with a firm stomp of her hoof. I may have been the captain, but Scarlet was my war chief. My master-at-arms. She had the experience and skill to lead us into combat. She’d get us through safely.

*** *** ***

A stream of 5mm ammo tore through the dim red haze. My ears ached as myriad bangs and cracks resonated around me. EFS barely warned us before the sentry bot bore down on us. We rushed to a nearby breakroom. The metal stove and overturned fridge were perfect covers against the lead rainstorm.

I clutched my left hoof tightly in my talons and wheezed. In the chaos to find cover, I tripped on a busted microwave and cracked my hoof. As far as wasteland injuries went, it was one of the dumbest ways to get hurt. Like getting nicked by some rusted metal and getting lockjaw. The noise and the pain made it nearly impossible for me to focus.

“This is a secure facility. Stand down and be eliminated!” the robot's voice roared in my ears, adding insult to injury. Free and Scarlet took turns peeking out to fire at the towering weapon on wheels. Meanwhile, the minigun on the sentry’s left arm worked to tear away our cover.

I poured half a potion onto my lame hoof and downed the rest. The magical healing worked slower than it would on flesh, but it was better than nothing. I downed the rest of the potion and followed it up with the soothing sensation of a double dose of Med-x. With the wonder drug melting away my pain I felt I could finally focus.

Scarlet let out a war cry as she let loose a burst of shotgun shells into the black-dyed killing machine. Despite the might of her trusty weapon it barely dented the sentry’s reinforced metal skin. She yelped and flinched back as the annoying automaton peppered her stove barrier with bullets.

With it preoccupied, the sound of Free’s carbine clattered next to me. While the accurate rifle was stellar at ranged attacks, it was no better at piercing armour than Scarlet's pump-action. The droid let out an annoying beep and went back to firing at the fridge we braced against.

“Surrender now, zebra infiltrators! Your deaths will be swift!”

“Real convincing argument, rust bucket! Add on some lava enemas and a few shots of taint and we’re in!” Sky snapped. A midnight aura floated her pistol over the fridge and sent a burst of flaming lead into the robot. The zebra pistol too did little against the robot's hull.

“Is everyone ok!?” Free bellowed over the crescendo of gunfire. He kicked a lever on his battle saddle, urging the complex rig to slam a fresh clip into his trusty weapon.

Sky grunted in response, trying to keep his large limbs behind the tiny barricade. Scarlet answered anxiously. “For now! I’m not sure how long we can keep going like this! Guns ain’t doing shit!”

They were right. The only options we had left were my energy rifle or a lucky shot from Sky’s enchanted pistols. I drew the trusty rifle I only just rebuilt. It was up to me. I hate when it’s up to me…

Hot pain speared through my cracked hoof as I reared up. I brought Hurricane to bear. The magical rifle was our best chance. The pain in my hoof vanished as SATS pulled me into a personal pocket of timelessness. Could have been the perfect chance to catch my breath, if only I could breathe.

I took a moment to analyze the situation. Two tons of angry metal alloy blocked the door we’d entered through. There was a door behind us, but we’d never reach it unless I could take out the bot's weapons systems. Upon closer inspection, the hulking beast wasn’t as advanced as I first thought. The weapons and armour were top tier, but the mechanics were basic. Even hidden behind the plates, the internals were clear. The whirr of worn servos and infrequent pulses of cheap talisman were all struggling under the weight of the horribly heavy frame.

After an endless instant, I had my targets. Three arrows of hot orange death tore into the Sentrybot. The first shot melted away its shoulder plates with a violent flash of energy, exposing the sensitive frame and vital crystals. The second shot burned through the targeting talisman within, turning the magical housing into sparking rainbow slag. The third shot struck the base of the machine's minigun, ruining the motor with a rain of sparks.

With its primary weapon offline, the sentry turned to retreat. Magical bullets tore into the weak armour of its backside. Magical fire licked at the robot's insides. The automaton’s speaker sputtered and whined as its systems burned away before it fell silent and still.

I hardly got to see the fruits of my labour. My hoof wasn’t happy about supporting my weight. The pain sent me crashing to the tile as time resumed. My vision blurred the wound shot right through the painkillers. I curled into myself with a whimper, eyes clenched shut. My whole body shook as I tried to push away the pain. A warning about the additional damage I’d done to my rear leg flashed on Eyes Forward Sparkle.

Cool soothing energy flowed up my leg as more healing potion was applied to the wound. My eyes opened to find Scarlet above me. She pulled off my respirator to push a bottle of purple magic to my beak. I drank greedily, impatient for the magic to alleviate more of the pain. I ignored the stinging in my lungs in favour of the magic that filled my stomach. The effects of the healing potion were limited by the strange, energy-sapping magic in the air. It left my limb achy and lame.

Free sat by my tail, dressing the wound in healing bandages with a frown. “This will help you move around, but it’ll never heal properly down here. We should get you outside, and-”

“No! N-no, it’s alright. I can keep going. I just took a Pre-Store ten minutes ago, I don’t want to waste it. Besides, you’ll need my gun if there are more of those.” Free and Scarlet glanced at one another, unconvinced. “I can walk on three legs just fine, ok? We have work to do.”

Free relented. “Well… I can’t exactly force you.”

Scarlet rolled her eyes and helped me up. Sky beamed in excitement over her shoulder. “How in the hell did you pull that off? That was damn impressive.” The alicorns praise made my face burn. I hope that my blush was hidden by the crimson air.

“I just um, pictured where all the components could be, I guess…” I answered slowly as I scooped my rifle up from the floor. “I guess I’ve worked on enough robots to know how they all go together…? The rest was just… a feeling or something. Instinct, I guess. Being a good engineer is as much art as science. You have to see below the surface. Listen and feel for problems and solutions.”

“That… is a lot more lame than I expected?” The alicorn grimaced as he spoke. “S-sorry… no pun intended. Still, good work. You gave me the perfect opening to ice it. Gotta remember how we did that.” He chuckled.

“Let's get going,” Scarlet said in her commanding voice. “Next break is in thirty, and we’re already behind-”

A series of anxious beeps cut her off as a little blue bot whirled into the room. The little bots warning had me instantly on edge.

Thunk thunk thunk thunk.

A stream of metal apples soared past the open doorway. Sky shoved Scarlet and away from the door as the building shook. Explosive shockwaves had us eating concrete while the hallway filled with flashes and smoke. I hissed in annoyance as I hobbled towards the rear door. If we could just slip out before our new friend got to us.

The door was locked.

I must have been the least luck mare in the entire spirit-damned wasteland! I didn’t have time to contemplate what sins my past incarnations had done to warrant my terrible life as the grenade-slinging sentry bot rolled in.

Gunfire clawed at my ears as my friends lit up the encroaching enemy. In seconds its chassis was scuffed and dented. Despite the onslaught, the robot's minigun wasn’t spinning up. The grenade launcher didn’t fire. It stared blankly as it was shot up.

After a moment everyone stopped firing. We looked at one another, equally confused. Sky flicked me with his wing to get my attention. “What’cha think, Cap? Did we break it?”

“Unlikely…” I responded as I ruffled my feathers.

“New orders received. Stand down or be detained, zebra scum!” New orders? From whom!?

THUNK THUNK THUNK

Scarlet barrelled into me as a stream of grenades fired from its long tubular arm. I coughed and wheezed as we crashed to the floor, narrowly dodging a death apple. It was a selfless act, but I feared it was in vain. The trio of explosives lobbed at us was more than enough to tear the room apart. The explosion from them would burn Scarlet and I alive. The shrapnel would tear into Free and Sky, while the shockwave collapsed their lungs. I closed my eyes tight. If my friend was going to die on top of me I didn’t want to see it. I hoped that the spirit of my people would forgive me for my failings. I prayed that my species would survive despite my negligence as I waited to die.

Nothing happened.

“Ugh… Where’s the boom? This is usually when it booms.” Sky’s careless remark echoed my own thoughts. I felt the buck step over me as he moved to examine one of the grenades. I cracked an eye open to take a look. It didn’t look like the ones I’d seen on TV, or for sale in shops. Its frame was tall and slim, with two tiny quartz crystals flickering on the top.

“Must have been a dud,” Scarlet muttered. Her weight lessened as she slowly climbed off me, looking sheepish. “Sorry…”

I smiled at her and gave her a nuzzle, making her blush deepen. “Don’t apologize for trying to save my beak, silly.”

The feathers on my head twitched as I heard a quiet hiss coming from the corner of the room. It was like when I found a leak in an airline, the first time I used the pneumatic nailer. But why was I hearing it now?

“Sky!” Free called out as the hulking alicorn fell against the wall.

“I don’t feel great…” he muttered, sliding down to the floor. “Something is wrong.”

Was something wrong? The walls were moving more than usual, and the floor was swaying under me. Like the room was breathing! Was the room alive? No, that was stupid. It was a room, rooms aren’t alive in the same way ponies and hippogriffs are alive. Still, something did seem wrong… Free was shouting something, but I wasn’t listening. Did he even care that the floor was moving? Maybe that’s what he was shouting about…

Scarlet laid on the floor under me, looking at me with an expression I couldn’t interpret. Why did ponies have to use so many facial expressions? They should just say how they’re feeling. Much easier.

No… No no no, wait! Something was wrong. Very wrong. We were fighting. It shot something… “G-gas!” It fired gas! I’d heard it but I didn’t think! I fumbled with my respirator, but it was too late. I couldn’t focus. I was too disoriented to even tighten the straps.

Free! Free had a rebreather, the gas wouldn’t affect him! He could do… something, anything! He just had to get away… I could help! I could do that much! I fumbled with my saddlebag as I pulled a stealth buck from my bag, and slotted it into my wrist. I had to… he needed…

Thud

The floor… I couldn’t help on the floor. At least my head was on something soft. Cinnamon... It was always cinnamon. Why? I’d never even had cinnamon. I felt something trot over me. Tapping and hissing at my pip-buck. Free could do it… If he powered up the peripheral he could slip out. Just like when cinnamon horse and I freed the slaves at the ridge. He’d heard the story. “Just hang on, alright? I’ll be right behind you guys. It’ll be ok…” He’ll get it done… I know he will.

I was finished. My vision was darkening. I couldn’t feel my body. It wasn’t a nice feeling, like taking a painkiller or sedative. It felt wrong. Sickening. My body and mind fought a losing battle against it. They couldn’t win. We were already exposed to the chemical. All we could do was succumb to the gas. I could only hope we would awaken before the potions wore off and the poisoned air consumed me.

Footnotes:
Welcome to level 12!

Perk added: Scrapping Genius!: What's compatibility if not just a word? You can now use similar parts to repair weapons and equipment. Fix a carbine with parts from a pipe rifle! Repair your resonance pistol using scraps of a laser weapon! How’s it work? No creature knows, not even you!

Chapter 14: Calm Minds and Firefly's

Fallout Equestria: Endless Horizon

Chapter 14: Calm Minds and Firefly's

Drip. Drip. Drip. Drip.

The first thing I noticed when I regained consciousness was the sound of water cutting through the eerie silence. No hum of lights or grinding of gears. Only deafening silence, broken by the steady fall of water striking my bare flank.

For once, waking to a leaking pipe above me was the least of my worries. I woke up in an alcove of a large cavern, separated from it by steel bars. My makeshift jail cell was only a few metres long and wide. Not only did it lack bedding, leaving me with only the hard uneven ground to sit or lay on, but no toilet or sink either. If anyone had ever been held here before, it wasn't for long.

I fought back the urge to vomit as I slowly pulled myself off the floor. My stomach was still churning from whatever gas they used on us. My muscles were weak, and my head throbbed just behind my ear. About where my seemingly useless neural stent was implanted, actually.

Far worse than being sick or injured, I was alone. As far as I could tell, at least. My EFS was down, leaving me blind to anything beyond my direct line of sight. My PipBuck was unresponsive; completely drained. Not only did they relieve me of my barding and supplies, but went so far as to disable my tech somehow.

Not a good start.

On the bright side, wherever I was being held wasn’t tainted. Not magically at least. There was plenty of dust in the air, and the asbestos and lead in the cavern walls were concerning to be sure, but I wasn’t being magically drained from the inside out. The cell was safe from magical contamination, but it was still a cell. My unknown captors had taken everything from me but my Pipbuck and necklace, leading me to believe they had terrible taste in jewelry.

Scarlet and Sky went down before me. They were probably somewhere nearby, needing my help. I scoffed and banged my head against the wall softly. “Who am I kidding… They’re always the ones that end up helping me. Still… better to try and get out than just sit on my haunches I guess.”

I moved to the metal bars locking me in for a closer look. The welds were crude at best, but no matter how much I pulled the metal refused to give. Maybe an earth pony would be strong enough to bend or break them, but I had very little chance. Hippogriffs aren't physically strong creatures already, and I was more known for hitting buttons than hitting the track.

The best can I could come up with was to call on a flame rune to weaken the metal or a cold rune to make it more brittle. Unfortunately, runes never communicated what I wanted correctly, so the effects were unpredictable. I could accidentally melt my face off, or freeze myself solid. I wasn’t nearly that desperate.

As I contemplated my freedom I got the feather-ruffling feeling I was being watched. Another scan of my surroundings revealed the culprit, hiding in plain sight outside of my cell. A familiar rock that somehow kept itself from being carried off with the rest of my gear. I know rocks don't have eyes, but I swear it was staring at me!

I sat down next to the bars and sighed. “I don’t know how I can get out of here Boulder. My weird brand of ancestral-spirit-blessed-rune magic is useless. My friends aren’t here to help. Friends other than you, I mean. You’re a special rock, but you can’t open doors.” The brazen little rock held its unseeing gaze, refusing to relent. Was I being judged by a rock? Or was it trying to tell me something? “I’m sorry, ok? I’m just not a gifted hen! Without my tools or my friends, my options are limited. All I can do is sit here and hope somepony finds me!” I punctuated my point with a little hiss. Uppity rock, thinking it knows everything.

“Aella, it’s been like three hours… You’re already mad enough to talk with rocks?” A forest-coated pegasus cantered into view outside my cell, concerned but entertained at my usual antics. I released tension in my body I hadn’t realized I was holding as I reached through the bars with a smile.

A smile he returned as he reached out to touch my claw. “Free! Thank the spirits. Where are we? You know what, I don’t care. Get me out of here?”

The pegasus looked over the ramshackle door to my cell with a frown. “Some guy in a patched-up rad suit has the keys. Probably a ghoul. He’s got control of the facility. Can you blast your way out?”

I shook my head. “No. Not unless we’re planning on having wings for dinner.” Free got noticeably greener at my dark joke. “I’d blast myself to the stars, and I’d rather avoid them thank you very much. I bet Sky or Scarlet could pick it. Have you seen them?”

He shook his head. “No, I lost track of them. Is that the key card… rock… key rock? I thought Scarlet had it.” Free asked as he noticed the enchanted stone on the floor, and scooped it up.

“It is, yeah! He was keeping me company. Not much of a conversationalist, but he’s a great listener.” I giggled. “Where are we? What happened to all the red mist?”

Free hoofed me the little rock as he explained. “Level four. We went through some kind of improvised airlock. Looks like they were expanding when the mega spells went off. Poor ghoul probably tried to finish the work all on his own.” He grumbled as he looked at the lock on my cell door. “Too bad the magic rock can’t get this open too. I’m worried about Scarlet and the alicorn.”

“Aww, somepony’s starting to like Skyyyy!” I teased. “You’re his frieeennnnnnd.” The buck scoffed and rolled his eyes. My amusement faded as I considered our situation again. I picked at the cold stone floor below. “You can’t get me out of here. As badly as I want you to stay so I won’t be alone, you need to find everyone. Scarlet and Sky can get me out of here, I’ll just… sit tight for now.”

Free frowned and rested a hoof against the bars. “Aella, are you sure? I know thi-”

“Yes, I’m sure!” The buck recoiled as I unfurled my wings. “I can sit tight for five minutes without having a meltdown or getting myself killed. I’m not helpless, ok!? So go save our friends. The faster you do that, the faster we can get me out of here.” I sat back on my haunches, the sudden flash of anger fading quickly as it came. “I-...I’m sorry. Just, trust me. You’re doing no good here.”

Free looked between my cell and the hallway, uncertain. “Ok… If you’re sure. I didn’t mean to imply you couldn’t handle things. You’ve already done plenty to prove yourself. You should be proud.” The soft clip-clop of hooves on stone echoed through the hall as he went deeper into the facility.

*** *** ***

We worried about what we’d find on level three. On the bright side, level four was completely free of contamination! It was a mess of storage rooms and manufacturing centers, mostly working on aluminum framing or turbine engines. The signs in the facility made it easy to navigate, pointing towards ‘TP loading and unloading,’ and ‘clinic,’ because apparently, the one on second wasn’t enough. We followed the signs toward the operations center.

Scarlet and Sky were already out when Free found them. In an impressive feat of spellcraft, the two horned horses combined their magical strength to knock down their cell’s door. Even better, the three ponies found our gear stored in the vacant security room. Most important of which was Scarlet's lucky screwdriver. Tool in hoof, the charismatic mare had no problem breaking me out of my prison of perpetual torment.

I felt a lot safer with my friends at my side and my tools on their belt. A shot of med-x from my saddlebags calmed my throbbing head and hoof. Free took a shot for himself as well, citing that his stump hurt worse than usual. He figured it was an effect of the extended Blood Ash exposure. It worried me.

“Even when you’re in pain you think of others… I’ll never understand you. You holding together?” Sky asked quietly as we trotted away from the makeshift cellblock.

“I’m ok, I think…” I answered slowly. At some point, the neural link in my skull rebooted. It was annoying more than anything, constantly trying and failing to connect to my pip-buck. In theory, it had other functions, but the unusual technology seemed basically useless. “Just… weird magic, you know? Not to mention being captured. I just want this to be over.”

”Tell me about it. My magic is a mess down here. Don’t worry, we just gotta ice the bad guy, find the magic dust shit, and get to the surface. Then we can get as drunk and high as we can be. It’ll be great!” Scarlet and Free glanced back at us from the sudden outburst, before continuing a muted discussion about how screwed we were.

Free led us to where he'd left Rumble, by one of several improvised airlocks that connected the basement to the rest of the bunker. It wasn’t much different than the one we’d gone through upstairs. A square room made of patchwork tarps running mouldy air filters. Far from perfect, but good enough.

It was also our way up to level three. Once we solved the air problem, we could take as many warriors as we needed to clear out whoever had taken over the place. Or heck, we could leave it all to Prime. Our contract said nothing about clearing out evildoers. And we really had to get back to finding a way to help my people…

Scarlet suggested we send Rumble through the airlock to scout the path ahead. Security didn't seem concerned with him, and he was more resistant to the energy-eating particulates than the rest of us. He bot eager to accept the task. Happy to keep us safe and do something important. While he forged ahead, we took a break to get some food and check over our wounds again. Everyone other than his own, that is.

-🖂︎🖂︎🖂︎-

I almost have it. I have to. Two metals, the same in every way but effect. One, with such a narrow resonance frequency that nearly no creature can manipulate it. One that can modulate and even amplify the magical resonance of any input! It’s suspiciously similar to a certain early prototype that the Ministry of Peace was working on a while back…

I can use it. I can make an energy source more powerful than anything anycreature has seen. The power of a spark generator but small enough to fit into a weapon. A spell matrix with variable output, devices capable of casting any unicorn spell with a simple software adjustment! Magic, gems, coal, things of the past. The future is this; my zero-point capacitor. Once I work out the bugs…

This will not be like the tests I did in Beakini Atoll. The failure of that experiment caused massive damage to the area and took up much of my funding to contain. So long as it remains so, Mt. Aris and the zebras will be none the wiser.

The two metals do not get along. Not even slightly. The reaction isn’t as violent as we’ve seen with other astral materials, but it is infuriating! They negate one another's effects, rather than work together as I’d hoped. If I understood what made them so different I could find a workaround… For now, I am limited to trial and error.

I can show them all I’m not some half-wit. You don’t need a horn to do magical study. To have power. Aurora Star. Gestalt and Mosaic. Trottenheimer. I’ll show them all.

Doctor Arcane Glow,

Theoretical Imagineering,

C.I.A.T.

*** *** ***

It was brilliant. Terrifying. The source of every nightmare that plagued my fledgling dreams. Now I knew what it looked like.

Suspended magically in the center of the laboratory was a Mobius Strip. A geometrical oddity. A two-dimensional shape in three-dimensional space. An alien configuration that turned into itself, giving it one endless surface in the fitting shape of infinity. Gems and talismans graced its unending surface, connected by an array of indented lines in the metal, some thin as a hair. The divots and gems radiated an angry red that cast the room in an ominous hue.

It was a prototype power source. The Zero Point Capacitor. A mix of Cosmic Steel and Starmetal, in an array that was supposed to generate a powerful arcane amplification field. One strong enough to power countless homes, possibly multiple cities. Or to destroy an entire nation.

Doctor Arcane Glows notes were limited. A small notebook loaded with complaints about other scientists and how their discoveries were foalish and unworthy of praise. I pocketed the entire book, though only a few pages had any useful information. It wasn’t much, but it taught me more about Blood Ash than anycreature had figured out in over a century. The terrible spellcraft that turned my home into a desolate wasteland was a pony megaspell as we thought, but not one built to destroy. Just a failed experiment that could have solved Equestria’s energy crisis and ended the war. One that while simplistic and flawed, wasn’t terribly far off from how the cities of Mt. Aris were kept heated and lit. So, it was very easy for me to see where she’d gone wrong.

The scientist had no idea what forces she was trying to manipulate. She overlooked how delicate the balance has to be to work with such potent magic, so sensitive even someone's spark could tip the scale. Her greed and envy corrupted it. 200 years later, it was left dying. The metal cracked and discoloured. Gems chipped and flickering. A sickly aura hung around it, assaulting my senses with steady pulses of vertigo.

Many creatures put themselves into their work, but few realized how literal that can be. When someone works hard enough or is strong enough, they can leave an imprint of themselves on the object. A reflection of their essence; their magical signature. Even a part of their soul.

The relic mirrored the most bitter aspects of Doctor Glow. The mare's insecurities corrupted her creation as surely as they did herself, creating a lonely, obsessive, hateful entity. As terrible as the unholy mess of half-dead metal and flawed magic was, I felt terribly sorry for it. The methods of its creation left it in a perpetual state of discontent and suffering. Always starving for whatever magical energy it can manage to steal but never able to sate itself. Like a changeling or Basilisk. And like such creatures, it could only feed on energy similar to its own. Enough time without usable fuel, it would wither and die.

The lab was supposed to be sealed with a heavy blast door, coupled with a thinner inner door to act as an airlock. A common and effective set-up when the failsafes work. They hadn’t. The layer of dust around the blast doors suggested the door had been wide open since Equestria fell. An entire facility felled by a damaged actuator. With how much ‘state-of-the-art’ garbage the facility was dressed up with, I wasn’t surprised.

Other than the relic of apathy in the center of the room the lab was standard. Beakers, burners, measuring equipment, spinny separatey things. Stuff Aqua would have been able to name or use.

Surrounding the relic was a weak containment field. Cracks spidered across the translucent blue field, allowing the contaminants to run free. Bits of red dust fell from several of the blackened crystals. Back home the toxic substance was usually washed away by rain, where it slowly broke down and died in the ocean. In the sealed bunker it could only be recirculated through the air vents.

“This thing is so weird…” Sky commented as he looked over the cursed object. The source of so much suffering and torment. Scarlet nodded beside him, the fellow magic user equally disturbed by the Zero Point Capacitor. Meanwhile Free looked over the long narrow window at the far center of the room, covered over by metal shudders. It made zero sense to have a window in an underground facility, but I was too distracted to question it.

“Pulse Polymer…” I muttered softly to myself, drawing confused looks from them both. “The name. Of the material. Pulsar is like… a rare type of star. And a polymer is a material made up of more than one thing. So the name… Um… y-yeah.” I stammered in explanation.

“Find it in your new little notebook?” Sky asked as his ear twitched. His horn was flaring as he tried to focus his magic on the Pulse Polymer, but each attempt ended with the magic quickly evaporating. “Ugh, it doesn’t like magic!” He complained. I shrugged at his question. Sure, that’s as good of an answer as any. Better than explaining how sometimes information just appears in my brain.

The sound of a motor drew everyone's attention. Free smiled as the steel shutter over the window lifted away, flooding the lab with artificial light. The buck's eyes widened as he gazed out, stunned into silence. Sky was just as in awe from Free’s thoughts. His expression grew into a massive grin.

Scarlet and I bolted to the window to see what the bucks found so much more impressive than the strange work of magic we uncovered. “Holy shit…” Scarlet muttered as we followed our medic friend's gaze. It suddenly made a lot more sense why there was a window. And why it had a shutter.

“My gods…” I marvelled. Somehow the megaspell and magical poison artifact weren’t the biggest surprises of the day.

*** *** ***

Entry 3.

I hate it here. I hate her for assigning me to this craptastic hole in the ground. Why did they even build this place underground? Nowhere to fly! In a base for pegasi?! What kind of moron came up with that? The MoA finally gets the weather problem solved with their SPP, I’m finally going to get to fly for Equestria! I was the top cadet in the Wonderbolt Academy! Until Rainbow got me kicked out on my flank… Element of loyalty. Yeah right. Now I finally have my shot to fly with the best, in actual combat, and she assigns me to a production plant!? I don’t give a damn how special this crap we’re working on is, I’m not a desk jockey! I never shoulda left The Washouts to enlist. ‘Join the army, see the world, be a hero!’ What a load of pony shit!

-Lighting Dust. Not that anypony even cares!

Entry 13

Ok, so the Cloudship is pretty great… They took the tech developed for the SPP and turned it into some kind of experimental weather canon for her. Just lightning and wind wherever it strikes. More importantly, they’re making me the captain! They wanted someone who knew the thing inside and out. And trust me, I have walked every inch of that place through the construction. Not much else to do around here…

Now instead of aimlessly wandering halls while I signed off on inventory reports and overtime contracts, I get to comb through the 300 pegasi recruits and transfers in the hopes I’ll find 50 ponies I can stand living with on a warship for months at a time. Obviously, Rolling Thunder and Short Fuse are in, but other than that I don’t know…

-Captain Lightning Dust, I guess.

Entry 14

Almost got my damn head blown off by that new head of security. Apparently, level 3 is off-limits in the base that I’m supposed to be overseeing. What the fuck? Rainbow isn’t emailing me back. Apparently has more important shit to do. Such horse shit! I swear I’m the least informed pony on base and I’m in charge of it!

The H.M.S. Firefly should be ready for its first flight out by the Grand Galloping Gala. Pinkie and RD thought it’d be a good time to show off the new ships we’ll be rolling out. Show off our military might and whatever. More importantly, she’s letting me have my guys do an air show! The others are thrilled! Now we just gotta go through my recruits and see if any of them have the chops to cut it with the best of us. An air show to pump us up, a few tweaks back at base, and we’ll be ready for the front lines! Every Zebra in the country will know the name Lightning Dust!

-Captain Lightning Dust

Entry 19

We’re not… going to be performing at the 3G. The call came in 15 minutes ago. Omega-Leve Threat Protocol. Everypony is evacuating to the nearby stables. Most of the staff left the base a few hours prior due to the chemical leak on three. We can’t let them back in… Even if we could, only the Firefly has breathable air. It could take months to clean out level four, and that’s if we don’t run out of food before the engineers are done. I feel like my wings are clipped.

One of the soldiers suggested launching the Lightning Wing and making a run for Yakyakistan or Saddle Arabia. I almost shot him out of principle. Bad enough the pink cloud in Canterlot got as far as it did. Whatever they were developing here… Containing it is our first priority.

Entry 29

food gone. reactor leaking. big mess. to many rads. think im dying. coats falling out, and my skin’s flaking and peeling. feels like im on fire! i never dreamed radiation sickness could be like this… i gave the radaway and rad-x we had left to the others. ordered them to seal the vents and doors on level one. once the source is contained, theyll go to Stable 14. i pray to Celestia that the overmare lets them in. good ponies. dont deserve to die.

I’m going to just… rest for a minute.

*** *** ***

It was amazing. A feat of engineering that I could only dream of. Sleek, long, light. I knew them from books and stories, but actually seeing one up close, intact? Incredible. It looked nearly as well preserved as the day it was built! Unlike the rest of the facility, damp and dirty as it slowly rusted away.

Taking up one of the facilities’ four massive hangers was an honest to gods Raptor. The source of war-ridden Equestria’s aerial superiority. An airship, armed with weapons so powerful they could slay dragons! The cloud generators and levitation talisman that allowed it to fly were offline, letting us see the strong armoured haul and advanced weapons system unimpeded. A massive vehicle of black steel, with orange detailing. Half a dozen small turrets graced each side, with a massive energy cannon mounted on the bow. It was unlike anything I’d ever seen. The gems along it looked like containment talismans, so whatever actually powered the canon was inside somewhere. The ship’s loading bay was open, giving us a small look at the vessel's massive cargo bay. Various other portholes and hangers were locked shut along the sides, with turrets fixed above and below them. It was amazing. Unbelievable. Impossible! It was-! It was…

“Terrible… It’s bad enough the enclave factions still have some of these things, but at least they keep their fighting mostly to the skies. One of these things roaming the wastes… Prime wouldn’t hesitate to turn these weapons on those he disagrees with. Even the New Canterlot Republic would have a hard time taking something like this on. If it was supported, they’d have no chance.” Scarlet said as she looked down at the terrifying weapon.

“You’re right…” I breathed softly. “They can’t get their hooves on this.” Just like that, our mission got even more complicated.

*** *** ***

The bridge of the ship was as impressive as I expected. Split into an upper and lower area. The lower area had banks of monitors and interfaces where operators could track and adjust nearly all the ship's systems. The upper area had the captain's chair sat behind an ornate steering wheel, flanked by a dozen levers and peddles. It all looked out the massive glass cockpit, looking out over the glorious bow of the ship.

Holographic displays could be brought up along the upper half of the windows, imprinting important engineering and combat data for the Captain and Crew to access easily. It was far more advanced than what I expected from Equestrian technology and scarily efficient. Just a dozen operators in the ship, plus maybe a few engineers to work repairs and upkeep, and you could take on a small army.

Of course, that’s why we had to make sure it wouldn’t fly. Which is easier said than done when there’s a ghoul pony aiming a magical laser pistol at your head, but I was confident! I may have gotten too distracted reading through the captain's private terminal to notice her sneaking up behind me… I may have also sent my friends to the ships med bay to try and make enough Pre-Store for us to get out of hell's basement alive! Scarlet figured it was fine because the room only has one entrance for me to watch.

…I got bored after 48 seconds. I know, because I later found out my friends were betting on how long it would take me to get distracted by so much tech. Sky won, with a guess of 53 seconds.

From the few hairs she still had poking out around her hooves and shoulder, her coat was blue when she was alive. One eye was covered over with a light blue patch, but otherwise, she seemed unharmed. She didn’t have much of a mane left, though her orange eye was almost the same shade as her captain's hat. She wore a dull grey military uniform, covered in patches and stars that had no meaning to me. A pair of featherless wings were outstretched as she kept her body low, ready to fight at the drop of a feather.

“How’d you get out of your cell? This is a secure facility! As if the mass defection wasn’t bad enough, now we have infiltrators breaking in! Best pray to Luna that Dash gets ahold of you before the Ministry of Moral does. I’ve seen what they do to ponies… It’s… you… are not a zebra…”

The feathers on my head folded back as I stared down her barrel. Was everyone so casual with weapons they were comfortable speaking with a firing bit in their mouth? One wrong move and my head would go splat! Though at the moment, I was more concerned with how she was acting. Hand me over to the MoM? Or Rainbow Dash? And thinking I was a zebra... It was almost heartbreaking. I hadn’t met many ghouls, but I’d learned enough in my reading and radio listening to know the signs of one losing themselves. She’d probably been alone since the megaspells. Nothing but her own thoughts, and a facility slowly falling apart around her.

“I’m Aella. Aella Breeze. I’m a hippogriff, from Mt. Aris. We’ve never been enemies of Equestria, but we used to do trade and stuff! Though apparently, at least one pony stole our sacred metals… t-that’s not important! I’m not a spy or anything! I’m a smart mare: if I were a spy we would have been far less conspicuous. We’re here to help. You’re Lightning Dust, right? From the terminals? You’re the Captain of the Firefly… You were going to take it out for a show, but there was an attack.”

“The… The megaspells… I… I’m sorry, I think…” Her expression became sullen as she pieced it all together. After the tensest seconds of my life, the pegasus slipped her pistol back into its holster. “I was in a daze there for a while. I’m sorry if I caused you and your friends any problems. How did you all get… down… Oh no… No no no, the door! Tell me you morons didn't let it out!” She rushed over to me and planted her hooves on my shoulders, eyes wide with fear.

“N-n-no it’s ok! It’s secure, nothing has leaked past level one.” I assured her with a smile, trying not to wretch from her rotten scent. “You did it. Your team did it. It’s contained. Everything is safe.” The mare gave a relieved sigh as she stepped back, leaving my shoulders sore. She was surprisingly strong for a pegasus ghoul! “How did you survive down here all this time? What happened? Your logs stop after your crew leaves for the stable!”

She sighed and motioned her head towards the door. “It’s a long story. Come on, we can discuss it over tea. After we find your friends, so I can apologize for the mixup. It’ll be… nice to have guests after so long.”

*** *** ***

“So… You’re an alicorn princess buck, created by a ministry experiment, and there’s… bunches of you alicorns just flying the unfriendly skies?” Lightning Dust asked, pointing a hoof at Sky. He nodded slowly.

Lighting brought us to the Firefly’s cafeteria so we could sit and talk. She didn’t have any food to offer us, but she had an impressive collection of teas. More importantly for me, she had Coffee! SO. MUCH. COFFEE! Needless to say, I was very happy as I held a steaming cup of sweet creamy goodness in my talons. Sky drank a homebrewed alcohol named for Princess Luna herself. Lightning Dusk said that moonshine had been enjoyed by the Equestrian Navy for over a thousand years, though not officially. I was too afraid to ask what was in it. Free, Scarlet, and the ghoul captain herself were enjoying mugs of green tea.

The ghoul's hoof pointed to Scarlet next. “You’re an escaped slave, wearing the hardware to honour those who you couldn’t save.” The mare glanced down at her own military uniform, kept clean and intact by her even after 200 years. “I suppose I can understand that. And you,” Then she moved her gaze to Free. “You’re a field medic whose entire squad deserted, but to help ponies?" The buck flinched at that. "Which is what Rainbow Dash did 200 years ago, and how she died... Stupid bitch.” She wore a nostalgic smile as she thought back. “Here I’ve been watching my post for 200 years like a moron, heh.” Finally, me. “And you’re… a neurodivergent mechanic, who’s also a ship captain.”

“Mechanic doesn't quite cover it, I'm trained in many other fields as well. So um... Listen, I get this is probably a lot to take in, I-”

“A lot to take in?” Lightning cut me off with a laugh. “Kid, I’m an undead pony with rotten skin and a taste for radiation. I’m the weirdest part of this equation, trust me. A bunch of freaks who embrace what makes them different, instead of trying to conform? That’s the story of my fucking life. And my crew. You’d have all gotten along well with them. Especially you.” She said with a wink to Scarlet.

“Guess it’s time to tell you all my story…” She took her hat off with a sad sigh and sat it down on the table. “We were low on food when everyone left… Just scraps, really. This place wasn’t designed to be a fallout bunker, so we weren’t stocked like one. We only had a few weeks' worth of supplies on hoof. Which was stupid… This bunker could have saved at least a few hundred if it was properly stocked, and not filled with poison.

“The radiation sickness got worse. I felt the end coming. I couldn’t see, I couldn’t hear. There was only pain. But somehow I recovered. So I got up and got back to work. I secured level four from whatever evil Doctor Glow created. Did my best to keep things clean and maintained. I lost track of time. I didn’t even eat anymore! I had no idea anything was wrong with me until I saw myself in a mirror. Some kind of freak burn victim or something. It was hard to accept, but I made the best of it. At least now I know there’s a word for what I am, heh. A ghoul. Rainbow Dash wouldn’t believe it. Mare always thought I’d get myself killed doing something stupid. I thought so, too! Fate is a bitch, killing her and leaving me here alive.

“I got the odd transmission over the coms in the bridge, but it was always too garbled to make out. After… 6 months maybe, they stopped altogether. That’s when I assumed everyone was dead. I tried to take care of the base, and maintain discipline. But over time I lost myself… Sometimes I forget things about my past or the world. Eventually, I forgot the present. I got… lost in a memory from before.” Lightning Dust’s eyes met mine as she smiled. “And then you found me. I have a few questions, too. What happened out there? How long has it been? You’re not a military group… Why come down here?”

Her question was met with fidgeting limbs and nervous glances. No one wanted to be the bearer of bad news, especially after everything she’d been through. But it would have been wrong to keep her in the dark. I did my best to explain everything, with my friends filling in many of the gaps. The Enclave, project safehouse, Red-Eye, everything. I even told her about how the zebra tribes are still managing to get by, as fractured and at one another as many of the tribes were.

She was disheartened to hear how far her fellow pegasi had fallen, most of all. Lightning was very clear about the fact that she joined the army for glory, but she still understood what it was about. Fighting for those who can’t fight for themselves. The Enclave gave up on Equestria and its people. She wanted nothing to do with them in turn.

I told her of the good things in the wasteland, too. The Lightbringer, The Shrouded Stallion, the little pegasus who helped liberate Fillydelphia. How so many heroes risked life and limb to make the wasteland a better place! The thriving towns I’d seen across the wasteland, like Skyward, Whinnies Grove, and of course Vision! Places where creatures survived, thrived and raised families. She finally cut me off in the middle of explaining the social issues of the city above.

“I’m sure I can guess. It’s a settlement surrounded by wasteland. I’m sure they’ve had to do questionable things to stay alive. I’d even bet… Oh, fucking hell… Those stupid bastards used it, didn’t they?” We knew exactly what she meant. We heard the rumours. We saw the chamber Vision had access to. There was no doubt they used the mysterious megaspell back on level one numerous times. No sense in hiding or lying about it.

“That’s how they kept other settlements in line, it… We… Dear Celestia, I should have disabled the fucker. Be lying if I said I wouldn’t have done the same thing, though.” Lightning grabs the moonshine jug from Sky’s midnight blue aura and takes a long draw, then passes it back. “They couldn’t get the damn thing to work right so they gave up on it. Sold what they learned to some college for experimental tech, and the MoA took over. Not surprised they didn’t disarm it. Plenty of times when less than ethical weapons were used. May as well keep one more on reserve.”

“Yeah, they’ve used it a few times. For self-defence and shows of force, mostly. That doesn’t mean they won’t use it offensively at some point, though. We don’t know exactly what it is or how it works. Could you fill in the gaps?” I ask softly, suddenly very curious if ghouls can get inebriated.

Lightning Dust chuckled. “It was shut down before I even enlisted, but I heard stories. A pony supercharger. It was supposed to amplify their talents, their skills, and their magic. Take what they are and turn it to eleven. It turned those poor fucks up to 11,000. Super fast, strong, and self-healing like something out of a comic book. The issue was the ponies themselves. Apparently, that much power in a pony host is “unsustainable.” The raw magic ate up their bodies and burned out their souls.

The more I learned about the MoA bunker, the more I hated it. Deadly spell matrix experiments, horribly destructive megaspells, and an airship with more firepower than half the Steel Rangers combined. It was just one facility! How many more like it could be out there, hiding weapons and dangers that we couldn’t even imagine!?

And to develop a weapon that could destroy souls? I didn’t even know such a feat was possible! Souls were permanent! Indestructible! Sure there were a few zebra alchemists and shamans who learned to take off slivers of a soul, but to actually destroy one? It couldn’t be real. It had to be a metaphor. Or misinformation. But my scientific mind did reason… If it was true, it would explain why and how the spell left no evidence after being used.

“We can’t destroy it, it’s not an option.” Sky reminded me before my mind could run off too far. “Vision is powerful, and we can’t make an enemy of them.” The ghoul was a bit concerned that the megaspell still functioned, but understood we were in no position to tamper with it.

Lightning Dust turned the subject towards the other terrifyingly powerful bit of arcane tech in the bunker. “Your mission is to capture the facility for them, and I understand why you need to. But I’m not surrendering the Firefly. Least of all to them. I’d rather not have to detonate its engine either. You got a plan, Captain Egghead?” She asked me with a smile.

“I’m working on it…” I admitted. “I already decided: detonating it isn’t an option. The explosion could damage the facility, and we can’t risk the Blood Ash getting outside. We could strip some of the key components to brick it, but I’d still rather not do that to your home. I don’t know how to stop the Zero Point Capacitor, either… It’s self-powering, so that makes it hard. I can’t just start pulling off gems and talisman without knowing how it all works. Even if I had proper design schematics or notes on its development, I’m not even sure I’d be able to understand it. It’s on another level.”

Lightning crossed her hooves on the table and leaned forward. “It’d be sad to lose the old girl after she’s taken care of me for so many years… but seeing it used to hurt ponies sounds worse. I’ll do what I can. I know this place better than anypony.” She frowned and looked us over again. “But… there’s no way to turn that thing off. I’ve tried. The containment field isn’t reparable, and the blast door is completely fucked.”

“What about the window shutters?” Frees question drew several confused looks. “The window had a blast cover. Observation windows in hangers always got ‘em, to protect the glass during tests and launches. Do you think the seals are good?”

My confusion faded as the pieces clicked into place and the gears turned. The answer was staring us in the face! The only question was how to go about it! “That… Free that’s brilliant!” I said with a happy giggle. My friends laughed and leaned away from me as my wings fluttered in excitement, nearly hitting them. “And the fourth floor is already secured, it’s perfect! We can solve both problems with one decisive action!”

Sky sat down his moonshine and gave us both a sideways glance. “Ok, but we still can’t move it. It’s stuck behind a barrier we can’t disable. Even if we do get through, I have it on good authority you can’t levitate Starmetal. It’s magic resistant.”

Lightning Dust raised a brow at Scarlet, but the unicorn was just as lost and confused as she was. The cloudship Captain looked between Sky, Free, and me several times before she finally (and loudly) cut in. “You eggheads gonna let the rest of us in on this? Or do I have time for a roll in the hay with red here while you nerd out?”

The implication of LD sleeping with Scarlet made Sky and I narrow our eyes at the ship's captain. I had to stifle a hiss, while Sky ground his hoof on the table hard. Scarlet looked disturbed by the comment until she noticed us. Something about our reactions made her smile.

“It’s a joke. Dear Celestia guys.” Lightning threw her hooves up in the air as she rolled her eyes. “You two are bigger sticks in the mud than Mud Briar… You won’t know who that is. Just, all you gotta know is that he sucked, and a lot of people didn’t like him. Now, what is this plan?”

“Well… It probably won't get us all killed?” Sky started off, receiving scowls from Free and I. “Ok, fine. It’s a good plan, it just has… kinks. Let me lay it out.”

*** *** ***

“I’ve… never even heard of someone trying to do this. And you hear a lot of shit in a hivemind with 100s of over ponies.” Sky cautioned next to me. “I trust you Captain, but umm….”

“Oh, it’ll be fine! I’m a great engineer, and the science is sound!” I assured him with a smirk as I trotted up to the flickering barrier that housed the ominous-looking megaspell of death.

I spent several hours trying to figure out how to bypass a barrier that was designed not to be. With the spell matrix damaged there was no safe way to override it. Cutting the power seemed to work for a moment, but it lit back up a moment later as if it switched to a new source. No way the relic in front of me could have done it, right…? The metal was just an empty vessel. Even if a powerful star spirit did inhabit it, it wouldn’t be able to just reach out and do things like that.

…Like how there was no way the material could put its name in my head. I shook the thought off quickly. Stressing over what you can’t control is unproductive. I had to focus on what I could control.

The solution to the impenetrable barrier was a little black box held in my claw, built mostly from parts of a taser and portable radio.

An overcharged spark pack ran into two metal prongs, one of which was a cosmic steel alloy, all controlled by a simple button on top. It was crude and basic, but pleasantly simple. If I had to design a spell array to modulate the frequency, we would have been screwed. It’d take me days to do that from scratch with my own equipment. The repair facilities on level four were somewhat lacking, and very poorly maintained.

“It’s a simple counterspell! Or functions on counterspell theory… I tuned the Cosmic Steel to the counter frequency of the barrier. When the two make contact the spell will fail, and the matrix running it dies out. Easy breezy!”

“You haven't tried something like this before Aella, this is all theoretical. I know you have a lot of confidence in your skills, but-”

“-But we won’t know if it’ll work without testing it! Then if it fails, we can make adjustments. I’m using gem rods rather than a spell matrix because it’s easier to adjust! Sometimes older tech is what the job calls for.”

Sky sighed and sat down near the ruined blast door, leaving me to my reckless experimentation. I admit I got overexcited. I often do! I’d never gotten to design and build something from scratch before! My work as a technician was primarily in repair, even if they gave me some of the tougher repairs they officially only assigned to engineers.

“Cross your claws…” I muttered as I touched the contact points and pushed the button. A brilliant flash filled my vision, as the two spell energies collided and fought against one another. Any second, it would fade and the barrier would be gone. Any second. …Any second.

Apparently, I made a mistake somewhere. Because the light only grew brighter. Stronger. A wall of magical resonance that screamed in my ears and blinded my eyes. Waves of chaotic energy surged through me, lacking any function or meaning. Horrible, nauseating feedback I couldn’t hope to escape. I covered my feathered ears with my claws, but it was hopeless. It was inside of me. Completely overwhelming my senses. I didn’t even feel myself hit the floor when my legs crumpled under me. The taste of copper filled my beak. Then everyone fell away.

*** *** ***

Disagreements were common. Outright fights less so. At least they were predictable. The beginning of every moon. Always in the kitchen. Always with my report card on the table between them. More often than not soaked in mother’s shameful tears. I didn’t understand the specifics, but I knew they fought over me.

“Stratus is perfectly fine the way he is! You’re putting too much pressure on-”

“He was supposed to be strong! Powerful, like us, like his sister.” A shrill voice my father off before he could speak. Words flew like daggers, seeking crimson satisfaction. “You lied to me, to the Elders, to everyone! You told everyone that stupid implant prototype would correct his impairments, but he’s useless! He can’t write, he can’t do magic. He should have been a prodigy! Our children would have changed the world, but you screwed us! If you had kept your beak between June Berry’s legs where it belongs so I could abort the pregnancy we could have tried again!

Insults and accusations tore through the kitchen like machine gun fire, sending a small innocent hippogriff diving for cover behind the couch in the living room nearby. They had no clue I was there. Caught in the crossfire of their articulate warfare on the way to the toilet.

It was my first time near the battlefield. I had only ever heard them fight from my room before. Safely hidden under my blankets or held tight in my sister's hooves. But Aqua was asleep upstairs. A million miles away. Unable to care for or comfort me. I was alone. Each flare of Mother’s powerful horn made me wince and whimper. Animosity clung to her magic like mud.

It would be ok. I was always ok. I’d get back upstairs. Where it was safe. File the experience deep in my mind. Somewhere it couldn’t hurt me. Life would go back to normal. But in the moment there was no escape. I was helpless. Curled in a little ball under the coffee table. Claws held over my ears. Desperately pretending I was somewhere else. Someone else.

“There is nothing wrong with my son! The only wrong here is us! Our system, our governance! We’ve lost sight of everything that matters. If Queen Skystar saw us terminating pregnancies and killing infants because they diverge from us, Sh-”

“She wouldn’t understand, Jet! We are the last of our species. This settlement, this island is a powder keg. Every single creature here needs to meet standards, otherwise, food production falls, systems fail, and creatures die! You risked everything with that stupid lie you told, and now we’re stuck raising that… that re-!"

"Seatide!"

"He is nothing but a disappointment! Not only does he underperform in almost every area, but he distracts his sister from her own studies. Aqua is brilliant. She has better things to do with her time than console her emotionally volatile sibling.”

It was too much. I had to get away. I fled as quietly as I could. Did my best to ignore the sting as insults glanced off my emotional armour. Mothers disappointment. Failed expectations. Tears burned my young fragile eyes as I crept up the stairs.

Hearing her compare me to Aqua… In that moment I resented her. Hated even. She was perfect. She never got in trouble. She could master every spell. Past every test. The top of her class. Great. Powerful. Everything I should have been. Everything I wasn’t.

I fled to the solace of my nest. Buried myself under a mountain of fluffy blankets. The fluffy fabric surrounding me would protect me. It muffled their voices. Surely it would dull the sting of their words, too. I held tight to a stuffed Twilight Sparkle I’d later behead during a particularly difficult meltdown. And I’d pretend everything was ok. That I was more than a burden. That I had a family that loved me.

*** *** ***

A rhythmic ticking drew me from my nightmare. A shivering ball of sweaty fur and feathers under musty blankets. After images of a dream, I couldn’t quite remember faded as I blunk tears from my eyes. I was alone, resting in a bedroom barely large enough for a single cot and a desk. The pleasantly familiar hum of air vents and the rhythmic high-pitched drone of electrical wires eased any rising concerns. Small spaces, air pumps, slightly angled walls… My friends moved me to a little bunkroom onboard the Firefly.

I felt lightheaded and fuzzy, and my right foreleg burned. ‘Peripheral disconnected’ was all EFS had to say about the situation. My Pipbuck was dead; the screen cracked, and the casing warped and blackened. It would take me hours to get it working again without spare parts from my workshop. Of course, the stupid, useless chip in my brainstem hadn’t been affected by the arcane pulse, leaving me with an annoying message flashing in my vision until I got my Pippy restarted. Neural implants weren’t uncommon back home, but mine was special. Unique in that, other than some added functionality with my PipBuck 4000, it was useless.

My muscles burned in protest as I sat up. My body was sore, and my coat was frizzy. My mess of a mane hung over my eyes to obscure my vision. The feathers along my right claw had burnt up. All I could smell was ozone. At least my hearing was ok. I was surprisingly unscathed by the accident. My cracked hoof was still bothering me, but away from the Blood Ash, it was healing well.

“Ugh… that didn’t go to plan,” I muttered as I pulled myself out of bed. The device I built was probably ruined. An opening door pulled me from my thoughts of what exactly went wrong. The door was on a motor, but it opened sideways rather than upward. An automated door that could still function manually. So much better than the Stable-Tek-designed garbage. An exhausted-looking alicorn stood in the open doorway, this one designed to open horizontally instead of upwards. It was a small improvement over the Stable-Tek design at least.

Sky trotted in with a pillow tucked under his wing, and a cup of what I hoped was coffee levitating next to him. In my wounded and burnt-out state I couldn’t feel the smallest tingle of his magic at work in front of me. It was concerning, but not unexpected. The pulse had interfered with my innate magic, not unlike a disruption grenade attacking a spell matrix. I’d be back to normal eventually.

The buck gave a respectful nod and a brief smile as he took a seat at the desk. He took a slow sip of his coffee, deliberately building the tension before he spoke. “Hey Captain, remember when I asked if it was a good idea, and you were all, ‘trust me, it’ll be fine, it’s easy!’? Your thingy overloaded. A bolt of lightning flung you clean out of the room. You’re lucky your PipBuck took most of the jolt, without it Free is positive it would have fried your heart. I can’t decide if you’re the least lucky pon-er-creature I’ve ever met or the luckiest.

“What is it with me and lightning…” I rubbed my temples as I complained, doing my best to ignore the alicorn's long-winded I told you so. “Where is everyone else? How long was I asleep?”

“Half a day, or so. Free and Lightning are in the clinic, getting more of that Pre-Store goop made. Scarlet and Rumble are going through the hangar storerooms for anything that could be useful. I’m not great at medicine, fixing shit, or sorting piles of metal so… Nap time.”

I tried to ignore the wave of vertigo as I stood up, then gave the buck a small nod. “I’ll um… be in engineering working on my PipBuck… try to come up with a new plan.”

The engine bay of the Raptor class warship was massive. 6 spark generators, 4 energy transferring arrays, tall towers firing lightning into the conduits in the ceiling. A modest bank of computers, and a plethora of manufacturing equipment. Most of it was for weapons construction and maintenance, but a few CNC mills and some metalworking equipment were set up for making replacement ship parts.

I slipped my PipBuck off my wrist with a small sigh. I tried so hard to take good care of it, only for it to blow up because of my own stupidity. So annoying. They didn’t have many talismans or spell matrices’ that were PIpBuck compatible, so I’d have to do my best to repair what I already had.

So I got to work. The casing was dented and spots of paint were burned away, though still in one piece. The internals were a mess, but I managed to get them wired so the device could at least turn on. To that end, Lightning Dust lent me her old suit of power armour to restart the spell matrix. It was rusted and worn, but still operable. It was far sleeker and lighter than the steel ranger version, made from some kind of composite polymer rather than heavy steel. It was painted jet black, with the odd flourish of orange to match the mare's mane. Her cutie mark was even stencilled onto the flanks! Twin novasurge rifles not unlike my own were mounted in place, though their power supplies were completely drained. If I had some time I wanted to get the armour into working order. Maybe wire the rifles into the main power supply so reloading wouldn’t pose any issue like Steel Wings weapons.

When I pressed the button on top, it lit right up. Neural integration was damaged, as were the automapping and locator tag spells. Inventory sorting and SATS only worked intermittently. It would get me by until the nightmare of the forsaken bunker was over.

I continued to clean and troubleshoot the tiny computer, my mind wandering to the issue of the magical barrier upstairs. Obviously, it’d be harder than I thought to bypass it. If they were easy to take out the ministries wouldn’t have used them. What I needed was more power per charge, and an increased ability to adjust the counter resonance while in use. Preferably something already designed to work with Cosmic Steel, as integrating it into a spell matrix was too complicated and would take far too much time.

Of course with my attention split between the two tasks, I was too distracted to realize the answer was right in front of me. The PipBuck 4000. A modular Micro terminal that used resonance tuning and multidimensional processing to do countless spells with the use of only one primary spell matrix! There were dozens of upgrades and peripherals that could be implemented into the system, and this was no different!

Two hours later I had a small stainless steel box attached to the front of my trusty device! I smoothed it out to be nearly flush with the device, with two stubby metal rods sticking out of the front. I smiled at the new invention I had worked out. I had a lot of plans for when I got back to the ship, like painting it to match the PipBuck, and optimizing the load capacity. Running through a few capacitors would work…

One thing at a time! It was time to test!

*** *** ***

“Last time you exploded. And these things are hard to crack. The enclave tried for 200 years to break through the one around the SPP hub, and no one ever managed it.” Free said deadpanned as I made my final adjustments.

He tried to talk me out of it the entire walk to level three, but I wasn’t having it. I was sure it would work. The pulse was powered by the SATS recharger array, and I’d set it up to automatically calibrate to any changes in the shield's resonance! It would work flawlessly! Not only because the design was sound, but because we had no other choice. After that test, we’d only have enough Pre-Store to get us back to level one. We needed to solve the problem before the Visionaries got involved, or they’d find out about the Firefly.

“Yes, and because I exploded I learned what not to do! I increased the output, added a variable resonance filter, and now we’re all set!” I said with a small grin. “Besides, I’ve read about that hub. It was super important to the MoA, so they put all their resources into it! This is a modest shield by a scientist on her last legs.”

Despite my assurances, I was still anxious to try. The odds of me surviving another overload were low, especially now that the dispeller… Shield breaker? Aella’s Magically Brilliant Integrated Energy Nullification Lance! AMBIENT! …No that was terrible. Though as I looked it over one last time before testing, the perfect name struck me. “BAPR!” I exclaimed happily, much to Free’s confusion. “The device! It’s a BAPR! Breeze’s Alternating Phase Reductor!” Free raised a brow at me growing used to my sudden outbursts. “...Its name.” With the BAPR strapped to my left arm, there was nothing to stop a shock from running right through my heart.

I leaned back from the flickering blue barrier as I levelled the BAPRs prongs toward it. I took a long, shaky breath to steal myself. Tried to assure myself it would be fine. All of the greats did dangerous stuff at some point, for the sake of progress or helping others! Darring Do risked her life daily for others. Nirika Tesla and Hen Francolin did dangerous stuff in the name of progress and science! My own parents died trying to make Mt. Aris better for us! No problem at all.

The prongs sparked as I touched them to the barrier. My SATS charge dropped quickly as the barrier flickered and wanned, struggling for life. The barrier colour rapidly shifted. It cycled through every colour of the rainbow, trying desperately to defend itself against my counterspell. My head ached as the already damaged shield's energy fluctuated faster than I thought possible. The way it changed and adapted to try and trip up my override was aggressive, angry, and desperate. It felt more like unicorn magic than a simple spell matrix. It felt alive.

The barrier was still up when the charge ran out. But it was weak and panicked. A few more seconds and it would break. I knew enough about magic and energy work to buy the time. I funnelled my own innate magic into the device.

Then, the barrier fell. It only took a few seconds, but it felt like I fought that shield for hours. I was weak, tired, and terribly hungry. But I’d one. My scientific genius mixed with a basic understanding of magical theory was all it took. It left me exhausted. As close to magic burnout as a creature without a horn can probably feel. But it was more than worth it.

Free wrapped his wing around me and nuzzled me. As he comforted me, he held his gaze on the now-freed relic of terrifying magic and metal before us. “You actually did it… I’m starting to think Scarlet might be right about you. You really seem to be able to solve any problem with a few spare parts. You’re white as a cloud, though. Let’s get you downstairs to rest more. I’ll get Sky and Scarlet to give me a hoof here. You’ve more than earned some rest.”

Right… Free was right. I couldn’t have stayed to help if I wanted to. Tired as I was, it was hard just to keep my eyes open. My limbs were weak and impossibly heavy. I needed to rest before my body made me. Let my friends take it from here.

*** *** ***

The ominous red haze settled through the facility. We didn’t figure out how to stop the Blood Ash from forming. Our best guess was that if you can keep living things away from it long enough, it would eventually run out of power. There was no telling how long such a thing could take. The forces at play were old and powerful. The magic used to enhance and control them was crude and foalish. Fine for running a levitation spell, but not nearly enough to manipulate the astral material. It could be years before anyone could understand it, let alone disable it.

So we didn’t even try. We didn’t need to turn it off. We just needed to contain it. With new filters slotted into the scrubbers on the upper levels, and the damaged air talisman replaced, the red haze thinned until nothing was left. Meanwhile, level four would act as the perfect containment. Lightning Dusk and her team spent months making sure the lowest level was airtight, to the point where the ductwork was welded shut, and airlocks were set up at every junction. It was perfect.

Once the barrier was down, Scarlet had no problem shattering the window overlooking the hanger. The ponies pushed the Zero-Point Capacitor out the window and sealed the blast shutters. We contained the Blood Ash, and found a way to keep Visionaries hooves off the Firefly.

Prime smirked behind his desk as I detailed the events. I kept some details to myself of course but did mention the ghoul survivor that had sealed off the lowest level, making our mission possible. The water and power would be routed into the town in a matter of months. The salvage on levels two and three would finance the labour and then some. With their power needs met and more money for the penitentiary system, the exploitation of prisoners would end.

I still didn’t trust Prime. His voice was silky smooth. His every word; deliberate and precise. He was always informed and in control. He wanted what was best for his people, but was willing to do anything to that end. A terrifying position. The same one the Ministry Mares took before they ended the world.

Harmony on the other claw seemed kind and thoughtful. She wanted what was best for everyone. She even protected her boss from himself. The first thing she asked when we got back was if we were ok. For the most part, we were. Everyone was happy to be free of that place and excited to get some rest. My chest was a mess of confusing emotions. I was sore and restless, but I’d recover after a day or two of rest. Free’s limp was worse than before, but the buck refused to talk about it. Harmony kept giving him sad, knowing looks.

While I didn’t trust him, he was a powerful ally and a happy one. He sang our praise as we finished the debrief. “Astounding… I knew you were the right crew for this. I know you felt forced into taking this job, but I assure you that a lot of creatures will benefit from your deeds. You are always welcome in my city and any villages under our protection.”

Harmony sat down the Pipbuck 4000 that had been promised, as well as the owed caps and a memory orb. Harmony eyed me for a moment before speaking. Was she feeling something from me that was worrying? Was she silently trying to ask about our contract? I wasn’t sure. “The orb is protected. We don’t know what the passcode is to access it, but the last unicorn who tried was put into a coma. Whatever it is, we assume it’s important. I hope it helps you find what you’re looking for.”

Prime raised a hoof, silencing the older griffon. “I’m sure the griff can figure it out. She’s a smart mare. For now, however, our business is concluded. I have work to do. As you can imagine, getting the lower floors cleaned and repaired is going to be a logistical nightmare. I wish you luck on your journey,”

oooOOOooo

I walked down a hallway I didn’t recognize. Wore a body that wasn’t my own. Being a passenger in someone else's body was an alien experience. The lack of control left me deeply uncomfortable. But I did my best to solider on, and focus on what the orb had to teach me. Not that I had a choice in the matter. Once you enter a memory orb, the only choice is to endure it until it ends.

The floor vibrated lightly under me as it pitched slightly to the left. I knew immediately it was an airship. Not the smooth silver and black of a raptor, or the cramped wood and steel of the Skystar. The hallway was oddly large for an aircraft. Half a metre wide, and taller than an average stable hall. It was well-lit and well-maintained. The pleasant purr of nearby pulse reactors would have made me smile if I could control the strange body I inhabited. It was a Mt. Aris airship! No one else had developed pulse technology. One of the few vessels that were kept in service after the fall.

I reached out to feel the magic around me, only to find there was nothing. That was disorienting. I’d have facehoofed if I could have. Of course, my ability didn’t work. I was in someone else's memory. Someone who lacked my arcane awareness. I’d been growing more accustomed to, even reliant on my ability since I came to the wasteland. At home, there was magic everywhere. Nature, spirits, people, tech. It was impossible to get away from. Overwhelmingly so. I learned to block it out to avoid overstimulated.

Her body was different than my own. Smaller, lacking wings or claws. Judging by the horn on my forehead, I was unicorn! Or, she was a unicorn… You know what I mean. Being in someone else's body was uncomfortable, but at least I wasn’t a buck. I’d already gone to great lengths not to be.

An automatic door slid open as my host approached it, revealing the bridge. Surfaces of smooth silver metal and touchscreen interfaces were everywhere. Several hippogriffs sat at consoles as they oversaw the operation of the ship. A familiar holotable sat between the entryway and the massive windows that looked out into the dreary wasteland night. It was the same interface I had in the Skystar, and that I used at Skya. A specially designed node used to access CORE.

My host scowled as she trotted up to the computerized table. She slammed a Pipbuck-clad hoof onto the surface. Every eye turned to the sound, the sudden display of anger putting the whole crew on edge. “Everything we’ve come up with so far has been useless.” My mother's voice made me cringe as it flowed from what felt like my muzzle. Anxiety threatened to overwhelm me for a moment, making my trapped state in the memory far more terrifying. “We’ve lost 60% of the fleet, and the lives of four brave creatures. At the very least we’ve managed to find some useful information. Skeet Shot downloaded most of Visions database while I met with its leaders.”

She pointed a hoof at the table. A hologram appeared of the Equestrian west coast, littered with various coloured dots and slashes. “Our target is here. Peace Island, just off the coast. It once served as neutral ground for Zebra/Pony relations, and later was converted to a test site. The information on the Single Pegasus Project at some point was stored there. If we fail to recover it, we fail entirely. The only other area we know has the data we need is the hub itself, which is impenetrable to all but Ministry Mare Rainbow Dash herself.”

The workers around the powerful unicorn sprung into action, adjusting their heading towards the small island far to the west of Meadowbrook. Without a word she trotted back the way she came, and to a tiny office space off the main hallway. She spent some time looking through the data, going over it verbally and adding information she knew about the various entries. She intended for someone else to view the memory, but it was unclear who. I couldn’t imagine a more secure way to store information than in a cursed memory orb. Most of the data was beyond my understanding or not relevant to me, leaving me bored and restless as I waited for the memory to end. I couldn’t even fidget to try and ease my anxiety, forcing me to endure the overwhelming emotional toll the memory was putting on me.

Finally, she switched off the terminal, and the memory faded away.

*** *** ***

The PipBuck that Prime recovered from the bunker below held a list of encoded journal entries. Core had managed to crack a few dozen of them, but the rest were too degraded or used what she called ‘unorthodox and chaotic, encryption,’ which made cracking them beyond her ability for the time being.

I was curled up in my bedroom with my Scootaloo stuffy tucked tightly to my chest. It was a long and trying day. We made a new friend, saved a lot of people, and knew what to do next. Two dangerous paths lay before us. Down one was Astral Visions home, said to contain samples of the Nostrum. The other led to an SPP research hub, in the hoofsteps of my parents.

My mother had done everything she could to try and find a way to help our people. She thought if we could just get rid of the Blood Ash somehow everything would be better. Our society could be put back together. Everyone would be happy. She tried so hard to create a world that Aqua and I could grow up and thrive in, but in the end, the task was too great even for her. The greatest unicorn of her generation.

So what chance did I have?

My task was far greater than hers. Save us from the disease that crippled us in the first place. She had a team of highly trained and skilled people, hoof picked by her and Father. I had a ragtag team of friends, thrown together by circumstance who I honestly didn’t know all that well yet. Free held on to some old-world bigoted ideas. Scarlet lacked morality when it came to the survival of her and those she cared for. Sky’s mind was clouded with dreams of revenge, and the slim hope he’d find a way to correct the mistake that Unity forced on him.

We’d gotten paid for our job. The memory orb and recolector, the Pipbuck, and a bag weighted heavily with caps. We saved the settlement. Saved the prisoners from slow deaths from rad poisoning. The city saw us as heroes. There was even a party in our honour.

Harmony was thrilled with our progress and was especially pleased that we blocked access to the fourth level. With the town only being able to make small amounts of Pre-Store their access to the area would be very limited. That mixed with us making sure all of the doors were locked and disabled meant they wouldn’t find the ship for a very long time.

With Prime already paying us well I wasn’t comfortable taking any of Harmony’s own money. She insisted I get something for completing the contract though, so I settled with her owning me a favour. I doubted I’d ever need it. Even so, it was nice to know there was someone in the GTA I could trust to bail me out if I needed it.

My friends were in the galley, toasting our success and sharing a large meal. I was too tired to engage in the fun. I wasn’t sleepy. Rather, my social battery was drained. I needed some time alone to process everything and figure out what to do next.

The Visionaries already reached out to their allies for the meeting. With the basement open, they needed the help of nearby settlements and factions to salvage and sell the equipment. The Applejack Rangers were named specifically. The group was all about using technology to protect the common pony. While they focused mainly on protecting just one species, it was a noble cause. Whatever was hiding down there would surely help them.

Footnotes:

No level up.

New tool: BAPR! It's cobbled together and a work of progress, but what unique tool isn't? You can now use your PipBuck mounted BAPR to bypass some magical barriers! I'd still do some more work on it if I were you. Maybe show your work this time.

Author's Note

I hoped to start doing shorter chapters, but for the life of me I couldn't figure out how to condense this more than I already have. Splitting it into two chapters didn't feel right, either. So here we are!

This one is a bit of a serious, intense chapter, though I did my best to sprinkle in some fun friend-making and stuff as well. The next chapter is going to be a lot calmer, giving our ragtag group of creatures some time to relax and spend some quality time together while they lick their wounds. They've had lots of time to get to know one another as wasteland survivors, now they get to know one another on more personal levels

Chapter 15: Dear, Sister...

Fallout Equestria: Endless Horizon

Chapter 15: Dear, Sister...

Hi Aqua,

It’s been a little bit since I sent one of these. Other than the three I sent you this morning… Hopefully, you aren’t too annoyed about that. I just have so much to tell you about! And Free has me on a “doctor-ordered medical leave” until my hoof injury heals more. So other than reworking schematics of mine and poking around on my terminal, I’m limited on things I can do. Sky and Scarlet promised to keep an eye out for books while they buy supplies, so with any luck, I’ll have something new to read by this afternoon!

Or at least it feels like it. I’m sure we’ve both been busy. I have some doctor-ordered free time while I recover from a broken hoof, so it seems like the perfect time to catch you up on my Equestrian adventures! Wouldn’t it be amazing if someone used these messages to write my biography one day? That’d be so amazing.

My crazy quests have been up and down, though I’ve already told you most of what I can think of about those in my other messages… But it happens! Name one adventure story where things go how the main character expects them to. In a way, things were going exactly as expected since it’s expected things never go as you expect! But,

1: I’m a smart mare!
2: My friends are experienced wasteland survivors!
3: We’ve made lots of other new friends who we can get help from!
Whatever happens, we’ll rise above the challenges the cruel world throws at us and be stronger for it!

The wasteland has already taught me so much! It taught me that you can’t trust everyone, but you have to trust someone. And I trust my friends. My crew. I trust them to have my back and know they trusted me to do the same. But I also need to trust that they can help with my mission. Entrust them with not only my life but our people's lives. With your life. That part is harder. But I’m getting better!

Anyway, I have something pretty important to tell you, so I should probably get to it.

Aella Breeze, Technical Apprentice H-71

*** *** ***

Father taught us the importance of music when we were very young. How it’s like its own form of magic, unique as it is powerful. Like how a certain song can foster hope and comfort in all who hear it, bringing joy into people's hearts even centuries after the composer has passed. It took nearly two decades and flying halfway across the world for me to truly understand what he meant. Seeing how the radio DJ could bring the wasteland together with nothing but his upbeat demeanour and a modest collection of tapes.

Music isn’t always happy. It can be sombre and depressing. A tool for the musician to convey a great inner sorrow that’s hard to express. It wasn’t until my late girlfriend Karma’s funeral that I understood the value of such sad ballads. When she died, I became numb. Disconnected from the world around me. Lost and alone. The music brought out emotions I didn’t know I locked away so I could start to grieve. While the elders play sad songs on their ocean flutes to usher the dead to a place of peace, it can bring peace to the living as well.

So as Prime himself sent the rotted, barely seaworthy boat of June Berries remains down river with me at his side, I knew what was missing. My voice wasn’t soft like confident like yours, sister, or always in key like mothers. That was ok. I closed my eyes and let my voice ring out across the river.

I put my heart into my voice. Every feeling I was holding onto took flight with my words, releasing the tension I’d been holding deep inside of me. Tears stung my eyes as I recited what little of the song I could remember. I didn’t realize it at the time, but one of the elders sang the same song at Karma’s funeral. I hope it brought them together in the next life.

The boat caught fire the moment I opened my eyes. Customarily a scrawl or elder would light the vessel on fire. With me being as close as we could manage, I carved a fire rune into its bow before it was sent off. It seemed fitting that the fire waited until my song ended to start. Next, her soul would ascend, and her ashes would become one with the waves. I never thought of myself as religious or spiritual, but the longer I’m away from home, the more I find comfort in my heritage.

That’s when I realized everyone was staring at me. I was so caught up in the funeral rites, I hadn’t felt it. Glistening eyes met mine as I turned to the small crowd behind me. My friends, Prime and Harmony, Snowflake and Caramel Kiss. To my surprise, even Orella and their partner Grace came to pay their respects. Jasmine and a few other guard ponies stood a ways back from the riverbank, keeping watch in case anything dangerous attempted to assault the two city leaders and their guests.

Or they were supposed to be. They were watching me too. All with mixed expressions of awe, surprise, and sadness. The attention made my cheeks burn, and my stomach clench. Before I could put up a wall of feathers between me and my friends, scared scarlet hooves wrapped around my neck. I gratefully nuzzled into Scarlet's cinnamon-scented coat. A pair of green forelegs wrapped around us both, adding the scent of antiseptic and cybernetic olive oil to the hug. Even Rumble did its best to join, tucking himself under my left wing. Lastly, the four of us were wrapped tightly in Midnight Skies' massive wings.

My anxiety calmed as my friends held me, a wall between myself and the terrifying reality of the wasteland. Despite the pain and stress I had to endure, I was glad to be there. At that moment I knew my friends truly had my back. That as long as I was with them, they’d do whatever they could to protect me and reassure me. For just a moment they saw my wounded heart in that song. They loved me anyway.

After the ceremony I sat quietly by the river bed, smiling as I watched and listened to the calming waves. It was just like I’d do at home, by the docks. My Pips Geiger counter even clicked when I got hit by the spray, though equestrian water is more contaminated than ours. My blue sprite-bot rumbled vigilantly nearby, keeping an eye on things while I relaxed. The water had the same calming effect on me as flying. My natural elements, I suppose. Waves of cool energy rolled past me, matching the rate of the toiling river itself. Like a water talisman, but uncontained and carefree. It didn’t have to deal with the expectation of keeping countless ponies, plants and creatures alive after an impossible conflict. It only had to exist.

Orella and Grace were the first ones to come speak with me after June Berries was sent off. They would have stayed longer, but they had to open the shop. “Ain’t no rest for the wicked,” Grace explained with a sly grin and a wink that I had no idea how to process.

Orella came to compliment me on my singing before they left. Many attendees already had, but their complement was less direct in nature. “It was a beautiful ceremony, Captain. I think you’ve done your ancestors proud.”

The expected zebra strangeness made me giggle. Even after growing up around the species back home I never quite got used to it. Naturally, the strangeness of the compliment didn’t keep me from getting flustered. “I didn’t plan for it or anything, it just… felt right to do,” I explained sheepishly, digging at the warm sand with my talon.

“That’s what makes it beautiful, Aella Breeze. It came from your heart.” The best I could describe the smile they gave me would probably be proud mother, though I couldn’t be sure. Meanwhile, Grace stood behind her well-read partner, fixing me with her far less wholesome predatory gaze. “We best get going. Do let yourself rest before you go searching for more trouble.”

Before they could leave I surprised them with a tight hug. Orella chuckled expectantly, and gratefully returned the embrace. Grace was thrown off for a moment but quickly nuzzled into the soft fur and feather-filled hug. I hadn’t known them long, but I was glad to consider them my friends. The fact that they came meant the world to me. Content with my hug, the couple headed back into town.

The energetic foal named Snowflake was far less composed when she and her mother came to wish me well. She tried to take me to the ground with her earth pony strength just like she did over a day before, but this time I came out on top! The filly giggled and hollered in vain as I knocked the pony to her back and ticked her stomach with my wingtips. The pure joy of a fillies laughter drew smiles and laughter from everyone in earshot, especially me.

I panted and wheezed as the tickle fight ceased, and I helped Snowflake to her hooves. My lungs hurt from the laughter and activity, but I didn’t mind at all. Being in a bit of pain from fun was 1000 times better than being in pain because of some near-death experience.

Snowflake's smile faded as she stood, suddenly remembering why we were gathered outside. “I’m really sorry about your friend, Miss Captain Aella Breeze… but the funeral was super pretty. Prime is gonna have a big funeral for all the ponies that were down there tomorrow.”

Rather than fight the sadness her words brought up, I allowed myself to sit with it. That was a large part of what funerals were for, after all. “Yeah… It’s ok, I knew she was dead a long time ago. I’m just glad I got to do this for her.” The little filly nodded knowingly. Despite her clean appearance and innocent demeanour, she was still a child of the wasteland. I had no doubt she’d seen more suffering and loss than any child should. She was remarkably strong.

Caramel and Snowflake pulled me into a tight embrace. “We need to get back to the inn. You know where we live if we can ever do anything.” The larger mare explained with a smile.

Snowflake wiggled excitedly and nodded. “Yeah! And you have to come back and tell us about your adventures! The radio is good, but you always tell it better.”

I ruffled the foal's mane as her words melted my heart. “Of course, I will. You two take care of each other.” And they were off, leaving me by the riverbank. I got the feeling Harmony wanted to come over and chat with me, but she had to leave with Prime. Probably to work out how to use their basement for the rest of the town. By late afternoon everyone but my friends were long gone, and I finally felt ready to plan our next move.

-🖂︎🖂︎🖂︎-

Hi again, Aqua.

So Prime couldn’t wait to spread the news of the city's newest source of energy and scrap. He held a public address the very next day. The city listened in awe as he regaled them about how my friends and I “heroically descended into the toxic depths, risking life and limb so the good people of Vision could prosper.” The buck's unnatural charisma and uncomfortably precise word choice had the citizens hanging on every word.

He also exaggerated the details, making us sound far more capable and brave than I could ever hope to be. The lie was harmless but tainted with the calculated deception that serve as Prime's primary weapon. Apparently, the town having close ties with a prolific wasteland hero was good for morale, so the Visionaries sought to protect and elevate my notoriety. The buck invited me to stand and speak with him, but I respectfully declined. I lacked the energy to try and be personable and charismatic, and the confidence to act like the hero he sold me as. Rather than try and convince me, (Something I have no doubt he could do easily) he understood.

Then he told me he hoped I’d decline! He wasn’t positive if I’d say the right things in the right way! Without me there to make a mistake, he was in control of the information he presented. He was all about control.

A few hours later he held the funeral for the lives lost trying to take the bunker all those years ago. None of us bothered going. You know how terrible I am at small talk. Not to mention having to exist in a crowd of people who just sat through a speech about how smart and strong I am. At least he got the smart part right…

While the town took part in the festivities of the strange funeral/party fusion the Visionaries planned, I was facing a new challenge the likes of which I’d never seen. One of the few challenges no amount of friendship or magic could hope to solve. All I could rely on was my iron will. That, and a memory of you, actually.

Aella Breeze, Technical Apprentice H-71

*** *** ***

“This is ridiculous!” Scarlet snapped. Her hooves came down on the floorboards hard in what I hoped was a cathartic stomp. “What goddesses shoe did I piss on to deserve this!”

It was the most trying evening I ever had aboard the Skystar V. Flashing lights, aggravated nickering, and all-new levels of obscenities from my normally composed unicorn friend. It was a frustrating, hoof-bitingly stressful affair that neither of us was equipped for. But we didn’t stand a chance if we failed.

We were on the top deck of the airship, bathed in the soft orange glow of the setting sun. It brought out Scarlet's colours really well! On the other claw, it made me look like a pinkish, purply blob. “You said CORE can control all of this, so why do we need to learn it?” My first pony friend complained as she slumped against the starboard railing, looking out over the city of Vision.

I decided to teach my friends about the daily operation and maintenance of the airship. I was teaching them to sail! So they’d be able to manage the basics when I was below doing repairs or resting. Scarlet was having the hardest time picking it up, and I couldn’t make her understand it! It’s like… Well, it’s like trying to teach a unicorn to fly! Because that’s what I was doing! She didn’t have a connection to the wind and sky like the rest of us did, nor did she have navel training from the army or the ability to learn from me and Feather Free’s thoughts directly. Scarlet was used to being head mare. Used to having all the answers, whether it was wasteland survival or running a trade caravan. So seeing our friends pick everything up quickly while she continued to struggle was a spear right through the proud mare's heart.

“CORE is very advanced, but she isn’t always available. She has to put a lot of resources into compressing and encoding the data we send back to Mt. Aris. With how slow our transfer speeds are, it’ll take days to analyze and transmit the data we recovered from the pharmaceutical lab. That information could save lives. In the meantime, it means doing things the old-fashioned way.”

I draped a wing over the disheartened pony's shoulder and followed her gaze. Vision was beautiful at dusk. It cast a wonderful, soft glow across the buildings and creatures wandering around. The hustle and bustle of city life were overwhelming for me up close, but it was lovely to watch from a distance. So many different creatures go about their daily lives, despite the harshness of their world. I was going to miss it.

“You know… My sister had this same issue when we were taught how to sail. Father sat down with her and said, ‘If you focus on what you can’t do, you’ve never realized what you can do.’ Aqua is a unicorn, just like you. She couldn’t predict how the wind will shift, or instinctively know how to move her feathers in turn. So of course she couldn’t do things the way Father or I could! But there are things she can do with her magic that we couldn’t do, either! Let everyone else deal with adjusting sails and stuff. I already go to you for everything, so you can be my first mate! You’re in charge when I’m gone. You can read the instruments, and watch our heading. Give out orders to the boys, all that stuff.”

Speaking of boys, that’s when Free saw to land behind is with a soft flutter of wings. I turned just in time to see the buck wince as he put weight on his bad leg. While he tried his best to hide it, it was obvious he was getting worse. When I asked him about it he said he was busy going to repair Sky’s pistol for him? I was happy to hear they were getting along, but then it turned out he just went to sulk in his room! Free lied to me!

…It was really worrying.

“Aella is right. We belong out here, working with our wings and hooves. You should be on the bridge, working with your annoying brain.” Free added with a smile.

A quiet “thank you,” from the mare's muzzle caught the ex-soldier off guard. He’d expected her to respond with snark or bitterness. Genuine gratitude was the last thing he expected. She looked over at me and sighed. “...Ok. Aella, can you teach me how the computer crap inside works? ”

So I lead my first mate inside to teach her the basics. 3D mapping, proximity alert, how to steer, (she got that one right away) and how to adjust altitude. Everything she needed to take control of the ship. She even agreed to have CORE walk her through using the more complex systems when they both had some downtime.

The mare still hadn’t gotten over the lack of weapons mounted on the Skystar V. She was annoyed to no end by my unwillingness to install turrets or canons on the vessel, but her desire to arm the airship fell on deaf ears. Even if I were willing to go back on my principles in arming the ship my family made for peaceful exploration, I also worried it would make us a larger target. Raiders didn’t normally have weapons that would damage the haul of the ship, but if the Enclave or Steel Rangers became interested in it, either group would easily take it from me.

The mare wasn’t as familiar with technology as I was, but in the short amount of time I let her poke and prod at the large table screen that was the central computer, she had most of the basic functions figured out. Meanwhile, I was preparing myself for an important conversation I had to have with her. I told myself I was giving her more time to get used to the ship's interface, but really… I was just giving myself more time to overthink it.

“Aella, is everything alright? You’re being really quiet, and… still. What’s going on?” That made my feathers twitch. Scarlet read me like a book! And I thought I was doing so well to keep my feelings hidden!

I rested my head on the glowing table and groaned. “No, not really. I’ve done a lot of thinking today, and… I don’t think I’ve been as there for my friends as you’ve all been for me.”

“You’re worried about Free,” Scarlet asked softly, making me wonder if she was the telepath of the group somehow. She always seemed to know what was going on. “I noticed it, too. His leg is getting worse, isn’t it?” All I could do was nod. “Free and I have our disagreements, but… He’s a good pony. Prime has the tech to fix up that cybernetic better than new, but…”

“But then we’d owe him a favour. No… We’ve dealt enough with Prime. We already handed him a superweapon on a silver platter. I don’t want to make a habit of working for him, even if he means well. We need someone else.”

The mare shot up in her chair and smirked. “I know someone we can ask.”

*** *** ***

“. . .A sprite-bot? Scarlet, it’s great, but we have a way cooler sprite-bot at home.” Scarlet took me to an outcropping outside Visions walls, not far from the building that housed Vision’s radiation-fueled generator. I love robots more than most sane creatures, but I was pretty sure they couldn’t do cyber surgery. The cute and energetic tune of March of the Parasprites its speaker-face played was nice to listen to, though.

Scarlet rolled her eyes at me. “The bot we have at home can’t do this. Trust me, I’ve tried.” She responded with a slightly annoyed nicker. “Watcher? I’m sure you’ve seen it, but I found Aella like you said I would. But I need your help again… We need your help. So please, if you’re listening…”

Scarlet chatting with a random bot confused me. It was completely normal for me to talk to random machines, plants, and even rocks. It was very out of character for my liberated friend, though. Not to mention I was pretty sure this wasn’t the kind of random thing you could speak to. It didn’t have any… spark, any light inside it. It didn’t feel present.

So imagine my surprise when the chipper music fell away to be replaced with a robotic, monotone voice. “Hello, Scarlet. I hear you and your new friends have been keeping busy. I wasn’t sure I’d hear from you again.” The bot turned towards me. “And it’s nice to see you’ve fallen in with a better crowd, Aella.”

Scarlet smiled at the robot. “Yeah, I’ve been meaning to thank you for trying to push Aella and I together. Aella, this i-”

“You’re Watcher!” I squawked loudly, making Scarlet jump. “F-f-from the book of Little Pip! I wasn’t even sure you were real!” My wings fluttered, forcing the bot to speed up its own wings to fight the breeze I made. I was meeting an actual wasteland legend! “What kind of hardware do you need to be able to access such a massive and complex network? Can you use the individual bots as nodes to increase your capacity? Do you have a central coms array, or does each unit act as a rela-”

“Aella!” A firm whip of Scarlet's tail across my flank pulled me out of my tech-obsessed tangent. “You can nerd out later! We’re working.” The unicorn reminded me.

“Yes, please do get to the point. I can’t keep the signal dialled in for long.” The robot responded, wings flittering in the light of dusk.

Ahh, a network of relays then. Made sense! “R-right, I’m sorry. Our friend Free needs help. His cybernetic was installed wrong… I-it’s killing him. He never talks about it, but he’s been using more and more painkillers to deal with it. The connective tissue dying. Free already lost the loves of his life, he shouldn’t have to lose his leg a second time.”

The silence that followed was deafening. A pregnant pause that dragged on forever. Finally, it responded. “That is… unfortunate. There are several cybernetic experts in the wastes, but I fear they’re all quite expensive, and fairly far. However… I understand you're heading toward Eden, next. There’s a mechanic near there who can help Feather Free. He’s been quite charitable in the past towards injured miners. He lives in a hydroelectric plant at the edge of the Vanhoover. Just follow the outgoing lines.”

“Thank you, Watcher…” Scarlet and I said in unison.

“Be safe,” The cheerful music the sprite-bots were known for returned. The little sphere went on its way, apparently unaware that anything had changed in the first place.

-🖂︎🖂︎🖂︎-

A day later, I still wonder how Watcher managed a complex feat like hacking into a giant network of data-collecting drones. The book of Little Pip didn’t have many details on how Watcher did what he did so far, only that he had.

So I wasn’t surprised when Watcher knew where we were headed next. More worried than anything. What if someone with more flexible morals got access to such a sophisticated network of information? If it was just The Watcher I wouldn’t worry, but it Isn’t an isolated instance. DJ-pon3 has access to a surveillance network just as good, if not better than the Sprite-bot cluster! He knows details about me and my friends that no one could know. With those facts and a bit of exaggeration, he’s spun me into some kind of wasteland legend. “The Captain,” flying around in her magical airship just in time to save innocent foals from radiation sickness, or free a newfound settlement from a crazed tyrant.

Still… I didn’t hate the title as much as did before. The longer I was in the wasteland, the less it felt like a lie. After years of living aboard the Skystar V, I finally felt like her captain. I found the confidence to guide both my ship and my newfound crew. My friends. Their trust in me gave me the courage to try and be the leader the radio said I was.

Aella Breeze, Technical Apprentice H-71

*** *** ***

My friends were turning out to be an impressive crew. Sky and Free deftly worked the sails when they needed the adjustments, they kept an eye out for changes in wind current or hostile creatures. Meanwhile, Scarlet watched the airship's energy output and handled the navigation. We didn’t have the power to fly all the way to Eden, so my second was searching the digital maps so a safe and sunny place for us to land. While we hoofed it up the mountain, the ship could snack on some photons.

I even taught my friends some hippogriff sea shanties! Sky rolled his eyes at them and scoffed, but Scarlet and I had a lot of fun singing them, and Free enjoyed ranting about how useful they are to help maintain focus and boost morale.

With me teaching my friends to sail, they wanted to teach me in turn. Normally, I love to learn things! It’s part of why I love to read! But I like learning about magic, technology, and geography, the fun stuff!! So when Free suggested he and our friends teach me to fight I was less than excited. I knew it was something I’d need to learn if I ever wanted to stop relying on my friends, but it was still a terrifying prospect.

It started with a terrible wake-up call: An alicorn shouting in my head to “rise and shine.” After a delicious breakfast of fish and corn, Sky dragged me above deck to fly laps around the ship. My large wing span let me keep pace with the alicorn, but my stamina was expectedly poor. I barely managed three laps before the burn in my lungs forced me to the ground, braced against the mast as I caught my breath.

“Don’t worry, the point of this is to build up your stamina. A week or two out of your workshop every morning and you’ll fly circles around most raider asshats.” Sky assured me as he hovered nearby. Each beat of his wings blew a cool breeze past me as well as keeping him airborne, in an impressive display of weather control. In theory, I was able to generate air currents and manipulate weather, but it wasn’t a skill I ever learned.

“You know I’m not good with my horn, but I kick ass with pegasus magic.” He explained when we finally returned to flying laps, nearly twenty minutes later. “I make clouds, charge them with lightning, and can make a decent drizzle.” Sky did a few small, rapid circles in the air. Before my eyes a tuff of cloud formed at the center, much to the stallion's satisfaction. In an annoying show of effortless speed, the alicorn caught back up to me as I continued to fly my laps. “Of course, one pegasus (or alicorn) isn’t enough to get much done on their own. But together, we could even make tornados funnelling water into the sky!” His eyes sparkled as he spoke. The sparkle in his eyes and passion in his voice rivalled my own love for arcane technology. “Me and a few of my sisters played a game where we’d generate wind streams towards each other, to see who was strongest.”

After an hour of running and flying, Free switched places with Sky. His job was to teach me basic fighting techniques. They were more involved than shooting lessons Scarlet would improvise for me, first going over common kicks and hoof strikes ponies may use, then how to counter them. It was a lot of work that left every muscle in my body aching by the time we finished.

“I spent every afternoon for months doing training like this when I enlisted, though it was much harsher in basic,” Free explained between activities over water and (for me,) a beautifully creamy cup of coffee. “It’s to train your mind as much as your body. The idea is that you’ll react instinctively if a raider or ghoul comes at you in a way that’s familiar.”

“I’ve read a lot of war stories. As bad as the characters always thought basic was, it always prepared them for real fighting… And a lot of the time they had help from those who cared about them.” I take a long drink of my coffee, carefully considering how or if I’d ask my next question. I was pretty sure I knew the answer, but I had to ask. “You met your herd in basic, didn’t you?”

The question stung, but the pain in his eyes mixed with nostalgia. “Yeah… I did. Clear Skies and Steel Wing. We were different ponies back then. I was enlisting to help my family back home and to help wounded soldiers. Clear and Steel were pressured into it. Both had parents and grandparents who served. Steel Wing wanted glory, Clear Skies wanted respect. We helped each other get through basic and then ended up on the same squad with Steel as our sergeant. They were happier times, but… I’m glad they’re over. The enclave wasn’t the good ponies I thought they were. Now I can finally serve under a captain I respect.” I blushed as he eyed me with a grin.

“Now come on. Twenty more minutes of drills, then the real training starts.”

*** *** ***

This was my kind of training. The cool air whipping past my wings, the warm rays of sun on my face, and concise rules and expectations! The billowing of sails and screams of my friends failed to distract me as I swung my wing forward with all I had. The ball shot toward the deck below.

Free flapped with everything he had but failed to intercept. The pegasus couldn’t change direction quickly enough. It tore past him into the ground below. Just when I thought it was over, Sky dove in front of it. A blast of telekinetic force and a blast of air from his wings deflected with annoying ease and sent it rocketing toward Scarlet.

My other horned friend grimaced as she channelled as much magic into her horn as she could. Despite everything we’d faced together, she didn’t have the arcane prowess to do it. Her magic faltered and fizzled out. The ball struck the ground hard and bounced passed her.

“That’s another point for us, Scar!” The alicorn pointed out gleefully.

“Dammit!” Scarlet roared, stomping down on the improvised court Free setup during lunch. “I can’t stop or redirect it when it has all of that momentum, how am I supposed to hit it back!?”

Our foes on the other side of the crudely tied net rolled their eyes at her outburst, sharing the same shit-eating grin. Free landed next to Sky to share a ‘feather five’. The sudden weight on Free’s cybernetic made him wince, but he hid it well. I wouldn’t have seen it if I wasn’t looking for it.

“You need to grab it with your magic sooner. The minute it crosses the net you’re allowed to use your magic on it. Slow it down first so then you can use levitation to bat it back.” Sky acted it out as he explained, slowly moving backwards as he pretended to hit a ball with his hoof.

Scarlet nickered and waved her hoof dismissively. “These teams aren’t even fair! An alicorn and a pegasi soldier, vs a magically stunted unicorn and Aella Wheeze?” I panted hard as I landed next to her, inadvertently proving her point.

“It isn’t supposed to be. This is just as much about having fun as it is building up your magic and Aella’s flying.” Free reminded her for the fifth time.

Sky shrugged and stretched out his wings, the alicorn currently grounded as per the game's rules. “I don’t mind changing it up next round. It’ll be fun! See how we can all mix our skills to try and kick the other team's flanks. You should know that whatever team I’m on will win, though.”

“Like hell.” Scarlet snapped. “I will kick your flank all over this game!” She levitated the ball over, signalling the rest of us to get ready for the next round.

We spent most of the afternoon playing the improvised pegasus-unicorn team tennis Free had come up with, only taking breaks to drink or adjust the sails. It was so much fun, I hardly realized we were training! Scarlet and Sky ended up in fierce competition, each trying to beat and one up the other.

Years as a slave and using only a spear spell granted Scarlet amazing accuracy with her magic. She’d add spin at the last possible second, or shift it slightly so it’d bounce off a wing. Sky came out ahead when it came to deflecting or throwing the ball, though. He’d spend his time post-unity learning tricks to make use of his weaker-than-average magic. In this case, the racket he formed with levitation magic was made up of interwoven strands of energy, each incredibly weak and requiring almost no magic to maintain, but together being quite strong and flexible.

On the other wing, I had very little chance to beat Free wing to wing. He had to me beat in experience, speed and stamina. I’d send a ball soaring past his flank, only for him to twist his body around and bat it back. I tried going over his head where his wings couldn’t reach only for him to fly back to meet it with a barrel roll! My only saving grace was my larger wingspan and more dexterous forelimbs.

We ended up keeping the teams as they were, with Scarlet and I losing 5 of the six games. Still, the one game we did win left us grinning ear to ear for the rest of the day. It proved to us that we could still beat them despite being slower and weaker. It was proof that we were already improving.

As my friends got the net gleaned up and stowed away, I found myself watching from the sidelines, beaming. It reminded me of all the times I’d been on the sidelines as a fledgling. Back then though, I was watching other creatures have fun. When I tried to join I always ended up getting hurt and ruining the fun. Now, I was welcomed and encouraged to join in with them. For the first time in my life, I belonged. I rushed to where my friends were folding up the improvised net, or more accurately where they were bickering about how best to do so.

“We should untie all the rope and put it away, we might need it later.” Scarlet reasoned, to the annoyed groans from the winged stallions next to her.

“Then we have to remake it next time we want to play. It took me forty-five minutes!” Free nickered, lifting up his skillful ropework with the tip of his wing. “This is hard to do with hooves!”

Scarlet rolled her eyes. “I can set it up next time! With Sky’s help, we’ll have it put together in 10 seconds flat. It’s really no bi-Ahh!”

A trio of shocked screams cut her off as I tackled the bickering horses into a group hug. Their light-hearted argument gave way to a fit of giggles and nuzzling as they tried to discern why they were suddenly ensnared in purple feathers.

“W-whoa! Aella, are you alright?” Free asked through his own snorting chuckle.

I sniffled in response and pulled my friends closer. The scents of cinnamon, olive oil, and eucalyptus filled my lungs. “M-mhm… I just… I never had friends like this before. I spent most of my childhood watching other creatures have fun. I felt like I just got in the way… Even with my marefriend, I always worried I was taking time away from her training to join the repo team. I’m just… really happy.”

Scarlet nuzzled against my neck. “I understand what you mean… I feel safe with you all. Free is a feather brain, you’re socially blind, and Sky is emotionally stunted, but… You’re all my friends.”

“The closest bonds are forged by the fires of war. We may not be an army, but we’ve been through some shit together. Hell, even the alicorn is growing on me…”

Sky rolled his eyes and snickered at the playful jabs. “We’re all here for you, Captain. And for each other.”

The hug continued for another minute before Scarlet pushed us to break it up. “We’ll be landing soon, we need to get ready for that. Then we should all get some rest… It’ll be a long few days on our hooves.”

Everyone nodded. “Right… Scarlet, on the bridge. Sky, Free, once everything is away meet me back here. We’ll need to lower and secure the sails.”

-🖂︎🖂︎🖂︎-

So Aqua, all of this is to say…

I know you’ve been worrying about me, but you don’t need to. You need to focus on yourself, and your job. People rely on you, and if someone dies because you're worrying about me, we’ll both have to carry that.

I also just wanted you to know that I’m in a better mental state than when I left. My friends give me a strong support system. It’s easier to deal with things around them, my old trauma, and the trauma from my wasteland adventures.

I’m sure by now you’ve heard about what happened on my mission: Why I had to head home early. And I’m sure you’ll have a hard time believing it, but… It’s all true. Or most of it, I don’t really know what exactly the reports say. I’m not ready to talk about it, but I promise I will. I’ll write you my side of the story soon. I love you sister.

Aella Breeze, Technical Apprentice H-71

Footnotes:
The real XP is the adventures we had along the way...?

Author's Note

Sorry this one took so long to write it. The chapter itself has been done for months, but it took more energy then I expected to finish the editing and revisions. Hopefully, it's enjoyable! I figured some downtime for Aella was well deserved, and have been annoyed that she hasn't had time to send any messages to Aqua. So I figured out a neat chapter to kill two griffs with one stone!

Not Boulder. I'd never throw him. I'm not a monster.

Chapter 16: Axel Grease

Fallout Equestria: Endless Horizon

Chapter 16: Axel Grease

Scarlet found us the perfect place to set the ship down, hidden from prying eyes. A valley a few kilometres from a terrifyingly large balefire crater. Seeing the absolute destruction the zebra weapons could reap was as humbling as it was distressing. Stories of how megaspells decimated ponies and zebras alike didn't come close to seeing the effects first claw. Even the megaspell that slowly suffocated Mt. Aris didn't compare to the radioactive crater spread out below. A lake of lifeless ash and rubble that may never recover.

I tried not to let it sour my good mood.

The valley we landed in was just as devoid of life. Once upon a time, a beautiful blue river provided endless fresh water for all the plants and animals of the canyon. Now it’s just a gaping wound on the planet's surface. A shadow of what it once was. I was horrified to learn that the valley was destroyed long before the war. Not by an exchange of terrible arcane destruction, but by pony expansion. They built a dam upstream to provide nearby towns with fresh water and energy. While the ponies prospered, the ecosystem downstream dwindled and died.

It reminded me of a story my mother told me once. A Kelpie, a living spirit of water, grew so frustrated watching pony greed poison the land and corrupt the spirits that she lashed out in anger. She summoned a great wave to wash away the ponies she hated so much but was stopped by Princess Celestia, and send away. As a final act of rebellion, the living spirit made a deal with her unseen cousins to strike a final blow. For her life and her magic, the land around her grave would be impervious to pony magic. A small sliver of the natural world the Equestrians could never control.

Were the Equestrias the villains of their story? Did they regret the damage they did to the once great ecosystem? Or did they find solace in providing for the lives the dam allowed them to nurture, the ponies, livestock, and plants it allowed them to care for? If I was in their place, I’d try not to think about it at all.

"It's about a days trot to vanhoover from here, then another two days after that. Everyone pack for nine to be safe." Scarlet ordered as we made final preparations. Sky was in charge of carrying the extra food and ammo, citing that his earth pony strength would be more than able to handle the added weight.

I ditched the tattered mess that was once my armour-plated barding, swapping it for a far more comfortable green utility jacket from my closet, with extra padding sewn onto the more vital spots. It was nothing compared to the barding with plates I was using before, but it was more practical. I didn’t have the stamina to spend the next three days trotting with steel plates weighing me down.

Once everyone was geared up, we trotted out into the great unknown toward the Rockhoof Mountains.

*** *** ***

Vanhoover was a sight to see, even after 200 years of neglect. We saw the skyline from kilometres away, shining brilliantly in the light. (pre)Modern buildings of glass and steel, surrounded by beautiful parks, the finest restaurants, and all the biking, snowboarding, and clubbing you’d ever need! Well, that’s what the posters said anyway. The reality was far more sombre. The city of excess and vanity asked a lot of the ponies who lived in it, but the longer the war waged on the less they had to give. Soon the money and sweat the city needed to run was too much. Businesses closed, prices rose, and the ponies were forced to leave in search of greener pastures.

The government bought up the area for nothing, only to find a wealth of natural resources in the nearby mountains. Abandoned buildings were converted to living quarters, and mines opened up. Metal foundries were built. Like a phoenix, the dead city rose from its ashes to become a powerhouse of industry. A hub of metal and stonework the papers nicknamed ‘Little Filly’. There was even coal found in the mountain! Not enough to sate Equestrias hunger for the fuel for more than a fortnight, but more than enough to act as a reserve. The coal was left untouched in the maze of mineshafts below for decades, waiting to aid in national emergencies for a nation long dead.

Until the wasteland settlement of Little Filly was formed. It was further up the mountain than the prewar city it was named for, around the still-operational fallout shelter that saved their ancestors. They made use of the coal and other materials to build their homes and businesses and eventually entered into a trade agreement with the coastal city of Bliss, trading fuel and steel for fish and crops. After Bliss saved the somewhat secluded settlement from a terrible Steel Ranger assault, they swore loyalty to the larger, far more powerful city and were renamed; Eden.

Scarlet felt Bliss forced Eden into giving up their independence, and changed the name to further assert their control. The theory certainly didn’t leave me with a positive view of Bliss.

We skirted along the edge of the city, passing through the suburbs and more historical areas. Most of the wooden buildings and historical sights were rotted into collapsed heaps, or dangerous hovels no one larger than a foal dared scavenge. Of course, that didn’t stop stupid scavengers or desperate explorers from trying. Stupid desperate explorers like my crew and I! And because the wasteland always gives with both talons, that wasn’t our only problem.

“You’ve gotta be kidding me!” I cried over a roar of gunfire. Every time I thought I’d seen all the wastelands horrors it had to up the ante like a greedy brat! How were ruthless raiders, smelly slavers, and rabid robots not enough!? Did we really need to add terrifying termites to the tally!?

Grotesque, cat-sized, tumour-ridden termites! Mutated ant-like creatures with bulbous heads, and horrid yellowish-green chitin, with razor-sharp pincers that glistened like steel! Dozens. Hundreds swarmed us! It didn’t matter how many we shot stomped and stabbed. More would crawl over the dead to take their place! The hallways of the rickety building weren’t built for flying, forcing us to soar single-file so we didn’t clip each other's wings. At the very least, a strong wingbeat could fling any pouncing creatures back into their hoard of violent, bloodthirsty friends.

“Why why why did it have to be bugs!” I squawked between feeble breaths. Tears stung my eyes as I tried to balance flying through the small space with attacking the vile critters with my claws or pistol. It's hard to keep calm with an army of nightmares swarming behind you.

“It was a calculated risk!” Scarlet barked back over the blasts of her shotgun. “They had an exhibit on the alicorn amulet!

“It was a flux replica, Scar!” Sky snapped back as he peppered the buggy moshpit with 10mm fire. After burning down the Astral lab, he decided to carry less spicy weapons to use.

Our gunfire was futile as we made our retreat. Every creature we killed was replaced by three more. Endless waves of bugs angered at our intrusion. Sky and I could mostly keep away from the gross critters with our wings, but Scarlet couldn’t fly. She barely managed to keep ahead of the hungry horde, one misstep away from being torn apart by the little terrors. Free was able to keep away from the biting creatures for the most part, but couldn’t do anything to help either. His battle saddle could only fire forward, making his carbine useless.

“You know I wanna learn more about magic, it could have bee-Ugh, dammit I’m trying to have a conversation!” Several radmites (my PipBuck named them?) lept onto Scarlet’s back, only to find themselves skewered on my friend's ethereal spear.

“Ok, I get that we trotted right into their home but do they gotta be so-OW!” I let out a shriek as a pair of mandibles bit into my hoof. A well-aimed kick from the other leg sent the vile bug careening back to its ground-bound friends. SATS sent blue bolts of arcane light searing through my attacker, ensuring that it wouldn’t make a meal of me again. The wound felt hot and was growing hotter. My wings and legs felt heavier as I struggled to glide through the tight hallways. “Minor venom poisoning” flashed in my vision.

Scarlet said to never fight on your enemy's terms. But I couldn’t figure out how we could take control of the situation! Nothing we’d thrown at them even gave them pause! Free couldn’t hit them with his rifle, and Sky wasn’t using his pistol for fear of burning the place down!

Burn... It was crazy and stupid, but in all my favourite stories the truly dumb plans often worked the best. “Sky, burn them!” I squawked.

The green alicorn took aim before the order left my beak. Twin bursts of enchanted bullets spawned a wall of hot flames between us and our attackers. They squealed, burned. and cracked under the heat. The bugs that weren’t torched immediately were driven back by the pony-high flames.

The dry, dead walls and floorboards caught fire like sawdust. Mere seconds passed before the fire was an uncontrollable torrent, dead set on consuming all in its path. Scarlet cried out as the flames licked at her heels, but it was the least of her worries. “So many magical relics…” The unicorn lamented as we fled.

“Can’t use them if we’re buggy-breakfast!” Free pointed out from ahead. The pegasus effortlessly led us down hallways and through corridors, recalling the layout of the place with ease.

Meanwhile, the air grew hot. Smoke snaked its way through the building. After half a minute we burst out into the open air of the city's main street, ready to charge toward our next obstacle.

*** *** ***

“I thought you’re supposed to be the level-headed one. What was that about!?” Sky snapped as we trotted over patches of ice on the broken road.

The familiar chill in the air left me strangely homesick. Winters back home could be more than 8 months on a bad year and were the main cause of our food shortages. Still, it was nostalgic. There was always something special about the first snowfall of the year. It left everything so bright and beautiful. It was only early autumn in Equestria by my best guess, but the mountains didn’t care. The spirits were intent to bless them with snow and frost.

I was lucky. My thick coat and warm feathers were perfectly designed for harsh Mt. Aris winters. My friends were less lucky. Scarlet and Free did their best to fashion scarves and hats from scavenged fabric as we travelled. Sky strangely didn’t mind the cold at all. He was almost excited as he explained to me how alicorns were designed to brave all manner of harsh conditions, from extreme climate to toxic waste and deadly poison. He’d never even been sick before!

As we moved further into the city, the wooden museums and lodges became fewer and farther between, replaced by steel foundries and stone mills. They were far less pretty to look at, but at least there was some plant life in the mountains to enjoy! Trees and plants grew proudly from the cold ground, adding a nice fluttering feeling to the calming energy of the mountain.

“I know, I lost my head… I’ve always been fascinated by magic, but I never had the chance to learn it. I hoped maybe something in there would help me.” Sky opened his mouth to respond, only to be cut off.“Yes, I’ve tried spellbooks and scrolls. I can barely read as it is. Book learning is not my style.”

“Which of you reads minds again?” Free chimed in with a goofy grin. Scarlet rolled her eyes and gave the buck a good kick in the flank. She stood a bit taller as he stumbled, thwarted by a patch of ice.

“Nice job featherbrain.” Scarlet said through a fit of laughter. “Don’t they teach you to walk properly up in the clouds?” The pegasus nickered and rolled his eyes.

I stretched out my wings as my friends bickered, feeling the wind moving around me. It was faster than before, coming in gusts instead of steady breezes. A chill ran through me as I gazed up at the heavy white clouds floating above the mountain's peak.

“There’s a storm coming.”

*** *** ***

Blizzards are dangerous. Without proper shelter, the elements will kill you in hours. I was younger than Snowflake when I learned the terrifying power nature had over us. Scarlet, Mother, and I were at the table studying when the news came over the radio. A group of fledglings from the settlement of Hydra were brave or dumb enough to venture out during a winter storm. The foals thought they were stronger than the weather spirits and braver than their parents who feared the world beyond the spawling hydroponics facility. Six months later a repo team found their bodies huddled in a ruined home, their winter apparel nowhere to be found. The storm tricked them into removing their protective layers by burning their skin.

The cold isn’t all you need to worry about, either. Dehydration is the next concern. In theory snow and icy water is safe to drink, but it’s another falsehood. It’ll freeze you from the inside out. Just as bad was visibility. Without Eyes Forward Sparkle to guide you you’d be effectively blind. Unable to see your own claw through the blowing snow. Someone 5 metres away may as well be across the world. You couldn’t see or hear them.

In the following months, the schools required students to watch blizzard safety videos every week. The terrifying power of the natural world burned itself into my eyelids and found its way deep into my nightmares. I had no wish to experience it first hoof.

“We’ve got a while before the storm hits. Four hours at best.” I guessed as we trotted towards the Vanhoover Power Station. It was pleasantly simplistic in design. A warehouse-sized brick building, with a bank of pony-sized transformers along the side that connected it to power lines. I could hear the click and groan of several water wheels around the backside of the building, turned by a steady stream of runoff from up the mountain. Electric lights shun through many of the building's windows, occasionally being obscured as a shadow passed by. It was definitely the right place.

And a great place to lie low and wait out the weather, while enjoying the good company of an interesting stranger! A mechanic with the skill to refit Free for a new prosthetic, even! An impromptu slumber party to escape the weather!

The inside of the building was paradise. To my friends, it was a junkyard, but I knew better. Spark batteries with chargers littered the floor. Metal shelves held enough wire spools to power an entire city! Boxes of capacitors, resistors, and talisman were stacked floor to ceiling in the corner! Shelves of flux regulators, hydraulics and servo motors, even a stripped power armour frame! Countless bins of scrap metal and electronics, all likely the result of countless years scavenging the ruined city.

Most interesting was the pill bottle-sized power cell glowing at the center of the sitting area. It was connected to a voltmeter that, like most of the equipment present was only partly functional. The arm spun endlessly around the dial, forever counting upwards.

The area near the door had been converted into a living area, though it looked more like a workspace. Just a few 100 square feet separated from the rest of the warehouse by tall steel shelves littered with scrap and spare parts. Beyond them was an energy plant, not unlike an abandoned one I once scavenged along the straight back in hippogriffia. Large spinning rods came in from outside, connecting to turbines that almost reached the roof. Of the four turbines, only one was functioning as designed. The other three were still and lifeless, seized up or gutted for parts. No energy, kinetic or otherwise, had moved through them in a very long time. Wires from the good generator ran into a battery bank that took up most of the left wall, which I assumed then connected to the transformers outside.

It was a treasure trove! My ultimate fantasy laid out on rusty tables and musty furniture! And at the heart of it all, a scruffy, brown and gray-coloured pony hunched over a workbench with a set of forceps in his muzzle. He had shaggy mud-coloured hair and wore tattered overalls, and sat in a fancy metal chair. A monocle with a sturdy flux-polymer frame was fixed over his left eye. Possibly a magnifying glass to help him repair the circuit board laid out in front of him.

“One sec.” The buck said as he carefully adjusted the spell matrix he was repairing. With a small sigh, he sat the tweezers down and looked over his shoulders at us. The stallion's ears were long and narrow, and his muzzle was wider. He looked nothing like any pony I’d ever seen. Then the gears clicked into place. He wasn’t a pony at all! He was a donkey!

“Wasn’ expectin’ guests today, ‘specially with the storm coming in. Could work out though… If yall are up for running a bit of an errand for me. ‘Course I can pay ya.” He grunted as he turned back to grab the spell matrix off his workbench. What I thought was a desk chair of some kind rolled back from his desk to greet us in the cozy (to me and only me, I found out later) living space with a soft whir. It was some kind of homemade mobility aid! The chair sat on 8 wells, controlled by a simple joystick.

“Come along.” The gruff donkey said with a wave of his hoof. “We can chat while I work. Gotta install this right quick.” We followed the buck further into the plant, my eyes wandering from his well-engineered wheelchair to the rest of the hydro plant. Back near the battery banks sat a metal box the size of an auto wagon, with tall pillars jutting out of the top. Streaks of rainbow lightning bounced between the four posts on top of it, working hard to produce and transform the arcane power into usable electricity. It was like the spark reactors I’d seen in Stable 24, but much smaller. The leads from the Spark generator connected to a fusebox on the wall to power the rest of the facility. All the power produced here was probably sent up the hill, likely to Eden itself.

I watched as the lame mechanic quickly installed the new board. The mechanisms inside creaked and hissed as it rumbled through its cycle. The magic from the device made my mane itch and my feathers tingle. The arks were strong, but unrefined and without purpose. The bolts between the pillars were inconsistent and wild. The chip the Donkey was repairing must have been a regulator or controller.

The part was a bandaid, at best. It wouldn’t fix everything wrong with it. The proof of concept simply wasn’t built to last long-term. “You’re little prototype is amazing… I wish there was some way to save it.” I said solemnly.

Scarlet stepped between the repair Donkey before he could respond. “Actually, we’re here for our friend.” She motioned towards Free, who was rubbing where his cybernetic met his flesh silently. “He’s got a bad leg, and we heard you might be able to help. But then we noticed the storm… so how about a trade? Your errand for some repair work and safe harbour?”

The buck rolled over to take a look, motioning for Free to show him the leg. “I got it a few years ago, as part of a military program.” He explained, grimacing as the mechanic turned and bent the limb thoughtfully. Free hadn’t been big on us ‘wasiting time’ on getting his limb fixed when we could be finding a medical marvel, but we hadn’t given him much choice. My sister Aqua told me the worst patients were other medical professionals, and Free proved her right.

The buck tsked. “Sloppy. And terribly lazy. No tissue regeneration, no nerve dampening… Joints are tight, connectors are aluminum… It’s an inch too long! Pile o’ hell hound shit. I can’t rightly let the buck trot around on this thing… So you got a deal.

“I need you to head down to the amusement factory. I ain’t got machine oil, and as you can hear it’s got my genny throwing a fit. Will need some to rebuild this scrap heap too, no offence buck. It won’t be near this flashy or high-tech, but it won’t hurt, and it’ll get you where you gotta go. Ya’ll go get the oil while I get started. Once the genny is back up to par I can turn the heat on. We can wait out this Celestia-forsaken storm in comfort.” I didn’t realize until he mentioned it, but it was barely a few degrees warmer in the plant than it was outside. “Better than burning the waste oil for heat like I planned. Warm, but not great for my old lungs.” The buck chucked.

“Sounds like a deal. I’m Scarlet, and you just met Free. This is our alicorn guard Sky, and Aella is our resident repair pony. Hence the stary-eyed look at all of your scavenged junk.”

“T-this stuff isn’t junk, Scarlet!” I squawked, jumping in to defend the fine amazing collection. “I don’t know much about caps, but I know tech. I could almost build a second airship with all the equipment and scrap in here! If there’s a dragon mechanic out there, this is what its hoard looks like!”

Scarlet chuckled and rolled her eyes. A soft nuzzle from Sky and a telepathic update on the coming storm reminded the unicorn to get back to business. Scarlet was the only one of us who didn’t have the magic to feel the changes in the weather. She couldn’t feel the pressure building in the air, sapping the heat from everything it could touch.

“Names Axel.” The donkey muttered, eyes focused on our medics' cybernetic. “Amusement Factories three blocks up, on the left. Can’t miss it. Oil should be at the loading dock. Gots a trolly out front to load the barrel’s onta. Just watch yerselves in there, alright? Weird place. Safe so long as ya stay focused and don’t dottle.”

“That’s ominous…” Sky muttered softly, narrowing his eyes at the Donkey. I got a bit dizzy as the alicorn's mind pressed against mine less gently than usual. “I don’t trust this Donkey, Aella. I can only read pony minds, (and yours for some reason.) We have no idea if he’s trustworthy or not!”

I thought back at him with an unavoidable eye roll. “The Watcher vouched for the skill and character of this repair pony. While I don’t know the Spritebot hacker from Mistmane, Scarlet trusts him, and The Lightbringer knows him! That’s good enough for me. I trust them.” The alicorn nickered over the telepathic link but didn’t complain further.

Axel looked towards me and pointed a hoof at the generator struggling behind him. “You says this old girl is dying. Figure that out just from lookin’?”

I felt like a breezie under the questioning gaze of the elder mechanic. Someone who’d been fixing and tinkering since before my parents were born. Did I inadvertently question his ability? Or was he just testing my own? Either way, I couldn’t help but second-guess myself as I stammered. “I-I um… Well, it’s just… The spark core is pretty weak… And it feels like the actuator for the ugh coolant system is… umm, seized. I haven't heard the cooling system cycle, it’s just stuck on. Even with the um, control board repaired it won't… Run well… That slight hitch whenever she starts a new cycle umm… It sounds like the gem-flux electrolyte is trying to move backwards in the system for a second. The ugh, diaphragm pump must be worn on one side… allowing for some backflow…”

The buck raised an eyebrow as he held his stare. “And you got all that from listening to her for a half-second?” I gave a slow nod. “How? You ever work on a spark reactor?”

“I’ve been working on machines all my life. I haven’t done much work on spark reactors since we use pulse generators and reactors back home, but I know how they work. Just… When I’m around a machine, working on it, taking it apart, listening to it, it’s like… I don’t know, there’s this feeling. The machine knows what’s wrong with itself, it’s just you need to know how to listen to what it tells you… I um… I know it sounds stupid…”

Axel chuckled and shook his head. “Not at all, kid. Seen and heard way weirder stuff in my time. You’ve got a gift few creatures can dream of. Countless creatures spend lives developin. Trust your instincts, little bird. They’ll lead you right.”

“I… Um… Thank you…?” I gaped at the donkey, more confused than ever. What did he mean? Did my sensitivity to magic help me repair magical things? Or was there something more… Spiritual awareness maybe? I’d only really had that as a fledgling, and my parents and the elders dismissed it. That couldn’t be it. Maybe technology was my purpose, granting me a magical connection to them? No, that was a pony/cutie mark thing, hippogriffs don’t have that kind of innate magic. Intuition then. That was it. Ponies did tend to scoff at things as simple as intuition…

*** *** ***

The amusement factory failed to live up to its name. I expected a colourful building where ponies merrily worked to bring joy and friendship to the once-great nation! In reality, it looked exactly like the rest of the ruined factories that once drove Equestria’s booming industry. An endless sea of grey. Grey walls, grey desks, grey chairs, and grey tools. Even grey computers! I pouted as I looked around the uninspired lobby. Would it have killed them to add a mural or something?

There was at least one spot of colour in the drab building. Four stone pedestals were set up on either side of the entrance, to display the company's most anticipated products of the year. A joy buzzer enchanted with actual joy, something called a party pistol, a grenade that blows bubbles, (I was starting to sense a theme) and a… targeting talisman? How could that possibly be used as a toy?

The silver ring with a sapphire embedded in the center certainly didn’t belong with the other objects. I moved for a closer look while Sky and Scarlet toyed around with the party pistol, which apparently used confetti as its munitions. I dusted off the inscription, which was far longer than the others.

With the help of facilities like The Amusement Factory, beating the zebra filth has been a breeze! Thanks to manufacturing facilities like this, our Steel Rangers, Pegasi combatants, and brave hoof soldiers have the tools they need to stand against bloodthirsty zebra warriors! This display is to thank the tireless efforts of the workers here for doing their part in the war effort! You don’t need power armour to be a hero!

Well, that was… something. It never failed to disappoint me how xenophobic the ponies and zebras of the past grew through the trying times of their war. And… seriously? They had a toy company making talismans for the war? Didn’t they have enough factories already? This entire town was full of them! Fillydelphia was even larger! Its industry was built around the war. How many weapons could they possibly need?

I groaned and turned toward my friends. No sense in questioning the actions of ponies long dead, especially when we had better things to do. “Let's get moving. I don’t want to get caught by that storm.

Strangely I found it colder inside the factory. Not the normal cold that bites at your flesh, though. It was like the cold was deep inside of me, and I was just slowly growing more aware of it. Shaking hooves and chattering teeth next to me suggested I wasn’t the only one who noticed.

Thanks to a handy map Axel shared to my Pip-Buck, navigating the frosty hallways of the dead factory was easy breezy! We were in the office and admin, so we just had to head through the factory floor to the loading bay.

I was thankful for it. Somehow it was even colder in the factory than it’d been outside. Not the normal cold that bites at your flesh, though. It was more like the cold was inside of me already, and I was just slowly growing more aware of it. Shaking hooves and chattering teeth next to me suggested I wasn’t the only one who noticed. The less time we spent in the strangely ice-charged building, the better.

The factory floor must have been amazing before the war. A perfectly organized assembly line designed to maximize productivity and efficiency. The scent of motor oil and metal was pleasantly familiar, even if the oil was long past due and the iron was more rust than actual metal. “Flux… Liquid Rubber… Resin…” I read aloud as I trotted down a row of open barrels. The contents of them all looked the same, a putrid, vomit-coloured sludge.

Most fascinating were the toys and gadgets in various stages of construction. A shiny wheel on a stick that glowed and whistled as it spun, a rubber sack that made farting sounds when sat on, a gun that fired cotton candy, and even…

“-Oh dear spirits, no way!” I cawed and soared several rows over, to a bin flooding with grey cartridges. I grabbed the cleanest one I could find and seated it into my PipBuck. It slid into the peripheral slot without complaint, just like a holotape. I giggled like a filly as the Pipbuck status screen was replaced with the picture of a red mare in suspenders.

My friends sighed as I took off without explanation, following along at their own pace. Sky rolled his eyes at my thoughts and nickered, while Scarlet trotted up and read over my shoulder. “Mare-I/O? What the hell is a Mare-I/O?”

My wings fluttered as I eagerly explained. “It’s an interactive video game from before the war! A few companies wanted to make them on PipBucks and other mobile terminals so you could take them with you! The market for PipBucks in Canterlot blew up, and they thought things like this would make them more appealing to the general public.”

I chirped as Sky bapped me with his wing. “As fun as it is watching you nerd out over old prewar toys Captain, it’s getting colder by the minute. If you and Scar wanna freeze to death, that’s your prerogative. But I’m not explaining to Free how you two died when I get back.” The blunt reminder made me wince, but of course, he was right. We had a job to do, and little time to do it.

“R-right… Right, sorry. Let me just…” I pocketed half a dozen of the better-looking game cartridges for safekeeping, then started towards the other end of the factory floor. Sky followed behind me, with Scarlet in the back. “Loading bay is this way, it shouldn’t take long to-”

“Ow, what the hell?” Sky narrowed his eyes at Scarlet over his shoulder, levitating a cracked Mare-I/O game next to him. “Oh, I’m getting you back for that.” Scarlet yelped as she batted away the weaponized cartridge with her ethereal spear spell.

“What was that for!?” The glowing spear stabbed several inches into the concrete before evaporating. The annoyed and confused look on her face spread to Sky, who was now glancing around nervously.

“The game thing hit me! I thought… But you didn’t-. So what the fuck…”

“Maybe it was a ghost.” Scarlet nickered as she trotted past the confused buck. “ It’s probably nothing. Now come on, I’m freezing my tail off.”

Sky begrudgingly followed, but his confusion remained. He kept glancing back and looking around, worried we were being followed. I moved to walk next to him and pat his shoulder with a wing. “It was probably nothing, Sky. EFS is clear, and if it was a pony you’d hear them thinking. Axel did say weird stuff happened in this place. Hell, could be a degraded levitation or wind talisman that kicked it up. I’ve seen weirder stuff happen with old tech.”

He chucked slowly and nodded. “Yeah, you’re probably right, Captain. I’m acting a bit foalish.”

“It isn’t foalish to be on your guard, Sky. But right now our biggest enemy is the weather, not a flying prewar toy.” Scarlet giggled.

The oil was where Axel said it’d be, wasting away on storage shelves at the back of an eerily empty loading dock. The husk of a rotted-out shipping wagon sat abandoned at the far end of the bay, waiting to ship out stock that would never be constructed.

The lubricant wasn’t what I expected. 40 gallons, ((which my Pippy thankfully informed me was 150 litres)) of slightly smelly oil made from a mix of vegetables. No idea if they used it over petroleum because it was cheaper, or simply because Equestria lacked natural oil reserves.

Still, oil was oil! It wouldn’t freeze easily, and it’d keep the metal parts from rubbing or rusting. I was trying to figure out the best way to move the heavy containers when the rising voices of my friends derailed my train of thought.

“I’m far from an expert, but I know magic is not that simple. There’s a reason unicorns never try this; it isn’t safe! I understand dual casting is how you and your sisters got shit done in unity, but this ain’t unity. I’m just a unicorn, Sky! And not a great example of one. If the spell rebounds, I could lose my horn!” Scarlet slammed her hoove on the stone floor in aggravation and huffed.

My presence was forgotten as the two argued about how to move the oil. Though I don’t know how the verbal brawl started, it was clearly heating up. Sky remained impressively composed as he countered.

“We don’t need to be in unity! I dual cast with my sisters a bunch post-unity. With us linked telepathically, it’ll be simple.” The buck nickered. Then he slumped and gave the slave collar-clad mare an understanding, slightly sombre look. “Unless... you don’t have the magic to do it. My telepathy will negate most of the energy loss from messily mixing magic, but if you feel too weak to manage even with that out of the way, I understand. Not all ponies can be great and powerful like Twilight Sparkle or The Destroyer. It’s nothing to be ashamed of.”

With an aggravated nicker, Scarlet's fate was sealed. The way Sky fed into her competitive nature and fascination with magic made it impossible to refuse. The mind-reading alicorn had laid out the perfect bait. He caught her hook, line, and sinker.

The scarlet mare reared up on her hind legs and touched her horn to the towering alicorns. A magically charged spark arced between their horns, as the energy potential between the two creatures balanced out. As one, their magical horns flared to life. At first, the magical auras pushed into one another, battling for the spotlight. After a minute though, the tension in both ponies' muscles slackened. Their magic mixed into a brilliant blue hue. I beautiful harmony like nothing I’d ever felt. It wasn’t overpowering as I’d expected, but soft and malleable.

I beamed as the drums were wrapped in that beautiful glow, and carried all at once to the dolly. The glow shifted from the barrels to the dolly itself, shifting the straps to secure the load in place. It was a brilliant display of mighty telekinesis, (level 1.) It was nothing compared to the excitement in her eyes. Seeing her so genuinely happy and carefree for a change made my heart smile. She deserved to be that happy every day. All of my friends did.

The threw her arms around Midnight Sky in a gleeful fit of laughter. Before I knew it, a blue aura of magic pulled me into the pony pile, wrapped tightly in soft fur and warm feathers. We giggled and nuzzled as the ex-slave processed what she’d done. A feat she thought was an impossible dream.

The flicker behind her eyes spread to us all. Hope. Because if Scarlet could do what she thought impossible, there was no reason the rest of us couldn’t. Sky could stop the ponies that killed his sisters. I could save my people. Free could live happy, and pain-free.

With the magic of friendship, we could do anything.

*** *** ***

“Come on, you stupid door! Open up!” Sky bellowed as he bucked the steel door again. The alicorn's earth pony strength was no match for whatever blocked it off. It was the fifth door we tried in an hour. Trying to force them open was useless. It felt like kicking a brick wall. That didn’t stop our hotheaded friend from trying though.

“You’re going to tire yourself out, Sir-bucks-a-lot. We gotta find a place to bed down, and get a fire going. It’s only going to get colder in here…” Scarlet said through chattering lips. We were out of the wind, but it was already below freezing. “When the storm passes, we’ll find another way out. Assuming Free and Axel don’t figure out a way to help us first.”

“The hell they will! That donkey led us into a trap. Free’s probably on a spit, and we’ll be next after you two freeze to death! We gotta focus on getting out of this place! Then we can find him, and-”

“Enough!” My wings unfurled dramatically as I raised my voice, forcing both ponies to quiet themselves and step back. They were shocked to see me raise my voice, though their expressions quickly turned sheepish as they waited for me to continue. I hissed at nothing in particular as I went on.

“I doubt the Donkey had anything to do with this. I trust Scarlet, and both she and the Lightbringer trust Watcher, so when The Watcher says Axel is a good person, I believe it. All we know for sure is that We need to get comfy and stay warm. At this point, if we got the door open, we’d just die in the blizzard.” Sky nickered. He was annoyed but respected my authority enough not to argue. Scarlet on the other hoof gave a firm nod. “Midnight Skies, since you have enough energy to buck at doors all night long, why don’t you kick some furniture into firewood while we find a place to rest?”

*** *** ***

I didn’t enjoy being in charge. I know the adage, “Heavy is the head that wears the crown,” but even a metaphorical captain's hat carried more weight than I expected. On the right was an irritable alicorn, upset with me for not taking his side. To the right was a prideful unicorn wearing a smug look when she thought I wasn’t looking.

I was in the middle, and I didn’t like it one bit. But I couldn’t have not said something! Scarlet was right! We had to hunker down and keep warm until the storm passed. We couldn’t afford to waste our energy trying to run into the bloodthirsty blizzard!

So I lead my unusually quiet friends through the decrepit building for a decent enough place to camp for the night. The building was unnaturally lifeless. The old, somewhat weather-resistant building was an ideal place for bugs and other critters to take cover from a blizzard. Still, not a single tick on my EFS.

As if the creep factor wasn’t enough already, my eyes were playing tricks on me. The shadows cast by my PipBuck and Scarlet's horn danced around corners or took on strange shapes when I wasn’t looking. Gusts of wind and creaks echoed through the halls that sounded eerily like muffled conversation or the whining of long ruined machinery.

It was probably nothing. An anxious, exhausted mind looking for patterns where there weren't any. After the long uphill trot to Vanhoover, it made sense. It also explained why Sky was on edge and Scarlet's magic kept flickering. We just needed to cozy up and rest. Everything would be better in the morning.

“Hmmm… Up there looks fine.” I gestured at the windows overlooking the factory floor with a wing. “The way it overlooks the factory reminds me of an overmares office in a stable. It’s gotta be the supervisor's office. That should be perfect.”

Getting to stay in a supervisor's office, like some kind of big shot! And they said I’d never be in an office until I pulled myself together, hah! Even if it was in very different circumstances.

A metal staircase along the back wall led to the office's entrance; a simple metal door. “Cheese Sandwich, CEO” was stencilled on the door in comic sans. The office was larger than average. Colourful posters decorated the walls, everything from advertisements for comedy shows and public appearances to weird motivational ones depicting small animals hanging from tree branches. A shelf behind the Ceo’s desk was littered with all manor of keepsakes and tchotchkes. Everything from a jar of water labelled ‘Yakyakastan snowball’ to sandstone from Breezewood Canyon. There was even a beautifully crafted ocean flute, a hippogriff instrument made from a screw-shell. The runes scrawled into the spiralling horn-like surface meant not only was it a hippogriff relic, but it was one made by a high elder. Amazing.

It was in better condition than the rest of the building, lacking the weak, rotted flooring, and the potent, mould-riddled scent. The cracked glass of the window provided enough ventilation for a fire, too. While Sky gathered wood, I crafted and lit a claw-full of oil lamps from scrap fabric and sparkle cola bottles. The cold claws of the blizzard didn’t stand a chance.

When Sky got back, I already had a steel drum cleaned out and cut in half. We could make a barrel fire, just like Axel had! He trotted next to me and dumped the pile of wood scrap next to my barrel, then without a word, trotted into a back corner to set up his bedroll.

I raised an eyebrow as I watched him unpack for a minute. Was he still upset with me from before? He seemed to have a thick skin when it came to hearing the less-than-charming thoughts others had about him and his species, so that didn’t seem likely. Normally he was really respectful, even going so far as to refer to me as Captain. He always had anger in him, hidden behind his pride and armoured barding, but it was never a problem. Now, the cold shoulder he gave me was bitter as the howling wind outside.

Scarlet wasn’t doing much better. She’d grown unusually quiet since Midnight Sky’s outburst, keeping her eyes downcast as she meandered along behind us. The air of confidence and determination that usually surrounded her turned melancholy and meek.

Was it me? It wasn’t unusual for me to annoy or offend someone without meaning to. I could be blunt sometimes… Though my friends were also quite candid when it came to me doing something stupid, so they’d probably tell me. I could ask, but that might just make things worse… Perhaps it wasn’t my fault? It could be the weather and the stress of being trapped! The long day of trotting! Maybe for once, the problem wasn’t me!

I mulled over the possibilities as I stacked the wood up in the barrel. Had I taken a sip of their canteens without asking? Maybe they were disappointed with the food selection on the Skystar. Scarlet bought supplies before we left Vision, but the selection was quite limited. I could ask everyone what they like to eat! Maybe decorate their rooms a bit! Surely that would cheer them up.

Some warmth would help everyone's moods as well! The wood however didn’t seem very interested in burning. An annoyed hiss grew the attention of my friends as I struggled to draw flames from the wood. It was fighting me, refusing to light. I tried the runes for heat, fire, and energy. It all failed. Sky showed some interest in runic magic when I told him about it that morning, but the disobedient scratches weren’t having it. The marks flared to life for a moment, only for the light to flicker and die. I always had trouble controlling runes, but having them outright refuse to activate? Could they even do that!? It was disheartening, to say the least.

“Here, I’ll do this too,” Sky muttered. He cantered over with a pack of matches held in his midnight blue magic. “How’s it supposed to work?” He asked as he struck a match, starting the fire the old-fashioned way. “Too tired?” He was still moody, but his curiosity outweighed it.

I wrapped my wings around myself and shivered against the vicious cold, thankful for the fire growing before us. “Our magic doesn’t work that way. The runes are like… a language. It tells the spirits what you want to happen or what you wanna do. As long as a scrawl's will is strong enough, they’ll follow the instructions. I’ve never been good at complex commands… They’re supposed to be basic in text, with the finer details in the subtext, and I’m bad at that. They don’t always listen to me, either. Still, I’ve never failed at it like this. It’s like they read the message, but couldn’t even be bothered to respond. ”

Sky nodded as his telepathy searched for the words I left unsaid. My parents and the elders had countless theories for why my magic didn’t work. I didn’t mind the exploration until he brushed against the nightmares I’d been having lately. He pulled back the instant he felt my anger and anxiety at the intrusion. But for some reason… did he look even angrier with me?

The alicorn's eyes narrowed as he nickered, quickly confirming my suspicions. “You can’t keep hiding from your own bullshit. I am so tired of holding your hoof and coddling you!” Sky stomped in frustration, making me stumble back with a wince. Suddenly my body was shaking. A muted note of fear and anxiety screamed in my chest. I felt like I was gonna throw up. My mouth was like a desert, while my friend's tongue was sharp as broken sea glass.

“So your parents were shitty, big fucking deal! We all have shitty parents! My mother was a genocidal megalomaniac! Scarlet’s dash-fiend of a mom sold her into slavery! You don’t see us moping about it all the time! You need to deal with your shit!” Each word was another needle stabbing into my heart.

I hadn’t realized… I was so distracted I hadn’t even thought to care about their pasts beyond what I already knew. I was so selfish and so focused on saving my own people, I neglected the first real friends I ever had.

Just as quickly as it appeared, the fire in the alicorn's eyes smouldered, and the blood drained from his face. He wasn’t looking at me anymore. His ghostly expression looked right through me. He was stunned and shocked into silence by the words he said. And by who heard them.

Over my shoulder, Scarlet sat up in her bedroll. She was silent. Motionless. Uncomfortably corpse-like. Amber eyes glistened in the flicking light. The snaps of burning wood were the only sound.

Sky dropped a bombshell. In a fit of anger, he revealed one of the countless secrets his telepathy cursed him with knowing. Something private and traumatic about my dearest friend. We were already on edge, but that pushed us over.

There are three ways most creatures react to anxiety: Fight, flight, or freeze. Scarlet's choice was clear as she fled from the room, her panicked mind deciding the frigid building was preferable to being near me. I sprang to my hooves and called after her, but she was already gone.

When I moved to follow a midnight blue energy threw me back, sending me sprawling across the filthy, cold floor. “No.” My alicorn friend hissed in a threatening voice, trotting to the door. His eyes seemed to glow in the light of his horn. “I fucked up, I’ll deal with it. No sense in you running out and getting yourself killed. Let the real wastelanders handle it. Stay here and have a picnic with your rock or something.” His tone was more bitter than the icy floor below. Before I could recover from the verbal assault, he was gone too.

Maybe he had a point… I was just a technician. It’d never been my place to make decisions, risk my life to help others or go on adventures. I did as I was told. Fixed what others broke. That was my place.

Or rather, it was… before I came to the wasteland. Before I saw the horrors and wonders fallen Equestria had to offer. I survived daring feats. I helped save a settlement from dehydration! I helped found another. So many adventures I could have never imagined. I changed so many people's lives in just two weeks. It was terrifying… emotional. It pushed my limits and threatened to shatter me. But it didn’t.

I was capable of so much more than I thought possible. I could be a warrior, a leader, a captain, and most importantly a friend. I couldn’t have done any of it alone. My new friends were always there for me. To prop me up, teach me, protect and console me.

The feelings of doubt and inadequacy that tried to wear on me were unfounded. After hearing about my adventures on the radio, meeting with Prime, and changing Trottingham and the surrounding area for the better, I knew it. So why had I felt so afraid and unsure? Why was Sky’s anger clouding his judgement? How had Scarlet gone from my protective and headstrong right wing to a meek and depressed fly on the wall?

It couldn’t be our exhaustion. I knew that all along, but it was an easy explanation. Someone was off about the building. Axel had warned us it was unusual, and I noticed its strange vibe when I entered. Something was there. It trapped us and picked at our insecurities until we pushed one another apart. It saw how much stronger my friends and I were together before even I did.

I had to find them.

Footnotes:
Welcome to level 14!

Perk added: Practised sense: Your ability to feel magical energy around you has increased! This increased intuition grants you +1 perception while outside combat, and unique dialogue options with some individuals.

Chapter 17: Haunted Feelings

Fallout Equestria: Endless Horizon

Chapter 17: Haunted Feelings

Click.

Have to wonder if those asshole brothers knew how royally fucked we were gonna be when they cancelled construction on their stupid “Spell Safe Silo” bunker. After the town spent all that time and money on the construction, they just pause the project due to financial concerns!? It’s been 8 months! Those bastards took our bits and ran.

I hope the balefire burns those asshats alive. ‘Course they probably have their own private bunker to ride out the shit in. A bunch of folks are heading up to S3-B . Waste of time if you ask me. Survive the radiation long enough to starve to death or run out of air in a half-baked stable knock-off. Fuck that.

I’m gonna go sit on the roof. Have one last beer before the apocalypse kills me. Whatever comes next, it can’t be worse than this.

🐦🐦🐦🐦🐦

I think everyone in the wasteland is running from something. Their past, themselves, or the world itself. The world was a miserable place, of course, and we all have our damage. So mine isn’t special. If no one else could spend time stressing over their childhoods, what right do I have? Sure, my mom was distant, and my parents both died when I was young, but I had a good life. I was fed, cared for, educated even! Scarlet was sold into slavery by her mother! Sky was forced to become an alicorn and serve an evil goddess, then suffer her death through secondhand telepathy. Free was raised in a militaristic society that indoctrinated its people into military service, and lost his leg!

Harmony said I had to work through my issues. Mine. But what about my friends? What about the rest of the wasteland that’s suffering!?! And I didn’t exactly have time to work on myself. I could get all the therapy I needed when my sister was safe. Why my people were cured. Until then I had to keep moving forward.

The factory was even more eerie on my own. My brain couldn’t help but conjure images of how it all looked before the end. Clean walls, well-kept floors, offices full of hard-working creatures. An excited colt bouncing through the halls as their parent shuffled them along on take your foal to work today, trying to quiet them as they passed a conference room full of well-dressed ponies disguising shipping logistics and income graphs. It was all gone. They were all gone. Either died from exposure shortly after the war or of natural causes sometime after in the off-brand stable. Knowing that didn’t stop me from hearing children laugh as they got to see the newest toy before anypony else, or Sans Smirk's monotone voice as he explained how popular the company would become.

I did my best to ignore my overactive imagination. I had to focus!

Of course, the endless sea of red blips on my compass didn’t help ease my discomfort either. My later generation of Pip solved the issue of EFS struggling when it came to buildings with stairs, adding little arrows on each tick to identify if it was above or below me. Unfortunately, if the blips were near one another, they became unreadable. Thank you, Stable-Tec.

I was searching the west wing floor by floor. It was mostly offices, with some private workshops and conference rooms mixed in. Each floor had the exact same layout, making my hunt through the mouldy, rot-scented building as tedious as it was dangerous. Several times I almost fell through sections of the floor no stronger than a few layers of cardboard. If I wasn’t so light on my hooves I would have gotten an express trip to the first floor, complete with fractured bones.

For all my efforts I had; a few stray caps, an audio recording I found in the little filly's room, and a growing sense of anxiety. Almost two hours without a single sign of life, then the second we’re split up the world becomes a wall of red. Like they were lying in wait until we were vulnerable. Skillful hunters waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike.

I shook off the dark thoughts. If that was the case, it was more reason to find my friends. It was likely that the markers were just radroaches getting out of the cold, but if some wasteland hunters were lurking they’d be hard-pressed to take on all three of us.

Finally, the recording playing in my ear came to an end. It was a good distraction from the scary, bone-chilling building, even if it was a sombre one. The mare on the tape was so quick to accept the end. Did she lose hope, or did she just accept the inevitable? If she knew that the ponies would survive for their descendants to build the mining town of Eden, would she have stayed anyway?

Would I?

The next room I tried wouldn’t open. I skipped the last few locked doors that blocked my way, but it felt like there was something moving behind that one. I narrowed my eyes at the door, but it didn’t yield under my piercing gaze. The lock didn’t find me daunting in the slightest. That was fine. I’m a smart mare. A brilliant engineer! Maybe I couldn’t get past a 200-year-old lock, but I had a tool that could!

Hurricane. It felt natural to rear up on my hooves as I drew the devastating weapon in my claws. Like the force of nature it was named for, normal construction was no match! The Novasurge rifle turned a large portion of the lock into peach-coloured slag.

I paused after the fourth shot and frowned. The plasma warped and slagged the deadbolt into a twisted glowing mess I still couldn’t open. All I’d done was make it impossible to unlock from my side. I knew it was a long shot, but I was still annoyed.

Click. Creeeck

Just like that, the locking mechanism clicked, and the door swung open. Did one of my wayward friends open it from the other side to let me through? But as my eyes adjusted to the gloom inside it wasn’t happy smiles that greeted me. A dozen cold dead eyes peered out through the darkness. For a pregnant second, we stared at each other. A hippogriff reared up with her rifle, versus six balefire blasted businessponies.

The nearest ghoul reacted first. It charged with a feral howl. A SATS-guided burst of plasma bore into its decayed mug. The scent of charred flesh and singed hair untied with pungent ghoul rot and bombard my senses. I ignored it as best I could and focused on the fight.

I wasn’t the same filly I was weeks before. I knew it was me or them. With a careful breath, I sent two more bolts at the unholy husks. My target howled and stumbled, its attempt to launch itself over the conference table between us thwarted by a shot to the shoulder. A pained shriek left its toothless muzzle as its foreleg melted away. My other shot went wide to turn a criminally outdated TV into a box of sparking metal.

One wounded, and one dead. That was the best I could do before I lost my advantage. The four zombies closed in fast. SATS was recharging. So I tossed Hurricane over my shoulder and ran. I couldn’t beat them up close, so I had to play to my strengths. With a bit of room to move, I could use my agility against them.

A strong flap of my wings carried me forward. With no way to fight at range, they had no chance! That is until a light figure reminded me most buildings weren’t made for flying by almost taking my head off. I let out a surprised caw and returned to the ground. Far safer to stay on all fours than risk flying into hanging objects.

I drew my trusty energy pistol and fired blindly behind me. Pained snarls met my shots. Despite at least one successful hit, they didn’t relent. They didn’t care about pain or obstacles. All that mattered was feeding their insatiable hunger. I could use that!

The next room I tried wouldn’t open. I skipped the last few locked doors that blocked my way, but I had a feeling there was something moving around behind that one. I narrowed my eyes at the door, but it didn’t yield under my piercing gaze. The lock didn’t find me daunting in the slightest. That was fine. I’m a smart mare. A brilliant engineer! Maybe I couldn’t get past a 200-year-old lock, but I had a tool that could!

Click. Creeeck

A strong flap of my wings carried me forward. With no way to fight at range, they had no chance of beating me in flight! That is until a light figure reminded me most buildings weren’t made for flying by almost taking my head off. I let out a surprised caw and returned to the ground. Far safer to stay on all fours than risk flying into hanging objects.

The running battle was an unfortunate reminder of how out of shape I still was. Every Mold tainted breath burned like fire. The hungry hoard pursued me tirelessly. I was sure the leader was on my tail. Preparing to pounce. I had to keep going. Push a bit harder. Run a bit further. I wasn’t a good shot. My body was far from athletic. But I was smarter than them.

Finally, I felt it: The decayed wood below groaned in protest. The water-logged floor sagged under me. Threatening to send me crashing through to the floors below. Perfect. I unfurled my wings and lept. The ghouls howled and whimpered as the floor came out from under them. They had no idea how weak water-logged flooring could be, or how to keep themselves from falling.

Just when I thought I was safe the wasteland sought to prove me wrong. A crippling weight slammed down on top of me. The full weight of a zombie pony settled on my back as its forelegs wrapped around my barrel. Bright pain flashed through me as cavity-ridden teeth sunk into my armoured shoulder.

The air was forced from my lungs as I was crushed between the rotten pony and the mouldy floor. My pistol flew from my grip. I was pinned. Beak to the bone-chilling floor as it tore away at my barding. My gun was out of reach, and I couldn’t strike at the feral beast with my talons.

The ghoul was smarter than most. Tired of chewing on leather padding it wound a new target. It sank its teeth into my neck and forced an ear-splitting shriek from my throat. Crimson gore stained my legs. I could hardly think through the pain as my vision blurred. The beast was going to eat me. It was eating me! While I was alive! Unconsciousness would come for me. Then I would die. Alone and unarmed.

Unarmed other than Hurricane, but it was slung across my back. A novasurge rifle… On my back. Pressed right into the ghoul's barrel. It was a terrible idea. Possibly the worst I ever had. The rifle could just as easily turn me into a puddle of ooze as the hungry ghoul, and I was not a lucky mare. Still, if I did nothing I’d die anyway.

Pft Pft Pft!

I didn’t need to rely on luck. There were three flashes from down the hall. Then it was over. The beast's head exploded like a rotten pumpkin. “Aella!” The sound of the weapon was familiar, but the concerned shout confirmed it. Sky found me just in time. But I wasn’t out of the woods yet.

I tried not to retch as Sky levitated the body off my back. As badly as my stomach wanted to empty itself, there were more important things to worry about. The angry red medical alerts screaming in my vision made it very clear. The neck wound didn’t hit the artery, but it was still bleeding profusely.

Sky pressed a hoof to my wound to stem the flow “You moron, trying to keep all the action to yourself… You know how much I love a good fight. Now look at ya… Getting yourself beat up when our medic is busy. Dammit, Captain…” Sky wouldn’t meet my eyes as he spoke, his ears laid back.

I giggled a bit and winced. “It’s ok you weren’t here, Sky. But apologies later, ok? Help me get patched up.” Sky helped me sit up, so we could tend to my wound. Though he was unconvinced we’d be able to.

Tense, terrifying moments like that are exactly why I take such good care of my equipment. So I can know they’ll take care of me. I thanked Applebloom for her inclusion of the inventory sorting spell as I had the trusty device to find everything I needed.

Sky levitated the supplies from my saddlebags out, and we got to work. Buck tablet. Chew. Med-x. Inject. Healing potion. Drink. Bandages. Wrap. No, tighter! There. Our work was rushed and foalish, but effective. The magical bandages helped close the wound, while the healing potion worked more deeply. It would get me back on all fours, and hopefully, have me wholly recovered within the next day or two.

Medical alerts faded one by one as I stabilized. All but the temperature warning. Haunting me with visions of a snowdrifted death. Aella-sicles served fresh for every ghoul and beast.

My dower thoughts were dispelled as I was wrapped in a soft blanket of purple feathers. “Here. You can steal some of my body heat while you catch your breath, alright?”

I nodded and nestled into his fur. The fight didn’t go perfectly, but I was fine. I was alive! I fought well! I may have needed help in the end, but I did it! I killed several, and outsmarted the rest! Sure I was sore and exhausted. The drugs and magic wouldn’t help with the fire in my chest or chill in my bones, but I would manage.

🐦🐦🐦🐦🐦

We didn’t rest as long as I would have liked. Just long enough for me to stop shivering. When we found Scarlet, we could rest as long as we liked. And honestly, I felt fine! The drugs in my system lent me the energy to keep moving. When they wore off they’d leave me with a rough crash and a pained shoulder, but until then, I felt kinda good.

Other than the shadows dancing at the edge of my vision. The strange tricks of light started when we arrived but grew more common the longer I searched. The anxiety and self-loathing grew more aggressive as it tore at my insides. No matter how I forced them down and locked them away, they tunnelled through my mental blocks. It felt unnatural. Like something tugging at them. Feeding them. That wasn’t even the strangest thing about the factory.

“Haunted? Like… Like “haunted, haunted?” The buck couldn’t contain his laughter as we combed the building. We searched an entire floor in the time it took for me to explain my theory. “Captain, that sounds mad. And I spent most of my existence as part of an evil hive mind!”

A soft growl escaped my beak. I knew he wouldn’t believe me! Ponies were blessed with more magic than most other species, but they were always so quick to dismiss anything otherworldly or paranormal. Is enough to make a hen tear out her feathers! He saw first hoof how brilliant I am, yet he wouldn’t even consider the idea! It wasn’t fair. “Something is here, doing these things to us. Amplifying our emotions, and targeting our insecurities! At first, I thought it could be an enchantment or artifact. A relic from the war. But that door opened on its own! After I turned the doorknob to slag. I’ve felt something off about this place the entire time, and now it finally makes sense! What else could trap us like this!?”

The buck sighed and shook his head. “I… understand you believe this. I’ve seen some weird things in the wastes Aella, but this… No. I know you like to think you’re the smartest mare in the room, and I know how amazing your mind is. But you’re a child a heart. You haven’t seen the world like the rest of us. You’re probably just remembering some adventure book you read as a foal without realizing it. It being a weapon is a good idea, though. This was a toy and talisman factory, right?” I nodded confirmation. “So it wasn’t a ghost factory?” He laughed at his own pointed joke. That buck sure knew how to ruffle my feathers. Still, I couldn’t change his worldview with my theory or anything.

His attempt to defuse the tension with humour made me huff and flicked my mane in annoyance. Fine. Clearly, the conversation wasn’t going to get anywhere. There was no point in continuing it. “Let’s just find Scarlet before she freezes to death…”

🐦🐦🐦🐦🐦

“How in the hell have we not found her yet? I swear it wasn’t this tall from the outside. This place better not have one of those stupid larger-on-the-inside enchantments or the stupid glamour charms that make stairwells feel larger than they are. Fucking magic.”

We were just making our way up to the next level as Midnight Skies' complaints reached a crescendo. That was par for the course as far as adventures go. Without anything to combat he’d grow bored and restless. But he did have a point. From what I could remember, the office building section of the factory was only three or four stories, but we searched at least six! I didn’t know the exact number, as at some point the floors stopped having proper signage.

I was so focused on covering as much ground as possible, I hadn’t realized how wrong it felt. The floors were exactly the same, the building was messing with us! “We’ve been going in circles… Come on!” I rushed past the alicorn, half running half gliding down the stairwell. We descended three floors before we ran out of stairs. Sky was right.

“If the fourth floor was some kind of funhouse illusion, where the hell is Scar!?” The alicorn was panicked as he Trotted back and forth across the stairwell. We wasted precious time searching for nothing.

I slapped the alicorn with a wing and cawed. “Sky, keep it together, please! I need your help right now. Scarlet needs your help!” I rested a talon on his chest to still him. “We need to go back. She has to be on the factory floor, or the cargo bay.”

The buck gritted his teeth and nickered. “You’re right… Dammit, and I slowed us down even more. Lead the way.”

We didn’t find Scarlet among the rusting machinery and spoiling chemicals of the factory floor, which we agreed was for the best. The older section of the facility had countless holes and cracks along the tall walls and the sunken ceiling, making it far colder than the rest of the building. The last place to check was the loading bay, where just hours before we were revolving in comradery and triumph. It dropped thirty degrees in that time. The rapid change was just a taste of the terrible fury nature could reap.

We found Scarlet hidden among the supplies of the rusty transport carriage in the loading bay. The poor mare was huddled in a mound of fabric as she shivered against the cold. The unconscious mare was cold to the touch and unresponsive, but alive.

It’s hard to put into words just what we were feeling in those terrifying moments. It was such a mundane, preventable way to die for a wastelander. One that would have been entirely our fault. Sky’s voice broke as he asked what to do in a panic. Free wasn’t there, but I knew a bit about treating hyperthermia.

“We need to get her back to her bedroll and warm her up slowly. Help me get her on your back.”

🐦🐦🐦🐦🐦

An hour later, Scarlet was recovering well in the warmth of Mr. Sandwich’s office. We laid her down on her bedroll, leaving it in the corner a bit away from the fire. Sky wanted to move her closer to the flames to warm her faster, but it felt like the wrong move to me. Later Free remarked that I did the right thing, as apparently warming someone too quickly can send them into shock. The charismatic mare was resting softly, her breathing and heart rate far more steady.

Unfortunately, emotions weren’t so easy to heal. Sky and Scarlet had grown close since he joined our mismatched crew, spending more time together. I was so distracted with my quest and my own projects, I hadn’t even noticed.

The buck sat on the stairs outside the office, looking out over the frigid, ruined factory floor. He hadn’t said much since we got Scarlet back in bed. Once he knew she’d be ok, he moved to sit outside alone. I followed him out shortly after.

“Hey.”

I understood he wanted to be alone. He needed time to think! I didn’t need green fur or a horn to know he regretted bringing up Scarlet's past! He was probably mulling over the mistake so he could be more careful in the future, or thinking of ways to make it up to her. Important, alone, self-reflection time.

But what alone time isn’t better with your friend there to talk to? Sometimes all you need is a persistent, annoying friend to help you step back and get perspective on things or talk things out. Or just to know someone had your flank.

"Annoying is certainly the right word…" Sky complained as he rubbed his head with a hoof. Damn telepathy. "I know you know I don't feel like being around anyone right now, Aella. I'm not the touchy, feeling type. Just keep an eye on Scar, or go do some 'ghost facing' or something."

"The novel is called Ghost Finders, and it's a classic. Second, we both know you're going to cave and tell me all about the emotions you're struggling with." I smirked and sat down next to him, nudging him with a wing.

The buck nickered and pushed my wing away with his own, side-eyeing me. "We both know that, do we? What exactly would bring us to that conclusion?"

"Simple: The longer you don't talk to me, the longer I'll continue to bother you. The sooner you yield and chat, the sooner I'm out of your mane.”

I crossed my arms and smirked as the stallion narrowed his eyes at me, defeated. The buck released a long, exhausted sigh. "Fine… but if your thoughts weren't always so fast and all over the place, I would have won that conversation.

"Midnight Sky, not everything is a challenge or a fight. I don't see it as winning or losing, I just wanted to make sure you're ok."

“...You make no sense, Captain." The buck's voice softened as he looked out across the factory. " You throw yourself into danger to help others, even when it scares the piss out of you. You see so much beauty in the world, but all it ever does is steal the air from under you and knock you around. Days of hearing your thoughts, and you still manage to surprise and impress me in such unexpected ways."

"I… thank you? I think?" I had no idea if he was complimenting me or not, but I didn't know how else to respond either.

"Why aren't you upset with me? If someone said those things to me, they'd get a black eye for it. You don't even seem to care! You were so upset by what I said in the moment, and I felt so… satisfied. I wanted my words to hurt you! I'm sorry… it annoys the shit out of me that you aren't pissed, and I'm sorry for how I acted.

I smiled and gave the brooding buck a nuzzle. “I forgive you, which you already know. We all make mistakes sometimes, and we all have things we regret. Trust me, my list is well thought out, and in alphabetical order. Also, none of us have been quite ourselves today.

“As for Scarlet? I’m sure it’ll be fine. It may take some time, but I know she’ll forgive you. Just start with an apology, and go from there.”

“Even if she does, I don’t know if I can forgive myself.” Sky rested his head on the cold metal of the railing and released a long sigh. “I swore I’d never expose someone's true thoughts. This was so much worse! I betrayed Scarlet's trust and weaponized your and her thoughts to try and hurt you. I betrayed myself. That’s why I want to be alone with my thoughts. I deserve to feel this way. I hate myself right now. ”

“That’s perfectly ok.”

The Alicorn wore an uncharacteristically confused expression as he finally met my gaze like he was struggling to find the meaning behind my words. He probably expected me to tell him that none of it was his fault, or that he shouldn’t feel that way toward himself. Validating the feeling was not what the pony expected to hear, from my beak or my brain.

“I understand it… At least a little. The guilt, the uncertainty, and the self-loathing that creeps in with it. Those are normal things to be feeling, and they’re things you need to feel. So, it’s ok. I don’t think anyone deserves to feel bad, but I think feeling bad is part of how we make ourselves better. We let the feeling remind us of our mistakes, and push us to grow.

“I have no idea if the hurting ever goes away. I sort of hope it doesn’t… But whatever happens, you have friends to help you through it. You don’t need to be alone.”

The alicorn was stunned into silence for several long seconds before a powerful, somewhat sad laugh flowed from his muzzle. “I had no idea you could be this… emotionally mature. It’s pretty decent advice.

“I understand… I know what it can be like. The guilt, the uncertainty, the self-loathing. You did something in the heat of the moment that went against everything you want to be, and it hurt. It may never stop hurting… We may just be stuck with this terrible feeling for the rest of our lives, but at least it’ll always be there to remind us to do better next time. And whatever happens, you have friends to get you through it.”

“Aella… I appreciate you coming out here. You gave me a lot to think about. You know you have friends, too, right? Friends who won’t judge you if you need to get something off your back. We all know you’ve been dealing with a lot in the wasteland, not to mention-

“I don’t wanna talk about it. Right now I’m just worried about you two. I promise that I’ll talk to all of you if I need to, but right now I’m handling it all fine. For now, I just need to keep my friends safe and save my people. I’m tired. It’s been a long day.”

🐦🐦🐦🐦🐦

I felt better than I have in weeks. Years, even. The constant ache of overused muscles and half-healed wounds from wasteland survival were gone, along with the loneliness and shame that constantly undermined me back home. No regret or guilt, no heavy burden laid across my back. The worst parts of my life were gone, leaving me with an odd feeling of serenity.

Even the discoloration from the burn scars on my chest and flank vanished. I stretched my wings out to catch the sun, enjoying the warm breeze rushing across my well-groomed feathers.

Most breathtaking was the view. From the foothill where I sat, I saw it all. My home. Not the dying world I was raised in, but the Mt. Aris I saw in textbooks and read about in novels. Lush green fields lead to the foot of the mountain. Beautiful azure rivers ran from the mountain peaks to the endless sparkling ocean.

It was all accented by a beautiful, sprawling village near the top of the mountain, decorated by the fourth wonder of the world. The beautiful stonework of the winged citadel wrapped around the hippogriff city protectively, like a mother with her egg. Cresting it was the tower of Vetera, built to honour the oldest known hippogriff king and house the gateway to Seaquestria. The oldest structure on the planet, filled with our people's history and theology inscribed on tablets and the very walls themselves in our runes. The first written language, a gift from the spirits beyond.

Of course, none of that mattered now.

Brilliant lights of every colour flared on the horizon. Bursts of malevolent magic of such power, the mountain itself was stricken with fear. Tidal waves and endless storms descended on the zebra lands, as across the planet balefire and pink cloud devoured the ponies of Equestria.

Decades passed in seconds. My home grew and prospered at an impossible rate before my eyes. Cities expanded. Rockets flew to space. Then the delicate balance shifted. A sick crimson haze settled over the land, poisoning the animals and creatures alike. Houses were left to be reclaimed by nature as the survivors fell to disease and starvation. Civil unrest grew, as creatures rioted in the streets to take what little was left from each other.

Eventually, order returned, and small pockets of civilization returned. The survivors were wise and resilient but fearful of anything that may tip the scales of survival again.

The world I yearned for melted into the terror of the present as a blue and purple mare I hardly recognized anymore soared toward the ocean, so full of anxiety and sorrow I could hardly stand it. Her wings moved in slow motion, forcing me to relive the nightmare-like flood of anxiety and sorrow that past Aella felt. The day I abandoned my team.

The mistake I made was more clear than ever. A stain on my soul I feared would never wipe away. I made the biggest mistake of my life, and then… when it was time for me to answer for it I ran away. Like a coward.

What was even the point? When the repossession team returned, their reports would say it all. Sure, the council would be lenient given my past, and my technical ability, but that didn’t matter. Being banished to the moon couldn’t compare to how I felt. I betrayed everything I believed in. I was a blasphemer. A Proditor. A stain on my family's bloodline. I’d be more of an outcast than ever. The knowing, hateful looks from others would follow me forever… I’d be better off fleeing into the ocean to live with the sirens or running off to the zebra lands to work as a mechanic. My life was over.

I murdered someone.

“It’s nice to know I’m not the only creature haunted by mistakes. I’d much rather you weren’t though.” My wings unfurled in preparation as I chirped in surprise, prepared to flee from… an orange pony with a weird fashion sense and unrealistically floofy hair? His weirdly tall hat and fancy neckerchief certainly didn’t scream ‘evil raider who wants to bathe in your blood,’ and his presence didn’t feel hostile in the least. I eyed him with suspicion and confusion as I folded my wings against my back. If the stranger noticed me nearly jump out of my skin it didn’t show.

“I used to do everything I could to put a smile on a sad filly’s face like yours, Aella. Parties and gags, jokes, even just sitting down and talking with them like we are right now. It was a brighter, more magical time. Before the world ate itself out of fear and greed. I’m sure I can help you find your smile.”

“W-wait, who are you? What are you doing here? You weren’t here… This isn’t what happened!” I was having a nightmare of that day, again… But I’d had that nightmare half a dozen times, and there was never an orange earth pony in it! Why was the dream different? And why some random pony I’d never met!? None of it made any sense!

The pony sighed and wrapped a hoof around me, pulling me into a tight hug, comforting hug. The kind of embrace that makes you feel protected and fared for, wordlessly promising that it would be ok. The pony hugged me just long enough for me to calm down before releasing his grip.

The buck sat back with a sigh, beaming as he looked out at the ruined landscape. The smile was happy. Like, ‘it’s my wedding day’ happy or ‘getting the job of my dreams’ happy. But the smile didn’t reach his eyes. They were tired and empty, betraying a painful trauma I couldn’t even hope to guess.

“I’m Cheese Sandwich, super duper party pony, and owner of the Amusement Factory! Or I was before the world went crazy!” Cheese pointed his hoof at his head and made a somewhat distasteful circling gesture with it. “Then we blew it up!” Cheese Sandwich, the very buck whose office I’d gone to sleep in… was derailing my dream. And being uncomfortably chipper about the Deluge of Arcana while he was at it. That did seem on brand for him… Apparently, my discomfort showed on my face.

“Sorry about that… All I ever wanted was to make people smile. But my factory made far more frowns than smiles in the end.”

“You didn’t destroy the world, Mr. …Sandwich. No one person could. It’s clear from walking through your factory how much you loved to make ponies happy! The ministries made you build targeting talisman for them. It isn’t your fault.”

The energetic buck nickered as his hair got noticeably less floofy. His tone shifted from light and excited, to serious and low. “I could have done more to stop it. I could have asked Pinkie Pie to exempt my company, but after what happened between us… I didn’t know how to talk to her.” His gaze grew distant and his smile faded. “It was somehow easier to betray my own ideals and work to keep the Equestrian war machine turning. I lost everything to the war… Her, and myself.

“Still, I know you’re right. I’ve had 200 years to think about it. If my company hadn’t made the talisman for war, others would have. It all still would have ended. The plus side of my guilt is we got to meet. Now I can tell you that it isn’t your fault, and you can’t carry this pain forever. You need to stop hiding from your feelings so you can accept what happened and move on. We both need to forgive ourselves.”

Tears stung my eyes as I focused on the clouds lazily drifting along the horizon as I wrapped my wings around myself. “I know. I understand that, now. But it hurts so much… like the feelings could burn me from the inside! Besides, it isn’t like with you. I did what I did. I rushed into a fight against orders because I wanted to prove to everyone that I wasn’t as useless and awkward as everyone thought.”

It was the first time I let myself sit and think about it since it happened. My heart burned and my skin crawled. Guilt, pain, anger, and self-pity threatened to tear me apart… but they didn’t. Having the strange dream version of Cheese Sandwich there to talk with helped. Talking with him made emotions sit just a little less heavy in my heart. With a sniffle and gasping, shuttering breath I continued. “I was so lost in the moment, and when someone came up behind me… I slashed his throat. I didn’t even think! He wanted to know I was ok, and-”

“Shh… That’s enough.” The sandwich pony wrapped his hooves around me and pulled me close, holding me as tears streamed from my eyes. “You want to be the strong one. The one who protects everyone, makes the hard choices and carries everyone's burdens without seeming phased. But you aren’t. Sometimes you cry, and you need help, and that’s ok too. It will hurt to face, but you won’t be doing it alone. Midnight Skies was right, you need to trust your friends.”

The party pony passed me some tissues, allowing me a moment to calm down and compose myself. He released me from his embrace once my face was dry of tears. His smile was back, as was his insanely floofy, orange hair. All seriousness evaporated instantly, his voice returned to its wacky, light-hearted inflection. “Anyway, you aren’t here for all of that!” The party pony grinned as his mane floofed out once again. He sat a hoof on my shoulder. “I didn’t mean to cause you and your friends so much trouble! It’s just I’ve been here for so long waiting for someone who could hear me. I couldn’t let you leave before I could ask for your help.”

“I can hear you just fi… Wait… Oh spirits this isn’t a dream. I mean, this is a dream, but you aren’t a part of this dream! You’re real, and in my dream! So, so I was right? This place is haunted! So you, you’re the ghost haunting this place? He nodded sadly.

It all made sense. He lost his sense of self in that factory. He died, in a sense. When his body died, something dragged his soul back to it. Trapped in the living world. “I’m sorry… All I know about ghosts I learned from stories. I don’t know what to do. I didn’t even know you could reach out to me!”

Cheese gave me a knowing smile. “I think you do.” He waved his hoof above the half-dead grass between us, somehow making something appear on the ground. “Do you like music? Pinkies friend Rainbow Dash said griffs had the best music.”

It was the ocean flute from his office, expertly crafted from a screw shell and adorned with beautiful, complex rune work. I did know… Music. A funeral song, like what the Elders and Prestesss’ performed at Karma’s funeral. Like I sang at June Berry’s, Karma’s mother's funeral.

I smiled and took the delicate instrument in my claws, taking a moment to admire it before responding. “Y-yeah… I like music. My sister and I would… We’d sing together. I was always off-key, but Aqua had such a nice voice.”

“Had?” Cheese frowned at me.

“She had a breathing thing… Cystic Fibrosis. Her lungs failed, and she had an operation.
she has robotic ones now that keep her alive, but I’ve never heard her sing with them. I’m not sure if she can’t, or if she doesn’t. I get it, though. I haven’t felt like singing in a long time either.”

I rested a wing on the party ponies back and smiled. “I’m no priestess, or elder, or… anything, but I’ll try and do this for you. Maybe a funeral song, and someone to confess to will be enough for you to pass on. Make sure to see your Pinkie Pie again, And if you see my mom, tell her…” I gripped the flute more tightly. “I don’t know… I just hope she’s finally proud of me.”

“Bet your flank, I will! Thanks for your help, Aella. Oh, and there’s some stuff in my safe you’ll need for your next adventure. Passcode is 3-10-4-12. Important numbers for Pinkie and me. Take the flute too. I can’t use it, anyway!” The buck laughed.

“Of course. Thank you so much, Cheese. Thank you for speaking with me. And sitting with me. You helped me more than I can even say.”

The buck smiled brighter and tilted his hat to me. “It was enough just to make someone smile again, Aella.”

I lifted the flute to my beak and took a long breath. “Let’s get you home.”

🐦🐦🐦🐦🐦

When I woke, the haunting presence of the building was gone. None of us felt out of sorts like we did before, and none of the doors tried to keep us in the factory. It felt strange. I never considered myself spiritually connected. I preferred to lose myself in books or connect with the world through technology. I discovered this part of me I hadn’t realized I had, but had no one to share it with.

My friends still didn’t believe me when I told them about my dream. Even when I knew the code to the safe, they reasoned I saw it somewhere in the building looking for Scarlet and was too tired to process it normally. At least Axel believed me! He was excited to hear about my extra-sensory experience and was glad someone finally put an end to that poor souls suffering.

Free was excited for an entirely different reason. We arrived at Axel Grease’s workshop to find the pegasus trotting laps around the living area, getting a feel for his new leg. It was bulkier than his ill-fitting cybernetic, and he had to get used to walking on a prosthetic without all the fancy servos and electronics, but the buck didn’t care. He could move around without constant pain in his stub, and that was all that mattered. He also noted that the more solid build would handle the harsh wasteland a lot better, which was true. Axel did great work.

The donkey made sure to show me the basics of maintaining and repairing the prosthetic before he let us leave, and even gave me a book and prosthetic and cybernetic equipment! I returned the favour by sharing some engineering tricks of my own. The buck was more experienced with mechanical systems than arcano-tech, so I had plenty of pointers!

Free spent most of that time fussing over Scarlet, making sure she was recovering well from her hypothermia, and giving Sky and me a talking-to for allowing it to happen in the first place. It was a great way to spend the morning, especially after the hellish time we had.

Sky and Scarlet didn’t speak much, which wasn’t surprising. It would be a while before the tension between them loosened enough for them to get back to normal. Scarlet at least didn’t seem upset or angry about what happened, though she did seem more… reserved. I think she felt bad about how she ran off, knowing how dangerous it was. We all felt pretty stupid about how we acted, after all.

It was almost noon when Scarlet finally put her hoof down about needing to leave. Reasonably I knew the unicorn was right, but it was still hard for me to drag myself away from talking shop with Axel for another exhausting, probably dangerous wasteland adventure. But we were close. Just a day or two away from the medicine that would save my people, and who knew how many others.

Footnotes:
Welcome to level 15!

Perk added: Frostless Feather! Your form has grown more resistant to the cold than ever before! Gain +1 Endurance while in cold climates, and gain increased resistance to ice-based attacks

Item added: Ritual Flute! The late Cheese Sandwich's finely crafted hippogriff flute is yours! Stars hope you won't need it anytime, soon...

Chapter 18: Solo Act

Fallout Equestria: Endless Horizon

Chapter 18: Solo Act

Eden.

The metalworking town had a rich history for a wasteland settlement, and not the usual sad, bloody kind either. When the bombs fell, the locals fled to the incomplete F&F bunker to take refuge. The town of metal workers, engineers and carpenter ponies worked round the clock to get the bunker operational! Dozens died of radiation sickness and dehydration, all to ensure the door closed tight before the worst of the radiation came.

200 years later their descendants were just as capable, using the tools and skills passed down through the years to carve out a town around their hardy bunker, protected by the mountains peaks on three sides! The ore and stone they mined and smelted made them an instant hit on the caravan scene until a coastal settlement called Bliss became their sole trading partner.

So much unrestricted access to metal, stone, and even a modest reserve of coal was an amazing find! I could hardly imagine the technology and architecture the city created! It was the first wasteland settlement I even heard of that wasn’t built from the burnt-out husk of prewar Equestria!

We were not in Eden.

It was closed to visitors. Whatever splendour, architecture, and culture their post-wasteland society created was tucked behind a colossal wall of cold steel, welded and riveted with a level of skill beyond anything I expected to find made after the war. Everything within must have been perfectly designed, and completely up to code!

Instead of the underappreciated art of proper construction and engineering, we were inside a warehouse used by the shady Flim Flam brothers during the local shelter's construction. Shipping containers were stacked inside to form homes, walkways, bridges, and even businesses. They were the mining quarters, where the refugees and the poorest of the working class survived while the people of Eden lived in peace and luxury. Multiple levels reached toward the rafters, connected by walkways, ladders, stairs, and a single ancient lift which made me shutter as we passed it.

It wasn’t perfect. It wasn’t well planned, or well executed. It didn’t use the most high-quality materials or advanced techniques. Lights dimmed and flickered. Pipes groaned and shuttered. Neither the massive building nor the smaller shipping container-turned-buildings were well insulated.

It was amazing. Every inch of space, every scrap of steel was used to its fullest extent. The kind of efficiency and thought only possible after a lifetime of making the best of what little the wasteland would give. There was a time I didn’t understand that. It's easy to be high and mighty after a life of relative peace and stability, and hard to connect with those who had so much less. My time in the wasteland helped me see the beauty of their persistence and creativity, even if I’d never truly understand their hardships.

Apparently, drinking helped.

“So the ground was quaking, right? Everypony was on their hooves, glancing at each other, glancing at the support beams. Just waiting to see if we were about to be crushed by thousands of pounds of dirt and rock. Ponies prayed to Celestia as streams of dirt poured from above like water. Just as we think it's all over, three dozen mutant honey badgers tunnel in from above! Wasn't an earthquake, was a damned migration! The ugly fucks were confused as all hell, running around biting folks, scurrying down random tunnels to get lost. Took days to clear ‘em all out. Damn, if we didn’t eat good that week though!”

Laughter filled the open-air bar I found myself in as the story came to a close. It wasn’t fancy by any means, but it had tables and cushions made from old scrap and served a modest selection of whatever swill and moonshine the ponies could scrounge up. The owner lived in the shipping crate the canvas awning connected to, covering most of the seating area. It was colder being in the warehouse than in the proper metal homes the ponies lived in, but it didn’t bother me with my thicker coat.

The menu hung above the bar, though most of it was crossed out, and it was all priced out for something called “Scrip.” The bartender had to convert her prices into normal wasteland currency for me. The scrip was worth a third of what caps were, but even with my extra buying power, the drinks were shockingly expensive.

The drunk ponies were more than happy to take my caps as they regaled me with stories, though the story had nothing to do with what I actually asked. “That sounds incredible! But um, it didn’t answer my question. Does anyone around here know their way around the mountain, or maybe have a map?”

The buck I was speaking with, a burly pegasus with the pale cutie mark of a cloud with lighting streaking out of it downed his third glass of moonshine and laughed. “Oh shit, maps? Hell yeah! I met a mapmaking pega once upon a time. Helluva mare! Smart, sexy, and the things she could do with those wings-”

“Ok, that’s enough!” I squawked as I stood, my cheeks glowing bright crimson. “Um, t-thank you for the stories. But I’m gonna go… over there! Enjoy your drinks!” Another bout of laughter followed as the pony continued his story, somehow keeping the dozen other patrons enthralled with his drunken ramblings.

Among the laughing stallions was Feather Free, pounding back a bottle of questionable alcohol a few tables over. He came along under the guise of helping to collect information and was instantly distracted by a handsome draft horse with a shaggy orange mane and cyan coat.

As far as me and the others could tell, Free didn’t have a consistent type. He was happy to seduce and sex with any well-groomed stallion.

While my companion showed off his new prosthetic to his latest partner I staggered my way to a stole at the bar with a sigh. My information gathering was getting me nowhere fast, and I was running out of ideas. “Sherlock Hooves lied to me. Saloons are a terrible place to find information. Their feathers are too tilted to think straight.” I sighed, rubbing my aching head. The alcohol the miners brewed was bitter and strong. It finished testing the limits of my tastebuds and was now testing the limits of my liver. My liver was losing. “What are these ponies made of…”

The bartender, a thin yellow mare with sunken eyes chuckled and set a glass of water in front of me. “Here, drink this. We got a water talisman, so it's cheap.” I took a long drink as the yellow mare behind the counter turned around with a smirk, turning a dial on her radio. “Shit filly, think the DJ is talking about ya!”

Me? On the radio? AGAIN!? I grimaced and leaned forward to listen. What was so interesting about my life that some pony I never met felt the need to broadcast it for all to hear? I’m just a nobody who likes to get lost in her work to avoid confronting her personal demons. I’m not special and I’m certainly not newsworthy!

“The details are unclear, but thanks to some deal The Captain and her first mate Scarlet Keeper made with Prime, Vision's mysterious leader, the massive settlement of Vision is no longer using their prisoners for slave labour. In fact, they even released some of those poor ponies for their help and good behaviour!”

“What does that have to do with Skyward, you’re asking? Well, not everypony in Vision is comfortable hiring convicted raiders, slavers, or who the hell knows what to work and live with their friends and neighbours. On the other hoof, the raiders turned farmers to the north were more than happy to give the released ponies a second chance working the land, just like The Captain gave them. The freed ponies needed to make an honest living, and the pegasi needed more hooves to work the lands. It’s a win-win for all! Especially once harvest season comes around. This is the kinda shit that we can do when we work together and forgive each other, my little ponies. Remember that!”

“In related news, things continue to heat up in the Vanhoover Mountains. Eden continues to suffer as the Iron Steeds assault trade caravans, and shell trade routes to cause avalanches and landslides to block off access to the town's mines, the sole source of their income. Weirdly enough, the raiders haven’t actually killed anypony! No idea what’s going on with that.

“When asked if they would request assistance from the allied city of Bliss or Trottingham's own governing faction known as The Visionaries, representative Simulant Emery responded, “We don’t need help to kill some two-bit raiders! We have them outgunned, outclassed, and outnumbered!”

“Strong words Miss Emery, but you’ve been getting your flank kicked for five weeks. There’s nothing wrong with asking for help! Hell, I’ve heard a certain kindhearted do-gooder is in the area who might be willing to lend a hoof if you ask nicely! If something isn’t done soon, you might run out of wine and avocados to snack on!”

“That’s all the news I got for you tonight, so I’ll leave you in the caring hooves of Velvet Remedy’s latest hit, Burdens and Butterflies.”

The bartender rolled her eyes at the broadcast and scoffed, making me raise an
eyebrow. “Not a fan of The DJ?” I asked her.

She shook her head. “Nah, I love me some DJ Pon3. It’s Emery who’s full of it. Peek this.” She motioned to a corkboard behind her, covered in posters and notices.

Happy hour, 5pm to 6pm. 95 scrip or 45 caps a shot

“Um… She’s too cheap to buy discounted drinks?”

She stared at me for a moment before nickering in annoyance. “...No, obviously not. Under that.”

“Ah… right…”

Wanted.

Map of Iron Steed compounds minefield, information on their defences, maps of the tunnels they use to move around the mountain undetected. See Simulant Emery for more information.

Reward: 14,000 caps.

“Stars above… That is so many caps.” Or at least it sounded like it. It would buy a lot of shots, at least. “So… she claims not to need help, but is looking to hire someone else to do the work her security team should be doing?”

“You got it. Glad to see you do got brains behind those pretty eyes. Ponies here think she was trying to get us to do the work for her, but all it did was piss us all off. We got ponies broke, half-starved out here, while she hoards a fortune above our muzzles. Think she’s hoping we’ll get desperate enough out here, that we’ll do the city folks work for ‘em. Fuck that, I say. We don’t bite our friend's heads off for caps like those snobs. Out here we got each other's backs!”

It made a lot of sense, but there was still one question that no one knew the answer to. Why? The Iron Steeds weren’t normal raiders. They didn’t kill the ponies they attacked, they just stole supplies and blocked roads. What was the point?

I sighed and glanced around the improvised bar. 14,000 caps. It would do a lot of good for the down-on-their-luck community. The information would put a stop to the raiders keeping the miners from working, and the money could be used to get them all back on their hooves.

My friends and I would never be able to sneak in and get their maps. But on my own… as long as I was fast enough, I’d have no problems at all!

“What if I could do something to help?”

🐦🐦🐦🐦🐦

It was my first time running off on my own since I met Scarlet, just weeks before. My friends saved my hide more times than I cared to count, in some of the strangest situations. And yet, I didn’t even inform them about my plan to infiltrate the strange prewar mansion turned raider compound. I let Free know my plan before I left, and what to do if I wasn’t back by dawn. Thank the great spirits the retired soldier didn’t fight me on the decision.

Scarlet and Midnight Skies were kept in the dark.

I told myself I had enough experience to handle it alone. That it would be easier to sneak around on my own, and if I told them they would never agree to me going off on my own. That it was an easy mission, so long as I moved quickly and quietly. Even that it was my chance to show how much I learned since coming to the Equestrian wasteland!

The real reason I didn’t tell them or ask for help was because I simply didn’t want to be around them. After what happened at Cheese Sandwich’s factory, there was an uncomfortable tension between my two friends. They didn’t banter like they did before, and they only spoke to one in a “professional” kind of way, about things like where to stay the night, what to do next, or calling out possible dangers in the wastes. It was uncomfortable to be around, so I was kind of… avoiding them.

But it was fine! I had a foolproof plan, rivalling my own brilliance! I stole it from “The Adventures of Shadow Spade: The Shrouds Call.” Still… the book described how Spade would “slip into the shadows,” but I’m not exactly the most sneaky hippogriff in the nest. I had some experience hiding from my parents when they were on the verge of killing each other, but the skills didn’t seem to translate.

Luna’s moon was taking a well-deserved nap behind a bed of dense snow clouds, so at least I wasn’t visible against the night sky. I glided into the compound as quietly as I could, constantly reminding myself not to flap in case someone overheard the noise.

I sat down next to what from above I thought was a smaller house in the massive, luxurious backyard, but what seemed to be… a pool house? Apparently, when a pony was rich enough, they honoured their pool with its own home. I love swimming as much as the next hippogriff, (we can turn into seaponies, after all!) but that's excessive.

I took cover behind some bushes to see if anyone noticed my arrival, but the yard remained empty, and the markers on my EFS compass remained still. A short and chilly flight, and I was already further than Eden’s guards had ever made it.

I had to stifle a giggle as I raised my PipBuck, brimming with excitement. It wasn’t the PipBuck itself that had me beaming, but the device slotted into its peripheral slot, against my foreleg. A work of Arcano-tec nearly as advanced as my leg-mounted computer, gifted to me from the amusement factory’s CEO himself.

With an excited flutter of wings, I activated the stealth-buck and vanished from view.

One hour. After that, the device would fail. I’d be visible. I did not trust myself to sneak around unnoticed without it, so I had to move fast. Figure out where they’d keep important paperwork, (Do raiders normally keep paperwork? They don’t seem that organized.) steal it, and get out without alerting anyone. Easy peasy Aella Breezy.

I slipped into the mansion through one of its many backdoors to find the space pleasantly quiet. I was in a long hallway spanning the back of the house. Electric lights modelled like candles lined the walls to cast a dull, warm light through the space. The deep-coloured woods and brasswork of the furniture gave the home a warm vintage feel, even with the peeling wallpaper and odd bullet hole here or there. It was hard to imagine anyone but royalty living in such extravagance. Speaking of Royalty, there was even a portrait of the Night Princess herself! Her eyes seemed to follow me as I went about my sneaky mission. It was unclear if the late ruler watched in judgement or protection.

I wondered if the raiders appreciated the beauty of their living quarters. Maybe they didn’t notice, distracted by the functioning heat and lights that made it livable in the harsh mountain environment.

Crrreeak

I nearly chirped in surprise as the sound of ungreased hinges hissed in my ears from ahead, momentarily forgetting I was invisible. The silhouette of a pony trotted out of a nearby room and, despite my best efforts to ward them away by sheer force of will, started down the hallway towards me. It was strange how I couldn’t make out a single detail of the pony even in the dim light. Their dark colours did their absolute best to melt into the darkness around them, sometimes making it seem like they were made of shadows.

It was a terrifying thought, one that the ponies' gentle hoofsteps managed to keep at bay. Barely. Only when they closed the distance could I see that it was in fact a real pony. The dark colours of his coat made it hard to make out any of the smaller details, but he was certainly a (smaller than average) pony shape, with reflective thoughtful eyes. I held my breath as he passed without incident.

He hadn’t noticed me. In just a few seconds I’d be in the clear, and back on my way. I spoke too soon.

The hoofsteps stopped.

I felt queasy. Every feather was ruffled. Every inch of hide shivered. I glanced over my shoulder to see him. He stopped just a few meters behind me. Did I make a mistake? Did the uncomfortably stealthy pony sense me by some other means I hadn’t accounted for? What was-

“A-choo!” The pony nickered and rubbed his snout, before continuing on his way.

I relaxed with a relieved sigh. He wasn’t on to me. He just had a sneeze! My cover was safe! My plan was actually working! I managed to hold in an excited wing flutter, settling for a happy flank wiggle.

“Spirits bless you!” I chimed happily.

Heck.

The pony froze. I froze. Everything froze. We just stood there. Slit eyes of purple stared into my soul. My invisible orbs held his gaze as every stupid mistake I ever made replayed in my mind.

Yup. This was the dumbest one.

The staring contest went on for a second at most, but it felt like ages. The pony moved first, unfurling his leathery wings as he took a combat stance with a hiss. “Who are you? Reveal yourself!”

I stumbled back, bumping into a stable and knocking over a beautiful vase depicting the second fall of Nightmare Moon. I winced as it shattered against the floor, eternally changed by my clumsy nature. “S-sorry…” I apologized to the ruined art piece under my breath.

The pony’s fuzzy ear twitched as I spoke. He tucked his wings to his side as he stepped closer. A familiar, fluffy, grey-coated thestral with an equally amused and annoyed expression emerged from the darkness.

“...You are the luckiest creature in Equestria. Literally, anyone else would have killed you.”

My anxiety boiled off in an instant. He was the very last creature I expected to see in a raider base, but I couldn’t be happier to see him. “Stellis!”

🐦🐦🐦🐦🐦

Loud, high-energy workout music drowned out the sound of the clicking projector next to me. I watched the screen with a confused expression. Lasers and colour lights flashed through a cloud of smoke as the music rose in intensity. As the music reached its crescendo, a minotaur emerged from the smoke. The grey-blue creature stood dauntingly tall on two legs, posing and flexing as he moved about the stage.

“How does this explain-”

“Just watch.” I huffed as Stellis cut me off.

It was nice to see the first bat pony I ever met again, even in such an unlikely place. The buck was one of Prime’s Witnesses, which was a fancy title for the leader of Vision’s friends whom he trusted to get stuff done. Stellis was the Visionaries’ head of public relations! He also didn’t judge me for the minor and completely understandable panic attack I had when we took the elevator up to Prime’s office, which was sweet.

I was just as confused to find him there as he was to find me. He brought me to a small sitting room to explain what he was doing with the Iron Steeds, and somehow a 200-year-old film was an important part of it.

Giving Scarlet's longtime friend the benefit of the doubt, I turned my attention back to the projector screen.

“Hello, viewers! My name is Iron Will, proud sponsor of the 143 Iron Steeds! Are you tired of corporations stepping on your hooves, and treating you like dirt? Well I, Iron Will, (in compliance with a court order from the crown,) am happy to tell you about unions!”

“No one no matter how strong can stand against an army alone, and that’s why unions pwn! Together, in a union, even the weakest little ponies can fight against someone as strong as me, for their right to be: fairly paid, fairly treated, and fairly safe at work! That brings us to the first rule: If they try to bust, TURN THEM INTO DUST! It’s illegal for a company to stop you from unionizing, so do not let them!” The video carried on, but I was too lost in thought to give it any more of my attention.

Did the Iron Steeds really start out as a prewar union? If some of the miners found the tape and learned about workers' rights, it could easily embolden them to start standing up for themselves and organizing. And a company, or in this case a town, that had complete control over the region, would be capable of putting an end to the attempts to unionize by any means they wished. Even murder.

The Iron Steeds hadn’t killed anyone. They didn’t torture others for their own enjoyment. They didn’t hold the ponies they knocked unconscious for ransom. They weren’t involved in anything that could be considered “raider activity.” They were just ponies, miners and refugees engaged in a class dispute. One Eden was intent on covering up and putting to an end, by any means necessary.

It made my plans to help the miners a lot more complicated.

“We were tipped off that something weird was going on when Scarlet reported Iron Steed activity in Visions border. They’ve never come that far south, so I was sent to look into it. I think they wanted our attention and must have failed to get a proper meeting with anyone important in Vision. So… they acted against us to get it. I’ve been trying to negotiate a peace between the two groups, but Eden just wants to do away with the Iron Steeds. I can’t offer them protection under the Visionaries, since they aren’t a real town, and if we brought troops to help in a casual sense, it could start a war. so… we’re stuck.”

Right… The Ironsteeds were at the water plant when I got radiation poisoning. With how traumatized I was, cells dying as I was slowly cooked by radiation, a lot of the memory from around that time was pretty fuzzy. I lacked the courage to probe my friends for all of the little details. The face of the buck who shot me however was permanently etched into my mind. The fact that someone here would have known him made me queasy, so I tried not to think about that.

“So… what if it was a town? There’s water and power. I heard they have access to old caves and mine shafts. If it was a town, they could sell their ore to Vision, Bliss, or even to settlements on the mainland. Maybe the other miners would move here, too. You could build some outbuildings using the shipping crates in the warehouse or the poolhouse if things in here get too full. If they joined the Visionary’s, Bliss and Eden couldn’t move against them without starting a war, right?”

“I… Fuck. I don’t know if it’s that simple, Aella. Only a couple dozen ponies are living here, and we can’t be sure the other miners would be willing to move here to form a new town. It’d be a lot of work.”

“For their rights, their independence, I think they would do that work! Wouldn’t you?”

“I…” The buck sighed and rose from his chair. “I’d need help. A truce of armistice, trade agreements, their requirements as a Visionary settlement, a signed contract that states their a member for both Eden and Bliss, someone to mail them… I-ugh, Listen Aella. It’s a great idea in theory. But there’s a lot of politics here. Bliss would be pissed if we had a settlement so close to Eden, especially if it’s taken control of the metal supply. Not to mention we’d need to get the Iron Steeds leader to agree.”

“If I could speak to their leader, I’m sure I could get them to agree! Then Scarlet can help out with the paperwork and contracts. Making deals is her special talent!” I smiled brightly, trying hard to disarm the tension clinging to the thestrals muscles.

“Well… It’s the only real idea I’ve had that could work. I guess we gotta do it. Now I know you aren’t really particular about payment, which is good because I certainly can’t match the price Eden was offering for our maps. Still, Scarlet would roast me alive if I let you work for nothing. Um… What is it you after up here, anyway? Kinda out of the way.”

I gasped and rested my talons on either of the buck's shoulders, practically vibrating with excitement. “There is something you can do! We’re up here looking for Astral Visions mansion. The cure my people need might be in a lab in his basement.”

“Astral…” Stellis chuckled, then outright laughed as he pushed my talons off of him. “Aella. This place belonged to the AV Pharma pony. You’ve found it.”

🐦🐦🐦🐦🐦

“What were you thinking!? Thinking is supposed to be the thing you’re good at! How can someone so brilliant do something so impossibly stupid!? If someone else had seen you, or if they didn’t turn out to be good ponies, you would be dead! And blessing an enemy for sneezing? Seriously? You honestly thought you were ready to go at it alone?”

We were gathered in the foyer of the mansion, where Scarlet seemed moments away from clipping my wings to keep me out of trouble. I asked Stellis to find my friends and bring them back before dawn, and while I was growing to regret the decision, the verbal feather plucking wasn’t unearned. While I sat on an impossibly comfy upholstered couch (that my dumb rump did not deserve at that moment) wearing a look of dejection behind my flight goggles, Free and Sky watched with pitying looks from the sidelines.

“No one can survive on their own Aella, and no one expects you to be able to! Families, factions, cities, entire nations! Creatures have always worked alongside their friends. There’s no shame in needing help from others, but it is impossibly dumb not to ask for help when you need it! You have nothing to-”

“You need to let The Captain Speak.” Scarlet glared daggers at Sky as he interrupted her tirade. Even knowing the full fury behind the mare's thoughts, the alicorn was unphased.

“Shut up, Sky. She needs to understand how reckless and irresponsible of her this was! So far she has been shot, irritated, lame, gassed, lit on fire, and chewed on by ghouls, and that was all when someone was there to help her! What am I supposed to do if… What are we supposed to do if she dies? We just move on, go back to our lives? I’m not ready to go back to running caravans, and I don’t wanna open a shop in some shitty wasteland town.”

“Maybe if instead of having a conversation like a normal pony, instead of lecturing her and thinking about yourself you might actually understand what’s going on. For a pony whose special talent is supposed to be striking deals, you’re complete shit at talking things out.” Sky raised his voice as he stepped closer to the unicorn, reminding everyone how much taller he was than the rest of us.

“I’m making this about me? You’re clearly pissed at me for not talking about what happened at the factory yet. Could you shelf our personal shit for five fucking minutes so we can try and address Aella risking her neck?”

“Just shut up!” All heads turned to me as I leaped from the couch, talons clenched into fists. None of my friends were used to hearing me raise my voice at anyone, let alone them, but I was at my limit. I wasn’t a fledgling anymore, cowering under my bed as my parents squawked and brayed at each other. I found my voice, and it needed to be heard.

“I’ve had enough of both of you! Since we left the factory, you’ve either been at each other's throats, making passive-aggressive comments about one another, or willing the air with enough tension a seapony could swim in it! You honestly think I came here alone for my pride? I was avoiding you two! You two are friends… You’re letting the stress and confusion of yesterday get between you. We are in the building where the cure for my people, a literal panacea, and you two are bickering like foals!” The shock on their face was strangely satisfying but did nothing to quell my anger. “I have work to do… Just. Scarlet Keeper, Stellis has some paperwork for you two to work on. Midnight Skies, I want you to talk to the miners in the warehouse and see what they think of independence. See if they’ll move here. Free, you and I are gonna meet Stellis in the basement. There’s a sealed-off lab down there, and if the cure is anywhere, it’s there.”

Sky and Scarlet spoke over each other as they rushed to disagree.

“Aella, I don’t think that-”

“Captain, I should go wit-”

“No! I don’t want to be around either of you right now. Not until you work your shit out. Free and Stellis will be with me; they’re both more than capable fighters. We’ll be fine. Meanwhile, I want you two doing what you can to help these ponies. Their leader wants a word with you both, and then I want you to get started. This is important to me.”

“Alright… I’m sorry.” Scarlet couldn’t meet my gaze

“I’ll get it done, Captain,” Sky assured me with a nod. “And I’m sorry about all this. It shouldn’t have taken me so long to consider how you felt. I got too caught up with our drama.”

“Thank you. I still care about you both, I just… cannot be around this. I’m not moderating it, I’m not getting between it. I don’t have the energy. Everything I’ve worked for is so close… For better or worse, my journey, everything I’ve been through, led up to today. I can’t afford to be distracted right now. Everyone get to work.”

Footnotes:
Welcome to level 16!

Perk added: Friend of Luna: Your eyes adapt more quickly to lowlight conditions! Maybe next time you won't be caught so easily...

Author's Note

That took way too long... I havn't been feeling quite myself lately, and it's made it hard to find my motivation. I'm really sorry about that.

Chapter 19: So Close

Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.

Chapter 1: Aella Breeze

Fallout Equestria: Endless Horizon

Chapter 1: Aella Breeze.

Cramped. Stuffy. Trapped. Unlike most winged creatures, I was rarely bothered by confined spaces. I even enjoyed them to an extent! Something about curling up someplace small and dark always eased my anxiety. Whether it was building forts with my big sister as a fledgling, or dragging myself through a crawlspace to repair some hard-to-reach equipment.

There was nothing relaxing or cozy about my situation though. The screaming wind soaring around my tent made it impossible to relax, constantly reminding me how a layer of canvas was my only reprieve from the raging storm outside. Of how a single blown stick or wrong movement of my talons could open me up to the toxic atmosphere beyond.

Worse, whenever I felt myself getting used to the wind pushing and pounding on my walls a crack of thunder would put me right back on edge. Flashes of lightning so close it made my purple feathers tingle and my mane stand on end.

So I curled up in my nest roll and burrowed my beak into my powder blue coat, wincing and chirping whenever a bolt of lightning landed too close for comfort. I knew it wouldn’t last forever. It couldn’t. Eventually, the ash fall would stop. The wind would calm. I’d be free to fly home on the gentle currents of air drifting off the ocean.

Until then all I could do was wait.

I was exhausted from a day of flying and anxiously ruminating on the terrible night before. My wing muscles ached and my eyes were heavy behind my prescription flight goggles. But my mind wouldn’t stop. Logically I knew that my tent wouldn’t fail. They were designed to keep the magical storms of death at bay. And nothing would attack me. There were very few creatures that could survive in the blood ash for more than a minute or two. The lack of threatening red ticks on the EFS compass imposed on my vision confirmed it. But I still couldn’t rest.

I’d never been in the wilds before. It was my first time dealing with actual danger. With no complex tasks to put my keen mind toward, I decided to go over every single thing that could possibly go wrong! With no way to prepare or solve them from the confinement of the barely me-sized tent. So I was understandably on edge.

There was one line of thought that had less impending doom than the others, so for the sake of my sanity, I followed it. The annoying little fact that I shouldn’t have been out in the wilds on my own in the first place.

Ok, so… It was kind of my fault. I was mature enough to admit that. Everything started off fine. Better than fine. I was flying high! It was my third time being assigned to the repossession team. The adventurous, fearless scavengers kept the settlement flush with everything we needed to live comfortably. The Repo Team was well respected by the community. I hoped that if I went on enough missions, then I’d be respected too. So when the chance to help the Repo Team scavenge for medical equipment came along, I dove right into it.

So being chosen for another mission was a huge deal! Not only to improve my social standing but because of what it said about me. Because while I’m a clumsy, socially awkward mare who often prefers machines to people, I was also the only technician to ever be assigned work outside of the village limits. It was dangerous, important work that was reserved only for the finest engineers, and myself! It meant that they valued my talent and knowledge more than they valued my yet-to-be-complete engineering degree. It meant I was worth something.

But I messed up. I was clumsy and overexcited and stupid! Like a griff who passes out trying to prove she can fly the highest, I wanted to prove myself to them and screwed up. I felt every eye on me as I returned to the transport in shame. Then I panicked. I flew away. Before my official punishment. Before I was even cleared by the medic!

Because as smart and talented as I am, I knew I wasn’t wanted there. Most of them tolerated me at best, because when the actual engineers were too busy with their own work my presence meant the Repo Team could still go out and do their job. They needed someone who could make sure the equipment we were transporting hundreds of kilometres wasn’t a pile of unfixable crap. So while I was only a few credits into my engineering certification when I left school, the years I spent learning to fix and build things with my father made up for it. When they needed it to.

So instead of waiting to be sent home, I sent myself. I flew toward the nearest settlement shortly after lunch. I could make it to Skya before dusk and radio the repo team to tell them I was safe. Then I could catch a ride with the next supply convoy!

But when I arrived at the sprawling metal facility I was turned away. The entire complex was locked down to contain a freak ponypox outbreak. I wanted to be mad at Skya’s guards, but they did nothing wrong. They were just following orders. I couldn’t even blame them for being cautious! While most creatures would assume the megaspell exchange led to our country's end, we actually fell to disease and failing infrastructure decades later. I couldn’t blame them for turning me away.

The only one I could blame for being stuck in the wilds was me.

I needed another distraction. Something, anything to switch my train of thought to a new track. Naturally, my attention turned to my PipBuck! The marvel of arcane technology was the only thing I had that wasn’t supplies or camping gear. With a few taps of the screen, the device's radio switched on. I had a neural implant that I could use to interface with it, but I didn’t bother. The idea was to kill time, after all. I'd already read all of the more... adult-themed stories I had installed on the device. I silently kicked myself for not downloading more books. The thing had an insane amount of storage.

The tent filled with static. Of course, there was only static! I already tried ten times to pick up something on my radio. The dusk storm was too thick to pick up Skya’s broadcasts, and I was too far from home to call for help. But I still kept checking. In the safety of my small tent, one of the few things I had to entertain myself was attempting the routine of hourly check-ins.

The sky flashed red through the walls of the tent as streaks of lightning danced through the clouds. For a moment I could make out the ruins of Mt. Aris behind the bolts, but the image faded as quickly as it came. I fluttered my wings a bit as I tried to keep myself distracted. Being confined without knowing how long it would last was mentally exhausting. Worst, I couldn’t even pace or fly to try and process how exhausting it was!

The light in my tent flickered and dimmed, feeling just as annoyed by my choices as I was. “I’m sorry we left before I got a chance to charge you. I swear, I’ll plug you in when we get back. In fact,” I reached up and flicked the lamp off. “Why don’t we both get some rest? We have nothing better to do.”

I slipped a small pill bottle from my saddlebag. A hippogriff adorned the label, with a cloud of Z’s hanging above it. The words were too worn to read, but the contents were obvious. Sleeping pills: The magical drug that allowed me to get more than an hour and a half of restful sleep a night without having to worry about nightmares or insomnia. I settled on taking half a pill so I wouldn’t be out too long, or too deeply.

A thunderous boom echoed from the sky. I let out an anxious shriek and nuzzled deeper into my pillow. “Just thunder from some lightning I didn’t notice… It’s fine. No point worrying about what I can’t control. Especially something foalish like storms.” I curled into a ball on my sleeping next and tugged my blanket around myself tightly.

🐦🐦🐦🐦🐦

The warm sun on my face was exactly what I needed the following morning. The Ashfall stopped before dawn, giving me plenty of time to pack up and eat before taking flight. The early morning sun cast a wonderful, orange glow across the rolling fields below. Most of Mt Aris was untamed and unpopulated, even before the war, and the wilds continued to dominate most of the island long after. The changing climate and occasionally toxic air killed off a lot of the plant and animal life through the years, leaving behind the most clever, adaptable, or magically charged life to take over. Forests of deadly plants and intangible beasts, plains of apex predators and subterranean horrors, all surviving in the most lethal environment imaginable.

And then there was me, a small, relatively weak avian-equine so distracted by the beauty and resilience of the natural world below, I forgot to respect how dangerous it is. As the cool morning air carried me along, nature was happy to remind me.

A thunderous cry from above sent me tearing across the landscape. I soared over fields of wild wheat and clovers. The only usable cover was clusters of trees, which may as well be piles of kindling for all the good it did me.

The scent of burning weeds and suffering clovers hit me as a suffocating heat washed over me. The blaze bit into my backside to singe my tail and flank. Even when it missed the terrifying bird of prey wore me down. I didn’t know how much smoke my wheezing lungs could handle.

It was the kind of majestic animal Equestrians would go to see in zoos when they still existed, beautiful as it was terrifying. Massive ruby wings adorned its sleek copper body. Meanwhile, the angular features and razor-sharp talons screamed “bird of prey.” Unfortunately to the firehawk’s keen hunter's eyes, I was the prey. A smaller, weaker bird that was dumb enough to be caught in the open, alone and distracted. Its wings cut through the air effortlessly as it looped around for another attack.

My whole body shook as I shot forward with all I had. My heart pounded in my ears as I pushed myself harder, faster than I ever thought I could. My physical education teacher would have been proud, assuming I didn’t bite it in the next thirty seconds. Despite the adrenaline pushing me well past my limits, the creature kept up effortlessly.

The wild bird was gaining on me. It gave up on trying to torch me with its fire and settled on snatching me up in its talons. The razor-sharp digits would tear into the soft feathers and flesh of my wings so I couldn’t hope to escape! Then if I was lucky, the beast would kill me before it ate me.

Naturally, I couldn’t let it. Sure it was stronger, faster, and magic, but I’m Aella. Aella Breeze! Daughter of the most gifted unicorn mare and engineering hippogriff stallion on Mt. Aris! Nothing could stand against me and my wet wrinkly brain!

Also, I had a gun.

With a determined cry, I rolled upside down, bringing the deadly bird into sight against the bright blue sky. I levelled the magical energy pistol towards the silhouette looming above.
My hands shook as I did my best to line up the shot. A talon wrapped around the trigger, ready to squeeze.

Then the world was eerily still. Like I was looking at a photo. I trained with SATS a few times in the past, but it was my first time using it in actual combat. It still felt so eerie. I could see my limbs, and the smoking beak of the firehawk beyond them, but it no longer felt real. I couldn’t move, couldn’t breathe. I couldn’t feel the aching in my chest or the blisters on my rump. It made me wonder how many people activated the spell just as they were moments from death. Too afraid to find out how it all ends. Forced to watch their final moment, until they eventually went mad and released the spell.

I queued up several attacks from my trusty weapon, still in awe of the wrist-mounted device's magical capabilities. Then I dropped out of SATS and the spell went to work, sending streaks of brilliant blue from my pistol. The first two shots grazed it; the next two hit home. One speared through its wing and left a watermelon-sized hole. The other left a horrid burn across its breast.

Two piercing eyes fell shut as its body went limp. I watched her fall with bated breath. Plummeting towards the earth. 50 metres. 100. 500. For the briefest of moments I thought I was safe.

But then with a furious caw, almost a roar, those fiery orange eyes snapped open. Wings spread wide, it caught a breeze. My stomach churned as the updraft brought the beast right toward me.

Oh, griffon feathers.

I righted myself and put every ounce of energy I could into my wings, letting my newfound hope carry me. The firehawk was wounded. I had a shot! I didn’t need to beat it. I only had to avoid being eaten until it decided I wasn’t worth the effort. Until it left for easier prey.

The featherbrain's aim took a major hit, too. Missing so many flight feathers and a few pounds of flesh left it more clumsy. It allowed me to weave and duck away from its attacks, experiencing minor burns at worst. I wasn’t the most acrobatic or athletic flier, but the adrenaline surge impending doom brings is quite incredible. My flight instructor would have been proud.

But then its massive form swallowed the light above me and bathed me in shadow. As the shadow around me grew I knew it was closing in. Diving to strike a killing blow. Razor-sharp talons slashed at the air above me as I dove, but I wasn’t spared. A cascade of red-hot flames danced past, and that was it.

The air around me burned away, searing my lungs. My barrel and flank blistered as my coat burned away. A blood-curdling scream filled my ears and my vision dimmed. I was fragile as glass as I spiralled towards the earth.

Tears collected in my prescription flight goggles as I struggled to fly. To breathe. To do anything. I beat my sore wings in a panic with no sense of rhythm in a desperate attempt to slow my descent. I lost all sense of direction as I tumbled and rolled uncontrollably. I had no idea where the fiery beast was, but it hardly mattered. I could hardly think through the pain and panic, let alone fly. The best I could do was struggle against my failing endurance.

As the ground rushed towards me, my chest heaved. I did my best to roll when I hit the ground to disperse my momentum. Thanks to that and all my wings flailing I survived the rough landing, but the dirt and grass it rubbed into my wounds were like scalpels across my hot flesh.

Every instinct I had said to curl up and rest, but that’s what the hungry predator wanted. So I fought through the pain and assessed the damages with the help of my Eyes-Forward Sparkle. I had considerable damage to the skin of my wings, flank, and my lungs. No broken bones, but I tore several muscles and tendons.

A terrifying shriek from above pushed me to get to my hooves (and claws). The beast was circling above me, waiting for its lunch to exhaust itself and collapse. That certainly wasn’t an option.

My PipBuck saved me again, this time with the inventory sorting spell. In seconds I had everything I needed to keep me going. There was no hesitation as I pulled the drugs and medicine in front of me. They were just tools after all, and in this case, they were the only tool that might work.

First I gagged down a vial of muddy paste with the taste of moss and pine needles. The healing draught went to work immediately, though it wasn’t as gentle as an Equestrian healing potion. I choked and coughed as the pain in my flank and chest compounded, and my skin seemed to crawl and shift against my body.

My vision blurred as I fell back on my haunches. I felt on the verge of passing out as I moved to the next item, a syringe of med-x. The painkiller was spirit sent, calming the horrid burn to an ignorable ache. It was an improvement, but I didn’t have much fight left in me.

Finally, a tablet of buck to put some wind under my wings. The chalky, chewable steroid worked as advertised, sending a surge of energy through my body. I was still shaky and weak, but I was able to move around without keeling over. After a moment of fumbling in the dirt for my fallen weapon, I turned the pistol on the massive bird above.

The slowed time of SATS allowed me to collect myself and think. I couldn’t feel my body while time was paused, which I was thankful for. It was weak. Exhausted. My mind on the other claw was still sharp as a tack.

According to the targeting spell, I had a 45% chance of hitting it in the head. Roughly one in two odds weren’t terrible, but still, anything short of a kill shot and it would have me for lunch.

My weapon droned softly as it released a torrent of magic at my enemy. It dove towards the azure beams, talons spread wide to collect its prize. My heart stopped as I watched with bated breath, as all but one shot sailed past my target. It seemed statistically impossible, but I also wasn't very good at statistics.

It roared furiously, face burnt by the powerful magic, but not enough to dissuade it.

My heart sank. Even my optimism had limits. If I ran or flew it’d catch me. With SATS and my pistol recharging, I couldn’t fight it. I was delicious, slightly burnt toast. I was never a spiritual griff, and I rarely thought about life beyond what was in front of me. With death looming overhead though, I prayed to the spirit of Accord for a swift end.

A deafening boom shook the ground and tore through the sky. Inexplicably, the firehawk’s chest exploded, raining viscera and gore on the fields below. My ears rang as I sat back on my haunches in shock, watching the massive carcass fall lifelessly from the sky.

Somehow, someone blew the predatory bird away. Weapons with that kind of range and power were limited, even before society fell apart, so there was no doubt the attack came from my hometown. The body slammed into the ground just 100 metres away, kicking up a gentle cloud of loose soil in its wake. I just watched half of the birds chest turn to mist, but my eyes remained fixed on it, searching for any sign of movement or a sudden red tick on my EFS.

Morbidity, my first thought after confirming the thousand-plus pounds of dying flesh wasn’t going to suddenly reanimate was that meal rations for the next few days were doing to be a lot more interesting than usual. Somehow my thoughts managed to drift to food after such a horrific display. Meat was something of a delicacy back home, only being available when a Repo Team managed to down a flesh creature. (Not all creatures in hippogriffia took a physical form, making ones that didn’t very, very hard to kill. Never a fun time.) The extra variety would help with morale back in town for the next few days, though it wasn’t likely I’d be credited for it.

A brilliant pink flash behind me pulled me away from my food-based fantasy. As I turned I found myself muzzle to beak with a cotton candy pink unicorn! She was smaller than me like most ponies, with a mess of deep pink and red streaked hair. She wore clean, pressed blue scrubs, just a few shades lighter than my coat. Strong fabric bags hung across her back, emblazoned with a butterfly-centred cross embroidered on the flaps.

Beside her stood a hippogriff with several inches and years on me. He looked familiar, but I couldn’t recall his name. I wasn’t the most social fledgling growing up, mostly just hanging out with my sister and her friends so she could keep an eye on me. His feathers were a deeper purple than mine, with far more contrast. A pair of deadly-looking magical energy rifles were mounted under his wings, flickering with sickly green energy.

Before I could greet my saviours the pink blur at my beak enveloped me. She giggled as she threw her hooves tightly around my neck, though I could still feel her body shaking. The experience left her more worried than her happy voice and bright smile suggested. “Aella, I’m so glad you’re ok. What were you doing out here alone, you could have died! You’re clumsy enough without apex mutants trying to eat your face off.” I squeaked as she hugged me with strength that made me question if she was part earth pony. The pressure on my fresh, now partly healed wounds was an uncomfortable reminder of my horrid state, but I nuzzled into her familiar softness anyway, drying my tears with her coat.

“Aqua, How...What just… What was that…?” I stammered, my masterful mind failing to work out what she had to do with the slain creature behind me. “We’re too far from Gefion village for the canons to reach, what did you do!?”

The pink mare giggled, “I may have… overcharged the coils on the railguns to boost the range…Just a bit. Or rather I asked C.O.R.E to do it, and adjust the aim accordingly. but… Well…” She suddenly looked sheepish.

I sighed and away from her fuzzy pink coat, looking the older mare in the eyes. “Please tell me my sister didn’t just damage one of the city's only working railguns just to save my flank?” There was a long pregnant pause before I burst out laughing and pulled her into another warm embrace. “Of course you did. Thank you for saving my life, Aqua.

“Again.”

🐦🐦🐦🐦🐦

It was a long, exhausting morning after that. All I wanted to do was go home, catch up on some of the work I missed while I was away, and rest. Instead, I spent the early hours being poked, prodded, and dotted over by my overprotective sister.

By noon I was feeling a lot better. My burns were smothered in soothing antibacterial salve, and wrapped tightly in enchanted bandages. It would take a few days to a week to recover fully, but thanks to my quick thinking and a second healing draught, none of my wounds were critical.

Several feathers on my wings and legs burnt up, along with a lot of fur along my left flank. The missing coat wasn’t a big deal, especially given there was already a light blue fuzz growing back into place under my bandages. More annoying was the missing and damaged feathers on my left wing. I wouldn’t be able to fly effectively until most of them grew in again.

My sister Aqua had me stay with her for hours so she could treat and monitor me. She wanted to drag me to the clinic so I could be checked out and treated more thoroughly, but her place of work was already swamped, and I couldn’t take up a bed if someone else needed it. It was incredibly dull considering there wasn’t a single adventure novel among her books, but I appreciated it nonetheless. Eventually, she had to release me from her observation so she could make her shift at the hospital. I felt a bit bad as I left her home. The clinic was overworked and probably needed the technology the Repo Team and I were sent for, while I selfishly left the mission before completing it.

Still, the equipment wouldn’t have made it back for a few more days either way… so it didn’t really make much of a difference.

My home was the last settlement that still used old-world architecture. We lived in colourful hollow trees, magically grown by Elders, Druids, and Scrawls so we could live seamlessly with the nature around us. It was an oasis along the shores of an otherwise desolate island for us, and for the plants and animals too fragile to survive in the wilds beyond. The magically enhanced trees formed a canopy of lush green above us, protecting us from the worst of the ashfall. The windows and balconies built into the trunks and treetops were often the only way to differentiate a normal tree from someone's home.

As badly as I wanted to get home there was an empty achiness in my stomach that I needed to see to, first. So my next stop was the delightful commissary near the center of town! Two dozen tables were set up under several, far larger-than-average trees that functioned like a town hall, with a large food truck at the end. Despite the autowagon being kept in good condition, I’d never seen it run or be moved at all. The one time I asked about it, I was told very firmly that I was not allowed to disassemble or tamper with the steam engine.

I didn’t even plan to have it apart! …For more than a few hours. Steam engines were replaced by pulse-magnetic drive trains, so it was rare to see such a compact one in operation! There is nothing wrong with wanting to see how it runs up close!

A tall griff waved from the service window as I approached. Wheatgrass’s naturally lively green coat was hidden underneath a thin layer of flour, as it often was when she baked. Her necklace was the only part of her that was clean, free to shimmer in the streams of sunlight that broke through the leaves.

Such necklaces were a common site on Mt. Aris. Nearly everyone wore them, myself included. They were the shards of a magical pearl that protected our people for centuries. After the death of Queen Skystar it was broken into shards and shared with everyone.

They say it was a gift from Accord, the spirit of balance. Magic to aid us in maintaining our way of life despite the war-torn state we found ourselves in. I don’t know if it was a gift from some powerful spirit, but the magic held in the tiny fragments is certainly real.

“Afternoon, Aella. A little late for the afternoon meal, but I’m sure we have something here...“ She waved back at the cook, who quickly got to work preparing leftovers for me. In truth, I wanted to show up late. Being around too many people made me feel anxious, and it often lead to conversations where I said or did the wrong thing. I preferred the company of the quiet forest and empty tables.

“I’m surprised to see you so soon,” The worker continued. “I thought ‘The Great General Seaspray the 7th’ had you out with the scav team.” She did dramatic air quotes around his name with an amused eye roll. “Did you… Did it not go well?” There was a touch of concern in her voice.

I chirped dismissively and waved the question off with a wing. “I’d rather not go into it. I had a rough morning of almost being barbecued, and I just want some decent food.”

“Well then, in that case; food we can do.” She turned towards the cook for a minute, and when she returned she was holding a wooden tray of food.

“Fresh red snapper, caught and purged of balefire radiation just this morning. If this doesn’t put a smile on your beak, nothing will.”

My stomach rumbled as I eyed the perfectly prepared Sashimi on the plate. Thinly sliced fish with a side of deliciously salty seaweed and mixed nuts. Of course, the meal wouldn’t be complete without an aromatic mug of creamy, warm, and delightfully sweet coffee. I gave the worker a smile as I grabbed my tray, and trotted off to the furthest table.

I had a hard time being around Wheatgrass sometime. She was sweet, popular, well-respected, and appreciated. All the things I wanted to be. Growing up I thought that if I could be useful, productive, and smart then people would like me! That’s how it worked for my late parents and Aqua. But here was this griff who did just below average in school to go into the service industry, and she was one of the most upbeat, caring, and beloved griffs I knew.

I didn’t hate her or anyone else for it, it just felt like… everyone knew the secret of how to talk to others and be likeable but me. And even when you copy what everyone else does, you can still somehow be wrong! It was infuriating.

“You got that far-off-looking sneer. Did someone spit in your beer?”

I nearly jumped out of my skin as I coughed and choked on a bite of fish as a zebra seemed to manifest in front of me. I was so distracted by my brooding that I hadn’t realized he was there until we were practically muzzle to beak. The striped equine wore a filthy, oil-stained jacket, littered with pockets. A wrench patch with gold trim on his sleeve said not only was he a repair creature like me, but he was a manager. No, he was my manager! And the Chief of Engineering.

Buck.

“C-Chief Engineer Sureclasp! H-Hi! I haven't even had time to message you to set up a meeting. How did you know I was here…?” The zebra always seemed to know what was going on in the settlement before everyone else, and he was less than forthcoming about how. I think he built an illegal radio scanner, but I’d never seen it.

“You know, I keep my ear to the ground. I figured meeting with you before you got lost in your work would be easier for us both. You aren’t the best at making it to meetings, or returning messages.”

Each word made my heart beat faster and my stomach churn. My mind raced with every mistake I’d made, and the endless array of punishments that could follow. I nearly ruined the mission, and then I ran away! A mission I begged for! Then as a result I was nearly eaten, risking not only my life but a PipBuck 4000 and a custom-built recharger pistol! My life was expendable, but the spirit-blessed materials and complex technology of my equipment was irreplaceable.

Somehow noticing my racing anxiety, the buck was quick to reassure me. “I’m not here to pull feathers about what happened. The elders don’t have the time to look into what happened immediately, and when they do I’m sure they will be lenient. They’ve already assured me that everything you’ve been through, and your unique… deficiencies will be taken into account. With that said, you won’t be permitted on another repossession mission until the official inquiries are made. Even then… I don’t think you’ll be allowed in the field again. I’m sorry, Aella. I know how hard you worked to earn that.”

That… wasn’t as bad as I expected. I was terrified I would be banished, or imprisoned. Or imprisoned wherever I was banished to! After almost burning to death, not being allowed on missions hardly seemed like a punishment. And it wasn’t like I wanted to be on the team that badly anyway. It wasn’t a big deal.

“I… I understand. I appreciate you standing up for me. Anyway, you said you had a work assignment for me?” I clung to the idea of a task to do, something I understood and could lose myself in instead of dealing with the mess of emotions knotted up in my chest.

“We’ll get to that. But first I want to know how you’re doing.”

Ugh, of course.

“You had a life-threatening experience today. It may not have been your first, but it’s the first time you’ve had to brave such a high-stress situation on your own. Experiencing post-traumatic stress symptoms is completely expected-”

“I’m fine. Sure I took a few licks, but I fought my flank off, and I did well! Then the railgun blasted it, (and itself,) to bits. Yes, it was a stressful situation, but I came out surprisingly unscathed. I’m fine.”

Sureclasp pulled out a notebook and started scribbling in it with a sigh. Apparently, my lacklustre performance wasn’t enough to convince him. I hoped he wasn’t putting any of it on my record… Or worse, referring me for a psych evaluation. I already had all the therapy I could stomach.

“You’ve been home from Skya for about three months now. How have you been adjusting?” Chief Sureclasp switched to his native tongue to keep the winds from spreading our private discussion. Everyone in our small community knew what I’d been through, but still, I appreciated the discretion. I learned enough of his language from my zebra teachers to keep up. “I know you felt it was important for you to be here for your sister’s operation, but she’s doing very well. If you’re still interested in finishing your Engineering education, you can return next semester. You’ll only be a few months behind. For you, that might as well be a week.” he said.

“I’m… content staying close to home for now,” I signed and looked down at my hardly-eaten food. All the talk about emotions and trauma spoiled my appetite. “None of the settlements are short on engineers, and I’ve been doing good work as a technician. Maybe in a year or two, but… right now it’s too soon.”

The zebra buck nodded “I understand. You’ve been through a lot this year. Losing Karma, your sister's illness, and now this. Take your time. We appreciate the hard work you do in your current position.”

“Now, the thing you’re really interested in. This assignment will feel even less like work than your usual tasks, and that’s the point. It’ll give you some time to clear your head while staying productive.” I leaned closer, hanging on his every word.

“I want you to get the Skystar V flightworthy over the next week. We’ll have some scrap brought to the docks for you to use. We might have need of a few airships in the next few months, and yours is the best maintained.”

I shovelled the rest of my food into my beak and grinned. “Of course, chief! I’ll have it ship shape in no time! I’ll get started right away!” The buck chuckled as I lept out of my seat and rushed toward the docks.

🐦🐦🐦🐦🐦

The Skystar V. A beautiful sailing vessel with a glittering silver haul, two towering masts for the durable canvas sails, and enough rooms below deck to comfortably support an entire crew! My home.

The ship was my father's life's work. After my parents died I continued working on her to feel closer to him. Father taught me everything I know about machines and arcane technology working on that ship. We dreamed of one day taking her out into the world, discovering new places and having epic adventures like the creatures from storybooks he read to me as a fledgling. Rather than let it be torn up and parted out, the council allowed me to keep it as my home and workspace.

I was fairly sure the task was busywork. Something to keep me out of everyone's manes while I licked my wounds and processed what happened. Still, I couldn’t help but be excited at the slim possibility. If they had a need for the ship, then they’d need a technician to keep it running! No creature alive knew that ship better than me!

So I got to it! The solar energy collectors and water condensers were of course fine, seeing as I had both running water and electricity to run my coffee maker. The computers in the control room needed work, the sails needed patching, and several cells in the battery bank had to be swapped out, along with a list of other issues for me to solve.

I couldn’t help but let my mind drift as I worked to the adventures I could have on the ship. The friends I could make, the crew I could work with. The comradery, the comfort, the excitement! And of course, you couldn’t have a good story without a little heartbreak.

None of the issues proved difficult for me, though some were time-consuming. The few times I was uncertain about something, I had help! The ship’s primary control terminal was also a node for CORE, an advanced AI that helped manage and maintain several Mt. Aris settlements. Need data looked up? Done. Complex maths? Of course, it’s made of math! She did in moments what would take most ponies hours, and played a giant role in keeping hippogriffs from going extinct.

Though the rest of our technology didn’t hurt.

By the end of day six, I was golden. Every diagnostic scan found no issues. Every light, switch, fuse, and panel was cleaned inside and out. Every wooden board of the interior was clean, rot-less, and clear coated! The outer hull shined like jewelry. I beamed with pride, knowing how much the Skystar appreciated the attention. Every ratchet click made her hum just a little bit happier.

I outdid myself.

Ping.

…I also neglected to check any of my messages during the work binge, resulting in my workspace’s terminal blooping at me every hour on the hour as a reminder. Sureclasp was right about me not checking my messages enough. But I just get so carried away when I’m working on a project! It isn’t like my boss or my sister don’t matter, it’s just that once I’m in that zone, everything else fades away. I don’t dislike them any more than I dislike, (and need) food! And I forget that when I get working, too.

-🖂︎🖂︎🖂︎-

Gefion-wide public health notice.

For those who aren’t yet aware, a terrible illness has been burning its way through multiple settlements. It is not influenza, pony polks, or any other rumour or lies you may have heard. Lab tests have confirmed… It’s a resurgence of the new plague. The Blue Flu that barely six generations ago upset the precarious balance of our survival, leading to over one million deaths of disease, starvation, and loss of utilities.

The illness spreads easily and is slow to progress in most cases. But in the young and old it can become lethal far more quickly. We are capable of treating and isolating those affected for now, but eventually, the medicine will run out, and the decrease in labour potential will affect our food, energy, and water production.

The Elders and Chiefs are working tirelessly, and have multiple plans in the works to deal with this threat. In the meantime remember, your friends and neighbors are not our enemies. Everyone must work together. Do not let your fear and uncertainty guide you. Give everything you have for each other, and we will overcome this crisis.

Effective immediately, a curfew is in effect, and anyone with symptoms should self-isolate. A full list of rules and regulations will be sent separately. If you wish to do more for your community, contact your Chief. Thank you.

-Central Operations Reliance Engine, by Elders instructions.

🐦🐦🐦🐦🐦

I had a ship. A disease was spreading through the village. We couldn’t produce the medical supplies to effectively treat it. I hadn’t left my workshop in days to catch it. And I had a ship.

They sent emergency supplies to stock the galley and clinic, and I didn’t even consider it!! I thought repairing the Skystar was busy work, but… no, it couldn’t be a coincidence. This was why I was fixing up the ship. They needed me. Or at least needed it.

This was it. My call to action. The hero’s journey playing out before my eyes. My chance to redeem myself in the eyes of my people. To find my place among my kind! No one would care what was wrong with me when I returned with medicine and equipment to save everyone! I could actually be someone.

I didn’t even think as I rushed to message Chief Sureclasp! Maybe I should have… but I was far too excited. I was living an adventure story! It was a dream come true! He was hesitant to accept my offer of help, even after admitting that the Elders had already planned for the possibility that I’d offer. But there was little he could do. Any other flight-worthy vessels were lost years ago headed to the Winged Citadel atop Mt. Aris… with my parents on board

No, no sadness! This was my chance! And more proof! The main character always had a tragic backstory, and mine related to my journey! I’d do what they couldn’t, and sail my ship to success! With any other ships needing weeks to months, before they could fly, I was the best option. I vibrated and fluttered with excitement as I waited for the full mission details.

🐦🐦🐦🐦🐦

The bridge, the heart of the ship. I mostly just used it as an entryway or to run diagnostics with the advanced computer equipment, but now I’d actually be operating her from it! Well… CORE would be operating it through her connection to the central computer. The AI was able to access all of her separate nodes and divide up her consciousness between them. Sending actual data between the access points required an actual connection, however.

Aqua would always get on me about treating it like a person, and she certainly wouldn’t appreciate me referring to her construct as a consciousness, but she felt so real to me… It wasn't just that she was smart and had a personality, I felt this spark from her I could never quite explain. I was always connecting with machines like they were people, though… Something my therapist suggested I try to get over. Ugh.

Everything was perfect. I sat at the circular table screen that functioned as the ship's main terminal, surrounded by banks of control terminals, looking out over the Skystar and the beautiful Mt. Aris terrain through the floor-to-ceiling glass walls that took up most of the front. I was starting an actual adventure, like my father and I always dreamed about! Adventuring to Equestria on a divine quest to find a mythical item to save my people!

But it was hard to be excited…

It was the hologram of a pony projecting from my table screen. She looked exactly like my sister, but completely different. Her normally perfect mane and coat were tangled and matted, her eyes were shadowed and dim, and her normally bubbly, energetic nature we both shared was non-existent. She was like some freaky evil twin or alternate universe version of Aqua.

I didn’t ask how she was doing. Even one as socially inept as me could tell; she was exhausted, overworked, stressed, and most of all worried. As much as I wanted to tell her she didn’t need to be, I couldn’t lie to her. Even in adventure stories, the main character would go through terrible situations and great sacrifices to finally get to the end. As much comfort as pretending gave me, I knew that the real world was often far less forgiving. The good guys don’t always win, and sometimes the one who was supposed to be the hero ends up dead in a ditch.

“I’m sorry, but I have to do this. I can finally be the person I want to be, the one that you and Father always knew I could be! I can be brave, help others, and do something important! Besides… Everyone needs me to do this. People will die if I don’t! I know I may fail, but that’s better than just sitting here waiting to die! My mind, my brain… I’m different. Everyone knows it, and we know they wouldn’t waste resources to save me when they could save someone neurotypical. And maybe… If I pull this off, maybe I can finally find my place, I can-”

“Leave.” Her voice cut like a blade. Everything froze. I couldn’t even breathe. “You’ve avoided the plague that destroyed our nation. Maybe the Ministry of Peace developed some advanced cure-all to make everything better, but it’s been over 200 years. If it was ever real, it may not exist anymore. Please… since mother and father died, all I ever wanted was to make you feel safe and happy. So give up. Find a safe place to live far from here where they can appreciate how different and special you are. Live your life. Some of us are bound to get through this, but… You don’t deserve to die for them.”

The love in her words cut through my mental armour like butter. Every emotion I boxed up and hid away streamed out of me in tears and stifled sobs. Of course, I was scared! Scared of being alone. Scared of the unknown. Scared of leaving everything I knew behind for some strange land I only knew from stories and films. But more than anything, I was scared of failure. Terrified that everything was true. That I was weird. Weak. Useless. A burden. An idiot.

Aqua’s tear-filled eyes met mine as I flashed her a sad, regret-filled smile. My heart shattered as I told her something I thought I never would. “N-no. I’m sorry, but I can’t. I want to… I need to do this! It isn’t just for them, it’s for me. I need to know… I need to see that I can make it on my own. That I can survive without relying on everyone else to put the wind under my wings! Besides… They aren’t mean on purpose. It’s just the way things are, so… They don’t deserve to suffer for that. And I can’t just let you die…

“I can do this. I will do this. I may not be the best fighter or survivalist, but I am one of the smartest creatures on this island. Equestria won’t stand a chance.” My false smile widened. Maybe if I tucked my fear behind enough pride and kindness, she wouldn’t see it.

My sister wiped a tear from her tired eyes. Her voice was horse and shaky. “When did you become so grown up… I understand you feel you need to do this. I’m proud of you for telling me no. I honestly didn’t know you knew that word.” We both laughed, but the sound was hollow.

“I need to rest… I have work early tomorrow. I’ll be getting a copy of all of your progress reports, and I’ll write you digital letters. Do your best, and be safe. I love you. Great sprites guide you.”

“I love you, too.”

The room felt darker and colder when the image cut out. The tiny reflection of her soul through the projection was like a torch of safety and hope. Without it, I was in the dark. I almost gave up right there. It was all so much, and the weight of the task hadn’t even processed in my mind yet. I wanted to go home. Spend my final days with what little family I had left. It sounded so much better than being alone. Easier.

But heroes never did what was easy. Daring doo, the Shrouded Stallion, the Power Ponies, bearers of harmony; they always did the hard thing, the right thing! I wanted her. I wanted to save them all. So I flew off into the unknown, sailing headfirst into the Equestrian Wasteland.

🐦🐦🐦🐦🐦

A day and a half later, the Skystar V glided effortlessly through the air with a soft hum. Rather than enjoying the views of the ocean below, or watching Equestria’s continent slowly grow on the horizon, I was hidden away in my workshop reviewing everything I learned for the fourth time.

The mission I volunteered for was like nothing I’d ever done, leading me to spend hours trying to process the endless possibilities of the impossible mission. Most creatures have a train of thought. I have a train yard. Flocks of thought trains trying to navigate the confusing rail system of my mind while they tried not to strike one another. The sad list I scrounged together was far from helpful.

So far I had;

Limited combat training
No survival skills
One undergraduate degree
A glorified houseboat

And somehow I was supposed to use those resources to;

Survive post-war Equestria
Find a wise creature to give me advice that won't make sense until I need it most! ((Classic adventure story trope! Can't miss that.)
Find information on a 200-year-old military project that may not even exist
Make unlikely friends ((All the adventure books about Equestrian ponies stress the importance of friendship!))
Find a magical mystery cure developed in some secret lab somewhere, maybe.
Return home to save the day!

The hero's journey also includes the hero dying in some way and coming back from the dead, but ideally, I planned to skip over that part. Though given the limited stuff I have to work with, odds were I’d end up with only the dying part. No, Aella! Bad! Optimism!!! Don't count your fledglings before they hatch!!!!!

They gave me enough supplies to manage for about two months on my own, roughly how long they’d be able to handle things before everything we spent a century and a half rebuilding would fall to pieces. I also got every file and book on Equestria we had available. We knew a lot about Equestria leading up to the Deluge de Arcana, but everything after the megaspells was muddled. Few survivors that far north were interested in contacting us, and Stable-Tec communications went down just after Canterlot fell.

The best we had were conflicting reports. The Grand Pegasus Enclave, A nation of pegasi living in the airspace above Equestria, (whom we had a very rocky history with,) claimed the surface was a hellish wasteland, populated by uncivilized brutes who refused any attempts at communication. However, several griffon mercenary groups reported that while the wasteland was dangerous, there were villages and cities of survivors, as well as at least 4 still functional Stabe-Tec facilities. It was assumed the griffon contacts were more accurate. We contracted them for accurate information, and a griff never breaks a deal.

Or I thought that was the most accurate information we had. Among the data dump I received were scouting reports from the island of Trottingham, just off Equestria’s southwestern coast. The council never admitted to sending anyone so far from the island, and everything about the mission was redacted and classified. When I asked why they just asked, “Aella, do you know what classified means?”

-🖂︎🖂︎🖂︎-

Recon report, Equestrian wasteland, day 3.

Equestria is nothing like I expected. I knew it would be rough, but stars… it’s worse than I imagined. I always hoped that the home of my people would be more together than this… These morons have had ample time to get their shit together.

The radiation levels are about what we expected, resulting in a massive loss of biodiversity. It'd be easier to count the creatures that survived than to try and figure out how many died out. Despite that, ponies here continue to survive and even thrive in the terribly hostile environment, often through the use of liberated wartime technology, or at the expense of other ponies. Many settlements are littered across Equestria, possibly dozens. LIttered is the most appropriate word, as most post-war buildings are constructed from the garbage of the old world. Settlements like Vision and Tenpony Tower are little more than weak attempts to survive in the burnt-out husks of a dead society, in hopes of somehow restoring it. Others show more promise, building new settlements and tribes while they forge their own collective identities. Ponies here struggle to regain the harmony they once had, it seems. None can agree on how things are done, leading to frequent fights for territory or resources. It would be a fascinating social experiment if it weren't so dangerous and smelly.

The mission is progressing well. We found shipping manifests for advanced equipment and several shield spell generators for the research lab, confirming that not only was it a real place, but it likely survived the war. If there is anything we can use there to try and restore our climate, it could be related to this facility.

Enclave patrols have taken notice of us entering Equestrian airspace, but have yet to make contact. Their scouts are trying (and failing, unsurprisingly) to covertly survey us. I've been assured that so long as they don't know what weapons and defences we may have on board, they will not attempt to harm us or hinder our progress. I'd like to note we've remained well under 1000 metres of Enclave's border. We have not and will not breach their airspace, as per the Non-Aggression Act titled: "The Fairflight Treaty."

Signing off,

-Recon field report 1, Specialist Seatide Uni-24.

🐦🐦🐦🐦🐦

Seatide. Specialist Seatide. Possibly the smartest mare to ever be offered Mt. Aris citizenship, after a rough upbringing in the zebra lands. A brilliant mare, and the highest-level unicorn. My mother.

I don’t know how many times I read it over, but it left my cheeks damp with tears every time. I was told my parents died on an important repo mission up the mountain! I had no idea how important their mission was. Nobody did.

Most of Mt. Aris wasn’t survivable, thanks to the Blood Ash megaspell cast on Beakini Atoll being blown back onto us, rather than deeper into the neighbouring zebra lands. Not only did it rain down magically starved ash on our heads, but it also lingered in the atmosphere above us, making our winters progressively longer and less predictable. My parent's team was sent to Equestria to find a solution; either learn how to disable the weapon, or find information on weather control magic to warm up our island.

I spent my life thinking my parents died searching for an old arcane matrix and some spare bolts in a warehouse somewhere. But they tried trying to make everyone's lives better, to save people! Just like I was doing. I wish I’d known sooner… Being able to give their deaths meaning would have saved my sister and me a lot of heartache.

Heartache that it brought back in force. That I was in no way equipped to deal with. Luckily new emotion welled up with the sorrow and pain. One that was far easier to latch onto. Anger. They lied to me, to everyone! My parents died heroes, and no one even knew! They were ashamed of sending people on such a stupid, impossible task! The government sent half my family to die on a wild chickenhawk chase!

And I was being sent to follow in their wingbeats.

Footnotes:
Welcome to level 2!

Perk added: Mothers Mare, Rank 1! You're your parents' kid, alright! You gain +5 to your repair and energy weapons skills for each rank of this perk you take. You'll need it...

Author's Note

This is the third iteration of the first chapter of my fic, and I’m very happy with how it is now! It’s far more streamlined, and focused on exploring who Aella is as a character, like I wanted it to!

I plan on reworking other chapters to some degree, but none will be this significant other than Chapter 6. I’m SURE I can do a better job on that one, with all I’ve learned since writing it ^.^ I owe my improvement to constructive criticism from my readers and my friends, even if sometimes I was too stubborn to listen to them right away.

Thank you for reading!

Chapter 4: An Awesome Rescue

Fallout Equestria: Endless Horizon

Chapter 4: An Awesome Rescue

-🖂︎🖂︎🖂︎-

It's good to hear from you Aella. Things back home have been getting pretty hectic. We haven't had any losses yet, but supplies are wearing thin. I’m worried we’ll have to start prioritizing who gets treatment. Sharing the healing potions and talismans isn’t going to cut it forever. Everyone is getting steadily worse. Me and the other unicorns have been doing 20 hour days making healing potions and trying to help the sick. They’re talking about sending out a reclamation team for medical supplies and equipment, but no one knows where it’ll go.

There's something else that worries me too. With everyone in isolation, those of us with implants or synthetics haven't been able to get them tuned up or repaired. My lung is running fine, but Mr. Abernathy's leg failed outright. He just stays locked in his room now. Those who need medication for chronic issues like diabetes or anxiety aren’t faring any better.

Don’t worry about us too much, yet. We’re managing, and supplies are still going to last a while. If you're dead set on helping us, we could use it... Even if you could bring back a stash of meds or something, it'd keep us going. But no matter what, take care of yourself first. Stay safe, and do your best. No matter what happens, we're all proud. Love you.

-Aqua Tide, Uni 27

*** *** ***

The building shook with terrifying intensity, sending shelves and lights flying from the walls and ceiling. The magical power that lit the building struggled as it braved the undeserved beating. Every breath burned from the dust and smoke clouding the atmosphere. The scent of burned gunpowder and hot metal stung the red mare's nostrils, as she did her best to lead the enemies away from her new friend.

Another series of explosions shook the building. The young mare galloped through the facility turned hostile against her. The robots and turrets were determined to kill them, even if that meant destroying the building they were built to protect.

Scarlet dove through an open door, narrowly escaping a cascade of grenade shells. The pony put her hooves over her ears as they went off, ears screaming from the countless explosions that slammed into her eardrums. She ducked into what looked to be some kind of nursery and daycare. She tripped over stuffed toys and blocks as she rushed behind the desk across the room for cover. She crouches behind it and probes around under it with her magic.

“Holy shit. Kid was right!” She smirked as she grabbed her looked over her objective. The revolver was in rough shape, but the hammer and trigger worked. It was enough. She grinned as she plucked a super restoration potion from the desk as well.

As she checked over the weathered firearm the robot rolled into the doorway. Its bright red eye turned towards her. Smoke trailed from the barrel of its devastating grenade machine gun. The seasoned wastelander grinned at the bot and took aim with the rusty pistol. The gun groaned and strained as the cylinder rotated.

BANG BANG BANG

Three streaks of silver lightning fired from the chamber. Bullets enchanted to channel the weather spirits themselves. Scarlet closed her eyes to keep the blinding flashes from searing her retinas. The bolts shot through the robot's chassis. Horrid feedback screamed from its speakers. Its eyes flickered as it slowly died.

Scarlet dashed down past the Hellbringer in the doorway, and down the hall. She left the rusty pistol on the floor of the daycare, it's precious ammo spent. The shock rounds wouldn't fry the machine's systems completely, but it would take a bit to reboot. It bought us a bit of time.

I had no idea why anypony would need such a powerful and terrible weapon, let alone a robot guarding a factory. If this was the kind of firepower Equestria had brought against the zebras, I wondered what kind of firepower the zebras had of their own.

Scarlet was panting and wheezing as she sprinted back into the security office. Her red coat was covered in a layer of soot. She was matted and soaked with sweat. She smelled like a munitions factory. I was so distracted working at the computer, I didn’t notice she was there until I felt her hoof on my shoulder. She was eyeing the screen with a frown. “That doesn't look good. What’s it mean?”

I sighed and slammed my head onto the keyboard. One of the hoof-shaped buttons cracked under the pressure of my beak. “He used some kind of improvised processor widget. I had no idea he had this level of technical know-how. The widget passed all control of the security systems to his Pipbuck. I can’t do anything without it.”

The red mare stomped a hoof, groaning. “How does that jackass always think this far ahead! Ok, ok. “ She looked at me, chewing her lip a bit. She was trying to calm down and think, but the stress seemed to be getting to her. “There’s gotta be something else then. A weapon we can use, like the pistol!”

I shook my head. “N-no, that was it. A few of the staff had stolen some shock ammo because they were afraid of the robots, but I didn’t read anything about weapons strong enough to kill them, unless…” Could it work? I’d never had to work in such intense conditions, but everything I need should be downstairs in magical weapons development. That meant fighting our way to the basement, which-

“Equestria to egghead, what is it?” Scarlet had been trying to get my attention when I trailed off, waving a hoof in my face. “You have a plan, don’t you? You got a planny look.” She leaned closer to me as her wounded ear twitched. The proximity made me uncomfortable, and I pushed her away gently.

“There’s nothing here we can use as a weapon, but there’s enough stuff we can use to build a weapon! We need to get downstairs, which… will be hard since I had you to use the magic bullets on that bot…”

The pony rolled her eyes a bit, then nudged me. “The robot isn’t getting anymore broken. We should get moving! Come on.” The red mare took off, forcing me to follow. She had shorter legs than me but was just as fast. I was kind of impressed with the agility of the little unicorn pony. Had she been born with wings, I was sure she’d have made a very skilled flyer.

Impressively, she’d managed to memorize the building's floor plan in the short time she’d been scavenging (mostly hiding) there. The root we took was a lot longer than it could have been, but it dodged all of the turrets we hadn’t taken out yet. Scarlet was quickly running out of ammo for her shotgun, so we had to save what we could.

We made it safely to the stairwell and headed down the basement

*** *** ***

Woosh

The strangely phallic projectile flew past at mind-bending speeds. The explosion rocked the building and blew apart the wall near the end of the hallway. I cried out as the shockwave sent my battered body skidding across the floor. Scarlet landed on top of me, crushing my mangled wing under her weight.

The hot air was burning at my coat and mane as a fiery blaze grew behind us. The growing plumb of smoke burned at our lungs worse than the air around us. The hallway's lights flickered and died, leaving us in the orange glow of the growing fire behind us.

It brought back memories of the firehawk back home. The one that nearly torched me alive before my sister swooped in. But my sister was on the other side of the world. She wasn't here to save me this time. No General Seaspray or Desert Glo- Fuck.

The hellbringer seemed to cackle as it rolled towards us on heavy tank treads. The missile pod on its shoulder opened to slowly load another projectile from its back. This one had bright red lines and bolts painted across its weapon and body, making it appear much more imposing than the others.

My chest was on fire. No matter how I gasped and coughed I could hardly get any air in. My talons wrapped around my throat as I struggled to breathe. I was panicking, failing to understand how I could be suffocating with so much air in the... air.

Scarlet was managing a bit better. A large bloody gash graced the side of her coat, running from her cutie mark to just below her neck. Her blood was pooling at her hooves as she struggled to stand. She limped over to me, face white as a ghost.

“Come on, we need to go…” She panted, shaking me. I couldn't respond. I could hardly gasp. suddenly my scalp burned, but not from the heat. And I was moving. Being pulled away from the fire by my mane. Even in Scarlet's condition, wounded and bleeding she was doing whatever she could to save me.

The pain barely registered as my vision blurred. It had only been thirty seconds or so, and I already felt myself starting to slip away. My mind snapped back to the biology class I’d taken years ago, and just barely passed. How long could a griff go without oxygen? Was I dying? Was this how Aqua felt when her lungs failed?

The hydraulic door clanging shut pulled me back to reality. Then a rhythmic thud reverberated through the cold steel floor. The killer robot trying in vain to take down the pressurized door.

A blurry mess of colours I assumed was Scarlet stood over me. Sweat ran down her face, and her eyes were bloodshot and watering. “A-Aella are you ok? I don’t see any wounds, what’s wrong?” I tried to respond, but all that came out was a series of weak, bloody coughs. My new friend rolled me onto my side, so I could spew blood and gore from my damaged airways.

“Aw shit, that looks bad. D-drink, now!” She wheezed. I felt the neck of a potion bottle touch my lips as I let my eyes close. I choked a bit on the potion going down, but it didn’t matter anymore. I was so tired. All I wanted was to rest.

*** *** ***

The tiles above me were a clean, porcelain white. If I could ignore the pain in my body and the sleeping mare's head next to me, I could have pretended I was in the clinic back home. Like when I’d clipped a tree and needed my wing in a cast. When my sister and I went to donate blood together.

This wasn’t my home or a clinic. The continued banging of the Hellbringer trying to breach the door made that very clear. All I could remember was passing out on the floor of weapons development. From what I could figure, the shockwave of the missile collapsed one of my lungs. I’d probably want a medical pony to look me over the next chance we had.

I'd almost died again. I was just lucky enough that there was someone there to pull me from the proverbial, (and literal) fire. Even halfway around the world, it was exactly the same. I was tricked, manipulated, and nearly killed. The only reason I got through any of it was because a stranger saved my life. I couldn't afford to be useless in the wasteland. My sister was counting on me.

I was laid out on one of the workbenches. Scarlet had pushed all of the tools to the floor so I could have a place to sleep off the floor. She was curled up in a chair next to me, her head resting on the bench next to mine. I blushed a bit as her warm breath tickled my neck.

Her body was wrapped up in bloody bandages that had somehow managed to stop her bleeding. She was alive and hopefully would recover. No doubt the rest was helping, but the pain killers and empty potion bottles on the floor probably helped more.

I gently nuzzled her head. “Thank you for saving my life…” I whispered to her before sitting up. I was sore, and my chest burned whenever I breathed too deeply. Not a great start to my patented full-proof plan, but at least I was alive. I peered down at my Pipbuck and tapped at the screen. 0300 hours… We slept for over three hours! Specter would be long gone.

We were lucky the building was as sturdy as it was. The basement was mostly steel and concrete, so the fires didn’t spread past the hallway. The heavy door had started to buckle but was still managing to keep the Hellbringer out of our manes.

I needed more rest. Wanted so badly to curl up and sleep away my pain and fear. But I didn't have time. Scarlet couldn’t get out of here without me, and I was next to useless without her. So I did what I do best. I got lost in my work. I was careful not to wake the sleepy red mare, wanting her to be as well-rested as she could be. Scarlet had cleared out several of the first aid boxes placed throughout the large room. They were the familiar cross with a butterfly I saw on some kits at home, though these ones were more rusted and worn.

After 15 minutes, I had a sizable pile of junk and scrap to work with, and a rough idea of what I needed to do. Every clang on the door served to remind me that my time was limited. Another 45 minutes, and I was done. The devices looked simple enough. Three spark batteries were taped and wonder glued together, connected with wires and conductors. All running through a high-intensity wave emitter on top of them.

The homemade Matrix Disruption grenades were complete. I knew they could be powerful enough to overload the Flux Regulator on a sky carriage, so as long as I’d built them properly…

A pained hiss from across the room drew my attention from the thought. Scarlet had winced a bit when she'd sat up. Still, she was smiling as she watched me work. I couldn't help but notice a cute scar along her nose, going partway to her eye. It was thin and faded, but noticeable under the bright basement lights. “I’m glad you’re ok. You had me worried for a minute there.” She slowly got to her hooves and limped over to me. I offered her some meds for her pain, which she graciously accepted. My body and mind calmed as I took a few for myself as well.

She wasn’t sure about the weapons I had crafted for us. She’d never heard of anypony building their own EMP grenades. It made sense why. Overloading arcano-tech isn’t an easy feat. They were hardened against magical interference. I assured her they would pack more than enough punch.

*** *** ***

Zzzzaaaaapppfffttttttt-t-t-

My mane stood on end as the homemade EMP grenade went off. (I was still workshopping a name for them, that was a beakful.) The magical energy rushing past was the magical equivalent of someone randomly pounding on a piano, random, inconsistent, and very uncomfortable. Even if not for how vulnerable my pip-buck, pistol, and few implants were it's not a feeling I wanted to repeat. The magical noise left me dizzy and nauseous.

The Hellbringer got a very bad surprise when it rolled through the remains of the door we were hiding behind. Scarlet and I watched in quiet anticipation as the robot sparked and twitched, praying that the weapon shut down its systems. After a moment the machine went still, and its headlamp died.

The ruby mare next to me raised her hoof to me, which I happily bumped with a fist. “Holy shit you did it!” She shouted happily. “Fuck yeah! I've never seen anything like that! Alright, let's get back to that airship of yours. I’m so done with this place.” I couldn’t agree more.

The two remaining robots were easy to take out with our new weapons. They had set paths to roam inside and outside the facility, so all we had to do was make sure they’d roll past when the weapons were armed. I was sad to be wasting so many spark batteries on this, but I didn't have a choice.

The Robot in the hall was easy enough to find and deal with. All of the hallways and offices in the Admin wing made it very easy to get behind it. We knew we’d have a very hard time getting out the front door to hit that one with the magical grenades, so instead, we tried to bomb it from the roof. It took two tries before we’d managed to land a hit, but the bot shorted out with a satisfying show of sparks and feedback.

*** *** ***

Scarlet was in awe of nearly everything on my ship. She’d never been in the air before, nor had she ever seen as much food or supplies I had at my disposal. Her favourite thing seemed to be the shower. Specifically the hot water. She spent nearly an hour in the Washroom cleaning up. The one in the Galley, no one was allowed in my room. The mare saved my life. The very least I could do was get her a hot bath and some of my food. Besides, it was nice to have somepony on the skiff with me. Well somepony who didn’t scare the feathers off me.

I used up a few of the healing potions we’d liberated from Stable 24. One for Scarlet, and two for me. I was still in a lot of pain from the missile attack, and I didn’t want my lungs to get infected in their weak state. I definitely couldn’t afford to end up like Aqua. The healing potions fixed me up for the most part. I only had a bit of pain when I coughed.

I flopped into my bed shortly after. The circular mess of soft blankets and various plushies and trinkets helped me relax. I got shot. My lung collapsed. I was being led around the wasteland by a slaver! Every terrible thing I could have imagined had hit me all at once, and I was just starting wasteland day 3!

I whimpered and curled up in my cozy nest. I pulled my goggles onto my forehead to keep them from collecting tears. I was used to crying a lot. Hurting myself a lot. Making mistakes. But in Equestria, it all seemed amplified. A small mistake back home could kill me here. And if I died, everyone in Hippogriffia could too. It was almost too much. Every cough and whimper sent fire through my lungs, and just as I felt like the emotions would drown me I had a few pain pills I had tucked behind my alarm clock.

*** *** ***

It was barely sunrise when Scarlet appeared in the doorway of my room, wearing a grim expression. I slowly pulled myself out of my nest, nearly knocking over the bucket I had put down next to it. My blanket was pulled tightly around me as I half trotted half crawled to my door.

My stomach was upside down. My limbs wouldn't stop shaking. Every heartbeat thudded in my chest. I felt too terrible to get any sleep, and the last thing I needed was more drugs in my system to try and force it. Coming down from the steady was more than enough. I wiped some sweat off my face before opening the door.

“Are you alright?” Scarlet asked as she looked me up and down. She had heavy bags under her eyes, and her mane was a mess of knots. On the bright side, she was clean. I hadn't noticed in the chaos of survival, but she'd been in desperate need of a shower. I'd even given her a set of my mom's clothes, a blue jumpsuit to match her hair. Much better than her slave rags.

Everything felt far away and distorted. I didn't realize she had asked me a question until she repeated herself. “R-rough day yesterday, but I’m be fine. Just nee' coffee. What about you? Yer up early.”

“There’s something I wanted to talk to you about,” She cast her eyes down towards the floor, her ears flopping back a bit. “Assuming your in a condition to chat, I mean. I need a favour. I know it’s a lot to ask after all of this shit today, but it’s super important.”

I decided we’d talk over breakfast. As unpleasant as I felt I knew I needed to eat something, and I’m sure Scarlet was hungry too. Scarlet didn’t get much more sleep than I did. We were both yawning balls of fluff with bags under our eyes.

I put her up in one of the four other, much smaller bedrooms the ship had, but I guess her mind wouldn’t stop. I can’t blame her, considering I needed sleeping pills to get any shuteye. Instead, she went over a bunch of stuff we’d scavenged in the not too Awesome Facility. Mainly the weapons and ammo we’d picked up. Well, 'weapons' was generous. They were basically scrap.

Scarlet hardly touched the bowl of shredded wheat in front of her as she explained the situation. “So I was captured doing a run down to Caledonia, south of the Equestrian border. They killed my guards outright and managed to nab me. They had me caged with a few others they bagged. I know they’ll be making their way back into Equestria this afternoon, and I was hoping… I know you have no reason to help, and I don’t have any caps, but-”

I smiled at her and cut her off. “Of course, I’ll try to help. I’m not much of a fighter or anything, but I’ll do whatever I can. In fact…” I narrow my eyes at her collar, then smirk. “I bet I can get all of their 'pretty' necklaces taken care of. So is that why you went back for all those weapons? If you could arm them, I could take care of the collars. Definitely. But I’m not a fighter… Robots are one thing, but I can't take someone's life.”

She smiled back. “Wow... thank you. I honestly didn't think you'd say yes. Honestly, I didn’t think you’d fight. Well, I thought you might, but you’re really bad at it. Would rather you not get your head blown off.” Wow, thanks I guess? “The captives are more than capable on their own, they just need a fighting chance!”

I picked up my bowl and quickly shot back the last of my cereal and oat milk. I ignored my stomach tightening in protest. “We should get to work then! Come on, I’ll show you the workshop! I have so many tools and spare parts, and you can see some of the projects I've been working on! You’ll love it!”

-🖂︎🖂︎🖂︎-

Hey Aqua, it’s me again! Listen, communication might be limited from here on out. A friend needs my help, the mare from my reports. I’m going to help free some slaves with her, but to do it I need the Deep Range Transmitter from the Skystar. Or what's left of it. The connection speed on the normal transmitter is too slow for video calls.

To help with my mission, CORE is transmitting one of her AI core into the ship. She won't have access to all the data at Skya, but I’ll still have an AI to help me out and keep track of things. Try not to worry about me. I’ll check in when I can. I just can’t let over ponies suffer when I have the means to help. So, just take care of yourself. I love you.

-Aella Breeze, Technical Apprentice H-71

*** *** ***

I was like a seapony in water, sitting over my workbench. Having something to tinker with helped ease my nerves. Scarlet didn’t know anything about electronics or machines, but made a great assistant! Having someone who can levitate your tools to you and make things weightless was an invaluable asset.

We’d already gotten everything set up for the plan. Now I was just tinkering with Rumble, trying to get him back online. He sat lifelessly on the bench. Other than the stillness of its wings, it looked fine. The faceplate wasn’t even scuffed where the bullets had hit him. I had to wonder if he’d actually been hit at all. For the life of me, I had no idea why he shut down in the first place. Could robots faint? He was more advanced than the basic ones I'd worked with back home. There was something more to him.

I jacked my terminal into Rumble, hoping I could restart his smell matrix. While the computer did its thing, I turned my attention back to my assistant. Specifically, the heavy, dangerous and somewhat garish necklace she was sporting.

“You know, we can get that thing off of you. I have plenty of tools, and it can’t be fun having a bomb next to your throat.”

I balked as Scarlet shook her head no. “I can’t… well, I won’t. I don’t expect you to understand, but if I take this collar off, it means I’m a free mare. And I’m not… I can't be. Not until all of us are free. I wear this to remember everyone who didn’t get the chance to remove theirs.”

I didn't understand it, but I wasn't about to question it either. Hippogriffia was home to over a dozen different species by that point, all with different believes and ideals. One of the first things I learned was to accept them all, even when they didn't make sense. “You’re right… I don’t understand. Not completely. But can we at least remove the explosives from it? I’m honestly terrified that it’ll blow your head off at random.”

It was hard to imagine the things she could have been through, not just recently but in her entire wastelander life. She wanted to keep the collar on, for solidarity, or to remind her of what’s driving her now. I wouldn't stop her, but I'd make damn sure she did it safely.

She shrugged at me. “Yeah… That’s probably a good idea. I’m no good to anypony if my head explodes.” She smiled at me and giggled silently. Was it a joke, or was she breaking tension? I had no clue.

So I got to work tinkering with her collar. It was delicate work, but thankfully she didn’t move too much. I did my best to do the same. The collar's electronics were mostly fried, but I made sure to disable them first. The only thing that it seemed to still be powering was the collar’s tag, not the explosive itself. Oh ugh, not like a tag for names! No, Pipbucks and some other devices from before the war had a tagging spell on them, so anyone with that tag could track them if needed. In this case, it most definitely was not needed.

All I had to worry about after that was accidentally setting off the blasting cap. I figured since we were both a bit tied up for a while, it was a good chance to get to know one another. Scarlet didn’t seem opposed to the idea.

“Well, I was born in a tribal village near Hoofington. Don’t go there by the way. Doesn’t live up to the hype. There was a bandit group that ruled over the area. They protected it but ruled with iron hoofs. No pony outside of their gang was permitted to have guns, they didn’t want any of us fighting back. So we used spears, axes, bows. Anything we could craft ourselves, really. I got to be a pretty good archer. Anyway, I started a caravan after I got my cutie mark,” She motioned to it. I’d never really looked at it before. It was a sheet of parchment with a quill against it. “and travelled Equestria. Made some good friends, seen some nice places.”I got the feeling that there was much more to her story than she was saying, but I didn’t want to press her. Knowing the wasteland, it was probably something grim and depressing. Better not to bring up those sorts of memories. Better to just-

“What about you, ‘Aella Breeze’.” She said, attempting to mimic my upbeat and high-pitched tone. “What’s it like outside Equestria? Got a Stallion waiting for you back home? Orrrr, maybe a mare?”

I giggled at her attempt to copy me and shook my head. “N-no, nothing like that. My parents died when we were young. Exploring Equestria, I guess… So it’s just been me and my sister. I had, someone once, but…” My heart felt like it was splintering into pieces just thinking about it. I wasn’t ready to talk about Karma yet. Too much pain. Too many memories. No sense in rubbing salt in a fresh wound.

I pulled the small blasting cap out of its housing and let out a victorious caw. “Ahah! Got it! Now um, I’m gonna need to focus on getting Rumble online, then we can go over the plan one more time. Meet you upstairs in a bit.” I was lying. Changing the subject. I tried to make it look natural, but I was sure she knew. Thankfully she didn’t press it, leaving me to my own devices.

*** *** ***

There were 7 slaver ponies leading the group north. A grey-coated mare was laying on top of the carriage armed with a sniper rifle, keeping an eye out for ambushes. A large purple buck was pulling the rusted, enclosed carriage. The remaining ponies trotted along beside it, keeping an eye on the area. I couldn’t help but notice the one in the back had wings. I thought all of the pegasi lived in the sky? How curious.

To my dismay, three of the nine captives being held were tiny, blank flanked foals. Anger gripped me as I struggled to process it. I know Scarlet had said that the slavers had been taking foals, but seeing it first claw was so much worse. They were bruises, frightened, clinging to one another for whatever comfort they could get. One foal was curled up against a mare's chest, the brown earth pony slowly running a hoof through the child's filthy mane. Even in an impossible situation, she still did everything she could to comfort and project her colt.

The slavers weren’t remarkably equipped, just pistols and shotguns mostly. One of them had a grenade launcher, but it was nothing like the ones the Hellbringers used. This one was more similar to Scarlet's sawed-off shotgun, having to open the breach to load a new grenade each time. I figured as long as the sniper slaver and fiery filly was dealt with, the slaves would make easy work of the rest. Scarlet agreed.

I'd never considered how best to end a group of people's lives before. I was slowly learning that sometimes you had to do a terrible thing to do good in the wasteland. But I wasn’t ready to take someone's life. Hippogriffs believed that all life was sacred and worth protecting. We only kill out of necessity and give the fallen the utmost respect.

The slavers raised their voices, shouting to one another. I looked through the binoculars I'd grabbed from storage, curious what was getting them so excited. Had they somehow caught on to our plans? No, they were just complaining to one another about a Spritebot that had fluttered into earshot. The sphere was playing some strangely upbeat music at the slavers, March of the Parasprites. I didn't care for it. a more perceptive pony may have noticed the large antenna sticking out of the blush bots

Luckily they just seemed to be complaining about a Spritebot that had flown into earshot. The little sphere was playing some strangely upbeat music at the Slavers. A more perceptive pony may have noticed the larger antenna sticking out of the bluish bot's body.

Originally I had planned to fly the weapons to the captives, but the sniper on the roof ruined my idea. Thankfully we’d picked a little something from The R&D Facility that helped. I scanned the area, looking for any sign of my scarlet-coated friend. The sudden movement of the captives drew my attention. A burlap sack had slipped between the bars, which the ponies quietly began to look through. I let out a happy caw. Finally, something was going our way!

Five minutes later, the Sniper pony almost had a heart attack. A red unicorn with an orange and blue mane appeared in front of her, seemingly out of nowhere. She wore a devious smile as an ethereal spear manifested behind the grey pony, and impaled her.

As Scarlet let out her battle cry, hell broke loose. The sounds of gunfire filled the air as the slaves took their chance at freedom. All of them had grabbed a weapon and ammo from the bag. Even the smallest filly brandished a tiny pistol in her muzzle. The sight made my skin crawl.

They Whooped and hollered as they fought against their oppressors. The slavers had no time to get their bearings. Three bodies hit the floor before they realized they were being attacked. The pegasi took flight once his companions started dropping, deciding that the meagre pay of a guard pony wasn’t worth his life. With everypony busy fighting, He had no problem escaping. Even if I’d been willing to take him out myself, he was well out of the meagre range of my resonance pistol.

A dirt-coloured pony with a shotgun battle saddle levelled her weapon at a distracted Scarlet while she was busy ducking and weaving her way around a unicorn's magically welded knife. Before the shotgun stallion had a chance to fire, a bolt of prismatic lightning thundered through his side. He fell to the dirt, twitching and whimpering pitifully. Rumble floated past slowly, still playing his orchestral song.

Scarlet hardly noticed the fight right beside her. She knocked the unicorn's mare knife away with her magical spear and sent it right through the mare's eye socket.

I winced and sat my binoculars down for a moment. I needed to take a breath. The fighting was far more brutal than I expected. It quickly escalated to hoof to hoof fighting when guns didn’t do the trick. Looking back down, I saw a pair of slaves holding a slaver against their caged cart by his hooves, while a third was slamming her hoof into his muzzle repeatedly. After nearly a dozen blows, the swollen and bleeding slaver fell lifelessly to the dirt.

Two other slaves, the mother and her colt, were standing over a fallen captive. The Mare had her hoof held against the downed stallion's belly, trying to stop the bleeding a stray bullet had caused. The colt was crying, hugging her mother's leg as she worked to save the stranger's life.

The purple Stallion who was pulling the cart had pulled a small metal box from his saddle bags. He was slamming down the large red button on the makeshift detonator. To his dismay, the rioting ponies' explosive collars didn’t respond. By the time he unhitched himself to join the fray, Scarlet had gotten the keys from the blade welding unicorn to the captives. They were piling out of the wagon, grabbing the guns and blades of fallen enemies to replace their own empty ones.

I like to think the stallion had a moment to rethink his life as he starred down the barrels of a half dozen guns, a magical spear, and a very determined Spritebot. He may have even had time to pray to Celestia before he took up arms.

The fight was brief.

*** *** ***

I’d offered to give the slaves a ride to someplace safer, but they felt we’d done too much for them already. I made sure to give them a good supply of food and water and let them keep the slavers' gear for themselves. Their bomb collars were in a heap in the dirt, along with the bodies of the slavers who’d tried to take them. Hopefully, any slavers who happened by would see it as a warning.

The Stallion who’d been shot was alive, though he wouldn’t be on his feet for a few days. They kept the cart to keep the wounded Stallion and foals in, while the rest walked with their weapons ready. I still worried they might end up falling to a group of bandits or more slavers, but they assured me they’d be fine on their own from there.

I was glad to see them all free. It was the first time in my life I felt like I was making a difference. Doing something that mattered. I was very happy that it put a hitch in whatever operation Specter was trying to run. Anything I could do to inconvenience that stallion was well worth the effort.

Scarlet was happy to see them free to live their lives but was less sure what to do with her own freedom when I asked. “I um… I don’t really know. I lost everything I had when the Slavers got me. They sold off or burned all of my goods by now, and I don’t have the capital to start a new caravan anytime soon. Maybe you could use a hoof, while I get back on mine? If you wouldn’t mind some company.” Her hoof dug anxiously at the ground as she waited anxiously for my answer.

I wrapped my wing around her, a big smile on my beak. “That would be great! I could use a friend who knows the wasteland! And a sale pony who understands currency and knows the lay of the land! It’ll be so cool! Just two mares, odds against them, us against the world!” I was practically hopping with excitement as I started mouthing off taglines, much to Scarlet's amusement.

“Hahah, you really are a strange mare. Let's get back to your starsky 45 and figure out what's next, yeah?”

“Skystar, V, yeah!”

*** *** ***

Scarlet got set up in a room just outside of mine, to the left. She didn’t have much in the way of belongings since her liberation, but she did her best to make it homey. Several weapons we had that were in too poor condition to sell or use had found their way onto her walls as decor. Not how I would decorate, but it was good she was settling in well. She also had her tattered slave rags hung up, and a pretty rock one of the foals had gifted her for saving them.

She was still amazed at the water and power the ship produced, though got very concerned when I mentioned it’s solar-powered. I was too distracted making some adjustments to Rumble's new signal jammer to notice it at the time though. Getting lost in my work as always.

When I explained my mission to Scarlet, she suggested checking in at the Ministry of Peace hub in what was left of Trottingham. It was a city now, which made things a bit harder. But Scarlet said she’d be able to get us in there, and I trusted her.

Or… I was pretty sure I trusted her. Since the fiasco with Specter, I was still a bit uneasy about trusting anypony again. The idea of being betrayed or stabbed in the back tied my stomach in knots. But I couldn’t do this on my own, and she seemed like a good pony. Selfless, strong, determined. The kind of person I wished I could be.

In the meantime, she suggested going to a nearby town for supplies. While I had enough food and water for us for a few weeks, Scarlet needed a proper weapon and ammo. Some proper barding would be nice too. She suggested I get another weapon to use along with my pistol, but I was reluctant. I’d never done well with combustion pistols in training, and I wasn’t very big on change. Save for the Enclave and some isolated groups, finding a quality magical energy weapon in the wasteland was implausible at best.

When I finished showing Scarlet the basics of the ship, I retired to my room for a long bath. It was a nice relaxing way to reflect and process everything that had happened. The chaos of the wasteland had the tendency to compound, and I felt I needed to rest while I had the chance.

She took the time to get some food into her and get to know Core, finding the advanced artificial intelligence interesting and charming for some reason. Meh, as long as they were getting along it wasn’t an issue.

The warm water was heaven on my strained muscles, helping me to finally relax. Even with the potions, I’d drank, I’d still be sore and off for the next few days. No amount of magic will replace the rest. Still, we were in a better position than I’d been a day ago. We saved some lives, and I have a direction to go now. With Scarlet by my side, the wasteland was just a little less frightening to me.

Footnotes:
Welcome to level 4... again! No level for you this time 'round.

Companion perk: Liberator. You’re experience getting to know Scarlet has made you sympathetic to her cause. You now have +15% critical chance against Slavers in combat, and an Increased reputation with slaves and escaped slaves outside of combat!

Author's Note

Hope you enjoyed! <3