Fallout Equestria: Endless Horizon

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.