Chapter 46 They Say the Neon Lights are Bright

If life were predictable it would cease to be life, and be without flavor. -Eleanor Roosevelt

Duskhoof, Manehatten: Ginger Snaps

As the others wait in the main lobby area, I am allowed to sit just outside of the operating room that they have taken my husband to. While I have worried about him having been wounded before and possibly dying, this time it is different, this time, he has a serious infection raging through his body. The Chief of Medicine here told me before he went in to begin the surgery that he believes that it is being aggravated by something in the wound on his leg.

As I waited, Choo came in and told me we would rest here and continue only after Xochitl was out of surgery. After an hour I am joined by my sister and Twinks. Both of whom try to comfort me.

I first feel Epona sit next to me on one side and slide a hoof around me. Then I feel Twinks do the same from the other side. I feel the tears welling up in my eyes as I tell them, “What if I lose him? I cannot, I cannot lose him to something stupid like a damn rat bite.”

Epona gives me a bit of a squeeze with her hoof and tells me, “I know Sis, I know. It is a chance we all take though.”

From the other side, Twinks tells me, “They have one of the best of the old-world doctors working on him Ginger, I am sure he will be ok.”

I sniffle and find myself leaning into my sister’s shoulder as I cry. As I do so I can still feel Twinks hoof around my shoulder and while it does not make things better. It does help me to just know I have ponies like these in my life.

I am not sure how long we wait like this, but finally, I see an old ghoul in surgical scrubs come out the door from the operating room. He looks at us and asks, “Which one of you is the wife of my patient?”

I look up and wiping tears from my eyes, I brace myself for the news. Then I quietly tell him, “I am Doctor.”

He smiles as best a ghoul can and tells me, “He is out of surgery now and in the recovery room. He is going to be sore for a while, but we removed a pretty large chunk of a tooth. Part of the problem was that it broke off in the Cannon bone. Even with healing potions, it is going to be a few days before he is ready to walk on it again. Now we just need to continue treatment for the infection that came with it.

“Can I go in and see him?”

He nods his head, “Yes, but understand, he is still asleep, and I would like to keep him that way until we have the infection more in hoof.”

I nod my head in understanding. He motions to a nurse and she leads us to the recovery room. As I go in, I notice he has an IV still attached. The nurse quickly takes his vitals and writes them down. She then looks at me and tells me, “He is doing well so far.”

I nod then I approach my sleeping husband. I gently wrap my hooves around him and bury my face in the fur of his neck breathing in his scent as I thank the Goddesses and All Mother that I have not lost him. After a brief time, I stop hugging him. I then gently give him a kiss on the cheek as I quietly tell him, “I love you my dearest. Please never forget or doubt that.” I then stand back up and look at the others and I tell them, “Ok, let’s go, we have a mission to complete,” as I run my hoof along his cheek one last time. I stand straight, wipe the tears from my cheeks, and straighten my uniform. I then turn and lead them back to the rest of our team.

As we approach, I see Choo look up as well as the others. They all begin to get back on their hooves and I hear Cowlick ask, “How is he?”

“The Doctor said the surgery went well, but that they want to keep him sedated while they treat the infection.”

“That bad?” he asks worriedly.

I nod my head, then turn to Choo and tell her, “I guess we should get on with our mission.”

She nods her head, “Yes, we do need to. But I wanted to make sure he was getting help first.” She then turns to the others, “Let me talk to Dust Bunny and we will get going again.”

Soon she returns with the old ghoul. He nods to us and tells us, “We will be taking a bit of a different route this time, I have talked with Choo here and she agrees, we don’t want to go in there in the dark, so we will be spending a bit of time at one of the local settlements so we can go in fresh.”

Choo then tells us, “Gear up and let us go.”

We throw our saddlebags over our battlesaddles and double-check our weapons and then we leave again. As we pass through the gate, I see the mayor is there watching us. He nods his head and tells us in a formal tone of voice, “Good luck and good hunting. I will see you when you return.”

Soon we are moving along the sides of the streets, and I notice that the sun is starting to get lower. We take a quick break inside one of the rundown shops that has an open door. As we rest, I notice he is looking out the door and into the distance. When I look, I see Ten Pony Tower has started to light up for the evening. I also cannot help but notice the huge skyship lazily floating next to it.

After ten minutes Choo tells us, “On your hooves, we need to get moving.”

Dust Bunny then adds, “Yeah, we need to get moving, most settlements in these parts lock up their gates at sunset. Oh, and we will be going down into the subways again as soon as we get to the next block. Make sure you're locked and loaded if you already are not.”

We all smile at each other as once we leave our base, we keep our weapons ready with the safeties on. We slide out into the shadows of the urban canyon and after another block, we find another set of stairs going down and we follow Dust Bunny into the darkness below. As we do, I slip my night optical device down from my helmet and begin to investigate the distance of the tunnels.

I then hear Dust Bunny ask Choo, “What is that your ponies just pulled down?”

She grins as she tells him, “Oh, those are NODs, we found a cache of them down in the Hoof a while back. I am fortunate and do not need them for low light like the others do, but they do come in useful.” Silently I nod my head as we continue on.

A short time later I hear Dust Bunny say, “Only another block and we should be able to go up again.”

Right after he says this, I hear a growling sound come from our side. From an abandoned service room, I see several ghouls charge out at us. Without hesitation, I open fire with my SIR as the others do so as well.

After we have eliminated the threat, Dust Bunny tells us, “We need to move at the trot now, all that noise probably is bringing in every one of the ghouls who are no longer cognizant.”

As he says this, we all begin to trot and follow him as we hear snarls and growling behind and ahead of us in the distance. We are fortunate that by the time we reach the next station, none of them have reached us yet.

As we run up onto the street level again, I notice that the sun while low, has not gone down completely yet and we are still at twilight. We trot for another block before we slow down to our normal movement speed through a built-up area. Twice we see large rats, and once near the river, I notice in the distance large crablike creatures that remind me of the Crawdaddies we ate and used as weapons during the siege at the valley. I notice both Sunny and Choo have seen them as one licks her lips while the other starts paying attention to that direction more.

We have gone another two blocks from there when I notice another blocked-off neighborhood with a gate across the road. It is then when I hear the old ghoul with us say, “Welcome to Broadway.”

I am stunned at how the block still has some of the old signs lit up as we get close. As we get closer, I overhear Choo Choo telling Dust Bunny, “You know, it is funny but back before the Last Day, I always wanted to come here and see one of their Shows.”

He nods his head, “Ya’ know, I lived in Manehatten all my life until the army drafted me, and I never could afford to. But I sure did too.”

Twinks then asks, “What was so special about it?”

Dust Bunny turns to her with a sad expression and tells her, “They said it was magic, and from the pictures in the papers of the new shows, it looked like it too. My sister, may she rest in peace, got lucky one time and got to see Hinny of the Hills. She loved it and could not stop talking about all the actors and actresses on the stage. She was so excited.”

As I am taking all this in, we reach the gates and I hear a voice call down, “Okay Dust Bunny, what do you want this time?”

I see him sigh and then he looks up and tells him, “Look Jazz Hooves, I know yous guys don’t care for me much, but I have a group of ponies that need shelter for the night, and I think your boss may want to talk to them.”

“Really, what makes you say that?”

He waves a forehoof in our direction and tells him, “They come from a place called Manesville. They are growing surplus crops there. They could help you to arrange for food or even seeds.”

I see Jazz Hooves think briefly and he calls back over his shoulder, “We have a group of travelers here. They are armed, so be ready, but open the gate.”

The gate slowly moves to the side and as we enter, we see a group of about twenty ponies of various types as well as a few zebras all armed and watching us. Once we are all inside the gate closes behind us and I watch as an older unicorn mare steps forward and asks, “What is it you want from us?”

Choo straightens up and tells her, “We are asking for shelter to rest for the night. We will depart in the morning.”

“Really, that is all you want?”

She looks over at Dust Bunny and asks, “So, why didn’t you drop them off at Duskhoof?”

Dust Bunny sighs and tells him, “We did drop one of them there. But they have business closer to Ten Pony that they have to take care of first.”

The mare then asks, “So you are risking bringing the Enclave down on us? We haven’t forgotten what they did to Friendship City all those years ago. Why should we risk everything for you and them.”

I am just beginning to feel like we made a mistake coming here when I see Cowlick step forward. He shakes his head, “Listen to all of you. You all fear the Enclave and what they will do to you, but you are afraid to even help others who are willing to do so. While I am not a religious bull, I still remember the teachings of our church. One of the texts of our holy book is a reading from Herds 11:21. When the predators once again rally to strike, they shall first attempt to wound and kill our strongest leaders and protectors. It is then that we must stand fast beside them and in turn, protect them as they us, lest we all fall beneath their teeth.” He pauses and looks at the stunned audience before us and adds in a quieter voice, “We are not asking you to attack them, just for shelter for the night. If you ask us to leave,” he pauses, “We will. But remember, when all is said and done, you have to look at yourselves in the mirror and you, not me, not us, but you will have to account for your conduct to yourself.”

I am not sure if it is the power of his speech or the fact that a one-headed brahmin just lectured them is the cause for their stunned silence. Finally, the lead mare says, “Ok, you can stay the night, but get out of sight and if the Enclave comes here, you are on your own.”

This time I speak, “Understood.”

She turns to me and says, “I don’t want to hear that from you. I want to hear it from your boss.”

At which Choo says, “I understand, and come morning we will be leaving. However, after my people have a place to rest, I would like to talk briefly with you about some business that could be mutually beneficial.”

It is at this point that we are led away to an old theatre that is just half a block away from the entrance. The zebra mare leading us there tells us, “This theatre is the one we use to house outsiders as well as a place of trade.”

Once we are inside, we all settle down for the night and relax as much as possible considering the circumstances.

*****

Duskhoof Hospital, Manehatten: Xochitl

As I wake up, I notice it is dark and the room is lit by a combination of lanterns and a few regular light fixtures. The room is pretty much empty except for my bed, an empty one next to it, and a couple of chairs. I as I look out the door from my bed, I can see a chair outside the room with a very old-looking earth pony sitting in it reading a magazine.

After a bit, he looks up and notices I am awake, He nods to me and calls down the hall in a rough voice that sounds like a sore throat, “Nurse, your patient has woken up.”

Then he gets up and slowly makes his way to my room. He first tells me, “My name is Broadway Nights, I was here when they brought you in. How ya feeling kid?”

“Hurt, hurt all over,” is all I can get out.

He nods his head again and tells me, “That is understandable, from one zony to another, you cut it close.”

“Was only a bite, nothing bad.”

He shakes his head, “Kid, you do not have to prove anything to me. I know how others treat us.”

“Not that, not this time. been hurt worse before.”

Before he can answer I see the shadow of a unicorn step into my room. As the lights flicker across him, I can see that his coat is missing and realize he is a ghoul. As Broadway is not worried, I figure he is not feral so I ask, “Where am I?”

The nurse answers, “You are in the medical ward of Duskhoof. Your friends brought you here for help. They should be back in a day or so.”

I am still slightly confused and I ask, “Where did they go?”

The nurse shrugs, but Broadway Nights answers, “They said something about having a job to do.”

Okay, that makes sense to me. But now I am worried about them. “How is my wife?”

“Not gonna lie kid, she was a mess. But she cinched up her battlesaddle and straightened up before they left.”

I nod my head. Then the old zony adds, “She really does love you. Hard to find a pony in my day that wanted anything to do with a zony.”

I am slightly confused when he says this, and he smirks, “Son, I am about 230 years old.”

“But you don’t look as bad as most ghouls.”

He grins again, “Thank you, I was luckier than most. But I too was still cursed as well.”

I pause for a moment as I think about all the other ghouls I know and how they all felt they too were cursed. Then I tell him, “We have two ghouls who work in our shop back in Manesville. A mother and her zony filly. Now, I do not know much, but I cannot imagine what a filly would do to become cursed, so perhaps it is not a curse, but just how things worked out. Not for something good, not for something bad, just sometimes bad things happen to good ponies.”

“Easy for you to say. You are still a smooth coat.”

I laugh gently and tell him, “I prefer breather, but okay. You are right on that, but I have seen a lot in my time that others have not. I am sure you have seen the scars on my back.”

He nods his head, “Yeah. I was not going to ask as it was not my place.”

I fight with myself about whether I should tell him or not. Finally, I tell him, “When I was a foal, my parents and I were slaves on a farm. The day after I received these scars my family escaped.” I pause as the memories of those horrible times come back to me. When I continue I first sigh, and then I quietly tell him, “We eventually made it to what was then known as the Co-op.” I pause again as I look up at the ceiling. I hear him shift next to me and hear him breathe audibly which is his way of letting me know he is listening. I continue on, "We spent two weeks inside a railroad repair shed there that was mildly contaminated with magical radiation, my parents almost died from it as they gave me all the radaway we had scrounged on our way there. When they found us, well we were saved by the Colonel; she was only a sergeant back then, but she made sure we got help, even though there was a captain at the time who had given her a hard time about it. They pulled my parents to the hospital there and I rode on the back of one of the troopers, his name was Chance. He died on the Day of Sunshine and Rainbows when the Enclave attacked the Co-op there.”

He nods his head and tells me, “Yeah, I figured it was something like that.” Then he asks, “So how did they treat your family?”

I smile, “Well, one of the sergeants there, her name was Ivy, she contacted her mom and we were hired to work on their family farm. We have lived there since.”

“How did the others treat you and your family?”

“Honestly, like anypony else. You saw the bull Cowlick. Well, he used to bully me. That stopped after Ginger and I got back from the Expedition. I am the reason he has a torn ear.” It is at this point I feel shame and look down as I tell him, “He pushed me too far and I thought I was back in the Valley. He was fighting to look tough; I was fighting for my life. It was not pretty. I still feel bad about that day. But since then, he has become one of my best friends. We trust each other with our lives.”

“I wondered about that when I saw him carry you in on his back.”

I nod my head, “I wondered how I got here. That sounds like ol’ Cow alright. He is a good bull overall.”

I see him pondering something in his mind and I ask “What are you thinking? Go ahead and ask.”

He looks out the door and then back in and quietly asks, “How did your people fight off the Enclave?”

I shrug and tell him, “I was not in Manesville that day, I was at school. Ginger and I snuck out of the shelter and watched the battle in the sky from the distance.”

“So, you guys had a bunch of pegasi to help you?”

I shake my head slowly so I do not get dizzy, and then I tell him, “No, only a hoof full. That and the Colonel and Emerado rode our friend George against the Raptor.”

“Who is this Colonel you keep talking about?”

I feel myself smiling as I tell him, “Colonel Mollygirl. She is one of my mothers-in-law. She and Emerado fought from the back of George. George is a dragon. She lives in Harness now though.”

“Interesting. And you say the Colonel led the pegasi. That’s not normal. It is too bad we don’t have someone like her here now.”

This time I laugh, “Oh, she is here. She is in the mountains outside of town. She is in command of the 3rd Manesville regiment. They and the 2nd are both up there. They are just being held in place because of the ceasefire.”

“Regiments? That is a lot of ponies to bring this far. At least it was during the war.”

I nod my head, “Yeah, but it is not all ponies, some are cattle and even some griffons. If you live in Manesville, you can volunteer.”

“What about ghouls?”

“I am not sure about any in the regulars, but we have two groups of ghouls there. They usually are just in the militia. Most of them live in Dead Quiet. But recently we found an underground base that had a few regular ghouls still living there.” I pause and then decide to tell him, “They were protecting supplies to rebuild as well as vats of frozen embryos.”

It is at this time I hear someone at the door and as I look, I see a unicorn ghoul in a doctor’s coat staring at me and he asks, “Did you say frozen embryos?”

I nod my head and he asks, “What are they going to do with them?”

“I am not sure Doctor, but from what I have heard when I was last home, they were talking about trying to contact the Followers of the Apocalypse. There are all kinds of different species in there. I was told by Lieutenant Cake that if they were an intelligent species and had a live birth then they were stored there. But that was back before the war started. So, who knows what is going on there now.”

The doctor seems surprised and then says, “Interesting. I am surprised I did not know about such a project back then.”

I shrug, “Doctor, the lieutenant said it was being kept on the down low back then.”

He nods his head, “Yes, security. Silmetra has told me about what it was like working with the military back then.”

We talk for a bit longer and I am really surprised when I find out he was once an Obstetrician, a doctor who specializes in pregnancy and childbirth. When he tells me this I laugh and he at first takes offense, so I tell him, “No Doc, it is not that I think it is funny, it is just that one of my mothers-in-laws is a midwife and her mother is a doula. Sutures used to be a combat medic at one time, back before she lost her leg in the Valley. I just thought it interesting how those who have that specialty keep coming into my life with me being a zony and all.”

“Ah, yes, then. I can see what you mean.”

Over the next couple of days, I get to know both my doctor and Broadway Nights better. We continue to exchange stories about our lives and I am learning so much about the lay of the land around here as well as what these two have experienced. It seems that my being a zony now, while not as good as it should be, is still better than it used to be, and it sure beats being treated the way the ghouls do. But things still need to improve.

On the second day after I have woken up from the fever, I am starting to get worried because the team has not returned yet. This leads me to look for their tags on my PipBuck. As I do, I notice that they are all alive at least. I also can tell that they are all in the direction of Ten Pony Tower. That has me concerned as I should be with them, but the doctors and nurses have told me I still need to rest for a few more days.

During my discussions with Broadway, he eventually tells me, “Back during the war I was still on the stage here in Manehatten.”

For some reason, I am slightly surprised and I ask him, “What shows did you perform in?”

I see him look out the window and into the distance and he smiles, “I was in several, but the one I enjoyed most and felt was the most important was the one called Thoughts of a Zebra Stallion.”

“What was it about?”

He chuckles sadly, “It highlighted what it was like to live as a zebra or of zebra descent in Equestria of the day, and how others looked at us. I played the part of a zony. It was the first time on stage I was allowed to show the real me. Most of the time I was just passing back then and was treated like a pony until they found out I was part zebra, or they noticed my stripes.” I watch as he takes a deep breath and lets it out slowly as he looks down and shakes his head.

I notice how sad he is and ask him, “Was the show still running on the Last Day?”

He looks back up at me, “What? oh, no. It was stopped a couple of years earlier. The Ministries of Morale and Image both decided the show was subversive and was hurting the war effort.” He pauses again then he says, “It took a year for me to find another role after that.”

“Were you on the stage on the Last Day?”

He shakes his head, “No, I was supposed to be, but a friend of mine told me to stay home and take a mental health day and just enjoy life. He was a shaman so I decided to listen to him. I was in the park across the street when it happened. I woke up a couple of years later like this. I am not sure why, and I am truly afraid of the reason.” He pauses and then tells me, “I need to get going for a bit Xochitl. I will talk to you tonight after dinner."

That is the same day I hear the ghouls talking in the hall about someone having heard a radio broadcast from Winter Breeze claiming there was an assassination attempt on her life that was thwarted by some outsiders. This makes me wonder who would try to do something like that, as well as who would warn her. I am sure it was not my team, but then again, who knows it has been several days since I last saw them. I just hope they are all alright. Especially Ginger. I miss her so much right now. It has been a long time since we went this long without seeing each other.

I know it is stupid of me, but part of me wonders if she misses me too. While part of me hopes so, part of me hopes instead that she does not so she can concentrate on the mission they are on.

*****

Broadway, Manehatten: Choo Choo

The unicorn mare leads me to another old theatre and I follow her as she leads me up a set of steps that lead to a series of old theatre box seats in the balcony areas that have been repurposed as living quarters and offices.

She has me sit down as she too takes a seat and tells me, “Ok, first off, my name is Come Down, I am the leader of our settlement here at Broadway. I heard Dust Bunny call you Choo, so I figure that is your name. Now, there are a few rules I want you to understand if you and your people are staying the night.”

I nod my head to let her know I am listening as she begins.

“While you are in the theatre district, there will be no fighting, amongst yourself or with others. We have enough drama; we do not need that kind too. Second, if you purchase food, fine. However, we do not provide food to outsiders here for free.”

These rules make sense to me so I signal agreement with my ears and tell her, “Understood.”

“As I said earlier, if the Enclave shows up, we will not outright turn you in, but we will deny knowing about your having snuck into our territory.”

Again, I nod, and then she finishes, “I will give you until midmorning to purchase any supplies you may need as well as get rest, but after that, you and your people must leave. We have an Enclave patrol that comes through here every day at around noon and in the evening.”

I nod my head and move my ears in understanding. She finally asks, “You said you had some things you wanted to discuss with me while we were outside, now it is your turn to talk.”

“Thank you Come down. Yes, my name is Choo Choo, and I am the leader of the Repair Ponies. We have been hired to investigate a few locations in the city to determine if the salvage is still there. If so, we are to let them know so, so it can be dealt with.”

She looks skeptical and adds, “Your people don’t look like scavers and I find it hard to believe that is all you are in town for.”

I smile and tell her, “No, we are in town for more, but honestly, it is best if you do not know the details. That keeps you from being involved and allows for deniability on your part.”

She nods her head and then asks, “What else then? You said something about beneficial to us.”

I nod my head, “I understand how difficult it can be to acquire food in an urban environment such as this. One of my personal contacts is a diplomat for the NCR, who also is from Ten Pony Tower. She may be able to assist us in setting up food shipments from Manesville to here.”

Her ears go flat and she asks, “What difference would that make? I never heard of this Manesville. Besides how much extra food could a simple settlement produce to provide to us also?”

I smile as I explain, “Not just Manesville itself, but the Manesville Region.” I then explain to her how large a farming region it is and how we normally have surplus crops.

This gets her interest and she finally non-committedly answers, “Perhaps, we will have to see.”

Before I leave, I think of one more thing, and I tell her, “If you do not mind, a gift, perhaps, or just a sample of the typical ration packs that come from that area.” As I say this, I use my horn and pull out one of my favorites. An alfalfa sandwich with cheese that also contains Dried alpine strawberries.

She looks at the packet and shrugs, “Ok, thanks I guess, but this still does not get you any more than what I promised before.”

“I understood even before. I did not think a pack of rations would be a bribe, only a sample. Thank you again and have a good night,” I tell her as I stand and quietly leave her office and find my way back to my people.

Once back to my people, I talk with Ginger, “We have till mid-morning to be out of here. They expect an Enclave patrol after that.”

“Sounds good boss. Is there anything we should pick up from the traders here?”

“I was just going to ask if you had any suggestions.”

She thinks briefly and tells me, “Maybe some more healing potions if they have any. Oh, and perhaps some antibiotics. We have been pretty lucky until recently with not needing them.”

I nod my head, “If they have them, pay a fair price, they need to make some caps too, and it may make it easier to return here.”

She smiles and nods her head as she replies, “Okay, I will let Epona know also.”

This gets me to smile as those two always enjoy bartering. As I look at the rest of the crew, I notice Twinks and Tater are missing and ask her about where they are.

She smiles with a twinkle in her eye as she tells me, “We heard they are putting on a show in one of the theatres down the street and they both wanted to go see it. So, I told them to go ahead.”

I nod my head then I ask, “Which theatre was it?”

She shrugs and tells me, “I think it was something like Summer Gardens. The show started just a bit ago and they said it was only three caps per person.”

I smile at Ginger and tell her, “Ginger, you have the team until I return. I think I will go see that show as well.

Shortly after this, I find myself entering the almost three-century-old theatre. Its hallways are lit by magical light tubes on the ceiling, but once I enter the theatre proper, I can see that it is dark, all but the stage. On the stage, I see several zebras as well as a few ponies performing. The backdrops, while not perfect are still enough to excite me as I watch them perform Chicacolt.

I feel myself smile and for a while, I am lost in the show as I finally check off watching a show on Broadway from my old me’s bucket list. When the show ends, I find myself standing and clapping my forehooves in appreciation.

As I am making my way back to our lodging for the night, I run into Twinks and Tater as they walk holding tales and talking about the show. They both greet me and we finish our walk as a group. As we go in Twinks quietly asks me, “You did not go to the show to chaperone us did you?”

I laugh lightly as I tell her, “No, Twinks. I have always wanted to see a show here, that is all. I am just really glad you two enjoyed it as much as I did.”

She smiles, “Thanks, Choo.”

I am slightly confused by this, then she answers, “For just letting Tater and me have a regular date night. It is one of the few we have had.”

I nod in understanding. Then I tell her, “When we get a chance to rest, we will have to see if we can get you two some more time for dates.” I then pause and I tell her, “We should go get some sleep, I know that we will want to be well-rested for tomorrow.”

That night I dream of my Paper Work again and how much I would love to take him to see the show I saw tonight. In the dream, I remember telling him, “Yes we have traveling shows in Manesville dear, but they are not the same, you really should see them.”

In the dream, he agrees and we enjoy the show with my wing wrapped around him and we walk outside on Broadway holding tails like Tater and Twinks were earlier. It is a good dream and when I awake, I am disappointed it must end.

We get up shortly after dawn and eat a quick breakfast of rations. Cowlick gives one of his packs to Dust Bunny. Then we set off. As we reach the gate I see Come Down standing near the gate. When she sees us approaching, she smiles and tells me, “Good to see you honoring our agreement. It means we can do business again in the future.” She stops and adds, “By the way, I hope those of you who went to the show last night enjoyed it. It helps to support our community.”

Before I can answer Twinks and Tater, both enthusiastically tell her they did. I then smile and tell her, “Yes, it was as wonderful as I had dreamed it would be.”

She gets a funny look on her face and I tell her, “I have dreamed of watching a show on Broadway for over two hundred years. You made an old mare’s dream come true last night.”

She smiles and tells me, “I will be sure to let the cast know. Now take care, and break a leg out there.” Then she turns to her guards and tells them, “Open the gate for the day.”

As we step out the gate, we go back to reality and our normal operation patterns as we make our way slowly, but surely to the Four Stars Grand Terminal, its headquarters, and a basement that we have only visited in the past.

We are just across the street from the building and getting ready to advance from cover to the main entrance when we see a door on the side of the building open up and a battered and wounded zebra come bounding out. He looks both ways and runs in our direction. He is in a panic and does not even notice us as he runs past our positions in the damaged building we are observing from.

Twinks and I look at each other and we grin. I then tell Sunny, “Go check that door and see if it is still open.”

He has just gotten to the door and signaled us that it is when I see the main doors at the front of the building’s lobby open and I see the Wanderer come walking out with a unicorn mare in a stable jumpsuit, an earth pony mare, and a zebra mare. All accompanied by a dog. I shake my head and tell my team, “Hold up, let them go by first,” over my whisper mic.

Once they have passed and are out of sight, we slowly advance across the open ground with those who have not yet, or already have made it across providing an overwatch.

We make it across with no incident. However, I know we still have to be careful. As we enter the door, I notice most of the lights are out. I use my PipBuck to look at the layout of the building and can see where the nearest stairwell is to us. Once there we make our way into the lower areas of the building and soon, I see we are on the level that the failed stable that Little Pip reported in her book and that we visited in another universe is located. The first thing I notice is that there are more bodies on the ground in this hallway than we left. Some of them even look vaguely familiar.

We are almost to the stable when we find the fresh bodies of three dead zebras. This makes me question what was going on here. But rather than dwell on it, we push on. We come to the entrance to the stable and I see Cowlick and Twinks both go over to the door. They both smirk at each other and Cowlick says, “Looks like those of us from the other universe got this one too. But they placed the thermite on different areas of the door. “

We all nod our heads. Then we continue down the passageway of the basement and we find the room that contains what we came for. There in the room, just like before is another Doorway. This one has been disabled and that is when I notice the bodies on the floor near the control panel. Twinks and Cowlick both see their own bodies laying there on the ground dead.”

“Damn, we didn’t make it Twinks.” He says soberly to her.

She sniffles back a tear and says, “Yeah, the poor sods. I guess we were luckier than we thought.”

He nods to that. Then I watch as Cowlick goes over to his doppelganger and says, “I am sorry to see you had this happen, but thanks for completing the job. May Sweetcream’s blessings be forever upon you.”

Twinks then does the same, but she then quickly goes through the saddlebags of the long-dead mare and I hear her say, “Can’t leave that behind, I guess. Thanks, Twinks,” as she takes out a small book and puts it in her saddlebags.

Dust Bunny looks confused and asks, “So uh, what is happening here?”

Twinks then smiles and tells him, “On the final day our team went through a portal and came out in this basement in another universe. It seems that it occurred in other universes too, but not always so successfully.”

As she says this, I notice that while the control panel is damaged, the power lines to the unit itself are not. I turn to Cowlick and tell him, “Still have some of that Thermite? If so, destroy that thing.”

He nods his head, “Yeah, I got it, boss. But I will need you all to clear out first.”

All of us go down the hall toward the old stable. Once there we wait while he and Twinks set the charges and then ignite them. As they return, I see neither of them is their normal self and I ask, “Are you ok?”

They both nod yes. Then Twinks adds, “Yeah, we are, but it sure is hard to see yourself dead. They did not even get a proper grave.”

I nod my head and I tell them, “Perhaps someday we can come back and give them one.”

Beside me, I see Epona nod soberly. Twinks walks over to her puts a hoof around her shoulder and then says, “I guess I now know what it feels like for you.”

We scavenge the area to see if we can find anything of use. Dust Bunny is very happy with what he has found and seems almost surprised when we tell him, “You found it, you keep it Dust.”

After we get back outside, we find a place to hole up for a bit, while I go and report in via radio to our bosses. They inform me to make contact with the local Applejack Rangers but to also make contact with local settlements to try and recruit support for the NCR to retake Manehatten.

When I get back with them and tell the team, most take it with a grain of salt. However, Dust Bunny is very unhappy as he tells me, “Choo, I can take you close to their headquarters, but I dare not go all the way with you. Many of them really hate my kind and shoot first, no questions later.”

I nod my head in understanding. I find myself sighing and I tell him, “Understandable. But please lead us as close as you can.”

We make our way towards where he says the Applejack Rangers have their headquarters. He stops a few blocks away and tells us, “I will wait in that building over there for a couple of hours. After that, I will be heading out.”

I nod my head and we continue on. I look back one more time and wave my wing to him and he waves back and I see him head into the rubble to wait. Soon I see a roadblock ahead of us that has the symbol of the Applejack Ranger on it with a couple of ponies behind it. We approach with our weapons stowed and I call to them. They have us advance and shortly after verifying our credentials, we are being led inside their compound under guard to begin the next stage of our campaign.

*****

Broadway, Manehatten: Ball Lightning

After yesterday, I have decided it is best to just talk with the settlements that we already have had contact with and not risk myself or my people in trying to expand our influence. I hate to seem defeatist, but that was enough to shake me a bit.

I discussed what had occurred with the Chief of staff including our sighting of two changelings.

“Captain, how do you know they were changelings?”

“Sir, my team watched them change from two ponies we have encountered before to creatures that fit the description from the old books.”

He rubs his temple and then asks, “Are you trying to give me a headache? For Luna’s sake, there have only been a couple of changeling reports in the history of the Enclave, and now you want to bring them up again. Do you want us not to trust each other? Because that will be what happens. I have read the reports of what happened after they appeared in the Crystal Empire.”

“No sir, I was just reporting what I observed. What worries me most is that they were part of a team of other creatures here in Manehatten. Sir, I do wonder if the NCR hired mercenaries to disrupt our operations here.”

“Captain, I am sure they probably have. That is why we have patrols out as well as checkpoints in various parts of the city. Now if you have nothing more for me, I would recommend going with some of the patrols I have mentioned and visiting established settlements.:

“Yes sir, I understand sir.”

“Good, and Captain, be more cautious from now on. Dismissed.”

After I leave my team spends the night at Ten Pony and then we head out the next morning with one of the patrols that visits several sites. Among them is one they call Broadway. Another is Riverside, and a third is Tube Town, a settlement that has been built in a section of the old subway system.

As we walk along, I talk to the Lieutenant in charge of the patrol. “So, Lieutenant, what can you tell me about these settlements and the areas around them?”
He shrugs his wings as we walk along, “Not much to say, sir. Typical mudsiders. Broadway does some trading and also has entertainment with a stage show from what I understand. The gates there were only open from after sunrise until shortly before sunset, even before we arrived.”

I nod my head as he continues, “Riverside. Some fisher ponies there. I suspect some smuggling operations are going on there as well, but I can’t prove it. Most of the ponies there live in the buildings on the docks, however, a few live on some of the old ships and riverboats tied up there.”

“Have you spent much time in either of those places Lieutenant?”

“No, why bother? Nothing to really see and if we search too deep and find something, well I only have a ten-pony squad with me at a time, so we would be in trouble.”

Again, I nod my head. “So, tell me about Tube Town.”

I hear him sigh as he tells me, “Not much to say. The ponies there blocked off the subway tubes on both ends of the station there. Then they built shakes on the platforms as well as converted an old subway train into living quarters. Last time we were there they had requested that we help them eliminate some feral ghouls that were preventing them from expanding into the tubes a bit further. I couldn’t risk my people so I had to tell them no.”

When I hear this, I realize that he is the type of officer who does what is required to do, but not much more. He is competent, but his attitude towards the natives here and his unwillingness to help I am sure have not helped to sway many in our direction either. So, I ask, “So, what is our first destination today?”

He brightens up quickly, “We will be going to Broadway first, we will stop there and have lunch. They serve what is a fairly decent meal for here. That will also allow us to patrol the town and even visit the market that they have there in another of their abandoned theaters.”
“Interesting. And after that?”

“We normally go from there to Tube Town, and finish up with Riverside before heading back to the building you met us in.”

“So, why did they choose that building anyway for you?”

“To be honest with you sir, I think it was because it had a vertibuck pad on the roof as it had once been a police station. So, if we took any prisoners, we could keep them there.”

“That makes perfect sense to me. Perhaps sometime soon I can look over your setup at the station as well.”

“Uh, well perhaps, but I would prefer you to get permission from my captain first. No need to go outside the normal chain of command sir.”

“Oh, of course, Lieutenant.”

From my side I see Funnel Cloud look at us with a bit of a raised eyebrow, but he says nothing else. Soon we arrive at a neighborhood that has a gated entrance across the front of it that is currently open. As we arrive the patrol leader tells me, “Well, here is our first stop sir.”

As we walk in, I notice that several of the locals look at us with an expression of distaste. But none say anything.

As the patrol continues to walk down the street, they refuse to stop or move from their path causing the locals to have to move out of their way. Once we reach the restaurant, they all go inside. My team and I look around first. Then we follow them in. Once there, we join the line where they are serving food. I watch as each of the troopers takes their trays ahead of me and then goes and sits down. As I get to the end of the counter with my tray, I ask a mare standing by a cash register, “How much for my meal?”

She looks shocked and says, “5 caps, but none of you have ever even asked before.”

I shake my head and do the math for all of us and pay for both my team and the patrol’s meals.”

I then tell her, “I am sorry that they have not paid before. I will have a talk with their commander.”

She seems even more stunned and just nods her head, with a slight bit of fear on her face. I then add, “Do not worry, I will make sure they know you were not asking for payment, just that you should be.”

“Thank you, mister,” she quietly says as I take my tray and go to sit down in the cafeteria seating that they have here.

After we are finished, we all get up and head back onto the streets. As we begin to move. I see that one of the theatres has just finished a show as the audience is exiting it in mass.

One of the interesting things I observe is that almost every one of them has some sort of weapon on them. Be it something as simple as a knife or as complex as an old MEW, they are all armed.

Then I notice a creature coming out of the door next to another pony. While quadrupedal like a pony, they have a thin tale like a brahman or a mule. They also have a mane that instead of following down their neck, almost surrounds their head. They also seem to have a horn on their head, but it is very different in shape from a unicorn. The final thing I notice is that while most of those coming out of the show are very happy, this one seems very serious. This gets my curiosity so I approach them and ask, “Excuse me, but do you have a minute.”

They turn to me and in a serious tone of voice reply, “I have lots of them. Hopefully more than I have already spent. But how can I help you?”

“Please excuse my ignorance, but I have never seen someone of your species before, may I ask what you are?”

This time I see the faintest outlines of a smile. Then they answer, “I do appreciate your having been so polite in your asking. I have to say it is refreshing as most of my people do not often leave our homes. I sir, am a Kirin.”

“Ah, thank you for answering my question. I remember reading something about your people in the library. I am glad to see your kind has also made it through the war.”

“Thank you.”

Right then from the side, I hear somepony yell, “Hey Smiley we need to get moving. Mort is in a hurry.”

He turns to him and says, “I will be along presently.” He faces me again and tells me, “Have a good day captain, and if I may, I would recommend the show here. They do an excellent job of putting it on, and it is worth the caps for the entertainment.” He then turns and trots off.

The lieutenant next to me shrugs his wings again and says, “A Kirin, huh, I never even heard of them before.”

I let out a slight sigh and tell him, “Lieutenant, I do believe I will take his advice and catch the next show. Go ahead without us if you would.”

“Are you sure sir?”

I smile at him and tell him, “I am quite sure. It was good to talk with you and I will see about catching another fly around with your patrol soon. I think I may be able to learn a few things here from the locals.”

“Alright, sir. If you say so. But be careful, you never know how these mudpuppies can be.”

I nod my head and watch as he turns and tells his troops, “Ok, back to work, let's move, we are burning daylight.”

Again, I watch as the crowd parts before them as they march like they are the imperial guard of old. I find myself shaking my head and I hear Air Burst say, “Goddesses, I bet he has set back relations here all by himself.”

“I think you are right Air. That is why we are staying behind. As you taught me before, we need to get to know them and see what we can do to improve our relations with them.”

He grins at me and tells me, “You just want to see the show.”

I smile back as I answer, “Well, I would like to see the show, but no, that is not why.”

He then tells me, “Well sir, how about me and Funnel Cloud go over and have a few drinks at the local pub.”

“Sounds good. We will meet you after the show and we can either spend the night here if they let us, or we can fly high and fast back to Ten Pony.”

He nods his head, “Sounds good sir. I will talk to you then.”

The show was better than I had hoped for, and the first one I have seen since I left Thunderhead. While Alto and I watched the show, Air Burst and Funnel enjoyed a few libations at the local pub.

“You know Ball, some of these ponies aren’t too bad. Part of what is upsetting them is that they do not have a lot of food, and part of their income is based upon what extra they can sell. It seems that all our patrols have been eating for free and it is starting to strain them a bit.”

“Damn, I was afraid it was something like that. Now if I may, how did you get them to start opening up?”

Well, first we tipped our server well. They also were surprised we know about Old Overmare. It seems they had a couple of bottles on their shelves.” He pauses and chuckles before he adds, “I never would have thought that our campfires with those Repair Ponies would have helped us out like that.”

I smile at this and nod my head. “Yeah, it does seem to be that way. I just hope we don’t see them here if you know what I mean. “

“Well sir, what do we do now?”

“Let’s get a place to sleep and tomorrow we can go to the next settlement. I got the locations marked on my PipBuck by the lieutenant during lunch today.”

The next morning, we have just finished breakfast and are getting ready to head over to Tube Town when I get a recall notice on my PipBuck for us to return immediately to Ten Pony.”

We get there just before dinner. Once we get to the HQ we are met by the Chief of Staff. “I Hope you found out something useful Captain.”

I nod my head and tell him, “Well, there is a lot of friction between some of the locals and our people, and it is not always one-sided. It seems that not only are they low on food supplies, but our troops are taking food from them.”

“And?”

“Sir, that has caused a lot of resentment and is something we can easily counter just by paying for the supplies, or by giving them food to supplement that used by our troops.”

He sighs and says, “Captain, that may sound easy to you, but it is not as easy as it sounds. After all the Enclave is short of food as well.” He pauses and then adds, that may not be our biggest worries right now, earlier we got a notification that one of our Generals had hired some zebra mercs to try and assassinate the president.”

I find myself sitting down hard, “Good Goddesses sir, you can’t be serious?”

He soberly nods his head, “I am. Security is being tightened. You are not to go too far away from Ten Pony in case she needs you to use the backdoor again.”

I nod my head, “Yes sir. I will keep that in mind, sir.”

“Oh, and be on guard for any zebras or other ponies who are acting strange.”

*****

Good evening, Mares and Gentlecolts, welcome to tonight’s show. I am your host; Amplitude Modulation and I am bringing to you some of the best in prewar music. But before we continue on to the music a few notices from our local broadcast area.

For those of you on the west side of the river, there has been an increase in the number of rats of abnormal size. According to those out of Duskhoof, many of them carry a very fast-acting disease that can strike down a pony within a day after being bitten. They go on to say that if you insist on eating the meat of these rats, make sure you cook it fully, not just searing the outside and leaving the inside uncooked. If it is pink you will sink.

The Settlement of Broadway would like to remind you that they are still open for trade and are having twice-daily runs of their current production, Chicacolt. Tickets are only 3 caps apiece.

That brings up our first song for tonight, On Broadway.

Author's Note

Again it is time I thank those who have first created and built the world of Fallout Equestria. They include KKat who created this universe and more recently for me, voltrathxp who flushed out more of Manehatten and created the settlement of Duskhoof, which I have added to.
While we are still quiet in this chapter, we are seeing the foundations being laid for the next couple, please be patient if you are waiting for the action, it is coming.
For those who may wonder why Twinks and Cowlick found their counterparts from another universe as they did, I felt it was time I showed that not always are they lucky and that sometimes things could go easily

For those who would like to listen to this chapter's dedication song the YouTube link is: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yPYRtjxYEH8