Fallout: Equestria - Parallelism

The 11th of the Month of Bread, Greenday. The twentieth day of my stay.

The time-worn building rises more than twenty storey into the sky. It is not much different in shape from the surrounding skyscrapers, except in its shades of blue.

I pull out my most recently drawn map of the ruins of Manehattan. Judging by the landmarks, I'm somewhere in the northwestern part of this metropolis. Almost outside the city boundaries. According to Homage, this is roughly where the Princess Luna Information Center is located.

"Maybe that's what I'm looking for..." I unconsciously mutter.

Since the morning after rescuing the earth pony and her filly from the rampaging raiders, I've spent almost an entire day trying to get to this place, searching for a safe and convenient way to get there. Along the way I looked into various stores and establishments in the hope of discovering something useful there. But I found nothing but innumerable names and texts about historical events that had nothing to do with teleportation.

I mentally cross my imaginary fingers, hoping that Homage has given me the right place to start finding my way home from.

Putting the map in my backpack and updating my journal in Pip-Boy with a note about the building I have found, I move toward the entrance.

On the first floor is the visitor center. There is an emptiness and a sepulchral silence all around. This idyll is disturbed from time to time by the dull breeze that blows in through the broken windows and cracks in the walls. The wind is joined by the muffled tapping of my shoes on the marble floor, littered with all the debris and dust that has been blown in from the street. In some places I can see the almost decayed remains of a pony.

I managed to keep my mind off such a rosy and welcoming environment and quickly made my way to the administrator's terminals.

The terminals are all out of order, completely lacking any kind of power. I try several ways to get them up and running, but to no avail. The equipment has taken too much abuse over time. Only good for spare parts for other purposes.

"It's a pity," I turn to the remains of the earth pony with barely visible pale green flaps of dress, "that you administrators are given such weak and cheap equipment."

Without waiting for her answer, I walk to the elevator. I am disappointed to find that it, too, is de-energized.

I kick the elevator button irritably, sighing in frustration... and walk towards the service stairs. The door looks sturdy and shows signs of magical protection. On either side of it, I can see the bare remains of the wires from under the turrets under the ceiling.

The marauders have already stripped it all away. I can see why DJ's secretary had no qualms about directing me to this place. In two hundred local years, almost all the magical and robotic defenses had long ago failed.

Pushing the door open, I step inside and see a metal spiral staircase. The darkness makes it seem as if from above it goes into a gloomy and cold infinity. The sight of it makes me dizzy.

I whistle in amazement.

It's been a long time since I've climbed this high... and with heavy gear on my back and sides.

The stairs also lead to the basement and technical rooms.

Maybe... try running some kind of generator to power the elevator and... No, it's not worth the time. I'm sure the marauders have taken everything down there before me. All that's left is the empty generator casings. It's a waste of time—and there's a longer way up from there, too.

I curse my luck and begin my long, difficult and monotonous climb up. Straight to the offices of the chief supervisors. They must have all the information.

***

I pant heavily into the nineteenth-floor hallway, throwing off my backpack and all my dangling gear. Relieved to have my helmet off, I lie down on the floor and stare up at the peeling ceiling.

"Hooray..." I rejoice wearily, as if I'd taken first place in a grueling marathon.

With my hoof, I wipe the sweat from my face and take a deep breath of the local musty air. I never thought I'd enjoy it so much.

Once my breathing has stabilized, I turn my attention to the corridor I find myself in. It's long and wide, with sofas and small tables lined with newspapers and magazines. Almost like the lobby downstairs.

Strange architectural design.

I raise my head. There is trash and... more skeletons on the floor everywhere I look... more skeletons... on the opposite side of this spacious and tall room. I can hardly call it a corridor, though, because of the large windows on both sides. A huge grating blocks my way further, and behind it, apparently, is a guard post.

I enjoy my rest for a few more minutes, and then get up, pick up my gear, and approach this grate with interest.

Pip-Boy's compass shows nothing out of the ordinary. It's as empty as a beggar's pockets. However, the sight of pre-war remains... is disturbing to me. Among the remains are postwar ones... relatively recent, fresh. This is evidenced by the happily frolicking cadaver worms all over the body. Without the helmet, the cadaveric smell is distinctly detectable. I quickly put my helmet back on so I don't throw up.

I move closer to the grate; Pip-Boy's compass glistens with neutral marks, two army turrets emerge from the ceiling, and two sentry bot on four massive wheels appear from somewhere behind the metal fence. Somewhat reminiscent of a sentry bot from Earth. Wasteland Survival Guide claims that these are the most dangerous and deadly type of robots. Given their massive and armored appearance with cannons on their sides, it's hard to disagree.

It's a wonder they still work. No money was spared to protect the biggest secrets... so the power supplies are more serious, and the magical defenses are definitely still in effect.

The windows are clean and unscratched. It wasn't without magical interference. I'm sure they're armored, too.

I shudder when I hear, "Access to the upper floors is for senior management only. Identify yourself." It's one of the Sentinels addressing me in a metallic and gruff voice.

"Uh... Cupcake," I answer absent-mindedly, coming to my senses from his sudden address to me.

"Thank you, sir. You may pass," follows the reply of the Sentinel. The metal grating door slides aside.

I feel myself blinking in amazement as I stare at the open gate.

What just happened?

What luck...

Apparently some kind of bug in the program, if a particular word was interpreted by the robot as a necessary response to its request.

I walk cautiously past the guards, the Sentinels and turrets don't disturb me. I feel as if these robots are about to suddenly say, "Surprise, motherfucker!" and smear this dull, spacious room with my insides.

Next, the elevators are already working.

How interesting... Inside, it can only be used to move between the nineteenth and twenty-second floors.

The nineteenth floor is itself a checkpoint. Everything around it seems to radiate protective magical spells. Two hundred years later, they are still faithfully fulfilling their duty. Except that the robots require program adjustments.

The twentieth floor is meeting rooms, for the reception of high-ranking ponies, for simple relaxation and carefree entertainment. Nothing important that has to do with teleportation and other-worlds research is here.

Apparently, when the megaspells fell, the staff who were here took refuge in these rooms for a while, and then almost all of them left. No wonder, since the food supply was exhausted. There was also a water talisman clearly present in the local communications. Rare and invaluable in the conditions of the Wasteland. One of the most coveted items for marauders, for one talisman can ensure a carefree life in the Tenpony Tower. The staff who left some time after Doomsday took it off and carried it with them.

Shame... Couldn't they have left me a water talisman?! I wouldn't mind enjoying all the services of the Tenpony Tower. Perhaps then I would have been able to ferret out information from local cartographers and researchers about the scientific centers that conducted teleportation experiments or the anomalies that emerged in which victims of curiosity disappear without a trace.

There are almost no remains here.

One pony decided to stay, but shot herself a long time ago from loneliness. This pony left no note. I'm keeping her gun, just in case.

It's the second gun that shoots local ammunition. At least it's something good. I haven't gotten used to the first gun yet... because both are designed to be used by mouth. There's no standard grip or trigger. We'll have to learn all over again.

On the bones of the earth pony's neck is some unusual necklace of dark red jewels. I use my telekinesis to remove it...

...and my telekinesis magic around the necklace evaporates.

"What the..."

I try to apply my telekinesis to the necklace again, but to no avail. I can't even use my telekinesis on the pony's remains.

"Strange necklace..."

It seems to be enchanted in a special way. My magic dissipates as soon as it comes into contact with it or the pony remains. At first I would have thought that the necklace might be a threat to my ability to use magic. But even though it belonged to an earth pony, she clearly wasn't wearing it for beauty.

I spend a few minutes trying to get my hooves to grasp the necklace properly and pull it off the remains.

Once again I'm glad I turned into a unicorn and not an earth pony... It's not easy to use my mouth when I want to grab on to something.

The necklace is engraved with the words 'Necklace of the M.A.S.—Telekinesis Protection'.

Ahhhh... So that's why I couldn't take it with telekinesis. Maybe it works as some sort of electromagnetic device against the spell.

Pretty useful stuff! No unicorn can lift and immobilize me with its telekinesis. That's great! Now I'll feel more confident in a fight with a unicorn.

I use my front leg to put on the necklace and see if I can use magic in general. The gun of an earth pony I'm levitating tells me that I can.

Cool!

I head to the twenty-second floor. There I find some more information about Ministries. For example, the power armor for earth ponies was created by two Ministries, Military Technology and Arcane Sciences. Up until the fall of the balefire megaspells, power armor technology was constantly being improved, particularly by other Ministries and even by private entities, such as the mining industry. A powered exoskeleton has a very wide range of uses.

And there's a lot of that out there. Someone created the technology or the spell, and other departments, organizations and businesses tried to improve and adapt them to their field of work.

Many projects have only names and brief descriptions, but what they were and where they were located remains a mystery to me. To gain access to them, I need a special identifying key card, which is available only to representatives of the Ministries in this information center. Searching is useless... everything was taken with them by the staff that left. By the way, according to the records, they left through secret underground tunnels. The last pony had nowhere to run... and with her surviving colleagues, she was in great confrontation, so she stayed.

In general, only a professional hacker with the proper equipment could decrypt the encryption in these terminals without encryption keys. Of course, I can break into an ordinary terminal that only needs a standard password, not the high-level terminals with complex encryption, multi-level encryption, tricky-fuck defense structure, and so on.

Weren't the classified projects available to all the senior staff? Yeah... apparently, they were very important for the country, and especially for the enemies.

There is a similar situation on the twenty-second floor. There are mentions of several projects related to teleportation, but nothing revolutionary has been explored in them. Somewhere they tried to use teleportation for domestic purposes, somewhere in medicine... for example, to retrieve in this way foreign objects that have accidentally entered the body and can't come out naturally through... one place. There were directions developed with the teleportation of organs for their further transplantation or re-implantation without surgical intervention.

It sounds... somewhat absurd, but curious.

Still no clues regarding long-distance teleportation and exploration of other worlds.

The ceiling above the door crumbled slightly as I irritably slammed the door of the last office I examined on the floor.

"So..." I sigh, looking up the steps leading to the twenty-third floor. There' s a bitterness in my throat from disappointment. "I hope I get lucky up there..."

On the top floor, I feel my stomach grow hungry. Hunger makes it easy to give in to anger; I need to quench it.

I open a can of bicentennial sweet corn the Princess Grain.

Thanks to local science that the preservatives here are as potent and effective as they are in the human world. And, most importantly, almost harmless!

Almost...

***

I swallow the last kernel of sweet corn, and place the empty jar of Princess Grain near the terminal that belonged to a pre-war pony of higher authority, destroyed in a violent and brutal manner by someone.

To my surprise, all the terminals have been destroyed. The surviving staff had fled the place, taking all the most important information with them and destroying the source material.

I have already come to terms with this circumstance, and my stuffed stomach, paradoxically enough, gives me a feeling of pleasant relief and sleepiness. Hunger is satisfied, and I can relax. I wouldn't even mind taking a nap. But first, I need to see the locked and untouched safe. I happily rub my front hooves and get down to business.

The lock is complicated... It's been about twenty minutes of grueling confrontation, but I manage to bypass all the security mechanisms.

"Finally!" I rejoice. "Now let's see what you've been trying so hard to hide from me."

The contents of the safe turn out to be low-value documentation regarding the building itself, as well as two instructional books on magical spells: 'Magic Barrier. Advanced Level: Specialist' and 'Teleportation. Beginner Level.'

What a catch! Definitely didn't come here for nothing.

Flipping through the book with interest, a written, I'd say handwritten but that would be inaccurate, piece of paper falls out.

"And what's this..." I mumble.

Hi, cousin! I'm so excited about your promotion! I'm always the first to know who in the PLIC gets access to the one project I monitor. You are now above me and have partial access to it. It is my responsibility to send out assignments related to this project to all the offices of PLIC. I'm sure you have more than a hundred other projects on your shoulders, but you should definitely take a special interest in this one. It has the highest priority. Its key feature is the preservation of ALL of Equestria's scientific and historical knowledge, blueprints, and technology samples. We help to ensure that in the case of the saddest of outcomes, all that we have managed to achieve, learn and discover is not lost. The name of it is the Project Dome. All the details are there. I await your reaction ;)

Saving all knowledge and discoveries in different spheres of life... If there were any developments on teleportation to distant places before the war, this Project Dome must have them.

"This is it!" I unconsciously call out.

At last the matter has moved on! I need to find this Project Dome and, if it has been completed and survived, find in it the information I need.

Oh... right... I don't even know where to start looking for the Project Dome. All I know is its name and its purpose. Or rather, one of its purposes, the key one. It'll take a lot of work to figure out at least its approximate location. I doubt Homage knows anything about this classified project. If she did, she'd tell me there's a place in the Wasteland where all the information is collected.

I take the letter with me and head for the elevator. As I wait for it, I turn my head to the window, and behind it I see solid darkness. Night. Aware of the time of day, I yawn widely.

Well, I'll set up camp here for the night. It's safe here... This place has been safely protected for two hundred years. It's definitely the safest place in the Wasteland right now.

A few hours before I go to sleep, I flip through the magical repair book I bought in the Tenpony Tower.

***

The 12th of the Month of Bread, Cyanday. The twenty-first day of my stay.

I absent-mindedly look at my cape with the number '21' on it. The most desirable number in New Vegas... A symbol of my strange good fortune. I wonder what I'll be lucky enough to encounter?

After a hearty breakfast, I warm up, gather my gear, and head for the exit. I approach the elevator and push the button.

Where should I go next? Where should I start my search for the Project Dome? One thing's for sure: it won't be easy. Homage hardly knows anything about this project. Maybe Watcher knows something about it.

I hear the distinctive bell ring, and the elevator doors open.

I step back in horror—a big winged unicorn comes out to meet me. And not just one, but three! Judging by the shape of their faces, they are female, one dark blue, one dark green, and one dark purple.

How did they get through the turrets and the Sentinels?

"Well, well, who do we have here?" the purple alicorn asks me with an arrogant sneer, stepping forward.

"I'm your happiness," I reply frantically, trying to gather my thoughts and think through a plan of action. "In fact, I'm a terror flying on the wings of night."

These are... the same alicorns that Homage and Wasteland Survival Guide mentioned.

"You're funny," she mutters, without a shadow of friendliness. "What is your name, traveler?"

"The same as your father's."

They are strong in magic, and in the power of their telekinesis I have no doubt. How lucky I was to find that protective necklace yesterday!

"How did you get past security on the nineteenth floor?" there's a sense of irritation in her voice.

"That's the secret of the Buckthorn Company."

They're on full combat alert now: no sooner does my horn blare than they'll vaporize me with some energetically powerful spell. Maybe they'll try to immobilize me... and I'll give them that opportunity. I need the element of surprise—they're not likely to expect a necklace that protects against telekinesis.

"What were you looking for here?" her tone grows more irritable.

"The milk of pony kindness."

"I've had enough of it!" the alicorn blurts out in anger. My answers clearly didn't please them. Their twisted horns glow menacingly.

Violet's magic envelops me in a flash and tries to immobilize me with telekinesis... And immediately dissipates. A second of bewilderment cost them dearly.

I activate the VATS and the 'Hyperfrequency Emitter' implant. Just don't activate it by mistake at the wrong moment...

A large-caliber pistol shot rattles off. The back of the head of the purple alicorn splatters with blood, smearing the purple fur and folded wings on its back.

The barrel of the revolver heads toward the green alicorn. A shot is fired. The bullet slams into the green invisible wall.

Oh... shit...

The blue alicorn's horn bursts into a blinding blue flash, followed by a magical shockwave. It knocks me off my feet, which I realize while already lying on my side.

I roll over. A hoof presses down on me by the throat. It's hard to breathe, unable to move.

"You killed my child!" a loud and solemnly majestic voice says. Other voices echoed softly.

"I was only defending myself..." I excuse myself, looking at the blue alicorn. With her other hoof she removes all my gear and tosses it aside with her telekinesis. She wants to reach for the protective necklace. "I've heard about your reputation."

My throat begins to ache sharply—alicorn presses harder against it.

"You've got a lot of guile..." she says through her teeth.

I try to use telekinesis to relieve the pressure on my throat, but the magic suddenly becomes sluggish and uncontrollable.

"What, is it hard to focus your magic when you're choking?"

I can't answer. My insides all feel like they're shrinking from lack of air.

"You know... You'll be my new child, make up for the loss. Serve the good of the Unity."

Her hold loosens, allowing me to breathe freely. I cough, and try to regain my breath.

"Thank you for" I say, and wrap my front leg around the big blue leg that squeezes my throat, "such a generous offer."

"It's not an offer."

"Really?" I cough forcibly. "And I thought I could refuse."

"You're in no position to-"

I squeeze her front leg harder, and her whole body erupts in a flash of bright red-orange flame. She backs away in terror and screams in pain. The Goddess instantly loses control of the alicorn... Or deliberately did so to avoid the pain.

The on fire winged unicorn waves her massive wings haphazardly, running around the room, trying to somehow stop the fire.

The green alicorn looks on with trembling fear and bewilderment. I pull out my silver revolver and end the blue one's suffering. Her heartbreaking screams cease instantly, leaving behind an echo that spreads around. The body falls muffled to the floor. The blue fur and feathers are still smoking.

There's no point in shooting the last alicorn. As I turned the barrel in her direction, she caught up in time and surrounded herself with a protective barrier that I couldn't penetrate. I might as well bang my head against the wall.

I get to my feet, continuing to hold the green winged unicorn in my sights. Her distracted and frightened look tells me that she'd rather stay in a defensive stance. The presence of a protective necklace... The inflammatory touch... She is paralyzed with terror and doesn't know what to expect from me. Her subconscious and chained fear of the unpredictable unicorn is to my advantage... and even flattering in a way.

"Yes, I'm full of surprises," I say with a sense of smugness.

The floating revolver in the blue haze of my magic is aimed at the alicorn, which is under safe and secure magical protection the whole time. I calmly pick up the pieces of my equipment thrown away by the Goddess. My calm and unconcerned appearance adds to her fear. The advantage is on my side.

What should I do with her? She won't just let go of someone who killed two of her companions... and I can't penetrate her shield. It's a dead end.

I have to get her to remove her magical defenses somehow.

After thinking about the situation for a while, I cautiously retreat to the stairs leading to the roof. I ambush her there, or hide until she's gone.

Once out of her sight, I run upstairs and activate stealth mode of my Pip-Boy. The roof is a landing pad. I choose the most comfortable position, pull out my sniper rifle and get ready to shoot.

I wonder... Will she follow me or not?

A few minutes later I hear the flutter of massive wings. I feel so stupid that I want to slap myself in the face.

Oh... I forgot they can fly!

The green winged unicorn appears a decent distance from the roof, adding to my difficulty in aiming. It's also moving all the time, and its behavior is unpredictable.

Clever pony.

In fact, should I kill her? She doesn't know where I've gone. She's a sort of sentient being who wants to live... and who wants me dead. The Goddess and the alicorns kidnap innocent ponies and forcibly turn them into their own kind. Mostly unicorns like me. They're still going to continue their work. And after what happened, they won't leave me alone. The alicorns have the advantage of flight. And this survivor will obviously be looking for me...

Oh... How frustrating that it's not enough just to hide from the enemy, so that in a few minutes he would forget about me, and I could leave in peace.

I wait patiently... Pip-Boy's power is running out in the meantime, and the alicorn stubbornly refuses to fly off into the sunset. Flickers before my eyes and tries to draw me out. If I procrastinate, the invisibility will dissipate and this green butterfly will be able to see me.

Seconds to go.

You asked for it!

I turn off stealth mode and use the remaining charge on VATS. I take careful aim and pull the trigger. The bullet grazes her lush, rippling green mane and she immediately notices me.

Fuck! That's fast!

She rushes toward me, shooting magical lightning bolts at me. They flash dangerously close to me. With her third magical attack, the alicorn elects a shockwave that knocks me to the ground. Before I know it, I'm pinned to the landing pad by her green magic, and she's standing over me.

Why the fuck isn't the necklace working?!

"Mother told me not to kill you. You cost us too much. My two sisters..." there's a mixture of anger and bitterness in her voice.

The four corners of the roof suddenly hum, hiss, and make a piercing screeching sound to us. Three massive turrets emerge, the fourth gets stuck and doesn't extend fully.

"This is a restricted area," sounds in unison from their speakers, "identify yourself or you will be destroyed."

"What the...?" the alicorn perplexes.

"The answer is incorrect. An annihilation protocol has been initiated."

They begin to hum threateningly, and the door to the building closes, followed by the metallic slam of a locking latch.

The alicorn's horn begins to shine brighter. A green magical dome forms around her, and a laser rain down on her. She groans painfully, trying to contain her discomfort at the crushing pressure on her magical shield.

So that's why the necklace didn't work... She didn't use telekinesis on me, but a barrier. Again, clever pony.

Alicorn shrieks, her green protective dome bursts, bursting with magical light, and with it, the barrier that held me down dissipates. The turrets stop firing at the same moment due to overheating. The huge body falls on top of me—the alicorn unconscious.

An intimate situation... And with a pony that big... Okay, dirty fantasies aside... I have an opportunity for escape! But where, and how do I dispose of this opportunity?

I look around and see a fire hydrant next to the door with a long gray hose in it. I use my telekinesis to push the heavy body of the green alicorn off me, run to the firebox like a bullet, open it, and use my telekinesis to start pulling the hose out and wrapping it around me, retreating to the edge of the roof.

"The cooling process will be complete in five seconds." I bring my sniper rifle close to me. Alicorn doesn't move.

"Four." Stupid to die like that while unconscious, even for her. Let her die, I was trying to kill her anyway. "Three." But if she hadn't, the turrets would have turned me into dust, which would soon scatter in the wind. "Two." Even though they tried to grab me and turn me into one of their own kind, they didn't plan to kill me. "One..."

Oh, fuck it! I can't just abandon the one who saved me from destruction!

The blue magic of my telekinesis envelopes the alicorn and I pull her harshly toward me.

I hope I don't let it out of my magical hold while I'm tumbling down toward the concrete street. I hope I don't get torn in half by the braking. The stuff and the armor on me should soften the pressure of the hose from the sudden braking... I'll try to use magic to weaken it even more.

"The cooling process is complete."

We jump down, and I hear a laser stream of energy hit the edge of the roof I was standing on.

"Fucking hell!" I yell from feeling almost free-falling. The important thing is not to lose concentration, lest the alicorn fly down when the length of the hose runs out and stops me abruptly.

My body tends rapidly downward, the flow of air pressing against my armor. Incredible sensations! They would probably be very different without the armor...

Focus on the belt!

I'm jerked and stopped abruptly, and then nearly bumped against the surviving glass of the building, from the excess of emotion and the surge of pain in the hose wrap area I almost let the alicorn out. My telekinesis is at its limit. What a heavy mare! I'm about to burst from the strain... the hose, too, as I feel myself slowly sinking down.

Holy shit, it's about to burst!

I push away from the window, quickly reach for my revolver, and shoot it. The glass shatters, I throw the alicorn in front of me first, and then I fly into the window myself, on inertia, just as the hose breaks. I land right on top of the mare. Her large and soft dimensions softened my fall. Thus, my body landed in a very comfortable, comfortable and... big place.

I reluctantly get off the mare and crawl to the floor with heavy breathing. I look at the torn hose, and then back at the alicorn. She's breathing, but she's still unconscious. With deep breaths I try to catch my breath and fight the shivers. The encounter with the alicorns, the lightning strikes... and now jumping off the roof of a high-rise building.

Despite the fact that my back and stomach hurt, I burst out laughing that I was still alive.

"That was one hell of a fall!" I say excitedly and give a friendly kick to the unconscious alicorn.

Oh, I forgot we are enemies. A truly dizzying sensation.

I slowly get up on all four legs. By the broken window, I threw off the rest of the hose, magically twisted it, and tossed it out the window.

"Yee-haw!" I yell. "I made it! And don't try to make me do it again, for fuck you will."

Death breathes down the back of my neck, adrenaline rushes through my body... and as soon as it's over... there's a tremendous sense of relief. There's a sense of freedom. It's like an orgasm, only cooler.

I'm looking at the alicorn. Still unconscious. Her pulse is steady.

"Hey! Rise and shine!" I poke her in the nose with my hoof several times. She doesn't respond. I make several attempts to bring her to her senses, but to no avail. "Well, fuck it," I say, walking toward the elevator.

Let her lie there, no one will touch her here anyway. She willed to save my neck from being incinerated. She deserves it.

There's a sign above the elevator that says '16'.

What a long hose...

***

After pressing the elevator button a few times, I remember that the elevators up to the 19th floor are de-energized. I go down on my own four feet. There is no hurry.

As I leave the Princess Luna Information Center, I think hard about where I should go to get information about the Project Dome. Nearby, a flying and round metal machine is revealed. A sprite-bot. It flies in my direction.

"I see you go to dangerous places?" a familiar rough metal voice asks.

Watcher! You're just what I need! It's about time you made yourself known.

"I am a pony filled with curiosity."

"It's obvious, and it's a vice."

I shrug indulgently, then remember the essence of his nickname.

"And... who's to say, watcher... Anyway, I have a thing for you."

"What kind of thing?" there's a genuine interest in his voice.

"You must know about a lot of interesting things that stir the minds of the not-so-educated inhabitants of the Wasteland. But what about the pre-war stuff? How deep is your pre-war knowledge?"

"Go on."

"Are you aware of a government project called the Project Dome?"

There is silence in response. I hold my breath with anticipation and mentally cross my fingers. The last and only opportunity I know at this point to get the information I need.

"Impressive," he replies.

"What do you mean?"

"Not many ponies knew about him before the Doomsday, and not many ponies know about him now. I'm surprised there are any texts about him now."

"But you know..." I don't know if that sounded like a question or a statement myself.

"Luckily for you, yes."

I can hardly keep myself from jumping for joy.

Yes! Even if the connection is broken before I can get anything out of him about the Project Dome, I now have a lead in the form of this mysterious Watcher. I can go to him if I need to, all I have to do is find him or get his attention.

"I assume... you're not just going to share this information with me?"

"Until yesterday, yes."

"Explain..." I blink in bewilderment. What is he talking about? What exactly made him change his mind about me?

"I saw the way you treated that pony."

"Which one?"

"The one you saved from the raiders, fixed her up, and then also pointed her to a safe source of food and water."

The mother and her young filly.

"Ah," a moment of realization, "I remember. So you're spying on me?"

"Well, a little. Just a tiny bit," he says, ironically and innocently. I realized my stupidity. He's Watcher... that's what he does. "Of course, I keep an eye on the ponies that interest me. Why did you help her? I'm not against it, on the contrary, I welcome such altruism. I'm just wondering what moved you at that moment?"

"A naive desire to make the world a better place."

"Sounds like something bad."

"In a way, yes," I say. "I got really burned by it at one time. Helped everybody. But it's hard to discern their motives and intentions. Some took advantage of me... others turned out to be... like spies or assassins. Helped them, and innocents suffered as a result."

"I see your point... What happened to that colt?"

"You mean the brown colt?"

"Yes, I saw that you were on your way to Tenpony Tower. Two days later I saw you on your way out of there without him."

"I put him there."

"You did?"

"Yes, a friend of his father's lived in that place and agreed to take custody of him."

"That's... good news," Watcher replies after a brief pause. "And that's why I'm going to tell you about the Project Dome."

I blink again in surprise.

"Wow... Didn't expect that. Thought I'd have to haggle..."

"You've already done two favors. Information in exchange for good deeds."

Interesting way to trade. Watcher suddenly seemed even more naive than I had in my first months in the Wasteland when I was eighteen.

"Although it's more of a test..." Watcher continues, "but you also lied about being the father of that foal. "

"It's easier to believe a story about a single father than it is to believe that a pony out of the blue decided to look after a foal he didn't know. You'd have to have a long, tedious explanation."

"All right, we're not all perfect... let's cut to the chase while the sprite-bot connection is stable."

"Right! So... the Project Dome... First of all, what is it anyway?"

"A research center. Its special feature was to store all the historical and scientific knowledge of Equestria... and developing it, creating something new."

"All the information gathered in one place. This place just has to be a bastion of technological and magical development!"

"Exactly. The first and only project conceived by all Six Ministries at once. The construction was overseen and kept secret by a special department of the Ministry of Morale. I've forgotten what it was called. Something to do with keeping an eye on... Anyway, never mind."

"I have a burning question. Where was it located?"

"If memory serves me correctly..." Watcher is talking as if to himself, "On the West Coast... No, not Hoofland. And I certainly don't remember it being near Stalliongrad. Not on the South Coast, anyway. Far to the north... Oh, I remember. Somewhere near Vanhoover."

"Where's that?"

"Just north of Hoofland, over the mountains."

"That's a long way..."

"You bet it is. The area around Vanhoover had been developed recently, after the discovery of whole layers of minerals. Mines, factories, and plants sprang up like mushrooms after the rain. A great place to build such a massive research center. And also far from the front. Perfect."

I am under the impression of Watcher's pre-war knowledge, as if he really lived then! Perhaps he really is a ghoul.

"And what's the situation like now?"

"No idea."

Which, of course, is an answer I didn't expect at all. I hear him chuckle awkwardly.

"That terrain is out of my reach," he explains. "Too far for sprite-bot control."

"And there's not even a hunch?"

"There are more guesses and hypotheses than there are gems in an adult dragon's cave. More than there needs to be."

Interesting analogy... I keep forgetting there are dragons in this world, cactus up my ass!

"Why so much speculation?"

"Hoofland is a hotbed of religious groups. What they have imagined is beyond imagination. However, I can say with certainty that there are no coming back from Vanhoover. Well, or at least I've had no luck in meeting any returnees, not even caravans. There are quite a few other interesting places in the Wasteland, like the Great Deserts with their giant underground creatures, the Yellow Fog in the south of the Sapphire Sea, and the giant monsters in the north of that sea."

I don't want to hear anything about giant monsters... I'm about to lose my mind over the existence of such enormous creatures as dragons and the like in this world.

"Maybe the scientists from the Project Dome have built a real paradise in Vanhoover that nobody wants to come back from?"

Watcher laughs with a sense of nonchalance.

"I could name you more than a dozen such stories. Most of the Vanhoover stories, however, are ominous and mystical. Often some immortal white demon is mentioned, capturing the souls of the weak. Maybe there's something to that."

"Still, thanks for the tip. I'll head over there. Actually, you know... You're like a fly on shit—you see and know everything: the secret project, the events of a century ago. How did you—"

The sprite-bot makes some muffled clicking sound and then launches into an inspiring patriotic march. It flies away, leaving me blinking in bewilderment.

"What a dick."

***

A paper map of all of postwar Equestria floats before me in the blue smoke of my magic. It marks key landmarks, caravan routes, and cities in as professional a way as possible in the Wasteland.

And Vanhoover is not in the great party of these marks.

I look up dolefully at the gray clouds in the sky. A deep and quiet sigh... a long and irritated exhale.

To go randomly to the northeast... Or go back to the Tenpony Tower and try to find out more precise coordinates? Or should I head to that Hoofland, and from there head straight north, over the mountains?

"It's not a question of two chairs with spikes and dicks... Why is the choice so hard?"

A shot rang out nearby.

I instinctively roll up my map and prepare to fight. There's no one on the compass. Too far away. The shots come in at regular intervals. The shots come from the same type of gun, so it's not a pony or griffon gunfight amongst themselves. I follow the sound.

As I emerge onto a small rise, between the suburban Manehattan houses, I see an earth pony shooting off on the roof of a self-propelled brown transport. A pack of hungry dogs circles around her. Four have been killed, and there are three more to go.

A gunshot rumbles out. The dog whines painfully and falls to the ground. It twitches its hind leg a couple of times and finally falls silent. The remaining dogs' instinct for self-preservation—the prey is too strong and dangerous—prompts them to flee in fear. Fortunately, in the opposite direction from me.

I look at the pony through the scope of my sniper rifle.

The light lilac-colored earth pony sets aside her rifle with the scope and tries to get off the roof. Her movements are heavy, cautious and slow, seeming clumsy. She is of elderly age. This is evidenced by her fully gray mane, her mouth wide open because of her shortness of breath. Her entire body is clad in a sturdy, dark armor of leather and metal plates.

Nothing out of the ordinary... except for the vehicle from the roof of which the pony was firing off. From the looks of it, it's clearly on the move. A tall and fortified off-road vehicle with large and well-protected wheels, an open luggage compartment. Thick armor, windows equipped with additional metal plates that open and close like shutters in case of a gunshot attack. The body is stained with dried mud and dust, but because of its brown color it is not noticeable.

It's almost like an armored personnel carrier.

Once down, the lilac pony takes deep breaths and grabs her front hoof on her chest. She coughs loudly. After catching her breath, she goes to the engine hood, opens it, and begins inspecting the engine. She goes to the trunk and pulls out tools from there, which she then spreads out on the pavement near the front of the SUV. Taking the tools in her mouth, she begins to work on the engine.

I think the noise of the SUV attracted a pack of dogs, they chased it, and the engine sneakily stalled at an inopportune moment. And the pony had to fight them off.

I used to drive a bike in the Capital Wasteland, and on the West Coast and Mojave in particular, I drove an off-road vehicle like this one. The big problem was the lack of fuel... and a perpetually bad engine. They don't make new ones in commercial amounts, so we have to reanimate and maintain pre-war models that are best preserved and easiest to repair and modify.

With this off-road vehicle I could get to Vanhoover faster.

The lilac pony turns away from the hood and coughs loudly. In the direction of the coughing, a bloodstain appears on the pavement.

Something is wrong with her lungs... Walking over to her. Though she clearly knows how to stand up for herself and is able to kill me in a second if she notices me, but something tells me that she will not start shooting at me.

Despite her age, she can hear me coming. Her hearing is clearly trained to recognize suspicious sounds. She raises her graying head and assesses me with a haggard look, holding a wrench in her teeth. After a second appraisal of my appearance, she continues rummaging through the engine.

"Good hearing," I say, stepping closer. My voice is distorted by the speaker of my helmet.

In response, she raises her front leg, thereby thanking me for the compliment. I walk even closer, tilt my head and watch her work, assessing the engine arrangement at the same time.

"Is the engine messed up?"

"Uh-huh," she mutters with the tool in her teeth. She's pretty handy with that.

The inside of the hood of the car is almost indistinguishable from the inside of the vehicles of my world. Cylinders, radiator, air filter, electrical... in this case, an energy-magic battery. In general, the purpose of each element is intuitively clear.

"Help?"

The lilac pony stops, raises her head with the tool in her teeth, and looks at me curiously. She gently sets the tool aside on the energy-magic battery.

"Why the kindness?" she asks in her husky, low voice.

"In case we're on our way... I need to get to either Hoofland or Vanhoover, but preferably Vanhoover."

Her lips stretch slightly in a smile of understanding the self-serving motives of my offered assistance.

"Well... No wonder you're interested in my old friend." She kicks the bumper guard irritably but lightly. "He's on his last gasp, and so am I," she grins. I turn my head for a moment and look at the bloodstain that has appeared on the pavement from her coughing. "But hopefully it will make it to the West Coast. You're lucky I'm headed there, too."

"For how much?"

"Free, if you help me get food and water and..." she slowly runs her hoof over the brown hull, "...fix this junk from time to time."

Drivers very rarely take unfamiliar hitchhikers—for reasons of caution. Especially if traveling alone without backup and on important business. Unusually, she agreed to take me along so easily. Too good an offer for me.

"Sounds too attractive to be true. I'm surprised you agreed to take me along at all."

She evaluates my appearance one more time.

"You have a rifle with a scope, and a silencer, too. You could have easily killed me, left my decrepit body for those dogs to tear apart, and taken Bear for yourself. But you didn't. That's saying something."

The SUV does look like a bear or a yao guai. It's big, brown in color, with thick protection.

"What if I have other plans for you?"

"I'm no good for a slave," she turns away, covers her mouth with her hoof and coughs painfully. "Not the right age. I barely climbed up on the roof to escape the pathetic dogs."

And really, when you think about it, you can't make any caps on her, and given her health, it's hard for her to get food and water on the road, let alone fix the car. She benefits from having a traveling companion to keep an eye on her.

"So, do you agree?" she asks.

"You bet!"

She smiles cheerfully.

"Then let's get acquainted..." she raises her hoof to greet me. "My name is Lilac Journey, cartographer."

Oh, she's the kind of person who does the mapping of the Wasteland? So lucky... I won't get lost in the Equestrian Wasteland with her for sure!

Going on a journey with Journey... Sounds like fun.

I take off my helmet and smile.

"Daniel, courier and traveler," I say, and smack her raised hoof affectionately. "You can just Danny."

At the word 'traveler', the elderly earth pony has taken me differently: there is a sense of admiration and joy in her gaze and barely noticeable smile.

***

It doesn't take long to fix the engine. It allows me to practice my magic and apply the knowledge from the magical repair book I picked up last night before I went to sleep.

And off we drove. The SUV shakes slightly from the bumps in the road, but the shock absorbers do a great job.

It's nice to relax and lazily watch the changing landscape. There are fewer and fewer rotten wooden houses and homesteads as we move farther and farther away from the ruins of Manehattan.

"Bear is clumsy and slow," Lilac Journey says, sitting behind the wheel and driving around the potholes, "but strong and hardy. He's not afraid of small caliber bullets at all. With stops, including possible breakdowns, it'll take us about six to seven days to get to Vanhoover."

"Does it have enough fuel?"

We pull up to a pre-war gas station near which a large caravan has camped. Lilac prudently slides the protective panels on the windows as tightly as possible to reduce the chance of bullets hitting inside the cabin, but she doesn't slide them all the way in so she can see the road. A guard earth pony with a battle saddle on its roof keeps its sights on us until we pass by.

"What do you take me for?" Lilac says, remembering my question. "I've been driving a self-propelled vehicle all my life. I know where Vanhoover is and how much fuel it would take approximately to get there."

"Have you been there?"

"No."

She coughs, losing control of the controls for a second, causing the car to yank slightly sideways. My body tenses, and I squeeze into the padded seat.

"I'm sorry..."

"It's okay," I hide my nervous sigh. "So... why didn't you get a chance to visit Vanhoover?"

"I explored the northern part of the east coast and a certain part of the former Griffon Kingdom. Vanhoover, on the opposite coast."

"So you haven't left the boundaries of the territory you've been working in? Then how do you know roughly how far it is to go there?"

"I did, and mostly we visited all the pre-war towns or other interesting pre-war sites. Including Hoofland, which is where Vanhoover is supposed to be in the mountains to the north."

"We? You didn't travel alone?"

"Yep... With one special pony that I've lived with most of my life..."

Lilac becomes silent and sinks into thought, looking straight ahead at the road. A nostalgic smile appears on her lips. From the looks of it, that special pony means a lot to her. And I don't have to be a smart aleck to know that he's long gone.

Some look back on their past with longing and sadness, and some...

The pony keeps smiling slightly. She is far away now... in her young and happy past.

I envy... I envy how easily she remembers her beloved pony, the joyful moments of their life together, not taking into account that he is no longer among the living.

***

Evening. The vegetation around is unusually high, which is rare in the Wasteland. The forest is extremely lush and dense. A faint wind ripples the many branches with green leaves, large bushes and tall grass.

Lilac opens the well-protected metal box in the trunk. I stand beside it. Inside the crate are stacks of number-labeled diaries and folded drawn maps. Most of them are shabby, some that look like they were actively written and used four decades ago. Out of interest, I randomly pick up one of the maps with magic while the cartographer searches for one of the diaries she has written.

I carefully unfold the old map. It depicts the east coast with many notations, each with a footnote to the diaries, I believe. I think the diaries detail the areas marked here.

So what is this region?

It doesn't take long to find the answer. 'Sector GK-13, Lionheart vicinity,' the inscription in the corner reads.

"Lionheart?" I pronounce aloud.

"Capital of the Griffon Kingdom," Lilac throws with a hoarse breath. She's having a hard time. It's a wonder she's still hanging on. "Oh, found it!"

She pulls out a leather-bound diary numbered '42' in her teeth. The mare's eyes suddenly narrow and her mouth opens wide, dropping the diary. The sound of its fall to the ground completely drowns out the mare's bursting cough.

"Are you okay?" I ask, putting my hoof on her shoulder. She sits up and tries to suppress her cough.

"I'm... fine. For now," she says, coughing. "My poor lungs picked up all kinds of crap. And this is the result..."

I suspect her lungs are affected by some serious disease. Or several. Maybe even cancer, which is not surprising at that age.

"Is it fixable?" I ask.

The answer is a tired and sad look in her mauve eyes.

"The doctors at Tenpony Tower can't help me," she adds. "The medication relieves the pain, but it doesn't get rid of... Well, enough about that. Here's the diary..." she looks at it. My magic picks it up, and I slowly flip through it. There is very little information in it.

Lilac notices my bewilderment.

"More detailed information costs decent caps," she explains. "Besides, griffons aren't particularly eager to sell valuable information to ponies. Nor was there any desire to explore this Reserve. It's just beautiful on its own."

The branches and leaves rustle loudly. A sudden gust of wind nearly rips the journal from my blue magic grip.

"Griffons have taken a fancy to it?"

"Didn't you know?"

She'd explored the Griffon Kingdom and the northern part of the East Coast for the most part. Consequently, it is easier for her to lie about what is going on in the south.

"I'm from the southern lands, so..."

"Ahhh... This used to be the largest natural reserve in Equestria. During the zebra war, it was given to the Griffon Kingdom as a sign of alliance. Megaspells were aimed at military and strategic targets, and the natural reserves, as you understand, don't make that list."

"The amount of sunlight has decreased dramatically," my eyes turn to the gray cloud-clouded sky. Pegasi has maintained this veil for two hundred years. "How could such lush vegetation have survived with a drastic and significant lack of light?"

Lilac shrugs his shoulders confusedly in response.

"Probably," she adds, "adapted under the influence of some dose of radiation brought in by winds from neighboring regions."

"A very lucky dose..."

The green corridors of Vault 22 appear before my eyes, filled with vegetation and the dangerous spore-like creatures that lurk in them. A hissing and threatening growl erupts, sending a nasty chill through my body.

I shake my head, pushing my memories away.

Perhaps there were similar experiments in the reserve to breed special species of plants that could adapt to the harshest of environmental conditions.

I also recall an Oasis in the Capital Wasteland, notable for its particularly lush vegetation, caused by a talking tree named Harold. Such a curiosity I'd never forget.

"Anyway," I continue, "after the Great War it became the new home of the griffons?"

"Yes, but not immediately. As soon as the Grand Pegasus Enclave began sacking the remnants of the Griffon Kingdom, the griffons fled south. Some of them took over the natural reserve and comfortably established themselves in it, turning it into hunting grounds. Griffons don't have much imagination, so they called it Reserve. Since then... they've become the chief purveyors of berries, hides and meat this side of the Great Desert."

This reserve... this source of meat and hides and various berries and wild fruits and vegetables... is a tidbit in the Wasteland. No wonder why griffons are reluctant to sell useful information about flora and fauna. They make caps on it, so they protect it. They obviously don't like nosy ponies... which means I'll make them grind their teeth in anger. Or rather, their beaks. Griffons, on the other hand, have the traits of birds and lions.

"Now I understand... And I have my doubts."

Lilac smiles softly, and voices my concerns with startling accuracy, "That we're hunting in their territory without permission?"

"Yeah..."

"You have a rifle with a silencer. It won't make much noise. Besides, we've barely entered their territory. There are no hunters here. Sort of."

"Your 'sort of' doesn't make me optimistic."

She opens her mouth to say something, but starts coughing painfully.

"That's it... go... I need to take my medicine," she says, and walks to Bear's cabin.

I doomfully shake my head in her wake and go hunting. I've taken the bare minimum of gear for comfortable movement.

Since she has explored the Griffon Kingdom, and with it their behavior and culture... I hope she knows what she's talking about... and they won't get our skins for 'poaching'.

***

Wood and twigs crackle in the fire. Above them, a succulent carcass of a local variety of wild boar is roasting on an improvised steel rod spit. It's almost radiation-free.

Lilac is resting on his back in a sleeping bag next to Bear and enjoying the dark sky, looking up at it through the dense tree crowns. I'm near the fire making sure the meat isn't overcooked and the fire doesn't go out. My mouth is filled with drool from the smell of roasting meat.

The hot air from the fire makes me thirsty. I take out my water condenser and pour the collected moisture from it into a flask. I sip some of the cold liquid, and a pleasant wave of pleasure runs through my body.

"Extremely useful stuff," the pony says. Her head turns toward me. Lilac eyes glisten with the light of the fire.

"Very," I say, focusing on the meat. "Found it in a certain science center."

"Lucky find... Don't see much point in it, though."

I turn around again, feeling perplexed.

"What do you mean?"

"Water talismans do a much better job of that."

Oh, so that's it... Her question goes something like this. Why do you need a simpler version of technology when magical equivalents do it perfectly?

"It was meant to be mass-produced as a counterpart to water talismans," I explain. "Not everything has to be tied to magic."

"Oh, so it doesn't have a drop of magic in it?"

She covers her mouth with her hoof and coughs.

"That's its specialty," I nod. Generally speaking, it is. The technology was created in the human world, without all that magical energy, fancy spells, or tambourine dancing.

"I'm so tired of this coughing. My lungs feel like they're burning," she wheezes in an exhausted voice.

She pulls out a glass vial, a pre-war remedy with a hard-to-pronounce name. She swallows some and sighs with relief. Closing the vial, she holds it up to her eyes. A hopeless and oppressive sadness is on her face.

I can't take my eyes off her. My heart clutches in my chest.

"There's one more time left," she adds.

"How much medicine do you have left?"

"This is the last one."

"Oh..."

Her lips stretch into a bitter smile.

"Getting old sucks," she says. "Lots of nasty health problems... There's hardly any pre-war specific medication left, and the ones I do have are as expensive as my Bear."

"What are you going to do?"

"Try my luck in New Lionheart."

"First we hunt prey that belongs to griffons, and now we're going to ask them for a cure? And at what cost will they give it to us, even if they have it?"

She hums nonchalantly and smugly.

"Why not?"

I shake my head hopelessly. She's bold and indescribably reckless. I can tell she's been to the lands of the griffons, the most skilled predators in the Wasteland. She soaked in their harshness like her lungs are in the noxious and polluted air.

"You... don't shake your head like she's a pendulum, but watch the meat. I still want to have time to eat freshly roasted meat," she licks greedily.

"Where are you going in such a hurry?"

I turn to the fire and double-check the condition of the roasted meat.

"With my age and the sores that keep progressing, every night's sleep is like my last. So... come on, stop roasting meat, tear me a bigger piece. And don't forget to spice it up."

***

The 13th of the Month of Bread, Blueday. The twenty-second day of my stay.

I gently nudge the sleeping the earth pony in the shoulder. She doesn't respond. I push her again—no reaction, but I can see her sighing peacefully.

"Hey, wake up. Hunters!"

"Huh?" her body shudders, her eyes flutter open in panic. "Tumbleweed, get your things together and-" she stops abruptly, as she can't get up quickly. Her face contorts into a grimace of pain. "Oh... my back..." She looks around painfully and focuses her eyes on me. "Tear you apart Discord..." she moans irritably and falls back onto her back.

"Well, you've slept a lot already. I had time to eat breakfast and do some magical repairs on your Bear."

"Watch it..." she raises her hoof with reproach and caution. "If we stall in the middle of the road and the Hellhounds surround us..."

"They don't breed here," I smile. For this information I am grateful to Ditzy Doo. "Oh, and don't worry. I used to drive a transport myself. So me and the engines are good friends."

"I already figured that out yesterday. But still... I don't like anyone sticking their naughty hooves in my Bear."

"Rest assured, I didn't even touch him with my naughty hooves," I smile, and my horn sparkles with blue magic. Lilac rolls her eyes. "Who's Tumbleweed, anyway?"

"How do you know about him?" her eyes look extremely surprised.

"Well... you just mentioned him yourself when I woke you up."

"Really?" she says perplexedly. "You woke me up all of a sudden... I don't even remember what I said."

"So... who is it?"

Her gaze drifts to the sky. The tree crowns sway lazily in the wind.

"My special pony..."

"And how did he... well..." I begin. It doesn't look like she's remembering him in pain. I hope nothing serious happens if I ask how he died. Still, I don't know how to phrase the question delicately without hurt feelings or unpleasant associations.

"Old age... He was less fortunate than I was. It happened seven years ago."

"I'm... sorry. From your attitude toward him, I can only assume he was a wonderful pony."

"Thank you," she turns to me. Her lips stretch slightly in a smile. "In the Wasteland, one doesn't usually care about the losses of others when one's own shoulders are full of grief... Can't even utter a word of sympathy."

Lilac eats yesterday's boar for breakfast, and we take the rest of the meat with us and head for New Lionheart, the last capital of the griffons.

This town appears before my eyes all of a sudden. The many trees surrounding us block the view after all, so I couldn't anticipate when to expect its appearance. Besides, I was engrossed in studying magic books on teleportation and the barrier. By contrast, my cartographer's untroubled look indicated that she knew exactly when the city would appear.

"There used to be," Lilac begins as we pass the concrete fences with the iron bar cutouts, "a nature reserve administration with all sorts of service buildings to serve it, and also a tourist hotel. Now all the elite of the Reserve's griffons nest in it."
We stop in a cleared and patched parking lot not far from the white administration building. I get out of the SUV and look around with interest.

The parking lot is spacious, well-maintained, and... with all sorts of wagons and working vehicles. Most of it belongs to the caravan drivers, with the rest belonging to all manner of travelers, mercenaries, and couriers.

Almost everyone I see is a... griffons.

Huge feathered birds. And in such numbers! They are as colorful as ponies, but the color of their feathers and beaks is not so expressive and flashy. Compared to ponies, their color palette is less intense, darker.

One truly massive griffon, one and a half times taller than me, with dark green feathering, passes my studying gaze. It stares down at me indifferently, like a worthless insect. Its yellow beak can pierce my skull like an egg. My knees buckle with weakness, an uncomfortable shiver runs through my body. I am a defenseless and tiny prey that exists only for his hunting amusement.

I swallow nervously, staring into the void. He's already passed me by when I realize my feelings. Anxiety overflows inside me, my gaze fixed on the boarded-up window of the white office building.

"Impressive, huh?" Lilac's voice hears. I nod exhaustedly. "This isn't some pathetic East Coast griffon." She coughs. "They're hardy and strong here. Can easily pick off a Hellhound with their paws."

"I... haven't seen one this big yet..."

"New Lionheart griffons are larger than ordinary griffons."

"What makes them so... big?"

I manage to control myself and turn back to the elderly cartographer.

"Reserve changed them... I don't know how. Probably through radiation-exposed plants or something." She shrugs. "Keep your pretty beige nose out of their secrets, unless it was in your plans to leave your horned head on some griffon's trophy wall."

"I'll keep that in mind."

"No, I mean it. Don't go down any dark alleys. To most griffons, we're like brahmins. Especially earth ponies like me. You're lucky you're a unicorn. You are somewhat unpredictable to them because of your magical powers. They'll keep an eye on you, and they won't just cross you. At least not openly."

I look around cautiously and pay attention to the stares of some feathery hunters.

Unpredictable... Yeah, right. And I don't really have any magical powers. I have to bluff in tricky, life-threatening situations.

Lilac restrains his violent coughing urges.

"What is this place in general?" I ask.

"The only place they let ponies in. Don't leave the boundaries of the pavement roads and... administration fences." Her hoof, clad in leather and armor plate armor, straightens toward a concrete fence with metal bars. "I wasn't kidding that you could be their prey. Otherwise, they'll consider you a trespasser and be free to do whatever they see fit with you."

"How will they know... I didn't see any guards along the way or security cameras."

Lilac turns and smiles strangely.

"Exactly: just because you didn't see something doesn't mean it's not there. Griffons are hiding. They're in the trees, Danny."

I swallow nervously again. The surrounding vegetation suddenly seems hostile and dangerous... because of the griffons that hide in it, predatory and eager to hunt. I already want to get out of this place, to rush away from the Reserve. Every griffon can possess me as a... trophy. I am, after all, a unicorn, which would be more valuable as a trophy.

"It's okay to be afraid of griffons. Let's go... Stay close and everything will go smoothly. As long as you're in New Lionheart territory, nothing will happen to you."

We approach the tourist hotel. It is used for its pre-war purpose. There everyone can get a room, trade, go to a restaurant or bar, and visit the local doctor, repairman, and craftsmen of other specific services. No ponies are allowed into the other buildings that the griffons have adapted to their needs.

"Why?" I ask.

"So eager," the elderly pony's purple eyes stare at me with caution, "to see the pony heads on the walls?"

I blink, my mouth falling open in surprise.

I will never get used to this world... A world where there are several races of sentient beings at once. The way they perceive each other. The closest I ever came to experiencing it was in the company of neutral supermutants, for whom it is natural to eat human flesh. The most welcoming supermutant was Marcus from Jacobstown. Well, why was... he still is. However, supermutants are modified humans, and griffons in relation to ponies are a completely different race.

We're in.

"Can I help you?" the hotel receptionist asks. The voice is high, female. A griffon with gray plumage. She doesn't look so intimidating, but even a little cute. In contrast to the other stern griffons, at least. She's not wearing any clothing or protective gear—as are most griffons, anyway.

"Is Ash Bone still the Guardian of Reserve?"

The gray griffon's eyes look somewhat surprised... At such a bold question from Lilac, I suppose. Asking for the most important griffon! Probably the most important one. I don't know what the title means, but I'm sure he holds quite a high position, so it's not that easy to get to him.

And the administrator nods affirmatively at her question.

"Wonderful..." Lilac struggles to hold back her cough. "Get him in the restaurant."

The griffon's eyes open even wider, so wide that the elderly pony could fit through them.

She's got a lot of guts. After what she told me about the griffons here, I find it hard to remain indifferent. Fear that her impertinence is about to get us butchered. I wish I'd worn a helmet to hide my unease.

"Tell him," Lilac adds, "that the lilac cartographer has come to see him. He'll understand."

How does she know him?

"Well... I'll let you know," she says. The griffon's tone is menacing and cold, like a night in the Mojave Desert. "But if you waste his time..."

"I'm not afraid of death, dear," Lilac says, smirking. She looks away and coughs. "Damn... Let's go," she turns to me. "Let's have lunch. They have the best selection of meat in the Wasteland!"

"Maybe..." I follow her. "Will you behave a little more modestly? Even though you're not afraid of death, I'm still young..."

The local griffon society makes a strong impression on me.

"And yet you call yourself a traveler!" she laughs without looking back. "When you travel, your life is always at risk."

Against this pony that has spent a lifetime exploring the ruined Griffon Kingdom and the culture of the fierce and fearless griffons, I am nothing more than a jerk from the Tenpony Tower.

"Caution does not mean cowardice," I mutter.

A huge, spacious hall, without any frills. White peeling walls. All the windows have glass broken out and are boarded up with sheets of plywood to protect them from the wind. Lighting is provided by oily lanterns on the tables. At most of the wooden tables sit ponies and griffons. It is clear from snippets of conversation that they are discussing business and trade relations with nearby settlements. Making new acquaintances and so on. Lilac Journey takes a seat at the nearest available table, and I join her.

"If you want to talk to a griffon from Reserve," the lilac earth pony begins as I peer curiously at the nearby tables, "you won't find a better place."

"Is there something special about it?"

"Griffons, to put it mildly, aren't thrilled to be pulled away by all sorts of prey like you and me," she coughs. "Probably prey like you. Me... old and decrepit, they won't touch me. I'm not even fit for meat. Just shoot me and feed me to the dogs."

I feel myself staring at her again. With what levity and calmness she speaks of this in the company of griffons that do not disdain the meat of ponies. I don't have the courage to say such things out loud. Maybe in fun, but with no griffons around.

"So... what this place is special about? You can only request an audience with someone in particular, and they'll come to the hotel if they want to, namely the restaurant or the bar. Or you can sit down with any of the griffons already here. If a griffon came here, that means he's in a position to talk to a pony and won't let you in for meat unless you provoke him. It's simple."

"What will you have?" a young griffon with dark orange plumage says. She's shorter in height at the withers than I am. She has a disgruntled and angry look, and clearly doesn't want to do the restaurant service.

"Smoked elk meat, vegetable stew, and fresh berry juice," Lilac says.

"Me, too," I nod. I don't feel like thinking about my choice of food. I'm on pins and needles right now.

The orange griffon moves away without more words or gestures. Her elongated tail flashes before my eyes and disappears at the first table nearest the customers.

"What's wrong with her?" I ask, referring to her far from friendly appearance even for a griffon.

"Griffons can be punished for breaking the rules in the form of... what was it called in the past..." the older pony taps thoughtfully on the wooden table. "Oh! I remember. Public works."

"What do you mean?"

"The proud griffon of the reserve serves the ponies... what else could be more humiliating than that to maintain order?" she asks rhetorically, smiling. "An aversion to servitude is stronger than the fear of death in battle or hunting. That's what the order here is based on. For the most part, harsh crimes, of course, are also punishable by a shot to the head or strict isolation."

"Ahh... and what might she have violated?"

"I don't know. Maybe she stole something from another griffon. There are about the same rules between griffons as there are between ponies."

I shudder—the griffon's confident and clear voice breaks out, "Who do I see!"

A griffon, whose light gray plumage is illuminated by the yellow light of oily lanterns, is heading toward us from the entrance of the restaurant. The griffon is dressed in dark green armor with its hood thrown back. The coloring of the armor is reminiscent of the vegetation of the reserve.

"The one," Lilac continues his words, "you haven't seen in ten years."

The griffon sits up without hesitation, folding his paw into a fist and holding it out to Lilac. She responds by kicking her hoof against it. The white griffon turns in my direction and stares at me with his ruby eyes.

"Who's that?"

"Just a fellow traveler," she replies.

"You started taking hitchhikers? How you have changed... Indeed, I haven't seen you for too long. Well, let's meet," he nods. He holds out his paw. I tentatively extend my hoof to him. His strong clawed paw grasps it sharply and firmly and shakes it. Almost like a handshake. "Guardian of Reserve, Ash Bone."

"Uh... Daniel," I say excitedly and take my hoof away. "Nice to meet you."

"Yeah..." he utters without much of a cheer. His interest is piqued when his gaze turns to the mauve cartographer. "Where's your Tumbleweed?"

"Seven years admiring the sunrise on the shores of the East Coast," she eases up, and a slight wistfulness appears on her face.

Strange phrasing for someone who's already dead. What does it mean?

"Ahh... I'm sorry," Ash Bone says with sincerity. "You and he shared a passion for travel... How do you feel after what happened?"

The rugged, ravenous griffon, Guardian of all things Reserve, is interested in the feelings of an elderly pony? What? Does he also know what her phrase about admiring the sun means? How well do they know each other?

"It was hard at first... I don't even want to think about it. But then I rethought some things and... I got over it."

Has she come to terms with the death of her beloved pony, so much so that she can remember him easily? What exactly had she rethought? We'll have to ask her about that sometime.

"Overcame her pain... That's the spirit!" the Guardian admires sincerely. "Just like a hardened griffon!"

The orange griffon returns to us with a large metal tray and our order. At the sight of the Guardian of Reserve at the table, she nearly drops our food. Her eyes widen in amazement, about to fall out of her orbits. The next second she lowers her head and leaves the order.

"Uh-uh," the young orange griffon sighs anxiously. "I... Uh... I mean, do you want anything?" she asks quietly. The bright griffon in camouflage armor shakes his head negatively.

"And..." the guilt-ridden griffon continues, turning toward us. Her long claw on her right front paw nervously scrapes the wooden floor. "Your food bill..."

A large gray clawed paw rises into the air. The griffon flinches and stares at it, breathless.

"No need," the Guardian says. "It's on the house."

She nods hastily, makes a courteous bow, and disappears from view.

Yes, Ash Bone is definitely a high-flying bird. The higher the status, the lower the heads...

And Lilac is a friend of his?!

Fuck that!

"Your traveling companion seems surprised by something," Ash smiles slightly.

"I guess it doesn't occur to him that the most important person in Reserve and New Lionheart has ties to an old and decrepit pony like me."

They both laugh nonchalantly.

What's going on?

"Mouth open..." the older earth pony smiles. Grabbing a chunk of the stiffened moose, she washes it down with berry juice. "Now eat."

I, like an obedient dog, take to eating it, not my order, but the treat, since I got it for free.

"So..." Ash begins, when we've eaten almost half of what we've brought. In the silence, I was able to come to terms with the situation and process what had happened. I also liked the berry juice. I wanted more! However, I decided to be modest and didn't ask for more. "What is there in the East? Does Red Eye really have that kind of influence? I've heard of alicorns at his side..."

Wait... Unity and Red Eye and his army are working together? Something Homage and Littlepip forgot to mention such important information! This is an extremely dangerous alliance. In that case, no one will be able to oppose them unless they suddenly break up for some reason.

"Definitely. It's been several years since he completely took over Fillydelphia and the surrounding territories. Slowly moving west as he is now concentrating to the southeast, to Hoofington."

"Wants to set the stage for relations with southern pre-war Equestria? Wants to be the only trading partner on this side of the Equestrian Wasteland?"

Lilac coughs, and tries to catch his breath.

"For now, I think so. Though he probably doesn't want to be ceremonial about business relations anymore, and has plans to take over the railroad track that goes to Baltimare."

"Does he have the strength to stand up to the center of all trade in the Wasteland?" Ash mutters with skepticism.

The elderly pony's hoofs spread confusedly.

"Who knows... Maybe yes, maybe no. I'm willing to bet all my remaining teeth that both Red Eye and Goddess and the Baltimare Trade Union have a few trumps in store. It's always like this with the big powers... or am I wrong?" she smiles, looking at Ash. "Your Reserve must have its trumps stashed away, too, mustn't it... Guardian?"

Didn't she tell me to keep my mouth shut about their secrets and to keep my nose out of their business? Although... she has every right to behave that way because of her ties to him, while I, an unknown unicorn, should not imitate her insolent behavior.

The Guardian of Reserve rolls his eyes dolefully and shakes his head.

And Lilac's phrase about stashed trump cards has piqued my interest in what's hidden in this sanctuary.

"Don't your scouts and other travelers report everything about the strongest empire in the Wasteland?"

"And they're not the only ones..." Ash mumbles with a sour expression on his face.

"What do you mean?"

"Red Eye has sent his ambassadors or representatives here before. And... he's even thought this move through. He sends his griffons to negotiate."

"Wow... And anyway, how do you feel about having so many griffons working for him?"

"It's hard to say. If the griffons are working for him, it means either he's paying them well or they really think he's a strong chief. Either way... I won't give him my Reserve so easily. Reserve must remain untouched. And..." The light griffon looks absent-mindedly at the nearby tables, his voice becoming quiet, "Most griffons won't let me give up Reserve to a pony, no matter how powerful and influential it may be."

"I see... You don't know what kind of power and capability he has. And the ambassadors may have either exaggerated or left something out. So you don't know what to do in such a situation."

He nods grimly and continues speaking in his usual tone.

"It's a good thing his attention is focused on the southeast now. Oh, and the Enclave has suddenly lost interest in Reserve. All this gives me more time to think."

Was the Enclave showing interest in Reserve? Had the Guardian encountered their soldiers or scouts? Perhaps even fought with them? There really is something interesting about this Reserve, if even the Enclave is curious about what the griffons had discovered in this seemingly ordinary pre-war Reserve.

I should... make every effort to contain my curiosity. My life could be at risk, not to mention the risk of being drawn into a political, civilian, or military conflict. Too much responsibility for my curiosity.

Lilac bursts into another painful cough.

"And you... where are you going?" the griffon asks, noticing her condition. "I doubt you've come just to see the old griffon. And I suspect it has something to do with your cough... I don't like it."

"You're right," she has finished her entire portion and drained the big cup of juice completely. "Soon I'll start spitting out my lungs along with my cough... But it's not likely to come to that. I'll die faster. I've been feeling extremely fucked up for the last few months. The meds aren't working anymore, they're just... relieve my symptoms. But they've run out, too."

Lilac reads out a list of medications, the names of which would break my tongue. The Guardian of Reserve is as perplexed by the names as I am.

"I'm sorry... but we don't have anything like that anywhere near here. Wouldn't simple healing potions help?"

"Healing potions only work on fresh wounds and injuries. Diseases are of a slightly different nature. Potions won't help." She starts coughing so hard that what she eats almost goes back onto the table. "Fuck..." she moans wearily, looking at the bloody stain on her hoof. The griffon's ruby eyes show sympathy and sadness.

"It's that bad..." he adds. "And you want to endure to the end?"

"I have to make it to the West Coast, and then... we'll see."

"If I could help you, I would... you know I would. As long as I'm alive, you're always welcome in Reserve and New Lionheart."

"Yes, I remember... We already took advantage of your hospitality yesterday," she says, at which point I tilt my cup to finish the rest of my berry juice and choke. Ash watches in bewilderment as my cough is as strong as Lilac's painful cough.

Is she out of her mind to talk about it!

"Hunting in my Reserve?" he asks, thoughtfully. "I hope the prey was tasty?"

"Don't tell me... What? Why are you looking at me like that?" Lilac asks, smiling in my direction.

"But you warned me that-"

"I didn't know if Ash Bone was alive by then," she shrugs innocently. "And I didn't want to get your hopes up. In case you would have relaxed and done something stupid."

Oh, boy... Oh, geez... You made me worry for nothing when I was hunting that boar!

I feel an irresistible urge to drown her in a cup of berry juice.

Ash Bone smiles slightly, watching our conversation. Lilac turns to him, returning his serious expression.

"Anyway, you can still help me... I was planning to trade my rifle with a scope for some fuel canisters for my SUV..."

"Not another word," the light gray griffon interrupts her. "You'll get the fuel for free. I'll notify our mechanic."

"Thank you very much..." she nods appreciatively.

A griffon unfamiliar to me approaches Ash Bone and whispers something in his ear. He nods at him and he moves away.

"Well," Ash says and gets up from the table. "Had to run errands. It was nice seeing you again."

His gray paw rests on Lilac's shoulder.

"Likewise," she smiles and coughs. "I guess this is the last time we see each other."

The Guardian's face portrays a grimness and awareness of the inevitable.

"I'll miss the griffon in spirit," he pats her shoulder with his paw, looking into her eyes. She nods appreciatively, her eyes looking as if they are about to tear. The griffon turns around and leaves the restaurant, clearly trying not to stretch out the painful goodbye.

We are alone now. Lilac lowers his head to his empty plate.

"Wait a little longer... I have to..." she says to me.

"I'm not rushing you anywhere."

"Thank you..."

"It's hard to say goodbye to old friends... but are you sure you won't see him again? That you won't come back from the West Coast?"

She lifts her head. Her gaze... Oh... My heart... all my insides... all twists with grief.

"Yeah. I'm sure."

***

The text of the teleportation book is terribly interesting and fascinating, but I can't seem to concentrate on reading it. I can't stop thinking about Lilac. I want to talk to her, which I would do if she weren't immersed in thought. She's asked me to be quiet for a while since we left New Lionheart. She needs to rethink everything.

I'm burning with curiosity!

The book on teleportation closes and I set it aside in the backseat of Bear. Seeing that Lilac is still mentally somewhere far away while managing to avoid the potholes in the road, I turn to the window and watch the moving scenery of the lush vegetation of the Reserve. In the distance, I spot a group of deer fleeing from us.

What events do Lilac and Ash Bone have in common? Ten years later, Ash Bone remembers her special pony, Tumbleweed, well. It's been too long to remember it. There is only one conclusion. They know each other well and had a wonderful time. I distinctly remember the looks of the griffon and Lilac at each other. There is so much nostalgic longing and sadness of parting in them.

One of the reasons I left the audio recordings before I left the Capital Wasteland and then New Vegas was because it was too much of a burden and a pinch to realize during the goodbye that this might be the last time I ever see you.

The engine rumbles deafeningly, emits a few brief pops, and then dies. Lilac irritably taps his hoof against the steering wheel.

"For crying out loud!" she exclaims irritably, gently pulling the car over to the side of the road. "We just left the capital a couple of hours ago!"

Lilac opens the door and climbs out heavily. I get out after her. Together we begin to bring Bear back to life.

"How have you had the patience to use it so far?" I say in amazement as I work my magic on the worn and failed engine mechanisms.

The earth pony stands on its hind legs and leans against the bumper. She watches carefully what I do.

"It was much more stable a couple of years ago..." she turns away and coughs. "Shit... Just like my health, though."

"You're aging in sync," I say.

There's a muffled crack, a sudden uncomfortable pain running through my body. I instinctively bounce off the hood and a gasp bursts out of me, "Ouch, fuck...".

Lilac laughs and says, "Wow, he's snapping at you. Apparently didn't like that you thought he was old."

"Hey! I got fucked up by the magic here," my hoof reaches for the horn. There's a nagging pain in it, and it's hard to think and concentrate on anything.

"It's nothing," she waves her hoof carelessly. "It'll pass."

"Oh... The shock has disrupted my magic..." I rub my horn with my hoof, and shake my head harshly, trying to ward off sluggish and absent-minded thoughts. "Within about a few hours I'll recover."

"Then let's get something to eat. Besides, I'm craving berry juice again," she drops to all four hooves and walks to the cabin door.

"Pour me one too, please," I say and walk over to my front seat.

"The old pony is babysitting the young foal... Maybe I should kiss your horn, too, so you don't get sick."

"That would be nice."

Lilac chuckles in response, and adds: "Such a dignified response deserves a reward."

The sweet murmur of flowing juice reaches my ears. The earth pony holds out a metal cup of berry liquid to me. I clasp it with my front hooves, bring it to my lips, and sip.

"How wonderful it is..." I moan with pleasure. "I keep thinking..."

"Yes?" she turns to me, licking her dried lips.

"What have you two in common? Ash Bone easily shared a few canisters of fuel with you, a weighty bottle of juice... Only a lazy pony wouldn't notice that he owes you an unrequited debt. For something."

I fill my mouth with another batch of juice and swallow it.

"In a nutshell... with our help, he became the Guardian of Reserve."

"Wow..."

"Yeah... Lucky coincidence. You do remember that I researched the Griffon Kingdom, right? Well, I happened to find out that there was one extremely important artifact of their culture that survived."

"It was a powerful artifact?"

"Only from a symbolic standpoint. Griffons value their culture... And this object has existed since time immemorial. Its origins seem to be rooted in some mythological Crystal Empire. Ash Bone, though, doesn't like to bring it up. He thinks it was created by griffons. Personally, I don't care."

A memory comes to mind of when I visited the Homage library. Several of the books there were about this empire.

"I've heard something about that..."

"And it's amazing. Hardly anyone knew of the Crystal Empire before the Great War. Except for historians and archaeologists."

"So what was the artifact?"

"A bunch of crystals in the shape of griffon claws. Something like a necklace."

"How big are the crystals?"

"Life-size of a griffon claw." She coughs, looking at the hoof with the bloodstain. Wipes it on her dark leather and metal plate armor."

"Do you think it really has anything to do with the Crystal Empire?"

"I think I don't care about any of that. And anyway, the pre-war 'historians,'" Lilac pictures air quotes with two hooves, "had a fashion for attributing found crystals to the Crystal Empire. Griffons, zebras, hippogriffs, dragons, yaks... Ash Bone in turn claims it belonged to the first griffon unification in history."

"There were second unions?"

"You've seen what predators they are... Individualists. It's amazing that they were able to unite into an entire kingdom at all. Anyway, yes. Seventeen clans united for the first time. Each clan carved a copy of their leader's claw from a crystal. This... necklace was passed on to the king. It lasted... it didn't last long, and the kingdom fell apart and the necklace was temporarily lost. Griffons were united again for other reasons."

"And... what role did this necklace of crystal claws play in Ash's fate?

"He drew attention to himself, gained respect and power, and then arranged for change."

I involuntarily whistle in amazement. With this historical artifact, Ash Bone soared high up the hierarchy. A symbol of power and respect. A symbol so powerful that it helped him make a change in Reserve... Speaking of which.

"What change?"

Lilac breaks out in another cough that lasts about a minute. She's so torn up her throat that she drinks several cups of berry juice.

"I'm so sick of this... Where did I end up?"

"On the question of the change in Reserve."

"Oh, right... For over a hundred years, ponies have only come to Reserve as trophies or meat. Because of the Enclave, who sneakily inserted a dagger into their wings, they hated all ponies. Since then, griffons don't trust ponies. Nor to anyone other than their own kind. Over the years, of course, that anger has subsided. The most sympathetic to the ponies has been... Ash Bone."

"How did you meet him?"

The older pony bares her ruined teeth and smiles strangely.

"Me and Tumbleweed decided to hunt in Reserve..."

I stare at her smile for a long moment and unable to hold back my hysterical laughter.

"Yes..." she nods. "Considering what you and I did yesterday... I can understand your reaction. Anyway, Tumbleweed and I got spotted by a passing Reserve griffon... We were incredibly lucky. If it hadn't been Ash Bone, we would have been butchered by now."

"Holy fuck... And I thought I was the only one who could behave this way."

"Luck goes with everyone, you just can't always see the result of its effects. For instance, the information about that crystal griffon claw necklace came in handy eight years after I found out about it. We got to talking. Ash liked me. Tumbleweed was naturally jealous of me..."

Cartographer sinks into her memories. A wistful smile forms on her lips... which immediately disappears in another coughing fit.

"How my lungs hurt... I'd be happy to have a griffon rip them to shreds!" she wheezes. "Well... is your magic back yet?"

I try to use telekinesis. And I manage to lift the empty metal cup, but with difficulty. I can hold it for a minute, and then I lose control.

"That's enough," I say. "Enough to have time to do anything with the tools."

"Learn to work with your mouth, not your horn," she says after me as I get out of the SUV.

"That sounds extremely controversial..." I throw as I close the door.

"I know."

I laugh, leaning toward the engine.

***

The 14th of the Month of Bread, Violetday. Twenty-third day of my stay.

The fire crackles in the campfire. I sit close to it, feeling its relieving warmth in the midst of the evening chill surrounding me. The quiet rustle of sparse bushes and lone trees nearby. The farther away we get from New Lionheart, the less vegetation there is around us.

We pulled off as far from the road as possible so that the light of the fire would not particularly attract travelers. No one drives toward Vanhoover, though. There are no settlements along the way. Soon there will be open and bare land.

Lilac lies across from me. She's had a meal of roasted foxes, washed down with berry juice. Wrapped in several layers of blankets, her gaze fixed on the dark cloudy sky.

"How often," I begin, "have you seen a clear sky, without clouds?"

"In the Griffon Kingdom it was often cloudless," she utters with difficulty. It's getting harder and harder for her to talk. When she is silent, I can hear her hoarse breathing.

"A delightful sight, it must be..."

"Well, and along the East and West Coast, above the water, you can see a cloudless sky." She coughs loudly, covering her mouth with her hoof. "And you? How often have you seen it?"

"I grew up in Stable, just south of here. South of Rainport." It's the biggest southern city in Equestria, according to the map. I saw the sky when I was barely eighteen.

"What did it feel like when you saw it?"

"It was..." I lift my eyes to the dark sky, trying to remember my first sensations. "Dizzying. The endless gray ceiling."

Lilac laughs, then coughs.

"Discord fuck you... I have to be careful how I laugh. Was it hard to get used to?"

"Avoided looking into that abyss for the first two months, and then it's... Yeah. I got used to it. And learned to admire it. "

"You've lived your whole life underground... So why did you leave?"

"I had to leave. The Overstallion hated me."

"For what kind of mischief?"

I feel myself smiling. I did get naughty once... But I ran away during the general confusion in the Vault.

"My father left, causing chaos among the residents. I went right after him."

"I hope he had a good reason. What about your mother?"

"Died in childbirth. I never knew her."

"I didn't know either of my parents. Both were caravan merchants. Died before I even uttered my first word, which also ended up being my first swear word."

My lips stretch into a chuckle.

"My aunt was looking out for me. You were raised by your father, I take it. Did you find him in the Wasteland?"

"Yes..." I sigh, seeing his dying face before me behind the armored glass in the Project Purity facility. "He died for his cause just before I found him."

"Sorry to hear... I admire ponies like him. He had a goal. A core that he held on to until the very end. What about you? What's your goal? You've come so far..."

A question I've been asking myself for nine years now. There have been a variety of answers in different periods of travel. Among the answers, the closest seems to be wandering the Wasteland.

"Ever since my father passed away... and I helped complete his life's work... Anyway, I just wander. Sometimes I do a bit of courier work. It's both useful and satisfying. I want to see the world I live in. Find out what's in it. What's interesting about it and how to make it better."

"How I understand you..." she begins to cough painfully. She quiets, and continues. "The diversity of this world inspires me and fills me with... meaning. I, too, have tried to be of service to the ponies of the Wasteland. Studying and describing the area and succeeding in it. Hoping that others would see... some use or benefit in the territory I saw. A useful resource, an area to establish a settlement or something... Have you seen much?"

Images from the past rush over me from her question. What scenery have I seen!

"Quite enough, but there are a lot of places that are still interesting to me."

"Vanhoover?"

"Yes... I learned that there is Project Dome near that town. A pre-war secret facility. A science center that holds the knowledge, blueprints, and technology of the pre-war world."

"Wow... If I were younger, I would have gone in search of it, too. A place where the pre-war knowledge that managed to be preserved is preserved. It's amazing. But why are you looking for it?"

"I'm looking for..."

Well, I can't tell her that I am looking for an opportunity to return to my parallel world. She wouldn't believe me anyway, on the other hand, her knowledge of the world at the end of her life would be enriched... No, she wouldn't believe me. Besides, it would take a long time to explain.

"I'm looking to teleport long distances... so it's easier to travel and not have to fix every two hours pre-war junk."

I stare at the imposing hull of brown, bear-like color. The cartographer smiles understandingly.

"Speaking of which..." I continue. "Have you come across any research centers that study the question of distant teleportation?"

Lilac Journey's face painfully crinkles. She covers her mouth and coughs.

"Unfortunately, no... Is there any particular end goal in wandering?" she asks in a barely audible voice, turning to me. "Now your question sounded as if you had a purpose."

"Well... In a way, yes. Looking for my place in life. For starters, I want to see all the possibilities this world has to offer. To see its inhabitants, to socialize... form an understanding of the harsh world I find myself in. To reflect on seeing the ruins of large cities, abandoned villages..."

"How did you feel when you saw the ruins of the cities of Equestria, like Rainport, Fillydelphia?"

I didn't see them, but the ruins are the same everywhere.

"Some kind of... longing? An oppressive feeling of loneliness... It's hard to explain. It's even a little hurtful, what a wonderful world we've lost."

Lilac's eyes glisten with the fire they stare at.

"The ruins remind me of how temporary happiness is. That the world is short-lived. And how easily everything can disappear. We rarely realize the happiness we have. After a loss..." her eyes go straight up to me, "all that remains is to keep the memories and the emotions experienced. Be happy that we're lucky enough to have happiness."

The corners of her lips lift. I blink as I feel myself gawking at the lilac pony wrapped in blankets. My mouth falls open. I have nothing to add to her words.

"Well said... If you think about it, when I look at the lifeless ruins, I sometimes wish I could turn back time and see the true beauty of the old world."

"You can... The memory orbs will help you."

The memory orb of a shopkeeper who had a new employee coming in for a job... But those memories of the room, there was hardly anything to be seen outside the window. And at the same time...

"I want to see everything with my own eyes... to feel the presence in your body."

"Just in time... you showed up in my life just as it was about to end." She turns back on her back. "How nice to talk to someone who shares the same experiences and feelings as I do. I'd forgotten what it was like..."

"Tumbleweed?"

She coughs, and is silent for about a minute. Apparently gathering her thoughts.

"Yeah... We understood each other, we had a common passion."

"To explore the dangerous territories of the Griffon Kingdom?"

Lilac nods with a nostalgic smile.

I toss more twigs into the fire, and it begins to crackle more intensely.

"How are the ruins of that kingdom different from the ones here?" I ask, adjusting the branches in the fire.

"Nothing. Same ruins. Same radiation. Mutants and shit. The place is a lot more... desolate than our Wasteland. Thanks to the Enclave, who drained it of everything they could."

"So why were you drawn there?"

"There were some differences, though. A different culture... and you always wanted something different. Not many ponies had seen it. Griffon culture seemed... special." No wonder why she felt confident in the company of griffons. "And dangerous. On the Sapphire Sea, near the coast, you could hear distant cries, see flashes of light over the water near the horizon."

"What was going on there?"

"Tumbleweed and I jokingly called it the Sea of Giants."

"Creepy name..."

"Exactly. I don't know what happened in that part of the sea, but after the balefire megaspells fell there, huge sea monsters emerged from somewhere. They're fighting fierce battles with dragons over that territory."

"Dragons?" I wonder.

So what she's saying is that dragons have some worthy competitors in that world? Holy shit...

"Yeah. The neighboring continent is closest to the territory of the Griffon Kingdom after all, and to the south of there, somewhere in the middle of the sea that separates the two continents, is Lava Island. It, too, is inhabited by dragons."

"What is it about that part of the Sapphire Sea? Why are they there? Why aren't they scattered all over the planet?"

"I've heard of some obscure magical activity, weather anomalies, and just anomalies that attract both dragons and monsters. Like light attracts moths. An extremely dangerous area. Stay away from that part of the sea."

Her tone is completely serious. She doesn't seem to be exaggerating. If she's so gloomy about what's going on... I'd really better stay out of there. I'd better curb my curiosity and shove it deep into my mind. A frightening cold wave runs through my body. I feel chilly.

"Creepy..." I utter. Huge creatures fighting each other in the water... There are no such huge and dangerous creatures in the human world. Except in science fiction movies. Watcher mentioned huge creatures in the northern Sapphire Sea recently, too. I don't want to think about it. Better change the subject. "Do you miss those times?"

"I hope the question is rhetorical..." She coughs painfully. "Otherwise it's a ridiculous question. Of course it is. We've seen so many things... and, most importantly, together. The sight of the lifeless ruins beside him didn't make me feel alone in this big world. We shared our impressions, our thoughts about the beauties and curiosities we saw. Those were the best times. I'd love to relive it all again with him... if only I could."

Tongues of flame frolic before my eyes. Lilac continues to stare up at the sky.

"I long for his loving embrace, for his gentle touches and caresses, for the warmth of his body... his smile as he watches the sunrise."

Sunrise...

"You once mentioned in a conversation with Ash Bone... that your special pony has been watching the sunrise for seven years. Griffon figured it out... and I not. What does that mean?"

Lilac is silent for a while. She suddenly lets out a heavy, prolonged and painful sigh.

"He loved to watch the sunrise. To watch that mighty luminary rise over the sea. How its morning light reflected brightly on the water... Just as he wanted, I left his body on the East Coast under the open sky, facing the sea..."

Lilac closes his eyes. I can feel my eyes stinging, a lump rolling up to my throat. My heart is aching at her words.

"He hasn't missed a single sunrise since."

***

The 16th of the Month of Bread, Orangeday. Twenty-fifth day of my stay.

My brain is boiling with books on teleportation and the magical barrier. Lilac is driving the transport, and I'm making the most of the learning opportunity I've been given while we're on the road. The engine has stalled... thirteen times in the three days since we left New Lionheart. I already hated it. At one point, in a fit of anger, I slammed a heavy crescent wrench into it, and Lilac kicked me in the croup with her hoof.

The rest of the time I kept my cool... thanks to Lilac's stories from my past. Like how she'd gone with Ash and Tumbleweed to get that crystal necklace. I naturally voiced little episodes from my life. Without any details or names, so as not to arouse suspicion. She was interested in listening to me, and I had to wiggle out of her counter-questions about where exactly this had happened.

She loves travel as much as I do... Talking to her is a pleasure. Too bad her health is getting worse and worse by the hour.

Bear pulls off to the side of the road, he leans over and prepares to roll over.

"Shit..." I utter in horror, magically grabbing the steering wheel and trying to level the car. "Lilac?"

"Oh..." she moans, clutching her chest. And she pushes on the brakes with her back foot. "I..."

"Yeah, I can see you're not feeling well. For the umpteenth time. Let me finally get behind the wheel already."

"I can still..." she coughs. The car has come to a complete stop.

"No, you can't... come on, sit in my seat and rest. The more you overexert yourself, the worse your coughing gets."

"It's okay, I can handle it."

I shake my head, open the door, and make my way outside toward the raging cold wind, which is aided by the open and bare terrain. There are no trees or bushes. Mountains with snow caps are visible in the distance. Emptiness.

How tiny we are against this background.... Nothing living. Just me and Lilac.

Opening the driver's door, my magic envelops the elderly pony and moves her to the passenger seat. I get behind the wheel and hit the accelerator. We drive on. Lilac has already shown me on the maps where to go to Vanhoover. There won't be a problem with that.

"Just rest. "

"Ok-kay..." she utters with a sense of submission, barely turning around in her seat. Her face contorts into a grimace of pain, she clutches her chest and coughs.

It's hard to watch her agony. It's only harder when I realize there's nothing I can do to help her.

Her eyes are closed and her breathing is hoarse and slow.

"Don't be silent..." she moans. She speaks slowly and carefully so as not to cause a painful coughing fit. "Tell me something."

"About what?"

"About your special pony... Have you ever been in love?"

"Yes..." I answer.

My hooves gripping the steering wheel harder.

I don't feel like talking to others about it. I don't like it. There's a bitterness in my throat, and my heart aches with pain. Besides, I'm starting to feel jealous of the long love that Lilac had.

I don't know why, but I can't keep quiet. I can't say no to someone who's in such a... painful condition.

"Оh... that's good... What was she like?"

"Wonderful."

On Lilac's lips I notice a smile.

"Flattering... So she's not nothing to you. But I want to know more... what do you see in her?"

I close my eyes and try to imagine Brisa. My heart shrinks with the guilt that comes over me. All I see is her blood on my hands.

No, focus... Think of the good. Ignore the bad.

"Her curiosity... She was as curious as I am. We often discussed with each other what we learned. Our view of the world was formed almost... in sync. We had the same books. Although she liked reading more, I liked digging into technology more."

"She... went to the Wasteland with you?"

"Yeah... But it would have been better if she'd stayed safe underground. Would have stayed alive."

"A life can be cut short at any moment," Lilac says and coughs heavily and loudly.

Her words arise in my head, 'The ruins remind me of how temporary happiness is. That the world is short-lived. And how easily everything can disappear'.

"Yes..."

"Couldn't stand up for yourself?"

I can't hold back a smile.

"She could... And how! Energy-magic weapons... Explosive... She wouldn't leave a wet spot on whoever hurt me."

Lilac laughs, and coughs painfully.

"That's it... stop making me laugh... Otherwise, you'll see my disgusting lungs on the safety shutters."

"Okay... I won't. Anyway, she was smart and capable. The medical skills were top notch. I always found her interesting to talk to. And even her sense of humor wasn't bad..."

"Don't bring up her jokes..." Lilac warns cautiously. "What else can you tell besides her humor?"

"Well..."

***

The 18th of the Month of Bread, Greenday. Twenty-seventh day of my stay.

For the first time in two days I see something besides rocks, bare earth, and snow-covered mountains ahead.

A railroad station, and beyond it an abandoned little town through which the railroad runs. It comes from the south, and after the station it turns west and heads toward Vanhoover. If anyone turns south, they can reach the ruins of Hoofland.

No plaques, no name tags. Nothing.

There are muffled noises... which has already become annoying to me. I press harder with my hooves on the steering wheel, take a deep breath and exhale. Inhale... Exhaling...

I calmly stop this four-wheeler joke on the side of one of the brick houses. Lilac is dozing. I can clearly hear her anguished and hoarse breathing.

The door opens and I climb out. My cloak flutters in the piercing wind. In the distance I hear the dreary creaking of some metal structure. And no more distinctive sounds.

I've been sitting my muscles out too much lately. I'm going to take a look around. It's good to get moving.

The railway platform and the train station building have almost collapsed. Everything inside is littered with paper trash, covered with dust and dirt.

I look around house by house, hoping to find something of value or interest. The high winds have weathered the brick houses, each one has collapsed roofs and some haven't entire parts of the walls. It is dangerous to stay here.

After exploring about half a dozen houses, I stumble upon another house, where I discover a hidden safe behind a shabby cabinet. I feel a rush of joy at finding it.

I don't waste a minute and go and play with the lock. There are no particular obstacles.

There's a lot to see inside: office papers with a lot of intricate mathematical calculations that are difficult even for me, and a small box containing a box.

Careful, Daniel... don't forget what happened to you when you grabbed that memory orb. Anything can be a magic trap.

I roll up some sheets of paper into a tube and gently poke the box-case with them. Nothing strange happens. After poking it a few more times, I gently pick it up with magic and bring it to me.

The box is made of mahogany, with an inscription engraved in gold, 'Memories'. With the tension of anticipation of danger, I open the box. Inside I find a photo album of the couple, signed as 'Eric and Mindy'. The photos depict the happy unicorn couple. Every weighty event of their happy life, in their opinion, is pasted here. The joyful smiles put a smile on my own face.

As I leaf through the photo album, I come to the conclusion that they have only been together a few years: young passion and sparks of happiness are read on their faces like black text on white paper.

I set the photo album aside and look at the rest of the contents of the box. There's still that memory orb, and a folded note next to it. I'm not sure if I should look in the memory orb again, but the note is worth reading. At least I'll know what to expect. The second memory orb on my mind.

After weighing the pros and cons, I finally decide to look into it. But I'm already inside Bear. I confine myself to a note for now.

Mindy

She's gone. The day I came home from work, I found the police outside my house. They told me the worst thing I'd ever heard in my life: my wife had been the victim of a robbery, murdered. It's hard to describe in words the storm of emotions I felt. I realize now that in the first moments I was overwhelmed by disbelief, followed by fear and growing anxiety, and last and least, after I saw her dead body, in that moment it seemed to me that everything around me disappeared. My whole life was cut short in an instant. The body was cold and motionless, like ice on a shoal. That horrible picture is still in my mind. It took me a few hours to become fully aware of what had happened, until then everything seemed like a brutal nightmare; that night was an eternity to me.

The police questioned me about what was valuable in my house, what the burglars might have taken. I didn't care, I wasn't listening, I was in a kind of trance, standing with a blank stare at our house. Tears streamed down my cheeks, and my heart ached. I felt like I was suffocating. I could still feel the echo of those emotions.

After a while, however, I complied with the policemen's request and checked my house. Without any interest I looked at the mess the burglars had made, but the things had not disappeared from the house, just lay haphazardly all over the place. They all escaped my consciousness, but they reminded me clearly of my beloved's and me's past. Everything in this house reminded me of her. Memories came flooding back to me. I cried. My legs buckled. I fell. I fell asleep. Before that, the police tried to help me.

Woke up in the morning on my bed. Apparently someone had put me there before they could bring me to my senses. There was a policepony on duty outside my house. Maybe she was the one who put me in my bed then. I don't know. I didn't care. In the morning it took me a while to realize what had happened yesterday. At first it seemed like a nightmare, but then it all came back. The robbery. Mindy. Death. The emptiness. The pain in my chest. The tears came again. It took me a while to come to my senses and answer the policemare's questions. At one point I couldn't stand it anymore and yelled at her for being pushy. She took it calmly, even with sadness and sympathy for me.

Eventually I answered her questions and let her know that nothing had been stolen. Almost. The robbers had only stolen Mindy from me. My ray of sunshine. My will to live. A week had passed since then. During that time, I buried my beloved.

The robbers. They hadn't stolen anything, and they would be harder to trace, I was told. I didn't take it properly then. Mindy was gone, which meant the other thing didn't matter anymore. I was hardly ever at home, sleeping at the train station, and when I was awake, I walked the streets of the town, sometimes leaving its boundaries. I am not fully aware of these actions, maybe I was subconsciously looking for a reason to live, maybe I was looking for my death, maybe I wanted to be away from home and painful memories, or maybe all at once.

I decided to move, to find a new job. Without Mindy, the house where I'm writing this now has no meaning to me, it hurts to be in it, my heart constantly clenches as I look at its walls and furniture. The burglars desecrated it. Yes. Robbers. I have a new purpose. I will find them. It doesn't matter what their goals are. No matter how, I will find these bastards and put them on trial. I will be the judge of this trial. This is where I will leave this note and the memory before that fateful day. It would not be right to consign to oblivion someone I loved here.

Mindy, as soon as I finish my business here, we'll meet again. I love you, my little ray.

Eric Frost

Such vivid details... my heart aches with my own memories. I know what it feels like to lose a loved one. Everything loses all meaning in that moment. It doesn't seem worth living anymore.

Eric has found his new purpose in life: revenge. As for me... and Brisa... I had no one to take revenge on. The blame lies entirely with me.

***

With a depressed feeling, I go back to Lilac. She's still dozing.

I look at the glowing ball that I clasp in my hooves. I do it now, so I don't ruin it for myself later.

I'm already in the body of a unicorn, Eric's body. He's filling out some important paperwork—routine, that's all. After a few minutes, he gets tired, judging by his heavy sighs, and goes to bed, heading to his bedroom. There waiting for him was Mindy in her translucent night sleep pajamas. Alive. The loving pony of the lucky stud he's about to lose.

They quickly move on to lovemaking. With her sexy clothes and attitude, she raises the vigor in the work-weary stallion, as if to transfer her energy to him. That's a little too personal. I shouldn't have looked into it. It's all wrong, but I can't interrupt the memory.

I see and feel everything Eric does. It feels good... it feels damn good. It's hard to resist feeling someone else's sensations. Especially something so wonderful. There's a conflict... between how I feel about them and what I'm experiencing through Eric right now. Mindy's fur smells pleasantly of some sweetness, and her mane is a gentle and unobtrusive perfume.

Eric, forgive me for the intrusion... I hope you would forgive me if you were alive.

Abstracting from that knowledge of their fate, I try to take it from the perspective of an experimenter or scientific observer. Absorbing information like Eric absorbed Mindy's juices... For crying out loud. It's hard to concentrate when I have these kinds of views in front of me and the body chemistry is not my own. Hence as much as I think otherwise, I am not disgusted. I am only subject to the awareness of what's going on.

So... Having taken information from what is happening, I confirm my guess that there are no unusual body movements in pony copulation, only the lack of dexterous fingers, which can give me more pleasure than hooves. Though hooves can deliver something, too; and Eric was also adept at sticking his two... horns in. I did not think it was possible to do that with them.

Now I understand what other advantage the horn brings, not just to the owner himself: unicorns will always have one of their horns standing up, always going to be hard. An invaluable advantage in the magical and... unicorns' bedroom life. But still, I have to be careful with the horn: an unnecessary or sudden movement and a pleasant pastime suddenly turns into a painful one. Although some people like that, too.

I'm also learning new positions for... horn fencing and now my arsenal is being enriched with a few more interesting positions to... attack. The more stance choices, the more likely the target is to... suffer a crushing defeat.

When this action ends, I am thrown out of the beautiful memories into reality, leaving only the arousal of what I have seen and felt. But it fades away almost immediately as the realization of what fate awaited this couple... or rather, one of them. I think Eric left this memory for his house to always remember those who lived here... and for others, if they find what happiness he once had.

To have happiness and to lose... like me, like Lilac....

Lilac continues to take a nap. I let her continue to sleep. At least in her sleep she is free from the painful and agonizing cough.

I return the memory orb to Eric's house, and then bring the old and crumbling Bear to its senses.

I close the dented brown hood. And I look around. It's too dark. I can't even see the house we stopped at unless I look at it with the flashlight on my helmet on.

I don't see the point of driving in the dark, and the headlights might attract attention, but at the same time I don't want to sleep.

A thought occurs to me as to how I can make me sleepy. I take out a book on the magic barrier and start reading...

The time flies by. Tomorrow morning I'll practice.

***

The 19th of the Month of Bread, Cyanday. Twenty-eighth day of my stay.

The seventh day on the road to Vanhoover. By Lilac's estimates we should have made it by now, but frequent breakdowns and long repairs have taken too much time.

I'm also practicing my magic, which also contributes to procrastination.

A shimmering blue barrier surrounds me completely. Even if only for a short time, ten seconds, it's still an achievement!

I jump for joy.

Lilac is already awake and watching me by then. She reacts to my jubilation with a smile. And once again she expresses her envy of the unicorns' abilities to me.

After a good breakfast, we hit the road.

After an hour the engine has stalled again, but there is a positive moment. We have stalled in a wide gorge. According to the landmarks we are on the border of the Vanhoover region. Has we really reached it?

High mountain ranges loomed on my sides, and other mountain ranges could be seen ahead. Old prewar maps show that the Vanhoover region is surrounded like a bowl by a high string of mountains. Inside, the mountain ranges are also lofty, but not as high. The mountains are covered with a thick layer of snow on top, and groups of spruces with dark green needles can be seen on the plains.

Not far away is the same railroad that comes from Hoofland.

"There, done..." I mutter unknowingly and close the hood. "We can move out."

I hear some approaching noise. I strain my ears. It sounds like the noise of a car.

In a flash I scramble into the cabin and pull out my sniper rifle.

"What's wrong?" Lilac asks in a heavy voice.

"Someone's coming toward us."

I pick a higher position and get my rifle ready to fire as the distant rumble of impact and collision is heard.

Someone has crashed?

I wait about five minutes, but nothing happens. No one appears behind the rocks and hills ahead.

"What on earth is that?" I mutter, and walk back to Bear with my rifle.

"What's out there?"

"I don't know. Someone crashed. Let's get closer to that hill."

When I get to the right point, I go out with my rifle to check the surroundings. Behind the tall dark green spruces I see the car upside down and mangled from several rollovers. A bear is fussing near it. He's... eating the body of a pony.

Maybe that pony crashed because the bear suddenly jumped out at it. It doesn't matter if the pony survived the collision, it has already become the happy bear's lunch anyway. No one else in the vicinity is in sight.

I pull the magazine out of the rifle, load it with expanding bullet, and put the magazine back in. I take aim.

Sorry, bear.

The bear's head is partially torn from such a powerful shot. Its body, covered in brown fur, falls heavily to the ground.

I make my way down to the crash site.

The dead pony's head is already nibbled on, but that doesn't stop me from seeing that he is a unicorn. At least he was. Poor guy. He's wearing black battle armor with a symbol on his shoulders depicting a pony skull with a crown.

The car is a grayish hue. Even after the crash, I can see that its engine and other mechanisms are impressive in their newness and quality. The body is badly dented, trashed, and everything inside the interior is upside down, like in the Lucky 38 after my birthday party.

A brutal crash. No matter how good this car is, it won't go anywhere.

The crates contain supplies and large-caliber ammunition almost as big as my rifle. And without much searching, I discover the weapon to which they apply. It is a sniper rifle with a long barrel in near perfect condition, with a silencer, and a powerful scope. The rifle itself is painted a matte navy blue with black designs that resemble the outlines of the wind. It was definitely made to order—Whispering Night. The name was engraved in white letters under the handle... or whatever it is in this world.

It's beautiful... That's art. It should be in a museum.

Among the other things I find is a detachable, shortened barrel with a laser sight attached underneath. It's the same shade and pattern as Whispering Night.

Figuring out what's what, I try to detach the long barrel from this rifle. It disconnects, which now gives me an easy way to install the short barrel. I remove the silencer from the long barrel and attach it to this one. The weapon now looks like a carbine with a sniper sight, which can also be easily removed if it becomes unnecessary, putting instead, for example, a laser sight, which is also here.

The weapon has a high rate of fire, as for a sniper rifle, but not high enough as for a regular carbine. Whispering Night is light, comfortable, pleasant to fire, and with little recoil.

That's it. I have to admit it. I can no longer contain my emotions. It is unequivocally love at first sight.

In the resulting mess I also pull out: three hundred bottle caps, an obscure gold-colored metal card with the name 'Blackwater' and a black image of a pony skull with a crown, binoculars, medical supplies, a large-caliber silenced pistol and its ammunition, geographic prewar maps, several StealthBucks...

A car with such good contents under the hood... expensive and rare equipment. A gold wave is beating from everywhere in this scout—affluent and rich beyond belief. At least he used to be.

Before I get bored of rummaging through the mess, I find a note.

Blackwater, your main assignment is to investigate the changes in the Wasteland outside the Vanhoover region over the past two decades. Hoofland and its environs are an exception: we already know what's going on there. Explore nearby regions. The farther away from Vanhoover, the fewer details you can gather. The Prince has high hopes for you.

The Prince's lieutenant, Redstone.

The Prince? Lieutenant Redstone? Curious... Contrary to the mythical tales of Hoofland, there's a lot of life going on here, and it's a lot, judging by such a well-off scout. Funny that Hoofland is mentioned in the note as an exception. People go to Vanhoover from there, after all. But why don't many return? Perhaps life in Vanhoover seems much more appealing in comparison to religious groups in Hoofland?

With a smile at the thought, I walk back to Bear. I have no more desire to go through the rest of the stuff.

"Tell me..." Lilac says hoarsely as I start the engine. He groans longingly, but eventually starts. "I'm curious..."

"Some rich scout crashed his car. Even in wrecked condition, his engine looks better than ours," I chuckle. "So, as you can see, life is booming in Vanhoover."

Lilac coughs painfully.

"I wish... in this condition, I... won't be able to enjoy its streets."

Her words make my chest ache.

***

Spruce forests accompany us on our way to Vanhoover. I can't get enough of their beauty. For days on end we see only bare and desolate land. Such variety is a visual delight.

"It's beautiful here..." Lilac says with a groan, turning to his window.

"Yes... And this air, saturated with the smell of spruce trees... It's wonderful."

"I can't talk about it... the illness prevents me from enjoying it."

The feeling of beauty gives way to sadness... It's getting kind of uncomfortable that I can experience something she can't.

The SUV shakes slightly from the pothole in the pavement.

I look only forward. I don't know what to say. I feel a kind of heaviness on my soul. To my right I hear a barely audible rustle over the hum of the engine. Lilac, in her dark armor, turned in my direction.

"I thought of your lost love so early..." she says and coughs hoarsely. Even the sound of her coughing painfully cuts my hearing.

My hooves grasp the steering wheel harder and my ears strain in anticipation of what she will say.

"With Tumbleweed gone... it seems like I lost everything. Life ceased to interest me. I left his body out in the open on the beach. For months on end, I couldn't get enough of crying. The pain of loss was too much, no matter how I prepared for it. We both knew it was coming... but... as it turned out, it was more complicated than that."

"You... you remember him so easily now."

"Time heals, but I've come to the conclusion..." a rough, throat-cutting cough begins to emanate from her. "Oh... how hard... See... Aging is an extremely unpleasant, excruciating... unbearable... luxury."

I turn to her. A tired smile is visible on her lips.

"Why are you surprised?"

I can't explain my surprise to her. I don't recall anyone talking about old age that way.

"I don't know..."

"I do... You're still young and you don't understand it. In the Wasteland, it's rare for anyone to live to the age I did. Radiation, disease, raiders and thieves... Old age is a luxury in the Wasteland. Most foals don't even live to be ten years old. They don't have time to learn the love of a special pony. And those that do become adults, in most cases, have not learned genuine love and care."

I'm beginning to guess where she's going with this.

"Yes, the pain of loss is unbearable, but... I'm still one of the happiest ponies in the world. I've spent my whole life doing what I love, enjoying it unforgettably... I've seen some amazing sights. And also... I've lived it all with the pony I love. I lived with him to a ripe old age. I've lived a rich and bright life."

"I don't remember a time... that anyone's life in the Wasteland being so fortunate."

"Exactly... that realization dulled my pain. Yes, it was depressing, but I always reminded myself of that. That's how I was able to learn to remember only the good things. His embrace... his warmth... his smile... To appreciate the fact that I had such happiness. You, too, had the happiness of love. Even if for a short time, you still had something that the vast majority did not experience."

I can feel the moisture in my eyes. My lips are tightly pressed together.

"Happiness, like the world, is short-lived anyway. Keep what you have now... and even after the loss, continue to rejoice in the happiness you had. Keep the emotions experienced in the course of that happiness. Whether it's being with someone you're madly in love with, but you can't be together. Remember and keep how much fun and interesting you had with them. Keep the fact that you were lucky enough to cross paths with them and that they evoked pleasant and loving feelings in you. Keep your laughter with them. Keep the joyful emotions. Keep the way you felt about Brisa... and the fact that your feelings were mutual."

My throat feels like it's being squeezed with dry bitterness and painful longing. My mouth is all dry.

"I was lucky to meet you near the end of my life," she coughs. "When I set out for the West Coast, I didn't expect to meet a fellow traveler like you. A pleasant and interesting companion, a kind pony with a sense of humor... who shares the same wanderlust. So... it's nice to know that at the end of my life, good fortune threw you my way. The old pony had someone to talk to before she died. Yes, I wanted that, that's why I took you with me, but I didn't expect it to turn out so wonderfully. I appreciate and keep that..."

"And I appreciate and will keep it..."

A tear rolls down my cheeks.

"Oh... I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you."

"Don't worry, you're not responsible for my emotions."

"But still... I feel guilty."

"Think of it as tears of joy," I smile wearily. "How I wish I could help you... It makes me sick with powerlessness."

"You can help me with something," she replies after a short silence.

She coughs hoarsely.

"Anything I can do," I say.

"I'm afraid I might not make it to the coast. And... I even forgot to tell you why I was going there... talking to you is too nice. Remember how my Tumbleweed loved to watch the sun rise over the sea?"

"Yeah..."

"And I loved watching the sunset over the water..."

"Oh..." my heart begins to whine at the realization of her last wish.

"If I don't get there in time... You just don't blame yourself then. Leave me out in the open... Turning me to the sun, as I left Tumbleweed."

"I... it seemed to me that lovers wanted to be together after death."

"No... We have no interest in such a cliché." Even now, in this state, she keeps joking. Enjoying life to the fullest. "We've lived our whole lives together anyway, we've respected each other's interests," she adds. "But watching the sunrise and sunset over the water was something we rarely got to do."

"Okay... I promise. I'll die, but I'll do what you ask."

For the first time in the last few days of suffering, Lilac smiles broadly. Her smile radiates gratitude.

"What shall I do with your things? Bear... your maps and notes..."

"As you... want... Bear is already on its last breath as it is. And the notes... they're obsolete now. All the information in varying amounts is known to others. Those notes only mattered to me."

"Well, then, I'll leave that box with you... After all, it was your life's work."

Lilac Journey coughs painfully. Her throat is tearing up from coughing so rough and slashing.

"As long as there's a chance. You are the best thing that has happened to me since Tumbleweed. I have no words to express my gratitude... if I could, I would hug you."

I can't resist that urge. I just can't.

The blue magic of my telekinesis keeps my concentration on the steering wheel and pedals while I lean to Lilac and hold her tightly in my embrace.