San Palomino Desert

Day 8

After all the shit Sharpshot has given me since I met him, he finally got his comeuppance. The only unfortunate thing about it was the fact I wasn’t the one responsible.

It started with a simple observation that I made, watching the flow of water as we walked along the river’s edge. I had noticed something within its depths as we traveled, though what it was I’m not quite certain. I had some ideas, for sure, and one a lot more realistic than most of the others, but it seemed absurd. After all, there was certainly no way they had survived if so many other forms of life didn’t too.

Except, as Willow joined me, I found it that they had.

“Hi little fishies!” She said, craning her neck down right above the waterline. The act immediately scared them off. “Wait, no, come back!”

Fish. Actual, living fish. To say I was surprised would be an understatement, not just at the fact that normal, non-mutated fish were still alive but because it wasn’t attacking us. I had long believed everything in the wasteland to be hostile or predatory, from the very ponies around me to the damn scorpions that crawl on you in your sleep. The idea of an animal being afraid of me was a new concept.

That mindset was the result of how drastically the world has changed since the last day. Balefire and other megaspells killed a lot more than just ponies. No doubt the ecosystem was damaged so greatly that the natural order of the animal kingdom had undergone some changes. That, along with mutation via magical radiation, led to evolution of species in manners both large and small. It would explain why Gemini had canines, and therefore far closer to an omnivore than the rest of us ponies around her.

Not that ponies couldn’t eat meat before. The genes for those canines to exist must have been something we were capable of all along, despite our origins as a prey species.

“Must admit, surprised to see them unaffected by… everything!” I said, motioning to the horizon. Something about saying out loud got my brain thinking. “Unless… maybe they haven’t?”

“Pegasus using brain today, I see.” Gold replied. I met his smug look with a stern one, but it didn’t do anything. “Recovering from scorpion scare?”

“I have recovered just fine, thank you very much,” I replied, lifting my head and getting a little sterner in my expression.

Sharpshot shoved me from the side in a more playful manner than I was use to from him. “Sure, soldier mare. Sure.”

I made sure to give him a quick glare before focusing my attention back on the griffon. He lowered his non-artificial arm and talons towards the water, allowing them to glide on the surface. The ripples were small as the current wasn’t incredibly strong, but it was there. I looked down at my power armor-covered hoof, and then to the water once again. I batted the edge of the river, watching the ripples in fascination. I did that a few more times, if only to satisfy some strange, neurodivergent desire that I had never known before.

“The water is nowhere near as heavily radiated here as back east. A single dip in can tell you that,” Sharpshot explained. I pulled my attention away from the water, Gold and myself quickly catching up with the rest as they kept moving. “I’m a doctor, not a biologist, so I can’t be entirely sure if what I’m about to say is right, but the lower radiation levels meant their bodies were able to build defenses for it. Something along those lines, right geezer.”

“Not scientist, don’t understand lots of what scientists say,” Gold admitted with a shrug. “Things adapt, evolve, and overcome. Know that much. Simple, unless you’re pegasi.”

I rolled my eyes. “Okay, I get it. I asked a dumb question. Still have to admit that nature is amazing in that way.”

At the time, the observation and subsequent conversation seemed like nothing more. Typically it wasn’t something I would note or bring to ponies attention, given everything else that was going on around me. However, as I mentioned, Sharpshot had gotten his comeuppance, and I accept that I am a spiteful bitch. This is important to me, and the aforementioned fish were a key component in how.

Which leads us to what we all saw farther down the river. A sight that made most of our eyes go wide and jaws drop, and for one young unicorn and a certain griffon to stare hungrily. It was a sight that was both astonishing and kind of frightening, because we had no idea what had caused it. All we know is this: there was a mountain of fish before us, flopped on their side, out of the water and in the harsh desert sun.

That isn’t a joke, I’m not making it up. There was literally a giant pile of fish by the side of the river.

Gemini was the first to break free from our group wide stupor, trotting up to the pile in shock. “What… what happened? Why are there so many out of the water?”

“Seems somepony is doing a little bit of fishing,” Sharpshot answered, walking in front of us all. “And was stupid enough to leave their numerous catches unguarded.”

Without any consideration for whether he was correct or not, Sharpshot’s magic plucked a single fish from the pile. He waved it in the air, joyfully smiling at everycreature present. No concern, no checking his flank, absolutely nothing. He was, by all means, robbing somepony in the most stupid way possible.

I gave him what I considered the best possible look for it: pure, unfiltered disappointment.

“You wanna try one soldier mare? I’ve heard these were a pegasi delicacy back in the day,” he said, doing a happy little dance as he spun and flipped the fish around above himself.

“Sharpy, are you positive that is a good idea?” Willow asked. The concern the alicorn had spoke volumes for how idiotic her husband was being. “What if the pony who caught it sees you?”

“You worry too much, hun. What, you think a pony is going to make that big of a deal out of one fish?”

Willow nodded. “I know I would rip somepony apart if they stole my dinner.”

“Again, you worry too much.” He tapped his muzzle for a second, bringing it down. “So how does the pega want it cook. I’m sure you’re simple dying to–”

“Put it back,” I commanded, channeling a tiny amount of my anger to sound as passively threatening as possible.

He looked at me as if I was the one going crazy instead of him. Unfortunately, or fortunately if we look at this from a spiteful position, he didn’t drop it. Instead he continued to stare at me like a predator, not realizing he was already the prey. After a time, he shook his head.

“Soldier mare you are worried about–“

“I said, put it back!” I said, stomping a foreleg on the ground. The motion hurt a little due to my ribs still healing, but I refused to show it. “That isn’t yours, we got food, and we are not thieves. So one last time, put. It. Back!”

“Or what?” He asked.

I shrugged. “I don’t know. How about you ask the stallion behind you?”

Near instantly, Sharpshot froze. His magic was still active, but the fish he had stolen also went still. Like a victim in a horror novel, the ghoul slowly turned around to face the metaphorical killer in this situation. He jumped back, briefly dropped into a stance to fight, and blinked at the pony he saw.

A nameless pony who, to this day, I have two forms of jealousy for. The first, as can probably be guessed, is the fact he was the one to deliver the aforementioned comeuppance. The second? That is born from something significantly more personal.

To the unaware, let me tell you something about pegasus mares: we are, under most circumstances, exceptionally fluffy. It’s a mature thing, and as any pegasus is able to tell you, we take a lot of pride in having it. Stallions and lesbian mares place a lot of importance on that fluff when it comes to physical attraction. I also happen to know a trans mare or two who mention the lack of it being a place of dysphoria for them.

I mention all this, because I have about as little fluff as a mare can possibly have. The unicorn genes in me? They gave me what griffons and hippogriffs wonderfully refer to as “the middle talon”. As much as I love my body, there was always that jealousy towards my fellow mares for that reason alone.

So imagine how I felt when, not even a minute after Sharpshot had taken the fish, the fluffiest pony I had ever seen walked up behind him. A fucking stallion no less! Dead Hooves memories, her time with Joy specifically, led me to the conclusion he must also be from Stalliongrad. That helped a little bit.

It was too late to quell my feelings though. I was being outdone by the opposite gender for something I was supposed to have and I was grade A pissed. I desired that fluff, craving it like I did the cooking of the chefs back at ArcanaTech, yet I couldn’t have it.

It’s too fucking unfair, I say. Way too unfair!

…

Apologies. Even writing about it gets me riled up. At least be assured that all anger I had for the unknown stallion was redirected to Sharpshot. It was easy to lie to myself that he insulted my lackluster fluff. It seemed in line with what the fucker would say.

Anyways, this new ball of brown and white was an earth pony (yes, even the fucking grounders are fluffier). His eyes went from the fish, to Sharpshot, and then back to the fish for a split second, and finally landed on Sharpshot. His expression was the textbook definition of discontent.

Willow went to take a step forward, but I quickly spread both a foreleg and my uninjured wing in front of her. I motioned for her to back up, and upon seeing the growing glee that was in my eyes. It mixed with my anger, anticipation, and any disappointment at the ghoul before me to create something manic. I think, in that moment, I terrified the Tartarus out of her.

“The floor is yours!” I shouted to the stallion.

His eyes didn’t flick to me, but a held out hoof and a few choice words told me he had heard. His face was tired, having little to no time for any of my companion’s brahmin shit.

The stallion sighed, radiating exhaustion. “Give it back.”

Sharpshot’s shock at the stallion’s appearance disappeared moments later. He dropped out of the fighting stance he had been in, and straightened up till he was as tall as possible. Given his body had not grown that much since ghoulification, it was more funny than threatening.

“I don’t care how quick you think you are. No one is faster than a bullet. I’d never lose to a mudpony like you,” He said, his cockiness getting the better of his common sense.

They snickered. He eyed the stolen fish, far too high up for any unicorn or earth pony to jump and grab. Narrowing his eyes at Sharpshot, a slight hint of lust emanated from somewhere deep inside. “Nah, I’d win.”

Sharpshot only smiled wider. “Prove it.”

The stallion took him up on that offer.

The fish suddenly dropped from the air. Both of Sharpshot’s forelegs went to his sternum, and he crumbled to the ground. My eyes went wide as the ghoul doctor coughed and wheezed. All of that, from a single jab.

Sharpshot’s opponent, satisfied with the results, didn’t bother with the heap of dead skin and irradiation that laid before him. He gently grabbed the fish with his mouth and brought it back on the pile. With a somber smile, he patted his reclaimed catch with pride.

Dead Hooves' memories of Joy left a decent impression of how terrifying Stalliongrad’s ponies were. There was no doubt that stayed true here. He must have been a stalker, whatever that was.

Sharpshot slammed a hoof into the sand, letting out an angry roar as he managed to get all his hooves back under him. He spat onto the ground, turning towards the earth pony with rags and coat covered in sand.

“Alright,” he muttered, grabbing the abomination by the barrel and holding it akin to a hammer, “if that is how we’re going to do things…”

He punctuated himself by rushing forward, hoofsteps giving any element of surprise he had away. The earth pony had turned around just as the stock of a rifle slammed into his flank. They gritted their teeth, and their front hooves folded to the ground…

Their front hooves?

The stalker immediately spun on those hooves, slamming the side of his hind legs into Sharpshot’s jaw. The ghoul was kissing dirt, fast enough that the rest of his body was still in the air, unsure of what had occurred. He wheezed his way back onto his hooves, swinging blindly towards his opponent. One connected with the pony’s lower jaw.

If only his body didn’t have the strength of a young teen.

The ball of fluff calling itself a stallion smiled at Sharpshot before smacking him across the face. Again, Sharpshot was sent spiraling into the sand. The stalker pressed a hoof to his nostril, forcefully shooting out blood.

The stalker recovered first, and that was the deciding factor in the fish-fueled feud.

As Sharpshot tried to get onto his hooves, a fish hit him just right across the eyes. Confused, blinded, and baffled, the ghoul reared up on his hind hoofs and took a step back. The stalker, who had thrown the fish in the first place, casually trotted up to the ghoul. He reached for the fish…

BANG!

With the fish sliding onto his muzzle, Sharpshot had seen enough to fire a single shot. It scraped the barding that covered the stallion’s shoulder and neck, and then across the side of his head. A spray of blood was followed by a thud as the stalker collapsed into the sand, blood running out of the wound fast. Enough blood to make Willow drool like a hellhound in front of a meat-based banquet.

“If you still have enough power in your brain to comprehend words, listen to me,” Sharpshot mumbled, the tone every bit as boisterous as one would expect of him. His eyes didn’t move off the stalker, which made sense; they were still a red dot on my E.F.S.. “Ponies call me Sharpshot, and that is because I can’t miss. Every shot, no matter how absurd, hits a living target.” He lowered his rifle, looking at us. “What?”

“Action uncalled for,” Gold answered. “Was going for fish, not you.”

“Tell that to the blood on my lips.”

“Talking like that, you better hope he doesn’t get up,” I muttered, quiet for those next to me to hear, but not the ghoul himself.

For a bit, it seemed like the stalker indeed was going to stay down. His blood continued to dirty his fluffy form as he laid there. He was breathing, but the will to fight seemed lost. It was anyponies guess how much of this stallion was still function, given where the shot had gone. It went on for long enough for Sharpshot to completely drop his guard, dropping his rifle with a heavy sigh.

As if he had been waiting for that moment all along, the stallion finally rose up. One hoof under him, followed by the other. One side of his face was covered in dark red and black, his blood half blinding him with how it pulled his fluff down. It didn’t stop me from noting the look in his eyes.

It was hate like I had not seen before, otherworldly. Terrifying and beautiful at the same time.

The stalker lunged at Sharpshot. The ghoul reignited his horn, picking up the abomination and firing a shot. It went past his intended target, hitting one of the fish in the pile behind the stalker (the thing must not have died from suffocation just yet) and left him wide open. Sharpshot tumbled to the ground, stalker on top of him.

Then they started wailing on him.

He was no boxer; every single strike was down with no form of control, at least to me. No block Sharpshot could put up doing a thing. Hit after hit after hit, neverending, his hooves quickly growing bloody. I wasn’t sure if most of the blood on Sharpshot’s face was from himself, or the pony beating him to a pulp. Fuck, it was near impossible to see his face with the barrage being unleashed upon him.

It was after half a minute of the doctor getting wailed on that the rest of us decided to save him.

Willow Wisp, being Sharpshot’s better half, was the pony to arrive first. She and Gemini pulled her husband away as Gold and I pried the stalker off from above. He did not want to let go, still throwing blows at Sharpshot even as we got him far enough away for them to stop connecting. The glare he gave us both signaled his willingness to continue fighting, me as his next target. Fortunately, I had an out.

“Thanks for the lesson in humility. We’ll take it from here,” I said, quickly scurrying away from him and to Sharpshot, Willow, and Gemini. The second of the three had gotten their husband up, muzzle bleeding decently well. “Come on. Let's go before he chases us.”

“Yes, good ide–“

“No. Not yet,” Sharpshot replied with a slight slur, shoving Willow’s hoof off his shoulder. The fact he was standing on his own after the beating he had, with a relatively steady stance at that, was honestly a miracle. The fucker looked like he had gotten his face crushed by a tree trunk “I’m not done yet.”

“Y-you do know you are bleeding,” Gemini stated, pointing at his entire face as if we somehow couldn’t see it. His rags were stained horribly, or at least I was pretty certain it was. It was impossible to tell with the amount of crimson on the outside of it “Maybe you should–”

“Well so is he!” He screamed at Gemini, snarling like a rabid animal. Gemini shrunk, cowering as he stepped forward. “I’m not going to be tossed around by some unkempt ball of fluff who wasn’t tossed off the… store… shelf.” He stepped back, eyes wide. “Oh. Oh fuck no.”

I followed his eyes and found that Sharpshot was looking at the earth pony. At a glance, it seemed that the stalker was simply leering back, meeting hate with hate… or was it hate? The stalker held something darker than hate at that point. Sharpshot’s hate was fading into terror.

The stalker’s shadow had extended beyond the equine, but it didn’t seem like it belonged to a pony. It had grown larger than the sun’s current position should have allowed. Whatever it was meant to look like, I didn’t see. What I did see was two large coat-tails, the brim of a hat, and the vague sign of a mocking smile in the direction of the ghoul..

The change in his shadow was all I saw, but Sharpshot saw something worse. There were very few things that made the ghoul visible terrified, and until that moment I hadn’t seen any of them. The sudden up-tempo in his breath, the shrinking of his pupils, he wasn’t making an attempt to hide his fears. The fire of a warrior had been vanquished then, replaced with a need to live. To survive.

That wasn’t normal for him. Sharpshot had shown slight signs of vulnerability, but it was always undercut by sarcasm and wit. It was part of what made him… him. Shit angered him sure, but he was never scared, never ready to turn tail and retreat. Nothing terrified him…

Until now.

Another step back, and then another. A bloody grimace and the vaguest attempt to still seem powerful undone by his body shaking like a shaved dog in winter. He was mumbling to himself, incoherent but clearly desperate. Even the smallest of attempts to trudge forward were met with those coat tails extending even greater, seeming to close around him.

Each time he tensed up, shrinking more and more. The shadow laughed like a madmare, voice echoing like we were within the walls of a cave, no exit to escape it. Sharpshot’s steps became less balanced, eyes darting around as if the shadow was coming from somewhere else. All the while the laughter grew, filling his ears like the tolling of a bell, decimating his confidence more and more.

This led Sharpshot to do one thing I hadn’t seen him do. One thing that seemed impossible. He gave up.

“We’re leaving,” he muttered. He turned to the rest of us. “Now!”

He was the first to take off, Willow following, and the rest of us after that. I turned to the stalker, watching as they shrugged and trotted back to the river’s edge. I snorted, fully expecting him to give me that same hostility. Instead, all I received was a curious look, though for what I wasn’t sure.

As much as I’m sure you would never want to see us again, anomaly of San Palomino, if you are ever in San Palomino, hit me up. I got a seafood dinner and a more professional thanks to give for your services.

I did ask Sharpshot about that sudden bout of fear that night. We were all settling in for one final night in the desert sand before reaching Underside. Gemini and Gold had both fallen asleep, and Willow was curled around Sharpshot protectively as he cleaned the abomination. My voice stayed low so that the sleeping griffon and pony wouldn’t be stirred.

“So about our… encounter today,” I said, unable to hide my smirk. He immediately tensed up, “what scared you at the end there?”

His attention turned to me, all interest in his rifle lost. “You mean you didn’t see anything?”

“Just saw his shadow changing. That’s it.”

His front hoofs rested on the sandy ground, rifle falling over. Willow lifted her head, her expression all the worry that needed to be stated. He looked at her, the two briefly nuzzled, and he managed to smile.

“Just what she… what I’m willing to tell her,” he whispered to her. Willow rested her head again, and Sharpshot focused on me. “If you didn’t see it, then I guess that means you can only see spirits of the dead. Been having a collection of dusty bones following me for some time. Left me alone for a while,” he tilted his head down, “and came back after I met you.”

I blinked. “So the thing going on with his shadow, that was this “dusty bones” thing?”

“Yeah, it was him. Seems the fucker has found others he’s willing to screw over out here,” He looked into the sky, staring at one of the various stars. “I… I just don’t understand. He let her die, he was determined to let me die as well. I didn’t think he cared, and yet in that moment, facing that pony down, it felt like no matter how much we fought he just. Wouldn’t. Die.” I felt a shiver course through my body. “I don’t understand… and I’m afraid to ask him.”

I decided to leave it there. Sharpshot returned to weapon maintenance, and I fell asleep.

Our worlds blended together.

Underside, San Palomino Desert

Day 9

From both Dead Hooves’ memories, my own experience on the surface, and intelligence gathered on the world below the clouds, I had a decent idea of what to expect from a settlement. It would be rather sad looking, houses built out of things they should be or put together by ponies who had no idea what they were doing. Laws would be inconsistent between each, there was always a shady side that revealed itself to those who paid attention, and overall ugly. Expected of grounders that will never know how beautiful towns and cities like Aery, or military bases like Neighvarro, could be.

At least, that was what I had thought, until reaching Underside.

Calling it a “settlement” was not correct, because that name implied it was much like Friendship City or New Appleloosa in the east. Underside was nothing like them, and I was able to tell just from a single glance from the outside. The buildings looked like they had been made from before the Last Day, without any of the signs of decay or mistreatment. No holes, no hodgepodge attempts to fix siding, a surprising lack of broken windows, The only particular thing that screamed “post-equestria” about Underside was the wall surrounding it.

Even that, however, did this place a disservice. Of course there was a wall, this was still the wasteland after all! Danger exists around every corner in the wasteland, and cautionary measures need to be taken. A sturdy perimeter guarded by a wall of metal and ponies made it clear they took this seriously.

Speaking of the guards, they were a strange looking group. They were covered, mane to tail, in clothing with not a scrap of fur, feather, or otherwise showing. Trench coats, heavy boots, and odd skeleton patterned masks made up all I was able to see of them, decorated in ways a military wouldn’t allow. The only clue there was to the identity of who lies underneath was a horn, wings, the differentiating body shapes of griffons, kirin, and hippogriffs, but that was it.

Even then they were completely shrouded in clothing. It was unsettling, but I was above cowering to the likes of grounders.

“That them,” Gold said, motioning with his head towards the guards. I narrowed my eyes at them, trying to understand what he was getting at. When I failed to do so, I looked back at him. “Shattered Moon. They rule southern San Palomino. Match perfectly with ArcanaTech descriptions.”

Looking back, I eyed the attire with a new sense of curiosity and worry. A former anti-ministry group, dressing like this, didn’t seem like a good bunch. They gave me the impression of a terrorist cell more than anything, striking fear into the hearts of old Equestria to get not what was best for the three tribes, but what they wanted. Not the kind of ponies that should be trusted with a nation.

To think, they had been led by a pegasus too. Fucking shameful.

“What's with the masks?” Gemini asked, looking at the old griffon.

He grinned. “Supposedly, way to avoid Ministry of Morals. Pinkie dangerous Ministry Mare. Has strange sixth sense for things, knows everypony, wreaks havoc on those who oppose ministries.”

“I think I get it,” Sharpshot chimed in, tilting his head as he eyed the Shattered Moon guards on the wall. “Conceal who you are, and she can’t pin you down. Certainly would make the pink menace’s job harder.” He gave Gold a side glance. “Did it work?”

“World still ended,” the griffon answered, motioning to the desert around us. “What do you think?”

Hearing all that, I thought a bit more about what we had seen in the theater. I eyed each Shattered Moon member I could see, looking for the odd duckling that broke his rules. There was none, and that allowed me to note something was off.

“WIllow, Sharpshot, think back to the film reel we saw. The one from the Shattered Moon,” I said. “Something seem off to you two?”

Willow gasped. “Oh yeah, you're right. The pegasus back there was showing her face!”

Sharpshot nodded to show he understood the same. “So does that make the geezer wrong?”

“I don’t think so. What does he get for lying about that?” I replied, shaking my head. “You heard how she was speaking. The world hadn’t ended yet she made it sound like a forgone conclusion, like what they had been fighting for had been futile. There was a reason for it.” An idea hit me. “Stardust, you there?”

Sharpshot and Willow looked at each other, and then at me. “Stardust?”

Before I knew it, Gemini and Gold had stopped and started staring at me as well. The spectral filly I had come to know appeared before me, the slightest sign of pouting in her expression gracing her face. No doubt she was still upset at me for how I had spoken to DH.

“Yeah, I’m here,” she said. “What is it.”

“Ponies like those, up on the metal wall, do you recognize them?”

I motioned towards Underside, and Stardust followed it. She let out a gasp, taking a step back. At first I thought she was afraid, but then there was a smile on her face. Without a single word to me, she galloped off to the wall without a single word to me, Gemini and I watched her in shock as I did.

… Gemini was watching her?

That question made me look at the young mare with intrigue. I followed her gaze and, as I had observed, she was following Stardust perfectly. My mouth fell slightly open, trying to figure out how to approach what I was witnessing. Gemini, naïve and having noticed my staring, didn’t give me the chance. She forced herself to walk in front of us, and smiled.

“Well, uh, shall we?”

She quickly started trotting towards the gate placed in the wall, and with one living pony moving the rest of us started to as well. I shared a look with Gold, allowing concern to take center stage.

“Rhapsody saw something strange?” He asked.

“Gemini is like me.”

“What way?”

“She saw Stardust. In case it wasn’t clear to you, the filly is no longer alive.”

Sharpshot’s ears perked up. “You’re certain she saw them?”

“Pretty certain. I’ll take her aside later today and confirm it.”

“I see.” Gold tapped the underside of his beak. “If true, keep eye on her. Unicorn seen lots. Too much for pony her age. Hate to lose her.”

I let out a sigh. “That makes two of us.”

“Did the ghost give you an answer, at least?” Willow asked.

“Not a direct one, but I have a feeling I’ve confirmed one thing.” I looked ahead of me, watching as Stardust jumped around in front of the Shattered Moon personnel at the gate, trying to get their attention. “Her mom disappeared on the final day. I think she was a member of Shattered Moon.”

As we approached the gate, my eyes locked onto the figure of one of the guards. Their eyes, now that I looked, were the only thing about them I was able to discern. It helped a small amount of unnerve brought upon by their appearance fall away. There was a pony under there, but eyes weren't enough to give anypony an idea of who was underneath. Not for me, at least.

Minister Pinkie Pie? That was a different story.

Stardust had stopped jumping around at this point, head hung and ears folded back. She was still coming to terms with being dead, it seemed. Ponies not knowing she was there likely stung a lot.

I briefly checked the time on my MentaBuck before responding. “Afternoon, soldiers.”

“Afternoon,” one of them, an earth pony mare with magenta eyes, replied. “All five of you entering?” I gave a nod. “Give us a second then.”

He motioned to his partner, a hippogriff stallion with dark brown eyes. They brought their hoof to a radio attached to their trench coat.

“Fifty-Five to One-Two-Nine, come in. I repeat, Fifty-Five to One-Two-Nine, please respond.” A pause. “We got five individuals, one pegasus, two unicorns, a griffon, and an alicorn.” Another pause. When he spoke again, it was a lot more hushed. “One-Two-Nine, would I kid about the Goddesses' own being before me?”

I snorted, and Willow giggled at him. With the way they talked, I almost forgot that the alicorn and her husband had never been here. Poor griff must have been having the worst time trying to explain my company to their boss.

“White on blue,” Fifty-Five said after a far longer pause. He chuckled. “Yeah, not normal. Blue means invisibility, not sure about the white.”

“It’s what my coat looked like, before being bathed in taint,” Willow explained to him. The hippogriff eyed her cautiously, but otherwise took the telepathic intrusion rather well. “Nothing special, just a defect. No connection to the hivemind.”

Fifty-Five looked at the rest of us, and got nods. He shrugged, and returned to his radio. “Alicorn is not with the goddess. Companions back that up. Her friends? Grey unicorn, power armor, green mane. White griffon, power armor, artificial left talon. Unicorn ghoul, red mane, looks like shit…”

“Accurate, but fuck you.” Sharpshot chimed in. Fifty-Five ignored him.

“... off-red pegasus, power armor, can’t see if surface-born or Dashite.”

His gaze landed on me, looking for confirmation. “Dashite, as of a week and a half ago.”

He said that into the radio, and then his voice fell into a hush. His eyes never left me, tracing me like an art piece he couldn’t quite understand. I tensed a little, placing a single hoof back in case whatever was going on ended up badly. It was entirely possible one of my old squad mates had informed Shattered Moon I would follow, after all. That meant open hostilities.

Thankfully, my worry was unnecessary. After a little bit, Fifty-Five turned his focus from answering questions for his superior back to us.

“Apologies for the hold up,” he said. “Having an alicorn among you made this all a little more complicated. Spout about the Goddess all you want, don’t hurt anyone, and there won’t be problems.” He looked at Willow. “Understand, ma’am.”

“As I said, not with the Goddess. Don’t worry about it,”

“Just making sure, ma’am. We know how her kind can be and want to make sure nopony gets hurt.”

“We also ask that you hoof over your weaponry,” the other guard said. “Don’t worry, it will be given back to you once you leave. We are just trying to maintain peace here.”

The precaution was understandable, and we did as asked. We all handed over our firearms, the guards before us giving an odd glance upon seeing Roche Limit and the Atomizer brought before them. No questions, however, which simplified things greatly. Then, a few more words were said into the radio, and the gate opened with a horrible squeak. A hoof went over my ears in an attempt to block the sound, but it did nothing.

“One last thing,” Fifty-Five said, shouting over the gate’s ear-drum braking squeal. “Our database shows this is your first time here in one of our settlements. We ask all creatures to make a short stop at town hall. Fill out some forms, put you in our systems, that’s all.” Both guards stepped to the side. “Welcome to Underside.”

The best way I can possibly explain the atmosphere of Underside is relaxed. More relaxed than anywhere back east would ever make you. Sure places like New Appleloosa or Tenpony might have walls and security, but the very nature of the Equestrian Wasteland meant safety was never assured. There was always the chance that the next day, a group of small brained grounders would launch themselves upon the nearest place of safety, killing and slaughtering and pillaging to make it beyond clear that no one was safe. It created an eternal unease, and its entire existence only helped affirm my feelings about why the Enclave stayed where they did.

None of that was present in Underside. In some ways, it felt like time had rewound back two hundred years or more, to a time before the ministries and Luna’s rule. A time when Equestria truly was the land of harmony that it had claimed to be, and would come to forget. Earth ponies, unicorns, and the odd pegasus – both ground born and Dashite – enjoyed the company with smiles and cheer. There was no fear, no unease, no worry that tomorrow this little bit of peace would collapse.

It was made more surprising by the fact it wasn’t just ponies sharing in that relaxation. Anycreature who thought they had traveled back in time would immediately be proven wrong when they saw their first zebra, happily chatting with a unicorn. It would happen again when a hippogriff and kirin clearly showed that they were a couple, kissing on the patio of a café. Everypony tolerated each other, as if the sins of Equestria had been forgotten a long, long time ago.

For a group of terrorists lookalikes, I had to give Shattered Moon credit. It seemed that they did a damn good job at maintaining order.

“So, separate for a bit? Do our own thing?”

Willow asked that question upon reaching the center of town, the five of us sitting on a bunch under what had once been a statue. It had mostly been demolished, the plaque unreadable. The only thing I was able to gather was that it had once been of a pony, given that the legs were still standing. It had to have been demolished after the last day; there was no way this was the result of a megaspell, especially with the distance we had put between Trotson and ourselves.

Besides, the radiation levels had been near-zero for pretty much all our time since leaving the storm. The river was the one exception.

“He never said we had to head there immediately, and it has been a long time since I’ve gotten to be somewhere like this.” Willow smiled as she observed the town around her. “It’s nice.”

“I don’t see a reason not to,” I responded, shrugging with my wings. The action led me to wince a little, but nowhere near as bad as it was days prior. Whatever treatment Sharpshot had given me while unconscious had done miracles in terms of recovering. “We are here to rest, restock, and gather some intel, so splitting up is a good idea anyways. Meet back here around nineteen hundred?” Everycreature tilted their heads at me. I sighed. “That’s military time for seven in the evening.”

“Sounds good. Will explore,” Gold replied. “A wide range of species, a lot of culture to ingest. Will thoroughly enjoy self.”

“Yes! Yes! Yes!” Willow shouted, jumping up and down like an excited foal. She quickly wrapped Sharpshot up in her left hoof, pointing into the distance with the other. “Come on, hun. To adventure, and the tastiest food!”

“Okay! Okay! You don’t need to strangle me over it,” he said, the chuckle he let out at odds with his harsher tone.

The couple headed off first, waving a temporary farewell to the rest of us. Gold followed suit after, tipping a non-existent hat in our direction beforehoof. That just left Gemini, whose eyes darted back and forth, ears folded. Poor mare was frightened. Considering the number of creatures around, and how different this environment must have been to anything she knew, that was understandable.

I gave her a soft smile. “Want to stay with me?”

Her ears immediately perked up, giving a shy nod. “Y-yeah. That sounds nice.”

“Let's head to town hall first then. Do as the hippogriff asked.”

“Sure but, uh.” She shrank a bit. “I don’t know how to read or write.”

I felt a bit of pain in my heart, hearing that. It made sense, given the kind of background she grew up in, but it didn’t make it any better. I forced myself to smile a little wider. If I was going to shape her into something the Enclave could be proud of, that had to be fixed.

“Would you like to learn how?” I asked. She hastily nodded. “I’ll help with the forms. I’m no school teacher, but I think I can solve your illiteracy problem… if you’ll let me.”

“Eel-it-era-sea,” She whispered, tilting her head as she tried to make sense of the word. The blank expression she wore during it was sad but oddly cute at the same time. She then shook her head, then smiled back. “I’d like that, Missus Rhapsody. Th-thank you.”

“No problem,” I said. I nearly ruffled her mane with my hoof, but quickly reminded myself that wasn’t a good idea.

The sheer joy on Gemini’s face as she looked at me hurt in a very different, far better way. I was able to imagine Rainy or Clear caring that same expression. I almost expected to hear an “I love you mom” from her mouth, but it never came.

Of course it didn’t, Gemini wasn’t my daughter. So why? Why does she make me long for her to be just that?

If there was an answer to that question, it wouldn't come to me. Probably for the best too, considering that there were things of far higher priority.

As we were already in the center of town, reaching town hall was not hard. It wasn’t an extravagant building, being part of an old strip mall that had withstood the tests of time. Nopony was inside, save for the clerk that was behind the front desk. The carpet was old, but the walls had been repainted, furniture replaced, and otherwise. None of it was to the quality it likely was at two centuries ago, but it was better than most other places had.

Gemini stayed as close to me as she felt comfortable with, swallowing as we approached the clerk. I chuckled as I took them in, partly because I recognized them. They were a pegasus mare, pink mane so spiky there was no doubt mane gel involved. Her coat was a much lighter shade of pink, seeming white if somepony wasn’t paying attention. On their flank was the brand of a Dashite, one I remember very well, considering I had presided over her trial.

“Welcome,” she said, looking at a couple of papers behind the counter. Her eyes slowly drifted up to meet ours, growing wider as she realized who I was, “how ca-ca-can I h-h-help…”

Her voice trailed off, jaw hanging open as a mixture of shock and fear dawned her expression. I held in my amusement, watching as she tried to comprehend who was in front of her. She looked to my flank, and her pupils dialated to pinpricks. With a nervous gulp, her eyes meant mine.

“Councillor Rhapsody?”

“Funny seeing you here, Lightning Cloud,” I replied, unable to hide my contempt at her fear. “I see the surface has treated you better than we expected.”

Gemini looked between us. “Y-you two know each other?”

“Gemini, this is Lightning Cloud. Lightning Cloud, Shining Gemini,” I said, motioning to each of them at the mention of their name. “We’re here to sign some forms. The guards at the gate said we should.”

Lightning blinked and briefly massaged the sides of her head. “She’s a Dashite, and traveling with a unicorn!” She shook her head following that bit of loud whispering. “Right. Forms. One moment.”

She bent under the counter, and came back up with two pieces of paper and a pen. There was a lack of fluidity in her movements, no doubt still getting a hold of herself after seeing me, but she did her job correctly. I guess the surface had managed to put some sense into her head.

“What in tartarus got you sent down here?” She asked. To my surprise, her voice was filled with a lot more fear than rage. I guess any wishes she had of vengeance had been squashed in the time she had been on the surface. “You were the second to last councilor I ever thought would be branded.”

“Habringer was number one, wasn’t he?” I asked before grabbing a pen in my teeth. I got no answer, probably out of fear that I’d retaliate to some degree. It seemed I had a bit of a reputation among Dashite. “You’re not getting an answer. I don’t want to talk about it, you don’t need to know. At least I didn’t betray my nation.”

“Yet you are down here like me and–”

“Say anything along the lines of “you and I are the same” and I’ll jam this pen into your throat.”

She shivered and took a step back, looking at me as if she had seen a ghost. Her wings fluttered a little from anxiety, and the corners of my mouth briefly curled up a bit more. They likely would have stayed that way, if it wasn’t for the fact Gemini had done the same exact thing. I briefly considered the threat I had just laid out, and the environment I had said them in, before sighing.

I had prepared for raiders, slavers, and lowlives when coming to the surface, not a mare doing a government job.

“S… Sorry, Lightning,” I managed to say, the first word soi hard to get out of my throat I thought it would never be said. “I just… this wasn’t supposed to happen. Being down here again, I mean.” The mare blinked, the shivering in her body fading away as my words set in. “If you really need to know… well lets just say I fucked up real bad. It was either this or a forced retirement.”

Lightning idly glanced around her, her mouth moving but remaining motionless as she tried to find the right words to say. When she did, they locked on me. “Thanks for the apology and well… I’m sorry. Guessing you don’t want to talk about what happened.”

“I expected you to be happy I’m down here, yet you sound upset.”

“You had a husband and foals, right?” The question stung, but I answered with a nod. “Then, regardless of whether they said you had a choice, I doubt you really did. I suppose some other Dashites might revel in one of the councils getting what they deserve,” there was the slightest touch of animosity in her words, but her voice carried a tone far more somber, “but I just see it as proof I was right.”

“Right about what?” Gemini asked, innocently.

“Right that the Enclave was on a path to ruin. Nopony would speak of it out loud up there, but there’s a growing divide up there.” Lightning pointed at the ceiling. “The smart ponies stay quiet about their displeasure. The idiots… well, take a guess how I ended up down here.”

It didn’t take long for the young unicorn to figure it out, a frown forming. “You spoke out, didn’t you?”

“Eeyup. I believed I was doing the right thing, and still do,” she answered, a sad laugh emanating from her throat. She motioned limply to me. “The councilor here caught wind, had me arrested, and found guilty of treason. That’s how I ended up down here.”

“I’m not that dumb, I can figure things out.” Gemini’s frown grew slightly more. “I just… I don’t understand. You know it was dumb to speak up, so why?”

“Because you need the idiots to do dumb things for the smart ponies to get ideas.”

“That, or it sweeps ponies off their hooves, so caught up in believing the forming mob they can’t think clearly,” I said. I let out a harsh exhale as I turned my attention back to the papers before me. “Cause all it takes is one charismatic idiot, much like yourself, to cause the world to spiral downwards.”

Lightning Cloud studied my, trying her damndest to find any sign I didn’t believe my own words. A sigh signaled her failure, letting her hooves fall off the counter. She shook her head, and gave me a near identical look of smugness.

“I guess the idiot in this scenario is you, isn’t it, Councilor Singing Rhapsody.”

I scowled at her. “Gemini, give your form. We’re leaving as soon as possible.”

“You two really didn’t get along, huh?”

I groaned. As much as I was hoping Gemini didn’t broach the subject, she had. Apparently, if her words in town hall were anything to go by, this was a safe subject. Whatever logic went through her brain was definitely questionable, but that was understandable. She was young, definitely intelligent despite her lack of education, and experiencing freedom for the first time in her life.

By all means, she had the ability to leave at any point. She didn’t need to stay with Sharpshot and Gold after my mistake in Sandstone, she didn’t need to brave the sandstorm with us, and she didn’t need to stick with me. By all means Gemini could abandon us here in Underside, figure out a life for herself, and none of us would blame her.

Instead she was here, with me, by her own free will. Whether she understood the concept or not of a kindred soul didn’t matter, because her heart and mind had found one in me. I felt it back, though I was too scared of what saying it to her would do to me. I knew the passive acknowledgment of the subject over the course of our time traveling meant more than the words did anyways.

I saw her as a good grounder, and I didn’t want to lose a friendship. Not after losing so much to banishment. Her question deserved an answer, so I gave her as straight forward an answer as possible.

“Different ponies believe in different things, and there comes a point where a belief is so against your own point of view, it doesn’t matter what the other side says,” I stared back behind us, in the direction the MentaBuck’s E.F.S. told me town hall was. “Different views of how the world works can break friendships. It’s not an easy thing to change.”

“So you don’t think the Enclave needs to change?”

I shook my head. “Oh no, change is inevitable. It’s the exact kind of change that makes me unhappy. Excluding myself and looking at the pegasi still up there? We got some damn good ones in charge. You’ve met Ironsight, but there are also High Spirit, Sapphire Storm… Harbinger.”

Gemini’s ears folded back immediately after hearing the last name. “H-Harbinger?”

“A bastard, but damn good at his job,” I explained. I glanced at the creatures walking by as we wandered aimlessly through the streets, specifically keeping track of the few Shattered Moon members that showed up. “He’s the admiral, and is easily the pony with most control over the entire Enclave. Damn good strategist, amazing speaker, popular as fuck,” I snorted, “and completely tactless when not in front of a stage. Dude is so used to being a politician and legitimately can’t figure out how to turn it all off.”

“Tactless?”

“He’s bad when it comes to emotionally tough situations, when they aren’t involving anything to do with the military or politics.” The scowl I had worn since leaving town hall deepened. “Ironsight was romantically attracted to him. The fucker didn’t let him down, but stomped any good feelings about them into the ground.”

Remembering it pissed me off, so I didn’t allow the memory more time than needed. Ironsight deserved so much better for everything he has done for the Enclave, and for me. If I was able, I would have kicked Harbinger square in the jaw for how he treated my best friend. Unfortunately that was a horrible idea, and would have ended up with me on the wrong end of a scandal.

Being the newest councilor, that was the worst mistake I could possibly make, especially when the pony on the opposite side is as beloved as Harbinger. It almost makes me want to thank the Lightbringer for what she did to him.

Almost.

Gemini decided to leave the topic of the Enclave and its remaining councilors there. Her eyes joined me in taking in Undersides of various homes, shops, and otherwise. Whenever we passed somepony wearing the Shattered Moon’s coat and mask, her eyes would follow them for as long as possible. She always did that same, expressionless head tilt. The kind of look a young foal tended to have when greeted with something they didn’t understand.

“They live like that? All the time?” She asked right after another guard had passed us, voicing dropping to a whisper.

“So it seems. May feel crazy to somepony like you, but it's a bit more normal to me,” I told her. I eyed Celestia’s sun for a moment, shielding my eyes with my good wing. “Though nowhere above the clouds is this hot.”

“It sounds terrible,” Gemini replied, giving a quick glance to me before returning to watching the pony watching. Her nose scrunched up. “It seems really uncomfortable. Their bodies must stink.”

That got a laugh out. A true, genuine laugh for what felt like the first time in days. It felt good, sounded strange, but best of all it made Gemini happy. I’m not sure if her intention was to make me laugh, but she clearly saw it as a plus.

“Yeah, they would stink, wouldn’t they?” I asked, unable to hide the wide smile on my face.

A deer passed by us, the first I had seen since arriving in Underside. The first I had ever seen in my life, though I did know they existed. DH’s memories were to thank for that; Joy’s talks of the many stations of Stalliongrad had made me aware of them. It made me wonder, did they also have yaks here?

The little interlude seemed to give Gemini a bit of confidence, and she resumed our conversation concerning the Enclave.

“So, what is an Admiral? Or a General? Or a,” she scrunched her muzzle, “lewd-tenant-curnel?”

“Lieutenant Colonel, Gemini. It’s a weird word, I know,” I said. This was probably the only situation where such a horrible mispronunciation got more laughs out of me than anger. Gemini’s naivety was just too cute. “It’s a military position, just like Admiral and General. It’s very high up on the chain of command, but not as high as the other two.”

“So you are like,” her eyes went off to the horizon, and with a gasp she looked at me with excitement, “the right-hoof mare!”

“In most normal situations, yes,” I replied, adding a small nod to cap off the sentence. “However, I’m not just a normal Lieutenant Colonel. I was in the high council, chosen by the pegasi majority to lead. All those pegasi I mentioned earlier? Same as me.” I stared longingly at the clear blue sky. “Harbinger looks after the Cloud Guard, Ironsight is in charge of our standard infantry, High Spirit has the Sky Force, and Sapphire Storm is in charge of research and development.”

“So you had something you specialized in too, right?” Gemini asked.

“Yep,” I replied. “I was the head justice of the military tribunal, or court of law. Had spent the last three years before this there, but over the last year? I was in charge of all of it. Standing before me was a sign that you fucked up real bad.” My expression turned stoic, recalling each and every case I could remember in the span of five seconds. “I’m one of the last things every Dashite sees before being branded and exiled.”

“So the reason Miss Lightning Cloud is down here–”

“Is because she did something that deserves this level up punishment, same as I had.” Saying it hurt, but Gemini deserved to know. “The difference? She had done it intentionally. My crime was not.”

“So she’s a bad pony.”

“Yes. Very bad.”

Gemini’s ears folded back. “I see.”

At some point, Gemini and I came across a crowd blocking the street, ponies and other creatures cheering for whoever was on the other side. My eyes met Gemini, and was met with burning curiosity. She was as intrigued as I was about what was happening in front of us. So, with a tilt of my head, I motioned for her to follow behind me.

I pushed through the crowd, managing to find a space for Gemini that didn’t have her rubbing foreleg or flank with the many ponies around her. It didn’t stop the sheer dread and fear in her eyes, the rate of her breathing noticeably increasing as she found her spot at my side. As soon as we were in the front of the crowd, our attention turned ahead to whatever was going on before us. I was expecting a brawl, given the sheer volume of the ponies around me.

That much I got correct. What I didn’t expect was for Gold to be one of the participants.

To be fair, it wasn’t a full on brawl. There were no punches being thrown, no nasty insults, and more importantly no hate. Sure, he and his opponent, a griffon more than half his age, had a look of ferocity and concentration on their face, but nothing malicious. It was the look of friendly competition, of two roosters battling it out not to try and kill each other, but to gain the others’ respect.

The brawl in question seemed more like a wrestling match, both sides trying their damndest to pin the other to the sand and asphalt beneath them. Each griffon had grabbed the other, doing everything in their power to toss the other to the ground. Neither gave in, any sign one was about to overpower the other being proven incorrect as they fought back. In many ways, it was dance. A dance whose beauty was traded for ferociousness, and whose music was traded for the cheering of the crowd.

Even as somepony who knew nothing about wrestling, it was easy to tell our griff was more experienced than the other. The younger griff would grab Gold by the shoulder and try to toss him down. Gold would respond by expertly using both his opponent's force against him. The younger griffon did his best to do the same, but there was always that sign his balance wasn’t completely there.

“Come on Gideon! Keep it up!” A feminine voice called from the crowd on the opposite side of the street. They were another young griffon with a bright mix of orange and yellow feathers. They were younger than Gold, but older than his opponent by likely a year or two. “You got this! Show grandpa you have what it takes to beat an ex-talon!”

My eyes turned to my companion, watching his expression carefully. He was out of breath, wheezing badly. His experience was being marred by time and age. It was the first time I had seen the latter slow him down in the entire time I’ve known him. It seems he wasn’t as immune to the march of time as I had thought.

That, ultimately, was where a ponies' experience didn’t matter. In a battle of attrition, the winner was the side that wasn’t completely exhausted. Gideon ultimately used that to his advantage, ducking under a grab, picking Gold up, and slamming him down. For the first time since we arrived, someone had been pinned.

I had to hold a hoof up to keep Gemini from rushing out. She gave me a look of fear, no doubt concerned for Gold’s safety. I reassured her with a smile, and pointed to a Shattered Moon member who had crouched in front of the two griffons.

They stomped the ground once, twice, thrice.

Gold did everything in his power to get out of the hold Gideon had placed him in. The latter griffon’s grasp and strength stayed.

A fourth stomp. A five, and then a sixth.

Some in the crowd grew louder, others softer. Gideon’s friend, sister, whoever they were was holding her breath. The anticipation was as hard for them as it was for me. Each second felt like an hour.

Eighth stomp.

“Come on, Gold. Come on,” I growled quickly through my teeth, crouching lower then the Shattered Moon member acting as their referee.

“Please Mister Gold,” Gemini whispered. She was enthralled, and her expression begged for her words to be the strength he needed to break free.

Ninth stomp.

He had one more second. A single chance to break free before he lost. Gold fought and fought, his talons searching for some way to remove Gideon’s for the entirety of the past nine stomps. This was his last chance.

…

Tenth stomp.

Gideon let go, raised up into a bipedal stance, and pumped both talons into the air. Gold relaxed, resting on the hot ground below him as half the crowd cheered for his opponent. That griffon pride of his caused him to frown, the fact he had lost feeling like a spear through his chest. Then, a few seconds later, he smiled and laughed a little.

Gideon dropped back down to all fours and turned so that he faced Gold. He held a talon out, and the old rooster gladly accepted it. One griffon helped the other back up, and their ref started to shoo away the crowd that had formed. The griffon hen that had watched from the sideline launched forward as soon as Gideon had let go of Gold’s own talon, wrapping him in a headlock and giving him a noogie.

“Hell yeah, told you my brother is a badass!” She replied, Gideon trying everything in his power to wiggle out. He gave up quickly, exhausted. “Beating one of the best damn mercs the Talons have ever seen. Now that is a story we can tell folks about.”

“Am… glad. Story worth… worth telling,” Gold managed to say between wheezes. Both younger griffons immediately snapped their attention. “Talon future looks… bright. Do parents proud.”

Gideon smiled sadly at his words as his sister let go of the headlock. The two shared a look between each other that said both everything and nothing. Melancholy was the main ingredient, but under it all was that very pride that Gold had just mentioned.

“Thanks. They… would be happy to hear it,” Gideon replied.

“I assume that takes care of business for you three, then?” the Shattered Moon member asked, taking a step forward. All three griffons gave him a nod. “Alright then. Thanks for keeping it clean, we got enough on our hooves dealing with Equalist agents trying to spur up trouble.”

“Of course. Good day, sir,” Gideon’s sister replied.

The masked pony walked off, and Gold tilted his head back. His eyes landed on Gemini and myself, motioning with his artificial talon to come forward. We did just that, with me giving him a look of faux disapproval. He just looked happy.

“When you said you were going to enjoy the culture, this isn’t what I had in mind,” I joked.

“Griffon culture very physical. Respect, strength, intelligence, all important,” he replied. He nodded towards the other two griffons present, both looking at us with intrigue. “Most Talons die younger. Meet old fool, like me, good chance to prove themselves. Only right I give said chance.”

“Typically it would be a lot more brutal, involving a knife and maybe a pistol, but numbers would prefer not to have that in town,” the female griffon explained. “So we settled on this. We respect the numbers enough to follow, and they allowed this.” She pounded her chest. “Name is Gigi. This is Gideon, my brother.”

“Singing Rhapsody, this is Shining Gemini,” I responded. Gemini gave a shy wave to the sibling mercs.

“These two with me. Contract holder is Rhapsody,” Gold half lied. “Good pegasus. Good in fight, paying well. Giving grand adventure.”

“Well you are some lucky ponies,” Gideon said. “Getting a contract for an ex-Talon like Goldlewis Blackclaw? Dude told Red Eye of all ponies to fuck off and lived to tell the tale. No one messes with Red Eye, not with the power he has.”

“Goldlewis… Blackclaw?” I asked, looking at the old griffon. The scowl that came with hearing is full name. My eyes then flitted over to the Shattered Moon member that had acted as their ref, noticing him taking up post at the side of the street corner. “The Shattered Moon ponies, is that who you were referring to as numbers?”

“New around here, I take it?” Gigi asked. I nodded, and she shrugged. “You're right. It’s because no one outside of the Shattered Moon knows who lies underneath those masks.”

Gemini’s mouth dropped open. “Nopony?”

“Yep. They got more black ink than one would find on an Equestrian Black Ops file. Assuming you’ve ever seen one before,” Gigi answered, a smirk on her face. Had to admit, getting ahold of docs like that was really impressive. “It’s said that anyone who joins the Shattered Moon leaves everything in their life behind. Their family, their friends, and their very identity. Nothing remains, not even their name. They are just a number, and they like that.”

“It’s not a life that I or many others would ever want to live,” Gideon explained, looking to the number closest to us. “Giving up that much? It terrifies me.” He emphasized his point with a shiver. “Yet these ponies, these griffons, these zebras and hippogriffs and yaks and otherwise? They are willing to give up everything for us. All so our culture, history, and religious beliefs are safe from the Equalists.”

That same shiver that had passed through Gideon washed over my body. He was right, giving up that much was terrifying. I thought of Ironsight, Anchor, and my foals. I thought about seeing them playing in the streets, but being unable to tell them I was there. That level of abandoning one’s self was too massive for me to pursue that line of thought further. It was a future too terrible to live with.

“So,” I turned to Gold, “Red Eye wanted you.”

“He did. Wasn’t gonna happen,” he explained. He pointed to the sky, closing his eyes. “Good pay, bad gig. Slaver life not for me. Leaves bad taste in mouth.” His expression turned solemn. I was close enough to his body to hear his heart skip a beat. “Seeing communities destroyed hurt. Didn’t want to do that. Was wrong.”

Something about his words got me think. “Goldlewis, what happened in–“

“Just Gold, please,” he chimed in abruptly. “Don’t like Goldlewis. Too long, wastes time.”

“Okay, got it,” he replied. With his interruption, I needed to take a quick breath before feeling able to ask my question. “What happened in Sandstone to Bone Breaker…”

I wasn’t able to finish it, even with a moment to think. Gold sighed, showing he understand exactly what it was that I wanted to ask about. He removed his wing from over me, and hung his head. I saw an attempt to lift himself back up, but he didn’t.

“If I had the ability to stop it, that never would have happened,” he said. Just like when I had broached about Bone Breaker’s fate back in Trotson, he had stopped speaking in his odd, fragmented way. “Lucky should have known better. She knows what it is like to lose parents, and the trauma it can cause.” His pupils drifted to me, the embers of a fire visible in them. “Yes, I didn’t know she was going to kill her.”

The answer was satisfactory, and confirmed something for me: Lucky was not the pony Gold, Sharpshot, and Gemini had heard speak. It was Moondancer, it had to be. The mare was making it painfully clear that she didn’t care about the outside world like Lucky did. Mind controlling a mother to kill themselves? A great sign of that.

It made me thankful that Sharpshot had immediately dealt with the MentaBuck’s “hidden features”.

“Mood dragged down enough. Saw popular pub earlier,” Gold said, voice growing significantly more chipper as he took a few steps down the street. He looked back at us. “Care to join? All four, I mean. Drinks on me.”

“Really? We can join you?” Gideon said, his sister’s ecstatic expression telling me she was just as star-struck as her brother. Gold gave a nod. “Of course! We’ll just tell the boss and join you all. What’s the name?”

“L-Lucky Clover,” Gold replied, his voice wavering slightly. Gideon and Gigi waved a temporary goodbye, and then bolted down the street. He let out a breath I hadn’t noticed him holding. “Falke’s here. Of course he is here.”

“You okay, Gold?” Gemini, the kind little mare she was, asked as she trotted up to him.

“I will be. I will be.” He chanted. It was less an answer and more a piece of self-reassurance. He gave the young unicorn a fake smile. “So, unicorn ready? Try San Palomino’s finest?”

“Yes!” She replied with a youthful bounce.

The wonderful, innocent smile I saw on Gemini’s face as she jumped up and down would have been cute, if not for the context. Time to be the parent and step in.

“Now now, hold on missy,” I explained, giving my best “mom” look as I walked towards the two. I pointed at Gemini, more disapprovingly than in anger. “How old are you?” She blinked slowly, then tilted her head. I wilted a bit. “Right, can’t count.” I spun my focus to Gold. “You really think it is a good idea to give a minor alcohol?”

“She definitely old enough… by griffon standards.”

“She’s a unicorn, not a griffon!”

“Drinking age sixteen for griffons. Unicorn?” He briefly examined Gemini. “Definitely sixteen. Maybe fifteen, maybe seventeen.”

“Wait… are you calling me ol–“

“She’s. Not. A griffon!” I said, hitting one hoof against the opposite foreleg in annoyance. “She can come with us, but she isn’t having anything alcoholic. Got it?”

“Fine! Fine!” Gold responded, rolling his eyes. He quickly turned away and started walking, trying to escape the conversation. “Get her Sparkle-cola or something.”

I scrunched up my muzzle, and then sighs as I followed behind. A drink did sound nice, and it was becoming painfully obvious this mission of mine wasn’t going to be as quick as I wanted it to be. Might as well enjoy the world around me a bit, if I was going to be stuck here.

“Missus Rhapsody,” Gemini whispered, grabbing my attention as she trotted at my side.

“Yes Gemini?”

“Did Mister Gold… did he call me old?”

Just like that, any tension in me was eradicated with a snort of amusement. “No, Gemmy. He wasn’t.”

“Ah okay.” Her ears perked up. “You… called me Gemmy.”

I nodded. “Little nickname I thought up on the spot. Do you like it?”

“I… I do,” she said with a bright smile. “Can I call you Rara then?”

I contemplated her chosen nickname for a second, and then gave her a soft smile and nod. “Yes. Go ahead, Gemmy, call me Rara.”

The sheer innocence and joy that dawned her face in that moment. It was perfect, it was beautiful. It was right.

Author's Note

That first scene you saw was something I had planned with Lone Writer for long time. Yep, its another little crossover with All Roads Lead Home, this time featuring the main character from the story. It was a lot of fun, and thank to him for helping me write his character.