Fallout: Equestria - Operation Killjoy

“The line between friendship and family becomes blurry when you have fought each other’s enemies.”

The small cleaning robot found its way to the storage hall and began to clean the dirty hoofprints Midnight left behind. A small display showed a happy smiley face. A perfect little pawn, believing itself to be a good robot. Midnight felt… no, he remembered disgust and hatred. He wanted his body to cramp up.

After what felt like hours he got up and explored the Ministry hub. He stopped by the kitchen. For a moment he wished he could still taste sugar and chocolate like before. He didn’t remember the taste, only that it was sweet. He only took flour from the pantry. In the security office he found a map of the logistics tunnels. Before he left the hub through them he looked back at the buzzing robot. He wished it good luck and left.

It took Midnight some time until he met with Shibboleth. She hid far away between a few carriage and observed the entrance. His mind was still trying to untangle what happened in Lunaland. He briefly looked at Shibboleth and saw the anger from being abandoned in her eyes. He sat down and unpacked the food. Shibboleth’s expression softened. She gave him a nod. No apology. No words to reconcile. Just a silent acknowledgement that their journey continues.

When they arrived in Edmareton a day later, snow and rain was wrapping them in a wet and freezing cold. Midnight’s damp clothes began to feel like rotten skin he wanted to tear off, hoping he would find himself underneath.

They approached the small town from the hills and hid among the scavenged ruins. Through the scope on his new rifle Midnight saw that Edmareton had suffered from a recent fight. The wall was breached and a few homes were destroyed. He believed he could smell the scent of plasma fire lingering in the air. However, Edmareton was preparing for the night as usual. Fires were kindled to shed light and provide the ability to cook meager food.

He searched for the Steel Rangers or the Enclave, but couldn’t find either of them. Instead he noticed that the local militia had new weapons. Assault rifles, heavy machine guns and he saw one soldier cleaning a rocket launcher. He didn’t see any of The Mandate’s troops, but he was sure they traded with them.

Carefully they approached the town, trying to mingle into a small group of scavengers. Midnight made sure that his wings weren’t visible. He pulled his clothing tightly around his muzzle to look like just another pony fighting off the cold. At least the weather would cover his smell.

In the town they were wary about anypony they saw. They quickly moved to the radio station and came by countless signs of the battle. Scorched and pierced sheet metal, dried blood gathering in corners the rain didn’t reach. Some buildings were completely destroyed. A wider spot was turned into a mass grave. Slimy worms were escaping the muddy ground, waiting until the rain was over to continue their feast.

When they reached the radio station, light was still shining through the many cracks in its walls. Shibboleth was excited to meet Phones again and trotted to the door. She knocked and waited.

The door opened and a confused, wary stallion looked at them. “Isn’t it a bit late to ask for service at the radio station?”

With their faces covered against the cold, the stranger didn’t recognize them. But Midnight did. He recognized Everlast’s advisor and felt the urge to grab his rifle.

“Is something wrong?” The advisor asked.

“No. We had a very long journey.” Midnight already stepped closer. “We have an urgent message. It would be kind if you let two strangers in.”

Shibboleth was perplexed by his sudden invasiveness.

Even the advisor was unsettled. “What is this message about? Who is it for?”

“It is for…” Midnight looked at him and pretended to think. “Do I know you by chance? Not personally, but… are you Vigil? You are Everlast’s guy, aren’t you?”

“How do you know that?”

“Whitehorse. I overheard it in Whitehorse. I was there when you arrived. My message is for Everlast. Maybe I should give it to you personally.”

“Don’t.” Shibboleth whispered, the realization of danger apparent in her eyes.

“Can we discuss this inside?” Midnight ignored her.

Vigil nodded and stepped aside. When Midnight entered the small shack he was at ease and feeling in charge, until he noticed that two ponies were staring at him from the radio room. One was Shibboleth’s friend. The other, Everlast’s scruffy spy.

“Your message must be of a very sensitive nature. Otherwise you would have radioed it.” Vigil gave a small nod to Shibboleth’s equipment. “Let’s take a seat and discuss this in private.” He opened the door to Phone’s quarters.

Midnight noticed that the spy was already tensing up and looking for his assault rifle. He remembered when fear tied up his throat. Slowly and while suppressing the urge to attack Vigil right now, he stepped into the room and sat down at the small table. He held his rifle close to his chest, the barrel resting at his shoulder.

Vigil took his place on the other seat. He revealed the shoulder holster with the pistol to Midnight. “You almost got me.”

“Beg pardon?”

“Gray coat, blue tail and a rifle.”

“I can’t follow. There are a lot of gray and blue ponies with a rifle.”

“Also with those eyes? How many of them are ghouls?” Vigil smiled. “And if you are going to say that this is just a very unfortunate circumstance, then explain to me why your companion carries radio equipment. I recommend that you cooperate.”

Midnight leaned towards Vigil. “I recommend you consider that my rifle is silenced.”

“And? How do you plan to shoot it without a harness?”

“Don’t underestimate me. There are many ways I can make you shut up.”

“No. Don’t underestimate me.” Vigil retorted. “We knew that you would come here. Our little spy hurried to arrive on time. Right now, my soldiers have surrounded the house and are ready to capture both of you.”

Midnight scoffed. “You could have never guessed that we would come here.”

“Then why did my guards let you into the village?”

Midnight didn’t know the answer.

Vigil smiled. “I am sure there is a tattered pair of wings under all these rags. If you don’t want me to cut them off, you really should cooperate.”

“Why should I?”

“You should know that I am not a pony who kills others easily. Everlast on the other hoof is much more… determined. And looking at your weapon, it was you who shot at Everlast, didn’t you?”

“I don’t see how that is relevant.”

Vigil rolled his eyes. “Well, if you surrender and let us take you and Shibboleth prisoner, I will guarantee that Everlast won’t kill you, like he did with the Shadowbolt.”

Midnight shrugged.

“We will treat you well. Also… Did you know that PipBucks work on hellhounds? The old geezer’s PipBuck still had the little one’s tag. If you want to see them again, surrender and just wait. Maverick is currently retrieving them.” Vigil chuckled when he saw Midnight’s eyes flaring up with worry.

Midnight leaned back and sighed. Slowly, he shook his head. “Huh… You’ve got me.” Midnight unveiled his face. Vigil wasn’t able to hide his repulsion when he saw the hole in Midnight’s cheek. He loosened his clothes to reveal his wings as well. Midnight then took the rifle and gave it to him. “As a sign of my surrender, I give this up. Take it.”

Vigil’s took the heavy rifle and he examined it. “It’s heavy. You shot with this? This rifle should have turned Everlast’s head into paste.”

Suddenly, Midnight jumped off his seat and rammed his body into Vigil. Both tumbled backwards, the mattress absorbing the noise of the impact. Midnight didn’t give him any chance to call for help and smashed his hoof on Vigil’s throat.

Vigil was gasping for air and trying to reach the gun with his muzzle. But Midnight drew the cannibal’s knife and pushed it into Vigil’s muzzle until the tip scraped over his throat.

“I told you I know more ways to shut you up.” Midnight said. “Listen closely, I know very well that not one of your soldiers is nearby. Only your little spy is in the other room and Shibboleth has more than enough reasons to finish what the robots in Lunaland weren’t able to do. So, do I have your attention?”

Vigil nodded, tears streaming from his eyes.

“If you don’t want me to cut off your legs, you should cooperate. Understood?”

Vigil nodded again and coughed up tiny splatters of blood.

“Then you should answer my questions.” Midnight pulled the knife out.

Vigil coughed, spitting and drooling blood onto the bed.

“Is it true what you said about Maverick? If you can track her, where is she now?”

“North!” Vigil groaned, fighting with the pain and blood in his throat. “They went north.”

“Bullshit. Where are they!” Midnight raised the knife again.

“It’s true! They went to Orlov for some reason. Don’t know if they entered, but Maverick is sure as heck not going there!” He spat more blood.

Midnight’s mind raced but he couldn’t find a reason. He looked at Vigil, who was still retching. He was worried the spy would hear them. “Next question. How does Everlast know about Operation Killjoy?”

“Killjoy?”

Midnight placed the blade’s edge on Vigil’s shoulder. “Listen. I never planned to come here and threaten you that way. But then you decided to play smart ass on me. The only reason why you are still alive is that I am a good pony… If you want me to stay one, stop pretending that I stuttered.”

“No! No need for that. I… I heard you clearly.”

“Then answer.”

Vigil briefly nodded and had to suppress another cough. “Everlast told me he learned about Killjoy from a memory orb. He found it in Canterlot and it was a hearing between some stallion and Princess Luna.”

“What stallion?”

“Some O.I.A. mongrel.” Vigil looked at the knife. “I don’t remember the name, but Everlast told me he had blue stripes. That guy told Princess Luna about some… Shadowbolt stuff.”

“Shadowbolt stuff?”

“Some investigations in Stalliongrad and Orlov. From what I know the Shadowbolts were all over the place when some O.I.A. ponies got arrested. Apparently somepony wanted to kill the princesses.”

“And Killjoy?” His voice grew dark.

“Killing the princesses is Killjoy, you idiot! That guy only got caught up in it because he did the paperwork for the arrested ponies. He said he found out afterwards, while the Shadowbolts were still investigating elsewhere. They made the arrests and got the evidence.”

“That doesn’t explain why you are looking for it. You just told me about a coup.”

“When the princesses are dead, Equestrian command would have gone elsewhere. Killjoy was to bypass that. Everlast looks for that.”

“How did it lead you to Stable Fifty-Four?”

“Because the Shadowbolts gathered the evidence, you idiot! It’s probably in some bunker, gathering dust because the zebras finished the job before the Shadowbolts could.”

Midnight lost focus when he tried to make sense of this. He had no doubts that the advisor was telling the truth. His version differed greatly from what Feather told them. Blue Sky wouldn’t tell a lie to the princess. He remembered anger when he realized that Feather was lying.

Midnight didn’t notice that the advisor was still coughing up blood. “That’s all I know. Will… will you let me live?”

Fade kept Key under her wing and both were only walking. They were silent; their hunger and the cold forgotten. But they couldn’t forget the noises. The horrible noises from those creatures, reminding Fade that they were once ponies. Like insects, those things were drawn to the light. But Fade was drawn into the cold, dark night. When they reached the outskirts, she still kept walking.

Feather found them eventually. She led them to a safe spot to sleep, but none of them were thinking about it. Instead they sat down in the cold, waiting for the sunrise. Fade was holding Key to keep her warm, while Feather kept the recovered PipBuck close to her chest.

As the time passed by, Key curled up more and more. She pressed her body against Fade, crying, covering her head with her forelegs. Fade wanted to comfort Key, but didn’t know how. Her wings didn’t want to move anymore. Her forelegs were covered in the stinking remains from Orlov.

She wished she knew how Key felt; How it was to be afraid of monsters and of the nightmares they would bring. But Fade’s nightmares were of necks being cut open. Of cradling wings going limp. Of hooves reaching out for mercy. “Why now?” Fade thought. “Why do they have to return now?”

The next morning, Feather led them southeast. Away from Orlov, away from Quebit, away from the cold. They didn’t know where to go and soon it no longer mattered. Dark snow storms were soon raging over the landscape. Stalliongrad’s winter grew harsher with every passing day.

Traveling without proper gear was impossible by noon. Whenever they stumbled across a ruin, they searched for anything that would protect them. Clothes and blankets were long gone. Fade gathered plastic bags and filled them with paper torn from books. She stopped when she came across a children’s book. “Daddy Guards The Starry Sky” it read. She looked at the pegasus soldier, drawn with crayons and standing on bright stars, looking down at sleeping foals at home. She couldn’t bring herself to tear it apart. She hid it from Feather, who was tearing up books herself. There was no need to burden her with memories.

At night Key screamed in terror. It tore Fade out of her own nightmares, always drawing her knife to fight what was attacking her sister. But it was only a nightmare. Every time she found Key curling up and covering her head with her forelegs. After a few hours passed Key turned on her PipBuck to study old maps and logs instead of sleeping.

At day they were surrounded by nothing but piercing snow. Fade and Feather had to gather around Key to follow the compass. Without it, they would simply disappear. They took small rests at any kind of shelter they found. They ate every morsel of food they got, even scratching the frozen remains out of empty cans. Fade wished they would come across a tree. The thought of a piece of bark made her stomach growl.

Fade didn’t know if it was the second or the third day, when she stopped at a speck of green amidst the gray snow. Squinting her eyes, she recognized the letters and smiled.

“Key. Look over there. Maybe there is something to eat.”

“Hm?” Key was absent, her eyes reddened by the lack of sleep.

“There. Do you remember the letters? Pere-something.” She pointed to the truck. “Let’s take a look.”

They all went to the truck, buried deep in the snow. It looked almost like a small hill. Together, they began to dig and it took them an hour until they were able to pull the cargo doors open. Fade wrinkled her nose from the smell of cold and rotten food. But the transporter was filled to the brim. For the first time since they fled from Orlov, Fade saw a tiny smile on Key’s muzzle.

Fade forced her way into the transporter, helping Key and Feather on top of the crates. They all rummaged through the boxes and pushed everything which was no longer edible out. They didn’t care about the cold sweeping into the truck. The moment they found the first can, the cold, the hunger and the nightmares were forgotten.

They had to bash open the cans with blunt force and shatter the frozen content into bite sized chunks. It didn’t help the hunger and the pieces were painfully cold, but they all smiled from the sweet and metallic taste in their mouths. Even Feather couldn’t hide her joy. They closed the door and took a long rest.

“Swift? What is this?” Key asked. She was distracting herself by examining all the rotten food. Feather was asleep, curled up and had covered herself from head to hoof in plastic wrap to stay warm.

“Hm? That’s… That looks like a kiwifruit.” Fade wanted Key to sleep, but she’d rather see her curious about rotten fruit than screaming in fear. “Better you put it away. It looks moldy.”

“What is a kiwifruit?”

Fade sat down. “It has a brown peel and green inside. It tastes… kind of sour.”

“And… what is this?” Key took another fruit, which was rock hard.

“Could be a lemon. Or a lime.” Fade wasn’t able to tell from the discolorations.

“How do they taste?”

“Extremely sour.”

“And this?” Key found a long and straight fruit. “What fruit is this?”

“That’s not a fruit. That’s a vegetable called a cucumber. It tastes… kind of sour?”

“I’ve never heard of these fruits. Our books in the Stable were only about apples and carrots. Why did ponies eat so many sour fruits?”

“They don’t only taste sour.” Fade’s voice dropped. “It’s… It’s that I haven’t eaten any of them in twenty years and I… kind of forgot how they taste, except sour.”

“I wouldn’t mind forgetting…”

“Forgetting what?”

Key didn’t answer and just looked at the box she was sitting on.

“Orlov?” Fade asked.

Key shook her head.

“Maverick?”

Again she shook her head.

“Is it about Dad?”

“No…”

Fade sighed. “You really need to sleep,” Fade tried to say with a calm voice, but she felt a raspy dryness in her throat. She recognized the signs of yet another sickness and tried to pull the rags closer around her neck. Her hoof bounced against the familiar weight of the memory orb from the hospital.

She took it out and looked at the dark blue swirl inside the gray sphere. Key was looking at the orb as well and Fade saw her shivering. The fear from the nightmare returned into Key’s eyes. There was a desperate urge to escape the memory orb.

Fade felt the same despair. She could protect Key from everything. From Everlast, Maverick and even Orlov. But she couldn’t protect her sister from something small like a memory.

A fever was weakening Fade’s body. Every breath was painful, no matter how many clothes she wrapped in front of her muzzle. On the third day they finally got out of the storm ridden areas of Equestria’s north. But the wind was still cold and every breath felt like a knife in Fade’s throat. Even eating was becoming too painful.

Around noon they turned to follow the old roads east. Edmareton was the only destination they could think of. When the snowfall cleared they found themselves exposed to a wide and open landscape. With nothing more than rusty pipes as weapons they felt vulnerable and naked. Should they ever encounter Maverick again, Fade’s only hope was that Key remembered the targeting spell on her PipBuck and was able to gouge an eye out.

When they were looking for a shelter to rest, they found a faint light in the distance. None of them wanted to approach at first, but they needed medicine. Every step made Fade sweat and Key struggled to read the display on the PipBuck. Fade wanted to sneak up on the traveler at first, but she had to stop when a coughing fit made it feel like her throat was being torn apart.

“Wait here,” Feather said. Fade thought she saw a hint of worry in her eyes before she left.

Feather returned a while later and gave them a small nod. It was safe.

Fade hated his smile. Not even in this dire situation had Tomcat dropped his obnoxious smile. And yet she felt thankful that Tomcat invited them into his small cart. The tarp kept most of the cold out and a spark battery was powering a heater. There wasn’t much room and Fade didn’t want to be so close to Feather and him. Key was leaning against her, struggling to stay awake in the tiny, but cozy shelter.

“Isn’t it dangerous to show your presence with a lantern?”

“Isn’t it a bit risky to attack ponies who show their presence with a lantern?” He laughed and placed their frozen cans on the heater.

“Not in my world.”

“But in Tomcat’s world it brings customers. It even brings his favorite customers. What happened to you? You look a bit… underequipped.”

Feather took out the PipBuck from Orlov. Tomcat recognized immediately that it was different from others. “Is this what Tomcat thinks it is? Can Tomcat see?”

Feather gave him the device and Tomcat examined it, turning it in his hooves and was already estimating the value of it. His smile grew with every second. “Tomcat sees what happened to you. Do you still want the engine?”

“Yes.” Fade nodded. “And we want you to bring it—”

“No.” Feather stopped her. ”We carry it ourselves.”

“Are you sure? Tomcat’s transportation fee may be high but thanks to the Antigravitalizer Tomcat can offer a discount.”

“You still owe me my fair share for delivering the thing to you,” Fade reminded him.

“We will not hire you to transport the engine!” Feather disagreed.

“Then take the engine and fuck off!” Fade yelled at her and coughed. Tomcat stopped smiling and only the hum of the radiator broke the silence. “He will transport the engine, no matter if you want it or not! I’m sick of your shit and your damn secretiveness. He is not our enemy.”

“How can we be sure that he won’t trade with the Enclave?” Feather said. “Do you think it is an accident that he is two, maybe three days away from Quebit? By now all of Equestria must have heard of the recent battle.”

“Smart as always,” Tomcat said. “Yes, Tomcat wanted to sell medicine in Quebit.”

“The Enclave too?” Feather asked.

“Tomcat is a trader.” Was all he said.

“Fuck it…” Fade grunted after she got her coughing back under control. “Tomcat, you need to bring the engine to a Ministry of Awesome hub nearby Stalliongrad.”

Feather glared at Fade. “Why did you tell him?”

“So you finally stop bitching about everything I do!”

“Fade, I just want you to think more about the future.”

“Then be a damn example and do it first!” Fade said and was already prepared for an argument. But all she got was a glimpse of doubt and… regret in Feather’s eyes. Fade sighed. “Tomcat… You owe us for the Anti… gravity device. That will pay for food, medicine, weapons and clothes for all three of us. Getting you the damn ShitBuck should pay for the transport.”

“Tomcat is not sure if the PipBuck covers the costs. Tomcat just left Stalliongrad and doubts that it makes up for the loss. Quebit needs a lot of medicine and Tomcat has a lot of medicine.”

Fade sighed. “I hate to say it but… the Ministry hub is untouched. From what we can tell the staff took what they could carry and fucked off before the bombs dropped. Is this enough?”

“How can you guarantee that?”

Fade sighed. Of course he was skeptical. To her surprise Key sat up and showed him the PipBuck. The map showed the location and the route they took from Stalliongrad. “Is this proof enough?”

“It is also sealed,” Fade said. “You not only get anything in the hub, but a few dead Shadowbolts as well. Heck, they even have toothpaste. Can we get some fucking medicine now?”

Tomcat’s cart was shaking and swaying all the way back to Stalliongrad. Fade’s sickness got worse with every day. But she didn’t take any of Tomcat’s expensive medicine so Key could get more of his sedatives. She slept, but even under the influence of the mind numbing drugs she squirmed and whimpered in her sleep.

When the cart came to a halt for the night, Fade only found herself in a dreamless and feverish sleep. Her new clothes were sweaty and she had lost track if they were ever changed or washed. In the same way she didn’t know for how many days they had been traveling. She couldn’t even tell dreams, memories and the present apart. It was like her body was caving in to the strain of the last weeks.

“A taser is all you’ll give me?” Fade felt she remembered her mother saying one evening.

“With all the medicine you need each day, Tomcat simply can’t give you a brand new energy rifle.”

“And it works against ghouls too?”

Fade opened her eyes. They felt like they were covered in slime. “Why do we need a taser?”

“Go back to sleep, Fade.”

“Is it about Midnight?”

“Of course not, Fade. Now go back to sleep.”

Fade believed she heard genuine care in her mother’s voice, yet she wished Shibboleth was here. Fade didn’t remember why she woke up in the first place. When Fade asked Feather about the taser the next morning, Feather answered that she must have dreamed it.

Days later they arrived at the Ministry Hub. The dark monolith was barely visible in the snow fall. Only Tomcat smiled at the sight of the riches it promised to him. But for Fade it was the promise that her long rest was over. She already felt Feather’s impatient eyes on her.

Fade’s head was spinning when she jumped out of the cart. She hurried through the snow and into the hub to open it up for the others. All she wanted was to sleep in a bed for once. Maybe it would also help Key to sleep. Last night Key didn’t want to take the sedatives anymore. She still remembered the nightmares.

Wandering through the installation she gave a wide berth around the pool that formed under the soldier hanging from the ceiling. Fade was disgusted that in the few days the Enclave had time, they hadn’t come back to recover the corpses. But she stopped when she came across the mare she fought. She looked at the corpse for a long time. Some hardy insects laid eggs in the spilled intestines. “Was this the day we grew apart?”

Fade had troubles focusing. It took her a long time to open the hangar gate to let Tomcat’s cart in. She took the extra time to turn on the heater in the small barracks and the water boiler for the showers.

Back in the hangar room, Fade found Feather and Tomcat discussing. She knew it was about the engine, but she didn’t care. She took Key and brought her to the barracks. The bunk beds were still cold and hard, but the air was slowly warming up. They were sitting down quietly, doing nothing but seeking comfort. Fade wanted to stay awake for Key, but the sickness was soon draining the last reserves of energy from her body. She was too tired to take a shower… she even forgot how it felt.

After Fade fell asleep, Key’s pained screams woke her up not even an hour later.

Fade felt hollow when she tried to comfort Key. For days she tried to calm her down and take the night terrors away, but in the end it was as pointless as hating the Enclave. No matter how many Fade killed, the Enclave persisted. No matter how often she hugged her sister, the nightmares returned.

In the green glow of the PipBuck Key looked barely alive. She was staring at the small screen, not caring about the information it displayed. Only a distraction and a desperate attempt to not fall asleep again.

It took Fade her best efforts to convince her sister to take a hot shower. They found towels and soap and Key found herself following the routine she knew from the Stable. Fade left her alone and took a shower herself. She tried to stay quiet and not whimper when she peeled off the cloth sticking to her back. Even under the shower and with the soap she smelled the stench of puss and dead skin.

After Fade plundered the baths for any kind of medicine to disinfect and bandage her back, she brought Key to the barracks. “Stay up for a while.” She hugged and wrapped a few blankets around her. “I need to get something from Tomcat.”

Tired and exhausted she visited him in the hangar. She found him looting and storing the corpses in a dry corner of the hangar. She saw in his eyes that he was guessing the value of every tiny piece of metal, every single tool and every cable inside the walls.

“Tomcat? Can we talk?” Her voice was rough but the hot shower helped her to regain a bit of it.

“Tomcat is always available for a little chat with his favorite customer.”

“Yeah…” Fade tried to hold back another cough. “Do you still have the… memory device?”

“The recollector? I have it. Do I need to remind you that even though the usefulness of a collector is limited, it certainly has its worth?”

“I brought you that… Anti-Thing.”

“The Antigravitalizer.” Tomcat said with a purr as if he enjoyed saying that word. “That is correct, but Tomcat already equipped all of you. There is nothing left for the memory recollector.”

“Actually, I don’t need to buy it. Can I borrow it?”

“Borrow? Tomcat has always had a distaste for credit givers and pawn brokers.”

“Listen. I brought you a lot of very valuable things. I risked my life for each of them. We even had to fight for this Hub.” She nodded to the dead Shadowbolts. “You can’t tell me that borrowing the Recollector would be too expensive.”

Tomcat frowned. “Are you saying Tomcat is unfair?”

“Yes. I am saying you are unfair. And you don’t want your favorite customer to feel unfairly treated, do you?”

Tomcat grinned and returned to his cart. He gave her the ugly device and Fade retreated into a corner of the hangar and put it on her head. When she took the gray and blue memory orb, she looked at the familiar colors and wondered why this one had such an intricate swirling pattern. All the others were like stars, but this one contained a galaxy made of silk.

The collector began to buzz and Fade prepared herself for what she may find. She was sure it was the memories of the changeling queen, drowning again and again in the stasis tank. Whatever it was, it must have been horrible. Her head began to hurt again when the buzzing noise felt like it was cracking open her skull to make reality swim away.

The smell of bleach and chlorine penetrated her clogged nose and made her head sting. Fade wasn’t sure if she was in a memory or not. She couldn’t say if the smell of day old sweat and grime was hers or from… whoever she was inside. Her eyes felt heavy, just like they felt in the real, waking world.

There was pain from the metallic table she was strapped on. The plastic binders were tight and forbade the tiniest movement of the legs. She wanted to look around but the pony’s gaze was locked at the ceiling and the dark spots on it. What happened in this room? What sick memory was this?

In the hope of finding comfort for the strained neck, her head lifted. She saw the body. A stallion. Gray fur and a pink suit. It was already losing its color from countless washing cycles. It was sticking to her coat like plastic skin. Was this Shattered Hoof?

She realized how the body was stricken by hunger and exhaustion. But her host met all of it with indifference. Fade wanted to get up, scream and get out of the memory before she had to live through every rumor she heard about Shattered Hoof. And these dark stains on the ceiling…

The door opened with screeching hinges. From the outside she heard the voices of other inmates, yelling and crying. A stallion entered the room. White fur and blue stripes were visible where the white suit didn’t cover his body. She recognized him.

“Blue?”

Fade’s mind stopped when she recognized Midnight’s voice. This wasn’t just any memory. It was his. Gray fur. Pink Suit. Shattered Hoof. Her mind cycled through the same words again and again.

“What are you doing here? Are you getting me out?” Midnight pleaded and hope filled his chest with a warmth, Fade hadn’t felt for a very long time.

A sad expression wandered over Blue Sky’s face, but was replaced by a resolute harshness in his eyes. A glimpse of victory fighting against compassion and regret.

“Yes.” He answered. “In six weeks you will be out.” The voice was deep and calming. He placed a hoof on Midnight’s.

“Why are you waiting that long? Why not now?” Midnight said.

Blue Sky didn’t answer. Instead two more ponies entered the room, their bodies hidden under white robes. One was small and stout, each movement sharp and penetrating. The other one, lanky, moved slowly, drawing out every motion.

“Who are they?”

Midnight didn’t get an answer. His heart was racing and his chest was tightening up. Blue Sky opened a small bag and took two items out. A memory orb, showing the three balloons of the Ministry or Morale and a holodisk in pristine condition. Fade recognized it as the same one they got from the salt mine.

“Blue? What is happening?”

“Please go outside and get familiar with these items. I need a word with him.” Blue ordered them. They left the room and even after they closed the door their presence was still there; Cutting… Patient…

“Blue. I thought you would get me out?”

“I will. But it won’t be as easy as signing a waiver.” Both of his hooves rested on Midnight’s foreleg. “I’ll get you out of here. But to do that, one thing must be done.”

“Who are these two?”

“Magicians. They work for the Ministry of Image and listen directly to the Ministry Mare. They are schooled in a kind of magic unlike any other.” Blue Sky’s words were heavy. “The procedure will be very painful. There will be no drugs or spells to reduce the pain. These two ponies will remove parts of your soul and imbue the items I gave them.”

“You are joking.”

Blue Sky shook his head. “Do you remember when I told you that when the war is over we will just be two friends like before?”

“Of course I do. That is why we tried to end the war. Our protests. Our fights. We are good ponies, no matter what they say. We are good ponies.” Fade felt fear but she didn’t know if it was Midnight’s or hers.

“Midnight…” Blue Sky turned his head and the compassion in his eyes was gone. Every worry, every hint of sadness and regret was replaced by a cold and calculating mechanism. “It was all a lie. What we fought for… it was never meant to end the war.”

“But so many of us were murdered.”

“And I gave the orders to murder them. Every setback was only there to turn you into… this. I didn’t make you a freedom fighter. I made you a terrorist. I made you kill ponies. I made you get arrested. I told them you were brainwashed by zebras and the Ministry took you in with glee to see if they could brainwash you again.”

“Stop saying this…”

“I will remove all these memories and hide them in a place where nopony will ever go. I will give them a blank slate, so they can turn you into a truly good pony.”

“Stop saying these things.” Midnight’s voice broke.

“You will move among them as my agent. They will believe you will be a good pony, but they will never realize that you are my pawn.”

“Stop saying these things…”

“I used you Midnight.”

“Stop! Stop saying these things!” Midnight shouted, his lungs and throat hurting.

Blue Sky jumped away from the outburst that made the operation table rattle. The binders cut deep into the flesh.

“This will be our winning streak, Midnight. You will forget everything I told you. And then we will be friends again.”

“You are not my friend. You are not my friend!” Midnight shouted, again and again and each time more of Blue Sky’s facade broke. Midnight fought against the table and tried to tear his hooves free. The plastic binders felt warm and slimy from blood. “You are not my friend!”

Blue Sky opened the door to the cell. “Come in. Begin with the procedure.”

“You are not my friend!” Midnight shouted until his throat burned and spittle ran over his lips.

“What have you done with him?” The smaller pony asked.

“He gave him something to hate,” the other one said slowly. “This will ease our work considerably.”

The memory orb and the holodisk were held in a magic field above Midnight, but his rage was directed at Blue Sky. He shouted again, his voice cracking and failing. Tears and snot running over his muzzle.

“He’s already bare.”

Magic began to weave around Midnight’s head and he simply froze. A tendril dug into him; Not into his body or mind. It exposed him… touched him… violated him. It wormed into Fade as well. She wanted to get out of this memory. She wanted to relive the first time she killed a pony. She wanted to relive the moment when she was a child and blamed her mother for her father’s death. She wanted to drown as the Changeling Queen in the murky solution in Orlov. Fade wanted to die instead of living through one more second of being touched like that.

A needle was inserted… shaping into a blade to cut… cut… and cut…