Fallout: Equestria - Operation Killjoy
Chapter 17: Purpose
Previous ChapterNext Chapter“At one point zebras and ponies were no longer able to function without each other. War became coexistence. Megaspells were the only way out of it.”
The flight was quiet. The humming engine helped Midnight to find a treacherous calmness. Feather was sitting only a few feet away at the hatch. He noticed that Feather had a new weapon. It was the first thing he noticed.
Shibboleth and Key were quiet as well. Key was sleeping. It was impossible to not notice how haggard she looked. Feather didn’t look much better but she was still somewhat steadfast.
Midnight’s biggest concern was about Fade. She was strapped tightly in a harness, which forwarded every one of her flaps, banks and motions to the Vertibuck. He never saw Fade fly a machine like this but it was clear how easy and intuitive it must be for her. But Fade was coughing every other moment and she couldn’t wear her thick clothes in order to fit into the harness. It was rather cold in the Vertibuck and Midnight remembered the scratching feeling of cold air in a sore throat.
Eventually Fade looked back into the passenger compartment. Midnight expected to see a glimmer of hope in her eyes. But the way she looked at him in particular… It worried him. Midnight saw a fear in her eyes, she had never shown before; Not in Tall Tale, Stalliongrad or even the saltmine. His urge to ask Feather about the photos was gone. Midnight decided to close his eyes and listen to nothing but the drone of the Vertibuck’s engine.
After two hours Fade landed the Vertibuck. It was on a clearing in the midst of a dead forest. Only a very few conifers managed to cling to life. Tall Tale was no longer visible. To the south, the cold Smokey Mountains were rising until their highest spires pierced through the thick cloud cover.
Fade coughed and remained in the harness for a while. Her body shivered and her throat burned with every breath. She heard the others getting up, stepping out of the Vertibuck to escape its tight confinements.
Fade looked out of the cockpit and guessed that it would take one more hour of flight to reach the point Feather wanted them to go. She hoped it was worth it and whatever they found there would help them with all of their problems. Or at least with making sense out of everything.
After a long moment Fade left the harness to leave the Vertibuck. Shibboleth sat with Key nearby the hatch. She wrapped most of her clothes around Key and tried to comfort her. When Shibboleth looked up, Fade saw in her eyes that she was holding them responsible for the hell Key was exposed to.
Fade didn’t know what to say and quietly left the Vertibuck. Feather was sitting at the cloud ship and Midnight stood some feet away. She realized how weak and broken his body appeared. She saw the bullet holes in his clothes, body and the metal splints around his legs. The piece of flesh torn out from his cheek and the huge gash in his cutie mark.
Midnight noticed her. Looking back his eyes were filled with dread, his face frozen from worry and an underlying rage. “Are you alright?” Midnight asked with a weak voice.
Fade looked at Feather who didn’t give them any attention. “No…” She took a deep breath, coughing and rubbing some snot from her nose. “I’m worried… scared of what comes next.”
“Why?”
Fade couldn’t answer. She heard Key sobbing. Shibboleth didn’t know what was wrong and Fade found her as lost as she was.
“Fade?”
She hesitated. “We… We found a memory orb.” Fade whispered. “It was… about Blue Sky. And you. He… did something terrifying.” Fade rubbed the tears away. She reached for her bags and took out the gray memory orb with the blue swirl. Midnight recognized the colors of his coat and mane from a time when there was still color in the world.
Midnight raged. He tore the recollector from his head and threw it away. Key hid behind Shibboleth. Fade was uncertain about why Feather had her rifle charged and after seeing Midnight’s fury she reached for her knife.
Midnight tore the bags off his body. It scared her how he dug into them, pulling out folders, opening them and pulling out the plastic pages with the photos. He tore them apart, scattering the shreds over the dead earth. But it didn’t help. He took a knife and stabbed what was left of them, until he collapsed over them, curling up into the shape of a broken pony. His body shook while his dry throat tried to wail, his lungs devoid of air.
Eventually Midnight reached for one picture. His head turned to Feather and his body was trembling, barely able to control the urge of violence. Fade didn’t recognize his eyes anymore. With his glare fixated on Feather he stood up and with a fast stride Midnight stomped towards her. When he crossed half the distance Feather planted her hooves firmly on the ground and aimed her rifle at him.
“Mom!” Fade yelled and rushed to grab the rifle and pull it away.
“Get off me!” Feather fought back while Midnight walked faster and faster until he ran. Seconds later he grabbed Feather by the collar and pushed her against the Vertibuck.
“Why didn’t you tell me!” He shouted into her face, his voice sounding like a raging animal. “Tell me!”
Fade tried to get between them, pushing Midnight away. She never thought that his body could unleash such strength.
“Tell me you fucking bitch!” Midnight pulled his hoof back, ready to strike… to crush Feather’s skull.
At that moment Fade wrapped her forelegs around Midnight’s neck. It took all her strength to pull him away. He fought back, even when they fell to the ground, but his rage was still directed at Feather.
In a sudden all motion came to a halt when Feather pointed her rifle at Midnight’s forehead. “You stop right there and don’t move one inch or I will shoot.”
He glared at Feather, ignoring the buzzing tip of the rifle. His body was still quivering, yet he found enough control to open his wing and drop the picture.
Fade immediately noticed the splash of purple and blue color. She recognized herself. And then she realized who was carrying her. “This can’t be. Mom? What does this mean?”
Feather was still aiming at Midnight. It was as if she was waiting for something.
“Mom! What is this?” Fade picked the picture up and showed it to Feather. “What is this? Why am I in this picture?”
“Answer or I’ll drag you to Shattered Hoof and take a look for myself!” Midnight shouted.
“Shut up!” Feather yelled. “I’ll answer, but only if Midnight gets away from me. Now!”
“Why should I?”
“Get away or I will shoot.” The energy rifle crackled around the tip.
“You better not even think about it.” Fade reached for her knife.
“I have a very valid reason to be concerned about my security around Midnight. Step away and I will explain.”
Midnight glared at Feather and ultimately stepped away. It took him everything to keep calm, but his eyes were still filled with violence. “Talk.”
Feather kept her rifle primed at him. “The reason why I didn’t tell you anything about my relation towards the O.I.A. and its agents is that Midnight may be a sleeper agent, programmed by the Ministry of Morale.”
Fade scoffed. “Do you really believe we would buy that bullshit? After all the other crap you told us?”
“Look at him!” Feather shouted. “A terrorist who can’t even accept the truth when it’s right in front of him? Always talking about how good of a pony he is, how good the Ministry of Morale was! Do you think that is normal?”
“Stop this crap! Why? Out of all the millions of ponies, why is Midnight a sleeper agent? Do you think we are that stupid?”
“Yes! You are that stupid! Midnight is part of Killjoy!” Feather adjusted her stance, making sure her weapon was still aimed at Midnight. “And I do know Blue Sky.”
Midnight and Fade were staring at her, unable to believe it. Her eyes were fixated on Midnight, showing that she would shoot without hesitation.
“I tried to hint at it. I tried to find out if that programming was there,” Feather said.
“Why didn’t you tell me?” Fade asked.
“Because there was the risk that he may try to kill you as well.”
“Why do you believe I am a sleeper agent?” Midnight asked, his voice still shaking from the anger he tried to suppress.
“We waited for your release. But… you didn’t act as planned. You didn’t return to Lunaland to get your things. Your rifle. Instead you… went to the next Ministry of Wartime Hub and applied for a job as a Terminal technician. The risk was too high.”
“Why was Blue Sky in Shattered Hoof?”
“You know… All he told me was that he would get you out. I don’t even know what’s on that memory orb.”
“Well, I'll tell you, Mom. Your fucking O.I.A. friend tore Midnight’s soul out!”
“Shut up, Fade! I don’t know all the details! You know… I don’t even know what the side hustle with Stalliongrad was about.”
“He killed my friends and you call it a side hustle?” Midnight’s voice grew louder.
“I don’t know! You know… He kept things secret from me as well! Don’t even ask about the balefire eggs or how they are related to Killjoy, if at all!”
“Then why did you show me the hideout?”
“As I said… I needed to find out if the programming was there. Your reaction wasn’t very encouraging to tell you the truth.”
Midnight could no longer stand. His legs gave way and he sank to the floor, pressing his forelegs against his head. “Why? What for?”
“Yes. What is the fucking plan!” Fade said.
“Blue Sky wanted to use the spell through a Crusader Maneframe. It would have opened every seal in Equestria. Including… Megaspells. We wouldn’t have done anything else. In that chaos, Blue Sky would have approached the Princesses and would inform them what he found out. He would make it clear that this spell was just a test and that the true threat would be if the zebras manage to turn a simple lockpicking spell into… a killing agent.”
“Why?” Fade asked.
“To make them surrender.”
“And what if they would have decided to perform the first strike as an answer?”
“Then, Blue Sky would have told the truth.”
Midnight sat up. “So, where is Killjoy? Smokey Mountains?”
“No… The Crusader Maneframe is in the Smokey Mountains. Killjoy… Fade lost Killjoy to the Enclave.”
“What do you mean?” Midnight tried to understand.
“When the Enclave captured us, they got the holodisk and now we need to get it back… And I already have a plan.” Feather began to explain. “You know… I don’t know what the full purpose of your peace activist group was. I can only guess that Blue Sky used your friends as a way to smuggle zebra weapons into Equestria, including balefire bombs. I am sure they are still in his office in Vanhoover. After he stole them from the Shadowbolts, they didn’t have enough time to retrieve them.”
“You want us to fly to Vanhoover?” Fade asked.
“If we have to attack the Enclave, we need all the firepower we can get. I know Blue Sky was in his office when the bombs fell. With the Vertibuck we may get to the office and if there is one place that knows everything about Killjoy, it is there.”
A few minutes later they were back in the air. Fade saw that Key was asleep and she wondered if it was thanks to her mother’s comfort or that she simply got used to the nightmares. Much like Fade got used to the violence and the killing.
When she looked back, she found Midnight was sitting at the hatch. He held the rifle close in his hooves the same way a zebra would. She no longer saw the idealistic and patient ghoul. No. She only saw a pony who was made to get used to violence and killing. Feather sat across from him, a mirror image of Midnight. Fade wondered when she got used to the killing.
After an hour, the flight began to take a toll on Fade. The mountains kept rising and Fade had to flap harder to gain altitude. The jagged mountains below were bare of life. The balefire winter killed off conifer forests surrounding the Smokey Mountain range. The peaks were covered in thick snow and Fade thought that it had a sickly sheen of radiation.
“The ragged mountain there. That’s our goal.” Feather said and pointed to a massive mountain with its peak piercing through the clouds. “Try to find a place to land below the cover.”
When Fade reached the mountain she felt feverish. Her head began to hurt as she fought to keep up the altitude. It required heavy wing beats for Fade to reach a plateau, rather close to the clouds. The landing was harsh and when Fade could finally rest her aching wings she realized that she was sweating.
Midnight opened the hatch and together they disembarked onto the pathway to the peak. The wind was tearing at their clothes. Shibboleth put her thick jacket over Key and tried to shield her daughter with her body. Feather was struggling with the cold as well, but she kept going and eventually walked at the front. Fade wondered what it was that kept her mother going.
Following the path, they soon moved through the clouds. Fade soon felt too weak to push them aside. The dark gray clouds took all visibility. It required Feather’s lead along the ragged rock to get them through. The vapor from the clouds drenched their clothes. Midnight felt frost forming on his body.
After they moved past the cloud layer, the blue sky was blinding. The sun was standing high and they felt its warmth on their coats.
“Look, Key. The sky.” Shibboleth smiled, even though the bright light hurt her eyes.
“I know,” Key answered. “I have seen it already.”
Shibboleth had no time to react to her daughter’s indifference. Feather was urging them to keep going. The path was curving around the cliff. Passing by another bend, they found themselves in front of a massive cave entrance. Fade and Midnight dreaded the secrets it may hold.
But Feather already stepped forward. “Key. I would prefer to have your E.F.S. with me.”
“Are you expecting something in there?” Shibboleth asked.
“You know… I just want to be sure.”
“I’ll take the lead then.” Fade made sure she could grab her knife quickly and carefully took the first steps into the cave. Key turned on both the flashlight and the E.F.S. Shibboleth remained at her side. Midnight and Feather went last with their rifles ready.
Fade walked quietly, even though she heard the hoof steps of her friends. The air in the cave was cold but at least they were now protected from the wind. The path through the cave was more akin to the wide hallways of a majestic palace and their steps echoed through the darkness.
Key suddenly stopped. “There is something there.”
A long growl resounded from the darkness. “You were not invited. Leave.”
Shibboleth pulled Key against her, already taking steps backward. Fade stood nearby, ready to draw her knife and Midnight held the rifle in his hooves.
But Feather stepped forward. “We are looking for something!”
“I said leave!” The voice boomed, followed by a gush of blindingly bright, green fire.
Shibboleth pulled Key behind her. “Feather! Let us not anger the dragon!”
“Mom! Wait!” Key protested. “He’s yellow. He’s yellow on my E.F.S.!”
From the cave came a long and deep sigh and growl. “I hate E.F.S. What are you doing here?”
“We are looking for a Crusader Maneframe.” Feather said.
“There is no Maneframe here.”
“I have very reliable information that there is one here.”
A small green flame erupted and its light revealed a scaly snout. “Your… information is not reliable in that case. I have lived here for a long time and if there was a Maneframe, I would know about it.”
“Maybe there is another cave,” Fade said quietly.
“No. It is here. I am sure of it.”
“How can you be sure?” Fade whispered.
“What are you whispering about?” The dragon asked.
“I’m trying to convince her to stop bothering you.” Fade answered and tugged at Feather’s clothes. “Let’s go. It’s not worth annoying a dragon.”
“Fade, stop it!” Feather pulled away. “Listen, dragon! I know for certain that there is a Crusader Maneframe in this cave. We need access to it. We know about a Megaspell which can unlock every Ministry hub, every military vault, every building and every crate somehow related to the government. We can even gain access to the weather control towers and open the sky after twenty years of Enclave mismanagement!”
They were all silent while the dragon contemplated her words. Eventually he stepped out of the darkness. He towered many feet above Maverick, yet he appeared small in the massive cave. His purple scales appeared as ragged as the rock around him and certainly as hard. “I can assure you, there is no Maneframe here. It may be somewhere else in these mountains. We can talk about it, but I want this thing to leave my cave first.” He said and nodded to Midnight. “I can’t bear its stench.”
“His name is Midnight,” Fade said. “And it is not his fault that he became a ghoul.”
“I don’t blame it for existing. But I will blame all of you if you won’t respect my wish to no longer have that constant reminder around me of what the zebras did. You should be smart enough to understand that the reek of corrupted dragon fire is something I don’t want in my cave. Now make it leave!”
“His name is still Midnight, dragon,” Fade said.
“And my name is not ‘dragon’.”
“I understand,” Midnight interrupted. “We didn’t know you were living here.” He turned around and retreated to the entrance of the cave.
“Can we talk about the Maneframe?” Feather grew impatient.
“No. There is no Maneframe here and I don’t want to discuss this any further. I like that you are trying to achieve something good, but this is not the right place.”
“Why are you trying to hide it?”
“Mom. Stop.” Fade stepped in front of her. “Let me try to talk to him. Please.”
Feather sighed and gave her only a brief nod.
“Mr. Dragon… We will not bother you about the Maneframe anymore. But we really need to find it for the sake of Equestria. Can we ask for something else?”
The dragon nodded.
“We… We are hungry, sick and lack clothes. Our current shelter is a small Vertibuck. We can’t cook, or properly sleep in it. Heck, we can’t even take proper care of ourselves. Can we use the cave as a base while we search for the Maneframe?”
“You will find better shelter at the foot of the mountains. There is an old hut in the forest not too far away. It could still be intact.”
“Maybe there is something we can help you with in exchange to stay here?” Fade tried her best to convince the dragon. “We really need a safe place to rest and a point from where we could search for the Maneframe without climbing the mountains all the time.”
The dragon thought about it. “Does somepony among you know, by chance, how to maintain a terminal?”
Midnight slowly raised his hoof.
“Well then…” the dragon grumbled.
The dragon certainly wasn’t happy that Midnight worked on the Terminal. He brought the device to the entrance just to make sure that Midnight stood there. In return he allowed the others to seek shelter a bit further inside.
After the others put down their gear, Fade wrapped her clothes tighter to head down to the Vertibuck. On the way out, she got stopped by Shibboleth. “Where are you going?”
“Getting a few things to make a fire. Food and some more blankets.”
“No. You stay up here. Watch over Key and take some rest.”
“It is just a short walk, Shib.”
“A short walk, after you already flew from Stalliongrad, to Tall Tale and up the mountain only to discuss with a dragon? You did enough for today.”
“It’ll be fine.”
“No. You look horrible. You are deprived of sleep, malnourished and I spent enough winters in this area to know what pneumonia looks like.”
“I don’t have pneumonia.”
“Maybe not yet and I am not taking the risk. You stay up here. No back talk!”
Fade sighed. “Alright, ‘Mom’.”
“Now go to Key.”
Fade smiled about the small small distraction. It lasted only until she noticed how Key curled up against the cold cave wall. She sat down next to her and allowed Key to seek some warmth and comfort.
Fade kept her sister in a warm hug. She tried to stay awake but her eyes felt heavy. She watched the activities of the others. Shibboleth and her mother left the cave for the Vertibuck and Midnight inspected the terminal in the light of the sun.
Even though he was deep in his work, Fade noticed that something was missing in his eyes. Something that made him look alive. She closed her eyes to not trouble her mind with anything else. The burning feeling in her chest was worrying her. She knew that Shibboleth was right.
Midnight didn’t pay any attention to the stars above him. He was focused on the memory orb in his hooves. It felt strangely heavy in them and somehow familiar. Most of his past was locked up in it. The only remaining things he knew for a fact was his name and his cutie mark. He forgot how he gained it. Everything was taken or warped by Blue Sky and the Ministry of Morale. He wasn’t even sure how much Feather and Fade changed him. He wasn’t sure if he was a good pony or if he ever could be one.
“We have a problem!” Shibboleth suddenly called from the cave. Midnight turned around and she was working on her radio equipment. The others woke up, nervous and scared. Slowly gathering around her. “Everlast is on the way here. He even ordered reinforcement from Whitehorse.”
“What? Do we have to leave?” Fade asked.
“If we leave, then to Vanhoover,” Feather said. “We must not leave Killjoy in the Enclave’s hooves.”
Fade shook her head. “No. We can’t take Shibboleth and Key to that place.”
“Then they stay here and we pick them up after we return.”
Fade shook her head. “No, Mom. What if something worse happens. We can not ask the dragon to protect them.” Fade coughed and felt how the sudden urgency wasn’t doing her fever any good.
“Then they have to go south.”
“And how far south? Maverick has Brave’s PipBuck,” Midnight said. “They can track her anywhere she goes. We have to find a safe place for Key and then… then we can take care of Killjoy.”
Feather groaned. “Why are you all making it so difficult?”
“Why? You want to know why?” Fade spoke up, even if her throat hurt more. “Because Key and Shib are our family. They are everything that Dad left us.”
“They are your family, Fade. My family ends with Brave and you.” Feather sighed. “Fade, sometimes you have to make a sacrifice for the betterment of Equestria.”
“Oh… Is that something you learned from Blue Sky?” Midnight felt an urge of violence stirring in him.
Feather nodded. “Yes and he is right! Even though—”
Midnight’s throat let out a feral growl when he suddenly stormed at Feather. His frail body crashed into her side and she fell to the ground. Midnight reared up, ready to bring his hooves down on her face.
Shibboleth’s magic aura wrapped around Midnight’s neck and pulled him away. Fade stormed at him and forced her weakened body through the pain to grab Midnight to bring him to the floor.
“Fucking bitch!” He yelled and fought against Fade’s grip. “After all… after all he did to me.. you still defend him?” He was barely able to contain his anger. His body was shaking and his legs twitched as if he lost control. “Where was the betterment of Equestria in killing my friends? Where was it better for Equestria to dump me into Shattered hoof? Answer me!”
“Quiet!” The dragon roared up, his voice now carrying a threatening tone. “You leave my cave!” He pointed his sharp claw at Midnight. “Now!”
Midnight fought himself free from Fade’s weak grip. He growled at the dragon before he turned around to leave.
“And for the rest of you… You stop this right now and you will find a way to make sure that this Everlast won’t come to this place. If I hear you arguing one more time, you all will go!”
After hours of discussion Fade went to Midnight. She saw rage in his eyes. Fade hesitated to approach him on the last feet. He often sat alone to look into the distance or maintain his equipment. He always looked alive, reacting to the tiny motions and sounds around him. But now he appeared indifferent and motionless.
“Midnight?” Fade whispered. After hours of talking her voice had completely disappeared. He didn’t react. “Can I… tell you what we found out.”
“Yes.” The brief answer was only a noise. Fade regretted having shown the memory orb to him. It was as if the memory took the rest of his soul.
“Everlast will probably need two days here. We… We talked about every possibility but… didn’t find a solution. Do you have any ideas?”
Midnight remained still. “The dragon mentioned a cabin.” He said after a while of thinking. “Shibboleth can call the Steel Rangers and say we are there.”
“The Rangers? Why?”
“They will take care of Everlast.”
Fade noticed something in Midnight’s eyes. A vivid mindfulness as if he was moving mental figures over a board. “What about your brother?”
“Don’t worry about my brother. He is only a pawn. One of us will die first.”
“How can you say that?”
“He tried to kill me. He knew I was on the bridge and he didn’t tell his Rangers to stop. He wanted to see me dead. There is no way to… for us to heal.”