I woke up in the spooning position with Night Haven her fur felt so nice.

A bit of light came through a small window in the storage room causing me to nudge. It figures this moment was going to be ruined by the morning sun.

Oh fuck it the morning I quickly looked for the sleeping drug Zonk gave me but I could not find it before Night Haven woke up.

“Hey up already” she spoke as she stretched before getting dressed in her armor.

I noticed something about her mended armor I did not realize till now she was missing all Graymane cult markings and replaced them with the northern ARA flag.

Our flag is of the Icy Peak fortress and the two sisters from pre-war Equestria a clear sigh she was swapping sides.

I got my armor on before heading outside the fortress into its courtyard where transports were preparing to leave.

Plow and Sturdy Hoof were rolling dice and drinking some type of drink.

Night Haven heads to talk to Frosty and Winterboots before they leave on the transports but I could not find Zonk. I am sure they would pop up when needed.

I head over to see what Plow and Sturdy are doing with their game of dice it was only mindless fun, but I needed something better to do than standing around doing nothing.

“Fuck,” Plow said as Sturdy took a drink of some beer from a bottle marked as Psycho Steed beer.

“What are you two doing?” I ask as I sit down next to Sturdy as he tosses some dice that land on double six followed by Sturdy taking a drink.

Plow grabbed the dice and said, “We are rolling to see who drinks and who doesn’t but it seem somehow double sixes are more common than fucking snake eyes,” then he rolled two sixes then shouted, “Come on I am sitting here sober as a tack!”

“Don’t overdo it guys we need you two sober enough to help cover the transport convoy escape,” I said as Sturdy rolled and got two sixes.

Plow yelled, “Are these dice loaded what the hell!?”

Sturdy laughed and said, “There your dice you tell me,” before I left them to keep doing what they were doing.
After stepping away, I went to the medical transports to see off Winterboots and Frosty.

Before I could reach them a hole was blown open in the wall fucking again as raiders attacked firing guns and rushing into melee.

I shouted, "Night Haven keep the transports safe,” before sliding into cover and firing at raiders.

A shoot-out broke out as we were doing our best to keep raiders away from medical transports as best we could.

I kept peaking out of cover to fire my rifle at any raiders out in the open and returning to cover between peaks over and over.

I saw the bain of my existence Heavy Metal on the wall prepping speakers in a Celestia-dammed combat zone.

What in the Light Bringer's name is wrong with him?

I peered out of cover and fired multiple shots at him only for them to fail to penetrate his heavy armor.

He looked at me and laughed as he pointed at me and yelled something but I could not hear it over the gunfire.

The next thing I knew, all the raiders focused and fired at me which gave an opening for the other fighters to shoot at them.

Heavy Metal realized his massive mistake at that moment, or at least I think he did because the raiders who attacked started losing quickly because of his order and he ran away like a coward.

When the fighting ended I heard Zonk shout “Rook here now,” from the transports.

I reacted fast and then bolted to the transports to find Night Haven injured with her back to the side of the transport with a pool of blood coming from her as well a dead raider holding explosives dead on the ground.

“I can keep going just help me up,” Night Haven said as she struggled to get up causing me to quickly move and hold her down and put pressure on one of her many wounds.

Zonk and the medical team took over as Night Haven fought them off so she could get up but soon lack of blood caused her to pass out as they treated her.

“She will not die but she cannot stay,” one of the medics said before they started loading her onto one of the transports.

I felt worried but saw this as a chance to get another friend out of this fight alive and said “Zonk can you ride with her you and her seem to be playing nice and all now,” I knew they disliked each other but Zonk nodded and got on board.

Winterboots looked at me in silence and saluted me before banging on the side of the transport and shouting “Let's go. We might not be as lucky again!”

Transports rolled out through the fortress's other gate away from the Graymane group, leaving me and a few fighters behind to cover their escape and lower the raider’s numbers as much as possible.

Standing behind me, Plow said, “So see who can kill the most?”

Sturdy Hood laughed and then said, “One last game before we all die i love it.”

I felt a smirt form on my face then said “If we are going die we might as well have fun because we cannot control much right? So let’s have fun as we die.”

Sturdy replied, "Dam right. I am going help fix our defenses,” before he walked away.

“Hey, Plow let's try at least kill Graymane. If he dies at least…at least it feels like we gave ARA the best chance to end his raider horde or cult or whatever they are,” I said as a feeling of dread filled me but also of acceptance as Plow smirt and gave me a nod before putting his power armor helmet on and walked away.

I took a moment to look at The Reaper wondering why. Why is this revolver with me after never remembering it from growing up? Why does Graymane want it, why do I need to ensure his evil ends here, why can I feel death in the air and why does the feeling of death not make me scared?

“Hey Rook mind helping us?” A group of ARA troopers ask me snapping me out of whatever mental trap I put myself in.

“Ya sure!” I yelled to them before running over and helping them prepare for Graymane and his follower's arrival.

We first started by grabbing any explosives we could find left behind rigging a few landminds and trip wire traps outside the walls hidden by the snow.

We gave out grenades and extra magazines to ponies who chose to stay behind to help defend and arm every pony with light and heavy assault weapons.

Why do some ponies stay behind i have no clue maybe it was a sense of duty or they thought we could get out of this without dying with some luck but I do know I am happy they are with us because a thirteen vs who knows better than three vs who knows.

After hours of preparing and getting every pony ready, I hide atop the wall with other defenders next to Plow and wait for Graymane's arrival.

After a few hours of peace, a blizzard hit the fortress cutting our vision down followed by loud rock n roll music playing.

During this, the sounds of explosives going off and screams filled the air at least few did because the dam music was making it hard to hear them.

The moment we saw any raider we all shot and kept firing doing our best to kill as many as possible.

During the fight three of Graymane’s Chosen walked out of the part of the blizzard we could not see past so I shouted “Focus them down.”

We opened fire but one made a magic shield soaking the damage our bullets would have done and another aimed a rocket launcher at us and fired.

The rocket hit the wall blasting me and a few others off the wall into the fortress I managed to land on a few boxes to break my fall but two ponies blown off with me died in the explosion.

When I got up another explosion lucky this time no pony died so I got back up and rushed up to the wall.

When I got back up I found Sturdy firing from cover and no sign of Plow.

“Sturdy, where is Plow? Did he fall off or something?” I asked as I took cover next to Sturdy.

“No he jumped off the wall to deal with those Chosen down there,” Sturdy said as he peered out and fired a few rounds at some raiders.

His power armor should keep him safe but I needed to get him back so I said, “Take command of the remaining defenders i am going to get Plow back.”

Sturdy nodded as I went down the wall and out of a gap in the wall that was made from all the fighting.

The chaos of the battlefield made the perfect cover for me to make my way to where Graymane’s chosen are set up firing rockets from.

I managed to kill a few raiders who were not ready for me on my way with a few shots from my trusty rifle.

Once I reached where the chosen were I saw Plow fighting them in a three-on-one and beating them all by himself with only his hoofs as his power armor soaked up a lot of would-be lethal damage.

I ran up to him as he turned to face me and I yelled at him “What the fuck you were thinking!?”

“Hey we want to kill Graymane and what would be the best way to draw him out than killing his Chosen,” Plow said as he hooked up one of their miniguns to his armor.

I exhaled then said, “You're lucky your power armor can take a beating from all the stray bullets and improve your Strength and Endurance.”

Plow chuckled and said, “Hey when we get back to the fortress I cover the wall duty and you can try on my new power armor set after all the new power armor models do not require training.”

I was about to reply to him before Armor just popped in behind him causing me to react by pointing and was about to call it out as Plow turned to swing a hoof at Armor.

Armor easily caught his hoof and put a hoof on his neck then ripped his left power armor hoof including his real hoof out of his shoulder and finally tossed it aside.

Plow let out a grunt of pain before trying to fire his minigun at close range but before it finished spinning up Armor lifted them higher with one hoof and swung them around like a rag doll till the minigun fell off.

I opened fire at Armor but my rounds only bounced off their power armor as they tossed Plow at me.

I leaped over Plow as he was thrown at me but got shoulder-checked by Armor using Plow's body to cover them closing the gap and downing me and Plow.

Armor picked up and hooked up the Minigun and was about to finish us off before Graymane's voice said “Enough Armor we still got a use for them.”

Graymane passed me as Freesoul followed him her horn glowing and shielding him.

I looked at Plow and saw him lying face down in the snow as a pool of blood formed around them he needed fucking help.

“Now I will make a deal with you,” Graymane said getting my attention again and once he noticed my attention was on him again he said, “Deal is you be honest with me when I ask you a few questions and I spare the medical transports I captured.”

My heart sank but I kept my best poker face on because there was no way he could have caught them.

Graymane looked at me then said, “I know you do not trust me so ponies on the transports is that heavy armor pony and Night Haven as well Winterboots and his daughter you tell me the truth and I spare them if I like what I hear.”

I nodded as Freesoul cast a spell and Graymane's eyes glowed and asked “How many of your bloodline are alive?”

I replied “Only me.”

Graymane asked, “Do you know the rules of the Reaper?”

I replied, “No clue how it works or all of the rules.”

Graymane smiled then said, “You got no sister or brother left or maybe any children?”

I nodded and Graymane smiled before pulling out his revolver then said “You die and I can claim the Reaper but do not worry I am a stallion of my word when I get what I want so I let transports go.”

I was ready to die I knew this mission was going to end with me dying but I wish I had a chance to kill one of these basterds.

Plow charged past me through the shield with only three hoofs then he grabbed Graymane and yelled “ROOK RUN NOW!” before he ejected his power armor’s power core with power still in it.

I did not know much about power armor but knew enough to know that an injected power core with power still in it only meant one thing and that he was about to go off like a balefire bomb and try to take Graymane with him.

Graymane shouted, “ARMOR GET HIM OFF ME BEFORE WE BOTH BLOW UP!”

I took this chance to flee back to the fortress as fast as possible, but not before shooting Armor in the back of one of their legs to trip them as Freesoul's magic shield dropped.

After running away a massive explosion set off and I turned back to see the aftermath of Plow's last attempt. I only saw Freesoul's skin burned, their horn broken, their wings severely damaged, and missing three out of her four hoofs.

But there was no body or any evidence of Graymane, Plow, or Armor there but all I can assume is that the blast vaporized all three of them, and Freesoul was so badly damaged she would likely die of her injuries.

I turn to shoot her and put her out of her misery but I stop myself she does not deserve it after all the shit she has done and made others do so I left her there to die slowly and hopefully painfully.

I return to the fortress after a bit of walking as the fighting is dying down I assume word of Graymane's death reaches the raiders making it easy to get back in without being attacked.

“Rook welcome back,” Sturdy said as he greeted me on my way into the fortress courtyard.

I filled him in and everyone's morale was renewed by news that the myth the legend, the monster Graymane was dead and let Sturdy know that Freesoul was dead with him.

Sturdy laughed, saying, “There might be a chance we all can escape from this.”

I quickly replied “If it is then we should take it but…some pony still needs to stay to ensure that if raiders choose to take the fortress they suffer enough losses they will split up into smaller groups. After all no Leader or prophet or whatever they cannot stay together under too much stress.”

Sturdy laughed and said “I can stay after all the wasteland is not friendly to old-world ghouls like me. I just need some power armor to buy time in.”

I was about to tell him of Plow’s spare suit of power armor before a familiar voice spoke “Rook come to the wall now!” the voice of Heavy Metal.

I rushed to the top of the wall with Sturdy and we saw Heavy Metal looking at me and said “I know you did something with Graymane. Do you think making him vanish solved anything? No, you just declared a war on us. If you escape I will raze every settlement you visit I rape every mare you meet I will show you how weak you and ARA are!”

He put on his helmet and his voice changed to distorted as if it was being filtered through a cheap speaker He said “I will exterminate the weak. You got one hour and do not try to flee Graymane had you encircled before you made him vanish,” then he walked away to rally the raiders I assumed.

Sturdy said, “We need to kill him he is already taking Graymane's place.”

I nodded and said “Buy me time I must do something,” before going off to find the power armor that Plow told me about.

I spent about five minutes checking places till I found it in the motor pool in the fortress sitting there with a memory orb and a note on the table in front of it.

I picked up the note and started to read and it said “Hey if you're reading this then I am dead. So I guess you can have my spare suit of power armor. It does not need training but works better with training so I left the memory orb with basic power armor training so it works at ten or twenty percent more. Anyway, good luck out there oh and if you get out of all this alive tell Zonk they won our bet.”

I picked up the orb and looked at it all I could think was that he entrusted me to put an end to this and to do that I have to kill one pony now to end this maybe we don’t need to all die here.

Then ideas of the future I can craft with Night Haven by my side and the land ARA will give me after all this to finish my services in ARA.

That's it I will fight I'll make it out of this all thanks to Plow I wish I had spent more time with him so I could have gotten to know more about his good soul.

I used the orb and passed out when I woke up I will have the basic knowledge and training to use the power armor…Fuck should check how long I would be out for!

Then I dropped to the ground out cold as the orb started to show me everything I would need to know about power armor.

Author's Note

Sorry this took so long to come out.

Orginal chapter got deleted when i was cleaning out my Google Docs of my DnD stuff, Chapter ideas (that i would never finish) and ect.

as well delays because got handle a lot drama.

Last chapter in the works but will not be ready soon.